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SUE'S COOKIN'

Back by popular demand! From our original website, here are recipes developed or adapted by Sue. If you have favorite recipes that you'd like to share, please send them to recipes@greatshadesonline.com. I'll test them out and, if I like them, I'll publish them here in your name.

MAIN DISHES
SOUP
DESERTS
SIDE DISHES AND SALADS

I'm going to start with one of my all-time favorites:

Manicotti

We've had great Manicotti in various restaurants around the country. Here is my version:

Manicotti pasta (plan on 2 per serving)

Cooked chicken (any kind will do. I usually use leftovers from one of those rotisserie chickens you get at the grocery store)

Sun-dried tomato alfredo sauce (one jar per pkg of pasta)

30 oz container of Romano cheese

Small ball of Mozzerella cheese

Other cheeses, as desired (Assiago, provolone, romano)

About 1/2 c sour cream

1 med-lg onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2-1 tsp Oregano

1/2-1 tsp sweet basil

1. pre-cook pasta slightly less time than directed.

2. Chop onion & garlic and saute in coconut or palm oil, butter, or chicken fat. If using roast chicken or rotisserie chicken, add the drippings and pan juices also.

3. Chop chicken in chunks about 1/2" big.

4. In a large bowl, mix the cheeses, sauteed onion & garlic, herbs, sour cream and chicken. Stuff cooled pasta using a small spoon and place in a single layer in a greased baking pan. Pour sauce evenly over pasta. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Get creative - add chopped leftover asparagus, artichoke hearts,chopped Kalamata olives, chopped leftover broccoli, etc. Instead of chicken, use cooked turkey, crab or lobster.

Instead of canned sauce, make your own sauce with heavy cream, cheeses, sun-dried tomatoes, herbs, mushrooms. That way you avoid any sugar, msg, or preservatives that might be in the canned sauces.

Here is a new recipe, which just happens to work well with the Manicotti, above:

Mushroom Sauce
Use this sauce in Tuna Casserole, Beef Stroganoff, Swiss Steak, or even in place of Hollandaise for Eggs Benedict.

1 pound of mushrooms (I like Crimini, but any kind will do)
1/3 to 1/2 c. Chopped Onions
1 Stalk celery, chopped
1 Carrot, chopped
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp (or more) Granulated garlic
2 c. Chicken broth ( or vegetable or beef broth)
1-2 c. Heavy cream

Steps 1. and 2. can be done well ahead of time, if you wish.

1. Combine all ingredients, except the cream, in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-60 minutes.

2. Using an immersion blender, blend in the pot until fairly smooth. (or allow to cool and transfer to a regular blender)

3. When ready to use, stir in heavy cream and adjust seasonings to taste.

You may use milk or 1/2 and 1/2 in place of heavy cream and thicken the sauce with a little flour - stir 1-2 T flour into about 1/2 c cold milk, then blend into the hot sauce, stirring until thickened.

SOUP BASICS

I've been making soup recently. Store bought soup almost always contains MSG,so we don't eat it, but soup is very convenient in our business. When we come home late from an event, we can pull a two-serving container of soup from the freezer and have a light, healthy dinner.

Broth is nice to use as a soup base, but, again, the store brands contain MSG, autolyzed yeast and, sometimes, sugar (why?) and unhealthy fats. So, when I peel vegetables for the soup, I put the peelings, cores and stuff right into a pot of water and simmer them for a while with some salt and herbs. Then I strain out the stuff and add my soup ingredients to the broth.

Another nice starter is a can of diced tomatoes, with or without seasoning but definitely without MSG, etc. Don't drain the juice off. I like to use both veggie broth and diced tomatoes.

I use either cubed beef or chicken plus whatever vegetables you like: carrots and celery, for sure, then Italian yellow squash and/or zuchini, chopped spinach, plenty of onions and garlic (saute them first, if you like), broccoli stems, diced up, diced potatoes (or noodles or some other form of pasta). Season with salt and pepper, Oregano, parsley, Basil, or whatever herbs you like. If it seems flat to you, add a little Basalmic or apple cider vineagar.

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Here is a great Peanut Butter Cookie recipe for you. It came from my trusty Fannie Farmer Cookbook from 1965. In cookbooks, as in dictionaries, older is better.!

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Wow! I just found THE peanut butter cookie recipe. Interestingly, it was right there, in my trusty Fannie Farmer cookbook all the time . Actually, my daughter discovered it.

Cream: 1/2 c butter (or 1/2 butter and 1/2 Palm oil shortening)

1/2 c peanut butter

Beat in: 1/2 c white sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

Stir in: 1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 c flour

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes Makes about 60 cookies

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CRAZY CAKE

Do you ever find yourself wishing that you had just a little taste of chocolate cake?

This is the easiest chocolate cake you ever made! Mix and bake right in the pan! I use a loaf pan

and it makes enough for four satisfying servings.

1 1/2 c Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or substitute part of this with coconut flour
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2c - 1c Xylitol sweetener or sugar
1 T Vinegar
3 tbl Cocoa
6 T coconut oil or butter, melted
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 c milk
1/2 tsp Salt

Right in the loaf pan, mix flour, sugar, cocoa, soda and salt. Add oil,vinegar and vanilla.Stir in milk. No need to beat. Just stir it well. Bake at 350 degrees F oven until it springs back, about 30 minutes. I like to sprinkle on sliced almonds before baking and dust with powdered sugar when it's done. This is wonderful when served warm with vanilla ice cream.

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Not long ago, I was reminded of the Waldorf Salad my mom used to make. I hadn't had any for years! Searching through cookbooks, I found that there are hundreds of recipes - all different. this is my adaptation:

WALDORF SALAD

3 med apples

1T sugar or xylitol

1tsp lemon juice

dash of salt

1c thinly sliced celery

1/2 c coarsely chopped walnuts

1/2 to 1c raisins or currants

1/4 c mayonnaise

1/2 c plain yogurt

Wash and core the apples. Do not peel them. Cut into 1/2" cubes. Sprinkle apples with sweetener, lemon juice and salt. Add celery, raisins and nuts. Fold mayo and yogurt into the apple mixture. Enjoy!

This salad keeps well and the apples won't turn brown overnight. Serves 4 -6.