Easy meal ideas: Simple food leading up to Thanksgiving

Yes, they have to eat even when you're obsessed with the holiday feast. Scavenge the fridge! Have breakfast at night! Make life easy on yourself this week.

Monday:  Morning at night
With all eyes on Thursday’s Thanksgiving feast, it’s a shame we have to worry about meals the rest of the week. But we do. Go light and simple in the days leading up to the daylong over-do. Tonight, it’s Breakfast for Dinner with cheese and veggie omelets, fruit and toast.

Tuesday: Scavenger hunt
You’ll need space in the refrigerator for the turkey, so scour the shelves for a Chef’s Choice dinner. Heat up leftovers, make a Cobb salad — or a quiche with that frozen pie shell, cheese, veggies and eggs. If you’ve got hummus and crackers, put them out. Today is the day to make way for the big stuff.

Wednesday: Rotisserie chicken
Pick up a chicken when you do your last-minute shopping for a Calm Before the Storm meal. Go easy on yourself with the side, too. Buy a prepared salad — we like pasta or three bean — and spend tonight’s cooking time getting ahead for tomorrow.

Thursday: T-day
An early feast means somebody is going to be hungry at 8 p.m. Open-Faced Turkey Sandwiches are Thanksgiving dinner re-arranged. Layer warm turkey and stuffing on slices of bread and douse with gravy. (Add a dollop of cranberry sauce before the gravy.)

Friday: Leftover pie
You’ve probably got all the ingredients to make Turkey Pot Pie (recipe below) but it may be the energy you lack. Enlist some help and take a nap after Christmas shopping. The busy season has truly begun.
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Turkey Pot Pie
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
6 ounces button mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps cut in half then thickly sliced crosswise
1 cup thinly sliced, peeled carrots (about 2 carrots)
1/2 cup diced leftover cooked vegetables (optional)
1?1/2 cups diced cooked turkey (7 to 8 ounces)
1 to 1?1/4 cups gravy
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley plus additional parsley leaves for crust
1 egg white, beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)
1 (9-inch) purchased pie crust
Cranberry sauce
Melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and saute until golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Add sliced mushrooms; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until browned and tender, about 4 minutes. Add sliced carrots; cover and cook until carrots soften slightly, about 2 minutes. Add leftover vegetables, if desired. Add diced turkey, gravy and chopped fresh thyme. Bring filling mixture to boil; reduce heat to low and simmer to thicken if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in peas and chopped parsley. Pour filling into 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish and refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.

Lightly brush rim (both top and underside) of filled pie dish with egg glaze. Place crust atop filling and fold edge of dough over edge of pie dish. Pinch dough rim to seal crust all around. Press down on top edge of crust with fork tines to seal decoratively. Chill 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly brush top of pie with glaze. Make three to four 1/4-inch slits in center of pie to allow steam to escape. Press some fresh parsley leaves onto crust. Bake pie until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. Serve with cranberry sauce.

Serves 6.

Source: Bon Appetit magazine

New book writes the history of Columbia restaurant

The Columbia restaurant in Ybor City has been around more than 100 years. 100 years! Imagine that. Andy Huse, a Tampa Library archivist and all-around foodie, has written a book about the colorful restaurant's history. Huse will be speaking about the book at the St. Petersburg Times Festival of Reading on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the USF St. Petersburg campus. His talk is at 11 a.m. in Davis 105.

For a preview, read Times food critic Laura Reiley's interview with Huse.

Afterward, make the home version of the Columbia's famous 1905 salad.

1905 Salad 
½ head iceberg lettuce
2 ripe tomatoes, cut in eighths
½ cup Swiss cheese, cut in julienne strips
½ cup ham, cut in julienne strips (or turkey or shrimp)
¼ cup green Spanish olives, pitted
2 teaspoons grated Romano cheese
Salad dressing:
1/8 cup white wine vinegar
½ cup extra-virgin Spanish olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Toss together all salad ingredients in a bowl, except Romano Cheese.

Mix garlic, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Beat until smooth with a wire whisk. Add olive oil, gradually beating to form an emulsion. Stir in vinegar and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Add dressing to salad and toss well. Add Romano Cheese and toss one more time. Serves 4. 

Source: Columbia restaurant

Photo of Andy at the Columbia bar taken by Willie J. Allen Jr., St. Petersburg Times

Easy weeknight meals: Fast scampi and a nutty-blue chicken salad

Out of dinner ideas? Here are five to get the juices flowing.

Monday:  What a scampi
We’ve made Shrimp Scampi Fettuccine before and it’s a dish worth repeating. Saute garlic, and minced shallots if you’ve got ’em, in a mixture of butter and olive oil. Don’t let the garlic go brown; keep stirring. Add peeled shrimp and a few good splashes of white wine (or chicken broth). Let shrimp cook through and serve over hot fettuccine. Green salad on the side.

Tuesday: Corny alternative
Saute corn kernels, fresh or frozen, and sliced jalapeno peppers for Spicy Corn & Jack Quesadillas. Mix the corn and jalapenos with grated Monterey Jack cheese and use as the filling for quesadillas. Serve with green salsa and sour cream.

Wednesday: Rotisserie Chicken
Nutty Blue Chicken Salad is what’s for dinner. Shred the bird and arrange meat over iceberg lettuce mix; add some crunchy veggies if you’d like. Sprinkle toasted walnuts and crumbled blue cheese over all; dress with balsamic vinaigrette.

Thursday: Going light
Sausage and Egg Flatbread (recipe below) from Cooking Light is, as you would expect, a light meal. The lemony dressing pairs well with the peppery arugula that garnishes this “pizza.”

Friday: Simply salmon
When you see salmon on sale, grab it. Saute fillets seasoned with salt and pepper in olive oil, about 4 minutes a side. Remove from skillet and add grape tomatoes, a bit of butter, fresh lemon juice and capers to pan. When tomatoes go soft, dump the chunky sauce over the salmon and serve. Five-minute couscous on the side.

Sausage and Egg Flatbread
1 (11-ounce) can refrigerated French bread
2 teaspoons cornmeal
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 (4-ounce) turkey Italian sausage, casing removed, crumbled
1/2 cup  shredded Fontina cheese
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups arugula
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Find lengthwise seam in dough. Beginning at seam, gently unroll dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough crosswise into 2 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 15- by 6-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Place each rectangle on a baking sheet sprinkled with 1 teaspoon cornmeal.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and turkey Italian sausage to pan; cook 4 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring to crumble.

Divide sausage mixture evenly between rectangles, spreading evenly down length of dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border on each; top evenly with 1/4 cup cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven. Break 2 eggs onto each flatbread, packing evenly lengthwise; sprinkle evenly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until eggs are set. Turn off oven; leave flatbreads in oven with oven door closed for 4 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from oven.

Combine arugula, lemon juice and olive oil; toss. Arrange arugula mixture evenly over flatbreads. Cut each flatbread crosswise into 3 squares; serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 288 calories, 12g fat, 17g protein, 28g carbohydrates, 676mg sodium.
Source: Cooking Light, October

Easy weeknight meals: Salads, pasta, soup and a fancy surprise

Monday: Go green

Recycle weekend leftovers for a Big Green Salad full of veggies and bits of protein (hard-boiled eggs, leftover chicken, beef or fish, tuna or seafood salad, cold cut strips, any type of cheese). Give your salad crunch with pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Shelled, of course.

Tuesday:  Yes, you can
Scour the pantry for cans of tuna and diced tomatoes and a box of dried penne (or other pasta). Check the fridge for green olives and make Pasta With Tuna, Tomato and Green Olives. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a saute pan and add some garlic and red pepper flakes. Mix in tuna and diced tomatoes. Add chopped olives and heat through. Mix with drained pasta. Dinner, done.

Wednesday:  Rotisserie chicken
The October Food Network mag, which I have to say I love, has a simple recipe for Spicy Tortilla Chicken Soup. First, shred the meat from the bird and set aside. Puree 2 seeded, soaked ancho peppers (which are dried mild poblanos), 1 peeled onion, 2 tomatoes and 2 garlic cloves. Fry in oil in a large saucepan. Add 6 cups of broth, 4 torn corn tortillas, shredded chicken and 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Simmer until thick. Season with salt and garnish with crisp tortilla strips, Mexican cheese, cilantro and lime juice.

Thursday: Get messy
Enjoy the last of summer’s fresh corn with a Shrimp and Potato Boil. Bring a big pot of water to boil and add lemon juice, smashed garlic cloves and coarse salt. Sprinkle in Old Bay if you’d like. Toss in small whole red potatoes and cook for about 20 minutes. Add shucked corn in manageable lengths, and about 5 minutes later add the shrimp. Drain and dump in bowl. Serve with bread and butter. Eat outside.

Friday: Fancy night
Pull out the stops tonight and make the fall-centric Wilted Arugula Salad With Sauteed Pork, Pears and Blue Cheese (recipe below). Light the candles and let the family know you love them. Or at least that you love to cook.

Wilted Arugula Salad With Sauteed Pork, Pears and Blue Cheese
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, finely diced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry (about 8 loosely packed cups)
1 firm-ripe Bosc pear
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 pound of pork tenderloin, trimmed and sliced 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 pound blue cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup dried cherries

In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar and mustard. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of the oil. Stir in the shallot and thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Put the arugula in a large bowl. Core the pear and cut it into matchsticks.

Put the flour in a pie pan or large plate. Season the pork liberally with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour. Set a heavy 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and the butter. When the butter melts and begins to lightly brown, cook the pork (in batches if necessary), flipping after 2 minutes, until it’s just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Repeat with the remaining pork.

Discard any fat in the skillet and set over low heat. Add the balsamic-Dijon vinaigrette and cook, stirring to pick up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, until the sauce is warm, about 1 minute. Pour the vinaigrette back into its bowl and whisk to recombine. Toss the arugula with half of the warm vinaigrette. Arrange the arugula on 4 plates. Top with the pork, pear, blue cheese and dried cherries, and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette.

Serves 4.

Source: Fine Cooking; photo from Rachael Ray, Food Network

Jamie and Bobby Deen ... like buttah

I had a nice phone interview this morning with Jamie and Bobby Dean who have a new cookbook out on Sept. 8. "The Deen Bros. Take It Easy" has 125 recipes that Jamie promises will be on the table in less than 45 minutes. It's a fun cookbook and has a number of tempting recipes. Read more about it in next week's St. Petersburg Times Taste section or online.

You never know how these phone interviews will go, but Jamie and Bobby are as nice and personable as they seem on TV. I did ask Bobby about how he felt about comedian Kathy Griffin goofing on him when she visited Paula Deen for her show "My Life on the D-List." In true Kathy Griffin fashion, it wasn't exactly G-rated. "I was nervous. That could have gone either way." Actually, it was quite funny and the Deen clan were all good sports. "Our mom is really smart and really witty; she can hold her own with Kathy Griffin," Bobby says.

I made the following recipe a couple weeks ago and liked it a lot. Don't do what I did and mix it all up in a big bowl with the greens. Put the greens on a plate and spoon the sausage and potato melange over them. A simple meal that really satisfies.

Sausage Potato Salad with Tomatoes and Greens
1 pound red potatoes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
1 pound andouille sausage or kielbasa, sliced into 1-inch-thick rounds
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup seeded and diced green bell pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
6 cups crisp greens, romaine or Boston lettuce for serving

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes; boil about 25 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool. Cut potatoes into quarters and place in a large bowl.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 to 7 minutes, or until browned. Transfer the sausage to paper-towel-lined plate to drain.

To make the dressing, in a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk in the remaining olive oil.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, sausage, dressing, tomatoes, bell pepper and onion. Add the vinegar and toss well. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Divide the greens among four plates and top with the sausage and potato salad.

Serves 4.

Source: The Deen Bros. Take It Easy (Ballantine)

Easy weeknight meals: Chicken every which way

Monday: Homestyle dinner
Pair Parmesan Chicken with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli for a hearty Monday night dinner. To make the chicken, dredge boneless, skinless breasts in beaten egg, then in a mixture of grated Parmesan cheese and sesame seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes. Flip halfway through cooking time.

Tuesday: Meatless tonight
Pasta with Eggplant-Tomato Sauce will fool most meat lovers. Simmer cubed eggplant with a couple cans of diced tomatoes and minced garlic for about 45 minutes. We use the tomatoes that are already flavored with oregano and garlic (or whatever seasonings you like). Don’t worry if the mixture looks too dry; the meaty eggplant releases lots of juice. Spoon over cooked pasta and garnish with Parmesan cheese. Salad and bread on the side.

Wednesday: Rotisserie Chicken
Low-fat Cantaloupe Chicken Salad (recipe below) reminds us
of an old-school ladies-who-lunch dish. Pile the salad into half
a melon, and serve with breadsticks. Ladies have dinner too,
don’t they?

Thursday: Seafood grill
Oil up the grill grate for sea scallops and shrimp. Brush them with olive oil infused with minced garlic and parsley. Serve over couscous that’s been cooked with thinly sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle your one-bowl meal with sliced scallions, both white and green portions.

Friday: Burgerfest
Put your stamp on Cheese-Stuffed Burgers by forming the patties around a tablespoon or so of feta, goat, mozzarella or pepper Jack cheese. Adorn accordingly, though we think they all go with thin slices of Granny Smith apples and thick slabs of bacon. Serve with fresh fruit and pasta salad loaded with veggies.

Cantaloupe Chicken Salad
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
1?1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash salt and pepper
1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup seedless red grapes, halved
2 scallions, chopped
1 small cantaloupe, halved and seeded
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

In large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, peel, lemon juice, ginger, salt and pepper. Add the chicken, celery, grapes and scallions; toss to coat. Spoon 1 cup salad mixture into each cantaloupe half; sprinkle with almonds.

Serves 2.

Nutritional information per serving: 350 calories, 11g fat (2g saturated), 40g carbohydrates, 5g fiber, 37g protein, 417mg sodium.

Source: Taste of Home: Healthy Cooking

Photos from Taste of Home and Williams-Sonoma

Crazy for goat cheese

I stop dead in my tracks, drooling and yearning when I see a recipe with goat cheese in it. Really, I need to learn how to make goat cheese.

What is it about women and goats and goat cheese? Have you noticed that so many goat farmers and cheesemakers are women? I heard goat cheese queen Laura Chenel talk a few years ago and she said the minute she saw her first goat, she knew her destiny. Whoa. I only feel like that when I see a Twinkie. (Just for fun, go to my recipe for deep-fried Twinkies here.)

The June Everyday Food is out with this recipe for Pasta Salad With Goat Cheese and Arugula. I say throw a couple New York strips on the grill and make this to go with. If could also suffice as a meatless meal with more protein if you add more beans.

Let me know if you hear of any goat cheese classes around these parts. We can go together.

Pasta Salad With Goat Cheese and Arugula

3/4 pound gemelli or other short pasta
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini, drained
3/4 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese (3 ounces)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 bunch arugula (8 ounces), torn
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta and rinse under cold water. In a large bowl, toss pasta with beans and goat cheese.

Make dressing: In a bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar and mustard and season with salt and pepper. (To store, refrigerate pasta mixture and dressing separately, up to 1 day.) To serve, toss pasta mixture with dressing, arugula and onion.

Serves 4.

Source: Everyday Food

Photo from Business Week.

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First bounty from White House Garden

The first fruits from Michelle Obama's White House vegetable garden have been harvested, the Washington Post reports. Lettuces, among them oak leaf, romaine and speckled lettuce, plus fennel and rhubarb were the first to be pulled from the ground. Didn't take long considering the Obamas have been in Washington just more than 100 days.

The lettuces and fennel were served at a April 27 working dinner for the president and his economic advisers in a salad called "White House kitchen garden salad with spiced Marcona almonds and lemon tarragon vinaigrette."

(AP photo)

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An entire cookbook on potato salad?

A few years ago I had a mango cookbook proposal rejected by a publisher who said the topic was too narrow. Since then I've seen cookbooks on toast, bacon, wings, deviled eggs, puff pastry and creme brulee. Yeah, I am bitter and am reminded of that by another cookbook that crossed my desk this week.

Potato Salad: 65 Recipes from Classic to Cool by Debbie Moose is one of those why-didn't-I-think-of-that sort of book. You know how I like potato salad and I make a pretty good one. Debbie is a clever writer (she wrote the deviled eggs and wings books, too) who knows how to come up with variations on the theme. Herbs and Garlic Potato Salad caught my eye. Grab yourself some of those yummy, yet sinful, fried chicken tenders from Publix and serve this herb-y delight with them. Make double. You know you'll want some in the wee hours.

(And contact me about that mango cookbook if you're a publisher or an agent. Honestly, it's not that narrow. Drinks! Appetizers! Salads! Salsas! Entrees! Desserts! I have five trees in my yard! I know mangoes!)

Herbs and Garlic Potato Salad
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Place the potatoes in a large pot, add enough water to cover them, cover the pot with a lid, and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are pierced easily with the tip of a sharp knife, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and let cool until you can handle them but they are still warm. Peel and cut into approximately 1-inch pieces.

In a large bowl, stir together the garlic, parsley, chives, onion, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, celery, salt and pepper. Crush the thyme lightly with your fingers and stir it in. Add the potatoes and toss until coasted. Cover and refrigerate for several hours to overnight.

Source: Potato Salad: 65 Recipes from Classic to Cool by Debbie Moose (Wiley, $16.95)

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Come into my "Cracker Kitchen" -- with Janis Owens

Have you ever eaten that broccoli salad at Sweet Tomatoes? You know, the sort of sweet melange with raisins and sunflower seeds (I think)? If you're a fan of it, there's a mighty close version in Janis Owens' new cookbook The Cracker Kitchen.

  

Janis, who lives in Newberry, near Gainesville, was at my house today for a few hours cooking up a few Southern specialties for a story I am writing for next week's Taste section in the St. Petersburg Times.  Look at us chumming it up here! She's a Florida native who tells a heck of a story in a lilting accent infused with Southern charm. This is Janis' first cookbook, but she has written three novels: My Brother Michael, Myra Sims" and The Schooling of Claybird Catts.

I'm passing on the recipe here. Make it tonight for tomorrow's dinner ... it tastes better after it chills. It's also a great candidate for a tailgate party, picnic or potluck. Seriously, it's one of those simple recipes that everyone wants the recipe for. Janis says it goes great with barbecue.

Broccoli and Raisin Salad
2 cups raw broccoli florets
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup Spanish peanuts
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons white vinegar

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Chill for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

Serves 6, and can easily be doubled.

Source: The Cracker Kitchen by Janis Owens (Scribner; $25)

Photo by Scott Keeler, St. Petersburg Times

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