Sometimes I like to shake it up a little bit and that’s exactly what I did with this recipe . The funniest thing was that I made it to serve for a small dinner party and completely forgot about it and discovered it when I went to serve dessert!!!! How disappointed was I? it was very aggravating but I will make it again because I thought it came out delicious. This is what I did. You might want to check out my other wonderful corn salad which is titled Fresh Corn Salad it’s a little different and might be more to your liking. I like both just fine and I think you will too! There are so very many variations of corn salad out there and especially in the summer when the corn is so fresh and delicious.

Ingredients:

4 cups of fresh corn ( it’s so amazing in the summer) I actually used 6 ears of corn –boiled it for 3 mins and plunged into an ice bath to stop cooking. I did it the night before because it’s just easier that way

1/3 cup of fresh cilantro chopped–if you don’t like cilantro you can omit it, but it packs a  lots of flavor–just saying…..

3 Tablespoons Lime Juice –I used my juicer because this is a lot of squeezing. Or buy the fresh lime juice in those little green bottles. (see photo) but nothing beats fresh in my book

1- 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, I used 1 . Feta was plenty salty here. You might want to add more, you can taste as you go.

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil–Extra Virgin is the way to go

1 cup thinly sliced radishes — they are amazing this time of year but if you hate them you can substitute with a little red onion or scallion. I love radishes and I love the pop of color and crunch they provide

1 cup cherry tomatoes–sliced in 1/2 or into 1/4’s

1/2 cup crumbled Feta— I used a 6oz. container

Directions:

Cut corn off cobs–I know it’s work but it’s worth it and mix the corn with all ingredients adding cheese last. Yum!!! refrigerate and take out before you’re eating and let sit at room temperature.  I put salad together early in the morning and refrigerated all day. You can make it and serve it right away  but it will be better after flavors marinate a bit. I still cannot believe that I forgot to put this wonderful side dish out!!!!!!! It happens to the best of us.

Enjoy!

This was truly one of the most epic meals! The whole meal in under an hour, and yes that’s lasagna folks. While I love a real lasagna I didn’t have the time to put the whole thing together and deal with it. Once you have the ingredients the prep time is minimal and you aren’t using store bought sauce , this is with sauce you make and I can’t say enough about the way it tasted! This can be done a few different ways and I invite you to play around with the ingredients and spices to your own liking. All I can say is Wow!  Delicious! Joel was very happy with our Sunday night dinner, I should have taken a picture of the big smile he had on his face when he saw this on his plate.  All in one pot is truly a great way to cook, no fuss, no muss and no having to deal with cooking lasagna noodles!!!!!! Yeah!

This can easily be made with ricotta cheese and spinach or any veggies you like. I would even try it with cut up eggplant!

*You’ll need a large oven proof skillet with lid

Ingredients:

1 to 1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil–I used 1 1/2 you can start with 1 and add more to onions if you need it

1/2 lb. ground beef ( I used 80/20)

3 Italian sausage links, casings removed ( I used Hot Italian Sausage) use what you like , you can use turkey or chicken sausage as well

1 onion, diced

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 8oz.can tomato sauce

*Italian seasonings , if you have Italian seasonings in a jar that’s great if not use a little dried oregano and dried basil. Italian Seasonings is available in the spice department of all food stores.

*1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

App. 1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt and more to taste

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

app. 10 lasagna noodles, broken into 1/4’s, if it breaks up differently don’t worry it’s a very loose recipe! 8 ounces Farfalle Pasta also works if you don’t feel like using the lasagna noodles. Un-cooked Noodles!!!!!

8 oz. mozzarella balls ( fresh) I used the small ones this time. Use whatever cheese you like but these worked out beautifully.  You can always use shredded mozzarella, or just cut a large ball of mozzarella into small pieces ( as much or as little as you’d like) if using shredded mozzarella, you’ll need about 1 cup

2 cups water

Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese for serving

*you can also use 1 cup Ricotta Cheese for a very cheesy version, I would use this if I was making it with spinach and going veggie.

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook till translucent, add garlic towards the end of onion process. Add ground beef to the onions, stirring occasionally till browned. I removed with slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl. I then cooked up the sausage making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooked.  I then removed sausage to bowl with meat , onions, and garlic and drained all excess fat from pan.

Pre-heat oven to Broil

Return meat to pan, add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, spices, add 1/4 tsp. kosher salt to taste, if you need more add it. Add in the meat mixture and stir, bring to a simmer and add in broken lasagna pieces and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 13- 15 minutes for al dente. I stirred it gently a few times just to make certain that the noodles cooked through and didn’t stick together.

Remove from the heat . I placed my Mozzarella on top and placed in oven under broiler for about 5 mins. Check on it because you don’t want it to blacken. All ovens are different, in mine it needed about 6 minutes to just start browning without burning, but you don’t want to burn this up so set timer and keep an eye on it!

Remove from the oven and let it sit out for a few minutes. Plate it up and let everyone add their own parmesan cheese! Enjoy! you will.

Plated up and ready to eat

Finished Product

adding mozzarella before placing under broiler

placing un-cooked noodles into sauce

This would serve 4. It’s tough to double because you would need a super large pan.

This makes for an amazing leftover!

My new obsession is cauliflower rice and I have to admit that since you can now find the cauliflower already chopped up and ready to use there is no excuse not to make this. I used to have to chop the cauliflower in my processor which was time consuming and I would have to dry it on towels as it was always slightly watery. Now it’s available in pre-prepared cauliflower rice packages. Both Green Giant chopped cauliflower in a bag as well as at Trader Joe’s. The pre-chopped bags come in 16 ounce size bags which is what I used for this recipe.  You can buy extra bags and keep them frozen!  It’s wildly popular so grab it while you can and get a few extra bags while you’re at it. Of course you can always chop your own if you don’t have access to any of these products.

This was so delicious and I add chicken or shrimp or even tofu . Other veggies are great here too like broccoli , kale, whole small pieces of cauliflower etc.  There are so very many variations on this theme, feel free to go wild with it. It’s a low carb alternative to regular rice and a delicious healthy way to do so. Photos of rice bowl with shrimp and kale are here as well.

This is how I do it.

Ingredients:

1 bag chopped cauliflower rice ( I found Green Giant brand and used it) I used a 16 oz. bag  you can use up to 24 oz. Or 1 medium head of cauliflower.

2 Tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce- you may want to add more at the end , you’ll wait and taste

1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, plus a little bit for eggs as well. You can cut the oil down on eggs if you’d like. I felt like I needed the 2 tbsp. of oil for onions , etc. You can start 1 tbsp. and add as you need.

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger– you can use fresh if you prefer

2 large eggs-beaten

1 cup frozen peas and carrots –I had it in the house and how easy was this? you can use broccoli or corn or all.

1 onion diced

2 cloves garlic -minced

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper , about 6 grinds on the pepper mill will do

*pinch of crushed red pepper

*kale — after onions were sautéed I threw torn up kale pieces to pan right before cauliflower rice and other ingredients. Kale broke down rather quickly and was an extra added delicious flavor to this bowl.

*chicken, shrimp whatever protein you like . I used a thin chicken cutlet as it was just for me, if I were making for more people I would probably add about 1/2 lb. of cutlets diced up.

2 green onions (scallions) thinly sliced

*salt and pepper to taste — you may want to add a little but don’t add till the end and you’ve tasted it. I added a little sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Directions:

If you must make the cauliflower rice, take out the processor, pulse cauliflower in the large bowl of a food processor until it resembles rice, about 3 minutes, set aside. If you bought the bag–you’re ready.

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and a little black pepper

Heat about 1/2 Tbsp. of vegetable oil in a medium skillet over low heat , add beaten eggs and cook until cooked through. I didn’t scramble , I made a large pancake. About 2-3 minutes per side, flipping once. Let cool completely before dicing into small pieces, set aside to cool.

Heat 1- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until onions become translucent, at least 5 minutes. I like my onions translucent for this recipe. Lower the heat and stir in peas and carrots (and any other veggies you’d like) and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. I cut up a thin chicken cutlet into small pieces and added it with the vegetables. I ended up using the 2 Tablespoons of oil, do what works best for you.

Stir in the cauliflower, diced up eggs, green onions and soy sauce mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through and the cauliflower is tender, about 5 minutes . Taste for soy sauce and add if necessary. I didn’t add any salt because the soy sauce was salty enough.

This is a very loose recipe so please feel free to experiment.

I am always trying out new recipes and especially new recipes for chicken. This one was part improvisation and part recipe. I love chicken thighs and I had tomatoes in the house and I always have white wine, flour and Dijon mustard in the house. Shopping list was short and I don’t mind cooking with butter ( yes real butter). It was delicious and not difficult at all. Big recommendation on this one. A nice green vegetable or salad would be lovely along with some crusty bread to soak up this delicious sauce.

You can substitute chicken broth for the wine if you don’t want to use wine.

Ingredients:

8 bone-in chicken thighs ( you can use less and just modify the rest of the recipe amounts)

4 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

1 Tablespoon ground black pepper

6-8 large medium to large shallots ,peeled and cut in half or quarters the long way depending on how large the shallots are.

2 cups white wine

2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

2 sprigs thyme

2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees — you’ll need an oven-proof skillet with lid

Rinse chicken thighs in water, and pat them very very dry with paper towels. I allow the chicken to sit wrapped up in the paper towels while I prep. In a shallow plate place flour with the salt and pepper and stir together. I dredged the chicken through the flour not heavily and shake out any excess flour. The 2 Tablespoons worked well on 4 pieces because that’s what I made for us.

Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot or skillet set over medium-high heat. When the butter starts to foam up, cook the chicken , in batches if necessary. Cook until well browned and crisp on both sides. Set aside.

Add the shallots to the pot and saute them in the butter until they begin to soften and caramelize, takes approximately 10 – 15 minutes. Add the wine to de-glaze the pot, stir with a large wooden spoon. Add in the mustard and thyme till dissolved, then add the chicken thighs. Cover the pot, turn the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the lid after 30 minutes, and allow the sauce to reduce and thicken for 15 -20 minutes on the stovetop. I added the tomatoes at this point while it sat. I like a little sprinkle of crushed red pepper which I add before serving.

I then placed open pan in oven at 375 degrees for about 10 -15 minutes, it just crisps everything up nicely and it was perfect!

It is almost here and the buzzing about “what I’m making” has already started. I try to put it to the back burner till about 2 weeks before the actual shopping and cooking. I have to admit to already picking up farfel, matzo, and matzo meal and a few other key ingredients.  The stores have had Passover ingredients for a few weeks already and I see a few of you sneaking peeks at my Passover Recipes already. No denying it, it’s time to at least start thinking about your menu or what you’re planning on bringing to the Seder you will be going to.

I am going to start posting all the recipes that I think you’ll be needing to look at in the next week or so.  You can also go to cookingwithcandi.com and put in the title of the recipe you are looking for,  you can also put in Passover to the search box and the Passover recipes should come up . I will try and make sure that all Passover recipes are tagged appropriately. Please do not hesitate to email me or contact me on cookingwithcandi.com , I do try and respond to all inquiries. Any suggestions?  I am always open to new and different recipes even if my family always wants the same old recipes. Tradition is what it’s all about.

Here are some of the recipes you might want to take a look at:

Let’s start at the beginning.

Homemade Chicken Soup with Not-So-Homemade Matzo Balls

Passover Popovers

Traditional Ashkenazi Charoset

Chicken Marbella-probably my go to Main Chicken Dish -it’s wonderful and spring like

Bree’s Slow Cooked Skirt Steaks

Slow Cooked Brisket-Super Easy

Happy New Year Brisket

Old School Meatballs (sweet and sour)

Un-Stuffed Cabbage

Apricot Honey-Mustard Chicken

Honey Roasted Chicken

Peach Farfel

Karyn’s Cranberry Apple Crisp for Passover

Chocolate Bark

Grandma Regina’s Farfel for Passover

Judy’s Apple Matzoh Kugel for Passover

Spinach Souffle for Passover-so very easy-Vegetarian/Dairy Side Dish

Chocolate Bark Surprise

Passover Cobbler

My Favorite Macaroons-Traditional Style for Passover

macaroons for passover

Passover spinach souffle

Cathy’s Popovers for Passover

Passover Cobbler

Bree’s Slow Cooked Skirt Steaks- perfect for Passover because it frees up your oven

Traditional Ashkenazi Charoset with Apples and Walnuts

Peach Farfel -a must make dish

http://www.cookingwithcandi.com

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I had chicken breasts in the refrigerator ready to go and had to figure out what I was doing with them using ingredients that I had in the house. I have been waiting to try a Tikki Masala Recipe but didn’t have all the ingredients so I had lemons, garlic, even had fresh rosemary in the house. I really threw this together and the next time out I would use thin chicken cutlets .  I would use 1 package of cutlets for the 2 of us, which is usually around the 1 lb. mark. This recipe would be perfect for 1 lb. of chicken cutlets. Double up for 2 lbs.

As I said this was a very thrown together recipe. I tried to keep track of what I was doing so I could duplicate recipe. It is one of those recipes that you sort of wing as you go. We really enjoyed this chicken and I hope you will too.

Ingredients:

1 package of thin chicken cutlets or app. 4 chicken cutlets

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. Grapeseed Oil, if no Grapeseed Oil use canola or sunflower

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice ( app. 1 average size lemon)

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, if you’re gluten-free use gluten-free flour such as rice flour, or corn flour and it will be just fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

1 Tsp. Kosher Salt and more to taste

1/2 Tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper and more to taste

1/4 cup dry white wine

Directions:

Whisk together in a large bowl the olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary and 1 tsp. kosher salt and 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper. Place chicken cutlets into bowl and place in the refrigerator for a 1/2 hour.

Remove chicken cutlets from marinade and place on a plate, discard the marinade. I sprinkled a little more kosher salt and pepper on the top side of chicken (shiny side) . Then dredge lightly in the flour, you should have more than enough flour with 2 Tbsp. but if you need more you can add it. Tap Breasts after you dredge to remove excess flour.

Turn oven on low or a warming drawer works well here , just to keep chicken warm after you cook it on stovetop.  Heat a large skillet over medium to high heat and add grapeseed oil. When oil is very hot, place one or two pieces of chicken in the pan–don’t crowd. Cook for a few minutes on each side, (try not to overcook or the chicken will be very dry) just until you see it browning up, this is why the thinner chicken works best here.  Transfer to a plate and blot the chicken with paper towel. Cook all the chicken. I placed chicken on a baking sheet and put in the oven/warming drawer while I cooked the mushrooms.

Turn burner down to medium high heat , add mushrooms to the pan and sprinkle with a little kosher salt and pepper. Let them sear for about a minute without touching them, then stir , scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. When the mushrooms start to soften add the wine, chopped thyme, and you can taste for salt and pepper. Continue to stir the mushrooms until the wine has evaporated and mushrooms are tender and ready , app. 10 minutes. I removed chicken from oven , plated it up over basmati rice and added the mushrooms over the chicken. That’s it and it was delicious.

Soup Season is officially upon us even though today is a particularly warm day in New York. It’s still the time of year that you like to hunker down with a cozy delicious meal.

This was an absolutely delicious dinner soup I made the other night. I like my soups to simmer for a while on the stove top, I made this soup about 2 hours before we were going to eat it. This soup can be made rather quickly or you can allow it to simmer for a few hours. It’s even better the next day. If serving the next day you will most likely need to add liquid, I added a little bit of water or you can add stock. Just add a little at a time.

There is a little effort involved here but mostly chopping and prepping.

I used my mini-processor for chopping carrots because I wanted them finely chopped.

The fresh herbs tasted wonderful and I wouldn’t omit.

You can use turkey or chicken sausage or any kind of sausage you would prefer.

I served alongside a crusty bread,  manchego cheese and a beautiful red wine.

*this soup can easily be frozen

*will serve 6-8 easily

Enjoy this !

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 pound spicy turkey sausage, Italian sausage (casings removed) chicken sausage, whatever you prefer, chopped.

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

3 carrots, finely chopped– to obtain this chop I used my mini processor

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons finely chopped sage

1 Tablespoon finely chopped rosemary

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt –which was enough

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes–clearly this is optional but it adds a little kick

4 cups Chicken / Vegetable Stock –low sodium or regular it’s you’re call

1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes

3 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

app. 1/2 lb. baby spinach–or any greens you’d like. You can eyeball it to see how much you’d like to use. You could use heartier greens, like kale or collard greens–just be certain to cook them in the soup for at least 5 minutes prior to serving. You want them to wilt and break down a bit.

Directions:

In a large stockpot heat the olive oil over medium-heat.

Cook Sausage, stirring occasionally and breaking up any large pieces as it cooks. Cook until browned, app. 10 minutes or so. Transfer sausage with a slotted spoon to another plate.

Add onions, carrots, and garlic to pot and cook in the oil from sausage. Stir frequently, until onions are tender. App. another 10 minutes.

Add sage, rosemary, salt , pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir in chicken stock, tomatoes and their juices, and reserved sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until flavors have melded together, at least 15 minutes. I let it sit and simmer for about 2 hours on a very low simmer, stirring occasionally.

Before you’re ready to serve you will do this next step: this will add 15 minutes more of cooking time, you can always simmer longer.

Coarsely mash beans from 1 can of rinsed , drained beans. You can use a fork for this or a potato masher. Then add this mash to soup. Stir in the almond milk and remaining 2 cans of rinsed, drained beans. Let simmer for another 15 minutes at least. Taste for salt and pepper at this point. I didn’t need to add any.

I added the spinach a few minutes before serving, just eyeball out about 1/2 cup of baby spinach or whatever greens you are using. The heartier greens like kale will take a little longer to break down.

You can top soup with freshly grated parmesan if you’d like.