Book Nook Cafe discussion

Share your favorite recipes with us !

I made this last night for dinner. I thought it was pretty good, but my BF didn't care for it at all. The only change I made was to add a few fresh chopped onions. The feta added a nice tang to it.
This recipe is for 2 servings.

Greek Style Ravioli

Ingredients:

12 frozen cheese ravioli
1/3 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
1 cup canned diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Cook ravioli according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook beef over medium heat 4-6 minutes or until no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add ravioli, spinach and olives; heat through, stirring gently to combine. Sprinkle with cheese.

Interesting selection, Kim. I must be honest with you, i'm such a fan of ravioli, it wouldn't dawn on me to embellish it with anything other than grated cheese. Good for you in stretching that.

~*Kim*~ wrote: "

. The feta added a nice tang to it...."


I saw on FB that they now have "Athenos Traditional Whipped Feta Gluten Free Cheese Dip & Spread, 8oz Fresh" . Currently it's only sold at Walmart.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Athenos-Tr...


I've only added Feta to salads, so I don't know if I would use the spread. It might be interesting with fresh veggies.

madrano wrote: "Interesting selection, Kim. I must be honest with you, i'm such a fan of ravioli, it wouldn't dawn on me to embellish it with anything other than grated cheese. Good for you in stretching that."

Trader Joe's, at certain times of the year, sells Lemon ricotta ravioli. I make it with pesto. It's so good !

Alias Reader wrote: "I saw on FB that they now have "Athenos Traditional Whipped Feta Gluten Free Cheese Dip & Spread, 8oz Fresh"

That might actually be good on pita bread

Great idea, Kim !

Our son was a picky eater as a kid but he LOVED feta cheese. It was such a surprise to us but we kept it on hand & it was his go-to snack food. My husband picked up the habit & we still often have it in the 'fridge, adding it to salads, sandwiches, meat dishes, whatever. Funny how such things develop.

That lemon ravioli sounds wonderful and imagining it with pesto--wow!

Ok, usually I suck at baking things from scratch. I can cook pretty good, but baking is another story. LOL! But these turned out REALLY good. Mine cooked for about 13 minutes to be completely done.

Butterscotch Pudding Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large whole egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (3.4 oz)package instant butterscotch pudding
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 oz package butterscotch chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350º F.
Cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
Once well combined, beat in egg and vanilla extract until well blended.
Slowly add in flour, pudding mix, salt, and baking soda.
Mix in butterscotch chips until evenly distributed.
Scoop round balls onto cookie sheet. Slightly flatten the cookie.
Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are set and the tops are dry.
Remove and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
Move cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

https://dinnersdishesanddesserts.com/...

Sounds wonderful, Kim.

This brings back memories from childhood. My mom used to make butterscotch pudding. ( from a box) I haven't had that since I was a kid.

What a neat idea for a cookie.

Like Alias, my mom would "cook up" a box of butterscotch pudding, too. It was my favorite back then. The last time i tried it, when my kids were young, i was no longer pleased with it. I still like butterscotch, though.

Thanks for the recipe, Kim.

I made this the other night. It was actually good and my boyfriend said he'd eat it again. It did need a bit more flavor, but I added salt and it was a bit better. I used a different fish because I've actually never heard of the fish in the recipe. LOL!

Pistachio Crusted Fish

Ingredients:

1 large egg white, beaten
1/2 cup pistachios, finely chopped
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 orange roughy fillets (6 ounces each)
4 teaspoons butter, melted

Directions:

1. Place egg white in a shallow bowl. Combine the pistachios, bread crumbs, parsley, pepper and salt in another shallow bowl. Dip fillets in egg white, then pistachio mixture.
2. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with butter. Bake at 450° for 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/p...

That sounds good, Kim.

I've heard of roughy but never saw that in the stores.

When I make flounder fillets I top them with seasoned breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and lemon pepper. Then I also put lemon juice over that. Then add dabs of butter to help it brown.

I bake or broil until the bread crumbs are lightly browned.


I googled Roughy fish.
Sorry anything called slimehead is a non starter for me. 😮

--The orange roughy, also known as the red roughy, slimehead and deep sea perch, is a relatively large deep-sea fish belonging to the slimehead family. The UK Marine Conservation Society has categorized orange roughy as "vulnerable to exploitation". Wikipedia

LOL, I had never heard of it and definitely haven't seen it in any grocery stores. I bought west coast flounder.

~*Kim*~ wrote: "I used a different fish because I've actually never heard of the fish in the recipe..."

It sounds delicious. As to Orange Roughy, it is a tasty fish. We had plenty of it available in the 1980s, at affordable prices. This was true even in South Dakota, where we lived at the time. Then...nothing. We couldn't find it.

While reading The Universe Below: Discovering the Secrets of the Deep Sea--William J. Broad, i learned why. It seems fishers "discovered" the fish (north of Australia, i think, but don't quote me) and began harvesting. It was only several years later that scientists came to realize that it is a slow growing species, so new fish weren't flourishing every year. Indeed, they learned that the fish being sold were over 50-100 years old!

And so, now Orange Roughy is an expensive fish, not seen in many stores, as far as i've seen. Do you recall what fish you substituted, Kim?

madrano wrote: "Do you recall what fish you substituted, Kim?"

I bought west coast flounder.

This was last night's dinner. We both liked it, but agreed it needed more honey. I was low on honey, so I'm not sure exactly how much I used (other than the rest of the bottle). LOL! I was thinking it might be good baked to kind of caramelize the honey and pecans a little more.

Honey Pecan Chicken

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Pound chicken with a meat mallet to 1/2-in. thickness. Sprinkle with seasonings.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat butter over medium heat; brown chicken on both sides. Cook, covered, until chicken is no longer pink, 6-8 minutes, turning once. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with pecans. Cook, covered, until chicken is glazed, 2-3 minutes.

Nice. It looks like it doesn't take too long to make and the ingredient list is manageable. That's always a plus.

Thanks for the fish reply, Kim.

I'm not a fan of honey, so i always cut it down when cooking. I don't eliminate it, though, as i know it can enhance flavors. Your "finish the bottle" sound suspiciously like me!

madrano wrote: "Thanks for the fish reply, Kim.

I'm not a fan of honey, so i always cut it down when cooking. I don't eliminate it, though, as i know it can enhance flavors. Your "finish the bottle" sound suspici..."

Oh, I adore honey! I love it on salmon! But I also love lemon and dill on salmon!

Alias Reader wrote: "madrano wrote: "Interesting selection, Kim. I must be honest with you, i'm such a fan of ravioli, it wouldn't dawn on me to embellish it with anything other than grated cheese. Good for you in stre..."

I love lemon ravioli! I like pesto on ravioli. I'm not a big fan of tomato sauce, but the rest of my family is. They don't care for pesto. I'm trying to lose about 10 pounds, and this thread might hold that up! LOL I do love good food and I do have a sweet tooth. I love peanut butter cookies, but I buy the pre-mixed ones so I only have to add eggs and water. They are delicious and taste homemade to me. I would make them from scratch, but I can't stand that long right now.

madrano wrote: "Thanks for the fish reply, Kim.

I'm not a fan of honey, so i always cut it down when cooking. I don't eliminate it, though, as i know it can enhance flavors. Your "finish the bottle" sound suspici..."

It's odd I like tea with honey. However, I don't like it in cakes, cookies or other food.

Kiki - I'm a huge fan of pesto too! And not much of a fan of tomato sauce as well. I grow basil for the sole purpose of making lots and lots of pesto :)

I made this vegan chili last night and have to share... especially as someone who HATES chili (seriously... I've never liked chili!)

But I really enjoyed this one. I added a few jalapenos and red pepper and upped the cumin and chili powder (it was indeed quite spicy), but as a non-chili-lover, I have to share.

I served it over Jasmien Rice, but the homemade pico de gallo on top made it for me. Some sour cream would be great too.

https://thecheekychickpea.com/best-ve...

Lindsey wrote: "I made this vegan chili last night and have to share... especially as someone who HATES chili (seriously... I've never liked chili!)

But I really enjoyed this one. I added a few jalapenos and red ..."


That is similar to the 15 bean soup I make. Though I don't make it very spicy.

Lindsey wrote: "Kiki - I'm a huge fan of pesto too! And not much of a fan of tomato sauce as well. I grow basil for the sole purpose of making lots and lots of pesto :)"

I think pesto is just delicious!

Alias Reader wrote: "madrano wrote: "Thanks for the fish reply, Kim.

I'm not a fan of honey, so i always cut it down when cooking. I don't eliminate it, though, as i know it can enhance flavors. Your "finish the bottl..."

It's healthy in tea, I think. I don't drink much tea anymore, and I never drank coffee. I love black tea, but it seems to make the tinnitus I developed after my accident worse. Even the decaffeinated. I do think coffee smells wonderful, though. I used to drink latte and cappuccini in Italy, but no more.

Lindsey wrote: "I made this vegan chili last night and have to share... especially as someone who HATES chili (seriously... I've never liked chili!)

But I really enjoyed this one. I added a few jalapenos and red ..."

Chili is another thing I love, but my family doesn't eat it very often. Most of them do not like beans of any kind, though I do. I like kidney beans, butter beans, lima beans, etc.

Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "But I also love lemon and dill on salmon!."

Ooh, I've never tried that combination. I usually season mine with lemon pepper. I love the lemon flavor on salmon.

~*Kim*~ wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "But I also love lemon and dill on salmon!."

Ooh, I've never tried that combination. I usually season mine with lemon pepper. I love the lemon flavor..."

The dill brings out the taste of the lemon. It's my favorite meal. Lemon dill salmon, salad, maybe some broccoli or a little mashed potatoes. I don't like rice.

Alias Reader wrote: "It's odd I like tea with honey. However, I don't like it in cakes, cookies or other food..."

That is curious. Even as a kid, honey did nothing for me. Ok, i like baklava, so i guess there is one honey dish i like. Although, i've had it with other sweetener and liked that better.

I have a mixed feeling about most pesto, i think it has to do with the fact that some basil has a strong taste of licorice/fennel. I make a red pepper pesto we love, so i usually opt for that.

Lindsey wrote: "I made this vegan chili last night and have to share... especially as someone who HATES chili (seriously... I've never liked chili!)

But I really enjoyed this one. I added a few jalapenos and red ..."

Lindsey, that's a good sounding recipe. Up until i was in my 40s, i didn't like chili, then suddenly i did. I don't know what made the difference but now it's one of the go-to meals my husband & i have. We've fooled around with vegan chili recipes, but haven't found one we really like. We'll give this one a try. Thank you.

madrano wrote: "Lindsey wrote: "I made this vegan chili last night and have to share... especially as someone who HATES chili (seriously... I've never liked chili!)

But I really enjoyed this one. I added a few ja..."

How interesting! I'm trying to embrace more beans in my diet but have never really been a fan.

Hope you enjoy it!

madrano wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "It's odd I like tea with honey. However, I don't like it in cakes, cookies or other food..."

That is curious. Even as a kid, honey did nothing for me. Ok, i like baklava, so i..."

Red Pepper pesto sounds wonderful. I love sundried tomato pesto too. Ok - so I'd probably love any type of pesto :)

I remember during the pandemic everyone in our gardening community was pulling up Chickweed (an actual weed that grows like crazy here in spring/summertime) for making chickweed pesto!

So that's what chickweed looks like. I've seen it in many places but never identified it. Neat. From the recipes i found chickweed may be substituted for basil in most recipes. One chef suggesting adding a bit of fresh basil, if you have it handy, but i don't know why you wood.

Did you try this substitution, Lindsey? Any comments on the taste?

Here is my recipe for using red peppers. When peppers are inexpensive, i make several batches of this & freeze them. Great in mid-winter.

Red Pepper Pesto

1 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped garlic
2 Tbsp. Parmesan
1 c. pecans
1 ½ tsp. EACH salt & pepper
½ c. olive oil

Process everything in blender or processor. Slowly add the olive oil. Process until smooth.
Makes 1 ¾ c. for pasta, broiled fish, chicken, etc.

madrano wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "It's odd I like tea with honey. However, I don't like it in cakes, cookies or other food..."

That is curious. Even as a kid, honey did nothing for me. Ok, i like baklava, so i..."

madrano wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "It's odd I like tea with honey. However, I don't like it in cakes, cookies or other food..."

That is curious. Even as a kid, honey did nothing for me. Ok, i like baklava, so i..."

Baklava is one of my great loves in life!

Red pepper pesto sounds delicious. I love the traditional basil pesto, too. I love fennel. My family might like red pepper pesto and we could dispense with the traditional tomato sauce from time to time. Thank you for the recipe, Madrano.

madrano wrote: "Lindsey wrote: "I made this vegan chili last night and have to share... especially as someone who HATES chili (seriously... I've never liked chili!)

But I really enjoyed this one. I added a few ja..."

Most in my family won't eat chili unless it's all meat chili, which I don't like. They don't like beans. :-(

Lindsey wrote: "madrano wrote: "Lindsey wrote: "I made this vegan chili last night and have to share... especially as someone who HATES chili (seriously... I've never liked chili!)

But I really enjoyed this one. ..."

I love bean soups, too. Always have, even as a child. And beans are so healthy.

madrano wrote: "So that's what chickweed looks like. I've seen it in many places but never identified it. Neat. From the recipes i found chickweed may be substituted for basil in most recipes. One chef suggesting ..."

We tried it once - it's quite mild, which might be why the recipe suggests adding some basil, for added flavor? It doesn't have any of the spice or licorice flavor that sometimes accompanies basil.

Thanks for sharing your red pepper pesto recipe. That looks fantastic. I can't say I've ever made pesto with pecans, but that sounds delicious.

Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "I love bean soups, too."

I love white bean soup with some cornbread. Yum!

~*Kim*~ wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "I love bean soups, too."

I love white bean soup with some cornbread. Yum!"

Do you make sweet cornbread or non-sweet, Kim? I love cornbread with bean soup, too.

I'm glad folks liked that red pepper pesto recipe. We've used a number of various nuts with our pesto and haven't settled on a favorite yet. Pines are pricey and don't do much for me, so i avoid them.

Re. cornbread, sweet or non-sweet. Good question. My dad's cornbread had zero sweetness and it is my favorite. On the other hand, my husband's grandmother, who was Eastern Band Cherokee always added a bit of extra sugar to any recipe she tried. We liked that, too.

For decades we served Grandma's White Beans (always served with sliced onions, smoked cheese and cornbread), using her sweet cornbread. Once i learned about my dad's we found it more appealing.

My husband is the chili maker in our family. He has experimented with all sorts of meats and beans. The only one i really didn't think worked was one made with lamb. When we moved to Texas in '07, both my dad & my husband's dad declared that chili should never include beans! Take that for what it's worth. My dad was raised in Texas (west), while my in-law was born in Oklahoma, of a mother raised on the Cherokee reservation in the Carolinas.

Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "
Do you make sweet cornbread or non-sweet, Kim?"

I make sweet cornbread. My BF and I both prefer it. I recently had some of the best cornbread ever at a place in Houston. It was so moist that you didn't even need to add butter.

I make mine from a package. I've only ever made it from scratch once. It turned out ok, but I do better with the package. LOL!

~*Kim*~ wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "
Do you make sweet cornbread or non-sweet, Kim?"

I make sweet cornbread. My BF and I both prefer it. I recently had some of the best cornbread ever ..."

I like sweet cornbread, too, and I, too, make mine from a mix because my mother did. I have a friend who can't stand sweet cornbread, though. The silly man acts like anyone who does is nuts. LOL I don't invite him to lunch very often. I love cornbread with bean soup, too. Wish I had some tonight, but I don't have any beans, so that's out. :-(

Well, i looked up my dad's cornbread & misremembered it. There is some sugar in it. What there is not, is flour. Cornmeal is it, whereas most of the recipes i've seen call for a mix of the two. And, it must be cooked in a cast iron skillet in which 1/4 c. butter has been melted. Nope, we don't butter that cornbread at all. Right?

When we live in hotels and make beans, we use a cornbread package, for accompaniment. And cook it in the microwave, as usually such accommodations don't have ovens.

madrano wrote: "Well, i looked up my dad's cornbread & misremembered it. There is some sugar in it. What there is not, is flour. Cornmeal is it, whereas most of the recipes i've seen call for a mix of the two. And..."

Sounds delicious, however it's made. My mom makes cornbread from a mix now. I love it! It is somewhat sweet, though, but I like that.

madrano wrote: " And, it must be cooked in a cast iron skillet"

Ugh! I've always heard good things about cast iron skillets, but I had terrible luck with mine. Things were always sticking and it was horrible trying to get the burned stuff out.

~*Kim*~ wrote: "madrano wrote: " And, it must be cooked in a cast iron skillet"

Ugh! I've always heard good things about cast iron skillets, but I had terrible luck with mine. Things were always sticking and it w..."

I don't like the way they smell. The heavy iron scent always reminds me of the smell of blood, and that puts me off the food. :-(

~*Kim*~ wrote: "Ugh! I've always heard good things about cast iron skillets, but I had terrible luck with mine. Things were always sticking and it was horrible trying to get the burned stuff out...."

Same here. Then my dad told me there is a certain way to "train" them. It was a lot of work but it worked. Mainly, the key is to dry on a burner after washing it.

I know that smell, though. Not a fan but, again, i haven't smelled it for awhile, so it may have to do with improper cleaning.

Too Much Work!

madrano wrote: "~*Kim*~ wrote: "Ugh! I've always heard good things about cast iron skillets, but I had terrible luck with mine. Things were always sticking and it was horrible trying to get the burned stuff out......"

We don't dry it on a burner after washing. Will have to try that. Hate the smell. Really turns me off the food. Thank you for your dad's tip.