Local cooks share some of their favorite recipes
Five local cooks shared some of their favorite recipes for this week’s Look Who’s Cookin’ feature.
Grilled Vegetable Salad
(Becky Wright)
1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
Becky Wright
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2” rings
1 yellow bell pepper, quartered, seeds and ribs removed
1 red bell pepper, quartered, seeds and ribs removed
1 Portobello mushroom or several small mushrooms
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 pound feta cheese
Dressing:
1 medium clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat grill to medium. In a large bowl, toss vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables, turning occasionally, until charred and tender, about 5-7 minutes. Remove to a platter. Sprinkle with basil and feta. Combine dressing ingredients in a Mason jar and shake well to thoroughly combine. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle over vegetables. (A great salad and a great way to get your non-starchy vegetables! It holds well making it even good at room temperature.)
Pecan Cream Cheese Pastry
(Lisa Bennett)
2 cans of crescent rolls
1 (8 oz) cream cheese
1 ½ cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup pecans
1 stick butter, melted (I used 1/2 stick)
Preheat oven to 350.
Mix cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, egg and vanilla.
Roll out 1 can of crescent rolls and spread in 9 x 13 dish pressing seams together and up the sides. Spread cream cheese mixture on top. Top with the other crescent rolls. Make ends meet with the crescent rolls on the bottom. Mix melted butter with cinnamon, ½ cup sugar. Brush on top and sprinkle pecans over the top.Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes.
Carolyn Bowles’ Lemon Ice Cream
Mitzi McCostlin
(Mitzi McCostlin)
1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
3 cups sugar
1 pkg. (3 oz.) lemon Jell-o
2 cups half-and-half cream
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
8-10 cups milk
Yellow food coloring, optional
In a small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and Jell-o; mix well. Add half-and-half, lemon juice and extracts; beat until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Stir in enough milk to measure one gallon. Add food coloring if desired, then it’s ready for the ice cream freezer.
Eggs Strata
(Ellen Shaw)
1 lb. sausage or bacon
3 Tbsp. melted butter or oleo
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups frozen hashbrowns
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 t. salt and pepper
Cook sausage or bacon until brown. Drain and crumble into 9x13x2 pan. Melt butter in skillet and brown potatoes until golden. Sprinkle potatoes on top of meat. Add cheese. Mix eggs with milk and seasonings. Pour over cheese. Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes. Serves 12. (You can make this the night before and cook the next morning.)
Strawberry Pie for Diabetics
(Linda Doler)
1 1/2 cups cold water
4 tsp. cornstarch
1-1.6 oz. box sugar-free strawberry Jell-o
5 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. Splenda, divided
4 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
3-4 sheets Honey Graham crackers, broken along perforations
6 tsp. light butter
2 tsp. Splenda
Mix water and cornstarch in small saucepan. Heat until bubbly. Remove from heat and sprinkle Jell-o and 5 Tbsp. Splenda into mixture. Stir and let cool. Add strawberries.?To make crust, combine crushed graham crackers, light butter, and remaining 2 tsp. Splenda. Press into pie plate. Add strawberry filling. If desired, top with strawberry Cool Whip or add 2 tsp. strawberry Kool-Aid to regular Cool Whip. Chill 2-3 hours before serving.
