Cindy's Recipes and Writings

Tortellini in Garden Sauce

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Cindy Kerschner

This started as a quick throw-together meal that used some extra zucchini as a bonus, but turned into a favorite family standby on those hectic short on time dinner nights!

2 medium zucchini, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 12 ounce bag frozen tortellini
1 cup water
In a large fry pan, sauté zucchini, carrots, onion and garlic in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add bouillon cubes and water. Simmer over medium-low heat until tender and bouillon is dissolved (about 5 minutes).
Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain, and then add to sauce mixture. Stir and serve. Enjoy!
Chop all the vegetables at once in a food processor, if possible to cut down preparation time.
Add some parmesan cheese for an Italian touch or red pepper flakes for a spicy zing!

Posted in casserole, cheese, everyday, fasy and easy, lunch, main dish, pasta, tortellini, vegetarian, What's For Dinner?, zucchini | Tagged casserole, dinner, everyday, lunch, main dish, quick and easy, skillet, tortellini, vegetarian | 4 Comments

Potluck Casserole with Cornbread Stuffing

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Cindy Kerschner

I grew up in a household where you did not waste food. My Mom also cooked huge batches of stews and soups; enough for 2 or 3 days of meals. Her most popular ones were Chicken Pot Pie, Ham and Beans, Potato Soup and of course, Beef Stew. Combine the two ideas and you inevitably save time and money.
I haven’t quite mastered that skill. I usually wind up with enough for one meal and a little extra! In this case, it was Beef Stew.
So what I did was make something similar to Sheppard’s Pie.
I also like to keep cornbread on hand. It freezes well and makes a great impromptu stuffing (stuffing recipe below if you need one). Luckily for me, cornbread also goes great with Beef Stew!

You could also use leftover beef roast, cook up a bag of stew vegetables, add your favorite gravy and you’re good to go!

Easy Cornbread Stuffing

2 cups crumbled cornbread (your own or purchased)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced onion
2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon dried parsley

Sautee onion and celery in butter over med-high heat until softened. Add to crumbled cornbread, stir. Add broth a little at a time to reach desired consistency.
Place stew in an 8×8-inch casserole dish. Top with cornbread stuffing and bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes or until cornbread is browned and casserole is thoroughly heated.

Posted in beef, casserole, cornbread, dinner, everyday, fasy and easy | Tagged beef, beef stew, casserole, cornbread, dinner, everyday, leftovers, stew | 1 Comment

Watercress Pesto

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Cindy Kerschner

As a kid I loved nothing better than foraging for snacks. Hot spots for snacks depended on the season. Fall brought apples and pears from neighboring trees and walnuts from the back woods. Spring had violets, dandelion and fiddleheads. But summer, oh summer was always ripe for the picking! All you needed was to know what was safe and where to find it! Apricots and sweet bing cherries came from an old farm that was for sale for as many years as I could remember. Some wild finds included: raspberries, mulberries, honeysuckle nectar, pawpaw and of course, watercress!
Watercress grew along a spring-fed stream a few miles from my house. The stream ran alongside an old country road, popping up here and there before going back underground. Back then, owners along the road often hung cups on poles for thirsty travelers. Those spots, where the water first surfaced grew the best watercress! Just pick it and eat it, heck it was being constantly washed!
Nowadays you need to be extra careful foraging for watercress because of water quality issues everywhere.
So when I saw watercress for sale at a locally-grown only Farmers Market I had to have some!
My adult tastes say nibble some and use some to make Watercress Pesto!
4 cups watercress, (leaves and young stems)
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Grind garlic and watercress in a food processor until finely chopped.

Add cheese and blend.

Add oil, 1 tablespoon at a time and blend. Add more oil as necessary to make a paste. Season with salt and pepper.

Use on your favorite pasta or rice or add mayo for a delicious sandwich spread.

Posted in fasy and easy, healthy, herbs, pesto, summer, Uncategorized, vegetarian, watercress | Tagged garlic, healthy, olive oil, pesto, summer, watercress | 2 Comments

Portabella Stuffed Peppers

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Cindy Kerschner

I’m reposting this recipe to include my new vegetarian page followers! Thanks, Cindy
Portabella Stuffed Peppers
This recipe works equally well with brown rice.
2 medium-sized bell peppers, cut in half, seeded
8 ounces portabella mushrooms, chopped
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup Jasmine rice
1/4 cup instant wild rice
2 cups water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup vegetable juice like V-8
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350. In a medium saucepan, combine Jasmine rice, wild rice, water and oil. Bring to a boil, cover. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. While rice is cooking, blanch peppers in a steamer or boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes to slightly soften. Remove and arrange in baking dish.
3. Sauté mushrooms in butter. Mix cooked mushrooms, roasted peppers, rice and vinegar.
4. Fill peppers with rice mix. Top peppers with spaghetti sauce. Pour vegetable juice between peppers. Cover and bake for 30 minutes to blend flavors. Remove and sprinkle with cheese.