CHILE RELLENOS

This is a family favorite and often requested by Little Red!

Ingredients:

10 whole green chiles (3 or 4 (4 oz.) cans)
½ lb. Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 10 strips
1 C. cheddar cheese, grated
3 eggs
¼ C. flour
¾ C. milk
¼ tsp. slat
black pepper to taste
dash of liquid hot pepper sauce

Directions:

Spread chiles on paper towel and pat dry. Slip jack cheese into each chile and lay them side by side in a greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Beat eggs, add flour, beating until smooth. Add milk and seasonings. Beat thoroughly. Pour egg mixture over chiles and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (or until knife inserted into casserole comes out clean.)

PIZZA DOUGH

Mom used to make individual pizzas for our birthday parties. She would set out various toppings and let each friend "decorate" their own pizza. Then instead of traditional birthday cake, we'd have banana splits...again each person making their own culinary creation. Fun!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. dry yeast
1 ¼ C. warm water
2 T. oil (olive or vegetable)
4 C. flour
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in water and stir in oil. Add flour and salt. Knead until smooth. Put in greased bowl and cover with damp cloth. Let rise until double. Form 2 equal balls and then gently pull into crust form. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Then fill with desired pizza toppings and continue baking until cheese melts and crust is done.

Two of our favorites: sausage, green chile, sauteed onion, fresh mozzarella OR

fresh mozzarella, fresh sliced tomatoes, and fresh snipped basil or Italian herb mix

Makes 2-14 inch pizzas.

ROASTED SQUASH AND PEPPER TART

Ingredients:
3 C. squash (yellow, pattypan or zucchini), cut up
2 red and/or yellow peppers, cut in wide strips
1 lg. sweet onion and/or fennel bulb, cut in wedges
2 T. olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 oz. Parmesan cheese
½ of a 17.3 oz. pkg. frozen pastry sheets (1 sheet), thawed
½ C. cherry tomatoes
2 T. balsamic vinegar
3 tsp. fresh thyme, snipped
1 C. creamy parmesan dressing (we like jalapeno ranch)
¼ C. sweet onion, finely chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat sides and bottom of 13x9x2” baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread squash, peppers, onion wedges in pan. Toss with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until tender, stirring once.

Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, cut Parmesan cheese in thin strips. Set aside. On lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry to 13x9” rectangle. Remove baking pan from oven. Add tomatoes to pan. Toss vegetables with balsamic vinegar and half of the parmesan cheese. Spread vegetables evenly in pan. Lay pastry over vegetables, tucking in edges. Return pan to oven; bake for 15 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden.

Remove pan from oven; cool 5 minutes. Invert a 15x10x1” pan over pan with pastry. Carefully invert pans together; remove 13x9 pan. Transfer any vegetables that stick to finished tart. Sprinkle tart evenly with remaining cheese and 2 tsp. of the thyme. In small bowl, stir together dressing, onion and remaining thyme. Cut in squares. Serve tart warm or at room temperature with dressing.

VEGETARIAN LASAGNA

I use this cheese filling with regular lasanga too!

Ingredients:
Sauce:
2-14.5oz. cans tomato sauce
1-6 oz. can tomato paste
1 medium onion, diced
½ lb. fresh mushrooms, washed and sliced
2-3 small zucchini, sliced
1 T. garlic
1 tsp. oregano
½ tsp. parsley
½ tsp. pepper
1/8 C. red wine
2 T. sugar

Cheese Filling:
2 ½ C. (aprx. 1 lg. and 1 sm. container) cottage cheese
1 medium onion, sliced and sautéed
1 pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and drained in strainer
2 eggs
¾ C. grated parmesan cheese

Other ingredients:
1 ½ lb. mozzarella cheese, sliced
6-8 lasagna noodles, cooked only half of time on package directions and drained

Directions:
Sauté onion, mushroom and zucchini in saucepan. Add tomato sauce, paste, garlic, oregano, parsley and pepper. Simmer and add wine and sugar. In separate bowl, mix ingredients of cheese filling together. To assemble: in greased 9x13 pan, layer noodle, cheese filling, tomato sauce, mozzarella and repeat until out of ingredients. End with mozzarella on top. Cover and bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook for another 15 minutes.

from Kim Jacoby (love ya, Mom!)