PINEAPPLE SPOONBREAD

Turkey is to stuffing, as ham is to...pineapple spoonbread?  It's easy to make and more of a sweet dessert type stuffing than the Thanksgiving stuffing.  A different kind of accompaniment for ham.

Pineapple Spoonbread
Makes 8 servings

20-oz can pineapple, crushed

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
9 sourdough bread slices, cubed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix melted butter and eggs,. Add pineapple and pineapple juice.  Pour over bread and mix.

Bake in greased dish for 55 minutes, until browned and cooked through

BLUEBERRY LEMON BREAKFAST CAKE

This is a coffee cake-type dish that isn't too sweet.  A perfect side dish for any brunch!

Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Cake
Serves 12


1/2 cup butter, room temperature
lemon zest  from 1 lemon
lemon juice from 1 lemon
7/8 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups blueberries
3/4 cup buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.

Grease a 9-inch square baking pan. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with  1 tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

FETA & MINT WATERMELON CUPS

Tired of the generic fruit tray at potlucks and parties?  This dish can solve that problem.  Refreshing and light, it's bound to get more compliments than that store bought fruit tray. 

Feta & Mint Watermelon Cups
Makes 8 servings

16 1-inch cubes seedless watermelon, chilled

2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
2 teaspoons finely chopped onions
Pepper

Using a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon, scoop out a small well in each watermelon cube, keeping the walls of the cube intact.

In a small bowl, mix together the feta, mint and onions.  Season with pepper. Stuff the wells of the watermelon cubes with the mixture.

MINI TAMALE PIES

Mini Tamale Pies
Makes 3-4 servings

vegetable oil
1 bunch green onions, sliced, green & white parts separated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1 tube polenta- slice into 6 .5 inch rounds
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp. Tabasco
3/4 cup grated Mexican cheese blend
salt
pepper
pico de gallo
sour cream
tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brush 6 small oven-proof ramekins with oil. Place on a cookie sheet and set aside.

Heat some vegetable oil over medium heat. Add: the white parts of the green onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.

Add the pinto and black beans, 3/4 can of tomatoes, water. Stir and bring to a boil. Mash about 1/4 of the mixture while in the pan. Reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 15 minutes.
Place one polenta slice in each ramekin.

Remove the bean mixture from the heat and stir in the green parts of the green onions, cilantro and Tabasco. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon the bean on top of the polenta. Top each with the cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly. Let the ramekins sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with pico de gallo, sour cream, Tabasco, more cilantro and tortilla chips.

Note: This is a great leftovers dish at the end of the week!  Toss in any leftover meat and veggies.

NO-BAKE COOKIES

Wednesday cookie nights at the Tri-Delt house.  It's the little things that bring back college memories.  No-bake cookies (AKA Cat Cr@p Cookies) were a favorite.  Why didn't any of us think to snag this cookie recipe before graduating?  In any event, I found a recipe as good as John the Cook's...

No Bake Cookies

Makes 3 dozen cookies

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1.5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.

ROASTED ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI

It's amazing how you can take a healthy recipe and dirty it up real quick.  Double the amount of bread crumbs, olives, and cheese, plus throw in some Italian sausage.  Now it's good.  Now it's no longer quite so healthy.  Oh well!

Roasted Zucchini Spaghetti
Makes 8 servings

4 medium zucchinis, sliced
Olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 pound Italian sausage
1 clove garlic
lemon zest of 1 lemon
2.5 tsp butter
1 cup bread crumbs
16 oz spaghetti
1 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 cup parmesan cheese
2 Tbs chopped basil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place zucchini on sheet pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast 15 minutes.

Saute onions with 1 tsp olive oil, until translucent.  Brown Italian sausage in same pan.  Add garlic and saute 1 minute.  Stir in  lemon zest and zucchini.  Remove from heat.

Melt butter in small skillet over low heat.  Add bread crumbs and saute until lightly browned.  Stir in basil and set aside. 

Prepare pasta.  Reserve 1 cup pasta water. 

Combine pasta and zucchini mixture, olives, and reserved pasta water.  Bring to a simmer.   Serve topped with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

CAPRESE PASTA SALAD

At $8 a pound at Elephant's Delicatessen, this pasta salad was doing some damage on the wallet.  So simple and somehow toddler friendly, this has quickly become a favorite meal of AJ's.  And so simple and inexpensive, yet impressive, it has quickly become a favorite of mine on the potluck scene. 

Caprese Pasta Salad
Makes 15 servings

1 pound ditalini pasta
1 pound mozzarella
1.5 lb grape tomatoes
4 oz basil, chopped
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Prepare ditalini pasta as directed.  While pasta is cooking, slice grape tomatoesand mozzarella into pieces similar in size. 

Mix pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil with olive oil until coated.  Add salt and pepper to taste.