Busy Family Meal Planning

June 12th, 2008

Spinach strata (OAMC)

One of my very favorite egg and cheese dishes is any type of Strata. This one is delicious, with the addition of (preferably fresh) spinach. Using ricotta cheese instead of milk makes a heavier dish, but it also cooks up a lot faster and doesn’t have to be refrigerated overnight before baking like some recipes […]

By Cyndi Lavin -- 1 comment

June 11th, 2008

Do you like mushrooms?

Epicurious has a wonderful Visual Guide to Mushrooms with links to mushroom recipes. Learn to tell your portobello from your crimino. Hint…one is just a baby version of the other!
Here’s one wonderful example of the recipes that are lurking in the dark corners at Eipcurious…

Photo by Martyn Thompson
Grilled Oyster Mushrooms
from Gourmet, May 2005
2 tablespoons […]

By Cyndi Lavin -- 3 comments

May 23rd, 2008

Cheesy scalloped potatoes

There are many variations on scalloped potatoes, but this recipe yields one of the cheesiest, creamiest, most decadent batch you can ever imagine! Great with ham or fabulous as a main dish :-)
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
4 large Yukon gold potatoes
1 large sweet onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 c milk
1 c sour cream (not fat-free)
Salt & pepper
1-1/2 […]

By Cyndi Lavin -- 2 comments

May 15th, 2008

Fried rice and ginger

If you’ve pre-cooked some rice and edamame during your once a week food preparation time, this meal will go together in under thirty minutes! You can often find edamame already shelled and cooked in the freezer section. This is how I buy it when I can find it, since there don’t seem to be any […]

By Cyndi Lavin -- 1 comment

May 8th, 2008

Vegetable and beef Guinness stew (OAMC)

This is a wonderfully flavorful stew, equally good as a OAMC recipe or as an immediate meal!
Vegetable and Beef Guinness Stew 
2 t canola oil
1 lb beef stew meat
14.5 oz can beef broth, low salt
12 oz bottle of beer (Guinness Stout preferred)
1 large Yukon gold potato, cubed
2 medium turnips, peeled and chopped into 1/2″ cubes
Leek, thinly […]

By Cyndi Lavin -- 0 comments

May 5th, 2008

Cheesy tostada bake for Cinco de Mayo

It’s still cold here in New England! It’s hard to believe that much of the country is not only warming up a lot, but that grills have long been in use. For our neighbors south of the border, it’s not only warm, but also a very festive time of year: Cinco de […]

By Cyndi Lavin -- 2 comments

April 24th, 2008

Cauliflower with nutmeg

Everywhere I go, people are talking about this delicious combination! My mother mentioned it to me first, and since then I’ve heard many references to it. I’ve come up with a couple of cooking variations so that if you’re in a big hurry you can cut some cooking time off the process. The full-blown slow […]

By Cyndi Lavin -- 0 comments

April 22nd, 2008

Spinach cheese bake for Passover

Spinach cheese bake is an excellent main dish, or can be served in smaller portions as a side dish with a large salad. It’s very tasty, and can be made with additional vegetables if you want to make it more hearty. Since it takes an hour to cook thoroughly, I’d suggest using thawed frozen spinach […]

By Cyndi Lavin -- 0 comments

April 21st, 2008

Meat and mashed potato pie for Passover

This is too tasty to save just for Passover! Even though it takes some time to make, since you’ve got to prepare mashed potatoes beforehand, and then it needs to cook for about 45 minutes, the really good thing is that is keeps really well in the freezer. Yup! a make-ahead OAMC recipe for Passover […]

By Cyndi Lavin -- 2 comments

April 18th, 2008

Passover roast chicken with stuffing

This roast chicken recipe is great for anytime of the year, but it’s specifically designed for Passover because it uses matzo farfel for the stuffing. It can be assembled earlier in the day and then popped into the oven for an hour before serving.
Passover Roast Chicken with Stuffing
Olive oil
Onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
2 stalks […]

By Cyndi Lavin -- 1 comment