This year, we have something new to do with those gorgeous, juicy orbs. It’s my simple pasta alla checca.  Checca is a sauce that doesn’t have to be cooked, can you believe it?  No heavy, cooked meat sauce here. This is something completely different. Simply grab some tomatoes, fresh basil, and garlic and do a little chopping. The only thing that needs to be cooked is your pasta. Talk about a quick summertime meal!

(I made this with Jennifer Hines on KLTV last week. See the video here.)

Not only is it simple to make, it’s also packed with flavor! The basil is so fresh and delicious, the tomatoes add their sweet tang to the sauce, and the garlic combined with those fresh tastes make me feel like, for just a moment, I’m sitting at a farm table in Italy on a sunny day instead of in my little kitchen in East Texas. You’ll know what I mean when you try it.

Pasta alla Checca

• 1 lb pasta, cooked according to package directions (recommend bowtie or angel hair, but use what you have)
• 1 pound fresh garden tomatoes, chopped (large beefsteak, Romas, or even grape tomatoes)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped (use less if you aren’t a fan of a strong garlic flavor, but one won’t likely be enough for most of us)
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese  (no green cans, please!)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes (omit if you don’t want any heat)

Method:

In a non-metal bowl, combine chopped tomatoes, basil, garlic, red pepper flakes and olive oil. Stir well so that the tomatoes are coated with the oil.  (Do not salt yet!)

Allow the vegetable and oil mixture to marinate together for a couple of hours. (at least two, up to 10 hours)

When you’re ready to eat, cook pasta according to package directions. (make sure to salt water well)

When you’re ready to serve, add a bit of salt and fresh cracked black pepper to your veggies, to taste. Place some pasta in a bowl, then top with a scoop of the checca sauce, then a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

If you’d like, serve with grilled shrimp or chicken on the side. Or, if you prefer, you can drop some fresh, soft mozzarella cubes into the pasta mix before serving for added protein and flavor.

Serves 4-6.

Leftovers that you might have should be refrigerated. I like to warm it slightly in the microwave before eating the delicious leftovers to wake the flavors up again. The basil flavor is incredible after it sets!

Enjoy!

You might also like: Quick and fabulous bolognese sauce (this is one of my favorite pasta sauces!)

Copyright 2013 Stephanie Hill Frazier.  All rights reserved.

Reblogged from In Mama Steph's Kitchen:

• 

Until  my family moved to Texas in 1998, I had never heard of a celebration called "Cinco de Mayo." I didn't know about the Mexican victory over the French in 1862, or even what dulce de leche is!  When we drove to Texas from Florida, I noticed that in Texas there were many lovely people from Mexico, whereas in northwest Florida in the late '90s, we didn't have any Mexican neighbors. 

Read more… 675 more words

I still have my mom’s handwritten recipe for this recipe. I am not sure whether she copied it from a Southern Living magazine (it was her favorite) or if she just made it up. I love, now that she’s gone, looking back on things she’s written. Seeing her scrawly handwriting makes me feel close to her for a moment. 

Anyway, I love this recipe that she made frequently for our family during cold months. I replaced the smoked beef sausage with a much lighter turkey smoked sausage. I used canned beans which I rinsed instead of using dried beans to save time. To make it even healthier, you could serve it over brown rice instead of white. It would be just as delicious and would give your family an extra boost of fiber and nutrients!

(Don’t forget to join me on Facebook! Click here to visit me there and like the page. It’s fun!)

Now on to the recipe…

Mama Steph’s lightened-up spicy red beans and rice

• 1 pound link turkey smoked sausage, sliced into rounds
• 1 TBS olive or canola oil
• 1 slice ham steak (16 oz. or less), fat trimmed off, and cubed
• one medium onion, diced
• one small-medium green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 tsp to 1 TBS cayenne powder (depending upon how hot you prefer it)
• 1 TBS minced garlic
• 2 – 15 oz. cans light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 – 15 oz. can chicken broth or vegetable broth
• Cooked rice for serving 

Method:

In a Dutch oven or deep frying pan, place one tablespoon olive or canola oil, and allow it to warm. Add onion and bell pepper. 

After two-three minutes, add the cayenne pepper, garlic, sliced sausage and cubed ham. Saute for 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add beans and broth. Simmer while you cook the rice, stirring occasionally. (Don’t allow the broth to evaporate completely; just thicken. You will want to have gravy, which will be deliciously full of flavor!)

Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice.

Tip: In your store’s freezer section, you can now buy frozen bags of rice that steam in four minutes in the microwave. It’s a great time saver!  Also, my dad always ate his with Louisiana hot sauce sprinkled over the top. He liked more heat than mom did.

Want to see a couple more Cajun-influenced recipes? 

You might like Crawfish, shrimp or crabmeat pasta, or Crawfish enchiladas.

Better get your fresh crawfish while you can!

Enjoy!

Copyright 2013 Stephanie Hill Frazier. All rights reserved.

Sometimes we get so busy seeing and hearing and feeling the craziness that we forget that there is goodness, too. We even wonder if it’s disappearing.

Is it disappearing? Well, that’s entirely up to us.

I’m reminded of something Fred Rogers said: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

Good advice. And it’s true; there are amazing images from Boston yesterday of people running toward, kneeling beside, and carrying away the injured to be helped.

Not having been there, thoughts and prayers are offered in the  hope that everyone makes it through yet another senseless tragedy in our beautiful, scarred country.

What else can you do?

Gather those you love near to you and speak to those who are far away. Don’t save the beautiful flowers and appreciative words for the dead. Give them now. Make a meal for your family, and sit around the table together. Take cookies to a firehouse. Talk to each other. Pick your face up from the screen you’re looking at. Connect with the people in your life. Pray for them.

It’s pretty simple, really!

Now, here’s an easy recipe I stirred up and that I think you might enjoy. I know that food does not equal love, but cooking for someone is an expression of love. You’re caring for them; you’re saying “you have to eat to stay alive, and I want you to stay alive, so here, eat this meal I made with my own hands, just for you.”

Sometimes we say that with a takeout pizza, don’t get me wrong.  :)  But cooking is something more from the heart, I think.  It brings people together.

Mama Steph’s sauteed balsamic vegetables with polenta and fresh mozzarella

One  5 oz. package of organic baby spinach or other greens (I found a powerhouse mix called Super Greens, a mixture of red and green Swiss chard, tat soi, arugula, and spinach)

One fresh fennel bulb, chopped  (found in most produce sections now…so good! READ more about fennel here.)

a pound of fresh tomatoes, chopped (more or less…use the amount you have, or use canned in  a pinch)

one small package fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)

1 medium or two small zucchini squash, peeled and chopped

2 TBS olive oil

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

One cup (approximately) fresh mozzarella, cubed

one tube pre-cooked polenta (or serve over rice or grits)

Method:

Warm olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add the chopped fennel bulb, and stir around in the very warm oil for two minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for three more minutes or more, but do not allow vegetables to scorch.

Add the chopped tomatoes, garlic,  pepper flakes, vinegar and mushrooms. Stir and watch for the tomatoes to begin releasing their juices as they soften, and for the mushrooms to begin to shrink and darken.

After a few minutes, add the spinach or other greens. Sprinkle with a bit of water or broth if the pan looks dry to you. Stir and watch the greens cook down into the vegetables. Taste for salt and add as needed.  (I allowed the whole mixture to cook for 10-12 minutes so the fennel and zucchini would be tender.)

Drop in a handful of fresh mozzarella cubes, if you have some handy. Slice the polenta and slide the veggies over to one side of the pan, and place the slices on the bottom of the pan to heat, turning at least once. Sprinkle polenta with a bit of salt.

Place a round (or two) of polenta on a plate; top with a healthy serving of veggies, making sure everyone gets some of the melt-y cheese. Top with a bit of shaved Parmesan or Grana Padano, if you’d like.

Serve alongside pork tenderloin (I had some leftover from the night before, and it was perfect!) or grilled pork chops, or even chicken breast.

Serves 3-4.

I love how the balsamic vinegar sweetens the vegetables just a touch (it does not impart an acidic vinegar flavor to the dish, don’t worry) and contrasts with the simple smooth flavor of the mozzarella and the slight bitterness of the greens. The polenta adds another layer of flavor and texture. My mouth was happy, and I hope yours will be, too!

Enjoy!

You might also like: Friendly white chocolate-macadamia nut cookies  (take them to a first responder station near you!)  :)

Copyright 2013 Stephanie Hill Frazier. All rights reserved.

Ok, maybe we haven’t ALL been there, but those of us who love baking most likely have. It happened to me today as I was assembling the ingredients for chocolate cookies. So I decided instead of driving to the store, I’d just try making my own brown sugar.

Here’s how I did it:

Homemade Brown Sugar

1 cup granulated white sugar

1 1/2 TBS molasses

Combine the two ingredients in an adequately-sized bowl. Use your fingers to completely work the molasses into the sugar until it looks like light brown sugar.

It tastes nearly the same, as brown sugar actually is made with sugar and molasses at the sugar factory…or wherever brown sugar is made.

I used it in a great recipe that I use often…click here to see:  Mama Steph’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

I plan to buy more brown sugar, of course, but it’s nice to know just how to make a quick substitute when you need one. Now, go make some cookies!

Copyright 2013 Stephanie Hill Frazier. All rights reserved.

A simple recipe for a drink I call a Purple Cow has always  made my boys very happy. It makes me happy, too, because the PC packs a healthy dose of fruit, and is loaded with potassium, vitamin C, calcium, and fiber for their growing bodies.

Jared, Jacob, and Justin…now they’re all in high school or college! Can’t believe it sometimes.

I’ve made these for years…it’s a healthy drink (unlike the soda-based Purple Cow in restaurants) that I felt good about giving them, as the nutrients helped them fight viruses all year long.

Here’s what I do…and they still love it when I wake them up with these on warm spring days!

Mama Steph’s Purple Cow

2 ripe bananas, peeled (frozen peeled bananas are best, but I’ve used room temperature, as well)

2 cups cold fat free milk

3TBS frozen grape juice concentrate (make sure it’s grape juice, not “grape drink”)

2TBS frozen apple juice concentrate (vitamin C added, if you find it)

Method:

Place all ingredients in jar of blender, and blend until mixed well. Makes two small or one large Purple Cow drink.

Tips:

• Bananas that are ripening too quickly for your liking should not be tossed; peel them and store them in a zipper freezer bag to make things like this drink or banana bread.
• Store leftover drink mix in small freezer containers to use for more Purple Cows. They’ll want them, trust me!
• Add other fruits for fun, flavor and nutrients, such as frozen blueberries!

You might also like: Mama Steph’s favorite peanut butter cookies

NEWS:  Notice that there’s now a PRINT button below the copyright line on my blog; you can click it to be taken to a page that allows you to print the page with or without photos, and even select exactly what text you want to print. Enjoy!

Purple cow drink image by Bethany L. King on Flickr Creative Commons.

Purple cow animal image by Miletbaker on Flickr Creative Commons

Copyright 2013 Stephanie Hill Frazier. All rights reserved.

It’s officially springtime here in the U.S., and though I love winter and it’s frosty scenery, heartfelt holidays, and warm clothes, I love the happy birds and sunny skies and blooming flowers of spring.

Even if you don’t celebrate Easter, as I do, I know you must love the time of year when flowers and trees are in bloom, baby birds start chirping loudly for food, and furry boots make way for flip-flops.

“The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.” ~Bern Williams

Speaking of baby birds, here is a completely easy recipe for what I call “Springtime Birds’ Nest Cookies.”  Celebrate spring today by making some!

They are truly simple to make.  And since they’re wheat free, they’re safe for those of you who avoid gluten.

Mixing these up takes fewer than five minutes. Grab some Easter-egg-shaped candy (especially the day after Easter, when it’s 50% off) and some children, if you have any around,  and make some of these anytime you like, to celebrate new life and the beauty of Spring.

Note that if you are making these with children, the cookie batter includes raw egg white, so don’t let them eat it, just in case.

Springtime Coconut bird nest cookies:

• 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 large egg white
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups sweetened coconut
• 1/2 to 1 cup Nutella or marshmallow fluff
• M&M Speck-tacular Eggs, malted milk eggs (shown), jelly beans  or other Easter candy

Makes about 10-15 cookie nests, depending upon size

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk, egg white, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir until combined. Add in the coconut and mix well.

3. With a spoon, scoop up about 2 or 3 tablespoons of the dough and place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Form the cookies into the shape of a bird nest. Press down the center with your thumb.

4. Bake cookies for 17 to 20 minutes, or until slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and press your thumb down in the center of the nests again. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes or until they are firm and set. Remove with a spatula onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.

5. Place about a tablespoon of Nutella or marshmallow fluff in the center of each nest. Place 2-3 egg candies in the center of the nest.

Enjoy!

“Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.” ~ Virgil Kraft

“The message of Easter is that God’s new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and that you’re now invited to belong to it.”
― N.T. Wright

You might also like: Strawberry-Blueberry Bread

Copyright 2013 Stephanie Hill Frazier. All rights reserved.

Food is closely tied to our memories. Almost every time someone mentions, for instance, their grandmother, they’ll say something like, “Oh my grandmother was great. She made the best…” whatever it was that she made.  Buttermilk biscuits, dumplings, chicken noodle soup, peach cobbler, or whatever it was that she made.

Well, if you’ve been with me here for any length of time, you know I mention my mom’s food pretty often. Like her fried chicken. And her sour cream pound cake. Oh, and her “Chinese food.”  :)

She made so many good things. She made chicken and dumplings from scratch, and peach cobbler, too; not the dump kind, but the kind with strips of pastry over the fresh peaches. It was fabulous.

One thing she used to make that I’ve never made in my own kitchen is potato pancakes.  Jewish moms call them latkes, but mom just called them pancakes. She’d save the leftover mashed potatoes from the previous night’s dinner and use them in potato pancakes the next morning, mixing them with minced onion and some flour and egg. With a thick square of  butter melting over the top of them, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and sometimes a little sour cream on the side, it was a savory breakfast that I truly enjoyed.

Well, today I thought I’d try my own spin on those flavors but in much less time. I didn’t want to peel, boil or grate potatoes, and I didn’t want to wait twenty or thirty minutes to put it all together. I just wanted a simple way to get those  perfect flavors together in  a hurry.

Well, I had a package of gnocchi in my cabinet. Gnocchi are small potato dumplings, basically, and are sold on the pasta aisle in the grocery store in a vacuum sealed pouch.

Here’s what I did to make a sort of deconstructed potato pancake side dish so I could enjoy all the flavor with less of the fuss.

Mama Steph’s Roasted potato dumplings

• 2 TBS olive oil or butter
• 8 oz gnocchi
• 1/4 cup minced onion (you can use green or white)
• 2 tsp parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

In a medium nonstick skillet, drizzle oil or melt butter over medium heat.

Once oil is warm, add the onion, and allow to cook in the oil for a minute, while stirring.

Add the gnocchi, and sprinkle it with the garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parsley flakes.

Cook for about 3 1/2 minutes, stirring a few times, then flip over to the other side of the gnocchi, and cook for another 3 1/2 minutes.

Gnocchi will turn golden brown; taste one for saltiness, and add a sprinkle more, if desired. Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

Serve with a bit of sour cream on the side, or use plain fat-free Greek yogurt.

The gnocchi, when finished, are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and are firm enough to stand up to a hearty meat if you are serving a roast, etc.

This makes a delicious side dish alongside a roasted pork tenderloin, pork chops, or whatever your favorite meat to serve might be. If you have a rotisserie chicken, you could have dinner on the table in ten minutes! It would be so much faster than drive through, and the flavor and nutrition is far, far better. I hope you’ll give it a try!

Today I ate them on their own on a saucer with a teaspoon of sour cream on the side for lunch. They were fabulous!

Enjoy!

You might also like:  Mama’s green beans with new potatoes

Copyright 2013 Stephanie Hill Frazier. All rights reserved.

The lemon curd filling is so dense and has such a bright tanginess that it can make your cheeks hurt when you take the first bite. I love that! In the following recipe, which I found several years ago on  Martha Stewart’s site, you can adjust that if you’d like them less tart, more sweet. Just see the tip below the recipe.

Tangy lemon squares

Crust ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, frozen
• 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar, plus more for dusting
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• Lemon filling:

• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

I have a sweet friend at work at KLTV who says her sister always requests that she make this recipe for her when she comes to visit. That’s fun for me to hear! I love it when you guys tell me which of my recipes you’re enjoying and making part of your culinary life.

For those of you with picky eaters: using the tips and thinnest part of the asparagus stems will make your family happier about eating this lovely vegetable. The thick part is too woody for me, and likely for your children, too. I try to buy the thinnest asparagus available; I like it as thin as  a pencil or less. If they just can’t take it at all, I would suggest using whole green beans as an alternative; fresh would be best, or use frozen whole green beans. They’re fast and can be seasoned with garlic and salt to be a delicious addition to this recipe!

Mama Steph’s Chicken and Asparagus Pasta Toss

Ingredients:

1 pound uncooked rotini pasta (or use penne or elbow macaroni)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

3 cups (1-inch) sliced asparagus

1 tsp minced garlic

1 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 (6-ounce) package precooked chicken strips (or meat pulled from a rotisserie chicken)

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (or a 28oz can diced tomatoes)

3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese

Optional: ½ to 1 cup sliced mushrooms

Method:

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

Combine pasta and oil in a large bowl, and toss well.

Slice tomatoes in half; set aside.

Melt butter in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat; add asparagus, onion, garlic, mushrooms (if using) and red pepper flakes. Cook 5 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender, stirring frequently.

Stir in pasta, salt, black pepper, chicken, and tomatoes; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in cheese.

Tip: to make this meal even faster to prepare, boil your pasta on a day off, and stir in a tsp or two of olive oil; the oil inhibits the pasta from sticking together. When cooled, put pasta in a gallon zipper bag, and refrigerate until ready to use. This will keep for several days.

(Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe.)

If you try it, let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

You might also like:  Mama Steph’s Pasta e Fagiole….an extraordinary, comforting and hearty soup.

Copyright 2013 Stephanie Hill Frazier. All rights reserved.