cooking – Online home of Jon

Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

One large spaghetti squash
one pound mozzarella
sixteen ounces ricotta cheese
four ounces butter
garlic cloves to taste
one pound boneless skinless chicken
four ounces Italian dressing
basil cubes to taste

Heat the oven to four hundred degrees
Split the squash in half and remove the seeds
clean and crush the garlic cloves place them and a couple pats of butter on a cookie sheet with the halves of squash open side down over the garlic and butter. Cook for one hour.

When the squash is close to having been in the oven for one hour take the chicken and dice it up in a pan on the stove top. Brown the chicken and add the Italian dressing and cubes of basil letting it all blend together.

Once the squash has cooked for an hour remove it from the oven and flip them over. Add a layer of ricotta cheese then the browned chicken and last a layer of mozzarella into the squash. Put this back in the over at four hundred and cook for another twenty minutes or until the mozzarella starts to brown.

Remove form the oven and let sit for about five minutes, serves four to six people with left overs.

I like to add a diced up tomato or mushrooms into the squash with the chicken, ricotta, and mozzarella. You could add anything you like to give it a little more something.

Basil Cubes
Harvest the fresh basil from the garden and puree it into a mush add a little olive oil and dump these in an ice cube tray. Freeze and save the basil for later use, long after your basil has all frozen outside.

I got some great spaghetti squash this year from the Suzy Dan team, thanks guys we had a great dinner Sunday.

Bread and Butter Pickles

3 Quarts Bread and Butter Pickles

I added a little chili powder, lemon and pepper to give it a slight bite. I also ignored the onions as I’m no fan of onions and celery. I let these sit with the weight on them for about twenty four hours since I got busy, I think it just let the flavor sink in more.

15 cups sliced cucumbers
3 onions, thinly sliced
¹⁄₄cup coarse salt
4 cups cracked ice
2 ¹⁄₂cups cider vinegar
2 ¹⁄₂cups sugar
³⁄₄teaspoon turmeric
¹⁄₂teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon mustard seeds

Directions

Combine cucumbers, onions, salt and ice in a large bowl.
Mix well.
Put a weight on and allow to stand 3 hours. (I used a plate with a jar of honey, anything will do).
Rinse and drain thoroughly.
Combine vinegar, sugar, turmeric, celery seed and mustard seed in a large pot.
Add drained cucumbers.
Place pot on medium low heat.
Bring almost to a boil, but DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.
Remove from heat.
Seal in sterilized jars, 10 minutes in a hot water bath.

Easy way to sterilize jars: Wash them well in hot soapy water.
Dry them off.
Put on a cookie sheet, right side up, at 225°F for 15 minutes.
Turn off oven and leave them in there until you need them.

Broiled Cod

Ingredients

1/4 cup fat-free Italian salad dressing
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon each salt, curry powder, paprika and pepper
4 cloves fresh garlic crushed
2 cod fillets (6 ounces each)
2 teaspoons butter

Directions

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the dressing, sugar and seasonings. Add the fish; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 10-30 minutes.

Drain and discard marinade; place fillets on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Place 1 teaspoon butter on each fillet; let stand until melted. Yield: 2 servings.

I’m going to pickle a few tomatoes in the morning

I picked most of the green tomatoes that are left in the garden and plan to make some pickles with them.

I don’t think I should have drained the tomato and onion mix and I left out the celery, I could have replaced that with some garlic. These made a very sweat pickle and I’m enjoying a jar of them already.

I got a decent looking recipe from the Internet.

1 gallon green tomatoes
6 large onions
3 cups brown sugar
1/2 lemon
1 small whole hot red pepper (for each jar – optional)
3 red bell peppers
1 pint vinegar
1 pint water
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon allspice
1 tablespoon crushed celery seed
1 tablespoon whole mustard seed
1 tablespoon dry ground mustard
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

Wash and thinly slice the tomatoes and onions. Discard any with blemishes.

Sprinkle over the vegetables, one half cup of canning salt. Let stand overnight in a stainless steel or enamel pan or crock.

Tie the pepper, cloves, allspice and celery seed in a square of cheesecloth; fasten with cotton string. Slice the lemon and chop two peppers very finely.

Drain the tomato and onion well. Add all the seasoning except one of the pepper pods to the vinegar, then add the tomato and onion. Cook for 1/2 hour, stirring gently at intervals to prevent burning.

Remove spice bag to prevent darkening.

Pack in pint jars and garnish with slender strip of red bell pepper and 1 small hot pepper per jar (near the outer edge as decoration). Ladle hot vinegar mixture over jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

Adjust lids. Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.

Pork Short Ribs

I got up early to put Pork Short Ribs in the slow cooker, five to six hours of cooking time on low. Not really a lot of work just patience while it cooks.

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
5 Lbs bone in Pork Short Ribs
1 medium onion sliced
2 Tbsp sesame seeds toasted
2 Tbsp chopped green onions
Combine first nine in large bowl add ribs and coat them. Place onion chopped in bottom of slow cooker; top with ribs and sauce. Cover and cook on low five to six hours or until the meat is tender.
Place ribs on a serving platter and sprinkle with chopped green onions and sesame seeds. About five servings.