Chicken Portobello Mushroom Roll-Ups

Lasagna noodles aren’t just for layering. Lasagna, the casserole, is without a doubt the most famous use for the unique lasagna pasta shape. The shape and length of lasagna noodles makes them perfect for rolling up with all manner of fillings.

When it comes to comfort food, we often think of a hearty, gooey pasta dish that will feed an army, lasagna comes to mind. The traditional lasagna you’re used to eating combines layers of tomato sauce, cheese, and meat.  While the traditional portion of lasagna is wonderful, you know how filling it is. For the nights when you want to create easy, individual portions, try making some roll-ups.

The unique flat, wide shape of lasagna pasta makes an interesting canvas for culinary creations such as these chicken portobello mushroom roll-ups.

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Chicken Portobello Mushroom Roll-Ups
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Instructions
Noodles
  1. Cook noodles in boiling water & salt in a large pot for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but firm. Drain. Rinse & drain well.
Chicken Mushroom Filling
  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add chicken, onion & garlic. Scramble fry for about 7 minutes until onion is softened & chicken is no longer pink.
  2. Add next 4 ingredients. cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid is evaporated. Sprinkle with flour. Stir; add broth & herbs. Heat & stir until boiling & thickened. Transfer to a medium bowl. Let stand for about 15 minutes until cool.
  3. Spread 1/4 cup filling down length of each noodle. Roll up, jelly-roll style. Place rolls in a greased 8-inch pan
Parmesan Cheese Sauce
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Stir milk into flour in a small saucepan until smooth. Heat & stir on medium for about 8 minutes until boiling & thickened. Add cheese, salt & basil paste. Stir. Pour over noodle rolls. Sprinkle shredded, smoked cheddar cheese over all.
  3. Cover with greased foil & bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil & broil, uncovered (if you wish) for 10 minutes until bubbling & golden. Serve.

Coquilles St. Jacques

Today, July 25th is my sister Loretta’s birthday. The sibling bond is thought to be one of the most important and longest relationships in our lives. No other peer relationship involves a shared upbringing, shared genes and shared secrets. In childhood, an older sister is an admirable guide to the adolescent world. As we grow older, it is so wonderful to be able to reminisce about events or times you both recall even though to everyone else they are boring. Life events often change the dynamics of many sibling relationships. Thank you, Loretta for being such an amazing sister who has enriched my life in too many ways to count.

I chose this meal for today’s blog not only because Loretta is a seafood lover but from what I have read, it is also ‘St James Day’.

It seems, when you look for any food history that surrounds this meal there isn’t a lot available. The most repeated story is that a knight was saved from drowning by St. James. The knight emerged from the water covered with shells. Coquille St. Jacques translates as the shell of St. James with the origin dating back to the Middle ages.

Classically served in a scallop shell, this special dish consisted of scallops in a creamy wine sauce, topped with breadcrumbs or cheese and browned under a broiler. Scallops, because of their delicate, subtle nature, make a fine marriage with any number of foods and seasonings.

For our meal (in Loretta’s honor), I have used a seafood blend, mashed potatoes and a Gruyere/Parmesan topping. I wish you were here Loretta, to enjoy it with us.

OUR FAMILY CELEBRATES YOU WITH LOVE & AFFECTION ON YOUR DAY!

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Coquilles St. Jacques
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Course Lunch, Main Dish
Servings
Ingredients
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Servings
Ingredients
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Instructions
Mashed Potatoes
  1. Cook potatoes in salted boiling water until fork tender. Drain & transfer to a bowl; add butter, milk, salt & pepper. Using a hand mixer, whip potatoes, cover & set aside.
Sauce
  1. Drizzle a tiny bit of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, salt & pepper & cook until tender-crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Add flour & whisk until well combined with onions & garlic. Pour the milk slowly while whisking constantly, making short pauses from time to time to whisk until sauce becomes nice & smooth, then start pouring again. Once the milk has been added, whisk in the Dijon mustard, basil paste, dried dill & parsley. Stir in clams & set aside.
Seafood
  1. Drizzle a medium saucepan with a bit of olive oil. Saute mushrooms until liquid evaporates, set aside. Add a few more drops of olive oil to the saucepan, add the scallops & cook without moving for about 1 minute. Flip the scallops over & continue cooking until they form a nice crust on that side. Remove from pan & set aside.
  2. Add the shrimp to the pan & quickly saute them until they just turn pink & opaque, not much more than a minute. Remove from pan & set aside. Add the salmon to the pan & cook until it just turns opaque, about a minute or two. Add the salmon to the reserved sauce & stir in. Set aside.
Topping
  1. Grate cheese & place in a small dish. Add Panko breadcrumbs, parsley & melted butter. Combine well.
Assembly & Baking
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Place Place a scallop in the center of each individual oven safe shell; surround with four of the shrimp. Cover with sauce, dividing it equally between each shell. Give the potatoes a quick stir & place them in a large pastry bag equipped with a star tip. Pipe a border around the filling; sprinkle topping mix over filling. Place in oven for about 15-20 minutes until golden & bubbly. Serve immediately. Nice to serve with garlic bread.

Chicken Fagioli Stew

Over the years, Brion and I have made a couple of trips to Italy. On one such occasion our travels took us through the region known as Tuscany, where the past and present seem to merge in pleasant harmony. Famous for it’s bean production, cannellini (white kidney beans) are the most popular and are simply referred to as ‘fagioli’. Of course, white beans are cultivated in other areas of the country, but Tuscany seems to be their rightful home.

These large, creamy white beans have spread from the kitchens of Tuscany to become a favorite among the Italian people. Mild in flavor, they have a relatively thin skin and a traditional kidney shape. The beans are difficult to harvest when ripe, therefore are harvested in the fall when the pod is completely dry. As a result, they are rarely eaten fresh. Cannellini beans are available both dried and in canned form.

I started making this recipe for CHICKEN FAGIOLI STEW one winter and it’s continued to remain a favorite of ours.

While in the Tuscany region we visited the historic city of Florence. Being the home of renaissance art, perfect Italian gardens and magnificent sights, we came home with a lot of wonderful photos and memories. I hope you enjoy seeing some of them included in this post.


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Chicken Fagioli Stew

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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, Italian

Servings

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Instructions
  1. Cut chicken thighs into quarters; combine with dressing in a small bowl. Marinate while preparing vegetables.

  2. In a medium skillet, saute onion & garlic for 2 minutes. Add chicken with dressing; saute another 5 minutes.

  3. Add celery, carrot, potato, broth, basil & tomato. Reduce heat; simmer, covered for 25-30 minutes until vegetables are tender. Stir in drained cannellini beans & simmer gently until beans are heated. Serve

Fresh Salmon Roll-Ups

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, Brion and I never pass up the opportunity to have a good fish/seafood meal. Living in the prairie province of Alberta, Canada, fresh fish is not always readily available. This week when we checked out the fish department at the grocery store, they were featuring ‘wild’ fresh salmon. Along with enjoying our salmon for supper it brought back some very special memories I’d like to share with you today.

I’m not sure if you have heard of or maybe you have visited the island of Burano in northern Italy. Situated 7 km from Venice, it’s just a short, 40 minute trip by Venetian water taxi or ‘vaporetto‘. Burano is an old fishing village, whose traditions date back to Roman times. Fishing was the main source of income for most of Burano’s history but the number of fisherman has greatly declined over the years.

Although the island was settled in the 6th century, its significance came in the 16th century. At that time women on the island began making lace with needles. Due to competition from cheaper machine made lace from Asia and dwindling interest among young people both in making lace and using lacy linens, the industry is dying out. 

With a population of less than 3000, this little, densely built-up island is interwoven by canals filled with colorful fishing boats which match the rainbow of colored houses. The first homes of Burano were built on raised piles, with walls made of woven canes and afterwards plastered with mud. Later these houses were replaced with ones made of bricks and the inhabitants began painting them with bright colors. The origin of the colors is unknown but as the story goes that years ago, when the fishermen returned from sea, they couldn’t recognize their homes through the fog, so they started painting them different colors. The houses follow a special color pattern, based on a specific system that has been in place since the village was founded. If you are a resident of the island, and wish to paint your house, you must send a request to the government, which responds by making a note of the colors permitted for that specific lot of houses.

Another interesting Burano sight is the ominously leaning, bell-tower of the church of St. Martin Bishop. The tower rises some 160 feet with the tower leaning 6 feet from its axis. Yikes!

Brion and I had the opportunity, while on a vacation one year with the Trafalgar Tours,  to visit the island of Burano. We boarded the ‘water taxi’ which took across the lagoon to the island. It like you were stepping into a postcard with its brightly colored houses and clothes hung out to dry on lines strung across second-story windows. Extra splashes of color came from the many flower boxes. As we strolled through the narrow streets, many ladies were sitting in the sun, chatting with their neighbors, while making their intricate and beautiful Burano Lace.

The highlight of the afternoon came when we were treated to a fabulous seafood lunch at a local restaurant. I’m not quite sure how to best describe this meal other than it was ‘just incredible’. 

Memories are priceless gifts to savor!

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Fresh Salmon Roll-Ups
Votes: 1
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Cook rice. Place salmon fillet in a large plastic bag. 'Gently' pound to flatten to an even thickness. Slice bag down one side and across bottom; open out & set aside in refrigerator.
  2. Microwave broccoli florets about 1 minute; chop. Shred cheese. Melt margarine & add spices; stir well.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine rice, broccoli & cheese with 2/3 margarine/spice mixture. Spread 2/3 of the filling evenly over salmon; pat down. Using the help of the plastic bag, roll filled salmon up in a jelly-roll style. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with foil & spread remaining filling in it. Place salmon roll on top, pushing under layer close up around roll. Spread remaining butter sauce over salmon roll. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Slice & serve.

‘Retro’ Tuna/Salmon Pasta Bake

The 1950’s became the decade of casseroles. ‘One Pot’ meals have been around since mankind first invented cooking utensils but were rediscovered in the 1930’s.

Culinary habits of the 1950’s were practically defined by casseroles. The legendary ‘Tuna Noodle’ and ‘Green Bean’ casseroles, were the two that have endured the test of time and are still around today. Most others have faded away, largely because they simply weren’t that good.

One day when I was going through my mother’s little recipe file boxes, I happened to come across one such recipe. It appeared to be from the ‘Clover Leaf’ company. I vaguely recall her making it but decided to try it. I’m sure at that time, it was probably made with either tuna or salmon. I added a few extra spices just to ‘kick’ it up a notch and we really enjoyed it. As Brion put it, ‘great little comfort food meal’.

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'Retro' Tuna/Salmon Pasta Bake
Comfort food of yesteryear.
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Boil macaroni. Place half of the macaroni in a buttered 9 x 9-inch baking pan. Add drained, flaked salmon (or tuna), peas, eggs & seasonings; cover with the rest of the macaroni.
  2. Combine soup, milk & salmon juice; pour over all. Top with cheese or breadcrumbs or a combo of both. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes.

Summer Picnic Menu #2

                                                                MENU

WILD MUSHROOM & GOUDA QUICHE  — SHRIMP & VEGETABLE QUICHE                        

      FRESH SPINACH SALAD —  FRUIT KABOBS & HONEY YOGURT

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Summer Picnic Menu #2
Quiche is great whether it is served hot or cold making it a nice picnic meal.
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Instructions
Wild Mushroom & Gouda Quiche
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Slice green onion & mushrooms. Saute in margarine; add garlic, stirring often. Allow to cook for 5 minutes uncovered so moisture will evaporate. Cut broccoli into florets; add to pan along with red pepper & bacon bits. Cook another 6 minutes; remove from heat. Whisk together eggs, milk & seasonings.
  2. Sprinkle 1/2 of the Gouda cheese in quiche shell. Top with vegetable mixture; then remaining Gouda. Gently pour seasoned egg/milk mixture over all. Bake about 40 minutes or until quiche tests done. Since quiche is made with milk instead of cream (to lighten up on the calories) it tales a bit longer to bake.
Shrimp & Vegetable Quiche
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Microwave vegetables ONLY, for a few minutes to soften SLIGHTLY; lay on paper towel along with thawed shrimp to take up some of the moisture. Whisk together eggs, milk & seasonings.
  2. Sprinkle Italian cheese blend over bottom of quiche shell. Top with shrimp, vegetables & cheddar cheese. Gently pour seasoned egg/milk mixture over all. Bake on middle rack for 50-60 minutes or until just 'set'. Cover crust with foil, if necessary, to prevent over browning.
Fresh Spinach Salad
  1. In a large salad bowl, combine salad ingredients. Toss with salad dressing just before serving time or let each person put their own on at the picnic.
Fresh Fruit Kabobs with Honey Yogurt
  1. In a small bowl, combine yogurt & honey (cinnamon if using). Prepare fresh fruit of choice, cutting into bite size cubes. Thread onto 8" wooden skewers. Place in serving container along with sealed container of honey-yogurt dip.
Recipe Notes
  • If you prefer, quiche can be made individually for easy serving.