Author Archives: Lisa

Thanksgiving Stuffing

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For years I worked on finding the perfect stuffing recipe. I had always enjoyed my mom’s but I wanted to find one of my own that had some goodies in it that my mom’s didn’t have. So after years of experimenting I finally settled on a stuffing recipe that has been my standard for over a decade. I call it Stuffing a la Lisa. I hope you try it and the Sugar Snap Pea recipe that follows. Both recipes are the key to simple Thanksgiving sides.

See you next month, Meet me in the kitchen!
Lisa Breithaupt, The Gourmet Librarian

Stuffing a la Lisa
Ingredients:
1 lb. sausage
3/4 cup of raisins
1 cup of celery chopped
2 small onions chopped
1 1/2 cup mushrooms chopped
1 14 oz. bag cubed stuffing, plain
1 can of chicken broth
1 cup of Brazil nuts (optional)
salt and pepper

Directions:

Saute the 1 lb of sausage and drain. In skillet saute the raisins, celery, onions, and mushrooms. When these items are carmelized add the sausage back into the skillet. Stir in the cubed, plain, stuffing and add broth. Season. Pat into a greased 9X13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
If you are vegetarian you can make this without the sausage and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to moisten the stuffing.

Sugar Snap Peas and Red Grapes

Ingredients:
3/4 lb of sugar snap peas
1 t. unsalted butter
1 shallot finely chopped
1/4 t. salt
pepper
1/2 cup seedless red grapes halved

Directions:

Blanch peas. Cool. Heat butter. Saute shallot (or small onion). Add peas, salt, pepper, and grape halves. Heat through and serve immediatly.

What to do with all of these Tomatoes!

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It’s the time of year that makes me think of a quote from the American writer and humorist, Lewis Grizzard.  “It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.”  The tomato has been around for centuries and people have enjoyed it’s savory, juicy, decliciousness (except for a brief period in history that it was thought to be poisonous). Thank goodness it was soon discovered to be safely edible.  Here are a couple of recipes to use up all of the tomatoes that are ripe and ready for the picking.

See you next month, meet me in the kitchen!

Lisa Breithaupt, The Gourmet Librarian

Tomato Pie

2/3 cup of Bisquick

2/3 cup of milk

2 or 3 medium tomatoes

1 medium onion, sauteed.

2 T. butter

3/4 cup sour cream

1/3 cup mayonnaise

4 ounces grated cheddar cheese

3/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/4 t. oregano

pinch of sage

papricka

Mix Bisquick and milk. Pat into buttered 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Top with sliced tomatoes. Use as many or as little as you enjoy.  Saute onion in butter. Mix with the rest of the ingredients and spread on top of tomatoes.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Bake at 375 degrees for 24 minutes.  Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Russian Tomato and Cucumber Salad

6 tomatoes chopped

2 cucumbers peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 chopped onion

1 T. vinegar

1/2 cup sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

a little sweetener

1 T. or more of Dill

Combine vegetables in a bowl.  Combine remaining ingredients in another bowl and when blended, fold into vegetables.

Southern Cornbread Salad

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Our annual church choir picnic was approaching and for some strange reason I knew exactly what I wanted to make……Cornbread Salad !!  My mom had made it recently and it sounded so good I wanted to try it myself.  I just needed a good recipe.  I began scouring cookbooks here at the library as well as the internet and came upon a Paula Deen recipe that sounded so good. I decided to add some additional ingredients of my own.  Our choir is rather large and spouses/significant others were invited so I knew I needed to make a big salad.  I also wanted to bowl to be clear because the salad is a layered salad and I wanted it to look pretty.  I used a punch bowl!  The salad was a huge hit and I ended up only bringing back enough for a lunch serving the next day.  Enjoy !

See you next month, Meet me in the kitchen!!

Lisa Breithaupt, The Gourmet Librarian

Ingredients:

1 batch of cornbread, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 (14.5 ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 ounce) can niblet corn, drained

1 medium cucumber, chopped

1 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped

1 or 2 green or red peppers chopped

3 large tomatoes, chopped

1 large bottle of ranch dressing

2 cups of grated cheddar cheese

1 (8 ounce) bottle of ranch dressing

1 small can of sliced black olives, drained

Directions:

In the bottom of the bowl placed half of the cubed cornbread.  Begin layering ingredients in order given: beans, corn, cucumber.  At this point add the remaining cornbread and continue layering the ingredients: onion, pepper, tomatoes, dressing, cheese, sliced olives. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.  This allows the veggies to marinate a bit without the risk of making the corn bread soggy.

Enjoy putting your own spin on this recipe.  Add other delicious veggies that your own family enjoys !  What a great way to put all of those delicious garden vegetables to good use!!