BETTE'S BAKED CRUSTY-CRUMB ASPARAGUS

Bette’s Baked Crusty-Crumb Asparagus

Ingredients:

18–24 asparagus spears
6 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
Pinch of tarragon
2 cups bread crumbs

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently place asparagus spears into a skillet of boiling water and blanch. Drain the asparagus and place it in a buttered shallow baking pan. In a skillet, melt the butter and sauté the onion, garlic, parsley, and tarragon. Add the bread crumbs and mix well. Spoon the bread crumb mixture over the asparagus, cover the pan with foil, and bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake at 400 degrees for an additional 5 minutes to achieve a crusty top. Enjoy!

MAMA LOUISE'S ESCAROLE AND BEANS

MAMA LOUISE'S ESCAROLE "N" BEANS

MOM'S BEST

Ingredients

2 heads escarole
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cans Cannellini beans
1/2 teaspoon hot red crushed pepper
Salt & pepper to taste

Preparing

Cut bottom core off escarole and rinse leaves well. In a large pot, put in escarole leaves and add 4 cups of water; steam until leaves are tender. Drain in colander and set aside. Place olive oil and garlic in the same pot and sauté garlic until golden brown. Add escarole and the remaining ingredients into the pot and stir. Heat thoroughly

CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES FOR VALENTINES DAY

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

8 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips

1 pound container fresh strawberries with stems

Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper.

In a small bowl, melt the chocolate in a microwave at half power, for 1 minute, stir and then

heat for another minute or until melted.

Holding a strawberry by the stem end, dip into the melted chocolate, letting the excess

chocolate drip off. Repeat with the remaining strawberries.

Optional: Immediately dip chocolate covered strawberries in either chopped nuts or

coconut.

Refrigerate immediately until hardened.

If you can't find Stem Strawberries , use toothpicks as a stem, they work real good

IDAHO POTATO SKINS

INGREDIENTS

6 Idaho russet russet baking potatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
6 strips of bacon
4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 green onions, thinly sliced, including the greens of the onion

1 Bake the potatoes:

Scrub the potatoes clean then bake the potatoes using your favorite method, either oven or microwave. If using an oven, pierce a few times with a sharp knife or the tines of a fork, rub with olive oil and bake in a 400°F oven for about an hour until the potatoes are cooked through and give a little when pressed.

If using a microwave, pierce the potato a few times with a sharp knife of the tines of a fork, rub all over with olive oil and cook on the high setting for about 5 minutes per potato.

I have found that baking the potatoes in a conventional oven yields potatoes that are easier to work with (cut and scoop out), the potato seems to adhere to the skins a little better, but there is hardly a discernible difference in the final product

2 Cook the bacon:

While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon strips in a frying pan on medium low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Let cool. Crumble.

3 Cut potatoes in half and scoop out the insides:

Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool enough to handle. Cut in half horizontally. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the insides, reserving the scooped potatoes for another use, leaving about 1/4 of an inch of potato on the skin

4 Bake the potato skins:

Increase the heat of the oven to 450°F. Brush or rub olive oil all over the potato skins, outside and in. Sprinkle with salt.

Place on a baking rack in a roasting pan (don't use a cookie sheet, it will warp, use a roasting pan or broiler pan that can take the heat).

Cook for 10 minutes on one side, then flip the skins over and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle.

5 Add cheese and bacon and bake again:

Arrange the potato skins skin-side down on the roasting pan or rack. Sprinkle the insides with freshly ground black pepper, cheddar cheese, and crumbled bacon.

Return to the oven. Broil for an additional 2 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven.

6 Top with sour cream and green onions to serve:

Use tongs to place skins on a serving plate. Add a dollop of sour cream to each skin, sprinkle with green onions.

Serve immediately.

PETER JR'S GUACAMOLE DIP

PETER Jr.’s Guacamole Dip

3 Avocados, peeled & mashed

Juice of 1 lime

½ - red onion, peeled & diced

2 teaspoons – fresh Cilantro, minced

1 Plum tomato, seeded & diced

Pinch of garlic powder

Salt & pepper to taste

Pinch of Cumin, (optional)

In a large bowl, add all of the above ingredients and mix together. If you are not serving it right away, you can put into the refrigerator.
Please Note:To keep the avocado dip from turning brown, before you put it into the refrigerator, take the pit from the avocado and put it on top of the dip and press down until part of the pit is in view.

gARLIC SAUTEED SPINACH

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 pounds baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (6 cloves)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Lemon
Sea salt (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Rinse the spinach well in cold water to make sure it’s very clean. Spin it dry in a salad spinner, leaving just a little water clinging to the leaves.

In a very large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic over medium heat for about 1 minute, but not until it’s browned. Add all the spinach, the salt, and pepper to the pot, toss it with the garlic and oil, cover the pot, and cook it for 2 minutes. Uncover the pot, turn the heat on high, and cook the spinach for another minute, stirring with a wooden spoon, until all the spinach is wilted. Using a slotted spoon, lift the spinach to a serving bowl and top with the butter, a squeeze of lemon, and a sprinkling of sea or kosher salt. Serve hot.

RECIPE COURTESY OF INA GARTEN ONE OF THE BEST CHEFS I KNOW!!!!!

BETTE'S BROCCOLI RABE PIE

Ingredients

1/2 pound broccoli rabe
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic clove, diced
1/2 pound sausage, no casing
3/4 pound ricotta cheese (whole milk)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons grated cheese
1 egg
2 pie crusts for bottom and top
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tsp olive oil

Preparing

Sauté garlic and oil until lightly browned and add broccoli rabe; sauté until tender. Strain the broccoli rabe and garlic mixture to remove the excess liquid. Chop the mixture finely, and set aside for later use. Cook the sausage meat and the diced onions until the mixture is fully cooked. Drain the sausage mixture of any excess liquid. Make sure the sausage and onion mixture is chopped, without any large pieces of meat. Add sausage mixture to the broccoli rabe mixture. Blend well. Next, add the ricotta, mozzarella, grated cheese and egg. Stir until mixed well. Add broccoli rabe and sausage mixture to the pie crust, and distribute evenly. Add pie crust over the top. Cut a vent hole in the center of the pie. Pinch the edges of the two crusts together. Brush the top of the pie and the edges with a beaten egg yolk. Place pie on a cookie sheet, and bake at 375° for 45 minutes to an hour, or until golden brown. Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving

BETTE'S STUFFED ARTICHOKES

Bette"s

Artichokes

4 medium-sized artichokes

2 cups breadcrumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

¼ cup water

3/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons parsley flakes

Preparing

Rinse the artichokes well, remove the small outer leaves from the bottom row around artichoke, cut off the stem and slice about 1 inch off of the top

. In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and pepper.

Add the melted butter, water and oil and mix well.

If needed, add more water or oil to make stuffing very moist

Turn the artichokes upside down and press firmly to spread the leaves

. Turn right side up and stand the artichokes in a large pot with about 1 ½ inches of water in the bottom. Cover and steam over medium-high heat about 20-25 minutes or until the artichokes are tender, checking the water level occasionally and adding more water as needed.

Stuff the breadcrumb mixture into the center and inside surrounding layers of leaves

. Put onto microwavable plate and microwave for approximately 3-4 minutes or before serving put into pan covered tightly with foil and place in 350° oven for approximately 20 minutes

ROASTED BRUSSEL SPROUTS WITH GARLIC & PARMESAN CHEESE

INGREDIENTS

1 pound Brussels Sprouts Cleaned and trimmed
3 cloves garlic Thin sliced or chopped
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese Freshly grated
salt and pepper To taste
3 tablespoons good quality olive oil or butter flavor coconut oil

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 400F
If needed, clean and trim the Brussels sprouts and cut them in halves and place them in an oven safe dish. Make sure to dry them very well before cooking.
Add the garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper, followed by the olive oil. Toss to coat.
Roast in the oven uncovered for 20-25 minutes until crisp, brown and caramelized on the outside and tender on the inside. Serve with more grated cheese.

TIPS AND NOTES

Dry your Brussels sprouts well. The drier they are, the crispier they’ll be. If washing, use paper towels to pat them dry or use a salad spinner to spin that liquid right off.
Leave smaller sprouts whole to avoid overcooking.
On smaller sprouts that don’t need to be halved, slice a cross in the stem . The stem is the toughest part of the Brussels sprout and the cross allows them to cook at the same rate as the tender area.
Brown is good. If you’ve never cooked Brussels sprouts this way, at first glance you may think they look burnt out of the oven, but once you taste them, you’ll know those little “burnt” areas are the best tasting parts!
For an extra caramelized area place the sliced brussels sprouts cut-side down at on the pan. This will give a larger browned surface area.

THANK YOU ERRENS KITCHEN

RECIPE COURTESY OF errenskitchen.com

cauliflower & cheese casserole

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower
1 pound Velveeta cheese
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 1/2 cups Ritz cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons butter or margarine

Preparing

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Rinse the cauliflower and break into florets.

In a medium-sized saucepan, steam the cauliflower until fork-tender (do not overcook). In a small saucepan, melt the Velveeta cheese over low heat, then add the milk and onion and stir until well blended.

In a large casserole, place some of the melted cheese on the bottom and layer with cauliflower, then cracker crumbs, dot with butter or margarine, and repeat. Crumble additional cracker crumbs and place on top. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and let stand in the oven for an additional 5 minutes.

BETTE'S ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

Roasted Cauliflower

head of cauliflower
½ stick butter, melted
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste
¼ cup parmesan or Romano grated cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°

Break cauliflower into florets rinse and put into pot. Add 1 cup of water. On medium-high heat, steam until fork tender. Do not overcook. Cauliflower should be on the firm side.

Drain and put back into pot and add melted butter, olive oil, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Mix gently until fully coated and place in roasting pan. Sprinkle with grated cheese and roast in oven for approximately 20 minutes.

BETTE'S BROCCOLI RABE AND SAUSAGE

Ingredients

2 pounds broccoli rabe (Approximately 2 Bunches)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 pound sausage, hot or sweet
½ teaspoon hot red crushed pepper
Salt & pepper to taste
Cooked pasta (optional)

Preparing

In a large frying pan, brown sausage. After sausage is cooked, cut into approximately 1/4" circular pieces and set aside. Cut off about 2 inches from the bottom stem of the broccoli rabe; rinse well and drain. In a large pot, put in broccoli rabe and add approximately 4 cups of water, cover and steam on medium-high until tender, stirring occasionally. In colander, drain broccoli rabe and set aside. In the same empty pot put in oil and garlic and sauté garlic until lightly browned. Add broccoli rabe, sausage, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper to the sautéed garlic and oil and stir together. If desired, place broccoli rabe over cooked pasta and serve

BETTE'S BROCCOLI & CHEESE

Broccoli & Cheese

Ingredients

2 heads broccoli

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 pound Velveeta cheese, melted

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups Ritz crackers, crumbled

2 tablespoons chopped onions

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

Preparing

In a large saucepan, steam broccoli until fork tender. In small saucepan, melt the

Velveeta cheese on low head and add milk and onions. Stir until well blended.

Preheat oven to 375°. Layer the ingredients in a large casserole, beginning with

the melted cheese, then adding the broccoli and sprinkling with the cracker

crumbs. Dot the crumb layer with butter and repeat. Sprinkle the final layer with

additional cracker crumbs. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and let stand

in oven for an additional 5 minute

BETTE'S BROWN SUGAR AND BUTTER SQUASHES

INGREDIENTS

1 CARNIVAL, DELICATA, OR SWEET DUMPLING SQUASH

1 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 Tsp Cinnamon

2 Tsp White Sugar

2 Tsp Maple Sugar ( optional )

Dash of Salt

COOKING

Preheat oven to 375 F

Prep the squash, cut in half and remove seeds

Place the squash in a microwave for about 10 minutes

Place the squash halves cut side up in a baking pan

Add the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, white sugar, maple sugar, and salt.

Crumble a tablespoon of brown sugar into the center of each half and drizzle with teaspoon of butter or maple syrup

Bake at 375 F for about 30 minutes until the tops of the squash halves are nicrely browned and fork tender

.Remove from the oven and spoon the brown butter sugar sauce left in pan over the squash

Let cool a bit before serving

******** It's hard to overcook Squash--- it gets better with more caramelization

ENJOY!!!!!

PUMPKIN RAVIOLI'S

FILLING

3/4 cup pumpkin purée

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup grated parmesan

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Dash cinnamon

Dash ginger

Dash clove

Black pepper

Handful of bread crumbs

Sage Butter Sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon cold water

1 cup chicken broth

2 teaspoons dried sage

3 tablespoons butter, cut in pieces, melted

In a small bowl, blend cornstarch with cold water. In a small pot, heat chicken broth over high heat and cook 3 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Add dried sage and cornstarch mixture and boil for 1 minute

.Remove pan from heat and swirl in butter until melted.

Homemade Ravioli

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

3 eggs, plus 1 for egg wash

2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour, add in the eggs all at once, and mix them together well using your hands. Add the olive oil and knead the dough for 5 minutes. Form into a ball and leave in the bowl, covered with plastic wrap for 30 minutes. Take a small piece of the dough and either run it through a pasta machine a few times or use a rolling pin, using some flour and muscle to create a thin sheet. Cut circles out of the dough using a cookie cutter or a glass. Place 1 teaspoon of the pumpkin filling in the center of half of the circles and lightly brush egg wash around the edge of the circle. Place the second circle on top over the filling and use a fork to crimp the edges all around. Continue with the remaining pasta dough until all of the dough and filling have been used. To cook the ravioli, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the ravioli, and cook for 2-3 minutes (they’re done once they float to the top). Drain, toss the pumpkin ravioli with sage butter sauce, and enjoy!

GABBY'S MALFATTI'S

4 TO 6 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup finely chopped onions

4 cups Swiss chard, cooked, drained, and chopped

2 pounds ground beef

1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese

4 eggs

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup flour

4 cups tomato sauce

PREPARING

Preheat oven to 350ᵒF.

In a skillet, melt the butter, add the onion, and sauté until lightly browned. In a largebowl, mix the sautéed onion, Swiss chard, ground beef, 1 cup grated cheese, eggs, andbread crumbs. Take a small handful of the mixture and form into sausage like rollsabout 3 inches long.

Place some flour in a dish and roll each malfatti in flour until well coated. Bring a large saucepan half full of water to a boil. Place the malfatti's into the pan and boil until they float to the top, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain.

Cover the bottom of the baking pan with tomato sauce and place the malfatti in the

pan in a single layer. Cover with sauce and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan

cheese. Bake for approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

BAKED POTATO WITH TOMATO-BASIL RELISH AND BALSAMIC DRIZZLE

Ingredients:

2 baked Idaho® russet potatoes
4 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced (about 1 cup sliced)
1 clove garlic, very finely minced or use a garlic press
6-8 basil leaves, stacked, rolled and cut into ribbons
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
Garnish: 2 teaspoons balsamic glaze

Directions:

Place sliced tomatoes, garlic, basil ribbons, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper into a medium bowl and mix to combine.
Cut a slit into the warm baked potatoes and fluff up the flesh with a fork.
Divide tomato relish between the two potatoes.
Drizzle with balsamic glaze.
Serve immediately.

THANK YOU

THE IDAHO POTATO COMMISSION

BETTE'S PUMPKIN PIE

INGREDIENTS FOR PIE CRUST

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons cold water
(optional) frozen pie shell

FILLING

2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix) (Or if you can find a cheese pumpkin)
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

Heat oven to 425°F. In medium bowl, mix flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the oil with fork until all
flour is moistened. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all
water is absorbed. Shape pastry into a ball. Press in bottom and up side of 9-inch glass pie
plate.
In large bowl, beat eggs slightly with wire whisk or hand beater. Beat in 1/2 cup of both sugars,
the cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cloves, pumpkin and milk. Carefully pour pumpkin filling into
pie plate. Bake 15 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake about 45 minutes longer or until knife inserted in
center comes out clean. Place pie on cooling rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours.

BETTE'S APPLE CRUMB PIE

Makes 6 to 8 servings

6 Large Apples ( A mix of different apples is great)

3 Tablespoons sugar

3 Teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 Teaspoons instant tapioca

1 Baked 9-inch pie shell

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

CRUMB TOPPING

1 1/2 cups flour

1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup ( 1 1/2 sticks) butter

Preheat the oven to 375*F

Peel, core, and slice the apples and place in a large bowl. Add the sugar,

cinnamon, and tapioca and stir together until the apples are well coated.

Spoon the apple mixture into the pie shell. Dot with butter or margarine

and set aside.

For the crumb topping, place the flour, cinnamon, and sugar in a large

bowl and cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the

mixture has the texture of course cornmeal. Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top of the apples.

Bake the pie for 40 to 45 minutes

Enjoy the Taste of Fall