Three Cheese Strata with Ham

This recipe was in a recent issue of Relish. It's an insert in our local newspaper. I love that it seems yummy and something that really won't take a lot of time. The original recipe gave cheese options but I only included those cheese I'm mostly likely to have on hand. I don't know about you, but I'm not real big on having to make extra trips to the supermarket just to get one or two items for a new recipe.

Three Cheese Strata with Ham

14 oz. onion rolls, cubed (from the supermarket   bakery)
3 oz. cubed ham
2 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
2 oz.. shredded Cheddar cheese
2 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese
4 eggs
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (optional)
2 cups 2 percent reduced-fat milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.

Place cubed rolls in pan. Top with ham and cheeses. Combine eggs, mustard and milk; whisk well. Pour over roll mixture.

Bake 30 to 45 minutes, until set and puffed. Let cool 10 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

Lemon Mousse Cheesecake

I found this recipe in the March 2014 Relish magazine insert in today's newspaper. Since I love all things lemon, I had to save it for myself and share it with everyone else.

I love the extra tips Relish includes. One involves creating zest. They used a Microplane zester. I have a nifty zester that I got form either Tupperware or The Pampered Chef years ago. Just be sure not to get into the white of the lemon. That part is bitter. Just get fine bits from the yellow.

Another tip, this one from me, is to make sure the eggs are room temperature. It helps the egg whites form soft peaks.

 

Lemon Mousse Cheesecake

Crust:
5 tablespoons melted butter
40 vanilla wafers, crushed, or 8 graham crackers, crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup sugar

Filling:
24 ounces cream cheese
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
3/4 cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

To prepare crust, combine all ingredients. Stir well and press into a 10-inch springform pan.

Combine cream cheese and 1 cup sugar; beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add flour, egg yolks, lemon rind and juice; beat until smooth. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/3 cup sugar; beat until stiff peeks form. Fold into lemon batter.

Pour batter into crust. Place pan in a large baking pan. Add water to baking pan to a depth of one inch. Bake 55 minutes, until cake is set but still jiggly in the center. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.

Serves 20.

Best Fresh Lemonade

This recipe come from the April 2013 issue of Relish, a newspaper insert. I saved it for just such a time as this -- summer in the Deep South.

The recipe suggested coating glass rims with Lemon Sugar and I’ve included that recipe. I’ll probably skip that step. I won’t be skipping the step to completely dissolve the sugar with boiling water. It really does make a difference in the final product. It's a secret I learned years ago when making Sweet Tea.

Best Fresh Lemonade

4 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 cups fresh lemon juice (about 10 lemons)
Lemon Sugar for glass rims

Boil or microwave 2 cups water with sugar until sugar is dissolved. Let cool. Squeeze lemons to make about 2 cups juice. Combine juice, sugar water and remaining 2 cups water. Stir well and chill.

Drip the rim of each glass in a shallow bowl of water. Coat the rims with Lemon Sugar. Serve over ice and additional lemon slices.

Makes 8 servings.

Lemon Sugar

4 lemons
1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Peel lemons with a vegetable peeler or paring knife. Place peels on a baking sheet. Place in oven and let dry about 2 hours, until light tan in color. When thoroughly dry, grind peels in a coffee mill or in a food processor. Mix ground peel with sugar.

Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

Lemon Snap Icebox Pie

This recipes comes from the April 2013 issue of Relish, which is an insert in our local newspaper. It makes me think of sun and the beach instead of the dreary skies today has brought.

Lemon Snap Icebox Pie

Crust
1 ½ cups gingersnap crumbs
¼ cup melted butter
2 tablespoons sugar

Cream Cheese Layer
4 oz. cream cheese
2 cups whole-milk ricotta
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
½ cup sugar

Creamy Lemon Curd
3 egg yolks, well beaten
1/3 cup sugar
Finely grated rind of 2 lemons
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter
Sliced lemons

To prepare crust, combine crumbs, butter and sugar. Press into a 9-inch springform pan.

To prepare cream cheese layer, combine all ingredients in food processor or blender. Puree until very creamy. Spoon into crust. Cover and refrigerate.

To prepare curd, combine all ingredients in small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until curd is thick (about 5 minutes). Let cool completely. Spoon over chilled pie. Top pie with thin lemon slices.

Makes 10 servings.

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells

This recipe was in the Relish newspaper insert today in our local paper. The recipe is from Jack Witherspoon, a leukemia survivor. This young man got hooked of the Food Network while he was sick and he decided he wanted to be a chef, the article said.

Jack and his mom, Lisa, wrote a cookbook titled Twist It Up. (Chronicle Books, 2011) Be sure to check it out and help this young man raise money for pediatric leukemia research. You can purchase it through Amazon or many other places where books are sold. Thanks!

Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells with Marinara Sauce

Marinara Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14 ½ oz.) can diced tomatoes
2 (14 ½-oz.) can tomato sauce
2 beef bouillon cubes
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper

Pasta

1 (12-oz.) box jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fresh spinach
½ cup water
1 ¼ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 cups ricotta cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¼ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

To prepare marinara sauce, heat olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, bouillon cubes, basil, oregano, parsley and sugar. Stir well. Simmer over low heat 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper.

Makes about 6 cups.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss cooked pasta with olive oil and set aside.

Combine spinach with water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, covered, until spinach is wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well and squeeze spinach to remove excess moisture. Finely chop spinach.

Combine mozzarella, ricotta, eggs, garlic, spinach, ½ cup Parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir to blend. Generously stuff pasta shells with cheese mixture. Place shells in 2 (13 x 9-inch) baking dishes and cover with marinara sauce. Sprinkle evenly with remaining Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is hot and bubbly. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 10.