sauce

Ziti Baked Spinach

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Joy of Eating: Ziti Baked Spinach! Four simple ingredients are baked together to create a timeless Italian favorite: ziti pasta, tomato sauce, spinach, and cheese. The rest is simply embellishment for the palate. The short tubular shape of ziti grabs onto chunky sauces, making it a distant cousin to penne, which may be easier to find in the grocery aisle. However, I visited a specialty store where I chose an authentic organic brand of ziti pasta made in Italy. Buona Saluté!

ZITI BAKED SPINACH 

Ingredients:

8 ounces ziti

1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed

1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, finely shredded 

16 Italian style meatballs, halved

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced and sautéed

24 ounce jar of basil spaghetti sauce

1/8 teaspoon oregano 

1/8 teaspoon marjoram 

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease an 8″x8″ casserole dish. Cook pasta according to package directions, al dente. Drain in a colander. Sauté mushrooms in a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a medium bowl. Combine spinach, bread crumbs, egg, olive oil, 1/4 cup cheese, and ziti. In a large skillet, mix spaghetti sauce, mushrooms, Italian sausage, oregano, marjoram, and garlic powder. Simmer for 10 minutes until heated through. Layer a third of the meat sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish. Fill the next layer with the spinach ziti mixture. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese over all. Bake for 30 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes and serve. 

Wicked Hot Wings and Drummies

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Joy of Eating: Wicked Hot Wings and Drummies!  Get set for an explosion of hot jerk sauce slathered over fork-tender chicken slowly cooked all afternoon. These “fall off the bone” juicy morsels will have you smacking your lips and wiping your chin. A side dish of chunky Bleu cheese dressing snuffs out the fire and tramples the heat. Keep stalks of celery handy and you’ll find yourself wondering how you finished the entire platter. 

WICKED HOT WINGS AND DRUMMIES 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Jazzy Jerk Sauce**

1/2 cup butter

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons oregano

2 teaspoons onion powder 

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 cup ginger beer

1 1/2 pounds chicken wings and drummies

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions:

Mix together habanero sauce, butter, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, onion powder, and garlic powder. Bring sauce to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer on low for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup ginger beer. Stir to blend. Place chicken wings and drummies in a crockpot. Cover all with sauce. Cook on High setting for 2 hours. Reduce temperature to Low setting and cook 2 1/2 hours longer. Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray with nonstick oil. Place wings and drummies on foil. Baste tops with sauce. Bake 15 minutes. Turn with tongs, baste, and bake 15 minutes longer. Serve with additional sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serving suggestion: Celery sticks and chunky Bleu cheese dressing. 

*The Jazzy Jerk habanero sauce may be substituted for another hot pepper sauce. 

**Jazzy Jerk Sauce recipe may be found by clicking on the link below. 

https://snapshotsincursive.com/2015/10/15

Salad and Slice

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Joy of Eating: Salad and Slice! Now here’s a perfect combo that won’t set you back on the calorie-counter scale. One slice of pizza with a garden salad is a deliciously satisfying portion any time of day or night. Add a Greek peperoncino and a couple of olives for that burst of flavor and you’ll be patting yourself on the back for stirring up that wall of will power. Who says you can’t have your cake (or pizza) and eat it, too?

SALAD AND SLICE

Ingredients Single Serving Pizza: 

1/2 cup bread flour

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup warm water

Pinch salt

Toppings of your choice

Instructions:

Get the oven warm and then turn it off. This helps the dough to rise. Combine flour, yeast, olive oil, and sugar. Gradually add the warm water and stir. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it forms a ball. Place the ball in a bowl, cover it loosely with plastic wrap and set it in the warm oven for 30 minutes. It will double in size. Remove from oven, flatten to the size of a plate, and add sauce and desired toppings. Bake on a pizza stone in a 400° oven for 12-15 minutes. Cut into 4 pieces for now and later. 

Ingredients for Garden Salad:

1-2 Romaine leaves, gently torn

2 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese

2-3 crunchy croutons

Garlic Vinegar and Olive Oil, salad dressing

Instructions:

Mix together and serve. 

One Fish, Two Fish

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Joy of Eating: One Fish, Two Fish! The health benefits of eating tilapia are enough to make you feel like a poet. By choosing a fish that is high in protein and low in calories, why not get creative with a baked and crispy crust?  This one has a kick of spice balanced with natural cornmeal and grated cheese. Give it a whirl and pass your comments on to me. I’d love to hear from you. 

ONE FISH, TWO FISH

Ingredients:

2 tilapia fillets, boneless and skinless

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cornmeal 

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper 

1/2 cup Jazzy Jerk Sauce*

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425°. While the oven is preheating, cover the bottom of an iron skillet with the olive oil. Place skillet in oven while you prepare the breading for the tilapia. Mix together all dry ingredients and spread on a sheet of waxed paper. Pour the Jazzy Jerk Sauce* into a shallow bowl. Dip one fish fillet at a time into the sauce, coating both sides. Once wet, dredge in bread crumb mixture to fully cover both sides. Set aside and repeat for the second fish fillet. Using oven mitts, carefully remove iron skillet from oven. Place fish fillets in pan and return to oven. Bake 8 minutes, gently turn over and bake 4 minutes longer. Do not over cook. Serve with a side of cole slaw. 

*Jazzy Jerk Sauce recipe may be found by clicking on the link below. 

https://snapshotsincursive.com/2026/01/15

Jazzy Jerk Sauce

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Joy of Eating: Jazzy Jerk Sauce! Get fired up as you crank up the heat with this homemade habanero pepper sauce. Choose those festive little lantern-shaped peppers from the local market or nearby health food resource, don a pair of vinyl gloves, and fill your kitchen with aromas from the Caribbean Islands. As it cooks, let your imagination run wild for the condiment that sends the temperature rising!

JAZZY JERK SAUCE

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

1 cup baby carrots, chopped

2 cups water

10-12 habanero peppers, seeded and finely chopped

3 tablespoons orange juice

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

In a medium sauce pan, sauté garlic in olive oil. Add onion, carrots, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until carrots are soft. Remove from heat. Add habanero peppers, orange juice, vinegar, and sea salt. Transfer to a blender and purée until smooth. Pour into a jar and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

*Serving suggestion: Wicked Hot Wings and Drummies!

Xotic Black Raspberry Sauce

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Burst of Flavor: Xotic Black Raspberry Sauce! When my friend, Nancy, gifted me with a pound of wild black raspberries from her woods, I knew had to make something special. I wanted that succulent sweet taste to linger long after the season had exhausted itself. The answer was to transform the berries into an exotic sauce. Now I can enjoy them every morning as a healthy topping spooned over a bowl of calcium-rich Greek yogurt. The combined benefit gives me the effects of a probiotic as well as an antioxidant. Thanks, Nancy!

XOTIC BLACK RASPBERRY SAUCE

Ingredients:

4 cups black raspberries

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Instructions:

In a 2.5 quart pan, add black raspberries, water, and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally for about ten minutes. From time to time, smash some of the berries against the side of the pan. This will help thicken the sauce. Add the lemon extract and continue cooking another ten minutes. Do not let it burn. It should form the consistency of syrup. Remove from heat. As it cools, it will thicken even more. Pour into a jar with a lid and store in the refrigerator. 

Open-Faced Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Burst of Flavor: Open-Faced Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches! Stretch Summer to its limit with this popular sandwich that has maximum flavor on a toasted pretzel bun. Pile it high with tangy cole slaw and a dill pickle spear on the side for a satisfying meal. Once you combine the shredded pork with the barbecue sauce, keep it warm in the crockpot and savor the aromas filling the house. 

OPEN-FACED PULLED PORK BBQ SANDWICHES

Ingredients:

3-4 pound boneless pork roast prepared as directed from the segment Kalua Pork Roast https://snapshotsincursive.com/2015/05/27

Leftovers can be frozen and used later to make something incredible like today’s special. 

Add 1 cup of your favorite bottled barbecue sauce to the shredded pork. Simmer to blend flavors. Or…..make the sauce yourself!

BBQ SAUCE:

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup chili sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon liquid smoke

Instructions:

In a 2-quart saucepan, heat all ingredients to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water if needed. Mix with pulled pork to blend flavors. Keep warm. 

Edamame Chicken Broccoli Stir-Fry

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Burst of Flavor: Edamame Chicken Broccoli Stir-Fry! Mention the word “Stir-Fry” and watch people gather around the table. There’s something about the freshness of vegetables combined with chicken tenders smothered in a nutty savory sauce that screams “More! More!” It’s healthy, it’s easy, and it’s filling. The versatility of stir-fry makes an instant star of leftover ingredients. Everyone wins!

EDAMAME CHICKEN BROCCOLI STIR-FRY

Ingredients:

3/4 pound of chicken tenders, boneless and skinless

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 pound of broccoli florets, stalks trimmed

1 cup pineapple chunks

1/4 cup edamame, dry roasted nuts

Ingredients for Sauce:*

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons peanut butter, creamy

1 tablespoon molasses

2 teaspoons vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 garlic powder

20 drops of sriracha sauce

*If you’re short on time, you may substitute bottled Hoisin Sauce for the homemade one. 

 

Instructions:

The sauce can be made first so it is ready when you need it. Simply mix all the ingredients together until you have a smooth and creamy consistency. 

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken tenders in olive oil, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Chicken  should be browned and cooked through after 3-4 minutes. Be prepared to add a tablespoon or two of water if the pan goes dry. Reduce heat to low. Place broccoli around the edge of the pan before finishing in the middle. Add pineapple chunks and edamame. Pour sauce over all and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes longer. Serve over rice. 

Balsamic Reduction Sauce – It’s Sweet

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Burst of Flavor: Balsamic Reduction Sauce-It’s Sweet! This is the elegant dark sauce you find drizzled over salads, cheese, meats, vegetables, and even fruity desserts in restaurants. At home, it can be made in minutes. You’ll feel like a master chef when you swirl it over your favorite dishes. I do. 

BALSAMIC REDUCTION SAUCE-IT’S SWEET!

Ingredients:

1 cup imported Italian balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup pure honey

Instructions:

Mix vinegar and honey together in a reduction pan.* (If you do not have one, simply substitute a 2-quart pan instead.) Bring contents to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Stir occasionally. You will need to use the exhaust fan on the stove since the aroma of vinegar will fill the kitchen. It will take 10-30 minutes to reduce to half the amount, depending on how thick you want your sauce to be. I prefer it closer to molasses so it stands up when drizzled. Watch carefully so it does not burn. Set the timer every10 minutes to see how it coats the back of a spoon. (It is also helpful to use the markings on the measuring tool.) Once it has reduced to half, remove from heat and set aside to cool. It does thicken up as it cools. Store in the refrigerator. Drizzle on foods in teaspoon-size portions. Enjoy! You’re Welcome! 

* A reduction pan tapers from wide at the top to narrow at the base to encourage evaporation when reducing liquids. It often comes with a measuring spoon that has markings on it for accuracy.