Swiss Green Beans

The last weekend of summer is upon us. This calls for family get-togethers, back yard BBQS, farewell trips to the beach, and back to school! I have always loved the beginning of September because it means I go back to the classroom and dig in for another year of teaching. I love to cook and I love to play my instruments, but teaching is my life’s calling – it’s where I feel most at home.

If you are planning a weekend picnic, this is the perfect salad. Straight from one of the Moosewood Cookbooks (The Enchanted Broccoli Forest). It’s perfect in every way and always gets RAVE reviews. I know at first glance the ingredients don’t seem to ‘match,’ but trust me, they’re excellent!

Here’s what you need:

1 ½ lbs fresh green beans, cleaned and trimmed

2 large cloves garlic, minced

¼ C extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp dried tarragon

1 tsp dried dill

Black pepper to taste

2 tsp Dijon mustard

3-4 T fresh lemon juice

1 T red wine vinegar

½ C fresh parsley, minced

1/3 lb swiss cheese, cut in thin strips

½ C chopped ripe olives – use a great quality olive; avoid using the canned stuff

1 small green pepper cut in thin strips

1 small red pepper cut in thin strips

½ C chopped or slivered, toasted almonds

Here’s what you do:

Blanch the green beans until tender-crisp. Cool them under cold water. Slice the cheese and veggies. Prepare the dressing by whisking everything together…. The original recipe calls for adding the vinegar and lemon juice at the last minute to keep the beans nice and green and crisp. I know that’s probably the best way to prepare this salad, but I just mix it all together and it turns out great every time.

Happy Labor Day to my American friends, and happy back to school to all those teachers, parents and students out there! 

spinach quiche

This was one of the very first things I learned to make as a young bride (dare I say 25 years ago…..) In fact, this was the very first thing I made for a lunch party…. I remember that friends of my husband’s came to our home and I made this along with a spinach salad…. That’s called spinach overkill. We certainly got our iron that day….. My daughter made this for a family dinner when she was very young – it’s that easy.

I still return to this recipe because it is very good. We eat it for dinner the first day and breakfast the next morning. If there is a slice left after that, it becomes lunch for someone lucky. It is simple, easy and nice enough for company. It would be great sliced very thinly and served room temperature as a hearty appetizer.

Here’s what you need:

1 unbaked pie crust – I am very loyal to Pillsbury Brand

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach. Use a good brand because it does make a difference in the quality of vegetable.

8 oz swiss cheese, grated (2 Cups total)

2 T flour

½ t salt

¼ t nutmeg

1 C milk (I used skim today)

3 eggs, beaten

Here’s what you do:

Prick the crust and bake for 6 minutes at 425 degrees. Then turn down the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the spinach by placing it in a sieve and running hot water from the faucet over it until all the frozen parts have thawed.  Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Mix the flour, nutmeg, salt and cheese together.

Beat the eggs and add the milk

Add the spinach to the egg mixture.

Mix it all together; pour it in the pre-baked pie shell.

In a 350 degree oven, bake for about 40 minutes or until golden.

I use a tart pan which is more shallow than a regular pie pan, so I usually only bake it for about 30 -35 minutes.
(printable recipe)

mushroom and garlic pizza

This is one of our favorite quick pizza recipes and it's absolutely delicious.

If you like mushrooms, you'll love this pizza.

Stretch out a Pillsbury crescent roll on an ungreased sheet, brush olive oil lightly on the crust and 'sprinkle' minced garlic over it. (I use a garlic press and then 'scrape' it around with a fork.)

Bake the crust for about 8 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Meanwhile, saute about 16 ounces of fresh mushrooms in a bit of olive oil. I used button mushrooms and portobellas last night. Shiitake mushrooms are also very nice.

Sprinkle shredded swiss cheese over crust. Then layer on the mushrooms. Finish with lots of shredded mozzarella cheese. Last night I also topped it with some fresh mozzarella, which was heavenly! Return to oven for about 15 more minutes.

A perfect summer meal! And excellent leftovers for lunch today!