Recipes

If you haven’t fired up your grill yet this season, get ready.

Stock the propane.  Buy some more charcoal.

But don’t be tricked.  We’re not cooking juicy steaks or burgers.  We’re not making sticky bbq ribs or Johnnie’s black Angus hot dogs.

We’re grilling up some romaine lettuce.

One of my favorite downtown restaurants features a grilled romaine salad.  The toppings may vary from season to season, but the base remains the same.  A warm, slightly charred head of romaine lettuce.

The process of grilling the romaine gives it a smoky flavor.  It is so unique and so delicious, especially when topped with this homemade dressing.

I hope we can agree on the fact that homemade salad dressing is unbelievably better than store bought bottled dressing.  (If not, how can we be friends?!)  Homemade dressings are usually pretty easy to throw together too.  So elevate your next picnic or bbq with something homemade.  A simple, homemade dressing can elevate the simplest (most boring) salad. (Another one of our family favorites, my honey mustard ranch dressing.   https://www.johnniesinc.com/web/2017/07/cajun-blackened-fish-taco-bowls/  I swear I make a batch of this every week.)

Top your grilled romaine with the fruit of the season, strawberries!  And when the blueberries ripen, give them a try.  The sweetness of the berries will compliment the tangy dressing very well.  For good measure, I also added bacon and feta cheese.

Grilled Romaine with a Homemade Honey Mustard Poppyseed Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 Head of Romaine, sliced in half lengthwise
• olive oil
• Canadian Style Steak Seasoning 
• 3/4 cup olive oil (I used a mix of extra light tasting olive oil and extra virgin olive oil) or canola oil
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• feta cheese, bacon, strawberries……

Directions

1. Preheat grill for medium heat. Drizzle olive oil over romaine lettuce and season with steak seasoning.  I used Canadian Style Steak Seasoning.
2. Place lettuce cut side-down on preheated grill. Cook until lettuce is slightly wilted and charred, about 4 minutes. Watch it carefully, we want it slightly charred, not burned.  During the 4 minutes, I turned the lettuce and even flipped it over to ensure it was warm and evenly charred.
3. Prepare dressing.  Place olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt, onion powder, and mustard in a blender; blend until well mixed. Stir poppy seeds into olive oil mixture.  I do think you need to mix this in a blender.  (I tried shaking it vigourously in a covered container first, but the ingredients didn’t mix together well.  They will separate after sitting.)
4. Plate the grilled romaine.  Drizzle the dressing over the romaine and top with feta cheese, sliced strawberries and toasted walnuts.

*To the best of my ability, I have tried to indicate all ingredients, products and equipment that are available at Johnnies in Bold Print.  

Have you ever been to Wegman’s? Wegmans is much more than your average grocery store.  They have a bakery, a deli and a butcher.  But they also have a sushi counter, a cheese shop with up to 300 different types of specialty cheeses, a pizzeria, a coffee shop, an on site florist, a sit down restaurant, olive bar and a DIY nut butter section!  I love Wegmans.  

They have a lot of exclusive Wegman brand items and ingredients.  For instance,  one of my favorite things to stock up on each time I visit is their Basting Oil.  It’s an olive oil based “marinade” infused with dried (or fresh) herbs and garlic.  It’s great for so many things. But since the closet Wegman’s almost 60 miles away, here is a pretty decent dupe for you to DIY instead. Use it for marinating both meat and vegetables.  Use it as a dipping sauce for bread or brushetta.  Drizzle it on your pizza crust before adding all of the other toppings.  Mine disappears so fast because there’s just so many good reasons to use it.  Which is probably why you should double the recipe for this stuff!

Copycat Wegman’s Basting Oil 

1 cup Olive Oil (or sunflower oil)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried thyme

salt and pepper

Combine all of the ingredients and blend well.  I used fresh garlic.  If doing so, I recommend storing the oil in the refrigerator.  Shake well before each use. 

Drizzle it over vegetables before roasting or grilling…..

I think my cat wants some too!

Spread it on your pizza dough before topping with sauce and other ingredients…..here’s a link to my favorite, never fail, pizza dough. https://www.johnniesinc.com/web/2013/08/basic-pizza-dough-and-cooking-with-a-pizza-stone/

Marinate your Johnnies’ chicken, steaks and/or seafood……shrimp, shrimp, shrimp, shrimp, shrimp…..

Toss it with pasta or noodles…… or use it as a dipping sauce for bread……

As you can see, it’s extremely versatile and can be used for so many things.  

*To the best of my ability, I have tried to indicate all ingredients, products and equipment that are available at Johnnies in Bold Print.  

Recipe found and adapted from www.wegmans.com.

Do you have a go to breakfast?  Maybe it’s simple, a bowl of cereal?  Maybe you have a flair for making homemade crepes?  If so, call me.  I love crepes.  

My husband has an obsession with sausage gravy and biscuits.  He would make it multiple times a week if I let him.   (But I don’t, because I’m mean.  I  think it’s a bit indulgent as a daily breakfast.)

Most of the time he buys those little seasoning packets to make his gravy.  I suggested he try making it from scratch instead.  I tried to convince him that he could make it better.  But also, I forgot to buy the little packets of gravy mix and I had no intention of running to the store before breakfast.    

This recipe is solid and simple with only 6 ingredients.  I like it better than the packet gravy and would like to increase the red pepper flakes for more of a kick.  It doesn’t take any longer to make and, with practice, you’ll finish just in time to pull your biscuits out of the oven.  

I’m not going to get into a big debate about what type of biscuit you should make or use.  Buttermilk or flaky.  Popping open a cardboard tube or making from scratch.  We all have our personal preferences and know what works best.  We know how much time we we’re willing to spend in the kitchen.  If you are like my husband, your biscuit will be swimming in gravy and it won’t make much of a difference anyway.    

Speaking of biscuits, maybe I can talk him into them from scratch next time too!

Also, sausage gravy tastes much better than it looks!

Sausage Gravy with Biscuits

3/4 lb. crumbled pork breakfast sausage

4 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

3 cups milk

1  1/2 teaspoons black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

buttermilk biscuits from Johnnies (biscuits popped out of a cardboard tube are also acceptable) 

Prepare the biscuits according to the package directions.  

In a heavy bottom skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until browned. About 4-5 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter, stirring to melt.  Gradually sprinkle in the flour and cook until the sausage is coated and the flour is absorbed, about 2 minutes.  Add the milk, return the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring until thick.  About 10 minutes.  Add the black pepper, salt and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, 2 minutes more.  Remove from the heat.  

Smother those freshly baked biscuits with your freshly made sausage gravy and enjoy.  And then go on a long walk.

*To the best of my ability, I have tried to indicate all ingredients, products and equipment that are available at Johnnies in Bold Print.  

Recipe found and adapted from Chrissy Teigen’s first cookbook, Cravings.

If you enjoy washing lots of dishes like I do, then skip this recipe.  Don’t waste your time.  

If you prefer dry, cracked hands that can only come from spending too much time in soapy water, then scroll through to something else.

If the thought of steamed salmon with garlic, parsley, dill and lemon sounds wrong.  Keep walking.  

This recipe is all of the above and more.  This recipe made me, someone who thinks she doesn’t like salmon, make it for the second time this week.  

It is so good, so easy and so quick to make that I couldn’t keep it a secret.  

Salmon is still salmon.  Even when dressed with so many wonderful things.  It might seem like an excessive amount of lemon, dill and parsley.  And it is, you could almost dredge your salmon filets in the mix.  As I am still warming to the taste and texture of salmon, I think the seasonings compliment the fish well.  I even like to take the pan drippings and pour it over my salmon and rice.  (I would highly recommend a side of rice with this recipe.).

This a happy marriage of flavors happening right here. 

STEAMED SALMON WITH GARLIC, HERBS AND LEMON

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package Johnnies frozen 4 oz. salmon loins, cut into 2-3 inch pieces
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 Tablespoons dried parsley
• 3 Tablespoons dill weed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 lemons, sliced as thin as possible
• 1/3 cup dry white wine

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut a 2 foot length of parchment paper and center it in a 10-inch heavy bottom skillet that has a lid.
2. Put the fish, sliced onion, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss to combine. Transfer all of it to the lined skillet with the fish. Arrange the lemon sliced in a single layer over the fish and drizzle with the remaining olive oil and add the wine. Fold the paper over to cover the fish and crimp the edges together to seal. Cover the pan with the lid. Cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE PAN. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for another 8-10 minutes depending on if you want your fish medium to well done. Remove the pan from the heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
3. Remove the lid, carefully open the paper and serve directly from the skillet so you can get all the juices at the bottom. Serve alongside a bowl of white rice.

*To the best of my ability, I have tried to indicate all ingredients, products and equipment that are available at Johnnies in Bold Print.  

Recipe found and adapted from www.whatsgabycooking.com.

We kept ourselves busy this winter traveling to warm, sunny places to avoid the blues.  But I think it’s safe to say that we have made it through another winter.  (As I write this, I am sitting outside on the deck listening to the birds and the frogs.  The sweet sounds of spring!). I know that days like this are still a treat. But I think we can officially put away the snow clothes and shovels……I hope I’m not jinxing anything. It’s time to start cleaning up the yard and planning our family garden.  

I still have a few things left in the freezer from last year.  Mainly tomatoes and peppers.  What better way to use them, than in a roasted red pepper and tomato soup. This soup is tasty, more tomato than pepper,   perfect for lingering chilly days but light enough for the warm ones.  I have been trying to clean up my diet a little bit each week, so I subbed out the milk for almond milk.  The end result was equally delicious and not lacking in flavor or consistency.  

This soup would pair perfectly with a grilled cheese sandwich and now, suddenly, I’m dreaming of just a few more nights stuck binge watching Game of Thrones on the couch.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

Ingredients

• 6–8 Red Bell Peppers
• 1/2 an onion, diced
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 4 cups of chicken stock
• 14 oz. diced or crushed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup milk or heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

1. Clean the bell peppers, cut them in half and remove the seeds and membranes.
2. Place them on a baking sheet covered in foil, pressing them down to make them as flat as possible. Place the garlic cloves on the baking sheet among the peppers.
3. Place the baking sheet of peppers and garlic under the broiler in the oven and broil for about 15 minutes until the skins are blackened. Remove from the oven and place the peppers inside a container, and close the lid or seal tightly with plastic wrap. This will allow the steam to soften the peppers more. Keep in there for another 15 minutes.
4. While prepping the bell peppers, in a frying pan saute the onions with the olive oil until the onions are soft and translucent.
5. After peppers have cooled enough to touch, about 15 minutes. Remove from the container and peel off the burnt skin. It will peel off. If the skin is still attached and difficult to remove, peel only the burnt parts that should easily be removed.
6. Place the bell pepper, garlic cloves, and onion into a food processor and processes for about 3-5 minutes until there are no large chunks left.
7. Add the mixture to a large pot, add in the chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, hot sauce, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and allow to simmer for another 20 minutes.
8. Stir in the milk or cream and Oregon. Stir until completely combined.
9. Remove from heat (remove bay leaf) and serve with extra milk or cream and fresh herbs on top if desired.

*To the best of my ability, I have tried to indicate all ingredients, products and equipment that are available at Johnnies in Bold Print.  

Recipe found and adapted from www.houseofyumm.com

This year’s Super Bowl was a let down. Same team. Same quarterback. Sixth Super Bowl Ring. Wait, am I even allowed to say Super Bowl? Maybe I need to say “The Big Game?” A low scoring game with little action. The half time show was controversial. In the end, the reviews were mixed.  We got to witness Adam Levine rip off his shirt (thus exposing his nipple) and hear lots of bleeped out rap lyrics.

The saving grace was the buffet, thank goodness for friends who know how to make good food. We feasted on delicious dips (including buffalo chicken dip and taco tray https://www.johnniesinc.com/web/2014/04/soft-beef-tacos-and-taco-tray/), steamed shrimp and these fantastic pickles wrapped with ham and stuffed with cream cheese. Something new that I might need to try.

My contribution…….dessert, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies. I know that I have already shared a knee buckling, life changing recipe for small batch chocolate brownies. https://www.johnniesinc.com/web/2018/05/small-batch-brownies/  But this recipe for blondies is really, really good.

Don’t ask me to pick between the two. Do yourself a favor and make both.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies

1 Stick (4 ounces) Butter, softened

2/3 cup crunchy or smooth Peanut Butter

3/4 cup packed Light Brown Sugar

2/3 cup Sugar

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs

1 1/4 cups Flour

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

2/3 cup Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 9 square baking dish.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy. Add the vanilla, then beat in the eggs one at a time, waiting until the first is incorporated before adding the second. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. Turn off the mixer before adding the four mixture, then beat until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter into the prepared dish and bake until the outside is golden on the edges but the center is still soft and gooey. About 40-45 minutes. It may seem undercooked but it will set up as it cools. Cool in the pan and serve warm.

*To the best of my ability, I have tried to indicate all ingredients, products and equipment that are available at Johnnies in Bold  Print.  

Recipe found and adapted from Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings Hungry For More Cookbook.

SI have one more healthy-ish recipe for you.  (The next one will make up for the healthy stuff, it’s a decadent dessert that was a big hit at last night’s “Big Game” Party.)  A five minute homemade hummus so easy you won’t even think about buying store bought hummus again.  I might be overly optimistic, but I’m hopeful you’ll agree it’s the best ever!

7 ingredients.

5 minutes.

1 blender.

Easy to make, easy to clean, easy to eat.

I haven’t always been so accepting of chick peas, aka garbanzo beans.  2018 was the year I learned to embrace both kale chips and chicken peas, what a year!  What’s left to try in 2019?!  These legumes are so healthy, so full of nutrients and protein, how could they taste good?  

I guess the truth is…..they don’t really.  Not by themselves anyway.  But add some garlic, lots of lemon juice, salt, honey and tahini and they are a tasty snack. (Tahini was also a mystery to me.  Turns out, it’s actually a puree of sesame seeds.  The sesame seed version of peanut butter.) I like my hummus simple, but there are so many great things to add in for even more flavor, i.e. roasted garlic, spinach, roasted red pepper and avocado….. just to name a few.  So feel free to experiment and if you find a flavor that knocks your socks off, please feel free to come back here and share with the rest of us.  

Homemade Hummus

INGREDIENTS

• 15 oz. chickpeas or garbanzo beans, drained (bu save 1/4 cup of liquids to add in later)
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (and sometimes I add even more)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small clove garlic

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor or blender, combine chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt, garlic, and 3 tablespoons of the reserved chickpea liquids. 
2. Blend on high speed until light and creamy, about 30 seconds. If mixture is too thick, add in 1 more tablespoon of chicken pea liquie.
3. Serve with pita, crackers, or veggies.

*To the best of my ability, I have tried to indicate all ingredients, products and equipment that are available at Johnnies in Bold  Print.  

Recipe found and adapted from www.bromabakery.com.