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Catalan Cannelloni

Our dear friends in Barcelona, Julia and Rosa, make this every New Year.

  • 1 lb. package dried Barilla No Boil lasagne

Meat Mixture:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • ¾ lb ground turkey
  • ¾ lb ground pork
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/3 cup sweet sherry or red vermouth
  • ½ cup of the Bechamel

Bechamel: or 4 cups of your own recipe of a thin white sauce

  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 4 cups whole milk, warmed
  • salt and pepper
  • pinch of grated nutmeg
  • 1 cup cured Mahon or Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente; only a few minutes
Drain and lay out on paper towels
Cut each rectangle in half to form 2 squares

Over very low heat, melt butter and add onion and cook slowly until transparent
Whisk in flour and cook 4-5 minutes without browning stirring constantly.
Whisk in milk a little at a time. Stir and cook until sauce coats the back of a spoon, 3-5 minutes.
Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Add ¾ cup cheese
Keep warm.

Heat olive oil and saute onion until transparent.
Add ground meat, breaking into tiny pieces and cook thoroughly
Add the wine, salt and pepper and cook until the wine reduces, 5-6 minutes
Remove from heat and chop the meat finely in the food processor.
Stir in ½ cup bechamel until you  have a smooth mixture

Butter a 9×13 inch glass  or ceramic baking dish or individual serving dishes
Spread 1 Tablespoon meat down the side of each square of pasta
Roll into thin tubes and place in baking dish seam side down
Pour sauce over all the canneloni. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup cheese
Freeze or bake at 350 until bubbling, about 15 minutes.

NSF 1/10

Carrot Marinade

The tomato soup in this recipe places this recipe in the midcentury category, but I first made this while preparing salads in the 1970’s at the family owned Strongbow’s Turkey Inn during my college years at Valparaiso University. Chuck & Chuggie’s Sunday Buffet’s were popular!

  • 2 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced thin
  • 1 onion, sliced thin into rings
  • 1 green pepper cup up into medium pieces

Place sliced carrots in a ceramic bowl. Arrange onions and green pepper on top.

Marinade

  • 1 can tomato soup
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup vegetable oil (not olive oil)
  • ½ cup white vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt, optional
  • 1 Tbsp dry mustard, or more to taste
  • ½ tsp hot sauce, more or less to taste

In a medium saucepan whisk together marinade ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil. Pour over carrots. Cool and refrigerate overnight.

Carrot Pineapple Salad

6 servings

  • 2 cups peeled and grated carrots
  • 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained well
  • 1 cup shredded coconut or more
  • 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice

Combine carrots, pineapple and coconut in a bowl. In another small bowl mix sour cream and lime juice together. Add to carrot mixture. Pour into a serving bowl. Sprinkle more coconut on top. Depending how sweet you’d like, use sweetened or unsweetened p/a and coconut.

Cheese Ball

Cheese Ball is a classic appetizer from the 1960s and 70s. I have added some pretzel sticks to bite size mini cheese balls for a lollipop version.



Pictured here are the ingredients for a double batch of cheese ball. This makes about 4 baseball size cheese balls. They freeze very well wrapped in plastic. But don’t roll them in the nuts until just before serving. The nuts will get soggy.

This is a single recipe of the cheese balls. 

Bring these ingredients to room temperature. Combine it all in a medium bowl and blend with a stand or hand mixer.

  • 8 oz. block cream cheese
  • 4 oz. Kaukauna Spreadable Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • 4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
  • 2 Tbsp or more minced onion
  • 1 Tbsp or more Worcestershire sauce

I added extra onion. You can shred on a box shredder or mince the onion very fine.

My Kitchen Aid mixer blends this up quickly.



Blend with mixer. Scrape into a smaller bowl. Cover. Chill. Form into 2 -4 balls. Roll in chopped walnuts before serving.

Cheese ball is usually served with crackers. The mid-century classic are Ritz crackers. Another option is to roll into small bite size balls. Freeze or chill on a flat tray. Roll in the walnuts and or chopped parsley. Then insert a small pretzel stick into each ball. Serve right away.

Greek Chicken Salad

Delish with or without the added orzo pasta!

Thank you to my sister Lisa Lyles. This is the best cooking method for cold chicken salads. I often adapt & change recipes each time I make them. Here is my most recent adaption. I doubled this recipe for a piano teacher lunch. When poaching the chicken I added fresh fennel instead of the leeks. Another adaption is to prepare without the chicken and/or adding cubed English style cucumber (not peeled)

  • 3 whole chicken breasts (w/ bone & skin) or 2 1/2 pounds boneless/skinless
  • 1/3 cup olive oil (+/-)
  • 1/2 pound green beans, lightly cooked, cut in half or asparagus cut in thirds
  • 1/3 cup capers, drained
  • 1 cup Kalamata olives or other mixed olives (pitted)
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese (or more)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh oregano (or less) or 2 teaspoons dried
  • 1 pint grape tomatoes or 1-2 red bell peppers cut in bite size pieces
  • Fresh black pepper
  • 1/2 pound orzo pasta, (optional) cooked, drained & rinsed with cold water

Marinade: whisk together 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper,         1 teaspoon minced garlic. Reserve for final dressing.

In a large pot as if making soup combine 1 onion, unpeeled & quartered, 1 fennel or leek quartered and leaves cut in 4 inch chunks, bay leaf, several peppercorns, 1 teaspoon salt. Be sure enough water is in pot to cover chicken. Bring to a boil. Cover & turn electric element off or turn gas element to lowest setting. Allow to sit 10 minutes if boneless and 20 minutes if with bones. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Save the broth for soup or for cooking broth. Continue to simmer with the lid off to reduce volume. Strain and refrigerate or freeze broth.

Remove skin, bones, break up meat when cool enough to handle. Do not cut with a knife. Chicken should be varying sized pieces.

Toss in olive oil until covered lightly. Add remaining ingredients. Toss in Marinade.

Serve cold. One day in frig enhances flavor.

Toffee Squares


This family recipe is from Marianne Hornbeck and is one of our absolute favorites! You can choose your own type of chocolate to spread on the cookie crust. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate is the original, though I’ve moved on to Ghiradelli 60% Cacao Chocolate Chips!

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  • In a mixer beat until fluffy

1 cup softened butter

  • Add and beat until fluffy

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

  • Add and mix just until combined

2 cups flour

  • The batter will be thick. Spoon it evenly in clumps over the half sheet baking pan, 12 x 17 inch size. I love the Gordon Food Service half sheet baking pans. I use them as cookie sheets, baking pans, roasting pans……

  • Press the dough with your fingers evenly in the pan. Dip your fingers in flour to prevent them from sticking to the dough.


  • Bake for 20 minutes

  • Immediately after baking while the pan is yet in the oven, sprinkle a 10 oz package of chocolate chips or break up the pieces of 8-10 Hershey bars and spread with a dinner knife as the chocolate melts


  • When the chocolate is melted and smooth over the entire surface place on a firm service to cut into squares immediately! The cookie crust crisps up quickly so don’t wait!

  • With a sharp paring knife or a bread knife, cut into squares. 


  • You may now sprinkle with chopped walnuts which is the original recipe. I prefer to  sprinkle with flaked sea salt

1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts, optional

1/2 – 1 teaspoon flaked sea salt, optional

  • Cool completely before serving

Thank you to dear Marianne Hornbeck for everyones favorite cookie. Marianne was a family friend who loved to cook, work hard and talk! She was nonstop energy. Her mother had a bakery in Vienna and now her grand daughter Laura is becoming a famous pastry chef in Seattle!