All you need is LOVE!

Happy (slightly belated) Valentine's Day everyone! I hope each and every one of you had a very LOVEly day! We had a very wonderful first Valentine's Day as married folks. This year my family was extended greatly...and I am so very thankful for them! I just love how recipes are passed down from generation to generation...even if it just doesn't quite taste like moms!

On Valentine's Day I made one of Jake's favorite meals (and now one of my own favorites). It is a casserole recipe from his childhood days. We are so very thankful to Patsy (Jake's mom) for passing this fantastic recipe on!

Today I am making a special little treat, thanks to my mama, to welcome Jake's family who are coming to visit. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. Now, this is one of my favorite recipes from my mom...and originally her mom, my Grandy. Oh my goodness, it is baking in the oven right now and it smells absolutely to die for!

So today, a special treat for this week honoring love, two special family recipes! Enjoy!

Everybody's Favorite Casserole

Patsy Yeager

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey (or beef or chicken)

1/2 to 1 onion diced 

2-3 garlic clothes, minced (I love garlic, so I almost always use 3 cloves)

14.5 oz diced tomatoes (1 regular can)

1 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese

1-2 TBS sugar 

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

16 oz cooked noodles

Directions:

- Saute onions, garlic and meat until browned. 

- While meat mixture is browning, cook noodles according to package directions.

- Combine all ingredients and stir.

-Put combined mixture into a casserole dish and bake covered for 25 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Sooo delicious! 

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Amy Anderson

Ingredients: 

1 c sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 TBS quick cook tapioca

1/4 c orange juice

3 c cut rhubarb (fresh or frozen)

1 c sliced strawberries (fresh or frozen)

1 recipe pastry (2 crusts)

1 TBS butter

Directions:

- Combine sugar, salt, nutmeg, tapioca, orange juice and rhubarb.

- Place in 9" pie pan, lined in one pie crust.

-  Top mixture with strawberries.

- Dot with butter.

- Put on top crust and cut fancy air vents (or use 2nd crust to cut into strips to make lattice).

- Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes.

- Then REDUCE heat to 350 degrees F for 30 minutes (check to make sure crust isn't too brown - if it is, cover lightly with foil). 

Bon appetite!

Punxsutawney Phil 2011 Prediction: Early spring

Well, here in Wilmington, North Carolina we've had a few days of springlike weather...one day last week it actually hit 70 degrees. It was absolutely incredible, but yet such a tease! My heart really does go out to all of you who are battling yet another wave of winter storms.

Once you've had even one of those balmy weather days, the cold days seem even colder. Thankfully we have scrumptious comfort foods for those particular days. And that is exactly the type of food we're talking about today, Wild Mushroom Risotto with Peas. Let me tell you what, this is a very filling and very comforting food!

The first time I had this dish was while I was living in Washington, DC. Some good family friends made this dish for me (thanks to the wonderful Barefoot Contessa, originally). All it took was one bight, then I was hooked...for life! I was a little apprehensive about making this meal because the instructions are a little bit intimidating, but it turned out PHENOMENAL! And it was much easier than I originally thought it would be.

Hopefully you will enjoy this delicious meal as much as we did this week!

Wild Mushroom Risotto with Peas:

A little note from Ina, the Barefoot Contessa...The secret to the intense mushroom flavor in this recipe is that not only are mushrooms themselves part of the mix, but the risotto is cooked with mushroom-flavored broth. In order to use dried porcini mushrooms - or any dried mushrooms for that matter - you have to reconstitute them by allowing them to sit in hot water for a few minutes, absorbing that water and plumping them up. Then the mushrooms are ready to cook with, and you have all this flavorful liquid as a by-product. By all means, take advantage of it. Here, it works as a flavor booster to the chicken stock; but you can also use it as the base of a wonderful soup or sauce.

Ingredients:

- 5 1/4 c canned low-sodium chicken broth

- 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms (I used cremini mushrooms and not dried)

- 1/4 c (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

- 2 c finely chopped onion

- 10 oz white mushrooms, finely chopped

- 2 garlic cloves, minced

- 1 1/2 c Arborio rice (or medium-grain white rice)

- 2/3 c dry white wine

- 1/2 c frozen peas, thawed (I used about 1 c because Jake and I both really like peas)

- 2/3 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

- Salt and freshly ground pepper 

Directions:

- Bring the broth to a simmer in a heavy, medium-size saucepan. 

- Add the porcini mushrooms. 

- Cover and set aside until the mushrooms are tender, about five minutes. (If you choose not to use dried mushrooms, bring the mixture to a boil, still about five minutes.)

- Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms and finely chop.

- Cover the broth and keep warm over very low heat. 

- Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan (or dutch oven).

- Add the onions and saute until tender, about 8 minutes.

- Add the white mushrooms, porcini (or in my case cremini) mushrooms and garlic; saute' until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 10 minutes.

- Stir in the rice.

- Add the wine; cook, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes.

- Add 1 cup of hot broth; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes.

- Continue to cook until the rice is just tender and the mixture is creamy, adding more broth by cupfuls and stirring often, about 28 minutes.

- Stir in the peas.

- Mix in the parmesan cheese.

- Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bon appetite!