Four Nights A Week

Adventures in Eating

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Amy’s Writing, Photography and Art can be found at amybisson.com

  • 16 Feb 2025: Spinach Casserole with Thyme

    Back in the early days, well before the Internet was available, we relied on The Boston Globe for recipe ideas. We had just a few cookbooks in those days, so the Wednesday Food Edition of the Globe was the source of all things culinary. Who else remembers cutting recipes from the newspaper and gluing them to 3×5 cards?

    Although the recipe card credits Adrien for this vegetarian favorite, we are both fairly certain it’s real source was the newspaper. It’s a pretty easy one to assemble, and the leftovers are just as yummy as the hot-from-the-oven version.

    Spinach Casserole with Thyme

    Probably from the Boston Globe

    Ingredients

    • 2 TBSP Butter or some other oil
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 10-oz package for frozen, chopped spinach (thawed and then drained by squeezing out all of the liquids)
    • 1 cup cottage cheese
    • 2/3 cup or 2 oz. coarsely grated cheddar cheese
    • 3 TBSP flour
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp thyme

    Method

    1. Grease 1-1/2 quart casserole. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    2. Melt butter (if using) and set aside OR measure out the oil (coconut oil is tasty).
    3. Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Then add all of the other ingredients. Stir well.
    4. Pour into casserole and bake until set and slightly puffy (about 1 hour).
    5. Serves 6.

  • 08 Jan 2025: One-Pot Tofu and Broccoli Rice

    Whenever I see a recipe in the New York Times that has been developed by Ali Slagle, I know it will be stellar – easy to cook and delicious. This offering contributed by Ali to the New York Times Cooking Section last March is that and then some.

    This recipe is gifted from my subscription to the Times, but it won’t be available forever. I’ve included the ingredient list below so you know what ingredients you’ll need ahead of time. If you like it, you will probably want to subscribe to Ali Slagle’s Newsletter, 40 Ingredients Forever, or even better, buy her cookbook, I Dream of Dinner, available through her website.

    One-Pot Tofu and Broccoli Rice

    Ali Slagle, New York Times

    Ingredients

    • garlic cloves
    • fresh ginger
    • long-grain white rice
    • toasted sesame oil
    • soy sauce
    • peanut butter
    • chile crisp or chile sauce
    • block of extra firm tofu
    • small broccoli florets
    • cilantro

  • 03 Jan. 2025: Smoky Chickpea, Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup

    Chickpea/Lentil soup in yellow bowl

    This red lentil soup variation, shared by my sister, Molly, comes from “Once Upon a Chef” by Jenn Seagal. The addition of leftover veg makes a tasty contrast to the lentils, tomatoes and chickpeas, and the finished soup was a deliciously warming soup on a cold January evening.

    The recipe is freely available on her website, but for convenience, I’ve listed the ingredients here. Versatility – and using up leftover vegetables – is high on my list of resolutions for 2025. This is a great recipe for using vegetables you have on hand in the freezer or fridge.

    Smoky Chickpea, Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup

    Jenn Seagal, Once Upon a Chef

    Ingredients:

    • olive oil
    • onion
    • garlic
    • carrot
    • smoked paprika
    • cumin
    • vegetable or chicken broth
    • canned diced tomatoes
    • thyme
    • bay leaves
    • canned chick peas
    • red lentils
    • leftover cooked vegetables

  • 22 Dec 2024: Baked English Muffins

    King Arthur Baking’s newest cookbook, King Arthur Flour’s Big Book of Bread, has not only helped this old bread baker to perfect some techniques, it has opened my eyes to trying some new bakes. The Big Book of Bread’s English Muffin recipe is more of a traditional bake – longer rise time and griddled muffins – which I could never quite pull off in time for breakfast. So when I recently discovered this baked English Muffin recipe, I gave it a try.

    These muffins have fewer pronounced nooks and crannies, but the taste is fabulous. I’ve listed the ingredients here for reference and planning, bakers can save and download the recipe free from King Arthur Baking.

    Baked English Muffins

    Downloaded from King Arthur Baking website. Click here for a direct link.

    Ingredients:

    • Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
    • Salt
    • Baking Powder
    • Granulated Sugar
    • Yeast
    • Milk
    • Butter
    • White Vinegar
    • Yellow Cornmeal or Semolina Flour

  • 20 Dec. 2024: Mexican Wedding Cakes

    This recipe comes from my Aunt Eleanor’s collection of recipes, and while the original source is no longer known to us, it was one of my Dad’s favorite cookie recipes. Aunt Eleanor, a career woman who did not marry until later in her life, always made sure we were well-stocked with cookies whenever we visited family in her hometown of Buffalo, New York. Her cut-out cookies were legendary – and included a secret ingredient: jello (more on that later)!

    These buttery short cookies are include a dried fruit of choice and candied pineapple was her original ingredient. Later, Mom used glacéed cherries and mixed the extracts to be half-and-half almond and vanilla, but for this iteration, I’ve kept to Aunt Eleanor’s originals

    Mexican Wedding Cakes

    Eleanor (Puglisi) McMillen

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup butter (softened)
    • 4 TBSP confectioner’s sugar
    • 1 TBSP vanilla (Mom’s variation, 1 TBSP vanilla, 1/2 tsp almond)
    • 2 cups flour
    • 1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
    • 1/4 cup chopped candied pineapple (Mom’s variation was to used glacéed cherries)
    • Additional confectioner’s sugar for coating

    Method

    1. Cream together butter, 4 TBSP confectioner’s sugar and flavoring extract.
    2. Work in the flour, chopped nuts and candied fruit
    3. Suggestion from Mom: Chill dough overnight
    4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    5. Form 1/2 inch balls of dough and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
    6. Bake 15-20 minutes (the bottoms can brown quickly so keep an eye on them)
    7. Roll baked cookies in confectioner’s sugar while they are still warm (maybe a minute out of the oven) and then coat them again when fully cooled.
    8. The recipe came with a note to my Dad, Eleanor’s brother, Bud: “allow to ripen a week or more” – which we did not bother to do. Still delicious.

  • 19 Nov. 2024: Sloppy Joes

    What says I grew up in the 1960s more than a Sloppy Joe dinner? This recipe comes from my Mom’s recipe collection, although the ingredient list calling for Hunt’s tomato sauce seems to hint of at the origins.

    Feel free to substitute lower fat meat options like turkey or experiment with meatless proteins. The secret to this recipe’s appeal is definitely the sauce – a sweet and pungent mix of tomato, mustard and a hit of vinegar. 

    Ingredients & Method:

    Chop: 1 onion and 1/2 green bell pepper. Saute in fat/oil for a “short time”

    Add: 2 lbs ground beef. Brown the meat with the onions & peppers.

    Add:

    • 2 tsp salt
    • 2 TBSP dry mustard
    • 2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce (Hunts)
    • 1/4 cup vinegar (apple cider vinegar was recommended)
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 1/2 cup tomato catsup

    Simmer for 45 minutes. Serve on toasted hamburger buns.

  • 15 Nov 2024: Fudge Nut Bars

    This recipe comes from the 1963 (!) Pillsbury Bake-off, the 60s version of the Great British Baking Show. I baked these so often that my Girl Scout leader used to call them Amy Puglisi’s. While not taking credit for their origin, they’ve been a family favorite, especially with the tweak described below.

    Since there never seems to be a good use for a partial can of Sweetened Condensed Milk, it seemed economical to make TWICE the chocolate filling and pile that on top of the short crust. Twice the chocolate? No one will argue with that, right?

    Melt over boiling water (or use your microwave):

    • 1 6-oz package semi-sweet chocolate bits*
    • 1/2 c sweetened condensed milk
    • 1 TBSP butter
    • 1/4 tsp salt

    Remove from heat and add:

    • 1/2 c chopped nuts
    • 1 tsp vanilla

    Sift together 1-1/4 c flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside.

    Cream 1/2 C butter with 1 C firmly packed brown sugar

    Add 1 unbeaten egg and 1 tsp vanilla. Blend well.

    Stir in the dry ingredient plus 1/2 C quick cooking oatmeal.

    ————————

    Press 2/3 of this mixture into a greased 9×9 inch pan. Spread chocolate filling on top and the crumble the remaining oatmeal mixture over the chocolate. Sprinkle with 1/4 c walnuts (or skip this if you want).

    Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. Cut into rectangular or square bars.

  • 08 Nov. 2024: Molly’s Pasta with Asparagus, Pancetta & Pine Nuts

    My sister Molly, a terrific cook, adapted this recipe from a Cooking Light offering (March 2010), and it is really a delicious and quick pasta meal that includes veggies. Always a good idea to add veg to pasta. For this iteration, we used Casarecce pasta, pasta that originated in Sicily.

    Tossing the pasta in a lemon vinaigrette gives this pasta entree a fresh flavor. Making four good-sized servings, this is a great dish for weeknights, or any time really.

    Molly’s Pasta with Asparagus, Pancetta and Pine Nuts

    Adapted from Cooking Light (March 2010)

    Ingredients:

    • 8 oz. short pasta (like penne, fusilli)
    • 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1-1/2 inch pieces
    • 1 tsp minced garlic
    • 3 TBSP pine nuts (can substitute walnuts)
    • 2 oz. diced pancetta (can substitute bacon or jamon serrano)
    • 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
    • 2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
    • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
    • 1/4 cup (1 oz.) crumbled or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

    Method:

    1. Preheat over to 400 degrees F.
    2. While oven is heating up, cook pasta according to package directions. Add asparagus to pot during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Drain.
    3. Sprinkle pasta mixture with garlic, return to pot and toss well.
    4. Arrange nuts in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 3 minutes or until golden and fragrant, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to burn. Place nuts in a small bowl.
    5. Increase oven temperature to 475 degrees F. Arrange pancetta on jelly-roll pan. Bake at 475 degree F for 6 minutes or until crisp.
    6. Combine lemon juice, 2 TBSP olive oil, salt and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over pasta mixture, toss well to coat. Sprinkle with pine nuts, pancetta, and cheese.

  • 28 Oct. 2024: Dad’s Favorite Cut Out Cookies

    My Dad, like most dads in the 1950s and 1960s, was not the chief cook in the family. After he retired, I think he did a bit of cooking and maybe even some baking. This recipe card is labeled “Bud Likes These”, so it may have been something Dad – always called Bud, never by his given name – found.

    Whatever the origin, these were the cutout cookies that Dad thought highly of, and it’s easy to see why. There’s plenty of butter and sugar!

    Because of egg allergies in the family, I steer clear of royal icings, so these cookies were simply decorated with chocolate sprinkles, but as the baking spirit moves you, you should feel free to go wild.

    Cut Out Cookies (Bud Likes These)

    From Sarah Puglisi’s Recipe Collection, source unknown

    Ingredients:

    • 1-1/2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
    • 1 cup margarine (I used unsalted butter)
    • 1 egg
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 1/2 tsp almond extract
    • 2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp cream of tartar

    Method:

    1. Cream together the confection’s sugar and butter/margarine.
    2. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and almond extracts.
    3. Stir together the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Add to the butter/egg mixture and blend.
    4. REFRIGERATE at least 2-3 hours.
    5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
    6. Lightly flour work surface and rolling pin. I rolled the thickness of about 1/4 inch or a little less. Use cutters to cut out desired shapes.
    7. Place cookies on lightly greased cookie sheet and bake until delicately golden (my time was between 8 and 10 minutes). Let settle on the sheet for a few minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
    8. The dough will re-roll easily. Makes a nice crisp cookie.

  • 20 Oct 2024: Lemon Walnut Squares

    Gourmet Magazine, RIP 2009, was one of my favorite sources for challenging my cooking and baking chops.

    This recipe, hand copied by me after it appeared in July 1983 – that’s 40 years ago if you’re keeping track – was a favorite bar cookie, brought to many gatherings. Because we have some folks with walnut allergies in my family now, I’d need to find a substitute for the walnuts, but today, knowing I was going to be visiting a friend soon who has a great affinity for all things lemony, I made it as the recipe developer meant.

    In researching the source for this bar, I came across another Gourmet lemon bar, without the nuts in the short crust. Here’s a link to that in case you are looking to eliminate that possible allergen. But for me, the original, including ground walnuts, is the bomb.

    Lemon Walnut Squares

    Gourmet Magazine, July 1983

    Ingredients

    • 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
    • 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
    • 1 cup plus 3 TBSP AP Flour
    • 1/2 cup finely ground walnuts
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 2 TBSP lemon juice
    • 2 tsp grated lemon rind
    • 1/2 tsp double acting baking powder
    • Confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling

    Method

    1. Blend butter, brown sugar, 1 cup of the flour, and 1/2 cup ground walnuts until mixture resembles coarse meal. Press all but 1/2 cup of this mixture (reserve for later) into a 9-inch square pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes (edges should be golden).
    2. Beat eggs lightly. Stir in granulate sugar, 3 Tablespoons of the flour, lemon juice, lemon rind, and baking powder.
    3. When the crust comes out of the oven, pour the lemon mixture on top of the baked crust. Sprinkle evenly with the reserved 1/2 cup walnut/butter mixture.
    4. Bake in the 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through to brown the top evenly.
    5. Let cool in the pan. Cut into squares and sprinkle with the confectioners’ sugar. May be made 24 hours in advance.