Cooking | Home Is Where The Haggis Is

Category: Cooking
- Heirloom Tomatoes With Burrata
  
  Posted at 8:41 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Jul 2nd
  Happy 4th everyone! With an extra day packed on to this glorious weekend, you might be looking for a super fast, easy and light dish to whip up. Then read on.
  
  This is a recipe I fell in love with when I took my daughter over for a play date last spring. It was amazing how well all of the flavors complemented each other. Of course, my presentation is nothing compared to the mom who prepared the dish right in front of me. She made it look so easy (because it is), but she and her husband also have a solid background in the restaurant biz so that kind of experience never hurts when it comes to food prep.
  
  For those of you unfamilar with Burrata, it is basically a fresh mozzerella ball with cream in the middle. You can find it at Caputo’s or Trader Joe’s. With farmer’s market season in full swing, it should be easy to find fresh heirloom tomatoes. You could also try grape tomatoes too.
  
  Let’s get started on the recipe.
  
  Here’s the list of ingredients:
  - Olive oil
  - Coarse salt
  - Balsamic vinegar
  - Basil (optional)
  - Burrata
  - Tomatoes
  Directions:
  
  Slice all tomatoes in half cross-wise and chop or tear your basil. Place tomatoes in serving bowl(s). Drizzle olive oil and balsamic over them. Place Burrata on top of tomatoes. Sprinkle a generous pinch of coarse salt over everything and top with basil. Or don’t. I forgot to add mine for the picture above. I blame my salivating taste buds. 😉
  
  Wine pairing: A crisp white such as a light Sauvingnon Blanc or a dry Rose
  
  There. You’re done. Now enjoy.
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  Posted in Cooking
- Pheasant Casserole…Or Turkey Leftovers
  
  Posted at 11:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Nov 26th
  Happy Thanksgiving! I am hoping you all have a few minutes to relax and kick back with a glass of wine while you read this post.
  
  The other night I made this pheasant casserole and it turned out as delicious as the first time I tried it when I was a kid. Hunting season is winding down for my dad who packed and froze up some beautiful pheasant he shot while he was in South Dakota. My mom brought them along when she visited a few weeks back. There is nothing like fresh, wild game. The only problem can be picking out those pellets. (see below) No one wants to bite down on one of those. I took extra care to pick through the meat to make sure I got every last one and luckily there was only one to be found so thank you Dad for taking the time to get those out when you cleaned the birds.
  
  This recipe is wonderful to try in the winter and it’s very simple to make. You could always substitute your turkey leftovers for the pheasant since they are similar in taste and texture, but I prefer the pheasant because it’s more flavorful and not as dry as turkey can sometimes get. Enjoy!
  - Servings: ”6″
  - Time: ”2hr45mins”
  - Difficulty: ”easy”
  - Print
  Ingredients:
  
  2-3 pheasants
  
  juice from 1 lemon
  
  1/4 cup good mayonnaise
  
  1 can cream of mushroom soup
  
  1 cup shredded cheddar, plus more to put on top
  
  4 cups broccoli
  
  Directions:
  
  Fill a dutch oven with water until the bottom of the pan is covered. Cook the 2-3 pheasants with the lid on at 250 degrees in the oven for 2 hours. (Skip this step if using leftover cooked turkey)
  
  Steam broccoli until blanched.
  
  Combine 1 can cream of mushroom soup, lemon juice, mayo and shredded cheese in a bowl.
  
  Place broccoli on top of pheasant. Stir in soup and cheese mixture. Shred more cheese on top.
  
  Cook with lid on for 30-45 minutes in oven set at 350 degrees.
  The picture below shows how I just added a little water to the bottom of the pan. Not the most appetizing photo, but trust me, it tastes great when it’s all cooked!
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  Posted in Cooking | Tagged Pheasant Casserole, Turkey Leftover recipe
- Special Dinner Guests
  
  Posted at 8:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Nov 17th
  This post was originally going to be about a classic recipe: duck à la orange, but alas my cooking skills failed miserably. I promised to post everything and I am sticking to that promise because this was an epic fail. 😦
  
  Growing up in the house with an avid hunter of waterfowl, I actually grew to like the taste of duck. My dad would cook it under low heat in the oven with orange juice and that was my favorite way to eat it. The duck I bought recently was extremely fatty. I guess I am used to lean, wild duck instead…or at least that is what I will keep telling myself. My youngest daughter ate all of it on her plate and my husband did too, along with seconds, but it still wasn’t doing it for me so that is my story.
  
  On a brighter note, we had some special people over for dinner, the perfect guests actually on a night like this one. These two people would never judge a poorly prepared dinner. Notice the paper plates and rice in a bag too? Who are these people you ask? Well, let me explain first that my oldest daughter is preparing for her First Communion this spring. As one of her assignments, we chose to plan a dinner with Jesus. Of course we couldn’t just invite him without God according to my oldest, so she set a place at the table for Him too. Then we had to plan the menu. What would They like to eat? The girls both said bread and wine. My youngest one added meat to the menu too. So there you have it. A dinner with Jesus and God. We also needed to come up with things for us to talk about with them. My oldest was very concerned about whether or not they liked the meal, but my husband and I explained they were really there to listen more than anything else. The whole experience may sound a bit odd, but their reaction to everything was so sweet and completely authentic. We talked about how to improve at sports, showed Them some favorite board games and ended with my youngest daughter showing Them her big girl bed. Sometimes the girls would stop and ask if They were still there and I would reassure them that yes, They were. The night ended with both of them praying quietly in their rooms.
  
  This was just an idea I wanted to share for those of you looking for ways to incorporate God a little more into your everyday life. It reinforced the strength of my own faith a little more and I was surprised and delighted by my children’s responses.
  
  A picture of my sad duck.
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  Posted in Cooking, Kids
- Tomato Bruschetta
  
  Posted at 8:09 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Sep 2nd
  The tomatoes in our house abound! From just one Roma tomato plant we have grown at least two and half dozen…and counting. Are you in the same predicament? What to do with all those ruby-red tomatoes?
  
  You probably already have most of the ingredients on hand to make Bruschetta. With a drizzle of olive oil, some minced garlic and a few other seasonings, you can start making a dent in that pile of tomatoes littering your counter. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd.
  
  Classic Bruschetta
  
  adapted slightly from Epicurious
  
  Ingredients
  
  4 ripe Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
  
  1 Tbl minced garlic
  
  1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
  
  2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  
  1 tsp olive oil
  
  dash of red pepper flakes (optional)
  
  1 baguette, cut in 1/2 inch thick slices
  
  3 cloves garlic, cut in half
  
  Directions
  
  In a medium bowl, mix together tomatoes, garlic, basil, lemon juice, olive oil and pepper flakes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to rest at room temperature for up to three hours to allow flavors to meld.
  
  Heat oven to 350 degrees. Toast bread on a baking sheet 5-7 minutes or until toasted to your preferece. Rub cut side of garlic on each slice while bread is still hot. Top with tomato mixture. Enjoy with a glass of wine. 😉
  
  Looking for more ways to use your tomatoes?
  
  Try my homemade salsa recipe.
  
  Or tomato basil soup. It freezes well too!
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  Posted in Cooking | Tagged Tomato Bruschetta
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