Oven Roasted Marinara

Posted on by July 3, 2025

6/8/2024 – This was much the same as we made two years ago when we had a good tomato crop. But this was inspired by Suzy Karadsheh’s recipe here. It turned out great. The real surprise was the tomato soup made with the drippings from these trays and the tray from the Mediterranean Salsa also made today. The soup recipe is here.

7/3/2025 – Again this produced a great pre-dish. Only things different: 1) Let the tray cool before blending and 2) froze it in pints rather that quarts as a quart left us with a lot of left overs. This year we did not have enough drippings to make soup.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds Better Boy tomatoes from our garden, quartered
  • 2 yellow onions, small 2½-inch, halved and sliced into ¼-inch half moons
  • 10 large garlic cloves, chopped into large pieces
  • About 2 T granulated garlic
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch long sticks at least ½-inch thick
  • 2 teaspoons of our homemade Mediterranean seasoning
  • Red pepper flakes – several large pinches per sheet pan
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • Extra virgin olive oil

The above made two full trays.

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450°F.
  • In two half-sheet pans, add the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and carrots. Sprinkle on the Italian seasoning, granulated garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil (about 3 tablespoons) all over the vegetables and toss to coat. Spread the vegetables well so that they are in one single layer.
  • Cook on the middle rack of the heated oven for about 35 to 45 minutes, or until the tomatoes have fully collapsed and the veggies have gained some color and charred in some parts.
  • Use tongs to transfer the tomatoes and the vegetables to the large bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade. Pulse until the carrots are about the right size.
  • Pour the juices left in the pan into a pot for tomato soup here.

Mary’s Tomato Basil Soup

Posted on by June 20, 2024

Below are descriptions of different cooks of this soup and how they turned out.

6/8/2024 – Today we made two trays (half baking sheet) of Oven Roasted Marinara to freeze and one tray of Mary’s traditional salsa. Once the roasted vegetables were removed a mostly clear “juice” with bits of roasted veggies remained and was collected in the 2 qt. pot. The liquid was mostly from the tomatoes but was flavored by the roasted onions, garlic, peppers, etc. in those three trays.

Mary added:

  • chopped fresh tomatoes from the garden,
  • one small onion,
  • 2 small carrots, diced, and a
  • hand-full of juliened basil from the garden.

Simmered until vegetables were softer but still had body. Added the basil at the end.

Froze 2 quarts of soup.

6/11/2024 – Today we roast four sheet-pans of veggies and made Creole Marinara to freeze. The four pans yielded 1.5 quarts of juice with a different flavor profile than the one above. The soup was great and did not have the slight kick of the one above made with juice from the roasting that included hot peppers.

She first dipped off the oil sheen that was EVOL that coated the vegetables before roasting. The highly flavor oil was used to saute the vegetables—other than the fresh tomatoes—and then added back to the soup. The pot simmered for several hours. Then allowed it to cool before putting in freeze containers.

The veggies added to the liquid were:

  • chopped fresh tomatoes from the garden,
  • ½ of a medium onion
  • 3 average carrots, diced, and a
  • hand-full of juliened basil from the garden.

6/20/2024 – Yesterday we made four trays of veggies and roasted them for Italian/Mediterranean Marinara. Mary added fresh ground black pepper and our Mediterranean Seasoning with its peppers before roasting. The soup turned out very spicy.

Mary’s Mediterranean Salsa

Posted on by June 12, 2024

5/31/2024 – This preparation follows the one on 1/5/2022 but with four major differences: sweet onions; Iberia peppers; fresh basil; and Greek oregano. The roasted flavor was subtle but enough. On 6/8/2024 we made another tray as it is very good salsa. That day we also made trays of marinara and combined the juices from the three trays to make a “to-die-for” tomato soup here.

Ingredients and the Process

  1. Cleaned and put on a 1/2 baking sheet pan that was full:
    1. Tomatoes, Better Boys, from the garden. None were fully ripe.
    2. Vidalia Onions – 3 medium ones cut into quarters and arranged among the tomatoes
    3. Garlic – An average pod
    4. Peppers – 4 Iberia Hybrid Cayenne Peppers, at the green stage, fresh from the garden, stemmed and arranged among the other items, instead of jalapenos or serranos. The Iberias on the heat scale are like the mildest Jalapenos. They did not add much heat to this salsa.
  2. Drizzled olive oil over it and sprinkled on salt and pepper
  3. Roasted under the broiler set on high until there were some blackened tops
  4. What filled the sheet also filled the food processor up to the top of the blade’s housing.
  5. Added:
    1. 2 tsp of cumin
    2. 2 tsp of Greek oregano
    3. the juice of a lemon
    4. double handful of fresh basil from the garden. Basil in image above is about one handful as half the sheet pan is in the processor.
  6. In the food processor, pulsed it to a salsa consistency. Combined the two batches and stirred to blend out any differences in the batches.
  7. Made a little more than 2 quarts.
Note the amount of basil

Classic Remoulade Sauce to try

Posted on by June 7, 2024

5/24/2024 – From https://www.acouplecooks.com/remoulade-sauce/

  • 2 tablespoons drained capers
  • 2 tablespoons chopped dill pickles
  • 1 green onion, finely chopped
  • ¾ cup mayonnaise (or vegan mayonnaise)
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon dried tarragon (optional)
  • 1 pinch salt 
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • For the Cajun style: Replace tarragon with 1½ to 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning and ½ teaspoon hot sauce
  1. Finely chop the capers and pickles. Finely chop the green onion (white and green portions). 
  2. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. 

Yield: 1 cup

Ground Beef Stroganoff

Posted on by May 23, 2024

5/22/2024 – Mary made this several months ago and it was great. But, it was not added to this website. So, the ingredients and methods below are what she did today that was also great. This dish was inspired by the recipe here.

Ingredients 

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1/2 medium onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Red pepper flakes made from cayenne peppers from our garden to taste
  • 1 lb mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp salt, adjust to taste
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, adjust to taste

Instructions

  • Brown ground beef and stir to break down beef into tiny pieces. Add onions and minced garlic and saute. Add red pepper flakes.
  • Add sliced mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms soften.
  • Add flour and stir until there are no lumps.
  • Add 1 cup beef broth, 1 cup Half-n-Half, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Bring it to a low boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes. 
  • Remove from the heat and add in sour cream. Stir to combine everything and adjust seasonings.
  • Serve over Jasmine rice.

Mediterranean Chicken Thighs

Posted on by May 11, 2024

5/10/2024 – This was made with large thighs from a 10 lb. bag of leg quarters. Four were seasoned with our Mediterranean Seasoning blend and six with Kit’s Creole Seasoning.

Loosely followed https://www.recteq.com/blogs/sandwich-recipes/smoked-pulled-bbq-chicken-sandwich

  1. Drybrined trimmed thighs the day before.
  2. An hour before smoking shook on our Mediterranean seasoning and the Creole Seasoning.
  3. Preheated Rectec to 375°.
  4. Smoked to an IT of 160°.

BBQ Chicken with Ribs slow cooked on Recteq

Posted on by May 6, 2024

5/5/2024 – We started BB Ribs at 225° and had 6 thighs to smoke/cook as BBQ chicken. Of course, the ribs need to slow cook at 225 but our recent BBQ chicken on the Recteq was done at 275 then finished at 300 to an IT of 185.

So, the alternative plan at lower temperature is to:

  1. season the thighs with Creole Poultry Seasoning
  2. smoke them at 225° to an IT of 125° then sauce them with So-Good+ACV+6POGS on the skin side then let smoke to set the sauce, flipped and sauced the non-skin side,
  3. smoked to 140° and sauce on both sides like step 2.
  4. smoked to 150° and sauce on both sides like step 2.
  5. finished to an IT of 160°.

Egg Salad

Posted on by April 24, 2024

4/22/2024 – This is a kicked-up version of our traditional egg salad and was good. This was inspired by the recipe here.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c. mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp. yellow mustard – See note below.
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to serve
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper – Next time use 1 tsp.
  • 1 tbsp. dill pickle juice – See note 1 below.
  • 1/4 tsp. paprika, plus more to serve
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper – Next time use 1/4 tsp.
  • 12 whole hard-boiled eggs, peeled
  • 1/4 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 c. finely chopped dill pickles juice pressed out in the spoon – See note 1 below.
  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill – Did not have it for this prep but it should be a good addition. See below where another recipe used 1 ½ teaspoons of dried dill weed.

Directions

  1. Whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, pickle juice, salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne until well combined.
  2. Coarsely chop the hard-boiled eggs; fold into the dressing with the onion, pickles, chives, and dill. Cover and refrigerate the egg salad until ready to serve.

Notes

  1. An alternative to the dill pickle juice plus finely chopped dill pickles would be to use dill pickle relish with the juice. 3 tbsp of relish with the juice would likely be too much. Try 2 tbsp.
  2. The 2 tbsp of yellow mustard was too much for us. Try 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard.
  3. Use more cayenne pepper and black pepper.
  4. Some finely chopped celery would be a good addition.
  5. A tsp of horse radish could be a good addition.

Ingredients from other recipes to try with 12 eggs

  • Bacon
  • 2 tsp chile-garlic sauce such as Sriracha
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried dill weed
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 stalks celery, minced

Hamburger Steaks with Onion & Mushroom Gravy

Posted on by April 18, 2024

4/15/2024 – This is a kicked-up Salisbury Steak dish inspired by the recipe here. It was very good.

Ingredients:

  • Hamburger Steaks:
  • heaping teaspoon of ground mustard
  • heaping teaspoon of smoked paprika
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound ground beef (80/20)
  • 2 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Onion and Mushroom Gravy:

  • 10 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • dried thyme leaves
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups low-sodium beef broth, hot
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • red pepper flakes

Directions:

  1. For the hamburger steaks: Whisk together the mustard, smoked paprika, egg, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Mix in the ground beef and breadcrumbs by hand, then form into 4 oval patties, about 1/2 inch thick.
  2. Set a large pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the patties and brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the patties to a plate; set aside.
  3. For the onion and mushroom gravy: Turn the heat down to medium and add the mushrooms and thyme. Cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and are browned. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate; set aside.
  4. Melt the butter in the pan, add the onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook until lightly golden. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring. Pour the broth and Worcestershire into the pan and stir until the flour is dissolved.
  5. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir the mushrooms back into the pan and nestle in the beef patties. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to medium low. Let simmer until the sauce has thickened and a thermometer inserted into the patties registers 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes.
  6. Turn the patties over a few times to coat in the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Shout Hallelujah Potato Salad

Posted on by March 31, 2024


3/30/2024 – This dish turned out very good and was a nice change from our family’s traditional salad. It was inspired by a recipe at SouthernLiving.com who got it from The Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook, cook Blair Hobbs of Oxford, Mississippi. Servings: 12. We made a half recipe for the two of us and had a lot of leftovers. This would be fun to take to potlucks as it is different from the usual potato salad. It was very good when still warm from the hot potatoes and the next morning cold from the refrigerator.

Ingredients

5 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes
4 large hard-cooked eggs, peeled. In our half-recipe we put 3 eggs.
1 Tbsp. table salt
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 cup sweet pickle relish, drained
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1 (4-oz.) jar diced pimiento, drained
2 Tbsp. seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
~1 rounded Tbsp of pickled jalapeño peppers, chopped small
1 to 2 tsp. celery salt
4 drops of hot sauce
smoked paprika sprinkled on top for looks

Directions

  1. Cook potatoes in boiling water to cover 20 minutes or until tender; drain and cool 15 minutes. Chop potatoes into 1″+ pieces and place in a large bowl. Add eggs. Season with salt and pepper; toss to coat.
  2. Blend the mayonnaise and next 13 ingredients. Gently stir into potato/egg mixture.
  3. Sprinkle with paprika; adjust seasoning.