Scene Snaps: Reader Recipes

December 2021—This month, cozy up with mouth-watering recipes from our readers.

Rosie Lumetta prepares her festive Penne all Vodka with Salmon early in the day, refrigerates it, then bakes it right before guests arrive.

Penne alla Vodka with Salmon

Ingredients

• 1 16-oz box Barilla Collezione Penne Pasta 
• 1 24-oz jar Bertolli’s Vodka sauce, with another on hand if needed
• 8 ounces of fresh mozzarella cut into small pieces.
• 1 medium onion finally chopped
• 2 garlic cloves finely minced
• 6 to 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms fresh or in a jar (optional)
• 12 ounces of fresh salmon cut into 1-inch squares.  (Tip: freezing fish for 30 minutes makes it easier to cut.)
• 1 bottle Newman’s Own Parmesan and Roasted Garlic salad dressing
• Olive oil spray

Fish preparation

• Put salmon in glass dish and cover with entire bottle of salad dressing. Refrigerate for 2 hours to marinate. 
• After 2 hours, preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Scoop fish out with a slotted spoon and put in baking dish. (Do not cook in the salad dressing as it will get very mushy.)
• Cover and bake for 20-25 minutes—not longer as it will be reheated with the sauce later. Wipe off any white fat you see after baking. Set aside.

Pasta preparation

• While the salmon bakes, cook pasta according to directions but make it “al dente.”  After pasta is cooked, drain and rinse.
• Final Assembly and Baking
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix all remaining ingredients except mushrooms, fish, and pasta. Then mix in the pasta.
• Spray a 9×13 oblong casserole dish with oil. Spread the pasta/sauce mixture in the dish and spread mushrooms and fish on top of that. Add a light sauce covering on top.
• Bake covered for 30 minutes or until piping hot.    
• Serve garnished with fresh shaved parmesan and optional red pepper flakes for guests who like it spicier.

Diane Stirling shared a favorite holiday side dish of her childhood: Rolli Cacio e Pepe.

Ellen Heritage shared Lemon Blossoms, saying “I have a friend who is allergic to chocolate so this is a nice alternative. It’s not my recipe—it’s from Paula Deen—and they’re always a hit! They’re worth the work!”

LEMON BLOSSOMS 

(based on Paula Deen / Food Network)

Ingredients

• 1 8 1/2-oz. package yellow or lemon cake mix
• 3 1/2-oz. package instant lemon pudding mix
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Glaze

• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons water

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Fill each muffin tin only halfway—do not overfill! Bake for 12 minutes. Carefully remove muffins from pan.
• For glaze, sift sugar into a mixing bowl. Add lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.  Dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they’re still warm or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.
• Makes 5 to 6 dozen, and they freeze well. 

Andria Bilan shared this tasty Kugel Noodle Casserole, a staple dish for generations in her family for Hanukkah.

Kugel Noodle Casserole 

Ingredients

• 3 eggs separated
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 tbsp of sugar
• 1 lb. of creamed cottage cheese
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 1/2 lb. of med cooked noodles
• 1/2 cup of raisins 
• 12/ cup of crushed corn flakes

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Butter two quart casserole dish 
• Beat three egg yolks.
• Add melted butter and sugar
• Fold in cottage cheese, sour cream, noodles and raisins
• Beat three egg whites and fold in stiff beaten egg whites.
• Place in two quart buttered casserole and sprinkle top with crushed corn flakes.
• Dot generously with butter.
• Bake for 45 minutes uncovered.

Roberta Straff shared a Caesar Salad recipe perfected by her late husband, Larry. For get-togethers with friends, he always brought this delicious salad and she this yummy apple cake.

Pastry chef, Ray Lajoie, from Michael’s On East shared his beautiful Apple Crostata.

Apple Crostata

Crust 

• 2c flour
• 2 sticks of butter very cold chopped into cubes
• 1/4c sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4c cold water 

Place all dry ingredients into a food processor, pulse 3 or 4 times to combine. Add butter pulse 6 to 8 times. Do not over process – you want the butter to be in small pieces, then add water pulse until it dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.

Cream Filling

• 1 pound cream cheese, room temp
• 2c 10X sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 lemon

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth, add remainder of ingredients mix to combine

Apple Filling

• 4c chopped granny smith apples
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4c flour

Roll dough into a 12 “ circle place on a sheet pan. Spread cream cheese mixture on the dough leaving at least 1 inch from the edge of the crust. Top the cream cheese with the apples, gently fold over the curst to the center. Brush the edge of the crust with egg whites and dust with granulated sugar. Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the apples are bubbling. 

Meat lover Carla Bright serves up old school Texas meatloaf, complete with four different habanero peppers in the meat, a whole bar of sharp cheddar in the middle, and jalapeños on top. Serve with sugar cornbread and green beans. 45 minutes cook time, 15 prep.

Jalapeno Cheddar-Stuffed Meatloaf

Recipe from thestayathomechef.com

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef 85/15
• 1 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 1 to 2 jalapenos minced
• 8 oz brick cheddar cheese

Glaze

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar tightly packed
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 jalapeno sliced

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, milk, egg, worcestershire sauce, and minced jalapeno. Knead until combined.
• Divide meat in half. Shape one half of the meat into the bottom half of the loaf and place in prepared pan. Place cheddar cheese brick in the center. Shape remaining half of meat as the top half of the loaf, sealing the edges. This is a free-form loaf so it doesn’t need to be perfect.
• In a small mixing bowl whisk together ketchup, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper. Pour over shaped loaf to coat. Lay sliced jalapenos out on top of the meatloaf to garnish.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 80 minutes until cheese is completely melted and meat reaches an internal temperature of a minimum of 160 degrees F.

Kristina Richardson shared pumpkin muffins, an All Faiths Food Bank favorite. “We love making them for our staff and encouraging clients and community members to make this delicious recipe as well. “

Join us! Enter before December 7 for the theme:

Healthy New Year!

Show us how you stay fit and fabulous! Do you practice yoga? Hike? Lift weights? Swim? Zumba? Help us get motivated for a healthy New Year, by emailing photos and description to wendy@scenesarasota.com by December 7.