Review of last recipe - Really liked this one and am eating it again this morning as I prepare today's recipe. I think it's good cold with fruit, although I really liked it right out of the oven and can see eating this with a salad, as well.

TODAY'S RECIPE - STUFFED ARTICHOKES
Love stuffed artichokes, but think they're too time consuming to make. This recipe was dated 1982.

4 medium artichokes
1/4 c lemon juice
1 med onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 lg mushrooms, chopped
6 tbsp olive oil
1 c italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 c grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp capers
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 c dry white wine (will be substituting dry vermouth)
1/8 tsp pepper

Start a large pot of water to boil. Trim artichoke bottoms so they can stand upright, then cut 3/4" off the top. With scissors, trim sharp leaf tips. Coat cut surfaces with lemon juice to prevent discoloration (and I usually squeeze the rest of the lemon into the pot for good measure). Place artichokes into the pot of boiling water, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or when the bottom can easily be pierced. Remove from the water and drain upside down until cool.

Meanwhile in a skillet, saute onion, garlic and mushrooms in 3 tbsp olive oil until onion is golden. Stir in crumbs, cheese, capers and oregano until well mixed. Remove from heat and set aside.

With spoon, remove feathery choke from the center of each artichoke. Fill cavity with stuffing, and place in shallow baking pan (recipe can be made ahead up to this point). Mix the remaining 3 tbsp of olive oil, remaining 3 tbsp lemon juice, the wine and pepper and drizzle over the artichokes.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until stuffing is lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings

Nutritional information per serving: 353 calories, 10 g protein, 33 g carbs, 24 g fat, 9 mg cholesterol, 418 mg sodium

Review of last recipe - I used summer squash and zucchini and really liked the outcome. With the cheese and just the little bit of meat, it was delicious and nutritious.

TODAY'S RECIPE - BLUE CHEESE TART

1/2 package piecrust mix (I will be buying the ready made Pillsbury product)
2 pkg (3 oz each) cream cheese
4 oz blue cheese
2 tbsp butter, softened
1/4 c heavy cream
3 eggs (use brown ones, as the safety of the white ones have been questionable lately)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp chopped chives

Prepare the piecrust mix following label directions for a single crust. Roll out to a 12" round to fit into a 9" fluted tart pan with a removeable bottom, or a 9" pie plate.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat cream cheese in a bowl with an electric mixer until softened. Crumble in blue cheese; beat until blended. Add butter, heavy cream, eggs, cayenne, salt and pepper and beat until light and smooth. Stir in chives. Pour into prepared pastry lined pan.

Bake for 45 minutes or until tart is puffy and brown. Cool 5 minutes on wire rack. Loosen and remove side of pan. Garnish with additional chopped chives, and serve in wedges with fresh fruits, if desired.

Review of last recipe - Bad! Just thinking about it makes me cringe.

TODAY'S RECIPE - STUFFED VEGETABLES

6 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise*
1/2 lb hot italian sausage
1/4 c onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/3 c packaged italian bread crumbs
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
1/4 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded

Cook zucchini in boiling salted water in a large skillet for 10 minutes. Drain and scoop out insides leaving a 1/4" shell. Mash insides, drain well. Put shells in a shallow baking dish.

Remove casing from the sausage and break up meat. Cook sausage in same skillet for 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic and saute until tender, 3 minutes. Stir in mashed zucchini and bread crumbs. Spoon mixture into shells and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until piping hot.

* You can substitute 6 medium tomatoes or a large (2.5-3 lb) eggplant, scooped out and drained.

Review of last recipe - I tossed this one out as it was just a glorified version of stewed tomatoes... even with the caramelized onion upgrade. Don't need a recipe for that!

TODAY'S RECIPE - BAVARIAN BACON-CHIVE POTATO SALAD

5 lbs. unpeeled boiling potatoes
3/4 lb bacon, minced
1 c minced onion
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp sugar
1/4 c beef or chicken stock
1/4 c white wine
1/4 c cider vinegar
1 tsp salt or to taste
freshly ground pepper
1/3 c snipped fresh chives

Cover potatoes with cold water in stockpot and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer just until fork tender; do not overcook or potatoes will break apart when sliced. Drain and let stand until cool enough to handle, then peel. Cut potatoes into 1/4" thick slices. Arrange in deep nonaluminum bowl. Cover with plate to keep warm.

Saute bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add onion and garlic to skillet and cook in rendered fat over medium-low heat until softened, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar and continue cooking until onion just begins to color, 3-4 minutes. Stir in stock, wine and vinegar and simmer 2 minutes. Blend in salt and pepper. Pour dressing over warm potato slices. Add snipped chives and cooked bacon. Toss gently to coat. Adjust seasonings. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 10.

In the past week, in looking at the upcoming recipe of the day, I have thrown a couple of them away just because I knew they were saved in my youth and they'd just be a waste of time to make. I'm not tossing anything because it may sound old fashioned or be out of style, because I like retro ... but I'll try not toss out anymore. When I started this blog, my assumption was that, at one time in my life, I thought the recipe was important ...and I don't want to stray too much from that premise because I just might miss out on a winner. For the record, I threw out a barley soup recipe that had very few ingredients and sounded lame (just barley and onions; not even any meat or mushrooms), and one for some vegetable pasties made with frozen veggies (why didn't I just make them with fresh veggies as a substitute?). I'm revealing this because today's recipe is one I would have tossed. It sounds so boring and it was hand written by me, so it was saved early in my collection. In any case, I will persevere and stay true to my quest to try all recipes.

Review of last recipe - The stuffed tomatoes were just okay ... they could have used more breadcrumbs and a more unusual stuffing, so out goes this recipe. I'd never make them again.

TODAY'S RECIPE - TOMATO CASSEROLE WITH CELERY AND ONIONS
(I don't want to make this, but maybe I'll be surprised. I'm only doing it because the recipe may be enhanced by the fact that the first tomatoes of the season are here.)

1 c celery, sliced paper thin
4 lg tomatoes, thickly sliced
3 onions, cut into slivers (already I think there are way too many onions for my taste; will
probably try to saute half the amount in butter to break them down and caramelize them first
before the entire casserole goes in the oven )
butter
fresh basil
bread crumbs

Arrange celery, tomatoes and onions in alternate layers in a buttered casserole, dotting each layer generously with butter, and sprinkling with salt, pepper and a little basil. Top with a layer of bread crumbs. Bake in a 350 degree oven until vegetables are tender, about 35-45 minutes (since I'm precooking the onions, I'll be reducing the total baking time .. maybe to as little as 15 minutes).

Review of last recipe - I wasn't thinking while typing the vichyssoise recipe, but use an immersion blender (if you have one) instead of a sieve. I ate it warmed up and cold (since it was 85+ degrees when I made it), and prefer it cold, though it's probably not my favorite soup in the world.

TODAY'S RECIPE - BAKED STUFFED TOMATOES

8 slightly under ripe tomatoes, halved
4 tbsp butter
1/3 c minced shallots
2 c finely chopped mushrooms
2 tsp crushed dried rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
4 tsp toasted homemade breadcrumbs

With a melon baller, scoop out pulp of tomatoes, taking care not to pierce the skin. Coarsely chop the pulp and place in a sieve to drain. Reserve.

Melt 3 tbsp butter in a saucepan. Add the shallots and mushroom. Saute over low heat until their juices evaporate, about 10 minutes. Mix in the rosemary, salt and pepper. Combine with the drained, chopped tomato pulp. Spoon the mixture into the tomato shells. Sprinkle each with 1/2 tsp breadcrumbs and dot with butter. Place in a shallow baking dish and bake in 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until tops are lightly browned.

Serves 8

Review of last recipe - They worked well as an appetizer, but it wasn't an outstanding recipe. I definitely wouldn't have these as an entree. What I consider an outstanding recipe is the past one for the warm broccoli salad -- I've made it two times since it's premier.

TODAY'S RECIPE - VICHYSSOISE

1 lb leeks, peeled and sliced
2 lg potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 onion, sliced
8 sprigs parsley, tied together
1 pint chicken stock
1 pint milk
salt
white pepper
chopped chives for garnish

Put the vegetables in a saucepan with the parsley and pour in the stock. Cover and cook gently until all the vegetables are tender.

Discard the parsley and sieve the vegetables. This will be a little difficult so moisten with some of the milk. Gradually, add more milk until the soup is the consistency of thin cream, then season with salt and pepper.

Serve soup either hot or cold. Garnish with chopped chives.

Serves 4