I’m definitely in my cozy winter cooking mode and craving warm, comforting dishes. This cooked up quickly for a great weeknight dinner. I heated up a loaf of bread and cooked some carrots and dinner was done.

1 1lb pork tenderloin, cut into 8 pieces

1 cup sauerkraut

sage

1 apple, cored and cut into 8 slices

cinnamon

salt and pepper

1/4 cup cider

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 400. Spread the sauerkraut out on a large piece of parchment, in a space large enough for the pork. Cover with the pork. Season pork with a pinch of sage sprinkled over it. Top with apple slices. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of cinnamon. Mix cider and cornstarch and pour over and around the food. Seal the packet and bake for 20-25 minutes until a meat thermometer says the pork has reached 145 degrees. Allow the packet to rest about 5 minutes before opening and serving. Serves 4.

I’m definitely in my cozy winter cooking mode and craving warm, comforting dishes. This cooked up quickly for a great weeknight dinner. I heated up a loaf of bread and cooked some carrots and dinner was done. 1 1lb pork tenderloin, cut into 8 pieces 1 cup sauerkraut sage 1 apple, cored and cut into … Read more →

This fall dish would be perfect for Thanksgiving if you’re still looking for a side dish! It’s got lovely flavor from the apple and orange juice and the cinnamon warms it up. This is adapted from a recent recipe in Everyday Food Magazine.

I large parsnip, peeled and sliced thinly

1 apple, peeled, cored and sliced thinly

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp orange juice

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

pinch of onion powder

Place the parsnips and apples on the parchment. Sprinkle oil, orange juice and spices on top. Toss with your hands to combine. Fold the paper (see Technique page) and bake at 400 for 45 minutes.

This fall dish would be perfect for Thanksgiving if you’re still looking for a side dish! It’s got lovely flavor from the apple and orange juice and the cinnamon warms it up. This is adapted from a recent recipe in Everyday Food Magazine. I large parsnip, peeled and sliced thinly 1 apple, peeled, cored and … Read more →

I used halibut in this dish, but any firm white fleshed fish will work. The parsley I used came from my bunch of parsley root, which I blogged about on my other food blog.

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

2 6-ounce halibut fillets

1/2 bunch parsley

1/8 small onion

1/4 cup light sour cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

8 baby carrots

2 tablespoons skim milk

1/4 teaspoon dried dill

Preheat oven to 400. Cut a 25 inch piece of parchment and place the rice in the center, roughly the size of the two pieces of fish. Top with fish. Place all the other ingredients in a small food processor and process until pureed (or you can chop the parsley, onion, and carrots and mix other ingredients with them). Pour the sauce over the fish. Fold the parchment (see Technique page of this site) and bake for 20 minutes.

The parsley gives this dish an amazing vibrant and slightly spicy flavor. It’s tastes so fresh and alive that it will wake you up!

I used halibut in this dish, but any firm white fleshed fish will work. The parsley I used came from my bunch of parsley root, which I blogged about on my other food blog. 1 1/2 cups cooked rice 2 6-ounce halibut fillets 1/2 bunch parsley 1/8 small onion 1/4 cup light sour cream 1 … Read more →

Rapini is also called broccoli rabe.  I love trying new and different veggies, so I was excited to give this a try. In this recipe, I’ve made it into a meal by including tuna and beans. Grate some Parmesan cheese over this if you like.

Half bunch of rapini

1 can tuna in water, undrained

7.5 ounce can of chickpeas, drained

3 sundried tomatoes, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons chicken broth

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cut about a 40 inch piece of parchment paper (if you want to use a standard size piece -see Technique page on this blog- then you need to cut the rapini in half before placing on the parchment). Place the rapini on the parchment. Pour tuna and water over the rapini. Add the beans and tomatoes. Sprinkle minced garlic on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle olive oil on top. Mix chicken broth and cornstarch and pour on top. Fold the parchment (see Technique page) and bake for 20 minutes, or until rapini is tender. Serves 4.

This recipe feels very hearty and is great with some Italian bread.

Rapini is also called broccoli rabe.  I love trying new and different veggies, so I was excited to give this a try. In this recipe, I’ve made it into a meal by including tuna and beans. Grate some Parmesan cheese over this if you like. Half bunch of rapini 1 can tuna in water, undrained … Read more →

I’m very familiar with Martha Stewart – I unofficially “apprenticed” myself to her for a year on my blog MarthaAndMe – so I have tried many Martha recipes, projects, and products. Martha, have you been reading my blog? Your new Martha Wrap seems to indicate you may have. Martha Wrap is a new product that has parchment paper on one side and foil on the other. Martha touts it as perfect for covering food (she doesn’t believe foil should ever touch food, so she always covers it with parchment, then foil) and there are also recipes on the box for parchment paper packets. I was excited to give it a try.

Let’s get down to the specs first. Regular parchment is 15 inches wide and the roll has 32 feet. Martha Wrap is 12 inches wide and has 40 feet. I paid $6 for a roll on Amazon. Supposedly you can buy it at Safeway for $4.99. I buy parchment at the grocery store for $3.99 (you can get another brand that is longer for $2.99, but I like Wilton).

When I opened my package, the roll was taped shut. When I peeled the tape off, it ripped the paper, so I had to throw the first six inches away. Not an auspicious start. I used it like I use parchment, to make a packet. Because it is not as wide, I had a harder time fitting my food in it. It also meant I did not have have enough paper at the sides to make my usual twist. I like the twist because it completely seals in the juices. If you just fold up your sides, juices tend to run out of the seams in the folds. And that is exactly what happened here. A lot of my juices ran out, making a mess on my baking sheet. Ugh.

Other than that, the paper performed well. I’ll stick with regular parchment though because I just prefer the longer width. It would be possible to work with this to be able to twist the ends, but you have to reposition your food to fit the shorter paper and I think it just makes for an awkward packet.

There are some reviews up on Amazon complaining about the edges of the paper curling up if you use it to line a cookie sheet.  I haven’t tried using it in that way and probably never would, since I use silicone liners when baking cookies. I also probably would never use it in place of foil or plastic wrap.

I’m very familiar with Martha Stewart – I unofficially “apprenticed” myself to her for a year on my blog MarthaAndMe – so I have tried many Martha recipes, projects, and products. Martha, have you been reading my blog? Your new Martha Wrap seems to indicate you may have. Martha Wrap is a new product that … Read more →

Here’s a great little salmon dish that has lots of veggies and lots of flavor. And it’s incredibly easy to make in parchment!

1 salmon fillet (about 6 ounces)

1/2 cup cooked or frozen broccoli

1/2 cup frozen artichoke heart quarters, thawed

1/4 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons ranch dressing

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon lime juice

2 pinches Old Bay Seasoning

Place the salmon on the parchment and top with the broccoli and artichoke hearts. Mix other ingredients in a small bowl, then pour over salmon and vegetables. Fold the parchment (See Technique page on this blog) and bake for 15-20 minutes (depending on thickness of your salmon) at 400.

Here’s a great little salmon dish that has lots of veggies and lots of flavor. And it’s incredibly easy to make in parchment! 1 salmon fillet (about 6 ounces) 1/2 cup cooked or frozen broccoli 1/2 cup frozen artichoke heart quarters, thawed 1/4 cup plain yogurt 2 tablespoons ranch dressing salt and pepper 1 teaspoon … Read more →

I recently bought a package of Paper Chef Parchment Bags to try. These are bags made out of parchment designed for cooking. I loved the concept – just put the food in the bag and fold one end.

I decided to try a new recipe for kale (serves 4)

3 cups packed kale leaves

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese

2 ounces cooked chopped pancetta or bacon

I preheated the oven to 400, placed my ingredients in the bag and shook them up a bit. I placed it on a baking sheet and baked for 15 minutes. I lifted the bag, about to give it another little shake, and it ripped. It had soaked through (something that has never happened to me with parchment paper).

The kale, however, was delicious. I would make this again in a parchment paper packet (kale on the bottom, other ingredients on the top). The cheese gave it a nice bit of creaminess and the pancetta gave it a little smokiness. In the past I’ve been puzzled by kale – it wasn’t a veggie I ate as a kid and so I have been looking for ways to make it. This one is a winner.

Unfortunately, I can’t recommend the bags. It ripped immediately. I also felt it did not create as nice of a presentation. The bag was not flat on the bottom, so you would need to lay it on its side, put your food in from the side, fold it and then cut it open to have a dish you could take from bag to plate easily. With parchment you just unfold and there your dish is sitting.

Maybe if you double bagged the food it would work. I use Wilton parchment and I have never had it rip.

I recently bought a package of Paper Chef Parchment Bags to try. These are bags made out of parchment designed for cooking. I loved the concept – just put the food in the bag and fold one end. I decided to try a new recipe for kale (serves 4) 3 cups packed kale leaves salt … Read more →

It was a cold night and I was down in the dumps. The cure? Cozy, warm, fall comfort food. I put together this tian (which is kind of like a gratin, minus all the tons of butter and cream) and let it slowly cook in the oven. It came out perfectly – pretty and tasty. It serves 4 with leftovers.

1 parsnip, peeled, thinly sliced

1/8 large sweet onion thinly sliced

15 baby carrots, thinly sliced

1/2 rutabaga, peeled and thinly sliced

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

Thyme

Olive oil

1/4 cup heavy cream

Cut a 24 inch piece of parchment. Make about a 9 inch circle with the parsnips, layering them over each other around the circle and in the middle. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle half the onions on top. Layer carrots on top of this and repeat salt, pepper, thyme, oil, onion. Then layer rutabaga, repeating seasonings and toppings. Layer potato slices on top, repeating toppings again. Pour cream over the entire thing. Fold the parchment (see Technique page on this blog) – for this one I used the folded ends instead of the twisted ends. Bake at 350 for an hour.

You could add chopped garlic to this, grated cheese (Parmesan would be my pick, included in the layers), or 1/4 cup milk to boost the creaminess. You could also drizzle with melted butter instead of olive oil for a deeper flavor. I liked it being pretty basic and was able to enjoy all the flavors of the vegetables.

It was a cold night and I was down in the dumps. The cure? Cozy, warm, fall comfort food. I put together this tian (which is kind of like a gratin, minus all the tons of butter and cream) and let it slowly cook in the oven. It came out perfectly – pretty and tasty. … Read more →

Asparagus is one my favorite vegetables to cook in parchment. It’s just the right size and it cooks perfectly. I made this for dinner the other night. It’s got the right balance of creaminess and lemon and the garlic gives it some punch.

1 bunch asparagus

1/3 cup light mayonnaise

3 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon dill

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Place the asparagus on the parchment. Mix the other ingredients in a small bowl and spread over the asparagus. Fold the parchment (see the Technique page on this blog) and bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes, until the asparagus reaches your level of doneness. This is great with chicken or fish.

Asparagus is one my favorite vegetables to cook in parchment. It’s just the right size and it cooks perfectly. I made this for dinner the other night. It’s got the right balance of creaminess and lemon and the garlic gives it some punch. 1 bunch asparagus 1/3 cup light mayonnaise 3 garlic cloves, minced salt … Read more →

From start to finish I had dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes with this really flavorful dish.

For each packet:

1 tilapia filet (about 4-6 ounces)

2 arugula leaves, center rib removed

2 tablespoons diced tomato (canned or fresh) mixed with a pinch of sugar

1/4 teaspoon capers

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Place the arugula on the parchment and set the fish on top of it. Cover the fish with the other ingredients. Fold the parchment (see Technique page) and bake at 400 for 12 minutes.  Serve with some warm Italian bread and some carrots cooked with dill and you have a complete meal.

From start to finish I had dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes with this really flavorful dish. For each packet: 1 tilapia filet (about 4-6 ounces) 2 arugula leaves, center rib removed 2 tablespoons diced tomato (canned or fresh) mixed with a pinch of sugar 1/4 teaspoon capers 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning … Read more →