By Jennifer Alexander Ruple
Welcome to the Sizzle Simmer Sauté Sylvania cookbook. This curated collection of recipes represents many of my favorites that have appeared in my column in the bimonthly Sylvania AdVantage newspaper over the past eight years.
In this cookbook, you will find seasonal recipes that are tried and true favorites, handed down from my mother and both my grandmothers, as well as some that are newly created based on current food trends and fun entertaining ideas.
I hope you enjoy the recipes from my kitchen to yours.
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Spring
Pasta Primavera
Pasta primavera is a delightful dish that truly captures the essence of spring, as “primavera” translates to “spring” in Italian. Unlike traditional pasta dishes with rich red sauces, pasta primavera highlights fresh vegetables and a light and flavorful base which makes it ideal for the new season. With a medley of colorful produce such as tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, and peas, this dish is as vibrant as it is nutritious. The sauce is a delicate blend of olive oil, cream, Italian herbs, and Parmesan cheese allowing the natural flavors of the vegetables to shine. It’s a perfect celebration of spring’s bounty in every bite.
Berry Cheesecake Galette
In this recipe, a sweet-tart berry mixture is combined with a cheesecake filling and is layered over a golden and flaky pie crust. Galettes are quick and simple to prepare using a single pie crust on the bottom which is then folded up and over the edges of the filling. Bake it until it’s golden brown and the fillings are beginning to flow out of it – the charm of a galette is its rustic appearance.
Smash Burgers
The official kickoff to summer is just around the corner! It’s time to fire up the grill and serve up some tasty smash burgers and homemade potato salad. Juicy and cheesy smash burgers are like traditional burgers only they are flattened with a spatula, resulting in crispy-edged patties. They cook quickly, so have everything ready to go before adding them to the griddle.
Baked Balsamic Chicken
This versatile baked chicken can be paired with pasta, veggies, or salad for a light lunch or dinner. It also makes a great meal prep item. Prepare a batch on Sunday afternoon and enjoy it for lunches during the week.
Strawberry Tortellini Salad with Citrus Poppyseed Dressing
A sweet and fruity salad is combined with savory cheese tortellini to create the perfect side dish to Baked Balsamic Chicken.
Croque Monsieur Brunch Bake
Spring has sprung and it’s time to celebrate the season with an April in Paris-inspired dish. This brunch bake combines the ingredients of the croque monsieur, a popular French sandwich, with eggs and croissants to create a decadently rich, make-ahead breakfast casserole.
Chile con Queso
Chile con Queso, or affectionately known as “queso” is a chile-cheese dip
which hails from Mexico, with Southwestern states such as Texas and New Mexico creating regional versions of their own. It’s velvety, rich and the ultimate comfort food to share with friends.
Pico de Gallo
This bright and flavorful salsa is made from tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeños and lime juice. Its colors – red, white and green – mimic the colors in the Mexican flag. The key to a good Pico de Gallo is to use the freshest ingredients available. While it can be prepared a day ahead, it is best served shortly after preparing.
Summer
Mediterranean Bliss: Orzo Salad
Delight in the vibrant flavors of the Mediterranean with this refreshing orzo pasta dish, featuring tender spinach, tangy Kalamata olives, creamy feta cheese, and sweet sun-dried tomatoes. Perfectly suited for warm weather, it’s an ideal make-ahead recipe to impress at graduation parties, outdoor gatherings, or any sunny summer event.
Very Berry Peach Cobbler
Full of luscious in-season fruit and topped with browned and buttery homemade biscuits, this dish is the quintessential late-summer dessert. There’s no need to remove the skins from the peaches as they will soften while baking. Serve warm cobbler with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
Greek Pasta Salad with Tomatoes and Feta
Lettuce need not apply – this tomato-centric Greek salad combines the fresh flavors of summer with pasta – sweet basil, ripe tomatoes, crips cucumbers, and red onion. It’s enhanced with meaty Kalamata olives, tangy feta cheese, and mild pepperoncini peppers – splashed with a light vinaigrette. 6 servings
Italian-Style Baked Tomatoes and Zucchini
Sliced tomatoes and zucchini combined with a mixture of Italian cheeses and herbed breadcrumbs, create a lasagna-type layered dish. Serve it as a hearty side or a light, meatless main. 6 servings
Deconstructed Mexican Street Corn
This summer side has all the elements of Mexican street corn or elote – creamy mayonnaise, chili powder, crumbled cotija cheese, fresh lime juice, cilantro and sweet corn. The only difference is that it’s made in casserole form and not grilled on the cob, making it a little easier to prepare and less messy to eat. For the more adventurous, give the casserole a sprinkling of Tajín, a mild chili pepper, lime and sea salt seasoning available at local grocery stores.
Serve Deconstructed Mexican Street Corn alongside any Mexican-inspired dinner such as tacos, fajitas or quesadillas. 8 servings
Kyle Baker’s Slow Cooker Brisket
Oftentimes brisket is cooked in a smoker; however, it’s just as delicious made in a slow cooker. The preparation is much easier and less hands-on, giving you more time to spend with the family.
Whipped Feta
with Roasted Strawberries
Tangy, whipped feta cheese paired with sweet, roasted honey-balsamic strawberries is a match made in heaven. The combination is divine, served as an appetizer or light lunch along with a salad of crisp greens. Spread a layer of feta over crusty bread, spoon strawberries and their juices over the top, drizzle with honey, and sprinkle with chopped, fresh basil.
Elote Asado (Mexican Grilled Corn)
Elote Asado is a popular way of serving corn on the cob at festivals and markets in Mexico. In this version, fresh corn is grilled in their husks then brushed with crema, rolled in crumbled Cotija cheese, and finished with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Soaking the corn prior to grilling keeps them from burning, plus the steam that’s produced inside the husks keeps the corn moist. Cotija cheese and Mexican crema can be found at most local grocery stores.
Cherry Pie Crumble Bars
These bars are the perfect summertime treat. What’s not to love about a crumbly, buttery crust, layered with sweet cherry filling and topped with more crumbles? Serve Cherry Pie Crumble Bars by themselves or a la mode (with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream).
Tomatoes with Italian Herbs & Garlic
Sun-kissed cherry tomatoes are delicious in their own right; however, when marinated in good-quality extra virgin olive oil, a mixture of dried Italian herbs, fresh basil and minced garlic, they become magical. Allow tomatoes to marinate for a few hours to soak in all that rich goodness then enjoy them spooned over warm, cheesy flatbread; mixed into fresh pasta; or topped over fish or chicken.
Cheesy Baked Zucchini
Everyone has dishes they remember from childhood. This one reminds me of when my family was living in the quaint town of Grand Haven, Mich. in the late 70s. On summer weekends, neighbors would take turns hosting evening get-togethers after we all spent the day at the beach. My mom would bring a similar zucchini dish to these parties – it was always a hit!
Peach Caprese Salad
Luscious peaches take center stage in this fruited version of the classic Caprese Salad. Paired with medallions of fresh mozzarella cheese and thinly sliced basil leaves, this salad is dressed with extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and finished with balsamic glaze. The sweet-savory combination makes it the ultimate summer salad.
Dill Pickle Salad
This salad is full of fresh dill, tangy mayonnaise, cheddar cheese and pickles – it’s sure to be a big dill at the pool party. Use your favorite pickles and choose a pasta shape such as shells or rotini, one that will cradle all these delicious ingredients.
Fall
Chicken Parmesan Caprese
The fresh flavors of Caprese salad are a celebration of simplicity and the finest of late summer ingredients. Named after the island of Capri, this Italian classic brings together ripe tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, fragrant basil, and a drizzle of olive oil to create a dish that’s as beautiful as it is delicious. Whether served as a starter, side, or light main dish, the elements of Caprese salad give a fresh kiss to everything. Indulge in the combination with this issue’s featured recipes – Chicken Parmesan Caprese and Caprese Flatbread.
Spaghetti Squash
It’s the time of year when farmers markets are brimming with colorful varieties of winter squash. From sweet Delicata to hearty Acorn, squash can be used in a wide range of recipes. They’re also good for you, containing vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Squash boast a longer shelf life than other produce. So, if you’re interested in stocking up for the season, store them whole, with their skins on, in a cool, dry and well-ventilated location, around 50° F.
Pumpkin Feta Dip
Fall is a season of great transition. It is a time for savoring the last of late summer’s harvest and for soaking up those final warm days before winter takes hold. Whipped Pumpkin Feta Dip with Honey and Thyme is a fabulous appetizer to share with a bottle of Pinot Noir on a chilly fall evening in front of toasty fire. For an extra kick, substitute hot honey instead of traditional honey.
Serve the feta dip alongside crackers, crusty bread, or rustic crisps; spiced nuts; and fresh vegetables such as carrots and bell pepper strips.
Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Bars
Crust, apple and crumb layers make these autumn dessert bars a triple delight – all drizzled with salted caramel sauce. Recipe makes 18 bars.
Mashed Potato Squash
Creamy-white colored mashed potato squash is similar in size and shape to acorn squash. When cooked, its insides bear a stark resemblance to its namesake both in taste and texture. Simply roast, whisk with butter, salt and pepper and enjoy this side dish with fewer calories and carbs than potatoes.
Apple Crumble
An autumn crowd pleaser, this apple crumble takes just minutes to pull together and is perfect for any get-together. To save even more time, don’t peel the apples. They will become soft while baking. When deciding on apples to use for this recipe, choose a type that will hold their structure while baking. Keep Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or Braeburn in mind when heading to the orchard.
Pumpkin Cheesecakes
Chocolate cookie crumb crusts are a tasty alternative to traditional graham cracker crusts. The perfect make-ahead dessert, store cheesecakes in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to serve.
Pumpkin Penne with Ricotta and Spinach
Rich and cheesy, this vegetarian pasta will warm you up on a chilly fall evening. For the pasta, choose a tube-style variety such as penne or rigatoni, one that will hold all the creamy pumpkin sauce. The addition of fresh sage leaves brings autumn flair to the dish, and it smells so good while baking.
Butternut Squash Casserole with Sausage and Fennel
This casserole is rustic, warm and highlights the best of the season – creamy butternut squash, sweet apples and caramelized fennel. It’s paired with Italian sausage and topped with a layer of Gruyere cheese resulting in a hearty and flavorful dish perfect for any autumn evening. 6 servings
Winter
Slow-Cooked Birria
Spice up Taco Tuesday with birria, a dish that has gained in popularity at local Mexican restaurants in recent years. Birria is a rich, moderately spicy dish of slow‑cooked meat originating from Jalisco, Mexico. It’s traditionally made from goat or lamb; however, beef is more common in the US. It can be eaten as a soup or stew, or it can be used as a filling for quesabirria tacos, the combination of birria and a quesadilla formed into a taco.
Since first having quesabirria about two years ago, my husband, Tony, and I have wanted to make our own. Here is the recipe we put together. We hope you will make this dish and enjoy it as much as we do.
Roasted Cranberries and Brie Crostini
Roasted Cranberries and Brie Crostini, features tangy cranberries, creamy brie cheese, and sweet honey all arranged over crispy, toasted baguette slices. It’s an ideal appetizer for any gathering.
Butternut Squash, Spinach and Sausage Soup
There’s nothing quite like a cozy bowl of hot, steamy soup to warm you up from the inside out. Whether you love a classic chicken noodle, a vegetable beef, or something a little more on the adventurous side, soup is the ideal comfort food for northwest Ohio winters.
If you’re looking to try something new, make this rich and hearty Butternut Squash, Spinach and Sausage Soup. It’s loaded with healthy veggies, flavorful herbs, savory Italian sausage and delicate pasta – all ingredients to help take the chill out of the season.
Pepperoni Pizza Roses
Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate love in all its forms. Instead of the traditional bouquet of red roses, why not surprise your loved ones with a dozen Pepperoni Pizza Roses? Whether you’re celebrating with the love of your life, the kiddos, or your friends, these cute and tasty treats are sure to bring a smile to their faces and warmth to their hearts. After all, who wouldn’t love a bouquet that’s both beautiful and edible? Recipe yields 12 hors d’oeuvres.
Pasta e Fagioli
Pasta e Fagioli, also known as Pasta Fazool, is a thick and hearty Italian soup. Its name simply means pasta and beans, but it’s also chock-full of vegetables including carrots, celery and onions. This soup can easily be made vegetarian by swapping the beef for two cups of fresh spinach.
Be Mine Board
Serve up some love this Valentine’s Day with a heart-themed cheese and charcuterie board. Struck by Cupid’s arrow, this board is loaded with both sweet and savory treats. Build one to feed the whole family or create a smaller version just for two.
Holiday Olive Wreath
Dress up the hors d’oeuvres buffet with a wreath assembled from a ring of fresh rosemary and topped with gourmet olives, mozzarella cheese balls and cherry tomatoes. For the best selection of olives, visit the olive bar at a local grocery store. You’ll find many varieties and olives stuffed with cheeses and meats such as feta, gorgonzola and prosciutto. Since the olives are sold by the pound, you’ll only pay for the amount you need.
Hot Cocoa Cookies
These cookies are rich and chocolatey just like a cup of hot cocoa. Dark chocolate chips and cocoa powder meld into a cookie with a fudgy center and crispy outer layer, all topped with mini marshmallows. Recipe yields 25 cookies.