Steak and Avocado

A couple of weeks ago my college boy was home for just a few days, between apartments. I planned a few meals I knew he would love and he actually prepared this one for me! What a treat. The taste of the steak and salsa is similar to this recipe, but the ingredients I loved most were the steak and avocado. The warm steak and creamy avocado, oh...yum. It was a combo I had never had before, but plan to make up for missing. If you like beef and you like avocado, you will love this one. I think you could use almost any steak, but make sure it's a quality cut, and nice and juicy. The flat iron steak I use for the Steak and Salsa Verde would be a nice, inexpensive alternative.

I found the recipe at Eating Well, and we followed it pretty closely except we grilled the steaks.

Steak with Pebre Sauce and Avocado

Sauce

1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla

1 medium-large tomato, seeded and diced

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 T. minced jalapeño (or serrano, we use jalapeño)

2 T. red-wine or cider vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 t. kosher salt

 Steak

3/4 t. paprika

3/4 t. ground cumin

3/4 t. dried oregano

3/4 t. kosher salt, divided

1/2 t. ground pepper

2 8- to 10-ounce New York strip (top loin) steaks, trimmed

2 t. canola oil

2 avocados, pitted and peeled

To prepare Pebre Sauce: 

Combine the onion, tomato, cilantro, jalapeño (or serrano), vinegar, garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.

To prepare steak: 

Mix paprika, cumin, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture evenly over both sides of steaks.

Preheat outdoor grill. When grill is hot cook steaks over medium grill until done to desired doneness.

(Alternately: Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet, such as cast iron, over medium-high. Add the steaks and cook just until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the steaks 5 to 7 minutes for medium-rare, depending on thickness.)

Transfer to a clean cutting board. Tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash avocados with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl.

Carve the steak into thin slices. Serve with the avocado and Pebre Sauce.

Menu suggestion: serve with Roasted Sweet potatoes and scallions, and Peppercorn

Source: Eating Well

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Honey Butter Popcorn

I beg your pardon for that really awful iPhone picture of this delightful treat, but I really have to blame it on the deliciousness of the recipe itself, because once I tasted this yummy stuff, I wasn't getting off the sofa to get the camera. No way. I was getting ready to watch Cinderella Man last night -- one of my favorite flicks -- when I decided I needed a bowl of this popcorn I had linked to on Pinterest last week. Because I am doing this trial of wheat-free diet, I have been feeling rather sorry for myself about all the yummy things I am missing out on. Once I realized that this was wheat-free (and totally a treat!) I had to do it. And once I tasted it, I wasn't moving from the sofa until the bowl was finished. Yes, I ate the whole thing.

Please do go the extra step in making the popcorn yourself. No micro popcorn. That stuff is like poison. Yuck. Just a tablespoon of crisco in the bottom of a pot and a single layer of kernels, a lid, and a high fire. Pretty soon, pop, pop, pop.

Then add this delicious honey butter and you have created a decadent and delightful treat. I modified the recipe just slightly because I thought I could make it better. Ha!

Sea Salt Honey Butter Glaze

2 T. butter

2 T. honey

sea salt to taste

Place butter and honey in a small dish or teacup. Microwave for 30 seconds until butter is melted and mixture is bubbly.

Pour over freshly made popcorn. Stir well. Salt and taste. Add salt if needed.

Source: modified from the Faux Martha

Lidia's Polenta

During the hot summer months I don't often make a dish that requires a long, slow simmer on the stove. Not only does a long, slow simmer heat up the kitchen, but those heavier meals are often too heavy for hot weather (even when the house is air conditioned). Occasionally, however, a simple meal like polenta and sauce is a nice dish to enjoy on a rainy summer day -- one like this recipe for Lidia's Polenta.

Polenta is a simple dish to prepare, and paired with a really good jarred pasta sauce (or some homemade sauce you stashed in the freezer) and some sauteed Italian sausages, a tasty treat even for a summer evening.

On the evening we ate this meal, I browned some fresh Italian sausages in some olive oil in a large skillet, opened a jar of Tyler Florence's Vodka sauce, poured it over the sausages and simmered them for a half hour or so. Then I sliced the sausages and served them, with the sauce,  over a spoonful of this wonderful polenta, with Parmesan cheese. Simple and delicious (and inexpensive).

I omit the bay leaves when I make it, but other than that, I make it as written.

Lidia's Basic Polenta

2 c. milk

2 c. water

1 T. unsalted butter

1 bay leaf (optional)

2 T. coarse salt (I start with less until I taste it)

1 1/2 c. coarse yellow cornmeal (or polenta if you can find it labeled as such)

In medium saucepan, combine milk, water, butter, bay leaf and salt. Heat to simmer over medium flame. Slowly sift cornmeal into pan through fingers of one hand, stirring constantly until polenta is smooth and thick and pulls away from sides of pan when stirred, about 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

Source: Lidia Bastianich

Hot dogs and potatoes

From one day to the next I never know how dinner is going to be received in my house. That can be a frustrating thing. You go to all that work and then the kids stick their noses up at it. Not that they are permitted to be rudely critical, but if they don't eat, then that's a pretty clear criticism.

I can take the criticism, but I hate wasted food. Period.

I also hate to fight over food, so I gave up a long time ago making kids sit at the table until their plate is clean. My sanity is more important than my pride.

Anyway...short story long, the other day I was asked, as I am every day, "What's for dinner?" When I said, "hotdogs and potatoes," I was met with mixed comments. I told them all to "Shut it" and they could eat it or not. They all ate it. It was good, simple, and really easy to make food.

The bottom line is, kids like hotdogs (and I use good beef hotdogs) and fried potatoes (and just dice the onions really small and encourage them to cover it in ketchup -- hey, it has lycopene!). So what's not to like? Serve some fresh fruit on the side, like sliced watermelon, or bing cherries, and some yummy buttermilk biscuits with strawberry jam. It's a good, easy meal. And it's cheap. Yey.

Hotdogs and potatoes

oil for frying (I use canola for this dish)

one large white Idaho potato for each person, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced across in 1/4 inch pieces.

1 to 2 T. minced onion for each person

1 to 2 sliced hotdogs for each person

salt and pepper

In a large skillet (non-stick or cast iron, I use non-stick for easy clean up) heat oil over medium high heat. 

When oil is hot, add potatoes and then onions on top of the potatoes. Arrange them in a single layer (or as close as possible) and them leave them alone for about five minutes. Toss the hotdogs on top and then stir, attempting to get the potato pieces flipped over. Cook for about 30 minutes, until potato pieces are tender and everything is lovely and browned.

Strawberries, sour cream, and turbinado...oh my

You know about three in the afternoon, when your rear starts to drag, and you seriously wonder whether you can make it until 9 p.m. when you might possibly be able to at least sit, if not lie, down.

I have a little pick-me-up for you.

A little sumpin' sumpin' (no, no, not the alcoholic kind, just the special treat kind).

I had read about these little babies in a few places on the web, but really, they didn't sound so special, until one day I guess I must have actually thought about it, or maybe it was just the arrival of really good strawberries at the grocery store, and I thought, "Hmmm, that might be worth trying."

And I did.

Last evening, Doug took the kids up to the pool for exactly one hour after dinner, and I had all the dinner dishes to wash and put away. But when I finished...I pulled out a brand new, just-bought-that-day quart of strawberries, the (full fat) sour cream (and the Greek yogurt just for testing sake), and the box of turbinado sugar (which had exactly one and one-half tablespoons left in it -- well not exactly, but pretty close. I didn't measure.)

Rinse berries and blot dry with a paper towel. Check. (I washed three)

Stir the sour cream up until creamy and dip two strawberries. I dipped the third in Greek yogurt. Check. (Yeah, just dip them right in the container. Who's gonna tell?)

Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Check.

Place on a pretty plate and repeat with two more (Or however many you want, but don't share. Do. Not. Share. This is mommy's treat.)

Take plate and sit -- you must sit and enjoy.

Bite the end off and then nibble, nibble all the way around until there is nothing left but leaves. (I tossed those over the deck rail so I didn't have to see them on my plate.)

In no time at all I ate all three and then I.licked.the.plate. I did! Really. Nobody was watching.

And then I went back to the kitchen where I had put everything away because I was so convinced these little babies were going to be no big deal and I got it all back out, except I got the brown sugar out since there was no more turbinado sugar. And I tested it (just for you, my friend) to see if the brown sugar was as good. And it was not. But it was good, so if you only have brown sugar, go for it. But I really do like the crunchiness of the turbinado sugar.

Oh my, just thinking about them makes me anxious for three o'clock. Except I have a sick little chick up in bed and I can't run to the store for more turbinado. I'll just muddle through with brown sugar.

I tell you there might not be enough strawberries left in the world for these babies.

You'll thank me. You will.

PS There was only a slight difference in the ones made with sour cream and the one with Greek Yogurt. I used 2% Fage Greek yogurt, so it could have been the little bit of extra fat from the full fat sour cream that made the difference. Don't skimp here. Go for the real deal, but in a pinch the Greek yogurt will do.

Blue Cheese in oil

It never fails that when I love a product either the manufacturer stops making it, or the store stops selling it. I don't know which is the answer this time around, but I love, love this jar of blue cheese packed in oil that I have been buying for a year or so. Just a little nibble spread on a cracker or with a pretzel and a glass of lovely red wine while I cook dinner is a real treat. Just a nibble is all I really want because it is to packed with flavor.

Alas, my grocer no longer carries it. And I will not spend $10 to have it shipped.

I was at my butcher shop on Saturday and since they are an Italian gourmet shop and have a large selection of cheeses, I asked if they carried it. The young employee I asked had no idea what I was talking about so he went and got someone else. That man told me that they don't carry it but that is was simple to make. He was so right.

I didn't find the product on the internet until this morning so I did not know it is normally packed in canola oil, but good to know for the future. I bought two largish pieces of Danish blue cheese. I had 100% extra virgin olive oil, peppercorns and crushed red pepper at home. I did not know it contained juniper berries, bay leaves or garlic, but I'm not sure I would have added them anyway. Maybe a little garlic.

 I used a warm knife and sliced the blue cheese into small cubes. I poured a small quantity of oil (see note below) in a clean old pickle jar (rinsed with boiling water first and dried with a clean towel or paper towel) and added a palmful of black peppercorns and crushed red pepper. I added about half the cheese and then another quantity of oil. More cheese, more oil and a repeat of the peppercorns and red pepper, plus a small palm of coarse sea salt. I put the lid on an rolled it around in my hands -- don't shake it.

We used it last night with our Bonefish Grill salad and it was heavenly. If you like blue cheese, you are sure to like this treat. It would be wonderful with some fruit and crackers, or as part of an antipasta. Or stuff your favorite olives. Yum.

NOTE: Olive oil solidifies at cold temps (I should have remembered that) so for future preparations I will be using canola oil. If you already used olive oil, just warm it a little (or let it sit at room temp) and it will come back to liquid state.

New York Style Cheesecake

hello?

anybody out there?

 I know you're busy.

Too busy to cook?

 Maybe you're not too busy to make cheesecake. I promise you can have this cheesecake in the oven in less than five minutes. You don't even need to wait for the preheat.

 This is the cheesecake I grew up with. I must say it seemed like the most glamorous thing my mother made, but now that I make it myself, I realize it's probably the easiest thing she ever made. You don't even make a crust -- just add 2 tablespoons of flour to the cheese mixture and it settles on the bottom. It's pure cheesecake deliciousness.

 I made my last cheesecake (pictured) with homemade cream cheese. I am not going to get into that right now, but it was more wet than block cream cheese from the store, thus my cheesecake was more moist. It was delicious, but the picture does not look exactly like the cheesecake normally. It gets higher, and more firm.

 New York Cheesecake 

serves 12-16

 4 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese (full fat) 

1 pint sour cream (full fat) 

3/4 cup milk (preferably whole milk)

 4 eggs 

1 T. vanilla extract 

1 1/2 cups sugar 

4 T. flour

 Bring cream cheese and sour cream to room temp -- just get them out in the morning and let them sit. 

Grease and flour a 10" springform pan. 

Cream the cheese and sour cream for a minute or so, until it is fully combined. Add eggs, sugar, vanilla and flour. Add milk. Beat only until all ingredients are incorporated. 

Pour mixture into pan (I wrap foil around the bottom in case the pan leaks a little). Place in a cold oven. Turn oven on to 375 degrees. Bake for one hour. 

Turn off oven but don't open the door. Leave cheesecake in oven for one hour. 

Remove from oven and cover with foil. Let sit at room temperature for two hours. Chill until ready to serve (several hours or overnight).

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Crash Hot Potatoes

This recipe was really the impetus for me to get on Pinterest. I couldn't believe I was missing such good stuff. Just kidding, but really, I did cave after trying these potatoes. Charlotte pinned them and blogged about them, but they came from Pioneer Woman who apparently got them from Jill Dupleix. We've already tried them three times and they are so yummy. Potatoes, oil, salt and pepper. We tried the rosemary, but they don't need rosemary. They are so easy and so delicious. You must try them!

You can go click over to Ree's to see the blow-by-blow pics if you want, but these are so easy, you don't need to.

I don't measure the oil (which probably means I am using more, but it's olive oil, so it's all good). I just drizzle straight from the bottle. And I use 2.5 pounds of potatoes which is more than 12. I tried the recipe with Idaho potatoes and they are not as good. Go figure.

  

 Crash Hot Potatoes

12 whole new potatoes (or other small round potatoes)

3 Tablespoons olive oil 

kosher salt to taste

 back pepper to taste

rosemary (optional)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.
Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Summer Supper #7

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I apologize for being such a poor blog host lately. I'm here, and I am still cooking, but I'm feeling rather lazy about posting recipes. I'll blame the heat; everyone else does! ;-)

I hope that you tried one of the red or green margaritas. Really, you must. On Sunday evening, I tried a variation of the strawberry by substituting a whole diced peach for the strawberries. Oh my goodness, it was really so very good -- and a whole serving of fruit. Yay!

Today's Summer Supper is what my husband calls the epitome of a good summer dinner. It's rather light (as in not a large quantity of food) but very tasty, with a little bit of grilling and some wonderful summer flavors.

I will warn you, it's a hot dog. "Yuck," you say. "I don't eat hot dogs." Well, I don't normally serve hot dogs for dinner, but the right kind can be quite a treat. I use good hot dogs (Nathan's or Hebrew National Beef almost exclusively) which you will pay a buck or two more for than pork dogs, but they are worth it. I have served this dish twice to my family and I think they would eat these dogs every week. They are really, really good. Try them.

I served them with a side of fresh fruit -- some watermelon or a bowl of diced fresh fruit, and some chips for ease of homemade potato salad. It's an easy meal and won't fill you too much.

Avocado Hot Dogs

 serves 8

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8 good beef hot dogs

8 hot dogs buns (I prefer split top)

2 ripe avocados, peeled and diced

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered or diced finely if they are large

a handful or cilantro, minced

2 T. finely diced red onion

1 clove garlic, minced

a few squirts of lime juice

a dash or two of salt

ketchup and mustard, if desired

Preheat the grill. 

In the meantime combine the avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, onion and garlic. Add a few squirts of lime juice (the plastic green lime kind is fine) and a dash or two of salt. Stir gently to combine and taste. Adjust lime juice or salt if needed.

Grill hot dogs until hot and with grill marks.

Place hot dogs in buns. Top with mustard or ketchup if desired and Avocado Relish.

Serve with cubed or diced watermelon or fresh fruit salad, and some chips or potato salad.

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Patty Melt Burgers

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I don't know how that little piece of cabbage snuck around the burger. He must be a photo bomber. ;-)

When I was a little girl we almost never went out to eat. We weren't what I would call poor, but we definitely had limited means. I never knew that, of course, because I was happy and provided for in every way possible. I realized when we were older and my father had a better paying job because there were perks, such as eating out, more often.

The thing is, when we were younger we appreciated the rare meals out so much more. Even when it was just a burger at the nearby Frisch's restaurant. My mom always ordered a Swiss Miss or a Patty Melt, and so I wanted one as well. What's not to love? She always ordered onion rings on the side and added a few on top of her burger under that delicious rye bun or grilled toast.

This week I decided to try to recreate that yummy Frisch's burger that I haven't had in so very long. Topped with Swiss cheese, special sauce and onion rings, it was the same flavor from my childhood. Yum. And the kids and my husband enjoyed them so much I know they will be a regular menu item.

Patty Melt Burgers

6 burgers 

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2 pounds ground beef or chuck

6 slices Swiss cheese

special sauce (below)

salt and pepper

12 slices rye bread

softened butter

one box or bag of frozen onion rings

Heat oven and cook onion rings according to package instructions.

In the meantime, form meat into six patties -- just a little bit larger than the bread slices.

Heat a large frying pan (preferably cast iron) over high heat and salt and pepper burgers on one side. Place burger seasoned side down in hot pan. Cook burger until browned on one side and flip. Cook until burger is medium well inside, or until desired doneness. Place a slice of Swiss cheese on each burger and turn off heat.

While burgers are cooking, heat a griddle over high heat and butter one side of each bread slice. When griddle is hot, place bread, butter side down on hot griddle. Add a burger and top with another slice of bread, buttered side up -- just like grilled cheese. Serve with special sauce and onion rings.

Special Sauce

1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise

1/3 cup ketchup

1 1/2 T. sweet pickle relish or minced sweet pickles

1 1/2 T. dill pickle relish or minced dill pickles

1 1/2 T. minced onion

1 hard boiled egg finely chopped

1 t. worchestershire sauce

1 t. horseradish sauce

Mix all ingredients and chill until ready to use.
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Scalloped Potatoes and Ham -- revisited

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Oh boy. Did you think I went on vacation? Boy, I wish I had. But no, I'm still here, just busy, busy. The good news is our school work is done for the week, and the laundry is caught up, which is why I haven't had time to blog. But, it's Friday and I have time for a food post. I have decided to revisit Scalloped Potatoes and Ham, a perennial favorite in my house. As soon as the weather turns even just a little cool, I crave this dish. It is so homey -- it fills the kitchen with good smells and the anticipation of a nice hot, rib-stickin' supper is such a good feeling. This dish goes into the oven for a few hours, so you can sit back and know that dinner is done, get the dishes washed up and relax.

I posted an almost identical recipe for this dish three years ago (wow! I can't believe it's been that long) but the last time I made it the kids griped about the onions. Oy vey! Such picky people. This time when I made it, I diced the onions finely and sauteed them with the butter when I prepared the white sauce. The onions got nice and soft and virtually disappeared among the potatoes and ham. But their flavor was there and it was yummy! I never grow tired of this dish and it's always a favorite with company (with or without the ham) so I do hope you enjoy it too. It makes wonderful leftovers for lunch or breakfast too, so don't waste a bite. God bless.

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham (revisited)
serves 6-8

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8 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly (about 1/8 " -- I use the 4 mm disc on the processor)
1 medium onion, diced finely
4 T. butter
4 T. flour
3/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
3 c. milk
1 ham steak, trimmed and cubed in bite-size pieces

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9 x 13 pan (or a large round -- just make sure it's big enough to hold all of your potatoes and the liquid).

Place half potatoes in dish. Salt and pepper. Top with all of the ham (if using a round, start with a quarter of the potatoes and a third of the ham). Top with remaining potatoes. Salt and pepper (or if using a round dish, another quarter of the potatoes and a third of the ham). (If using a round, repeat with one quarter of the potatoes, the last of the ham and repeat with the remaining potatoes. Just remember to salt and pepper each potato layer.)

Meanwhile (that means get this part going while you are arranging potatoes!), melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for three to five minutes or so, over medium heat, until onions are soft, but not brown. Add flour and whisk. Add salt and pepper and cook until bubbly. Stir in milk and whisk.
Cook over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Pour sauce over potatoes. Bake at 350 for 2 hours, until potatoes are tender.


Serve with steamed green peas and cornbread, or a winter fruit salad.


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The gift of recipes

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Many years ago I gathered and published into a cookbook recipes from families in our school community, intended as a gift to the faculty and administrators of the school. We had plenty of copies, however, and many families benefited from the collection in their own kitchens. As the person who processed all the handwritten recipes into a publishable format, I got to know quite a few of those mamas, as well as their style in the kitchen. Some were "scratch cooks" as I often call those who bake and cook the way their mothers did, using recipes passed down in the family. Some were "modern cooks" who used modern ingredients to create fusion foods -- combinations of multi-cultural dishes. It was all good.

I remember one woman in particular who told me some of her best recipes came to her as a wedding gift, from a dear friend who could not afford a pricey gift, but instead gave her a gift from the heart -- some of her best recipes. As a private business woman with a catering business she had some real keepers, and had gifted them to her friend to start her own collection in her own newlywed's kitchen. How precious, I remember thinking -- how very personal.

It was not long after that I started my own collection for my two young cousins Amy and Jill, and then several years later for my niece Rachel. I gave them my very favorites -- easy recipes that a young woman can make with little experience, and family recipes -- dishes they may have enjoyed in my mother's or my kitchen.

I came across some blank recipe cards recently when I was cleaning a kitchen drawer and I was reminded that I had not gifted any new recipes in at least a year. Having just baked a loaf of banana bread, I sat down with the recipe and copied it -- I'll give a handful of new recipes to Rachel for her upcoming birthday. Years ago I gave her to box to hold the recipes. Maybe this year an apron and some kitchen tools for her hope chest.

I have never known a woman who did not treasure a hand-copied recipe from a beloved family member. Those recipes always seem to taste so much better. They elicit memories and warm feelings that make the food created so much better, so much more real, if that's possible.

When money is tight we often resort to homemade gifts, but you don't have to wait for crunch time to give family recipes. Offered in a collection box, or tied with some kitchen twine, paired with some wooden spoons and a set of stainless measuring cups, the gift of family recipes are heartfelt and cherished and can be given for any special occasion.




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Loosemeat Sandwiches

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Every mom needs a few good budget-minded, simple dishes that she can whip up in a snap. For me, this sandwich is one of those. When I buy my meat (lately on a monthly basis), I always buy an extra 3-plus-pound package of ground meat and divide it up into 1-plus-pound portions. I can make some quick burgers for lunch, some taco meat for Walking Tacos, or Loosemeat Sandwiches. If your kids like simple flavors (and no vegetables spoiling their meat) this sammie is for you. It's just meat and seasoning -- the raw onion is completely optional. And it's so quick and easy, it often is a substitute dish for whatever was on my menu that just didn't happen.

The recipe came from Rachel Ray, but it is apparently a regional dish from Iowa, and Maid-Rite claims theirs as number one. I have never been to Iowa so I can't say whether our Loosemeat is true Loosemeat, but it tastes good by my standards. I eat mine with chopped raw onion, as does my husband and one of the kids. Two of the kids top their sandwiches with BBQ sauce, which is probably a major Loosemeat faux pas, but I cannot account for the tastes of my offspring. ;-)

Loosemeat Sandwiches
serves 6

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1 T. vegetable oil
1¼ lb. ground chuck
1 cup chicken stock (or bouillon cube dissolved in water)
1 t. sweet paprika
1 t. Worchestershire sauce
salt and pepper
6 hamburger buns
½ yellow onion, chopped finely

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and meat. Brown meat, breaking up with the back of a spoon. Add chicken stock. Season with paprika, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. When the liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Cook 15 minutes. Pile meat on buns and top with chopped onions.

Serve with tater tots or oven fries, and a Wedge Salad or Cabbage Slaw. Add a chocolate malt for a real diner treat.

Source: Rachel Ray

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Bacon, Tomato and Grilled Cheese

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I really wanted to bring you another dessert tonight, but I was afraid you would think that's all I feed my family. So, instead I bring a very tasty (albeit quite unhealthy) sandwich. We ate these yummy sammies for lunch this week and I'm afraid they might become a habit if I don't stop buying bacon. Oh well, we're working hard and working all those calories off!

I know you don't need a recipe, but because this is a cooking blog, I'm writing it down.

Bacon, Tomato and Grilled Cheese

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for each sandwich:
2 pieces bacon fried and halved
2 thin slices fresh beefsteak tomato (or whatever kind you have)
1 1/2 slices Velveeta cheese
2 slices white bread (or wheat, if you must)
a bit of butter for grilling

Preheat skillet or griddle.

Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place one slice of bread butter side down on hot griddle. Add bacon slices, cheese slice and then tomato slices. Grill until golden brown, flip, and grill the other side until golden. Serve.


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Easy Fruit Cobbler

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Boy, it's been dessert time around here. Yes, I bake when I'm stressed, and yes, I eat when I bake. So we've had a few more desserts than we need...hey, it's vacation season, and even though (or maybe because) we're not on vacation, we can still enjoy some treats.

This dessert I made because I had fresh peaches that were going to go bad. I hate to waste good fruit (I usually cut it up and make these). I had quite a few peaches and cobbler just sounded so good. This is a recipe I obtained from USA Today many moons ago. It's super easy, and served warm with a scoop of ice cream, it's a perfect summer dessert. It's flexible too -- you can use almost any fruit.

Easy Fruit Cobbler
serves 4

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4 T. butter
¾ cup flour
¾ cup sugar
1 t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
¾ cup milk
2 cups sliced fresh peaches or nectarines (or a 12-ounce package of frozen berries) or whole blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or a combination of fruits
1 T. sugar


Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position, and heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place butter in an 8-inch square or 9-inch round pan; set in oven to melt. When butter has melted, remove pan from oven.

Whisk flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Add milk; whisk to form a smooth batter. Pour batter into pan, then scatter fruit over batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tb. of sugar.

Bake until batter browns and fruit bubbles, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

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Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

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I have been puttin' off and puttin' off this post. I've taken pictures twice and trashed them once. Why, because it's such a complicated dish? Bah! No. Because it's just not very pretty. Poor, sad, red-headed stepchild -- Sausage Gravy and Biscuits.

But it's appearance does not make it any less enjoyed in my house. In fact, regarding the Mmmm factor, it's way up there, with all four children and a husband Mmmmming all the way through their breakfast.

So, I'm breaking down and revealing it in all it's ugliness. If you can disregard it's appearance, Sausage Gravy is darn near perfect. It's cheap, it's simple, it's filling, it's comforting, and it's tasty. My recipe is the way I like it, but make this dish your dish. If you like lots of black pepper, like me, pepper it up. If you like some sage, add sage. The sausage, flour and milk are the basic ingredients. Dress them up to your taste.

Below the gravy recipe is my favorite biscuit recipe. If you have a favorite, just use yours.

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits
6 servings

1 lb. bulk pork breakfast sausage (I use Bob Evans Original)
3 T. butter
3 T. flour
1 c. milk -- give or take a few tablespoons
black pepper, to taste

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium high heat.
Crumble sausage up in the pan -- as much as you can crumble soft, sticky sausage.
Cook until browned and completely cooked through. Remove from skillet.
Now, if you have fat left in your skillet -- estimate about how much is there and add enough butter to make 3 tablespoons. (The Bob Evans sausage I use does not leave any fat so I use all three.)
When butter is melted, sprinkle in flour and whisk into butter for about a minute over medium high heat. Turn heat down to medium and slowly add about 1/2 cup milk, whisking to combine with flour into a smooth sauce. Add more milk as necessary to keep it fluid, but not at all runny. (You might not use all the milk -- just add a little at a time. It all depends on how hot your pan is and how long it simmers.) When gravy comes to a boil, add the sausage back in and stir, then lower heat to medium low. Add black pepper to taste -- I like mine really peppery, but just add and taste and stop when you like it. Usually sausage gravy doesn't need salt, but this depends on your brand of sausage. Add salt if needed. Add thyme or sage or onion powder if you want to jazz it up. Add a tablespoon of milk as needed to keep it fluid, but not runny. Keep warm until biscuits are ready.




Buttermilk Biscuits
makes about a dozen

3 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
1 T. sugar
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
⅔ c. shortening
1 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening. Add buttermilk and stir into a soft dough. Knead dough on floured surface and cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter (or squares if you like squares -- no matter). Place on a baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes.

Easy printer version

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Peaches and Cream -- Simple Pleasures

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This, to me, is perfect food. Fresh, simply prepared, delicious. These peaches came in our co-op delivery. They were juicy and ripe, but not quite the sweetest. The freshly whipped, sweetened cream was just exactly what they needed to be perfect. No recipe needed.





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