Chili Flavored Crackers

1  Cup Vegetable Oil
3 T dry ranch dressing mix
2 tsp onion powder
1 t white pepper
1 tsp red pepper
2 T chili powder

Same directions as Seasoned Oyster Crackers

Seasoned Oyster Crackers

This recipe is from the McCloud Hotel recipe book that Deedy and I picked up a couple of years ago. I made this for Thanksgiving and everybody really liked it.

Ingredients

1  Cup Vegetable oil
3 T dry ranch dressing mix
3 tsp dill
2 tsp onion powder
3 tsp lemon pepper
2 tsp Mrs Dash

2 12-oz bags oyster crackers

Directions

In a large bowl, combine oil and all seasonings. Mix well. Add crackers and toss until completely coated. Mixture will seem oily, but it will crisp the crackers. Bake on two large cookie sheets at 250 for about 30-40 minutes, turning and checking every 15 minutes. They should be golden brown, not dark. They should smell wonderful, not dark. They should smell wonderful when baked. Store in covered container.

Pork Gyros with Yogurt-Tomato Sauce, Red Onion, and Arugula

Another recipe from Bon Apetiti...my favorite magazine and food web-site. This turned out really good. I've have Gyros in Germany, Czech, England, Malta, as well as here at home. It's very good and kind of fun to watch how they are made.

The kids were all over this, so something we'll definitely be making again.

Ingredients

Pork

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil


• 1/4 cup dry red wine


• 3 garlic cloves, minced


• 1 small bay leaf, crumbled


• 1/2 tspn (packed) fresh oregano leaves


• 1/2 tspn salt


• 1/4 tspn freshly ground black pepper


• 2 1 lb pork tenderloins

Sauce

• 1 1/2 cups plan Greek yogurt or whole milk yogurt


• 2 tbls chopped seeded-tomato


• 2 tbls chopped fresh dill


• 2 tbls drained capers, chopped


• 2 garlic cloves, minced


• 1 tbls tomato paste


• 1 tbls red wine vinegar

6 7" diameter pita breads
1 red onion
24 arugula leaves

Directions

For Pork

Combine first 7 items in large resealable plastic bag; shake to blend. Add port and marinade. Chill overnight.

For Sauce

Stir first 7 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready to use; up to 1 day.
Prepare BBQ. Remove pork from bag. Grill until thermometer registers 145 degrees F, about 18 minutes. Transfer to work surface; let stand 10 minutes. Thinly slice into rounds.
Grill pitas until warmed through and softened, about 2 minutes per side. Cut pitas in half. Fill pita halves with pork, drizzle sauce, then tuck in onion and arugula. Serve, passing remaining sauce.

Linguine Avgolemono with Artichoke Hearts and Green Beans

I got this recipe from a Bon Apetit magazine and it turned out to be really good. Sometimes I add vegies to pasta, but have never used beans. I'm not a bean fan...to say the least.

Deedy and I went to a Farmers Market in Moraga and bought beans and other goodies. We used the beans in this recipe and they turned out to be really good. We'll definitely make this one again.

Ingredients

3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup whipping cream

12 oz frozen artichoke hearts
8 oz green beansm triummed, cut on diagonal into 2-inch pieces
12 oz linguine

3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
1/4 cup chipped fresh parsley

Directions

Place yolks in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in lemon juice, then cream.
Cook artichoke hearts and green beans in large pot of salted, boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Using sieve, transfer vegetables from pot to large skillet. Return water to boil. Add pasta; boil until tender but still form to bite. Drain pasta, reserving 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid.
Add pasta to skillet with vegetables. Whisk 3/4 cup cooking liquid into yolk mixture. Add yolk mixture, 3/4 cup cheese, and parsley to skillet. Toss over medium heat just until sauce thickens and coats pasta, about 4 minutes, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoons if dry. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, passing additional cheese alongside

Mussels in Brussels

Mussels are unbelieveably popular in Belgium. Near Grote Markt in Belgium, there are alley ways of restaurants serving nothing but Mussels and Seafood Paella. The Mussles at the tourist trap restaurants are okay, but when you get away from the tourist trap and find the non-touristy restaurants, the quality of the food jumps up quite a bit and with the mussels, the flavors are unreal. Really good. The recipe below is from a web-site containing information on Belgium and Belgium recipes.

Ingredients

4kg Mussels
2 onions
2 sticks celery
25g butter
salt
freshly ground black ppper
2 tspns chopped parsley

Directions

Rinse the mussels under running water. Chop the celery and onions in rings.
Melt the butter in a pan, add the onions and celery, let them brown a little.
Add the mussels, cook on a high heat. Stir frequently.
Cook until mussels are all open, which means they are done.

Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Moules

Next month I will be going to Belgium on business. I have a couple of friends from Belgium and have been getting tips on things to do and more importantly, things to eat and drink.

Apparently, the staple, or most common thing to eat is mussles and french fries. Sounds about right and something I could get along with easily. Here's a site that has a basic recipe: Belgian Mussels with Weissbeer Sauce

When my friend told me about that, it reminded me of the best mussles I've ever had while in Nice, France. There was this restaurant right in front of the Hall of Justice in Old Town. They served 4 different types of mussles; mussles gorgonzola, mussles provencal, and the other two escape me. I know I have it written down somewhere.

Anyway, the Moules Gorgonzola was the best one. It mussles soaked in a gorgonzola cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and basil. It was awesome. I've found a salad dressing that tasted almost like the sauce on the mussles, so I've made this several times at home. The sauce was a Goat Cheese salad dressing with sun-dried tomatoes and basil. I just heated that up, tossed it with steam mussles and voila. I hardly get to have any. Once Lindsay and Chris know there are mussles in the house, they hover around like vultures and finish them before I can get to them.

The Mussles Provencal was simple. A wine sauce with tomatoes, basil, and garlic tossed with the mussles. This was good as well.

Roasted Chicken with Mustard Thyme Sauce

I made this Roasted Chicken recipe Bon Apetit not too long ago and the kids thought it was the best chicken I've ever made. It was really good and tender. We'll definitely be making this again and it was super easy.

Ingredients

10 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup coarse salt
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Peel from 1 lemon, cut into long strips with vegetable peeler
1 bay leaf
3 large sprigs fresh thye plus 1 tspn fresh thyme leaves
1 4 1/2lb chicken


2 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 tbls butter, room temperature
1 tbls all purpose flour
2 tbls whole grain mustard

Directions

Bring 10 1/2 cups water, coarse salt, honey, lemon juice, lemon peel, bay leef, and thyme sprigs to boil in a large pot. Cool slightly, then refrigerate brine until cold. Place chicken in very large resealable plastic bag. I used a cooking bag, I couldn't find anything resealable to fit the chicken in. Add brine and seal. Refrigerate chicken 6 hours.

Drain chicken from brine; rinse and pat dry. Place chicken on plate. Let stand uncovered in refrigerator at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours

Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken on rack in roasting pan. Roast chicken 20 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken broth to roasting pan. Roast chicken another 20 minutes longer; add 1 cup broth to roasting pan. Roast chicken until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 170 (I usually go with 160). Let chicken rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour juices from roasting pan into 2 cup measuring cup. Add more broth if needed to equal 2 cups. Simmer butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until beginning to brown; about 2 minutes. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Whisk broth mixture; bring to boil. Stir in mustard and 1 teaspon thyme leaves. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Slice chicken. Divide chicken amont plates. Drizzle with sauce.

Garlic Basil Bread

This bread turned out really good. We used this to make toasted sandwiches with chicken, fresh tomotoes, provalone cheese, and lettuce.

Ingredients

Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh basil (hard packed)
6 garlic cloves (peeled)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/4 cup lukewarm water
2 tsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cup flour (all-purpose)
http://www.cookingbread.com

Directions

Method: Chop basil leaves and garlic finely, or place in a food processor and chop finely. Do not turn into a liquid. Add olive oil slowly. Set aside. In another bowl add lukewarm water and sugar, sprinkle yeast on top of water. Set aside to activate the yeast; about 5 minutes. Add yeast to basil mixture and mix. Add flour 1 cup at a time till dough is smooth. Place dough on a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes. Place dough into a greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Let rise till dough doubles in size. Punch down dough. Form dough into a loaf and place in a greased pan. Cover let dough double in size. Place loaf in a 350 F oven for 30-35 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Bread recipes

I found a nice site that has a ton of bread recipes....

Cooking Bread

Creative Pizza

While in Germany, I took a train to Fussen on our way to Schloss Neauschwenstein. At the end of the day, the person I was traveling with stopped off at an Italian restaurant for some pizza. The pizza description for the one I chose sounded good; it was called Pizza Cappriosa.

Little did I know the peppers weren't chopped. A tasty pizza, a little heavy on the pepper side....

Chicken Delicious

This was really good and simple to make.

Ingredients

4-6 whole chicken breasts, boned and halved
lemon juice
salt and pepper
celery salt
paprika
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of celery soup
1/3 cup dry sherry or white wine
grated Parmesan cheese
fluffy rice

Directions

Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Season with lemon juice, salt, pepper, celery salt and paprika. Place in Crock-Pot. In medium bowl or pan, mix mushroom and celery soups with sherry. Pour over chicken breasts. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover and cok on Low for 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.

Serve chicken and sauce over hot fluffy rice.

Bavarian Pretzel Soup

I was recently in Munich, Germany and at a small restaurant near the HofBrau Haus I had a really good soup called "Pretzel Soup". The pretzel in Germany is more like a bread, very soft and definitely tasty.

I don't have the recipe for the soup, but I will take a wild guess at the ingredients:

Ingredients

Beef Broth
Chopped green onions
Broken up Pretzel

Directions

Heat the broth...throw in the goodies.

Sweet & Sour Chicken in Pineapple Shells

I made this a couple of weeks ago and it came out great...plus it looked really neat. I would use this same recipe to make the Sweet and Sour Chicken without the fresh pineapple if I were in a rush of time.

Ingredients

2 small pineapples, about 3lbs each
Sweet and Sour Sauce (recipe at the end)
3 tbls salad oil
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 3/4lbs chicken breasts, skinned, boned, and cut into 1/2" x 2" strips
1 medium sized onion, thinly sliced
1 medium-size green pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
About 4 cups hot cooked rice
Fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

Cut each pineapple in half lengthwise, cutting through crown. With a curved, serrated knife, such as a grapefruit knife, cut fruit from peel, leaving shells intact; turn shells upside down to drain. Trim away core from fruit, then cut fruit into chunks about 1/2" thick. You'll need 3 cups pineapple chunks; reserve any remaining fruit for another use.

Just before cooking, drain the 3 cups pineapple chunks; reserve juice for another use. Also prepare Sweet and Sour sauce and set aside.

Place wok over high heat; when wok is hot, add 1 tbls of the oil. When oil is hot, add garlic and half the chicken and stir fry until chicken is no longer pink in center; cut to test (about 3 minutes). Remove from wok and set aside. Repeat to cook remaining chicken, adding 1 tbls more oil.

Pour remaining 1 tbls oil into wok. When oil is hot, add onion and bell pepper; stir fry until tender-crisp to bite (about 2 minutes). Return chicken to wok. Stir sauce; add to wok with pineapple chunks. Stir until sauce boils and thickens.

Spoon equal portions of the chicken mixture into each pineapple shell, mounding mixture at 1 end. Spoon about 1 cup of the rice alongside chicken in each shell. Garnish with cilantro, if desired. Pour any extract chicken mixture into a serving bowl; offer at the table. Makes 4 servings.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Stir together 4 tspn cornstarch; 1/4 cup each sugar, wine vinegar, and regular strengh chicken broth; 2tbls minced fresh cilantro or 1 1/2 tspn dry cilantro leaves; 2 tbls catsup; 1 tbls each soy sauce and dry sherry; 1/2 tsp ground ginger; and 1/4 tsp each salt and crushed red pepper.

Baked Scallops and Mushrooms in Garlic Sauce

This is a scallop recipe that we've made many times. Deedy made this for dinner on Valentine's Day.

Ingredients

3/4 lb sea or bay scallops
1/2lb medium mushrooms
3 Tbls olive oil
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 Tbls bread crumbs
3 Tbls onion, minced
1 Tbls parsley, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of dried red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Rinse scallops in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and reserve stems and caps. Brush a shallow 9" diameter baking dish with t tablespoon of olive oil; preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss the scallops with the flour and arrange them with the mushroom caps, in a single layer in the dish. Pour the wine into the dish along the edge. Finely chop the mushroom stems and mix them with the bread crumbs, onion, parsley, garlic, pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Sprinkle this mixture over the scallops and mushrooms. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake until the mushrooms are soft and the scallops are cooked through, about 30 minutes. Serve warm, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Black Pepper and Parmesan Shrimp

A few years ago, Deedy found a salad dressing called "Black Pepper and Parmesan Dressing". Unfortunately, it's been a long time since we've seen this particular dressing. We like to marinate shrimp with this dressing and throw it on the BBQ. I bought a mixer last year that came with a recipe book and lo-and-behold, a recipe for the dressing. It's not exactly the same, but it's definitely our favorite way to cook shrimp.

Not all shrimp work with this. We always look for the shrimp that is cleaned, uncooked, with the shell on. Some shrimp we get with the shell on, the shell is too soft. Others are just right. The shells, after cooking, are nice and hard and easy to peel off of the shrimp. The other problem is that not all people we've shared this with have had shrimp with the shells on. So they chomp away, make wierd faces, spit out shrimp parts, and wonder what in the world is the deal.

For the shrimp, we've found the best ones at Trader Joes and Safeway in the seafood section.....frozen.

Here's our favorite recipe:

Ingredients

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
1 oz Reggiano Parmesan, cut in 1/2" or smaller cubes
1 shallot, about 1oz, peeled, cut in 1/2" or smaller pieces
1 clove garlice, peeled and smashed
1/2 tspn kosher salt
1 tbl Dijon-style mustard
1/4 tsp Wocsestershire sauce
2 tbl light mayonnaise
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup canola or other flavorless vegetable oil

Directions

Place the whole peppercorns in a blender jar. Blend for 10 seconds. Some peppercorns will be pulverized, some will be cracked and crushed; remove and reserve. Place the Parmesan cubes in the blender jar; blend for 20 seconds; scrape sides of blender jar. Add shallot, garlic and salt. Blend for 10 seconds; scrape sides of blender jar.

Add remaining ingredients in order listed; blend for 10 seconds. Add reserved black pepper; blend for 5 seconds. Transfer dressing to a resealable container and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer to allow flavors to develop. Keeps for one week in regrigerator.

BBQ Part

This is the part that's not in the book. We cook the shrimp directly over hot coals that has a few pieces of hickory or misquite that's been soaked in water. The shrimps cooks fast, but with the shells on, it protects the meat from burning. So, don't worry if the shrimp gets black. That's only the shell. The shrimp will cook in minutes, turning once or twice. Put the shrimp in a bowl and serve hot.

Make sure you've got wet towels nearby, your hands will be dirty while eating these.

Chicken, Shrimp, Andouille Gumbo

Deedy and I worked in the kitchen together making this gumbo I got from bon apetit. The original recipe was for 16 people, we cut it in half. I think what we cut it down too would feed 16 people. Holy smokes this makes a lot of food. The pot we used was close to overflowing. Fortunately, it's incredibly tasty. Word of warning....it's pretty spicy! As much food as this recipe makes, and the little amount of Cayenne, garlic, and onions, this thing was pretty hot. It was great on a cold winter day, although Deedy thought it was peaking her ability to eat it.

I loved it :)

If you make this, make sure you've got a big pot. Great for a party with lots of people. Make sure to have plenty of rice on hand to serve this with.

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all purpose flour
6 large onions, chopped (about 12 cups)
6 red bell peppers, seeded, chopped (about 7 cups)
8 celery stalks, chopped (about 3 cups)
16 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chopped fresh thyme
6 bay leaves
2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes with juice
4 8-ounce bottles clam juice
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 pounds andouille sausage, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
3 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 16-ounce packages sliced frozen okra

4 pounds peeled deveined medium shrimp
Minced fresh Italian parsley
Steamed rice

Directions

Heat oil in heavy 13-quart pot over medium-high heat until very hot and almost smoking. Add flour and stir constantly until mixture is dark reddish brown, about 5 minutes. Add chopped onions, chopped bell peppers, and chopped celery and cook until onions are soft and brown, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cayenne and stir 2 minutes. Add wine, thyme, and bay leaves; bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes with juice, clam juice, broth, sausage, and chicken; simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Add okra and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Do ahead Gumbo base can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Bring base to simmer before continuing.

Add shrimp to pot and cook shrimp until just opaque in center, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Season gumbo to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with minced parsley and serve with steamed rice alongside.

Jumbo Shrimp with Chive Butter

We tried this recipe last night from bon apetit. It was pretty tasty, definitly on the lemony side. The nice thing is it's easy and quick.

Ingredients

1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
6 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
36 uncooked jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, butterflied
Whole chives

Directions

Preheat broiler. Place mustard in bowl; whisk in lemon juice, then melted butter. Add chopped chives. Season with pepper.

Arrange shrimp, cut side up, on broiler pan. Brush with some of butter mixture. Broil until just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Arrange on plates and garnish with whole chives. Serve, passing remaining butter separately.

Makes 6 servings.

Baked Scallops and Mushrooms in Garlic Sauce

Deedy's favorite dish is anything with Scallops. We've made this recipe several times and it's always turned out good.

Ingredients

3/4lb sea or bay scallops
1/2lb medium mushrooms
3 tbls olive oil
1/4 cup flour
1/4 dry white wine
3 tbls bread crumbs
2 tbls onion, minced
1 tbls parsley minced
2 cloves garlic
pinch of dried red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Rince scallops in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and reserve stems and caps. Brush a shallow 9" diamter baking dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil; phreheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss the scallops with the flour and arrange them with the mushroomcaps, in a single layer in the dish. Pour the wine into the dish, along the edge. Finely chop the mushroom stems and mix them with the bread crumbs, onion, parsley, garlic, pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Sprinkle this mixture over the scallops and mushrooms. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil, Bake until the mushrooms are soft and the scallops are cooked through, about 30 mninutes. Serve warm, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

London Broil

This is one of our favorite BBQ's for a nice slab of beef.

Ingredients

2 lb London broil or your favorite cut of beef

2 tbs freshly ground pepper
2 tspn kosher salt
1 tbsl italian seasoning

Directions

Fire up the grill. I use mesquite wood chunks to put on top of the charcoal for that extra smoke flavor Soak the wood chunks in water for an hour before cooking.

Mix the pepper, salt, and seasoning together. Cover both sides of the steak with the mix seasonings. When the coals are ready and when the wood chunks are smoking on the grill, sear the steak on both sides directly over the coals. I did this for a little over a minute a side.

After that, cook the steak with indirect heat.

Steak will cook for about 1/2 hour at indirect heat. Flip every 10-15 minutes.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Got this from my mom who got this from my sister...

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

2 - 14 1/2 oz of chopped stewed tomatoes
2 - 14 1/2 oz of chicken broth
1/4 c chopped cilantro
1 c salsa (med)
1 clove garlic minced
2 tbsp margarine
4-5 bone/skinless chicken breasts (boiled and cut into bite sized
pieces)

Directions

In crock pot saute garlic in butter on high
Add remaining ingredients
Cover, cook on low 8-10 hrs

8 oz monterey jack cheese
Tortilla chips
Avacado slices
Light sour cream

In individual bowls place chunks of cheese in bottom of each bowl
Ladel soup in bowl
Add avacado slices
Crumble tortilla chips
Add a dollup of sour cream

Tomato and Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Deedy has made this chicken a couple of times and it has an incredible flavor with the sun dried tomatos.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2/3 cup California-Sun Dry Sun Dried Tomato Spread
1/2 cup seasoned dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375f and spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Coat chicken with tomato spread, pressing with your fingers so that it sticks to the chicken. Stir together breadcrumbs and cheese, coat chicken heavily with mixture and place on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining breadcrumb mixture, then bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Rob's Garlic Bread

I like garlic. Lots of garlic. Especially on bread. This is a garlic bread recipe I concocted that uses a ton of garlic and goes great on the grill.

Ingredients

Sourdough Bread
Bulb of garlic - chopped
Olive oil
Butter
Shredded parmesean cheese
fresh basil, or you can use dried.

Instructions

Heat olive oil in pan. Cut bread in half, length-wise. Lather the bread with butter....lots of butter. When the olive oil is hot, saute the garlic until just golden. Take off of heat and let garlic cool for a minute, not too long. Put the garlic on the bread. Yes, the butter will melt. Spread the garlic on both halves of the bread. Cover with cheese, then top with chopped basil.

Wrap bread up in tin foil. Okay, alumninum foil, but I still call it tin foil. Leave top open. Put bread on BBQ for about 10 minutes or until crust gets crusty.

You can broil this as well, but I've never had luck with the broiling. Baking the bread at 350 works good if you do it for 10 minutes or so. Make sure the cheese is melted and the bread is crusty.

Slice and eat.

Steamed Clams with Garlic, Tomatoes, and Parsley

This recipe comes from the bonappetit magazine. I did this at Laura's house and since forgot where I got the recipe. Now that it's here, I'll know where to go to find it. We usualy buy the clams from Hog Island Oyster Farm in the tiny town of Marshal. If we're not into making the trek to Tomales Bay, we'll run over to the Ferry Building in San Francisco where Hog Island has an oyster bar. We'll grab a bag of clams as well as a couple dozen Oysters for the BBQ.

Ingredients

1 750m-ml bottle dry white wine
2 8oz bottles clam juice
2 large plum tomatoes (about 1/2lb), halved, seeded, diced
9 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2lbs Manila clams, scrubbed.

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled salted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 tbls chopped fresh parsley
1 tbls fresh lemon juice
1 lemon cut into wedges
Crusty bread

Directions

Bring first 6 ingredients to boil in heavy large pot. Boil until reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes. Add clams, cover and cook until clams open, about 4 minutes (throw away the clams that don't open). Use a slotted spoon, transfer clams to large shallow bowl..

Whisk butter, 1 tbls parsley, lemon juice into broth until butter melts. Pour broth over clams, sprinkle with 1 tbls parsley. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve with bread.

Ginger-Miso Striped Bass in Shitake Mushroom Sauce

I got this recipe from bonappetit subscrption that Suzanne got me. Thanks Suzanne!

Ingredients

2 cups water
4 tablespoons red miso (aka-miso), divided
4 large shiitake mushrooms (about 4 ounces), stemmed, thinly sliced
3 green onions, dark and pale green part thinly sliced, white part minced

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 6-ounce skinless striped bass fillets
1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Whisk 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons red miso in medium saucepan. Add shiitake mushrooms and simmer over medium heat until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in dark and pale green onion tops. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

Meanwhile, mix 2 tablespoons red miso, minced white part of green onion, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and minced fresh ginger in small bowl. Sprinkle striped bass fillets with salt and pepper. Spread ginger mixture over 1 side of bass fillets, pressing to adhere. Sprinkle panko over coated side of fillets; press to adhere.

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fillets to skillet, coated side down, and sauté until brown and crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn fillets over and sauté until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Divide shiitake mushroom broth and shiitake mushrooms between 2 shallow bowls. Place 1 fish fillet in center of each bowl. Sprinkle chopped fresh cilantro over and serve.

Makes 2 servings.
Bon Appétit
December 2006

Mache Salas with Goat Cheese and Fennel-Mustard Vinaigrette

I got the recipe from Food and Wine



This salad was easy to make and have a unque flavor. We couldn't find the greens recommended in the recipe, so we made it up with our salad stuff from the store, including spinach.

Ingredients

1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tbls rice vinegar
1 tbls lemon juice
1 tbls Dijon Mustard
1 garlic minced
6 tbls extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 oz mache or other baby greens (16 loosely packed cups)
1/2 lb goat cheese

Making

1
In a small skillet, toast the fennel seeds over moderately high heat until fragrant. Transfer the seeds to a spice grinder and let cool completely; grind to a powder.

2
In a large bowl, whisk the ground fennel with the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and garlic. Whisk in the oil; season with salt and pepper. Add the mache and toss gently. Scatter the goat cheese on top and serve.

Salmon with Mushroom Sauce

I got this recipe out of Food and Wine.

Ingredients

Four 6oz skinless, center cut salmon fillets
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
Salt
4 tbls plus 2 tsp unsalted butter
1 garlic clove
1 lb sliced cremini or oyster mushrooms
Freshly ground pepper
8 medium scallions or ramps, cut into 2 inch lengths
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Berringer Chardonnay)
1/2 cup vegetable stock or low sodium broth
1/4 heavy cream

Cooking

1
Preheat the broiler. Lay salmon fillets in a baking dish and pour the orange juice over them. Season with salt; let stand for 5 minutes. Turn the fillets; let stand 5 minutes longer.
2
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add the garlic and cook over moderately high heat until fragrant. Add the mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderately high heat, until the mushrooms have released their liquid, 5 minutes. Stir in the scallions and cook uncovered over high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, 5 minutes. Add the wine; boil for 1 minute. Add the stock and cream and simmer for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3
While the sauce simmers, transfer the salmon to a rimmed baking sheet, skinned side down. Top each fillet with 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining butter. Broil 5 inches from the heat for 5 minutes without turning, until richly browned and just cooked. Spoon the sauce on plates, set the salmon on top and serve.

Pasta Night

Every once in a while, I get together with my sisters husband, Dale, and we cook everybody pasta. I have done this at home several times before doing this with Dale. I got the idea after going to KC's Golf Club in Redding for Pasta Night....hence the name. Each person's pasta is made just for them, so there are no two bowls of pasta that are a like.

It was a cool idea to cook the pasta for each person right there and it looked simple to do. It takes time getting the ingredients all cut up, but that's part of the fun. Dale and I are on the phone while we go shopping, trying to figure out which grocery store has the clams and mussels in stock and which store has the best pasta sauce to use. Pasta Night turns into quite an event with most of the activity happening before dinner even starts.



The challenge with this dinner is not putting too much in the pot when you're cooking. It adds up quickly and people will be more than stuffed when done.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

Whatever you want......really.

This is our typical list:

4 mussels per person, steamed
3 clams per person, steamed
3 uncooked shrimp per person (shelled and deveined)
BBQ'd chicken breasts. Use whatever marinade you like.
Sausages - I like the specialty ones with apple, artichokes, garlic. Whatever sounds good.
Basil - chopped.
10-15 Roma tomatoes - seeded, chopped.
1 Bulb of Garlic - chopped
Tomato Sauce - I like basil and tomato. Use your favorite
Can of chopped or stewed tomatoes with seasonings
Sliced mushrooms
Capers
Zucchini - chopped
Green onions
Red and or White wine for cooking
Parsley
Olive oi
Cooked Pasta - vermicelli, fettucini, whatever you want. We add a little bit of olive oil to the pasta so it won't stick.

grated Paramesean cheese

Cooking

Have whoever you're cooking for say what they want, then cook it. We usually start off heating the olive oil in a small wok style cooking pan. We'll add the shrimp and garlic and cook the shrimp until it's pink. While the shrimp is cooking, toss in the zucchini. When that's close to done, start adding whatever your customer wants. At the end of the cooking, we'll add in the mussels and clams then the pasta. Stir it all together and put into the bowl.

Winter Vegetable Soup

I found this recipe on Epcurious.com and everybody liked it, including Chris. The cool thing was making the pesto, putting that on the soup bowl, then adding the soup when you serve it. The pesto added a blast of flavor. The only thing I would change was the addition of the crushed peppers. I would cut that in half. Deedy wasn't into that level of heat. I thought it warmed me up just fine :)

Ingredients

Pesto
2 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup drained canned diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled
Soup
2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled, diced
1 6-ounce white-skinned potato, peeled, diced
3 tablespoons water
8 cups canned vegetable broth
1/2 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
6 ounces green beans, trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Making

For pesto:
Puree all ingredients in processor. Season with salt and pepper. (Pesto can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
For soup:
Combine first 4 ingredients in heavy large pot. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add broth; bring to boil. Stir in orzo; boil uncovered until orzo is almost tender, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Add green beans; reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in cannellini and crushed pepper; simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide pesto among 4 bowls. Ladle soup over pesto; swirl to blend. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese.

Per serving: calories, 353; total fat, 12 g; saturated fat, 2 g; cholesterol, 6 mg
Makes 4 servings.
Bon Appétit
Cooking for Health
December 2001

Great Grandma Miske's Rice

This is a rice pilaf recipe I got from my grandmother. She would always make this for me when I went to her house. She knew it was my favorite and now my kids like it too. I've modified the recipe a little bit, using Orzo instead of vermicilli.

Ingredients

1 tbls butter or little bit of olive oil
1 cup vermicelli
1 cup rice
1 cup chicken broth (I sometimes make this 2 cups and not use water)
1 cup water

optional

Sliced Mushrooms or some other vegetable of choice

Cooking

Heat cooking pan over medium heat. Melt butter. Once butter has melted add the vermicelli and saute until it turns golden. Don't try to get them all golden, if you do, you'll suffer the indignity of having burnt vermicelli. Add the rice. Stir to mix it up. Add the chicken broth and water and cover. Turn the heat to low, and stir a couple of times while the rice cooks. The rice will cook for 20 minutes.