Eggs Benedict with Mock Hollandaise

Deedy likes this recipe for the Mothers Day breakfast.  Pretty tasty. I got it from Bon Apetit

Ingredients

8 ounces 1/4-inch-thick slices Black Forest ham
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
Additional Dijon mustard
4 English muffins, split, toasted

8 large eggs

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions

Using 3 1/4-inch biscuit cutter or clean 6-ounce tuna can as template, cut ham slices into rounds.
Whisk mayonnaise, 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, orange juice, grated orange peel, and fresh lemon juice in small bowl to blend. (Ham and sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 300°F. Fill large skillet with enough water to reach depth of 2 inches. Add white wine vinegar and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to water. Bring to simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Spread 3 tablespoons butter and some additional Dijon mustard over split sides of English muffins. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ham rounds and cook just until beginning to brown, about 1 minute per side. Place ham atop prepared English muffins. Arrange English muffins on baking sheet. Keep warm in oven while preparing eggs.

Crack eggs into skillet of simmering water. Cook until whites are set and yolks are set to desired doneness, about 3 minutes for medium-set yolks. Using slotted spoon, transfer eggs to plate.

Stir sauce in top of double boiler over simmering water until just heated through, about 2 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Place 1 egg atop ham on each prepared muffin half. Spoon warm sauce over eggs, sprinkle with basil or parsley, and serve immediately.

Curried Tilapia with Mango Salsa

I made this after a day of baseball and I really liked it. Deedy and Chris thought it was too hot, but it was perfect for me. Not sure if it was hot because of the pepper or curry. I'll have to make this again with less pepper.

I came across this recipe trying to figure out what to do with this can of Curry Powder I have. I found this on All Recipes

Ingredients

* 1 mango - peeled and diced
* 1/4 cup chopped red onion
* 1 serrano chile, minced
* 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
* 2 tablespoons lime juice
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* 1 tablespoon curry powder
* 1 tablespoon garlic pepper seasoning
* 4 fresh tilapia fillets

Directions

1. For the mango salsa, combine the mango, red onion, serrano chile, cilantro, lime juice and salt in a glass bowl. Set aside.
2. For the tilapia rub, mix together 1 tablespoon of olive oil, curry powder and garlic pepper in a small bowl. Rub this mixture onto both sides of the fish fillets.
3. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the fish for about 3 minutes on each side or until it flakes easily with a fork.
4. Serve with the mango salsa.

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.