Smitten Kitchen Avocado & Cucumber Salad

Just slightly adapted

Serves 1

1/3 hothouse cucumber, washed and chopped into 1/2″ dice
1 small green onion, thinly sliced
1 small avocado, pitted and diced
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
Juice of half a lime (except I don’t think I would use it all at first)
salt and Sriracha to taste
parsley or cilantro leaves to garnish

Combine cucumber, scallions and avocado in the bowl you will eat from.  Whisk together the mayo, lime and seasonings, adjusting to taste.  Drizzle salad with dressing (you may have more than you need) and garnish with cilantro or parsley.  Repeat again tomorrow.

Zucchini with Grape Tomatoes

serves 2

1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise, then sliced 1/8″ thick
1/4 onion, finely diced
6 grape tomatoes, halved
olive oil
fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper
splash of white balsamic vinegar

Heat the olive oil in a small saute pan over medium heat.  Add the zucchini and onion and cook until the zucchini begins to soften and brown.  Add the cherry tomatoes, thyme, salt, pepper and vinegar and heat through.

To Try: Jeanne Lemlin’s Asian Coleslaw

http://www.jeannelemlin.com/archives/538

Serves 8 as a side dish

6 cups finely shredded Napa cabbage
2 cups finely shredded purple cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup finely diced white onion
3/4 cup minced cilantro
3 tablespoons Chinese seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine the vegetables and cilantro in a large bowl. Sprinkle on the remaining ingredients and toss well.   Let sit at least 20 minutes before serving so the flavors can meld. Cover and chill any leftovers. Pour off any accumulated liquid before serving again.

Easy French Onion Soup

Serves 4 as a first course

one yellow onion, thinly sliced, slices halved crosswise
olive oil and butter for the pan
2.5 cups chicken stock or broth
1.5 cups beef stock or broth
3 sprigs fresh thyme
sliced sourdough bread
Swiss cheese, sliced or grated

Saute the onion over medium heat until beginning to soften but not color.  Cover and continue to cook until very soft. Add the stock/broth and thyme and simmer as long as you can.  Remove thyme.

Toast bread.  Top with cheese.  Broil until bubbly.  Cut into 1″ squares.

Ladle soup into bowls.  Top with cheese toast squares (cheese side up).

 

Burgers

1 lb to 1.25 lbs ground turkey (about 7% fat) or ground beef
salt & pepper
oil for the pan
thin slices of cheese (optional)

Using your hands, on a cutting board, shape the ground meat into 3 or 4 round or oval patties of equal thickness.  Sprinkle the tops with salt and pepper.  Wash your hands and the cutting board with soap and hot water.

Heat the cast iron skillet over medium heat (#6).  After a few minutes, place your hand over the pan, a couple of inches from the surface.  If it feels hot, pour in about 2 teaspoons of oil (canola or olive).  Give that a minute to warm up, then use the metal pancake turner to spread the oil evenly in the pan, then use the pancake turner to place the turkey patties in the skillet, salt-and-pepper side down, making sure to leave space between them.  Salt and pepper the other side of the patties (which are now on top).  Cook for  6-7 minutes, until crusty brown on the bottom and cooked about half-way up the sides.  Rotate them half-way through cooking if it looks like the center of the pan is cooking faster than the edges.

Turn over carefully and cook the other side.  Top with cheese, if you like, which will melt as the burger finishes cooking.  Wash the pancake turner with soap and hot water.  Cook for about 4 more minutes, until the patty is tender but not squishy when you lightly press the center.

Use the clean pancake turner to remove the burgers from the pan onto plates and serve.

Lime-pickled Red Onion

from Smitten Kitchen

red onion, in small dice or thin slices
fresh squeezed lime juice, to cover the onions
salt to taste (about 1/8 teaspoon for 1/4 cup of onion)

stir and let sit for at least 10 minutes

 

Christmas 2016

Breakfast for 7:
Bring Your Own Coffee
grapefruit supremes (4 grapefruits are plenty)
hot chocolate (2 cups – in carafe)
orange juice
scrambled eggs (14 – could do 12 next time)
Oscar Meyer center cut bacon
Lunardi’s pork sausage links (8)
diner hashbrowns (2 small, unpeeled potatoes in individual portions)
wheat, white, sourdough and cornbread toast
pancakes with lingonberries, Log Cabin, and maple syrup
doughnuts and apple fritters

Dinner for 5:
Sheep Dip with Sumano’s Watsonville Soudough and Trader Joe’s Social Snackers
Onion Dip with Wavy Lays
Carrot Sticks

Beef Ribeye Roast
Sauteed Mushrooms
Broccoli
Scalloped Potatoes
Romaine salad with Pastor Matt’s Herbes de Provence vinaigrette
King’s Hawaiian Savory Rolls

Apple Crisp
Ice Cream
Christmas Cookies

Boneless Prime Ribeye Roast

from Utah Beef Council

for 5

3.85 lbs

unwrap, set in a rack in a roasting pan, fat side up, at least 3 hours before starting to roast

combine 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper, 1 teaspoon crushed dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried tarragon and spread over all sides of the meat.

heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  insert thermometer probe and set for 126 degrees F.

roast for approx 2 hours, until temp is reached.  Remove from oven, tent with foil and let rest for about 15-20 minutes until temp reaches 132 degrees F for medium-rare+.

snip string, slice, remove fat if desired, and serve

Christmas 2016

Breakfast for 7:
grapefruit supremes
coffee
hot chocolate
orange juice
scrambled eggs (14)
bacon
link sausage
diner hashbrowns
wheat, white & sourdough toast
pancakes with lingonberries & real maple syrup
doughnuts

Snack:
Onion Dip with chips
Sheep Dip with crackers & sourdough
carrots

Dinner for 5:
Warm Spiced Cranberry Cider
Deviled Chex Mix
Onion Dip with chips
Sheep Dip with crackers & sourdough
Relish Tray:  carrots, red pepper, Swedish Cucumber Salad
Boneless Prime Rib Roast
Scalloped Potatoes
Broccoli
Rolls
Cookies, Apple Crisp & Ice Cream

Chewy Oatmeal Cherry Toffee Crisps

adapted from a recipe by BadTadMD

1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1.5 cups rolled oats
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup chocolate chips
8 oz toffee baking bits

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour, salt and soda.Mix in oats, cherries, chocolate chips and toffee bits until evenly distributed.

Drop by 2 teaspoon scoop onto cookie sheets about 2″ apart – they will spread.

Bake 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.