Eating Dinner With My Family

My husband picked this off of pinterest.  Our plan for lunches when we have family in town for a big dinner, is to have some meats, cheeses, olives, nuts, hummus, etc... to graze on rather than a proper lunch.  I made these for us to snack on through the family visits.  They are almost gone today, the 26th :).  I adore these nuts!  They are not too hard to make too, but they are sweet and spicy and totally addictive! Sugar-and-Spice Nuts 3/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon chile powder 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 1 large egg white 2 cups raw cashews (9 ounces) 2 cups raw almonds (9 ounces) 1. Preheat the oven to 300°. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk the sugar with the salt, chile powder, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. In a large bowl, beat the egg white until frothy. Add the cashews, almonds and spiced sugar and toss. Spread out the nuts on the prepared...

Tonight we have a ham that my MIL also brought with her, but we have it with this potato gratin and salad.  If you have a mandolin, this is a snap to cut, and the only thing that takes a bit of time is the orderly laying of the slices.  (start in the center for the bottom layer)  It is tasty and tender and with out all the butter and cream I associate with a gratin.  It looks nice too:) Healthy Potato Gratin with Herbs 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the cake pan 1 large shallot, minced (about 1/3 cup) 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped thyme 1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 pounds medium red potatoes, very thinly sliced Salt Freshly ground pepper 1. Preheat the oven to 400° and oil an 8-inch round cake pan, preferably of dark metal. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and oil the paper. 2. In a medium saucepan, heat the 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the shallot and cook o...

Christmas evening, it was just the four of us.  We had my husband's side of the family last night, and my side of the family tomorrow, so dinner will just be leftovers, but since we still had my inlaws  this morning, we made this yummy ham and cheese strata for breakfast.  It could even be made the evening before, but then it would take longer as it will go in the oven much colder.  It isn't that much work, and it bakes in 20 minutes!  (well mine took a bit longer than that.)   Ham & Cheese Strata   8 large eggs 1 1/2 cups milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 4 cups Italian bread cubes (1 inch) 6 ounces Virginia ham, cut into 1/2-inch dice (1 1/2 cups) 6 ounces Gouda cheese, cut into 3/4-inch dice (1 1/2 cups) 1/2 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes, drained 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon snipped chives 1 cup coarsely grated Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces) 1. Preheat the oven to 450°. In a large bowl...

My MIL's wonderful husband chose this for our Christmas Eve dinner. It was really yummy! My only complaint was it was too salty.  It was ok for small bits of the crust to be eaten with bites of meat, but I think it made the jus way to salty.  When it was mostly done, I split the jus in half and reduced some with some cream to cut the saltiness.  It was a wonderful holiday meal and I think we have just created the tradition of a large roast beef of some sort on Christmas eve with the Yorkshire Pudding we had this year!  YUM!  The pudding was so good I'm giving it, it's own post! Roast Prime Rib of Beef with Horseradish Crust 1 bone in prime rib beef roast, 3 ribs, about 6 pounds 5 garlic cloves, smashed 1/4 cup grated fresh or prepared horseradish Leaves from 2 fresh rosemary sprigs Leaves from 4 fresh thyme sprigs 1/2 cup kosher salt 1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 tab...

These are really served with tomorrow night's meal, but as we are missing some posts, it will be posted today :)  These are called "pudding" but they aren't sweet. I cooked mine in a popover pan and they took about half the time!   Yorkshire Pudding   1/3 cup plus 4 tablespoons of beef roast drippings 6 eggs 2 cups milk 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 10 cups of the muffin tin with a teaspoon of the dripping fat. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy. Whisk in the milk and remaining drippings. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt together. Whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake the pudding for about 50 minutes, undisturbed. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

This is a totally yummy, fast way to approximate Chinese take out!  I would have preferred another protein, shrimp isn't something I usually crave, but it was great!  The boys inhaled it!  If I didn't have to thaw and clean the shrimp, this would have been a snap! Moo Shu Shrimp   12 small flour tortillas 6 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 pound shelled and deveined medium shrimp 3 large eggs, beaten Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 1 large garlic clove, minced 3 ounces sliced mixed wild mushrooms (1 packed cup) 8 ounces shredded coleslaw mix (3 cups) 3 scallions, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch lengths 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, plus more for serving Cilantro leaves, for serving 1. Preheat the oven to 200°. Stack and wrap the tortillas in foil and heat until warmed through. 2. Heat a large wok or skillet until very hot to the touch. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat until smoking. Add the shr...

It's like the chicken and the egg question. Am I slacking on the blog because I have been repeating, or am i repeating because I have been slacking either reason, the family is happy.  These haven't. Even made in a while and I was interested to see if they where as good after a year and a half of new food. It so good!  It might even have been better. The combo of the red thai curry and turkey is wonderful! Thai Curry Turkey Burgers 1-1/4 lb. ground turkey (not ground turkey breast) 2 Tbs. red or green Thai curry paste Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Vegetable oil, for the grill 1 medium lime 2/3 cup mayonnaise 3/4 cup thinly sliced seedless cucumber 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves 1 small shallot, thinly sliced 1 Tbs. seasoned rice vinegar 4 sesame seed hamburger buns Sliced tomato, for serving Prepare a medium gas or charcoal grill fire. In a medium bowl, gently mix the turkey, curry paste, and 1/4 t...

This is a recipe we have made before.  The original recipe calls for roasting a chicken.  I either use leftovers, buy a rotisserie chicken, or simmer a couple pieces of chicken over low heat for an hour or so to shred. It's fairly easy and super yummy.   I am making a New Years resolution to not ignore the blog, but only to post a couple times a week. However until I catch up with all the drafts I have started, these posts will be short.  (but what is up with all the blurry pictures  I have been taking?!) Dumplings 2 c  of flour 1 T  baking powder 1 t  Salt 2    eggs 3/4    to 1 Cup Butter milk Supreme Sauce 2 T  butter 1 T  oil 1/2 c  diced carrot 1/2 c  diced celery 3 ea garlic minced 2    bay leaves 1/4 c  flour 6 c  Chicken Stock 1/4 c  heavy cream Chicken    2 lb Chicke...

This pizza is one of my family's favorites.   Pizza is always easy, and fast, and popular with the kiddies. The pesto is nice and my son likes it on just regular cheese pizza too.  I use a potato masher to smush up the tomatoes a bit, that way there aren't the possibility of  little tomato explosions waiting to happen on your pizza.   It looks like I am giving another gift to the family, a lot of repeats :).  Maybe in the new year, we will have more that one a week.  Oh one more thing, I make this as one large pizza not a bunch of  small ones. Pizza with Charred Tomatoes and Pesto 3/4 lb cherry tomatoes 1/4 c  panko (Japanese bread crumbs) 2    garlic cloves,thinly sliced 1    shallot,thinly sliced 5    basil leaves,torn 2 T  extra-virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 lb Pizza Dough 3/4 c  coarsely grated aged Gouda (3 ounces) 6 T...

The cul de sac was at it again!  We finally got together for another progressive dinner. Here it is two weeks later and I am finally writing the post.  Forgive me the brevity and just know that the evening was full of great food and friends!   In honor of one neighbors recent trip to Spain & France, we had a loose "Tour of Europe"  theme.  We started off in England with cheese, crackers, chutney, cider, ale and the most interesting cocktail, Pimm's Cup.  It was amazing! Add caption Cheese and Chutney Cider and Ale Pimm's Cup Next we went to Spain with a shrimp tapa, with rice and bread Next we went to Venesuela for a papusa with a slaw and beans Cheese and crackers too! and beer! Then we went to France with my dish, the roast pork with mustard sauce. Then we went to Germany for Sausage and Apples.  I have to say, I don't dig fruit much, (or...

We decided to make this for our European tour themed progressive dinner on Saturday. So I wanted a practice run  just to prepare for the big day and it is Thursday.   It is really an outstanding dinner and not too hard to make, but is really decadent, so it can't be an every day dinner.  We had it with mashed potatoes this time; we thought it would be a good side for the upcoming dinner, and this was the test run.  It worked really well.  Sorry for all the short posts, I am a month behind. Roast Pork with Mustard Sauce 3 lb pork roast 4 T  pork fat 2 T  butter optional 1 1    onion sliced 1    carrot sliced 2 ea garlic I bouquet garni 1/3 c  cider vinegar 10    peppercorns crushed 1 1/2 c  whipping cream 2 t  mustard dry mixed with an equal amount of water 1  -2 tablespoons butter unsalted and softened Preheat oven to 325....

This is one of those easy, yummy meals we all need to have. It used to be the after soccer meal and we had it once a week.  The only thing that requires any time is the time you have let the meat come to room temp.  (and that is a must!)  If you aren't a fan of blue cheese, use some fresh mozzarella.  Steak Salad 1 One inch thick steak (NY strip is my choice) 1/2 to 1 pound (aged a few days if you can*) 6-8 cups of mixed salad greens (arugula is a must and should be well represented) 1/2 cucumber:  peeled and seeded. Diced in to 1/4" cubes 1/2 green pepper: seeded and diced in to 1/4" cubes 1 extra large scallion: thinly sliced 2 small tomatoes: sliced and cut in quarters 1/4 cup bleu cheese: crumbled Radishes thinly sliced (optional) Extra virgin olive oil Balsamic reduction* Directions Put steak out to come to room temperature (if it's not at room temp the inside will be underdone) Preheat you oven to 5...

Talk about a first world problem!  We are just jaded enough to crave new favors but have had enough tasty food (burgers particularly)  that it takes a bit to wow us as well. This burger is good. It's probably great but we just have a hard time feeling like giving an accurate opinion to anyone outside the family. Ok ramble over. It's good. Enough said. The sesame seeds in the burger were interesting. It's also a great way to be introduced to Kim chi.  Worth a try for sure.  I Bulgogi Burger   1 1/2 pounds ground beef 1/4 cup sesame seeds 3 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons gochujang 2 tablespoons sesame oil 5 scallions, chopped 5 cloves garlic, grated 2 tablespoons ginger, grated 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 1 tablespoon brown sugar 6 burger buns 14 ounces kimchi. roughly chopped Mix all of the marinade ingredients together (everything except the beef, buns, and kimchi) and...

My daughter asked for Mac n Cheese tonight. Please don't hate me but it's not a favorite of mine.  I thought this one might be just different enough that I may really like it. And I did.  (A bit). Everyone else really liked it. Now bigger confession time, I'm writing this post weeks after the fact. It's the season to be extra busy and therefore it's the season for extra slacking opportunities. Sorry. I'm always torn between anecdotal posts and a short and sweet rundown on the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of the making of the recipe. We'll fate (and laziness) has decreed the latter until I get caught up;).  Creamy 4 Cheese Brie and Buttery Ritz Cracker Mac and Cheese 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 1 clove garlic, minced or grated 1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz crackers 1 pound elbow pasta 1/4 cup flour 3 cups warm milk 1 1/4 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded 1 cup fontina cheese, shredded 1 1/4 cups havarti chees...