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...