London Broil Dinner
Perfect for the Holidays
When turkey no longer gets everyone’s attention try this simple but elegant meal. Portions can be done days ahead. And just think … there’s no crazy clean up! Best of all this is not a budget buster!
Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole
Little different from our cheese enchiladas and a quicker prep. Worth a try for those who find enchiladas irresistible. We do! Happy 50th Birthday Stephen!
Sunday Dinners are Back
… And this is one of our favorite dishes. Be sure everyone likes cheese … This is not a dish where you can get around it. It’s a favorite of my oldest who put this together. I believe it was requested as a main dish for one of his milestone birthdays. Yes, one of the guests was not a cheese lover but the wine helped save the evening & the apple pie (for her). Crunchy bread, salad and this five cheese mac and cheese is all you need for a delicious dinner.
This recipe is one of Ina Garten’s Family Style, sorta. She gives credit to George Germon & Johanne Killeen, a recipe from their cookbook Cucina Simpatico. We often find we need to do substituting with different comparable cheeses that can be found more easily at our grocer’s. Be sure and take your phone with you when shopping in case you need a quick look up for cheese substitutes.
Enjoy! For my perfect apple pie, here!
Bacon Chutney
When cooking for the family vegetarians here’s a side that keeps the meat eaters happy. Great on pot beans & green beans, eggs, waffles & pancakes, hot dogs & hamburgers and maybe a crostini. Ice cream, not so much. Honestly, you can use this chutney on just about anything. Few ingredients and simply made this recipe keeps in the refrigerator for a good week. Let’s get to it!
Turkey and Stuffing Made Easy
Thanksgiving dinner Turkey and Stuffing has been on my menu for decades. Over time I’ve tried many different roasting methods and stuffing recipes. The meal has always turned out well but most compliments come with these following recipes. First, buy the best turkey … quality does make a difference. Fresh is preferred. It need not be processed with injections or other treatments … prefer it not be, actually. Using the popup, if present, to check doneness is up to you but I suggest a meat thermometer for true accuracy. What is the biggest complaint about roasted turkey? The breast meat is too dry. This is why I love Martha Stewart’s butter/wine roasting method. I cut the corners a bit but the result is moist and tender. As for the stuffing, I’ve often made my own bread cubes using whatever bread I might have saved in the freezer over several months … you know, the crust no one wants, end pieces, leftover corn bread … always quality breads, no crackers. (When my mother-in-law, an admitted poor cook, made her turkey stuffing with saltines … I don’t know what I expected, yes I do! … but it turned out well. I’m still amazed to this day but then I was very hungry and appreciative. We did a lot of fasting that trip.)
When my daughter became a vegetarian (progressed to vegan) I knew I had to find a different dressing recipe, one cooked separately from the turkey that maintained a great taste. I tried Rachel Ray’s Cranberry Pecan Dressing recipe … converting it to vegetarian and later to vegan. It worked beautifully baked separately, and stuffed loosely into the turkey cavities as well. There are some short cuts I take today when preparing Thanksgiving I wouldn’t have taken years ago. I will never give up homemade pie crusts … these often take a pie from good to amazingly delicious. So, what have I given up? Making the bread cubes. I now find myself buying William Sonoma’s … Even pre-seasoned. Yep, WS brand does make a difference.
Now, let’s jump into these recipes. Great recipes for the beginner as well as experienced!
30 Minute Baked Beans
If you haven’t the hours needed to cook one of these three Baked Beans Recipes 1. Portuguese Baked White Beans 2. Grandma Rose’s Baked Beans 3. Portuguese Pork and Beans you do have the time for this 30 Minute Recipe.
Try this 30 Minute Recipe. Your family will love it!
Tomato Harvest
They all ripen at once! So we’re having Gazpacho and Dad’s favorite sauce. Gazpacho is a great hot season meal … fresh … cool … light and jam-packed with this great fruit.
Our Favorite Gazpacho. Or try this richer version.
Here’s the first sauce I learned to make as a child. Not traditional to be sure but still a family favorite.
Tex Mex Salad
This is a taste-alike look-alike. I’ve been craving Jake’s Tex Mex salad for years now. I’ve come to conclude I just have to make it myself. For best results the ingredients need to be freshly prepared … Then just simply layer into the perfect Tex Mex Salad.
Jake’s Tex Mex Cafe is located in Bakersfield and has been pleasing many with their comfort foods for decades. It’s a cafeteria style restaurant if it hasn’t changed … providing a casual pleasantly fast service. As you approach the end of the service line there is a tempting dessert, their delicious chocolate cake. I haven’t frequented this eatery in years. So I can’t remember the tastes of this cake but I have a recipe for an equally delicious easily made chocolate cake. You won’t be disappointed.
No Fuss Chocolate Cake
Portuguese Peas Marie Style
A family recipe I would have never tasted if it weren’t for Margie. Margie put together a family gathering (yesterday) … Through ancestry.com she found my brother (and then me), and Marie (her family) and many others. Now, I’m not advocating family searches. But in our case, my brother & me, we were curious. My father’s father died at a young age and dad just slipped into the Willitts and Perry families. Dan & I heard very little about dad’s other side of the family. Not for the reason that perhaps you might guess. It was a matter of life getting in the way. So when we heard from Margie we were excited … as excited as she was!
What does it have to do with Marie! Well, she is one of dad’s first cousins and made the event. This recipe is what she brought to our luncheon. Her daughter brought some delicious desserts too. Marie’s peas reminded me so much of my Grandmother’s recipe … more so than my own version of my Grandmother’s. I could taste the bit of wine, and keep in mind, the linguica makes this dish. Not just any linguica! But did I get the name of the brand she used … no! My grandmother often used homemade. Have you tried my brother’s recipe for linguica? Try it here!
This simple recipe is just wonderful. Often served as a Main Dish in Portuguese Cuisine.
Scotch Eggs
The perfect answer to those hard boiled eggs. Or try this recipe with soft boiled! Great for a guest breakfast! Make ahead and keep up to 3-4 days refrigerated. I’m not sure about the traditional recipe but I like mine spicy, Italian spicy actually. If you’re not into it you can spice up your ground pork anyway you like. Maybe you’re a Jimmy Dean Sausage fan like my mother. It all works!
This isn’t a complicated recipe and you won’t need a deep fryer. Just simply use a small heavy saucepan with a couple of inches of oil for the deep fry process.