Lasagna American Style? Mainly for the versatility. The pasta is a no boil, the sauce comes from a jar (Use homemade if you have it!) and the cheeses are not all Italian. It is a recipe for the busy family … Quick, easy, delicious and versatile.
When I first met my future Daughter-In-Law Ann she found her way to my kitchen as all family does. Besides all the other wonderful things about Ann she is comfortable in the kitchen and a very good cook. She whipped up this salsa for our family during that first visit. It was a hit! So when I received requests for a fresh salsa I immediately thought of this one. It’s great to serve alone or over just about everything.
Chile relleno is an anytime meal. This is light and fluffy. Simply delectable! Use your favorite salsa for the topping or go it alone. Serve with a slice of avocado, or rice and beans for the hearty eaters.
Thank you to my family, friends and many visitors for making the first six months of my food blog such a great success. I have never had so much fun at work!
Here are six of your favorite picks for 2013. And I have added some close runners up. My last posts haven’t been up long enough to evaluate but the Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce is quickly becoming a popular recipe and, and, and…. Thank you so much! Happy 2014 to all!
Top: L-R Chicken and Dumplings My Style, Portuguese Beans with Linguica, Great-Grandmother Kobilsek’s Kolacky
Bottom: L-R Chicken Breasts with Roasted Vegetables, Chocolate Surprise Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies, Hot Chocolate Bar
Late at night when you can’t sleep what do you do? I watch an old movie. I’m not just interested in the story but the food! When Alec Baldwin takes a delicious bite of the Croque-Monsieur I can taste it. This prop is most likely cold and verging on stale … After all Alec is an actor! The next thing I know I’m creating my own Croque-Monsieur!
What a great snack or light meal! Use a vegan cheese for the Provencal or ham it up with the Monsieur. What is the difference between Croque-Monsieur, Croque-Madame and Croque-Provencal? Ham, egg and tomato. All three are included here.
A great option for Sunday football or movie snacking. Accompany with beer or wine. And arugula with a vinaigrette for a light dinner.
A great meal for guests … And this recipe won’t keep you in the kitchen. My family was happy with this tasty meal during the holidays. A great presentation with little preparation. Standing Rib Roast Dinner.
This standing rib roast, small end, was just over seven pounds with three ribs (ribs were cut away and tied) … enough to serve 6-8 adults.
These recipes are great for a brunch or dinner! Do a day ahead and refrigerate. Great with a lettuce wedge. And pair with La Crema Pinot Gris for a complete dinner.
My first taste of enchilada came early. Estrada’s Spanish Kitchen was a family owned restaurant in Visalia established long before my parents were born. It was fine dining … Frequented for forty some odd years by our family.
The old Victorian house on Main Street was a business on the first floor and a family home on the second. It was our family’s favorite place to eat especially Christmas Eve … Forty six years in a row according to my brother. As a kid it seemed to take forever for the food to be served. I amused myself when young … picking the enormous wax covered wine bottle that was providing more temptation than candle light … seeing coins embedded in the wax … digging. Yep, I was disciplined. My brother, more self disciplined, just explored the upstairs bathroom, the only one available. But I bet he was really looking for Susie.
I have tried to recreate the tastes of Estrada’s dishes. (Estrada’s taste alike here) A friend married into this restaurant family not too long ago, and had mentioned the recipes were definitely a family secret. Yes, I asked. He said, I could give you the recipes but then I would have to kill you. Of course he was kidding! Do I have to even say that? There were about a half dozen of these Estrada’s restaurants throughout California owned by the same family. Only one now exists … Daly City. (Closed Feb 3rd, 2019)
In my teens, mother, every few months, would form an assembly line of hot vegetable oil, heated canned enchilada sauce, corn tortillas, cheese and onion. She and I would make two dozen enchiladas, some to be eaten … some to be frozen. We used Velveeta cheese … Considered a healthy alternative to cheese in those days.
(For this dish, I will be using a quick sauce recipe I picked up from a former neighbor about 40 years ago. I was shocked at the time to find enchilada sauce got the red color from peppers not tomatoes. Labeling was yet to reach today’s sophistication.)
My mother is from Arkansas. In 1939 she travelled to her new home in California. She brought with her a southern style of cooking which included recipes for fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, fried potatoes, and chicken and dumplings. Vegetables and fruits were mainly canned to preserve. This seems to be in vogue again today!
As a child I had a very difficult time eating chicken. I was generously given the drumstick … Every child’s favorite it seemed. But I could see every vessel and tendon … Even more so with stewed chicken and dumplings. The taste was delicious but…. I was being a kid!
What I have done here is create more of a shepherd’s pie with chicken. Rather than placing the biscuits or dumplings, mother used the same recipe for both, into the chicken dish I have included them separately. I loved my mother’s biscuits! She liked to make them thinner than most would, pressing the dough thin before cutting. This created a biscuit that was less cakie. If baking biscuits separately not as a topper, she would dip each in bacon drippings, lightly coating both sides before placing into a baking dish and popping into the oven. Yep! Still love this taste today. But for those who are not bacon fans butter works.
Here is a dish I put together with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. It received a 9 out of 10 rating from family … 10 being equivalent to the Thanksgiving turkey meal. I say that is a pretty good rating! Wouldn’t you?!