Hasselback Potato (with bacon and cheese)

     Sometimes steak is the main dish and sometimes it looses its starring role. Case in point - when a very nice grilled steak is served on the same plate as an equally nice potato that is prepared in the Swedish way called Hasselback. The original version is thin sliced and drizzled with butter and breadcrumbs, producing a crisp, crunchy skin and smooth, creamy center. This variation included thicker slices (easy to do with a wooden spoon handle placed next to a large precooked potato) interspersed with cooked bacon and cheese (cojack - because that is what we had on hand). A quick broil effected the finishing touches of melty cheese and crisp top, and when removed from the oven a sprinkling of fresh chives was added. We even added dollops of sour cream at the table! 

Baked Chimichangas

     This lovely summer supper features a combination of spicy Mexican flavor and cool side veggies. Tortillas are spread with sauteed beef, onion and spices, refried beans and cheese, then rolled and placed in a baking pan. After lightly brushing with oil, they are baked in the oven for about twenty minutes till lightly brown and crispy, and then topped with more cheese. With sour cream piped over and salsa on the side, they can be picked up with fingers or eaten with a fork. We like to eat the simple chopped lettuce mixed with the drippings, etc. that fall while eating the chimichangas (and we NEVER wear white shirts while enjoying Mexican cuisine!)

Cauliflower Hash

     Here is proof that a low-carb entree can be quite tasty and easily prepared to boot.  The simple ingredients include partially cooked cauliflower, ground chuck, onion and garlic browned together and drained, shredded cheese and a dab of sour cream, all mixed together and topped with more cheddar and parmesan. Twenty minutes in the oven was enough to bring the pan to a golden bubbly conclusion. A sprinkling of chopped chives, fresh cut from the garden, are added right before serving. Cauliflower hash will definitely make an encore appearance on our dinner table!

Patriotic Popcorn Snack

     With the air so humid it was hard to breath and the temperature hovering in the mid-nineties all day, our Fourth of July did not boast a lot of outdoor time. In fact it consisted of only a brief dog walk at sunrise, watering  the potted plants and a quick dip in the pool. Later, after sunset, we set up chairs and a cooler in the front yard, along with the neighbors, to enjoy our city's annual fireworks display. To make the day special, I had put together a festive snack to nibble on during the show but because of the heat, we kept the treat inside so the air-conditioning would keep it from melting. We ate only a handful afterward so there is plenty left for a movie tonight.

     Popped corn was mixed with a butter/marshmallow coating (similar to Rice Krispie treats) and little marshmallows, M&Ms and sprinkles were added, making a pretty red, white and blue combo that was quite tasty too. And the fireworks were awesome, as usual - love hometown holidays!

Raspberry Sauce with Waffles

     I love berries - all berries - therefore I love berry season! That's why I don't call this waffles with raspberry sauce because the waffles, even though home made, are not the star here. And even though this was a breakfast entree it could also pass as a dessert. The only problem is that snacking on a few plump berries while assembling the ingredients and multiple taste tests while the sauce cooks, tends to diminish the quantity of the end result!

Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake

     It's not quite blueberry season yet but I had a frozen cupful left over from last week's pancakes (Pop's favorite). Incorporating them into a yellow cake mix along with some sour cream and an extra egg produced this lovely bundt cake. A generous lemon glaze boosted the citrus flavor. This cake may be MY new summer favorite!

BIG Flat Oatmeal Cookies

     It's February...it's winter...but the weather is hardly cooperating. The sky has been the same shade of gray for about six days, with rain falling a good bit of that time, and the temperature is holding in the boring forties. Housework is finished but I did notice the cookie jar is empty. Since Christmas (and all the requisite special cookies), we've cut way back on sweet eating so the only baking I've done recently is a loaf of French Bread. Therefore I decided it would be appropriate to make a batch of "ordinary' oatmeal cookies (oats are nutritious, right?) Pop doesn't care for soft cookies - he likes big flat ones with crispy edges and chewy middles, so I obliged him with these beauties and even drizzled a glaze over them for good measure. I thought we would ration them to one a day, but I'm pretty sure a couple went missing mid afternoon!

Homemade Raviolis (with help from a muffin tin)

     Ever the adventurous cook, I had to add something new to my repertoire. Although I have made simple noodles (some call them Amish noodles) from scratch for soup, I never had the time or even the inclination to try raviolis. Pinterest struck again on a cold snowy weekend after Christmas, when I saw a pin about using mini muffin tins as a form. So I made the filling of ground beef, onion, spinach, garlic and egg and then made the dough. After rolling it out extremely thin, which was the tedious part of the process, I placed half on the muffin tin and pushed down slightly with a melon scoop to make round depressions. Then I brushed around each indentation with water to help the top layer of dough adhere, and spooned in the filling . I don't have a ravioli cutter or pastry wheel so I just used a sharp knife to cut the squares and then crimped the edges with the tines of a dinner fork. They went into the freezer after a parboil, for a quick dinner during the work week.

  

     The funny part of this story is that I was still at work when Pop decided to cook dinner and pulled out the bag of raviolis. He phoned me to find out how to prepare them and I explained, "just drop them in boiling water for a few minutes and then keep them warm in a pan of marinara sauce until I get home." He phoned me a few minutes later and asked, "but how do you get them crispy?"

     Hated to burst his bubble with the fact that these were not the fried variety, but he was happy enough after eating more than one cheese-topped helping!

The Original Cookie & Noodle Maker

     Today I graduated...from my ancient cookie press. As I placed it in a box destined for a charity pickup, I almost felt a nostalgic sadness. Although only used once a year, it has been a part of my Christmas traditions for four decades, and I watched my mother use one for years before that. I remember being frustrated as a novice baker, the first time I used the metal press and the dough would stick to the template, so I'd push out more dough and then end up with an unrecognizable blob. Took awhile to master the trick of expressing just the right amount of dough, and having it just the right temperature and consistency. 

     But eventually I got it right and began enjoying the process, and the tasty beautiful cookies. Now with my new plastic "gun" it's easier than ever (although I still sometimes end up with a blob!) and the triple dents in my oldest cookie sheets will stop multiplying. (Oh and I never actually tried making noodles with that old press either.)

Bread Cook Book from BHG

     These days when I need a recipe, more often than not, I do a search on my iPad; allrecipes and cooks.com are favorites but sometimes Pinterest is a good place for inspiration as well. However nothing beats thumbing through cookbooks. My collection is varied, from hardbacks to softcovers to spiral bound to a dozen notebooks of clippings and copies. This magazine-type book has held up well, considering that it is a favorite and is oft used. It contains the basics of bread making, and has bread and roll recipes that range from simple to complicated, a sweet and a savory section, and a few other categories - all in a concise format. Lots of the tried recipes have notes and/or substitutions penciled in. It is my absolute go-to and the basis for almost any baking project that I undertake

     Considering the fact that this book was published in 1973, it confirms that good baking is pretty timeless! The only problem lies in choosing what to make on this chilly Saturday?!

Pork Schnitzel

     A recent trip to Hermann, Missouri, a city that continually celebrates its German origins, included lunch at a local establishment. Pork Schnitzel was the special of the day and though it isn't something I would ordinarily eat at a restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised at the wonderful taste and texture. So of course, I had to try my hand at this dish in my own kitchen, especially since we had picked up some pork patties from a meat market just outside of Hermann (and because I had never made it before!)  A recipe was easy to find and the results were every bit as good as the restaurant offering. 

     Now no more frying for a long while...

Tomato Jam

    A very warm October has given us an overload of tomatoes - especially these Lemon Boys. I've made spaghetti sauce and salsa, and they really slice up nicely for sandwiches, but still there is a big bowlful on the counter and more on the vine! So today I tried something new - tomato jam - and am really liking the results.  

It is sweet and just a bit spicy, with a touch of cumin and red pepper and is very good served simply on crackers, and now I can't wait to try it in a sandwich, paired with peanut butter, or even as a hamburger garnish.

Birthday Fuit Cake

     A coworker's birthday is a good opportunity to have fun in the kitchen and take creative license.  Cake or cupcakes are always welcome but Jan leans towards healthier eating so for her special day, which occurs in the steamy interim that is early August, I chose to make a multi-layered "fruit cake". Watermelon sliced thickly formed the three-layer base which was then adorned with whole blackberries, half slices of kiwi and cantaloupe stars. Toothpicks were used as necessary for stabilization. For serving, the watermelon was cut into wedges, removed to a plate and then a few of the other fruits spooned over. Jan was glad she didn't have to blow out candles!

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Yellow Tomato Salsa

     These Lemon Boys are deceptive. A perennial favorite that we grow in our garden, the tomatoes are quite tasty. However, the eye would lead you to a foregone conclusion, an expectation of some other taste entirely, especially when using conventional tomato recipes. But this salsa, spiced with jalapeño and chili peppers, also fresh from the garden, has a wonderful bright taste, similar but just a tad different from regular red tomatoes. We look forward to BLTs and salad later in the week, too!

Pickle-n-Bologna

     As a child there was very little that I didn't like but I disdained bologna and especially a mixture that I was sure my mom must have invented - bologna and dill pickles that were ground up and mixed with mayonnaise. Funny thing was that even though I wouldn't eat it, I loved watching her make it. A cast metal meat grinder attached to the counter and a handle was turned that cranked the grinding mechanism. Of course, modern cooks use food processors, which are quick and easy to use, but that old grinder was fascinating. First she put in some big chunks of bologna, then a few pickles and finally mixed in a big dollop of Miracle Whip. This was spread between two slices of white bread, put in a waxed sandwich bag, and then into a lunchbox to take to school (times four or five - however many kids happened to be in grade school at the time.)

     When I happened recently upon a sale at the market deli that featured bologna, I bought an unsliced pound, got out my processor and made some pickle-n-bologna. Served on crackers during a Sunday afternoon of TV football, I found that Hubby liked it (rather unenthusiastically) and surprised myself by enjoying it. Perhaps it was just nostalgia for Mom and her grinder.

Tomato Bacon Soup

     When it's less than ten degrees outside, nothing is better for lunch than tomato soup - right? The standard Campbell's variety is beloved for its simplicity and for nostalgic reasons, however, I tried something different today - homemade soup. Maybe homemade is a misnomer here because rather than fresh tomatoes I used canned, but I did saute chopped onions and garlic before incorporating the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. After a twenty minute simmer on the stove top, I added a pinch of paprika, a little salt and pepper, and some evaporated milk (for creaminess), and then ladled into bowls. Served with french bread slices topped with melting cheddar cheese, and garnished with lots of crumbled bacon, this soup was a special tasty treat on a cold dreary day.

Peanut Butter Brownie Bites

     Peanut butter and chocolate are good go-togethers. These rich little brownie bites were served on the birthday of a pb&c fan. He loved the flavor combination and I loved the morsels that topped the peanut butter filling!

Mom's Chicken-Fried Pork Chops

     I call these Mom's - probably every baby boomer whose mother used the Betty Crocker Cookbook had them the same way. They are one of the only meats that I actually fry (unless you call bologna a meat!), preferring less fatty ways of cooking. Dipped in an egg/milk mixture and then in seasoned cracker crumbs, the chops are browned in hot oil till they are crispy and golden on both sides. Serving them with fresh steamed brocolli redeems the nutritional value of the meal a bit, and a small slice of homemade oatmeal bread completes one of Pop's favorite dinners.

Roast Beef Nachos...and a Beer

     Football Sundays are in full swing at our house and on the last few balmy days of autumn (of which we have had quite a few this year!), Pop enjoys the televised games on the screened-in porch. Sometimes I will join him for awhile and almost always we have lunch there on our laps. Finger food is the easiest option; a favorite is nachos, but yesterday I changed things up a bit and instead of the usual ground beef, I chopped up some leftover chuck roast, which was heated in a few spoonfuls of beef broth. Tortilla chips were spread an a platter with the beef scattered atop and then  sprinkled with lots of cheddar and monterey cheese. After a quick spin in the microwave, the nachos were served with small side bowls of sour cream and salsa. Oh, plus several napkins and a beer!

Beef and Vegetable Shish Kabobs

     At summer's end, the vegetable harvest dwindles and yesterday only a handful of cherry tomatoes and a small green pepper were destined for the dinner table. However they were just perfect for shish kabobs that also included small yukon potato quarters and cubes of beef sirloin that had been bathing in a greek marinade all afternoon. There was room on the grill too, for buttered and foil-wrapped French bread slices. Mmmm, I can still smell the lovely aroma and hear the tempting sizzle!