green beans with cazambola sauce

Just a few ingredients, one pot, and a terrific dish.  For 4 servings I use 12 oz. thin green beans (haricots verts), or asparagus, or a combo (I bet it would be good with broccoli too).  Set up a steamer basket in a large pot.  Bring water to boil and steam vegetables just until crisp-tender.  Carefully remove the steamer basket and vegetables; drain out the boiling water from the pan.  In the now empty pan, heat 1/4 c. heavy cream or creme fraiche over low heat.  Stir in 6 oz. Cazambola cheese (a mild, creamy blue cheese with the consistency of brie) and let melt.  Add back the vegetables and stir to coat.  Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. 

stir fried shrimp with soy, ginger, and veggies

I used the convenience of frozen stir fry veggies in this dish.  First I sauteed some shrimp with some chopped fresh ginger, then I added the veggies (and the seasoning sauce from the veggies) and just cooked through.  This is a quick and delicious supper.  You could serve it over rice or noodles. 

malt shop cupcakes

I made some chocolate cupcakes, adding malted milk powder to the batter.  The frosting also had some malted milk powder as well as chopped up malted milk balls, garnished with a whole malted milk ball on top. 

lamb chops with pomegranate sauce

I pan sauteed our lamb chops, then removed them while making the sauce in the browning pan:  For 4 chops I poured in 3/4 c. pomegranate juice, 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar, and 1 Tbs. pomegranate molasses into the pan to reduce for a few minutes.  I put the chops back in the pan to get coated with the sauce, swirling in a Tbs. of butter to finish the sauce.  These were garnished with pomegranate seeds (arils).

potato and sweet onion galette

For Valentine's day I made this galette in a free-form heart shape (instead of the usual circle).  I buttered some parchment paper on a baking sheet and heated the oven to 425 degrees.  Thinly sliced Yukon Gold potatoes were tossed with melted bacon fat and butter, rosemary, and salt and pepper.  Thinly sliced sweet onions were tossed with some melted butter.  Then I layered potatoes-onions-potatoes-onion-potatoes-onions-potatoes in the desired shape on the sheet.  Bake 45 minutes, brush with some more melted butter, and finish with 5-10 more minutes in the oven. 

carne asada salad

This takes just a few ingredients for a light refreshing meal:  Slices of quick-grilled carne asada, heirloom tomatoes, avocado, and red onion; all drizzled with a sesame-soy vinaigrette.

spaghetti and meatballs

We wanted comfort food last month so I spent an afternoon crafting homemade meatballs (a combination of beef, pork and veal) to combine with a home-cooked sauce (base of San Marzano tomatoes).

chile and crab chowder

So good for a cold winter night.  The base is chicken broth, onion, potatoes and thyme.  Then I added some roasted green chile,corn kernels, crabmeat and cream.  Just a touch of sharp cheddar cheese melts in at the end.  The sweetness of the crab and corn balance the heat of the chiles. 

two-tone crispy chocolate bark

This confection was done in two layers - a white chocolate bark on the bottom, then milk chocolate mixed with puffed rice cereal for the top layer.  It was rich - reminded me of chocolate crunch candy bar raised to the power of 10!

ham-and-lettuce fried rice

I had leftover cooked rice, ham, and butter lettuce so I used them up in making a big stir fry of rice, sauce, and egg.  I know it sounds like an unusual combination but we really enjoyed it.  I found this recipe in Sunset magazine as inspiration:
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/lettuce-fried-rice-with-ham-50400000110985/

fettuccine with shrimp and saffron cream

While the pasta cooked, I sauteed some garlic and saffron threads in olive oil and butter.  I added some shrimp to the garlic pan; then white wine and cream for the sauce once the shrimp was just cooked.  When saucelike consistency, tossed in with the cooked pasta and sprinkled it all with lemon zest. 

apple french toast

I just love starting the weekends with a  wonderful breakfast.  A friend had given me a home-baked loaf of bread so I indulged by making French Toast out of it and topping it with sauteed apples in a rum sauce.  Alongside you see thick cut bacon - always easiest to cook in a 400 degree oven on a cookie sheet (no spattering frying pan, and easy to collect the bacon fat for future uses).

pan-seared chicken with mustard sauce and brussels sprouts

This is a tasty, light, and easy dinner from the Dec. 2011 issue of Cooking Light magazine.
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-brussels-sprouts-50400000117840/