lamb burger; citrus pound cake

I had some excess ground lamb so I decided to make some grilled burgers. I used some flatbread for the bun and spread it with a spicy mint sauce. Dessert is a citrus glazed pound cake, topped with raspberries.

steak frites

The steak was pan seared, sliced, and served with garlic/rosemary oil. The potatoes were slow fried and wonderful. A great steak and potato meal.

chicken florentine pasta alfredo

This came from Cooking Light. I like the combination of grilled chicken (you could even buy grilled chicken strips at the store to save even more time), a creamy sauce, and fresh spinach with the pasta. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-chicken-florentine-pasta-50400000122920/ Alongside I grilled some broccoli and topped it with Parmesan and toasted pine nuts.

a cobbler by any other name...

This was a delicious Raspberry Slump with some softened vanilla ice cream atop. Warm and gooey and fruity and sweet - a great comfort dessert.

pals preparing dinner for Ronald McDonald house

A group of pals got together to prepare chicken burritos fixings, rice, beans, and dessert for the families at a local Ronald McDonald house to enjoy. A fun community project!

chilaquiles

I could have this for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This one used leftover good quality corn tortilla chips sauteed with a good quality salsa (and maybe some extra onion and garlic), top with a fried egg and you are set!

in my sister's kitchen

We had some marvelous roast chicken leftovers that we turned into a market salad - with greens and peppers and goat cheese. I browned the roasted potatoes for 'croutons' and used the roasted chicken drippings as the basis for a salad dressing. The next morning we enjoyed a hearty breakfast of quesadillas, eggs, avocados and black beans.

lamb sliders - berry tarts

I made some lamb sliders and served them on flatbread (naan off the shelf from Trader Joe's!) with a green harissa sauce. The toppings include diced tomato and crumbled feta. For dessert I used one of my favorite ingredients, puff pastry, to make berry tarts.

cookbook signing and lunch Feb. 9, 2013

Arrange for your tickets by Feb. 6, space is limited, come to Los Lunas, NM for a $35 lunch (prepared from the cookbook), author signing and talk. Call The Green House Bistro and Bakery at 505-866-1936 for tickets.

http://greenhousebistro.com/

fall luncheon

I had some friends over in late October for lunch. The blackboard proclaimed the menu - then you see the risotto and salad on a Halloween plate.

thai style stir fried noodles

I love the testing and techniques from Cook's Illustrated magazine, which result in fabulous food such as this Thai Style Stir Fried Noodles with Chicken and Broccolini. http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/login.asp?docid=37163 I paired it with a cooling, refreshing avocado and tomato salad.

orange-rosemary roasted shrimp

I combined orange slices, shrimp, fresh rosemary and a bit of oil to roast in a hot oven for this dish.

fajitas and margaritas

I just cooked up some chicken strips, chile strips and onions to serve as fajitas. The great topping is some bacon-tomato guacamole. Rick Bayless introduced us to this concept - just add some cooked bacon and chopped fresh tomato to your favorite guacamole (this also has some cilantro, garlic, and chipotles in adobo). I also pickled some radishes as part of the dish. We also enjoyed our favorite hand-squeezed margaritas. We've stopped buying margarita mix now that we have our 3 needed ingredients: fresh squeezed lime juice, agave syrup, and silver tequila.

international night: lamb, eggplant, potatoes, chiles

I used a lasagna concept for the main dish - incorporating eggplant and lamb in it, then chose to have Papas y Rajas (Potatoes and Chiles) for a side dish.

avocado soup; shrimp pasta

This combination is best suited to a warm spring or summer night (which we dream about in the cold of winter). I started with a cold avocado soup topped with a dollop of fresh salsa. Then the main course was farfalle pasta with green beans, shrimp, and feta cheese.

fall dinner party

We had 6 friends join us for dinner - the menu is on the blackboard and here are a couple of shots from the event. The placecard apples were harvested off our tree.