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  • Mother’s Day Brunch – Croque Madame

    Mother’s Day Brunch – Croque Madame

    Mother’s Day Brunch Menu

    Croque Madame
    Bacon Caeser Salad
    Strawberries and Pineapple Slice Skewers

    Blood Orange Mimosas
    Coffee with Bailey’s Irish Cream

    Blood Orange Mimosa

    Croque Madame
    My sons both agreed this tastes like a french toast, ham and cheese, eggs benedict sandwich; which of course it is.

    Serves 10 (Leftovers are a good thing. These sandwiches are great cold!)

    Step One – Make the french toast.
    20 slices Texas Toast Bread – the thick stuff
    6 eggs beaten
    2 cups milk
    1 tsp cinnamon
    1 tsp nutmeg
    1 tsp ground cardamom
    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using two baking sheets, melt butter on the pans.
    Soak each slice of bread and place on the warm baking sheet. When the bottoms brown, turn the bread over to brown the other sides. Remove from oven, go to step two.

    Step Two -Assemble the sandwich
    8 ounces grated 4 Mexican blend cheese
    1-1/2 pounds ham -Tear ham into pieces on top of 4 cheese blend
    Top ham with brown sugar glaze, about 1 tsp per sandwich
    8 ounces Guyere Cheese. Top with Grated cheese Guyere
    On the top slice of french toast spread
    1/2 tsp orange marmalade
    1/4 tsp brown mustard
    Place on top and put the whole sandwiches back on the baking pan and into the oven until the cheese has melted. While the cheese is melting, go to step three.

    Step Three:
    Bechemel Sauce
    1/4 cup butter melted in sauce pan
    1/4 cup flour and wisk while it cooks. This should be a white sauce, so do not brown the flour.
    Add two cups milk wisking to blend.
    Add 1 cup grated greyere cheese

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    Step Four: Fry the eggs
    As the egg are done, add each one to the top of a sandwich to keep warm until all the eggs are fried. Serve immediately topping with 1-2 tablespoons of bechemel sauce.

    Serve along side the Bacon Caesar Salad.

  • Chocolate Coeur a la Creme with Strawberry Sauce

    Chocolate Coeur a la Creme with Strawberry Sauce

    Ingredients:
    1/2 cup whipping cream, divided
    3 tablespoons HERSHEY’S Cocoa
    1 tablespoon butter, softened
    1 package (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
    1/2 cup powdered sugar
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    STRAWBERRY SAUCE(recipe follows)

    Directions:
    1. Line two 1/2-cup coeur a la creme molds or two 6-ounce custard cups with double thickness of dampened cheesecloth, extending far enough beyond edges to enclose filling completely.

    2. Combine 1/4 cup whipping cream, cocoa and butter in small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Remove from heat; cool.

    3. Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla in small bowl until smooth. Add cocoa mixture, blending well. Add remaining 1/4 cup whipping cream; beat until well blended. Spoon mixture into prepared molds. Fold cheesecloth over top. Place a wire rack in a tray or deep plate; place molds on rack.

    4. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. To serve, pull back cheesecloth and invert each mold onto a chilled dessert plate; carefully remove cheesecloth. Serve with STRAWBERRY SAUCE. 2 servings.

    STRAWBERRY SAUCE:

    1. Puree 1 package (10 oz.) frozen strawberries in light syrup, thawed, in food processor bowl or blender container.

    2. Strain puree through fine sieve into small bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon kirsch (cherry brandy), if desired. About 1 cup sauce.

  • Asian Lime Shrimp

    Asian Lime Shrimp

    Ingredients
    3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
    2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
    3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
    1 clove garlic, minced
    1 pound medium fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
    1/2 red bell pepper, diced
    2 green onions, diced
    1 (5-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
    1 head butter lettuce, cored, cut in 1/2
    Directions
    In a medium bowl, combine lime juice, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Add shrimp and let marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

    In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, green onions, and water chestnuts; cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add shrimp and marinade and cook 3 minutes, or until shrimp are pink. Stir in 1 tablespoon soy sauce.

    Garnish with diced chilled avocado.

    For Lettuce Wraps:
    Divide lettuce into leaves. Spoon about 1/4 cup mixture down center of 1 lettuce leaf. Fold bottom edge and sides up and over filling. Repeat with remaining lettuce leaves and shrimp filling.

    For Salad:
    Tear lettuce and top with shrimp. Excellent light lunch. Add diced avocado!

    For Appetizers:
    Serve along with skewers on a beautiful serving tray.

  • Split Pea and Lentil Soup

    Split Pea and Lentil Soup

    Ingredients
    Ham bone or 10 Slices of Bacon
    2 (32-ounce) containers low-sodium fat-free chicken stock or broth
    1 cup dried split peas – small package
    1 cup dried lentils – small package
    4 carrots, sliced (I happen to not have carrots today, so I omitted them)
    4 celery ribs, sliced or 1 tsp celery seeds, or 1 tsp celery salt
    2-4 onions, chopped
    2 bay leaves
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 tsp garlic powder
    1/4 tsp cardammom
    1/2 tsp nutmeg
    1 teaspoon black pepper
    1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

    2 cans peas (add after the other ingredients have been pureed.)

    Ham bits, croutons and Sour cream for garnish
    Preparation
    In a large dutch oven, brown the chopped bacon then add onions to saute.
    Combine other ingredients reserving the garnish for ater.
    Bake, covered, at 400° for 2 hours or until peas and lentils are tender.

    Re-season according to your taste. Salt and Pepper. To reduce the fat content in the soup, remove the chopped bacon. Easy to do as it will float on the top. Then
    using a stick blender puree the mixture. If you want a more refined soup, strain.
    At this point, I like to add the drained canned peas. It adds back texture to the soup and I like the taste.
    Serve in bowls with dallop of sour cream, croutons and bits of ham on top.

    Serve with half ham and cheese on Rye sandwiches or salad or fresh french bread with cheddar cheese spread.

  • Honey Walnut Shrimp – Craving Chinese Food!

    Honey Walnut Shrimp – Craving Chinese Food!

    You know how it is, sometimes you just get a craving for asian food! Perfect to serve over butter lettuce as a meal salad or serve with rice or chow mein for a crowd.

    Ingredients

    1 cup water
    2/3 cup white sugar
    1/2 cup walnuts
    4 egg whites
    2/3 cup mochiko (glutinous rice flour)
    1/4 cup mayonnaise
    1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
    2 tablespoons honey
    1 tablespoon canned sweetened condensed milk
    1 cup vegetable oil for frying

    Directions
    1.Stir together the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the walnuts. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain and place walnuts on a cookie sheet to dry.
    2.Whip egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy. Stir in the mochiko until it has a pasty consistency. Heat the oil in a heavy deep skillet over medium-high heat. Dip shrimp into the mochiko batter, and then fry in the hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
    3.In a medium serving bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, honey and sweetened condensed milk. Add shrimp and toss to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the candied walnuts on top and serve.

  • Butter! Every kid should make it!

    Butter! Every kid should make it!

    I was telling a story the other day to a co-worker about how one of my chores as a kid was to make butter. “What? You made butter? How do you make butter!” It was pretty easy as I remember. I did the shaking and my dad would do the rest. He liked salted butter, so he added salt. He didn’t use food coloring, instead he left it natural.

    1 to 1 ½ quarts heavy cream (You need at least 30% butterfat cream, so buy the heaviest cream you can.
    1 tblsp salt (optional)
    4-6 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

    Our cream came from our cow Jesabelle. My brothers and Mom would milk her daily. The milk was refrigerated and the cream from the top would be skimmed off for making butter.

    Did I mention you could get in big trouble if you tried to ride Jesabelle? Mom would chase you around the yard letting your know she would tell father. (Apparently, Jesabelle needed to have a stress free environment to keep giving milk.)

    You can place the cold cream in your kitchenaid bowl and whip it, but I think you need to take a quart jar and fill it 1/2 full, and hand it to your kid! Then they will always know where their food comes from.

    As they shake the jar, the butter will separate from the buttermilk. When it clumps together, pour off the buttermilk, and knead the butter to remove the excess moisture. Save the buttermilk for the pancakes or baking later. Use your hands and press the butter together adding the salt you love so much. You can add the food coloring drop by drop to the desired color you prefer, careful not to stain your hands.

    By the way, depending how vigorously you shake your jar it will take 10-20 minutes. I often raced with my sisters to see who could finish first!

  • Berry Tart

    Berry Tart

    1 1/2 cup Strawberries
    1/2 cup Blackberries
    Sugar
    Almond Extract
    1 package Puff Pastry (from your freezer section at the grocery store)

    Whipped Cream (optional)

    Bake the puff pastry into shapes using an egg wash so they are beautifully golden brown.
    400 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Fill the tarts with sugared berries. Top with whip cream to serve.

  • Panzanella – Bread Salad

    Panzanella – Bread Salad

    Ingredients:

    2 tomatoes
    1 small cucumber, peeled and sliced
    1 small red onion, thinly sliced
    bell peppers (optional)
    Kalmata olives (optional)
    1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
    1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
    3 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar, plus more as needed
    Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
    6 to 8 thick slices country-style white bread, torn into bite-size pieces

    Preparation
    In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and basil. Drizzle with the 1/2 cup olive oil and the 3 tablespoons vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss well.
    Place half of the bread in a wide, shallow bowl. Spoon half of the tomato mixture over the bread. Layer the remaining bread on top and then the remaining tomato mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
    Just before serving, toss the salad and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. If the bread seems dry, add a little oil or vinegar. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

  • Chopped Ham Sandwich

    Chopped Ham Sandwich

    Ingredients:
    1 pound ham (the better the ham, the better the spread)
    2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
    1 stalk celery (optional, chopped very finely if you like crunch in your sandwich)
    4 tablespoons Durkee’s Famous Sandwich and Salad Sauce
    1/3 cup olive oil mayonnaise or reduced fat mayonnaise
    1/3 cup sweet pickle relish
    Seasoning salt, (sparingly if desired–ham is salty already)
    White pepper to taste
    Fresh sweet basil leaves
    Serve with sliced pickles

  • Fig and Olive Tapenade

    Fig and Olive Tapenade


    I was telling someone the other day that I hadn’t found a tapenade that I loved. I happen to love olives, but tapenade from the store has been left many a month in my refrigerator. Just don’t like it. That is until I was browsing the internet and stumbled upon this Fig and Olive Tapenade. Rather than spend a bunch of time making something I wasn’t sure I would like, I made a quick sample from ingredients I had on hand. My sample consisted of fig jam, kalmata olives and a little butter on a piece of breakfast toast. I know, it doesn’t have all the spices in it yet, but I can tell by the flavor profile, I am going to like it. Now, I am about to embark on the real thing. I have visions of taking this delicious concoction to a friends house as a hostess gift, or perhaps my dish for potluck.

    Ingredients
    1 cup chopped dried figs
    1/2 cup water
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
    1 teaspoon dried rosemary
    1 teaspoon dried thyme
    1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    2/3 cup chopped kalamata olives
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    salt and pepper to taste
    1/3 cup chopped toasted black walnuts
    1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
    Directions
    1.Combine figs and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, and liquid has reduced. Remove from heat, and stir in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, thyme, and cayenne. Add olives and garlic, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.
    2.Unwrap cream cheese block, and place on a serving platter. Spoon tapenade over cheese, and sprinkle with walnuts. Serve with slices of French bread or crackers.