Poached eggs with bacon and cheese latkas and a simple salsd topped with white wine vinaigrette

Poached eggs with bacon and cheese latkes and a simple salsd topped with white wine vinaigrette

Latkes
3/4 cup shredded potatoes
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup cooked, chopped bacon
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/8 cup all purpose flour
1 egg
Combine and cook until brown and crispy on each side

Poached eggs
Boil 4 cups water with 3 Tbs white vinegar and 3 tsp salt
Cracked egg into bowl
Pour egg into boiling water and vinegar mixture
poach for four minutes

Salad
Spinach
Romane
Lettuce
Tomato
Green Onion
Combine and rope with dressing

Vinaigrette Dressing
2tbs Olive oil
2tbs white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste

Penne pasta with a whiskey lemon cream sauce

Serves 4
Preparation 5 minutes
Cooking 15 minutes

1/4 of a cup butter
Generous 1/2 cup smoked salmon chopped
The juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 Cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons whiskey
10 oz penne pasta cooked aldente
Salt, black pepper, red pepper to taste.

Melt the butter in pan
add the salmon
stir
sprinkle with lemon juice
cook for a few minutes on low heat
add the cream and whiskey
season with salt, black and red pepper
toss with penne pasta
serve warm

Accompany with a simple garden salad
and a chilled Pinot Grigio

Easy Spanish Marinade (for Chicken or Pork)
3 Tbs olive oil,
3 Tbs lemon juice,
1 clove garlic (minced),
2 tsp dried thyme,
1tsp salt,
1 tsp black pepper,
3 Tbs  Spanish smoked paprika.
Combine all ingredients and force marinade the pork chops/chicken in the marinade in a zip top style bag by removing all the air. Let set in the fridge for 2 hours and then grill.

Easy Baked Beans (in the crock pot)

My son and his buddies ate these like they were going out of style after a long day of water skiing, tubing and wake boarding on their first day of summer vacation. I thought I would share this recipe in the hope that your family will like it too. These beans can cook all day while you play.
They pair well with a menu of grilled burgers or brats simmered in beer, some raw veggies and a cold lager or a chilled sangria.

Serves 12-14 as a side dish.

Ingredients
1/2 lb of bacon
1 clove fresh garlic - minced very fine
1 large white or red onion - chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1 dash hot sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 4oz. can tomato paste
2 15. 5 oz cans of pork and beans
1 15.5 oz can of black beans
1 15.5 oz can of butter beans
1 15.5 oz can of cannellini beans
1 15.5 oz can of white beans
1 15.5 oz can of red kidney beans

Sautee the bacon

Add onion

Cook until soft, all most translucent

Add garlic 

Cook for a bout a minute

Combine with the beans, brown sugar, tomatoes paste, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, salt and pepper in the crock pot and cook on low 6 hour or high for 3 hours.

White Bar-B-Q Sauce (It's a north Alabama thing)

White Bar-B-Q sauce recipe

Combine:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1tsp lemon juice
2 tsp prepared horse radish
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

This is best served over grilled chicken or grilled salmon.

Braciole and a simple tomato sauce

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
2. 1 garlic clove, minced
3. 2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano
4. 1/3 cup grated provolone
5. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
6. 4 tablespoons olive oil
7. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8. 1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak
9. 1 cup dry white wine
10. 3 1/4 cups Simple Tomato Sauce, recipe follows, or store-bought marinara sauce
11. Simple Tomato Sauce:
12. 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
13. 1 small onion, chopped
14. 2 cloves garlic, chopped
15. 1 stalk celery, chopped
16. 1 carrot, chopped
17. 2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
18. 4 to 6 basil leaves
19. 2 dried bay leaves
20. Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
21. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional
22. 
    
23. SImple Sauce
24. 1 15oz can of diced tomatoes
25. 1 small can of tomatoe paste
26. 1 clove chopped garlic
27. 1/2 onion
28. 4 Tbs Butter
29. 4 Tbs extra Virgin Olive Oil
30. 1 Carrot
31. 4 oz Dry Red Wine
32. Salt & back pepper to taste
33. Red Pepper to taste
34. 
    
35. In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. 
36. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. 
37. Add carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. 
38. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and
39. Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.
40. 
    
41. If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.Yield: 6 cups
42. Prep Time: 15 minutes
43. Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
44. 
    
45. Directions
46. 
    
47. Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season mixture with salt and pepper and set aside.
48. 
    
49. Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.
50. 
    
51. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
52. 
    
53. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.
54. 
    
55. Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.

Mid-week leg of lamb, mashed fingerling potatoes and salad

Mid-week leg of lamb, mashed fingerling potatoes and salad

Perfect for an early fall evening.

Crock pot roast leg of lamb with roasted mashed potatoes, onions and a simple salad.

Prep time 20 minutes

Cook time 20 to 30 minutes

Crock pot time 11 hours

This meal can begin in the crock pot while you are at work and then be finished in 20 to 30 minutes.

Roast Leg of Lamb

3lb leg of lamb

1 lb yellow fingerling potatoes

2 large red or white onions- cut into wedges

2 or 3 carrots - slices

1 tbs Italian seasoning (basil, oregano, parsley, thyme & rosemary)

3 cloves minced garlic

1tsp salt

1tsp white pepper

½ cup red wine

¼ cup of Olive Oil

Mashed potatoes

1lbs of yellow fingerling potatoes (cooked with lamb)

1/4cup  butter

¼ nonfat organic milk or more to preference

Salt to taste

Sprinkle all four sides of the lamb with garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Place in crock pot with clean scrubbed potatoes, onions and carrots. Add wine and olive oil. Cook on low for 11 hours

Drain “pan juice” off meat and potatoes with colander. Remove potatoes. Return lamb onions and carrots to crock pot or 350 degree oven and keep warm.

Mash potatoes (leave peeling on) with mixer add butter, milk, salt and pepper whip until fluffy.

Salad

Lettuce and vegies of your choice

Pan gravy can be made from heating the dripping reserved from the crockpot and whisking in1 tbs of cornstarch.

Serve gravy over lamb and potatoes with onions, carrots and mashed potatoes

Serve this meal with a red wine and some ground horse radish.