Good Cooking … Good Eats
One of the best ways that I “re-root” after being on the road doing presentations, is to do a marathon cookfest. Favorite cookbooks come out or I just go with what I have in the fridge and cupboards. Calls go out to friends and family to reconnect —dinner is at 6! What lands on the table is usually dependent on the Season.Friends love the variety of soups I come up with, often asking for the recipe— and I say, “I don’t have a recipe, it’s just what I threw in the pot.”
Below are some of my favorites and those that I’ve gathered. Some are my originals, some are others and I’ve identified the source when I know it. I’ll be tweaking with this section all the time, so make sure you check back each week … this is just a beginning. Enjoy …
Recipe: Lamb Chop BBQ
Ingredients
Marinated lamb chops
White corn on the cob
Wedge salad with chunky blue cheese dressing
Kahula cake with whip cream
Instructions
Lamb chops – marinate in a terriyaki sauce. BBQ to a nice pink (lamb should never be well done.
Corn – clean, put in large pot of water, bring to a boil—it’s done. Corn is best a bit crunchy, roll in butter and season to taste.
Salad – use iceberg or romaine. You can use your favorite commerical chunky blue cheese dressing or make your own. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over dressing and a few slices of tomato.
Kahula cake – so easy and a perfect way to end an uncomplicated meal.
Recipe: Blue Cheese Salad Dressing a la Carol Ann
Summary: Carol Ann Kates is the author of Secrets Recipes from the Corner Market—her’s is one of the best, so why tweak with it? And yes, get Carol Ann’s book—you’ll find that it’s one of your new staples in the kitchen.
Ingredients
1 C mayonnaise
1 C sour cream
1 C blue cheese (OK—if you love blue cheese, add more—I do)
¼ C + 2 T white vinegar
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper
Instructions
Blend in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use—makes 2 ½ cups.
Recipe: JB’s Kahula Cake
Ingredients
1 package of Devils’ food cake with chocolate pudding
4 eggs
1 C sour cream
1 C Kahula (I always overflow the cup, so it’s closer to 1¼ C)
½ C vegetable or canola oil
16 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Mix all but chocolate chips in bowl for about 4 minutes.
Add chocolate chips and pour into a buttered/floured bundt pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes.
Invert and cool or rack.
Dust with powder sugar and serve with whip cream or a little vanilla ice cream.
Recipe: Grilled Salmon BBQ or Grilled Sea Bass BBQ
Ingredients
Salmon or Sea Bass filets (or a full filet side of salmon)
Couscous or Balsamic rice (or skip rice and add a favorite side salad)
Asparagus, Peppers, Squash
Berries with ice cream or Amaretto
Instructions
Salmon – slather a little olive oil, garlic, lemon-pepper (fresh lemon slices on top), some dill for grilling
Coucous or Rice – prepare, add spices of choice Veggies – grille until done … your choice to marinate (sometimes I use an Italian salad dressing)
Berries of choice – vanilla ice cream or whip cream and/or Amaretto
Recipe: Summer Squash Casserole
Summary: This is one of those that I never measure anything—just lots of what you like—zuchinni and tomatoes are the primary ingredients. Perfect for any summer dinne side dish—always gets raves.
Ingredients
Zuchinni or Summer Squash – sliced ( you can mix them as well)
Cheddar cheese – shredded
Onion – yellow or white, diced
Tomato – diced
Instructions
Bake at 350 until done—Great reheated
Recipe: JB’s Salad
Summary: This salad has evolved over the years. It can be a main dish for lunch or dinner or as a side.
Ingredients
1 head each of leafy red and green lettuce – torn in pieces
1 C gorgonzola cheese – chunks
2 apples – bite size chunks (use your favorite kind)
1 C pecans or almonds – toasted
½ to 1 C raisons
2 green onions – cut up
Instructions
Mix all together with Honey Mustard Dressing
Recipe: Honey Mustard Dressing
Ingredients
3/8 C of olive oil
½ C of vegetable oil
3 T champage or white vinegar
1 T Grey Poupon mustard
1 ½ T honey
salt and pepper to taste
Recipe: JB’s Caesar Salad
Summary: I love, love a great Caesar—and by they way, Caesars do not have tomatoes added on top—they are about olive oil, eggs, anchovies, home-made croutons, Parmesan cheese and garlic—lots of it! Can be a full meal with a fabulous loaf of rustic or sourdough and a little vino!
Ingredients
1 to 2 heads of romaine lettuce – washed, dried, torn into pieces
1 can of anchovies with capers garlic croutons
½ to 1 C Parmesan cheese – freshing grated
1 lemon
Recipe: Croutons
Instructions
I like sourdough best—cut in cubes, roll in a bit of olive oil and a sprinkling of garlic salt.
Toast in oven until a nice golden brown.
Warning: these become nibbles, so don’t eat them all! Can be made ahead of time. Don’t use store bought.
Recipe: Caesar Dressing
Ingredients
½ C olive oil
½ – 1 flat can of anchovies with capers—smash up with fork
1 heaping tsp Grey Poupon mustard
2 – 3 T of lemon juice1 heaping tsp minced garlic (use real, no drops)
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
¼ C red wine vinegar (you can use a little less here if you want)
1 coddled egg (use 2 of you are using 2 heads of lettuce or the single head is huge)
pepper to taste
Instructions
Let anchovies sit in olive oil and garlic while you prepare the rest of the dressing—then add all together before missing with your lettuce. You can make the Dressing ahead of time and refrigerate.
Coddle egg by immersing in boiling water for 10 seconds. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, lemon, mustard, Worchestershire, pepper and vinegar until smooth.
Add in olive oil, anchovies and garlic.
When it’s time to bring it all together—you’ve got the lettuce, toss with dressing, Parmesan, croutons. Add fresh ground pepper, warm bread and your favorite beverage. Heaven.
Recipe: Baked Pears and Cream
Summary: Summertime and pears go hand-in-hand. If you want an incredibly simple, yet elegant dessert, this one does the trick. Has been a favorite with our friends and family forever.
Ingredients
4 Pears—almost any kind will do, favorites are Bosc-split in half and seeded
4 T butter (stick)
4 T sugar
1 C heavy cream
Instructions
With preheated over at 400 degrees. In a shallow baking dish, sprinkle half of the sugar and use half of the butter to “butter” the dish.
Place the pears cut side down and dot them with the remainder of the butter, then sprinkle the remaining sugar on top.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Pour the cream over the pears and bake for 20 more minutes. Serve warm.