Creamy Coleslaw
Coleslaw goes with so many dishes. It sure seems that sitting in the fridge for a couple of days really brings out the flavor. I serve my Creamy Coleslaw with fish & chips, burgers, pork chops, steaks and just about anything that strikes me.
INGREDIENTS
1 Head Shredded Green Cabbage
4 Shredded Carrots
¼ Cup Chopped Red Onion
1 Cup Mayonnaise
½ Teaspoon Celery Seed
½ Teaspoon Salt
4 Tablespoons Sugar
¼ Cup Rice Vinegar
¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar
¼ Cup Malt Vinegar
Combine the shredded cabbage, onion and carrots in a large bowl. Whisk together the mayonnaise, celery seed, salt, sugar, rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar and malt vinegar. Add to the cabbage mixture. Mix well to combine and taste for seasoning. Add more salt or sugar if desired. Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving. Serves 8
Teriyaki Burgers
If you are tired of the same old burger then try my Teriyaki Burger! You can use bottled Teriyaki Sauce or my homemade recipe. Both ways these burgers are tasty and everyone will love them.
INGREDIENTS
2 Pounds Ground Sirloin
1/3 Cup Plus 2 Tablespoons Teriyaki Sauce
6 Toasted Hamburgers Buns
6 Slices of Cheddar Cheese (Optional)
6 Hamburger Pickles
6 Lettuce Leaves
6 Onion Slices
6 Tomato Slices
½ Cup Mayonnaise
Combine the ground sirloin and 1/3 cup Teriyaki Sauce. Shape into 6 hamburger patties. Grill or broil for 3 minutes on each side. Brush with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the sauce halfway through cooking. If you want to add cheese then place the cheese slices on top of each burger at the end of cooking and let melt under the broiler for 30 seconds. Make sure that the cheese isn’t too thick or it will take too long to melt. Remove burgers from the oven and set aside. Spread both halves of the toasted buns with mayonnaise. Place the pickles, lettuce, burgers, onion and tomato on the bottom halves of the buns and cover with the top halves.
Makes 6 Teriyaki Burgers
Scalloped Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
6 Cups Sliced Potatoes With Skins
¼ Cup Diced Green Peppers
¼ Cup Diced Green Onions
¼ Cup Pimento
1 Pound Shredded Cheddar Cheese
20 Ounces Cream of Celery Soup
10 Ounces Chicken Broth
1 Cup Sour Cream
Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain well. In a medium size skillet sauté the green peppers and onions. Mix in the sautéed green peppers and onion with the pimento and cheese in a medium size bowl. Mix the soup, broth and sour cream into the onion & cheese mixture. Arrange the potatoes in an oiled medium size baking dish. Pour the mixed ingredient over the potatoes and bake in a 350° F preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Serves 8
Homemade Barbecue Sauce
Why buy bottled barbecue sauce when it’s so easy to make your own?!
INGREDIENTS
2 Strips Chopped Bacon
3 Tablespoons Minced Green Bell Pepper
1 Minced Onion
1 Chopped Garlic Clove
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
½ Cup Vinegar
½ Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 Cup Tomato Juice
½ Cup Water
Brown the bacon in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the green peppers, onions, garlic and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the salt, chili powder, vinegar, brown sugar and tomato juice. Cook over a medium low heat for 40 minutes. Makes 1 ½ cups.
Christmas Fudge
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Milk Chocolate Chips
1 Pound Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
2 ½ Tablespoons Butter
1 Pint Marshmallow Cream
2 Cups Chopped Walnuts
1 Twelve Ounce Can Evaporated Milk
4 Cups Sugar
Lightly butter one 9×13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl combine the milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, butter, marshmallow cream and walnuts. Set aside. In a large saucepan combine the evaporated milk and sugar over a medium heat. Stir constantly and bring to a boil for 4 minutes. Pour the hot sugar mixture over the chocolate mixture and stir with a large spoon until well blended. It is best to do this quickly before the fudge begins to harden. Once this is well blended pour the fudge into the prepared baking pan. Spread out and smooth into the pan. Set aside for 6 hours to cool and harden. Cut into 1 inch squares when you are ready to serve. Makes 115 pieces.
Brownie Bites
All you need is a round biscuit cutter!
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Butter
2 ¼ Cups Sugar
1 ¼ Cups Cocoa Powder
1 Tablespoon Espresso Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
4 Large Eggs
1 ½ Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Cups Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Chopped Pecans (Optional)
Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a saucepan melt the butter over a low heat. Add the sugar to the melted butter and stir. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa, espresso powder, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs. Stir until smooth. Add the flour, chocolate chips and pecans (optional). Stir until smooth. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30 minutes. The brownies should feel set on the edges and barely set in the center. Remove from the oven and cool for 1 hour. Using a 1 ½ inch round biscuit cutter cut out as many circles as possible. You should get about 38 circles. Wrap well to store. When you are ready to serve, garnish the Brownie Bites with whipped cream, cherry topping or shaved chocolate. You can save the scraps and crumble on top of ice cream for a whole different dessert. Makes 38 Brownie Bites
Chocolate Truffle Cake
If you love chocolate then this cake is for you! It is dense and pure chocolate. Chocolate Truffle Cake is great for special occasions and especially birthdays!
INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Butter
14 Ounces Semisweet Chocolate
2 Ounces Unsweetened Chocolate
9 Large Separated Eggs
½ Cup Sugar
¼ Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
Almonds for Garnish (Optional)
Preheat the oven to 300° F. Remove the bottom from a 9×3 inch springform pan and cover the bottom with foil. Wrap the foil around to the underside. This will make it easier to remove the cake from the pan. Replace the bottom. Grease and flour the foil bottom and side of the pan. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, melt the butter with all of the chocolate over a low heat. Stir constantly. Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl. In a small bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar for about 5 minutes with a mixer and 10 minutes by hand. The goal is to get the mixture very thick and lemon colored. With a rubber spatula, stir the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. In a separate large bowl beat the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks. Make sure that the beaters are clean before beating the egg whites. With a wire whisk or rubber spatula gently fold the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the egg whites one third at a time. Do not mix them in. We want to be gentle with the egg whites. Now, spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 35 minutes. Do not over bake because the cake will firm up when chilled. Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Refrigerate overnight in the pan. To remove the cake from the pan run a hot knife around the edge of the cake. Remove the side of the pan and invert the cake onto a cake plate. Unwrap the foil on the bottom and lift off the bottom of the pan. Carefully peel the foil from the cake. Garnish with almonds or other nuts if you like. Makes 20 servings
Blondies
These bar cookies are great if you are in a rush. I can throw these babies together in about 10 minutes and have an instant dessert. The brown sugar gives these bar cookies a butterscotch flavor. This recipe calls for nuts, but you can certainly leave the nuts out if you want to.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Packed Brown Sugar
1 Cup Butter
3 Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 ½ Cups Chopped Almonds, Pecans or Cashews
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium saucepan heat and stir the brown sugar and butter over a medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly. Stir in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Spread the batter in the parchment lined baking pan. Sprinkle with the nuts. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into bars while warm. Makes 36 blondies.
Chopped Endive & Gorgonzola Salad
I had a version of this salad in a Boston restaurant recently and thought that I would try and duplicate it. I made it tonight for dinner and it turned out perfect! It was actually better than what I had in the restaurant.
INGREDIENTS
1 Small Red Onion
4 Heads Endive
¼ Pound Crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese
¼ Cup Oil & Vinegar Dressing
Juice of 2 Lemons
Chop 1 small red onion and place into a medium bowl. Squeeze the lemons over the chopped onions and let sit for 45 minutes. Soaking the onions in lemon juice will take the edge off quite a bit. Chop 4 heads of endive and place into a serving bowl. Set aside. Add the lemon soaked onion and crumbled gorgonzola cheese. Pour over ¼ cup of the oil and vinegar dressing and toss. Serves 4
Dressing:
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Aged Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and salt.
Sweet Potato Biscuits
INGREDIENTS
2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
½ Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
5 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
10 Tablespoons Butter
½ Cup Milk
Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 2 inch chunks. In a medium saucepan, heat the sweet potato chunks and enough water to cover to a boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Drain. Place cooked potatoes into a medium bowl and mash well. Set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 425° F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, light brown sugar, baking powder and salt. With a pastry blender cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk and cooled mashed sweet potatoes. Mix just until combined. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat into an 8 inch square. Cut the dough in half. Cut each half into 10 equal pieces. Gently place the biscuits 1 inch apart on two large cookie sheets that are lined with parchment paper. Place the cookie sheet on 2 separate oven racks and bake the biscuits for 14 minutes until golden brown. Make sure not to over bake. Serve warm. Makes 20 biscuits.
