Spinach Salad
This is a delicious main-dish salad. For a refreshing side-dish salad, simply reduce the portions and omit the egg and bacon. This salad pairs very well with roast chicken or a thick grilled pork or veal chop.
INGREDIENTS
Salad:
2 Hard Boiled Eggs (Peeled)
3 Pounds Flat Leaf or Baby Spinach
6 Diced White Mushrooms
6 Strips Crumbled Bacon
6 Slivered Green Onions
1 Sliced Green Apple
10 Toasted Whole Pecans
1 Cup Garlic Croutons
Dressing:
1 Tablespoon Honey Dijon Mustard
1 Minced Garlic Clove
1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Dill
1 1/2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together until nice and creamy. Press the egg yolks through a fine mesh strainer and finely chop the egg whites. Keep the egg yolks and the egg whites separate. Set aside. Add the spinach and mushrooms to the salad bowl and toss well to coat. Divide among 4 serving bowls. Sprinkle the egg whites, bacon, green onions and egg yolks around the top of the salad. Arrange the apple slices around the outside of the salad and layer several of the apple slices with the toasted pecans. Top with croutons. Pass around the dressing for everyone to help themselves. Serves 4
Victoria’s Risotto
This is my favorite risotto which should take only about 30 minutes to make from start to finish. My risotto is such a great dish for either a side dish or the main course.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 Cup Cooked Peas
1/4 Cup Diced Green Bell Pepper
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Minced Garlic Clove
2 Minced Shallots
2 1/2 Cups Beef Broth or Vegetable Broth
1/2 Cup Red Wine
1 Cup Arborio Rice
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoon Butter
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
In a heavy saucepan, over a medium heat, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic and shallots until they are soft. Add the kosher salt. In a separate saucepan bring the beef or vegetable broth and red wine to a fast simmer over a medium low heat. Add the rice to the olive oil pan. Stir well until all of the grains are coated and the rice becomes translucent. Add 1/4 cup of the broth mixture to the rice. Stir the rice well until the liquid is absorbed. The rice should still look moist and creamy. Add another 1/4 cup of the broth mixture to the rice and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Then pour in about a third of the remaining broth and stir well. Simmer for 10 minutes over a low heat. Stir occasionally. Add the rest of the broth and cook for another 10 minutes. The risotto will absorb the last of the liquid quickly. The risotto will be done when the kernels are soft, but with just a little bite at the center. There should be no liquid in the bottom of the pan and the risotto will be creamy and moist. If you need a bit more liquid then add a tablespoon or two of water. Stir in the cooked peas. At the very end add the butter and stir the risotto rapidly to incorporate. Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with diced green bell peppers and serve warm. Do not stir in the grated Parmesan cheese as it will make the risotto sticky and dry. Instead let each person top their own serving with Parmesan cheese if they wish. Serves 4
Weekend Coffee Cake
The perfect morning to make an easy, but delicious coffee cake for breakfast. I used apricots, plums and blueberries for the fruit, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Cup Butter
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
3 Beaten Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Buttermilk or Sour Milk
1 Sliced Plum
2 Sliced Apricots
2 Cups Blueberries
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Prepare a large baking plan by greasing sides and bottom. In a large size bowl combine the flour, brown sugar and salt. Cut in the butter. You want the mixture to look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. In a medium bowl combine the eggs and buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk use sour milk by adding 2 tablespoons of either lemon juice or vinegar to regular milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the plum and apricot slices to the top of the batter. Finally, sprinkle the blueberries on the top of the batter. Bake for 45 minutes or until done. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm. Serves 8
Baked Chicken Topped With Fresh Corn Salsa
A light and healthy dish that is great for this hot summer weather.
INGREDIENTS
4 Large Chicken Breasts (Bone-In & Skin On)
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
2 Cups Fresh Corn Salsa
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Place each chicken breast on the baking sheet. Drizzle each with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 35 minutes until done. The juices should run clear. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Plate each chicken breast and top with ½ cup of my fresh corn salsa. Serves 4
Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce
I like to make my pasta sauces ahead of time so when I need to make a quick meal I have the makings of a quick meal handy. If you don’t know what to do with all of those summer tomatoes then here is the recipe for you!
INGREDIENTS
6 Garlic Bulbs
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 Red Bell Peppers (Halved & Seeded)
25 Peeled Tomatoes
3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Cup Combined Chopped Herbs (Oregano, Thyme, Parsley, Basil)
Preheat your oven to 400° F. Peel away the dry outer layers of skin from the garlic bulbs. Leave the skins and cloves intact. Cut off the pointed top portions which should be about a half inch. You want to leave the bulbs intact, but expose the individual cloves. Put the garlic bulbs, cut sides up, in a small baking dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Cover with foil and set aside. Cut the red peppers in half and throw away the seeds. Place the peppers, cut side down, on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and drizzle the peppers with the rest of the olive oil. Place both the garlic and the peppers in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. The pepper skins should be rather charred and the garlic cloves should be soft. Remove from the oven and cool the garlic on a wire rack until cool enough to touch. Let the peppers stand for 20 minutes until they are cool enough to handle. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and throw them away. Chop the peppers and set aside. Remove the garlic cloves from the papers by squeezing the bottoms of the bulbs. Put the garlic cloves in either a blender or food processor. Cut the peeled tomatoes into chunks and add some of the chunks to the food processor with the garlic. Cover and process until chopped. Transfer the chopped garlic and tomatoes to a large heavy pot. Repeat the chopping of the remaining tomatoes. Do this in batches, in the food processor, and then all of the tomatoes to the pot. Add the brown sugar, salt, vinegar and freshly ground pepper to the tomato mixture. Bring to a boil and boil for 50 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the chopped red peppers to the mixture. Continue boiling for 20 minutes more until the mixture is reduced to about 11 cups and reaches the desired sauce consistency. Stir occasionally. Remove from the heat and stir in the assorted herbs (any combination of herbs will do). You can use this sauce immediately or freeze. This sauce is also great if you feel like canning them. Makes about 6 pints.
Pork Ribs
These ribs are delicious and easy to make. They make a great Sunday dinner and the great thing is that you don’t even need a grill to make them. Just pop them into the oven and dinner is ready. I always like to get pork ribs with the bone-in rather than the boneless. I think the bone gives more flavor.
INGREDIENTS
3 Pounds Bone-In Pork Ribs
5 Tablespoons Apricot Preserves
1/3 Cup Ketchup
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Teaspoons Grated Fresh Ginger
2 Cloves Minced Garlic
Preheat your oven to 350° F. If the ribs need cutting so they are serving size pieces then do so now. Put the ribs into a large Dutch oven. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Drain the water and set the ribs aside while you prepare the sauce. For the sauce you will need to put the preserves into a medium size bowl. Cut up any large pieces of apricots and stir the preserves. Add the ketchup, garlic, ginger and soy sauce. Stir until well combined. Brush both sides of the ribs with some of the sauce and then put the ribs, bone side down, on a shallow roasting pan. Put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. The ribs should be glazed and heated through. If you need to bake the ribs for longer than go ahead and do so. Remove from the oven. Before serving brush the ribs with the sauce that you have left. Serves 4
Cinnamon Bread French Toast
I had some leftover cinnamon bread that was on its last legs. I decided to make French Toast out of it and I have to say that Cinnamon Bread French Toast is amazing!
INGREDIENTS
4 Lightly Beaten Eggs
1 Cup Half & Half or Milk
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
8 Slices Cinnamon Bread
2 Tablespoons Butter
Maple Syrup
In a shallow bowl beat together the eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Cut the bread in half and dip the bread halves into the egg mixture. Coat both sides by letting the bread soak in the egg mixture for 10 seconds per side. On a griddle or in a skillet melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over a medium heat. Add half of the bread slices and cook for 3 minutes per side until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining butter and bread slices. Serve warm and serve with maple syrup. Serves 4
Organic Green Pea Pesto
Don’t know what to do with all of these wonderful summer vegetables? Here is a Pesto that you can make all year round. Delicious!
INGREDIENTS
10 Ounces Organic Cooked Peas
2 Ounces Fresh Basil Leaves
10 Garlic Cloves
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Cup Toasted Pistachios
You may use either organic fresh peas or frozen for this recipe. Mix all of the ingredients in either a blender or food processor and puree. Makes about 2 cups. Last night I tossed this pesto with 3 cups of cavatelli pasta (al dente) and it was excellent. Serves 4
Victoria’s Carrot Cake
If you’ve never eaten my Carrot Cake then you are in for a real treat. I rarely share this recipe and have had people beg me over the years to make my Carrot Cake for various occasions. Now you can make my cake in your own home.
INGREDIENTS
5 Lightly Beaten Eggs
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
3 1/2 Cups Finely Shredded Carrots
3/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Take the eggs out of the refrigerator and let them sit for 30 minutes to bring them to room temperature. Prepare two 8×1 1/2 inch round cake pans (grease well). In a large size bowl stir together the flour, surgar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. In a separate large bowl combine the eggs, carrots, oil and vanilla. Slowly add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until combined, but don’t over mix. Pour the batter evenly into the two greased cake pans. Bake for 35 minutes until done. Remove the cake pans from the oven and let them cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pans and allow the cake to completely cool on the wire racks. Assemble and frost the middle, sides and top with cream cheese frosting. Cover and store the cake in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serves 12
Cream Cheese Frosting
INGREDIENTS
8 Ounces Softened Cream Cheese
1 Cup Softened Butter
3 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
7 Cups Powdered Sugar
In a large size bowl beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla with a mixer on medium until fluffy. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Beat for 2 minutes to make sure to get all of the powdered sugar lumps out and the frosting is at spreading consistency. If you need more powdered sugar feel free to add more. Makes about 4 cups.
Steak Enchiladas
I had a leftover grilled steak so I decided to make Steak Enchiladas. Nice and easy. You can buy enchilada sauce, but I like to make my own.
INGREDIENTS
1 Bunch Cilantro
1 Cup Sour Cream
8 Ounces Red Salsa
8 Ounces Green Salsa (Salsa Verde)
1 Extra Large Grilled Steak
1 Sliced Red Onion
12 Flour Tortillas (6 inches)
3 Cups Enchilada Sauce
3 Cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Preheat oven to 350° F. Slice the grilled steak and the red onion and set aside. Making the sour cream mixture is easy. In a food processor or blender, combine the cilantro, sour cream, red salsa and 4 ounces of the green salsa. Pulse until you have a good puree, pour into a medium size bowl and set aside. In a separate medium size bowl combine the sliced grilled steak and the rest of the green salsa and mix well. You will need a 9×13” baking dish or a large baking dish. Pour the sour cream mixture at the bottom of the baking dish to coat. Evenly distribute the steak mixture between the 12 flour tortillas. Roll up the filled tortillas and put seam side down in the baking dish. Pour the enchilada sauce over the top of the rolled tortillas. Top with the shredded cheese and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6
