Thyme Lemonade
Since the weather has turned hot I have to admit that I’ve been really into making iced drinks lately. Lemonade is hard to beat as the summer beverage. Here is a nice variation on the much loved basic lemonade. If you want to make this an adult drink then add 6 ounces of vodka and make sure to hide your “amped” lemonade from the kids!
INGREDIENTS
1 Bunch Thyme
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Water
2 Cups Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Cups Cold Water
Extra Thyme Sprigs For Garnish
Lemon Slices For Garnish
In a medium saucepan bring the thyme, sugar and water to a simmer over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Strain the sugar water into a pitcher filled with ice. Now stir in the lemon juice and the cold water. Serve over ice with thyme sprigs and lemon slices for garnish. Serves 4
Pork Tenderloin Tacos
INGREDIENTS
2 Large Quartered Shallots
4 Halved Jalapeno Peppers
1 Sliced Tomato
4 Whole Green Onions
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 Two Pound Thinly Sliced Spice Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Olive Oil
Salsa For Garnish
1 Sliced Lime
Warm Tortillas For Serving
Rub the pork tenderloin with a spice mixture of your choice. Victoria’s Dry Rub makes a great rub for this tenderloin. Place the spiced tenderloin with the quartered shallots, halved jalapeno peppers and whole green onions on a foil covered roasting pan. Drizzle the tenderloin and the vegetables with olive oil and roast at 350° F for 45 minutes. When done cooking remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Thinly slice the pork tenderloin and transfer to a serving plate. Add the roasted shallots, jalapeno peppers and green onions to the serving plate. Fill warm tortillas with shredded cheese, sliced pork, sliced tomatoes, shallots, jalapeno peppers and green onions. Top with salsa and fresh lime juice. Serves 4
Panko Talapia
I try to make a fish dish at least once a week. Sometimes it is hard to come up with different ways to cook fish. I love using various flavors of panko breadcrumbs for fish dishes. Panko breadcrumbs are Japanese breadcrumbs. They are coarser and lighter than ordinary breadcrumbs. When cooked, panko’s color turns a rich golden brown and the texture becomes crisp and airy. Here is a quick and easy dish that everyone will love.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Talapia
2 Beaten Eggs
1 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Pour the beaten eggs onto a large plate and pour the panko breadcrumbs onto a separate large plate. Rinse the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper the fish filets. Dip both sides of the fish into the beaten eggs and then dip both sides into the breadcrumbs. Place coated fish into the heated olive oil. Cook for 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve with homemade tartar sauce. Serves 2
Hoisin Chops
Hoisin sauce (also called Peking sauce) is an Asian sauce and is often used in Asian cooking much like how BBQ sauce is used in American cooking. Hoisin sauce is made from soybean paste, garlic, chilies, sugar, vinegar and various spices and is a great glaze for meat and fish (Peking Duck). Hoisin sauce is also a nice condiment which can also gives extra flavor to noodle and stir fry dishes.
INGREDIENTS
4 Large Bone-In Pork Chops
1 Cup Hoisin Sauce
1/4 Cup White Wine
5 Chopped Garlic Cloves
2 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil
1/4 Cup Hoisin Sauce For Basting
With a meat tenderizer pound out the four chops. In a medium size bowl combine the hoisin sauce, white wine, sesame oil and garlic cloves. Place the 4 pork chops in a large ziplock bag. Pour the hoisin sauce marinade over the chops. Close the ziplock bag and give a gentle shake to cover all of the chops. Put into the fridge overnight. When you are ready to cook the chops remove them from the fridge. Cover your broiler pan with foil and place the chops on top of the foil. Let the chops rest for 15 minutes to come to room temperature. Baste with additional Hoisin sauce and place under the broiler for 4 to 8 minutes per side. You can also cook these chops on the grill. Turn the chops over and baste with more sauce. When done remove from the oven and transfer to a serving plate. Serve with rice and salad. Serves 4
Garlic Grilled T-Bones
Skip the necktie gift because the way to Dad’s heart is with an unforgettable steak. Celebrate Father’s Day with a “fresh from the grill” steak that he can really sink his teeth into!
INGREDIENTS
15 Chopped Garlic Cloves
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
4 T-Bone Steaks
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Your T-bone steaks should be about 12 ounces each & 3/4 inches thick. In a small size bowl combine the chopped garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Rub the garlic mixture on both sides of the steaks. Prepare your grill and grill the steaks, covered, over a medium heat. Cook for 4 to 7 minutes per side depending on how rare you want them. You can also cook these steaks under your oven broiler 4 inches from the heat. Cook for 4 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve with a salad, baked potato or grilled romaine hearts. Serves 4
Honey Mustard Grilling & Marinade Sauce
I love this grilling and marinade sauce. It is so easy to make and is extremely versatile. You can use it on pork or chicken while grilling or as an overnight marinade.
INGREDIENTS
3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
3 Tablespoons Honey
1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
3 Chopped Garlic Cloves
In a small size bowl whisk together the mustard, soy sauce, honey, ginger and garlic. Prepare your grill. Spread one side of the pork or chicken with the sauce and place sauce side down. Baste the top and grill for 6 minutes or more/less (depending on which meat or fish you are grilling). Turn your meat and baste one more time with remaining sauce. Cook another 6 minutes or more/less until done. If you decide to use this as a marinade place the meat in a ziplock bag and pour the sauce over the meat. Zip the bag and give a good shake. Place in the refrigerator overnight and remove when ready to cook. You are going to love this sauce!
Bok Choy Gratin
I had a bunch of baby bok choy in my fridge that needed to get used before making its way to the trash can. I grew up in a household that didn’t believe in wasting food and it pains me to throw food out. I would rather create a disaster meal then throw food away. This is how I created this dish and it actually turned out quite tasty.
INGREDIENTS
1 Sliced Yellow Onion
1 Diced Tomato
10 Chopped Garlic Cloves
8 Ounces Unsalted Butter
6 Small Bunches Baby Bok Choy
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Tear off the bok choy leaves, wash & dry them. In a large skillet melt the butter over a medium low heat. When the butter is melted add the garlic and onions. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and bok choy leaves. Season with the salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a large glass baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the vegetables. Place, uncovered into the oven and bake for 35 minutes until done. Remove from the oven and serve hot. Serves 4
Pain Perdu
In honor of St. Anthony we are making Pain Perdu or “Lost Bread.”
What we call French toast, the French call Pain Perdu.
Baked in butter and served covered with powdered sugar, Pain Perdu is considered a dessert in France.
INGREDIENTS
6 Large Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Milk
1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
12 Thick Slices French or Italian Bread
6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
Powdered Sugar
Preheat your oven to 400° F. In a large size bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon until well blended. Place the bread in a large shallow baking dish
slightly overlapping one another. It is best to use day old bread. If you don't have day old bread don't worry about it. Pour the egg mixture over the bread and let sit for 30 minutes.
Turn the bread with a spatula so that it gets evenly moistened halfway through the sitting time. Put the two oven racks in the middle of the oven. Place 3 tablespoons of the butter on
two baking sheets. Put in the oven and melt the butter for 1 minute. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and make sure that the butter covers the entire baking sheet evenly.
Arrange 6 slices of the soaked bread on each of the hot baking sheets. Make sure to space them evenly. Bake for 15 minutes and then turn them over to bake an additional 15
minutes. You will want the bread to be puffed and evenly browned. If you need to bake them a bit more then go ahead. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving platter.
Dust with powdered sugar. Serves 12
Organic Beer Can Chicken
I love cooking this chicken on a charcoal grill. You can use a gas grill or cook in the oven if you like. Cooking time should be between 1 to 2 hours depending on the size of your chicken and how hot your grill is. Be careful not to spill the HOT beer and burn yourself!
INGREDIENTS
1 Large Organic Whole Chicken
1/3 Cup Victoria’s Dry Rub or Your Favorite Spices
2 Fresh Limes
12 Garlic Cloves
4 Ounces Butter
1/2 Can of Beer
Wash and pat dry your whole chicken. Remove any giblets from the cavity. Pour out half of the contents the beer. You can drink it if you’re thirsty and don’t like to waste good beer! Place the chicken over the half full beer can that you placed in the rack. You can get these beer can chicken racks at hardware stores or online. These racks are about $5 in the hardware stores. Williams Sonoma has one for $30 which is a bit much I think. Stuff the neck cavity with the 12 garlic cloves so that you seal in the vapors. Slice two limes and squeeze the lime juice all over the skin. Mix your spices with the butter and smear all over the bird. Place on a prepared grill and cook, covered, for 1 to 2 hours.The juices should run clear. Remove from the grill and transfer to a serving platter. Let sit for 10 minutes and then serve. The one that I made last night was incredibly moist and full of flavor. Serves 4
If you cook in the oven place the chicken on the rack in a pie pan with a cup of water added to the pie pan. Cook at 350° F for 1 to 2 hours. Use a meat thermometer checking the thigh to make sure that the temperature reaches 180° F. When done use tongs and a long fork to carefully transfer the entire rack in its upright position to a serving platter. Let stand for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken from the rack.
Grilled Veal Chops
I love a thick grilled veal chop. For many of us, veal is a special treat, because it tastes so good. Veal is one of the leanest meats to eat and has the highest amount of protein of all meats. Veal is an ideal protein compliment to health conscious eaters who don’t want to give up meat.
INGREDIENTS
4 Veal Chops (12 Ounces Each/1 Inch Thick)
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
6 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
5 Crushed Garlic Cloves
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
In a medium size bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Arrange the veal chops in a glass baking dish. Pour the marinade over the chops and turn to coat. Let the chops marinate for 1 hour. Turn the chops over after 30 minutes so that both sides absorb the marinade. Prepare your barbecue to a medium high heat. Remove the chops from the marinade. Grill the chops for 6 minutes per side for medium-rare or until cooked to your desired doneness. Transfer the chops to a serving platter and serve with asparagus. Serves 4
