Sometimes I just want appetizers and a nice couple of cocktails for dinner. Anyone else like that? Next weekend is College football & Labor Day weekend. It has me thinking about the appetizers and tail gate foods. I love planning menus for each Saturday game. Sometimes it is chili, or sandwiches, steaks, or finger foods. Today I made chimichurri meatballs, Salsa Verde shrimps, and stuffed mushrooms. I baked everything on a foil lined cookie sheet at 350*. I made three little foil boats, one for shrimp, one for meatballs & one for mushrooms.

Meatballs! Ingredients. 1 lb. Ground Beef, 2 teaspoons olive oil. 1 diced medium onion. 3 garlic cloves, minced. 3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs. 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. 2 eggs. 1 teaspoon dried basil, oregano and parsley. Sprinkle of kosher sea salt.

Once they are ready to be served I drizzle a little chimichurri sauce over the top. I have become addicted to Chimichurri sauce on beef. This recipe is so easy. I add the following ingredients in my blender, minced parsley, garlic, red wine vinegar, oregano, red pepper flakes, lemon juice and olive oil.

Food brings certain emotions and feelings to people. I like to think of what I want my family or friends to feel when preparing every dish. Shakshuka is one of those family centered comfort meals that is a delight to share. I serve it in a large iron skillet in the center of the table with lots of toasted crusty bread. The recipe is a very easy, no stress meal to prepare. I normally wake up earlier than my family & I go downstairs make a cup of coffee, sit & watch the news & savior my quiet time. I chopped my veggies for this dish, drizzle olive oil, salt & pepper, add to a large iron skillet & roast in the oven at 350*-375* until the veggies are tender and a little brown. This gives me time for my second cup of coffee while the veggies roast. Once the veggies are tender and caramelized I remove the skillet from the oven and finish cooking on the stove top. At this point I add the crushed tomatoes to the cooked veggies along with the garlic, paprika, and chili powder. Let it simmer on low until it’s time to add the eggs. Once everyone is awake and ready to eat I add the eggs. When you wake to the smell of roasted veggies you are ready to eat! Make a well with a spoon and crack your eggs in each well. Cover the skillet and let it simmer for about 3 minutes…longer if you prefer less runny eggs. Once the dish is ready to serve sprinkle some parsley & your choice of cheese. I like feta, blue cheese or whatever I have on hand. It is such a warm, silky breakfast full of veggies & flavor. You could enjoy this for a dinner with a salad. I serve with crusty toasted bread. You can spoon out a serving onto a plate or serve in the iron skillet in the center of the table and let everyone share. This recipe gets an A+ from my family. I think you will enjoy this nice veggie centered breakfast.

Shakshuka

Ingredients

·         1 tbsp olive oil

·         1/2 onion diced

·         1tablespoon minced garlic

·         1 zucchini diced

·         1 cup of diced eggplant

·         2 cans (14 oz. each) diced tomatoes

·         2 tbsp tomato paste

·         1 tsp mild chili powder

·         1 tsp cumin

·         1 tsp paprika

·         Pinch of cayenne pepper

·         Salt and pepper, to taste

·         6 eggs

·         1/2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)

Happy Martini Day!!

I love a good martini.  It took me a few years to perfect “my” perfect martini. I tried several different recipes until I finally came up with the perfect concoction for my taste.  My gin of choice is Beefeater. I add 2 shots of gin into a shaker over crushed ice, along with 2 shots of Boissiere vermouth from France. I squeeze a little lemon juice into the shaker then I stir rather than shake. I rub the rim of the glass with the lemon and pour the chilled martini into the glass. Sometimes I add a couple olives or a couple pickled onions. If I happen to be out of olives I don’t let that stop me from making a martini. Cheers to you all on this Martini Day! I hope you enjoy my version of this classic drink. Remember to drink responsibly.

You don’t need a grill to make a delicious brisket. This recipe is a simple no stress meal that will leave you plenty of time to hang with the Dads in your life.

Sprinkle the seasonings below on your brisket then cover tightly with foil and place the brisket in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Remove the brisket from the fridge and uncover. Sprinkle it with a little more seasonings, then cover it with foil again and place it in the oven to roast for 5 hours (approximately 1 hour per pound of meat)

• Black Pepper
• Granulated Garlic
• Granulated Onion
• Fajita Seasoning
• Paprika
• Garlic powder
• Kosher salt coarse
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Lime & lemon zest

Cube and boil your potatoes. Mash potatoes, add about a tablespoon mayonnaise, a tablespoon of horseradish, minced garlic, butter, pepper and salt.

Cooking for one does not have to be boring. I spent the day lounging in the sun, napped and decided to treat myself to a nice dinner on the patio. Tuna steaks take no time to prepare.

Season both sides of the tuna steaks with steak seasoning.

Add butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Put the seasoned tuna in the skillet and cook. 1 1/2 minutes per side for rare, longer each side for more well done.

I served the steaks over a bed of lemon garlic sautéed spinach along with a drizzle of Tiger Sauce. Tiger sauce is a spicy sweet sauce that is great on fish, pork & beef dishes.

This is one of the quickest meals to prepare and so satisfying. I hope you try this recipe soon and enjoy it as much as I do.

Charcuterie is a French word for prepared meat products, like ham, sausage, pâtés, cured meats & confit. It is served with cheeses, crackers & bread, jams, candied nuts, olives and picked things.

What should be on your charcuterie? Include a few sweet & a few sour ingredients. Sweets like as jams and salty items like olives, fresh fruit & raw or pickled vegetables, meats & cheeses.

When I am making a charcuterie board, I like, salty, nutty, creamy, sweet, soft, crunchy. If you can get a little of all these things, you will have the perfect charcuterie board. In the summertime it makes a great dinner along with a glass of your favorite chilled wine.

My go to cheeses:

Dubliner, a nutty cheddar cheese you can buy at most any grocery store. Kerrygold makes an awesome Dubliner cheese.

Brie or Goat cheese, creamy, soft and spreadable cheese.

Gruyere or Gouda. Gruyere is a sweet but slightly salty cheese. I love smoked gouda! Gouda is a sharp sweet buttery cheese.

Sharp & mild cheddar are great choices also and can be purchased anywhere.

Blue cheese! I love it! Some people don’t. Blue cheese is salty, sharp, tangy and has a strong odor. I love the look of blue cheese with it’s blue veins.

It’s up to you! Put the cheeses that you love! I like to cut each cheese in a different shape, sliced, wedges, or cubes. Be adventurous! Try different cheeses. Some places will allow you to taste before purchasing.

Now for my meats! Prosciutto, ham, pepperoni, salami, sopressata or capicola. Some stores will sell a Charcuterie set and do all the work for you. I find that ALDI has a great selection of Italian meats for an affordable price & they also sell the set.

For your final touches add your olives, pickles, nuts, fresh or dried fruits. I love all olives, black, green, purple or garlic stuffed & pickles too! Nuts are up to your taste. Just sprinkle a few on your board. I like dried apricots, dried cranberries, fresh sliced apples and red grapes. Really the nuts and fruits are anything you love. Add some tiny bowls of jams which will go great with your brie along with crackers & breads and you are good to go! Pour a glass of wine, relax & munch away!

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This recipe is so easy to prepare, you’re friends will think you’re a chef! All you need are a few ingredients: Salmon, teriyaki sauce, sesame seeds, chives or green onions, olive oil. Marinate your salmon in the teriyaki sauce & olive oil for at least 20 minutes. Bake the salmon at 400* for 12-16 min. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, chives or chopped green onions just before serving.

Carolina Gold is an heirloom rice that some people in the Carolina’s are bringing back to life. You must taste! Carolina Gold is a long grain rice, a non-aromatic rice with chameleon starch properties that allow it to produce fluffy, individual grains; creamy risotto; or sticky Asian-style rice, depending on how it is cooked. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store you can always order online.

http://ansonmills.com/

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I love lemons! I could eat anything cooked with lemons. I even eat lemons as a snack!

One lemon provides about 31 mg of vitamin C, and eating fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke.Lemons can prevent kidney stones & improve digestive health. I can’t say enough good things about lemons, I love how they smell and how they taste. I simply LOVE them. Especially in warm weather! One thing I do is add ice in my blender and turn it into snow. I scoop the ice into a large coffee mug. Then I add a pinch of sea salt & the juice of one lemon. I savor each spoonful of my salty lemony snow. This is not for everyone but if you like salt & lemon you need to try it. I was talking to some friends at work one day about my lemon addiction and I found they love this too! So now we keep lemons in the office frig, sea salt in my lunch bag & we have a crushed ice machine in our break room. I like to think of it as my homemade electrolyte replacement.

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Easiest Lemon Blueberry Cake Ever!

1 box vanilla cake, plus ingredients called for on box.

Juice and zest of 1 1/2 lemons, half for cake & half for frosting, plus more zest for garnish

1 3/4 c. fresh blueberries, coat 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour. This will keep the blueberries shrinking.

Add to the cake mixture

Divide the cake batter into 2 or 3 pans, your preference. Bake according to box.

Icing:

1 c.  (2 sticks) butter, softened

3 c.  powdered sugar

1/4 c.  heavy cream

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Pinch of kosher salt 

Top with thin lemon slices & lemon zest.

Chicken Piccata

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Yummy chicken that is  dredged in seasoned flour, sautéed in butter, and smothered in  lemon-butter pan sauce studded with salty capers. Three of my favorite things! Chicken, Lemons, and capers. I found this recipe at Bon Appetit.

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/chicken-piccata-2

This recipe takes around 30 minutes to prepare. I serve with angel hair pasta & broccolini and a glass of chardonnay

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From time to time my family will celebrate “theme weekends” We say we do it for the children but, we do it for the adults as well. We let the kids pick a country, then they pick our new name for the weekend. My son is a history major, so he gives everyone a lesson on the history & culture of that country and I cook! We all go by our new names, we pick our play list & really get into it.

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Best Cuban Sandwich!

I love these sandwiches. I cooked a Boston Butt in the crock pot & used some of the meat for sandwiches and saved some for our dinner.

You will need: Sliced Sourdough bread or hoagie rolls, salami, deli ham, mustard, swiss cheese slices, & Claussen Kosher Dill Pickle Sandwich Slices. Spread mustard on both slices of the bread & add the cheese on both sides, then fill the sandwich with your meats & pickle slice. You can use a panini press or your oven to grill the sandwich. I use my large iron skillet. I add butter and simply act like I am making a grilled cheese sandwich.

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Pulled Cuban pork over rice with black beans, avocados & olives.

Add minced garlic, green olives, orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, oregano, cumin over the pork and rub it into the meat. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 6 hours in a crock pot. Remove and pull the pork apart. Serve over white rice or yellow rice along with black beans.

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Papa Hemingway

Papa Hemingway. If you wanted this drink, you would ask for a “Papa Doble.” Hemingway called it a “trago del camino.” (Literally drink for the road.) This created the popular expression, “One for the road.” My Papa recipe: 1 shot of White rum or more if you are feeling sassy, poured over crushed ice, a shot of maraschino cherry juice, grapefruit juice, a little lime juice, stir & top with a cherry.

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Special treat for the grown-ups. Perfect way to end our Cuban celebration!

Sopa de Pescado (Fish Soup)

I tasted this soup a couple years ago at La Calle Doce Restaurant, Bishop Arts District in Dallas, Texas

https://www.lacalledoce-dallas.com/

Everything there was amazing! I fell in love with their fish soup, so I attempted to recreate it on my own at home. I Googled and took a little from this recipe & a little from that recipe & I came up with a pretty close copy of their soup. This is one of the fastest soups to prepare and cook. It takes around 30 minutes from prep to cook to plate. Some recipes I found included pumpkin (cubed) and I suppose you could add sweet potatoes to the recipe. My recipe included things I always have on hand. I hope you give this recipe a try, it is amazing and healthy too.

1 1/2 lbs. of cod or tilapia

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 large carrot – diced

1 cup of potatoes – diced

2 quarts of water 

Chopped cilantro-add some when cooking & save some to garnish.

Sea salt

2 tablespoons of your favorite salsa

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