Recipes

Ginger Dressing

Ingredients
¹⁄₂ cup onion, chopped
¹⁄₂ cup peanut oil
¹⁄₃ cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 tablespoons celery, chopped
2 tablespoons ketchup
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¹⁄₂ teaspoon garlic, chopped
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in immersion blender cup and blend until smooth. 

Comments
This recipe is from [all(recipes.com](http://all(recipes.com/recipe/famous-japanese-restaurant-style-salad-dressing/).  I love the bright orange dressing that you get at Japanese restaurants.  I think I could eat salads with it by the bowlful.  I don’t know why I’ve never tried to replicate it but, for whatever reason, I haven’t.  The other day when I made Congee, and was trying to think of a side, salad with homemade dressing came quickly to mind.  This dressing is even better than the stuff in restaurants.  And, with the help of your trusty immersion blender, it comes together in a jiffy.

Internet - all(recipes

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons steak sauce
1 cup beef broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Rolls

For the cheese sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1 cup provolone, sliced, shredded, or chopped

Instructions
1. Cook ground beef, onions, and mushrooms in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook until meat is brown and vegetables start to soften.  Add steak sauce and beef broth, season with salt and pepper, cook until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, split rolls and toast.  Then melt butter in medium saucepan.  Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Stir in milk and bring to a simmer.  Continue stirring until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted and well incorporated.  Stir cheese sauce into meat mixture then serve over toasted rolls.  (You could also serve meat mixture topped with cheese sauce if desired.)

Comments
This recipe is from Dainty Chef.  I love cheesesteaks and sloppy joes so the name of this recipe called to me.  It’s pretty simple and you could swap out the mushrooms for green bell peppers or use both if that’s how you like your cheesesteaks.  I’m a mushroom gal. 

These were really tasty and Lance even opted for the leftovers over the filet mignon that was in the fridge.  I count that as a success!  This was quick and easy, a definite keeper to make on a busy evening.

Internet - Dainty Chef

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients
1 whole rotisserie chicken or Slow Cooker Chicken
8 tablespoons butter
2 large onions, chopped
¹⁄₄ cup all purpose flour
³⁄₄ cup chicken broth
2 cups half and half
1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Sriracha
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper
1 (16 ounce) can white beans, such as great northern or cannellini, drained and rinsed well
2 (4 ounces each) cans chopped mild green chilies, drained
1 ¹⁄₂ cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup milk
¹⁄₂ cup sour cream

Instructions
1. Remove all skin and bones from chicken.  Shred or chop the meat.  (I cooked my chicken in the slow cooker with rotisserie spices.)

2. Melt butter over medium heat in large pan or Dutch oven.  Cook until onion softens.  Stir in flour and cook, stirring often, 3 minutes. 

3. Slowly add broth and half and half, stirring constantly.  Increase heat to high and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened. 

4. Add hot sauce, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, beans, chilies, cheese, milk, and chicken.  Continue cooking over low heat 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

5. Add sour cream and stir well before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from Never Enough Thyme.  I served it over rice and it’s a big bowl of warm, delicious, comfort.  Art is a hard sell on things that deviate from their names, so I might need to call this something other than “chili” in the future.  (Chili has a very specific definition in Art’s world and it doesn’t include “white” and “chicken.”)  That said, we all enjoyed this – Lance and me especially.  The chicken worked very well with the cannellini beans and I was very happy with the results.  I’m sad that I didn’t get to eat that many leftovers because we’ve had so many other things in the fridge to eat as well!

Internet - Never Enough Thyme

Tomato Relish

Ingredients
1 pound tomatoes, cut into small pieces
²⁄₃ cup red onion, finely chopped
¹⁄₄ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
¹⁄₄ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and chill in refrigerator. 

Comments
This recipe is from epicurious.com.  It’s another super simple one that gets better with age/time in the refrigerator. 

Shown here with Chicken Shawarma, pita bread, Tahini Sauce, and Tabbouleh.

Internet - Epicurious

Tahini Sauce

Ingredients
¹⁄₂ cup tahini
¹⁄₂ cup fresh lemon juice
¹⁄₂ cup cold water
4 cloves garlic

Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in food processor, blender, or immersion blender cup.  Blend until well combined. 

Comments
This recipe is from epicurious.com.  It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and lasts for days in the refrigerator. 

Shown here with Chicken Shawarma, pita bread, Tomato Relish, and Tabbouleh.

Internet - Epicurious

Chef Salad

Ingredients
2-3 heads romaine or leaf lettuce, cut into pieces
6 eggs, hardboiled and chopped (I use the hardboiling method here.) 
6-8 ounces bacon, cut into small pieces, cooked until crisp, and drained
6-8 ounces deli meat such as chicken, ham, or turkey
1 small cucumber, chopped
1 small red onion, sliced into half moons
1 pint small tomatoes, quartered or halved
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
Croutons
Salad dressings of choice

Instructions
1. Arrange all ingredients on dinner plates or dinner bowls.  Serve with desired dressings. 

Comments
Sometimes it’s just nice to have a nice, big salad for dinner.  Mix and match whichever toppings you want and love.

Person - Gwen

New Funeral Potatoes

Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 onions, chopped fine
¹⁄₄ cup all purpose flour
1 ¹⁄₂ cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half
1 ³⁄₄ teaspoons salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried thyme
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 cups frozen shredded hashbrown potatoes (I used a 30 ounce bag.) 
¹⁄₂ cup sour cream
4 cups sour cream and onion potato chips, crushed (Recommended brand: Lays.  I used a 10 ounce bag.)

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350*F. Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth, half and half, salt, thyme, and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Off heat whisk in cheddar until smooth.

2. Stir potatoes into sauce, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, over low heat until thawed, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in sour cream until combined.

3. Top potato mixture with potato chips. Bake until golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cook’s Country Annual.  It was tasty, but I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it.  Perhaps there were too many chips on top and that made it a bit too greasy?  I don’t know.  The recipe has potential and I think it is superior to the standard Funeral Potatoes due to the lack of cream of mushroom soup.  Maybe that’s something that was missing, though?  Mushrooms? 

This recipe needs a bit more thought, but I think I can tweak it into perfection if I remember to revisit it. 

Shown here with Grilled Steakhouse Burgers.

Cook’s Country 2011

Salmon in Garlic Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 (6 ounces each) salmon fillets
16 tablespoons olive oil
12 cloves garlic, chopped
4 teaspoons ground cumin
¹⁄₈ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons smoked paprika
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup water
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons sugar

Instructions
1. In large skillet over medium heat, toast caraway seeds until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat then grind in mini processor. 

2. Place flour in shallow dish.  Season salmon with salt and pepper then lightly dredge in flour, shaking off excess. 

3. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in previously used skillet over medium heat.  Sear salmon until browned, about 2 minutes per side.  Remove salmon to plate. 

4. Combine garlic, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, paprika, caraway, and 4 tablespoons oil in food processor or mini processor.  Process until well ground and paste-like. 

5. Heat remaining 8 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic paste and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add tomato paste, 1 cup water, sugar and lemon juice.  Stir until well combined and cook 2 minutes. 

6. Return salmon to skillet, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 6 minutes or until salmon is cooked through. 

Comments
This recipe is from Bev Cooks.  I was a bit more liberal with the sauce than she was!  I’m still not really sure what this should be served with.  I served it with a nice salad.  (Art had Mom’s Chicken with some of the sauce on top.)  This was like a lemony marinara sauce.  Sort of.  It was pretty tasty and not the kind of flavors I’m used to having with salmon.

Internet - Bev Cooks

Grilled Steakhouse Burgers

Ingredients
For the burgers
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon pepper
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 ¹⁄₂-2 pounds ground beef
4 hamburger buns

For the steak sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
²⁄₃ cup beef broth
¹⁄₃ cup raisins
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions
1. For the burgers: Melt butter in 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic, onion powder, pepper, and salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour all but 1 tablespoon butter mixture into bowl and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

2. For the steak sauce: Meanwhile, add tomato paste to skillet and cook over medium heat until paste begins to darken, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in broth, raisins, soy sauce, mustard, vinegar, and Worcestershire, and simmer until raisins plump, about 5 minutes. Process sauce in blender until smooth, about 30 seconds; transfer to bowl.

3. Add 5 tablespoons cooled butter mixture and soy sauce to ground beef and gently knead until well combined. Shape into four (or more) ³⁄₄-inch-thick patties. Brush each patty all over with 1 tablespoon steak sauce. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons cooled butter mixture with 2 tablespoons steak sauce; set aside.

4. Prepare grill.

5. Grill burgers until meat registers 120 to 125*F (for medium-rare), 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer burgers to plate, tent loosely with foil, and let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Brush cut side of buns with butter-steak sauce mixture. Grill buns, cut side down, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Place burgers on buns. Serve with remaining steak sauce. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cook’s Country Annual and it’s awesome.  The burgers are supposed to be like the burgers you’d get in a fancy steakhouse.  The steak sauce was great and, unlike most steak sauces in stores, was HFCS free.  Always a big plus there since food I can eat is superior to food I can’t eat!  The buns were fantastic, the burgers themselves were juicy and flavorful.  These burgers rock. 

Shown here with New Funeral Potatoes.

Cook’s Country 2011

Cilantro-Crusted Roast Beef Sandwiches with Cilantro-Horseradish Pesto

Ingredients
For the roast
2 cups fresh cilantro
6 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (3-pound) boneless rump roast, trimmed

For the Cilantro-Horseradish Pesto
1 bunch fresh cilantro
¹⁄₄ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon prepared grated horseradish
¹⁄₂ teaspoon coarse salt
¹⁄₄ cup olive oil
4 Kaiser or other crusty sandwich rolls

Instructions
1. Combine cilantro, garlic, celery seed, salt, and pepper in food processor and process until smooth.  Rub this paste all over roast and refrigerate 10 to 60 minutes. 

2. Heat oven to 425*F.  Place meat on rack set into rimmed baking sheet. 

3. Roast 30 minutes then decrease heat to 300*F and roast until instant read thermometer reads 125*F, about 10 minutes per pound. 

4. Remove from oven and let stand at least 10 minutes before thinly slicing. 

5.  Meanwhile, combine all pesto ingredients in food processor and process until smooth.  To serve, place slices of beef on rolls and top with pesto. 

Comments
This recipe is from Food Network.  I wish I had made some notes while ordering the bulk cow, since I’m sure I had something in mind for rump roast while ordering.  I’m not sure what my intention was, though, so I tracked down this recipe to try instead. 

My only complaint is that the cut isn’t amazing and the grain direction changes which makes slicing hard, but that’s hardly a fault of the recipe.  The pesto was delicious and these made nice little sandwiches.

Internet - Food TV