Wedge Salad

Wedge Salad

Very nice if your having a dinner party.

1 head of iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup of bacon (fry it real crisp and crumble)
1 diced tomato
1/2 medium red onion diced
1/2 cucumber diced
Balsamic Vinegar

Most people have this with blue cheese dressing, but I like ranch.  You can use any type of dressing

Make sure you squeeze the iceberg lettuce pick one that's real firm.  Remove top layer and cut into 4 wedges.  You can dice the red onions, cucumbers and tomato ahead of time.  The bacon can also be done ahead of time.  I like all my veggies dices neatly and small.

Chill small dishes in freezer for about 15 minutes or longer.

Pour about 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar on plate and place wedge directly on top.
Pour a generous amount of salad dressing on lettuce and then nicely spread cut up veggies on top, add crumbled bacon.  This is so easy and good.  When you start getting to the middle of the wedge that has very little dressing some dressing drips down and gets mixed with the balsamic.  Delicious!

Quick and Easy Mozzarella Chees Sticks

Quick and easy mozzarella cheese sticks

1 bag of string cheese (individually wrapped)
1 package of spring roll wrappers (if to big cut down)
oil for frying
Marinara sauce

Wrap each cheese stick with a spring roll wrapper.  You can cut wrapper in 2 pieces depending on the size you buy.  Heat up the oil in a heavy sauce pan, drop only a few at a time in the oil, otherwise they don't fry properly.  When brown remove with a slotted spoon, if you leave the cheese stick to long in the oil the cheese will start oozing out.

Serve with marinara sauce.



Peanut Noodles



Peanut Noodles

1 box of Spaghetti or Fettuccini
3 TBS of peanut butter

1 bunch of cilantro chopped without big stems

4 or 5 scallions chopped with green

2 cloves of garlic

2 tsp of sesame seed oil

1 jalapeno or 1/2

1/2 cup of water

1 English cucumber - diced small

1 red or green pepper chopped small

Roughly chopped cilantro for garnish

Lime wedges

Boil pasta per box instructions.

Place cilantro, peanut butter, scallions, garlic, jalapeno, sesame oil in food processor. Pour water slowly, don't make it too thin use judgment. 

Place pasta in a pot and pour peanut sauce to heat everything through.  If it begins to stick, turn heat off or add a few drops of water.

Serve pasta and add diced cucumber, pepper, cilantro on top of the pasta and garnish with a wedge of lime.  Delicious.

Orzo

Baked Orzo

I made this the other night it was so good.  I almost ate the whole thing.

1/4 box of orzo
5 cups of chicken broth, or water with chicken bouillons
2 Tbs butter or a little more
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven 450, then turn down to 400
Bring broth to a boil.  Pour orzo in a casserol dish, add boiling broth, salt and butter.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 minutes.

After 35 minutes open and check, if it needs to dry up a little just leave it open, or if it's hard cover again.  After 10 minutes it should be done.

GYRO

Best Gyro I've had in a long time...

1 Lb or ground hamburger 90%

2 teaspoons of cumin

1 teaspoon of Adobo

1/2 bunch of chopped mint leaves about 1/2 cup

1 good size onion chopped

1 Jalapeno (optional)

3 Pitas cut in half wrap in foil, makes 6 gyros

1 cup regular Greek yogurt. Sprinkle with salt to taste and mix in a bowl.

Lettuce shredded
Slices of tomato

Raw onions if you like (optional)

Mix ingredients meat, cumin, adobo, mint leaves.  Make into 4 or 5 patties.  Heat oil and brown patties, turn on both sides and remove quickly, place on paper towel.  If you like them well done, don't worry too much because you are going to cook again.   Slice meat patties into 5 or 6 pieces.

Add chopped onions to pan and fry for a few minutes, then add meat slices.

Heat oven to 450 and place pitas wrapped in foil.

Assemble:

Open pitas, add meat, lettuce, tomato, and yogurt sauce. Wrap with foil again just leaving top opening.

Another option is to leave pitas whole and just add ingredients in center and wrapp again with foil so that filling doesn't fall out.

Leek and Aspargus Soup

Leek and Aparagus Soup with Crostini on the side

This soup is delicious, we had this two nights ago.  My daughters BFF called and said she wasn't feeling well could I please make her some soup.  I made it after I put the boys to bed at 10:00 PM and it was delicious.

2 small leeks or 1 large leek, rinsed well and sliced1 bunch of asparagus, cut into small pieces
2 large russet or Idaho potatoes or just baking potatoes, cut in small cubes
2 or 3 chicken bullions or you can use the powder bullion to taste

Olive oil

1/2 light cream, or you can use half and half and just add some milk

6 cups of water

Pepper to taste

Sauté the leeks in olive oil.  Remember leeks have a lot of sand so rinse them well or soak for a few minutes.  Add asparagus and sauté for about 4 minutes.  Add about 6 cups of water chicken bullion, simmer for about 15 minutes.  Let cool for about 45 minutes, then put in blender, in batches.  Remember if still warm it can spray or lid can be blown off so put a towel over lid and hold tight.  If you're blending soup while it's hot be even more careful, im very impatient and usually do this, but I have a good blender that releases the steam.  I still put a town over lid and hold tight just to make sure.

After all is blended continue simmering and add potatoes.  When potatoes are soft try to mash them with a potato masher or just with a fork.  Pieces can still be whole it still tastes good.  Add cream, if you want a thinner soup you can add milk, or add half and half and milk.  Finish with pepper.

You can slice french bread, spray a little butter and place in oven.  Delicious...