Monday, February 28, 2011

Political Breakfast; Scrambled Eggs, Hashbrowns & Sweet Cornbread with Lavender Honey Butter

This was a special brunch, we needed energy to protest.  I think this was accomplished quite well with our delicious and beautiful breakfast.  We had scrambled eggs with herbs, shallots, mushrooms, sweet peppers and garlic.  We also had hash browns, and cornbread with whipped lavender and honey butter.  Needless to say we were energized and ready to support our public servants!














Monday, February 21, 2011

Pete's Cappucino

I loved the way this looked...

Ribeye Steak Sandwiches







I had my folks over for dinner last night. I wanted to make something casual that would be fun to make and eat; I broiled a thick juicy ribeye steak to medium-rare, and sauteed mushrooms, peppers, onions and garlic.  I sliced a loaf of fresh baked country pane into thick slices, and made grilled ribeye sandwiches with a creamy pepper havarti.  We served it with a spinach salad with radishes, carrots and a maple balsamic vinaigrette. Dinner was absolutely delicious.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Quick & Easy Lunch; Chicken Salad with Cashews and Dried Cranberries.

Working folks gotta' eat lunch.
Making a salad like this one is easy and you can make enough to last the week.  When I baked the chicken legs for my Chicken Noodle Soup last night I threw in a couple extra to make this salad. 

This simple dish is made with chicken leg meat, mayonnaise, red onion, scallion, cashews, dried cranberries, thyme, a squeeze of lime juice, salt and pepper.






In Sickness and In Health; Chicken Noodle Soup

This dish tastes and smells amazing and it's loaded with vegetables, vitamins, minerals, water and carbohydrates to rejuvinate a tired body.  I served this last night with a sourdough baguette, and slices of cheddar cheese.











Thursday, February 10, 2011

Lunch; Rare Roast Beef and Smoked Cheddar Sandwich

My sammie had rare roast beef, applewood smoked cheddar, onions, spinach, mayo and mustard between slices of whole grain country wheat bread.


Yep; Grilled Chocolate Chip Pound Cake, Topped With Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Milk Chocolate Sauce

I think these photos speak for themselves.






Italian Comfort Food; Eggplant Parmesan

This dish is easy, delicious and filling.  It's packed full of veggies and robust flavors, and goes perfectly with a glass of full bodied, dry red wine.

I cut the eggplant into thin slices, and coat each slice with seasoned flour.  It's then pan fried in olive oil until it  lightly browns.

My sauce is simple, and you will see it used frequently in my dishes; I use tomato, olive oil, chopped onion, chopped spinach, garlic and herbs, and cook it down until it's fragrant and thick.

The filling between layers of eggplant is a mélange of finely chopped red peppers, onions, zuchini, squash, spinach and garlic. Each layer also gets a slice of fresh mozzarella, and some crumbled parmesan.  I top it off with several slices of eggplant, and bake it until it is hot and the cheese is melted.  It is then topped with a heaping serving of red sauce. Bueno!