Joe's Special

This recipe is something my mother made often as I was growing up. It came from Original Joe's restaurant in San Francisco. The dish doesn't look very appetizing, but as children my brother and I loved it. Mother served it as dinner along with crusty French bread, and the adults had red wine with it. I recently saw it on a local menu in the Seattle area so I ordered it. It was pretty good, but not as good as homemade. The dish is a quick and easy meal. The recipe serves 4.

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 chopped onion
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, mashed
1/4 to 1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms
1 lb fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried
2 eggs, lightly beaten
salt & pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Brown meat in a large skillet on med-hi heat in a little oil to keep from sticking. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Lower heat and cook until onion is soft. Add 1-1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the nutmeg and oregano. Add the fresh spinach and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make a hole in the center of the mixture and add the eggs. Stir into mixture quickly and cook a couple minutes more until the eggs are done. Serve immediately.

This dish smells divine, looks horrid, but once you taste it you will be hooked.
For a low carb meal just use less onion.

Baked Salmon w/Sundried Tomatoes

I saw a similar recipe on the early morning TV today, and decided it was time that I cooked salmon myself. I don't buy it very often, because you have to cook it right away. I tend to shop every week or so. This is an easy way to prepare a salmon filet. The prep time is short, and can be done no more than an hour ahead. This would be a lovely dish to serve company.

1 section of salmon, cut into 2 " strips
1 orange
Olive oil
White wine
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt & pepper
Sundried tomatoes in oil
Dill, fresh or dry
Brown sugar

Slice the orange and lay in the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange the sections of fish on top of the orange slices, skin side down. Drizzle with olive oil. Add salt & pepper. Drizzle the fish with lemon juice. Pour white wine over all until about 1/4" deep in pan. Crumble a teaspoon of brown sugar over each piece of fish. Chop the sundried tomatoes along with dill to combine. Spread over the top of each piece of fish. Cover with saran wrap and place in the refrigerator for no more than an hour(the salmon starts 'cooking' from the acids). Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove saran wrap and place uncovered casserole in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Check to see if the fish is done at 15 minutes. When the sauce in the pan is bubbling and the fish is beginning to look opaque it is cooked. I prefer mine well done. Remove and serve.