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.

Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce

When I was asked to try Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce I was happy to. I love barbeque sauces and condiments of all kinds.

A package came, nicely packed with 2 plastic bottles of Bob's Sauce. I had thawed some chicken in speculation of their arrival. I immediately got online and went to the Country Bob's website. They have a large selection of recipes to try out using their sauces.

The first dish I made was Country Bob's Simmered Chicken Chunks. It is very easy and delicious. You cut chicken into chunks and saute. I sprinkled some dehydrated onions over the chicken while it simmered. After mixing 1/2 cup of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce and 1/4 cup jam ( I used cherry preserves) you pour it over the chicken and simmer while stirring to cover with sauce just 3 or 4 minutes.

I really liked this dish. The sauce is not very sweet at all, so needed the sweetness of the jam. This combination turned into a delicious sauce for the chicken. The All Purpose Sauce reminds me of a combination A-1 sauce, Worcestershire, with a little sweetness in the background.



I haven't tried Country Bob's on french fries yet, but I was thinking about putting it on tater tots. It will be very good on a steak, or even a pork chop. Alot of the recipes on the website require you to add so many ingredients you probably can't taste much of Country Bob's. I think it adds alot to the background flavors of any dish. I added 2 Tablespoons to my last pot of chili, and it turned out to have an intensely flavorful soup.

I can't wait to try some of their other products such as Spicy All Purpose Sauce, Seasoning Salt, and Barbeque Sauce. They are a small company in Illinois who make just a few choice quality products. Take a look at their website and you might want to order some products. They have many specials and combination orders. They do sell retail but Country Bob's items are only available in some states. Their website allows you to search by zip code for the store nearest you. I think I'd really like the Spicy Sauce. Apparantly there are no stores within 100 miles of me that carry Country Bob's. They ship fast so I won't mind ordering the sauce anyway.

Lemon Chicken with Olives

I was ready to make Chicken Picatta the other night, and found that I had no capers. That isn't an ingredient I use often, but I had thought there were some in my cabinet. So plan B was to make the chicken anyway without the capers. It would be lemony. Then at the last minute I chopped some pimento-stuffed green olives and threw them in the pot. It was delicious. This amount made 6 thin pieces of chicken.

3 fresh boneless chicken breasts
all-purpose flour
paprika
white wine
lemon juice
olive oil
butter
chopped onions or shallots
salt & pepper
Pimento-stuffed green olives

Place a chicken breast on your cutting board and slice in half horizontally; you are basically butterflying the breast. Then cut that piece into 2. Heat a large skillet to med-hi and add equal parts olive oil and butter. Dredge the chicken lightly in flour, mixed with paprika, salt and pepper. Place in the pan and brown about 4 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan. Turn the heat to medium and add the chopped onions. Saute quickly. Pour in about 3 'glugs' of white wine, and a couple of Tablespoons of lemon juice. Add a little more butter and stir with a wire wisk. The sauce should begin to thicken and bits from the pan will loosen. Taste for seasoning. You may like more lemon vs. wine flavor. When the sauce looks nice add the chicken back to the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes or so. Throw the coarsely chopped olives on top of the chicken. Serve.

Crimini Mushroom Soup

I usually create my meals out of an urgency to use up a particular fresh ingredient that I have on hand. This week it was a giant box of Crimini mushrooms from the giant food warehouse. They had to be used up, and quickly. I had everything in the house for this good soup recipe. I made it using my basic soup method to start. At the end I used a stick blender( the kind you make milkshakes with) right in the pan and pureed the soup until there were still a few chunky mushrooms left. This makes a good meal along with crusty french bread. We had flatbread and hummus with our soup.

3 Tablespoons butter

1-1/2 lbs. crimini mushrooms, sliced

1/2 onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, diced

3 cups chicken stock or 2 bouillion cubes with 3 cups hot water

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 bay leaf

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

1 can evaporated milk

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

In a large saucepan over med heat, saute the onion, celery, and mushrooms in the butter. When they start to carmelize a little, add the stock and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer for 25 minutes. Using a stick blender, blend soup in the pan. Leave some mushroom chunks if you prefer. Add the can of milk and 1 teaspoon parsely and bring back to a slow simmer. Mix cornstarch into 2 Tablespoons of milk or water. Stir while adding to soup. Cook on low 5 more minutes, stirring until thick. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Raven's Curry with Rice

I've been waiting with baited (curry) breath for Linda over at Raven's RV to put up the Curry recipe she talked about making early in the winter. She's finally let the cat out and posted a fine recipe with pictures on how to make Easy-peasy Curry. I am making it soon, as it looks and sounds delicious.

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

(The parenthesis are the original recipe)

1 chicken breast or 1/2 lb ground meat

2.5 cups water

2 medium carrots

3 stalks celery

1 onion (1/2 onion plus 1 green pepper)

Sprinkle of salt (1 teaspoon salt)

Sprinkle of pepper (1/8 teaspoon pepper)

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Go on over to Raven's RV to see the steps to make this delicious Easy-peasy Curry.

Quick Strip Steak Dinner

The other day I needed to cook a piece of thinly cut round steak that I had purchased. This is what I came up with. It was delicious. I served it with saffron rice and green beans.

1 lb thin round steak

1 onion, sliced thinly

1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon sage

1 teaspoon thyme

1 beef boullion cube

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

seasoning salt

pepper

Slice the steak up into thin strips. Saute quickly in a large pan with a little olive oil. Add the onion and stir. When the meat is browned add the tomatoes, and all the seasonings.

Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes on low heat. Take the cover off and simmer until the juice starts thickening. Serve over rice or noodles.

Max Gail's Beef Stroganoff

Sometime back in the '70s I saw Max Gail on a daytime talk show cooking this dish. It was the Dinah Shore Show, which probably gives away my age. Max Gail played Det. Stan Wojciehowicz in "Barney Miller" for several years. Anyway, he cooked this very simply and quickly and I wrote down the sketchy recipe he gave as he did it. I usually adapt it slightly but I always refer back to this one for the basic stroganoff.

This is THE basic recipe he gave:

1 lb. meat

onion

mushrooms

1 cup sour cream

1 can beef consomme

egg noodles

salt and pepper

Put meat in a pan. When its on it's way to being cooked, add onions, mushrooms, consomme, and seasoning. Throw noodles in the same pot; not too many. Cover and cook until the noodles are tender. Add sour cream and heat. Serve.

Now this is what I do:

I use lean ground beef, or thin strips of round steak

1 medium onion thinly sliced 1/2 to 1 lb. fresh sliced mushrooms

5 or 6 handfuls of dry egg noodles

1 can Cambell's beef consomme

a couple dashes Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 Tablespoon dry parsley (fresh would be better)

1 teaspoon dried dill (fresh would also be good)

1 small container of sour cream

I use the same simple method, just give it a little flavor. Don't add more liquid or it will become soupy. The noodles need to be stirred in and stirred a few times until they are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Serve and sprinkle some parsley on top.

Turkey Cutlets with Honey, Dijon, and Lime Glaze

I recently bought some thinly sliced turkey breast cutlets in a package. I also had a box of sliced crimini mushrooms. This is what I came up with for dinner. It was delicious, and easy.

1 package turkey cutlets; pork or chicken would also work
1-8oz package of sliced fresh mushrooms
¼ of a medium onion, chopped fine or 1 shallot, finely chopped
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to season

Add to a large skillet a little olive oil and the garlic powder. Heat on med-hi and quickly brown the turkey cutlets. This only takes a couple of minutes if they are thin. Turn over and brown the other side. After turning add the salt and pepper, followed by the fresh mushrooms and onion/shallot smothering the turkey cutlets.

Put on a lid and simmer on med-low heat for about 5 minutes. Check and dot the butter over the mushrooms. Cook another 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are shrinking and becoming slightly browned.
Glaze:
Mix 2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Add a little water for desired consistency

Mix together and drizzle this over the top of the cooked turkey and mushrooms. Cover and cook on low heat for 5 minutes.

For a menu suggestion, serve with couscous and steamed pearl onions with frozen peas.

Green Chili, Chicken, and Corn Soup

The other day I got an idea to make this soup. I had made something similar before, but this time I didn’t look up a recipe and just winged it. This is what I did and it came out really tasty. This amount made 6-8 large bowls of soup.

1 roast chicken – pull white meat off both sides of the entire chicken breast and shred with your fingers. Use the rest of the bird for a chicken salad.
2 stalks celery, diced
5 scallions, diced
½ red bell pepper, chopped
15 oz can corn (with juice), or frozen, or fresh corn
15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes (with juice), or other diced tomato product
7 oz can of mild diced green chilies
2 dashes of Worcestershire
2 Tablespoons ketchup
¼ cup of green or red salsa, or both
2 chicken bullion cubes- or boxed broth
Water to cover over about an inch
Any leftover beans you might have. I threw in half a can of ranch style beans. Black beans would be good, but not too many.

Sauté the celery, onions, and pepper in a little olive oil. Start adding chicken and all other ingredients but the water or broth. Now I add: a palmful (About a large Tablespoon) of cumin, chili powder, dried parsley and oregano. A teaspoon of garlic powder, dash of cayenne, a teaspoon of seasoning salt, black pepper, shot of any Mexican hot sauce, a palmful of dried cilantro, or you could chop fresh, and a few shakes of Mrs. Dash Spicy. You can use any or all of these spices according to your tastes. After all that is simmering well, add your liquid and bring back to a nice simmer. Taste for seasoning. Adjust if needed at this time. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Ladle into bowls for a perfect meal.

We served ours with an onion - faccacia bread. I know; that’s Italian. But it was very good to go along with the slightly spicy soup. Cornbread would also go very well on the side.

Polenta

My friend Yvonne served us this dish once and I just loved the smooth texture and great base it made for spaghetti sauce, or any other savory sauce. It is really easy and done in the microwave! This amount serves 4-6.

1/4 cup cornmeal, or polenta
1 cup water or chicken stock(vegetable stock would also do)
Mozzarella cheese chunks, 2 string cheese packs, or chunks of Monterey Jack cheese

Place cornmeal and liquid in a medium microwavable bowl. Add chunks of cheese on top. Microwave on high for 8-9 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes. Cook to desired consistency, and it will thicken as it cools.

Serve scoops covered with a nice marinara sauce, and a side salad for a light meal. Don't forget the wine!

Bacon and Corn Chowder

This is a hearty soup, and can be used as the main dish. My mother made this when we were children and I always looked forward to it. Served with a little crusty bread it's a meal. Cooks up quickly.

3 slices of bacon, diced
1 can creamed corn
1 chopped onion
1 cup diced potato
1 Tablespoon sugar
3 cups hot water
1 can evaporated milk or
2 cups milk or cream
2 egg yolks

Fry the bacon until crisp, then add onion and potato. Saute lightly. Add everything but the milk and eggs. Bring to a simmer and cook about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the milk and heat slowly. When ready to serve, add a little hot soup to 2 egg yolks and beat with a fork. Add to soup while stirring. Add 1 Tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle with parsely. Serves 4 easily.