Box choy and noodles with shrimp or pork

 

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 7 ounces thin rice noodles or rice sticks  I have used pasta. 
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided  
  
• 1 head bok choy (about 1 pound), chopped, greens and whites separated 
• 3 or more scallions, sliced, greens and whites separated 
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger or dry as suggested on bottle 
• ¼ cup chili-bean sauce (see Tip) or chile-garlic sauce 
• 1 pound ground pork or shrimp
• 2 cups unsalted chicken broth  
  
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce 
• 1 teaspoon white sugar 
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch 
• 1 tablespoon water 
• Crushed red pepper for garnish 
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Directions

• Step 1

  Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside. 

• Step 2

  Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large flat-bottomed wok or cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add bok choy whites and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add bok choy greens and cook until wilted, about 1 minute more. Transfer all the bok choy to a medium bowl.

• Step 3

  Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, scallion whites, ginger and chili-bean sauce (or chile-garlic sauce) to the pan. Add pork and cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Add broth, tamari (or soy sauce) and sugar. Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add to the pan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in the reserved noodles and bok choy; cook, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve topped with scallion greens and crushed red pepper, if desired.

Spinach salad

 1 bag baby spinach

Three slices bacon

1 shallot

1 glove garlic

Equal parts of  (2+ T)

  White vinegar

  Dijon Mustard

  Honey

Thin slice bacon and crisp fry. Reserve fat in pan. Reserve bacon crisps  

Thin slice shallot and sauté three minutes. 

Mince garlic and sauté  ~ two minutes

Combine vinegar, mustard and honey. Add to pan and bring to a boil. 

Drizzle sauce over spinach.  Toss to combine  sprinkle reserved bacon. 

Pork chops cassoulet

1. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and add them to the casserole. Cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden, about 7 minutes total. Transfer the chops to a plate.
2. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper to the casserole and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the vegetables just start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, thyme, bay leaves and 2 cups of the milk and bring to a simmer. Return the pork chops to the casserole, cover and braise over very low heat until tender, about 2 hours.
3. Transfer the pork chops to a platter and cover with foil. Spoon 4 cups of the braising liquid and vegetables into a blender, discarding the bay leaves, thyme sprigs and remaining vegetables and liquid. Puree the vegetable sauce until smooth.
4. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over moderately high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook until bubbling. Whisk in the vegetable sauce and the remaining 1/2 cup of milk; cook over moderate heat, whisking, until the gravy is thickened and no floury taste remains, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the chops with the mashed potatoes and gravy. 

1. extra-virgin olive oil
2. Six 8-ounce well-marbled boneless pork loin chops
3. Kosher salt
4. Freshly ground pepper
5. 1 large onion, chopped
6. 1 large carrot, chopped
7. 2 celery ribs, chopped
8. 5 garlic cloves, smashed
9. 2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
10. 5 thyme sprigs
11. 5 bay leaves
12. 2 1/2 cups whole milk
13. 3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
14. 1 cup heavy cream
15. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
16. 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Stroganoff

½ cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds beef tenderloin or boneless sirloin of beef, trimmed of all exterior fat and cut int 2-by-1/4-by-1/4-inch strips

½ cup (one stick) butter

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ pound mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 cups beef stock or canned beef bouillon

1 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons finely chopped

1. Combine the flour, salt and pepper. Dredge the meat in the mixture.
2. Brown the meat in one-quarter cup of the butter in a saucepan. Remove meat from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the onion to the pan and sauté until transparent. Add the mushrooms and remaining butter and sauté 3 to 5 minutes longer.
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5. Add the beef stock or bouillon and bring to a boil. The preparation, to this point, may be done ahead.
6. Add the meat to the sauce and cook until meat is tender but not overcooked, 3 to 10 minutes, stirring often.
7. Combine sour cream, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Add some of the beef sauce to sour cream mixture. Return to pan 
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9. and heat meat and sauce, stirring. Do not boil. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with buttered parsley noodles.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of smoked leftover brisket 
• 1 1/2 cups of brisket juice or beef broth
• 1 cup of sliced onions
• 3 tablespoons of butter, 2 - 3 tablespoons of flour
• 1 pound of fresh button mushrooms
• salt and pepper
• 12 ounces of sour cream
• 1 teaspoon of horse radish
• 1 tbn parsley
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup of tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups of cooked noodles

Instructions

1. Saute the onions with a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet. Once they are soft, add the sliced mushrooms, then melt the butter in the same saucepan. 
2. Add the flour and make a paste. Stir in the brisket juice/drippings, or you can use beef broth. Add in the tomato paste.
3. Once it's softly boiling, add the red wine, sour cream, horseradish, parsley and a bit of salt and pepper. Let it it come to a slow boil again. Add in the smoked brisket - until it's warmed through, then take it off the heat.
4. Serve immediately over noodles - we usually use egg noodles. You can garnish it with parmesan cheese and parsley, if you're feeling fancy

Quick biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 Stick Butter, Melted
• 3/4 Cup Milk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Prepare a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray or parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and garlic powder.
• Stir the butter and milk into the flour mixture just until moistened.
• Drop the batter by heaping Tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes until golden.

Wings

Ingredients: 48 chicken wings (ideally humanely-raised)

For wet brine: 1 cup kosher salt, ½ cup sugar, 4 cups water (hot), 7 cups ice

For dry rub: ¼ cup neutral oil, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup paprika, 2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp ginger powder, 1 tbsp onion powder

For maple chipotle sauce: 1 can (7 oz)  chipotle in adobo, 1 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1 cup cider vinegar, ½ cup tamari, ½ tsp salt

Directions 

1. Combine kosher salt and sugar.
2. Pour hot water over the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk until dissolved (water will be clear when dry ingredients are fully dissolved).
3. Add ice and stir until ice melts.
4. Pour wet brine over wings and refrigerate for two hours.
5. Drain brine from wings and let dry in the refrigerator overnight (uncovered).
6. Make the dry rub by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl.
7. Once the wings have dried overnight in the refrigerator, toss them in the dry rub spice blend until coated.
8. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and roast the coated wings on a rack-lined sheet tray, flipping halfway through the cooking process, about 30-35 minutes (internal temperature of 165 degrees F). Cook for an additional 10 minutes if you want fall-off-the-bone meat.
9. While wings are in the oven, prepare the maple chipotle sauce by blending all of the ingredients until smooth.
10. Once wings are finished, toss them in the maple chipotle sauce and serve with ranch or bleu cheese dressing and crudités

Lemon Pasta

 Lemon pasta

• 1 lb linguini
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (half and half or whole milk can sub)
• 8 oz skim ricotta or cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Parsley for garnish
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Instructions

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions without adding any salt. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid.
2. Place reserved cooking liquid, lemon zest, lemon juice, cream and ricotta cheese in a blender. Process until smooth.
3. Heat a deep skillet over medium heat.
4. Add the sauce to the pan. Whisk in Parmesan cheese and stir. Continue to heat sauce for 1- 2 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Add in pasta, tossing to coat.