Corned Beef Ruben Sandwiches

Corned Beef

2 qts. water

1 cup kosher salt

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 cinnamon stick, broken

1 tsp. mustard seed

1 tsp. black peppercorns

8 whole cloves

8 whole allspice berries

4 bay leaves (fresh preferably)

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

2 lbs. ice

4-5 lb. beef brisket, trimmed

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 stalk celery, cut in 2 pieces

Place the water into a large pot along with the salt, sugar cinnamon stick pieces, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, bay leaves and ginger. Cook over high heat until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the ice. Stir until the ice melts. Place the brisket into a large plastic container and fill with the brine. Seal and lay flat - cover for 10 days.

After 10 days remove from the brine and rinse will under cool water. Place the brisket into a pot just large enough to hold the meat, add the onion,, carrot and celery and cover with water by 1". Set over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce the heat and cover. Cook for at least 3 hours. Cool and cut.

Thousand Island Dressing for Corned Beef Sandwich

1/2 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. Kosher salt

3/4 c. Mayo

1/4 cup Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce

2 T. Ketchup

3 T. minced onion

2 tsp. sweet pickle relish

1 whole hard-cooked egg, finely chopped

Ground pepper

Make a paste with the garlic and salt by crushing them with the side of the chef's knife. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, mayo, chili sauce, ketchup, onion, relish and egg until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.



Meatless Meatballs (vegetarian)

1 lb. stale bread, crusts removed and cut into thick slices
1 1/2 cups milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
Olive oil for browning
2 cups of tomato sauce (homemade or jarred)
Mix all ingredients except the oil and tomato sauce. Shape into 2" balls and brown in the olive oil. Serve with the tomato sauce.

Ginger Pork Sausage

6 cloves of garlic, sliced
1" piece of ginger peeled and minced
3 oz. pancetta, finely chopped
2 1/2 lbs. pork shoulder, ground
8 oz. pork fat, ground
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup grappa
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 red onion, sliced
1 bunch of red chard
In a large bowl, conbine the garlic, ginger, pancetta, pork, fat, wine, grappa, salt and pepper flakes. Mix well and refrigerate overnight.
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet. Form the meat mixture into patties and brown; remove sausage and drain. Add the onions and red chard and cook until wilted. Serve with a good whole grain bread.

...and here is the recipe for the Swiss Chard in the picture:

Chard with Golden Raisins

½ cup GOLDEN raisins

2/3 cup Sherry

1 bunch Swiss chard, stems cut to 1/2” and leaves chopped

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 T. olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, sliced

Sauté the garlic in the olive oil in a medium skillet. Meanwhile plump up the raisins by heating the sherry and simmering the raisins until juicy plump. Add the Chard into the oil/garlic and stir until wilted. Stir in a little brown sugar and serve!

Beef Rolls

8 thin slices of Pancetta + 2 T. finely chopped pancetta

8 thin eye-of-round beef cutlets, thinly pounded

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 T. salted capers

3 oz. caciocavallo or Parmesan cheese, cut into match sticks

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped 1/2 c. dry red wine

2 cups dry red wine

32 oz. can of San Marzano tomatoes, chopped

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

Layer the beef cutlet with the pancetta slices; sprinkle each with garlic, capers and parsley. Place a couple of the match stick pieces of cheese on top of each and roll. Secure with toothpicks.

Brown the beef rolls with olive oil on a high heat on all sides; set aside.

Add the chopped pancetta, onion and carrots to the skillet and lower the heat. Soften the vegetables and add the wine and tomatoes. Reduce liquid to 1/2 and stir in the seasonings; add the beef rolls back in and continue cooking for ~25 minutes. Serve with homemade noodles. 



Gary's Easy Bread

 3 cups all purpose flour

  1 1/2 cups water

 1/2 teaspoon yeast

 1 1/4 teaspoon salt

 Mix all in bowl until just wet.  Cover with plastic wrap and leave on counter over night.  The next day, gently pour out batter on a heavily floured surface.  Gently flod it onto itself 4 times.  Sprinkle a 1/2 cup of wheat germ on to a towel.  Place dough in towel.  Sprinkle more bran on top of loaf.   Cover and let rise 1 1/2 hours.  Preheat oven to highest temp 450 or 500.  Heat a Dutch oven (with cover) or heavy pot (with cover) on stove to get real hot.  Gently pick up bread and place in pot with folds upwards.  Cover.  Bake 30 minutes with cover on.  Remove cover and cook another 15 minutes.  Let it completely cool before cutting.  



Fried Strawberries

Don't Laugh!! You won't believe how easy and wonderful these are!! The only down side is that they have to be done at the last second so that they are still warm when they are served!

1 1/2-2 cups flour + a little extra

1 pint medium to large strawberries

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

Pour 2" of vegetable oil into a heavy skillet. Place over medium high-high heat.

Mix the flour, milk sugar and egg. Beat the batter until smooth and set aside for 10 minutes. Meanwhile clean the strawberries and dry them completely. (It helps if the strawberries are room temperature) Dredge the strawberries in the extra flour and shake off any excess. Dip them into the batter and set on a plate; repeat until all the strawberries have the batter on them. (You can place the dipped strawberries into the refrigerator at this point if you have to.)

Fry the strawberries until golden brown; drain. Decorate with Strawberry jam and whipped cream.

Singapore Crab

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 frozen Dungeness crab, cut in 1/2, cleaned and cracked

2 tsp. minced ginger

3 cloves garlic minced

3 fresh red chilies, minced

1 bunch shallots

1/4 c. ketchup

1 T. sugar

1 T. soy sauce

1 tsp. salt

Combine the ginger, garlic red chilies, 1/2 the bunch of shallots, ketchup, sugar, soy sauce and salt. Pour the sauce into a blender and mix completely. Cut the other 1/2 bunch of shallots into 1/4" pieces and set aside.

Heat a large skillet until very hot. Pour in the oil then the crab. The oil will pop so be careful. Sautee the crab until slightly browned (~2 min) then add the sauce. Stir fry both until the sauce begins to caramelize a bit. Serve immediately over rice (using all the sauce). Sprinkle w/ remaining shallots.

GREAT RECIPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!!



Butternut Squash Mascarpone Ravioli

Precooked Ravioli can be frozen!

1 small butternut squash                                          

2 T. olive oil

Salt and pepper

Nutmeg

1 8 oz. container Mascarpone cheese

3 cups flour

3 eggs

1 stick of butter

Cut the squash into quarters. Cover w/ olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for about one hour. Cool. Scoop out the flesh, mash and add a little nutmeg.

For the pasta: Spread about ½ cup of flour on a cool surface. Pour the other 2 ½ cups of flour in the center of the area in a mound. Make a well in the center of the mound. Scramble 3 eggs and pour into the well. Mix the flour and eggs together adding flour if necessary. Knead the dough for ~5 min. Let it rest for ~15 min. roll the dough out w/ a pasta machine. Cut the rough edges from each rectangle of pasta. Cut squares from the pasta.

Mix the squash w/ the cheese and season to taste. Put a small teaspoon of the mixture in the center of ½ the pasta squares. Glue the top of each ravioli on w/ an egg wash making sure that the filling does not come to the edge of the square; press together firmly so as to seal in the filling.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt and drop in the raviolis making sure not to crowd the pot; cook until the pasta is limp. Drain. Just before serving brown one stick of butter in a large skillet; add ravioli into the butter and coat. Serve immediately.



Baked Ziti

I've been making this recipe for my family for years...and they STILL love it. It can be made the day before and rewarmed.

1 lb. Italian Sausage

1 large jar of spaghetti sauce (or ~3 cups of Homemade)

1 lb Penne pasta (or any ridged pasta)

½ of a medium onion, chopped small

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 lb Ricotta cheese

Boil pasta to al dente; drain. Cook the Italian sausage in a medium skillet until brown; add in the onion and cook until almost clear; add in the garlic and cook a few minutes more. Drain. In a casserole dish pour just enough sauce to cover the bottom. Mix the rest of the Sauce and Sausage mixture in a bowl. Pour ½ into the casserole dish and top it with Ricotta and mozzarella. Add another ¼ of the sauce into the casserole and the rest of the Ricotta, but only ½ of the remaining mozzarella. Layer w/ the remaining Sauce and top w/ mozzarella. Bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hour



Tomato Goat Cheese Pastry

3 Very large tomatoes, sliced 1/4" thick
10-12 oz. Texas Goat Cheese, room temperature
Fresh parsley, chopped
2 egg whites, beaten to form stiff peaks
salt and pepper
1 sheet of Puff Pastry

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix goat cheese, parsley, salt and pepper completely. Fold in egg whites and set aside.
Roll out puff pastry to fit a small cookie sheet with sides. Place parchment paper on the cookie sheet and then carefully fit the dough to the size of the cookie sheet. Place the tomatoes on top and then dollop the tomatoes with the goat cheese souffle mixture. Bake until edges of the pastry become golden browned and crispy. (~20-25 min)
This recipe is also great used as an appetizer if you cut the puff pastry into 3 or 4" squares before baking.



Ainsley's Oatmeal Cookies

2 cups oatmeal                                                                            
2 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. soda
dash of salt
1 cup oil
2 eggs
2 T. Buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and liquid ingredients in another. Mix in the raisins and pecans. Form into balls and bake for 12 min. Make a glaze with 3 T. powdered sugar and 1-2 tsp. milk. Whisk and pour over top of each cookie.



Katrina's Nutella Frosting

Easy Version

This is more of a glaze than a frosting, but for a quick and easy frosting it works beautifully!

Here we are with Annie.
She was our foreign-exchange student
from Germany almost 20 years ago.
She introduced us to Nutella.

10 oz. Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped             

1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 T. Italian hazelnut liqueur (Frangelico)

Melt the chocolate with the heavy cream on top of a double boiler. Take the frosting off the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until very smooth. Add the Frangelico and whisk again until smooth.

Pour over the top of the cake.

To make this recipe more like a frosting add 3-4 cups of sifted powdered sugar after the Frangelico and beat until stiff and smooth.

Using a box cake mix, splitting each of the 3 layers apart and filling them with Frangelica and Nutella makes for a very easy, very popular cake!



Jessy's Bacon-wrapped, Crab-stuffed Shrimp





2 lbs. large shrimp, butter-flied and peeled- keep the tail on

1/2 package Pepperidge Farm Herbed cubed stuffing mix (blue pkg)

4 T. Butter

1/2 onion, chopped small

2 stalks celery, chopped small

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp. cayenne

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup chicken broth (or less)

~1/2 lb. bacon, cut in half

Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Sauté onions, celery and garlic until soft; add Pepperidge Farm stuffing and stir. Turn heat off and add enough broth until the stuffing comes together. Season with cayenne, black pepper and salt (if necessary). Cool mixture.

Stuff each shrimp with 2-3 T. of the stuffing mixture and wrap 1/2 piece of bacon around each one. (Can be made the day ahead and refrigerated at this point.)

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and brown.

Can be served w/ a Hollandaise Sauce and used as an Entre. 

Chicken with Pineapple and Rice





3 Chicken Breasts, skinned and boned

1 (6oz) container of pineapple juice

Soy sauce

Teriyaki sauce

Pineapple slices

1 ½ cup Rice (long grain)

½ stick Butter

½ onion, chopped

3 cups Chicken broth

Marinate the breasts in the juice, soy and teriyaki sauces for at least 1 hour. Heat a grill or skillet on high heat. Add a little oil; brown chicken on both sides and cover. Turn the heat off. Make the rice while the chicken cooks through.

In another skillet melt the butter; add the rice until brown; add the onion until soft. Pour in the chicken broth and cook for 20 min or until the rice is soft.

Take the chicken off the grill and reheat. Place the pineapple slices on the grill and make marks; cook just until slightly soft.

Drago's Grilled Oysters

1 dozen fresh oysters
2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted
1 head of garlic, peeled and pulverized with 1 T. Kosher salt
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1/2 cup toasted fine bread crumbs

Heat an outdoor grill to the highest heat.
Shuck the oysters and clean leaving as much juice in the shell as possible. Place the oysters on the grill and allow them to cook for ~7 minutes.
Mix the garlic with the butter in one bowl and the cheese with the bread crumbs in another.
Spoon 2-3 T. of the garlic butter onto the oysters. The flame on the grill will ignite so be very careful. Allow the oysters to cook for 2-3 minutes then add the cheese and bread crumb mixture again being very careful. Cook until the bread crumbs become very dark brown.
Serve immediately.

Beefy Jalepano Cornbread

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

1 can corn, drained

1 can pinto beans, drained

1 lb. cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tomato, chopped

1 cup Aunt Jemima Yellow Corn Meal

1 cup flour

3 T. sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add milk, egg and oil. Beat until smooth. Pour 1/2 the batter into a well greased skillet. Sprinkle ground beef, corn beans, tomato and cheddar cheese over the batter. Add the second half of the batter and bake for

~1 hr.