Saturday Lunch the Kid

Peanut Butter
Marmalade
Heel of whatever is left in breadbox, old bagel will do
Milk

Put all ingredients on kitchen table in original containers, being careful not to set table, except for dinner-size plate and glass. Spread bread with peanut butter and marmalade.
Pour milk
Timing is important, best if served and finished just as spouse comes in at 1:00p.m. with bags of groceries including cold meats, fresh salad greens, chips and fruit.

Boursin Cheese (makes 3 cups)

2 sticks margarine or butter softened
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 clove garlic, pressed
½ teaspoon each oregano and coarsely ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon each basil, dill weed, marjoram and thyme

Mix all ingredients in blender or with a mixer. Refrigerate overnight and serve at room temperature with party rye, French baguettes or crackers.

Freezes well.

Festive Seafood Wreath

2- 8 oz pkgs of cream cheese
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 4oz can crab meat-drained, flaked and cartilage removed
2 cups chopped celery
1 Tbsp snipped chives
1/3-cup chili or seafood sauce
18 med shrimp or a can of salad shrimp
2 Tbsp parsley snipes

Gary’s Seafood Chowder

½ cup diced onions
½ cup diced celery
Sauté above in butter for 2 or 3 minutes

Add-one 8 oz pkg of cream cheese and stir until creamy
Add 1-½ cups dry white wine and stir until blended

Add 2 cups of chopped potatoes and cook until half way done-add water to cover if necessary. Some people omit potatoes and just use seafood. When the potatoes are half way done:

Add 2 cups of seafood-any combination of salmon, scallops, haddock, shrimp and lobster
Add one pint of whipping cream and simmer for at least 30 minutes. ( DO NOT BOIL)
Salt and pepper to taste

Pork with Port Wine Raisin Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 cup port wine (I've only used sweet - don't know how tawny port would be)
1/3 cup raisins
1 Tbl honey
1/2 cup low sodium reduced fat chicken broth
4 pork loin chops

Directions:
Combine first three ingredients and set aside.
Put olive oil in pan and heat on medium high
Put chops in pan and sprinkle with cracked black pepper
Cook about 4 minutes on each side (or until done depending on thickness and desired doneness)
Remove from pan
Add chicken broth to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits (this is called deglazing)

Sen5es Decadent Chocolate Mousse

10 oz fine dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

6 tbsp unsalted butter

5 eggs, separated

1/4 c granulated sugar

Mad About Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust:

1 c crushed chocolate wafers

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

3-8oz pkgs cream cheese (regular or reduced fat), softened

3/4 c sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 oz white chocolate, melted

3 oz semi-sweet/dark chocolate, melted

2-3 tbsp Grand Marnier or Tia Maria (optional, but recommended!)

Ganache:

3/4 c whipping cream

6oz semi-sweet/dark chocolate, chopped

For Crust:

Combine crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9" spring form pan. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

Beefy Grain-Free Treats

You can make these large or small and even feed them in place of a meal.

1 lb ground beef (or ground venison), raw

1/2 c chicken broth (I use low salt, organic)

2/3 c black or kidney beans, cooked & mashed

2/3 c cottage cheese

Mix ground meat and chicken broth in a bowl. Add the beans and cottage cheese. Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Shape the mixture into bones or squares and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 45 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Let cool.

Pizza

Use a bag of pizza dough from the supermarket
or make your own. It's a little cheaper and so easy
in a food processor.

I use Cuisinarts food processor recipe
1 envelope yeast
1 tsp sugar
2/3 cup water
1 2/3 cup flour
3/4 tsp flour

bring water to roughly baby bottle warmth,
dissolve sugar into some or all of the water
and add the packet of yeast, in about 5 minutes the
the yeast will start getting bubbly and frothy,
it's alive and ready.

Add flour and salt to processor, pulse it to mix,
turn it on and add the water yeast mixture in thin stream,

Linda’s Bolognese Sauce

I make this in pretty good-sized batches and freeze in plastic containers. (Yes, it separates a little as it thaws, but if you reheat it slowly and stir the liquid through, it’s fine.) Here are the quantities I use – if you want to make less you’ll have to fool around a little.

6 1lb, 12oz cans tomato puree (any brand will do)
3 6oz cans tomato paste (I like Contadina with Italian Seasonings, if you can find it)
1 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs chopped meat (80% - 20% works well)