Cassie's dinner

Pasta salad with avocado, tomatoes and bacon, meatballs with a jalapeno sauce, potatoes and jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon.

I don't remember the names of the dishes or know what all is in the recipes but all of these were first time things from Cassie and they were all good.

Back by popular demand- Cuban steak

No pictures or recipes. They have been posted before but family requested grilled chuck eye steak seasoned with garlic oil, adobo and cajun seasonings.  We also had chimichurri sauce, nopalitoes with tomatoes and onions and fried sweet potatoes.

Grilled Chicken with mustard glaze, salad and green beans.

Salad is tomatoes, romaine, hard cooked eggs, bacon and cheese.

Green beans simmered in salted water with a little honey, onion and bacon.

I used this recipe but did not make the mashed potatoes. I cooked the chicken outside on the grill.

The recipe is from Jaques Pepin.

Mustard Crust 

2 tablespoons chopped garlic 

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 

2 tablespoons dry white wine 

1 tablespoon soy sauce 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 teaspoon Tabasco hot pepper sauce 

1 teaspoon herbes de Provence 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 chicken (about 31/2 pounds) 

Fluffy Mashed Potatoes 

For the crust: Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut alongside the backbone of the chicken to split it open. Spread and press on the chicken with your hands to flatten it. Using a sharp paring knife, cut halfway through both sides of the joints connecting the thighs and drumsticks and cut through the joints of the shoulder under the wings as well. (This will help the heat penetrate these joints and accelerate the cooking process.) 

Put the chicken skin side down on a cutting board and spread it with about half the mustard mixture. Place the chicken flat in a large skillet, mustard side down. Spread the remaining mustard on the skin side of the chicken. Cook over high heat for about 5 minutes, then place the skillet in the oven and cook the chicken for about 30 minutes. It should be well browned and dark on top. 

Let the chicken rest in the skillet at room temperature for a few minutes, then cut it into 8 pieces with clean kitchen shears. Defat the cooking juices. If you like, mound some Fluffy Mashed Potatoes on each of four warm dinner plates and place 2 pieces of chicken on each plate. Pour some juice on the mashed potatoes and chicken and serve. 

Pork roast with gastrique

Not everything is pictured.  I took a quick snapshot before I left for the airport and i had not finished everything at that time. I finished the other stuff when  Charlie and Cassie got back home from their vacation.

Pork Shoulder sans BBQ sauce  oven at 300 degrees

10 lb pork shoulder

salt and pepper

carrots

1 yellow onion,

3 stalks of celery all rough chop

10 cloves garlic, smashed

2 bay leaves

6 thyme sprigs

2 Tbsp. peppercorns

place in roasting pan, meat on top, fat side up. cover with foil and roast 6 to 8 hours until pork is tender and bone removes easily.  Keep covered and cool to room temperature.

to prepare gastrique, put

1/2 C. bourbon in small pan over medium heat and reduce by 1/2

In a separate pot over medium heat reduce 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water for 10-15 minutes to produce a dark amber caramel.

add bourbon, 2 cups red wine vinegar, 1 vanilla bean pod (split in half) and 2 pounds pitted fresh or dried cherries.  Reduce by half for 10-15 minutes. or until gastrique coats back of spooon.  Strain and serve on pork shoulder.

Tavern in he Village at 3901 Prairie Land, Prairie Village, Kansas.

Make yellow rice with Sazon seasoning and coconut milk instead of water.

Mimosa sorbet  Recipe for sorbet follows, or you can just get orange sorbet from the grocery store. 

• 2 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. orange marmalade
• Zest from 2 large oranges
• 1 c. fresh squeezed orange juice (about 2 large oranges)
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• Champagne

1. Combine the water, sugar, marmalade, and zest in a large saucepan.  Heat over medium heat until it bubbles.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
3. Mix in the orange and lemon juice and process in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer directions.  Transfer to a container and freeze until set.
4. Scoop sorbet into champagne flutes and pour champagne over the top.  Serve immediately.

Stuffed Mushrooms  Pre heat oven to 375 degrees

16 mushrooms

1/4 lb. butter or more

1/2 C. dry bread crumbs(freshly made, please)

1 T. chopped parsley

1 Tblsp. chipped chives or onion

1/4 tsp Tabasco

1 tsp salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese

small amount of broth

Clean mushrooms, remove stems and chop fine. Melt 4 T. butter and cook bread crumbs, onions, parsley and seasonings. Brush mushrooms with melted butter, Cool stuffing; stir in eggs and stuff mushrooms.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, arrange

on parchment lined baking pan and bake about 15 minutes or until browned and tender. You may baste with additional butter if you like.

Note I added about a T. or two of chopped real bacon bits. 

Note serve with toothpicks

I also made Parmesan chips: Take left over grated Parmesan and place a pinch at a time on parchment paper lined baking sheet and place in heated oven for two or three minutes, until melted.  Let cool.  They will be crisp like chips.

.

Eggplant for lunch

Eggplant cut 3/4". 

1 Tblsp. each of garlic,

ginger and 

fresh hot chili,or about 1 tsp.red chili flakes.

 Stir fry veg's. for a few seconds than add eggplant and fry until it begins to soften-probably 3-4 minutes-

add 1/2 cup chix broth-

lower heat cover wok and simmer until eggplant is soft-maybe 5 minutes-uncover wok-raise heat and stir in 

3-4 Tblsp brown bean sauce,or 2-3 if using black beans-stir and toss until mixture has thickened-

Dinner for two?

I ate it all myself.