Salmon croquettes.

Someone on Facebook asked what did your mom make that you hated and never ate after you left.  It was back in the fifties and I can't recall that I hated anything mom made but these were my least favorite. I started thinking that they must taste better with a more modern recipe, like using fish that didn't come out of a can.  

Charlie said he liked them and thought they would be good on a hamburger bun with the topping and lettuce. We had them with a salad and potato latkes.  

The salmon I got came in two five ounce sizes so after I mixed the filler, I did not use all of it with the fish. Likewise with the bread crumbs. It only made 5 patties.

Salmon croquettes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise, i used Duke, divided
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided 
2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, divided 
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions 
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper 
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper 
2 (6-ounce) packages skinless, boneless pink salmon 
1 large egg, lightly beaten 
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon canola oil 
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 
1 teaspoon finely chopped capers 
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 1/8 teaspoon salt

Step 1

Combine 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard, and next 7 ingredients (through egg), stirring well. Add panko; toss. Shape mixture into 8 (3-inch) patties.

Step 2

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add patties; cook 5 minutes on each side or until browned.

Step 3

Combine remaining mayonnaise, juice, and mustard with parsley, capers, garlic, and salt, stirring well.

Chicken Curry

The grocery store rearranged the food aisles again and I wandered into a place where they had moved health food and my eye caught a jar of Indian Curry and the label said it was for chicken so I thought what an easy dinner and we will see if it is any good. I got a couple of chicken breasts and put some rice in the cooker and dinner was ready in half an hour.  Other than needing salt and paprika, it wasn't bad.

Sausage with Polenta, cheese, and Peppers

Sausage, Peppers and Polenta.  I cooked andouille and Italian sausages today.

In a skillet, brown sausages in oil.  When browned, add about half a cup of white wine, cover and steam for about 5 minutes.  Remove sausages, turn up burner and cook out wine.  Add a little more oil and add one each red, yellow and green bell pepper and about a third of an onion, chopped. Cook until vegetables are softened and add sausages back to heat through.

Meantime cut polenta into half inch rounds and cook with butter and oil until cooked and slightly browned. Add about 1/3 cup of chicken broth and let it cook until broth is either absorbed or evaporated. Add about half a cup of grated parmesan and stir in.  Remove to a platter, top with mozzarella and peppers and sausage and some of the sauce the peppers made when cooking in the liquid left by the sausages. 

Game hens with Orange and Honey

GAME HENS WITH ORANGE AND HONEY

Recipe By: Norman Matthews   Serving Size: 4

This recipe has been a favorite of ours for such a long time.  Before I had a computer, I kept recipes in a loose leaf notebook  but someone stole the recipe from it and it took several attempts to recreate it.  We agree that it is pretty much like it was before.  This time I left out the Triple Sec and substituted some Mangue which is "Preparation a base de vinaigre et de pulpe de mangue"  I get it at either Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. I don't remember which one it was but I search it out whenever I get low.  It's good in salad dressings too.

2 Cornish game hens split

1 cup orange juice

3 inch strip orange zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 inch ginger peeled and sliced

1 clove garlic peeled and split

3 green onions, sliced 1-inch thick

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup sesame oil

1/4 cup triple Sec

2 teaspoons corn starch dissolved in 1T. water 

orange slices for garnish

Mix all ingredients except hens, corn startch and water. Mix well to combine. Reserve 1 cup for sauce later. Add remaining mixture to split game hens, cover and marinate in refrigerator overnight. 

Remove hens from marindade, cut off wing tips (or they will burn) and cover tips of legs with foil. Place in shallow baking dish and pour marinade over chicken.  Bake 1 hour according to package directions, basting every 15 minutes. Chicken is done when instant read thermometer reads 180 degrees.

When the hens are almost done, bring reserved marinade; cornstarch dissolved in water to a boil in small sauce pan until thickened. Serve over or in gravy boat with the birds.     We always have this with white rice.

 Note I cooked this in the steam oven and it was done in about half an hour.

Korean Style Pork Chops with baby bok choy

Korean Style Pork Chops

INGREDIENTS 

4 pork chops

1 tbsp olive oil

¼ cup soy sauce, low sodium

2 tbsp honey

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp ginger, minced

2 tsp sriracha sauce

black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.

In a medium size bowl whisk together the soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and sriracha sauce. Pour over pork chops and let marinade for about 20 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet for medium high heat. Add pork chops, without marinade, and cook for about 5 minutes for the first side, or until it gets a nice brownish color. Flip the pork chops and pour the remaining marinade over them. Cook another 5 min on this side.

Place the skillet in the oven to finish cooking them. Roast for about 10 minutes, or until pork chops are completely cooked through.

NOTES

If your pork chops are not very thick, mine were about 1 inch in thickness, you might not need to finish cooking them in the oven.

Bok Choy

Cook until fragrant, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp garlic in 2 tsp oil, add baby bok choy that has been rinsed, dried and split until starting to wilt, add 1 Tbsp soy sauce and cook until tender.

Smothered Chicken

Smothered Chicken A Soul Food

Charlie saw a Soul recipe for Smothered Chicken and asked if I would make it so I did. He had already helped himself by the time I got around to taking a picture.  We had it with rice.

Ingredients

• 3 chicken legs and 3 chicken legs with skin

• 1/2 cup oil

• 1 large onion chopped

• 1 chicken bouillon

• 2 ½ cup cold water

• ½ cup milk

• 3 tablespoon of the seasoned flour mentioned below

• SEASONING THE FLOUR:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder

• ½ teaspoon all spice powder

• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder

• ¼ teaspoon heaped ginger powder

Instructions

1 Mix all the flour seasoning together, reserve three tablespoon for later

2 Wash the chicken and pat dry. Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour and set aside.

3 In a pan, heat the oil and add the chicken. When the bottom of the chicken turns golden flip to the other side and cook until golden.

4 Remove the chicken from the oil when both sides are golden. At this point, the chicken is not completely cooked.

5 Keep around 4 tablespoon of oil in the pan, add the chopped onion and fry until light brown.

6 Add three tablespoon seasoned flour to the onion and stir for at least two minutes on medium heat.

7 Pour the cold water over the onion and flour mixture all at once, stirring constandly. Add the chicken bouillon and continue stirring.

8 Add the milk and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the chicken to the sauce.

9 Cover the pan and let the chicken cook for 20 – 25 minutes or until completely cooked. Stir occasionally.

10 Serve with rice or mashed potato.

Cuban Beef Picadillo

Dinner was a one skillet dish with rice on the side.  I used one potato instead of two, two carrots, two stalks of celery instead of red pepper, about 1/4 C. green olives and no capers.

Cuban Beef Picadillo

WRITTEN BY FERNANDA ALVAREZ

Prep Time: 15 Minutes  Cook Time: 15 Minutes  Yields: 8

Ingredients

• 2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL

• 1 MEDIUM LARGE RED ONION CHOPPED

• 1 CUP CARROTS DICED

• 3 CLOVES GARLIC FINELY CHOPPED

• 1 RED BELL PEPPER DICED

• 3 POTATOES PEELED AND CUT IN SMALL CUBES

• 1 POUND GROUND BEEF

• 1 TABLESPOON GROUND CUMIN

• SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

• ½ CUP RAISINS

• ½ CUP WHOLE GREEN OLIVES, STUFFED W/ PIMIENTOS

• ¼ CUP CAPERS DRAINED

• 2 CUPS TOMATO SAUCE (8 OZ EACH)

Difficulty: Not Too Tricky

Beef, potatoes, olives, raisins, capers and more come together in this classic Cuban dish.

If you're looking for an simple, flavorful dish you can make in large batches for a family dinner with leftovers to spare, I highly recommend this beef picadillo recipe. Picadillo can be found in Spain, all over Latin America, and even in the Philippines. The recipe (along with its accompaniments) varies slightly by country, but it's a dish that brings together many contrasting flavors. I love the combination of the sweet raisins with the sour notes of the olives and capers, and the aroma of the spices and stewed meat and vegetables. I always make large portions, so I can enjoy it the next day with a fried egg. Delicioso!

Directions

1 Bring a medium skillet to medium heat. Add the olive oil, red onion, carrots, garlic cloves, red bell pepper and potatoes.

2 Cook until soft and golden brown, around 6 minutes. Add beef and cook for 5 more minutes or until fully cooked and a slight brown caramel color. Season with cumin, salt and pepper.

3 Add raisins, olives, capers and tomato sauce, and cover.

4 Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. If the sauce thickens too much, you can add some more wine or a little bit of water.

5 Enjoy with a side of white rice.

Pork Stir Fry

I am posting the meal and recipe but not post it anywhere else because I didn't care for it at all.  Also the recipe was not well written. It has onions in the ingredients but does not mention them in the directions.

Pork Stir Fry 

Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 20 mins Total Time 30 mins

Easy Garlic Pork Stir Fry - A quick and easy pork stir fry recipe that is packed full of delicious, tender, meat and vegetables!  Broccoli, mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions come together with a super flavorful stir fry sauce to make this a healthier dinner the whole family will love!

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil divided

• 8-12 Ounces Pork Tenderloin

• 2 Cups Broccoli Florets

• 1 Large Onion, Sliced

• 2 Bell Peppers. cored, seeded, and thinly sliced

• 1 Cup Mushrooms, Sliced

• 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

• 1 Cup Chicken Broth

• 2 Tablespoons Honey

• 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce

• 1 Tablespoon Chili Paste

• 2 Teaspoons Sesame Oil

• 2 Teaspoons Cornstarch

Instructions

1 Heat a large skillet or wok over medium high heat with one Tablespoon of the vegetable oil.

2 Add the sliced pork to the pan and cook, stirring often, for 5-7 minutes until cooked through. Remove pork to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

3 Add remaining Tablespoon of oil to the skillet. 

4 Add the broccoli, sliced bell pepper, and sliced mushrooms. Cook for 4-5 minutes until vegetables are crisp tender.

5 Add the pork back to the skillet. Turn heat to medium, add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds.

6 In a small bowl whisk together the broth, honey, soy sauce, chili paste, sesame oil, and cornstarch.

7 Pour the sauce over the pork mixture and simmer for 1-2 minutes just until sauce has thickened.

New Meatloaf recipe from Sandra

Dinner was a new -for me- meatloaf, potatoes cooked with the meatloaf,  leftover green beans and a Mexican version of corn relish

DECEMBER 21, 2011 BY WENDY

Spinach & Garlic Meatloaf

I feel I ought to tell you something before sharing this recipe.  Before this year, I had absolutely no idea what meatloaf actually was.

Really. It’s not (as far as I’m aware) something that’s popularly eaten in Scotland.  I had heard about it on American TV programmes and films and, in my head, I had a vague notion that it might be a loaf of bread with flecks of mince through it and that didn’t sound terribly appealing.  Turns out it’s more like a huge sliceable burger.  Hmmm, that doesn’t sound particularly appetising either, now that I write it down…

Well, fellow meatloaf virgins, you’re going to have to just trust me on this one: it’s good.  Especially when bulked out with lots of veg like this one is and served with a smokey tomato & paprika sauce (this but with a teaspoon of smoked paprika and a glug of red wine).

Spinach & Garlic Meatload

(Adapted from The New York Times Cookbook)

(serves 4 – with enough leftover for a couple of rolls)

1 lb spinach

1 onion, finely chopped

2 celery sticks, finely chopped

Olive oil

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

8 oz ground beef

8 oz lb ground pork

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 slice of bread, whizzed into breadcrumbs

1 egg

A generous sprinking of salt & pepper 

Norm’s notes.  I used pork breakfast sausage instead of ground pork. (had some pork shoulder and considered grinding it but decided to use sausage  instead). I used Panko bread crumbs and instead of a smoky tomato sauce, I made a paste of about 2 Tbsp each brown sugar and catsup; seasoned with about a half tsp. of dry mustard and 1/4 tsp. of hickory smoked salt then painted it atop the meatloaf before topping it with bacon. I cooked the spinach in a pan with a very small amount of water - that was on it when it was rinsed - and cooked it until wilted, no large amount of water.

• Heat a little oil in a frying pan and add the onion and celery.  Cook until the onion is translucent then add the garlic.  Stir then set aside to cool while you…

• Drop the spinach into a pan of boiling water and pop the lid on.  Leave for a minute to wilt then drain.  Cool slightly then squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the spinach then chop roughly.

• Add the spinach, onion mixture, meats, breadcrumbs, spices  and egg  into a bowl.  Season well then mix together well using your hand.   I recommend testing the seasoning by frying a tiny ball of the mixture in the frying pan and tasting to see if you need more salt or pepper.

• Shape the mixture into the shape of a slightly deflated American football then wrap in bacon rashers.

• Place on a baking tray and cook in a 180 oC oven for 1hr 15 mins.

• Cool for 10 mins then slice.  Serve with a plain or smokey tomato sauce.

• Roast in a….375 oven for….1 to 1 1/4 hours

• Remove from oven and let rest for 10 mins.  Slice thickly and serve topped with the smokey tomato sauce.

New Years Day meal.

They say greens represent paper money. Black eyed peas represent pennies and pork is health and anticipation of good things to come because a pig is portly and always roots forward. Corn bread represents gold.  I grew up on Strawberry Hill where Povitica bread is a traditional holiday bread so I have some of that too.

They say during the Civil War, Sherman's army burned everything that they thought would sustain the rebels.  They left black eyed peas because they thought they were animal food, not fit for humans.  Southerns considered themselves lucky to have them to eat.