Recipes

A few recipes I've made recently that were soo good!

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/03/chantilly-potatoes.html

CHANTILLY POTATOES

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Place the potatoes in a large microwave-safe bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave the potatoes on high for 8 to 12 minutes, giving the bowl a shake halfway through, and cooking until the potatoes are tender. Mash the potatoes well with a potato masher (or you can use a potato ricer set over a second large bowl). Cover the potatoes again with plastic wrap and microwave the mashed potatoes until they are heated through, 3 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper and stir well.
2. In a large bowl, beat the chilled cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Gently fold 2/3 of the whipped cream into the potatoes with a rubber spatula until the cream is mostly absorbed. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish. Carefully spoon the potatoes into the baking dish. They don’t have to be evenly flat on top – you want to take care not to deflate this potato layer. They will look slightly uneven. With a rubber spatula, fold all but 1/4 cup cheese into the remaining cream. Spread the cheese/cream mixture over the potatoes and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
3. At this point you can either cover the potatoes and refrigerate until baking (I made these the morning before I wanted to serve them). When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are hot and the top is golden brown. If you are making the potatoes to eat immediately, preheat the broiler and broil the potatoes until the top is golden, 2 to 3 minutes (don’t let them burn!). Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2012/02/the-best-broccoli-beef.html

BEEF AND BROCCOLI

Ingredients

Sauce:
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
• 5 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Beef and Broccoli:
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut into 2-inch-wide strips with the grain, then sliced across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• 6 medium cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press or minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon peanut oil or vegetable oil, plus extra for cooking
• 1 1/4 pounds broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 medium scallions, sliced 1/2-inch thick on diagonal, optional

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine beef and soy sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour. Meanwhile, whisk the sauce ingredients together in a liquid measure or small bowl. In another small bowl, combine garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon peanut oil. Set aside.
2. Heat 1-2 teaspoons peanut oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot and rippling. Add half of beef to skillet and break up clumps; cook, without stirring, for 1 minute, then stir and cook until beef is browned around edges and cooked through, about 1-2 minutes. Don't overcook the meat - cook until just barely cooked through so the meat stays tender. Transfer beef to a medium bowl and cover with a lid and tin foil. Heat another 1-2 teaspoons peanut oil in the skillet and repeat with remaining beef.
3. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil to now-empty skillet; heat until rippling and hot. Add broccoli and cook 30 seconds; add water, cover pan, and lower heat to medium. Steam broccoli until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Push the broccoli to the sides of the skillet and add the garlic/ginger mixture. Cook, mashing the mixture with a spoon, until fragrant, about 15-30 seconds. Stir the mixture into the broccoli. Add the beef back to skillet and toss to combine. Whisk the sauce to recombine and add to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and evenly distributed, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with scallions, and serve - or be like me and serve it straight out of the skillet!

Pasta Sauce

1  25 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce (not Marinara sauce)

1 25 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce with sun dried tomatoes(RAGU)

1 16 oz. jar of Ragu Cheese Creations Roasted Garlic Parmesan

1 pt. (2 c.) half and half

1/2 c. brown sugar

salt to taste

oregano to taste

basil to taste

Put all ingredients in a large pot and heat.  Serve over pasta.

Serves at least 12 hungry people.

Leftover sauce can be frozen.

This recipe makes A LOT. I actually decided to make the full recipe and freeze it and it worked great. I first served this with spaghetti noodles but the next time I served it using the most amazing 6 cheese tortellini I found at Costco. It was soo good. Got this recipe from Mom, who got it from Valerie. 

I got this salad recipe from a friend in college and have made it before but it has been a while.  I use baby spinach leaves instead, I don't usually use the green onions or craisins. I also usually use strawberries in place of the oranges. The recipe doesn't say how many almonds to use but I buy the small pkg. of slivered almonds and use 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sugar. I think my silpat liner is better than wax paper. I always find that when I use the wax paper it still sticks to the almonds when I'm getting them off. 

*see my notes above

Mandarin Orange Salad

- Romaine lettuce, chopped
- Green onions, sliced
- Canned mandarin oranges
- Craisins
- Candied almonds - i think you can buy some that are already done called almond accents? but I always make my own.
- Poppy seed dressing (home made - recipe to follow)

To Make Candied Almonds:
- Pour sugar into a frying pan and heat at medium heat until it starts to turn a light brown. 
                (You can start with 1 or 2 cups of sugar)
                (also- you can never add more sugar into the same batch if it has already begun to cook on the stove. If you need more, you can just do another batch after this)
                (It is easier to do one small batch at a time)
- Use a wooden stirring utensil to stir the sugar occasionally. 
- Once all of the sugar is a light brown then you can add the sliced almonds into it.
                (i just eyeball it for the amount) 
- remove from heat and stir in pan until sugar and almonds are mixed together well. 
- Take mixture out of pan and spread out on wax paper to cool.
                (it will be very hot and once it is cool you can break it into smaller pieces if you need, but its best to try and separate it as much as you can before it cools.)

Poppy seed dressing

 1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
3/4 c sugar
1 c vegetable oil
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Use a blender to mix all ingredients together EXCEPT poppy seeds.
Add in the Poppy seeds after all of the other ingredients have been combined.
This dressing separates pretty easily so don't be worried if it does.
Because this dressing has vinegar in it, it can last for awhile in the fridge.