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March 31st, 2009
by: Blue

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Oven Roasted Broccoli

March 31st, 2009
by: Blue

I could eat this every day. Sometimes I do. There is something about the oven roasting that perfectly complements the broccoli. And this is a very healthy recipe. It is also very good left over but I don’t recommend bringing it to work to heat in the microwave. Talk about a stink bomb (but it was still delicious). Actually it was kind of funny to see every single person that walked into our area stop abruptly and state “WHAT IS THAT SMELL?”. I think I’ll bring some to work tomorrow mwuah-ha-haha-HAAA.

Fresh Broccoli, cut into flowers (I like to buy it at Costco by the bag, precut, prewashed)
Olive oil
Fresh Parmesan Cheese
Lemon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place broccoli in single layer on cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Place in oven and roast for about 15 minutes, broccoli will start to get little browned edges, this is how you want it! Remove from oven and top with freshly ground parmesan cheese and squeeze 1/2 – 1 lemon over. Salt/pepper to taste.

Easy, and incredibly good.

Eggs a la Suisse

March 30th, 2009
by: Sue

This dish has lovely eggs cooked in cream with a little cheese and cayenne thrown in for good measure. A quick dish, it has the richness of the more difficult to prepare Eggs Benedict. I tried to make this once with milk and it was a disaster. It has to be cream and butter. There are some things that the French are right about and when it comes to cooking they are always right!

2 T butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 slices good bread, toasted and buttered

Melt butter on slow temperature in a small saucepan. Carefully break 2 eggs and slip into butter. When egg whites begin to show cooking (opaque and white), carefully add cream, cheese, and cayenne pepper. Cook at low temperature and baste eggs with warmed cream until egg yolks are covered with white well cooked film. Slip eggs on toast, top with cream sauce, and enjoy.

Steak Marinade

March 30th, 2009
by: Blue

I made filet mignon this weekend, used this marinade and grilled them over mesquite wood. Abso-lucking-futely perfect.

1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons chopped garlic
3 Tablespoons chopped chives
1/2 cup soy sauce

Mix. That’s it. Pour over steaks.

Creamy Jalapeno Dip

March 25th, 2009
by: Blue

This dip (which also makes an incredible salad dressing) was a huge hit at our 2nd Thanksgiving dinner for 2008. Our first dinner was traditional, the 2nd dinner was a Mexican theme feast! Because my brother Grue requested it, of course. As he said then, where else but Blue or Sue’s kitchen can he pretty much list anything that he wants to eat and it just miraculously happens? We obviously love him! Also it goes without saying that after our Mexican feast we continued the traditional “death by pie” dessert lineup. This consisted of not one, not two, but four different fabulous pies!

16 oz. sour cream (can substitute reduced fat sour cream if you wish)

1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix powder

1/2 c Sofrito

1-3 fresh jalapenos, depending on how hot you like it, coarsely chopped

Drain the sofrito in a small sieve for a few minutes. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Chill for a few hours for best taste and texture.

Eggs Aubergine Benedict

March 24th, 2009
by: Blue

I am constantly looking for ways to to cook a fabulous lo-carb breakfast. While I love traditional eggs benedict, I am allergic to the English Muffins. They make my ass swell. This recipe is very simple, and very delicious.

For each serving, adjust recipe according to the number of people that you are serving:
2 poached eggs
Two slices of cooked turkey bacon (the Oscar Mayer turkey bacon is pretty darn good, and I have loved all of the uncured turkey bacon that I have puchased but it’s slightly more expensive).

Preheat oven to 425. Slice eggplant about ¼” thick, brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray and place eggplant in single layers on cookie sheet. Bake about 10 minutes, turning once.

Quick sauce:
1/8 c heavy cream
3/4 oz reduced fat swiss cheese

Yes, heavy cream. You might be thinking – what’s the point of using turkey bacon and reduced fat cheese? It’s a very small amount of heavy cream and it packs a huge flavor whallop. Also, if you are watching carbs it’s perfectly ok to have a small amount of heavy cream. This combination of ingredients keeps the calorie count for each serving under 350!! WOOT! Heat cream in small pan, add cheese, stir until cheese melts. Continue to simmer until reduced and slightly thick. Season with salt and white pepper.

Assembly:
Place two slices of eggplant on plate and top with turkey bacon. Place one poached egg on each eggplant slice and pour sauce over.

Salsa

March 23rd, 2009
by: Blue

1 can diced tomatoes (or substitute fresh)
Hatch green chiles to taste (my personal favorite, I use at least 6 because I like it HOT), or substitute jalapenos to taste
1/2 cup sofrito
Salt/pepper to taste

Throw everything into a food processor and process to desired consistency. Add more garlic/onion if needed.

Sofrito

March 23rd, 2009
by: Blue

In my kitchen sofrito makes its way into everything from rice to soup to beans to salsa to casseroles…the list is endless. Not only that, it freezes beautifully, so in a few minutes you can make enough sofrito to use in multiple dishes. Search for “sofrito” on this site for other recipes containing this delectable concoction!

2 medium onions, cut into large chunks
5-6 bell peppers, cored and seeded, cut into large chunks
16 to 20 cloves garlic, peeled
3 to 4 ripe plum tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks, or 1 can diced tomatoes
2 bunches cilantro, washed

Throw everything into a food processor and process until smooth (I don’t even remove the stalks from the cilantro). The sofrito will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, but I like to freeze it in 1/2 cup portions in those little ziploc snack bags – that way it is always ready for me to use whenever I want it – and I want it often!