SHRIMP STIR-FRY WITH VEGETABLES

This recipe is healthy and very quick to make on a weeknight.  I recommend using a wok because it cooks faster and more evenly.

Sauce

½ cup chicken broth

2 T low sodium soy sauce

1 T fresh lime juice

1 T cornstarch

2 t honey

1 t toasted sesame oil

1 t chili garlic sauce

Mix all of the above ingredients in a 2-cup pitcher or bowl and set aside.

Shrimp Stir-Fry

2 T peanut or avocado oil

1 carrot, scrubbed and thinly sliced

1 small bunch broccoli, trimmed 

½ bell pepper, any color

¼ yellow onion, chopped

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup shelled edamame 

1 T grated fresh ginger

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

½ t sea salt

½ t freshly grated black pepper

Cooked rice noodles or white rice

Sesame seeds, for garnish

Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Heat oil over medium heat, in a wok or large skillet.  

Add the carrot and cook 3 minutes.

Add the broccoli, bell pepper, and yellow onion and cook another 3 minutes.

Add the green onions, garlic, edamame, and ginger and cook another 3 minutes.

Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook another couple of minutes.

Add the sauce and simmer 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve over rice noodles or rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro.

Serves 2 to 3

EMILENE'S CLASSIC DEVILED EGGS

My sister, Emilene, made the most delicious deviled eggs. The only change I made was adding a little Dijon mustard and a couple dashes of hot sauce. The first known printed mention of 'deviled' as a culinary term appeared in the 18th century. A recipe for deviled eggs from Fanny Farmer's 1896 "Boston Cooking-School Cookbook" called for savory spices and mayonnaise as a binder. My family always had deviled eggs at Easter, along with ham, potatoes au gratin, peas, and a carrot cake.

6 large eggs

¼ cup mayonnaise

3 T cream cheese

1 t yellow mustard
½ t Honey Dijon or regular Dijon mustard

½ t apple cider vinegar

Sea salt and finely ground black pepper

Paprika and a few snipped chives, for garnish

Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and cover, just over the top, with cold water.

Bring just to a boil, then turn off heat and cover with a lid.
Let sit for 15 minutes.

Pour out hot water from pan, leaving eggs inside.
Place lid back on pan and while holding the handle and lid of pan, shake pan vigorously to crack eggs in pan.
Fill pan with ice cold water and let sit for 15 minutes,

then peel off shells.

Gently dry eggs with paper towels and slice in half, lengthwise, with a wet sharp knife.

Remove yolks to a bowl.
Place the egg whites on a plate.

Mash the yolks very well with a fork.
Add the mayonnaise, cream cheese, mustards, and vinegar.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Fill the egg whites by spoon or with a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.

Top with a few snips of chives and a light sprinkling of paprika,

Makes 12 deviled eggs

3 CHEESE POTATOES AU GRATIN

I think everyone loves potatoes au gratin. I doubled the recipe for twelve people on New Year's Eve and everyone raved about it. I have made this dish with the cheeses that I use in my fondu recipe, but Emmentaler and especially Appenzeller may not be easy to find in your super market. A plain Swiss, Edam, along with gruyere would be delicious. The total amount of cheese in this recipe is one cup. Don't overdo the cheese because you want to see that there are potatoes underneath.

Gruyere cheese

Swiss Emmentaler cheese or any good Swiss

Edam Cheese

1 T unsalted butter

1 T avocado oil

1 large yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

6 medium potatoes, scrubbed clean 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup chicken stock

¼ t freshly grated nutmeg

Place a box grater in a medium bowl and grate ¼ cup of each cheese into the bowl. Mix by hand to combine the cheeses.

Save the rest of the cheese for another recipe.

Melt butter with oil in a skillet over medium heat. 

Add sliced onion and sauté until translucent and caramelized, about 15 minutes. 

Add garlic and cook another minute. Turn off heat and set aside.

Thinly slice the potatoes and place into another bowl.

Alternatively, you can also use a mandoline to thinly slice the potatoes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray the bottom of a gratin or baking dish with oil.

Spoon half of the caramelized onions evenly into the bottom the dish.

Arrange half of the sliced potatoes in a pattern over the onions.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle half of the combined cheeses evenly over the potatoes.

Spoon the rest of the caramelized onions over the cheeses and arrange the rest of the sliced potatoes in a pattern over the onions.

Pour chicken stock over potatoes and add the grated nutmeg.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with the remainder of the combined cheeses evenly over the potatoes.

Place dish on a baking sheet to catch any drippings.

Loosely cover with aluminum foil sprayed on the inside with oil, and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and bake another 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.

Serves 6

BROWN SUGAR BOURBON GLAZED HAM

To me, it wouldn't be an Easter dinner without a ham, potatoes au gratin, grazed carrots, spring peas, deviled eggs, and either a carrot cake or lemon meringue pie.

Lee's kitchen Tips:

Throw away the honey glaze mix that comes with the ham.  

I don’t think you want maltodextrin or propylene glycol alginate in your glaze.

1 (10 lb) fully cooked, bone-in, spiral cut ham          

Glaze

½ cup unsalted butter            

¾ cup dark brown sugar

¼ cup spicy brown mustard  

¼ cup honey  

¼ cup apple cider vinegar                                                      

1 t ground ginger

½ t ground cardamom

¼ cup Kentucky bourbon      

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.                                              

Remove ham from refrigerator and place in a heavy roasting pan or large cast-iron skillet, cut side down.

In a saucepan, add the glaze ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken.

Pour half of the glaze over the ham and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake in oven for 2 hours.

Remove foil and raise oven temperature to 400 degrees F. 

Carefully, turn ham on its side.

Spoon remaining glaze over ham and let drizzle between slices.

Bake, uncovered another 15 minutes, until glaze is caramelized and brown.

Transfer to a serving platter and let rest 15 minutes before serving.

CORNED BEEF & CABBAGE

Serving corned beef & cabbage on Saint Patrick's Day in an Irish-North American creation. In Ireland, cows were only killed when they were too old to work or too old to produce milk. The immigrants transformed the religious day to an Irish celebratory feast. Serve this with horseradish mustard, dark bread, Guinness stout, and Chocolate Guinness Cake.

You can make it easier on yourself by buying already prepared corned beef in a packet at your supermarket. If you do, just skip the Brine and Cooking Spices, follow the directions on the packet and go right to the Vegetables.

Brine

1 (3 lb) brisket of beef, flat cut

½ cup kosher salt

1 T black peppercorns, cracked

1 T whole coriander seeds

1 T whole mustard seeds, cracked

1 T whole allspice, cracked

2 sprigs fresh thyme

½ cup brown sugar

Combine all of the brine mixture in a large bowl or large container fitted with a top. 

Add the brisket and rub the mixture into the meat. 

Pour cold water over until meat is covered. 

Weight the brisket down with a small plate so that it is

completely submerged. 

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 to 6 days. 

The longer the brining, the more pickled the meat.             

Cooking Spices

2 T brown sugar

2 t prepared horseradish                                

Pinch of dill weed

1 t dry mustard

Rinse the brisket with cold water and pat dry. 

Place in a large Dutch oven and cover water by ½-inch. 

Bring to a boil and skim off any scum that forms on top.

Add the cooking spices, cover with a lid and place in a 300

degree F oven and bake for 2 hours. 

Vegetables

1 small head of cabbage, cut into wedges                   

2 onions, cut into chunks                                          

2 parsnips, cut into chunks                           

2 small rutabagas, cut into chunks

4 medium potatoes, cut into chunks

6 carrots, cut in half, lengthwise

Add the vegetables and place in oven for another hour. 

Transfer meat to a large platter and let cool 10 minutes before slicing across the grain. 

Arrange vegetables around meat and spoon some broth over all.

Serves 4

EASY SALISBURY STEAK

Take a walk down memory lane and have a very comforting 30 minute meal.  Maybe your mother made this on a weeknight.  Everything is so expensive now, including groceries.  Salisbury steak is made with ground beef and tastes as good as a meatloaf, but cooks much faster. 

Patties

½ cup plain bread crumbs

½ t garlic powder

1 T ketchup

1 egg, whisked

½ t sea salt

½ t fine ground pepper

1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef

Gravy

1 T oil

8 oz. white mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed, and thinly sliced

1 small onion, cut into circles

1 T unsalted butter

1 T flour

2 ½ cups beef broth

1 T ketchup

1 T Dijon mustard

1 T Worcestershire sauce

Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

In a medium size bowl, combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon, whisked egg, salt, and pepper.

Add the ground beef and combine.

Form into 4 equal patties.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add patties and brown well on each side, about 4 minutes per side.

Transfer to a platter and set aside.

In the same skillet, add the sliced mushrooms and onion rings.

Brown over medium heat for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the butter and flour and cook a couple of minutes.

Add the beef broth, ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.

Mix until smooth, and bring to a low simmer.

Return the patties to the gravy, spooning some sauce, mushrooms, and onions on top of the patties.

Simmer for about 5 additional minutes until gravy is thickened.

Spoon over mashed potatoes with a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley.

Serve with a green vegetable or salad.

Serves 4