Memorial Day Barbecue

Oh Lord please don't burn us don't kill or toast your flock Don't put us on the barbecue or simmer us in stock, Don't bake or baste or boil us or stir-fry us in a wok.
~Monty Python

FIRST green salad from my garden!!! Some spinach and romaine lettuce, and a little bit of basil (I added some tomato after the pic, but that was not from my garden. Way too early for tomatoes yet). There is something so very satisfying about growing and eating your own food.


We grilled out for the holiday. Chicken, ribs, some spicy sausage... It's difficult to spell out a recipe, as the sauce is always different, and everyone has their own ideas of how to barbecue. We usually start with an off the shelf sauce and spice it up a bit.

The spare ribs, boiled for about an hour before marinating and grilling. The chicken (boneless, skinless breasts) splashed with olive oil, added a little salt and pepper, and some fresh thyme and sage (from my spice garden).

Served with corn on the cob, green salad (from my garden), and some delicious potato cheese bread that my Mother made.

Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato Sandwiches (BLTs)

Lunch counters have provided etymologists and linguists with one of the richest sources of American slang, cant, and jargon, usually based on a form of verbal shorthand bandied back and forth between waiters and cooks. Some terms have entered familiar language of most Americans--"BLT" (a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich)...and others--but most remain part of a bewildering and colorful language specific to the workers in such establishments.
~The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink, John F. Mariani

I always get a craving for BLTs as the weather turns nice - it's just a spring/summer time meal, and it never disappoints!

Not much of a recipe, really, just toast some bread, slather some mayo on, and add bacon, lettuce, and tomato! Perfect!

Mothers Day Buffet

Your Mother loves you,
Looks after you,
Takes care of you.
The only bad thing
Your Mother ever does
Is die and leave you.
~Poem from a postcard I had a long time ago

We had a fantastic Mothers Day here, the whole family together, which is a rare occurrence. The whole family includes 4 mothers - myself and 2 sisters (one here from VA for the weekend) and, of course, our Mother. I created a sumptuous feast, the traditional Mothers day brunch buffet, but better because it was (mostly) home-cooked. This was the first time I've done a brunch for this large a crowd (17 total) but it all went quite well.

Mothers day brunch buffet in pictures:

Hash Browns, Bacon, Salmon Patties

Scrambled Eggs, Cheese Strata

Tomato with Basil and Mozzarella

Ham

Apples, Bananas, Bagels

Strawberries and oranges

Recipes

Cheese Strata

Ingredients:
1 loaf of bread
15 eggs
6 c milk
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
8 c grated Cheddar cheese
Preparation:
Beat together eggs, milk and seasonings
Place a layer of bread slices in a large, deep, oven safe dish
Cover with cheddar cheese
Add another layer of bread and cover with cheddar cheese
Pour egg mixture over the layers
Cover and refrigerate overnight
Cook in a preheated oven, 350 degrees for 1 hour

Tomato with Basil and Mozzarella
Slice several tomatoes apprx 1/2" thick
Splash slices with olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Put apprx 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese on each slice
Add some fresh basil
Place under broiler for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and lightly browned

Scrambled Eggs
Ingredients:
36 eggs
2 c milk
3 splashes Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper
Butter
Preparation:
Whisk all ingredients except butter in a large bowl
Melt apprx 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat
Pour in egg mixture (in increments if necessary) and turn gently until desired consistency is reached

Muffins, Croissants, Bagels
Go to Costco
Find the Bakery section
Buy Muffins, Croissants, and Bagels

Breakfast Burritos - I had some warm flour tortillas for making breakfast burritos from the available ingredients, for instance, I had a burrito with some hash browns, bacon, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, salsa and black olives.

Also: Coffee (lots), orange juice, and various condiments, accouterments, enhancements, munchies, and sweets.

Thyme & Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.
~Luciano Pavarotti



The Recipe

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 c mozzarella cheese
Fresh thyme sprigs
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375
Slice chicken breasts almost in half and pat dry
Fill with cheese and thyme sprigs
Sprinkle olive oil over breasts
Put some thyme leaves on
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook uncovered in oven safe dish for 45 minutes

Served with:
Grape leaves stuffed with rice and peppers
Green salad

Baked Tarragon Chicken

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four; unless there are three other people.
~ Orson Welles

We had unexpected dinner guests tonight. Cordell decided to invite half the neighborhood over to eat at his house. The chicken was already cooked, so I stretched the meal with lots of salad.

The Recipe

Baked Tarragon Chicken
Ingredients:
Boneless skinless chicken breasts (1/serving)
Olive Oil
Fresh tarragon
Fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
3 Shallots
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375
Rinse and pat chicken breasts dry and then rub with olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Chop several tarragon leaves finely and sprinkle on chicken
Sprinkle thyme leaves on chicken
Thinly slice shallots and put on chicken
Place chicken breasts in an oven safe dish and bake for 40 - 50 minutes

Served with a salad of baby greens and cheese toast.

Pork Roast

Thou shall not kill. Thou shall not commit adultery. Don't eat pork.
I'm sorry, what was that last one?? Don't eat pork. God has spoken.
Is that the word of God or is that pigs trying to outsmart everybody?
~Jon Stewart

The weather has taken a turn for the cooler again, so a hearty Sunday supper seemed in order.

The Recipes

Pork Roast
Ingredients:
Pork Roast -
Garlic Clove
Thyme
Sage
Salt & Pepper to taste
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350
Rub pork roast with garlic, sage, and thyme
Place roast fat side up on the foil
Salt and pepper to taste
Bake for 25- 28 minutes per pound
Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes or so before slicing

Apple Crisp
Ingredients:
6 medium size apples
Apple crisp mix (available at the grocery store)
1 stick butter
Preparation:
Peel apples and slice into bite-size pieces
Layer into a shallow glass pan
Sprinkle generously (or less generously as you prefer) with apple crisp mix
Slice butter evenly over the top
Put it in the oven where it can cook right alongside the pork chops (about 25 minutes)

Served with fresh blanched broccoli.

Chef's Salad

To remember a successful salad is generally to remember a successful dinner; at all events, the perfect dinner necessarily includes the perfect salad.
~George Ellwanger (Pleasures of the Table)

Or in this case, the perfect salad is the perfect dinner. Salad becomes strangely more crave-able in warmer weather.

You can use whatever lettuce and other fresh veggies you want for this recipe. I think it is the cheese, ham, and hard-boiled egg slices that make it a "Chef's Salad."


The Recipe
In a large salad bowl combine the following ingredients:
Bite size pieces of romaine lettuce
Baby spinach leaves
Chopped raddichio
Black olives (sliced)
Julienne carrots
Cherry tomatoes
Shredded swiss and cheddar cheese
Cucumber slices (without seeds)
Finely diced ham cubes
On top of this mix add the following:
Sliced hard-boiled eggs
Avocado slices
Red onion slices

Serve with salad dressing(s) of choice.