Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Cherry Vinaigrette

This comes from Jessie at the  Vanderbilt Wife.

I made this dressing and it was great!  I had rasberry jam and cranberry juice.  I think any combo would work.  We had a mixed salad of romaine and spinach, wish I had added a few dried cranberries and crumbled bacon bits.  Best thing it made just a small amount.

Cherry Vinaigrette

2 TBS cherry whole-fruit jam, such as Smuckers Simply Fruit
1 TBS pomegranate or pomegranate-cherry juice
olive oil
salt and pepper
Whisk juice into the jam until jam is broken up and smooth. Whisk in olive oil until you reach desired dressing consistency. (I like just enough oil to make it runny so it is still very acidic, but it's up to you.) Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over salad and toss. Makes 4 side salad portions.

 
This is linked to Eat at Home Ingredient Spotlight
 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Orange-Almond Salad

Lettuce
2 cans (11 ounces each) mandarin orange sections, drained
½ c sliced celery
¼ c thinly sliced green onions
½ c sliced almonds
   Dressing:
¼ c oil
2 TBS vinegar
2 TBS Sugar
Dash of salt
1/8 tsp almond or vanilla extract
Clean and tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces. Place the lettuce, orange sections, celery, green onions, and almonds in a bowl. In a screwtop jar, combine the salad oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and almond extract; shake to combine well. At serving time, pour dressing over the salad and toss gently. Serves 6-8. 

We have been known to put this all together, with the drained oranges in a bowl the salad dressing in a jar and have it ready WELL before dinner, all we do is dress and toss!

This is from my aunt and goes GREAT with "The Casserole".
This is linked to Eat at Home  Ingredient Spotlight.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Pork Loin Roast

1 4-6 lb boneless pork loin roast (not tenderloin)
1 envelope dry onion soup

Sprinkle/rub soup in to roast. Bake fat side up at 350 for about 2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 160. Let rest 15 minutes and temperature will rise to 170. Carve and serve.

I seem to always impress my brother - in-law (the grill master) with this and it is SOOOO easy. I always use an oven bag and get a moist (hard to do with pork) roast and have an easy clean up.

For the most economical roast, buy a whole tenderloin at Sam’s or Costco.  They are usually around 10 pounds or more.  Cut into several roasts, or 1 roast and boneless pork chops.  

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Dad's Clam Fettuccine

2 - 6 ½ oz cans clams, minced, drained, reserve liquid (1/3 c)
1 TBS olive oil
1 c onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 c white wine or water
2/3 c chicken broth
4 tsp cornstarch
8 oz fettuccine, cooked and drained
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese to taste
Sauté onion & garlic 3-4 minutes. Add wine simmer 2 minutes, add broth & clams, NO CLAM JUICE, cover & reduce heat, stirring occasionally. Cook pasta. Combine clam juice & cornstarch in sm jar, shake to mix. Add to sauce to thicken. Spoon sauce over pasta. Sprinkle with salt, pepper & Parmesan cheese.

My father in law was a great cook!  Dad would cut recipes out of the paper, I think that is where this is from.  He made it and we all liked it,  I loved it the MOST and whenever we would come home Dad always made this for me.  This is simple enough for a weeknight, but fancy enough for a "special dinner".
 
This is linked to Eat at Home Ingredient Spotlight for wine.
 

Asian Flank Steak (Freezer)

1 flank steak
½ c hoisin sauce
¼ c honey
¼ c sesame oil
¼ c lite soy sauce
¼ c white wine
¼ c sesame seeds  (can cut back to 1 - 2 TBS)
1 tsp minced garlic
Place all seasoning in ziplock and gently knead. Place steak in bag, and knead again.  Can be frozen at this point. Thaw and grill.

Wish I could give credit for this receipe.  This is one of the first things we made when we started freezing food and remains a favorite still today.

This is linked to Eat at Home Ingredient Spotlight.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Breakfast Casserole

6 oz Seasoned croutons
2 c Cheddar cheese, grated
1 lb Bacon, fried and crumbled (or 1 jar/pkg Bacon Bits)
1 pint Half and Half
10 Eggs or egg beaters
½ c Milk
Salt and Pepper To taste

Grease 9 x 13 pan. Beat ½ and ½ with eggs until frothy. Pour over ingredients. Layers should be crouton, cheese, bacon, and liquid. Cover with foil, let sit overnight. Bake at 325 for 40 – 45 minutes.
 
This is from Pam and has been made for over 20 years.  It really is a tried and true.
It is also linked to Ingredient Spotlight - Bacon