Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella, Baslamic

Tomatoes

Fresh basil

Balsamic vinegar

Fresh mozzarella

We used your everyday balsamic vinegar and compared it to a 10 year old balsamic vinegar.  Yeah, that's how we roll.

Dahl

1 cup red lentils
1 tsp mustard seed
2 Tbs ginger root (grated or tube)
2 medium onions, chopped
3-4 small serrano peppers (or jalapeno)
3-4 cloves garlic
1 Tbs cumin
1 Tbs ground coriander
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup water
salt and pepper
olive oil

Cook lentils according to the package directions.  (1 cup lentils, 3 cups water, 15-20 minutes)  Heat oil in a skillet, add mustard seeds and then onions, ginger, garlic, peppers and cook until tender.  (I also did carrot slices here)  Add the cumin and coriander, tomatoes and sautee until tomatoes are cooked.  Add water (may need less depending on the water from tomatoes), Cook 10 minutes to thicken, and add lentils.

(Could also add fresh cilantro at the very end)

Blanch fresh tomatoes, peel and deseed.  Cook in pot with salt and olive oil, mash, cook 40 mins.  Infuse olive oil with garlic, crushed red pepper and fresh basil.  Strain oil and add to tomatoes.  Cook pasta til almost done and then sautee with sauce in a separate pan, add fresh basil and a little more crushed red pepper.

Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon with Jalapeno Apricot Sauce, Broccoli Gratin and Salt Fingerling Potatoes

For the Broccoli:

1 1/2 quarts broccoli

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbs flour

1 tsp mustard

1 cup cheddar cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 Tbs panko

1 Tbs bread crumbs

crushed red pepper

Boil or steam broccoli until tender.  Drain and add to a dutch oven.  Mix flour and milk in a sauce pan until thickened.  Pour over broccoli and sprinkle cheese over broccoli.  Sprinkle with crushed red pepper, bread crumbs and panko.  Broil, uncovered until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

For the Potatoes:

Fingerling Potatoes

Salt

Butter

Boil potatoes in well salted water until tender.  Serve with melted butter.

For the Apricot Jalapeno Sauce:

oil

1-2 jalapeños thinly sliced

2-4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup white wine

3 Tbs coarse ground mustard

1 cup apricot preserves

Heat oil in a sauce pan, add jalapeños and cook until caramelized.  Add garlic and cook a few minutes and deglaze the pan with white wine before the garlic starts to brown.  Add apricot preserves and mustard and simmer until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. 

For the Salmon:

Soak cedar plank in water for a few hours.  Place salmon on plank, sprinkle with salt and pepper and chopped fresh rosemary.  Coat with jalapeno apricot sauce.  Set up grill with with coals on one side.  Cook salmon over hot coals in order to get the most smoked flavor.  Move plank over to cool side if the plank starts to burn too much.

Chicken Chimichangas and Guacamole

(recipe not complete)
For the Chimichangas:
2 Chicken breasts
large flour tortillas
1 can pinto beans
1 jalapeno
2-3 poblano peppers (we used anaheim)
pablano salsa verde
cumin
coriander
cinnamon
cloves
oil for frying

Boil chicken breasts, let cool and shred with 2 forks.  Saute onion and garlic in oil until tender, add peppers, cook a few minutes, add pinto beans, salsa and spices and then chicken and stir well and cook until warmed.

For the Guacamole:
2 ripe avocados
lime
garlic
tomato
cilantro

Chicken Artichoke Tomato Goat Cheese Pasta

Leftover chicken from grilled lemon chicken
2 cans artichokes
4-5 small red onions, sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 quart canned tomatoes
linguine
white wine
balsamic vinegar
oregano (or fresh basil)
crushed red pepper
parsley
olive oil

Start the pasta.  Saute garlic and red onion in olive oil until tender (3-5 minutes).  Deglaze with white wine and balsamic vinegar (4-5 minutes).  Add sun-dried tomatoes, canned tomatoes, red pepper, oregano, parsley and cook 5 minutes.  Add leftover chicken and cook til warm.  Strain pasta and return to pot.  Add the sauce and a little more balsamic vinegar and goat cheese and stir to combine.  Sprinkle a little goat cheese, crushed red pepper and oregano on to serve.

(fresh tomatoes and mushrooms would be good, smoky flavor of the grilled chicken is awesome)

Lemon Grilled Chicken, Asparagus, Fingerling Potatoes and Cheddar Jalapeno Corn Bread

For the Marinade:
2 lemons, zested
juice of 1 lemon
olive oil
rosemary

Ina's Cornbread:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 cups milk
• 3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus extra to grease the pan
• 8 ounces aged extra-sharp Cheddar, grated, divided
• 1/3 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts, plus extra for garnish, 3 scallions
• 3 tablespoons seeded and minced fresh jalapeno peppers

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and butter. With a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry until most of the lumps are dissolved. Don't overmix! Mix in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar, the scallions and jalapenos, and allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and sprinkle with the remaining grated Cheddar and extra chopped scallions. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool and cut into large squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes:

Toss potatoes with olive oil and rosemary and spread out on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 until tender.

Grilled Asparagus:

Lightly toss the asparagus in olive oil, grill in grill basket with 2 lemon halves.

notes:

next time use chicken halves, indirect grilling and treat like chicken bbq, mopping with marinade.

Easter Bunny Crab Pretzels

Soft Pretzels:

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 Tbs sugar

2 tsp kosher salt

1 pack dry yeast

4 1/2 cups flour

4 Tbs butter

oil

1 egg, whisked

Add water, sugar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle yeast on top and let stand for 5-10 minutes until foamy.  Add the butter and flour and mix (dough hook) on low until everything is combined, then switch to medium speed until the dough is pulling away from the sides.  (we needed to add a little more flour)  Remove dough from bowl, oil the bowl, return dough to bowl and let the dough rise for 50 minutes to an hour so that the dough doubles in size.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and grease with oil.

Break the dough into 8 equal parts and roll out to the desired length.  Shape into an Easter-themed pretzel shape.  Place pretzels on the baking sheets and brush with egg wash.  Bake 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Crab Pretzels:

8 Soft Pretzels

3 ounces cream cheese

1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

8 oz  crab claw meat

6 oz can jumbo lump crab

6 oz can white crab meat

shredded cheddar and colby cheeses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Leave cream cheese at room temperature to soften up.

Place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and add Old Bay, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce and Frank's Red Hot and blend until smooth. Fold in crabmeat last to avoid breaking it up too much. Place mixture in a plastic bag with one corner cut off. Pipe mixture onto pretzels.
Cover the crab dip with shredded cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Guy's Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1 tablespoon oil
2 carrots, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
5 snap peas, diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
2 chicken breast, diced (we used ground turkey)
6 ounces Apricot Sesame Sambal Szechwan Sauce, recipe follows
6 iceberg lettuce leaves
2 tablespoons diced green onions