We love a good chicken stir fry. And in my books, this may be one of best. Crunchy with cashews and water chestnuts, savory with broccoli, bell peppers, and onions and seasoned with a hot and sweet sauce, you’ll find it hard to put those chopsticks down.
I’ve been buying Pappardelle’s Pasta for years now. Every Sunday at my Highlands Ranch Farmer’s Market, I grab a couple packages of their flavored linguini, angel hair, orzo, pappardelle or ravioli pastas and then with great anticipation head over to their website to find a creative recipe for my latest purchase. Pappardelle offers a recipe for each of their flavored pastas, but if your in a crunch for time, all of them make a tasty quick weeknight meal simply dressed with a brown butter sauce.
Not exactly a super model dish to photograph…using leftovers, this Steak and Potato Omelet made for a delicious Sunday breakfast.
I had some flank steak from our Thursday’s Steak with Garlic Butter dinner. An extra baked potato that didn’t get eaten that was a side dish for Saturday’s Grilled Herb Shrimp recipe that I found over at Spice Roots. Ansh is a friend and fellow Colorado Blogger. So Sunday’s breakfast was a steak and potato omelet. Ansh, I must report, the shrimp recipe was so good, there were no leftovers at all.
I decided on a three egg omelet for my two egg omelet pan so the eggs would hold up to the heavy steak and potato pieces. I thin sliced the steak against the grain as thin as I could possibly get it. Same with the cooked potato, as thin as I could without the potato slices falling apart.
Whisking the eggs with salt, pepper, milk and a sprinkle of Emeril Essence seasoning, I poured it into the omelet pan prepped with sizzling unsalted butter. Swirling the pan Julia Child style, the eggs were somewhat set when I sprinkled in the cold steak and potato pieces. Moving the pan a few more times, the egg mixture that was still moist, swirled around the potatoes and steak warming them as the mixture set up. I quickly added some shredded cheese and then folded into omelet shape. Turning the heat to the lowest setting, I covered the omelet and let it steam for about two minutes before cutting it in half and serving on plates. Bob and I shared the omelet.
It was hearty, savory and cheesy and the steak and potato combo went well with the delicate eggs. And actually, it seemed more like a fluffy frittata than an omelet. It was a great way to use up left overs who were freeloading in the fridge.
Steak and Potato Omelet … It’s What’s for Sunday Breakfast.
Wonton Soup made for a delicious light meal last weekend. This classic recipe is really very simple to make in your own kitchen.
Especially when wonton wraps are so readily available. Except they were almost Impossible to find in our store. The Safeway store manager finally assisted Bob to end the treasure hunt and led him to a refrigerated end cap. When he handed them to Bob, he asked us to report back about the quality. It seems they’re a new brand for the store and he thought they were better quality than brands previous offered. They worked great, but it seems to me most wonton wraps are pretty trouble free. Anyone have any thoughts about one brand being better than another?
This rosemary potato strudel recipe is a great potato recipe for Easter. Thin sliced potatoes coated with sour cream and seasoned with rosemary, chives and garlic are nestled and baked steamy in a golden puff pastry.
The addition of roasted poblano peppers takes these mashed potatoes from simple to spectacular.
“Don’t give cherries to pigs or advice to fools.” Irish Saying
I found this Irish saying a few days ago, which by the way, seems to make sense. I’m not sure if I’ve ever given cherries to pigs. Growing up on a farm, I do remember feeding pigs table scraps, which may have accidentally included a stray cherry. But mostly they were fed a combination of a commercial feed product that when mixed with water we called “slop”.
And as far as fools go, I suppose that over the years, I could have unwittingly given advice to one or two.
But one thing I know for sure is I’ve never prepared, served, purchased or eaten any type of fruit fool. A Googling I went and found a recipe from Whole Foods and being a fool and not waiting until cherries are in season, I decided to make this for St. Patrick’s Day using canned cherries.
This fool is a simple combination of cream with brown sugar and vanilla extract added and then beaten in a mixer until it became whipped cream. I folded in a mixture of cherries, almond extract and lemon juice which as been cooked stove top to form a compote-style mixture. The whole thing was then topped with sliced almonds that had been coated with honey and baked. We liked this dessert simply because it wasn’t too sweet.
Being St. Patrick’s Day, of course we served this dessert after our corned beef brisket, cabbage and potato dinner.
Our brisket was placed in the crock pot using a bottle of hard cider for the liquid. It was topped with about 1/4 cup brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of horseradish mustard. For the sake of texture, I cooked the potatoes and cabbage separately. Bob quickly noted that the cabbage should have been boiled, I agreed. I quickly noted that roasting the potatoes was also an “Irish” mistake. Bob agreed.
Anyway, we’re not complete fools. Rye bread, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese have been purchased for Reuben Sandwich leftovers.
Isn’t it grand to be Irish for a few days? Which by the way, I recently read somewhere that a pig was to blame for the invention of this traditional meal. Irish immigrants who couldn’t afford bacon used a cheaper cut from beef, salted to render and spiced to create what we now know as corned beef.
Cherry Fool…It’s What’s for St. Paddy’s Dessert.
Before I talk about this cookbook and the giveaway, I want to do a little pre-gushing about this Lamb Sliders with Tomato Chutney recipe. O-M-G, good grief, delicious. My choice for a recipe to feature from the new cookbook, Tasting Colorado.
My friend Michele, is a professional chef and sommelier, writes a food blog Cooking with Michele, teaches private cooking lessons for both adults and children, leads cooking dinner parties, offers small event catering, and she has just published a cookbook, Tasting Colorado…Favorite Recipes From the Centennial State.
Tasting Colorado is a great collection of 120 recipes from Colorado’s finest restaurants, lodges, guest ranches and bed and breakfasts.
Michele styled and shot all of her own the photos for the book. Look at this beautiful stack of pancakes dripping in maple syrup that she chose for the front cover. 157 mouthwatering color photographs bring the recipes to life and make it gorgeous enough for any coffee table, that is if you can bare to let it out of the kitchen.
You’ll find many recipes that represent our classic Western Fare, and our love of fresh, local ingredients, and the book also displays our more sophisticated side and fondness for contemporary global cuisine.
For a fresh take on fabulous food, sample the Cowboy Corn Cakes; Crème Brulee French Toast; Bear Creek Smoked Trout Pate; Tequila-Lime Salsa; Grilled Palisade Peaches, Serrano Ham and Rocket Salad; Poblano Chile and Chive Mashed Potatoes; Buffalo Redeye Stew; Sweet Corn Soup with Cilantro Puree; Colorado Leg of Lamb with Creamy Polenta and Lamb Jus; Chili-Chocolate Bourbon Cake; and the Roasted Colorado Peach-Pistachio Brioche Pudding with Ice Cream.
Whether you’re a local who wants to recreate a recipe from your favorite restaurant, or a tourist who wants to prepare a dish from a memorable vacation, the recipes you are looking for are in this book.
Being a tourist in my own beautiful state, I chose to prepare these lamb sliders from one of my favorite destinations, Estes Park. We’ve driven by the Stanley Hotel many times on our way to Rocky Mountain National Park, but have never taken the time to stop.
Little did I know that these small bite burgers were hiding behind it’s grand exterior. Truly wonderful flavors here. Lamb seasoned with mint and rosemary and topped with a tomato vinegar ginger chutney…shame on you if you don’t give these a try.
I was also thrilled to find a recipe from one of my favorite restaurants, Tamayo on historic Larimer Street in downtown Denver, Chef Sandoval’s mashed potatoes with poblano peppers and chives are featured in Tasting Colorado. A spicy riff on an American classic, I’ll blog about this when I announce the winner of this giveaway.
Michele and her publisher have made an extra copy available to me to give to one of my U.S. readers. No hoops to jump through, just leave me a comment that you’re interested.
If you’re not the winner, Tasting Colorado is available at bookstores and gift shops all around Colorado. You can also pick up a copy online at www.farcountrypress.com or at Amazon.com. Contest will end one week from today, March 19 at midnight.
Good luck, you’re going to love having this book in your collection.
Lamb Sliders with Tomato Chutney…It’s What’s for Dinner.
