Evening and Dinner – Page 5 of 14

German Pork Goulash Stew

When I was a little girl, my family moved to Germany. My father was a Captain in the US Army, and Uncle Sam wanted my father to serve there. This was in the 1960s when the United States was still heavily battling Communism and the Berlin Wall went up overnight. My mother was scared to death that we were going to get stuck behind the wall. However, I could see looking at the map with my mother that Berlin was quite a distance from Kaiserslautern (400 miles or 626 km).

One of the dishes we enjoyed when we lived there was goulash. I’m not talking about the amalgamation of ground beef, tomato sauce, and macaroni that’s called goulash in the United States. I’m talking about the real thing, German Goulash Stew, pieces of beef, lots of onion, and good paprika with a little sour cream because the chef might be feisty and use the really hot paprika. I happen to like the pork version better, but if you don’t like pork, beef does very nicely, too.

Broccoli Cheese Mashed Potato Soup

Glorious use of leftover mashed potatoes and broccoli come together quickly – Broccoli Cheese Mashed Potato Soup with Pimento Cheese Toasts

Roasted Red Pepper Burgers and Aleppo Steak Fries

Roasted Red Pepper burgers and Aleppo Steak Fries are easy to prepare for a weeknight meal and fancy enough for company.

Bacon Wrapped Spicy Ham Roll Stuffed Chicken

Bacon-Wrapped Spicy Stuffed Chicken with Ham Roll

When I posted this on Instagram, a lot of people said it looked delicious. I told them it was, and I wasn’t lying. The recipe is based on Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Stuffed Chicken, which my good friend, Maria de la Rocha had posted quite a long time ago. I had been meaning to make it, but when I actually looked at the recipe, I realized there were some changes I could make to make a better dish.

Spane’s favorite appetizer is what I call Spicy Ham Rolls. It’s basically ham slices rolled up with cream cheese and chopped jalapeño. I got the recipe from a girl I worked with that had given her leftovers from a party she had had. When I make them, they are gone immediately!

If you make this, you can use whatever barbecue sauce you like, or you can use the one in the recipe. If you really don’t like jalapeño, you can omit it and use bell pepper instead.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I love Chicken Cordon Bleu, but the problem with it is if you are not very careful, the cheese comes out while it is cooking and you wind up with a dried up piece of chicken with a remnant of cheese and some ham. If you’re lucky, they included sauce.

This casserole is so simple, and all the good things about the dish stay right where you want them, inside! Every bite has a little ham and a little cheese.

There is a little bit of backstory with this recipe, but, what recipes do I give without a backstory? When I was making this month’s menu, I wanted chicken and I wanted something that we would have leftovers. I made a note to make some kind of chicken casserole. Then, I was in one of my Facebook groups, and someone mentioned Anthony Bourdain’s book, Appetites. My friend, Chef John Farion CWC, introduced me to his show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. John really loved Bourdain, and they kind of reminded me of each other. John passed the day after Thanksgiving, 2017. Bourdain passed in June of 2018. I’m sure they are together in the big kitchen in the sky.

When John and I were roommates many moons ago at the Villa Carlotta in Hollywood, California, there was a lovely French café called La Poubelle, and the owner, Jacqueline, made the best chicken crepes I have ever had. Jacqueline was good friends with my neighbor, Wally Coover, and we often had crepes at her restaurant. Jacqueline and John did not get along at all. Her daughter, Francois, has now taken over the restaurant, and the crepes are no longer on the menu. When I was thinking about John, and living at the Villa, I thought of those crepes and how delicious they were. I thought I could incorporate some of those memories into my casserole.

Expert Burgers

These burgers are called “Expert Burgers” because they have such great flavor , stuffed with Swiss cheese, with caramelized onion and coleslaw.

Ginger Man Shrimp and Pasta

This shrimp and pasta dish is very easy to make, comes together quickly, makes an excellent choice for a weeknight dinner, and would also make a great dinner for guests. You can use raw shrimp, or cooked shrimp you might find on special at the supermarket.

This Chicken Marsala with gnocchi is a perfect fall dish that is easy to make but will also impress your guests. Enjoy with a glass of white wine.

Chicken with Wine Cream Sauce

Chicken with Wine Cream Sauce is rich and delicious served with noodles and broccoli.

Pork Loin Roast with Tangy Lemon Sauce

Labor Day is such an important day to remember those who fought for good working conditions and a living wage. It’s also a fine excuse to make some good food. Whilst looking through Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible, I came across a recipe for pork roast which gave me the idea to make this pork loin roast with tangy lemon sauce.

Pork loin roast is one of my favorite meats. I like mine on the rare side, just pink on the inside. I usually give the end slices to Spane because he likes his a little more cooked. There is no excuse for serving a dried out, gray colored roast of pork. Armed with a good instant thermometer, you can serve perfect pork at 140 degrees. Just make sure to let the roast rest for about 10 minutes before carving it. I use an electric knife because it makes the nicest slices.

If you want to make this on the grill, more power to you! Pork roast is great on the grill, but you have to use the Indirect method. This means you put a pile of hot coals on one side of the grill, and a pan of liquid under the meat, which gives the meat a nice, steamy place to slowly cook. If you want, you can use beer, wine or fruit juice for the liquid.