Evening and Dinner Archives

Basil, Bacon and Tomato Pasta Sauce

I am a semi-regular subscriber to Saveur magazine. I love the recipes and the photography is always spectacular. I am also always on the hunt for something fresh and relatively easy to make for those days I don’t really want to cook. They had a recipe that called for bacon and tomatoes and basil. My three favorite things. That is what inspired this dish.

Making this Basil, Bacon and Tomato Pasta Sauce was very simple. I used a can of stewed tomatoes because I really like them, but you could use regular chopped canned tomatoes, or even fresh if you wanted to take the time to peel them. I also used frozen bell pepper medley that I always have in my freezer just for days like this.
You could add a light red wine to this sauce, but it probably would not taste quite as fresh.

I usually buy Polska Kielbasa to make Jambalaya, but I didn’t feel like making that. I wanted something simpler so I looked in my refrigerator and found cabbage and sweet bell peppers. I also had a can of white cannellini beans in my pantry. It sounded like a winning recipe, so I got started.

This makes a mild tasting one pot stir-fry dish. If you want to add some pizzaz to it, provide some hot sauce. It’s a very healthy dish, and of course, you could substitute other sausages, like German or Italian.

How to Roast a Perfect Turkey in a Nesco Electric Roaster

Roast Turkey fresh from the Nesco Roaster Oven

How to Roast a Perfect Turkey in a Nesco Electric Roaster Oven

In this article, you can learn how to roast a perfect turkey in a Nesco or other electric roaster oven. In addition, you can get tips about how and why to brine the turkey. Finally, use the handy chart showing how long to cook a turkey in a roaster oven, depending on size and stuffing.

Braised Pork with Leek Sauce

I was surprised at just how good this came out when I made it. Even Spane liked it once I explained what leeks are.

Leeks, I have told him and others, are a mildly sweet member of the onion family. They look like giant green onions.You don’t have to use a pork loin to make this. Pork chops would be fine. You could even use a rather tough piece of beef that does well with braising.

Recipes in this Post

Potato and Leek Casserole

When I went to the local farmer’s market, they had some lovely leeks and beets available. I bought both. I made pickled beets with the beets, and then struggled with what to do with the leeks. Usually, I make a Quiche, but I really didn’t like the idea of turning my oven on twice, once to pre-bake the shell, and then to bake the Quiche itself. Now that I have my mandoline, I have had so much fun, and I thought to combine potatoes and leeks together in a casserole.

I also had a lovely pork loin in my refrigerator, and leeks and pork go together so nicely. A bottle of white wine was waiting to make it a perfect meal.

Recipes in this Post

Beef Risotto Della Stroganoff

I bought meat to make Beef Stroganoff, but then realized there was not enough meat to make a meal enough for four people. Not only that, my friend had come by with a bottle of white wine, just the thing for Risotto. I thought I could combine the two and make something really wonderful. I was right, and I even had enough for the next day’s lunch!

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Brisket of Beef in Wine Sauce

When I was a little girl my mother used to make a beef dish that I loved. I never knew what it was until I became an adult and learned it was called brisket of beef. I liked that the meat was tender, and full of flavor. Finding it in the market, however, was a chore. I would only see Corned Beef, which I like very much, but it’s not the same thing.

While I was thinking about that brisket I had as a little girl growing up in Germany, I realized that my mother never made it after we moved back to the United States. Maybe it wasn’t my mother’s dish after all, maybe it was our German maid, Elfrida’s brisket I remember so fondly.

Either way, when I found brisket at the local butcher shop, I knew I had to try making it. I figured I would do something similar to Oxen Shvantz Suppe – Braised Oxtails, which also takes a long time to cook. It’s hot and I didn’t want to be in a hot kitchen all day, so I used my 4 quart Nesco to slowly braise the brisket. It was delicious!

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Bacon Fried Chicken Fingers

In the summer, even though it’s hot, I still think about fried chicken, and I’m not talking about that stuff at Kentucky Fried that tastes like a salt lick either. I’m talking about fried chicken like my Grandmother, Grace Boswell, used to make. She came from Texas, and she made the best friend chicken in the world, well in my opinion. Now, it’s my turn to pass on a tradition.

No Instructions, Experimentation Necessary

My Nana did not like to share her recipes, and really didn’t want anyone in the kitchen when she was cooking. She just wanted, and got, the accolades when the finished dish was on the table. The only time I saw the chicken before it got to the dining room was when there was a pan of it already fried, waiting to go to the table, which was too late. So, I’ve had to do some experimenting to get it right.

Summer Bean Salad with Lemon Mayonnaise

Hellman’s Mayonnaise in California

What!!!!! What did you say? Hellman’s Mayonnaise in California? Well, actually, no it was Hellman’s Sandwich Spread in Glendale, California.

Best Foods and Hellmans Together — Best Foods and Hellman’s, Together?

Spane and I were at the 99 Cents Only store on our way to visit Alexandria’s Archives’s President, and stopped at the store to get a Danish or something, and I spied these jars of Hellman’s. I was amazed, and then found a jar of Bestfoods next to it. I couldn’t help take a picture, considering that I will probably never see the two brands together in the same place, unless I take it upon myself to start rock climbing or something. Don’t get your hopes up, folks, this was a jar of Hellman’s that will expire in August, 2014, just a few weeks after this post. So, no, we won’t be buying that.

I have to say I was flabbergasted when I found Hellman’s in Glendale. I told Spane that the jar was very, very far from home. Hellman’s is typically not sold west of the Rocky Mountains, where Best Foods is sold. The ingredients on both are the same, while some people prefer Best Foods because it is perceived to have a more tangy flavor, more vinegar. Wikipedia has an interesting article about the history of the popular condiment.

Mayonnaise is a great starter for sauces, including my Summer Bean Salad with Lemon Mayonnaise. It also has a host of other uses, but we will talk about those another day.

Nesco Baby Back Ribs

Nesco Baby Back Ribs fall off the bone, and have smoky, tangy flavor. No outdoor grill? These ribs are your answer.

How to Roast a Perfect Turkey in a Nesco Electric Roaster Oven

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Recipes in this Post

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Recipes in this Post

No Instructions, Experimentation Necessary

Hellman’s Mayonnaise in California

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