Gourmet Food on a Budget
Fresh ravioli is so wonderful to have. You can stuff it with your favorite stuffing. It can be as simple as ricotta or as high-couture as truffles and caviar. Did you know that you can make ravioli using your KitchenAid mixer and a couple of attachments? Let me explain.
My adopted mother made this wonderful Grapefruit Pecan Salad for a fancy dinner one night and everyone loved it. It’s a great accompaniment to a grilled steak.
Tabbouleh salad
Tabbouleh salad is made from bulgar, parsley, tomato, mint, and onion dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. It has a wonderful bright taste and it’s great with barbecue or anything else you can think of.
Red lentil soup is one of my favorite soups. This one is a little spicy and great with freshly baked crusty bread slathered with freshly made butter. It makes quite a bit of soup so you can have leftovers for lunch or freeze some for another time.
Dutch oven red cabbage is a great winter side dish, perfect for richer meats like pork, duck, and goose. Cabbage is a very healthy vegetable, tasty and inexpensive.
These balsamic caramelized onions go very well with the Roasted Duck with Raspberry Sauce, as well as on burgers, with cheese, on toast, just about anywhere – they are sweet and tart at the same time.
Caramel Sweet Potato Casserole is a little different than the one you usually see at the holiday table. Is it sweet? You betcha! But it’s more interesting because it has caramel, pineapple, and cashews – marshmallows are optional.
Green Beans with Toasted Garlic Almonds will make you forget about that green bean casserole you have been bemoaning for years. This has excellent flavor and is easy to make any time.
This Spicy Cranberry Sauce is very easy to make and will delight your guests. It’s very tasty with the seasonings of the season and goes very well with whatever you serve. Freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and allspice combine to make a great side dish for your meal.
