Honeyed Blue Cheese Toasts

 

HONEYED BLUE CHEESE TOASTS

recipe adapted from Food.com

 

French bread baguette, sliced

crumbled blue cheese

honey

 

 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

 

Place bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake the bread alone for about 2 minutes. Remove from oven.

 

Add crumbled blue cheese to cover each bread slice then drizzle with honey. Put back in oven for about 5 minutes until cheese just barely starts to brown. Serve warm.

 

 

I used inexpensive Kroger brand crumbled blue cheese and your basic clover honey that comes in the bear shaped container. This was a very decadent tasting appetizer that we ate before, during and after dinner. I purposely saved one for after dinner because it was so good, a little dessert-like. The honey really tones down the usual strong taste of the blue cheese. I can only imagine how this might be if you used a really 'good' blue cheese and some 'specialty' honey.

 

 

 

 

Grilled Steak with Hoisin Mustard Sauce

 

GRILLED STEAK WITH HOISIN MUSTARD SAUCE

recipe adapted from a magazine advertisement for Beef It's What's for Dinner

 

steaks (I suggest a lean cut like Sirloin or Strip)

salt and pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil

3 tablespoons chopped yellow onions

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup beef broth

1/4 cup Hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon tomato paste

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

 

Salt and pepper your steaks as desired. Grill your steaks to desired doneness. (Hubby is always in charge of grilling at my house, so I don't attempt to give any instructions.)

 

Meanwhile, heat a small saucepan on medium heat; add olive oil. Add garlic and both onions, cook 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, stir and simmer for 6 to 10 minutes or until the sauce is thick. Set aside.

 

After plating each steak, top with sauce.

 

This makes enough sauce for 6 to 8 small steaks. We used an excess of sauce on our 2 steaks because it was so tasty!

 

 

For my side dish, I sauteed fresh snow peas and red bell pepper slices in a little sesame oil, garlic and soy sauce. I stirred in sesame seeds at the end of cooking time.

 

 

 

Roasted Carrots

 

ROASTED CARROTS

from The Pioneer Woman

 

carrots (I used baby cut)

olive oil

salt and pepper

thyme (she used fresh, I used dried)

 

Shake carrots and olive oil in a plastic bag until carrots are coated. Lay carrots in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme to taste.

Bake at 100 degrees for about 30 minutes, until they are wrinkly with a few brown spots.

 

I served this with Mahatma Spicy Yellow Saffron rice and pork loin marinated in the same marinade as this Polynesian Flank Steak.

Macaroni & Cheese

 

I found this recipe for  Chef John's Macaroni and Cheese at AllRecipes.com.

 

I changed it up a bit by using several cheeses that I had on hand instead of just sharp Cheddar. I used Applewood Smoked Cheddar, Smoked Gouda, Mozzarella and Sharp Cheddar.

 

I also used shell shaped macaroni.

 

This was delicious and creamy, but not quite as cheesy as I would have liked it. Maybe next time I should stick with the recipe and use all Sharp Cheddar.

 

Asian Salad with Edamame, Pineapple & More

 

 

ASIAN SALAD

 

Romaine lettuce

edamame (I used frozen already shelled, thawed)

pineapple tidbits (from a can)

sliced water chestnuts (from a can)

chopped celery

chopped green onions

sliced red bell pepper

 

Mix all ingredients in desired portions and proportions.

 

I use two salad dressings in combination for this: Ginger dressing (like the one at Japanese Hibachi restaurants) and a sweet Poppy seed dressing.

 

Add some crispy wontons or crispy chow mein noodles if you like.

Recent Recipes...

Here are a few recipes recenty tried and enjoyed. Photos are not mine, they are from the site where I found the recipe. Follow the links.....

 

Turkey and Stuffing Roll Ups from Mommy's Kitchen

 

 

So easy and tastes like Thanksgiving any time of year. Be sure to serve with other Thanksgiving type side items. My husband actually prepared this and he added a little whole berry cranberry sauce (from a can) inside the roll with the stuffing.

 

 

Tilapia Picatta from Closet Cooking

 

Delicious! Next time I will increase the amount of sauce because it would be great to have extra to top a rice or pasta side.

 

 

Pasta Alla Vodka from the Pioneer Woman

 

My husband had to have a grilled chicken breast along side this pasta, but I could eat it and be truly satisfied without any meat. I couldn't really tell what the vodka added to the dish, but why mess with a great recipe! Put the vodka in!

 

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