Oven Baked Cheese Dream

INGREDIENTS
Butter or margarine (optional)
4 slices pumpernickel bread, toasted
8 slices tomato
8 ounces leftover turkey, ham or both, sliced thin
Cheddar Cheese Sauce (see recipe)
4 slices bacon, cooked
4 spears asparagus or broccoli, precooked
4 slices Swiss cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Butter (if desired) the toasted bread slices and arrange them in the bottom of a shallow casserole. Top each bread slice with 2 slices of tomato and two ounces of sliced meat. Cover with the Cheddar Cheese Sauce.
2. Heat casserole in 400-degree oven until the cheese begins to bubble. Add bacon slices, asparagus or broccoli and 1 slice of Swiss cheese  to each meat-topped bread slice. Return to the oven. Heat until the ingredients are melted together. Serve hot.

CHEDDAR CHEESE SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
3 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded or coarsely grated white Cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of white pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt the butter in saucepan. Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes over low heat. Add the milk and stir until it is well combined and the sauce is thick and smooth.
2. Stir in the shredded or grated cheese, salt and pepper. Continue to stir over low heat until the cheese is melted.
3. Make just before serving. (If allowed to stand, they could become soggy, losing their fresh-cooked taste).

Serves 4.

Serve with chips, bean salad, tangy pickles and fresh fruit. Use green olives as a garnish.

Experiment with spicy or flavored mustard’s, such as Dijon or tarragon. Try such cheeses as Gruyère or farmhouse cheese.

Note: For those of you that know me, you know that I always add a shot of Tabasco or hot sauce to my cheese sauce while the cheese is melting. It just gives it a little kick. And I hate asparagus, so you know I’m go with the broccoli. (sh)

Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm. ~ Winston Churchill

 

Teriyaki Steak

Time for a mid-week meal update – what are you making for dinner tonight? Do you have a regular Wednesday meal that makes the week’s halfway point easier to handle? Are you making it today, or did you make it earlier in the week?

As you know, I love to eat… and to cook… (cleaning, not so much). You know I love Asian inspired foods (with the exception of sushi). I LOVE Teriyaki… I put it on too many things. Stir-fry’s, sausage stuffed mushrooms, steak, you name it. Rice pudding & custard are my two favorite desserts. Quick & easy.

This is a quick and easy meal.

Teriyaki Steak
Butter Noodles
Boiled Cabbage
Crescent Rolls
Rice Pudding
Beverages

INGREDIENTS
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon minced onion flakes
1 4-oz can sliced mushrooms
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1 lb London broil (flank steak)

Mix together all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag, except steak. Mix well with your fingers & place the steak in the bag. Shake bag to cover completely with marinade. Marinate in mixture for 2 hours. Turning bag over, every half hour. Grill, bake or broil (George Foreman – like me) to your liking. Let rest for at least 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.  Serve over a hearty bed of buttered noodles.  Serve cabbage in a soup bowl sprinkled with *cornbread croutons.

*Cornbread croutons: Heat 2 TBSP of bacon grease in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Cube some leftover corn bread into 1 inch squares. Toss into skillet. Stir occasionally, making sure not to break up the bread. About 5 minutes. Toss on top of cabbage just before serving.

There’s no reason to be the richest man in the cemetery. You can’t do any business from there. ~ Colonel Harlan Sanders

 

Sunday Supper

You know that I love pork loin. Its so easy to make, you can put it on before you leave for work or shopping and it will be waiting on you when you get home. That’s one less thing to worry about.

MENU
Spinach Salad
Maple Glazed Pork Loin with Tomato & Pine Nut Relish
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Peas & Baby Carrots
Rolls and Butter
*Baked Apples
Beverages

Maple Glazed Pork Loin

INGREDIENTS
1 (5 pound) pork loin roast
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup light maple flavored pancake syrup
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
Place the roast into a large resealable bag. In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, vinegar, pancake syrup, cornstarch and brown sugar. Pour into the bag with the roast. Seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Then bake the as per my Easy Pork Loin directions, making sure that the Butcher cuts the loin in half lengthwise for you.  Its done when its internal temperature is at least 150 degrees F (65 degrees C) when taken with a meat thermometer.

Pine Nut Relish

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup (generous) chopped dried apricots (about 3 ounces)
1/3 cup chopped white onion
3 tablespoons finely chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chopped jalapeño chili with seeds

2/3 cup chopped seeded plum tomatoes
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS
Combine first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Add tomatoes, pine nuts and cilantro to apricot mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Serve along

*Baked Apples – stuffed with raisins, walnuts and brown sugar.

I do not regret one moment of my life. ~ Lillie Langtry

 

LAMB & PORK LOAF

INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground lamb
1/2 lb ground lean pork
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups course soft bread crumbs, firmly packed
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 eggs beaten
1 cup lamb broth* or milk
Pepper
1/4 cup melted butter

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients except 1/2 cup bread crumbs and the butter. Mix thoroughly and press the mixture into a loaf pan (8 1/4 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/4 inches). Mix together the butter and the 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, and pat over the top of the loaf. Bake in a moderate oven (325 to 350 degrees F) for 1 1/2 hours. Before turning out, let loaf stand for 15 minutes to absorb meat juices. Garnish with parsley or mint.

Makes: 5 servings

The good is the greatest rival of the best. ~ Nellie L. McClung

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did He smile His work to see?
Did He who made the Lamb make thee? ~ William Blake

* When purchasing lamb buy some extra bony pieces to prepare the broth.

 

Guests for Dinner

MENU
Crabmeat Cocktail
Broiled Steak
Creamed Potatoes
Asparagus
Roll with Butter
Salad Bowl
Mocha Mousse

Spicy Crabmeat Cocktail

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 Cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 cup crab meat (or imitation crab meat)
2 scallions or chives, chopped

DIRECTIONS
Beat together well with fork, mayonnaise, chili sauce, lemon juice, curry powder and pepper to taste. Add chopped scallions or chives. Mix with a large cup of crab meat or imitation crab meat.

Serve in chilled clear seafood/shrimp cocktail Icers with liners glasses.

Psst: I’m not a fan of  asparagus, but its my oldest sister Shirley’s favorite. I’d substitute it with snap beans as side dish, if it were me.

Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open. ~ James Dewar

 

Menus

BREAKFAST

Grapefruit Halves

French Toast

Syrup

Bacon

Beverages

LUNCH

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Soda Crackers, Heated

Carrot Sticks

Pickled Beets

Canned Pineapple

Sour Cream Doughnuts

Beverages

DINNER

Spanish Sausage

Mashed Potatoes

Buttered Peas

Cabbage and Apple Salad

Whole Wheat Bread, Butter

Lemon Sundae

Beverages