Asian Chicken & Rice SoupThis is an easy and delicious soup. The recipe only serves two but I recommend doubling because it is light and will disappear quickly. The easiest way to get the cooked chicken is to buy one at your local grocery store. What you don’t use for this recipe can be used for another meal.Sour Cream Cornbread MuffinsCornbread is wonderful as a sweet or savory side dish. The only drawback is that sometimes it is too dry. These tender cornbread muffins are simple to make and taste great because they have pieces of corn as well as cornmeal. I also like adding some sour cream for moisture.Chicken with a Creamy Paprika SauceI found this recipe from Emeril Lagasse on the Food Network. It is delicious and surprisingly light. Emeril recommends serving this dish over Spaetzle. I served it over egg noodles. However, if you prefer to make Spaetzle, click on that link for my recipe already published.Stanley’s Chinese Cold Noodle SaladStanley is the father of my good friend Vicky Schellenberger. In the late 1980’s, she and I first met while we were stationed with our husbands at Yokota Air Force Base just northwest of Tokyo. Recently, I asked Vicky if she had a recipe I could make in my galley on the boat. This is recipe is what she sent me. She also told me that her father studied Chinese in college and enjoyed the culinary scene in New York City’s Chinatown.Pork Chops DianeThis is a pan sautéed dish with a wonderful sauce seasoned from the pan juices. It is normally made with beef. As near as I can tell, this recipe was invented in London in the 1930’s. The name “Diana” refers to the Roman goddess of the hunt. It is an easy recipe, and the sauce is delicious on the meat and other things you have with your meal.Mom’s Breakfast CookiesWhen I was in high school, my family was living in Landstuhl, Germany. Mom would make these hearty and healthy breakfast cookies. We were an active family so this was a great and easy treat to have first thing before going to school. I don’t have her original recipe, but this one is from “sallysbakingaddiction.com” and it is very close to what I remember. This recipe makes 12 breakfast cookies.Easy and Perfect PopoversOur favorite experience with popovers was during one of our trips to Maine. Near the town of Bar Harbor and in the Acadia National Park is a wonderful restaurant called Jordan’s Pond. Jordan’s Pond’s claim to fame are their popovers. This was also one of our favorite hiking spots in the national park. There are just five ingredients, so it is super easy. They are a fantastic replacement for dinner rolls. Leftovers can be frozen and reheated for 10 minutes in a hot oven. Keep in mind that the popover pan will produce large popovers while the muffin pan popovers will be smaller. But both are equally delicious!Baked Stuffed ZucchiniI have been making this recipe for a few decades. It is one of my favorite side dishes. My old cookbook is titled “Northern Italian Cooking.” In northern Italy this is called “Zucchine Ripiene al Forno.” This is a lighter version than the southern Italian version called Baked Zucchini Boats. They have a heavier version with tomato sauce and at times use tender potatoes. I absolutely love this side dish.Strammer MaxYears ago, someone told me about Strammer Max which are open-faced sandwiches. But for the life of me, I cannot remember who that was. These sandwiches were originally popular in Berlin and other areas of eastern and southeastern Germany. Now, I understand that they are available practically all over Germany. This recipe is a good example of pub food, but because of the ingredients, I feel that you can savor the Strammer Max morning, noon or night.Twice-Baked PotatoesMy aunt Phyl made these for a family reunion at our grandparents’ home in Milwaukie, Oregon. They were a big hit. She made them in advance and then popped them in the oven right before dinner. This is a wonderful alternative to a plain baked potato. It can be served alone with a salad for lunch or with a meat roast and vegetables for dinner. I made these recently at the Kassman’s house in Corvallis, Oregon. We had leftovers that evening, so the next morning Robin served them with a fried egg on top. Twice-Baked Potatoes are a great to enjoy for any meal of the day!Beef StroganoffThis is a classic winter recipe. Stroganoff is a combination of indulgent tender beef with a creamy mushroom sauce that is typically served over butter noodles. If you use beef, it is highly recommended that it is a cut of top sirloin, boneless ribeye steak or filet mignon. The key is a tender meat that can also be substituted for another protein as you will see in the ingredients. My Example: January 2024 Newsletter will give you the story of Count Alexander Stroganoff from Russia for whom this dish was invented.Hawaiian Macaroni SaladAt a fun potluck, my neighbor Shelia brought this wonderful salad. This recipe is unique because the grated sweet onion and relish sets it apart from other macaroni salads. If you don’t have sweet onion, then substitute with 1/4 of a regular onion and then add a ¼ cup of sugar. Some variations to the recipe can also be by substituting peas, green onion, chopped ham or even tuna.Asian Mandarin Orange SaladYou have been reading for a few months now about my mother’s “go to” dinner when company was invited to come over. The menu included Grilled Marinated Flank Steak, Baked Rice with Beef Consummé and this recipe for an Asian citrusy salad. The three recipes complement each other well. The sweet and savory steak along with the mushroom rice and this easy salad were always a hit. You can vary these recipes to your liking and your guests will also be impressed.Grilled Marinated Flank SteakThis is one of three recipes my mother used for making a special dinner when we were having company. I have already published Baked Rice with Beef Consommé. The other will be published in the future and it is an Asian mandarin orange salad. The combination of these three is perfect together. This recipe serves two. But it can easily be scaled up for more people.Secret Burger SauceAt many restaurants that serve hamburgers, they also have a secret sauce. The sauce seems to be like thousand island salad dressing. But I wondered what are the ingredients. I found a couple recipes and combined them, and this tastes just as good. It is not only great on hamburgers, but it is also wonderful with hot dogs or french fries.Pigs in a BlanketWhen I was in middle school in Bonn Germany, my parents took my sister and I to visit some of their friends. It was a wonderful afternoon as we played Croquet in their backyard. Afterwards the lady of the house served pigs in a blanket with some cheese tucked inside. It was the first time we had tried these, and we loved them. Pigs in a blanket are typically sausages that are cooked, cooled and rolled up in a croissant or biscuit dough for baking. I am featuring this recipe using hot dogs and Pillsbury crescent rolls. But if the crescent rolls are not available in your grocery store, all you need to do is make or buy the dough. Then roll it out to about ¼ of an inch thick. I measured the Pillsbury triangles. So, I recommend you cut them into 4” wide by 9” squares and then slice along the diagonal for the perfect size triangle.Rice a Roni Chicken SaladRecently Dave and I visited our friends Mike and Lori for a barbeque in Poulsbo, WA. I worked with them at the US Army Corps of Engineers when we lived in California. This salad was one of the sides they served. Mike said his mother used to make this for the family when he was growing up. It’s a great summer salad, delicious and easy!Baked Rice with Beef ConsomméThis is a super easy recipe and a great side dish especially with grilled steak. Plain rice can tend to taste dry, but this baked rice is buttery and beefy. Traditionally it is made with one can of beef consommé and one can of cream of mushroom soup. But I like it better with two cans of beef consommé and fresh onions and mushrooms. It is also wonderful as leftovers that you can reheat covered in either the microwave or oven.
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