Chinese Fried Rice

3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 1/2 tablespoons oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten 
3 drops soy sauce (I used about 1 tbsp)
3 drops sesame oil (I used about 1 tsp)
8 ounces cooked lean boneless pork or 8 ounces chicken (I used left over turkey - about a cup) chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot (very small)
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
4 cups cold cooked rice, grains separated 
4 green onions, chopped
2 cups bean sprouts
2 tablespoons light soy sauce (add more if you like)

Directions:
1 Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok; add chopped onions and stir-fry until onions turn a nice brown color, about 8-10 minutes; remove from wok.
2 Allow wok to cool slightly.
3 Mix egg with 3 drops of soy and 3 drops of sesame oil; set aside.
4 Add 1/2 tbsp oil to wok, swirling to coat surfaces; add egg mixture; working quickly, swirl egg until egg sets against wok; when egg puffs, flip egg and cook other side briefly; remove from wok, and chop into small pieces.
5 Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok; add selected meat to wok, along with carrots, peas, and cooked onion; stir-fry for 2 minutes.
6 Add rice, green onions, and bean sprouts, tossing to mix well; stir-fry for 3 minutes.
7 Add 2 tbsp of light soy sauce and chopped egg to rice mixture and fold in; stir-fry for 1 minute more; serve.
8 Set out additional soy sauce on the table, if desired.

Potato Fennel Gratin

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• 2 small fennel bulbs
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 pounds russet potatoes (4 large potatoes)
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese (1/2 pound)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter the inside of a 10-by-15-by-2-inch (10-cup) baking dish

Remove the stalks from the fennel and cut the bulbs in half lengthwise. Remove the cores and thinly slice the bulbs crosswise, making approximately 4 cups of sliced fennel. Saute the fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until tender.

Peel the potatoes, then thinly slice them by hand or with a mandoline like I did. Mix the sliced potatoes in a large bowl with 2 cups of cream, 2 cups of Gruyère, salt, and pepper. Add the sauteed fennel and onion and mix well.

Pour the potatoes into the baking dish. Press down to smooth the potatoes. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and 1/2 cup of Gruyère and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the top is browned and bubbly. Allow to set for 10 minutes and serve.

Roasted Carrots

Carrots - peels, ends cut and sliced in half.

Add Olive Oil, salt and pepper.

Roast at 375F for about 45 minutes to an hour -- mix them up part way through baking. 

Garlic Fries

Recipe from Cookin' Canuck 

4 medium russet potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds), unpeeled
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut potatoes lengthwise into slices that are 1/3-inch thick and then cut each slice into 1/3-inch thick strips. Dry the potatoes between paper towels or kitchen towels. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Put in a single layer on a cookie sheet (or two if you need)

Bake until the potatoes are golden brown, about 40 minutes, turning the potatoes every 10 minutes and rotating the racks halfway through baking.

Place the cooked potatoes in a large bowl and toss with garlic, parsley, and Parmesan cheese. Taste (careful - they'll be hot!) and season with additional salt if necessary. Serve.

Potato Nests

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes 

1 cup grated cheese (mix and match: cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gruyere, etc)

3 green onions, minces

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and peppper

*I quite often add bacon bits to the recipe too!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Fill a large bowl halfway with water. Grate scrubbed potatoes, placing grated pieces into the water as you work. In a large sieve, drain potatoes, pressing to get out as much water as possible. Lay out a clean tea towel; spread potatoes in a single layer, then roll up and squeeze out extra moisture.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, cheese, green onions, olive oil S&P and mix well. On parchment paper-paper lined baking sheet, spoon out small piles to create small nests.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes.

Roast Zucchini Parmesan

1 medium zucchini

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese 

Cut zucchini into even slices.

Put the oil, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and garlic on top and mixed until all the pieces were coated well.

Bake at 400F stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes or until the zucchini is tender and lightly browned.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with parm cheese.

Continue baking for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Veggie Spiral Sticks

3 medium carrots
12 fresh asparagus spears, trimmer
1 tube Pillsbury refrigerated breadsticks
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Cut carrots lengthwise into quaters. In a large skillet, bring 2 inches of water to a boil. Add the carrots; cook for 3 minutes. Add asparagus; cook 2-3 minutes longer. Drain and rinse with cold water; pat dry.

Cut each piece of bread dough in half. Roll each piece into a 7 inch rope. Wrap one rope in a spiral around each vegetable. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; tuck ends of dough under vegetables to secure.

Brush with egg white. Combine cheese and oregnao; sprinkle over sticks. Back at 375F for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Mini Fritatas

4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
parsley
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

Whisk eggs and milk. Add in cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and any add ins.

Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray. Fill the cups almost to the top.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Some of my favorite add ins:

- bacon

- crab

- three cheese - cheddar, parmesan and asiago

- green onions

- red and or green peppers

Asian Green Beans

Ingredients

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

Steam the beans until they are cooked but still firm and bright green.

In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and sugar; set aside.

Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until starting to brown. Add the green beans and stir to coat with the oil. Stir in the soy sauce mixture and simmer for a couple of minutes uncovered to reduce the sauce. Top with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

Ingredients:

6 cups packed fresh spinach leaves, stems removed
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
1 cup thinly sliced red onion rings
1 can (10oz) mandarin oranges, drained
2 slices raw bacon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Toss together spinach, mushrooms, onion rings and 1/2 the mandarin oranges in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Shake off excess drippings and transfer the bacon to a blender or food processor.

Don't discard the bacon drippings! Leave them in the skillet!

Add remaining mandarin oranges and lemon juice to bacon in the blender.

Whirl briefly until oranges and bacon are pureed.

Return orange/bacon mixture to skillet with bacon drippings.

Add garlic, honey, vinegar and pepper. Mix well.

Mixture should still be quite warm, however, you may reheat it over medium heat if desired.

Divide salad among 6 serving plates and drizzle warm dressing over top. Serve immediately.

Crockpot Mashed Potatoes

5 pounds of potatoes
1 block of cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 cup of water, reserved from boiling the potatoes
1 tsp garlic powder (or 6 cloves of roasted garlic)
1 T dried parsley

Directions.

Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut in quarters to quicken boiling time. Put the pieces into a large pot and cover completely with water.

Bring the potatoes to a boil on the stove top. Boil rapidly for 10-20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender.

Scoop out 1/2 cup of the water from the pot. Add the bouillon cube to the water. Drain the potatoes, and return to pot.

Add the cream cheese and sour cream to the pot with the hot potatoes. Pour in the water with the bouillon cube. Add the parsley and garlic powder and, in my case, the roasted garlic.

Mash with a potato masher until they are smooth.

After smashing well, scoop the potatoes out of the pot and place into a 4 to 6 quart crockpot. Cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for 4. Can be kept on warm indefinitely.