Whenever and whatever the reason you have 6 – 8 people at the table for breakfast (weekend, birthday, weekend at the lake, more brownie points) this is a great menu.
- Waffles with fresh strawberries and whipped cream
- Ham and Cheese Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Scones
- Hashbrowns with mushrooms and cheese
- Sunday eggs and ham
- sausage patties
- fresh fruit tray
- raspberry chocolate torte
This looks like a lot but with a little preparation time (day before or so) it is easy to come together. Everyone will think you are a genius and then you can proclaim (to yourself) damn I DID it. Wahoo!
You can have orange juice and sparkling wine to start and end up with a lovely cup of freshly brewed coffee and a glass of perfectly chilled ice wine. Do we know how to do this or what……yup, we do.
Lobster Newburg
Not much seems like summer’s here except when serving lobster. I had this for the first time when I was about 20 years old and fell in love with lobster prepared almost any way.
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 tbsp. flour
- pinch of salt
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
- 2 cups coarsely chopped boiled lobster
- 2 tbsp. sherry
- cooked fettucine noodles (enough for 4 servings)
Melt butter in the top of a double boiler, over direct heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the flour to make a smooth mixture. Add the salt, nutmeg and paprika.
Gradually whisk in the cream and bring to the boil; reduce the heat and simmer, whisking, 3 minutes longer.
Now add a little bit of the hot mixture to the egg mixture and pour all of it back into the double boiler. Add the lobster and cook, over hot water until the mixture has thickened and the lobster is hot (about 8-10 minutes). Do not boil.
Stir in the sherry and serve over cooked and buttered noodles. I know everyone serves this over rice, but come on – try it with noodles and you will melt.
All that is needed with this dinner is a crisp, chilled salad and a glass of a chilled, crisp Pinot Gris…..did I say glass? I really meant bottle. sorry!
Yummy!
Pumpkin Ginger Cheesecake
A few additions to the classic cheesecake using pumpkin and you raise the bar another step up. The use of preserved ginger is awesome.
- 1 1/4 cups gingersnap cookies , crushed
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (not pie mix)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 cubes preserved ginger, chopped fine
- 1 tbsp. juice from preserved ginger
- 1/2 tsp. each nutmeg (freshly grated), 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 pkgs. Philadelphia cream cheese
- 1/3 cup English toffee bits
- 1 can condensed milk
- 3 large eggs
To make the crust, add the crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter together and press into a 9 inch springform pan.
Whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, spices, ginger and juice and set aside.
Beat together the cream cheese until fluffy and slowly add in the condensed milk, eggs, toffee bits and the pumpkin mixture. Blend well.
Place a pan in the bottom of the oven, half filled with water. This will allow steam and prevent cracking of the filling. Pour filling into prepared pan and bake in a 325 degree oven for about 50-55 minutes, until the center is set. Turn the heat off and let cool in the oven for 60 minutes and then finish cooling on a rack. Let this sit in the refrigerator overnight. All you need is cinnamon flavoured whipped cream and you have gone another level to finish this off.
Parfait With Blackberries, Candied Ginger And Granola
This is a great breakfast fare when you have company for the weekend..be it for a wedding, long weekend get-together, Anniversary celebration….it is sinple, fantastic in taste and showy in presentation. Go for it!
- 5 1/2 cups granola
- 1 cup dried cherries, chopped coarsely
- 2 tbsp. candied ginger, finely chopped
- 3 – 17.6 oz. containers of a good Greek yogurt
- honey
- large plastic, resealable plastic bag
Mix together the granola, dried cherries and ginger together in a bowl and set aside..
In the bottom of your trifle bowl, pour the yogurt into the plastic bag, snip off the corner and pipe a 1 inch thick layer on the bottom of the bowl.
Scatter 1 1/2 cups of the berries on the yogurt layer and drizzle with honey.
Sprinkle 3 cups of the granola over the berries. Repeat this one time…layer of yogurt, berries and honey and granola mixture. Mound 1 cup of berries in the center and drizzle with warm honey.
When we ran the Bed and Breakfast, I would make individual parfait dishes for our guests. They are pretty, have the wow factor and taste so scrumptious.
Chilled juice and pots of freshly brewed coffee. You can also serve with warm-from-the-oven muffins that you also made.
Summer Kissed Peach Crisp
Our peach tree has blossomed and is leafing so I thought it would be a good time to post this recipe and you will have it on hand when the peaches come in. Yeah I know it is not for awhile but why not be prepared?
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 cup oatmeal (not instant)
- pinch of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 3 lbs. peaches, peeled and sliced in 3/4 inch wedges
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- pure Vanilla Ice Cream
This is soooo easy. Stir together in a small bowl the flour, oatmeal, spices and salt. Add the butter and work it in with a pastry blender or your hands until small clumps form.
Toss the peaches in the orange juice to coat. In a buttered 13 x 9 inch baking dish, spread the peaches evenly. Top with the oatmeal mixture and bake for about 30-40 minutes until the peaches are tender and the topping has lightly browned.
Cool to warm and serve with the best vanilla ice cream you can find. Chapman’s or Tillamook come to mind.
YUMMMMM……
Toasted Roast Chicken Sandwiches
Summer is here…hot outside and leftover chicken in the refrigerator. WOW…try this and make the best roast chicken sandwiches ever.
- 8 slices of sandwich bread (white or whole wheat)
- 3 tbsp. basil pesto
- 3/4 – 1 lb. roast chicken, sliced
- 1 roasted red bell pepper, skinned, seeded and cut into thin strips
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 slices of Monterey Jack Cheese
- 1 tbsp. olive oil or butter, if you prefer
Using a spoon, evenly divide the pesto and spread on one half of the sandwich.
Place the chicken, red pepper, and cheese on 4 slices of the bread. Top with the remaining 4 slices and, with a brush, slightly brush both outer bread slices with the oil. Or, if you prefer, use butter .
If you have a panini pan, great. If not, using a frypan cook each sandwich about 4 minutes per side.
Have a small salad to accompany this wonderful sandwich and, of course, a glass of wine. Life can be very, very, very good.
Cornish Hens With Bacon and Glaze
Perfect Sunday dinner for the family or keep it a secret and serve when you have guests. This will serve 8 people. If you are a family of 4, you cook once and eat twice. That way it is certainly economical.
- 2/3 cup raspberry jam, seedless
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 16 slices of bacon
- 4 cornish hens (1 1/2 – 1/3/4 lbs each)
Briskly simmer the jam and vinegar until the glaze reduces down to about 1/2 cup. This should take about 8 minutes. Cool down to room temperature and the glaze will continue to thicken up.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. While that is happening, cook the bacon just until some of the fat is rendered and it is still pliable (wiggly) yet transluscent. Transfer to paper towels and drain.
Cut and discard the backbone from each of the hens and then cut in half lengthwise. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and arrange in a large roasting pan, cut side down. Brush the hens liberally with the glaze and wrap 2 slices of bacon around each half, making sure just to tuck in the ends of the bacon under the hen.
Cook for about 30 minutes or until the juice in the thigh runs clear and you have basted the hens twice during this cooking process (about every ten minutes).
Serve with potatoes or noodles, vegetable, glass of wine….yummy!
Apple Pecan Crisp
This is a lovely dessert. I can’t imagine anyone not liking the flavours of apples, oatameal and toasted pecans…yummmmmm!
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/8 cups of rolled oats (not instant)
- 1 1/8 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups toasted, chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cups unsalted butter, cut into cubes and softened
- 4 1/2 lbs tart-sweet apples such as a Gala
- 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 4 – 5 tbsp. sugar (to taste)
- 2 tbsp. flour
- cinnamon whipped cream or vanilla ice cream drizzled with Calvados
**what the heck, drizzle the Calvados over the whipping cream as well.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 13 x 9 inch baking dish
Sift together the flour, cinnamon and salt and add the oats, brown sugar into a bowl and blend the butter in with your fingers to form small clumps. amd set aside.
Peel and core apples and cut into 1/4 inch wedges then toss with lemon juice, sugar and flour in a large bowl. Transfer to a baking dish, spreading evenly.
Crumble the topping over the apples and bake until golden and the apples are tender, abpout 45 minutes.
Top with the cinnamon flavoured whipped cream or cinnamon whipped cream and be sure to drizzle some Calvados over this. OMG this is delicious.
Macadamia Nut Chicken Breast
Macadamia nuts are wonderful to use and really works with the chicken and ginger.
Serves 4
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 4 tbsp. dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp. grated ginger
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1/2 cup Chardonnay white wine
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped macadamia nuts
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 3 eggs, whipped
- 3/4 cup good olive oil
- 3 carrots each person, steamed, some green stem attached
Preparation:
Combine first 5 ingredients and whisk lightly until sugar has dissolved. Wash chicken with cool water and pat dry. Place in the marinade for about 1 hour.
Mix the panko crumbs and nuts. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry to remove excess liquid. Dip chicken in the flour, then into the egg white. Now dip in the panko crumbs and nuts, pressing firmly so it sticks to the chicken. Lighly coat a fry pan with olive oil and saute chicken until fully cooked, but don’t overcook. If you need to, add more oil.
When plating, slice each breast and lay out on the plate. Add steamed carrots (3 each) and be sure to leave about 1 inch of green stem on.
Now watch who will want to lick their fingers, they will do it slyly.
This is truly over the moon to eat.