Cube Steak with Onions and Brandy

This was so good I thought my husband was going to hurt himself eating

too much. I think this would be very good with mushrooms added when you add the onions but one of my children dislikes them.

You'll need:
cube steaks
flour for dredging
margarine
olive oil
1-2 onions (it depends on how much cube steak you have - you may even need more)
1/4 to 1/2 cup brandy (if you use 1 onion use 1/4 cup of brandy...etc...a little more wont hurt anything)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat your skillet (I love cast iron) over medium-medium high heat. Melt margarine and/or olive oil in it.
Take each cube steak and blot it off on some paper towels to dry it slightly then dredge it in flour.
Slide it into the pan and brown on one side then the other (a few minutes per side)
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and remove to a plate.
Don't over crowd the pan, do it in batches if you have to.
When they are all done add some more margarine and oil to the pan (it should still be on med-high heat) and then the onions and a little salt.
Stir it around as it cooks. I like it to get golden brown but cook it to your liking.
When the onion is cooked pour the brandy into the pan all at once.
Let it bubble as you scrape the bottom of the pan (this is called deglazing).
When the smell from the brandy isn't quite as strong anymore place the cube steak back into the pan to re-heat.
Serve hot and enjoy!

Dredging

Cookin' in the pan

Removed from the pan and ready to do the onions.

Cooking with brandy.

Roasted potatoes and green beans make it a meal.

It would be great with mash, rice or even egg noodles.

How can you resist?

Chicken Sandwiches with Apricot Dijon Dressing

This was so yummy for dinner tonight. We all love, love, loved it. I hope you do too. I suggested Italian bread for this as that is what I used but any hearty bread or roll would work.

I'd like to thank my daughter, Tessa, for taking notes as I put this one together.

You'll need:
4 chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless.
White wine
1 tablespoon olive oil + more for brushing on the bread
1 tablespoon margarine or butter (I used parve margarine)
1 small onion, sliced thin
1 good handful mixed greens, arugula, lettuce, spinach...whatever you have on hand.
1 load Italian bread
2-3 cloves of garlic

For the dressing:
Apricot jelly or jam (I accidentally got preserves which worked fine but the dressing was chunky)
Dijon mustard

Pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet. If you want them thinner you can cut them in half.
Marinate in enough wine to cover. Let sit for 10 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir together equal parts jelly and mustard. Set aside until needed.
Cut the bread lengthwise and open like a book.
Remove the inside of the bread and fight the temptation to eat it all.
Brush both halves with olive oil and sprinkle garlic over just the bottom half (we are making garlic bread).
Toast under the broiler until it is brown (be careful, it can burn easily).
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and the margarine over medium-high heat in a pan large enough to hold all the chicken.
Add the garlic and stir as it lightly browns.
Add the chicken and cook about 5 minutes or so (depending on the thickness of the chicken) on each side.
Meanwhile, dress the side of the bread without garlic, with the apricot Dijon dressing.
Top the garlic side with the lettuce and the sliced onion.
When the chicken is done top the lettuce.
Close the sandwich and cut into servings.

The dressing

Yummy chicken in the pan.

Ready for the top.

Yum!

You know you want to try this.

Easy to make and wonderful to eat.

Enjoy!

Autumn Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Tossed this together tonight. I found a similar recipe online and then added and subtracted and tasted and came up with this yummy recipe. If you have no issue with mixing cheese and meat this would be awesome with grilled chicken or steak added to it. I gave amounts for everything but you may want more or less of this or that...just go with it.

You'll need:
1 bag mixed greens (I used a spring mix...but that doesn't sound autumn-ish)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
2 avocados, peeled and diced
1/2 cup halved grapes

Dressing:
2/3 cup olive oil or walnut oil
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons raspberry jam or jelly
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
a few grinds of your pepper mill

Combine dressing ingredients and whisk, blend, shake...whatever works for you. I used a hand blender.
Set aside or refrigerate until needed.

Toss together the salad ingredients and toss with dressing.
Serve at once and enjoy!

The start of a yummy salad

All dressed up and ready to go.

Eat and enjoy!

My family devoured it.

Grilled Cheese and Apple Sandwiches

This a nice spin on the classic grilled cheese sandwich; perfect for autumn. It goes nicely with a bowl of soup, a nice side salad, or just a simple cluster of grapes like I had with it.

For one sandwich you'll need:
2 sliced of cinnamon raisin bread (I used whole wheat...raisins optional)
2 slices American cheese (cheddar works too...use you favorite)
1/8 - 1/4 apple (depending on size) sliced thin

Simple lay a slice of cheese on a slice of bread. Top with the apple and another slice of cheese. Top again with the last slice of bread.

If you have a panini grill use it to grill your sandwiches. I don't use butter but, of course, you may if you like. You can also do this in a pan or the oven.

Needs another slice of cheese then it's ready to grill.

Panini-ing

Yummy and melty and wonderful

Try it, I know you'll like it.

Vegetarian Nachos

My husband pronounced me the Queen of Nachos because of this meal. If you aren't worried about mixing meat and dairy then feel free to add some ground beef, made with taco seasoning, to this. Grilled chicken might also be nice.

You'll need:
oil - veg or olive
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash (you can use 2 zucchini or 2 yellow squash)
1 red onion
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
1 - 6oz can corn (you can use a Mexican or southwest mix if you like)
2 - 1lb cans refried beans
1 - 13oz bag of tortilla chips
8oz Mexican cheese blend or cheddar cheese
1 - 8oz bag of shredded lettuce
1 - 6oz can of black olives
4 avocados
salsa (to taste, I used a whole jar)
sour cream (to taste)

Dice the zucchini, squash and onion. Set aside half the onion cook the other half with the zucchini and squash in a little oil over medium heat. Meanwhile, mince the garlic and add it to the pan. Then drain the corn and add that. Toss it around to cook and then remove it from the heat and set aside.

Cook the refried beans according to can directions.
Meanwhile, slice the olives and peel and dice the avocados.

Empty the bag of chips into a large baking pan or (like I did) 2 baking pans. Top the chips with spoonfuls of refried beans and try to smooth them over the top, evenly. Top the beans with the vegetable mixture and then the cheese. Pop it under the broiler until the cheese is melted.

You can top the whole thing now or spoon out servings and top each serving with the lettuce, olives, raw onions, avocado, salsa and sour cream.

Zucchini and squash in the pan

Chips - duh! LOL

One with cheese one without...I'll get to it :)

Warm and melty ready to come out of the oven.

Ready to eat. Yum!

Barley, Apple, and Chicken Salad

This is great autumn meal. Healthy, easy and can be made hours ahead of time. This makes A LOT. Scale down if you need to; I like to have leftovers for lunch

You'll need:
6-8 cups cooked barley (one package of Quaker quick cooking barley is fine)
1 red onion, sliced
2 lbs chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (you can also use leftover cooked chicken)
2 xtra large or 3 large or 4 medium (you get the point) apples

For the dressing:
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar or agave or white sugar

Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks and poach by dropping into boiling water until cooked through.
It won't take long.
Meanwhile, combine dressing ingredients and whisk or shake in a jar.
Chop the apples into bite size chunks and drop them in the dressing so they won't brown.
When the chicken is cooked toss with the apples in the dressing to coat.
Toss in the onion and then the barley and stir together well. Make sure the dressing is well distributed.
Cover and place in the refrigerator until needed.

Whisking the dressing

Toss in the apple. You may want to stop whisking at this time. Apples don't whisk well.

Toss in the chicken...the onion is next but I didn't photo it.

It tastes much better than it looks :/

I hope you agree.

Garden Bagel Sandwich

Tonight was an easy, hot weather supper. I made these simple and wonderful sandwiches and served them with chips on the side. These are so good you'll think you were eating at a fancy cafe ;)
    
The bagels we get here aren't the best. The better the bagel is, the better the sandwich will be.

For one sandwich you'll need:
1 bagel, sliced and toasted if you like
Deli turkey slices
4-6 thin slices of cucumber
a pinch or two of alfalfa sprouts
1/4 of an avocado - slice thin
Honey mustard or Hummus

Spread the honey mustard or the hummus on both halves of the bagel.
Top the bottom half with turkey, then cucumber, than sprouts, then avocado and finally the other bagel half.
Eat and enjoy.