Tri-color beef stir fry

As with the meal we had yesterday, this beef stir fry is another family favorite and I make it on a regular basis (probably once a month). It has been a family dinner staple since it appeared in Cooking light magazine way back in 2004. I have adapted it slightly to fit the size of my family. This stir fry gets its color and crunch from a variety of bell peppers and sugar snap peas. Serve over rice.

Three-pepper beef

3 t cornstarch, divided

1 1/2 t sugar, divided

1 t salt

1 1/2 pounds flank steak, trimmed and thinly sliced across the grain

1/3 cup low salt beef broth

4 T low sodium soy sauce

1 t freshly ground pepper

1 t vegetable oil

1/2  cup thinly sliced green onions

1 t minced peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed

1 small red bell pepper, cubed

1 small yellow bell pepper, cubed

1 small green bell pepper, cubed

Combine 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon sugar, salt, and flank steak in a medium bowl, toss to coat, set aside.
Combine 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, broth, soy sauce and black pepper, stirring with a whisk until sugar dissolves; set aside.
Heat oil in a wok or a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green onions, ginger and garlic, sir fry 10 seconds.
Add beef mixture, stir fry about 5 minutes or until done. Remove the beef mixture from the pan, cover and keep warm. Add peas and bell peppers to pan, styr fry 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add beef and broth mixture to pan; cook 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly.

Serves 6

Chicken bowtie pasta

I was taking suggestions from my husband as to what he would like for dinner in the coming week. This pasta dish was at the top of his list. This is a recipe past on to me from a friend, who had been served this dish while visiting yet another friend. A great example of how food and recipes connect people in wonderful ways. It is a dish we always come back to as a family favorite. It has been a while since I  made it, but it was a great reunion. This dish never disappoints. It reinforced its status as an all time favorite at our house. My kids are not big fans of olives, so I usually serve them on the side. I splurged on really good hand made pasta this time and a nice Parmigiano Reggiano. M-m-good!

2 cloves garlic

1 4 oz. jar sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, julienned

3-4 chicken breasts (20oz.), cubed
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 extra large chicken bouillon cube (such as Knorr)
(Use 2 if they are the smaller size)
2 t Italian seasoning
1/2 cup sliced  black olives

10 oz. broccoli, steamed

1 pound bow tie pasta, cooked

Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute garlic and sun dried tomatoes in oil from jar (add a little olive oil if you need more), about 1 minute.  Add chicken. When chicken is browned, add broth, bouillon cubes and Italian seasoning. Stir until bouillon cubes have dissolved completely. Next add olives, steamed broccoli and cooked pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with shaved parmigiano Reggiano.

Serves 6 well

Taste of Scandinavia vegetable soup

I am really excited about this soup! It is a modified version of a classic Norwegian dish called "Lapskaus" (a vegetable stew with smoked meat and/or sausage). I can get the sausage, called "Middagspølse", at a Scandinavian shop in Minneapolis, but since it isn't readily available for most people in the US I decided to create a version using the exact same vegetables but substituting meatballs for the Norwegian sausage. I also

decided that Swedish meatballs would fit perfectly, but there is no reason you couldn't use Italian style meat balls as well. Most of the vegetables I used are common and available year round. However, some of you may not be all that familiar with the rutabaga. Rutabagas, also commonly referred to as Swede  (in Norwegian "Kålrabi") are not used too much in the US, but I love this rustic root vegetable. It looks like a large turnip with pale yellow flesh. It cooks up nice and sweet. Use any leftover cooked rutabaga mixed into your mashed potatoes. It is wonderful with any kind of meat or sausage. As with all vegetable soup made from scratch the most labor intensive part is the chopping, but most if not all of the vegetables in this soup, except the rutabaga, can be found pre-chopped in your grocers produce section. The rutabaga is especially hard, so make sure you have a solid knife. This is a great winter soup which reminds me of home. Enjoy!



Hearty vegetable soup with Swedish meatballs

6 cups lightly salted water

2 beef bouillon cubes

2 cups rutabaga, diced

4 carrots, sliced

5 potatoes, diced

4 stalks celery, sliced 

Salt and pepper to taste

1 t thyme

1/2 T butter or margarine

2 shallots, chopped small

1 medium leek sliced

1 12 oz. package frozen Swedish meat balls, thawed (cut in half if you prefer).



In a large dutch oven, over medium high heat, whisk the beef bouillon cubes into the water until dissolved. Add next 6 ingredients through thyme. Bring to a boil and cook, covered,  15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter and saute shallots until just soft, 3-4 minutes. Add to vegetables. Reduce heat to lowest setting and add leeks and meat balls. Heat through.

 (This soup is even better on the second or third day when all the flavors have melded together and the soup has thickened sligthly. It freezes well too!)

Serves 6











Side dishes that hold their own.

I served these two sides with my Italian meatloaf, but they could be great as a meal all by themselves. The leftovers made a perfect lunch the next day! Just add some fresh bread and you are good to go. The potatoes can be made up to 24 hours ahead of time. Keep covered in the refrigerator. Remove 30 minutes before baking.

Baked mashed potatoes
3 lbs. red potatoes (about 9 medium), roughly peeled and cubed

I pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup (1 stick)  butter, cubed

1/4 cup 2% milk

1 1/2 t onion powder

1 t salt

1 t garlic powder

1/2 t pepper

6 bacon strips, chopped

3/4 cup (4oz) shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup parmesan
3 green onions, chopped

Place potatoes in a Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain,  mash potatoes with cream cheese and sour cream and butter. Stir in milk and seasonings.
In a small skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towel with a slotted spoon, drain.
Transfer potato mixture to a greased 13x 9 inch baking dish, sprinkle with cheeses, onions and bacon. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 8, well

(Recipes adapted  from Taste of Home, February/March, 2011)


Herbed green beans and carrots

1/2 lb. fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium carrots julienned
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms (I did not use)
1 medium onion, sliced
2 T minced fresh parsley
1/2 t salt
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried basil
1/8 t white pepper

Place beans and carrots in a steamer basket: place in a large saucepan over 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil, cover and steam for 7-10 minutes or until crisp- tender. Meanwhile in a large skillet, melt butter. Add mushrooms and onions, saute until tender. Stir in the parsley, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, green beans and carrots, heat through.

Beautiful meat loaf supper

Meat loaf is an American classic. It seems everyone has inherited their mother's meat loaf recipe. For me this is yet another dish  that I did not grow up with but have come to appreciate. I have only made it a few times before with mixed results. This time however, I consulted several different recipes and incorporated the best parts of each, to come up with this delicious version. This is my best meat loaf to date! With winter still holding a tight grip on us, it is the perfect comfort food. I served it with baked mashed potatoes and herbed vegetables (recipes to come). My family gave this meal high marks.

Italian style meat loaf

3/4 pounds lean ground beef

3/4 pounds mild  ground Italian sausage

1 cup fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce, divided

1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup pre-shredded fresh parmesan cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 t garlic powder

1/2 t dried basil

1/2 t dried oregano

1/2 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

2 large egg whites

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine meats, 1/2 cup pasta sauce, and remaining ingredients (except cooking spray) in a large bowl. Shape beef mixture into an 8x4-inch loaf on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Brush remaining 1/2 cup pasta sauce over the top of the meat loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160 degrees. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut loaf into slices.

Serves 4-6

 Quick tip: Line the bottom part of the  broiler pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up.



Meringue nests with tropical fruit

This recipe was featured in our local paper recently and I instantly decided to make these meringue nests for my family. They are just so pretty and elegant and gave some much needed relief from the winter blues. They are like small individual tropical pavlovas, filled with lemon curd and whipped cream. They are really easy to make, but plan ahead because they need  long cool down time. Baking the meringue the night before and letting them cool off in the oven over night is ideal. You can use store bought lemon curd or make this easy home made version. You can shape the nests with a spoon or use a pastry bag with a fluted tip like I did. The meringue came out perfectly! It was nice and gooey on the inside. This is the most refreshing and fun dessert I have made in a long time!

Meringue nests with tropical fruit

1 cup plus 2 T superfine sugar

1 T cornstarch

4 eggs, divided, at room temperature

1/2 t cream of tartar

pinch of salt

1 t vanilla

1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream

Lemon curd (see below)

Selection of fruit, such as mango, kiwi, pineapple; papaya, diced

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and place rack in middle position. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Whisk together sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Separate eggs and set yolks aside. In a large mixing bowl on medium-high speed, whisk egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until beater leaves soft tracks in the foam. Begin adding sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, gradually but steadily. Once the sugar has been incorporated, add the vanilla and increase the speed to high until the meringue looks glossy and holds a stiff peak when the beater is lifted.
Drop a large spoonful of meringue onto the parchment paper and shape into a circle with a slightly depressed center. Repeat with the remaining meringue to make 8 shells. Or place meringue in a large pastry bag with a fluted tip and pipe 8 nests onto the paper, working from the center and raising the sides.
Place in the oven. Reduce the heat to 200 degrees. Bake for 1 1/2  hours. Turn off the oven and leave meringues inside to cool completely, another 3 hours or overnight.
To serve, whip cream. Place a spoonful of lemon curd in each shell, then top with whipped cream and fruit.

Homemade lemon curd:
4 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
zest of 1 lemon, grated
Juice of 2 lemons, strained
6 T butter

In a heavy medium saucepan, whisk together yolks and sugar until well combined. Add zest, lemon juice and butter. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. This will happen when the mixture is almost simmering. Watch for bubbles forming around the edge. Remove from the heat immediately; don't let it boil. The curd will thicken more as it cools. Transfer curd to a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until needed. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

(For the complete feature, go to http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/taste/116746279.html)

Pork chops with red onion marmelade

I found this recipe on a Norwegian web site Matprat.no. It looked so easy yet so interesting at the same time. It is amazing how some meals can be so simple and contain so few ingredients and still be so satisfying and flavorful. These pork chops were brought to life with a  red onion marmalade. Simply red onions caramelized with sweet orange marmalade. This meal was a big hit with my entire family, big and small. My 13 year old daughter is my most vocal critic and she loved it. Even the onions! I served it with plain rice and sauteed green beans.

Pork chops with red onion marmalade

6 pork chops

Salt and pepper, to taste

Oil and butter for frying
1 large red onion, thinly sliced into rings
3 T red wine vinegar
2 T sweet orange marmalade

Season pork chops with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet over medium High heat, brown pork chops in a combination of oil and butter; about 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the pork chops continue to cook, covered about 5 minutes more.
While pork chops cook, fry onion rings in a skillet over medium heat until soft, 8-10 minutes. Increase heat to high and add red wine vinegar and cook until absorbed completely about 5 minutes. Add sweet orange marmalade and cook until slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes longer.
Top each pork chop with a nice heap of onions.