Feast Fit for the 4th

With the holiday weekend already here and the weather hot as firecrackers, we need look no further than old Glory for inspiration for a great 4th of July feast. This month’s Dinner @ 6 features festive red, white & blue fare you and your family are sure to celebrate!

Red Wine Marinade for Beef



4-6 steaks
1 small bottle Worcestershire sauce
½ cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 2 lemons
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in Ziploc bag. Allow steaks to marinade at least 2-3 hours before cooking. Grill to your liking.

This next recipe is for your bread machine and can be tailored to your family’s tastes.

Focaccia Bread Dough

Add these ingredients to your bread machine in the order recommended by the handbook.

1 cup warm water
2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
3 ¼ cup bread flour
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
1 ½ teaspoons bread machine yeast



Set your machine to its “dough cycle” and in an hour and a half or so you should have enough dough to make 2 loaves. Once the machine indicates dough is ready. Let it rest on cutting board for 15 minutes. Then cut dough in half, placing each half into greased 8” cake pan sprinkled with garlic salt. Press dough into circle, reaching edges of cake pan. Then place into oven that has spent about 5 minutes on “warm” setting. Let dough rise until nearly doubled (about 20 or 30 minutes).

At this point, top with whatever you like. I usually use mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced tomatoes and slices of red onion. Sprinkle with garlic salt & a little basil and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.

And what would 4th of July be without a good old-fashioned blueberry pie?

Blueberry Pie

4 cups fresh blueberries
¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 box refrigerated pie crusts (for double crust pie)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar




Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place washed blueberries (removing all stems) in large bowl. Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in separate bowl. Sprinkle mixture over blueberries and gently toss to coat. Line pie dish with one pie crust. Pour blueberry mixture in. Dot with butter. Top with 2nd crust. Cut slits in top to vent. Sprinkle top crust with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. Bake on lower shelf of oven for about 50 minutes, checking midway to make sure edges of crust don’t burn. If they start to get too brown, put foil over pie as it continues to bake. Serve warm topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!!

Grillin' Love

Ok, if salmon isn't the main dish for the man in your life, maybe a hearty meal on the grill will satisfy him.

Marinated Steaks

2-4 steaks, any size, any variety
1 small bottle Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
juice of 2 lemons
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, slivered
seasoned salt
cracked pepper

Mix all ingredients together, allowing steaks to marinate 2-3 hours. Grill to desired doneness.

Potatoes & Onions on the Grill

Par-boil 4-6 medium potatoes, cut into chunks for 10 minutes. Drain. On a very large piece of heavy duty foil, sprayed with cooking spray, place potatoes and thinly sliced large vidalia onion. Season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg and dot with several pats of butter. Seal up completely and place on grill for about 10-12 minutes while steaks are cooking. Be careful opening foil as steam could burn.

And, last but not least, dessert. Can grill this one, but it's beautiful and worth every effort. I got this recipe years ago from "Taste of Home" magazine and it's been a favorite of ours ever since. Read through the recipe though, because you have to start this one the day before to get the meringue *just right*. Again, don't shy away from that -- it's totally worth it!

Cherry-Berries in a Cloud

6 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 cups sugar

FILLING:
2 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped
2 cups miniature marshmallows

TOPPING:
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 teaspoon lemon juice


DIRECTIONS
Place egg whites in a large mixing bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add the cream of tartar and salt; beat until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high until stiff peaks form (do not under beat). Spread evenly in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 275° for 1 hour; turn off oven (do not open door). Let cool in oven overnight or at least 12 hours.
In another large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth; gently fold in whipped cream and marshmallows. Spread over meringue. Chill for 4 hours. Cut into 16 pieces. Combine topping ingredients; spoon 1/4 cup over each serving. Yield: 16 servings.


A hearty meal for Valentine's Day or any other day for that matter! Enjoy!!

Just Fon-DO It!

As promised, I am posting some favorite fondue recipes of mine for my sister-in-law. (Hi, Kim!!) We both received electric fondue pots from our aunts for Christmas and can now fondue without Sterno!! I am so grateful I won't be burning my hand every time I make one of these dishes. That was always the worst part.

Anyway, without further ado, my recipes.

Beef Fondue

1/2 cup soy sauce
15 shakes of Liquid Smoke
10 shakes of onion juice
sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2" cubes.

Marinate steak (cubed) for 2 hours, turning after 1 hour. Simply skewer meat and cook to your liking in fondue pot halfway filled with canola or vegetable oil.

Pizza Fondue

2 T. butter or margarine
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 T. cornstarch
1 1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. garlic powder
2 (10 1/2 oz.) jars pizza sauce
2 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 c. grated mozzarella cheese

Melt margarine in skillet and brown ground beef with onion over medium high heat. Once meat is done, drain and place in fondue pot.

Mix cornstarch, oregano and garlic powder with pizza sauce and add to meat mixture. Stir well and heat. When mixture thickens add cheese a handful at a time, stirring well after each addition. Blend until smooth and melted. Keep fondue bubbling on medium heat and serve with toasted garlic bread cubes, toasted English muffins or dunk bread sticks.

NOTE: My mom always served this over toasted English muffins. She would split them in half, butter them, toast them then top them with the fondue mixture. Sometimes I put them under the broiler after that with a little extra mozzarella cheese and make them like little pizzas.

Cheddar Fondue

1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground mustard
1/4 t. pepper
1/4. t. cayenne pepper
1/4 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 c. milk
2 c. (8 oz.) grated cheddar cheese

In small saucepan melt butter; stir in flour, salt, mustard, peppers & Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; add the cheese and continue stirring until cheese is melted. Place mixture in fondue pot keeping heat to medium low. Serve with bread cubes, ham, or broccoli or cauliflower florets.

White Chocolate Fondue

1 c. heavy cream
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 pkgs. (12 oz each) premier white morsels

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and butter. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat; add white morsels. Stir until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Transfer to a fondue pot. Serve with apples, bananas, strawberries, cookies, pretzels or pound cake.

NOTE: To make dark chocolate fondue, substitute 1 pkg. semi-sweet morsels and 1 pkg. milk chocolate morsels for 2 pkgs. white morsels above and follow same directions.

Cool Weather Comfort Food

Nothing says "fall", culinarily speaking, like a steaming bowl of chili, soup or a hearty stew. But there's one more food that warms me from the inside out -- a meatball sub. Cuddle it up next to a heap of fries and I'm one happy girl! I thought I'd share my recipe on a Saturday to feed all those hungry football fans that congregate around the TV at your house over the weekend.

Meatball Subs

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/4 c. Italian flavored bread crumbs
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, grated
1/2 c. fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped, or 2 T. dried
1 large egg
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
4 c. marinara sauce
2 c. grated provolone or mozzarella cheese
Sub rolls

Break egg into large bowl, beat. Add everything but meat; blend. After blending, add in beef and pork, mixing with hands to combine. Form meat into 1" meatballs and place in microwavable baking dish. Microwave on high 4-6 minutes, longer if needed. Once that's done, place meatballs in crock pot set on low and cover with sauce. Let them cook for 2-4 hours on low.

I slice the sub rolls, put them on a cookie sheet and fill them with meatballs and sauce, then top with grated cheese and toast them under the broiler 2-3 minutes to melt the cheese and warm the rolls.

This should serve 6, depending on how high you pile the meatballs. Some people like more sauce, some less -- so fix according to your own tastes. I use a homemade marinara sauce that I make in bulk and freeze, but you can also use a jar of spaghetti sauce as a shortcut. I also use provolone cheese because I like the stringiness of it, but some prefer mozzarella. Again, totally up to the taste buds that live in your house.

Now, there's just three weeks until Thanksgiving – oh, boy! There is no 6 ingredient solution to that day, so we’re going to shift our focus to the next most important day of the month – “The Biggest Shopping Day of the Year”! On my calendar, that day gets circled in red, marked with a star and decorated with a happy face.

Oh, yeah, it’s deal time, baby!

Not everyone gets that excited about shopping. In every home, there’s a crowd that’s less than enthused with the onslaught of shopping enthusiasts preparing to hit the mall and big box stores at the crack of dawn. For those you’ll leave behind in search of the elusive in-stock bargain, it’s important to also leave behind something for them to nibble on in your absence. This month, I’m offering a few recipes that should sate their appetites for the day, starting with breakfast. Now, don’t check out on me here. I know what time the sales start, the doors open and the shoppers stampede with Starbucks in hand. This breakfast is one you assemble the night before, pop in the oven, set for timed bake - an effort that will result in your beloved non-shopping family waking to the scent of a home-cooked warm breakfast.

Breakfast Casserole

1 cup chopped ham
2 cups grated cheese (can use cheddar or swiss)
8 eggs
1 cup whipping cream
¼ teaspoon mustard
Sprinkle with salt & pepper

Spread ham and grated cheese on the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish. Whisk eggs, cream, mustard, salt and pepper together in a bowl until well blended. Pour over ham and cheese. Refrigerate overnight. The next morning bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

If you’re planning an extended shopping day you may need lunch or dinner as well. A little prep work the night before will give you a head-start and help you use a few leftovers too.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, cubed
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 can cream of potato soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups milk
1 large potato cut in ½” cubes
Ritz crackers

Mix all in saucepan and heat. Simmer 15-20 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. These ingredients can also be placed in the crock pot before you leave and left on low until lunch. Top each bowl of soup with crumbled Ritz crackers. This is a quick and easy lunch to use up the leftover “bird” in a satisfying way!

With these efforts, your family will be well-fed while you cross items off their holiday wish lists! So, that takes care of “the day after”.