Burgundy Beef

Ingredients:
1 Pound Stew Meat
1 Cup Chopped Onions
8 oz sliced Mushrooms
1 Pound Baby Carrots
2 tsp minced Garlic
2 Cups Red Wine
1 Can Golden Mushroom Soup
1 Can Beef Consommé
1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
2 TBLS Flour

Directions:
Heat oven to 300 F.
Mix all of the ingredients together.
Put in an oven safe casserole dish with lid.
Cook at 300 F for 3 hours.

Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

Not so Scandinavian Potato Sausage with Sauerkraut

Potato Sausage is a thing that we ate growing up in a Norwegian family.  It is a wonderful blend of pork and potatoes, but does not have a lot of flavor.  This is how I cook my potato sausage now.

Ingredients:
Potato Sausage (My folks made their own, but I buy mine at my local Cub Foods.  I do not know if you can buy outside the Dakotas and Minnesota)
1 Hot pepper of your choice - Chopped Coarsely
1 pepper (green, yellow, red, orange:  Your choice) - Chopped Coarsely
1/2 large sweet onion - Chopped Coarsely
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
1 - 12oz beer (I prefer a microbrew or dark beer, but anyone will work)
1 - 14 ounce can sauerkraut (I am part German, but use the cheapest sauerkraut at the market)
Kosher Salt
Olive Oil

Directions:
Heat frying pan over medium low heat.  Add olive oil.  Brown sausage on both side over medium low heat.  Add chopped veggies and salt and cover.  Stir occasionally to remove excess water from veggies.  Cook for about 10 minutes.  Add beer. Cook covered for about about 30 minutes.  Add Sauerkraut, juice and all.  Cook until sauerkraut is hot.  Serve with any vegetables and bread of you choice.

Fiesta Night - A great evening with old friends and good food.

Some friends from high school came over for dinner: Lynn - We have known each other since we were 4 years old. Went to Sabin Elementary together grades 2-6, eventually living on the same dorm floor in college. Jeanne - Went to junior high and high school together. Also lived on the same dorm floor in college. Stacy - Saw each other in the halls in high school and worked together at Hornbacher's in college. Ran into each other at Target a few months back. Come to find out that we live about 3 blocks from each other. The laughs are always the best with old friends!


Here are the recipes from that night.


Tomato Avocado Salad with Lime Vinaigrette:

Salad:
2 Tomatoes
2 Avocados
Boston Lettuce
1/4 Sweet Onion
1/2 Cuke
Cilantro
Kosher Salt
Cut Tomatoes and Avocados in 1/8. Wash and tear lettuce; put in middle of serving platter. Put onion and cukes on top of lettuce. Add cilantro to taste. Arrange the tomatoes and avocados on outside of lettuce. Spring with pinch of kosher salt. Drizzle with dressing.

Dressing:
3 to 4 tablespoons extra light olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
Mix the hell out of it in a blender. Make ahead of time and store in frig.


Pepper Jam Grilled Pork Roast
Marinade:
1/2 cup apple juice (or orange juice)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup hot pepper jam (I can my own, but you can buy in grocery store)
Glaze:
1/3 cup hot pepper jam 
2 TBLS cider vinegar

Place roast in a large ziploc bag. Heat marinade until jam melts and blends. Let cool to room temp. Over roast and place in frig at least 24 hours ahead. I marinated it for over 48 hours.
Start charcoal to grill over in-direct heat. Remove roast and throw the remaining marinade. Cook roast until 150 degrees. Mix glaze. Brush roast with glaze until temp is 160 degrees. Let roast stand about 15 minutes before cutting and serving.


Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cans campbells fiesta nacho cheese soup
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 soup cans of milk
2 can enchilada sauce
1 can green chilis

Boil chicken until done. Let cool and cube. Mix all of the other ingredients in a stock put. Cook over low-medium heat adding chicken. Cook until hot. Serve with crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheddar over top. Can be made ahead of time and re-heated.


Pico de Gallo - I never measure ingredients. Just put in until it looks right 
Tomatoes
Onion
Tomatillos
Cilantro
Peppers - Little or a lot depending on how hot you like it.
Little Lime Juice

Chop and mix all of the ingredients. Can be made a day ahead of time.


Guacamole
2 avocados
Some homemade Pico de Gallo

Peel and pit avocados. Mix in the Pico de Gallo until it looks right. Store in frig with the avocado pits. Mix well before serving. I usually make within 2 hours of serving, but at least an hour before so that the flavors will blend.
Kosher Salt


Happy Cooking!