The ‘Ole Buckeye has been asking for our favorites to be included in the weekly meal planning. I think he feels like a guinea pig sometimes since I am constantly experimenting with new recipes. I understand where he is coming from, but I also remind him that many of our currant favorites were experiments over the past few years. This week included a host of tried and true favorites.
Monday: Stuffed Hamburgers and Spaghetti Salad. I have made Guy’s Burgers a host of times over the past several years. I must admit that I have made them with the chorizo only once. I determined it was not needed. We happen to love Swiss cheese and find these burgers particularly appealing. We have tried grilling them outdoors unsuccessfully. It is best to prepare them as directed. The homemade ketchup makes the burgers. It is a component that should not be missed, but once again, I have made adaptations, which I will post in the future. I began with basic ketchup and added the additional spices. I did not start with all the tomatoes. I guess if I had a summer garden with an abundance of the red fruit, I would opt for his original.
Source: Guy Fieri’s Killer Inside Out Burger
The California Spaghetti Salad was a new recipe. For some strange reason I have been hungry for pasta salads. Normally I am not a fan. In fact, I seldom make a pasta salad.
My aunt fixed a spaghetti salad for picnics years ago, but it was basically spaghetti with dressing. This new recipe caught my eye and I thought it would be a great accompaniment for the burgers. It was a HIT.
Source: California Spaghetti Salad
Tuesday: Repeat Monday. Leftover burgers and spaghetti salad. Yum.
Wednesday Night, Family Night and Cinco de Mayo Eve. I made a favorite of the grand girls. I had originally planned to make beef enchiladas and chicken enchiladas because the ‘Ole Buckeye loves both, but I decided to make a double batch of the chicken enchiladas. I served them with Mexican Cauliflower Rice and Jalapeño Apple Slaw followed by a dessert Flan.
Source: Mexican Cauliflower Rice
I have never attempted Cauliflower Rice and I had a head of cauliflower that needed to be used. The food processor made this quick and easy and everyone liked it, even the grand girls. A HIT.
Source: Jalapeño Apple Slaw
Before I discuss this salad I need to explain that it calls for two Jalapeños…I used one. Thank goodness. This slaw was spicy hot, but again A HIT. We decided it would be wonderful on the Carolina Pulled Pork the next time we make it.
Dessert was another family favorite. Flan. I have made this recipe for years, but not often enough. I need to add it to the recipe collection. It is one of the best desserts that I have ever made.
A perfect dinner and great celebration of Cinco de Mayo Eve!
Thursday…Cinco de Mayo
I have made roasted Fajitas in the past and it has now the only way that I prepare them. I have posted out favorite recipe previously, however unbeknownst to the ‘Ole Buckeye, I tried a new recipe from my Looks Good Enough to Try Pinterest Board on Thursday.
The new version 0f chicken fajitas was delicious. In the future it will be a difficult deciding which recipe to use. I served the fajitas with flour tortillas, and the Mexican Cauliflower Rice and Jalapeño Apple Slaw from Wednesday evening. A Big HIT. (By the way, the suggestion to use the convection setting on the oven was excellent. I will opt for convection whenever I make roasted vegetables.)
Source: Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Friday: Mexican Leftovers The third day of Cinco De Mayo!
Saturday…Derby Party
We will begin with The Back Story:
A few weeks ago my son asked if we could take care of the grand girls. He and our daughter in law were invited to a Derby Party. The ‘Ole Buckeye and I volunteered. The girls sometimes feel left out when this happens. They are seldom left out of social events. With that in mind I decided to host a Derby Party for the four of us.
I sent the girls an invitation and they excitedly accepted. I will share the Derby menu now, saving the details of our party for a future blog.
The Derby Party Menu…
Grey Goose Oaks Lily (Serves 1)
1 oz. Grey Goose vodka
1 oz. Sweet and sour mix
3 oz. Cranberry juice
Splash of triple sec
Virgin for the girls, Vodka for the adults. These were delicious and refreshing. The ‘Ole Buckeye made several pitchers. A HIT!
Strawberry Snap Pea Salad (Serves 6 to 8 people)
(The 4th Grader’s Presentation)
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh sugar snap peas cleaned
2 quarts fresh strawberries
1 English cucumber
1 red onion
1 cup white balsamic vinegar reduction
2 ounces crumbled ricotta salata
Ice water
Directions:
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Blanch fresh snap peas for 1-2 minutes until bright green, then immediately place in ice bath to stop the cooking process. The peas should still have a crisp bite.
With a small knife remove the green caps from the strawberries and cut in quarters from top to bottom. Dice the cucumber into small bite sized cubes and set aside. Peel and slice red onion into long thin strips from end to end and reserve.
In a medium sized mixing bowl combine all ingredients except the ricotta salata. Place dressed ingredients on your favorite salad bowl or plate and garnish with the crumbled cheese and serve chilled for best flavors.
I must admit that I could not find the ricotta salata anywhere, so we forego the cheese. This salad was bright and tasty, but not a favorite of the girls. They ate the strawberries!
Source: Kentucky Derby Favorites
What is more Southern than grits? Believe it or not the grand girls love grits. So the perfect side for a Derby Dinner….Cheese Grits…and a Big HIT!
Source: Cheese Grits
I made Kentucky Hot Browns for our main entree. I used a recipe from a Homemaker’s Cookbook I have had since we lived in Kentucky.
It contains some tried and true recipes that I have served my family over the years.
I had never made this version of the hot brown, and it was slightly different than the ones I found online. I decided to try it since the girls like cheddar cheese. The authentic version uses Pecorino. I will try the other version during week #14. I will post the version that we like the most.
We ended our meal with a rendition of a famous Derby dessert which the 4th grader helped to make. The pie was a huge HIT.
Source: Pecan Chocolate Pie for the Derby
Sunday: Mother’s Day…Kitchen Closed
The boys did dinner! Slow cooked baby back ribs in the Big Green Egg. grilled vegetables (red, yellow and green peppers, onions, and mushrooms) in the grill basket, grilled asparagus right on the grate, pasta salad, and cheese grits from the Derby Party and the Derby Pie. Great wine, relaxation on the porch, some soccer and a game of Clue. Great day!
The week was filled with food celebrating cultures and events. So much fun and delicious eating!
Yum! So many things look delicious on this blog!