Gorgonzola Sliders

This is a funny blog....I sorta forgot to take pictures...Misty and I were visiting, and making the Rhubarb Sauce and then it was to late! I made sliders...they were so good and so small...I made them on a sliced small baguette....layered the grilled lean burger, gorgonzola cheese, smoked thick sliced bacon, red onion slice, slice tomato, and lettuce leaf...when you have that burger craving and should not eat a burger this, this will take care of the craving!

here is my one picture during the making...lean ground beef...seasoned well with salt, pepper and garlic powder.....

Then another burger picture, I know they look big, that is just the photo and the small plate....they are so small..there is no guilt, none at all!

Cheers to Happy  !!

Roasted Rhubarb Sauce

This is to die for Rhubarb Sauce, I read about it somewhere recently, I think they made it with white wine, but red wine just seems to go with the earthiness of the Rhubarb...it is so simple to make....just roast in the oven for an hour...with the addition of red wine, it tastes like rhubarb sangria, well better than that...I will never make Rhubarb sauce any other way!

Rhubarb Sauce

2 lbs of cut rhubarb

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of red wine...white wine..or fruit juice....

put in a covered roasting pan and bake in a  375 degree oven for 1 hour...that's it!

2 lbs of rhubarb...

cut in slices and put in roasting pan....the roasting pan with a heavy lid keeps all the flavor, color and nutrients inside...

and the sugar.....

1 cup of red wine...give it a little stir...and place in the oven....

take out after 1 hour...yummy.....

cool in bowl and store in the refrigerator.....

until time for bed and then have it with hot tea while you read!

Cheers to Happy  !!

I choose Creative...

This is the time of year of beginnings...of change and dreams....and yes, dreaming up creations...and to have faith in the outcome....I found this very exciting quote, I knew you too, would like to ponder...

Oh my, my,  my..... for me I choose Creative!!!!!

Cheers to Happy  !!

Sesame Crusted fish with sweet and spicy Rhubarb Sauce...

You will want to make this, it tastes like spring! It is very sweet, tart and spicy...the sauce would be good on pork and chicken also....so good!!!!!!!!

4 Tilapia or halibut fillets, about 4-6 ounces each

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Finely sliced green onion

Place the fillets in a parchment lined baking dish. Brush with the soy sauce and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Roast for 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees(depending on thickness) or until the fish is just done...not overcooking.


For the Rhubarb sauce:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola, peanut or sunflower
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 cup thinly sliced rhubarb, tossed with 1 teaspoon sugar
3 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 pasilla chile, cut into strips
2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey or brown sugar

Heat the oil in a heavy sauté pan or wok over medium high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a scant 30 seconds. Add the rhubarb and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the green onions, bell pepper strips and pasilla strips and stir fry for 1 minute more. Reduce the heat to low and add the last 4 ingredients. Cook to heat through.

here is all the sauce ingredients prepped and ready to go....the Rhubarb and the green onions should be cut very thinly on an angle...use plenty of ginger, you won't be sorry....

the sauce goes very quickly, maybe 4 minutes total time, make sure and not use a non-stick pan....you want the rhubarb to carmelize...be sure and have everything ready...here is the garlic and ginger and rhubarb....then...

the green onions...and yes I see that it is blurry,,,

the peppers...the pasilla pepper is the one that you make chili rellanos with...it is not hot, it also does not have the white membrane that regular green pepper has...it is located in the grocery store in the 'small peppers' section, that will be where you will find the fresh ginger also...

and the sauce...

give it a quick stir and let it reduce a bit....2 minutes tops....

and it is ready to serve!...

Enjoy !!!   Cheers to Happy  !!

One Door.....

                                                        When one door closes, another opens;

but we often look so long and so regretfully

upon the closed door that we do not see the one

that has opened for us."

Alexander Graham Bell

Cheers to Happy Sunday  !!

Book Club...

For years and years I have wanted to belong to a book club...I would see clubs meet in my restaurant and I would hang out close so I could hear what they were talking about....I was so jealous of the whole experience...women and some men getting together having a meal and discussing at depth a book they all read....I wanted to do that! It is so grown up....As I was whining politely discussing this at work, one of my servers said we should start a club and presto! Now we have a club!...She is now president! We will meet at someones house or at a restaurant..so far we have 5 people, and we have room for more!  The new president chose for us to read for our first book  'Water for Elephants' by Sara Gruen.

So I will start my book now and I am sure it is going to be great and thought
 provoking and lead to very interesting adult conversation! I will let you know what the 'club' says about the book.....

Cheers to Happy  !!

Asian Orange-Ginger BBQ Baby Backs...

Lately I have been so hungry for BBQ ribs....I kept putting it off, waiting for a sunnier day.....I found this recipe for wonderful ribs, and all of it is cooked in the oven............

Asian Orange-Ginger Glaze


1 tsp grated ginger (use a microplane rasp grater)
1 T minced garlic
1/4 cup minced red onion
3/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 large orange, peel zested with rasp grater & juiced (you should have 1/4 c of juice and about 2 T zest)
1 T white rice wine vinegar
1 t red chili flakes
1/4 tsp of chinese 5 spice
2 T yuzu sauce (you can substitute with lemon juice)

1. Preheat oven to 375. Pat the ribs dry and season both sides liberally with garlic salt and pepper. Place the ribs in a large roasting pan, overlapping is ok. Cover tightly with aluminum foil or lid and place in oven. Roast 3 hours, up to 6 hours. If you are feeding less than 4 people, then check the ribs after 3 hours, they should be done.

2. To make the glaze: Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 T canola oil, and when hot, add the red onion. Cook until the onion is soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and the ginger. Cook another minute. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the yuzu sauce. Lower the heat to low and cook down the sauce until it thickens and reduces about 6-8 minutes. The sauce should be sticky and thick. Remove from heat and add the yuzu sauce (or lemon juice). You can also add more freshly grated ginger if you like for the extra kick.

3. The ribs are done when they fall off the bone. Trust me, you’ll know. Try picking up a rib and see how the meat just falls off. Place the ribs in a single layer – you may have to use a baking sheet. Brush the Asian Orange-Ginger Glaze on the tops of the ribs. Broil on high until the sauce bubbles and caramelizes, about 3-5 minutes. Keep a watch on the ribs – don’t burn them! Instead of the Glaze, you could just use your favorite BBQ sauce – the results will be outstanding.

place all the ribs (cut into 3 rib pieces) in a baking dish and coat with salt and pepper and garlic powder....bake for approx. 2 hours, then check the meat should fall off the bone.

picture of the chopped onion, grated ginger and grated orange and juice....

place finished ribs on broiler pan and FYI: don't forget the foil on the pan, brush the under side first with the sauce......broil for 3 minutes and take out of oven, flip over and brush opposite side with sauce and broil again for 3 minutes.....

about done!

 this is so good....a little spicy and sweet and a thick sticky sauce.....the meat falls off the bone...so tender!

Cheers to Happy  !!

Mary's Mexican Casserole

I would love to make great Mexican food...I should know more about it, and I have it on my list of things to learn...I first want to learn to make Tamales...homemade Tamales with pork....I know just the person to teach me, just need the time....in the meantime, I want to show you how to make this casserole that is my sister Mary's recipe...it is great to take to potlucks...it takes no time at all ...especially because I cheat making it...and I want you to also...kay?

So to cheat you go to the store and buy all these things...a rotisserie chicken...flour tortillas...green salsa..a can of cream of mushroom soup, can of cream of chicken soup, 8 ounces already shredded jack and cheddar cheese, sour cream and pico de gallo...

mix the 2 cans of soup and green salsa together.....

cut about 10 tortillas into strips...

bone the chicken and chunk up...I just used the breasts.... and then put all the bones and dark meat in a stock pot and boiled with some carrots and celery and onions and make a nice chicken stock to have on hand for later...so lets assemble....

put some sauce on the bottom of a casserole.....

then put a layer of the tortilla strips.....

then put a thin layer of more sauce and layer of chicken and some of the shredded cheese...continue these layers and end with the cheese layer...much like making a lasagna....

Bake in a 350 oven covered for 20 minutes and then uncover for 10 minutes...

it is golden and cheese and creamy and so good........you could make this with corn tortillas, with spicy green chile and put hot peppers in it...you could add olives...you can make it with turkey or with pork....it's all good....

serve with sour cream and pico de gallo....Enjoy!

Cheers to Happy  !!

Taos Pueblo Indian Seeds...

I recently received a package in the mail...My daughter Becky went with her friend to the 5th annual gathering Seed Exchange and Ceremony...where seeds by local Pueblo Indians and organic local farmers get  to exchange seeds....some seeds are direct descendants of vegetables dating back over 2000 years...She and her friend took seeds and they handed them out, she said people were very excited to receive the seeds...

It was sponsored by the New Mexico Food and Seed Sovereignty Alliance, which is

a worldwide movement for food and seed sovereignty. It is growing produce.... based on community culturally and ecological sustainable agriculture. For instance in Taos they are helping a

farmers’ movement to cultivate community based organic farms. The initiative of combining organic agriculture with ancient farming practices, scientific innovations and reviving traditional crops and diets,  returning food security to people in that region.

here are the seeds and a closer look......the thing on top is a little joke recovery kit....

there are some potatoes and garlic and  bolitas bush bean seeds....I researched the bolita and this is what I found:  This bean was one of the original varieties brought by the Spanish as they settled New Mexico; it is still grown by a few Spanish farms to this day. With dry beans having rich flavor and creamy texture, it is better than Pinto beans. This small, creamy-tan bean cooks fast and is the tastiest part of several centuries in NM history. Bush plants produce very early. Sounds great to me!

these are Pueblo pumpkin seeds ...

here is a look at the perfect bolita bush beans.....they are creamy and soft....and I have enough to share with by sister who is planting a garden this year on soil that has not seen daylight for 120 years...(she tore down the old barn)

Now she said not to plant where they might cross pollinate with a plant with a manufactured seed....I am not sure exactly what that means....I will try to find out...I don't want to ruin the genetics...

Cheers to Happy  !!

buggs...

While I was weeding the garden yesterday I came upon this scene and I was immediately reminded of a childrens book that my children memorized...

as you are weeding and you see the bugs start to run for cover, you start to feel a little sorry for them and think about their homes, you are disturbing.....

look close, lets see if we can see a home.....

I can just imagine what is going on.....can't you? Mother's calling to the children, to come eat, fathers off in the world working...children playing..running in the warm sun...

I hate to move anything.....and then you repeat that long ago verse....

As you lay on a summer's day
In a cool and shady place,
Don't look up into the skies;
Instead look down
And squint your eyes.
Squint them both so very tight
and if you wish
With all your might
You'll find the land of
Morethansmall.
And in this land live buggs,
that's all.
Stephan Cosgrove
and Sarah Whinnery for remembering the words after 20 years

The books are the bugg books and this is a link to an online interactive bugg village....very fun!
http://www.buggbooks.com/buggville_main.html

FYI:  I did stop weeding that area and left all the homes intact....

Cheers to Happy  !!