Fried Chicken and Cheesesteaks

A great frugal use for old bread bits, so you don't just toss them. (bread pudding, french onion soup, bread crumbs or strata would also be good uses). If I had some leftover "good" bread and it's gone a bit stale, I'll throw it in the freezer until I'm ready to use it. A good crouton makes all the difference in an otherwise boring salad (or a pureed soup!) Cut with a knife into cubes, or just rip your stale bread: Pour in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil (or melted butter) and toss until each piece has at least a bit of oil. At this you can add seasoning. Salt is a must. Other things you might add (just one or two): pepper, paprika, chili powder, thyme, oregano, garlic salt or garlic powder, powdered parmesan, rosemary. Bake at 400 or 450, but don't leave the kitchen. I ended up letting them cook about five minutes on one side, pushed them around with a heatproof spatula, and then another five minutes or so. You want them to be lightly browned, but mo...

Very simple, but yet very complex tastes. Wash and spin arugula. Add some balls (or cubes) of watermelon. If you can, sprinkle some of the watermelon juice over the leaves as well. (When you use a melon baller the juice tends to pool in the melon anyway) Sprinkle liberally with salt. Drizzle over balsamic vinegar, and a bit of oil (I happened to have some walnut oil in the fridge). This was VERY, VERY good. The natural pepperiness of the arugula with the sweetness of the watermelon with the saltiness of the salt with the deep flavor of the vinegar ... YUM!

I happen to have lots of wonderful tomatoes on hand this week. I also found 80/20 ground beef at the grocery store at a really good price. It was already on sale for 2.69 pound, but then this package also had a $2 off coupon .... so I paid under $5 for two and a half pounds of ground beef. So what better to make with tomatoes, corn and ground beef than a taco salad? ground beef (I used a 2.5 pound package, but had lots leftover) 2 large tomatoes 2 large onions (I used Vidalia) 1 bell pepper 2 ears corn salad greens tortilla chips taco seasoning (in a packet or from a jar) 2 limes cilantro garlic Brown the beef in a pan. Using a spoon, drain off the fat. Mix the taco mix with about 1/2 cup of water and stir into the beef. I also added a few cubes each of garlic and cilantro. Dried cilantro would work just as well. Roll two limes on the counter before juicing them over the beef: Peel the two onions. Cut off the ends, cut them in half, and then slice into half moons. These go into another...

You can do so many things with a salad. This one turned out pretty well, so I thought I would share it. What I had on hand that needed to be used: 1 log of goat cheese (chevre), which was about to expire about a half pound of cherries 2 chuck steaks So what I made: Baked Goat Cheese Medallions: I cut the Chevre into 8 equal slices. I dipped each into an egg wash (one beaten egg with a splash of water), and then placed the cheese into a bowl of toasted almond slices. I used my fingers to make sure each piece was fully topped with almonds. I then placed these in a baking pan (which I lined with parchment paper for easy clean-up). These I baked for about ten minutes at 400 degrees. I washed and pitted the cherries. A little trick I've found is to use the cherry pitter right down in the colander. The pits stay put for easy disposal, and MOST of the juice shoots into the colader. But don't wear your favorite white shirt for this task anyway. Meanwhile, I started the grill and seaso...

The simplest of recipes is just the thing for a summer picnic. Perhaps you have a reason to attend one today? One of my favorite summer salads: Fresh tomatoes Slices of buffalo or fresh mozzarella Fresh basil, chopped in long slivers. If you have both purple and green basil, even better. Combine these items in a bowl. If you really want to, add a bit of balsamic vinegar and olive oil ... but I normally just eat it plain. The fragrant basil just stuns the senses and makes this the perfect summer salad. I often eat this for a simple lunch on top of a bed of lettuce. The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitl...