Fried Chicken and Cheesesteaks

 Riffing on a recipe a friend shared for homemade ranch, but with what I had on hand:  1 cup mayo 1 cup plain kefir (or whole milk plain yogurt) 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar zest one lemon, chopped fine juice of one lemon ground black pepper or white pepper chopped chives (dried or fresh) chopped dried onion or a finely diced shallot 2 teaspoon dried roasted garlic  1 tablespoon sugar 1 tsp salt  mix well, serve over fresh salad greens or anyway you prefer salad ... 

 A slightly quicker version a Southeast Asian peanut sauce:  4 cubes of frozen minced garlic  2 T  Gochujang sauce 1 cup natural peanut butter 1/4 C tamari (or soy sauce if you don't need GF) 1/4 cup brown sugar combine in pot and gently heat, whisking until it forms a smooth thick sauce.   I served with shredded beef, white rice and lightly sautéed cabbage and it was quite the hit! 

So did you know you can actually make " pub cheese" pretty easily? I did yesterday - 1 pound shredded good cheddar (shred it, don't buy shredded, because of the additives!), about 6 ounces shredded Dubliner. One cube frozen crushed garlic (or one clove through a garlic press), one spoonful good mustard .... then start drizzling in a bit of apple cider and/or beer and running all the ingredients in the food processor until smooth! It was really good. I think I ended up using about 3/4 cup of liquid, using half cider, half stout. Definitely a recipe that needs a full size food processor. Here's what it looked like right before processing:  It was spectacular.   My four year old kept begging for just one more crackerful.   It would be excellent with soft pretzel nuggets too.   

I've made this a couple of times recently and its fairly easy and really good. Plus leafy greens are supposed to be good for you .... Take a large pan and heat a bit of oil, lard or bacon grease (a tablespoon or two, though I never measure). Meanwhile rinse about a pound of fresh spinach. Throw the spinach in the pan and stir occasionally while it wilts. Season with a bit of onion powder and a bit of garlic (I used one frozen cube of crushed garlic, but garlic powder or fresh garlic will work as well). Add some squeezed lemon juice and sprinkle with salt. Add one can of drained artichoke hearts, preferably the small ones. Serve warm with dinner!

Stir together in a crockpot: 2.5 pounds pork chops, seasoned with salt and pepper, seared for color, then cut into bite sized pieces 1 pound frozen pineapple, thawed (canned, in juice, would be fine too) 1 pound frozen pepper strips, thawed 2 large sweet onions, sliced into half moons crushed garlic - 3-4 cloves, juice of two limes 1 can or two cups chicken broth or reconstitute bullion. Starring diva ginger, with her back-up sisters, the pepperettes: Cook for 6 - 8 hours in the crockpot on low. (about the time you start cooking rice, add some fresh ginger or some extra powdered ginger to the mixture to give it an extra kick) Cook some sticky rice: Serve by the ladleful, over rice:

I love mussels. I love them even more when I can get a frozen package of two pounds of cooked mussels in their shell for 4.62 at the Super Walmart. (If you are using fresh mussels, please read my instrustions and precautions here ) To heat the already cooked mussels: Boil a pot of water, and heat the mussels in their inner plastic bag. For the yummy, yummy sauce: Heat pot over medium heat, add 3-4 tablespoons olice oil. Chop about 8 shallots (or 1 large onion), and add them to the pot. Chop 3-4 cloves of garlic, throw them in too. Add a few tablespoons of butter, some salt, pepper and a cup of white wine. Add two tomatoes, diced, or one can of diced tomatoes. Then you need to add broth. I used the seafood broth concentrate from Penzeys mixed with more wine :) Open the mussels and add them, with the liquid in their bags, to the mix. Serve with a crusty baguette!