Stuffing Omelet

Makes 1

You're laughing right? Well I'm serious about how good this is - so don't laugh until you've tried it. This has been a tradition in our house for about 25 years and is ideal for the morning after a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner . The only thing is it requires that you still have some stuffing leftover, so make sure you do.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 slice American cheese (you can use any kind you like, but this kinda makes it)
• 1/3 cup (approx) leftover stuffing, room temp

Directions

1. Beat the eggs well in a bowl
2. Melt butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat, and add eggs.
3. If making a true omelet, allow the bottom of the eggs to set - add stuffing to one half, cover with cheese and flip one side over making a half moon & cook to desired doneness (and fyi desired doneness for me is not too dry)
4. Or, cook as scrambled eggs - adding the stuffing when you would normally add other ingredients and then cook until desired doneness - which is still not too dry
5. Put on a plate and enjoy
6. Wait for next year

Lox, Eggs and Onions

Serves 1

OK - so maybe this is more in my ethnic camp than yours - but it's a Jewish classic. Don't question it - just make it.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, diced small
• 2 ounces thinly sliced lox, chopped fine
• salt & pepper to taste
• butter

Directions

1. Saute onions in butter until starting to brown - I said 'starting', not burned up
2. Add lox to onions and allow to warm through
3. Add eggs and cook as desired. I just mean make them as moist or dry as you like - I don't like mine too dry. Ok, I don't like mine dry at all.

Mac & Blue Cheese with Bacon

Serves 8

What kryptonite was to Superman, this macaroni is to me. It is my one, true weakness. If I make it – I can eat the whole thing...

Ingredients

• 1 package Kraft Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner (I didn't say you had to start from scratch did I?)
• 6-8 strips of bacon, diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 1 1/2 cups Panko crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs available in the supermarket Asian aisle)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Heat a large frying pan, add bacon - cook until halfway done
3. Add onions - saute until softened and bacon is crispy
4. Make macaroni according to package directions and add onion, bacon and blue cheese
5. Mix well and place in oven proof casserole dish
6. Melt butter and mix with Panko crumbs, put on top of mac
7. Bake until top is brown and crispy - maybe 20 minutes

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Watch me make this

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Smoked Salmon, Dill And Goat Cheese Pizza

Serves 4

Bring on the brunch baby, cuz this is one of my favorite things to serve.

Ingredients

• 1 - 10 oz pre baked pizza crust
• Olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped fresh dill
• 5 ounces soft goat cheese
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces smoked salmon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons capers, optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Brush crust lightly with olive oil.
3. Spread goatcheese over the crust, sprinkle with 1/2 the dill then top with sliced onions
4. Bake until cheese melts and crust starts getting crispy about 12 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, top with salmon and remaining dill

Sesame Noodles

This is so good either alone or as an accompaniment. In fact, it's a perfect match for the Asian Scallops - see recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or white-wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter - creamy is best
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 pound lo mein or linguine
• 1/4 pound snow peas, trimmed & strings discarded
• Chopped peanuts for garnish

Directions

1. Combine soy, vinegar, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, peanut butter, sesame oil, ginger, and chicken broth in a small saucepan
2. Simmer and stir until it is thick and smooth and let cool.
3. Cook snow peas in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about a 2 minutes.
4. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool; drain well.
5. Cook noodles in boiling salted water - do not overcook.
6. Drain and then rinse noodles under cold water.
7. Drain again well and transfer to a bowl.
8. Add the snow peas to the noodles and toss both in the sauce.
9. Serve at room temperature with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts.

Roasted Tomato & Goat Cheese Salad

Serves 4 - unless you eat all the tomatoes before...

This is one great salad. Easy as pie with huge bold flavors - yee ha.

Ingredients

• 1 pound tomatoes - I like the little cherry guys
• 6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 bag, pre-washed mixed greens, you choose
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Slice tomatoes in half, scoop out seeds and put in large bowl
3. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and mix well
4. Place on roasting pan and roast in oven until tender - about 20 minutes
5. Remove from oven and cool slightly
6. In a large bowl combine greens with about 3/4 of the goat cheese
7. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and a little of the balsamic, mix well
8. Put on serving plates, top with tomatoes, a little bit more of the goat cheese and there you have it

(Spicy) BBQ Chicken Pizza

Makes one 12 inch pizza

Make this with a deli roasted chicken. I mean you can cook your own, but why would you? The spicy chili sauce is optional - but shouldn't be.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (about 8oz) cooked shredded chicken
• 1/3 cup BBQ sauce, approximately
• 1 pre baked pizza crust
• 1 cup - shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoons Asian chili sauce, optional
• fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Mix cooked chicken with the BBQ and chili sauces
3. Spread chicken over crust and top with red onion and then the mozzarella
4. Bake 10-12 minutes until top starts to brown and get bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Strawberry Mojito

Makes 1 - but a really delicious one.

This drink requires you to perform the ancient bartender art of 'muddling' which just means mashing some of the ingredients at the bottom of the glass to bring out the flavors & oils. You can even buy special equipment just for this task. Or you could use the handle of a wooden spoon or stick or hammer handle if you had to.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces white rum
• 10 fresh mint leaves
• 2 strawberries, halved
• 1/2 lime, quartered
• club soda
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

1. Put lime, sugar, strawberries & mint in the bottom of a tall glass and muddle
2. Add ice, rum and fill to the top with soda and stir

Pesto Garlic Bread

Makes 1 baguette

Does this really need an introduction?

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup pesto, store bought
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 long sour dough baguette

Directions

1. Heat broiler
2. Mix butter with pesto
3. Slice baguette lengthwise and spread with pesto butter then sprinkle with parmesan
4. Place under broiler until brown and bubbly but watch to keep from burning
5. Remove from oven, slice and serve - or remove from oven and run like hell to another room and eat it all by yourself

Hot Pastrami Wrap

Serves 6

This was an instant classic in my house and has become the Sunday afternoon crowd snack of choice for sporting events or Tivo'd showings of Martha Stewart's Apprentice. Ok so maybe the crowd is a lot smaller for the Martha showings. Fine then, it's just me - you happy now?

Ingredients

• 1 pound pastrami, thinly sliced
• 6 large flour wraps or tortillas
• 2 1/2 cups cole slaw, premade - the kind with the carrot, etc.
• 1 1/2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle chilis
• 12 thin slices Muenster cheese

Directions

1. Mix cole slaw and adobo sauce, set aside
2. Heat non-stick pan and add pastrami - the goal is to lightly grill it to bring out the flavor
3. I like to try to grill a wraps worth of pastrami at a time so I can melt cheese individually
4. Once grilled, add 2 slices of cheese to each pile
5. Warm wraps in non-stick pan slightly and add pastrami/cheese
6. Place some cole slaw on top, and roll up - or should I say wrap up?

Sticky Sweet Ribs

Serves 4

Basic bbq sauce with only brown sugar and pancake syrup will make you king or queen o' the grill.

Ingredients

• 2 racks pork back ribs, about 4 pounds

• 1 1/2 cups barbeque sauce, plain

• 1/4 cup pancake syrup

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 4 tablespoons white vinegar

• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle peppers (optional)

Directions

1. Mix sauce, syrup and brown sugar, (and chipotle, if you want) set aside

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3. Place ribs in their racks (I just mean do not cut them) in a large baking/casserole dish

4. Pour vinegar into dish with ribs and cover tightly with aluminum foil

5. Bake about 75 minutes or until very tender

6. Remove from oven and carefully lift off tin foil - watch out for steam

7. The ribs are now fully cooked and just need to be 'sauced' finished' and you have 2 options:

8. 1.  Heat bbq to medium and place ribs meat side down without sauce - but you can baste the back with the sauce

9. Cook until they start to develop grill marks, and turn over - now baste the top

10. You could stop here after they grill a bit on this side, or you could baste them a bit more and then give them a couple more minutes meat side down - that's what I do

11. 2.  Heat broiler to high and place ribs on a baking sheet about 4 inches from the heat source

12. Brush top of the ribs well with the sauce and cook until they start getting a bit brown - then flip to the back, sauce and cook some more

13. Flip back to the top (sauce again) and cook until they get that beautiful rib look

14. Then, no matter how you cooked them, give 'em one extra baste them after they've been removed and just before you serve them.

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Smokey Asparagus Sticks

Makes 24

If you're looking for something great to stir up the 'blue hairs' at a snotty society event - this could be it. Finger food at it's finest...

Ingredients

• 24 Asparagus
• 12 large slice Black Forest Ham, cut in half
• Fresh ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Directions

1. Cut off the top 4 inches of each stalk to use (keep the rest for something else, just don't ask me for what
2. Wrap each stalk tightly with a piece of ham and line up side by side in two rows of twelve
3. Spear each set of 12 stalks with 2 long wooden skewers
4. Lightly oil flat grill or spray bbq and heat to medium
5. Grill skewered stalks until nicely browned on each side and remove
6. Carefully pull out sticks, hit with a little fresh ground pepper and serve with horseradish

Ginger Scallops

Makes 12

The key to scallops is NOT to overcook them. The easiest way is to make sure your pan is HOT and turn them once they're nicely browned.

Ingredients

• 1 pound large fresh scallops, about 12
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons green onion, finely chopped
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Mix butter, ginger and green onion together in a small bowl - set aside
2. Put non-stick pan on medium/high heat
3. Lightly oil scallops and season with salt & pepper
4. When the pan is almost smoking, put half the scallops in the pan and sear until golden, 1 to 2 minutes
5. Flip over, put half the ginger butter in the pan and as it melts spoon it over the scallops
6. Remove when bottom is golden
7. Cook remaining scallops the same way, dig?

Matzo Brei

Serves 1 - maybe 2

Whether you're Jewish or not, this is a great breakfast thing. And I agree that crackers and eggs sounds a bit bizarre - ok a lot bizarre, but it's still great.

Ingredients

• 3 sheets matzo
• 3 eggs
• Kosher salt, duh
• Fresh ground pepper
• Grape or raspberry jelly, seriously
• Butter

Directions

1. Break matzo sheets into quarters and cover with very hot water for about 30 seconds then drain well
2. Beat eggs with salt & pepper and add softened sheets, and break sheets into smaller pieces
3. Melt butter and small amount of oil in large pan and add egg mixture
4. Cook over low heat until lightly golden on one side, then flip and cook the other side
5. Remove to a plate and serve with a little jelly on the side

BBQ Shrimp PO Boy

Serves 3 - maybe 4, but probably 3

A classic New Orleans-type of sandwich. But instead of deep-fried, it's done on the grill or on a grill pan...

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound shrimp, 21/25's raw shell off and de-veined
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne/li>
• 4 French Rolls
• Shredded Iceberg lettuce
• Sliced tomatoes
• Olive oil
• SAUCE
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon prepared
• horseradish
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce

Directions

1. Heat grill or pan to medium
2. Combine mayo, onion, chili sauce, horseradish and hot sauce - mix well and set aside
3. Mix shrimp with cayenne, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt & pepper
4. Slice rolls lengthwise and drizzle lightly with olive oil
5. Grill shrimp until done
6. Place rolls on grill or gil pan and brown slightly
7. Build PO Boy with shrimp, sauce, lettuce & tomato
8. Eat it quick and then make another one...

Lamb (with no bun) Burgers

Serves 4

No 'bun' intended, get it? Quick, easy and borderline sophisticated in taste. You'll love these and if there was ever a time to go without a bun, this is it.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 pounds ground lamb
• 2 tablesppons freshly chopped oregano leaves
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped mint
• 1/4 cup onion, diced small
• salt & pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Heat grill
2. Mix all ingredients except feta
3. Grill until desired doneness - do not dry them out
4. Serve with crumbled feta over the top

Wasabi Cole Slaw

Serves 4-6

I love this - do I have to say anything else? And it's a nice change from a mayo-based cole slaw. There - I've said enough.

Ingredients

• 1-10 ounce bag ready-made cole slaw - I like the kind without carrot for this
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon wasabi paste
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar (regular vinegar's fine if you don't have rice)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• couple dashes sesame oil
• green onion thinly sliced and sesame seeds as garnish

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients in small bowl well until sugar is disolved and wasabi paste is fully mixed in
2. Mix with cole slaw just before serving
3. If you want, you could garnish the the top with a little thinly sliced green onion and a few sesame seeds...

Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms

Serves 4

This is a piece of cake to make, so to speak. In a hurry you may want to just have the asparagus by themselves-they're so great.

Ingredients

• 1 lb medium asparagus with tough ends cut off
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 lb shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
• 2 tablespoons dry vermouth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450
2. Drizzle asparagus with olive oil, season well with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and place on baking sheet
3. Roast until just tender, about 10 minutes
4. While that's cooking, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or heavy saute pan over medium high heat, stir in the garlic
5. Saute until just fragrant, about a minute and add mushrooms
6. Saute shrooms until soft about 5 minutes
7. Add the vermouth (off the heat - you don't want a flare up) stir until evaporated then add soy
8. Add in butter at the last minute and serve the whole mushroom mixture on top of the asparagus

Tuna Cristo

Makes 2 sandwiches

This is the less sophisticated cousin of the classic "Monte Cristo", but easily as good.

Ingredients

• 1 can tuna
• 2 tablespoons red pepper, diced fine
• 2 tablespoons jicama, diced fine
• 4 slices bread
• 2 slices cheese, the type is up to you, but I kinda like muenster or Havarti
• 2 tablespoons mayo
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons milk
• butter

Directions

1. Combine tuna, red pepper, jicama, mayo and salt & pepper - mix well
2. Spread mixture evenly on 2 of the bread slices and add cheese to each then top with second slice of bread
3. Beat eggs with milk in a shallow bowl & dip both sides of sandwiches in mixture
4. Melt butter in non-stick pan and cook sandwiches until golden on both sides and cheese is melted
5. Slice in half and serve warm

White & Green Roasted Asparagus

Serves 6

Roasting them in the oven brings out the flavor - compared with boiling them which washes away the flavor and makes them taste like %$#@. If you can't find white asparagus, use the blue ones. Kidding...use only green.

Ingredients

• 1 lb medium green asparagus with tough ends cut off
• 1 lb medium white asparagus with tough ends cut off
• Approximately 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper
• 1 Lemon

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425
2. Drizzle asparagus with olive oil, season well with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and place on baking sheet
3. Roast until crisp tender, about 10-15 minutes
4. Lightly squeeze lemon over the top before serving