Char Siu pork roast (crock pot)

I love cooking in the crock pot- I can do the prep work and get dinner started during my kids' afternoon naps, which frees me up at dinnertime when things get really chaotic around here.  Last week we made this Char Siu pork roast from Cooking Light.  This recipe had Robert's name all over it- a big piece of meat cooked in Asian spices and sauces.  It was a winner!

French onion soup

I've made French onion soup before, but my previous recipes have been quick, shortcut versions.  This one from Smitten Kitchen is more authentic (read: time consuming), but SO worth it.  The onions are a 2-step process: first steeping them for 15 minutes in a covered pot on very low heat, then uncovering them and caramelizing them for 40 minutes over slightly higher heat.  Oh, and we made the "optional" gratinee of cheesy, crusty croutons- this is a must in my opinion.  Ok, enough mumbo-jumbo-- the bottom line is that this soup is delicious!

Turkey suiza tamale pie

We had this turkey suiza tamale pie for a recent dinner, and it got a thumbs-up from everyone involved.  It is made with ground turkey (which seems healthy), but don't worry- there's heavy cream and plenty of cheese in there, too!

Mexican sliced steak tacos

We made these Mexican sliced steak tacos from the Rachael Ray show a few weeks ago at the lake.  You marinate the meat, then grill it and add your choice of toppings- we chose corn, avocado, red onion, tomatoes and lime juice.  Delicious!

Pub potatoes with horseradish cream sauce

So you may have noticed that I'm a little deficient in the side items category on this blog.  There are lots of reasons (excuses) for that, with the main ones being 1) we're entree kind of people, and don't need a lot of extras, 2) sometimes I don't have the time and energy to devote to a second dish, and 3) if we want a side we do something simple like rice or a salad, nothing worth blogging about.  But occasionally something catches my eye that I have to try, and these pub potatoes from Rachael Ray fit the bill.  I served them with burgers (imagine that!), and they are fantastic!!

PUB POTATOES WITH HORSERADISH CREAM SAUCE
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil

5 slices bacon, sliced crosswise into 1-inch pieces

1 1/2–2 lbs. baking potatoes

Coarse salt and black pepper

1 cup sour cream

Splash of heavy cream or half-and-half

2 tbsp. prepared horseradish

3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives (I buy these frozen at Fresh Market)

Instructions:
1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with a drizzle of EVOO. Scatter the bacon in the pan and brown, then transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain; leave the drippings in the pan.

2. Peel the potatoes and halve lengthwise. Slice each half lengthwise into 4 wedges, then crosswise into thirds (24 pieces per potato). Scatter the potato pieces in the bacon drippings and season with salt and generously with pepper. Cook to brown, about 5 minutes. Cover the skillet with foil, lower the heat and steam the potatoes, 6 to 7 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high, flip and brown on the other side until deep, deep golden and very crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Stir together the sour cream, heavy cream, horseradish, chives, salt and pepper. Serve the pub browns topped with the horseradish sauce and bacon.

Cajun chicken pasta

I hadn't had much luck with the Pioneer Woman's recipes (nothing personal, the food just seemed a little bland), until we made her Cajun chicken pasta.  The spicy cream sauce is delicious (duh, cream!), and we loved the fresh tomatoes tossed in with the rest of the veggies.  This one is a keeper!

French onion dip burgers

So it's back-to-back burger posts here on Lindsay's Menu, but what can I say, we love grilled beef!  We made these french onion dip burgers from Rachael Ray last week for Sunday dinner, and they were DELICIOUS!!  There's just something fun about putting potato chips on a burger. (Pile on the creamy caramelized onions, too- you won't regret it!).

Basil burgers

We've finally had success growing basil this year (thanks, Miracle Gro!), and these basil burgers were the perfect reason to pluck some of those yummy leaves off.  This is a pretty simple burger- the meat is just seasoned with salt and pepper, and the blender makes quick work of the basil cream sauce.  It's a twist on the classic tomato-basil-mozarella combo-- and it's delicious!!

Avocado-corn chowder with grilled chicken

We made this avocado-corn chowder with grilled chicken a few weeks ago, but I'm just getting around to posting it.  This is a unique dish- the avocado-corn chowder isn't cooked, so it's a chilled soup topped with warm, grilled chicken.  It's creamy and delicious!