Food Minia

This is one of the original recipes in the cookbook that I made for my mom's Christmas gift 8 years ago.  I would've shared it earlier, except I thought I'd shared it already!  It's a classic dish to order from a Chinese restaurant--velvety strips of marinated beef stir fried with tender crisp broccoli in a flavorful brown sauce--and perfect served over steamed white rice. To keep the beef tender and not chewy, it's important to slice the strips against the grain.  The addition of cornstarch in the marinade further helps improve the texture of the beef.  Since the broccoli takes a lot longer to cook than the beef, it is cooked separately while the beef is marinating and then added back in at the end.  You'll want to use a large pan with a lid so that you can steam the broccoli after a quick stir fry. My favorite part about this recipe is the marinade which ends up becoming the sauce upon stir frying with the beef.  It is already quite fragrant due to the s...

These individual omelet muffins mean everyone  can have their favorite omelet fillings, and they are all ready at the same time. Omelet making just got easier!  I had onion, green paper, ham, tomato,  spinach and cheese. Use whatever you have, leftover vegetables are good.  First I sautéed the ham and raw vegetables   in a little butter until tender.  Meanwhile I whisk the eggs. Add the seasonings and a pinch of baking powder. That makes them puff. I add the tomatoes and spinach last. Stirring until the spinach wilts. I let them cool a bit. I have extra filling here for an omelet later in the week. My kitchen assistant and taster  Sofie is close by...as always.   Spray a muffin tin and add a spoonful of filling to the bottom.  Top with cheese.  Pour the eggs on top, filling almost full. Bake in a 375º oven for 15 minutes. This is a good time to make whatever else  you are serving like fruit and coffee. I love  breakfa...

My husband, Kevin and I spent the 4th of July weekend in Door County.  We've gone several times over the years and each time we see and do something new.  This time, we went on a kayak tour, stayed in a new B&B, watched the fireworks on a friends sail boat and ate at a few new restaurants.  So if you ever find yourself in Door County here's a few of our favorites.  Our first stop was lunch at  Wild Tomato in Fish Creek .  They now have a new location in Sister Bay.  This is a must stop every time we're in Door County.  They have gourmet pizza combinations, burgers, appetizers, really fresh salads and  a great beer selection. We were going to start with the Cherry Walnut Salad but our waiter was telling us how good the cheese curds are so we ordered and.....they were really that GOOD! We had The Fun Guy pizza, with five types of sautéed mushrooms, spinach and caramelized onions on garlic cream cheese. Super tasty!  I'll admi...