FAVORITE MEAL IDEAS
Breakfast
- Easy Underway: Slice oranges, peaches or nectarines. Cover with yogurt. I use peach yogurt. Top with granola.
- Italian Favorite: Sliced cantaloupe, Shredded prosciutto, chiffonade basil and drizzle with olive oil. Cracked black pepper and Kosher salt to finish.
- Farmers Eggs: Scramble eggs in heavy butter with salt and pepper. When they are still soft, remove from heat and add sliced baby tomatoes, chunks of avocado, spinach and grate parmesan over it all.
- Monkey Bread: Quarter two rolls of refrigerator flaky biscuits and toss them in a Ziplock with cinnamon sugar. Butter a Bundt pan and place a layer of biscuits, chopped pecans and bacon bits. Repeat layering. Melt a stick of butter and brown sugar. Pour over the biscuits and bake for 30-40 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Check for doneness by sticking a fork down and pulling out some middle biscuits. If they are not gooey inside, you are ready for some yumminess. You can skip the bacon, but why would you?
Lunch
- Honey Mustard Chicken Wraps-In a tortilla, chop any leftover chicken you have and layer it with any veggies you have, sprinkle with any nuts you have and drizzle with honey mustard dressing.
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup (just like Panera’s-no kidding!)-Prepare your crockpot with a liner, you will thank me later. Add chicken of choice cut in bite sized pieces. I use leftovers precooked, but you can use ground chicken or raw. Chop and add carrots, celery and onion. Drop in two boxes of long grain instant rice. I use Rice-a-Roni and a can of Campbell’s Cream of Celery and a can of Cream of Chicken. Fill with chicken stock or broth. I start on high and turn it down once it boils. Cook until done. Serve with your favorite bread for dipping!
- Panzanella Salad: Sourdough croutons (best if you use your Aunt Mary’s sourdough!), sliced grape tomatoes, chiffonade basil. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add parmesan or mozzarella, whichever you have.
- Pasta Salad Veronique: Prepare shell pasta and cool. Shred or dice ham. Chop green onions. Clean red grapes. Prepare sauce-mayonnaise, fresh dill, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Combine everything and chill.
Appetizers
- Marinated Mushrooms App: Cook white button mushrooms in butter and chopped garlic. Make marinade in a Ziplock-olive oil, red wine vinegar, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Add mushrooms to mix and marinate as long as you can stand to wait. Serve cold or warm.
- Easiest Mushrooms App: Clean and remove stems from white button mushrooms. Fill with Boursin herb cheese. Bake at 350° until brown on top, usually about twenty-five minutes. Best served hot, but still delightful cold!
- Fruit Wrap App: Cut up peaches (or whatever fruit you have), marinate in honey with salt, pepper and fresh basil. Spread a large tortilla with ricotta and place fruit all over. Roll it up and cut into pinwheels. Keep them cold until serving.
- Chunky Guacamole Dip: Cut baby tomatoes in half. Cut avocados into big chunks. Add mayo, lime juice, salt and pepper and cilantro. Serve with Fritos Scoops for dipability!
- Apricots App: Dried whole apricots, top them with a blend of cream and blue cheese, sprinkle with chopped rosemary and walnuts then finally, drizzle with honey.
- Chili Cheese Dip: Put a liner in your crockpot. Add a jar of Tostitos Queso Dip and a can of Hormel Chili No Beans. Use as many cans and jars as you need. Heat on high to melt, stir and lower temperature to low. Serve with Fritos Scoops.
- Caprese Apps: Skewer a grape tomato, a basil leaf and a small mozzarella ball on a toothpick. Arrange on a platter and drizzle with olive oil. Top with cracked black pepper and kosher salt.
Mains
- Grilled Salmon with Honey Mustard Onion Crunch-Prepare salmon with salt, pepper and olive oil. Grill outside on the back deck so your boat doesn't stink. Top with honey mustard dressing and and fried onion topper.
- Shepard’s Pie: Make a mess of buttery mashed potatoes. Cook a pound of ground beef with chopped onions, celery and carrots, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and some water. Sprinkle flour in to thicken the sauce. Top with mashed potatoes and lots of good sharp cheddar cheese. Broil until browned and bubbly.
- Beef Stew/Pot Roast: Season meat of choice (stew beef or beef roast) with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Sear all sides of meat in butter on high heat with smashed garlic cloves, rosemary and thyme sprigs. Cut up a sweet onion into eighths and place on bottom of crock pot. Add meat and seasonings to crock pot. Fill with red wine and beef broth. Add more smashed garlic, rosemary and thyme. I sometimes add a packet of Lipton’s Onion Mix or Better than Boullion Caramelized Onion for flavor depth. Add small potatoes and carrots. Cook on high for as long as it takes. Usually about seven hours.
- Beef Filets: Heat butter in a pan until it sizzles (high heat to sear). Season filets with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add garlic cloves (smashed) and a sprig of rosemary and thyme to butter. Sear the filets on both sides then turn down the heat and spoon the butter over the filets until the touch test resembles the fatty part of your palm beneath your thumb. Let rest for five minutes under foil.
- Pork Roast Marinade: Mix following ingredients in a Ziplock bag-salt/pepper/garlic powder/olive oil/fresh garlic and ginger/minced shallot/soy sauce and hoisin or teriyaki sauce/touch of olive oil and a splash of orange juice. Marinate in fridge as long as you can, I like at least a day.
- Asian Burritos: Ground chicken (turkey or beef) brown with salt/pepper/ginger/garlic and the whites from green onions. Add a bag of slaw mix/salad mix (I used an Asian version which came with seeds and dried mangos). Cook it all down with hoisin and Thai chili sauce then spread on warm burritos. Layer some cucumbers, siracha mayo and the greens from the green onions. Roll it up and enjoy.
Sides
- Bourbon Carrots-cut carrots into bite sized pieces, melt butter with brown sugar and bourbon. Cook carrots until tender, add thyme leaves at end of cook.
- Mushrooms for Steak: As steaks finish cooking in butter, rosemary, thyme and garlic, drop a pint of white button mushrooms and a pint of baby portabella mushrooms (pre-sliced) in the pan and cook until softened.
- Mushrooms for Steak Part Deux: Cook a pint of white button mushrooms and a pint of baby portabella mushrooms (pre-sliced) in butter, rosemary, thyme and garlic until just softened. Add a round of Boursin herb cheese and stir until melted.
- Best Spinach Ever: Melt olive oil and butter in a large pan. Add some chopped garlic and onion. Toss in more spinach than you think you will ever eat. It wilts. As it cooks down, add halved small tomatoes and diced water chestnuts. Sprinkle with grated parmesan before plating.
- Baked Sweet Potatoes: Clean potatoes and pierce with a fork. Cook in microwave about twenty minutes until soft. Slice in half and top with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. One of my Dad’s favorites. Alternate version: top with ricotta mixed with honey and lemon.
- Easy Potatoes: Slice baby potatoes in half. I use the tri-color blend (russet, red and purple). Add a chopped onion, lightly caramelized. Toss with a pack of Lipton Onion soup mix and place on a lightly greased sheet pan. Bake until tender.
Desserts
- Salted Caramel Brownies-not gonna lie, I let Betty Crocker do the work here! I usually make two mixes in a large disposable roasting pan. Two notes: I do sprinkle kosher salt across the top while they are still warm AND as soon as they come out of the oven, I use a plastic fork to cut them while warm-much easier.
- Jeanette’s Pound Cake: Mix one Duncan Hines Yellow Cake mix and one box Jello Instant Lemon Pudding (3.4 oz). Add 4 eggs, 1 cup water, ½ cup Crisco oil, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and one teaspoon lemon extract. Beat for four minutes. Grease and flour a Bundt pan. Bake at 325° for one hour. Thanks Mom. (Diane's Twist: Use a devil's food mix, chocolate pudding and Khalua instead of the lemon extract for an easy variation.)
- Potato Chip Cookies-Cream 1 cup butter and a half cup sugar. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup crushed walnuts and 1/2 cup crushed potato chips. I like Lay's. Roll into small balls and flatten with a fork. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes. Let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Thanks Lynda!
- Orangegasms-Mix together one yellow cake mix, 1 stick of butter, 1 brick of cream cheese, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, zest of one orange, and juice of half an orange. Chill for one hour. Scoop dough and roll in powdered sugar. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for ten minutes at 350.
- Fruit Salad/Pudding: Combine 1 box (3 oz) vanilla pudding, 6 tablespoons Tang, 1 large can peaches with juice, 1 large can pineapple chunks drained, 1 small can of mandarin oranges drained, 3 bananas sliced, 1 pint of strawberries sliced (can use frozen). Cover and refrigerate.
Cocktails
- Mini Beer Shooter- 43 liqueur 2/3 fill shot glass (I like this chilled) and top with heavy cream. Toss it back.
- 3-2-1: Three parts gin, two parts vodka and one part Lilet. Shaken as cold as you can make it and topped with sweet cocktail onions. Thanks to our friends at the Milwaukee Yacht Club for introducing us to this one.
- Signature Cocktail: The Gypsy Soul. This is a combination of Hendricks gin, elderflower tonic, cucumber and mint over ice. Even better when enjoyed on a beautiful Saber of the same name.
- Hummer Bayview Yacht Club, Gerome Adams Creator: Blend 3-5 ice cubes, 1½ ounces of light rum (Adams preferred Bacardi or Castillo), 1½ ounces Kahlúa coffee-flavored liqueur, 2 scoops of good-quality vanilla ice cream. Start humming...
Odds and Ends
- Diane’s White Sauce for Pork (or anything else!): Mayo (Dukes), apple cider vinegar, siracha, worcestershire, pepper, fresh dill, garlic powder, onion powder, and sugar. Serve cold over shredded pork for sandwiches.