Laura Grenier

Ground Beef Lo Mein
With ground beef and vegetables cooked in an Asian-inspired sauce, ground beef lo mein is a simple, cost-effective stir-fry dish.

Large pot of lightly salted water should be brought to a boil.

Spaghetti should be cooked in boiling water for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite.

In the meantime, cook the ground beef in a sizable skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until it is browned and crumbly but still slightly chunky.

Take out of skillet and place aside.

In a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, water, sherry, sesame oil, cornstarch, and brown sugar.

In the same skillet, heat the olive oil to a medium-high temperature.

Add the celery, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, red bell pepper, onion, and snow peas.

For about 5 minutes, stir-fry the vegetables until they are soft.

Back in the skillet, combine the ground beef well.

Low-Carb Zucchini Pasta
Zucchini sliced into thin strips, or zoodles, can replace spaghetti for a lower-carb or gluten-free meal. Serve with your favorite pasta sauce.

Using a vegetable peeler, cut slices of zucchini lengthwise, stopping when you reach the seeds.

Once all of the zucchini is in long strips, flip it over and continue “peeling” it.

Discard the seeds.

Slice the zucchini into spaghetti-like, thinner strips.

Honey Butter Zucchini Bread
Zucchini bread is rich with honey, butter, walnuts, and coconut and is moist and sweet.

Set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees C).

Grease two loaf pans measuring 9×5.

In a bowl, mix the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour until well combined.

Place aside.

In a big bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, butter, honey, and vanilla.

Add the coconut, walnuts, and zucchini.

Add the flour mixture and mix thoroughly.

The batter should be divided among the prepared loaf pans.

Bake for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Complete cooling.

For the best flavor, keep loaves in plastic bags overnight.

Barquillos (Wafer Rolls)
This crispy, rolled cookie is a Filipino delicacy. I hope you enjoy this one.

Set the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees C).

Grease two baking sheets very lightly.

In a big bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and vanilla and blend with an electric mixer until smooth.

Allow each egg white to fully incorporate into the butter mixture before adding the next egg white.

The flour should only be barely incorporated.

Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto baking sheets that haven’t been greased.

Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the mixture thinly into a 3-inch circle.

Bake for about five minutes, or until the edges are browned.

Shiitake and Baby Bella Mushroom Risotto
This hearty, vegetarian risotto pairs fresh thyme with shiitake and cremini mushrooms. Even though it takes time, making good risotto is always worthwhile!

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.

Cook and stir shallot in hot oil for 30 seconds.

Add mushrooms and continue cooking until they begin to brown.

Stir in rice and 2 tablespoons butter; reduce heat to medium.

Cook and stir until shallot and mushrooms turn golden brown.

Pour in wine; simmer until evaporated stirring constantly.

Season with thyme celery salt salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to medium-low; pour in 1/3 of the hot vegetable stock.

Cook until evaporated stirring constantly about 7 minutes.

Thimble Cookies
A traditional favorite are thin-crust cookies. A straightforward cookie dough is filled with raspberry jam and covered in nuts. Create your own filling or nuts.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Cream butter and sugar; add yolk and lemon juice and beat well.

Stir in flour until well blended.

Form into 1-inch balls dip into beaten egg white then into chopped nuts.

Place on a greased cookie sheet make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie.

Bake for 5 minutes then quickly indent centers again continue baking for 10 minutes.

Fill center of each hot cookie with raspberry jam.

Iced Mocha Cola
Cola and coffee over ice with a shot of half-and-half delivers a unique spin on iced mocha beverages.

Fill a tall glass with ice.

Add instant coffee granules.

Slowly pour cola into the glass.

Gently stir half-and-half into the cola to integrate.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Squash
Cook a whole spaghetti squash in your slow cooker to have a nutritious alternative to pasta with very little work using this easy recipe.

Prick outside of squash 10 to 15 times and place in a slow cooker crock.

Pour water into crock.

Cook on Low 4 to 6 hours.

Remove squash to a cutting board until cool to the touch 15 to 30 minutes.

World’s Easiest Refreshing Smoothie
This recipe for the world’s simplest and most reviving smoothie combines strawberries and pineapple.

Strawberries and pineapple with the reserved pineapple juice should be blended until smooth.

Fried Cabbage with Bacon and Garlic
Tender pieces of cabbage are sauteed with onions and garlic and tossed with crispy bacon crumbles in this easy and quick recipe that’s a true family favorite.

Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat stirring occasionally until browned and crispy 7 to 10 minutes.

Drain bacon slices on paper towels and remove most of the bacon grease from the skillet.

Add oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat.

Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent about 5 minutes.

Add cabbage salt pepper and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until cabbage is tender 10 to 15 minutes.

If you prefer softer cabbage cover the skillet while cooking to give it some steam.

Crumble bacon into the skillet and mix with the cabbage until well combined.