Author: LauraGrenier

Albondigas
This quick and simple recipe for albondigas soup calls for tender carrots, supple potatoes, and juicy meatballs that are simmered in a flavorful beef salsa broth.

In a sizable stockpot, bring water, carrots, potatoes, onion salsa, and bouillon cubes to a boil.

Reduce heat, cook for 10 minutes at a medium simmer while stirring occasionally.

Milk and beef bread crumbs should be combined in a bowl.

Make 1-inch meatballs, then drop them into the broth.

After bringing soup to a boil, lower the heat to medium.

Iowa Maid-Rites
This traditional sandwich from Iowa is made with ground beef that has been flavored with onions and broth. I created my own variation of Iowa MaidRites sandwiches, also known as “loose meat” sandwiches. Leftover beef is very adaptable and can be frozen for future use or used as a filling for spaghetti or tacos.

Over medium-high heat, crumble the ground beef into a sizable skillet.

Cook and stir until thoroughly browned, crumbling more frequently while cooking.

Grease should be drained.

Add the French onion soup and onion soup mix.

For this step, you can use a slow cooker or cover and simmer over low heat for about two hours.

serving spoon as a sloppy joe on hamburger buns

Gourmet Mushroom Risotto
It takes some time to make, but the results are worth the wait with this authentic Italian-style mushroom risotto. It goes well with dishes that include grilled meat and chicken.

In a saucepan over low heat, warm the broth.

In the meantime, in a sizable saucepan over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Add the portobello and white mushrooms; stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until soft.

Put the liquid from the mushrooms in a bowl and set it aside.

the saucepan with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Shallots are added and cooked for one minute.

Add the rice, and stir-fry for about two minutes, or until the rice is lightly golden and coated with oil.

Quick Pork Fried Rice
An excellent recipe for leftover chicken, roasts, or pork chops. To make a colorful and filling fried rice dish, combine cooked rice with a few vegetables.

In a medium-sized skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil.

Cook and stir mushrooms for about 15 minutes, or until liquid has evaporated and they are browned.

Set aside the mushrooms.

To separate the grains, fluff cooked rice with a fork and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Place aside.

In a sizable skillet or wok, heat the final 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat.

Cook and stir the pork, ginger, and garlic for about a minute, or until fragrant.

Add carrot, onion, and celery.

Cook and stir vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they start to soften.

Just combine the bell pepper and cooked mushrooms.

Miso Honey Chicken
Chicken is marinated in Chef John’s magical miso-honey sauce and grilled over indirect heat to make this simple yet umami-packed miso chicken recipe.

Combine miso and honey in a bowl.

Pour in rice vinegar followed by hot sauce and 1 tablespoon salt.

Whisk well until mostly smooth.

Cut 3 to 4 slashes into legs and thighs of chicken halves.

Toss chicken in the marinade until well coated.

Refrigerate for 2 to 12 hours.

Flip chicken over in the bowl.

Sprinkle more kosher salt on top.

Preheat a grill to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) over indirect heat.

Place chicken on the grill and cover.

Grill for 20 minutes and flip chicken over.

Cover and grill for another 20 minutes.

Ridiculously Easy Queso Fresco “Dip”
Queso fresco is marinated with salsa, cilantro, and jalapeño then microwaved until soft and creamy in this ridiculously easy dip recipe.

Cut the round of queso fresco in half horizontally to form two rounds.

Place in a small baking dish that can be used in a microwave.

Pour any leftover juices around the dish for the queso fresco to marinate in before evenly spreading salsa over the cheese.

Add some hot sauce, cilantro, and jalapenos on top.

Marinate for at least two hours, preferably longer, under plastic wrap.

For about three minutes, microwave the queso fresco until just barely softened.

Baking Powder Hamburger Buns
These quick homemade hamburger buns bake up beautifully, with a sturdy bottom that holds up to whatever you can pile on, and an interior that is surprisingly light.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl whisk together flour baking powder sugar salt and baking soda.

Add buttermilk and eggs and beat on low speed 30 seconds until combined then beat 1 minute on high speed.

Dough will be sticky and will have the appearance of frosting.

With wet hands scoop out 6 to 8 even portions of dough and place them on prepared baking sheet mounding the dough slightly into a bun shape.

Re-wet fingers and smooth the tops and sides of each bun.

If desired sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Stuffed Flounder
stuffed baked flounder with crab. This recipe can be modified to fit the size of your flounder.

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

Lightly grease a large casserole dish or a baking sheet lined with tin foil.

Heat butter over medium-low heat in a large saucepan.

Stir in onion green onions bell pepper celery and garlic.

Cook slowly stirring occasionally until onions are soft.

Remove pan from heat and stir in shredded crabmeat seasoning bread crumbs salt and pepper.

Rub flounder skin and cavity with butter.

Stuff with crab mixture and place in prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until flesh is firm and white at the thickest part of the fish.

Red Snapper with Athenian Sauce
Greek-inspired pan-fried seasoned fish is topped with ‘Athenian sauce.’ You can use any type of fish.

Combine green bell pepper tomato onion olive oil olives lemon juice green onion capers garlic sugar salt and pepper in a heavy pan over medium-high heat.

Saute until all ingredients are slightly wilted 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and keep warm.

Heat olive oil in a heavy pan over medium heat.

Add snapper fillets to hot oil.

Sprinkle Greek seasoning on top and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Turn fish over and cook on the other side for 2 more minutes.

Turn fish back to the original side and finish cooking until fish is tender and flakes easily with a fork another 1 to 2 minutes.

Fluffy Whole Wheat Biscuits
These whole wheat biscuits made with all-purpose and whole wheat flour bake up light and fluffy and are ready to eat in less than 30 minutes.

Set the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit (230 degrees C).

In a large bowl, mix all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

With two knives or a pastry blender, cut in cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Then, stir in buttermilk until the mixture is just moistened.

Turn out the dough and gently knead it 8 to 10 times on a lightly dusted surface.

To about 3/4-inch thickness, roll out.

Cut biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch round biscuit cutter; reroll any scraps to make more biscuits.

On an ungreased baking sheet, arrange the biscuits.

Bake in a preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until biscuits are lightly browned.