My Menu Blog

1 quart brewed tea
2 limes, sliced into rings
12 sprigs of mint
4 tbs. turbinado sugar, or more to taste
Tonic water or seltzer, optional

1. Fill 4 highball or old-fashioned glasses with ice. Pour 1 cup tea into each glass. Divide lime slices and mint among the glasses, squeezing the limes to extract juice and crushing the herb roughly with your fingers.
2. Add a tbs. of sugar to each glass. Stir briskly until sugar dissolves. Top with a little tonic or seltzer, if you like, and stir again. Taste and adjust sugar, if necessary. You can also add more lime or mint to taste.

6 cups water
1 cup Thai tea (cha Thai)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 to 1½ cups evaporated milk

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the tea and remove pan from the heat. This tea tends to float to the top, so stir it gently until the leaves are submerged. Steep for about 5 min. the liquid should turn a bright orange-brown and have a strong taste, with no hint of bitterness.
2. Pour the brew over a coffee filter or a fine-mesh strainer into a large pitcher. Add the sugar to the tea and stir to dissolve. Cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate until ready to drink.
3. Fill tall glasses with ice. Add enough tea to fill the glasses about ¾ full. Then float 3 to 4 tbs. of evaporated milk over the ice. Serve with iced tea spoons.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles
3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

12 oz. fresh broccoli florets
1 tbs. water
2 tbs. lite soy sauce
2 tbs. ginger spice paste
1 tbs. minced garlic
1 (5-oz) package pre-sliced onions
1 (8-oz) can sliced water chestnuts (drained)

1. Place broccoli and water in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high 3 min. or until slightly tender.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and microwave on high 2 more min. or until thoroughly heated and broccoli is crisp-tender. Stir and serve.

¼ cup ginger spice paste
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ cup flour
1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 tbs. canola oil
¼ cup honey

1. Combine ginger paste, salt, and pepper in med. bowl.
2. Place flour on plate, dip chicken in flour until coated and shake off excess.
3. Dip chicken in ginger mixture, coating both sides.
4. Preheat large sauté pan on med.-high 2-3 min.
5. Place oil in pan; swirl to coat. Add chicken; cook 3-4 min. on each side or until golden.
6. Reduce heat to med.; cover and cook 5-7 min. or until internal temp. reaches 165°F.
7. Slice chicken and drizzle with honey. Serve.

2 lbs. of beef stew meat, cut into 1 in. cubes
3 tbs. of veg. oil, divided
1 cup water
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 carrots, sliced
1 large bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp. of salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 (14.5 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
2 tbs. beef boullion granules
1 sugar pumpkin

1. Heat 2 tbs. oil in a large saucepan over med.-high heat. Place beef in the saucepan and cook until evenly brown. Mix in water, potatoes, carrots, green bell pepper, galrlic, onion, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer approximately 2 hours.

2. Dissolve the bouillon into the beef misture. Stir in the tomatoes.

3. Preheat oven to  325°.

4. Cut top off the pumpkin and remove seeds and pulp. Place the pumpkin in a heavy baking pan. Fill the pumpkin with the beef mixture. Brush outside of the pumpkin with remaining oil.

5. Bake in the preheated oven 2 hrs., or until tender . Serve the stew from the pumpkin, scraping out some of the pumpkin meat with each serving.