By Helen Jane from HJ Entertains

So your Mother-In-Law (or Mom) calls and says she’ll be there in 30. You’re expected to be company ready, but you’re most certainly not. What’s the bare minimum you can you do to make your guests feel welcome (and maintain your sanity)?

1. Set a timer for 5 minutes and straighten the bathroom that guests will be using. Make sure the towels are straight, the tub toys are safely hidden behind the shower curtain and the mirror and counter tops are free from toothpaste splatters. This takes far less time than you think it will.

2. Get the drinks ready. Either heat up the kettle for tea, get the coffee pot ready for brewing or simply put some water in a pitcher and tuck in the fridge so it is chilled for your guests. Having a beverage ready for your guests can help your guests feel warmer and fuzzier.

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Cornbread goes with EVERYTHING, and while the store-bought mixes are just fine, with a handful of extra minutes you can make it from scratch.  A cast iron pan is really the secret ingredient.  Cast iron pans hold in the heat really well, and cook things very evenly.  Not to mention the fabulous exterior crust.   You can use a regular skillet if you don’t have cast iron; just make sure it’s one that can travel from stove top to oven safely.

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 cups cornmeal
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2½ cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup  honey

Directions:

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Serves 12

It’s strawberry season, and every little strawberry wishes it could grow up and become a strawberry shortcake.

For the biscuits:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse of kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus extra butter for greasing the baking sheets
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk

For the strawberries:

• 3 pounds strawberries, stemmed and sliced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• For the whipped cream:
• 2 cups cold heavy or whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease two baking sheets with butter.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Add the cold butter and using your fingers, a fork, or a pastry blender, blend the butter into the dry ingredients until the bits of butter are the size of small peas.  Gradually add the milk and using your hand (this is messy but keeps the dough light), mix just until the liquid is incorporated, stopping as soon as you have a dough that sticks together.  Do not overwork the dough.
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If you can find petite filets, which are small tenderloins, also called “beef shoulder steak” sometimes, then you can have the pleasure of cooking these small whole cuts of beef without the over-the-top expense of a whole filet mignon, which is also usually too large for an average-sized family.  These are very simply rubbed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and minced garlic then roasted at a high heat until cooked to your liking.  Let them sit, slice as thin or thick as you wish, and a lush feeling steak dinner is on the table.  Salad or green beans, and a mound of mashed or roasted potatoes would round out a perfect steakhouse-esque meal.

• 3 petite filets or beef should steaks (about 2 pounds total)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Coarse or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

1. Preheat the oven to 475°F.

2. Rub the filets with olive oil, then rub with salt, pepper, and garlic distributing the seasonings evenly.  Place the filets on a rimmed baking sheet, with some space between them.

3. Roast the filets until the internal temperature reaches 140° for medium-rare, 15 to 20 minutes.  The steaks will continue to cook when they are out of the oven.  Remove the filets from the oven, transfer them to a cutting board and let them sit for 5 minutes to finish cooking and to allow the juices to re-distribute themselves in the meat.  Slice as you like and serve the medallions attractively on a serving platter or on individual plates.

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Meatloaf is so much fun.  Okay, well, not really SO much fun, but basically with a couple of pounds of ground meat and some open-minded thinking you could make a different meatloaf every week, resulting in endless easy-to-make dinners and unlimited flavor combinations.  This one started with two pounds of turkey and a hunk of smoked Gouda that was lingering around after a party.  Fresh chives were spouting in the garden, all the fresh garlic was used up, and garlic powder smiled brightly from the pantry.  And so on.

• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons minced chives
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 pounds gound turkey (not ultra lean)
• 1/3 cup  grated smoked Gouda, or any other cheese you have lying around

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, garlic powder, chives, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup ketchup, parsley and chicken broth.  Using you hands mix in the ground turkey and grated cheese until well blended, but don’t squeeze the meat too much.  Evenly spread the remaining 1/2 cup ketchup over the top of the loaf.

3. Form the meatloaf mixture into a loaf shape on the baking sheet.  Bake for 1 hour until cooked through.  Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serves 6

It is always nice to find a new twist on a kid favorite.  These meatballs ae made with turkey, more healthful and lower in fat than meatballs made from pork or beef or lamb, and have a salty pop from the addition of crumbed feta cheese.  Feta cheese varies a lot in its level of saltiness, and can come from countries such as Greece, Bulgaria, and France.  Make sure to taste the feta, and then you’ll know how much salt to add to the turkey mixture (and keep in mind that many tomato sauces are salty, too, so you’ll want to make sure you have the right balance).

• 1 slice of plain bread
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 1/4 pounds ground turkey (not ultra lean)
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, plus more for serving, if desired
• 2 tablespoons finely minced scallions, white and green parts
• 1 clove finely minced garlic
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt, plus more for cooking the pasta
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 cups tomato sauce, jarred or homemade
• 1 pound dried spaghetti

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Spray a baking sheet with sides with nonstick cooking spray, or lightly oil it.
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From Bethany of Bethany Actually

makes 6-8 servings

One of the nicest things about this recipe is its flexibility. If you don’t like peppers, you can substitute eggplant or snow peas or green beans or whatever other vegetable you think would taste good in a stir-fry. Chicken is good, but pork or beef work equally as well.

• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 2/3 c. water
• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 1/4 c. lime juice
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 2 T. sesame oil
• 2 T. peanut oil or vegetable oil
• 1-2 T. grated ginger root
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite-size pieces
• 1/2 red onion, sliced lengthwise
• 1 leek, sliced into matchstick pieces (white and light green parts only)
• 2 small zucchini, cut into thin strips
• 2 sweet peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips
• 1 carrot, washed and cut into matchstick pieces or thin slices
• 12 oz. Linguine, broken into thirds
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

1. Make the peanut sauce: In a heatproof measuring cup or bowl, combine peanut butter, water, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and sesame oil. Microwave at High for 2 minutes, stirring twice. (Or combine ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until mixture is warm and smooth.) Set aside.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook linguine al dente. Drain and return to pot. Add a little of the sauce and toss to prevent noodles from sticking to each other.
3. In wok or large nonstick skillet, heat 1 T. peanut oil over med-high heat. Add ginger root garlic, and onion; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook, stirring, till all chicken is cooked, 3-4 minutes. Add chicken to the noodles.
4. Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Once it’s hot, add vegetables and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are just tender-crisp. Add the rest of the sauce to the skillet and stir till heated through.
5. Add vegetables to the noodles and chicken in the pot and toss it all together till everything is mixed and the sauce coats everything. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

The alcohol in the vodka sauce cooks off in this dish, leaving behind just an additional level of depth, too subtle to identify.  The small amount of cream turns the sauce a pretty deep pink, and adds lovely texture and flavor.

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup vodka
• 1 (35-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in puree
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1 pound dried rotini (corkscrew) pasta
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.  When the butter is melted, add the onion and red pepper flakes and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes.  Add the vodka, tun up the heat to medium high, and saute until the vodka is almost evaporated, about 4 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, and cook ove medium heat until it thicken a bit, about 10 minutes.

2. Reduce the heat to low, add the cream and allow to simmer gently for about 3 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente, according to package directions.  Drain, transfer to a serving dish, add the sauce and toss to combine.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired and serve, passing extra Parmesan at the table if you like.

You may well have all of these ingredients already in your kitchen.  There is no limit to the amount of times you hear that you can adapt a soup recipes to your likes and what is on hand.  This is a perfect example.  Use cannellini instead of chickpeas, add whatever herbs you like, use other diced root vegetables, use shallots instead of onions, use vegetable broth, leave out anything you don’t have.  This thickens up considerably and gets better over time, so make it and heat up bowls all week long.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 1 cup diced peeled sweet potato
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 cups chopped or shredded cabbage
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 8 cups chicken both
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup diced cooked chicken or pork (optional)
• Shot of hot sauce

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