Bacon & Booze

Today was a busy day of cooking! Today we tried to mix it up a bit as we feel by looking back through the blog that we cook alot of shrimp and pasta :) So today we have prepared the following ~ Broccoli Salad, Stuffed Cucumbers, Fish almondine, Lemon Smashed Potatoes, My brother Brussels, Flank Steak Tacos with Guacamole & Rubens along with Zucchini Fries. I absolutely LOVE the Broccoli Salad ~ it is super yummy!

Stuffed Cucumber Recipe
English cucumbers are perfect for this recipe. Not too big or or small when sliced in coins and have an excellent crunch. Persian cucumbers are excellent if you’d prefer cute mini-bites.

1 Lrg. English Cucumber, chilled and sliced in 1/2-1″ thick coins
3/4c (100g) Feta Cheese, crumbled
1/3 c (40g) Roasted Nuts, finely chopped
2 T (30ml) Sour Cream
Slice of Prosciutto, cut into 1″x1/2″ strips
Dill, in 1/2″ pieces to garnish
Lemon Wedges, to serve on the side

1. Combine feta, nuts, and sour cream in a bowl. Have prosciutto and dill prepped and ready.

2. Core out some of the cucumber coins’ centers. Fill with a dollop of feta mix. Garnish each stuffed cucumber coin with a slice of prosciutto and a sprig of dill.

3. Serve with wedges of lemon for individual squeezing.


This is a broccoli salad with raisins and bacon and a sweet and tangy mayonnaise and balsamic vinegar dressing.
Ingredients:

* 2 bunches broccoli, florets only (5 to 6 cups florets)
* 1 medium red onion, chopped
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 10 to 12 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
* .
* Dressing:
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 2 teaspoons sugar

Preparation:
Separate florets from broccoli stalks. Save the remainder of the broccoli for another use or freeze for later. Combine salad ingredients; top with dressing mixture. Chill and serve.

Fish Almondine
Ingredients
For the Fish:

* 2 cups blanched slivered almonds
* Kosher salt
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 4 eggs
* 1 cup milk
* 4 cleaned sole fillets (6 ounces each)
*

For the Sauce:

* 1 large or 2 small shallots, finely chopped
* 1 cup white wine
* 1 lemon, juiced
* 1/4 chopped flat-leaf parsley
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Set a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat. Add the almonds and toast until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and set aside.

Return the pan to medium heat (if you have 2 pans you can work simultaneously at this point, i.e. 2 fillets per pan) and add a 2-count of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to each pan.

Put the flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper, to taste. In another shallow dish, whisk together the eggs and milk and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Dredge the fillets in the seasoned flour, then dip them into the egg mixture. Allow some of the excess egg to drain off, then add them to the hot pan. Cook 2 pieces at a time. Fry for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then carefully turn the fish over to cook the other side. With a spoon, baste the fillets with the butter sauce. Repeat basting to ensure the fish remains moist. Once the other side is cooked (about 30 seconds) carefully remove the fillets from the pan to a serving platter. Repeat with remaining 2 fillets and a 2-count of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the fillets have been removed the pan, add the chopped shallots and gently saute over low heat until translucent, about 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and finish with the lemon juice. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the parsley and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. To serve, spoon the sauce over the top of the fillets and sprinkle generously with the toasted almonds.

My Brother Brussels

Ingredients

* 2 teaspoons salt
* 3/4 pound Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, loose leaves removed
* 1/2 pound bacon, thinly cut into 1/4-inch pieces
* 1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, for garnish

Directions

Fill a large pot 3/4 of the way with water and add 1 teaspoon of salt and the Brussels sprouts. Put the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Let boil until the Brussels sprouts are just fork tender about, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain the sprouts and transfer to an ice bath. Let cool completely, then drain and set aside.

Cut the Brussels sprouts into 1/4-inch lengthwise slices and set aside. Add the bacon to a medium saute pan, and cook until just crisp, then remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Adjust heat to medium-high, add the onions to the pan and saute until they are translucent and just beginning to caramelize, about 5 or 6 minutes. Add the butter to the pan, then add the Brussels sprouts and saute for 3 to 4 more minutes. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and sprinkle with the reserved bacon and the cheese. Serve immediately.


Flank Steak Tacos with Guacamole

Ingredients
Steak:

* 1 (2 to 3-pound) flank steak
* 1/2 cup tequila
* 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
* Kosher salt and black pepper

Guacamole:

* 3 avocados
* 1 small red onion, finely diced
* 1 serrano pepper, minced with seeds
* 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves, plus whole leaves for garnish
* 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* Kosher salt

To Assemble:

* Corn tortillas
* 1 head romaine lettuce, coarsely shredded
* 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
* 1 white onion, diced

Directions

Put the steak in a nonreactive dish and pour over the tequila, lime juice and olive oil. Turn to coat. Add the chili powder, and use your hands to work it into the meat. Let stand about 1 hour.

Preheat the grill to high. Remove the steak from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Grill, covered, turning once, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare.

Halve the avocados and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and use a fork to mash to a chunky mix.

Remove the steak from the grill and rest 5 to 10 minutes. Slice across the grain. Heat the tortillas to soften. Fill the tortillas with steak, lettuce, tomato, onion and guacamole.

You will see Kelly bought us a new toy to make cooking easier :)
We also made Rubens and Zucchini Fries , those are pretty much self explanatory
:) If you truly need the recipe , email us and we will get one for you .
If that is not enough I also found time to take 2 kids to the Doctor and now if life has not had enough of me my third has Pink Eye .....Phewww I am done!