Hello My Friends,

As you all probably know by now, I eat mostly Fruits & Vegetables these days and only occasionally eat any meat, however, most of my family are definitely meat eaters. Often, I satisfy all of those Hearty appetites them easily with a 30-minute winner such as this one. Serve with some mashed potatoes, warm biscuits, and a green salad, and this meal will fast become a family favorite.

Country Fried Steak

1/2

cup Original Bisquick® mix

1/2

cup buttermilk

1/2

cup Progresso® garlic-herb bread crumbs

4

beef cube steaks (4 oz each)

1/3

cup canola or vegetable oil

1

cup thinly sliced onions

3

tablespoons Original Bisquick® mix

2

cups half-and-half

2

tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. In shallow dish, place 1/2 cup Bisquick mix. Into small bowl, pour buttermilk. In another shallow dish, place bread crumbs. Coat beef steaks with Bisquick mix. Dip each coated steak into buttermilk, then coat with bread crumbs.
2. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add steaks; cook 6 to 8 minutes, turning once, until thoroughly cooked. Remove from skillet; cover with foil to keep warm.
3. In same skillet, cook onions over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
4. In tightly covered container, shake 3 tablespoons Bisquick mix and the half-and-half until blended. Pour into onions in skillet. Cook over low heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until gravy is thickened. Pour gravy over steaks; sprinkle with parsley. Makes 4 servings

Have A Great Week,

Phil

Halibut with Rice Wine

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon black bean sauce
• 1/2 cup mirin (Japanese sweet wine)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 6 (4 ounce) fillets halibut, skin removed
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Heat oil in non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Cook shallots and garlic gently until fragrant, but not brown. Stir in black bean sauce, rice wine, and soy sauce. Bring to boil and cook until reduced by half. Remove from heat, and stir in vinegar; set aside.
2. Pat fish dry. Rub with sesame oil and sprinkle with pepper. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil grate.
3. Grill fish for about 5 minutes per side, or just until cooked through. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with sauce poured over top. Serves 3-4.

Have A Terrific Weekend,

Phil

Hello Friends,

Here's a little something that you might like to try for Breakfast. This layered breakfast casserole has cheese, eggs, and a whole lot of hearty goodness and it's really easy to make. Put it together the day before, then just remove from the refrigerator and bake.

Easy Sausage Strata

Ingredients

• 1 pound pork sausage
• 6 (1 ounce) slices bread, cubed
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground dry mustard

Directions

1. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and set aside.
2. Layer bread cubes, sausage, and Cheddar cheese in a lightly greased 7x11 inch baking dish. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, salt, and mustard. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cube mixture. Cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
3. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Bake 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8.

Wishing You A Blessed Sunday,

Phil

Hello My Friends,

Well we finally got our first Snowfall for this Winter here the middle of February, so it's time to warm up with some healthly and hearty soup. This reheats very well, however if you store this for more than a day, the barley will absorb some of the liquid so you’ll need to thin it with a little water when you reheat it.

1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
2 medium cloves garlic
Kosher salt
4 slices bacon, cut in half crosswise
2 medium red onions, chopped
2 small bay leaves
3/4 tsp. caraway seeds
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
2 quarts lower-salt chicken broth
5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into small dice
2 medium purple-top turnips, peeled and cut into small dice
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
3/4 cup pearl barley, picked over, rinsed, and drained
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice

In small bowl, soak the mushrooms in 1 cup boiling water for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and pour the liquid through a fine strainer to remove any grit. Reserve the liquid. Rinse the mushrooms, chop them, and set aside.

Chop the garlic, sprinkle it with 3/4 tsp. salt, and then mash it to a paste with the side of a chef's knife. Set aside.

In a 6-quart (or larger) Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate, crumble when cool, and set aside.

Add the onions and 1 tsp. salt to the bacon fat and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic paste, bay leaves, caraway seeds, thyme, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chopped mushrooms, mushroom liquid, chicken broth, carrots, turnips, potatoes, barley, and 1-1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat; skim any foam as necessary. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the barley and vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and discard the bay leaves. Serve garnished with the bacon.

You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Feeds 6-8.

Have A Wonderful Week Ahead,

Phil

Quote:

Hello My Friends,

Well we finally got our first Snowfall for this Winter here the middle of February, so it's time to warm up with some healthly and hearty soup. This reheats very well, however if you store this for more than a day, the barley will absorb some of the liquid so you’ll need to thin it with a little water when you reheat it.

Root Vegetable & Barley Soup with Bacon

1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
2 medium cloves garlic
Kosher salt
4 slices bacon, cut in half crosswise
2 medium red onions, chopped
2 small bay leaves
3/4 tsp. caraway seeds
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
2 quarts lower-salt chicken broth
5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into small dice
2 medium purple-top turnips, peeled and cut into small dice
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
3/4 cup pearl barley, picked over, rinsed, and drained
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice

In small bowl, soak the mushrooms in 1 cup boiling water for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and pour the liquid through a fine strainer to remove any grit. Reserve the liquid. Rinse the mushrooms, chop them, and set aside.

Chop the garlic, sprinkle it with 3/4 tsp. salt, and then mash it to a paste with the side of a chef's knife. Set aside.

In a 6-quart (or larger) Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate, crumble when cool, and set aside.

Add the onions and 1 tsp. salt to the bacon fat and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic paste, bay leaves, caraway seeds, thyme, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chopped mushrooms, mushroom liquid, chicken broth, carrots, turnips, potatoes, barley, and 1-1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat; skim any foam as necessary. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the barley and vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Add the lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and discard the bay leaves. Serve garnished with the bacon.

You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Feeds 6-8.

Have A Wonderful Week Ahead,

Phil