onions

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter S

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Home Cooking: Sombrero Bread Bowl! OMG, this is the best kept secret! Go to your nearby Bakery and choose a savory artisan bread, small loaf. I chose Rosemary Olive Oil. From there, the biggest challenge is waiting for your mouth-watering seasoned creation to come out of the oven! Repeat after me, “All good things come to those who wait!” You can thank me later. 
SOMBRERO BREAD BOWL
Ingredients:

4 ounces Neufchâtel cheese

1/2 cup ranch salad dressing

1 cup extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

2 green onions

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 14.5-ounce round loaf of artisan loaf
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300°. In medium bowl, blend Neufchâtel cheese, ranch dressing, cheddar cheese, red pepper flakes, and bacon until well mixed. Stir in onion snips. Cut off top of bread bowl. Hollow out insides. These may be used for dipping later. Fill center cavity with creamy mixture. Replace top. Wrap entire loaf in foil. Bake for 90 minutes. Peel back foil to expose bread bowl. Bake 30 minutes longer. Serve warm with bread cubes, multi-colored tortilla chips, and green onions. Enjoy!

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter L

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Home Cooking: Loco Moco! Living up to its name, this breakfast food is actually one of Hawaii’s local favorites. The serving size is so generous you might think it’s way too much for breakfast. I didn’t eat the rest of the day after trying it at a local restaurant there. However, when you prepare it at home, you have more control over serving sizes as well as the time of day for this meal. Basically, it is composed of four layers. The bottom is fried rice, the middle is a beef patty, the next is an egg over easy. And the top layer is a ladle of gravy. Don’t knock it till you try it!

LOCO MOCO
Ingredients for Rice Layer:

1 cup prepared brown rice

1 strips bacon, crisp and crumbled 

1 sausage patty, crumbed*

2 ounces smoked sausage, 

cut-up

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons onion, cut-up

*Hawaiians favor SPAM. 
Instructions for Rice Layer:

In large skillet add sesame oil and sauté onions. Add remaining ingredients. Stir fry to blend flavors. Set aside. 
Ingredients for Beef Patty Layer:

4 1/4-pound beef patties 

1 can beef consommé 

Dash of pepper
Instructions for Beef Patty Layer:

Cook beef in consommé until tender. I did this the day before in my slow-cooker. It’s worth the effort! Save the broth for turning into gravy. 
Ingredients for Egg Layer:

4 fresh eggs
Instructions for Egg Layer:

Cook on stove to make eggs over-easy (or sunny-side up) so the yolks are still runny. 
Ingredients for Gravy Layer:

1 cup beef consommé*

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

*Add water if necessary to make one cup of liquid. 
Instructions for Gravy Layer:

Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour to the butter and stir to make a roux. Cook over medium-low heat until the flour is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the consommé juices and stir until thickened. 
Now serve by assembling the layers in a shallow bowl: rice, beef, egg, and gravy. Loco Moco!

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter A

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Home Cooking: Asian Noodle Salad! Not only does this dish make a stunning presentation of color, it also boasts a crunchy taste of the Orient. The sesame and ginger dressing is so yummy, you’ll find yourself making excuses to eat this salad every week. 
ASIAN NOODLE SALAD
Ingredients:

1 package ramen noodle soup mix, any flavor

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup almonds, sliced

1 pound of shredded broccoli and carrot slaw mix

3/4 cup roasted Cardini’s Gourmet Asian Sesame Dressing

2 green onions, sliced
Instructions:

Melt butter in a medium skillet over low heat. Remove noodles from soup mix. Discard seasoning mix. Break up uncooked noodles. Add to the skillet, along with the almonds. Stir to combine and brown until slightly toasted and brown. Do not burn. Remove from heat. In a large bowl add broccoli/carrot slaw and the noodle/almond mixture. Pour salad dressing over all and toss until combined. Garnish with green onion snips. Serve immediately. Leftovers may be refrigerated but the noodles will lose their crunch. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter X

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Second Helping of Xnipec Salsa, which translates to “smoking HOT” because it’s made with habanero chile peppers popular in the Yucatan region. I was pretty cautious in making this by first roasting the habaneros in the oven and then scraping out all the seeds. (Warning: Be sure to wear gloves when handling habanero peppers!) I served this salsa with the Zesty Fish Tacos coming up in Letter Z. 
XNIPEC SALSA

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Vidalia onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

4-6 plum tomatoes, cut-up with juice

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons lime juice 

Salt to taste 

2 Habanero peppers

3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

Mix together onions, garlic, tomatoes, salt, lime juice, and orange juice. Set aside. The salt will make the tomatoes very juicy, which releases the flavor, in my opinion. If you prefer a thicker, chunkier sauce, do not add salt until ready to serve. 
Roast the habaneros in the oven at 400° until charred. Broil if necessary. Watch! Slice in half and remove stems. Scrape out all the seeds. Then dice the peppers. Combine with the onion/tomato mixture. Add chopped cilantro. Toss gently. Marinate salsa for one hour prior to serving.