Very easy, very delicious steak! Buy a really good cut of meat.

Rib-eye Steak au poivre with Balsamic Reduction Serves 4

2 Tblsp whole peppercorns

4 (3/4" thick) bonesless rib-eye steaks

1 Tblsp canola oil

2 T unsalted butter

1/2 c balsamic vinegar

Coarsely smash peppercorns with a mortar & pestle. If you don't have one, try making a packet of peppercorns in waxed paper or such, and smashing with a rolling pin. Pat steaks dry and coat both sides with peppercorns. Season generously with salt.

Heat oil with 1 Tblsp butter in skillet over moderately high heat. Reduce to moderate and cook steaks approximately 4 minutes/side for medium-rare. Transfer to platter.

Add vinegar and deglaze (scrape up all the delicious brown bits in the pan) over high heat. Simmer until reduced by half. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining 1 Tblsp butter. Season with salt if needed and drizzle over steaks.

This mushroom barley soup is from Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, MI.

Mushroom Barley Soup

2 Tblsp dried porcini mushrooms

2 Tblsp butter

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 ribs celery with leaves, diced

1/4 c chopped Italian parsley

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 lb fresh mushrooms (you can use any type you wish, or a mix), sliced

1 Tblsp flour

2 quarts beef stock or vegetable stock, heated

1 cup quick (10 minute) barley

1-2 tsp salt

Soak dried mushrooms in hot water to cover for half an hour. Strain through cheesecloth, reserving the water. Coarsely chop the mushrooms.

Melt butter in a large soup pot. Sauté onion, celery, parsley, carrot, garlic and fresh mushrooms until soft, about 5 minutes.

Lower heat and add flour, stirring vigorously. Simmer gently, stirring, about 5 minutes. Slowly add heated stock stirring constantly. Turn heat to high, add reserved mushroom water and porcini mushrooms. Add salt to taste. Simmer, covered, about 30 minutes. Add barley and continue simmering, stirring frequently, another 30 minutes or until barley is tender and soup is thickened. Adjust seasonings.

Two types of pickled garlic. Pickled garlic, you ask? Well, it's great to munch as is and add to other dishes; save the brine for salad dressing.

Pickled Garlic with Sweet Red Pepper

1/2 lb garlic, peeled (you can buy them peeled or peel your own*)

1 sweet red bell pepper, chopped

2 cups white vinegar

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp celery seed

cheesecloth

Place garlic cloves in a medium bowl. Large cloves can be cut in half. Mix in the red pepper.

Mix together the vinegar and sugar in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Wrap the dry mustard and celery seed in cheesecloth and tie off. Add spice packet to vinegar mixture. Bring to a boil, then boil 5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and red pepper. Continue boiling 5 minutes. Discard spice packet.

Place garlic and peppers in sanitized canning jars** (boil jars in a large pot for 5 minutes or the highest hot setting on your dishwasher) to within 1 inch of the top. Fill with remaining liquid to within 1/4 inch from the top.

Cover and store in the refrigerator approximately 3 weeks before serving***.

* I peel my own fresh garlic, but it is an onerous task. You can buy peeled garlic, but I always question it's freshness/potency.

**Canning jars are cheap and available at most grocery stores or hardware stores. How many you need depends on how much you pickle : ) I generally sterilize 4 pints of jars or 2 pints and 4 1/2 pints so I'm covered for whatever I'm cooking up. I often double up the recipes above and below.

***Brine can be added to salad dressings.

French Pickled Garlic

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup dry white wine (remember, good wine makes good flavor, don't use crappy wine, ever)

1 small dried chile pepper

1 small thyme sprig

1 small rosemary sprig

1 small bay leaf

10 black peppercorns

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp pickling salt*

1 cup peeled fresh garlic cloves

Put all ingredients except garlic into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then gently boil for 5 minutes.

Add garlic, return to a boil, cover the pan, remove from heat, and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.

Bring the contents of the saucepan to a boil again, then transfer to a sanitized canning jar.

Seal and store in the refrigerator 1 week to one year.

*no iodine or anti-caking agents (so keeps the liquid clear) added, find it next to regular salt

Pork Chops and gravy...one of my boys' favorites.

Braised Pork Chops Serves 6

6 loin pork chops, 1 inch thick (make as many or few as you need, but don't skimp on the gravy)

3 Tblsp canola oil or bacon fat (c'mon...you know which I'd use)

1 large onion, chopped

1 tsp flour (add more if gravy doesn't thicken enough)

1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)

freshly ground pepper

2 tsp prepared mustard

1 cup beef stock, heated (can substitute partially with white wine or vermouth if desired)

2 Tblsp chopped pickle/pickle relish (I like the sweet type)

In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of fat, add chops and brown on both sides. Remove from pan.

Heat remaining fat in pan, add the onion and sauté 3 minutes. Whisk in the flour, salt, pepper and mustard till well blended, being sure to scrape up all the brown bits in the skillet, then gradually add heated stock (deglazing). Stir in chopped pickle or pickle relish and simmer 5 minutes.

Return the chops to the skillet and spoon the sauce over them. Cover and simmer very slowly until the chops are tender, about 30 minutes.

Delicious and easy home-cured Corned Beef, great for a dinner, a sandwich or for a charcuterie board.

Brine and Brisket

1 gallon water
2 cups kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
5 tsp pink salt *
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tblsp Pickling Spice (homemade** or store bought)
One 5 lb (appx) well-marbled beef brisket

Combine brine ingredients in a pot large enough to hold the brisket comfortably. Bring to a simmer, stirring till the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove pot from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate brine till it's completely chilled.

Place brisket in brine and weight it down with a plate to keep it submerged. Refrigerate for 5 days. Check every day to be sure it remains submerged. If your brisket is a bit larger, halve the recipe again, and leave it in the brine another day or two.

Remove brisket from brine and rinse it thoroughly under cool running water.

That's it! Now you can cook it as you would a packaged corned beef.


* What is pink salt? Pink salt (Insta Cure #1) is 93.75% sodium chloride (table salt) and 6.25% nitrite. Nitrites are found in green leafy vegetables, and in small quantities are not at all harmful, but in large quantities, are. Thus the curing mixture is dyed pink to prevent accidental consumption as pure table salt. Nitrite's positive contributions to meat: it changes the flavor, preserves the meat's red color, prevents fat from developing a rancid flavor, and prevents many bacteria from growing (think Clostridia botulinum, the bacterium responsible for botulism poisoning). I order mine from SausageMaker.com.


**Pickling Spice Recipe (or buy a store-bought mix; Penzeys.com is a great source for herbs/spices either way)

1 1/2 Tblsp black peppercorns
2 Tblsp mustard seeds
2 Tblsp coriander seeds
2 Tblsp hot red pepper flakes
2 Tblsp allspice berries
1 Tblsp ground mace
2 small cinnamon sticks, crushed or broken into pieces
24 bay leaves, crumbled
2 Tblsp whole cloves
1 Tblsp ground ginger

Lightly toast peppercorns, mustard seeds, and coriander seeds in a small dry pan, then smash with the side of a knife just to crack them. Combine the cracked spices with the remaining ingredients, mixing well. Store in a tightly sealed container.


Cooking Corned Beef

Cured brisket
2 Tblsp Pickling Spice

Place the cured brisket in a pot just large enough to hold it and add water just to cover the meat. Add Pickling Spice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for about 3 hours, or till the brisket is fork-tender. Water should always cover brisket, so add more during cooking if necessary.

Remove the corned beef from cooking liquid (which can be used to moisten the meat and vegetables, if you're serving a dinner). Slice the beef and serve warm or cool, then wrap and refrigerate for up to one week.

Here's the Banana Cake featured on my FB wall. It is SO good!

Banana Cake

¼# (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs, separated (you know, yolks in one cup, whites in another)
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (fork ‘em, and don’t worry about a few lumps)
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract (geez…use the real good stuff, please!)
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe to follow)
2 firm, ripe banana sliced into discs
*optional: 1 ½ cup shelled (duh) chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease (use solid Crisco, not butter or oil) and flour two 9 inch layer cake pans.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg yolks and beat well. Add mashed bananas, mixing thoroughly.

Sift dry ingredients and add to butter mixture. STIR (don’t overdue it or you’ll have a brick, not a cake) until just combined. Add buttermilk and vanilla.

Beat egg whites to soft peaks (don’t whine…the last time I made this cake I beat the whites by hand with a whisk and it was the best Banana Cake I ever made). Fold GENTLY into batter.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Set on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, till golden brown, and till cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool in pans on a rack for 10 minutes. Unmold and cool on rack for 2 hours.

When cooled, place one layer upside down on a serving plate and frost upside. Arrange slices of banana over frosting. Place second layer upside up and frost sides and top. Cover sides of cake with chopped nuts if desired, holding nuts in palm and pressing firmly to sides of cake.

Chill in refrigerator if frosting needs firming.






Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese (the real stuff please, not any LITE garbage), room temperature
6 Tblsp unsalted butter, room temperature
2 – 3 cups confectioners’ sugar (I like my frosting less sweet, so taste as you add)
1 tsp vanilla extract
*optional: juice of ½ lemon

Cream together cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl.

SLOWLY sift confectioners’ sugar (slowly and sifting keeps out lumps) into cream cheese mixture, while beating till fully incorporated. As above, keep tasting till it’s the right flavor for you.

Stir in vanilla, and lemon juice if desired.

Can refrigerate, covered, but beat before frosting cake. If frosting cake right after preparing frosting, cake will probably need to be refrigerated for a bit to firm it up.