I wanted something a bit different to go with my latkes Monday night. Jan made a Drambuie sauce to go with the mousse she made for Father’s Day. I thought it made for a very tasty sauce and that it would complement the flavor of pears very nicely. Most of the alcohol in this sauce will cook off, leaving only the sweet flavor.
Category Archives: California Fusion
Karl’s Pork Sausage Empanadas
This was a rather spontaneous meal. I was wondering what to do with several things that were cluttering up my refrigerator: one quarter pound homemade pork sausage, one quarter pound of ground pork, a Russet potato—that I had peeled for another meal and ended up not using—half a red bell pepper (ditto), one small yellow onion. I could just chop it all up, throw it in a skillet, fry it up, and call it “hash,” but that would not be me. I am not the first person to face this dilemma, World Cuisine is full of solutions. Hash in a pocket bread is called an empanada.
Filed under bread, California Fusion, Main Dishes, Pork
Karl’s Greek Spanakorzo Salad (Spinach and Pasta Salad)
I am making some Greek lemon chicken for a weekday meal. I made Spanakorizo (Greek spinach and rice) as a hot side dish last Easter. Today, I want to use the same flavors to make something lighter. This is more a fresh spinach salad with pasta, not orzo with a bit of spinach.
Filed under California Fusion, Salads, Vegan, Vegetarian
Karl’s Italian Sausage Lasagna with Vegetable “Noodles”
The kids are on one of their low-starch diets—South Beach this time—so I have to adapt my Sunday meals to this. Personally, I believe that the secret losing weight is in not eliminating any particular “evil” food group, but in eating healthy and eating less—a bit of exercise wouldn’t hurt (the pot calling the kettle). There is no healthy way to eat massive amounts of food and still lose weight—still I try to accommodate.
Filed under California Fusion, italian, Main Dishes, Pork
Karl’s Lentil Soup with Chicken Sausage
Sometimes I have a derth of ideas for what to make for dinner. At times like this, I will type “dinner suggestions” into Google and see what comes up. This search produces lists of recipes with pictures that I can scroll through and think, “No, no, no…maybe?”
Filed under California Fusion, Chicken, Main Dishes, Poultry, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian
Karl’s Chili Rellenos in a Casserole
Jan has requested chili rellenos to go with my molé chicken this Sunday. A quick look at recipes on-line told me that it is a fussy recipe that has several steps fraught with peril. You have to broil, deseed, and then stuff the chilies without breaking them. Then you have to coat them in a egg batter and deep fry them, still without breaking the chilies or having the coating fall off.
Filed under California Fusion, Casserole, Side Dishes, Vegetables, Vegetarian
Karl’s Salt and Pepper Cabbage
One of our favorite dishes from a local Chinese restaurant is Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings. I am sure right now you have a picture of heavily salted wings covered in black pepper in your mind. You would be wrong, the peppers in this dish are Jalapeños.
Filed under California Fusion, Green Vegetables, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian
Jan’s Drunken Cherry Chocolate Mousse Cake
I am finally getting around to writing up the recipe that Jan created for Miriam’s Birthday. At our house, my mother’s chocolate mousse has become the standard birthday treat. Jan has made several variations of this creamy dessert, for this one she decided that should would add cherry liqueur.
Filed under Cake, California Fusion, Desserts & Treats
Karl’s Middle Eastern Tacos
As a Californian, I like to do mash-ups—taking the ingredients of one culture and the cooking techniques of another to create something new. Jan wanted taco’s, but I was growing of the same old, beef, pork, chicken or fish with the usual Mexican spices and salsas. I decided to take kubideh and make something different with it.
Filed under Beef, California Fusion, Lamb, Main Dishes, Sauces and Spices, Stir-fry









