A Summer Menu II
This week's dinner party was a more casual affair so I went with a more casual arrangement of dishes, what I've come to think of as a "salad menu".
- Brandy Alexander, featured cocktail
- Olives & Marinated Mushrooms (store bought)
- Cantaloupe sprinkled with coconut
- Pork Loin Braised in Milk & Herbs (slow cooker)
Oven Roasted Potatoes
Waldorf Salad
Cucumbers in Sour Cream
Sweet-and-Sour Beet Salad
Orange-Orange Jell-O - Sugar-Free Strawberry Pie (brought by guest Christen)
I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed in the pork loin; it was perfectly edible but I wanted something more scrumptious. However, I usually have some sort of issue with pork loin, so maybe it's not my best choice. It was on sale though….
The oven roasted potatoes were the same preparation as I gave the recipe for last time and they came out yummy again and disappeared fast. This time I was smart enough to make the entire 5-pound bag and I think we ate most of them. This time I used Red Bliss potatoes; last time it was White Russets. Both were fine but Isaac and I both gave a slight edge to the Russets, which seemed to crisp a little better.
Brandy Alexanders are perhaps the best cocktail mixture ever created. They are absolutely yummy but one can easily think them less potent than they are.
I was trying out a recipe for cucumbers in sour cream, hoping for something that came close to the "cucumber slaw" that I've had in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, presumably a Pennsylvania Dutch dish. This version was okay but not yet perfect, so I'll let you know when I find the right preparation.
I use the traditional recipe for Waldorf Salad in preference to any number of gussied-up versions: apples, celery, walnuts, & grapes mixed with mayonnaise. Crisp apples work best but suit your taste, and I use whatever seedless grapes I find. Dice the apples, cut the grapes in half, and coarsely chop the walnuts. The mayonnaise can most certainly come from a jar, but use one that tastes good. Waldorf Salad is a classic concoction that is almost always appropriate and tasty, but people don't often think to make it (and over dinner we always talk about the episode of "Fawlty Towers" in which a Waldorf Salad figured prominently).
The orange-orange Jell-O I made with two small packets of orange, sugar-free Jello-O, 1 cup of hot water, and 3 cups of sugar-free orange soda. The [imitation] orange flavor is intense, and the bubbles from the soda give a tiny fizz on the tongue.
But the unexpected stand-out from this menu was the Sweet-and-Sour Beet Salad. Simple and yummy and it appealed to the beet lovers and the beet less-than-lovers at the table.
— Brandy Alexander —
Mix equal parts
- Brandy
- Crème de Cacao (white is prettiest)
- Heavy cream
in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain out ice and serve in a cocktail (martini) glass.
— Sweet-and-Sour Beet Salad —
- 2, 16-ounce cans of sliced beets
- 1/2 cup Splenda
- 2 teaspoons yellow prepared mustard
- 1/2 cup wine vinegar
- 1 red onion, chopped into arcs
Drain the beets, reserving 1/2 cup of the beet's packing liquid.
Cut the beets into matchsticks. Combine with the red onion in a mixing bowl.
Heat the beet juice in a small saucepan along with the Splenda and the mustard, until the Splenda is dissolved. Add the vinegar, bring to a boil then turn off the heat.
Let the dressing cool some then pour over the beets and onion and stir to mix. Put it in the refrigerator to marinate for awhile, maybe a couple of hours.
[modified after "Marinated Beet Salad", originally from safeway.com]