Steak salad

leftover steak or tri-tip
romaine lettuce and/or greens mix
cherry tomatoes
avocados
blue cheese
peas
bell peppers
red onion
salad dressing

Fig Tarte Soleil with whipped blue cheese dip

Tarte:
1 box of puff pastry (2 sheets)
TJ's fig butter
walnuts, finely chopped
honey
1 egg, beaten with a little water

Pull pastry out of freezer the night before, and allow to come to room temperature according to package instructions. Spray a pizza pan with pam, roll out one sheet, and transfer it to the pan. Use a 10" pie pan to cut a circle. Spread the fig butter, walnuts, and honey up to 1/2" from the edge. Roll out the second sheet, lay on top, and use the pie pan to cut the top sheet in a circle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place a cup upside down in the center, and cut strips from the cup to the edge. Remove the cup, and holding the joint between the center circle and the strip so it doesn't tear, twist each strip several times. Brush with egg wash, and bake until browned.

Whipped blue cheese dip:
1/8 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 pkg cream cheese
olive oil
salt

Blend everything, adding olive oil until the desired consistency is reached.

Fried Squash Blossoms

squash blossoms from the squash volunteers in the garden
optional- cheese
2 eggs, beaten with a little water
a bottle of beer
enough flour to get a pancake batter consistency
salt
oil

Cut the anthers/style out of the squash blossoms, stuff with cheese and twist the petals closed if you choose to fill with cheese. Heat oil in a saute pan. Mix the beer, flour, and salt. Dip each blossom in the egg, and then in the batter, and place in oil. Flip after several minutes to brown both sides, and remove to a cooling rack on a sheet pan in a warm place.

Chile Relleno Casserole

6 jalapeno peppers
1/2 15-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 lb Oaxacan cheese
1/2 lb chorizo
fresh or dried oregano
1 T salt
12 eggs
1/2 cup milk

Char the jalapeno peppers, peel the blackened skin, cut in half and remove the seeds (use gloves or take care not to touch them). Cook the chorizo.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x11" pyrex with Pam, and arrange the peppers in the bottom. Place a strip of cheese in each pepper. Sprinkle the onion and chorizo over the top. Blend eggs, milk, salt, and oregano, and pour gently over the top. The recipe I based this off of called for a 1/3 cup flour and 1 t baking powder mixed into the eggs, which I skipped in favor of more of a souffle effect than a casserole.

Bake until the egg is fully puffed up, 30+ minutes.

Asparagus Pizza

Pizza dough
alfredo sauce
several asparagus spears
caramelized onions
prosciutto or coppa
Romano cheese

Chop asparagus into 2-inch pieces and saute.  Cut meat into strips. Preheat oven to 450.

Shape pizza dough, spread the alfredo sauce, and arrange the asparagus, onions, and meat on top. Grate a small amount of cheese on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the meat is getting crispy and the dough is cooked.

Baked Breaded Chicken Strips

6 Costco-sized chicken breasts
5 eggs
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
~4+ cups pulverized stale party crackers
5 T cornstarch
1/2 t baking soda
4 T Lawry's seasoning salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t paprika
dash cayenne pepper
1 t garlic powder + 2 T onion powder or 1 T no-salt seasoning
4 T buttermilk
Pam or oil spray or melted butter

Preheat oven to 425, spray baking sheets with Pam.

In one mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, W sauce, and 1/4 cup buttermilk together.

Grind the crackers in the food processor and add all the dry ingredients. Mix and then empty into another mixing bowl. Cut the 4 T of buttermilk into the crumb mixture in order to get larger chunks of batter.

Cut the chicken breasts into strips. Coat with the crumb mixture, and then submerge in the egg wash, and generously coat again with the crumb mixture. Place on the baking sheets, and spray the top with Pam or oil spray or drizzle melted butter over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes or until browned and the chicken is 165 degrees.

Serves 10.