Kathy Simms

03/02/2025

Lamb Burgers With Tzatziki Sauce

Ingredients
- 1 cucumber, seeded and diced
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 handful of minced fresh dill
- 12 Cloves garlic, peeled and cut in ha
- 1 pint Greek yogurt
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 4 hamburger buns
- juice of 2 lemons
- Kosher salt & pepper to taste

Preparation
For the lamb burger, mix 1 pound ground lamb, 1 egg, 1 splash of extra virgin olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, and 6 cloves of chopped garlic. Season with kosher salt & pepper to taste and let sit for to 1 hour.Grill burgers to your liking.For the tzatziki sauce, mix together 1 pint Greek yogurt, 1 diced cucumber, juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 6 garlic cloves (add garlic bit by bit until you have the level of garlic you like), 1 handful minced fresh dill, and kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors intensify.

Serve the grilled burgers on toasted buns and add a dollop of the sauce on top.

03/02/2025

03/01/2025

Beef Pot Pies with Irish Cheddar Crust

Ingredients
- 8 T. unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
- 8 oz. Irish cheddar, or sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 T. sugar
- 1 t. salt
- 1 t. dry mustard
- dash of cayenne pepper
- 1/3 c. ice water, plus more if needed
- 4 t. vegetable oil, divided
- 1 1/2 lb. beef chuck meat, well-trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- salt & pepper
- 1 . onion, chopped fine
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped small
- 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- 1 t. minced fresh thyme
- 1 t. minced fresh marjoram
- 3 T. flour
- 1 (15 oz.) can of low-sodium beef broth
- 3/4 c. water
- 1 1/2 t. Dijon mustard
- 2 T. chopped fresh parsley
- 1 egg, lightly beaten

Preparation
Place the cut up butter pieces in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill. Meanwhile, in the work bowl of a food processor combine flour, sugar, dry mustard, salt and cayenne pepper. Pulse to combine. After the butter has chilled, scatter the pieces over the flour mixture (still in the food processor), along with the cheddar. Pulse about 10 times.

Sprinkle half the ice water over the dough, pulse about 3 times, repeat with remaining water, pulsing 3 more times. Pinch the dough to check if it sticks together, if not add a tablespoon or two more ice water, until it comes together. Dump the mix in a large bowl and press it together to form the dough. Divide dough in half, shaping each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour.

Begin the filling: Pat the meat dry with paper towels and season with salt & pepper.

Heat 2 t. oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until just smoking.

Add the meat in a single layer and cook, without stirring, until the meat browns well on the underside, anywhere between 5-10 minutes (the meat will give off liquid, just let it evaporate - leave it alone!) Stir the meat and cook another couple minutes, until it looses the raw color.

Remove to a plate and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium, add the remaining 2 t. oil and the onions and carrots.

Saute until softened and starting to brown, stirring occasionally, around 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, thyme and marjoram, cook until very fragrant, about a minute. Stir in flour, cook and stir about a minute. Slowly add in the beef broth and water, then the meat, along with any juices left on the plate. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, to med-low. Cover and cook, (adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a simmer) stirring occasionally until the meat is just becoming tender, around 45 minutes.

Remove from heat, add in the Dijon and parsley. Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper. Set aside to cool.

02/28/2025

Home Made Dry-Aged Sirloin Steak with Cheesy Roast Fingerling Potatoes

Ingredients
- 2 sirloin steaks
- 12 oz fingerling potatoes, cut to the size of the smaller ones
- ½ C shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 1 T extra virgin olive oil
- ½ t granulated garlic
- ½ t fresh ground pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 T chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 T chopped fresh chives
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped fine
- 2 green onions, chopped into ¼ inch pieces

Preparation
We wrapped each steak in three to four layers of cheese cloth. Then placed them on a small rack in the bottom of the refrigerator in the back corner of the bottom shelf where the temperature is 34* F. We left them there for four days then unwrapped them at dinner time. We proceeded to cook them in a lightly oiled (EVOO) cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.

We checked the internal temperature and flipped them after a minute or two and about one to two minutes after that the internal temperature was aver 130* F (140* F = medium rare). So we removed them and let them rest while we finished and plated the meal.

02/27/2025

Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients
- 2 ½ pounds Roma tomatoes could also use plum tomatoes
- 2 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups chicken Bone Broth
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves minced, plus more for garnish
- freshly ground black pepper
- shredded cheddar

Preparation
Heat oven to 375F.

Cut fresh tomatoes in half and placed cut-side up on a baking sheet. Season with teaspoon of salt and drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the skins are wrinkled and the insides are bubbling.While the tomatoes cook, prepare the onion and garlic cloves.In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil.

Add onions to the saucepan and saute until almost translucent, then add garlic. Reduce heat and stir until garlic is aromatic and softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic to a food processor or blender and blend on high for 2 minutes.Return the tomato mixture to the saucepan over medium heat.

Add the tomato paste, broth, apple cider vinegar, coconut milk, and basil. Stir until all the ingredients are incorporated and warmed through, 2 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat.Ladle tomato soup into bowls and add basil and optional black pepper and shredded cheddar.

Serve piping hot.

02/26/2025

Healthy Quinoa Salad

Ingredients
- 1 cup red quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 orange bell pepper, diced small
- 4 green onions, diced small
- 1 cup english cucumber, peeled and diced
- 1 cup tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup edamame
- 1 small lime, juiced

Preparation
Prepare quinoa according to package directions using vegetable broth instead of water.

Dice all the vegetables, except edamame.

In a large bowl combine cooked quinoa and all vegetables.

Juice one lime over bowl, stir to combine.

02/25/2025

Lemon White Wine Chicken over Linguini

Ingredients
- 1 lb thin sliced chicken breasts
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- fresh parsley
- juice of 1 1/2 lemons
- al dente whole grain linguini
- olive oil
- grated pecorino cheese
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 1 cup white wine

Preparation
In a dish add about 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs, a little salt and pepper. Coat the chicken lightly and place to the side.In a large saute pan, over medium high heat, add in just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Brown the chicken on both sides. It should brown quickly so you don't over cook the chicken. Cook in batches then set the chicken aside.Once all the chicken is cooked and set aside you can start making the sauce. To the pan add another small drizzle of olive oil and add the sliced shallot. Cook until softened. Carefully add in the wine and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Add in the broth, lemon juice and chicken. Simmer on low for 10 minutes.

Add in some chopped fresh parsley, taste for salt and pepper.

Serve over the al dente lingu