How you doin’? When looking for a great steak place in the greater Las Vegas area I tend to lean toward local Henderson restaurants. In fact, if you talk to most locals, the only time they venture down to the strip is when they have guests or clients in town.
 
Green Valley Ranch’s upscale Hank’s Fine Steaks and Martinis is the perfect go-to place. The restaurant offers fine surf 'n' turf beneath crystal chandeliers with impeccable table side service. Professional table side service these days in many Las Vegas restaurants and Hanks does it well. But don’t think of a stuffy, old fashioned kind of place or service. Hank’s is contemporary in design and the service is all about hospitality, making it a comfortable go-to restaurant for special occasions or just a great night out for dinner. 
 
With all the wet and dry-aged beef options you want to start your meal with a light Wedge Salad. You don’t want to spoil your appetite with something like their excellent Lobster Chowder or French Onion Soup Gratinee—a little too rich to go with Chateaubriand. My personal preference is for the house Wedge Salad with homemade Ranch Dressing.
 
This is not just any store-bought, bottled or dry mix ranch—it is house made Ranch Dressing at its finest.  There are a couple of things that make my Ranch Dressing special. First, I redefined the mayonnaise, sour cream and buttermilk ratios so the texture is just right. It’s thin enough that you can toss it, and it’s got the perfect amount of stick-to-it-iveness so that it clings to lettuce wedge, salad goodies and is dippable without being globby. No one likes an over-dressed giant glob of dressing on their lettuce wedge. My Ranch Dressing is light, tangy and herby, thanks to a perfect blend of parsley, chives and dill.
 
Now for the greens--Wedge Salads are just about as simple as they come but that’s their appeal as they complement the steak course to the fullest. They are sophisticated, yet simple and special at the same time. This Wedge Salad is what you might expect to order at a country club, fancy restaurant or my house. The wedge of juicy, well chilled iceberg lettuce is the perfect blank canvas for all your favorite toppings like. Seasonally sweet cherry tomatoes, black pepper rimmed bacon, some fresh-cut chives for a pretty pop of green along with options of black olives, pickled sweet red onions, toasted croutons, plenty of crumbled bleu cheese and whatever else you love.
 
This Wedge Salad is perfect for a lunch entrée or for a great starter for a steak or lobster dinner. Remember to keep it simple, just salt and pepper, because you’re going to want to drag that steak through the leftover dressing.
 
                                                  Ranch Dressing
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Yield:  2 cups
 
Ingredients 
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
 
Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and whisk together until well blended. Don’t use a blender or food processor or it will beat up the green herbs—you want to see the specs of green.
2. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

ChefSecret:  I like to make a double recipe. Once you have a jar full of the stuff, you’re going to want to dip, dunk and drench everything in it, like blistered shishito chile peppers, air-fried pickles and jalapeño poppers. It’s also amazing on the classics, from wee baby carrots to pepperoni pizza, and of course, this wedge salad.
 
                                                    Wedge Salad
 
Prep time: 15 minutes
Yield:  4 servings
 
Ingredients 
1 firm, fresh head iceberg lettuce, cut in quarters
1 cup ranch dressing
6 strips chopped crispy-cooked peppered bacon
10 cherry tomatoes cut in half
4 teaspoons chopped chives
1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese
 
Directions

1. Remove the outer lettuce leaves as necessary.
2. Cut the lettuce into 4 wedges.
3. Wash, thoroughly drain and chill the wedges.
4. Place the quarters of iceberg lettuce, angled side up, on a salad plate.
5. Pour 1/4 cup of dressing over each lettuce wedge.
6. Evenly sprinkle the wedges with the chopped bacon, cherry tomatoes, chives, bleu cheese crumbles and any other desired goodies.
7. Serve immediately on a chilled plate with a chilled fork.

Quip of the Day:  Q. Why did the cowboy ride a horse while eating salad? A. Because he loved the ranch dressing.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

​#Entree #Salad #WedgeSalad #RanchDressing #Lunch #Dinner #2023Recipes #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
                                                                                                       ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023

How you doin’? This time of year, I like entertaining from the barbecue. I love serving a special potato side with steaks. There are times when baked potatoes and double stuffed are just not enough. I don’t want to worry about over- holding bakers hot and the mess of dealing with toppings outside on the patio.
 
At the Assay Office in San Francisco where we had the smallest kitchen in the world, to relieve pressure on service and make it faster, we served these rich, super creamy restaurant style au gratin potatoes with all steak and chop entrees. People gobbled them up fast… so fast we left them wanting more. They were so popular, we sold them in large casserole dishes to go.
 
When made at home, you’ll find au gratin potatoes are great with most main dishes and as leftovers. Warmed up in the microwave with eggs and bacon the next day, they are a terrific treat. Warning:  They’re not dietetic, light or low fat dishes, just great tasting.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Cook time: 65 minutes
Rest time: 5 minutes
 
Ingredients 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (to prepare the pan)
3 to 4 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
4 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup grated medium Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350⁰ F.
2. Butter a 9 X 13-inch baking pan.
3. Spread potatoes evenly in the pan.
4. Whisk together heavy cream, milk, garlic, flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Pour cream mixture over the potatoes.
5. Cover the baking pan with foil.
6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove the foil.
7. Continue baking until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes.
8. Remove the potatoes from the oven and sprinkle with the 3 cheeses on top and give them a light turn.
9. Return the potatoes to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted; about 10 minutes.
10. Allow the potatoes to cool/rest for 5 minutes before serving.

ChefSecret:  You can use any fast melting cheeses. I also like to add 2 tablespoons of Blue Cheese to get an extra zing.

Quip of the Day:  Q. What’s a potato’s favorite TV show?  A. Starch Trek.

Do you have a question or comment? Send your favorite recipes, pictures or thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. Recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

#SideDish #AuGratinPotatoes #Cheddar #Gruyere #Mozzarella #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #T2T #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
                                                                                                   ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023

How you doin’?  My ninth birthday party was the best one I ever had. My mother let me invite 20 kids from my class for a Hopalong Cassidy birthday party.
 
I was dressed in my “Hoppy” cowboy hat, chaps and holster and six-shooters. Old mom really went off the rails—there was a clown, a magician (other kids had one or both) but I also had a pair of ponies—yes, those little kid-sized horses. Mom made a Cowboy Casserole which ended up being one of the best one-pan meals ever served for a “Hoppy” Birthday party.
 
The Cowboy Casserole is a hearty and satisfying dish that's sure to please everyone at your table—birthday or not—despite the name,
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Cook time:  50 to 60 minutes
 
Ingredients 
1 (16.3 ounce) can refrigerated biscuits (you can use a store brand)
2 pounds ground beef or pork or a combination of both
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning (I prefer Lawry’s brand)
3/4 cup water
1 medium onion, halved and sliced (1 cup)
1 medium red bell pepper, halved and sliced (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
8 ounces shredded Cheddar or pepper jack cheese, divided
2 medium sliced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) jar sliced jalapeno peppers, drained (optional)
3 cups of Tater Tots
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 375⁰ F.
2. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
3. Roll out, place and press the biscuit dough into the bottom of the baking pan and halfway up the sides.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Leave the oven on.
6. Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the ground meat until browned and crumbly, about 5 minutes.
7. Drain the fat.
8. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
9. Transfer the cooked meat to a bowl and lightly wipe out the skillet.
10. Add the onion, bell peppers and corn to the same skillet and cook over medium heat until slightly tender, about 5 minutes.
11. Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, 1/2 of the cheese and 1/2 of the onion-pepper mixture in a bowl.
12. Layer browned meat, tomatoes, onion-pepper mixture, jalapeño peppers, and sour cream mixture on top of prebaked biscuit dough.
13. Top with the artfully arranged tots .
14. Sprinkle with the remaining 4-ounces of cheese.
15. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven until the tots are lightly browned and the cheese is bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes.
16. Let sit for 5 minutes to slightly cool and plate up like lasagna.

ChefSecret:  Serve with a bottle Cholula brand hot sauce and add a shake or two to taste.

Quip of the Day: “Hoppy” broke all the stereotypes of the time by wearing all black (as the good guy) when the other western good cowboys wore all white.
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Do you have a question or comment?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.
​
#Entree #CowboyCasserole #RefrigeratedBiscuits #Lawrys #HopalongCassidy #Dinner #2023Recipes #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  
                                                                     ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023

How you doin’? My weekly personal grocery bill has gone up nearly $75/week in the last year. That’s a big hit due to the continual rise in inflation. One of our restaurants opened under similar circumstance many years ago—higher prices are restaurant killers.
 
The success of Fanny’s Fish Market wasn’t about whole pieces of fish filets, jumbo shrimp and lobster tails. Fanny’s Fish Market was all about seafood infused sauces and meals. Our seafood sauce over a variety of pastas or salads mixed with bits and pieces gave plenty of rich seafood flavor at far lower costs. Seafood enhanced soups and chowders served in extra-large bowls with large slices of hot, cheesy garlic bread offered full meals at bargain prices.
 
Fanny’s opened on the pier at Foster City Estuary. It was an immediate success—profitable the first month it opened. With the restaurants’ healthy variety and reasonable prices you could (and many did) come in 3 or 4 times a week.
 
Here’s my home version of Fanny’s famous Sea Creature House Salad. The secret to our soups, salads and pasta dishes is a great thick piece of cheesy-buttered, toasted, crusty garlic bread.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Rest time: 5 mins
Yield:  4 personal salads / 1/2 cup dressing
 
Ingredients 
For the dressing
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning (see recipe below)
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 
For the salad
2 (5 ounce) packages American salad mix (lettuce blend with other seasonal ingredients)
3/4 cup sliced pitted black olives
3/4 cup thinly sliced red pickled pepperoncini
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion or pickled red onion
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup sliced and quartered cucumber
1/2 cup warm garlic seasoned croutons
1/3 cup “baby” cooked shrimp—71-count (tiny sea creatures)
 
Directions

1. Combine olive oil, mayonnaise, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic and Parmesan in a food processor, and process until thoroughly combined.
2. Combine salad mix, olives, pepperoncini, onion, tomatoes, cucumber and croutons in a large bowl.
3. Top with shrimp.
4. Drizzle salad with dressing; toss to coat.
5. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

ChefSecret:  You don’t have to buy a special spice mix to make it Italian. You probably have all the ingredients in your own spice cabinet. Feel free to adjust the ratio of spices and the yield to make whatever size of batch you would like to your taste. You’ll find this spice mix works with hundreds of other recipes from soups to pasta, grilled meat and marinades.
 
                                 Ed’s Special Italian Seasoning Blend
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried sage

Whisk all seasonings together in a bowl until combined. Better yet process through a spice grinder for a few seconds. Use immediately or store in a sealed container.

​Quip of the Day:  My doctor recently asked if anyone in my family suffered from mental illness and I said, "No, we all seem to enjoy it."
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

#Entree #Salad #ShrimpSalad #FannysFishMarket #SeaCreatureSalad #BayShrimp #BabyShrimp #Lunch #Dinner #2023Recipes #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                                  ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023

How you doin’? Cold soup is a very tricky thing, and it is the rare chef that can carry it off well. More often than not, the dinner guests are left with the impression that had they only arrived a little earlier they could have enjoyed it while it was still hot.
 
You’ve heard the old saying, “never wear white after Labor Day and never serve soup in the summer (or something like that). Not true!
 
We whirled up fresh, green batches of gazpacho over the years and even included them on my restaurant menus. I make the green one at home when I have more overly ripe avocado than I know what to do with. I’ve been told that my green gazpacho converted many summer cold-soup skeptics into full-blown fanatics of the stuff. So, what do you do when you have more out-of-the-garden tomatoes and summer harvest, garden grown vegetables than you can use? We go to the other side of the color wheel and see red.
 
My Summer’s End Chilled Gazpacho is made with a lightly acidified broth, made with puréed tomatoes and a wheel barrel of fresh harvest diced vegetables—Vidalia onions, punchy garlic, sweet red bell pepper, spicy red jalapeño and crunchy cucumber. If you’ve got some extra summer corn toss it in. All those veggies make this gazpacho a bit heartier than a straight purée, but it’s still wonderfully refreshing. You’ll love the combination of the cool, delicate broth with the fresh, crisp, vegetable textures.
 
Serve with warm crusty sourdough bread and a bottle of Mondavi Fume Blanc.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Cook time:  30 seconds
Chill time:  2 hours
Yield:  6 servings
 
Ingredients 
6 to 8 large ripe red tomatoes, cored
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced Vidalia onion
2 tablespoon minced cloves
1-1/2 cups diced red or orange bell pepper
1 diced jalapeño pepper, seeds and seams removed
1 diced English cucumber, seeds removed
1/2 cup fresh corn off the cob (optional)
1-1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro leaves with stems

Directions
1.    Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
2.    Fill a large bowl of water with half ice and half water to shock the cooked tomatoes.
3.    Cut an “x” on the bottom of each cored tomato (this makes it easier to peel) and, using a slotted spoon, gently place them into the boiling water for about 30 seconds.
4.     Remove the tomatoes with the slotted spoon and transfer them immediately to the bowl of ice water.
5.    Once the tomatoes have cooled, peel off the skin and cut them into quarters. Using a strainer over an empty bowl, squeeze out the seeds and reserve 1 cup of the tomato juice. Discard the seeds.
6.    Transfer the squeezed, seeded tomatoes to a blender. Add the reserved 1 cup tomato juice and the extra virgin olive oil, and pulse until the tomatoes are completely puréed.
7.    Pour the purée into a large bowl and add the diced Vidalia onions, garlic, bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, English cucumbers, corn (if you’re using it), rice and balsamic vinegar, kosher salt, and black pepper; stir to incorporate all ingredients well.

Note: Reserve some of the chopped vegetables to garnish the soup.

8.    Refrigerate the soup for at least 2 hours, allowing the flavors to blossom.
9.    Serve in chilled bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro and reserved veggies, if applicable.

ChefSecret:  This soup can be made a day or two in advance and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Planning ahead, makes life a little easier by preparing this gazpacho a day or so in advance. The flavors only get more intense the longer you let the soup’s ingredients blossom in the refrigerator. 

Quip of the Day:  “Soup puts the heart at ease, calms down the violence of hunger, eliminates the tension of the day and awakens and refines the appetite." — Auguste Escoffier
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Do you have a question or comment?   Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

#Entree #Soup #SummerSoup #Gazpacho #ChilledGazpacho #MondaviFumeBlanc #Vegan #Vegetarian #2023Recipes #Covid19 #QuarantineKitchen #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
                                                                   ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2023