Author: lesliewu

• Set the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Chop onion and garlic finely and fry in butter in a thick-bottomed pot.
• Add ground beef and keep frying until cooked thoroughly. Add tomato paste in the pot and pour in crushed tomatoes.
• Season with bouillon, red wine, salt and black pepper and let simmer for about 20 minutes.

Lasagna sheet

• Place a parchment paper in a large baking pan and grease with oil.
• Grate a medium-sized cauliflower head in a food processor. The cauliflower should be finely grated.
• Place the grated cauliflower in a bowl and cook for two minutes on high in the microwave oven. Stir and microwave for two more minutes.
• Let the grated cauliflower cool and place in a baking cloth (towel) and squeeze the liquid out by tying and wringing the towel. Almost a cup of liquid has to come out for the rice to be dry.
• Put the cauliflower rice, eggs and spices in a bowl and stir them together.
• Spread the batter on to the parchment paper and bake on lower rack of the oven for about 15 minutes. Remove and let cool. Cut into adequate-sized pieces, like lasagna sheets.

Cheese sauce

• Bring heavy cream and sour cream to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Layering and baking

• In a deep baking dish add some bolognese, then sheets and cheese sauce. Alternate and finish up with cheese sauce and grated parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 20–30 minutes and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

• In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to a bowl and reserve bacon grease.
• Add onion to bacon grease and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 15 to 20 minutes, until onions are soft and golden brown. Add onions to bacon in the bowl.
• Increase heat to medium high and sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. Add chops to pan and brown on the first side for 3 minutes. Flip chops and reduce heat to medium, cooking on the second side until internal temperature reaches 135°F (58°C), about 7 to 10 more minutes. Remove to a platter and tent with foil.
• Add broth to pan and scrape up any browned bits. Add cream and simmer until mixture is thickened, 2 or 3 minutes. Return onions and bacon to pan and stir to combine.
• Top pork chops with onion and bacon mixture and serve.

Meatloaf

• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C)
• Over medium heat, melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the onion and fry until soft, but not browned, and then set aside to cool.
• Mix the ground meat in a bowl. Add in the fried onion and all the other ingredients, except the bacon. Mix well, but avoid overworking it because this can make the end result too dense.
• Form into a loaf and place into a greased baking dish. Wrap the loaf in bacon.
• Bake in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes. If the bacon begins to overcook before the meat is done, cover with aluminum foil and lower the heat a bit. If the bacon doesn’t appear to be completely done, broil the meatloaf for approximately 5 minutes.

Gravy and serving

• Save the juices that have accumulated in the baking dish, and use to make the gravy. Mix the juices and the cream in a smaller sauce pan.
• Bring to a boil and lower the heat and let simmer for 10–15 minutes until it has the right consistency. If you want, use a little tamari soy sauce to taste.
• Serve with freshly boiled broccoli or cauliflower with butter, salt and pepper or any other side dish of your choice.

• Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs with a fork until smooth and frothy.
• Melt the butter in a frying pan, over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and onion to the pan, stirring until tender, and then pour in the egg mixture, surrounding the veggies.
• When the omelet begins to cook and get firm, but still has a little raw egg on top, sprinkle cheese over the egg.
• Using a spatula, carefully ease around the edges of the omelet, and then fold it over in half. When it starts to turn golden brown underneath, remove the pan from the heat and slide the omelet on to a plate.

• 1. Fry the bacon in a pan on medium high heat until crispy. Put aside on a plate. Leave the rendered fat in the pan.
• 2. Use the same pan to fry the eggs. Place it over medium heat and crack your eggs into the bacon grease. You can also crack them into a measuring cup and carefully pour into the pan to avoid splattering of hot grease.
• 3. Cook the eggs any way you like them. For sunny side up — leave the eggs to fry on one side and cover the pan with a lid to make sure they get cooked on top. For eggs cooked over easy — flip the eggs over after a few minutes and cook for another minute. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and fry them at the same time.
• 4. Salt and pepper to taste.

• Peel the onion and chop finely.
• Melt the butter in a pot on medium heat, and sauté until the onions are softened.
• Add the ground beef and fry for a few minutes until browned and cooked through.
• Slice or dice the mushrooms, and add to the ground beef. Sauté for a few minutes more, or until lightly brown.
• Season with thyme, salt and pepper. Crumble the cheese. Add and stir.
• Add sour cream and bring to a light boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Zucchini fettucine

• Estimate one medium-sized zucchini per person.
• Split the zucchini in half lengthwise.
• Scoop the seeds with a spoon and slice the halves very thinly, lengthwise (julienne) with a potato peeler, or use a spiralizer to make zoodles.
• Toss the zucchini in a hot sauce of your choice and serve immediately.
• If you aren’t serving your zucchini with a hot sauce then boil half a gallon (a couple of liters) of salted water in a large pot and parboil the zucchini slices for a minute.
• Drain the water and add olive oil or a knob of butter. Salt and pepper to taste and stir.