Raclette Party!

Just before Christmas, we found out about this fun party grill at Aldi. Because my mom is terribly difficult to buy gifts for, we though this might be a great way to get all the family gathered around her table. It worked! My oldest son was in town today, so we had a raclette party.

A raclette is a table top grill made popular in Switzerland. The idea is to offer a selection of uncooked foods, then to grill while you visit with each other. Raclette grills have a non-stick and or stone grill top and individual pans for broiling underneath. Every person gets to make the things that appeal most to him, and the hostess gets to be in with the fun. We had a blast. This seems to have been a seasonal item at Aldi, but you can buy one of your own at my Amazon store. Check out this Hamilton Beach Raclette. This model does not have the stone surface. If that is important, try this Swissmar model.

To prepare, we simply cut several types of meat into thin strips. Some, I marinated, some dry rubbed and some we left plain. We also diced veggies. For the carbivores, we added the traditional boiled potatoes and some crusty rolls. The highlight is the cheese! Those little grill pans that go underneath hold a slice of cheese to get all bubbly and melted under the broiler element. Pour the melted cheese over your grilled meats and veggies. Wonderful! We also really enjoyed the broiled garlic cloves smashed into the meat.

I really wish I had more photos, but my camera shots all came out blurry today. My son Pearson took this one with his phone. It was a great way to feed my hungry boys! I will give you a run down of the low carb goodies that we served:

• thinly sliced steak
• sliced chicken marinated in light beer
• sliced chicken marinated in soy sauce
• sliced pork seasoned with Penzey's Bavarian spice blend (it tasted like sausage)
• sliced pork seasoned with Penzey's Northwoods blend (smokey)
• Gruyere cheese
• Havarti cheese
• Swiss cheese
• Pepper Jack cheese
• garlic cloves
• red and white onion slices
• red and yellow bell pepper strips
• grape tomatoes
• pineapple slices

I think next time, I will add sliced sausages, mushrooms, shrimp (but my boy is allergic, so never when he is near) zucchini or yellow squash, and maybe some pre-cooked diced rutabaga. There is a special cheese actually named raclette, but we couldn't find it in these parts. Our favorites were the Harvarti and Gruyere. If you have one, let me know what you use. If not, what would you love to grill with family and friends?

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Steak Finger Salad and Lemon Balm Tea for a Hot Summer Day

Toooo, too hot outside. Who wants to eat anything but a salad? (I know the answer to that--teenage boys, remember?) This is the best of both--man food, as in the country fried steak, and summer food, as in the salad. Thankfully, I did not have to fry these up for our lunch today. I did that on my prep day. All I had to do was pop them in the toaster oven to recrisp them a bit. Then just grab some salad greens from the salad keeper, toss in a handful of shredded cheese and lunch is served. I'm feeling really handy today, because dinner is in the crockpot too. Sausage Pizza Soup.

No slaving away in a dreadfully hot kitchen tonight. Good thing, because the hubby had car trouble on the way to work, and we have to take fix-it supplies to him. Hopefully he can get our old truck working well enough to get it home. Then we will need a mechanic (and some money) to get it rolling in time to move my college boys back into school in a couple of weeks. As my pastor's mama said, "It's always something..."


While I was tending the garden this morning, I harvested some Lemon Balm to make a refreshing tea. This is something I have never tried before. I have cooked with herbs for years, but had never made a fresh herb "tea" (can't technically call it tea, but who cares). The herbal infusion is terrific and so very refreshing. I adore lemon flavoring, but thought this might taste grassy. I was so wrong. It is light and lemony with lingering whisper of flavor. Very tough to describe. It makes getting that water in a pleasure--even better knowing I grew it myself. Mint would work the same. Both are just the thing for summer afternoons.

Lemon Balm Tea

1 cup fresh lemon balm leaves
1 quart water

Rinse off the leaves before brewing. Bring 1 quart of water to a boil. Pour the water over the leaves in a lidded tea pot or large jar. After ten minutes, use a long spoon to bruise the leaves against the sides of the pot. Let the tea brew for an additional 20 minutes. Strain the tea. Sweeten if desired. Good hot or cold. I found that mine is delicious at this strength even when diluted with ice, so you can drink it right away. Store the leftovers in the fridge up to 5 days.

Even if you normally prefer sweetened drinks, try this without the sweetener first. It is very crisp and refreshing.

Country Fried Steak Fingers

Cube steak was on sale this week at the nearest grocery store to my home. All my men love country fried steak, and always order that when we dine out at home-style restaurants. The low carb version my not be quite the same, but the fingers are tasty. This week, I made enough to make a "Triple Play" recipe.

Tonight, we are having steak fingers with gravy. Later in the week, the fingers will show up in a lunch salad, then in wraps made with lavash bread. They gravy I tried was not all that wonderful, so I will spare you those details.

The breading I used today was soy flour, flax meal and wheat bran mix. I dipped the fingers in egg, then dredged them in the flour mixture. Remember that when you fry with soy flour, the breading darkens more than with wheat flour...especially after the first batch. If you are avoiding soy, you could easily substitute another flour. I even saw recipes using all flax meal, but I haven't personally tried that.

Well, the Chicken Blanco casseroles are wrapped and ready to go into the freezer, and the extra chicken is cubed for this week's chicken salad. We had some guests today, so I am postponing making my muffins and Minute Sausage until tomorrow morning. It is good to be flexible--just as long as I still get it done in a reasonable time. Then I know I will always have some home-made food ready on the quick. That is good to know.

Sharing a Little Valentine Romance

We had a little Valentine get together low carb style. It was more fun than going out to a steakhouse only to have to send away those incredible smelling rolls and those decadent desserts. We had just as elegant a menu...and a private dining room too! Our friends Gary and Denise joined us. We had a wonderful time.

My son Christian served as a waiter. The evening menu John and I prepared consisted of petite, bacon wrapped steaks, Spinach Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette, and Rutabaga Au Gratin. Denise brought along Baked Cauliflower and green beans with bacon. For a dessert that rivaled any restaurant, I made Chocolate Kahlua Mousse. Everyone loved it.

The candlelight was beautiful--only the light was too low for my pictures to turn out well. I'll add a pic even though it is a bit blurry. Most of the recipes were in the February 24/7 Low Carb Diner newsletter. Next month, I will be publishing some snack recipes, so get your orders in. It is available on the website.