It's Wednesday. So What's Cooking?

Pan Fried Ham Steak, Sweet Potatoes, and Peach Salad

A nice easy meal for a hot summer day.


Baked Sweet Potatoes
Peach Salad
Pan Fried Ham Steak
Steamed Broccoli Flowerets
White Wine - Chardonnay



Baked Sweet Potatoes
1 potato for each diner, rinsed but not scrubbed
Vegetable oil
Butter

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Rub a little vegetable oil on the potato skins to keep them moist while baking. Lay the potatoes into a cookie sheet, set in the middle of the top shelf. Bake for 50 minutes (depending on their size) or until a tooth pick inserts easily.

Serve with butter as you would a baked Idaho potato.

Peach Salad
Cling peaches canned in lite syrup
Cottage Cheese
Nutmeg

Scoop out the quantity of cottage cheese you like in separate salad bowls.

Open the canned peaches, but do not drain them. A bit of juice flavors the cheese.

If you used sliced peaches, lay them decoratively around the mound of cottage cheese.
If you chose peach halves, place them in the bowl first, then top with cottage cheese.

In either case, sprinkle a dash of nutmeg over the top. It adds a dash of color and a nice flavor.

Store uncovered in the fridge until dinner.Serve with the meal.

Broccoli Flowerets
Broccoli heads rinsed and trimmed, allow five medium-size pieces per person
½ cup chicken stock fresh or canned
Tap water
2 tbsp. butter
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Pour chicken stock into a saucepan. Add enough water to come up to the bottom of your vegetable steamer. Cover and simmer until just tender, about 4 minutes.

If you don’t have a steamer, drop the broccoli into the simmering water mixture. Cover and cook until just tender, about 4 minutes.

Carefully spoon broccoli into a serving bowl, dot with butter, then add pepper.

Pan Fried Ham Steak
1 Ham steak
½ tsp. ground cloves
Parsley sprigs

Use your favorite large frying pan over medium heat. Lay the ham into the pan. Sprinkle half the ground cloves over the ham. Heat about 4 minutes, then turn over. Sprinkle with remaining cloves and hear through.

Garnish with a few parsley springs when you serve.

I'll return Friday with more writing tips. Until then...

Stay cool!

Sloane Taylor