Beverages
Sunrise Punch – A refreshing citrus punch
Breads
Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting – Your standard cinnamon roll recipe, but the frosting is really what makes these to die for. The frosting calls for lemon juice, but orange juice and zest also make a great variation.
Coconut Bread – A sweet quick bread recipe from my good friend, Amy Odiorne. Sooo delish! This is great to serve at a brunch with other sweet breads and fruit platters.
Cornbread – A sweet cornbread that is a great complement to my spicy chili.
Lissy’s Sweet Bread – My signature bread recipe, though I can’t claim to have created it. This is a wonderful doughy sweet bread with a beautiful presentation – a round loaf brushed with egg yolk for a shiny crust.
Vicky’s Crescent Rolls – No Schwerdt family gathering is complete without these sweet dinner rolls. A must for holiday meals.
Breakfast
Swedish Pancakes – An americanized version of Swedish pancakes, really more like a crepe. Very yummy and very easy.
Main Courses – Beef
Beef Tenderloin with Peppercorn Sauce
Beef Teriyaki – Easy and flavorful. Just a heads up: It needs to marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, but this allows time to make the sauce and heat up the grill. Serve with rice.
Dry Aged Standing Rib Roast
Well Done Hamburgers on a Gas Grill – Our favorite burger recipe. Cook them to well done, and they’ll still be juicy.
Main Courses - Pasta
Pasta with Creamy Tomato and Sausage Sauce – A family favorite, easy and tasty. The recipe calls for fettucine and sweet italian sausage; however, we prefer penne pasta and spicy italian sausage.
Spaghetti Carbonara – We add a little extra pancetta and usually forego the frisee lettuce. Very yummy – and satisfying to Jason’s poached egg fix.
Main Courses – Pork
Baby Back Ribs – Another easy one, use the left over broth to make a tasty gravy.
Crispy Pork Tacos – Pulled pork tacos with a wonderful citrus flavor. Great for entertaining. Leftovers make excellent pulled pork sandwiches when topped with a little Carolina Red Sauce. Mmm.
Pork Marsala
Main Courses – Poultry
Angelas Awesome Enchiladas – Excellent enchiladas, amp up the cayenne and get the extra hot enchilada sauce.
Chicken: Italian Style – A twist on Chicken Saltimbocca.
Citrus Chicken Fricassee with New Potatoes and Baby Veggies – Light on calories, and very tasty. A great Sunday meal.
Cordon Bleu Stuffed Chicken – Skip the prosciutto and go for regular ham
Crispy Roast Lemon Chicken
Grilled Lemon Chicken – A grilled chicken recipe that Jason grew up with. Nice subtle flavor. Sometimes we’ll reserve some of the basting sauce to pour on top of chicken once cooked to turn up the lemon flavor.
Orange Piccata Chicken with Mixed Greens, Rice, and French Bread – Very simple, tasty, and nice presentation.
Roast Sticky Chicken-Rotisserie Style – Easy to do and if you’re in a hurry, set the oven to 350 and cook for 90m or so, 45m if the chicken is cut.
Summer Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Turkey and Broccoli Casserole
Main Courses – Sandwiches & Salads
Bistro Sandwich with Herb Salad - This is a light, clean, and easy to make meal. Would also make an excellent Sunday lunch.
Romaine Salad with Chicken, Cheddar, Apple, and Spiced Pecans – A great summer salad with a cranberry/raspberry vinaigrette and yummy sweet and spicy pecans. The leftover pecans make a great snack the next day.
Main Courses – Seafood
Mustard-Roasted Salmon with Lingonberry Sauce – INCREDIBLY quick and easy – easily done in 30 minutes including prep. Beautiful presentation as well. We like to serve this with rice and roasted green beans. A great one for company.
Soups
Egg Drop Soup – A winner, even according to folks who don’t like egg drop soup. While Jason might disagree, I think the perfect accompaniment is a side of potstickers.
Tomato Soup – Another classic – Freshness counts…If you don’t have fresh basil and parmesan cheese, go to the store. It just isn’t the same. This is fabulous with grilled cheese, be it your typical cheddar grilled cheese, or our favorite take on grilled cheese – Smoked Mozzarella with Tomato and Basil on Country Bread.
Vegetables & Side Dishes
Classic Mixed Green Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette – Wonderful sweet and tangy vinaigrette. Great with a basic mixed green salad like the one in the recipe or the Romaine Salad with Chicken, Cheddar, Apple, and Spiced Pecans listed in the Main Courses above – just take out the chicken to make it a side salad. In either case, I like to add sliced mushrooms to my salads as well.
Champagne Vinaigrette – Another sweet and tangy vinaigrette. If you can’t find champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar can be substituted.
Macaroni Salad with Chipotles and Cilantro – A great summer side dish with a little bit of kick.
Quick-Cooked Carrots with Mustard-Brown Sugar Glaze – A quick, easy, and sweet side dish.
Outrageous Baked Beans – Great accompaniment to ribs, burgers, and the like.
Desserts
Favorite Cookie Recipe – We have a couple great chocolate chip cookie recipes (Thanks Wynn!), but this one is in the current lead – and no we did let the recipe rest for 24+ hours, srsly
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting – Creamy chocolatey goodness. You might even want some cake with it.