The weather has finally gotten a bit warmer and I felt that this week’s meal needed to acknowledge the nice weather. I know it’s not summer yet, but here is a colorful, tasty, spring/summer menu for you. Many of the ingredients are from this week’s specials in our ad, so not only do you get a great meal, you get a great deal!

(Chef’s hat denotes sale item)

In This Menu:

• BBQ Spareribs
• Grilled Asparagus
• “Loaded” Baked Potato Salad
• Simple Spring Salad
• Strawberries with Sour Cream and Brown Sugar

Serves 6

• 1/4 cup paprika
• 2 tablespoons Kosher cup salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 2 slabs of pork spare ribs (13 to 15 ribs per slab)

In a medium-size bowl, combine the paprika, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, brown sugar, and red pepper to taste. You need to taste this “dry rub” before applying it to the meat. Sprinkle dry rub lightly onto both sides of ribs. If you have a smoker, smoke ribs at 225° for 5 hours. Baste with sauce for the last 30 minutes.

For those of you who don’t have a home smoker and are using a grill, fire up about 30 briquettes. When they are about 80 percent ash, spread the coals and grill the ribs 6 inches above the hot coals for 1½ hours. Turn the meat every 15 to 20 minutes and baste with barbecue sauce. Serve ribs with Grilled Asparagus and Loaded Baked Potato Salad from our deli.

Serves 4

• 1 bunch asparagus
• 3 tablespoons lemon infused olive oil (available at Price Cutter Plus stores)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Cut the bottom 2 inches from asparagus. In a medium bowl, toss asparagus with remaining ingredients until coated evenly. 10 minutes before you are ready to eat, place on grill and cook for 8 to 10 minutes checking frequently.

“Loaded” Baked Potato Salad

Purchase at our store deli for a great price this week!

Besides the salt and pepper, everything in this recipe is on sale this week. What a deal!

Serves 6

• 1 bunch tomatoes on the vine
• 2 avocados
• 1 bag Dole Lettuce Mix
• About ¼ cup Lighthouse Balsamic Vinaigrette

Toss greens with enough dressing to lightly coat them. Divide between 6 plates. Slice tomatoes and avocados and place in front of greens. Sprinkle tomatoes, avocados, and greens with a little salt and pepper.

Serves 6

We have beautiful strawberries for sale this week. This is a simple way to serve the berries, but maybe my favorite!

• 1 container fresh strawberries
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup brown sugar

Place strawberries on a plate and the sour cream and brown sugar in separate, small bowls. Dip strawberries in sour cream, then brown sugar. Enjoy!

I think you will enjoy this menu. The salad is one of the best I’ve had in a long time. The citrus dressing works perfectly for the Anjou pears and blue cheese. The tilapia is truly outstanding and the New York Cheesecake with Dark Chocolate Ganache is very simple to do.

Inspiration for the tilapia dish came from a great restaurant called The Dunes, owned by one of my favorite chefs, Jean George. I had the good fortune to eat there several years ago and had a great dish similar to this. This is my version. It sounds a bit strange to pour a broth around the mashed potatoes, but the blending of the potatoes with the broth is truly incredible. Enjoy!

(Chef’s hat denotes weekly sale item)

In This Menu:

• Tilapia with Wasabi Potatoes and Miso Broth
• Anjou Pear Salad
• Cheesecake with Dark Chocolate Ganache

Wasabi Whipped Potatoes

• 1½ pounds of Deli mashed potatoes
• 1 small bag of fresh spinach
• 1 tablespoon Wasabi powder mixed with 2 teaspoons orange juice (water is fine, juice is better)

Bring 1 quart of water in a medium saucepan to boil. Add spinach. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, drain, and run spinach in cold water immediately to cool and set the color. Place cooked spinach and wasabi in food processor and pulse, scraping sides frequently until spinach is fairly smooth.

Heat potatoes in microwave, loosely covered, for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until potatoes are ready to serve. Place potatoes in a large bowl and add spinach-wasabi mixture. Stir the spinach into the potatoes until you have a consistent color. Keep warm.

For the asparagus:

• ½ bunch asparagus, washed and trimmed
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• Coarse kosher or sea salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil (in Asian section of our store)

Blanch the asparagus in lightly salted boiling water for about 3 minutes or until crisp-tender; do not overcook. Remove from heat and refresh under cold water; drain well. In a small saucepan, toss asparagus with remaining ingredients until evenly coated and warmed through.

For the fish:

• 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
• ¼ cup black sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 4 fillets of tilapia
• ½ cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°. Mix sesame seeds with bread crumbs, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Lay fish on a cookie sheet or baking tray with an edge. Brush each fillet with half of the olive oil. Set remaining olive oil aside. Sprinkle Panko mixture liberally over each fillet. Lightly dab the remaining olive oil on top of bread crumbs to help it brown.

Bake fillets for 12 minutes. Remove from oven.

To plate:

Put about a 3/4 cup scoop of the potatoes in the center of a shallow bowl. Carefully place fish on potatoes. Pour ½ cup Miso broth around potatoes. Top fish with 4 asparagus spears. Serve immediately.

For the dressing:

• 2 teaspoons minced, fresh ginger
• Juice of one navel orange
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Put ginger in a small bowl with the orange juice. Add sugar, salt, and black pepper. Slowly drizzle oil into juice while beating with a wire whip continuously until all of the oil is gone.

For the salad:

• 2 cups ice water
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 Anjou pears
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup blue cheese
• 4 small handfuls of your favorite lettuce blend

Mix ice water with lemon juice in a small bowl. Cut pears into quarters and remove core. Slice each quarter into three slices. Place slices in the acidulated water (fancy chef term for water with lemon!). The lemon will keep the pears from turning brown. In another bowl toss the lettuce with about 2 tablespoons of the dressing. Have four plates ready and place equal amounts of the dressed lettuce in center of each plate. Remove pears from water, drain, then place in same bowl you tossed the lettuce in. Add the walnuts and blue cheese to pears. Add dressing and toss to coat pears completely. Stack pears on top of lettuce and serve. Serve immediately.

1 New York Cheesecake from our Bakery

For Ganache:

• 1 cup good quality, dark chocolate
• ½ cup heavy cream

In a double boiler, melt chocolate. Add cream and mix well with a wire whip. Remove from heat and ladle over center of cheesecake. Serve immediately.

[Picture does not necessarily represent the recipe]

Starting this week, we are offering you our new weekly Chef-Inspired Meal Plan, recipes written by Price Cutter chef, James Clary. These delicious and cost effective meal ideas will serve to help you with your weekly meal planning for your family or get-together. Make sure to look for more meal plans in the coming weeks!

This week’s featured meal plan:

• Warm Spinach Salad with Mushrooms and Cherry Tomatoes in Lighthouse Vinaigrette
• Top Sirloin with Red Wine Sauce, Whipped Potatoes, and Asparagus
• Coconut Almond Layer Cake with Blue Bell Ice Cream

INGREDIENTS

• Two, 5 oz. bags Earthbound spinach
• 2 slices thick cut lean bacon cut into strips
• ½ cup sliced mushrooms
• ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
• 6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles
• ¼ cup Litehouse Vinaigrette Dressing
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

1. Put spinach into a serving bowl.
2. Heat a nonstick skillet then add bacon and cook until crisp and brown.
3. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels then drain all fat from skillet except about 1 tablespoon.
4. Sauté mushrooms and red onion in bacon fat for about 2 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes.
6. Remove mushrooms, onions and tomatoes and add to spinach with bacon.
7. Add blue cheese to salad.
8. Pour Litehouse Vinaigrette Dressing into skillet and heat on high until the dressing is very warm, but not boiling.
9. Pour dressing over salad with salt and pepper.
10. Toss and serve immediately.

Whipped potatoes available at the Price Cutter deli.

INGREDIENTS

• Four, 10 to 12 oz. Top Sirloin

Ingredients for the Marinade

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

PREPARATION

Combine ingredients for marinade in a small mixing bowl and blend well with a wire whip or spoon. Place steaks in a non-reactive container (like a glass Pyrex) and pour marinade over steaks, turning to coat evenly. Marinade for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.

Remove steak from pan, discarding any remaining marinade. Grill or broil steak to desired temperature.

Ingredients for the Red Wine Sauce

• 1.750 liter bottle BV Coastal Cabernet or Merlot
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot or white onion
• ½ cup beef broth
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon coarse, black pepper
• 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water

PREPARATION

In small saucepan combine first five ingredients, bring to a boil and reduce by ½. Mix cornstarch with water. Add to sauce and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and serve over steaks.

Ingredients for Asparagus

• 2 quarts of water
• 1 bundle of asparagus
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 mixing bowl filled with ice water

PREPARATION

Cut the bottom 2 inches off asparagus. Bring water to boil in medium sauce pan. Place asparagus in boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Remove asparagus and plunge immediately into ice water. Allow asparagus to cool, drain well and set aside. When steaks are almost ready, cook asparagus in a medium saute pan or skillet with butter, olive oil, salt and pepper.

PREPARATION

Cut 4 servings Coconut Almond Layer Cake, microwave for 20 seconds and top with your favorite Blue Bell Ice Cream.

[Pictured: Jeff Strain and Mike Voyles, Store Director at #3]

A great time was had by all at the 29th annual Sertoma Chili Cook-Off, which raised $170,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Ozarks. The Price Cutter booth, “Love Throne,” was a huge hit, offering attendees the opportunity to test their passion, sample chili and get a copy of Chef Clary’s award winning chili recipe.

Price Cutter received 2 awards: 1st Place in Chili Group 4 and 1st Place “Fattest Fish Bowl” in the business division.

SertomaChiliCookOff.com

[Pictured above: Sara Cochran and Lacey Waters]

[Pictured: Wes Bragg (Store Director at #52), Bill Stroup (Store Director at #31), Jeff Strain, Mike Voyles (Store Director at #3), Chad Smith (Store Director at #6), Mike Kennedy (Store Director at #30), Matt McDowell (Store Director at #51), Derek Longley]

I’ll never forget the first time I tasted fresh fish from Alaska. It was a Copper River Coho salmon and it was one of the best things I had ever tried. I soon began ordering fresh, wild salmon from Alaska every season (which started in May and ran through September) and was always disappointed when the season was over. That is until someone sent me some Steelhead salmon which are caught all the way through winter – an unbelievable fish.

INGREDIENTS

• 4, 8 oz. portions Steelhead salmon
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Pepper

For the sauce:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto (available in our Plus stores)
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot or white onion
• ¼ cup white wine
• Pinch Kosher salt
• Pinch coarse pepper

PREPARATION

Heat a grill or sauté pan until very hot. Brush fish with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Grill or sauté to desired degree of doneness. I prefer Steelhead done medium at most. Any more than that and it tends to dry out.

To make the sauce:

Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and continue to simmer, uncovered until sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Nap sauce over fish and serve with any green vegetable and light pasta.

My father had a great influence on me in many ways, not the least of which was stirring up a passion for Chinese food and cooking. My earliest memory of using a knife to chop vegetables in our kitchen was while I was helping Dad prepare one of the many multi-course Chinese feasts that he did for friends and family. Of all the dishes that I learned back then, my favorite Chinese dish was, and still is, Potstickers. When done right, they are soft on the top, crispy on the bottom, and when combined with the dipping sauce, Potstickers is one of life’s greatest pleasures! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Dumpling Dough:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup boiling water

Filling:

• 8 ounces Napa cabbage
• 1 oz. peeled, fresh ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pound boneless pork loin
• ¼ cup finely chopped green onions, with tops
• 1 TB white wine
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Dash white pepper

Dipping Sauce:

• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce or Chinese Mustard (optional)

PREPARATION

Cut the ginger into ¼-inch pieces. Cut the cabbage into 1-inch pieces. Put ginger in food processor and pulse until very fine. Add cabbage and pulse until cabbage is very fine and mixed with ginger. Place cabbage/ginger mixture in large bowl. Cut pork into cubes and place in processor. Pulse until pork is very finely chopped. Add pork to bowl with cabbage. Add the green onions, wine, cornstarch, salt, sesame oil, white pepper to the pork and cabbage mixture. Mix well.

In another bowl, mix the flour and 1 cup boiling water until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough on a lightly flour surface for about 5 minutes or until smooth.

Divide the dough in half. Roll dough out on a floured surface until thin, but not transparent. Cut 3-inch circles out of dough and place 1 tablespoon pork mixture in the center of each circle. Wet the edge of the dough and fold the dough over the meat mixture and then pinch dough closed around meat. Press edges with a fork to seal dumpling. Place on a lightly floured surface until ready to cook. Repeat with the remaining circles of dough and filling. The scrap dough can be reworked and cut.

Heat a nonstick skillet until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to pan. Place as many dumplings in the pan as will comfortably fit and cook until the bottoms are golden brown.

Add ½ cup water to pan. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes, remove lid and continue cooking until the water is evaporated and dumplings begin to get crisp on the bottom. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.

To make the dipping sauce, in a small bowl, mix the soy sauce with sesame oil, vinegar, and hot sauce. There are many variations of dipping sauces. Don’t be afraid to try some different combinations of ingredients. Serve with the dumplings.

In the fall of 2007, Andy Williams asked me to help him develop a restaurant concept for the space next to his theater in Branson. I had worked for Andy in the past and knew that any restaurant that he put his name on would be first class. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance. I was in charge of conceptual development along with Andy and his wife Debbie as well as hiring, training, and basically everything else that has to be done in opening a restaurant. In the spring of 2007, we opened the Moon River Grill to much fanfare and a stunning VIP party that featured an 18 foot seafood display in a real canoe! The recipe below is a variation of one that I created for Andy.

Although you see meatballs at many football parties, rarely do you taste one home-made and as delicious as these!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¾ cup onions (finely minced)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 lb. ground round
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 1 egg, beaten until frothy
• 2 slices stale white bread
• ½ cups milk
• 3 teaspoons
• 2 teaspoons black pepper

PREPARATION

Heat sauté pan and add the oil. Sauté onions and garlic in sauté pan over medium heat until onions are soft. Add thyme, oregano and basil and sauté for another minutes or so. Chill onion mixture. Place bread and milk in a mixing bowl. Let bread soak until it absorbs all the milk then squeeze out milk, tear into small pieces, and combine with beef in a separate mixing bowl and add the onion mixture, the egg, and salt and pepper. Mix well (but do not over work the meat) this will make the meatballs tough. Weigh out 2 ounce portions. The meatballs should be perfectly round. This is achieved by using slightly wet hand and throwing the meatballs from one hand to the other a few times then making a perfect ball by gently rolling.

There are two methods for cooking the meatballs:

You can either bake in a 350° oven for 20 to 30 minutes or place raw meatballs in your favorite tomato sauce, bring to a simmer and cook in the sauce, covered, for 45 minutes.

You can use any number of different sauces for the meatballs and they can be served swimming in the sauce or with the sauce on the side for dipping.

Aspiration, also known as broccolini, is a wonderful green vegetable which was produced by crossing Chinese Broccoli with traditional broccoli. It has a long, edible stem and is topped by tender broccoli-like florets. Due to its mild, pleasant flavor, broccolini has more of an appeal than traditional broccoli. The name confusion will eventually be solved by the giants in the vegetable world, but for now, buy it under any name because it is really a great vegetable! Any method that works with broccoli will work with aspirations. I chose this for my Game Day trio since this dish will please the meat eaters as well as vegetarians at your house!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 quarts of water
• 1 large bowl of ice water
• 2 bunches aspirations
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 container Sabra Hummus (available in our deli)

PREPARATION

Bring 2 quarts of water to boil over high heat in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium. Remove rubber bands form the aspirations and place in the boiling water. Simmer for 2 to 4 minutes depending on your preference for cooking green vegetables. Remove from pan and immediately plunge in ice water. When completely cooled, remove from ice water and drain well. In a large bowl, toss aspirations with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Remove hummus from container and place in the middle of a large platter. Arrange the aspirations around edge of platter. Serve cold.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 lb. chicken wings
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 stick melted butter

For the Marinade:

• 2 cup yogurt, plain, unflavored
• 6 fl oz. lemon juice
• 4 fl oz. Dijon mustard
• 6 tsp. garlic
• 4 tsp. salt
• 4 tsp. sage
• 4 tsp. oregano
• 4 tsp. pepper
• 1.5 lb. onions, raw, minced

PREPARATION

Combine all ingredients for marinade. Add chicken wings to marinade and marinade overnight or at least 2 hours. Mix bread crumbs with Parmesan. Remove wings from marinade, place in bread crumb mixture and toss to coat wings evenly. Placed on non-stick cookie sheet or a greased cookie sheet. Brush lightly with melted butter and bake at 425° for about 30 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (8 oz) container sour cream
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 package dry vegetable soup mix
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (10 oz) package baby spinach, chopped or frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 3 tbsp finely chopped onion

PREPARATION

Combine all ingredients in large bowl and chill 2 hours before serving. Serve with pita chips.

Homemade Pita Chips ( serves 8 )

INGREDIENTS

• One package of pita bread (any brand)
• Olive oil
• Sea or Kosher Salt
• Coarse Black Pepper

PREPARATION

Cut pita bread into bite size triangles and put in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Toss with olive oil and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.