Chinese Slaw Salad and Grilled Portobellos

My brother-in-law, David is being inducted into the Knights of Columbus this evening, so Cindy, Chris, and David are attending a special induction dinner tonight. Congratulations David!

I'm making dinner today instead of tomorrow for Mom and Dad. We're having Chinese Slaw Salad, grilled portobello mushrooms, and Quick Tiramisu Trifle.

I've made Chinese Slaw Salad before and it is yummy! I use a recipe I got from one of those local church or school cookbooks that folks put together for fundraisers. I don't know which book it was from because I cut the recipe out to put in my keeper file. Here's the recipe:

Evelyn Glaze's Chinese Slaw Salad
1 large head cabbage or 1 lb bag slaw mix
5 green onions, chopped
1 stick butter or margarine
2 (3 oz) pkg. dry Ramen noodles (use only the noodles, not the flavor pack)
1/2 Cup slivered almonds
1/2 Cup sunflower seed kernels
1/2 Cup sesame seed
1 Cup oil
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 Cup cider vinegar

1- Mix chopped cabbage/slaw mix and onions; set aside.
2- Melt butter in a skillet; add the crushed noodles. Cook over medium heat until lightly browned. Watch carefully as the noodles burn easily. Add almonds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seed. Toss until lightly toasted. Let set to cool.
3- Combine oil, soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar. Mix until sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate.
4- When noodle mixture is completely cooled, toss with the slaw and pour soy sauce dressing over the salad just before serving.
Serves 6-8

Note: I purchase already toasted sesame seed that can be found in the Chinese section of the grocery; it is a lot less expensive than the sesame seed found in the spice aisle. Because the sesame seeds are already toasted, I add them after the noodles and nuts have toasted.

The portobellos are marinating in Adria's steak sauce and I'll just grill them. Sam Andria, the creator of the sauce, is a friend of my Dad. Sam used to operate Sam's tavern in Granite City when I was a little girl and he used to tease my sister and me when we went there with Dad. When he opened his Steak House restaurant we would go there from time to time and enjoy a truly terrific meal. The sauce is available in our local grocery; I think it may work quite well with the mushrooms.

The Tiramisu recipe is from the most recent Vegetarian Times magazine. It includes mascarpone, sweet Marsala wine, sugar, espresso, whipping cream, pound cake, and bittersweet chocolate. Mmmm...should be good. You can find it on page 42 of the September 2011 issue.

It all sounds good to me. I'll be sure to let you know how it all turns out!