Sara's Weeknight Meals

Sometimes all you need are a few simple ingredients to make a fast weeknight meal worthy of a dinner party. That’s what Sara does with her Pork Loin in a creamy mustard sauce spiked with prunes. In Savannah, Georgia, Sara joins Mashama Bailey, the James Beard Award winning chef of The Grey, to make an elegant and easy Dirty Duck Rice plus a simple salad of Dandelion Greens. Later, a tour of Savannah’s hidden culinary hot spots.

The focus is on foods of Latin America, but with a twist. Sara goes to Charlotte, North Carolina to join a viewer with a unique take on tamales – this one is for dessert. Then she joins a Miami food blogger with her own take on traditional Vaca Frita. This one’s with Chicken and is served in a taco. And it's so good.

Lovers of Cuban food love Miami and so does Sara. Today she’s in the Magic City to sample the best of Little Havana on a walking tour that includes bracing Cuban Coffee, delicious empanadas, ice cream and of course, mojitos. Then she cooks with a real Cuban Abuela who shares an old school recipe for Shrimp Enchilados. Finally, with legendary Cuban cook Maricel Presilla Sara makes a Cuban Style Vegetarian Picada. Delicioso, and easy enough for a weeknight.

Which came first, the Poulet or the Oeuf? Today its eggs cooked in classic French recipes like a Ham and Egg Galette and classic Eggs Baked in Red Wine, plus Sara’s version of a Julia Child favorite, Broccoli Goat Cheese Souffléd Omelette. Weeknight meals made simple with eggs – tres bon.

Ginger has it all: it’s good for you, has depth of flavor, and works in many kinds of dishes. That’s why we’re mixing it up today with three completely different takes. First Mussels and Bok Choy gets complex with a gingery broth; then ginger gives ordinary burgers a Korean flavor profile. And finally, homemade ginger beer - a bartender shows Sara a deceptively simple recipe that’s the secret to a delicious Dark and Stormy cocktail.

Leafy greens plus meat equals a delicious, fast and healthy dinner. First grilling Queen Elizabeth Karmel shows Sara how a grill chicken paillard punches up a Greek Farmers Salad with Tzatziki sauce. Sara comes in with a Warm Steak House Salad of her own. And then, a take on the classic appetizer, a Two Melon Prosciutto and Feta Salad perfect for an al fresco meal.

They call Key West the Conch Republic, but this quirky little island has some of the best seafood around. Sara’s there to cook with Norman Van Aken who put Key West food on the map. First up, a spicy Bahamian Soup followed by the Key West version of a pot luck, the ‘Cut up’ Salad. On Ask Sara, tricks for cutting Avocados and Cherry Tomatoes.

The simplest weeknight meal starts with two pieces of bread and today Sara’s got takes on two American favorites. First, she joins a beekeeper in Savannah, Georgia to make a Rosemary Honey and Georgia Peach Chutney Burger. Next, midwestern Kielbasa Sandwiches get an added kick with Kimchee and Cheddar Cheese.

Chicken is a weeknight staple and we’ve got three amazing ways to prepare it. First, Sara goes to Charleston, South Carolina to learn the secrets behind a local favorite – Martha Lou’s Fried Chicken. Then, Sara’s got a killer recipe for White Chicken Chili. And on Ask Sara, an easy way to flatten chicken breasts.

Sara tours the South for some mouthwatering favorites, starting in the Church Tea Rooms of Charleston, South Carolina, where every spring parishioners serve local favorites like She Crab Soup, Huguenot Torte and Pimento Cheese Sandwiches. Then it’s off to the Louisiana Bayou where Sara catches some crawfish with a local Cajun, then joins him to cook a delicious Crawfish Etouffee served at a big local party.