Cooking, Dunkin Style

Butttermilk Baked Chicken

2012-01-12T07:16:00.000-08:00

Hello, I just wanted to say I am doing just fine. I find myself a bit too busy to food blog these days so I plan to share a recipe every so often as I still have over 20 which need to be published!

I have to say I adore my subscription to Cooks Country Magazine and when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I made a few tweaks of course, such as using chicken breasts instead of a cut up fryer and using a mixture of Panko and Bread Crumbs. This is my version of the recipe.

It was quite delicious and very moist! The best part no frying! Whooo Hoooo!

2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup sour cream

1 package Ranch Seasoning

1 tbl salt

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half

1 package Panko crumbs

Regular Bread Crumbs

Pan spray

Brine your chicken in the following mixture:

Buttermilk

Sour Cream

2 tbl of the Ranch dressing mix

Salt

Let sit for an hour up to 12 hours (the longer the better in my opinion)

Mix the Panko and about 1/2 cup bread crumbs, and add the remaining Ranch Dressing Mix

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Remove chicken from the brine, let most of the buttermilk mixture drip off, dredge in the Panko mixture patting on as much as you can. Place on a jelly roll style pan which has been sprayed liberally with pan spray.

Spray the chicken with additional pan spray

Bake until chicken is golden brown and the meat registers 160 degrees, this may take 20 to 30 minutes.

Serve alone or with Ranch Dip

Noodle Lasagna

2011-12-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

I cannot remember where I found this recipe but with my additions it has replaced my Lasagna recipe which I worked on and tweaked for years! My husband loves it which is a plus!

I have always put cottage and cream cheese in my Lasagna, not traditional by any means but we loved it. This recipe adds sour cream which gives it a unique tang! I am going to give you the recipe with my tweaks and additions.

1 bag of No Yolk Noodles or some brand of broad noodles

2 tbl butter

1 lb ground beef

1/2 lb hot Italian sausage (I used hot Italian chicken sausage)

3 small cans (8 oz) of tomato sauce or a jar of your favorite tomato sauce

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, I used Crimini

8 oz cream cheese

8 oz cottage cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp thyme

1 tbl dried oregano

1 tbl dried basil

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder and onion powder

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/3 cup green onions chopped

1/2 yellow onion chopped

1 cup cheddar shredded

1 cup mozzarella or Jack cheese shredded

Cook noodles al dente, they should still be firm, I cooked for about 2/3 the recommended time, drain and rinse with cold water, set aside

Cook your pork and hamburger with the diced onions and the mushrooms until the meat is no longer pink, drain fat and return to the heat, add the sauce and the spices and simmer on low for 30 minutes or so

In the meantime combine the cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream and green onions

Butter a casserole dish and place a layer of the noodles across the bottom, I used half my noodles

Place half the cream cheese mixture on top then half the grated cheeses, then a layer of meat (save a bit of the grated cheeses for later)

Repeat ending up with the meat mixture on top

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or so, placing the remaining cheese on about 10 minutes before it is done.

Let rest for a couple minutes and serve!

Dan Dan Noodles Dunkin Style

2011-12-16T07:05:00.000-08:00

I had heard about Dan Dan Noodles on Yelp and really wanted to try them. We were at a local Chinese Restaurant and they had it on the Menu. The waiter kept telling us that if we were not Asians we would not like it, which frankly peeved me! My husband has been all over the world and eaten the most bizarre things!

We ordered it and it came with noodles and pork, that was it! We were both pretty sure it was supposed to have a bunch more stuff in it, I think our Waiter had the kitchen dumb it down and Americanize it! We then became obsessed with it and finding out how it is supposed to be made. We found many recipes and as usual my Husband took information from all of them and did his own thing! It was quite delicious and will be on our menu from now on!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground pork

1/2 lb ground chicken
2 tbsp honey

1 package (enough for 2 servings) Fresh Chinese Noodles (you can use just about any wheat noodle though, including Udon)

1 Bok Choy end removed and sliced

1 chicken bouillon cube in the water the noodles are cooking in
1/2 English cucumber diced
1 jalapeno end and seeds removed, sliced
2 scallions diced
4-5 mushrooms cleaned and sliced
Red bell pepper diced (optional)
1tsp Shaoxing rice wine (or sherry)
1/4 - 1/2 c dry roasted peanuts

Sauce: (make this in advance - up to 24 hours in advance if refrigerated)

3/4 c Chicken Broth

2 tsp chopped Pickled Vegetables (you can find this in most Asian Markets, we could not find a mix so we got the small jar of pickled cucumber and bamboo shoots)

2 tsp Chili Oil with chili's (if you don't have chili oil with the ground chili's in it, use the regular chili oil and add 3/4 tsp of ground chili flakes)

4 cloves of garlic minced

2 inch knob of Ginger peeled and diced small

2 tbsp light soy

2 tbsp black rice vinegar (no substitution is recommended)

2 1/2 tsp dark soy

1 1/2 tsp dark sesame oil

1/2 tsp ground Szechuan peppercorn (which is not a pepper but dried prickly ash)

Mix all ingredients. When you are ready for assembly microwave until very warm.

Place the meats in a large non stick skillet or Wok, cook while breaking into small pieces with a spoon. Defat the meat while frying. (husband does this by tilting the skillet, push the meat to the high side and mop up grease with unscented paper towels).

Once the meat is beginning to brown up, drizzle in 2tbsp of honey and cook for about another minute getting a little more color. Remove from heat, add about 3tbsp low sodium soy and the 1tsp of Shaoxing mixing into the meat for added flavor. Keep warm

Get your water and bouillon cube boiling for your noodles, cook according to package directions. Toss in the bok choy when you have about one minute cook time remaining to give them a quick blanch. Drain noodles/veggies.

Assembly is very quick. While noodles are still piping hot, portion into bowls as the base. Add veggies, cucumber, scallions, red peppers and whatever else you're going to throw in. Pile on about 3/4 C of the meat mixture and start with ~1/2 C of the warmed sauce.

Garnish with peanuts and chili's as desired.

Symphony Brownies

2011-11-21T05:30:00.000-08:00

I was busy cruising around my favorite food blogs and came across this recipe for Symphony Brownies, which originated from Paula Deen. It is so simple, two ingredients, and they are delicious. I have not actually heard of the Symphony Candy Bar, but I have been missing out, they are so delicious.

Brownie Mix of your Choice (I swear by Ghiradelli Brand and used one with nuts for this)
2-3 Symphony Candy Bars

Make your brownie mix according to package directions, (the Ghiradelli Brand only makes enough batter to use a 9X9 or 8x8 Pan)

Place aluminum foil in your pan and up the sides, get it in there nice and tight. Spray with non stick pan spray

Pour half your brownie mix into the bottom of the pan, then layer in your Symphony Bars

Pour the remaining half of the batter in top and bake according to the package directions.

Mine took longer that the package suggested, let cool, remove by using the foil, and cut when entirely cool.

They are very rich!

Swirl Cake with Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

2011-11-13T05:44:00.000-08:00

My husband and his Father were working on a new upper deck on Sunday and I was bored and decided to make a cake! I love making cakes and had to try out my new Fat Daddios Cake Pans (which are the best by the way)

I wanted to do a swirl cake and try to make my very first batch of Buttercream Frosting, in between feeding and watering the boys!

This is hands down the best cake I have ever made, that buttercream frosting is amazing, seriously. I will use this from now on!!!!

One note; this buttercream frosting is exactly enough to frost a 9 inch cake with a bit left over for decorating. There is not enough do use for filling.

1 box of chocolate cake mix
1 box of vanilla cake mix

Cake

Prepare the cakes mixes according to package directions, Spray your two 9 inch cake pans with my favorite option Bake Easy, add half of your chocolate mix to each pan and then add your vanilla batter or top.

Using a chop stick, make swirls in the mixture of the white and chocolate mixes (I use a figure 8 pattern)

Bake according to package directions or do what I do and bake at about 300 for as long as it takes (I learned that slow and low helps keep doming to a minimum)

Frosting

3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream

Directions In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.

Filling

I used an entire jar of my home made Strawberry Jam

Both of my cakes domed quite a lot so I used a long bread knife to cut off the domed part (save it for another use)

Place your 1st round down on your cake pedestal, using an offset spatula spread your jam all over the cake

Place your 2nd round upside down on top (the perfect side up)

Place a large amount of the buttercream frosting on the top of your cake, using an offset spatula spread around and down the side of the cake. I did not do a crumb layer as the amount of frosting does not allow it.

One thing I learned is to finish the frosting and make it smooth is to run your offset spatula under hot water and then wipe off and smooth things out.

I obviously used a pastry bag for the decorations and some sprinkles I found in the pantry!

Fresh Peach Cake

2011-10-27T05:58:00.000-07:00

I had three Peaches and no idea what to do with them, I had been thinking about making a Fresh Peach Cake for awhile now and decided today was the day. After the Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp I made last week I was looking for something a little healthier and with less fat and sugar.

My husband suggested using Peach Yogurt instead of oil or butter in the recipe and I thought of using Egg Beaters to make it even less offensive to my diet. I went on a little buying spree at King Arthur Flour a few weeks back and bought some Orange Juice Powder, hubby suggested I put some of that in as well for a little flavor umphhhh!

The cake was moist and very delicious and I didn't feel too guilty about eating it.

1 yellow cake mix
3 peaches, peeled and pitted
3 eggs worth of egg beaters (or whatever number your cake mix calls for)
1 container low fat or fat free Yogurt
1/2 tsp Orange Juice Powder (absolutely optional)
2 tsp sugar (optional)

Cut your peaches up into 2 inch slices and toss with sugar (if you have really peak of the season peach's you probably don't need to do this, but mine were not that sweet), set aside

Make your cake mix according to directions using the Egg Beaters instead of eggs and adding the yogurt in place of fat.

MY cake mix called for 1 1/4 cup of water which I cut down to 1 cup

Mix the cake mix according to package directions and add in peaches, mix well and place into a greased vessel of your choosing I used a 9X9 baking pan

Cook according to package directions, cool and serve

p.s. I was an idiot and did not cut my peaches small enough, next time I will cut them really small or puree them !

Small update: I am doing fine, better than ever actually, just a bit too busy to blog much lately. I appreciate all your emails and comments asking how I am. You guys rock!

Turtle Brownies Plus!

2011-10-08T05:13:00.000-07:00

It is no secret I like making brownies and some cakes from a boxed mix. When it comes to brownies I only use the Ghiradelli mixes, they are hands down the best in the land!

I was going to a barbequeue at the beach with my brother and wanted to bring some yummy brownies. I decided to use the Turtle Mix and add a special ingredient!

Yep I used chopped up Malted Milk Balls. Yes it was the best brownie I think I have ever eaten.

Two ingredients

Ghiradel Turtle Mix
Package of Whoppers, chopped

Make the brownies as suggested on the box and add the Whoppers

Try not to eat them all at once, they are extra special with a scoop of ice cream

Creme Brulee

2011-10-02T04:46:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to make Creme Brulee ever since my husband bought me a mini torch. Previously, I had been using the one he has for his barbecuing which is huge and scary!

It seems like there are many recipes with varying amount of difficulty for making the Brulee. I found one I liked here, and tweaked it for my tastes! I think using real vanilla bean makes the difference! It is super creamy and yummy, and sooo easy. It is also Gluten Free so I shared with my Mother In Law and she loved it!

Depending on the size of your ramekins this makes from 4-6 servings

2 cups heavy cream

5 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tbl vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean, sliced open and the seeds scraped out
extra sugar for caramelizing on the top (I used Vanilla Sugar)

Mix the cream, yolks, sugar, vanilla extract and vanilla seeds in a large bowl. Really mix it until well incorporated. I would let it settle a bit so the bubbles calm down

Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees

Place ramekins in a large baking dish (you want to be able to pour water in half way up the side of the ramekins)

Fill each ramekin with the mixture, topping off as needed

Pour HOT water into the baking dish (half way up the side of the ramekins)

Bake for approximately one hour. Check for doneness and continue to cook if needed (knife should come out cleanly)

Chill overnight and place a layer of sugar on top of each ramekin and torch it till it turns light brown. You can also do this in the broiler, just keep an eye on it

Marinated and Grilled Asparagus

2011-09-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

I came up with his recipe by accident actually, I had some leftover citrus dressing and decided to marinate and then grill my Asparagus, wow did it turn out well! Letting the Asparagus marinate overnight really gave it a depth of flavor I had not experienced before.

I highly recommend trying this! Mix the below ingredients and use a blender or immersion blender to emulsify.

1/2 cup Orange Juice
Oil of your choice I used light olive oil
Champaign Vinegar to taste
Rice wine Vinegar
Sugar
Dash white pepper
Mandarin orange juice (leftover from a can, optional)

Let the Asparagus marinate for several hours up to overnight and cook on your grill. YUM!

Orange Rhubarb Bread

2011-08-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

I was surfing my favorite food blogs the other day, and I came across this wonderful recipe from Mary at One Perfect Bite, she always makes amazing food and I am new to Rhubarb so this fit my criteria perfectly!

It is wonderfully moist, flavorful and a great way to use Rhubarb, I may just have to grow some myself next year! I highly recommend giving this a try!

Of course since I am a diddler, fiddler and can't leave well enough alone, I had to change it by increasing the amount of ginger and nutmeg and I added some Orange Juice Powder I got from King Arthur Flour to increase the Orange quotient. Finally I made a quick little orange glaze for the top!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup orange juice
1-1/2 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts (I omitted the Walnuts)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
2) In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in orange peel and vanilla.
3) Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger and nutmeg; add to creamed mixture alternately with orange juice. Fold in rhubarb and nuts.
4) Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Yield: 1 loaf (16 slices).

Orange Glaze

Equal parts orange juice and powdered sugar, mix till smooth and well incorporated, drizzle over the bread! YUM

Carmelized Bananna Crepes

2011-07-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

I have had this thought in my head for quite some time and today I realized I had a bunch of bananas that needed to be eaten and some leftover frozen crepes in the freezer, shazam!

My husband and I are mostly savory breakfast folks, but this was really good for a change and super easy!

3 bananas sliced
2 tbl butter
1/4 brown sugar
Crepes buy them or make them
Sliced almonds (optional I wish I had some to use when I made mine)

Slice your bananas into a bowl and set aside

Place the butter and brown sugar into a non stick fry pan on medium heat, and let them caramelize, keep stirring until the color is a nice dark brown and the mixture thickens (I did not let mine go long enough the mixture is too light in color). Add your bananas and cook for about a minute

In the meantime prepare your crepes, cook fresh ones or re-heat some you have

Place some of the mixture down the middle of your crepes, roll them up and top with additional banana mixture and nuts. Whipped cream is also yummy!

Avocado, Graperfruit and Feta Salad

2011-07-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

Recently the California Avocado Association via Foodbuzz offered to send me some of their awesome Avocado's to try. They arrived carefully packed and are absolutely gorgeous! They included an awesome little tool which makes cutting and removing the meat of the Avocado a breeze, Thank you!

I had seen the Avocado, Grapefruit and Feta salad all over the food blogs for months and finally decided to make it myself. The creamy Avocado with the tart Grapefruit and one of my favorite cheeses all worked well together. I will be making this again and again.

I do think this would be good with grapes, purple onion or perhaps some nuts, maybe next time!

1 Avocado, seeded, skin removed and cut into squares
1 Del Monte Grapefruit Cup (drain and reserve juice)
2 to 3 ounces Feta Cheese

Dressing:

½ cup champagne vinegar
3 tablespoons of the reserved Grapefruit Juice
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Strawberry Lemonade

2011-07-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

In the summertime I always feel left out when everyone else is enjoying Strawberry Lemonade when we go out to eat. Being a diabetic I am stuck with Diet Soda or Water.

The other day I had an idea, what if I took fresh strawberries and pureed them with my stick blender and added them to a pitcher of Crystal Lite Lemonade. I was instantly in love, I could be just like everyone else! Whooo Hoooooooooo. It is super easy to make and so refreshing!

I realize this is not rocket science, but if I took me this long to give it a try, maybe someone else who has to go the low sugar route for health reasons or just simply does not care for sugary drinks can use the idea!

My husband thinks a dash of Orange Juice would be good, but I omitted that ingredient!

1/3 to 1/2 cup fresh strawberries (frozen would work I am sure)
1 package Crystal Light Lemonade (or your choice of lemonade)

Puree the strawberries in a blender or use your stick blender, add in a a bit of water to help it along

Add the strawberries into a pitcher along with your Lemonade Mix, add water

Mix well and serve over ice, garnish with a strawberry if desired

Brazilian Cheese Bread - Pão de Queijo

2011-07-04T03:52:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, my mother In Law has developed an allergy to Gluten, Celiacs to be specific, so I have been working on developing and finding recipes she can eat, it has become a hobby of mine.

My Mother In Law holds a special place in my heart, my Mom passed away when I was 16 and my boyfriends Mom (later my Mother In Law) treated me just like one of her own kids. I don't think I would be the person I am today without her guidance and love, so if there is one little thing I can to do make her life easier I like to do it!

I had no idea how hard it is to live the gluten free life, a piece of bread on your plate even when removed can affect you. You need a separate toaster for regular bread versus gluten free bread and on and on. Items you would think have no Gluten often times do, especially bottled salad dressings! How crazy is that!

The rolls are nicely crispy on the outside and the inside almost feels like it is still raw, but that is exactly what it is supposed to be like! These are delicious whether you are allergic to gluten or not!

1/2 cup butter
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups tapioca flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp cayanne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
2/3 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
2 beaten eggs

4 tbl butter mixed with 1 minced garlic clove, microwaved till melted (brush this mixture on the top of the rolls when they come out of the onion for even more flavor)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Pour milk, butter and salt into a large saucepan, and place over high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat immediately, and stir in tapioca flour and spices until smooth.

Set aside to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir the cheese and egg into the tapioca mixture until well combined, the mixture will be chunky like cottage cheese.

Drop rounded balls of the mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet. I used my 1 inch scooper, so the balls were small.

Bake in preheated oven until the tops are lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. (I learned the hard way, they will need closer to 25 minutes till browned and crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside)

Remove and brush with melted butter and garlic mixture.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

2011-06-27T06:17:00.000-07:00

I guess it must be Rhubarb Season because I am seeing it all over the Food Blogs and some very beautiful stalks at the grocery store which I picked up while I was there. I have never made anything with Rhubarb before but I do fondly remember my mom making a Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp when I was a kid which I loved very much!

I took a trip to my local berry farm and got some fresh Oregon berries and proceeded to make quite an amazing dessert with some of our locally sweet berries and tart Rhubarb. A scoop of ice cream or whipped cream and this is even yummier!

I probably won't make this particular recipe again as it is a bit heavy on both the butter and sugar for my tastes, but I definitely will experiment and see if I can make a healthier version for next time!

1 cup white sugar
3 tbsp AP Flour
3 cups strawberries (I left the small ones whole and cut the big ones in half, 3 cups was about 2 pints)
3 cups diced rhubarb (I peeled off as much of the outer skin as I could easily do)
1.5 cups AP Flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup rolled oats
1 tbsp ginger finely chopped
1/2 to 1 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mix the white sugar, 3 tbsp flour, strawberries and rhubarb well in a large bowl

Pour into a 9X13 greased baking dish (or whatever you have that will fit the berries)

Mix 1.5 cups flour, brown sugar, butter and oats till crumbly (you can use a pastry cutter but I used my fingers)

Crumble on top of the rhubarb and strawberry mixture

Bake 45 minutes in a pre-heated oven or until crisp and lightly browned

Serve alone or with ice cream or whipped cream!

Peanut Butter and Jam Bites

2011-06-13T06:46:00.000-07:00

Since my Mother In Law developed a Gluten Allergy I try to make her special Gluten Free treats as often as I can. Today was Mothers Day and I wanted her to have a yummy dessert to have after dinner!

I checked around the web, and on the Land Of Lakes website found this wonderful recipe for Gluten Free Peanut Butter and Jam Bars, sooo decadent, YUM! They have some great recipes on their site, check it out! The best part is these bars are no bake, great in the summer!

If you have a person you love who has a Gluten allergy, make this for them and they will be very very happy!

Bar
3 cups miniature marshmallows

1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup Land O Lakes® Butter (any brand will do)
4 1/2 cups crisp rice cereal

Filling
2/3 cup strawberry, apricot or peach jam

Topping
1/2 cup milk chocolate baking chips

1 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
2 teaspoons shortening

Directions

Melt marshmallows, 1 cup peanut butter and butter in 3-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth (4 to 5 minutes). Add cereal; quickly stir until well coated. Press mixture into ungreased 11x7-inch pan. (I used a 8X8)

Spoon jam by teaspoonfuls over hot cereal mixture; gently spread over top.

Melt chocolate chips, 1 tablespoon peanut butter and shortening in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth (2 to 4 minutes). Gently spread over jam layer. Refrigerate until chocolate layer is firm (about 2 hours). Cut into bars.

Pork Roast in a Maple/Apple/Ginger Brine

2011-06-06T05:45:00.000-07:00

I purchased a very lean Pork Roast and wanted to brine it. I am a big fan of brining my pork, I really think it helps keep the meat juicy when cooking and adds flavor as well. I was thinking of doing a Maple brine then decided that Apple and Ginger would be a great addition.

I have a brining bucket with a lid that I purchased especially for brining and marinating. It works quite well. While the meat was cooking I made a gravy of homemade stock and apple juice reduced along with celery flakes, thyme and black pepper.

I served with Roasted Red Potatoes and a salad.

Brine
1 cup of apple juice
1/4 cup sea salt or kosher salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
1-2 inch knob of fresh Ginger, sliced thinly
Hot water, tap is fine

Stir the hot water and salt together until the salt is dissolved. Add the apple juice, syrup, sugar, ginger and pepper. Pour brine into a large zip lock bag or brine bucket, add ice and cool the mixture until well chilled. Add your roast and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet with 2 tbl high heat oil to screaming hot temperature. Remove pork from brine and rinse then pat dry. Season with freshly cracked pepper. Add pork to the skillet, cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides.

Place pan in the oven, and bake for 10-15 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 155-160 degrees or until desired degree of doneness.

Let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Guacamole My Way!

2011-05-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

The first thing I knew I had to make was my locally famous Guacamole. I know everyone has a different spin on how they make guacamole, I know I sure do! I am a garlic fiend so you will find at least two cloves of garlic in mine, tastes great and keeps the Vamp's away.

2 large California Avocados
3 tablespoons onion minced quite small
1/2 lime juiced
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped tomato
salt and pepper to taste

Cut your avocados in half, remove seed, remove the meat and dice well. Add in your other ingredients and mash mash mash, I like mine smooth, but if you like yours chunky go for it!

One note on Avocado's they keep in your fridge for a very long time. I almost always have one in my crisper drawer. I figured this out by forgetting one in my crisper drawer for about a month, I pulled it out and it was still good! Perhaps the cool slows down the ripening process?

Lamb with Mint Jelly

2011-05-22T04:21:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are a big fan of Lamb, and just don't manage to eat it enough. I decided to make Risotto Milanese the other night and he wanted lamb with it. This is how he makes his lamb!

Marinate the lamb in 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup lemon juice, crushed black pepper, and rosemary, 1 tbl Mint Jelly watered down a bit, mix together and allow lamb to marinate on the counter for 30 minutes or so

Get some hickory chips going on your barbecue which you want on high heat, sear bone side down first, turn sear the other side till you get some color, remove from direct heat and leave on indirect heat till the lamb gets to your desired doneness. We like ours pink on the inside.

Remove add more apple/mint jelly, tent and let rest for a few minutes before serving

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread

2011-05-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months I have given up salt, white rice, white bread, cut down drastically on Beef, increased Organics, and have been eating a much healthier diet. In conjunction with my new eating habits I purchased some whole wheat flour (first in my lifetime).

I was dying to find a recipe using some of the Whole Wheat Flour and found this gem in one of my Food Network Magazines. It is low fat, low calorie and still quite delicious! My husband loved it and he is one picky eater!

2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for brushing
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
Cooking spray
2/3 cup raisins
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

Directions

Measure out 1 1/4 cups very warm water and check the temperature; it should be 120 degrees F to 130 degrees F. Combine both flours, the dry milk, egg, canola oil, honey, salt, yeast and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix 3 minutes on the lowest setting, then increase to the next highest setting and mix 5 more minutes. The dough should be soft and sticky.

Transfer the dough to a large bowl coated with cooking spray. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough has nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour, 30 minutes. (more like 2 hours)

Dry raisins will rob moisture from the bread, so soak them first in boiling water until plump, about 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Picture it as a loose square. Lift up one side of the dough and fold about one-third of it across; press down on the dough with spread fingers to remove any air bubbles. Repeat with the remaining 3 sides of the dough.

Mist two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. Divide the dough in half; roll out each half into an 8-inch square. Brush each square with canola oil, then sprinkle with the cinnamon (it's high in antioxidants!), brown sugar and raisins.

Roll up each square of dough into a tight cylinder; place seam-side down in the prepared pans. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough fills the pans and springs back when touched, about 1 hour, 30 minutes. (again it took much longer 2 hours at least)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the loaves with canola oil (I was naughty and used butter) and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the pans and transfer to a rack to cool completely

I plan to use one of the loaves for French Toast this weekend!

Magnum Ice Cream Bars

2011-05-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

The folks at Magnum Ice Cream were kind enough to provide me with a coupon to try their products. From what I understand Magnum Ice Cream recently was introduced to the US Market, and they are indeed a wonderful way to get your ice cream fix!

I chose the Almond variety to try and in my opinion it is an Ice Cream Bar on par with Dove or any premium Ice Cream treat. Both my husband and I enjoyed it very much, thank you Magnum for the chance to try your lovely Ice Cream!

One thing I am not amused by is the name of the bar, Magnum, unfortunately reminds me of a birth control product rather than a premium Ice Cream Bar. Maybe it is a USA thing and since their roots are elsewhere the Marketing folks did not make the connection. No matter it is still a delectable way to enjoy ultra premium ice cream!

Steak Enchiladas

2011-05-09T05:31:00.000-07:00

I had a beautiful leftover NY Steak that I wanted to use up in a way other than just re-heating it and eating as a steak. Hubby mentioned he wanted Mexican Food for dinner and it came to me, Steak Enchiladas!

I have never made them before! They are especially easy if you have a leftover steak, if not you can buy a steak, cut it into strips and quickly fry it in some oil. Be sure you don't fry until it is all the way done, you want it pink as it will cook further when you bake the enchiladas.

1 steak (whatever kind you like) cooked and diced into small chunks
12 corn tortillas
2 small cans of Enchilada Sauce (I prefer El Pato Salsa de Chili Fresco)
1/2 onion diced small Cheese (I use Cheddar and Monterey Jack) cut into square logs (save some for shredding on the top of the enchiladas)
1 small can Fire Roasted Chili's (I forgot these on mine)
1 small can sliced olives
Chili Powder
9X13 casserole - sprayed with pan spray

NOTE: I cut my cheese into logs to make it easier during assembly; you want half Cheddar and half Jack

In a bowl, mix the steak with a few tablespoons of the enchilada sauce for flavor, I also added a dash or two of Chili Powder

You are ready to assemble

Pour a small amount of the red sauce into the bottom of the casserole, spread around

Microwave about 5 tortillas at a time, 30 seconds or so, you want them warm enough to be pliable For the steak/cheese Enchiladas, place a line of steak down the middle of the tortilla, a cheese log or two, and roll and place seam side down into the casserole

Place the enchiladas tightly together

Keep making them until you run out of room in your pan or ingredients

Pour the red sauce over the Enchiladas coating them well

Sprinkle the top with the combination of shredded cheese

Spread the olives and onions on next, then the can of roasted chili’s

Cook at 350 for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly

Chevy's Style Chicken Flauta's

2011-05-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

Chevy's is my favorite local Mexican Restaurant, the food is not all that authentic, but I love it anyway. One of my favorite items is the Fire Roasted Chicken Flauta's. I have been wanting to re-create them at home for quite some time. I finally did and WOW is all I can say, this recipe is a keeper!

It helps if you have a Chevy's nearby so you can help yourself and buy some of their salsa and chips which are amazing! This tastes exactly like the Flauta's at Chevy's and since they are baked, they are probably better for you! p.s. that is not my photo, I forgot to take one!

2 chicken breasts poached and shredded

Chevy's salsa or salsa of your choice
Fire roasted bell peppers diced (I did mine on the open flame of my gas stove)
Grilled Corn (same thing as peppers roast on the open flame and cut from the cob)
Flour tortillas (smaller size)
Mexican cheeses (your choice)
Crema (Mexican Sour Cream, you can find it at any Tienda or probably your local Grocery Store)

Jalapeno Jelly (sweet kind)

Jalapenos

Chipotle Cream
1/2 c sour cream

1/2 cup mayo

2 tbl chipotle puree/salsa
salt and lime juice to taste

Pineapple Salsa
1 diced jalapeno

Pineapple diced small (as much as you like)
Purple onion diced small
Cilantro cleaned and chopped

Mix chicken and salsa until moist, add in the roasted corn and diced red peppers set aside

First heat your tortillas up on the microwave in a damp paper towel to make them more pliable

Pour a bit of crema down the middle of your tortilla, add chicken mixture on top, add cheese and roll up jelly roll style

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Place on a raised rack on a baking sheet, coat with pan spray, cook until crispy about 8-10 minutes then turn over and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

Serve with the Chipolte Cream and the Pineapple Salsa in addition to the Jalapeno Jelly!

Fresh Pear and Ginger Cake

2011-04-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

I bought a large sack of Bosc Pears from Costco and needed to use them up. I decided to make a Pear and Ginger cake. I found the original recipe here, and changed it up to add in lots of fresh Ginger and reduce the sugar.

I actually let the pears, ginger and sugar macerate overnight and it made for a really moist cake (lots of lovely liquid). I also learned from a Jewish Baker to bake your cake low and slow for the best results which this recipe does.

4 cups peeled, cored and chopped pears
1 cups white sugar
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour, you will need a bit more if you let the mixture sit overnight
1-2 inch knob of ginger peeled and grated on a micro plane grater about 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
3 whole eggs
2/3 cup canola oil
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Combine the pears, sugar and fresh ginger and let stand for one hour or overnight

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray a 10 inch bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.

3. Slightly beat the eggs and combine them with the oil, chopped pecans and pear mixture.

4. Stir the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and Pumpkin Pie Spice. Stir in the pear mixture. Pour batter into the prepared bundt pan. (I let my pear mixture macerate overnight and had to add about an extra 1/2 cup of flour to the mix or it would have been very runny)

5 .Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Remove from oven ant let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T05:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter, from my family to yours!

Bella Sue in her Easter Dress, she just is not a girly dog, but Mommy is trying!

Tomato Mac and Cheese

2011-04-17T07:22:00.000-07:00

The minute I saw this recipe in my Cooks Country Magazine I knew I would have to make it. What a great combination cheese and tomato. I have to say it i s the most delicious, flavorful Macaroni and Cheese I have ever eaten.

The other thing that struck me (other than the fact it is full of fat), was that it was pretty expensive to make. I had to purchase all the ingredients, and the final cost to make the dish was $11.93 and that was me buying sale and store brand items. This versus the less than a dollar for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

It is cheaper to eat boxed, canned or pre-made meals than it is to purchase the ingredients fresh and make them yourself. That just seems wrong to me. As I was shopping I was comparing various items pre-made versus freshly made and it seemed to be a trend that pre-made is cheaper, thus the folks who are trying to make ends meet end up with those rather than freshly made and hopefully more healthful food.

Things I think about...

Here is the recipe......

Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 28 oz can Petite diced tomatoes
6 tbl unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
4 cups half and half
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
4 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Adjust oven rack to middle position an heat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring 4 quarts of water and 1 tbl salt to boil, cook noodles until al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain pasta and return to pot.

Pour diced tomatoes with their juices over pasta and stir to coat. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Stir in flour and cayenne and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in half and half and broth until smooth.

Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally until mixture is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Off heat, whisk in cheeses, 1 tsp salt and 1 teaspoon pepper until cheeses melt.

Pour over macaroni and stir to combine. Scrape mixture into a large baking dish (I sprinkled additional Cayenne pepper over the mixture) and bake until top begins to brown 15 to 20 minutes.

Let sit for 5 minutes or so before serving.

Creamy Lemon Chicken

2011-04-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

I spotted the original recipe on Agirlinthekitchen's blog. I loved the idea but changed it up a little for my tastes. It is a quick and very tasty chicken dish, wonderful for those busy weeknights. Serve with a salad or steamed veggies and you have a wonderful meal.

My picky husband even liked it which makes it that much better.

4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, (Dice Them Into Cubes)
¼ teaspoons Ground Pepper
Salt To Taste
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 can (10 3/4 Oz.) Cream Of Chicken Soup
1 whole Lemon, (juice And Grated Peel)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Chopped (or 1 Tablespoon Of Dried)
1/4 to 1/2 cup of chicken stock
Cooked white rice

Preparation Instructions
Season both sides of your chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat and melt butter. Add your chicken to the skillet and cook until nice and brown and cooked thoroughly, (about 3 minutes each side.)

Add soup, lemon peel and juice, and stir well to incorporate with the drippings from the chicken. Turn heat to medium-low, cover the skillet and let simmer for about 5 minutes, stir every couple of minutes to keep sauce from sticking. You probably will need to add some chicken stock to thin the sauce out a bit.

Add the parsley, cover and simmer a couple of minutes longer until entire dish is completely heated. Serve with rice of your choice

Chicken and Coconut Curry

2011-04-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I have not cooked Curry anything before, other than Curried Carrots. I saw a recipe from Tyler Florence, however it was way too complicated for me, so I used it as a guide and made it a whole lot easier and made it a bit more healthful by adding more vegetables.

It turned out quite good, I got a thumbs up from my husband and it is Gluten Free as well! One note, I would not use both red pepper flakes and a jalapeno again, it was quite spicy.

2 to 3 small chicken breasts cut into strips or chunks your choice (I did large chunks) 1/2 onion diced 1 red bell pepper cut into chunks 2 carrots peeled and cut into coins (microwave them for 3 minutes to help them cook faster)

4 tbl butter

1/2 cup green peas

1 Jalapeno seeds removed and diced

4 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 inch piece of fresh Ginger peeled and finely chopped

2 tbl t0mato paste (I used Catsup)

2 to 3 tbl Curry Powder of your choice (I used a yellow curry, next time I will use a red curry)

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp red onion flakes (or none if you don't like it spicy)

2 cans of Lite Coconut Milk

1 cup of cleaned and sliced mushrooms

Cilantro for garnish

Jasmine Rice cooked

Place your butter in a large sauce pan on medium heat, add the onion, garlic and ginger, let cook for a few minutes then add the peas, carrots, jalapeno, mushroom and red bell pepper, sprinkle on your curry powder and cook for an additional 5 minutes, remove to a plate.

Heat your pan to high and sear off the chicken pieces, add the ingredients on the plate back into the pan and add your coconut milk, red pepper flakes, cinnamon stick and tomato paste.

Let cook until it has reduced, tasting along the way and adding more Curry Powder if needed. Remove Cinnamon Stick.

Serve over Jasmine rice with Cilantro garnish.

Homemade White Castle Sliders

2011-03-28T04:37:00.000-07:00

I have to say that sadly I have never had the opportunity to eat at a White Castle and sample the incredible sliders I hear so much about. I have purchased the frozen ones and thought they were pretty dang good.

I was shopping at my local bakery and they had the cutest little buns which inspired me to make Sliders! These turned out so delicious and tasty that I will be making them again and again for parties!

I checked out a few recipes online and this is what I did!

1/4 to 1/2 cup dried onion flakes

2 pounds ground chuck- 80/20 ground beef

1/2 t. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

Cheddar or Provolone Cheese (or whatever you like)

12- Small Sized Rolls

Evenly spread the onions on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish or a jelly roll pan (which I used). Gently press the ground beef on top of the onion flakes. Press evenly making one giant pattie.

Sprinkle with seasoned salt. At this point you can use a drinking straw and poke holes throughout the meat. That is what they do with the original white castle sliders.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, carefully remove from the oven and drain the excess oil off. If you have a big spatula I recommend turning the patty over.

Return to the oven and cook another 5 minutes.

Using a paper towel, pat the excess grease from the top of the pattie.

Sprinkle garlic salt and onion powder on the entire patty.

Cut into bun sized squares.

Slice open and separate each party roll. Place bottom of rolls on a large platter.

Using a spatula lift pattie with onion layer onto each bun bottom. Top each slider with a square of cheese and the bun top.

Microwave a bit until the cheese melts.

You can of course add the condiments of your choice. These re-heat very well the next day.

Carmel Corn

2011-03-21T05:17:00.000-07:00

In my quest to find yummy food my Mother In Law can enjoy while maintaining her Gluten Free diet, I found that Carmel Corn when made at home anyway is totally Gluten Free!

I have never made it before, and I must say my past attempts at making Carmel have been total failures. I looked all over the place for a recipe and decided on this one from Allrecipes.com, it has been reviewed by many folks. You can add nuts and it would still be Gluten Free. The last Carmel Corn I had that was homemade was grainy and not very good, this recipe is none of that.

After my initial fear, I made it and it is relatively easy. I took it to my Mother In Law in the hospital for a snack and she loved it as did her Nurses!

2 bags of popped Organic Lite Popcorn
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 250 degrees F

2. Place popped popcorn in a very large bowl.

3 In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring
4 minutes. (you are going to want to stir it, but don't, it will look scary and about to boil over, be patient)

4. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.

5 .Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

Smoked Corned Beef Brisket

2011-03-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day, if you aren't wearing Green, pinch yourself for me!

My husband loves to smoke meat as well as barbecue, you might say he is a fiend for it actually. St. Patrick's Day was coming up and we decided to smoke the Corned Beef Brisket for a change and see how it worked out. I did some research on the subject and the cut you really want to purchase is the Flat Cut, you pay a bit more that the Point Cut but it is well worth it.

I must say it worked out extremely well. This is our new GO TO method of making Corned Beef from now on. We smoked with Mesquite and prior to smoking plastered the meat with a wonderful mixture of flavor.

Here is how you do it!

1 Flat Cut (not point) Corned Beef Brisket

1/4 cup Grainy Mustard (we used a combo of honey, brown deli and horseradish blend mustard, use what you have)

2 tbl Apple Juice

1 tbl fresh ground black pepper

Pickling spices (which came with the meat)

Mix the above ingredients and plaster on your Corned Beef. Since this was a "cryo packed" corned beef, it's plenty salty so do NOT add additional for the rub.

Smoke at 250 degrees using Mesquite (or Hickory) for approximately 12 hours or internal temperature reaches 185 degrees. Pull it, wrap in foil and finish in the oven at 350 degrees until internal temperature reaches 195 to 2005 degrees.

Let rest for 30 minutes to an hour, slice (against the grain - typically the shortest direction; see the pictures) and serve. If you can do this a day in advance, immediately chill the brisket. The rendered fat will harden and other goodness will gel. Discard the fat and use the gel as a sauce (nice golden brown once reheated and it really carries the smokey flavor).

If you don't have a smoker, you could do it in the oven as well just make sure you monitor the temperature of the meat. I would consider adding 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of either Hickory or Mesquite liquid smoke to the paste/topping prior to cooking to get a good, subtle infusion of smoke. Though beef can be eaten at 145 degrees, briskets really need to go to 195-205 so you render the fat and connective tissues (also making the meat fall-apart tender).

Apple Braised Cabbage

2011-03-16T04:36:00.000-07:00

My husband smoked a Corned Beef Brisket last weekend to celebrate St Patricks Day. I was in charge of the side dishes and knew we wanted Cabbage. I am not a huge fan of Cabbage in general, so I decided to see if I could make it a bit more palatable for myself.

I combined the Cabbage with Honeycrisp Apple Juice after sauteing in Bacon Fat (don't we all have that in our fridge), and wow was it delicious. This will be my new Cabbage recipe from now on, YUM. I will post the Smoked Brisket Recipe on St. Patrick's Day!

1/2 to 1 head of Cabbage cut into slices or however you like it

1/2 onion, sliced

1 cup of good quality Apple Juice

2 tbl Bacon Fat (or you could use vegetable oil)

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tbl Apple Cider Vinegar

Place your bacon fat or oil into a pan on medium high heat, and add your onion and cabbage, stir occasionally until reduced and slightly caramelized

Add in your Apple Juice, Apple Cider Vinegar, salt and pepper and let cook for about 20 minutes without a lid, stirring occasionally

Vegetable Soup - My Mother In Laws Favorite

2011-03-14T05:09:00.000-07:00

When my Mother In Law was sick a few months ago I just happened to have a fresh batch of Chicken Stock and decided to whip up some Vegetable Soup. She swears it is what cured her!

Recently she came home from the hospital after a knee replacement, and I decided I better make it again so she could enjoy it for a few days. It is so simple and easy, the key is homemade Chicken Stock! You can of course add chicken or use any veggies you have around!

I cook a batch of rice so you can put it in while you are heating it up, if you put it in when making the soup by the next day the rice has sucked up most of the broth. One more plus to this soup, it is Gluten Free!

3-4 quarts chicken stock

1 leek, peeled, cleaned and sliced thinly

1 medium onion cleaned, cut in half and sliced thinly

6 stalks of celery sliced

6 large carrots, peeled and sliced into coins

5-6 button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

2 large zucchini ends removed and sliced

Cooked Rice

In a good sized stock pot saute the leek and onion in several tablespoons of oil at a medium high heat until reduced in volume and a bit caramelized, you will have bits of brown stuff in the bottom of your pot, you want that yummy stuff, add in a cup of chicken stock and stir until it incorporates into the liquid.

Add the remaining stock and carrots and let simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes to give the carrots a head start, then add the celery and let simmer for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the carrots and celery are nearly done add in your mushrooms and zucchini, let cook an additional, 10 minutes or so and serve or if you are not eating it immediately immerse into a bath of cold water (I use my sink) to cool it down quickly, then refrigerate

Ham, Leek and Potato Soup

2011-03-06T04:16:00.000-08:00

I have to say this soup does not look like much, and in fact the photo does not do it justice at all. It was a wonderfully flavorful and very rich and filling soup!

I took an idea from my wonderful neighbor and fellow food blogger Pam of For The Love of Cooking and used Evaporated Milk instead of heavy whipping cream and it still tasted very rich and decadent. Thanks Pam!

3 leeks white and light green parts only, ends removed and sliced thinly
1 lb or so of cubed ham
8 cups chicken stock homemade if possible
3 russet potatoes, scrubbed and diced into cubes
1 can of Evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried thyme
several dashes Franks Red Hot
chives for garnish (optional)

Place your leeks into a bowl of cold water and swirl them around to remove the dirt, it will settle at the bottom of the bowl, remove and drain on a paper towel

Add a few tablespoons of Olive oil to your soup pot and saute the leeks until they are translucent.

Add your chicken stock, evaporated milk, salt, pepper and Thyme, bring to a boil, then add in your potatoes and cook until they are fork tender. Using a blender or an immersion blender, work the soup until it is smooth and creamy.

Add in some Franks Red Hot for some spice if you wish

Garnish with chives /and or bacon bits

Lemon Yogurt Cake

2011-02-27T06:15:00.000-08:00

I have been really slacking lately in the cooking department, going back to old tried and true comfort food recipes. I have not baked anything for at least two months, so I decided that since it was a snow day I would search for a nice light cake to make.

I headed over to one of my favorite Food Bloggers, A Feast For The Eyes and found this wonderful recipe from Ina Garten. It uses Yogurt and I just happened to have a large container of Greek Yogurt in the fridge!

I only had one lemon and two limes, so I used those, other than that I followed her recipe almost exactly. I found it was lemony enough and skipped the lemon glaze.

It was delicious and reminded me of Spring!

1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1⅓ cups sugar, divided
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup vegetable oil
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease an 8½ by 4¼ by 2½-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper (Don’t skip this). Grease and flour the pan.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla.

Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the ⅓ cup lemon juice and remaining ⅓ cup sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan.

While the cake is still warm, pour the lemon-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

(I skipped this part) For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice and pour over the cake.

Grilled Flank Steak with PW Marinade

2011-02-20T06:36:00.000-08:00

Flank Steak is one of my most favorite cuts of meat, it is so versatile. I saw some on sale and bought two! My husband remembered hearing from a fellow employee that Pioneer Woman had an incredible Flank Steak Marinade.

I looked up the recipe and we followed it exactly, all I can say is YUM! I served it with mashed potatoes and lightly steamed veggies and it was a great meal, I will be serving over and over again!

■½ cups Soy Sauce
■½ cups Cooking Sherry
■3 Tablespoons Honey
■2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
■2 Tablespoons (heaping) Minced Ginger
■3 cloves (to 5 Cloves) Minced Garlic
■½ teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
■1 whole Flank Steak

Preparation Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a glass or ceramic dish.

Remove flank steak from package and give it a quick rinse. Coat both sides of the meat with marinade. Refrigerate for at least 3 to 6 hours.

Remove the steak from the marinade and place on a plate while you heat up the grill pan. Make sure to turn on your overhead exhaust fan as the cooking process can be quite smoky.

When the pan is extremely hot, place the steak on a slight angle as this makes for more appealing grill marks. Cook without touching for about 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Rotate the meat about 45 degrees, keeping it on the same side, and cook for another 1 ½ minutes.

Now flip it to the other side. Cook using the same method on the other side, cooking for 1 1/2 minutes, then rotating it and finishing the cooking process. I cook the flank streak to medium rare, which usually takes about 5 to 7 minutes total cooking time. Remove the meat to a cutting board and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing.

When you’re ready, thinly slice the meat against the grain. That means find the directional striations/lines in the meat grain and slice perpendicular to it.

Controversial Optional Sauce: Before grilling the flank steak, strain the marinade into a small saucepan. Discard what stays in the sieve. Add ½ cup of water to the marinade. Boil the marinade while heating the grill for the meat AND add an additional 10 minutes. The point of boiling, obviously, is to take away any risk of bacteria from the marinade. Also, by boiling for ten to fifteen minutes, the sauce will reduce and slightly thicken. Then just spoon a little into a dish and use it as a dipping sauce for the meat.

Boneless Beef Ribs

2011-02-13T10:10:00.000-08:00

My husband is a rib fiend, pork, beef, bone in, boneless, he adores them all. He is also damn good at cooking them, so good in fact I never eat at a Barbecue Restaurant as I know his ribs are fifty times better!

One of my nifty new gadgets is a pressure cooker. Hubby loves to start his ribs in that, then finish on the grill. It melts most of the fat off the ribs and makes them very tender! You could surely start them in a crock pot on high for 4 hours or so as well.

Into the pressure cooker

2 lbs of boneless beef ribs

1 large bottle of IPA Beer

3 tbl Montreal Steak Seasoning

2 tlb Steak Rub or Lemon Pepper

2 tbl Chili Pepper Flakes

1/4 cup dried or fresh onion

1 tbl powdered Garlic

Cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes using the natural steam release, your meat will be tender and yummy at this point

Get your barbecue at 250 or so with some soaked chips and let them get some smoke on for 30 minutes to an hour, applying barbecue sauce on occasion.

Albondigas Soup

2011-02-06T06:39:00.000-08:00

I was watching a Food Network Chef make this lovely soup over the weekend and decided to add it to my repertoire. I looked at her recipe and a bunch of others and came up with my own method. It is delicious and not really that time consuming, especially if you use canned broth or in my case had some chicken broth in the freezer. The addition of the whole Jalapeno adds a bit of spice but not too much!

I had to tweak the recipe a bit and I added more vegetables to make it a bit heartier and healthier!

Meatballs
1/2 lb lean ground beef

1/2 lb chorizo sausage or Hot Italian Sausage which is what I used

1 egg, beaten

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Albondigas Soup

8 cups chicken broth (home made if you have it)

1/2 cup onions, chopped

3 stalks celery, cut in chunks

1 (16 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 cup cilantro

2 large zucchini, sliced

2 small Yukon Gold potatoes, diced into cubes

3 carrots peeled and sliced

1 whole Jalapeno Pepper

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup long grain white rice

1 tbl tomato paste

salt pepper

Directions

Make the meatballs first:

Combine the meats, beaten egg, 2 minced garlic cloves, cilantro, salt, pepper and cumin

Form meatballs and roll between your palms or use a 2 inch scooper, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, remove and let cool

In the meantime combine chicken broth, tomatoes and their liquid, cumin, oregano, Jalapeno Pepper and cilantro leaves in a large pot.

Bring to broil, and reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Add in your vegetables (except zucchini) and let simmer for 10 minutes, then add your rice and zucchini and let cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until the rice is cooked

Add the meatballs and let simmer for an additional 5 minutes and serve (be sure and remove the Jalapeno) To keep the veggies and rice from getting overdone, I suggest you cool this soup down immediately. (I fill the sink up with a bit of ice water and let it cool down there)

Fresh Blueberry Crepes

2011-01-30T12:17:00.001-08:00

I bought some gorgeous and huge Organic Blueberries the other day and this morning I asked my husband to make me Blueberry Crepes. We only started making Crepes about 10 years ago, it is so easy to do I have no idea why were so afraid to try it.

I looked at a few recipes and decided none of them were what I was looking for so I came up with my own filling. It was so delicious, the sweet taste of the bursting whole blueberries with the cream cheese and a bit of a tang from the sour cream, YUM. We will be making this again very soon!

This is a full crepe recipe, we only made a half batch which was about 10 crepes.

Crepes

4 eggs

2 1/2 cup 2% milk we had 1% and it worked fine

2 cup flour

2-3 tbl butter (melted)

1/4 tsp salt (optional)

Filling

1 brick cream cheese at room temperature

1 pint rinsed blueberries

1/4 cup sour cream

3-4 equal packages or you can use sugar

3 tbl blueberry Jam (I had homemade Jam from last summer thankfully)

Powdered sugar for presentation

In a medium bowl beat the eggs well, add the milk, flour, salt, butter and beat till smooth,

Mix the filling together until well incorporated, set aside.

Pre heat a non stick skillet and butter the pan well, pour about 1/4 cup of batter per crepe and swirl into a circle, it will cook very fast, about a minute per side. It should be very thin. Repeat until you run out of batter.

You can put the crepes into an oven at 170 degrees on a plate until you have them all cooked.

Place a line of filling down the middle of each crepe and roll, top with additional blueberries and powdered sugar if desired.

Classic Dinner Rolls

2011-01-24T05:40:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, the Williams Sonoma Essentials Of Baking.

The rolls were sooo yummy, soft and delicious. I made them the same day as my Turkey, Vegetable and Pasta soup, the combination of the two was outstanding!

This is really simple to make, in fact one of the easiest yeast breads I have ever made. I used dark colored cake pans and if you do so you need to cook them for only about 20 minutes.

Here is how ya do it!

1 package (2 1/2 tsp) Active Dry Yeast

1/4 cup of warm water (between 105 and 115 degrees, use your instant read thermometer)

1 cup whole milk

2 tbl sugar

2 large eggs at room temp, plus one egg beaten (the beaten egg you brush on before baking)

6 tbl butter at room temperature

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp salt

Dissolve the yeast and the warm water in your bowl or Kitchenaide mixer bowl, and let sit till foamy, about 5 minutes

Add the milk, sugar, 2 eggs, butter, flour and salt.

Attach the bowl to your mixer and use the dough hook on low, and knead for about 7 minutes or by hand for the same amount of time, add a bit of flour if it is sticking to the sides of the bowl

Work the dough until it is smooth and elastic, remove from bowl and shape into a large ball, and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, place some plastic wrap on top and let sit in a warm and dry place for 2 hours or until it doubles in bulk

You can make the balls of dough into any size you want, the book suggests cutting it into 8 pieces, which I did not, I did 10 and the rolls were huge. I would suggest about 14 dough balls.

Roll each dough ball into a nice circle and place them into the well greased pan of your liking, I used two cake pans, then let them rise for about an hour

Brush with the beaten egg

Bake them at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, check them at about 15 minutes or so

Remove from oven when done and brush with butter if desired

Scallops in a Lemon Cream Sauce

2011-01-23T11:56:00.000-08:00

I am not a huge fan of Seafood, there I said it! I like Lobster, Shrimp and Crab and that's about it. I will eat Fish, but I tell my husband it is "punishment food". I noticed our local Haggen's had the large size Scallops on sale for a really good price, and decided to give it a whirl.

In my minds eye I imagined serving them with a simple Lemon Cream Sauce alongside Mandarin Rice. It was very tasty, the Scallops are so easy to cook and the whole meal came together very quickly!

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1 tbl Butter

1/2 Large Fresh Scallops (remove that little white part, just pull it off)

1/2 lemon, zest and juice

1 cup white wine

Fresh Chives

Rinse Scallops and dry them well on a paper towel, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper

Quickly sear them in a screaming hot frying pan with the 1 tbl butter, it should take from 2-3 minutes on each side to get a nice crust, remove and set aside

Add half of the lemon zest to the pan and deglaze with the wine, reduce by half

Add the cream and stir well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes

Add lemon juice and cook for 1 minute

Plate the scallops and drizzle with the sauce and remaining lemon zest

Remove them from the pan and serve

Pear Butter

2011-01-16T08:21:00.000-08:00

I did this post over the summer and forgot to post it! We don't have Pears in season in January, although I wish we did!

I had somehow thought that Pear Butter contained actual butter, luckily my Mother In Law explained otherwise. While we were on a family Peach Picking trip I also picked up a few pears. They were getting ripe and I had zero time to do much with them. I stopped by my Mother In Laws house and she was busy making Pear Butter, so I decided I would do the same.

It is actually quite easy and very Delicious. Being the wild child I am, I added a few extra ingredients to make it special!

6 pears, peeled and core removed, cut into chunks
1/4 cup Vanilla sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger

Place your pears in a saucepan on low heat (do not add water or any liquid), add the sugar and spices and let simmer until it has reduced and become thick (this may take several hours)

Place in a blender or use an immersion blender until smooth

It will keep in the fridge for a few weeks, put on just about anything from ice cream to toast!

Stuffed Shells

2011-01-09T06:39:00.000-08:00

I used to make stuffed shells all the time and I realized the other day that I had not made them in ages. I think because I realized tomatoes causes me major acid reflux.

I decided to make them anyway, and take a Pepsid before dinner, LOL! I started with Emeril's recipes then I went totally off the rail and did my own thing. I like my version much better!

tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
•2 teaspoons salt
•1/2 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (18 to 20 shells)
•2 cups finely chopped onion
•2 teaspoons minced garlic
•1 pound ground beef

1 tube of Jimmy Dean Sausage HOT
•1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
•15 ounces Cottage Cheese
•2 large eggs
•1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
•2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
•1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
••1 teaspoon dried basil
•1 teaspoon dried oregano
•1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp Garlic Salt

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

3-4 crimini mushrooms chopped

1 Jar of your favorite pasta sauce

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-quart casserole dish with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pasta shells, and cook until al dente, 9 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a long-handled spoon to prevent the shells from sticking together. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain.

In a medium skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until very soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the ground beef and sausage and cook, stirring, until cooked and browned. Add the squeezed spinach and mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the Cottage Cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Add the spinach mixture, the extra-virgin olive oil, remaining teaspoon of salt, the basil, oregano, and remaining spices, and stir to combine thoroughly.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the spinach-ricotta filling into each cooked pasta shell. Place the filled shells in the prepared dish.

Pour the Red Sauce over the filled shells and top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Bake, uncovered, until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Maple Glazed Yams with Pecan Topping

2010-12-27T11:26:00.000-08:00

On Thanksgiving I wanted to make Yams, but my Mother In Law cannot tolerate Gluten. I wanted to make something she could enjoy other than Mashed Potatoes.

I searched and found this wonderful recipe on the Epicurious Website. It is amazing, in fact my husband ate Yams for dessert instead of pie! That is how good they are!

From now on, this is the only way I will be making yams! and the good news, you can make it Gluten Free by omitting the flour in the topping, which I did!

4 pounds yams (red-skinned sweet potatoes), peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (I used about 1/4 cup)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup all purpose flour (Omit this for a Gluten Free version)
1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

PreparationPreheat oven to 400°F.

Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add yams. Cook until water returns to simmer, about 4 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold water.

Arrange yams in prepared dish, overlapping slightly. Season with salt. Pour syrup over yams. Dot with 3 tablespoons butter. Cover and bake until yams are almost tender, about 25 minutes.

Mix flour and brown sugar in medium bowl. Add remaining 5 tablespoons butter. Rub in with fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in pecans.

Sprinkle pecan mixture atop yams. Bake yams until tender, about 20 minutes. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cool. Cover and let stand at room temperature. (You can rewarm, uncovered, in 375°F oven 20 minutes.)

Happy Holidays

2010-12-24T14:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from our family to yours. I hope you have a very merry Christmas and a Happy and healthy new Year!

Cashew Brittle

2010-12-13T07:40:00.000-08:00

I love to make food related gifts for the Holidays, on tap this year are Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods, Fudge, White Chocolate Bark and my famous Cranberry Orange Bread.

My Father In Law, whom I love to spoil, wanted some Cashew Brittle. He had fond memories of the Brittle his Sister made. I trolled around the interwebs and found this wonderful little recipe from Alton Brown. The addition of Cinnamon and Cayenne makes it not so sickly sweet and very interesting! The original recipe called for nuts, but my Father In Law wanted Cashews!

1/2 cups lightly salted, roasted peanuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I recommend using less)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I recommend using less)
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
Vegetable oil, for coating the saucepan
Softened butter for spatula
Directions
In a small bowl combine peanuts, cinnamon, and cayenne. Set aside.

Brush the inside of a medium sized heavy saucepan with vegetable oil. Add the sugar and water to the saucepan, cook over high heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until it comes to a boil.

Stop stirring, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until the sugar is a light amber color. DO NOT STIR

Stir in peanuts. This will greatly reduce the temperature of the sugar so work quickly. Once evenly mixed, pour mixture onto a sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat or buttered parchment paper.

Using a buttered spatula, spread thin. You will have to work quickly when pouring out and spreading the mixture in the pan. If necessary, in order to achieve single layer of peanuts, top with second sheet pan whose underside has been buttered.

Cool completely and then break into pieces.

Bean and Bacon Soup

2010-12-06T04:57:00.000-08:00

First off I apologize for being MIA the past few weeks, the hubsters was on vacation and I have been super busy since then, I have missed you!

My husbands favorite Campbell's Soup is the Bean and Bacon variety. We don't really eat canned soup anymore as I make soup from scratch about once a week or so. I wanted to try to re-create the same flavor and consistency of the Campbell's Soup. I gave some to my Father In Law and he loved it as well, it does not get any better than that!

I have to admit I tried to make what I thought Ham Stock would be (smoked ham hocks and veggies) lovingly cooked all day, and ended up with a large bowl of Ham Jello. I should have consulted with my husband on that. So I ended up using Chicken Stock. It still turned out incredibly well. I doubled the recipe below.

2 cups Navy Beans - soaked overnight

1/2 pound good smokey bacon

3 medium carrots minced small

3 celery stalks minced small

1 medium onion minced

1/2 tsp Thyme

2 cloves garlic minced

4 ounces tomato paste

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes or more to your taste

6 cups Ham Stock or Chicken Stock

1 TBL White Wine Vinegar

2 drops Liquid Smoke

Salt and Pepper to taste

Dice your bacon into small squares, saute in a stock pot until the fat has rendered and you have small crispy bacon bits, remove with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Keep the bacon grease!

Saute your carrots, celery, onion and thyme in the rendered bacon fat for 5 minutes or so until the onions are translucent.

Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until beans are tender about 3 hours. Foam will rise to the top of the soup, skim it off...

Remove 2 cups of soup and puree and add back to the pot (this will thicken the soup)

Serve with Cornbread.

Turkey, Vegetable and Pasta Soup

2010-11-29T05:56:00.000-08:00

This week I have decided to re-post some old favorites that you can use as either a Side Dish for your Thanksgiving meal or a way to use up leftovers! Enjoy!

If you know me, you know that I am a soup beast. I make soup just about weekly in the Fall and Winter months. I also love to make soup stock, it is just so much better than the stuff in the can or box. I still keep those around for emergencies.

Making soup for me is a 2 day affair, the first day simmering the bones, skin, herbs and veggies, then straining and letting it sit overnight so the fat floats to the top and I can remove it. One thing I learned long ago from Alton Brown was that you never let your stock come to a boil or it will get discolored, let it just bubble ever so lightly so you can barely see it. Your stock will be nice and clear.

Another great tip which I figured out on my own, is when adding pasta or rice to your soup (and you are planning on eating it at a later date), let it get barely al dente, then put your soup pot into the sink which you have filled with ice water. It will cool the soup down fast and your rice and pasta is less apt to overcook and get mushy when re-heated.

1 turkey frame and skin (I used a turkey breast)

turkey stock, enough to fill your pot after all the bones and veggies are added

6 carrots peeled and sliced

6 celery stalks sliced

1/2 onion diced

3 cups of diced turkey breast meat

1/2 box of pasta shape of your choice

Place the turkey stock into a soup pot and add the carrots, simmer on low till they are just beginning to get tender about 10 minutes

Add the onion, celery and simmer for another 10 minutes, then add your turkey meat

Simmer for another 10 minutes then add your pasta, cook per the directions till barely al dente

You can serve immediately or place into a sink full of ice water and chill it down fast and then refrigerate when it cools.

Savory Whipped Yams - Thanksgiving Week 2010

2010-11-24T05:25:00.000-08:00

This is a wonderful side dish and different from the overly sweet candied yams. I am re-posting it for Thanksgiving Week.

Until about 15 years ago I thought the only way to eat yams was covered in butter, brown sugar and marshmallows. We went to a friends house for dinner and she served them savory, I was hooked. It is a refreshing way to serve Yams!

Ingredients

2-3 large Yams

1/2 cube butter or margarine

salt and pepper to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste, I use 1/2 tsp but I like heat

crumbled bacon (optional)

1/2 tsp fresh sage chopped finely

Peel your Yams and cut them into cubes, boil in water until fork tender, drain.

Add the above ingredients to your Yams, whip them with your hand held mixer and serve.

They are amazing!

Hickory Farms

2010-11-23T08:58:00.000-08:00

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a wonderful gift. A Hickory Farms Gift Basket. I have to say seeing that box on my front porch brought back wonderful memories of my childhood.

My father had 9 siblings and we always were guaranteed to receive at least one gift basket during the Holiday Season. I looked forward to it almost as much as my Christmas Presents! Summer Sausage, Cheese, Crackers, what else do you need to be happy.

I also remember looking at the Hickory Farms Catalog and dreaming of the really big gift baskets and wondering what was in those little boxes that were all different sizes. To say the least I am thrilled and have been enjoying snacking.

Check out their website and maybe you will find something for yourself or your loved ones!

Barding Turkey - Thanksgiving Week 2010

2010-11-21T10:11:00.000-08:00

I decided to re-post some of my Thanksgiving Dishes you may have missed. The first one is how to Bard a Turkey. It is an old and fairly easy technique which gives you the perfect bird!

My husband and I enjoy watching the Cooks Country Magazine show on our local PBS channel. They cook American food and do it again and again until they perfect the method. I have made many of their recipes and indeed they all have been perfect in both taste and methodology.

They had a Thanksgiving Special and talked about "Barding" your turkey which in the old days was the only way to keep it from drying out, as their ovens did not remain at a constant temperature. You essentially cover it with Salt Pork, Cheesecloth and then Foil and bake. They took an old method and re-invented it for today cooks.

I have to say that even though it is a bit of effort, it was the most flavorful and moist turkey I have ever eaten, and everyone agreed. I made two for separate occasions on Thanksgiving and it was incredible. I will never make turkey another way again.

Turkey covered with Salt Pork

You will need one 2-yard package of cheesecloth for this recipe.

Ingredients

1 package cheesecloth (see note)
4 cups cold water
1 turkey , 12 to 14-pounds (my turkey was 19 lbs)
1 pound salt pork , cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (this may be hard to find, we finally got it at New Seasons Market) (I have no idea if you could use bacon, Cooks Country advises against it)

Instructions

For the turkey: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cheesecloth from package and fold into 18-inch square. Place cheesecloth in large bowl and cover with water.

Tuck wings behind back and arrange turkey, breast-up, on V-rack set inside roasting pan.

Prick skin of breast and legs of turkey all over with fork, cover breast and legs of turkey with salt pork, top with soaked cheesecloth (pouring any remaining water into roasting pan), and cover cheesecloth completely with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Roast turkey until breast meat registers 140 degrees, 2½ to 3 hours. Remove foil, cheesecloth, and salt pork and discard. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Continue to roast until breast meat registers 165 degrees and thigh meat registers 175 degrees, 40 to 60 minutes longer.

Olive and Sun Dried Tomato Spread

2010-11-14T05:16:00.000-08:00

I went thru a phase where I loved, loved, loved Martini's, dirty please, extra dirty with lots of olives! I think I actually just liked the Martini's for the olives, I love olives, any kind, color or shape. Filled with garlic, habenero, pimento and even small onions.

I was reading Shelby's blog Grumpy's Honeybunch and saw she made a spread with olives. I could not WAIT to get some cream cheese and try it for myself.

I used regular green olives stuffed with pimento, added a bit of pepper and a dash of salt. It was the perfect spread for this olive lover. I literally nearly swooned, ok I did swoon a bit. My husband is not such a lover of olives, so I decided to add some Sun Dried Tomatoes in oil. That toned the olive taste down just enough! Heaven on a cracker!

1 package cream cheese

3/4 of jar of Green Olives with Pimento (or any olive you like), drained and diced

dash of salt

dash of pepper

2 tbl of finely chopped Sun Dried Tomato

Crackers of your choice

Let the cream cheese come to room temperature, mix in the remaining ingredients and serve with crackers or on a Bagel would be awesome!

Barbara's Velveeta Chili Dip/Soup

2010-11-08T06:34:00.000-08:00

My Ex-Sister in law whom I adore and consider more of a Sister than anything gave me this recipe about 25 years ago. She always made it for events and parties and I crave it to this day.

We were swimming together today and started talking about what else but food! We discussed this recipe and how each one of us make it, and before you know it I decided to have it for dinner tonight!

I pulled out my old yellowed recipe card and made it her way and it is such comfort food. We have eaten it as a dip and a soup, it is very versatile and did I mention YUMMY!

You can substitute what you have on hand.

Here is what ya need!

1/2 onion diced

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 to 1 soup can milk

1 small Velveeta brick

1 cup cheddar

1 can fire roasted green chili's

1 can diced olives

(diced chicken - optional)

1 to 2 burrito sized flour tortilla

I like to add some mexican hot sauce (Cholula)

Put it all together in a crock pot or fondue pot and let it warm up to a simmer and fully melt

Tear the burrito shells up into bite sized pieces and put them into the cheese and stir till combined. I like to let it work for awhile with the burrito pieces till they melt into the mixture

*I also like to saute the onions first for a milder flavor

**Serve with corn chips OR my favorite Frito Scoops!

Candy Pie

2010-10-31T05:44:00.000-07:00

This is a re-post from last year, I am making it again with all my leftover candy. I think it is a very clever idea!

Candy Pie, a great way to use up all that leftover Halloween candy! I wish I could say this was my bright idea, but I saw it at Cakespy's Blog and knew I had to make it. I have a friend with a major sweet tooth and I knew they would be in love with this decadent dessert!

The bonus for me, was that this was my first time making a pie crust from scratch, I am no longer a pie crust virgin! It was so fast and easy, I could kick my own butt for cheating and buying pre-made pie crusts for all these years. I used my late Mother In Law, Margie's recipe and it rocked!

Pie Crust - Ingredients or Buy one

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1 3/4 cups shortening, very cold
2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 cup very cold water
1 egg

Add the flour, salt, sugar to a bowl and mix well, add the shortening and using a pastry cutter, forks or your fingers mix them lightly till they resemble small peas

In a separate bowl, combine the vinegar, cold water and egg, mix well and pour into your flour mixture

Stir the flour mixture till well combined and moist, make into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate for 30 minutes

You will only need half of the pie dough, you can refrigerate or freeze the other half

Roll dough out into a circle, and place in your pie tin, crimp the edges

Blind bake the pie crust for about 10 to 15 minutes at 350°F.

Let the pie crust rest until it's room temperature, and then fill it with whatever mix of candy suits you. She found that a chocolate-heavy mix tasted best, I used Snickers, Kit Kats, Hershey's Chocolate Bars, M&M's, Milky Way, Reesers Peanut Butter Cups, and some Malt Balls I had laying around. Don't be afraid to fill it to the top, as the candy will flatten and lower as it melts.

Bake in a 350°F oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until the candy is melted and the crust golden. The time may vary depending on your candy mixture. Once you remove it from the oven, let it cool for at least an hour so that the filling can set

Cut, serve and get your sweet tooth on!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-28T03:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from our family to yours!

Bella is a Punkinhead for Halloween, don't worry she was handsomely rewarded for the one minute she had this on her head with lots of cheese!

I thought I would share some of my Halloween photos with you. My Father In Law brought over all his Inflatables for us to use this year, they are spending Halloween with us, it should be fun!

Krispy Kreme Milkshakes

2010-10-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

Waiter there is a donut in my milkshake!

Just kidding! First off I apologize for the Pornographic nature of this photo, I can't stop giggling

I don't normally make fad items such as this, but my husband had this particular milkshake on a trip to Flip Burger in Atlanta Georgia and decided we should try to re-create it at home. This is the one and only time I will make it and it it was delish!

It is pretty simple and uses the plain old glazed donuts from Krispy Kreme. I must say it is the most unusual milk shake I have ever slurped. It was quite good, the chunks of the donut were yummy. It helps to use really fresh donuts.

Vanilla Ice Cream

2-3 Regular glazed donuts

1/4 cup whole milk

Place your ice cream and milk in a blender and add in one to two donuts, frappee the mixture until it is nice and creamy but with a few chunks left. (You could add the donuts after a few seconds of mixing the donuts so it will be chunkier).

You may need a spoon to eat this!

Broccolli, Cheese and Chicken Casserole

2010-10-18T06:56:00.000-07:00

I was on Facebook one day and someone wrote Cheesy Rice, YUM!

Boom that was all it took, I could not stop thinking about making a casserole with cheesy rice and chicken and just to make it seem healthy some Broccoli. I had some Velveeta to use up and the rest I pulled straight out of my ass! Not literally of course!

It is truly one of the best casseroles I have ever come up with! We had seconds last night, which was something we DON'T DO EVER!

3 cups cooked rice

1 head of broccoli, rinsed and cut into florets

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cheese soup

1/3 of a large brick of Velveeta cubed

1 package pre-shredded cheese of your choice

1 small can fire roasted chili peppers (mild)

milk about 1/2 cup

1/2 tbl Cayanne (or less to your taste)

Salt and Pepper

1 tsp onion powder

2 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts

Cut your breasts into cubes and brown them on high heat in a non stick pan with a bit of olive oil

Assemble the rest of the ingredients (except the rice and chicken) into a large bowl and mix well, you will need to add some milk to make it a bit soupy

Add the chicken and the rice and mix well, adding more milk if needed. You don't want it too soupy, just a little

Pour into a well greased casserole pan (it makes a huge amount)

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until bubbly. If it has not browned really well on top, broil it for 3 minutes or so

Chicken Lettuce Wraps, ALA P.F. Chang's

2010-10-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are huge fans of the Chicken Lettuce Wraps at P.F. Chang's Restaurant although we don't make it there nearly often enough!

The spicy chicken against the cool and crisp lettuce is a winner in my book, they are a nice refreshing appetizer or entree. I added some rice instead of the fried noodles to make it more of an Entree and a bit healthier.

Marinade
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons sherry wine or red wine
2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons soy sauce

FILLING INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced small
5 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger or grated ginger
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/2 cup green onions, minced
1 cup mushrooms, minced
1 (8 ounce) can bamboo shoots, minced
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, minced
Jasmine Rice

COOKING SAUCE
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sherry wine or red wine
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
lettuce leaves, washed and taken off the head but left whole

Mix all ingredients for "cooking sauce" and set aside.

In medium bowl, combine marinade ingredients and mix well. Add chicken and stir to coat thoroughly. Stir in 1 t. oil and let sit for 15 minutes.

Heat wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 T. oil, then add chicken and stir-fry for about 3-4 minutes. Set aside.

Add 2 T. oil to the pan. Add ginger, garlic, and onion and stir-fry for a minute or so. Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts and stir-fry an additional 2 minutes.

Return chicken to the pan. Add mixed cooking sauce to the pan. Cook until thickened and hot.

Serve with the Lettuce leaves and Rice

Novica and National Geographic

2010-10-07T08:11:00.000-07:00

I received a wonderful email from the folks at Novica who are partnered with National Geographic to expose wonderful artists around the world. The products are all Hand Crafted Fair Trade and made by the artists themselves and sent directly to you!

They wanted to let me do a little shopping on their dime and decide if I liked their wares or not. I don't normally do reviews like this, but the vast array of hand crafted gifts really intrigued me. I had a great time shopping and this is what I bought!

This super cute Silver Cuff Bracelet, it was beautifully handcrafted, although a bit delicate for me. I gave it to my Sister In Law she has delicate hands and wrists.

I bought this manly bracelet for my husband, he loves it!

And these amazing glasses, each one is hand made and hand blown. They are also very heavy and gorgeous to look at! I adore them and will be purchasing another six of them.

Overall I was very impressed with the quality and especially the packaging. Each item was hand wrapped and boxed and had a beautiful card enclosed. I also love the fact they are made by the Artisan and shipped from their Country directly to you!

I highly recommend checking out their website, actually they actually have several, the newest being the Corporate Gift section.

www.novica.com

green gifts
unique gifts
microfinance

Mandarin Rice

2010-10-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

On occasion I look thru my recipe box, it is old, yellow and full of recipes I have accumulated during my lifetime. I often get my recipes from the Internet and Cookbooks, but on occasion I like going old school!

This recipe came to me via my Mother In Law a long time ago. It is easy, elegant and very tasty.

1/4 cup slivered almonds (I used sliced)

2 tbl chopped celery (I used 1 whole stalk)

1 small green onion sliced thinly

2 tbl butter

1 small can Mandarin Orange segments drained

2 tbl Orange Juice Concentrate

2 cups cooked rice

Saute almonds, celery, onion in butter until almonds are lightly toasted. This should take 3-5 minutes.

Combine the sauteed mixture, orange segments, orange juice concentrate and rice, tossing to mix.

This can be served hot or cold.

Swedish Meatballs Dunkin Style

2010-09-30T05:23:00.000-07:00

My husband makes the BEST Swedish Meatballs, and it came to me on Saturday that he had not made them since I started my food blog! I bugged him until he agreed to make them.

I think the fact that he poaches the meatballs instead of cooking them in the oven makes them extra tender and flavorful. He then uses the poaching liquid in the sauce makes it extra special!

Here's how ya do it, as told by him, he is long winded sorry!

Poaching liquid and sauce base:

1 can (~30 oz) vegetable broth

2 cans (~30 oz) chicken broth

We always try to find/use either homemade broths or use unsalted and season at the end. Salted is fine, just do NOT add extra salt until you are finishing your sauce. Put the broth in a large sauce pan and heat to a simmer while you prepare the meatballs.

Pasta: We prefer extra-wide egg noodles. With or without yolks, up to you. Cook ONE POUND of dried pasta until al dente, drain, keep warm. You will want it firm since you're combining back into the sauce later. Wide floppy noodles hold a lot of the sauce and give a good balance of texture to the meat.

Meat: You can use just chicken, chicken and pork, turkey or turkey and pork. This time we used VERY lean turkey and ground pork.

1 lb ground 98% lean turkey

1 lb fine ground pork (we have coarse grind available here which we did not want)

- incorporate the two evenly

2 large eggs

Chopped finely:

1 med red onion

1.5c fresh, well-rinsed parsley (not Italian, regular)*

Dry stuff: (to taste, to smell -- we cook largely by "smell")

1/4 - 1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 - 1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg (if not fresh, double it)

1/4-1/2 tsp allspice

1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

1 tablespoon kosher salt (1/2 amount if using regular salt)**

approximately 1/2c unseasoned bread crumbs

Optional Wet Stuff you may need:

1c of cream or 1/2 and 1/2

1/4 - 1/2c sour cream

1-2 tablespoons sweet cream (unsalted) butter

*parsley in meatballs (we use this in Italian style too) adds an earthy greenness with a hint of medicinal like flavor that mellows in the cooking process. Overall it provides a very good flavor balance and nutritional filler (instead of more bread crumbs or starches or MSG).

**HEY!! Watch that salt! You will most likely be using a salted broth which will reduce and created a nasty salty sauce. If you are unsure of your broth, hold the salt seasoning until the very end. It adds nothing to the cooking process or moisture retention since you are poaching.

Combine dry with wet, use your hands. The meatballs will be slightly sticky and will get on your fingers and build up. Don't worry. Roll into balls about 1.5 inches in diameter. If your kitchen is hot/warm, keep them on a chilled plate while you prepare to poach

Poach in batches, don't crowd them and don't vigorously boil them -- just a gentle poach. You will want an instant-read thermometer handy. Whenever you combine meats, cook to the highest recommended "done" temperature of the two. In this case it's the turkey so go for 165 degrees.

Finishing the sauce:

Prepare a roux -- we use a 4tbsp butter to ~6tbsp flour ratio. Melt the butter, add flour. Stir, stir, stir and cook the flour over a medium heat until it starts to take on some color.

Ladle hot broth into the roux, stir to incorporate. Repeat until the roux sauce is fluid enough to pour back to the heated broth (still on medium heat) and easily incorporate without clumping. If clumps form, reduce heat and whisk gently. Be patient, you can work them out.

Once you are getting close to the desired consistency (about like whipping cream) add about 1/4c dry sherry (bumps up the sweetness) and then start testing for salt. Add a bit more fresh ground black pepper and a couple pinches of ground white pepper. Stir, taste. You should have slightly sweet, herby, some detection of salt but not salty. If too thin, you can thicken with a little bit of corn starch or just reduce for a few minutes.

Slightly salty? (been there, done that) Whisk in 1/4c sour cream

Uh Oh! Really Salty? Don't panic, been there done that too. Add about one cup of cream, 1/4c sour cream and a tablespoon or two of butter.

Now, tastes just right, right? Combine the pasta, meatballs back to the sauce and stir.

Serve warm in pasta bowls with sliced green onion for garnish and more fresh cracked pepper more for decoration than taste.

Serve with a green veggie and some good crusty bread.

Bon Apetit

Pao de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)

2010-09-28T04:21:00.000-07:00

I was cruising around Foodgawker the other day and saw these Cheesy Puffs, I asked my husband if he had them when he was in Brazil and he said YES, that they are wonderful and addictive. He asked me make them for him, and I was happy to do so, who doesn't love cheesy bread?

It is a bit difficult to find Tapioca Flour, but my local Asian Market carried it. I found the original recipe here, but have adapted it a bit for my tastes.

The rolls are nicely crispy on the outside and the inside almost feels like it is still raw, but that is exactly what it is supposed to be like! I thought they were a bit bland even though I added garlic powder, so next time I will also add onion powder and maybe Cayenne pepper and perhaps a sharper cheese.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups tapioca flour
1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
2/3 cup freshly grated Romano Cheese
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

2 beaten eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Pour milk, butter and salt into a large saucepan, and place over high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat immediately, and stir in tapioca flour and garlic until smooth.

Set aside to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Stir the cheese and egg into the tapioca mixture until well combined, the mixture will be chunky like cottage cheese.

Drop rounded balls of the mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet. I used my 1 inch scooper, so the balls were small.

Bake in preheated oven until the tops are lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. (I learned the hard way, they will need closer to 25 minutes till browned and crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside)

Remove and brush with melted butter if you like (they will loose a bit of the outside crispness if you do)

Peach and Blueberry Galette

2010-09-23T05:43:00.000-07:00

The family went Peach picking last Sunday and I bought too many peaches, 39 to be exact.

They are ripening quickly, so I decided to make a Galette, they are so easy and soo good. A dollop of whipping cream or ice cream and you are set, plus it is pretty enough for company!

1 refrigerated pie dough

4-5 peaches, peeled and sliced

1/3 cup blueberries washed

2 tbl white sugar

2 tbl butter

Turbinado Sugar (or Sugar in the Raw)

Place your dough on a non stick pan or silpat

Pile the fruit in the middle of the dough, leaving a 2 inch border

Sprinkle with the regular sugar

Put dots of butter all over the fruit

Fold the pie dough around the edge they will naturally fold into each other

Brush the edges (that are folded) with water and sprinkle on the Turbinado Sugar

Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes, let cool

Serve with Ice Cream or Whipping Cream if desired

Molasses Cookies

2010-09-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

I have never made Molasses cookies before, but my husband hounded me until I broke down and made them. He does not like sweets much, but he loved these cookies, they aren't overly sweet are nice and chewy, and a bit spicy.

I found the recipe on the Joy of Baking Website, they have some great recipes! Check it out!

One other thing I had to share that I am very excited about, I was contacted by the Saturday Evening Post asking permission to use one of our Photo's in their Bi-Monthly Magazine, I am so exited!

On to the recipe! This one is a keeper.

2 cups AP flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 tsp Ground Ginger

1/2 tsp Ground Cloves

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter at room temperature

1 cup Dark Brown Sugar

2 tbl Vegetable or Canola Oil

1/3 cup Unsulphured Molasses (spray your measuring cup with pan spray and it will come out cleanly)

1 large egg

1/2 tsp Vanilla

Granulated sugar for garnish

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

Sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices, set aside

In the bowl of your electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes)

Add the oil, molasses, egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated, add the flour mixture and continue to beat until well mixed

Cover and chill until firm about 2 hours or even overnight

Place about 1 cup of granulated sugar in a bowl and roll the dough into 1 inch balls (I use a one inch scooper) and roll them around in the sugar (coat well)

Place on your Silpat/baking sheet or baking sheet sprayed with pan spray, you should be able to fit 12 of them on a large size baking sheet (using the flat bottom of a glass flatten each cookie slightly)

Bake for 9 minutes only, they should be a bit underdone, they will firm up as they sit

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Spicy Canteloupe Popsicles

2010-09-09T05:37:00.000-07:00

I had some ripe canteloupe and no idea what to do with it. I decided to make popsicles, it sounded very refreshing. I love my canteloupe with a sprinkle of Chile Con Limon, so I decided to add it to my popsicles.

It is a refreshing taste with a little spicy zing on the back end, I loved them and will be making them again.

1 very ripe canteloupe skinned and seeds removed, cut into chunks

1/8 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp Chli Con Limon

Place into a blender and blend until thouroughly liquified, pour into molds and freeze

Vaca Frita - Flank Steak with Orange and Lime Juice

2010-09-07T06:12:00.000-07:00

On one of his many trips, my husband had this dish, he loved it so much he wanted to come home and re-create it. I have to say it was yummy!

It is a Cuban dish and is referred to as Fried Beef as it is Boiled, Sauteed, Shredded and put under the broiler. It is a bit of work, but let me tell ya, it is so worth it! We have made it many times.

1.5 lbs. Flank Steak, cubed

3.5 cups of water

1 tbsp. salt

1 bay leaf

2 medium-sized yellow onions, one halved, one chopped

1 tbsp. olive oi

juice of 1 large orange

juice of 1 large lime (or 2 small limes)

salt to taste

Place the steak, water, 2 onion halves, bay leaf and salt in a medium-sized pot and set over medium-high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium.

Simmer the steak for 45 minutes – 1 hour, or until tender. (I like to do this in the morning or on the weekend and finish up at dinnertime.)

Remove the steak with a slotted spoon and let cool to room temperature. (Run the remaining liquid through a fine mesh sieve and use as a base for soups, or freeze.)

Use 2 forks or your hands to pull the steak apart until it resembles pulled pork.

Mix the orange and lime juice together in a small bowl or measuring cup.

Preheat your oven’s broiler.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and saute until soft and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the shredded steak and half of orange/lime juice.

Saute for 2 – 3 minutes, then taste and add more orange/lime juice and salt to taste. I usually end up using all or most of the juice. This depends on the size of your citrus and how juicy it is.

Spread the contents of the skillet onto a cookie sheet and place under the broiler until the beef and onions crisp and brown, about 10 minutes. Remove and serve with white rice and black beans (small and soupy kind)

Cole Slaw

2010-09-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

I was at Costco last weekend and noticed they had Cole Slaw makings in their refrigerated section, it had a bunch of cabbage, some walnuts and Craisins. It was all pre-packaged and included the dressing, all you had to do was mix it together.

How fun is that? NOT! I thought it would be an interesting slaw, but I was not ABOUT to pay 8 bucks for it.

I stopped by the store and found a bagged mix of two different kinds of cabbage plus carrots. I had Craisins and Walnuts at home. I made it for about a buck!

I used my locally famous Cole Slaw dressing and it rocked my world. It is best eaten the same day, as the nuts become soft after a day or two.

1 package of green cabbage (or cut your own)

1 package of purple cabbage (or cut your own)

1 bag of shredded carrots

1/2 cup of Craisins

1/2 cup of Walnuts

The Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tbl white vinegar

21/2 tbl lemon juice

Mix the dressing together, incorporating all ingredients

Add the vegetables and Craisins, and let sit several hours to overnight

Add the nuts on top before serving

Pulled Pork Sandwich

2010-08-31T05:33:00.000-07:00

My husband smoked a Pork Shoulder last weekend and it was seriously awesome. He used this recipe, plus a bunch of other secret spices he isn't sharing. Instead of doing it in the oven like Guy did, he smoked it for about 12 hours. We used a vinegar mop for the first time and were very impressed with the results.

It was delish I must say, moist, smokey and succulent. The first thing that came to my mind for the leftovers was a Pulled Pork Sandwich. I made Cole Slaw to go along with it by copying the ingredients in a pre-packaged one I saw at Costco (which I will share later this week).

The combination of the tender meat, sweet and tangy cole slaw with some barbecue sauce on a soft bun was heaven let me tell ya!

Blueberry and Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes

2010-08-24T05:37:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite cooking magazines is Cooks Country, and a recipe in the April/May edition intrigued me. They made mini-cheesecakes using sweetened condensed milk, which I had never heard of, and used a cookie for the base.

It also uses jam and I just so happened to have fresh blueberries and raspberries which I paired with my homemade strawberry and blueberry jam.

I used their recipe as a base and tweaked it to my liking. These are delightful little cheesecakes and beautiful too! I doubled the recipe and it make 19 cheesecakes.

2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese at room temp

1 cup sweetened condensed milk (I used the reduced fat one)

Keebler Sandies (Shortbread cookies, I used the Pecan ones)

3 large eggs

fresh berries of your choosing

jam of your choosing

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Using your cupcake/muffin tin, line them with paper liners

Place 1 cookie in the base of each muffin tin, pressing down

Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy about 2 minutes

Gradually beat in condensed milk until incorporated

Add your vanilla extract, lemon zest and lemon juice

Add eggs, one at a time, beating till smooth 2-3 minutes

Divide the cheesecake mixture into the muffin tins, don't overfill them (it makes 18 cheesecakes) and bake for 20 minutes

Remove and let cool for 20 minutes and refrigerate for an hour

Remove cheesecakes from muffin tins

Microwave jam slightly till it loosens up, and glaze the top of the cheescakes, top with fruit

If well wrapped the naked cheesecakes keep quite well in the freezer

SPAM Kit Giveaway Winner

2010-08-19T05:10:00.000-07:00

Thank all of you for playing!

The winner of the SPAM Kit Giveaway is Katherine Aucoin from Smoky Mountain Cafe!

I used the Random Number Generator to pick my winner!

Congratulations!

Please email me your address and I will have the fine folks from Hormel send off your gift!

Fried Green Tomatoe's

2010-08-17T06:06:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to try Fried Green Tomato's, but in Oregon it is not something we have on Restaurant menu's. I looked for them at the Farmers Market last weekend to no avail.

Luckily, I was visiting with my neighbor Pam and she had a bag full of green ones! She gave them to me and I found the following recipe from my heart throb Tyler Florence online, which I must say was wonderful! The tomatoes are tart, that combined with the crispy coating and spicyness, was freaking amazing!

I followed the recipe mostly, but added a few more spices, and tripled the Cayenne. I served it with a sauce comprised of Ranch Dressing and Tabasco. One thing which will make them stay crispy longer is to NOT drain on paper towels, use a cookie cooling rack over a jelly roll pan, it lets the grease drip off and your fried foods stay crisp!

Ingredients

1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon garlic powder (I doubled this)
Pinch cayenne (I used 3 pinches)

1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large unripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices, ends removed
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Hot pepper sauce, for serving
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne together.

Pour the buttermilk into a separate bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Dip the tomatoes in the buttermilk and then dredge them in the cornmeal mixture, coating both sides well.

Place a large skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is hot, pan-fry the tomatoes (in batches if necessary) until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Carefully remove the tomatoes and drain on paper towels.

Serve with hot pepper sauce and lemon.

Spam Kit Giveaway

2010-08-16T06:33:00.000-07:00

I nearly forgot about the Spam Kit Giveaway that SPAM/Hormel has offered me to give away to one of my bloggy buddies!

They have been gracious enough to send a lucky someone a beautiful SPAM Trivet, Spatula and an assortment of SPAM products.

All YOU have to do is leave me a comment between now and Monday July 16th telling me what your favorite dish is using SPAM products!

I now know what mine is, a fried Bacon SPAM and Velveeta Sammy on Sourdough Bread, YUM! Tried it a few weeks ago and nearly fell out of my chair!

Strawberry Kiwi Daiquiri

2010-08-10T06:42:00.000-07:00

I had some Strawberries and Kiwis which were ripening quickly and needed to be used ASAP, so I decided to make a Cocktail. I will tell you that I have limited experience with anything other than Martini's, I am not a sweet drink person, so this was new to me!

I did not have any Rum which seems to be the usual liquor involved, so I used Vodka. It was delicious and somehow I felt healthy drinking it, I mean it does have fruit in it after all!

1 cup Strawberries

2 Kiwi's peeled

1 equal

Vodka (use however much you like)

Ice

1 tsp Fresh Lime or Lemon Juice

I used my immersion blender and simply whirred it all together and added the vodka into the individual glasses along with the fruit mixture. You could use a blender as well.

Chile Con Limon

2010-08-07T05:45:00.000-07:00

This is not a post about food, but rather one of my most favorite spice mixes.

I got turned onto it years ago by a Hispanic friend, she put it on some melon and I nearly lost my mind!

It is a combination of chili spices, salt, lemon and lime, and something you must have in your pantry!

It is sooo yummy on everything from eggs to cantaloupe, including corn on the cob, absolutely amazing.

You can find it at any local Tienda or order it online here

Banana Ice Cream

2010-08-05T06:32:00.000-07:00

We are not ice cream people, however, I do have an ice cream maker. I wanted to make my Father In Law some ice cream for his birthday, so I called my Mother In Law and asked what was his favorite, she said banana? I had never heard of banana ice cream, so coming up with a recipe was rather interesting.

He adored the ice cream and has requested more, my Mother In Law loved it as well!

I ended up with a creamy, custardy ice cream, like nothing I have tried before. I also got to use a vanilla bean which is always fun, if you are a foodie dork like me! Here is how you do it!

2 cups milk

2 cups heavy cream

2 eggs, beaten

2 yolks, beaten

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 cup mashed banana (about 4)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

1 vanilla bean split and seeds removed

In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, eggs, sugar and salt. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon.

Refrigerate the mixture until cool. Combine the cooled custard with the banana, vanilla, vanilla bean seeds and nutmeg.

Pour into freezer container or your ice cream maker

Freeze until hard

Put the used vanilla bean in a jar of sugar and make yourself Vanilla Sugar!

Chef Salad My Way!

2010-08-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

I am not a huge fan of salads which is evident when you take a peek at my ass, BUT, it was hot and I was tired and I decided to make a nice Chef Salad for Dinner.

My husband of course did not want the usual tired ham and cheese, so I chose to go a different route and it was sensational! The slightly salty turkey with the smooth provolone, YUM

This salad feeds two hungry heffers! or 4 as a side dish, I served with some Olive Flat Bread from New Seasons

Green Leaf Lettuce, torn and washed/dried (I used half of a large head)

3 hard boiled eggs sliced

4-6 ounces smoked turkey breast cut into strips

4-6 ounces Provolone Cheese cut into strips

assortment of baby tomatoes

1/2 English Cucumber sliced in half then sliced into half coins

Assemble and dress as you wish, topping with fresh ground pepper!

Smoked Prime Rib

2010-07-29T06:26:00.000-07:00

If you have been hanging around here awhile, you probably know we are major smokers and grillers! My husband is in love with meat; charring meat, smoking meat, rotisserizing meat, and any other method he can use. At one time we had 3 barbecues on our upper deck, luckily I am down to a Traeger smoker and a huge ass Webber Summit grill.

We have been jonsing to smoke something and hubby found a gorgeous Prime Rib (with bone, the only way to go) and decided to try to smoke it. He found a great recipe on the Traeger web page and went for it! I have to say it was the absolute BEST Prime Rib I have ever eaten!

One 5-7 bone rib roast
2 cups Kosher Salt
4 T Garlic Powder
2 T Black Pepper
2 T Traeger Prime Rib Rub
1 TSP Montreal Beef Seasoning (our add)
1 TBL Rosemary (our add)

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients, adding water to mixture - a little at a time - to make a thick paste.

Lightly mist prime, then add paste in layers to fat cap.

Paste should be approx. 1/2 inch thick.

Wrap meat in plastic and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, start your Traeger on "medium".

Put prime on grill, fat side up.

Place meat thermometer directly into center of the prime rib.

Approx. every 1/2 hour, lightly mist salt crust with water to keep it from drying out.

After 3 hours, switch to "smoke" and cook for 1 hour.

Return to "medium" to finish, or until thermometer reads 145 degrees F.

Remove from grill, tap off salt crust. Allow prime to "sit" for 15 minutes before carving.

Serves 8-12. Recommended pellets: 50/50 mixture of Maple & Hickory

1.Look for balance in fat to meat to bone.
2.Leave fat cap on meat, but trim to 1/8 inch thick.
3.Cook Prime Rib bone side down.
4.For best results, start on "medium". After meat has warmed up, switch to "smoke".
5.Place meat thermometer directly into center of the prime rib.
6.When it reaches 140 degrees, it's ready to pull of the grill.
7.Let your prime rib sit approximately 15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to settle down.

Chicken Pot Pie Topped with Mashed Potatoes

2010-07-27T06:45:00.000-07:00

I have been seeing recipes around the blogsphere for Shepard's Pie, I wanted to make it but use a healthier protein. I also wanted to cheat a bit and make it fast and easy. This can be made in less than 30 minutes and is a comfort to any one's tummy!

p.s it makes a huge casserole....

4 cups of diced, cooked chicken meat
5 large carrots
5 celery sticks
1/2 onion
1 potato (you could use more if you wish)
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 to 2 cups of mushrooms cleaned and sliced
1/2 cup of frozen peas
2 packages of pre-made mashed potatoes
1/2 to 3/4 soup can of milk
1 tbl butter
salt and pepper to taste
4 fresh sage leaves or dried
2 tbl parsley (dried)
1/2 tbl thyme

Place your meat into a large bowl, add the mushrooms and peas

Peel and slice your carrots, them microwave them for 4 minutes to get a head start on cooking them, then place into the bowl

Scrub your potato and microwave for 2 minutes, let cool, then dice into cubes and place into your bowl

Clean and slice your celery and dice your onion, then combine them in a non stick pan with a pat of butter and saute for 3-4 minutes, then add to the bowl

Add your soups, milk and spices, stir the entire mixture until well combined

Pour into a casserole

Using your pre-made mashed potatoes, layer on the top of the casserole and decorate as you wish

Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes, till bubbly

Serve with a green salad and you have a fabulous meal!

Winner of the SPAM Trivet Giveaway

2010-07-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

The winner of my SPAM Trivet Giveaway is Bethie from You Know What You Oughta Do

She was my 5th commenter! Beth send me your address so I can get your Trivet to you!

p.s. The wonderful folks at Hormel are going to provide one lucky commenter with a SPAM Kit which includes a trivet, spatula and some of their yummy products.

I will run that contest next week, so keep your eye out!

Thank you everyone for playing!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

5

Timestamp: 2010-07-25 16:18:59 UTC

Last Chance to Enter My SPAM Trivet Giveaway

2010-07-23T08:00:00.001-07:00

The winner will be announced on Monday!

Enter here!

Hello My Little Lobster Friend, How We Ate You

2010-07-22T06:33:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was doing my grocery shopping and their live Lobster tank has some issues so they were blowing the live lobsters out at an incredible price. I bought two of the suckers for $14.95. They were still moving in the bag while I was doing my shopping, it was creepy.......

We have never done "live" lobsters before, we always buy the tails and hubby cooks them on the barbecue, so this was new to us!

The verdict, to much expense and time for very little lobster meat. Next time we will stick with the tails. p.s. they really don't scream like I have heard!

1 bunch of Thyme (fresh if possible)
1 bay leaf

1 lemon

1-2 lobsters

Make a tasty cooking broth by combining the water, thyme, & bay leaves in a big pot. Squeeze the lemon juice into the water & then drop in the empty rinds. Bring the pot up to a high boil.

Remove rubber bands from the claws and place head first into the boiling water

Cover and boil for approximately 15 minutes, when done the Lobster will be bright red

Lobster Weight Cooking Time
1 - 1 ¼ lb. 12 - 15 minutes
1 ¼ - 2 lb. 15 - 20 minutes
2-3 lb. 20 - 25 minutes
3-6 lb. 25 - 28 minutes
6-7 lb. 28 - 30 minutes
8 lb. and over 4 minutes per pound

Serve with lemon wedges and garlic butter for dipping

Banana Pecan Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-07-20T05:52:00.000-07:00

I know it's a mouthful, but this cake is one of the best ones I have ever created.

Initially I was going to make a Paul Deen recipe, but decided to take a few shortcuts and do it my way!

This is a decadent and super yummy cake, especially if you are a Banana lover like my husband!

Cake

1 French Vanilla Cake mix

3-4 very ripe banana's

1 tsp Cinnamon

Frosting

1/2 chopped Pecans

approximately 20 whole pecans

1 8 oz package cream cheese, room temp

1 cube butter, room temp

1 pound confectioners sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla

Make your cake as directed on the package, adding the banana's and Cinnamon to the cake mixture. Bake as directed.

In a bowl blend the cream cheese, butter, gradually add the confectioners sugar and beat till light and fluffy. Beat in the Vanilla.

Frost the first layer top and sprinkle on the chopped Pecans, add the second layer and continue frosting the cake until entire cake is covered.

Carefully place the whole pecan pieces around the edge of the cake

p.s. Don't forget to enter my Giveaway for a SPAM Trivet!

Spam Trivet Giveaway!

2010-07-19T06:30:00.000-07:00

I was contacted by the lovely folks at Hormel, who were kind enough to send me a Spam Kit, which included a fabulous Trivet, and some of their wonderful products. I am working on a recipe for their Meal Makeover Challenge!

In the meantime, I have decided to give away the super cool Spam Trivet they sent me! It is a 20 dollar value.

The giveaway is easy, in the comments, tell me what your favorite summertime meal is, and if it is on your blog link to it!

You do not have to have a blog to participate, but I will need your info if you win, so leave me a way to contact you.

The contest ends July 23rd!

Chicken and Vegetable Kabobs

2010-07-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

I love Kabobs, but for some reason forget how much I love them and end up having them on rare occasion. I was trying to think of something different to have for dinner tonight and I remembered KABOBS!!! Yes indeed.

Two big lessons I have learned over the years in regard to Kabobs are

1. Marinate the chicken or it will be very bland and dry

2. You have to cook the chicken and vegetables separately as they all take various times to cook

3. I almost forgot, soak the wooden kabobs!

I like to use Tomatoes, Zucchini, Mushrooms and Fresh Pineapple, the savory and Sweet combination rocks my world. I serve over Jasmine Rice

Chicken Marinade -Combine the below ingredients with your chicken and let marinade 4 hours up to 24 hours

3 large skinless and boneless breasts
1/2 cup EVOO
1 lemon juiced
6 garlic cloves minced
fresh herbs (whatever you have on hand, I used chives and basil)
salt and pepper
4 tbl red wine vinegar

2 Zucchini cut into 1 inch slices

bunch of mushrooms, stem ends removed

Cherry tomatoes

Pineapple chunks

Cooked rice

Place your vegetables on individual skewers; mushrooms on one skewer, zucchini on another, etc.

Cut your chicken breasts into large chunks and place on skewers (keep these on a separate place so you don't cross contaminate)

Heat up your barbecue and cook the chicken till the juices run clear and the vegetables are to the doneness you like

Serve over rice, with additional sauces, if desired

Cheddar Beer Bread

2010-07-13T06:11:00.000-07:00

I have been making this bread for sooooo long I actually have no idea who gave me the recipe, I would guess a fellow pre-school teacher back in the day! Whoever you were, thank you, it has served me well!

It is a yummy crowd pleaser, and goes really well with the Tomato Basil Soup I made not long ago, which you can see here! The best part, no yeast, no rising, just one bowl and you are good to go!

3 cups flour A/P or Better for Bread
2 tbs sugar
1.5 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
dash Cayanne (optional)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 12 0z beer
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cube melted butter

Mix dry ingredients, add beer 1/2 at a time mixing well

Add 1/2 the cheese, mix till blended in

Place in a non-stick, greased loaf pan

drizzle on 1/2 the melted butter

bake at 350 for 30 minutes

remove and drizzle on the remaining butter, top with the remaining cheese and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes

Next time I am going to add a small can of diced Jalepeno's

We are back!

2010-07-12T03:51:00.000-07:00

We are back from vacation, sunburnt and relaxed. I thought I would share some photo's before I get back to my regular Tuesday and Thursday food blogging.

Our truck and little fishing boat ready to leave for Bend, Oregon!

Thanks to dear friend's who loaned us their Cabin just outside of Sun River, we were able to enjoy the Deschutes river, in this area it winds slowly and beautifully. Lots of rafters and drifters use it for recreation.

This is the view from the boat in the middle of the beautiful Cultis Lake. The water was so clear you could see the bottom.

Off the bow of the boat, notice the cushions, MY idea!

Bella Sue after a hard day on the lake, she unfortunately got a bit of heatstroke even though we did everything right. Luckily she recovered quickly, but she was worn out!

Baby Girls pensive look. We were simply amazed at what a good traveling companion she was. She either hung out between the seats or took a nap during the 4 plus hours each way. She also hopped right into the boat without any fear. I cannot say the same for me, I did the dock splits, one foot on the dock one foot on the boat, I managed to NOT fall in, but I hurt my gluteous muscle!

This was taken at Mt. Bachelor, it is really high in elevation and we found a bit of snow. It is probably Bend's largest and most popular skiing area.

Baby girl and her Daddy!

Princess did not want to sit in the gravel while her Daddy was working on the boat!

That is about it, we took our boat out for the first time and we have decided we want a bigger boat, so this one has a "For Sale" sign on it!

Vacation

2010-07-05T06:10:00.000-07:00

We will be on vacation in Bend Oregon this week playing on our Fishing Boat!

We hope you had a safe and happy 4th of July and will see ya next week!

Happy Eating!

Featured Blogger - Cafe Mom

2010-07-02T12:42:00.001-07:00

Hey all, I was lucky enough to be asked by the Cafe Mom blog/website to be a featured blogger in their "The Stir" column! It is titled "What's In My Fridge", check it out here!

I am honored to be asked to participate!

They have a great website which features everything from Parenting Issues, to Cooking, to Beauty and Style!

Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July!

Bella Sue Updates

2010-07-01T06:10:00.000-07:00

I can't seem to stop taking photos of my little baby girl. She is so cute, it strangles my heart in my chest at times. Here are some recent photos I have taken of her.

Tomato Basil Soup

2010-06-29T05:11:00.000-07:00

I love Tomato Soup paired with a grilled cheese sandwich. It is my favorite comfort food, however, now that I make my own I cannot stomach the stuff out of the can.

Sorry Campbells!

I have been making it the last few years and constantly tweaking the recipe. I think this is the final keeper. I adapted it from one of my favorite chef's, The Barefoot Contessa! I think roasting the tomatoes is the key!

•3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise (I used ripe Roma's)
•1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
•1 tablespoon kosher salt
•1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
•2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
•6 garlic cloves, minced
•2 tablespoons unsalted butter
•1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
•1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice
•4 cups fresh basil leaves, cut into a chiffanade (I used only 2 cups)
•1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
•1 quart chicken stock or water (use stock)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.

In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown.

Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet.

Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade, or do what I did and use your immersion blender.

Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies with a TWIST

2010-06-24T06:11:00.000-07:00

I purchased some Butterscotch chips the other day and wondered what I could do with them. My husband loves Oatmeal cookies, and I found a recipe for Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies on the Nestle website. While putting the recipe together I pondered what would it taste like if I added Craisins?

I did, and may I tell you it was a terrific decision! The sweet/tang of the Craisins takes these cookies over the TOP! Try it, you wont be sorry!

We served in a dessert dish with Vanilla Ice Cream! YUM!

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp each ground cinnamon and salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
1 pkg Butterscotch Morsels
1 cup Craisins

PREHEAT oven to 375 °F

COMBINE flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in large bowl until smooth.

Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats, morsels and Craisins.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 7 to 8 minutes for chewy cookies or 9 to 10 minutes for crisp cookies.

Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen

Semi-Homemade Barbequeue Sauce

2010-06-22T05:25:00.000-07:00

My husband smoked a Pork Shoulder on his Traeger Smoker this weekend, and I decided I would make two different sauces for the smokey, rich and delicious meat!

They are both delicious as hell and very different. I tried to remember every ingredient, but don't blame me if I missed something! My husbands favorite is the Piquant and mine is the Strawberry Root Beer Sauce.

Piquant Barbecue Sauce Top Photo, Root Beer Sauce the second one

Piquant Barbecue Sauce

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup yellow mustard (measure this, I was dumb and didn't)

1/4 cup finely minced onion

2 cloves garlic minced well

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tbl Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar (you may add more to taste after it cooks awhile)

1/2 tsp Cayenne

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Tabasco Sauce to taste (I put a fair amount in)

1/2 cup catsup

4 tbl molasses

1/4 cup tomato paste

Place all ingredients into a saucepan and let cook for an hour or more on low. Stir often.

Taste often and adjust to your own tastes. I will last a long time in the fridge due to the acid content.

The second sauce I absolutely pulled out of my ass. I had an idea and ran with it. I knew I wanted a sweeter sauce with fruit. I also cheated a bit and added some smokey barbecue sauce at the end to thicken it up. This one is my favorite of the two and is a beautiful color. The root beer gives it a nice and bright flavor.

Strawberry Root Beer Barbecue Sauce

1 12oz bottle of regular root beer (get a good quality one)

1.5 cup strawberries, cored and chopped medium

1/4 cup onion, diced small

1/4 balsamic vinegar

4 tbl Molasses

1/4 cup catsup

1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce

Pour your bottle of root beer into a non stick sauce pan on low, and let reduce by half, it will take a good 30 minutes

Add the strawberries, onion, balsamic, catsup and molasses

Let cook together for 15 minutes or so

Add a 1/2 to 1 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce, mix well and let continue to cook for another few minutes

Taste and add seasoning/ingredients as needed

Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth

Healthy Banana Nut Muffins for my Guy!

2010-06-17T04:42:00.000-07:00

My husband is not a sweets eating guy, but if I make it healthy he will eat what I bake!

I decided I wanted to come up with a really healthy and hearty muffin. I added all sorts of good stuff and used yogurt instead of butter or oil. I have to say these muffins are really tasty, and good for you too! Give it a whirl for your guy!

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 very ripe bananas
1 cup Sugar Twin brown sugar replacement
1/2 stick of butter melted
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 vanilla yogurts (I used Activia)
1/8 cup Flax Seeds or more
1/8 cup Oat Bran
1/2 cup toasted Walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter muffin tins or use the paper muffin cups, and use pan spray on the inside (the muffins are sticky)

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt, set aside

Mash two of the bananas with a fork

Using a kitchen aide or an electric mixer with a wire whisk, whip the other two bananas and sugar substitute for at least three minutes

Add the melted butter, eggs, yogurts, vanilla and almond extract and beat well

Mix in the dry ingredients including flax seeds and oat bran till just incorporated

Fold in the nuts and and the mashed bananas

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins about half way

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 18 o 22 minutes

Let cool and slather with butter

Asparagus and Gruyere Tart

2010-06-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

I bought some pencil thin Asparagus at the Farmers Market and wanted to make something special. I remembered seeing a Tart on Closet Cookings website and it looked amazing.

I used plain Dijon Mustard rather than Honey Dijon, the sweet element did not appeal to me. It was quite easy, beautiful and tasty!

Notes for next time: If using larger Asparagus, par cook them first, cook at a lower temp for a few minutes longer, add more seasoning of some kind; Balsamic Vinegar would be excellent dribbled on top right out of the oven.

Ingredients:
1 sheet puff pastry (thawed according to the packages directions)
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cups Gruyere (grated)
1 pound asparagus (cleaned and trimmed)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
1. Roll the puff pastry out to a 16x10 inch rectangle.
2. Score a line around the puff pastry 1 inch from the edge.
3. Brush the mustard around the inside of the cut.
4. Sprinkle the cheese over the mustard.
5. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer over the cheese. (I also brushed the Asparagus with a bit of Olive Oil so it would not dry out)
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Brush the outside inch of the pastry with the oil.
8. Bake in a preheated 400F oven until the asparagus is tender and the pastry is golden brown, about 15-25 minutes

Curried Butternut and Apple Soup

2010-06-10T05:10:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to use up a huge Butternut Squash I got a great deal on. I looked up soup recipes, but nothing really fit the bill. I wanted it all, Butternut, Curry and Apple. I also wanted to roast the Butternut Squash as I think that really brings out the flavor.

I finally decided to just DO IT! and figure it out as I went along. I love doing that! Not so much when it does not come out, but that rarely happens anymore! I have to say this is one of the best soups I have ever made, I love it.

So here's the deal!

1 large butternut squash, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

1 large leek, ends cut, sliced and soaked/rinsed well

1 tbl butter

3 cans chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup apple juice

1 granny smith apple or other tart apple (peeled, cored, chunked)

curry powder to taste (I like curry so I used about 1.5 tbl of a spicy curry powder)

1 tsp black pepper

salt to taste

1/2 tsp Cayenne (optional)

1 tsp Ginger powder

2 tbl olive oil

Mix the squash, olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, stirring and flipping the squash several times. Remove and set aside.

Add the 1 tbl butter to a large stockpot, melt and then add the leeks, apples and curry powder. Cook on medium stirring often until the onion is translucent, maybe 10 minutes

Add the cooked squash, remaining spices, broth, apple juice, salt and pepper to taste

Cook for an additional 15 minutes or so until the squash and apples are fork tender

Using a blender, immersion blender or whatever you have on hand, whir the soup until well combined and smooth

Serve with diced apples and cream fraiche or a dab of sour cream on top

Chattanooga Tomato Pie

2010-06-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

One of my friends gave me this recipe, and it is a wonderful way to use up those yummy tomatoes this summer! Tina is a fabulous artist, as well as a great cook, check her artwork out here.

I, being the queen of tweaking recipes, had to add my own spin to it. It was juicy and delicious, reminded me a bit of a pizza, but much more flavorful!

Here is the original recipe, thanks Tina!

1 c. Bisquick
1/3 c. milk
Thickly sliced tomatoes
Sweet basil
Lemon pepper
1/4 c. mayonnaise
5/8 c. sour cream
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp. finely chopped onion
Garlic powder to taste

*I added about 1/2 tsp onion powder

*I added 1/2 tsp red onion flakes

Combine Bisquick with milk (I added salt, pepper and garlic powder) and, with floured fingers, pat into bottom of greased 10-inch pie pan or quiche dish. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Top with layer of thickly sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle generously with basil and pepper.

Combine mayonnaise, sour cream and Parmesan, onion and garlic, then spread over tomatoes. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes (I baked for 40 minutes then browned using the broiler)

Better Than Sex Cake

2010-06-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

I received this recipe from one of my many Ex-Sister In Law's, years and years ago, and it has been languishing in my recipe box ever since. I made it a few months ago and again today for a friends birthday.

I have only had a few bites of this cake as it is very sweet, so I cannot tell you if it is really better than sex or not, although in my book there are not too many things better than sex!

It is easy to make, super yummy (or so I hear) and very decadent. Give it a try and then you tell ME is it really better than sex?

I make a double batch using a 9 X 13 pan.

2 boxes of your favorite cake mix (Chocolate is preferred)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (I used Fat Free)
1 jar of Caramel
1 tub of Cool Whip
3-4 Heath Bars crushed

Make the cake mix according to the mix directions and place in the greased pan, you will have to cook it much longer (and lower in my opinion) than the box indicates, if you do the double batch.

When the toothpick comes out clean, remove and poke holes in the cake with the end of a wooden spoon or something of similar size .

Pour the condensed milk all over the cake, trying to get it into the holes (this works best when the cake is still warm from the oven)

Pour on the Caramel sauce next, saturating the cake

Let cool and frost with the cool whip and top with the crushed Heath Bars

**I imagine that you could use just about any combination of cake/and toppings.

The Best Cheese I have ever eaten

2010-05-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

So, I have to tell you that today, I tried the most amazing cheese that I have ever had the opportunity to taste, it was simply amazing.

The Olive Tapenade Chevre is the first one I tried and purchased. It is so smooth and creamy and is like velvet on your tongue, I was totally blown away. If you are a cheese lover, check their website out here, they also sell other varieties of cheeses and are based here in the Pacific Northwest.

They are at our local Farmers Market as well, if you can go in person.

I highly recommend their cheese, up next I am trying their Roasted Hazelnut and Frangelico Goat Cheese, can you imagine that!

Plantains, Two Ways

2010-05-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

My husband gets to sample food from all over the world on his travels. He decided to fix me dinner, and made Plantains two ways, fried green plantains called Tostones and ripe Plantains, called Maduros. He actually fried the green ones and they taste a bit like bananna chips, the Tostones he fried as well and then baked some in the traditional manner.

I have to say I loved the ripe Plantains, both fried (twice) and baked, they were so dang good. I am afraid I am seriously addicted. The green ones (which were also fried twice), were not my thing.

They are served with two seperate dipping sauces which are both amazing!

This particular blog post is nearly a year old and I never did add the information on the sauces and cooking them, but it should be pretty easy to find on the web!

Sad Anniversary

2010-05-11T05:36:00.000-07:00

Today marks the one year anniversary of the loss of our Beautiful, Majestic, Martha Anne. She was only seven, I thought she would be here so much longer, taken swiftly.

To say we still feel the loss is an understatement, we still talk about her constantly, remembering all her goofy ways and silly self. Bella Sue has filled a huge hole in our heart and she is loved and treasured, but Martha was our "once in a lifetime dog".

We will never forget her, nor will anyone who ever met her. She was a friend to all, a constant companion and a goofy, happy dog.

I decided to share some of the million and one photos we have of her, our Baby, our darling daughter.

I will never forget you my beauty, always in our hearts.........