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Sunday, October 31, 2010

Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette

This is a good recipe to use
to coat and bake red potatoes.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp fresh thyme or lemon thyme leaves
2 Tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
In a bowl combine 3/4 cup oil, lemon zest and
juice, thyme and parsley and whisk to combine.

Tiger Bread Coating

This is a recipe that makes a plain home baked
bread look very interesting indeed, crackles
and tastes almost like a fortune cookie does.
You spread this on your bread before baking.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup white rice flour
4 tsp vegetable oil
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/2 tsp instant yeast

Directions:
In a small bowl combine the water, sugar,
rice flour, salt, oil and instant yeast.
Mix with a wooden spoon until smooth.
Cover with plastic wrap and allow
to rest until doubled in size.
Spread this paste onto the outside
of the loaves of bread you are baking.
Then bake your bread as you normally would.

Zucchini Boats

This is a quick dish to prepare and then is,
slow simmered for one hour in a sauce pan
filled with canned crushed tomato sauce.
The squash is nice and tender with a
sausage and saffron rice stuffing.
Topped with Velveeta Cheese Product
that melts into the tomato sauce to
make a rich creamy and cheesy sauce.

Ingredients:
1 small zucchini squash
1/2 cup cooked saffron rice
1/2 cup ground breakfast sausage
1/2 cup Velveeta Cheese Product
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water

Directions:
Cut ends of squash to fit squash in a saucepan.
Slice in half lenthwise and using a spoon,
remove any and all seeds creating a boat.
Stuff half way up in boat with sausage,
then cover with rice and top with cheese.
Repeat with other squash half and place
them in a sauce pan and cover with water
and can of crushed tomatoes.
Cover and place on stovetop on low heat
and simmer about 1 hour or until done.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Blueberry Cottage Cheese Pancakes

The first time I read a recipe for
using cottage cheese in pancakes
was from the Moosewood Cookbook.
After I found that to be a success
I decided to add some blueberries.
These are every bit as good as any
blueberry pancake I have ever had.
Next time I'm adding some chocolate chips.
I bet this would be good using Bisquick.

Ingredients:
1 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup blueberries
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbs vegetable oil
Cooking spray

Directions:
Combine cottage cheese, flour,
blueberries, beaten eggs and oil
in a large bowl and mix well.
Heat a lightly sprayed skillet
over medium heat.
Pour 1/3 cupfuls of batter
in to the skillet. Carefully flipping
when bubbles appear on the surface.

Baked Oatmeal

I've always cooked oatmeal in a pot
or even simply in the micrwave oven.
Here is a recipe to make it by baking.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
Pinch salt
3 cups milk
Ground cinnamon

Directions:
In greased 8-inch square glass baking dish,
combine oats, almonds, sugar, maple syrup
and salt, and stir in milk.
Bake in 350 degree F. oven until
oats are softened and milk is
absorbed, about 40 minutes.
Sprinkle with cinnamon to taste.
Serve hot.

Fried Saffron Rice Cakes

I took some cooked and cooled saffron
flavored risoto and formed it into rice cakes,
then fried them in a little olive oil.
These are fantastic tasting,
served with some sour cream on the side.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Creamy Saffron Rice
with Breakfast Links

I started out just wishing to make
some rice as a creamy side dish.
Added a few threads of saffron and
after tast testing decided that if
I added a few pieces of sausage
links would compliment the rice.
I did, and it does, very nicely.

Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup aborio rice
a few saffron threads
4 breakfast sausage links, cooked
a dash each of salt and black pepper

Directions:
In a pot with a tight fitting lid,
bring water to a boil.
Add rice and lower heat to a slow simmer.
Stir rice add saffron threads and cover.
Cook 30 minutes, stir and
season with salt and black pepper.
Cut breakfast sausage links into
1/2 inch pieces and add to rice.
Serve.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Here is a recipe showing how to roast
spaghetti squash it in the oven.
The flavor is intensified by the heat.

Ingredients:
2 whole spaghetti squash
6 tbls cold butter
Pinch of kosher salt
2-3 cracks of black pepper
1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds

Directions:
Place 2 spaghetti squash in
a 350 degree F. oven for 1/2 hour.
Remove and cut in half lengthwise.
Place on sheet pan flesh side down.
Cook for 1/2 hour more.
The meat of the spaghetti squash
will look like spaghetti.
Scoop out the meat of the squash with
a large spoon into a medium sized bowl.
Add to each squash 6 tlbs cold butter,
a pinch of kosher salt, 2-3 cracks
of fresh black pepper.
Mix to blend the butter.
Take 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds and
roast in the oven until golden.
Sprinkle the mixture on top of the squash
(the cold butter will give the squash
a beautiful, rich texture which you
will not get from melted butter).
Spoon out onto a plate, place two
chops from the crown roast onto the plate.

Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Roasted garlic has a sweet almost
buttery flavor that gives mashed
potatoes a really nice taste.

Ingredients:
One head of garlic
2 lbs yukon gold potatoes
1 TB salt
3 to 4 TB Olive Oil

Directions:
Clean and quarter potatoes.
Roast the garlic by cutting off the top,
brushing with olive oil, wrapping in foil
and baking for 40 minutes at 400 degrees.
Meanwhile put the potatoes in cold water,
add salt and bring to a boil. Boil 20 minutes.
Strain the potatoes and put back in the pot.
Squeeze out the roasted garlic
and smash with potatoes. Add the oil
and smash until desired consistency.

Tadig or Tadigi
Persian Browned Rice

Tadig, or tadigi is a rice that has
been browned on the bottom of a pot.
It's very good tasting and you must
try this at least once in your life.

Ingredients:

2 quarts water
2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 cups Basmati rice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:
Soak rice in cold water and rinse well.
Drain and parboil the rice for 5 minutes
Drain it after boiling. In a heavy pot,
put plenty of oil (not EVOO),
some threads of saffron which you have
dissolved in a little bit of hot water
or you can use a little bit of stock.
Put your rice in the pot, and
mound it in a pyramid shape.
Use a pot big enough to allow this.
Dribble some oil with saffron in it
all over the rice, and throw a
few whole cardamon pods on top.
Then put a dish towel over the pot,
and then put your heavy lid on it.
Turn the flame way, way down, and
leave the rice there for a long time.
The result is heavenly tasting.

A Pizza Cake

This is a unique cake for any occasion.
A cake that looks like a pizza.
Present this inside a real pizza box.

Ingredients:
1 yellow cake mix
2 cups red frosting
1 cup white chocolate, grated
Red fruit roll-ups
Black fruit roll-ups
Green fruit roll-ups

Directions:
Bake a 14" yellow cake mix as directed on box.
slightly hollow out the middle, add red frosting
and grated white chocolate on top.
Cut red fruit roll-ups into "pepperoni",
green roll-ups into "bell pepper slices"
and black roll-ups into "olives".
Use a paper hole puncher to
make the holes in the olives.

Chicken Lettuce Soup

You'll be surprised at how good tasting
putting Iceberg lettuce into soup is.
It adds a good crunchy texture too.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
4 carrots, peeled and cut up
4 stalks celery, sliced
1 large onion, peeled and halved
cold water to cover
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon chopped chives

Directions:
Rinse chicken and put the chicken,
2 carrots, 2 celery and
1/2 onion in a large soup pot,
cover with cold water.
Heat and simmer, uncovered,
until the chicken meat is done.
About 30 minutes should do it.
Take everything out of the pot.
Dicard the cooked vegetables.
Pick the meat off of the bones
and add back to the pot of broth.
Add 2 carrots,2 celery and 1/2 onion.
Season the broth with salt and
pepper to taste, add herbs.
Add Iceberg lettuce and
return to a simmer and serve.

Filet of Sole
with Capers and Grapes

This is a good tasting dish
with a balance of sweet from the
grapes and salt from the capers.
Nice with the added cream too.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 Dover sole fillets
flour for dusting fish
1/2 cup seedless red grapes
1/4 cup white grape juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon capers, drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat.
Season sole fillets with salt and pepper;
dust both sides of fish with flour.
Add to skillet and saute until
browned and just opaque in center,
about 2 minutes per side.
Transfer fish to platter.
Cut grapes in quarters and add
along with, grape juice,
wine, to same skillet.
Bring mixture to boil,
whisking up any browned bits.
Add cream, capers and parsley.
Lower heat and simmer sauce
until thickened, about 3 minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon sauce over fish, serve.

Bacon Onion Cheese Omelet

You'll be surprised how well
bacon and onion go together
in the fluffy good omelet.

Ingredients:
4 strips smoked bacon
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1/2 onion, peeled and diced
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons cold water
1/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 slice process American cheese, diced
1/8 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:
Cook bacon in a skillet over
medium heat until crisp.
Remove with a slotted spoon
to paper towels to drain and cool;
crumble the bacon and set aside.
Melt the butter in a skillet.
Cook and stir the onions in the
butter until tender, about 10 minutes.
Prepare a 10-inch non-stick skillet with
cooking spray and place over a cold burner.
Whisk together the eggs and water;
pour the egg mixture into the cold skillet.
Cover and turn the burner on for medium-low heat.
Cook until steam begins to vent from the skillet.
Remove the lid. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon,
Cheddar cheese, American cheese, salt,
and red pepper over the eggs.
Spread the onions over the eggs.
Gently swirl the skillet in a circular
motion to release the omelet and
slide it onto a plate.
Fold the omelet in half.
Allow the cheese to melt, serve.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Lemon Curd Cookies

I set about to make a simple shortbread
type cookie with a lemon curd filling.
This one came out really nice tasting.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
Lemon curd

Mix butter, sugar and flour.
Roll dough into balls and flatten.
With spoon indent center and fill
with small amount of lemon curd.
Bake at 300 degrees F. for 15 minutes.

Honey Sesame Soy Sauce

Sometimes the simplest recipes
make for the best tasting foods.
I like this sauce to marinate
chicken before roasting it.
Also use it as a basting sauce.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons sesame sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:
Combine ingredients and use
as a marinade/basting sauce.

Dirty Rice

This is a good dirty rice recipe.
Serve it with pineapple chunks
and cornbread on the side.
This is a family favorite.

Ingredients:
1/2 to 1 pound ground beef
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup long grain white rice
3 beef flavored bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups cold water
1-1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions:
Using a large saucepan, saute meat
until it is all broken up and brown.
Drain off the fat if necessary.
Add the vegetables and garlic
and saute until the onions
are tender and fragrant.
Add the rice, bouillon, paprika,
red pepper flakes, 2 cups water
and the soy sauce.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat to very low and
put a lid on the saucepan.
Simmer for about 30 minutes.
If you think you need it,
add more water while it cooks,
to keep things moist.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Pumpkin Ice Cream
Served Inside a Pumpkin

Imagine serving creamy pumpkin ice cream
right out of a hollowed out pumpkin.
The kids will go crazy for this stuff.

Ingredients:
1 hollowed out fresh pumpkin
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened

Directions:
Place pumpkin in refrigerator to cool.
In a large bowl, combine pumpkin,
sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon and
nutmeg and mix until well blended.
Stir in vanilla ice cream and fill
the cooled fresh pumpkin.
Put in freezer 1 hour before serving.

Taco Beef and Bean Soup

This is more of a stew than a stew.
Starting with a can of chili with beans,
I added some cooked macaroni and then
some iceberg lettuce for a crunchy texture.
Tastes just like a taco without the shell.
This recipe is one the kids will go for,
as the lettuce gives it that added bite.
I made this in about ten minutes time.

Ingredients:
1 can of chili with beans
2 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 cup cooked elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Directions:
Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat.
Add lettuce and saute a few minutes.
Add macaroni and chili, stir to combine.
Cook until hot and heated through.
Serve in soup bowls topped with cheese.

Mignonette Sauce

Mignonette sauce has shallots,
cracked pepper, and vinegar.
It is served with raw oysters.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons finely minced shallots
1 tablespoon finely minced chives
2/3 cup good-quality red wine vinegar

Directions:
Combine the ingredients in a glass
or stainless-steel bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap
and store at room temperature overnight.
Mignonette sauce will keep for
months in the refrigerator.
This recipe yields about 3/4 cup.

Red Beet Deviled Eggs

Bright red egg whites add a great
festive look to hard boiled eggs.
This is a good recipe for making
colorful hard boiled stuffed eggs.

Ingredients:
12 hard-boiled large eggs, peeled
3 cups water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 can pickled beets
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup Real mayonnaise
1 tablespoon brown mustard
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Lemon wedges for garnish

Directions:
Bring water, vinegar, beets,
sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt
to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan.
Cool completely, uncovered.
Put beet mixture in a bowl
with eggs and marinate,
chilled, gently stirring once or twice,
at least 2 hours.

Remove eggs from beet mixture
and pat dry (discard beet mixture).
Cut in half lengthwise and remove yolks.
Mash yolks with mayonnaise,
mustard and parsley.
Season with salt and pepper,
then divide among egg whites.
Arrang on serving tray along
with parsley and lemon wedges.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Mini Moos Velveeta Cheese Sauce

I made this using a microwave oven.
A creamy cheese sauce to use for
dipping fresh cooked vegetables.
I think it's a little salty though
and am thinking how to de-salt it.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Mini-Moos Creamer
1 cup Velveeta cheese product, cubed
2 tablespoons Marsala wine

Directions:
Place butter in a glass bowl
and melt in the microwave oven.
About 30 seonds on high setting.
Add flour and stir to make a roux.
Add Mini-Moo creamer and stir.
Place in Velveeta Cheese and
stir to coat with butter roux.
Microwave on high power one minute,
stir and microwave one minute more.
Add in marsala wine, stir well and
micrwave 30 seconds just before serving.

Looed Fresh Winter Vegetables

Here is a very versatile recipe.
I take fresh cauliflower, broccoli
carrots, and onions and slowly
simmer them to creamy goodness.
You can add tomato or cheese sauce
and even make a minestrone soup.
Add some cooked chicken, beef or
some cooked beans for protein.

Ingredients:
1 small head cauliflower
1 small head broccoli
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 onion, peeled and sliced
water to cover vegetables
salt to taste

Directions:
Fill a soup pot with enough water
so the vegetables will be submerged.
Bring water to a boil.
Place cauliflower, brocolli, carrots
and onions in and return to a boil.
Shut off heat and cover pot.
Let sit 40 minutes and drain.
At this point the vegetables should
all be tender and you can add tomato
or cheese sauce and serve.

Bisquick Coating for Fried Chicken

This is one of my recipes for making
a coating that produces crispy chicken.

Ingredients:
2 cups Bisquick
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin

Directions:
Place flour in bowl,
add Bisquick and spices,
mix well with the Bisquick.
Dip chicken to be fried in flour,
then in an egg wash and then in
this Bisquick mixture and fry.

Canned Tuna Soup

Here is a good recipe for making tuna soup.
Good to make and serve on a cold winter day.
I like the cheddar cheese in this one.

Ingredients:
2 (5 ounce) canned tuna, drained
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced green bell pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
dash cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons diced roasted red pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons sherry, optional

Directions:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan.
Add onion and green pepper;
sauté until tender but not browned.
Blend in flour and salt.
Gradually stir in the milk.
Add shredded cheese and cayenne.
Cook, stirring, until the mixture
is thickened and cheese is melted.
stir in tuna, peppers, and sherry.

Batter Fried Apple Wedges

Use baking apples for this recipe,
Granny Smith's are good and firm.
Serve with a creamy dipping sauce.
I like to use poppyseed dressing.

Ingredients:
2 apples
2 cups pancake batter
oil for frying
dipping sauce

Directions:
Peel apples and cut in wedges around the core.
Preheat oil for deep frying.
Prepare pancake mix batter.
Dip apple wedges into batter and fry.
Serve with dipping sauce.

Capers and Mustard Dressing

This recipe makes about 2/3 cup
of a good tasting dressing to use
on a green garden salad, on chicken,
cooked ham or a shrimp salad.
I like this on an artichoke salad.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared brown mustard
1/2 teaspoon capers, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
In a bowl combine the sour cream
mustard, capers and lemon juice.
Serve or refrigerate.

Chicken Barley Soup

This recipe makes a good tasting soup,
you could substitute cooked turkey.
This is definitly a comfort food!

Ingredients:
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup pearled barley
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 medium parsnips, peeled and diced
2 cups skinless cooked chicken, diced
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt (optional)

Directions:
Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat.
Add onion and cook stirring, until softened.
Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Add barley and stir to coat.
Add broth and bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat to low. Skim off any froth.
Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add carrots and parsnips.
Cover and simmer until the barley
and vegetables are just tender.
Add turkey and simmer until heated through.
Add lemon juice and pepper.
Taste and add salt, if needed.

Birds Nest Soup
Swiftlet Bird Soup

I made this as a copy-cat recipe for
a soup made using the Swift birds nest.
I use gelatin and corn starch to get the
correct texture and add some hard boiled
Bantam eggs to a silky chicken broth.
This is eye apealing and good tasting!

Ingredients:
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon plain gelatin
1/2 teaspoon corn starch
2 egg whites
2 Bantam eggs, hard boiled
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 teaspoon confectioners sugar
chives for garnish

Directions:
In a soup pot bring chicken stock to a boil.
Add in shredded carrot.
In a bowl combine corn starch, sugar and gelatin
with a little cold water and add to stock.
Reduce heat to a simmer.
Drizzle in egg whites, stirring soup.
Serve with Bantam eggs cut in half
and some green chives on top.

Worcestershire Reduction Sauce

This is a great tasting sauce intensified
by slowly simmering with just a splash of
extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
I use this on steak, pork and seafood.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1 splash of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 dash of Balsamic Vinegar
1 dash of Tomato Ketchup

Directions:
Place ingredients in a small sauce pan,
slowly bring to a boil and reduce heat to
simmer for 40 minutes or until thickened.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Christmas Cookies

These are the Christmas cookies
I like to make every year.
Not to sweet and you can decorate
them with icing if desired.

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Cream butter, gradually add sugar
and beat until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg, milk and vanilla.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Gradually add to creamed mixture.
Chill for ease in handling.
Roll out dough to 1/8" thickness
on lightly floured surface.
Cut with floured cookie cutters
into desired Christmas shapes.
Bake on a cookie sheet in a
preheated 350 degrees F. oven
8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove to wire racks to cool.
Makes about 4 dozen.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Quick Cream of Chicken Soup

Using some cooked chicken,
frozen peas, corn and carrots.
This is an easy to make soup,
good to serve on a cold day.
The corn adds a touch of color
as well as a good creamy texture.

Ingedients:
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon flour
black pepper to taste
1 cup cooked chicken
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup frozen carrots
1 small onion, peeled and chopped

Directions:
In a small bowl combine
milk with flour and pepper.
Place chicken in a food processor
and pulse to your desired texture.
Place milk, chicken, onion, carrot
corn and peas in a soup pot.
Bring to a boil add milk mixture,
reduce heat to a simmer stirring
so that the flour doesn't stick
to the bottom of the pan.
Simmer slowly 20 minutes,
or until heated through.
Stir the bottom of the pot, and serve.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

I had some chicken left over and
the weather was cold enough for
making a nice chicken pot pie soup.

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked chicken
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups milk
black pepper to taste
1 cup bisquick mix
1/4 cup water

Directions:
In a small bowl combine Bisquick mix
and the 1/4 cup water, stir set aside.
In a soup pot place milk, chicken,
carrots, onion, celery and peas.
Season with black pepper.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
Pour Bisquick mixture on top of soup.
Cover and simmer until the topping
is cooked through about 20 minutes.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Bread Pudding with Bananas

Using really ripe bananas and stale bread,
this is considered an Italian peasant dish.
I added some dried raisins but no sugar,
the bananas and the raisins are sweet enough.
Actually almost to sweet, if serving with
whipped cream don't add any sweetener.

Ingredients:
4 ripe bananas
1 cup dark raisins
1 1/2 cups milk, or more
4 eggs
4 cups stale Italian bread
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
In a small bowl place raisins,
milk and vanilla extract.
Crack eggs in another bowl,
whisk and add to milk.
Cut crust away from bread,
slice into 1" pieces or cubes.
Place bread in a large bowl,
pour milk and egg mixture over it.
Stir to combine and let sit 10 minutes.
Peel bananas and cut into 1" pieces.
Add to bread and mix in.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Pour bread mixture into a buttered
baking dish, pat the top down and
sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Cover and bake one hour or until done.

Food Blog Links

Thanks to all who have linked
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Jiffy Chili Corn Casserole

This recipe uses Jiffy corn bread muffin mix,
some simply made chili and some frozen corn.
I like to serve it with some cheddar cheese.

Ingredients:
Beef Mixture:
1-1/2 lbs. ground beef 85/15
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix (reserve 1 tsp.)
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed tomato soup
2 cans (16 oz.) chili beans
1 cup frozen corn

Topping:
1 pkg. "JIFFY" Corn Muffin Mix
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp. reserved taco seasoning mix

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Grease 3 quart casserole dish.
In skillet, brown ground beef and drain.
Add taco seasoning mix, soup, corn and beans.
Let simmer while preparing topping.
Combine topping ingredients, blend well.
Pour meat mixture into prepared dish
and spoon topping over meat mixture.
Bake uncovered 15-25 minutes,
or until lightly browned.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Peanut Butter Pringles Potato Chips

A good snack and also good to serve at parties.
Who doesn't like salty potato chips along with
a slather of smooth and creamy peanut butter?

I like the unexpected kick of the cayenne pepper.
I've not tried it but can you imagine adding
some marshmallow fluff or some hazelnut, Nutella?
I think I just drooled on my keyboard!

Ingredients:
Pringles Potato crisps
Creamy peanut butter
Cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:
Make a potato crisp sandwich
with the crisps and peanut butter.
Yummy and tasty salty snack!

Peach and Ice Cream
Sunny-Side Up Eggs

This is a cool dessert to make that
looks like a sunny-side up egg.
Made with ice cream and apricot halves,
when people are served this dessert the
first impressions are priceless.

Ingredients:
1 quart vanilla ice cream
1 can apricot halves in syrup
(keep in refrigerator)

Directions:
Remove ice cream from freezer,
make a cut at the top of the
cardboard container and peel back to
expose a cylindrical chunk of ice cream.
Cut a slice of ice cream 1/2" thick.
Place on a chilled serving plate and
top each serving with one of the
smallest, most symmetrical apricot halves.
Keep cold until serving.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Meatloaf Cup Cakes

This is a good thing to do with meatloaf,
bake it inside muffin tins as single servings.
They feeze well and can be microwaved later.

Apple Pie using Pillsbury Crust

This is one of those quick pie recipes
for the times when you want to make a
home made apple pie without all the mess.
I like to serve this with cheddar cheese.
Bring the pie crust to room temperature.

Ingredients:
2 Pillsbury pie crusts
6 baking apples
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon white or brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl place flour,
sugar and cinnamon, mix well.
Cut the ends off of apples and
use a peeler to remove peel.
Slice wedges around the core.
Throw the core to the chickens.
Add to the bowl and mix to coat.
Line a pie plate with one pie crust,
place and arrange apple in crust,
it's just easier than dumping them in.
Pour any leftove flour mixture on apples.
Dot with butter and cover with top crust.
Roll up the edge of the crusts from
the outside to the inside around pie.
Use your fingers to crimp edges.
Cut a few slits in top crust and
cover the edge of the pie crust
with some aluminum foil.
Bake for about 4o minutes, remove foil
and continue baking until done.

Fresh Apple Bars

You can use fresh pears to make pear bars.
This is an easy recipe to prepare and
could easily be doubled.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg
pinch of cloves (optional)
1/2 cup butter
2 1/2 cups peeled, sliced apples
1/4 cup sugar or to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly grease a 7” x 11” baking pan.
Mix flour, salt, and soda together in a bowl.
Add brown sugar, oats, and spices.
Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.
Spread half of the mixture in the baking pan.
Top with apple slices and sprinkle with sugar.
Spread remaining crumb mixture evenly over apples.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 40 to 45 minutes.
Cool and cut into bars.
Serve warm or cold.

Mashed Carrot Cookies
with Orange Flavored Icing

These cookies are crunchy and crispy
with a tart sweet and tasty icing.

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup cooked, mashed carrots
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Orange Icing, recipe below

Preparation:
Beat shortening; gradually add sugar,
beating until light and fluffy.
Add egg, carrots and vanilla,
beating well after each addition.
Sift together dry ingredients;
stir into carrot mixture and mix well.
Stir in chopped nuts, if using.
Drop by tablespoonfuls
onto greased baking sheets.
Bake for about 20 minutes.
Transfer cookies to racks to cool.
Ice cookies with Icing while still warm.

Orange Icing:
Juice of 1/2 orange (3 to 4 tablespoons)
grated rind of 1 orange
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

Directions:
Combine juice and orange rind with butter;
stir in sifted confectioners' sugar
until desired spreading consistency is reached.
Add more juice or confectioners' sugar as needed.

Halloween Bars

Just in time for Halloween these tasty bars
are easy to make and everybody likes them.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 Oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 Oz.) package milk chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In 13 x 9 inch glass baking pan,
melt butter in microwave oven.
Sprinkle crumbs evenly over butter;
pour sweetened condensed milk over crumbs.
Top with chips; press down firmly.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until browned.
Cool. Cut into bars.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Apple Beef Stew

The apple juice gives the broth a little
sweetness that works with the other flavors.
You really don't need the flour to thicken.
The broth in this beef stew is amazing.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds stewing beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sliced celery
3 cups beef broth
2 carrots
2 medium potatoes
1/2 cup baby lima beans
1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
10 small white onions, frozen, thawed
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cold water

Directions:
In a large saucepan over medium heat,
brown the beef in the vegetable oil;
add onion and celery and saute
for 3 to 5 minutes longer.
Add beef broth and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover, and
simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Add the carrots, potatoes,
lima beans, and apple juice;
simmer for about 30 to 40 minute longer,
or until vegetables are tender.
Add drained onions and corn;
continue cooking for 5 to 10 minutes.
In a small bowl or cup,
combine flour with cold water until smooth.
Add the mixture to the simmering broth,
a little at a time, until stew is thickened.
Taste and add salt and pepper.

Baked Parmesan Potato Wedges

Crispy and crunchy on the outside
creamy and tasty on the inside.
These potatoes are baked not fried.

Ingredients:
Cooking Spray
3 large baking potatoes
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese
Sour cream (optional)

Directions:
Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Line jelly roll pan with foil.
Coat with no-stick cooking spray.
Scrub potatoes.
Cut lengthwise into eight wedges.
Combine oil, paprika, salt and
pepper in resealable plastic bag.
Add potatoes. Seal bag.
Mix until potatoes are evenly coated.
Place potatoes, skin side down, on prepared pan.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until fork tender.
Serve plain or with sour cream.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

One Thick Pork Chop for Two

I was going to make a pork tenderloin but
these thick pork chops caught my eye.
A good two inches thick, so I bought one.
Thinking it would be good to make with apples.
I seared the pork chop and placed them on top
of apples and celery seasoned with cinnamon.
This was a very good tasting and tender pork.

Ingredients:
1 (2") thick pork chop, bone in
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut up
6 celery stalks, cut up
2 apples, peeled, cored and cut up
salt
black pepper
parsley
olive oil
cinnamon sugar

Directions:
Preheat a saute pan to high heat.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a roasting pan with foil,
and place vegetables on the bottom.
Season with salt, pepper and parsley.
Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over all.
Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in saute pan.
Add pork chop to brown all sides.
Place chop on top of vegetables,
season with more salt if desired.
cover and raost 45 minutes.

Butt Portion Ham in Crock Pot

I've made this with water, soda and beer.
I like the root beer flavor best because
it adds just a hint of sweetness to the ham.
Using beer gave it a kind of sour flavor.
Heating up the ham slow keeps in the
juices producing a better tasting ham.

Ingredients:
1 (3-4 pound) bone in ham
2 cups root beer soda

Directions:
Put about 1-2 inches of root beer soda
on the bottom of the crockpot.
Then get aluminum foil and make balls
out of them and put them in the crockpot.
Sit the ham on the foil and put the lid on
and cook until tender, about 4 hours.

Slow Roasted Pot Roast

This recipe makes a very tender roast.
I like to cook the vegetables seperately,
carrots, celery, onions and potatoes.

Ingredients:
3-4 pounds beef chuck roast
1 package dry onion soup mix
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
Lightly oil the bottom of a
Dutch oven with vegetable oil.
(Or line a roasting pan with foil.)
Add the roast to the pan.
Combine other ingredients and
spread over the roast. Put lid on pan.
(Or add more foil and fold to seal roast.)
Bake 11 hours.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Sweet Alaskan Salmon
with Poppyseed Dressing

Sweet smoked paprika is the secret spice
that brings the already sweet tasting
flaky salmon flavor to amazing heights.
Served with poppyseed dressing this is
one recipe that could be a contest winner!

Ingredients:
4 Alaskan Salmon fillets, thawed
2 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon organic ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon organic black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Poppyseed dressing

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Blend all dry ingredients in a small bowl.
Rub spice mixture over top of Alaska Salmon.
Let the salmon rest 5 minutes before cooking.
Heat an ovenproof pan over medium-high heat.
Add olive oil, then salmon, rub side down.
Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until browned.
Turn fillets over and place pan in oven.
Roast just until fish is opaque throughout,
about 5 to 8 minutes, remove from oven and
cover with aluminum foil until served
with a few drops of poppyseed dressing.

Fried Bologna with Grape Jelly

This is one of the recipes
I remember from my childhood.
Fried balony with a teaspoon
of grape jelly in the center.
The bologna gets nice and crispy,
and the jelly all sweet and gooey.

Ingredients:
6 slices bologna
6 teasoons grape jelly

Directions:
Preheat a frying pan to medium.
Arrange bologna in skillet and
place a teaspoon of jelly
in the center of each slice.
Saute until bologna is browned.

Broiled Soy Sauce Salmon

Brushed with some soy sauce and broiled,
this salmon is quick to make and is one
of my go-to recipes when I'm short on time.
Only takes minutes under the broiler.

Ingredients:
2 salmon steak fillets
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
Butter

Directions:
Preheat broiler.
Place salmon steake skin side down
on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet
under broiler for 4 minutes or until done.
Serve with butter.

Simple Salmon

Broiled with a lemon soy sauce,
this is amazingly good tasting.
Easy to prepare in just minutes,
your family will like this salmon.

Ingredients:
2 salmon steak fillets
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Marsala wine
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Lemon wedges
Butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Preheat a skillet very hot.
Wash and pat dry salmon,
season with celery seeds.
In a small bowl combine lemon juice,
soy sauce and marsala wine.
Brush both sides of salmon and
place skin side down in skillet.
sear 1 minute then turn and
sear on presentation side.
Place skillet in oven and bake
for about 10 minutes or until done.
Serve with lemon wedges and butter.

Deep Fried Stuffed Mussels

In this recipe you stuff the mussels
with a mixture of spinach and cream cheese.
Batter them and deep fry them to a
golden brown color.
The ingredients amounts depends
on how many mussels you have.

Ingredients:
Fresh mussels (in the shell),
as many as you want.
1/2 cup white wine
Cream cheese, softened
Frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
Finely chopped garlic
Dried Italian breadcrumbs
Fresh ground black pepper
Flour
Eggs
Cannola oil for frying

Directions:
Place mussels in a large stock pot,
add white wine and steam open.
Place cream cheese, spinach,garlic
and black pepper in food processer
and pulse until all blended.
Place some of the mixture inside
each mussel and re-close.
Dip each mussel in flour
then egg then breadcrumbs,
allow to sit in refridgerator
for several hours to set crumbs.
Fry in cannola oil until golden
about 2 minutes per mussel.

Better Sloppy Joe's Sandwiches

The other day I opened up a store
bought sloppy joe in the can.
Was it me or did they add too
much sweetener to this batch.
Here is my recipe that makes
a very tasty sandwich without
all that sugar and chemicals.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef, 85/15
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup ketchup or catchup
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
1 tablespoon green pepper, diced

Directions:
Place the beef in a saute pan,
season with salt and brown,
breaking up large chunks.
Drain the fat and add remaining
ingredients and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve on toasted hamburger buns.

Holiday Spritz Cookies

For the cold weather and the Holidays,
here is a recipe to make Spritz cookies.
Dough easily pipes through a cookie press.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine all ingredients
except flour in large bowl.
Beat at medium speed until creamy.
Reduce speed to low; add flour.
Beat until well mixed. If desired,
Place dough into cookie press
fitted with desired template.
Form shapes, 1 inch apart,
onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or
until edges are lightly browned.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Cream Cheese Frosting

I use this cream cheese frosting on cakes
and cupcakes because it's not too sweet and
it can stand up to being at room temperature
for a good two hours before serving.

Ingredients:
2 (3 ounce) packages cream cheese
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Place the cream cheese and butter
in a large mixing bowl.
Beat with an electric mixer on
low speed until well combined.
Add three cups powdered sugar
and beat on low until mixed in.
Increase the mixer speed to medium
and beat until the frosting is fluffy.
You may add more powdered sugar
if needed to make a spreadable consistency.
After frosting, place the cupcakes or cake
in the refrigerator until frosting is set.

Scalloped Carrots and Onions

A similar recipe to making scalloped potatoes,
using fresh carrots and onions and seasoned
with some Old Bay Seasoning and butter.
Creamy carrots take on the flavor of celery
since the Old bay is made with celery seeds.
A balance of flavors that are good to serve
along side a roast chicken with mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:
10 fresh carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1/2 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup flour
salt
butter

Directions:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil,
add carrots and cook just until tender.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter a casserole and place
half of the carrots inside.
Season with Old Bay Seasoning.
Sprinkle with some flour.
Arrange onions all over carrots,
sprinkle with Old Bay Seasoning.
Add the rest of carrots and season
with Old Bay and sprinkle with flour.
Dot the top with butter, cover and
bake for about 45 minutes.

Black Bean Dip

You can spice this up with more heat
but I like it just the way it is.
Great as a dip for tortilla chips.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked drained black beans
4 teaspoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons water
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons chilies, chopped

Directions:
Process all ingredients except green onions
and chilies in a food processor until smooth.
Stir in green onions and chilies
and place in a serving bowl.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Slice of Apple Cheddar Pie

I like to place a slice of cheddar cheese
on top of a slice of apple pie and heat it
with some cinnamon in the microwave oven.
Warm and good enough to be a comfort food.

Ingredients:
1 slice apple pie
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon sugar
1 slice cheddar cheese

Directions:
Place a slice of apple pie on a plate,
sprinkle top crust with cinnamon sugar,
top with a slice of cheddar cheese and
microwave just until heated through.
Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
I think I just drooled on my keyboard!

Turning Leftover Ziti
into Baked Pastichio

This is so easy to make and good tasting.
I took some leftover cooked ziti with
meat sauce and turned it into pastichio.
Almost all the ingredients are already cooked,
all you do is add some milk, flour and eggs.
Add a few seasonings if you care to spice it up
Bake it for an hour and serve with bread.
The pasta is creamy good and the egg sauce
blends perfectly with the tomato sauce.

Ingredients:
cooked ziti with meatsauce
3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
spices of your liking

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place cooked ziti in a casserole.
In a large mixing bowl
combine eggs, milk and flour.
I didn't add any spices but this is
when you add some of your liking.
Pour over ziti and press ziti down
to make sure it's in the egg mixture.
Cover and bake one hour or until done.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Sweet Italian Sausage
and Zucchini Soup

This soup is simple enough to make,
tastes good and is also good on pasta.
Peel the zucchini if you prefer,
use a medium squash for smaller seeds.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage
3 Qts. canned low sodium beef broth
1 Tbs. olive oil
1-16 oz. can tomatoes
1 Medium Zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup red wine
Seasonings of your choice

Directions:
Crumble and brown sausage in
olive oil in a 4 quart pot.
Add zucchini and broth.
Add seasonings and simmer for 1 hour.
Add tomatoes and red wine.
Cook for 10 minutes.
Serve with hot Italian bread.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Fried Whole Belly Clams

When in the kitchen I'm happy as a clam.
These are the best fried clams this born
and raised New Englander has ever had.
Crispy and full of big juicy clam flavor.
Sweet smoked paprika has brown sugar
in it which gives these fried whole clams
a sweet and very yummy smoky tasting flavor.
Served with a home made tartar sauce
it doesn't get any clam better than this.

To make tartar sauce simply combine
mayonnaise with sweet pickle relish,
add a dash of hot red pepper sauce.

Ingredients:
24 whole littleneck clams, shucked
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 cup corn meal flour
2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
Canola oil for deep frying
Homemade tarter sauce

Directions:
Place shucked clams in a bowl,
add Old Bay Seasoning and
toss to coat clams all over,
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Remove and drain any liquid.
Place flour and cornmeal in a bowl,
add black pepper and smoked paprika.
Mix with your hands to coat all over
Preheat frying oil to 360 degrees F.
Remove one clam at a time,
shaking off excess flour.
Place in oil and fry until
golden brown and delicious.
Remove to a towel and salt to taste.
Serve with homemade tartar sauce.

Winter Vegetable Soup
with Chow Mein Noodles

Adding crispy chow mein noodles
to this soup was a stroke of genius.
I couldn't decide if I wanted
to add some pasta or rice to this.
Opening up the cabinet I found
an opened can of chow mein noodles.
Put a handful in and gave it a stir,
the noodles blended in right nice.
They softened up adding just the
correct amount of salt and texture,
I was looking for in this recipe.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups acorn squash
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 onion, peeled and chopped
4 fresh tomatoes, quartered
water
dash of ground black pepper
1 cup cooked chicken tenders
1/4 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup frozen snap peas
1/4 cup crispy chow mein noodles

Directions:
In a small bowl combine
cold water and flour, set aside.
In a large soup pot add olive oil,
then the squash, onion, carrot,
celery tomatoes, and cover with water.
Season with black pepper to taste
add flour mixture, stir and
bring to a full boil then lower
heat to a simmer for 30 minutes.
Add flour mixture and stir.
Add chicken, peas and corn.
Add chow mein noodles and stir.
Simmer until carrots are tender.

Cottage Cheese Carrot Stuffing

Just in time for the cold days of autumn,
here is a recipe for making a stuffing with
creamy cottage cheese and shredded carrots.

Ingredients:
Cottage cheese
Grated raw carrot
1 teaspoon sweet pickle relish
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
To 3 parts cottage cheese, add
1 part carrot and the sweet pickles.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Creamy Carrot Coconut Soup

Carrot soup is good for the soul,
this is a heart friendly recipe.
Nice and creamy with great flavor.

Ingredients:
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
1/2 inch fresh ginger, shredded
2 pounds peeled and sliced carrots
1 clove of garlic, chopped up
3 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup of coconut milk
Juice of 1 orange

Directions:
Heat the sunflower oil in a stockpot.
Add the shredded ginger and onion and
sauté for about five minutes. Stir often.
Then add the carrots and garlic.
Add the vegetable broth and
coconut milk and bring to boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and
simmer uncovered until carrots
are tender, about 15 minutes.
Puree the soup with an immersion blender.
Add the orange juice
and salt and pepper to taste.

Baked Brussel Sprouts and Bacon

Many brussel sprout recipes try
to hard and add way too many
ingredients sadly ending up masking
the great flavor of the brussel sprouts.
In this simple recipe I use fresh
brussel spouts dressed with smoked bacon.

Ingredients:
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
6 slices bacon, cooked with fat reserved,
chopped into bacon bits

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
On a large rimmed baking sheet,
toss the Brussels sprouts, bacon bits
and salt and pepper to taste.
Drizzle with reserved bacon fat to taste.
Roast, stirring a few times,
until tender for about 15 minutes.

Wintertime Beef Barley Soup

This soup is sure to warm you up
on a blustery and cold winter day.
it also freezes well and is hardy
enough to be a meal in itself or
serve with a salad and bread.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef 85/15
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 carrots, peeled and sliced fine
3 stalks celery, sliced
8 Tbsp pearl barley
1 (28 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
2 cups water
3 cups beef broth
1 can tomato soup
3 - 4 bay leaves
1 Tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp thyme
Pepper to taste

Directions:
Brown beef and onions. Drain.
Combine all ingredients in a large pot.
Simmer covered for at least 2 hours.

Dill Chip Dip

This is a good tasting chip dip.
Goes well with fresh vegetables
salty corn tortillas or crisps.
It's creamy with a dill taste.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 container (16 oz.) Sour Cream
1 Tbsp. dill weed
1 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes

Directions:
mix all ingredients; cover.
Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Serve with assorted crackers or vegetables.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Glazed Garlic Carrots
Made in Microwave

Fresh carrots sliced and seasoned
with garlic and cinnamon sugars.
This is quick to make and tastes
very good as a seasoned side dish.
The carrots are soft and sweet
with a hint of fresh garlic.

Ingredients:
3 carrots, peeled
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teasoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of salt
1/8 cup water

Directions:
Place water in a glass bowl.
Slice carrots fairly thin and
place in bowl with water.
Add sugars, salt and garlic.
Microwave uncovered for about
ten minutes on high.
Stir and let sit in microwave
not cooking,for another 3 minutes.
Thats it, there ready to serve.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Hospital Egg Salad
No Mayonnaise Egg Salad

Ever start out making a recipe
and find out you don't have a
called for ingredient?
That's what happened to me here.
I had no mayonnaise at all.
So I improvised and made a
rather bland tasting egg salad
that reminded me exactly of
the egg salad served in hospitals.
No salt, no mayo, no taste.

Ingredients:
1 dozen eggs, hard boiled
1/4 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon dried chives
dash of ground black pepper

Directions:
Peel eggs and pulse in a food processor
to get your desired consistancy.
Place in a large mixing bowl along
with all other ingredients.
Refrigerate to cool.

Meat Filling for Kreplach

Using chicken, liver and beef,
this is the filling I've used.

Ingredients:
1 pound cooked chicken
1/2 pound cooked beef
2 - 3 cooked chicken livers
3 - 4 large onions, finely chopped
1 cup schmaltz (possibly more!)
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat the schmaltz in a skillet
and add the onion. Fry until the
onions are deep golden brown.
After browning the ground meat
pulse it in a food processor,
to assure it is fine enough.
You want it to be almost pasty.
When the onions are browned,
add them all, with the schmaltz,
into the meat mixture.
Season well with salt and pepper.
Mix thoroughly and use filling.

Tomato Parmesan Soup

I like to also add some cream in this,
although I didn't in this recipe.

Ingredients:
3 (14-1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp. finely shredded orange peel
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
1 to 2 oz. Parmesan cheese, shaved
Cracked black pepepr

Directions:
Place cans of tomatoes in a blender.
Cover and process until very smooth.
Transfer to a large saucepan.
Cover and process remaining tomatoes,
vinegar, brown sugar, orange peel,
and pepper until very smooth.
Transfer to the saucepan.
Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes;
remove from heat.
To serve, return soup to a simmer;
Sprinkle with cheese and pepper.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Creamed Peas and Onions

Peas and onions are quick to make
and very easy to prepare
while making a main course.
Goes great as a side dish
with beef, chicken, and pork.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper
8 ounces baby onions, chopped
2 pounds frozen peas, thawed
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Directions:
In a skillet over medium heat add butter,
crushed red pepper, and baby onions.
Fry until onions become translucent.
Add peas to skillet and stir-fry.
Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and
parsley and simmer covered 10 minutes,
or until the peas and onions are tender.
There should be a thin layer of cream
on the bottom of the skillet.
Sparingly sprinkle flour over
pea and onion mixture,
stirring until sauce is thick.
Once thick, remove from heat
add salt and black pepper
to taste and serve.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Crab Apple Jelly

This is a jelly recipe using
tart crab apples and sweet raisins,
sugar and seasoned with cinnamon
and cloves with oranges.

Ingredients:
6 pts. crab apples
1 lb. raisins
1 tsp. ground cloves
3 oranges, rind and juice
6 pts. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 pt. vinegar

Directions:
Remove stems and cores from crab apples.
Grind apples, orange and raisins.
Mix with rest of ingredients.
Let set overnight.
In morning cook until soft. Seal.

Microwave Oven Roasted
Fresh Pumpkin Seeds

This time of year is the time
to make some roasted pumpkin seeds.
Easy to make and good to snack on.

Ingredients:
Place in a mixing bowl the salt
with the lemon juice; then,
mix in the pumpkin seeds.
Keep mixing together until all
seeds are very wet and soaked.
Place seeds in a glass bowl
and put in the microwave on
very high temperature for 4 minutes.
Take out and stir them very well
and place back in the microwave
for another 2 minutes.
Keep repeating for 2 minutes
at a time, stirring in between
until they are roasted (golden brown).

Homemade Sandwich Spread

I like this sandwich spread recipe,
it tastes just like the store bought.

Ingredients:
16 ounces Miracle Whip salad dressing
8 ounces sweet pepper relish, drained
ketchup (enough to give a pink color)

Directions:
Place Miracle whip and relish in a bowl
and stir to combine, add just enough
ketchup to make a light red color.

Perfect Pork Tenderloin

This recipe uses the oven like
a slow cooker by turning off the
heat and letting the tenderloin
slowly come up to temperature.
Very moist and tender.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless pork tenderloin
salt and pepper to taste
dry seasonings, of your choice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Weight will tell how long to cook the roast.
Determine weight of roast from meat wrapper.
Remove tenderloin from refrigerator.
Season meat with dry spices as desired.
Place seasoned meat in an
uncovered roasting pan.
Bake Exaclty 5 1/2 minutes per pound.
Turn heat off and don't open door for 1 hour.
Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes
to redistribute internal juices.
Roast will be done, very slightly pink
in the center, and very moist.

Potato Chip Topped
Macaroni and Cheese

With Bacon and Cheddar cheese
this macaroni and cheese recipe
is sure to please everybody.

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk, warm
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash salt or to taste
and freshly ground black pepper
Dash hot sauce to taste
Dash Worcestershire sauce
3 cups shredded Cheddar
1 pound small pasta, cooked al dente
1 cup crushed potato chips
5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, for topping

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a large sauce
pot over medium heat. Add flour and cook,
stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk in the
warmed milk and bring to a boil,
continue to whisk constantly.
Continue to stir while adding
the dry mustard, nutmeg, cayenne,
salt, pepper, hot sauce and Worcestershire.
Stir in the 3 cups of Cheddar until it melts.
Pour the cheese sauce over the noodles
and add to a 3 quart casserole dish.
Sprinkle the chips, bacon and Parmesan
on top and bake for 35 minutes.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
Using Sweetened Condensed Milk

These have a very different but good
texture to a recipe that uses eggs.

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
In one bowl combine the
butter sugar and condensed milk.
In another bowl combine the
flour and baking powder.
Stir the two together then
add the chocolate chunks.
Spoon into a plastic food bag
and put in the fridge for
about 1/2 an hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Make into golfball sized balls
and flatten slightly with a fork.
Bake for 15/18 minutes until golden.

Raspberry Dessert Polenta

Some sweet raspberry sauce made from
fresh picked red raspberries and
a cup of corn meal turn this simple
to make dish red, sweet and delicious.
Serve with creme fresh or yogart.

Ingredients:
2 pints fresh raspberries
10 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup white port wine
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups water
1 cup corn meal

Directions:
Place berries in a small saucepan;
stir in the white sugar and wine.
Bring to boiling; reduce heat.
Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes
stirring occasionally.
Pass through a sieve to remove seeds,
Put in a mixing bowl add cornmeal
and stir well to combine.
In a soup pot put 2 cups cold water,
bring to a boil, add red cornmeal.
Stiring constantly bring back to boil.
Reduce heat and cook 8 minutes
stirring all the while.
Place in a flat dish, cover and chill.
When cold cut into serving pieces.

Grilled Granny Smith Apples

I use Granny Smith apple because
it is not only a great size but
the flavor is sweet and tart.
Perfect for grilling.

Ingredients:
2 Granny Smith apples cut into 8 slices,
(leave the peel on)
Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
4 Tablespoons butter or margarine
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:
Mix together cinnamon and sugar.
Tear off enough aluminum foil to make a packet.
Place the apple slices onto the foil pouch.
Cover with pats of butter.
Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Seal the pouch leaving room for them to steam.
Place on the cooler side of the
grill for 20-30 minutes. 4 servings.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Shepherd's Pie Using
Shwan's Mashed Potato

This is easy to make and tastes great.
Very colorful and elegant upon serving.
Shwan's creamy mashed potatoes come in
frozen potato buds that are incredible
when topping a shepherd's casserole.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef, cooked
1 small onion, peeled and diced
1/2 carrot, peeled and peeled
1/2 cup frozen peas
12 Shwan's Creamy Mashed Potato Buds
salt to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place ground beef in a casserole dish.
Top with onions, peas, and carrot peels.
Arrange potatoe buds on top, cover
and bake 45 minutes or until heated.
Remove from oven, and uncover.
Turn oven to broil and place casserole
back in oven to brown the top some.
Let cool some before serving.

Caramel Butter Frosting

As this caramel butter frosting dries
and sets up it seals in the moistness
of any cake you wish to use this on.

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
6 cups confectioners sugar

Directions:
In large saucepan melt 1 cup butter;
add 2 cups packed brown sugar.
Bring to boiling over medium heat;
stirring constantly.
Cook and stir 1 minute; cool 5 minutes.
Whisk in 1/2 cup milk until smooth.
Whisk in 6 cups powdered sugar until smooth.
Use at once; frosting stiffens as it cools.

Honeycomb Cake

Honeycomb cake is one cake recipe that
once you read about it or see a good
picture of it you will want to make.
After you stop drooling on your keyboard.

Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups water
8 eggs
4 tablespoons butter
1 can condensed milk

Directions:
Sift flour with the baking powder.
Switch oven on to 350 degrees F.
Line a 9 inch pan with parchment paper.
Put sugar into a small pot and melt
the sugar under low fire until
golden-honey brown without stirring.
Add the water carefully because
it will splatter when added.
Let sugar water cool.
Cream butter and eggs,
blend in condensed milk and flour.
Add the sugar water into the batter
and stir well to mix.
Cover and let stand at
room temperature 1 hour.
Bake 1 hour 30 minutes.
Test with a skewer which should
come clean if cake is done.
If not, give it 10 minutes or more.
Remove to cool before serving.

Raspberry Breakfast Squares

Here is a recipe to make breakfast squares,
Raspberry flavored and just enough sweetness.

Ingredients:
Bottom Layer:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup cold butter, cut up
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon milk
2/3 cup raspberry jam

Topping:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.
In a mixing bowl, stir together
flour and baking powder.
Cut in butter with a pastry blender
until coarse crumbs have formed.
Gradually stir in beaten eggs
with a wooden spoon. Add milk;
stir until all ingredients are
moist and a soft dough has formed.
Spread dough into the pan,
pressing with fingers to
reach edges of pan.
Spread raspberry jam evenly on dough.
Mix together topping ingredients;
spread carefully over jam layer.
Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes,
or until topping is lightly browned.
Cool completely in pan on rack.
Cut raspberry bars into squares.

Perfectly Cooked Rice

A lot of people have trouble cooking
rice so that it's light and fluffy.
Here is a recipe for doing just that.

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 cup rice
1/4 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Directions:
Rinse rice in a strainer under
cold water for 30 seconds.
Bring 3 quarts cold water to a boil
in a large pot with a tight
fitting lid over high heat.
Add the rice, stir it once,
and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Pour rice into a strainer over the sink.
Let the rice drain for 10 seconds,
then return it to the pot, off the heat.
Cover the pot and set it aside to
allow the rice to steam for 10 minutes.
Uncover the rice, fluff with a fork,
and season with salt and pepper.

Authentic Spanish Rice

Browning the white rice a bit adds
an incredible, nutty flavor.
Once you try this authentic version
of Spanish Rice you will never want
the plain cooked rice again.

Ingredients:
1 cup white rice
2 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
Saute onion and bell pepper in olive oil
until onion is slightly transparent.
Add rice and garlic and cook until
rice is lightly browned, stir constantly.
In a separate bowl, combine tomato paste,
chicken broth and all the spices.
Add to the rice and stir well.
Bring heat down to low and simmer
(covered) for about 15 minutes,
stirring occasionally,
checking the rice to make sure
it's done before taking off stove.

Tortilla

Tortilla can be served both hot and cold
with fresh vegetables or in a sandwich.

Ingredients:
4 Large Potatoes, peeled and sliced
6 Large Eggs
1 medium Onion thinly sliced
1/4 cup of Olive Oil
1/4 cup of Milk
Salt and Pepper.

Directions:
Combine eggs, milk, salt
and pepper in a large bowl.
In a non-stick frying pan,
cook onion and potatoes in
olive oil for about 10 minutes
on low to medium heat.
In the same non-stick frying pan
cook all the ingredients until
the eggs begin to set.
Use a large plate to turn around
the omelet and again heat until
the eggs begin to set.

Sesame Seed Tahini

Tahini comes in handy when cooking Mediterranean.
This is a very basic recipe to make it yourself.

Ingredients:
5 cups of sesame seeds
1 1/2 cups of olive oil
(more may be needed)

Directions:
Spread the sesame seeds out on a cookie sheet
that has been lined with parchment paper.
The parchment paper will make it easier to
collect the seeds once they have been heated.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly cook the sesame seeds for
about 7 minutes in the oven.
You are trying to gently heat the seeds,
not toast them, so try not to
get any color on the seeds.
Let the sesame seeds completely cool.
Place the sesame seeds into your
food processor and, while processing,
slowly drizzle olive oil into the seeds.
You might have to use more oil
to reach the proper consistency.
Store covered in your refrigerator.

Tapenade

Tapenade is simple to make and
looks like you've chopped all day.
Serve on crackers or bread points.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound pitted olives
2 anchovy filets
2 cloves of garlic chopped small
2 tablespoons of capers
1/8 cup of fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Directions:
Rinse the olives under cool running water.
Place all the ingredients into food processor.
Pulse until the mixture is blended but still
has small chunks of olives in it.
Refrigerate for a half hour before serving.
Serve on pieces of toasted French bread.

Lucky Black-Eyed Peas

A traditional dish served on New Year's day,
black-eyed peas are great when prepared
with a smoked sauge or kielbasa.

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh black-eyed, shelled
3 cups water
1 beef bouillon cube
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 package kielbasa, sliced, browned

Directions:
Bring black-eyed peas, water, boulion cube,
onion and kielbasa to a boil in a saucepan.
Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes or until tender.

Busy Day Roast Chicken

I make this on days when it seems
there's no time to cook anything.
You simply place the vegetables
in a roasting pan with the chicken
on top of them and walk away.
An hour later dinner is served.

Ingredients:
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 carrot, peeled and cut up
2 potaotoes, peeled and cut up
2 celery stalks, cut up
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 whole lemon, quartered
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
1 chicken, whole or pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil.
Prepare vegetables and place in pan
along with lemon salt and pepper.
Wash chicken and pat dry then
place on top of vegetables.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cover and bake for 1 hour or until done.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Pleasant Orzo Pasta
and White Bean Soup

With only eight ingredients you'll be
surprised at the blast of flavors.
Fresh tomatoes make all the differance
in a flavor you can't get from canned.

Ingredients:
12 red ripe tomatoes
salted water for cooking pasta
3/4 cup dried orzo pasta
1 can white beans, rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
shake of salt
parmesan cheese for serving

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Wash tomatoes and place in a baking dish.
Place garlic and basil around tomatoes.
Drizzle with olive oil and bake 30 minutes.
Remove skins from tomatoes while warm.
In a soup pot add water, bring to a boil.
Add pasta and cook 16 minutes.
Open can of beans and rinse in a strainer.
Drain pasta over the washed beans.
Place back in warm soup pot along with
the tomatoes with all the oil and juices.
Season with salt to taste,
serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Preserved Lemons

There is no need for a recipe here,
the only ingredients are
fresh lemons and course salt.

Wash lemons and make six cuts in each so
that the wedges created remain attached.
Stuff salt into the crevices of the lemons.
Then, place salted lemons tightly into
a sterilized glass canning jar.
Place the jar in an out of the way place.
Over the next few days, more and more
juice will exude from the lemons,
give it a shake now and then to
keep the salt blended well in the liquid.
In about three weeks, the lemons will
get very soft, and the brining
liquid thick and cloudy.
Once that happens, you can
store the jar in the refrigerator.
As long as the brine covers the lemons,
they’ll keep for six months refrigerated.

Stewed Tomatoes

With the backyard vegetable garden
almost done for another fine season,
I brought in just about the last
of the ripe tomatoes and used them in
a recipe for making stewed tomatoes.
An easy way to peel tomatoes is to
blanch them in boiling water and then
plunge them in ice cold water, the
peels come right off real easy like.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
1 lemon, halved
2 garlic cloves, peeled
24 tomatoes, peeled

Directions:
Mix together 2 cups sugar and
half cup water in large saucepan.
Cook until sugar is dissolved.
Add cinnamon stick, garlic and
lemon then bring to a boil.
To this syrup, add tomatoes
and cook about 20 minutes.
Take out the cinnamon stick
and lemon and boil another
25 minutes, stirring often.
Remove from heat and let cool.
Use right away or put in jars.

Perfect Orzo Pasta

A colorful mixture of perfectly roasted
vegetables, salty kalamata olives
and pieces of creamy fresh mozzarella.
This is a very good pasta salad recipe.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of orzo pasta
1 small zucchini, cut into 1" pieces
1 small yellow squash, cut into 1" pieces
6 thin asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
1 small red onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic left in their skins
1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced in half
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup fresh mozzarella, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Distribute zucchini, squash,
asparagus, peppers, onion
and garlic between two baking pans.
Drizzle with olive oil and
season with salt and pepper.
Roast for about 15 minutes,
tuning halfway through cooking.
Meanwhile, cook orzo in salted water,
drain and put in a large bowl.
Toss with oil to prevent sticking.
When vegetables are cooked,
let cool for a few minutes and
remove garlic and set aside.
Add cooled veggies to cooled
but still warm orzo.
Add olives, tomatoes and mozzarella.
In a small bowl squeeze garlic cloves
from their skins, add a teaspoon of salt,
some black pepper and a couple
of tablespoons of olive oil.
Smash to form a paste adding
more oil as needed. Add garlic paste
and basil to veggie orzo mixture and mix.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fresh Apple and
Kidney Bean Salad

This salad is a very colorful dish,
I like the way all the ingredients
compliment each other so well.
It's easy to make and very good.

Ingredients:
2 medium sweet apples, cored and cubed
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 small red onion, peeled and sliced thin
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon clover honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the apples,
bell pepper, red onion and kidney beans.
In a separate bowl, whisk together
the vinegar, honey, mustard and pepper.
Pour over the salad, and stir to coat.

Sweet and Sour
Broccoli Salad

With fresh broccoli, vinegar,
raisins and nuts, this is
a sweet and sour broccoli dish.

Ingredients:
1 head broccoli, broken up
1 1/2 cup chopped onion
8 to 10 slices of bacon
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tbsp vinegar
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup nuts

Directions:
Cut bacon into bits and fry crisp.
Mix together mayonnaise, sugar,
vinegar, bacon and raisins.
Pour over broccoli and onions.
Mix well. Let stand at least
one hour or more before serving.

Simple Oatmeal Cookies

Adding chocolate chips, or raisins,
or nuts, or M&M's or any combination
makes this a versatile cookie.
This is an easy recipe for kids to make.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups butter, melted
5 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 tsp. flavoring
1 cup chocolate chips,
nuts, or raisins

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Put oats into large mixing bowl.
Add melted butter and stir.
Add sugar and mix.
Mix baking powder and flour together
and blend into oat mixture.
Mix flavoring and eggs together
and blend into oat mixture.
Add chips and/or nuts/raisins and mix.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto
greased cookie sheets.
Bake about 15 minutes or until golden.

Creamy Cucumber Salad

This creamy cucumber salad
recipe can use low-fat sour cream.
Using fresh dill is awesome tasting.

Ingredients:
2 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. fresh dill
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Put sliced cucumbers into serving bowl.
In separate bowl, mix sour cream,
dill, lemon juice, and sugar.
Season with salt and pepper to taste,
pour dressing over cucumbers and mix.

German Potato Dumplings

These dumplings are so good tasting.
A comfort food for me because I use
to make these with my Grandmother.
Make a double batch they go fast.

Ingredients:
6 cooked potatoes, cold
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup potato flour
a bit of milk
1 egg
salt to taste

Directions:
Mash the cold potatoes.
Mix into potatoes, the flour,
potato flour, egg, and just enough milk
to make a dough that holds together
when formed into dumplings.
Form dumplings, 2" in diameter.
Wet hands to make it easier to form.
Drop gently into pot of boiling,
salted water. Simmer gently,
uncovered, about 15 - 20 minutes.
Remove with slotted spoon and serve.

German Anise Cookies

My Grandmother used to make
these great tasting German anise
cookies around this time of year.
They go great with a nice
hot cup of coffee or tea.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. anise extract

Directions:
Grease and flour 2 baking sheets.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat
until sugar is incorporated
(rub a little dab of egg whites
between fingers - should feel smooth)
In another bowl, mix egg yolks,
flour and anise extract or seeds.
Combine the egg white mixture and
egg yolk mixture by folding together.
Drop teaspoonfuls of mixture
onto prepared baking sheets.
Let stand in a cool place
overnight (about 10 - 12 hours).
Preheat oven to 325° F.
Bake 10 minutes.
Remove cookies from baking sheets
and place on cooling racks.

Pork Hocks with Sauerkraut

Pork hocks with sauerkraut
is a real German dish.
Slow cooked and served
with German bread and mustard.

Ingredients:
12 cups water
4 meaty pork hocks
2 large onions, quartered
2 bay leaves
12 peppercorns, slightly crushed
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

Directions:
Bring water to boil in a large pot.
Add pork hocks, onion, bay leaf,
peppercorns and sugar to taste.
Bring to simmer, cover, and simmer
until tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
Serve with sauerkraut,
boiled potatoes and German mustard.

Easy Cream of
Mushroom Soup

Using a can of cream of mushroom soup,
add then a can of sliced mushrooms.
Spice it up to taste and you have an
easy and quick hearty mushroom soup.

Ingredients:
1 can condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can mushroom pieces, well drained
1 can milk or cream
1/2 tbs. unsalted butter

Directions:
Empty can of soup into pot.
Add can of milk. Stir well.
Heat over medium, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, fry well-drained mushroom
pieces in butter until slightly browned.
Add browned mushrooms to soup. Stir.
Add freshly ground pepper.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Leftover Cooked Salmon
and little Italian Pasta

I can't express just how good this is.
Perfect for using up some leftover salmon.
Creamy texture with a very good flavor.
This is one great tasting recipe you must
put on your list of recipes to do soon list.
With some red cooked shrimp and green peas
this is one special looking dish elegant
looking enough to serve for special company.
I like the fact you get a nice creamy sauce
without using condensed cream of soups.


Ingredients:
4 cups water
1/2 cup dried Stelline or Orzo pasta
salt to taste
dash of ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup water
2 cups frozen sweet peas
2 cups cooked salmon
8 shrimp, shelled and de-veind
1/2 cup Velveeta cheddar cheese, cubed
more salt to taste if desired

Directions:
In a soup pot bring water to a boil,
add salt and black pepper to flavor
the boiling water then add pasta.
Lower heat and semi boil 5 minutes,
scraping bottom of pan once or twice
to keep pasta from sticking.
Add frozen peas and shrimp and
cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Drain pasta, shrimp and peas
into a colander or sink strainer.
Put pan back on heat, add butter and melt.
Add flour and stir well to make a roux.
Add 1/2 cup water and stir to combine.
Put pasta and peas back in pot.
Stir to combine, add Velveeta and salmon.
Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
Serve warm.

Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge

Jamaican cornmeal porridge is one of my
favorite and ultimate comfort foods.
Sometimes I add fresh fruit to the
water before adding the corn meal.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
In a bowl, combine the cornmeal
with 1/2 cup of the cold water.
In a soup pot, bring the remaining
1 cup of water to the boil.
Stir in the cornmeal mixture and salt.
Continue cooking and stirring for 10 minutes.
Add condensed milk and vanilla extract.
Top with grated cinnamon and nutmeg.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Smoked Bacon Broiled
Cheddar Cheese Sandwich

Bacon makes everything taste better.
I made these sandwiches many years ago
to dress up a simple grilled cheese.
Adding bacon and tomato is great tasting.

Ingredients:
8 slices bacon, cut in half
8 slices bread, toasted
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
dash of cayenne pepper
l/2 pound sliced cheddar cheese
8 fresh tomato slices, about 1/2 -inch thick

Directions:
Partially cook bacon; drain.
Blend together butter, mustard,
Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper.
Spread on one side of toasted bread.
Cover with cheddar cheese, then
add tomato slices and bacon strips.
Broil about 3 inches from the heat
until cheese is melted, tomato
is tender and bacon is crispy.

Candied Bacon

This is so good you must try this.
It's not too sweet just balanced
with great sweet and smoky flavors.

Ingredients:
8 slices Peppered Bacon
1/4 cup White Sugar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Cinnamon

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place bacon strips on a baking sheet
with a rack that is covered with parchment.
In a small bowl, thoroughly mix
white sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon.
Sprinkle and press the sugar and cinnamon
mix onto the top side of the bacon strips.
Bake the bacon until the sugar is caramelized
and the edges are crisp, about 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and transfer to a
plate or cutting board to cool.
Then cut strips in 1/3 and serve.

Stovetop Tuna Casserole
with Frozen Sweet Peas

I made this good tasting creamy tuna
and pasta with peas recipe using only one
pot and no condensed cream of anything soup!
Easy to make with only nine ingredients
if you want to call water an ingredient.
This is a comfort food that you'll be
making again and again because it is very
versatile as you can add cooked shrimp,
left over cooked fish of any kind.
Adding some crispy bacon would work well.
The round sweet peas make this fun to eat.


Ingredients:
4 cups water
1/2 cup Stelline pasta
salt to taste
dash of ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup water
2 cups frozen sweet peas
2 (5 ounce) cans tuna, drained
1/2 cup Velveeta cheddar cheese, cubed
more salt to taste

Directions:
In a soup pot bring water to a boil,
add salt and black pepper to flavor
the boiling water then add pasta.
Lower heat and semi boil 5 minutes,
scraping bottom of pan once or twice
to keep pasta from sticking.
Add frozen peas and cook another 5 minutes.
Drain pasta and peas into a colander or strainer.
Put pan back on heat, add butter and melt.
Add flour and stir well to make a roux.
Add 1/2 cup water and stir to combine.
Put pasta and peas back in pot.
Stir to combine, add Velveeta and tuna.
Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
Serve warm.

Italian Christmas Cookies
Master Dough Recipe

This is a master recipe that can be
adapted into many Italian cookies.
Adding different flavors and coloring
to the cookie dough and icing.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. butter, softened
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
4 cups flour
2 tbsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. vanilla

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar,
add eggs and flavoring.
Mix well.
Blend in flour and baking powder.
Work to form a soft pliable dough.
Cut off pieces of dough,
the size of a walnut,
roll to about 1/2-inch thickness,
then shape into a curved S-shape
about 2 1/2-inches long or a
straight 2 1/2-inch pencil shape.
Bake in preheated oven 375 degrees F.
until lightly brown about 15-20 minutes.
Cookies may be iced or left plain.

Icing:
1/2 pound confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon anise extract

Blend sugar and anise extract,
adding milk slowly to form
a soft, smooth icing.
Ice cookies while still warm.

Italian Sage Sauce

A good sage sauce to dress cooked pasta.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons dried sage
or 3 minced sage leaves
grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Put butter and sage into a small saucepan.
Heat over low heat until butter is melted.
Gently stir mixture.
Remove from heat and serve
over your homemade noodles.
Add grated Parmesan cheese.

Applesauce Onion
Barbecue Sauce

This sauce is great tasting on pork.
I even like to cut up some hot dogs
and through them in while heating it.

1 cup thinly sliced onion
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 cup ketchup
2 cup plain applesauce
1 teaspoon salt or to taste

Directions:
Place onions and butter in a deep,
1 1/2-quart, heat- resistant,
non-metallic casserole.
Heat, uncovered, in Microwave Oven
2 minutes or until onion is tender.
Add lemon juice, worcestershire sauce,
ketchup, applesauce and salt.
Heat, uncovered, in Microwave Oven
7 minutes or until sauce is bubbly.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Peach Bisquick Dessert

This is very easy to make and very good.
I serve this warm with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:
1 can peaches, drained
3/4 cups Bisquick mix
1/4 cup water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Open can of cling peaches and drain.
Place peaches in a glass baking dish.
In a mixing bowl combine the Bisquick
mix and the water, blend well.
Pour over peaches and bake 45 minutes,
place under broiler to brown if desired.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Philippine Fishball Sauce

This is a recipe for fishball sauce
on par with those from the Philippine
street and sidewalk fishball vendors.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoon low-salt soy sauce
finely chopped onion and garlic

Directions:
Dissolve brown sugar, cornstarch, flour
and soy sauce with water on a sauce pan.
Bring to a simmer until the sauce thickens
Transfer on a saucer or sauce jar
and add finely chopped garlic, onion.

Black Beans
and Orzo Pasta

Not your normal black beans and rice dish,
I use orzo pasta to add a touch of creaminess
to a ussually dry textured black bean side.

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2-3 T. olive oil
1 packet Goya Sazon
1 can Black Beans, do not rinse
2 cups rice, I use brown
1 tsp. butter

Directions:
In a large skillet, over medium heat
place 1 tablespoon olive oil and
add onion and slowly caramelize.
Add garlic in the last minute.
Add black beans and continue to
cook over low heat for 4-5 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook orzo pasta
according to package directions.
Once cooked, drain the pasta,
add butter and Goya Sazon
seasoning packet and mix well.
Add this to the skillet and
let cook for one more minute.
Mix all ingredients well.
You may also sprinkle some
cilantro or parsley on top.

Tomato Cheese Soup

Stuffed with Velveeta Cheese!
This is sinfully good tasting.
A fresh garden ripe tomato
filled with cheddar cheese.
Drizzled with olive oil and
baked into a creamy tomato soup.

Ingredients:
2 garden ripened tomato
1 cup Velveeta cheese
extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Using a small paring knife,
cut a circle in the top of the tomatoes.
Remove top and scoop out seeds and
pulp with a spoon making a bowl.
Cut a square of Velveeta and slice
the square corners off to allow it
to be stuffed into the round tomato.
Place stuffed tomato in a baking dish
and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.
Bake for 30 minutes or until hot.
Remove from oven and stir to combine
the cheese and tomatoes.

Truvia Iced Tea

This is basically the same recipe
I use to make home made Iced tea
except I used Truvia in place of
the equal amount of white sugar.

Ingredients:
Water
4 teaspoons Truvia
6 Pekoe tea bags

Directions:
In a two cup glass measuring cup,
place 1 cup water and cook in a
microwave 3 minutes or to boil.
Remove and add Truvia and stir.
Place tea bags in cup to steep
for 15 minutes or so.
Pour into a serving pitcher
and fill with cold water.
Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
Serve over ice with lemon.

Banana Chocolate Chip
Brownies from a box

I followed the directions on the box,
added three mashed bananas and
1/2 cup chocolate chips.
Came out great!

Velveeta Cheese
Grilled Sandwiches

Velveeta cheese makes for a
perfect grilled cheese sandwich.
I like white bread and also have
made this with multi-grain bread.
Use real butter, it tastes great.

Ingredients:
8 slices white or multi-grain bread
6 oz. Velveeta Cheese Product, sliced
8 tsp. soft unsalted butter

Directions:
Top one of the bread slices with
prepared cheese product and second bread slice.
Spread outside of sandwich evenly with butter.
Cook in skillet on medium heat
until lightly browned on both sides.
Cut in half diagonally and serve.

Banana Muffins

This is a recipe for banana muffins.
You can make a bread with this too.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Cream the butter and sugar in a
mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
Add the bananas and sour cream; mix well.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt.
Beat for 1 minute.
Fill paper lined muffin cups 2/3, full.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 22 minutes.

Deep Fried Chicken

This is an easy recipe to make
but it does take some time.
Two days of brining and marinading.
Then the chicken is deep fried to
a crispy golden and tasty goodness.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coarse salt
1 whole chicken, cut up
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
Peanut oil for frying Coating

Directions:
In a large bowl dissolve 1/2 cup
coarse salt in 3 quarts of water.
Rinse chicken pieces, and add to bowl.
Cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Mix together the flour, cornmeal,
and seasonings, and place in a
large resealable plastic bag. Shake.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs,
then whisk in the buttermilk.
Dip half the chicken pieces in
the buttermilk mixture,
then place in the plastic bag.
Shake, and lay out on a wire rack.
Repeat for remaining pieces.
Put the rack on a cookie sheet,
and place in the refrigerator
for at least 2 hours to set.
Deep fry chicken until done.