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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Rock BBQ Citrus Sauce

I made this citrus bbq sauce to use on chicken
and found out that it's great on bbq pork ribs.
The first time we tasted this saucee,
everyone at the dinner table stopped talking
because they were all licking thier fingers.
I know there's a lot of ingredients in this,
but don't let that scare ya, this is good eats.
Use this as a basting sauce on chicken or pork.

Ingredients:
1 cup bottled orange juice
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 tablespoon dried mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried onions
1/2 teaspoon ground cayanne pepper
1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce
1/4 cup bottled ketchup
2 tablespoons clover honey
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon lite soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcesteshire sauce

Directions:
Mix up all ingredients in a bowl
and slather this sauce on as you grill
chicken parts or pork ribs every so often.
Not on real hot heat to prevent sugar burn.

Beef Bricole

Some Italians add in sliced cooked eggs
and even sliced prosciutto ham into these.
but I like to keep things simple.
Use dried herbs but fresh are good too.

Ingredients:
6 bottom round Swiss Steaks in half
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Olive oil for sauteing
Tomato sauce for braising

Directions:
In a mixing bowl make the filling by combining
the cheese,crumbs, garlic, parsley,
oregano, basil and ground black pepper.
Pound the steaks out between two sheets
of plastic wrap to 1/4″ thickness
and lay them out on the cutting board.
Split the filling between the 12 pieces
and roll them up tight and tie with butcher’s twine.
Heat up some olive oil in a saute pan
and brown the braciole on all sides.
Ladle in some simple tomato sauce,
bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat,
cover and simmer for 1 hour or until cooked through.
Remove the twine and they’re ready to serve.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Ricotta & Beef Meatballs

This Italian meatball tastes great on grinders.
Along with tomato sauce and some parmesan.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef 85/15
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
hot and spicy tomato salsa
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Directions:
In a frying pan, fry the red onion and garlic
in a bit of olive oil, until soft and translucent.
When cooked, remove from the pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the meats, cooked onions,
bread crumbs, parsley, ricotta, spices, salt & pepper.
With wet hands, form golf ball-sized meatballs and
place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
When all the meatballs have been formed,
place in refrigerator and allow the meatballs
to rest and cool for about 20-30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
. Place the chilled meatballs in the oven.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the meatballs
are cooked through but still juicy.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Pasta Salad Pizza

Having a lot of left over pasta salad on hand,
and wanting to use it up, the first thing I
thought to make was a pasta salad pizza.
Now my pasta salad contains fusilli pasta,
red onions, diced canned tomatoes,yellow squash,
black olives, green bell pepper, but no mayonnaise.
I dress it with olive oil and Italian seasonings.
This was too easy to put together for
the salad was already made and just
needed to be arranged on a bread dough
and topped with mozzarella cheese.
This is even better tasting the next day, cold.

Ingredients:
1 pre-made pizza dough
leftover pasta salad,(no-mayo)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon dried oregano

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Roll out pizza dough and in one layer top with
pasta salad the mozzarella cheese and oregano.
Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese melts.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Pita Bread

Making pita bread couldn't be easier,
it tastes much better freshly made than
any store bought pita bread.

Ingredients:
2-3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup warm water

Directions:
Dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar,
Add the olive oil, flour and salt.
Cover the dough and let it rise for about 30 minutes.
Divide dough and roll out into 6 discs of dough.
Let rise for 10 minutes.
Heat a lightly oiled saute pan and when it is hot,
cook the pitas for a couple of minutes per side.

No-Knead Pizza Dough

Making a home made pizza dough is easy to do.
Here is a method for making one that's really
easy as you don't even have to knead the dough.
It does take time and you need to plan ahead
but the taste is better than any other dough.

Ingredients:
7 1/2 cups flour plus more for shaping dough
4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

Directions:
Whisk flour, salt, and yeast in a medium bowl.
With a wooden spoon, gradually add 3 cups water.
Mix dough gently with your hands to bring it
together and form into a rough ball.
Transfer dough to a large clean bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise
at room temperature in a draft-free area
until surface is covered with tiny bubbles and
dough has more than doubled in size, about 18 hours.
(time will vary depending on the temperature in the room).
Transfer dough to a floured work surface.
Gently shape into a rough rectangle.
Divide into 6 equal portions,
working with 1 portion at a time,
gather 4 corners to center to create 4 folds.
Turn seam side down and mold gently into a ball.
Dust dough with flour; set aside on work surface.
Repeat with remaining portions. Let dough rest,
covered with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel,
until soft and pliable, about 1 hour.
Top with sauce, cheese and bake until done.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Fresh Banana Cheese Cake

Today I put together this banana cheesecake
that came out nice banana cream good tasting.
The top of this cake gets brown from the flour
in the cream cheese batter but don't get alarmed,
while the bottom crust has a deep toffee flavor.
I left the bananas in chunks which was a good
thing to bite into them when you eat it.
Yummy served with a berry sauce or ice cream.

Ingredients:
For the crumb crust:
1 cup ginger snaps, crushed
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon milk

Ingredients:
For the cheesecake:
2 packages cream cheese,softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons flour
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
cinnamon sugar for topping

Directions:
Prepare a 10" spring form pan by
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
greasing and dusting it with flour.
In a mixing bowl combine the crushed
ginger snaps, butter, brown sugar and flour.
Press crumb mixture on bottom only of pan.
In a mixing bowl cream together the butter,
sugar and vanilla extract for two minutes.
Add in eggs one at a time until smooth.
Mix in the flour and the banana slices and
pour into spring form pan,smoothing out even.
Bake for 90 minutes or until just done.
Remove to cool before slicing and serving.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Sauteed Salmon Fillet

I made this last night and it was great!
Took a frozen salmon fillet and thawed it
in some cold water for about 30 minutes.
Dried it off with a paper towel and rubbed
some sugar and spice before sauteing it.
It was crispy on the outside and really
juicy, tender and tasty on the inside.

Ingredients, per serving:
1 salmon fillet
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 dash of Old Bay Seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice.

Directions:
Thaw salmon if needed before cooking.
Pat dry with paper towels and sprinkle the fish
on all sides with sugar, pepper and Old Bay Seasoning.
Preheat a saute pan to screaming hot heat.
Add in the pan the oil and the prepared fillet.
Saute for 2 minutes per side, remove and
melt butter on it along with some lemon juice.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Best Tasting Beef Burgers

With the weather getting warmer and now
summer grilling time is around the corner.
Here is my recipe for making witout a dought
the best tasting hamburgers you will ever eat.
I've been grilling these for over thirty years
and everyone asks for my secret ingredient.
The secret is in grinding your own beef,
the ground beef you get in the grocery
is made up of all different cuts and
might even contain some bad stuff.
There is no comparison in freshly ground.

Ingredients:
1 pound beef short ribs
1 pound beef sirloin tips
salt and black pepper to taste
your favorite hamburger buns, toasted
your favorite burger toppings, fresh

Directions:
Using a food grinder or Food Processor
grind the beef season and form into patties.
Grill and add on your favorite toppings.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Frozen Wine

Did you know you can freeze wine?
If you have an open bottle of wine
sitting there turning into vinegar
Freeze it in ice cube trays for use
in soups, stews or what ever else.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Orange Roasted Carrots

Carrots get right sweet when roasted.
Your Kids will love these and eat them up.
Brown sugar carmalized roasted carrots.
Flavored with fresh sliced oranges
and just a simple sprinkle of salt.

Ingredients
6 whole carrots, peeled
1 fresh orange, sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
sprinkle of salt to taste
sour cream for dipping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place whole carrots in roasting pan.
Arrange orange slices on top and
sprinkle with brown sugar and salt.
Bake or roast for 1 hour or until tender.
Serve with sour cream on the side.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Potato Balls in Sauce

Using left over mashed potatoes to make
potato balls that you can serve with a
tomato sauce, beef gravy or just butter.
A good way to use up mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked mashed potatoes
1 cup flour, or more
1 teaspoon dried chives
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 cups water
sauce of your choosing for serving

Directions:
In a bowl mix mashed potatoes, flour,
dried chives and ground black pepper.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Remove from refrigerator and using
your hands form into walnut sized balls.
In a large pot bring water almost to boil,
drop in potato balls, they will sink to the
bottom of the pot, do not let water boil.
Simmer potato balls in water for about 15 minutes
or until they float to the top of the water.
Remove balls with a slotted spoon to a flat dish
in one layer to dry for 10 minutes before serving
along with any sauce you desire that will do.
Also at this dry stage you might saute them in
butter to give them a little brown color if desired.

Bacon Salad Dresssing

This dressing is good on spinach and avocado salad.
My Grandmother used bacon grease on greens,
I added in a few ingredients to make a dressing.

Ingredients:
8 slices smoked bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic finely minced
1 shallot, finely minced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add the chopped bacon and cook until cooked
through but still soft, about 5-7 minutes.
Add garlic and shallots and cook until
garlic is fragrant about 2 minutes.
Remove the pan from heat and drain off
as much of the bacon grease as you can.
Pour the bacon, garlic and shallots in a bowl.
Whisk in vinegar and olive oil.
Season to taste with black pepper.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Black Quinoa and Sweet Corn

This makes one great tasting dish.
Black Quinoa is cooked and added
to a bowl of sweet corn for a very
attractive and colorful side dish.
Buttery and good tasting.

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 cup black quinoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 slice roasted red pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:
Bring salted water to a boil, add in quinoa
and lower heat to a simmer for 20 minutes.
Add in corn, roast red pepper and butter,
cover and heat on a simmer until warmed though.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Almond Biscotti Cookies

These are Italian dipping cookies that are
easy to make and taste great in coffee or tea.
I crush up the almonds here to retain a more
cake like bite to these Italian cookies.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup crushed almonds
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and
almond extracts in a large mixing bowl.
In another bowl combine flour with the
salt, baking powder and crushed almonds.
Add the dry mixture into the wet and
combine to make a thick batter.
Not to wet and not to dry.
Remove batter to a parchment paper lined
baking sheet and form into a long log.
Shape into a half moon along the way.
Bake for 40 minutes and remove to cool.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Cut log into 1/2" cookie slices and
place the biscotti cookies cut side down
on baking sheet and bake until browned,
turning over once during baking.
Remove and store in sealed container.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Almost Mock Apple Pie

I wanted to bake an apple pie
and only had two apples on hand.
Have you heard about making a mock
apple pie using Ritz crackers?
I used some crackers along with
a egg and some lemon zest to make
a pretty darn good tasting apple pie.
I left the top plain and served this
pie with dollops of whipped cream.

Ingredients:
1 9" prepared pie shell
2 baking apples, peeled and sliced
35 Ritz crackers, broken up
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
whipped cream for topping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a big bowl combine sugar, cinnamon,
apple slices, crackers and lemon zest.
In a bowl combine egg, milk and baking powder
add to cracker mixture and place filling in
pie crust in pan and fill with cracker mixture.
Pour filling in pie crust and bake for 1 hour,
remove and let cool before slicing and serving.

Baked Potato Pizza

Well not really baked but simply mashed,
the potato tasted just like it was baked.
The potatoes go great with the cheese.
The secret is to use russet potatoes.

Ingredients:
1 frozen pizza of your choice
left over russet mashed potatoes
2 tablespoons prepared BBQ sauce
Directions:
Preheat oven as instructed for baking pizza.
Remove pizza from package and spread 1/4" thick
cooked and cooled mashed potatoes all over top.
Leave the edge of the crust un-potatoed.
Drizzle top of potatoes with BBQ sauce.
Bake as directed, slice and serve.

Pineapple Guacamole

Guacamole is one of those foods that
you like or don't like because of the
fresh cilantro used in preparing it.
Adding in some pineapple is a good thing.
A go to recipe if you like cilantro.

Ingredients:
3 avocados, peeled and pits removed
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, finely minced
juice of 1 fresh lime
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
salt and black pepper, to taste
1-2 Tbsp finely minced red onion
1 jalapeno pepper, minced

Instructions:
In a medium bowl, mash avocados with pineapple,
lime juice, cilantro, as well as any onion or
jalapeno you’re using, until you’ve
reached your desired consistency.
Add salt and pepper to taste.