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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Two Frozen Pizzas in One

Much more than a deep dish style pizza.
You must try this at your next pizza party.
You simply take two store bought frozen pizzas
and bake them together with the crust of one on
the top and the crust of the other on the bottom.
But not before stuffing the in between of them
with your favorite fresh tasting pizza fillings.

Ingredients:
2 frozen pizzas, any style
sprinkle of corn meal
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pint fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Sprinkle corn meal on a dry baking pan.
Remove frozen pizzas from plastic wrappings and
place one pizza, crust side down on the baking pan.
Arrange fresh mushrooms all over the pizza and season
with dried oregano or other dried herbs to taste.
Place the second frozen pizza on top, crust side up.
Drizzle top with olive oil and bake for on or about
40 minutes or until done to a great stuffed pizza.
Remove and let cool some before slicing and serving.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Broasted Vegetables

Broasted is a term for baking and broiling.
You can broast any fresh garden vegetables.
I took an eggplant along with summer squash
onions, garlic and seasonings to create a good
tasting side dish to serve with any meat dish.

Ingredients:
1 fresh eggplant
1 yellow squash
1 green squash
1 onion, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut ends off of eggplant and squash.
Slice eggplant, squash and onion into
serving size pieces and place
vegetables in a roasting pan.
Drizzle with olive oil and seasonings.
Bake for one hour until softened.
Remove vegetables to a foil lined baking sheet.
Place under a broiler and broil until browning.
Serve with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Turkey Waldorf Tortilla Wrap

To me Waldorf means apples, grapes and walnuts.
I created this wrap sandwich to eat on the go.
Deli sliced turkey with creamy apple mayonnaise.
Sliced red seedless grapes and crispy lettuce.
I think that I just drooled on my keyboard.

Ingredients:
For each Turkey Tortilla Wrap:
1 (8") flour tortilla
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon apple sauce
1 dash of hot pepper sauce
1 slice of cooked deli turkey
1 leave of a green lettuce
2 or 4 red grapes, sliced
1 slice of deli swiss cheese
1 slice of a deli pickle
1 slice of a ripe tomato
Chopped walnuts to taste

Directions:
Fill it, Make it, Eat it !

Eggplant Parmesan for Two

When you don't want to bake a big one.
Here's a recipe for eggplant for two.
It goes together quick and tastes great.

Ingredients:
6 (1/4") slices eggplant
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup flour
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
dash of oregano and parsley
cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.
In a small bowl combine egg and milk.
in another bowl place flour.
In a third bowl place breadcrumbs.
Peel and slice eggplant.
Dredge eggplant in flour then in
egg wash and into breadcrumbs to coat.
Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet and
fry eggplant 5 minutes or until browned.
Cut eggplant slices in thirds.
Place some tomato sauce in bottom of a small
baking dish and arrange eggplant in the sauce.
Top with ricotta cheese and more tomato sauce.
Top with more eggplant and then the mozzarella.
Add more sauce, season with oregano and parsley.
Sprinkle entire top with parmesan cheese.
Coat a piece of foil with cooking spray and
cover baking dish sprayed side down.
Bake for about 45 minutes until heated through.
You can remove foil to brown top if desired.
Let cool about 20 minutes before serving.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Reheating a Rotisserie Chicken

A store bought rotisserie chicken makes for a
fast and easy to eat chicken dinner at times.
But what does one do with a whole chicken that
you bought and it's just sitting in the refrigerator?
Crank your oven up to 500 degrees to crisp that skin.
Roasting on a bed of fresh carrots and onions in a
roasting pan for an hour or so, this is really good.

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons canola or olive oil.
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1/2 bag of store bought baby carrots
1 store bought rotisserie chicken
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Place oil, onion and carrots in roasting pan.
Place chicken on top and pat on top brown sugar.
Drizzle with honey and bake for about 45 minutes.
Cut up and serve.

Kielbasa and Sauerkraut

Simply cooked in a large soup pot
along with some red potatoes in beer.
This is a satisfying one pot meal.
I added in some summer squash on top
of the sauerkraut to steam cook at the end.

Ingredients:
12 ounces beer
12 ounces cold water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 pounds kielbasa
4 red potatoes, quartered
1 yellow summer squash
1 green summer squash
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Ground black pepper to taste
Prepared mustard

Directions:
In a large soup pot on medium heat bring
beer, water and caraway seeds to a simmer.
Cut kielbasa into serving size pieces
and add to liquid in soup pot.
Place in potatoes and cover with sauerkraut.
Cover and let simmer for about 1 hour.
Place squash on top of sauerkraut and season
with butter and ground black pepper to taste.
cover and continue cooking until squash is tender.
Serve with prepared mustard if desired.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Savory Pizza Cake

The secret in making a savory pizza cake
is that you bake a cheese filled cake
with the meats in a spring form pan.
This cake rises above other flat crust pizzas.
You must try this method the next time you
make a genuine home made cheese and meat pizza.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 pound prepared pizza dough
2 cups tomato pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded provolone cheese
2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/2 pound deli sliced pepperoni
1/2 pound deli sliced ham
1 bunch fresh Italian basil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat a spring form pan with cooking spray.
Roll out bread dough large enough to fit
into bottom and up the sides of the pan.
In a mixing bowl combine ricotta and egg.
Arrange dough in the spring form pan.
Let excess dough hang over the sides.
Layer the inside of pizza dough with
some tomato sauce, then mozzarella,and then
sliced pepperoni, ricotta cheese mixture,
provolone cheese, sliced ham and more ricotta.
Top with shredded mozzarella and if you can
create a ring of bread dough for a crusty edge.
Bake for 45 minutes and let cool 15 minutes
before opening up the spring form pan and serving.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Dummkopf Style Potato Pancakes

I grew up tasting these delicious potato pancakes.
Why they are called German I never found out but
my Grandmother was German and that's good enough.
She won many blue ribbons with her potato pancakes.
Brown and crispy on the outside while being tender
and creamy soft with potato goodness on the inside.
Served with dollops of sour cream and applesauce.

Ingredients:
2 large brown shelled eggs
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds.
1 onion, peeled and grated
6 Yukon Gold potatoes, grated
1/4 cup canola oil

Directions:
Preheat a griddle to medium heat.
In a bowl combine the eggs, flour,
salt, pepper and caraway seeds.
Mix in the grated potatoes making a batter.
Drop by tablespoonfuls into a hot griddle.
Cook for a few minutes then turn to cook
and brown on both sides until desired.
Serve with dollops on the side.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

American Grilled Hot Dogs

Hot dogs served on the American fourth of July.
Topped with mustard or a spicy beef chili sauce.
Sauerkraut or a cheese sauce is also a favorite.
Chicago dogs have a few pickles sitting on them.
This is a simple recipe to grill beef hot dogs.

Ingredients:
1 package (8) hot dogs
Toppings of your choice

Directions:
Preheat charcoal or gas grill as hot as you can
get it without the fire department showing up.
Remove hot dogs from package and rinse under
cold water before placing on grill cook until
they are warmed through and browned as desired.

I Want My Chili Dogs

Minced ground beef in a spicy brown sauce
slathered on top of a grilled hot dog.
Topped with fresh onions and mustard.
I think I just drooled on my keyboard!
The secret to making this hot dog chili sauce
is to grind the cooked and browned beef into
a fine texture before adding in the seasonings
and then slowly simmer it for about two hours.
I like to let it sit in the refrigerator overnight,
as the flavors seem to come together right good.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef chuck 85/15
2 large yellow onions, peeled
4 cups cold water
4 tablespoon allspice powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Directions:
In a large soup pot brown the ground beef,
adding a little water, salt and pepper
until beef is browned and cooked through.
Remove the cooked beef leaving the juice in pan.
Put cooked ground beef in batches if needed
in a food processor to pulse into a fine grind.
Chop onions and place in pan until tender.
Place processed beef back into pan with onions.
Add water, sugar and garlic powder along with
more salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Reduce heat to a simmer for about two hours.
Serve on grilled hot dogs or refrigerate.

Shaved Asparagus and Carrot Pizza

I've been using a vegetable peeler to
create ribbons of fresh vegetables
using them in salads and pasta dishes.
Here I simply used the vegetable ribbons
to top a ricotta cheese flat bread pizza.
With the colors of the Italian flag this is
a pizza that looks as good as it tastes.

Ingredients:
1 recipe for pizza dough
2 cups tomato sauce
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
12 fresh asparagus stalks, trimmed
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Use a vegetable peeler to create ribbons
with the fresh stalks of asparagus.
Roll out pizza dough to desired shape
and top with tomato sauce, ricotta and
arrange asparagus around pizza with garlic.
Top with mozzarella and bake for 10 minutes.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Hot Fresh Baby Carrots

One jarred hot cherry pepper is all it
takes to roast along with baby carrots
turning them into a hot gourmet treat.
Not too hot but you can taste the heat.

Ingredients:
1 bag of baby carrots
1 red hot cherry pepper
drizzle of olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place carrots and pepper in pan,
drizzle with olive oil and cover,
to bake for 45 minutes or until done.

Turning Old Vegetables into Gourmet

You know the 'day old' rack in the grocery,
where they put not so fresh vegetables out?
Don't pass by the chance to get some deals
and turn those vegetables into great treats.
Wash them up and throw them in a roasting pan
to bake for an hour into tender crisp goodness.

Ingredients:
Vegetables like asparagus, mushrooms, carrots,
peppers, celery, tomatoes, and potatoes.
Olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place vegetables in a roasting pan,
drizzle with oil and roast for 1 hour until done.

Roast Asparagus and Mushrooms

The flavor of roast asparagus and mushrooms
blend together to create an awesome dish.
I added in two hot cherry peppers that
give this a back of your tongue kick.
Not hot but you get the sense of heat.

Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh asparagus
1 pint whole mushrooms
2 jarred hot cherry peppers
4 tablespoons olive oil
dash of salt and pepper.

Directions:
Cut mushrooms in half or quarters.
Cut asparagus into serving size pieces.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place mushrooms and asparagus in pan.
Place hot peppers on one side of pan.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until tender.
Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Garden Fresh Cucumber Salad

When cucumbers come into season there's
just about no stopping them and your lousy.
Here's a good tasting recipe for a salad.

Ingredients:
2 Cucumbers, peeled
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
1 Tablespoon tamarind puree
1 Tablespoon lime juice
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Directions:
Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds.
Slice sideways into half moon slices.
Mix with all remaining ingredients to taste.

Toaster Oven Garlic Toast

This is a garlic toast winner recipe.
You can add melted cheese if desired.
These can also be cooked on the grill.

Ingredients:
4 slices Italian bread
4 teaspoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked red paprika
1 teaspoon salt or to taste

Directions:
Slather the butter on the bread
and season with sugar, garlic powder
paprika and broil, toast or grill.
When browned sprinkle with salt and serve.

Slow Cooker Baked Beans

If you promise not to tell anybody else.
I'll spill the beans here so to speak.
Creamy baked beans that taste like you have
cooked them for hours, which you did.
By cooking the beans in a slow cooker.

Ingredients:
3 (28 ounce) cans baked beans, drained
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2/3 cup Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground mustard
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low heat setting 4 to 6 hours
until cooked to a desired soft creamy consistency.

Grandmother's Strawberry Shortcake

Grandma made a rectangle pan of bisquick cake
then topped the cake with fresh strawberries.
Served with some home made sweet whipped cream.
Springtime doesn't get much better than this.

Ingredients:
2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1 large brown shelled egg
1 cup cold whole milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 quart fresh strawberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1 pint whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Prepare a 9x14 inch baking dish
by greasing it or coating with cooking spray.
Make a batter in a bowl by combining the
bisquick mix, egg, milk, and oil.
Pour into baking dish and bake until a fork
inserting into the center comes out clean.
In a large bowl mix strawberries and sugar.
Allow to sit to macerate for about 30 minutes.
In a cold mixing bowl make whipped cream by
using a hand mixer whip up the cream, vanilla
and sugar into a light and fluffy whipped cream.
Pour strawberries all over top of Bisquick cake.
Refrigerate to cool before topping with whipped cream.

Grilled Salisbury Steaks

Salisbury steaks are simply formed ground beef
that is seasoned and served in a brown gravy.
The secret to this dish is in the tasty gravy.
Grilling the beef adds yet another layer of flavor.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground sirloin beef
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

Directions:
Preheat a grill to medium high heat.
Combine ground beef, flour, black pepper,
and salt in a mixing bowl, form into 4 patties.
Place patties on grill to cook 2 minutes per side.
Remove and set aside while creating the sauce.
In a sauce pan combine the flour, ketchup, water
along with the Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder.
Simmer until a rich and creamy salisbury sauce is created.
Serve the grilled beef with the warm brown beef gravy.

Canned Pear Garden Salad

I sometimes use canned pears with the juices
as the dressing in a fresh green garden salad.
It's not only fat free but lends a surprisingly
tasty different type of salad for your guests.

2 cups spring mix lettuce
1 cup endive lettuce
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 cup canned black olives, drained
1 can sliced pears with juice

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a serving bowl.
Cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve.

A Better Lasagna

The story behind this recipe is in that
I had replaced my trusty old lasagna pan
with a new pan that is just a little larger.
Using my old and tasty lasagna recipe just
wasn't enough to completely fill the pan.
So instead of laying the noodles side by side
I left about a half inch space between them.
Turned out that it was a lot easier to serve
and noone noticed the difference in the dish.

Ingredients:
9 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 pound ground beef, browned
2 cups tomato sauce, crushed
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:
Add tomato sauce to ground beef, set aside.
Combine ricotta cheese, parsley, egg and salt
in a bowl and stir to make a cheese mixture.
Ladle some meat sauce to coat bottom of pan.
Arrange three cooked noodles in pan leaving
about a half inch in between the noodles.
Place some mozzarella and ricotta cheese
on top of noodles and cover with three more
noodles to ladle in more meat sauce on top.
Place more cheeses on the noodles and
cover with the remaining three noodles.
Pour remaining meat sauce on top.
Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and then
cover with a sheet of aluminum foil that you
have sprayed with cooking spray side down.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for
about 1 hour, then remove foil and place the
lasagna under the broiler to brown the top.
Remove and let rest 15 minutes before serving.
To serve use a spatula to cut into squares
by slicing the cheese in between the noddles.
and into desired serving size pieces.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Fresh Asparagus Poached in Oil

This is the essence of the new season.
Poached in olive oil until tender crisp.
Served with a buttery or creamy sauce,
fresh asparagus is a springtime pleasure.
Serve this with freshly shaved Parmesan.

Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh asparagus
1/4 cup olive oil
sprinkle of salt to taste

Directions:
Place cleaned asparagus in a saute pan
and pour in just enough oil to cover.
Bring to a slow simmer, do not let boil!
Simmer for 10 minutes or until tender.
Serve with freshly shaved parmesan cheese
on top with melted butter or a cream sauce.

Cabbage and Potatoes in Sauce

In this recipe you saute cabbage and potatoes
in bacon fat and let simmer in a tomato sauce
to create a comforting and tasty side dish.
If you add in some browned ground beef this
would resemble in taste Polish stuffed cabbage.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons bacon fat
1/4 head green cabbage
2 medium sized potatoes
1 (26 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
Melt first 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat
in a medium sauce pan on medium low heat.
While bacon is melting chop cabbage into
serving size pieces and then add to pan.
Let brown some and stir to move around.
When just starting to brown and wilt
remove cabbage to a bowl and set aside.
Add in the second tablespoon of bacon
fat in pan to melt and cut potatoes into
serving size pieces, then add into pan.
Let the potatoes brown a little and turn
them over to brown a minute on both sides.
Open can of crushed tomatoes and pour on
top of potatoes being careful because the
crushed tomato sauce will splatter some.
Pour in the water and season with pepper.
Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes or so.
Now add in the partially cooked cabbage,
cover pan and cook until heated through for
about another 10 minutes or until tender.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Diner Style Home Fries

Dinner style home fried potatoes with bacon fat.
The secret is to use whole fresh Russet potatoes
that are placed in a big pot of cold water then
boiled until almost done and then drained and dried.
Cut into slices or small pieces for frying and then
let out to air dry before frying on a flat grill.
They get browned on the outside and creamy inside.

Ingredients:
3 Russet potatoes
6 cups cold water
12 slices smoked bacon

Directions:
After washing and drying and peeling potatoes,
Place them in a soup pot and cover with water.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer.
Cook potatoes for about 15 minutes and then
drain water leaving potatoes in pot to dry.
When cool cut or slice up for serving as desired.
Preheat flat top grill or skillet and cook bacon
to render the bacon fat to fry the potatoes in.
Fry potatoes until browned to yummy home fries.

Roasted Cole Slaw

I had some left over cole slaw that I had prepared
without using the usual creamy mayonnaise dressing.
I used a can of mandarin oranges with the juices.
What does one do with leftover cole slaw?
Throw it in a pan and roast it of course.
After draining the cole slaw of liquid,
In a roasting pan with some olive oil,
the cabbage gets soft and caramelizes into
another good tasting cabbage side dish.

Ingredients:
cole slaw without mayo
olive oil
dried oregano

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Drizzle some olive oil to coat the bottom
of a roasting pan and toss in the leftover
cabbage cole slaw, then drizzle olive oil on top.
Sprinkle with dried oregano to taste if desired.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 45 minutes
or until just starting to brown and caramelized.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Barbecue Pork Ribs

Made in a slow cooker or crock pot
these ribs are fall off the bone tender.
You add just a small amount of sauce
at the end of the long time cooking.
One taste and you'll have to sit down.

1 rack country style ribs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups water or broth
1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Directions:
Place ribs in a slow cooker then>br>
season with salt and pepper.
Pour liquid in slow cooker, cover.
Heat on low heat for 8 hours.
Carefully remove cooked ribs to
cut them into serving size pieces.
Drain of all but 1 cup of the cooking
liquid and stir in the barbecue sauce.
Place ribs back in slow cooker,
drizzle some barbecue sauce on top.
Cover slow cooker and heat on low
1 more hour or until serving time.

Friday, April 11, 2014

Special K Cracker Chips Pizza

A crispy and crunchy tasting pizza topping.
Special K Cracker Chips make for a good
topping with spicy salsa on a baked pizza.
Use any flavor Special K Cracker Chips,
along with mild or hot flavored tomato salsa
to create a good tasting crunchy salsa pizza.
I like to add a whole bottle of hot pepper sauce
to make fire roasted spicy slices of pizza slices.

Ingredients:
1 pound store bought pizza dough
1 jar store bought salsa sauce
1 box Special K Cracker Chips
1 (12 ounce) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano or to taste

Directions:
Let pizza dough come to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Prepare a baking sheet by sprinkling
with a dusting of dried corn meal.
Roll out pizza dough to the size of baking sheet.
Spread hot sauce over pizza dough and top with
Special K Cracker Chips on top of pizza dough.
Top with a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese
and season with 1 teaspoon dried oregano or to taste.
Bake in the hot oven for about 12 minutes until done.
Slice up and enjoy the Crunch of Special K Cracker Chips.




Deli Style Cole Slaw

Shredded and sliced red and green cabbage
mixed together with carrots and onions.
Dressed in a spicy and creamy sauce
that has just the right deli style flavor.

Ingredients:
1/2 head red cabbage
1/2 head green cabbage
1 red onion
2 carrots, peeled
1 cup real mayonnaise
2 tablespoons dark brown mustard
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
In the largest mixing bowl you can find.
Shred half of each cabbage with a box grater,
chop the rest of cabbage in a food processor.
Grate or chop the carrot and onion into bowl.
In another bowl make the dressing by mixing
the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, sugar,
caraway seeds and ground black pepper to taste.
Add more vinegar or mayonnaise as needed.
Pour the dressing on the cabbage and mix well.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate
for at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.




Thursday, April 10, 2014

Ham and Pineapple Baked Potatoes

A good way to use up that left over cooked Easter ham.
Creating a new taste sensation with pineapple flavors
along with the fresh tasting asparagus spears of spring.
You must use fresh baby spuds to pull this recipe off.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh pineapple, cubed
2 cups cooked/baked ham
2 cups fresh asparagus, chopped
2 baked potatoes, chopped
1 cup cold water or broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon mustard

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.
Mix all ingredients in a roasting pan,
cook until potatoes are fork tender.
This should take about 1 hour or so.



Mork and Mindy Meatballs

These are TV alien spicy tasting meatballs
with a crunchy peanut butter twist of taste.
Quinoa and ground beef mixed balls of fire.

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, soaked
1 pound ground beef
1 cup peanut butter, crunchy
1 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon darn brown sugar

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a space bowl.
Roll mixture into balls and bake
on a sheet of aluminum foil lined
baking sheet for about 22 nanu minutes
or until the peanut butter runs out the side.




Wok Tea Smoked Shrimp

I learned about tea smoking from Jeff Smith.
He had a weekly PBS TV cooking show
that I was addicted to watching back in the day.
He was a good teacher and not only showed you
new cooking techniques but new foods as well.
One dish was tea smoked shrimp using a wok.
I added a few citrus ingredients and came up
with this great tasting wok smoked shrimp dish.

Ingredients:
1 Wok with cover
1/2 pound frozen shrimp 16/20
1 fresh lemon, quartered
1 fresh lime, quartered
4 black tea bags
4 tablespoons dried rice
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
aluminum foil

Directions:
Place aluminum foil on bottom of wok,
now place another layer of foil on bottom.
(You'll thank me later the the double wrap.)
Turn on the oven fan filter and open up the
kitchen windows or any you have close by.
Place prepared wok on medium low heat.
add in the quartered lemon and lime citrus,
tea from inside of the tea bags and the rice.
Now place in the wok the shrimp and cover
the wok with another sheet of aluminum foil.
Place the cover of the wok in top and wait.
After 5 minutes the wok should start a smoking.
Turn off heat and let wok settle down some
and cook shrimp only for 5 minutes more.
Serve shrimp with a soy based dipping sauce.



Fresh Peeled Carrot Salad

A good looking and colorful fresh carrot salad.
With only three ingredients, it's easy to make,
tastes and looks great on the serving table.
You can use any chopped nuts you have on hand,
I like to add in some shelled salty pistachios.

Ingredients:
4 carrots, peeled
2 cups chopped nuts
1 (12 ounce) can pear halves with juice

Directions:
Cut off both ends of carrots and peel.
Now still using the vegetable peeler,
peel the whole carrots into thin strips.
Toss in a serving bowl with chopped nuts
and dress this carrot salad with the can of
pear haves with juice for a lite dressed salad.




Simple Iceberg Salad

Sometimes in springtime I eat like a rabbit,
munching on iceberg lettuce that is simply
dressed with one of my favorite dressings.
I can't say enough about how good tasting
Maple Grove Farms salad dressings are.
I could drink this stuff right from the bottle.

Ingredients:
1/4 head fresh iceberg lettuce
1/4 cup salad dressing

Directions:
Cut iceberg lettuce into serving pieces
into a serving bowl and top with dressing.
You can also add in other veggies, fruits or
chopped nuts if you want to be nutty too.



Oven Baked Corn Chips

Made using store bought corn tortillas
these bake up crispy in ten minutes.
Yes you could take the time to make
the corn tortillas from scratch but why?
when they are so cheap already made
sitting on the shelf in the grocery store.

Ingredients:
corn tortillas
olive or corn oil
sprinkle of salt to taste
jar of tomato salsa of choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the corn tortillas into triangles
or any shape that you desire to make.
Place the cut corn tortillas on a baking sheet
and spray the triangles with cooking spray.
Sprinkle on the salt to taste and bake for
about 10 minutes turning when browned.
Let cool and serve with salsa for dipping.

From Frozen Crock Pot Ribs

I wanted pork ribs but didn't defrost them
so I decided to place them in a slow cooker
to defrost and cook until the meat was
fall off the bone tender and still juicy good.
I like the added orange citrus flavor in these.

Ingredients:
1 rack of pork ribs, frozen
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice
sprinkle of Montreal seasoning
sprinkle of cayenne pepper
barbecue sauce to taste

Directions:
Place ribs skin side down in bottom of
cooker then pour in the water and orange juice.
Cook covered on high setting for 2 hours then
turn the ribs over and season to taste.
Cook for another 5 hours on low setting.
then pour barbecue sauce on ribs and cook
on low for 1 more hour or until fork tender.
At this point you can place the ribs under
the broiler for 10 minutes to brown if desired.


I
  1. After 5 1/2 hours, remove excess liquid at the bottom of the slow cooker. Coat the ribs in your choice of BBQ Sauce and let cook for another 1/2 hour.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Home Made Pizza Dough

Home made pizza is all about the dough.
If you get the pizza dough nice and crusty
then any toppings are good on the dough.

Ingredients:
1 cup 120 degree F. water
1 packet yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups flour and more to knead

Directions:
In a mixing bowl combine the flour
with the salt and set aside until you.
Place warm water in a bowl and
stir in sugar, then the yeast to proof.
Let sit for 10 minutes and then add to
the four mixture and away you go !
Knead the dough for 5 minutes or so.
Cover and let rest to rise for 20 minutes.
Now you can use it to create your pizza.






Ramen Noodle Lasagna

The Ramen noodles cook up in the oven
creating a quick and tasty type of lasagna.
You can add in any vegetables if you
want to make this an all in one meal.

Ingredients:
4 packages Ramen noodles
4 cups tomato sauce
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 egg
8 frozen cooked meatballs
12 ounces mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Place 4 squares of uncooked ramen noodles
into the bottom of a 9×11 baking dish.
Arrange the meatballs on top.
In a cup mix together the egg and Ricotta.
Add to the noodles your favorite tomato sauce,
and a layer of mixed egg and Ricotta cheese.
Top with an ample amount of tomato sauce.
Spread shredded mozzarella cheese on top.
Cover with aluminum foil
and bake in oven preheated to 350 degrees F.
for 30-40 minutes then remove the foil
to finish cooking another 10 minutes
to brown up the top of the mozzarella cheese.
Remove and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Simple Scrambled Eggs

You don't need a diploma to make
the best and tastiest scrambled eggs.
All you need are some eggs, butter
and the proper technique to cook them.

Ingredients:
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Melt butter in a nonstick pan
over low heat then crack the eggs
directly into the saute pan.
Let the eggs sit for thirty seconds.
Season with salt and pepper
and then, with a rubber spatula,
split the yolks and slowly stir
the eggs around the pan to keep
the whites white and the yolks yellow.
The eggs are done when they're still
tender but not overly runny.
Serve.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Roasted Baby Potatoes

Baby or fingerling potatoes take on
an almost creamy and buttery texture
when slow roasted in the hot oven.
Adding whole heads of garlic to
roast along with them is delicious.

Ingredients:
2 pounds baby potatoes
2 whole heads of garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste
aluminum foil

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with foil.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut potatoes in halves or quarters
and place in one layer on baking sheet.
Cut tops off of the garlic heads and
place garlic in center of baking sheet.
Drizzle potatoes and garlic with oil.
Place another sheet of foil on top
and seal edges tightly all around.
Place in oven to bake and steam for
about 40 minutes then remove top foil
and continue roasting until browned.
Season potatoes with salt to taste.



Sunday, April 6, 2014

Insanely Good Roasted Veggies

These are roll your eyes back and curl your toes
baked vegetables that I swear are the best you'll
ever taste as long as the summer days are hot.
The darker baked vegetables are the tastiest.
In about one hour you get some lip smacking food.
I added in fresh mozzarella cheese just because.

Ingredients:
1 fresh green bell pepper
1 fresh red bell pepper
1 fresh red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 red onion, peeled sliced
1 head fresh garlic, head off
2 red radishes, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 bunch of freshly chopped herbs
Olive oil to coat all vegetables

Directions:
You know what to do !




Ice Cream Scoop Meatballs

Using an ice cream scoop makes each
hamburger the same size so they cook
up the same either in the oven of in sauce.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground or minced beef
Hot dog buns
Spicy tomato sauce

Directions:
After creating uniform sized beef meatballs with
the ground beef using an ice cream scoop.
Preheat a dry skillet to medium high heat and
fry meatballs turning often to cook on all sides.
Serve in a bun with tomato sauce if desired.

Hot and Spicy Meatballs

This is one hot Hot HOT meatball.
Years ago there was a TV commercial
with the phrase in the ad that claimed
'That's a spicy meatball'
This just might have been that meatball.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons garlic salt

Directions:
Mix beef with cayenne and garlic salt.
Form into balls and bake until cooked.
I baked at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes.
Trust me these are really hot and spicy.
I made 48 walnut sized spicy meatballs.



Beer Battered French Toast

I used beer in place of milk and simply
created a different flavor French toast.
This is where the magic meets the pan.

Ingredients:
4 slices thick bread
2 eggs, beaten
12 ounces beer
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat a saute or fry pan to medium.
In a bowl whisk the eggs and then add
in the beer to make a thin batter.
Dip the bread slices one at a time in
batter and place on fry pan to cook.
Flip to brown both sides and serve with
a drizzle of butter or maple syrup.


Banana Scrambled Eggs

Cooked up in minutes in the microwave.
I serve this along with peanut butter.
The old saying is true, try it you'll like it !
I almost called this Elvis Scrambled Eggs.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon butter
4 large eggs
1 ripe banana, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup peanut butter

Directions:
Butter a baking dish and crack eggs
into it to whisk up and beat together.
Add in sliced bananas and cook on high
setting for about 4 minutes or until egg
mixture is almost all the way cooked.
Remove and serve with penaut butter.

Farm House Home Fries

Potato slices fried in bacon drippings are
an old farm house breakfast food that are
soft inside, browned and crispy on the edges.
My Grand Father would make a batch of these
potatoes up ad serve with a pork chop.
Yes a bone in pork chop for breakfast.

4 Russet potatoes, peeled
1 onion, peeled
4 tablespoons bacon drippings.

After peeling the potatoes and onion
slice them into 1/4 inch rounds and
toss them into a large skillet or pan.
Add in bacon drippings and cook
on medium heat tossing around some
for about 40 minutes or until tender
cooked on the inside while crispy and
browned some on the edges.

Roasted Sweet Pepper Salad

Four inch small sweet tri colored peppers
red onion and fresh baby sweet peas are
roasted until soft and slightly browned.
Simply dressed with olive oil and then
seasoned with salt and ground pepper.

Ingredients:
4 red peppers
4 yellow peppers
4 red peppers
1 green bell pepper
1 red onion, peeled
24 fresh sweet peas
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup fresh mozzarella balls
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut peppers into 1/4 inch pieces,
peel and slice onion same size.
Place in roasting pan, add sweet peas,
and toss in the olive oil salt and pepper.
Bake uncovered for 1 hour tossing once
during cooking to mix up salad in pan.
Remove into a serving dish and arrange
mozzarella balls around top of salad.
Serve warm or at room temperature.



Cornbread with Frozen Corn

Frozen corn baked right in the batter
this is a basic cornbread that you ca
make plain or sweeten it up with sugar.
I sometimes kick it up with some peppers.

Ingredients:
1 cup white flour
1 cup corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup frozen corn, thawed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Spray to coat a 9 inch cake pan.
In a bowl combine dry ingredients.
In another bowl blend egg, milk and oil.
Pour egg mixture into dry ingredients
and stir to just combine into a batter.
Stir in thawed frozen corn and pour
batter into prepared cake pan.
Bake uncovered for about 40 minutes.

Friday, April 4, 2014

Egg on Face Salad

I call this Egg on Face because you can't help
getting some egg yolk dripping on your face.
This is a soft boiled egg salad on fresh greens.
Made with fresh asparagus spears, baby spinach
radishes, carrots and sweet sliced red onions.
Dressed with soft boiled eggs and salt to taste.

Ingredients:
4 large eggs, soft boiled
12 fresh asparagus spears
1 cup fresh baby spinach
2 radishes, sliced thinly
1 carrot peeled and peeled
1/4 red onion, peeled and sliced
season with salt to taste

Cook eggs along with asparagus in boiling water
for 5 minutes then set aside to cool.
In a large bowl toss to combine baby spinach,
radishes, carrot peels and red onion slices.
Peel eggs and add with vegetables and season.





Cast Iron Skillet Steak

Restaurant quality crusty steak on the outside
rare red tender and juicy on the inside is easy.
Cooked in a super sizzling hot cast iron pan
for only about 7 to 9 minutes for medium rare.

Ingredients:
1 Porterhouse steak
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 large cast iron pan
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
Remove steak from packaging and allow it
to come to room temperature for 1 hour.
Preheat cast iron pan on high heat for at
least ten minutes until pipping, sizzling hot.
Season steak on one side with salt and pepper
then place steak in pan seasoned side down.
Now season other side of steak while in pan.
Let steak sear without moving it for 5 minutes.
Turn steak over to sear the other side for about
another 2 minutes or so for medium rare inside.
Remove steak, let rest for 5 minutes before serving.


Home Made Tomato Ketchup

I know what your thinking, with bottled ketchup
readily available why would you want to make it.
When tomatoes come to ripen in the garden we
have so may that we can't use, so we make tomato
sauce to freeze and also this tomato ketchup.
It lasts a long time tightly sealed in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:
12 fresh big boy tomatoes or 24 Roma tomatoes
1 white or yellow onion, peeled and diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar or to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Blend all ingredients in a food processor into
a smooth consistency and pour into a sauce pan.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer until
most water is evaporated and ketchup is cooked.
Let cool and store refrigerated in an air tight container.

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

These sweet potatoes are creamy good when
baked in the oven, even better tasting when baked
in the heat of a camp fire or smoking hot fireplace.

Ingredients:
1 sweet potato per serving
1 teaspoon olive oil for each
1 square of aluminum foil per potato
1 tablespoon butter for serving them
salt to taste

Directions:
Wash fresh sweet potatoes and pat dry.
Place potato on aluminum foil and drizzle
with olive oil to coat all over potato.
Wrap foil around potato to tightly seal.
Bake for about 1 hour in a 350 degree F. oven.
Or simply throw the prepared potatoes into
the hot embers of a camp fire or fire place.
Remove in about 1 hour and serve with butter
and a sprinkle of salt or to taste.

Breaded Fried Eggplant

My Grandmother made these crispy fried eggplant
rounds into the best tasting baked eggplant parmesan.
I like serve these plain right from the saute pan.
You can peel the eggplant or not peel it if you wish.

Ingredients:
2 cups olive or canola oil
1 large eggplant
2 cups flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup cold milk
2 cups dried bread crumbs
salt

Directions:
Peel eggplant ad slice into 1/4 inch rounds
Create a dredgig station with three bowls,
one with flour, one with egg wash, and one
bowl with the dried Italian bread crumbs.
Preheat oil in saute pan to 350 degrees F.
Dredge each eggplant slice in flour, then in
egg wash mixture and then in bread crumbs.
Fry until golden brown on both sides.
Drain eggplant on paper towels and season
with a sprinkling of salt to taste. Serve warm.

Baked Rib Eye Meatballs

Ground Rib Eye Steak makes these meaty
ground fresh mushrooms makes these tasty.
I didn't add in any grated cheese to keep
the meatballs on the light and airy side.
This recipe made 24 baked meatballs.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground Rib Eye steak
1 pound ground chuck
6 Cremini mushrooms, ground
4 slices wheat bread crumbs
1 small onion, peeled and minced
1 large egg
1/4 cup cold water
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
In a mixing bowl combine ground beef
mushroom, bread crumbs and onion.
In a bowl whisk egg with water and add in
parsley, garlic and ground black pepper.
Add egg mixture to beef mixture and mix
just enough to make a workable mixture.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Use your hands to form 24 meat balls and
arrange on baking sheet.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until browned.
At this point you can serve them plain or add
into a tomato sauce to braise before serving.
When cool you can also freeze them for later.



Thursday, April 3, 2014

Rib Eye Steak Rub

This dry herb and spice rub is just about
as good as it gets for a great tasting rub
to put on a rib eye steak for grilling.
Make this dry rub and keep in on hand
to use on beef, chicken and vegetables.

Ingredients:
1/4 teaspoon each of salt, ground pepper,
garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder,
sweet smoked paprika, and brown sugar.

Directions:
Mix ingredients in a bowl and use as a dry rub.





Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Cheap Hangover Ramen Noodles

What can I say? Cheap cheap cheap?
Ramen noodles are really inexpensive.
I lived off of these in my college days
and came up with a few tasty noodles.
This one is a good hangover preventative.

Ingredients:
1 package Ramen noodles.
1 small jar hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
( Sugar makes the medicine go down )

Directions:
Cook up noodles as best you can do
then drain them into a dog dish serving bowl.
Toss with the brown sugar and hot sauce.
Serve up or puke up what ever comes first.


Capese Tomato Salad

This is a classic Italian Caprese salad that has
sliced fresh tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella cheese
along with some freshly snipped Italian basil.
It's a good salad to serve any hot summer day.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 Roma or plum tomatoes, sliced
24 slices buffalo mozzarella
24 fresh basil leaves
A drizzle of Olive oil
Salt if desired to taste
Black pepper to taste

Directions:
Arrange tomato and mozzarella slices on a platter.
Arrange basil leaves between the slices.
Drizzle olive oil over the top of the salad,
Sprinkling of salt and black pepper to taste.

Single Serve Tuna Salad

I make this salad for a quick and tasty lunch.
Use up any fresh lettuce you have on hand.

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh lettuce of choice
1 (5 ounce) cans of tuna in oil
1 tablespoon Miracle Whip salad dressing
1 tablespoon Real mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
dash of ground black pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients and serve.


Springtime Twisted Pasta Salad

This salad is made using roasted red bell peppers.
Mixed in with al-dente cooked tri-color rotini pasta.
Then tossed with a fresh fat free citrus dressing.
This is easy to make ad everyone likes this salad.
Because it's mayonnaise free it's picnic friendly.

Ingredients:
1 pound cooked tri-color rotini pasta
1 jar roasted red peppers, with juice
1 small red onion, peeled and chopped
1 can pear halves, with juice
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 can black olives, drained
1 teaspoon dried chives

Directions:
Cook pasta per package directions, al-dente.
Place drained pasta into a large serving bowl.
Chop up the roasted red peppers in serving pieces
and place in bowl with cooked tri-color rotini pasta.
Add in the sliced red onion, pears, oranges and olives.
You can cut up the pears smaller pieces if desired.
Top with dried chives and serve.





Colorful Fresh Pepper Salad

You can use any fresh peppers on hand
sweet and or hot as long as you use the
colors red, yellow, orange, and green.
I like to add in sliced sweet red onion
and top this with some crumbled cheese.

Ingredients:
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
creamy salad dressing

Directions:
Slice the peppers into strips and
place them into a serving bowl.
Add in the sliced red onions and
combine with your favorite dressing.
Top with crumbled cheese and serve.



Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Sloppy Joe's on Bun

This is one recipe I remember from
grade school that all the kids liked.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb ground beef 85/15
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
2-3 tsps Montreal steak seasoning
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tbsps tomato paste
4 hamburger rolls

Directions:
Cook meat, onion, and red bell pepper
in a large skillet over medium high heat.
When the meat is completely cooked,
drain and return to the same pan.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the
meat/vegetable mixture in the pan.
(Except the hamburger buns)
Stir to combine and reduce the heat to medium.
Cook for about 10-15 minutes total.
Using a large spoon, pile the meat on rolls.

Chicken Tastes like Lobster

This is recipe that fools every body into
thinking they're eating grilled lobster.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup soy sauce


                



 
In a saucepan, combine the soy sauce,
oil, garlic salt, pepper, brown sugar,
mustard powder, ginger and pineapple juice.
Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Boil for about 5 minutes, then remove
from the heat and allow to cool completely.
When cooled, place the chicken into a large
re sealable bag and pour the marinade over it.
Press out as much air as you can,
seal and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat a grill for medium-low heat.
When hot, lightly oil the grate.
Place the chicken on the grill
and discard the marinade.
Cook until chicken juices run clear,
about 20 to 25 minutes.
Turn to keep the chicken from burning.

Crispy Collard Greens

I've baked up a bunch of crispy kale
which every body likes and wanted
to try and do the same with collards.
These are really crispy and tasty.
Better for you than fried potato chips.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil

6 collard leaves, torn

Salt to taste

Directions:
Drizzle olive oil over collard pieces
and season with salt to taste.
Bake on a baking sheet in a single layer
at 300 degrees F. until crisp, 15 minutes.

Cream Cheese Wontons

This is a recipe for making simple
cream cheese filled baked wontons.
I've also made crab Rangoon like this.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
2 green onions, sliced thinly
3-4 radishes, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Wonton wrappers
Vegetable oil cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a bowl, stir together the cream cheese,
green onions and radishes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon into
the center of each wonton wrapper,
then dampen the edges of the wonton
wrappers with a finger dipped into water
Fold opposing edges together and seal.
Spray wontons lightly with cooking spray
Place on a nonstick baking sheet.
Bake for about 10 minutes,
or until the wontons are nicely browned.