Tomcat in the Kitchen

Grilled Pimento Cheese Sandwich

2012-01-21T16:40:00.000-06:00

Pimento Cheese - The Pate of the South

I just received my new Southern Living Magazine, and they are calling pimento cheese the "Pate of the South." I think that's correct. It must be another one of those Southern Thangs. Most southerners grew up eating it because Mamas everywhere in the South made it. It's easy, it's quick, it's cheesy, and it's a kid pleaser.

Here's how I make mine: http://tomcatinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/05/pimiento-cheese.html

and, here are some suggested variations that are mentioned in Southern Living:

Variation #1:

Grated cheddar cheese

Cream cheese

Mayonnaise

Grated yellow onion

Ground red pepper

Variation #2:

Roasted red bell peppers

Mayonnaise

Chopped red onion

Fresh parsley

Fresh dill

Dijon mustard

Chopped pepperoncini peppers, with some liquid

Grated fresh horseradish

Variation #3:

Chopped pecans, toasted

Mayonnaise

Jarred, diced pimientos

Jarred, sweet-hot pickled jalapeno peppers chopped, with some liquid

Grated cheddar cheese

Variation #4:

Mayonnaise

Jarred, diced pinientos

Sliced green olives

Dry mustard

Worcestershire sauce

Hot sauce

Celery seeds

Apple cider vinegar

Salt, pepper

Grated white cheddar cheese

Variation #5:

Mayonnaise

Jarred, sliced pimiento

Bourbon

Ancho chile power

Ground cumin

Ground pepper

Grated sharp cheddar cheese

Grated parmesan cheese

I just make plain ol' pimento cheese, so some of those variations sound just a little over the top for me. Variations #1 and #4 sound like something that I may try in the future.

I did, however, spy something in this last issue of Southern Living that is on my short-list of things to try--grilled pimento cheese with bacon. Now that's over the top good in my book. I've had grilled pimento cheese sandwiches like the above picture many times, but I've never thought to add bacon.......coming up soon!

French Onion Chicken

2012-01-05T15:39:00.000-06:00

I'm always looking for something different to do with chicken, and this one was a winner.

Recipe Source and Thank You:

Recipe for French Onion Chicken at EllySaysOpa.com

Hot and Sour Soup

2011-12-30T14:07:00.000-06:00

I judge a Chinese buffet restaurant on the quality of their hot and sour soup. If their soup is watery, or if it doesn't have any meat, or if it doesn't have enough goodies in it, or if it doesn't have that perfect blend of hot and sour, I just won't go back.

Here's a tweak of an old Weight Watcher's Take Out Tonight recipe. It's the best hot and sour soup that I've ever made at home. I still have my favorite little hole-in-the-wall Chinese buffet restaurant where I can get great hot and sour soup, but this is one that is easy to do at home and tastes almost as good.

I've made this twice. The first time, pictured below, and the second time, pictured above. The second version was my favorite.

1 box, 32 oz, Kitchen Basics chicken stock
2T soy sauce
1T Lee Kum Kee chili garlic sauce
3T rice vinegar
1/2 lb thin cut, boneless, pork loin chops, cut into slivers
Mushrooms, 1 small pkg, cleaned and sliced (first time I used shiitaki, second time I used button)
8 oz tofu, cut into small rectangles
2 to 3 T cornstarch (depending on how thick you like your soup, first time I used 2 T, second time I used 3, and liked 3 better)
3T chicken stock
1 egg, beaten (first time I skipped the egg, but like it better with the addition of the egg)

In a large sauce pan, mix together the first four ingredients, and place over medium heat. When the mixture begins to simmer, add the pork slivers and the mushrooms. Simmer until the pork is fully cooked.

Add the tofu and continue to cook, about 15 minutes.

Mix together the cornstarch and the 3T of chicken stock. Add a ladle of the soup mixture to the cornstarch/stock mixture and stir until well combined. Add this mixture to the soup and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes. Right before serving, add the egg while gently stirring to form egg sheets.

Buffalo Shrimp

2011-12-14T15:00:00.000-06:00

~Buffalo Shrimp and Spinach Salad~

If you love buffalo wings, you've got to try buffalo shrimp. Here's how I do mine:

Clean, devein, and butterfly the shrimp. I think the butterflying helps the shrimp to cook more evenly, and it also provides a little more surface area for the sauce to adhere. Place the shrimp in a bowl of evaporated milk. Season some flour with salt and pepper, and preheat a deep fryer to about 365.

Take a handful of shrimp, shake off the excess milk, dredge them in the seasoned flour, and deep fry them until they are golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. Be sure to fry small batches so that the shrimp cook quickly.

Toss the the fried shrimp in a mixture of butter and Frank's Red Hot, and get ready for a real treat.

Simple Stuffed Mushrooms

2011-12-11T15:14:00.000-06:00

My Favorite Meatless Meal

Sometimes I'm just in the mood for something a little lighter for dinner. Maybe I've had a late lunch, or a big lunch, or sometimes I'm just all stressed out and not all that hungry. With stuffed mushrooms, I don't miss the meat. They actually taste kind of like meat to me, especially the large portabella mushrooms.

For the above mushrooms, I cleaned and took the stems out of the mushrooms, and then baked the mushroom caps upside down for a few minutes at 375. I sauteed the chopped mushroom stems, some chopped green onion, and some chopped garlic in butter, and poured the accumulated juice from the mushroom caps into the saute mixture. I added some cream cheese to the mixture, stuffed the mushrooms, topped them with a mixture of crushed, seasoned croutons and grated parmesan cheese, and baked them for a few minutes longer.

For the stuffed portabella mushrooms above, saute together in butter or olive oil:

Chopped onion

Chopped garlic

Chopped mushroom stems

Mix together in a small bowl:

Toasted bread crumbs

Chopped parsley

Mario Batali Four Cheese Blend

Clean the stem and gills from the mushrooms. Drizzle the caps with a little olive oil. Place on a baking sheet, cap side up, in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes. Flip the mushrooms over and continue to cook for about 5 more minutes. Pour the juice that will collect in the mushrooms over the breadcrumb mixture and add in the sauteed ingredients. Stuff the mushrooms, drizzle with a little olive oil, and return to the oven until the desired degree of doneness. I like them to be firm, so I don't cook them much longer. Top with some extra cheese and slide them under the broiler for a few seconds.

Pan Seared Scallops with Beurre Blanc Sauce

2011-12-03T14:43:00.000-06:00

I love pan seared scallops. Put them on some beurre blanc sauce and I'm in heaven. The tangy, slightly tart bite from the beurre blanc and the sweetness of the scallops blend together to create a taste sensation that just makes me swoon.

I just patted the scallops dry, pan seared them in equal amounts of butter and olive oil, placed them over the buerre blanc sauce, and sprinkled with a little chopped parsley.

For the sauce, I used the first recipe in this post. Link to NetCookingTalk Recipe for Beurre Blanc Sauce It calls for white wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, minced shallots, salt, pepper, and butter. Just to see if I like it better, next time I might try the second recipe which uses white wine for the acid. I loved the sauce using the white wine vinegar, but you never know.

Here's an excellent video by Rouxbe.com giving detailed directions and some tips to making a classic beurre blanc:

This is a touchy little sauce. Just setting the hot scallops on the finished sauce can cause it to break a little around the edges of the scallops.

2011-11-28T11:11:00.002-06:00

Blueberry Muffins

These blueberry muffins are loaded with berries, and that's why I like them so well. They're also not real sweet, which is the way I think a muffin should be.

I found the original recipe on RecipeZaar (Awesome Blueberry Muffins, Recipe 51997) and made a few changes to suit my tastes. I cut the amount of sugar but tossed the blueberries in confectioner's sugar before folding them into the batter mix to keep them from sinking to the bottom. I also didn't use the topping suggested because I didn't want that extra sweetness.

They're very good. Here's my take on these blueberry muffins:

Sift together:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Mix together:

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk

Toss together:

Fresh blueberries, washed and dried (I used a little more than a cup.)
Confectioner's sugar

Combine the oil/egg/milk mixture with the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and bake for about 20 minutes at 400. I got 9 medium-sized muffins from the recipe.

2011-11-28T11:06:00.001-06:00

Old Fashioned Cloverleaf Yeast Rolls

My mother made these cloverleaf yeast rolls for special occasions, and they were always a big hit in our family. Bless her heart, she always made plenty. Just imagine a piece of leftover roasted turkey or oven baked ham tucked inside one of these.

I added the "old fashioned" to the title because of the use of Crisco shortening, which is one of those things that a lot of cooks shy away from nowadays.

Here are some pic's of the recipe card that she wrote for me:

Just in case the cards are hard to read:

5 cups flour

2 cups milk

1/4 c sugar
1/2 c Crisco shortening
2 t salt
2 pkgs dry yeast

Measure flour into large mixing bowl.

Heat the milk, sugar, and shortening in a sauce pan until melted together. Let the mixture cool and then add the salt and yeast. Stir until the yeast is no longer lumpy.

Add the liquid mixture to the flour and combine. Knead. Set aside to rise, about an hour or until doubled. Knead again and make into rolls. Let rise again.

Bake at 350 until golden brown.

Makes 2 dozen rolls.

After the first rise and ready for the second rise:

I haven't made these in a long, long time, so I misjudged the size of the balls and had to go back and add a little dough to some of them. If you get it right the first time, the balls will be smooth, and the rolls will look prettier.

After the second rise and ready for the oven:

Out of the oven and brushed with butter:

Ready to eat:

These go great with pot roast and gravy:

Recipe here: http://tomcatinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/11/pot-roast-and-gravy.html

Creamed Spinach

2011-11-09T13:55:00.000-06:00

This recipe for creamed spinach is from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse website. She has been gracious enough to provide her recipes for this dish and a couple of others on her website Recipe for Ruth's Chris Creamed Spinach.

What you'll need:

1 stick salted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk or half and half
2 tbs chopped onion
1 bay leaf (size of a dime)
¼ tsp salt
1 lb fresh spinach, well cleaned and stemmed
2 tbs salted soft butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

You can get the detailed directions for the method at her website.

I used the half and half instead of the milk and omitted the butter that is added as the final step. It was rich and delicious, and I'll be making this one again.

Leek and Potato Soup

2011-10-10T13:52:00.000-05:00

This has to be my favorite potato soup. I first made it last year and added ham to it (link with recipe below). This time I substituted Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock for the chicken broth and left out the ham, but added some extra bacon for garnish.

Link to Recipe in First Post

Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Bernaise Sauce over Orzo

2011-10-06T15:55:00.000-05:00

Knorr's To The Rescue ~ Again!

This is one of those go-to meals that I bet I can put together in about 20 minutes. I've done it so many times that I might could even do it blindfolded.

Ding - Start the timer!

Gather together:

Pork tenderloin

McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning

Vegetable Oil

Orzo

Broccolini, Asparagus, or Broccoli

Knorr's Bernaise Sauce packet

Butter

Milk

Get your water going for the orzo. Add a small amount of water to a skillet, add the broccolini (or asparagus, or broccoli), cover, and set aside. Add a little vegetable oil to a large cast iron skillet and heat it up to medium high.

Slice the medallions and season with the Montreal seasoning. By now the water for the orzo should be boiling, so get that going. The cast iron skillet should be ready for the medallions, so get those going. Turn on the heat under the vegetable of choice.

It's now time to get the bernaise sauce together, all the while keeping a close eye on the pork and flipping the medallions once. You must be a multi-tasker, and you can't stop and chat on the phone!

By the time the medallions are cooked through, the orzo should be ready, the vegetable should be crisp-tender, and the sauce should be ready by the time that you've got things plated.

Ding - Stop the timer - Dinner in about twenty minutes!

Pork tenderloin medallions with bernaise sauce and a side of broccolini:

Fish for the Calorie Conscious

2011-09-25T17:01:00.000-05:00

I'm not big on dieting. Diets just don't work for me. I'm lucky, however, that there are many low calorie meals that I just love. A broiled fish or pan fried fish dinner really hits the spot for me. When I go to one of the local cafeterias like Luby's, everyone is getting chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy (which I love too), and I'm getting fish of some type. I just love fish and prefer it over just about everything (except maybe shrimp).

I'm not a nutritionist, so all of the below calorie counts are just guesstimates (big time guesstimates!). I've never been a calorie counter, but one thing that I've learned from this little journey into calorie counting is that Ranch Dressing is evil for the dieter, really evil. I would have never believed that the Ranch Dressing that I tend to put on most of my salads is actually higher in calories that Knorr's Hollandaise Sauce.

Broiled Catfish and Steamed Broccoli with Hollandaise

~A Whopping 326 Calories~

1 catfish filet - 130 calories
One catfish filet (5-1/4" x 2" x 3/8") is 116 calories. Mine may be a little bigger than that, so I upped the count.
Lemon pepper - no cal's
1 pat of butter - 40 calories
The juice from 1whole fresh lemon is about 12 calories, so maybe 6 calories

1 C of steamed broccoli florets is 24 calories, so we'll say 2 cups and call it 50 calories
3 T Knorr's Hollandaise (prepared accordding to the pkg with unsalted butter and 2% milk) 100 calories

Pan Fried Tilapia With Mixed Green Salad

~A Whopping 403 Calories~

Tilapia Filet - 130 calories
AP Flour for dredging - 25 calories (1/4 cup is 100 calories.)
Vegetable oil - 60 calories (1T is 120 calories.)
Lemon juice - 6 calories
1T capers - 2 calories

1 cup of mixed salad greens is about 10 calories, so I'll estimate about 20 calories
Artichoke hearts - 10 calories (1/2 can of drained artichoke hearts is about 35 calories.)
2 T ranch dressing is 150 calories.

Broiled Catfish with Mixed Green Salad

~A Whopping 486 Calories~

I must have been really hungry this night!
2 catfish filets - 260 calories
Lemon pepper - no cal's
1 pat of butter - 40 calories
Lemon juice - 6 calories

Mixed green salad - maybe about 30 calories with the olives added
2T Ranch dressing - 150 calories

Pan Fried Flounder with Mixed Green Salad

~A Whopping 266 Calories~

1 Flounder filet - 150 calories
AP flour for dredging - 25 calories
Vegetable oil - 60 calories
Lemon Juice - 6 calories

Mixed green salad with tomatoes - 25 calories

I'm sure that I put some type of dressing on that salad after I took the picture :) as I almost never eat a salad with no dressing. Dressing is what makes the salad good!

Pan Fried Catfish with Asparagus and Hollandaise

~A Whopping 331 Calories~

1 catfish filet - 130 calories
AP flour for dredging - 25 calories
Vegetable oil - 60 calories

1 cup of asparagus is about 40 calories, so maybe 50 calories
2 T Knorr's Hollandaise - 66 calories

Mussels

2011-09-23T15:03:00.001-05:00

If you can drag it from a body of water, I'll probably eat it. I say probably because I'm not so sure about eating sea urchin or eel (visions of snakes...eek). I especially love clams and mussels, but it's really hard to get fresh clams and mussels around here. So.....I tried some pre-cooked, frozen mussels, and I was totally surprised. They were very good, and I'm not real sure that I could tell the difference in them and the fresh ones that are pictured below. Another bonus is that they're not very expensive, about $2 per pound.

Here's basically what you'll need and how I cooked them:

2 T butter

olive oil, about 1 T

1/4 large onion, chopped

1 to 2 T chopped garlic

1" ribbon of anchovie paste

About 9 grape tomatoes, seeded and chopped

chicken stock

chopped parsley

1 lb frozen, pre-cooked mussels

Saute the onion in the butter and olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to cook for a few minutes. Add the anchovie paste, the tomatoes, and the chicken stock. Stir to combine. Add some chopped parsley (I didn't measure. I just tore off about a handful. Save some for garnish.) Let the sauce reduce.

I used frozen, pre-cooked mussels that came in a vacuum sealed bag. I followed the directions on the bag--placed the vacuum sealed bag of frozen mussels in large pot of boiling water for 7 minutes.

Add some of the broth from the bag of mussels to the sauce. Place the mussels on the serving plate, pour the sauce over, and garnish with chopped parsley.

If you're wondering where the top part of shells are, I took them off as I plated the mussels. I wanted some of that delicious sauce on every one of the mussels, and sometimes the top part of the shell shields the mussels from getting sauced.

Below are the fresh clams and mussels that I cooked in a similar way using shallots instead of onion, wine, and seafood stock instead of chicken stock.

Clams and Mussels in a Tomato, Shallot, Garlic, and Wine Sauce:

Above are fresh clams and mussels

Pepper Steak

2011-09-18T15:36:00.000-05:00

I adapted this from a recipe for Mongolian Beef that's on youtube (see video below). I left out the chili peppers, used sherry instead of soju, but other than that, I pretty much followed his directions. I decided to call this pepper steak because I think I took the Mongolian out of it when I took the heat out of it.

Sure was good!

Adapted From - Source and Thank You:

Wonton Cups with Pork Filling

2011-09-08T13:14:00.000-05:00

For the wonton cups:

8 wonton wrappers
vegetable oil
mini muffin pan

Method:

Lightly brush one side of a wonton wrapper with vegetable oil. Center the wrapper over the opening in the mini muffin pan (oiled side up) and use a shot glass (or if you have a mortar/pestle set, you can use the pestle) to gently press the wrapper against the bottom and edges of the muffin pan. Continue the process with the remaining wrappers, spacing them in the muffin pan so that they're not overlapping.

I used convection bake at 350 and just kept a close eye on them. When the wrappers are lightly browned and lift from the muffin pan with no resistance, they are done.

For the Filling:

1/4 lb ground pork
1 T sherry
1 T minced garlic
1 t grated ginger
l carrot - cleaned and cut into matchsticks
2 ribs of bok choy (green and white parts separated)
1 to 2 T oyster sauce
1 to 2 t soy sauce
3/4 to 1 C bean sprouts

Method:

Sprinkle the sherry over the ground pork, mix together, and let it sit in the refrigerator while you prepare the vegetables.

Place the ground pork in a medium skillet over medium heat. Break it up with a spatula. When it is just about cooked through, add the garlic, ginger, and carrots. Let the carrots soften a little. Next, add the white part of the bok choy. Continue to cook until the bok choy just begins to soften (it should still be a little crunchy). Add in the oyster sauce and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and add in the bean sprouts and the green parts of the bok choy.

Divide the filling equally into the baked wonton cups.

Yield - 8 wonton cups

Re-Visiting Some Favorites

2011-08-31T12:24:00.000-05:00

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Recipe for Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

Carbonara

Recipe for Carbonara

Another salad, this one with a Greek twist: Romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and croutons

Creamy Bacon and Asparagus Pasta, this time with guanciale subbed for the bacon

Source: Wikipedia

Guanciale (Italian pronunciation: [ɡwanˈtʃaːle]) is an unsmoked Italian bacon prepared with pig's jowl or cheeks. Its name is derived from guancia, Italian for cheek. Guanciale is similar to the jowl bacon of the United States.
Pork cheek is rubbed with salt, ground black pepper or red pepper and cured for three weeks. Its flavor is stronger than other pork products, such as pancetta, and its texture is more delicate.
Guanciale is traditionally used in dishes like pasta all'amatriciana and spaghetti alla carbonara. It is a delicacy of central Italy, particularly Umbria and Lazio.
Pancetta, a cured Italian bacon which is normally not smoked, can be used as a substitute when guanciale is not available.

Recipe for Creamy Bacon and Asparagus Pasta

Orange Chicken

2011-08-15T15:34:00.000-05:00

Orange Chicken - Like Chinese Buffet Orange Chicken

For the chicken:

Chicken tenders (cut into bite size pieces)

Sherry
Soy Sauce

Cornstarch

Vegetable oil for frying

For the sauce:

1 T vegetable oil
1 T minced garlic
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1 cup Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock
1 tsp soy sauce
red pepper flakes
2 tsp cornstarch

Steamed Broccoli

Sprinkle the chicken tender pieces with sherry and soy sauce. Place them in the refrigerator for about an hour to marinate. Drain the chicken tender pieces, dust with cornstarch, and deep fry in batches until lightly golden brown.

Lightly saute the garlic in the 1 T of oil, add the marmalade, 1/2 cup of the chicken stock, the soy sauce, and the red pepper flakes to taste. Simmer until slightly thickened. Mix together the 2 tsp cornstarch and the remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock. Add to the sauce mix and continue cooking for a few more minutes. The longer the sauce cooks, the thicker it gets.

Toss together the chicken pieces and sauce to coat and serve with a side of lightly steamed broccoli.

This is just a tweak of a recipe for Orange Chicken that I've posted before. Here is the link to the original recipe: Orange Chicken . I like the above tweaked version better.

Shrimp Etouffee and Shrimp Etouffee with Blackened Fish

2011-08-05T15:52:00.000-05:00

Cajun Taste Buds

I don't have a Cajun bone in my body, but I do have some Cajun taste buds. I love New Orleans style barbecued shrimp, any kind of gumbo, dirty rice, and just about all things Cajun. I like their music, their attitude toward life, and their laid back lifestyle. Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez or Let the Good Times Roll!

What You'll Need:

Butter
Chopped white onions
Chopped green onions
Chopped celery
Minced garlic
Tony Chachere’s Original Seasoning
Flour
Shrimp stock (shells boiled down with some Tony’s)
Chopped fresh parsley

Method:

Sauce onions and celery in butter. Add garlic. Add flour and shrimp stock. Season to taste with Tony’s. Simmer. Add shrimp. Continue to simmer until shrimp turn pink. Add parsley. Serve over rice. Sprinkle on some Frank’s or Texas Pete’s if you want some more heat.

The recipe that I used as a starting point is on page 89 of Emeril's Louisiana Real and Rustic.

I used the leftover etouffee the next night and topped it with a piece of blackened catfish. I re-heated the etouffee in the skillet that I used to cook the fish, and yow, the seasoning for the fish really kicked it up a notch....almost made it a little too hot for me.

Broiled Lobster Tail and Cheesy Artichoke Bread

2011-08-04T15:25:00.001-05:00

Simple But Tasty

To prep the lobster tails, use kitchen shears to cut down the top of the shell to the point where the tail fan connects. Do the same on the underside of the tail. Push the tail meat up from below.

Broil the lobster tails basting occasionally with a butter/lemon juice mixture. The butter/lemon juice mixture that drips down onto the sheet pan and browns is very tasty, so I always try to scoop up as much of that as possible to put on the top of the tails.

The cheesy artichoke bread is just a simple mixture of equal parts of room temperature cream cheese, room temperature, shredded Monterey jack cheese, and chopped artichoke hearts which I put on baguette slices and broiled.

Throw in a mixed green salad, and you've got a simple but tasty dinner.

Chicken Fried Pork Chops

2011-07-21T16:23:00.000-05:00

The term "chicken fried" just means coated in flour or a batter and fried in oil. I guess it's a southern term because I've come across people who have never heard of the term "chicken fried." If you were born and raised in the South, however, you know fully well what it means. Down here we have chicken fried chicken, chicken fried steak, chicken fried pork chops......and whatever else we want to chicken fry. I've yet to try chicken fried bacon, but it's been done.

I use a very simple method that produces a chop with a light, crunchy coating every time.

What you'll need:

bone-in pork chops
seasoned flour (I just season with black pepper and skip the salt nowadays.)
deep fryer
vegetable oil

Method:

Dredge the pork chops in the seasoned flour, pushing the flour firmly onto the chop. Fry one at a time in a deep fryer set at 355 until golden brown. I just give them a few minutes and then check. I have a T-Fal fryer with a locking lid, which I think helps maintain the temperature and keeps the batter from frying away from the chop. Works every time!

Chicken fried pork chop with a tomato/cucumber/onion salad:

They're really good with sides of collard greens and black-eyed peas:

Miguel's Jalapeno White Sauce and Gazpacho

2011-07-17T15:15:00.000-05:00

You better watch it, or you'll ruin your dinner! You know when you go to a Mexican restaurant, and they bring out the warm tortilla chips and salsa. You start munching away and pretty soon you're thinking, "I've got to stop, or I won't be able to eat my meal." Same thing happens with this sauce/dip. You just have to keep reaching for it. It's addicting.

It can be either a dip or a sauce. I've had it both ways--just with tortilla chips and used as a sauce for chicken enchiladas. It's super good.

Miguel's Jalapeno White Sauce

What you'll need:

2 cups whipping cream
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp chicken base
2 tbsp. clarified butter (I just used room temperature butter.)
1 tbsp. flour
1 jalapeno, minced (I seeded the jalapeno just to make sure that it wouldn't be too hot.)
1 tbsp juice from bottled jalapenos
2 oz shredded cheese - equal parts Monterey jack and cheddar
For the method, you can go to the cooking forum where I discovered the recipe:
Miguel's White Jalapeno Sauce at NetCookingTalk
Thank You!

The gazpacho was made with (from greatest to least amounts, no real recipe): V-8, roma tomatoes, celery, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, red wine vinegar, evoo, seasoning salt, and topped with diced avocado. Normally I add some croutons and a little sour cream to the top, but with the jalapeno sauce and chips, I decided to skip that.

Eggs Benedict - The Easy Way Using Poach Pods

2011-07-08T16:21:00.000-05:00

I'm not much of a breakfast person. All I want is black coffee until around 10:30 or 11:00. I do, however, like brunch, and Eggs Benedict is a true winner in my book. The poach pods shown below make poaching eggs truly easy. There's no vinegar needed, no perfect swirling technique, and no lost eggwhite in the water. Also, the pods can go directly into the dishwasher for easy cleaning.

What You'll Need:

Sourdough English Muffins, Split
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Canadian Bacon
Cooking Spray or Vegetable Oil
Eggs
Knorr's Hollandaise Sauce Mix (butter, milk)
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Method:

Prepare the hollandaise sauce and set aside. Sprinkle the tops of the English muffin halves with parmesan cheese. Broil until they begin to brown. Heat the Canadian bacon, either in a skillet or the microwave.

Spray the poach pods with cooking spray, add the eggs to the pods, place them in gently simmering water, cover, and cook until your desired degree of doneness. The poach pods come with suggested cooking times. The only thing that you have to be careful of is that your water is gently simmering. If you have a full rolling boil, the pods with tump over, and you will have a big mess. Don't ask me how I know that :).

Place the Canadian bacon on the toasted English muffin half, add a poached egg, top with hollandaise sauce, grind some black pepper over the top, and enjoy a brunch fit for a queen or a king.

Using the pods, you can cook your eggs just the way that you like them. Runny yolks are my favorite. I love that delightful, rich mingling of tastes when the yolk and the hollandaise sauce mix together.

Shrimp Salad

2011-06-28T16:02:00.000-05:00

The temperatures are creeping into the triple digits, and it's sweltering outside. I wasn't in the mood for a heavy dinner, so I put together a simple shrimp salad.

Shrimp, boiled in Old Bay and some lemon juice, chopped
Celery, chopped
Boiled egg, chopped
Green onion, chopped

Louis Dressing here: http://tomcatinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/06/shrimp-salad.html

I piled it on romaine and surrounded it with all the little goodies that I love--Aunt Nellies pickled beets, kalamata olives, cucumber slices, saltines, and egg.

Steak - Make Mine Moo Please

2011-06-23T14:12:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading an article titled "Top Ten Signs of a Bad Cook," by Joyce Slaton on Chowhound http://www.chow.com/food-news/84109/top-ten-signs-of-a-bad-cook/. She took snippets from member responses on the cooking boards and put them together to form a list of the Top Ten Signs of a Bad Cook. It's an interesting read, and some of the comments that follow are quite funny.

Number one on the list is the cook has long, acrylic, manicured nails. From there, the list moves on to a pantry with too many processed foods (complete with a discussion of the infamous green can parmesan cheese). The third sign of a bad cook on her list is that the kitchen is too clean with fancy appliances that look like they've never been used. Yow, I would be more suspect of a cook whose kitchen looks unclean. The list then moves on to a cook who uses no salt, the cook who babbles on about Rachel Ray and Sandra Lee, and the cook who has dull knives and poor knife skills. Last on the list is "They make well-done steaks. Need we say more?"

I must admit that some of those signs apply to me. My knife skills aren't great, and I do have some of those processed foods and gravy packets in my pantry. My kitchen is usually pretty clean, and I keep my appliances pretty spiffy (no fingerprints or splatters for me). Number ten on the list, however, redeemed me. Maybe I'm not that bad of a cook after all. I like my steaks very rare, so make mine moo please.

LaMadeliene Tomato Basil Soup

2011-06-22T14:21:00.000-05:00

Tomato season is in full swing. What are you going to do with all that luscious fruit once it begins to ripen all at once? BLT, great choice; washed, sliced, salted, and popped into your mouth, another great choice; on a salad, in a sandwich, in a sauce.....

Or, you could make this Tomata Basil Soup, which is based on the famous LaMadeliene Restaurant's recipe:

I cut this recipe way down, but I was sure wishing that I hadn't. Next time, I'll make the full batch and freeze some so that I can have a nice tomato basil soup during those dreary winter nights when grilled cheese and tomato soup are on the menu.

What you'll need:

4 cups tomatoes, peeled, cored, and chopped
4 cups tomato juice, or a mixture of tomato juice and chicken stock (I used the mixture.)
12 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 tsp black pepper

Garnish - whole basil leaves or a chiffonade of basil leaves (Sure wish that I had done the garnish!)

For the method, you can refer to the link below. The original recipe appears to be a clipping from a newspaper. I assure you that it is a very tasty soup that is very similar to what is served at LaMadeliene's.
Recipe and source - Thank You:
http://dianaball.net/tomato_basil_soup.htm

Mixed Green Salads For Summer

2011-06-08T15:43:00.000-05:00

I am happy just eating a mixed green salad for dinner two or three times a week in the summer as long as it's loaded with goodies.

The All-Time Favorite - Romaine, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, kalamata olives, red onion, feta cheese, and pepperonchini peppers:

The Plain Jane - Romaine, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, black and green olives, red onion, artichoke hearts, and pepperonchini peppers:

The Mama Mia Italian - Romaine, tomatoes, green olives, radishes, red onion, cucumbers, seasoned croutons, pepperonchini peppers, and Italian dressing:

The There Ain't Much in the Refrigerator - Iceburg lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, a blend of shredded cheeses, seasoned croutons, chopped eggs, and Ranch dressing:

Rack of Lamb

2011-05-30T16:09:00.000-05:00

Mustard Crusted Rack of Lamb

This is Emeril's Mustard Crusted Rack of Lamb recipe followed almost to the "t" with the exception of adding some fresh, chopped rosemary and a little more garlic. I must admit that I was a little skeptical about smearing that beautiful piece of meat with all that dijon mustard, but the flavor of this is really good. You don't get a "mustardy" taste at all. We both enjoyed it.

The link for Emeril's recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/mustard-crusted-rack-of-lamb-recipe/index.html

Preparation:

Season the rack of lamb with salt and pepper and then sear it on all sides in vegetable oil. Allow the lamb to cool and then spread the dijon mustard over it:

Pat on the garlic:

Pat on the crumb topping (bread crumbs, grated parmesan, and chopped, fresh rosemary):

Bake at 450 to desired degree of doneness.

Emeril suggests a fig chutney, but neither of us like figs. The sauce for this was a reduction sauce using the pan drippings from searing the rack of lamb (with most of the oil poured off) and about 1 cup of beef stock. Once the sauce reduces, you only end up with about three tablespoons of sauce, so adjust accordingly.

Chicken Fried Rice

2011-02-27T12:51:00.000-06:00

Chicken fried rice is another easy stir fry that comes together quickly. One of the keys to a good fried rice is the actual rice. You don't want sticky rice that clumps together, so I rinse the rice until the water runs clear before cooking it in a rice cooker.

The soy sauce amounts are up to you. If you're watching your sodium intake, you can still have a very flavorful fried rice using small amounts of low sodium soy sauce. And, go easy on the peanut oil.  Stir frying requires very little oil.

Have fun with it. Mix and match with whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand. If you want carrots, add some fresh carrots. If you want peas, add some thawed green peas at the end of the cooking process.

What you'll need:

Chicken, cubed
Soy sauce
Cornstarch

Peanut oil

Red bell pepper, large dice
Mushrooms, sliced
Green onions, sliced (save some tops for garnish)

Eggs, beaten

Day old, cold rice
Soy sauce

Method:

Sprinkle the chicken cubes with soy sauce. Add cornstarch until you get a gummy consistency, not runny. Set aside while you prepare the vegetables and the eggs.

Heat your skillet and add a small amount of peanut oil, just enough to lightly coat the bottom. Lightly stir fry the red bell pepper, and then remove it to a bowl. Do the same with the mushrooms and green onions, cooking each separately and adding each to the bowl as you go.

Add the beaten egg, cook until set, and chop it into small pieces. Remove and set aside. Wipe out the skillet if necessary.

Cook the chicken cubes in batches in a small amount of peanut oil until the chicken is cooked through. The cornstarch coating should be a light golden brown with a little crunch to it.  Remove and set aside.

Add more peanut oil to the skillet. Add the rice and stir until the rice is lightly coated with the oil. Continue to stir fry for two or three minutes.  Sprinkle some soy sauce over the rice. Add the vegetables, eggs, and chicken to the rice and toss together.

Plate and garnish with chopped green onions.

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

2011-02-26T17:22:00.001-06:00

Stir Frying and a Few Confessions

First Confession: I don't have a fancy carbon-steel wok. I use a large non-stick skillet, and it works just fine.

Second Confession: I don't have a gas cooktop. I use an electric cooktop, and it provides plenty of heat.

Third Confession: I don't always follow the traditional stir fry methods. I do it my way. Some of the rules that I do follow are: 1) use fresh vegetables, frozen just don't work, 2) don't crowd the pan, you can't get a good sear if you overload, and 3) use peanut oil.

What You'll Need:

Beef, thinly sliced across the grain (I used sirloin.)

Sherry

Soy Sauce

Cornstarch

Peanut Oil

Fresh broccoli

Onion

Fresh ginger, grated

Garlic, minced

Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock

Cornstarch

Lee Kum Kee Oyster Sauce

Method:

Sprinkle the beef with sherry and soy sauce. Swish it around to coat all the beef. Add cornstarch, mixing with your fingers, until you get a gummy consistency. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Take the beef out of the refrigerator, and get everything ready. Trim the broccoli into large florets. Clean and slice the onion. Grate your ginger, and get your garlic minced.

Make a slurry of chicken stock (about 1/2 cup), cornstarch (about 1T), and oyster sauce (to taste, I use about 2T).

Here's the part where I "don't always follow the traditional stir fry methods." Add a little water to your skillet and steam the broccoli (covered) until it's just crisp-tender. Remove the broccoli to a bowl and discard the water.

Heat your skillet and add peanut oil to just to coat the bottom. Lightly stir fry the onion and remove it to the bowl with the broccoli.

Next, add a little more peanut oil (if needed) and stir fry the beef in batches being careful not to overcrowd or overcook. Remove the beef to a plate.

Add the garlic and ginger (about 1t each) to the skillet. After a couple of seconds, add the slurry, and mix well so that you scrape up the bits left from stir frying the beef. Simmer the mixture until it thickens slightly.

Plate it: broccoli on bottom, beef and onions next, spoon on some sauce. You can toss the broccoli, beef, and onions back into the sauce to coat everything if you want. You can pile it on white rice or stir fried rice if you want. Or, you can just eat it as is :).

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

2011-02-14T11:24:00.000-06:00

Here's another version of gumbo. This one is a little less traditional. I left out the okra and the green pepper and used chicken instead of turkey. This was made using this same basic process as the turkey and andouille gumbo, which can be found here: Turkey and Andouille Gumbo .

Oven Fried Chicken Wings

2010-09-01T16:13:00.001-05:00

Crispy Chicken Without a Deep Fryer

Talk about easy! These are so very easy to put together, and they are delicious. When my husband bit into one, he got this mmm mmm look on his face and said, "What did you put on these?"

They have to bake for about an hour, so they're not real quick, but they are well worth your time.

Here's what you'll need:

Chicken wings
Flour
Fresh garlic
Celery leaves
butter
Pam
Poultry seasoning
Seasoned salt

You can find the amounts and method here:

http://www.netcookingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13774

Thank You!

Black Bean and Corn Salsa or Salad

2010-08-15T17:37:00.001-05:00

Is it a salad or is it a salsa? I'd say it's both. It's great just eaten as a side, and it also makes a really tasty addition to a pulled pork taco.

Here's the original recipe:

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/black-bean-and-corn-salad-ii/Detail.aspx

Thank You!

Here's what worked for me:

1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
2 tomatoes, chopped
chopped red onion
chopped fresh cilantro

Add right before serving:
1 avocado - diced

Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, garlic and salt in a large mixing bowl. Dump in the black beans, corn, tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro. Mix well and refrigerate. Right before serving, mix well and add in the chopped avocado.

Note: This is pretty tangy, so reduce the amount of lime juice if you want it a little less acidic.

Fifteen Ideas for Cooking Chicken

2010-07-12T15:51:00.005-05:00

Old Fashioned Creamed Corn and Mustard Crusted Pork Tenderloin

2010-06-18T18:13:00.010-05:00

The corn is really starting to look good in the supermarkets around here. In this package of five ears, every ear was filled top to bottom with absolutely none of those little underveloped kernels on the ends. Every single kernel was plump and beautiful. Truly mother nature at her best.....in the vegetable department anyway!

My mother made the best creamed corn in the world. Well, maybe second best, as I remember my grandmother's creamed corn being to-die-for also. Poor granny, she had to go out and pick her corn and then come in and do all the cleaning and scraping. My mother did too until we moved and no longer had a big garden. Me, I've always bought my corn on the cob at the grocery store. I've never been much on picking corn and probably never will be. Corn in the garden = snakes in the garden.....yikes!

Until I found this recipe for Old Fashioned Creamed Corn, I had never been able to get my creamed corn quite as good as my mother's. It never really thickened up just right. This recipe, however, is perfect. I made 1/2 of a recipe the first time and was wishing that I'd made the whole thing. You'll want some leftovers. The only thing that I did differently was to leave out the turmeric as I didn't have any.

Recipe source: http://www.netcookingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5804

You can use the link above to get the exact amounts and directions. Here are the basic ingredients that you'll need and some pic's that I snapped while making the dish:

Diced onion

Butter
Salt
Fresh corn on the cob
Fresh rosemary
Sugar
Yellow cornmeal
Heavy cream
Black pepper

Corn kernels cut and pulp scraped from the cobs:

Corn kernels and pulp mixture added to the sauteed onion/butter mixture:

The finished product:

The mustard crusted pork tenderloin was made using Emeril's Mustard Crusted Rack of Lamb recipe. We had used the recipe for a rack of lamb and liked it so well that we decided to try it on a pork tenderloin.

Recipe source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/mustard-crusted-rack-of-lamb-recipe/index.html

Here are the basics. You can use the link above to get exact measurements and directions.

Ingredients:

One pork tenderloin
Dijon mustard
Chopped garlic
Mrs. Cubbison's seasoned croutons, coarsely crushed
Grated parmesan cheese
Chopped, fresh rosemary

Preparation:

Take one whole pork tenderloin and cut each end off of it so that is uniform in thickness. Save the pieces that you cut off for a stir fry or whatever.

Cover the tenderloin with dijon mustard and then pat on some garlic.

Mix the crushed croutons, parmesan cheese, and rosemary. Pat this mixture over the top and all sides of the tenderloin.

Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven. I used a temperature probe and pulled the tenderloin when it reached 150. Then I returned it to the oven (set to broil) to brown the top. As it rests, the temperature will continue to climb.

Mustard crusted pork tenderloin before going into the oven:

Quick and Easy Meals

2010-05-25T17:05:00.001-05:00

Quick and Easy meal number one is Emeril's Vodka Sauce over penne pasta:

Emeril's Vodka Sauce is great in a pinch. In fact, I think it's the best jarred pasta sauce that I've ever tried. It's not a real acidic sauce. It's just a slightly creamy sauce that is very pleasing when kicked up with a little fresh basil and shredded parmesan cheese. In the time it takes to boil the pasta, your meal is ready to serve.

Quick and Easy Meal number two is Progresso Clam Sauce over spaghetti:

Progresso clam sauce works well in a pinch also. You just have to be careful to heat the sauce very gently because the clams will become rubbery if you use too high of a heat. Dress the dish with some shredded parmesan and chopped, fresh parsley, and you've got another quick and easy treat that's ready in no time.

Quick and Easy meal number three is white sloppy joes:

What could be simpler? Brown 1 lb of ground beef and mix in one can of Campbell's Cream of Onion soup. Serve over toasted buns and top with a slice of American cheese and a little onion. Voila!

Olive Penguins - An Appetizer to Wow the Crowd

2010-03-23T18:10:00.002-05:00

How To Make Olive Penguins

These little guys are just so darn cute. Just a couple will really dress up an appetizer plate, but a whole gaggle of olive penguins will surely brings awws from both youngsters and adults alike.

What you'll need:

Jumbo black olives (for the bodies)
Medium black olives (for the heads)
Creamy Swiss Laughing Cow cheese (to stuff the bodies)
1/4" carrot slices (for feet and beaks)
Green onion tops, very thinly sliced (for the mufflers)
Toothpicks

Cut a v-shaped section from the large black olive and stuff with cheese.

Cut a v-shaped section from the carrot slice.

Cut a small slice off of the end (where the x is from where it was pitted) of the medium black olive. You need a larger hole to keep the olive from cracking when the beak is pushed though. Use a knife to push the v-section of the carrot (cut from the foot piece) through the large hole in the back of the medium olive through to the hole that you cut. Once you get it through far enough, you can finish pulling it out the front and get it positioned correctly.

Run the toothpick through the body and position it on the feet. Make sure that it is going to stand up, and then cut a little off of each side of the carrot to make the feet look more like penguin feet. Slide the head on.

Run the green onion tops under warm water until pliable. Tie a little muffler, and you're done.

These little penguins are not hard at all to make. It took more time to get the little sucker (below) to stand up on the egg than it did to actually put him together.

Deviled Eggs with Green Olives

2010-03-21T17:17:00.002-05:00

Creamy Deviled Eggs Loaded with Green Olives, Celery, and Red Onion

If you're cooking for a large family gathering of southerners, don't even try to pull off an Easter dinner without having deviled eggs. Sure, some in the group won't really mind, but then there are those folks who will be hugely disappointed. They believe, as I do, that deviled eggs are just standard fare for Easter.

These deviled eggs are loaded. I like lots of "stuff" in mine, and green olives are a favorite.

What you'll need:

6 large eggs

1/2 cup minced pimiento-stuffed green olives

3T minced red onion

3T minced celery

Miracle Whip

Place the eggs in a sauce pan and cover with cold water. When the water comes to a boil, cover, and remove from the heat. Let sit, covered, for about 12 minutes. Cool the eggs under cold water and peel. Slice in half lengthwise.

Mix the egg yolks, olives, red onion, and celery. Add Miracle Whip a little at a time to desired consistency. Place the mixture in a sandwich bag and pipe into the egg halves.

These deviled eggs are so colorful. The bright red pimiento, the purple of the onion, the bright green of the celery, and the dull green of the olive all peek through the creamy yellow yolk mixture to make a beautiful presentation for your Easter table.

Those little olive penguins deserve their own post, so I'll talk about them later.

Parisienne Gnocchi with Pork Tenderloin Medallions and Brown Butter Sage Sauce

2010-03-15T17:03:00.002-05:00

~ Parisienne Gnocchi ~

Get Ready to Dance in Your Dining Chair

Have you ever eaten something so delicious that you just had to do a little dance in your dining chair? Well, these light little puffs of cheesy deliciousness make me dance. Ummmm, they're just so good.

I must admit though that when I first saw the recipe, I wasn't too eager to give them a try. My husband often comes into the kitchen wagging a recipe that he has found and wants to try. When he showed up with this one, I thought to myself, "Meh, I don't think so. They don't look that great." But he insisted, so I indulged. Ha! He was right, and I was wrong.

The pork tenderloin medallions are simply slices of pork tenderloin seasoned with McCormick's Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning and pan-seared in a cast iron skillet.

For the brown butter sage sauce, melt about 4T of unsalted butter, add about 3 to 4 fresh sage leaves cut chiffonade style, and cook until the butter just begins to turn brown. I understand that if you add whole sage leaves to the butter, they will get really crispy like little potato chips. I've not done that yet, but it's on my "to try" list.

The Parisienne Gnocchi is a Jacques Pepin recipe that I found here: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/gnocchi-parisienne

I adapted it to suit our tastes and to use the ingredients that I had on hand.

What you'll need:

1 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

ground nutmeg - just a sprinkle

4 T unsalted butter, cut into two pieces

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

1/4 cup freshly grated gruyere cheese (for the dough mixture)

2T grated gruyere (to sprinkle on before baking)

Extra grated gruyere for topping before serving (optional)

You can read the detailed directions at the link above. This is basically what I did:

Bring to a boil in a sauce pan: water, salt, nutmeg, 2T butter. Add the flour and mix thoroughly. When the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan, place the mixture in a bowl and let cool:

Add the eggs one at a time, adding the 1/4 cup of gruyere after the first egg, and beat until smooth. Place the mixture in a large baggie:

Cut a small slit in one corner of the bag and pipe the gnocchi mixture into simmering water, using a sharp knife to cut the gnocchi to the desired length, and cook until they float:

Plunge them into an ice water bath to cool. Drain on paper towels:

Melt the remaining 2T butter on a sheet pan, add the gnocchi, roll around to coat with the butter, sprinkle on the remaining 2T of cheese, and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Broil until lightly golden.

One batch is enough for about 6 to 8 servings, so I froze some. After draining on paper towels (but before cooking them in the oven), I laid them in single layers on waxed paper and froze them. When I was ready to cook batch number two, I brought them to room temperature and into the oven they went. I was surprised at how well that they cooked up the second time around (pic at the top of the blog entry).

The first time that we had these gnocchi, we had them with pan seared pork chops and a brown butter sage sauce (no extra cheese before serving) as pictured below:

So that's twice now that we've had these gnocchi, and that's twice that I've danced in my dining room chair. My husband loves them too, but he doesn't dance. Maybe that's just a female thing.

Re-Visiting Some Favorites

2010-03-06T12:06:00.000-06:00

Chicken Pomodoro

Original Post With Recipe:
http://tomcatinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/09/chicken-pomodoro-ii.html

We always have chicken tenders in the freezer, so this little dish hits our dinner table quite often. It's a snap to put together, and it's very tasty.

Old-Fashioned Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

Original Post with Recipe:
http://tomcatinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/07/old-fashioned-chicken-fried-steak-and.html

This one is considered a treat, so it only hits the dinner table occasionally. My husband makes the best mashed potatoes and gravy in the whole wide world......bless his heart :).

Creamy Bacon and Asparagus Pasta

Original Post With Recipe:

http://tomcatinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/05/creamy-bacon-asparagus-pasta.html

Hmmmm, what can I say.....loaded with calories, but um um good!

Pan Seared Ribeye with Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

Original Post with Recipe:

http://tomcatinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/04/dressed-or-la-natural.html

My favorite sauce for any kind of steak!

Food for a Death in the Family

2010-03-02T18:19:00.004-06:00

~The Times, They Are A-Changing~

I don't know about you, but where I come from food was always taken to friends when there was a death in the family.  When word spread that someone had died, people just took food to the family. No one even gave it a second thought; that's just the way it was. Family and close friends gathered at a family member's house after the funeral and ate. That might just have been a "southern thang" though; I don't know.

I remember when my dad died, we received tons of food. Later, when my mother-in-law died, same thing, tons of food.  There were trays of sandwiches, casseroles, relish trays, fried chicken, all kinds of salads, and a variety of desserts. Food came from the church, some came from neighbors and close friends of the family, and the funeral home even sent a veggie/dip tray for my mother-in-law.

That was years ago though. Lately, it seems, taking food for a death in the family seems to be a dying tradition. People are having gatherings at restaurants or renting halls and hiring caterers. So I've kind of re-vamped my thinking.  I can't bring myself to entirely escape that southern tradition of taking food to the bereaved family, but I no longer take my standard casserole offering.....chicken spaghetti.

Nowadays, I like to make a nice food basket packed with things that I know will be enjoyed whenever the time is right. The above basket has four varieties of cheese, an assortment of meats and crackers, a container of bruschetta, and a small box of pirouettes for the sweet tooth, all of which can be eaten immediately or stowed away for later when all the company goes home and the grief really sets in. Depending on the recipient, you might want to add a bottle of wine and a fresh baked baguette.

The times and traditions, they are a-changing, but I'm still stuck with those southern roots that tell me to take food of some kind when there's a death in the family.  That's just the way it was, and that's just the way it'll always be for me.

Buffalo Wings

2010-02-28T17:26:00.002-06:00

The Birth of the Buffalo Wing

Way back in October of 1964, Dom Bellissimo asked Teresa Bellissimo, his mother, to prepare some midnight eats for his friends who had come into their Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York late at night looking for something to munch on. The story goes that Teresa was prepping some chicken wings to make a stock but changed her mind and used the wings to feed her son's hungry friends. Her deep fried wing sections covered in a spicy sauce were a huge hit. The Buffalo Wing was born.

Some forty-five years later, the Buffalo wing is still flying high. Nowadays, everyone has his own favorite way to prepare them. They are fried, baked, grilled, fried then baked, baked then grilled....you name it, and someone has tried it.

I'm so glad that Teresa Bellissimo was a nice mom who didn't mind whipping up something tasty for her son's friends to munch on late at night. If she had been a meanie, generations might have been deprived of these tasty little tidbits. Thank you Teresa Bellissimo. Buffalo wings are a staple in our house.

When we cook wings, we do them very much like the original Anchor Bar wings. Just pat the wing sections dry, deep fry them in batches, and then roll them in a mixture of hot sauce (Frank's) and butter. Extra sauce usually gets added at the table.

A little side of dippers are always on the table too:

Pork Schnitzel

2010-02-21T16:20:00.001-06:00

Pork Schnitzel and Parsleyed Potatoes

I saw this pork schnitzel recipe on Simply Recipes and just knew that I had to give it a try. I used pork tenderloin instead of chops, but other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. It's really good. We had a simple side of boiled potatoes topped with butter, parsley, and Mrs. Dash. Um, um, good!

Recipe Source: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pork_schnitzel/

Turkey and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

2010-02-19T16:41:00.005-06:00

~Some Like It Hot~

The Weiners, The Little-Kickers, and The Fire Eaters

Ewww-weeee, there's all kinds of discussions all over the internet on how to cook a good ol' pot of gumbo, some of which get pretty heated. There's the long-standing debate over whether or not real gumbo has okra in it. One camp says okra is not necessary, but the other camp insists that term "gumbo" actually is African for "okra," so it is necessary. Then there's the question of how dark to take the roux. One camp likes a very dark roux. They contend that a dark roux is where all the flavor of a gumbo comes from. The other camp, on the other hand, says that a medium roux works better for making gumbo because it is still very flavorful and will thicken better than a very dark roux. And the debate goes on and on.....

You'll have to decide what works for you. I chose to use okra and make a medium roux just because that's the way I like it. I also like to pre-cook the andouille because I don't like having to skim the fat off the top of the gumbo after it has cooked. Pre-cooking the okra is also another of my preferences. I like okra in the gumbo, but I don't like the slimy texture that you get if it's not pre-cooked.

Also, this is not a real spicy gumbo, but you could sure kick up the heat if you wanted to. I like to let everyone add his own amount of heat at the table. That way, "The Weiners" can choose to add no heat and have a pretty mild gumbo, "The Little-Kickers" can add a little heat for a nice kick, and "The Fire Eaters" can pour on the heat until their tongues sizzle and smoke emits from their ears.

What you'll need:

Turkey pieces (I used 2 legs and 2 thighs.)
2 quarts water
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup peanut oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
Andouille sausage, 1/2" slices (about a pound)
1 1/2 cups frozen, chopped okra

Tony Chachere's seasoning mix
cooked white rice
sliced green onion tops for garnish
Frank's hot sauce and/or Tobasco

I used two frozen turkey legs and two turkey thighs leftover from a roasted turkey. If you have raw or thawed turkey, you'll have to adapt a little.

Place the frozen turkey in a large non-stick dutch oven and add the 2 quarts of water. Simmer until the turkey pieces have thawed and added some nice flavor to the water. Remove the turkey pieces and reserve the broth.

Add the sliced andouille to the dutch oven and cook until you get some color and most of the fat has rendered. Remove the andouille. Drain the fat.   Add the okra to the dutch oven and cook, mashing it with a big spoon, until the sliminess has cooked away. You're just looking for slightly dry but not browned okra. Remove the okra and set aside.  If you don't mind the texture that the okra adds, you can skip this part. Me....I like it cooked down.

Meanwhile add the flour and peanut oil to a cast iron skillet and make a medium colored roux.   I like to go low and slow when making the roux because I don't want to burn it and have to start over. It just takes lots of stirring and lots of patience.  The length of time for making the roux depends on the type of skillet that you use and the temp you use to cook it. On low to medium with my cooktop and a cast iron skillet it took about 45 minutes to get a medium-colored roux.

Once the roux is the right color for you, add the chopped onions, celery, and bell pepper. Continue to cook down for about 10 minutes, being careful not to burn.   Transfer this mixture to the dutch oven. Add about 1 cup of the reserved broth (it should still be warm) and stir, stir, stir.  Continue to add the broth and stir until all the broth has been added.  Add the okra and andouille. Season to taste with Tony Chachere's.   Go easy with the Tony's because it's very salty.

Meanwhile, pick the turkey off the bone, shred it, and add it to the gumbo. Simmer for about 45 minutes. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve over white rice and garnish with green onions. Pass the Frank's hot sauce and/or Tobasco at the table so that "The Weiners," "The Little-Kickers," and "The Fire Eaters" can add the amount of heat desired.

Shrimp in a Garlic and Shallot Sauce For Two

2010-02-13T17:33:00.006-06:00

Shrimply Delicious

Do You Have Your Peelers On?

We love cooking with shrimp. They're just so darn versatile and quick cooking. You can saute, stuff, stew, stir fry, grill, broil, bake, boil; and they always come out delicious as long as they're not overcooked.

The prep work for shrimp can be tedious though, so I'm always looking for "peelers," especially if I'm cooking over a pound of shrimp. Everyone knows what I mean when I ask, "Do you have your peelers on?" Most run for safer ground, but I always have at least one taker who I can count on to help out.

Here's a quick and easy shrimp recipe that can be put together in the time that it takes to cook the pasta (minus the time spent conning someone into peeling and cleaning the shrimp).

What You'll Need:

16 large shrimp

1 shallot, medium chop (about 3 T)

2 T minced garlic

Olive oil

1 cup chicken stock, Kitchen Basics

1 T butter

Hot, buttered linguini

2 T flat leaf parsley, chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

Shredded parmesan cheese

Clean the shrimp, leaving the tail sections intact. Slit down the back of the shrimp so that they will lay flat in the pan and cook evenly.

Heat a medium sized saute pan over medium/low heat . Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the shallots and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the shallots are translucent. Add the shrimp to the pan so that they are laying flat with the tail piece sticking up. Cook until the shrimp are opaque on the bottom. Toss and cook a little longer until the tail sections turn opaque. Remove the shrimp and keep warm.

Add the chicken stock to the pan and reduce to about ½. Add the 1T butter.

Plate the hot linguini and top with a pat of butter each and 1T of the parsley each. Toss together and add some freshly ground black pepper. Top the linguine with the shrimp, pour the sauce evenly over each bowl, and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.

Makes just enought for two:

Straw and Hay Pasta and a Cookbook Review

2010-02-11T16:04:00.002-06:00

Straw and Hay Pasta

Paglia e Fieno

Way back in the good old days when I was still in school, I would often have one and one-half hour blocks of time between classes. My favorite thing to do was to head to a nearby huge, used book store and hang out in the used cookbook section. That's where I discovered this little treasure:

It was published in 1978 by Philip Morris Inc. for Benson and Hedges 100's (the cigarette people) and is shaped like a carton of cigarettes, only shorter and thinner. It's a cool little collection with recipes like Crepe St. Jacques from the Bismarck in Houston, Texas; Bananas Foster from Brennan's of New Orleans, Louisiana; Baked Stuffed Lobster Larry from Charley's Crab in Troy, Michigan; and Snapper (turtle) Soup from Old Original Bookbinder's in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Straw and Hay recipe was contributed by Ristorante Toscana in New York, New York. As you can see in the picture below, it's a classic 70's type dish meant to be served in a chafing dish. My picture above shows the dish served in an elegant 2010's non-stick Calphalon saute pan :). I made a few adaptations because I couldn't find the green fettucini and because we like mushrooms.

What you'll need:

2 cups of green and white pasta twirls, dry measure, cooked according to pkg directions

2 T butter

4 button mushrooms, sliced

1 green onion, sliced

1 C whipping cream

¼ to ½ C cooked ham, julienned

¼ C frozen green peas, thawed

¼ C shredded parmesan cheese

2 well-beaten egg yolks

Saute the mushrooms and green onions in butter. Add the cream, ham, peas, and continue cooking on low heat. Add the cheese and egg yolks. Mix thoroughly. Add the hot, cooked pasta twirls and continue to cook until slightly thickened.

Makes 2 to 3 entrée servings:

Marinated Flank Steak and Flank Steak Fajitas

2010-02-06T18:59:00.002-06:00

One Flank Steak--Two Ways

I live with a carnivore.......a very hard-core carnivore. When we go out to a nice steak house, he orders his steak "extra, extra, extra rare," which often draws some interesting looks and comments from the waiters. One of the wittiest comments of all time was at Morton's Steakhouse in Chicago. After hubby ordered his steak, the guy pretended to stab the air with a knife and said, "Moooooooo?" The steak came out almost black and blue, only cooked on one side. That was a little over the top for him, but not much.

The above flank steak was marinated in Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade and then cooked in a cast iron skillet on the cooktop. If really rare is not your cup of tea, you can always cook it a little longer or finish it in the oven.

The baked gruyere onions (see "sides" for the recipe) and a little sidecar salad are the perfect sides for this.

I cut the flank steak in half before cooking the above and used the second half for fajitas. It was marinated in All Seasons Mesquite Marinade and once again it was cooked on the cooktop in a cast iron skillet.

I have to have all the gloppy toppings on mine--sauteed onions, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo:

Hubby, on the other hand, is somewhat of a purist when it comes to fajitas. He wants only meat, sauteed onions, and a little sour cream. The meat may have been a little overdone for the carnivore, but it was just right for me.

Those tortillas are the Abuleta tortillas that I have mentioned earlier in the quesadilla post. They are great!

2009 Slideshow Recap

2010-01-23T13:46:00.004-06:00

Wick Fowler's Chili and 15 Ways to Use Leftover Chili

2010-01-21T15:30:00.001-06:00

A Big Bowl of Red and Some Ideas for Leftovers

There's a reason why Wick Fowler's chili has been renowned for over 40 years. It's just downright good!  Using his Two Alarm Chili Kit with a combination of regular ground beef and coarsely ground chili meat results in an awesome chili with a very nice texture--a nice thick gravy with some big, beefy chunks.   Have it "straight up" the first night and then enjoy it in a variety of ways throughout the rest of the week.

What you'll need:

1 lb ground beef
1 lb coarsely ground chili meat
1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
2 cups of water
1/4 cup warm water
1 Wick Fowler's Two Alarm Chili Kit
Toppings of Choice

Brown one lb of ground beef, remove it to a plate, and drain the fat. Then brown one lb of very coarsely ground chili meat, drain it, and add the ground beef back in.

Then, just like the packet says, add in one 8 ounce can of tomato sauce, 2 cups of water, all seasonings except the masa and red pepper, and let it simmer (covered) for about 30 minutes. Add red pepper to taste or not at all (before simmering).  Using the whole packet makes a pretty darn hot chili. 1/2 of the packet is enough heat for most people, and no red pepper makes more of a kid-friendly chili.

Following the package directions, mix the masa with 1/4 cup warm water, add it to the chili, and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes.   Serve it with saltines or Frito Scoops and whatever you like on top.

And now for the leftovers, if there are any:

A chili tostado--gotta love anything topped with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa

Then there's always:

Chili Dogs
Frito Pie
Taco Salad
Chili topped Baked Potato
Chili Cheese Fries
Cincinatti Chili (Chili over Spaghetti)
Chili Burgers
Tamale Pie
Chili Cheese Dip
Chili Mac
Chili Tacos
Chili over Rice
Chili and Bean Burritos
Chili Cheese Omelet

Happy Family Basket

2010-01-17T16:45:00.004-06:00

Take Out Chinese is a Working Girl's Best Friend

Before I decided that working 8 to 5 was just no fun at all, we had Chinese take out a lot. I was usually dead tired by the time I got home, and it was just so easy. It usually went something like this:

Ring...... Ring......Ring......

Hubby: "Hello"

Me: "Could pick up ......... on your way home tonight?"

Hubby: "Call it in so I don't have to wait."

Me: "Okkkkaaay, thank you!"

That happened more times than I could tell you, and Happy Family Basket was always a favorite. It has a variety of meats and vegetables and was always a favorite. The other favorites were tangerine beef, moo-shoo pork, shrimp in lobster sauce, moo goo gai pan, shrimp toast, hot and sour soup, steamed dumplings, Szechuan beef.......I could go on and on.

Now that I happily no longer have an 8 to 5, I cook a lot of stir fries at home. Here's my take on the old favorite, Happy Family Basket.

What you'll need:

8 large sea scallops, halved across the grain

10 large shrimp, cleaned and split down the back

3 chicken tenders, cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into bite sized pieces

bok choy, white parts only, cut into bite sized pieces

yellow onion, cut into slivers
baby corn, cut into bite sized pieces

straw mushrooms

1 T minced garlic

1 t grated fresh ginger root

3 T Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce

2 T soy sauce

1 t sherry

Vegetable or peanut oil for stir frying

Basic stir fried rice with egg, green onion, and shredded bok choy tops.

In a very hot skillet or wok, stir fry the three meats separately, dumping each into a covered bowl as they are cooked. The vegetables can all be cooked together and then dumped into the bowl with the meat. Add the garlic and ginger root to the pan, being sure to stir continuously so that the garlic doesn't burn. Add the oyster sauce, soy, and sherry, and let bubble for a couple of minutes. Dump everything back into the skillet or wok and stir to coat evenly.

Serve over a basic fried rice, stirring in the shredded green parts of the bok choy after taking off the heat.

Salmon Patties

2010-01-16T16:33:00.004-06:00

A Great Budget Meal

If you're looking to whittle down the grocery bill during the new year, here's a great budget meal that will feed 4 for around $5. I started out using the recipe straight off the back of the Honey Boy can of salmon. After playing around with the recipe, I finally hit upon something that I like better and works well every time.

What you'll need:

1 14.75 ounce can of Honey Boy Pink Salmon
1 1/2 cups of coarse saltine cracker crumbs
1/3 cup finely minced onion
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 T minced fresh parsley (don't substitute)
1 T lemon juice
1/4 t dill weed
2 T vegetable oil

Drain the salmon, reserving the juice. Take out the bones and then flake the salmon with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients and two tablespoons of the reserved juice. Mix well and shape into 12 patties. Refrigerate the patties for at least 30 minutes. Pan fry on both sides until golden brown.

Oven Baked BBQ'd Pork Ribs

2010-01-12T15:31:00.003-06:00

When It's Too Cold to "Q" Outside,

Try These Oven Baked BBQ'd Pork Ribs

When the temperature outside drops below 70, I start shivering, so grilling outside is totally out of the question. Here's a really easy method to get some tasty ribs straight out of the oven. We love them. We had them first (pictured above) with just a simple side salad. The next time we had them with my mustard potato salad (recipe posted under Salad/Dressings).

What You'll Need:

1 slab of pork loin back ribs

Worcestershire sauce

Salt

Pepper

Paprika

Garlic Powder

Sweet Baby Ray's Original Barbecue Sauce

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350. Rub the ribs with your choice of seasonings and Worcestershire sauce. Place the ribs in a shallow roasting pan that has been sprayed with Pam. Bake at 350 uncovered for approximately 1 and 1/2 hours. Coat with barbecue sauce, cover with foil, and continue to cook for about another 1/2 hour. To check for doneness, look for the meat to start pulling away and exposing the bones.

You can make these as saucy as you like. I like to go easy on the sauce and then have extra sauce on the table.

Source and Thank You: Posted by Chowhound on NetCookingTalk.com in the Pork Recipes section.

Garlic Shrimp

2010-01-02T17:43:00.004-06:00

The Magical Powers of Garlic, "The Stinky Rose"

We've all heard all the old tales about garlic being used to ward off evil spirits and vampires. People would hang garlic over their doorways to keep the evil spirits at bay, and women would wear necklaces made of garlic, ewww.

If you scour the internet, you'll find some of the lesser know tales about the magical powers of this great herb. Some believe that garlic is a natural infection fighter and is useful in the treatment of staph. Some say that it has the power to inhibit cancer cells from forming and multiplying. Garlic has also been touted as a natural way to help control cholesterol and blood pressure levels. And last, but surely not least, the ancient Greeks believed that garlic worked as a " male performance enhancer."

Anyway, I figured garlic would be fitting for our New Year's Eve dinner. After the year that we've had, I'm hoping that we consumed enough garlic in this dish on the last day to 2009 to ward off anything evil that might even think about coming our way during 2010. I figured the "performance enhancement" was just an added benefit :).

What you'll need:

Shrimp, 26 to 30 count, about 1 lb

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

3 T minced garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup lightly toasted sourddough breadcrumbs

1/2 cup shredded parmnesan cheese

Prep the shrimp. Peel (leaving the tail section), devein, and cut down the back so that the shrimp lay flat in the baking dish and cook evenly.

Mix together the butter, breadcrumbs, and cheese. Set aside.

Place the shrimp, garlic, and parsley in a large, shallow baking dish:

Add the olive oil and toss to coat the shrimp. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer:

Place the covered dish into a 300 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover, turn the shrimp, top with the crumb mixture, and continue to bake uncovered for about 5 to 10 more minutes. Broil briefly to brown the crumb topping.

My husband found this recipe on the internet a good while ago, so heaven only knows where it originally came from. A friend actually made it before we did, and she tweaked the preparation method (thank you, Amer). We then tweaked some of the ingredients to suit our tastes and used her easier prep method.

Carbonara

2009-12-29T16:04:00.004-06:00

~ Hurry ~ Hurry ~ Hurry ~

You Must Have This Before You Make Those New Year's Resolutions

This has to be one of the least figure-friendly meals a person can consume. I look at it like this though. One bowl of this total indulgence is worth the 45 minutes on the treadmill to burn it right off. Okay, maybe it's more like an hour on the treadmill. It's still worth it. So indulge and treat yourself to some of this wonderful pasta before your New Year's resolutions start dancing round and round in your head.

This recipe is an adapted version of Emeril's Linguine Alla Carbonara. I think using a combination of bacon and pancetta instead of using all pancetta, which Emeril's recipe calls for, kicks it
up a notch. Bam!

What you'll need:

3 thick slices of bacon, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

thin pancetta, equal to the amount of bacon, diced

1/2 lb pasta of choice, cooked according to pkg directions

3 egg yolks, room temperature

1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature

3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, room temperature

Whisk together the egg yolks and heavy cream and set the mixture to the side.

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the bacon until the fat begins to render. Add the onion and continue to cook until the onion just begins to turn translucent. Add the pancetta and continue to cook until the onion just begins to caramelize and the bacon is cooked through. If you're using thin pancetta, the pancetta will be crispy after just a short amount of cooking time.

Reduce the temperature under the skillet to very low. Add the cooked, drained pasta and toss. Add the cream mixture, the cheese, and toss to combine all.

This makes 3 hearty servings.

Crabbies

2009-12-05T09:37:00.009-06:00

So Easy - So Good

These are the best little appetizers to mix up and have handy for drop-by company during the holidays. The ingredients are few, the prep time is minimal, but the end product is a classic winner.

What you'll need:

2 baguettes (about 2' long)
7 oz can of crab meat
1/2 stick butter (room temperature)
7 oz jar Old English cheese
2 T mayonnaise
1/2 t garlic salt
1/2 t garlic powder

Cut the baguettes into 1/2" slices. I had about 2/3 of a baguette left over. Mix everything else together and top each baguette slice. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and put in the freezer until set. Put them in a large baggie and pull out as many as you need.

Place the desired amount of frozen crabbies into a 350 degree oven until the topping begins to get gooey. Finish under the broiler.

This recipe makes about 55 pieces.

Old-Fashioned Cornbread Dressing

2009-11-28T13:31:00.012-06:00

I Have Found a New Love

This brand of chicken stock is "da bomb"! I have always used canned broth when making cornbread dreessing, but no more. This stock really makes a big difference in taste. If you haven't already, I hope you'll try it.

This is the cornbread dressing that I grew up eating every Thanksgiving. The only thing that I have changed from my mother's original recipe is using Kitchen Basics stock instead of boiling a chicken for the stock. She used a cast iron skillet for baking the cornbread; I use a cast iron skillet for baking the cornbread. She refrigerated the cornbread mixture overnight; I refrigerate the cornbread mixture overnight. You get the picture. It's just one of those rules......you have to do it just like Mama did it.

What you'll need:
1 medium white onion, chopped
5 to 6 green onions, chopped
3 to 4 stalks celery, chopped
2 T butter
2 packages white cornbread mix, baked according to package directions
2 slices white bread, toasted
poultry seasoning
salt
black pepper
1 box Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock

Saute the onion and celery in the butter until tender. Set aside.

Mix and bake the white cornbread according to package directions. Set aside to cool.

Crumble the two slices of toast and the cornbread in a large mixing bowl. Add the sauteed vegetables and mix well. Add salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to taste. At this point, you can refrigerate this mixture overnight if you want.

When you're ready to make the dressing, add the stock a little at a time until you get a thick, but pourable, mixture. Taste and re-season if necessary. Turn into a large, greased casserole and bake at 350 until set and slightly browned on top, usually about 45 minutes.

We had a fresh Butterball turkey this year. This was my first time to use the roast/convection setting and the probe on our new oven for a really large piece of meat. I love that probe feature, no more opening and checking the temp over and over.

Then came the leftovers:

And now it's on to Chrtistmas:

Pot Roast and Gravy

2009-11-20T15:49:00.007-06:00

What's In Your Bag?

In just about every cook's bag of tricks, there's a basic recipe for cooking a chuck roast. One recipe that seems to be really popular is to pop it into the crock pot and use Lipton's Onion Soup mix for the flavoring. I have done it that way, and it's very good......falling apart good. Another way is to make tiny slits in the roast and insert pieces of garlic for flavor. I haven't tried that one yet, but it's on my "to do" list. We both love garlic, so I'm pretty sure that method would produce a winning roast in our house. This recipe is one that I have played around with for several years. It's just a very basic pot roast that is flavored with red wine, thyme, and bay.

We have always had a long-running discussion at our house over how to cook the vegetables. I like them doused with a little olive oil and oven roasted separately as pictured above. My husband, on the other hand, likes them added to the roast during the last 45 minutes or so and cooked alongside the roast. I'm a very diplomatic spouse, so we switch methods every other time. Sometimes he gets the vegetables his way, and sometimes I get my crispier and tastier :) version.

What you'll need:

chuck roast - mine are usually 2 1/2 to 3" thick
garlic powder
Lawry's seasoned salt
black pepper
2 T vegetable oil
dry minced onion
2 14 ounce cans of Swanson's beef broth
1/2 cup red wine
1 tsp thyme
2 dried bay leaves

For the gravy:

flour
room temperature butter

Liberally season the roast on both sides with garlic powder, Lawry's, and black pepper. Heat the vegetable oil in a large oven-proof skillet. When very hot, sear the roast on both sides. You need a good dark brown sear. At the very end of the sear, sprinkle in some dry minced onion. This gives the broth a nice toasty onion flavor, but you have to watch it because it burns very quickly.

Remove from the heat and add the beef broth, wine, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover tightly and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 2 1/2 hours, depending on the size and thickness of your roast.

Remove the roast from the liquid and cover to keep warm. Place the skillet over low heat. Blend the butter and flour together, using 1 T butter and 1 T flour for every cup of liquid. Add the blended butter/flour a little at a time to the liquid and whisk until smooth. Cook, stirring continuously, until thickened. Season to taste, usually with just a little black pepper. You should have about 2 cups of gravy.

Potato Leek and Ham Soup

2009-11-11T10:33:00.013-06:00

Sometimes It Just Pays to be Hardheaded

This recipe is an adaptation of Emeril's Potato and Leek Soup:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/potato-and-leek-soup-recipe2/index.html

When I first read Emeril's directions for making a bouquet garni using 2 large leek leaves (see above link), I thought to myself, "Okey Dokey, I've never done that before. Should be easy enough though." Well, it's not. In fact, it's pretty tricky. I put the peppercorns in the leek leaf, and as I began to roll, the peppercorns rolled right out, all over the counter and onto the floor. Not to be outdone, I gathered the ones that I could back together and put them right back in the leaf, all the while listening to my better half standing behind me saying, "Just use cheesecloth. Just use cheesecloth."

But I'm pretty hardheaded sometimes. I didn't want to use cheesecloth. I wanted a bouquet garni made from leek leaves, and by golly I was going to make one.

After some finagling, I did finally get my little peppercorn filled leek bundle all rolled up. My sweety had to help with the tying because letting go of the bundle to get the kitchen twine meant peppercorns all over the place....again.

So now that I'm an experienced leek bouquet garni maker, maybe it won't take so long the next time around. It was worth the effort though. Using this method, rather than the cheesecloth method, adds flavor to the soup. Or that's what I keep telling myself :).

Anyway, this is a delicious, thick, rich, and hearty soup that I think you will really like. We both loved it.

What you'll need:

3 leeks, cleaned and sliced thinly crosswise
20 black peppercorns
2 strips thick cut bacon, diced
2 T butter
1/2 cup white wine
3 14oz cans of Swanson's chicken broth
1/4 tsp ground thyme
2 dried bay leaves
3/4 tsp white pepper
l lb potatoes, diced
3/4 cup heavy cream
Diced ham (optional)
salt to taste
Very thinly sliced leek for garnish

First of all, make your bouquet garni using the peppercorns and a large green leek leaf. Set this to the side. Since I used ground thyme and dried bay leaves, I just added them straight to the soup mixture.

Heat the bacon in a large pot and cook over medium heat until it begins to render its fat. Add the butter and melt. Add the leeks and cook down until they begin to turn transparent. Add the wine. Add the chicken broth, bouquet garni, thyme, bay leaves, white pepper and stir to combine. Add the potatoes and simmer until the potatoes are very soft. I used red potatoes, and it took probably 45 minutes for the potatoes to soften sufficiently.

Remove the bay leaves and the bouquet garni. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to the consistency that you like. Stir in the heavy cream and the diced ham. Add salt if needed.

The first night that we had this (pictured below), I used uncooked, thinly sliced leek for the garnish. It added a nice extra layer of flavor. When we had the leftovers, I had to use parsley for garnish. The uncooked leek was definitely the winner of the two garnishes. Do try it that way. If you're smarter than me, you will save a little fresh leek for the leftovers.

Cabbage Rolls - The Lazy Way

2009-11-04T14:25:00.007-06:00

Get Smart!

Skip the Steaming, Picking, and Rolling

Making true cabbabe rolls requires quite a bit of time. You have to steam a head of cabbage, carefully pick off the leaves so that they don't tear, and painstakingly roll meat mixture into perfect little packages.

Up until about 3 years ago, I was a steamer, picker, roller, and maker of beautiful little cabbage roll bundles. However, after watching my husband time and again mash up all those beautiful little bundles before he ever even took one bite, I got smart. Now I make them the easy or "lazy" way. They taste the same, and the prep time is cut way down.

Try this method when you are in a bind for time or just not so inclined to spend the time in the kitchen making those beautiful little bundles. Save the steaming, picking, and rolling for special occasions when presentation is appreciated :).

What you'll need:

1 small head of cabbage or 1/2 of a large head of cabbage, very roughly chopped

Filling:

1 lb ground beef
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup raw white rice
1 slice toasted white bread, crumbled

1/2 cup diced white onion

1 T light brown sugar

1 T lemon juice

Accent (can be omitted)

Sauce:

1 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes

1 can of Campbell's tomato soup

14 ounces Campbell's tomato juice

2 T lemon juice

3/4 cup light brown sugar

Accent (can be omitted)

Heat the sauce ingredients over low heat so that the sugar dissolves and all the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Next, combine the filling ingredients and roll into golf ball-sized balls.

Spray a dutch oven with cooking spray and add enough of the sauce mixture to just cover the bottom. Add the chopped cabbage. Place the meatballs in a single layer on top of the cabbage and pour the remaining sauce mixture evenly over the top.

Cover and simmer over a very low heat for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. As the cabbage wilts down, the meatballs will sink down into the sauce. Do not stir, as stirring will break the meatballs apart.

Serve with a piece of crispy baguette on the side to dip in the juices.

Recipe Adapted From: The Bounty of East Texas

Baked Gruyere Onions

2009-11-02T09:50:00.005-06:00

Mmmmmm.......Our Newest Addiction

These baked onions are truly addictive. We first had them alongside bone-in rib eye steaks, pictured above. Since then we have had them with a flat iron steak, and they are on our upcoming menu as a side for pork chops. They're truly just so good that I think they would go with just about anything.

What you'll need:

4 medium yellow onions, peeled and halved
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Gruyère cheese

Place the onion halves in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle olive oil, salt, and pepper over each. Mix together the beef broth and soy sauce and set aside.

Bake the onion halves in a 400 degree oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, depending on their size. Then pour the broth/soy mixture over the onions and continue to bake for another 45 minutes to an hour (again, depending on the size of onion used), basting every 20 minutes or so. You'll also have to gauge the cooking time based on how you like your onion cooked. I like mine on the firm side with a little crunch left to it, but you may want to cook yours until they are a little softer. When the onions are cooked to your liking, add the cheese, return to the oven, and cook until the cheese is melted.

Alongside flat iron steak:

Recipe Adapted From Cooking Light, December 2004: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=833326

Sloppy Joes

2009-10-29T14:30:00.006-05:00

Move Over Manwich

Try this quick and easy recipe for sloppy joes, and you will never reach for that can of Manwich in the grocery store again (recipe source and thank you: http://www.netcookingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5294 ).
Simply brown the ground beef and chopped onion, drain if necessary, add all the other ingredients, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Voila....great tasting sloppy joes that just can't be beat!

What you'll need:

1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup ketchup
3 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup water

Custard with Caramel Topping

2009-10-27T13:38:00.009-05:00

Consider this Creamy Custard for Company

There is, however, some anxiety involved with making this custard for the first time. One must endure the "Will it come out of the ramekin???" fear with each un-molding. Although some of the sauce does stick to the bottom of the ramekins, there's plenty left that pours out over each of the custards. And the custards do come out, every time. It's a miracle.......no buttering, spraying, dipping in hot water, or heating with a hair dryer :).

What you'll need:

6 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 14 oz can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar (for the caramel topping)

Using a mixer or an immersion blender with a whisk attachment, blend the eggs, milk, and the condensed milk. Add the 1/2 cup sugar and continue to blend until the sugar is dissolved. Add vanilla. Set mixture aside.

Place 8 to 10 ramekins in a large pyrex dish.

Place the 1 cup of sugar in a small non-stick skillet over medium heat. Heat until the sugar dissolves and caramelizes. The sugar in this picture is not completely dissolved, but once you get the sugar to this point, there is no time to stop and take pictures. You have to stir and watch this constantly.

Divide the caramelized sugar equally among the ramekins.

Divide the custard mixture equally among the ramekins. Add hot water to the pyrex baking dish, enough to come about 1/2 way up the sides of the ramekins. Place into a pre-heated 325 degree oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Mine took an hour, but you should start checking at about 45 minutes. A knife inserted into the custard should come out clean when they they are done.

You can cool them in the refrigerator or eat them warm. Slide a knife around the edge and invert onto a plate.

Seafood Gratinees - A Twist on Coquilles St. Jacques

2009-10-18T16:57:00.012-05:00

Hey......I'm Not Bragging, I'm Just Sayin'

It's really nice to have a husband who will get in the kitchen and prepare a meal. It's really, really nice to have a husband who actually enjoys getting in the kitchen and preparing a meal. But it's extra-special nice to have a husband who enjoys getting in the kitchen AND can turn out a meal like this one.

What you'll need:

10 to 12 medium shrimp, cleaned and roughly chopped

2 large king crab legs, meat removed and chunked

6 medium crimini mushrooms, quartered

2 or 3 green onions, chopped

1 t chopped garlic

1 T butter

olive oil

Basic white sauce (about 1 cup)

white wine

gruyere cheese, shredded

chopped parsley

Buttered bread crumbs mixed with shredded parmesan cheese

Saute the mushrooms in the butter and olive oil. Push them to the side and add the garlic and green onion. Continue to saute for a little longer until the onion is tender. Toss in the shrimp and continue to cook until the shrimp just begin to turn pink. Add the crab, toss all together, and remove from the heat.

Make about 1 cup of basic white sauce (with either milk or cream), and spruce it up with some white wine, about 1/4 cup of gruyere cheese, and some chopped parsley. You should end up with about 1 1/2 cups of sauce.

Place the sauteed seafood/mushroom mixture in overproof ramekins and cover with sauce. Top with the bread crumb mixture. Brown the tops under the broiler.

I tried to scoop up a bite so that you could see all the delicious seafood--from left to right: crimini mushroom, a big hunk of king crab, and then shrimp, all covered in that luscious gruyere/cream sauce.

We had scallops on the side, but you could certainly poach or pan sear them and add them to the gratinee along with the crab and shrimp.

Oui, oui, oui! We both loved it.

Caramelized Onion Dip

2009-10-13T13:18:00.005-05:00

Cook It and They Will Come

Something magical happens when you caramelize onions. The smell emanating from the skillet is intoxicating. It draws everything and everyone within smelling distance into the kitchen. Dogs, cats, hungry husbands, small children, neighbors........they're all likely to show up. So be prepared--caramelizing onions works along the same line as frying bacon--cook it and they will all magically show up in the kitchen. You may want to double the recipe. It's a winner.

What you'll need:

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced and then each slice cut into fourths
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 T vegetable oil
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
assorted vegetables for dipping
lightly toasted baguette slices

Blend together the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise until smooth. Set aside. Add the butter and oil to a medium skillet and place over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute until the onions have turned a rich, golden brown. Drain the onions on paper towels, and then mix them into the cream cheese mixture.

You can use any kind of chip or cracker for this dip. I think it's really too rich for potato chips and prefer it with veggies or on baguette slices.

Recipe adapted from:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/pan-fried-onion-dip-recipe/index.html

Shrimp Wontons

2009-10-11T16:21:00.011-05:00

Some Wonton Fun

This was my first attempt at making wontons. I started out with a recipe that is really supposed to be used for steamed dumplings (dim sum). I left out some ingredients, changed some amounts, and added some ingredients that I thought would be good in shrimp wontons.

I was real happy with the outcome. They were light and delicately flavored, perfect for floating around in a hot and sour or egg drop soup. I used a packaged hot and sour soup mix, added some shiitake mushrooms, an egg, the shrimp wontons, and green onions for garnish. I’ll be doing this again. It was fun making these tasty little pouches.

Here's what you'll need:

Wonton wraps (I used Wing Hing Wonton Wraps.)
6 to 8 large, raw shrimp, cleaned and roughly chopped
Bamboo shoots – about 1 T, chopped
Fresh ginger – grated, about ½ t
2 to 3 shiitake mushrooms
2 green onions – white part only, chopped (save tops for garnish)
1 T soy sauce
1 t sherry
Sesame oil – just a few drops

Place the shrimp, bamboo shoots, ginger, mushrooms, and green onions in a food processor and process until the shrimp are just minced. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients (except the wraps) and mix well. The filling should be gooey but not runny. For making the wontons, I just followed the directions that came with the wraps, using about 1 tsp of filling for each and water for sealing.

The color of the raw shrimp filling is not very appetizing. Once they're cooked, however, the filling is a light pink color and just beautiful. Makes me wish that I had taken a picture of the inside of one of the cooked wontons, but.....sigh.....I did not.

Gently place the wontons in a pot of boiling water and cook until they float. I let mine cook a little after they floated just to be sure that the filling was thoroughly cooked. You can also tell by looking, as the filling will turn light pink when the shrimp are cooked through.
The above amounts yield enough filling for about 12 wontons.

Spinach Salad Dressing

2009-09-27T14:54:00.011-05:00

Just the Right Combo of Tangy and Sweet

I've been using this dressing recipe 4-ever, and there's not one thing that I would change about it. It's super easy, and the combination of flavors is just great.

What you'll need:

1 small white onion, quartered

1 c vegetable oil

1/3 c white vinegar

1/3 c sugar

1 T prepared mustard

1 t celery seeds

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender, blend until smooth, and chill. I only made 1/2 recipe, so I was able to use my mini chopper.

Source: Southern Living Magazine, March 1984

French Onion Soup

2009-09-24T10:05:00.008-05:00

Soupe A L'Oignon

Can you believe that this wonderful soup was once considered peasant food? Peasant food???? I say that this soup with its rich brown broth, caramelized onions, croutons that have soaked up some juice on the bottom but remain crispy on top, stringy hot cheese, and delicious aroma is fit for a queen......and her king :).
Rumor has it though that this soup had its beginnings with royalty, namely King Louis XV. While on an extended visit to his hunting lodge, the poor guy arrived home late and very hungry only to find onions, cheese, and champagne in his larder. Supposedly, the king made himself some soup with these few ingredients, and legend is that French onion soup was born.
This wonderful soup gained popularity in the U.S. during the 1960's when French cooking became the "In" thing to do. It caught on quick and just never lost its popularity. I know why! And if you've tried one of these little crocks of aromatic onion soup, you do too.
Here's a very basic, but very tasty version of French onion soup:

What you'll need:

1/2 stick butter
2 T vegetable oil
4 large onions, 2 yellow and 2 white, sliced in rings about 1/8" thick
1/2 t sugar
1 T flour
2 cans Swanson's beef broth (14 oz)
1 can Swanson's chicken broth (14 oz)
salt
black pepper
2 T brandy
baguette slices, 1/2" thick, rubbed with a garlic clove, and lightly toasted
Gruyere, Swiss, or provolone cheese

Heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook down for about 30 minutes. When all of the onions are soft, raise the heat, sprinkle on the sugar, and cook until the onions caramelize. This usually takes me about 45 minutes to get good color on the onions.

These onions have cooked down for about 30 minutes and still need some more cooking time to get a good caramelization:

Once the onions have good color, add the flour and continue to cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Add the broths and simmer very slowly for about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from heat, add pepper and salt if necessary. Stir in the brandy. Ladle the soup into ovenproof bowls. Top with the baguette slices and then the cheese. Place under broiler to brown the tops.

This recipe makes about 3 servings as an entree or about 6 appetizer servings.

Old-Fashioned Mustard Greens

2009-09-17T13:30:00.009-05:00

Southern Comfort Food

Many old-fashioned southern cooks have a little stash of bacon fat--I'll call it "fat" instead of "grease" just because it sounds more appealing--that they have collected over a period of time. It's a great seasoning for peas, and it's really great in greens of any kind.

Because I use bacon fat for seasoning these mustard greens and cook them low and slow, I call them "old-fashioned", but you can certainly exchange the bacon fat for a little vegetable oil if you are looking for a healthier choice. Chances are, though, if you've eaten these at Grandma's, they were seasoned with bacon fat, and that's why they tasted sooooo good!

What you'll need:

2 bunches of mustard greens
3/4 of a medium white onion, chopped
1 T bacon fat
1 ham hock
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
2 Knorr's chicken bouillon cubes (the large ones)
In a dutch oven, cook the onions in the bacon fat until translucent and just beginning to brown on the edges. Add the ham hock and enough water to just cover the top of the hock. Simmer for about an hour.
Meanwhile, clean the mustard greens. I took the entire stem from the middle of the greens because some of them were pretty big. Fill the sink with about 5" of water and add the de-stemmed greens. Swish the greens around in the water so that the grit falls to the bottom of the sink. Drain and repeat this process two more times . You've got to get all the grit out. Rough chop the greens.
Add the vinegar, sugar, and bouillon cubes to the water/ham hock. Add the greens and simmer for about another hour and 1/2 to 2 hours. I just threw the ham hock away because there was not enough meat on it to mess with. If you get a meaty hock, pull the meat off and add it to the greens.
Greens are great served with chicken-fried pork chops and purple hull peas. Cornbread is usually a staple with this meal also. A vinegar-based hot sauce is a must so that everyone can sprinkle on the amount to taste.

Homemade Noodles

2009-09-15T14:56:00.008-05:00

Having A Suzie Homemaker Moment?

It was raining, I was bored, and I was having a Suzie Homemaker Moment. I decided to pull out the ol' Pasta Queen, enlist the help of my better half, and churn out some homemade noodles.

We have made these noodles before but have always used them to make turkey and noodles for Thanksgiving, which is a staple side dish in my husband's family. Wanting to use some leftover rotisserie chicken, I decided on a soup this time.

What you'll need for the noodles:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

5 eggs

1 T extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bow. Beat together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Using your hands, mix the two together until you get a soft ball. Dust with a little flour if the ball is too sticky. Divide into quarters, wrap in plastic wrap, and let rest for at least 15 minutes.

Following the Pasta Queen directions, we fed the dough through on the #5 setting, folded it into thirds, fed it through again, and repeated the process a couple more times time. We then clicked the machine to the #4 setting, fed the dough through, clicked it to #3, fed the dough through, and by that time the dough was the right thickness and ready for the cutter.

Feed the dough through the cutter side of the machine, and Voila........homemade noodles.

If you have a drying rack, great! I just spread the noodles out on sheets of waxed paper to dry a bit before cooking.

These noodles are great for soups. They absorb the broth and plump up into delicious strands of noodliness :). We only made 1/2 batch, which was plenty for a big pot of soup and enough to have alongside beef stroganoff the next night.

Credit and Thank You:

We inherited this pasta machine from my father-in-law, and this recipe was neatly folded and tucked down in the bottom of the box. Cuisine at Home is at the bottom of the page, so thank you Cuisine at Home for providing this recipe and many years of delicious noodles for our Thanksgiving dinners.

Beef Stew

2009-09-12T08:53:00.009-05:00

Chunky Beef Stew with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Fall is fast approaching here in the southern United States. It's time to drag in the plants that have been summering on the back patio. It's time to drag out the sweaters, fuzzy slippers, and the flannel boxers. It's time to pile up on the sofa and tune in to the football games. And it's also time for cooking up a bunch of soups and stews.

The smell of this stew simmering away in the kitchen is priceless. It's a thick and chunky stew that is flavored with sun dried tomatoes, wine, and toasty bits of minced dried onion. It does require a slow cook, but the end prodduct is well worth it.

What you'll need:
1 lb to 1 1/2 lb chuck roast, cut into bite-sized pieces
flour
black pepper
vegetable oil
scant tablespoon dried minced onion
2 cans Swansons beef broth
3/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
scant tablespoon of brown gravy mix (Great Value works fine)
5 to 6 carrots, large chop
5 to 6 stalks of celery, large chop
2 medium onions, large chop
1/2 pkg sun dried tomatoes (Great Lakes 100g pkg, dry pack, use 1/2 pkg)
salt

Dredge the meat in flour seasoned with black pepper. Brown in a small amount of very hot oil, in batches, until the meat is crusty and well browned. Add all the meat back into the pan and sprinkle on the dried minced onion. When the onion bits begin to turn golden, add the red wine. Stir to remove bits from the bottom of the pan, and then add the broth and the gravy mix. Simmer, uncovered, over very low heat for one hour.
Add the carrots, celery, onions, and the tomatoes. Simmer, covered, for another hour. Add salt if needed.

Chicken Pomodoro II

2009-09-06T12:29:00.008-05:00

Recipes are Meant to be Tweaked

I've always heard that recipes are meant to be shared, but in my kitchen recipes are also meant to be tweaked. I am a big-time tweaker. There's nothing that I like better than to take a list of ingredients in a recipe and change up, delete, add in, etc.

I only tweaked this recipe a bit from the original Chicken Pomodoro I (http://tomcatinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/05/chicken-pomodoro.html), upping the amount of cream, cutting some of the lemon juice, and lengthening the cooking times to allow for the sauce to thicken more, but I liked it much better with the thicker sauce. The fusili was a nice change from the regular spaghetti too.

Prepare the chicken cutlets as described here:

http://tomcatinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/05/cooks-best-friend.html

For the sauce:

1/4 cup vodka

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 T fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup fresh, chopped and seeded tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup chopped green onion tops

Deglaze the pan with the vodka (away from the flame). Simmer until the vodka is nearly gone. Add the broth and lemon juice and simmer until it is reduced by about half. Add the cream and cook over a very low heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Add the tomatoes and simmer for a few more minutes, or until the sauce is to desired thickness.

Place chicken cutlets over cooked fusili and spoon sauce over the top. Garnish with chopped green onion tops.

Breakfast Quesadillas

2009-08-31T14:33:00.003-05:00

Breakfast or Dinner

These Quesadillas Will Hit the Spot

Whether you're cooking breakfast or dinner, great quesadillas start with a great tortilla, and in our house that means La Abuela Ready-To-Cook flour tortillas. These tortillas have no preservatives, so they are sold in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. They are thin and crisp up in just a matter of minutes for a quesadilla, but they also work well for when you want a tortilla with a little flexibility to roll for fajitas or breakfast tacos. I think they are as close to homemade tortillas as you can get without making them yourself.

What you'll need:
4 La Abuela Ready-to-Cook flour tortillas
Fiesta blend cheese
3 eggs
Splash of milk
3 breakfast sausage patties, cooked and crumbled
Chopped onion
Chopped tomato

Cook the sausage and set adise to drain. Saute the onion and tomato and set aside. Mix the eggs and milk, and pour 1/2 into a skillet about the size of the tortilla.

Sprinkle 1/2 of the sausage, onions, and tomato evenly over the eggs. Cook until just set enough to slide onto the tortilla (don't fold over like you would an omelet).

Spray a skillet with vegetable oil, add tortilla, top with cheese, add the omelet, top with more cheese, and top with another tortilla. Cook like you would a grilled cheese. Repeat with the other tortillas/ingredients.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

2009-08-27T13:55:00.011-05:00

Rich and Creamy Broccoli Cheese Soup

Looking for something to go with a sandwich tray for a buffet? This soup is a good choice because it can be made ahead, ladled into a crock pot, and kept warm for quite some time without becoming too thick and gooey. You can also leave out the broccoli and have a nice cheese soup that is a wonderful addition to a wine tasting buffet. Wine and cheese.......ummmm........perfect!

2 T butter
1/2 medium white onion
1 to 2 stalks celery
1 to 2 carrots
2 14 oz cans Swanson chicken broth
1 can Cream of Potato soup
1/2 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 small box chopped, cooked broccoli, or an equal amount of fresh, chopped, cooked broccoli
4 oz sour cream
Extra sour cream and bacon bits for garnish

Use a food chopper/processor to finely mince the onion, celery, and carrots. Melt the butter in a skillet, add the minced vegetables, and saute until the vegetables are tender.

Combine the chicken broth and the vegetable mixture in a large sauce pan, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Add the cream of potatoe soup, and use an immersion blender (or potato masher) to break up the chunks of potatoes. Add the cubed Velveeta. Once the cheese melts, add in the (very well drained) cooked broccoli. Mix thoroughly, remove from heat, and stir in the sour cream.
If you want a thicker soup, just add more Velveeta before removing from heat and adding the sour cream. Top with a dollop of sour cream and some bacon bits.

Pork Tenderloin with Peppercorn Sauce

2009-08-19T10:19:00.013-05:00

My Friend Knorr

Pork tenderloin, Knorr's sauce mix, and roasted vegetables save the day once again. These pork tenderloin medallions were seasoned with McCormick's Montreal steak seasoning and then pan-seared. The gravy is Knorr's Peppercorn sauce prepared according to package directions with a dollop of sour cream added at the end. A great dinner in under thirty minutes--you can't beat that.

These have to be the best sauce mixes on the market. The dip mixes in the upper right-hand corner are perfect on a veggie tray. They make a really nice change from the regular offering of ranch dressing. I'm almost never without the hollandaise and bernaise mixes. The hollandaise on eggs benedict can't be beat for taste and convenience. I also use it a lot to spruce up vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower. The bernaise is great on a beef filet as well as any kind of pork.

Everyone needs a little shortcut in the kitchen every once in a while. If you haven't already done so, try these mixes. They will be your friend too!

Mushroom and Swiss Crostini

2009-08-15T12:33:00.003-05:00

An Inspiration from Julie and Julia

I finally made it to the theater last Tuesday to see this film. It rates an A+ in my book. Meryl Streep was magnificent as Julia Child. I laughed; I cried; I drooled. I was inspired. The next day I donned my pearls, tied on my apron, tucked my little tea towel into the waist band, and headed for the refrigerator. I was ready to try my hand at creating something totally new.

These little appetizers were the result, and I must say that they are very tasty little things.

What you'll need:

baguette slices, about 7 or 8, 1/4" to 1/2" thick

2 medium button mushrooms, chopped

1/2 T butter

1 green onion, sliced

1/2 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp white wine

3 T heavy cream

2 slices baby Swiss cheese, chopped (sandwich-size slices)

bacon bits

Preheat the broiler. Melt the butter and saute the mushrooms over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the green onion (save a little of the tops for garnish) and the garlic and continue to cook. Add the wine and cook until it has evaporated. Set this mixture to the side.

Let the pan cool. Add the cream and place over a very low heat. Once the cream begins to warm, add the cheese, stirring until it has melted and the mixture begins to thicken. Return the mushroom mixture to the pan and add the bacon bits. Remove pan from heat and let the mixture slightly cool.

Lightly toast one side of the bread slices. Flip them over and spread the mushroom mixture evenly over the bread slices. Return them to the broiler and broil until lightly browned. Sprinkle with green onion tops.

These are so rich and filling that they can be served alongside a salad for a nice lunch or a light dinner.

If you enjoy cooking and haven't seen this movie, you should. No telling how many bouef bourguignons have been cooked up since this movie's release. And the chocolate cake, well, I don't eat a lot of sweets, but now I absolutely must try that cake.

Bon Appetit!

Fried Shrimp

2009-08-13T10:08:00.011-05:00

Fried Shrimp and a Trip Down Memory Lane

Living in South Texas had its rewards.......one being fresh shrimp straight off the boat. Shrimp are absolutely good eats, but a big part of the fun was just going and purchasing the shrimp. No telling how many Saturday afternoons during shrimping season found us jumping in the car and heading down to Waterfront Drive in Seabrook to check out the local fishermen's catches for the day.

I loved cruising through the rows of somewhat scruffy looking seafood houses that lined the road. Huge trays of iced-down shrimp in all sizes and prices made it almost impossible to choose. The whole fish were always a treat to see, and sometimes blue crabs would be scrambling around in big tubs.

It was a competitive scene with so many little fish houses packed together on that one little road, and all were eager to get your business. It was exciting and just plain fun!

Sadly, I haven't been down there in quite a while, and I'm pretty sure that last year's Hurricane Ike either washed or blew away this little row of seafood houses that I loved so well. Maybe some re-built, I'm not sure.

Here's how my mother always fried shrimp. I think that she learned this method from her sister-in-law. I still do it the same way, but I have to use frozen shrimp as we no longer live close enough to jump in the car and go buy fresh.

About 1/2 lb of shrimp per person, cleaned, de-veined, and butterflied

Evaporated milk, enough to cover the shrimp

Flour, seasoned with black pepper

Salt

Vegetable oil

Cover the cleaned shimp with evaporated milk and place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Heat the oil to about 365 in either a deep fryer or cast iron skillet. Shake the milk off of a handful of shrimp and lightly dredge in the flour. Deep fry in small batches until lightly golden brown, drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with salt.

You'll have perfectly fried shrimp every time. The coating is light and crunchy and does not mask the taste of the shrimp. There's nothing that I hate worse than a big ol' thick coating covering a little ol' tiny shrimp. Where's the Shrimp?????

Here's another fried catfish picture. The fish was fried using the same method as discussed in an earlier entry. I just like this picture :).

Beef Stroganoff

2009-08-07T11:16:00.011-05:00

Elegant But Easy

There are probably hundreds of different methods for making beef stroganoff. You can use a premium cut of beef such as tenderloin, or you can use a less expensive cut of meat such as round steak. You can use sour cream, or you can use creme fraiche. You can use dry mustard, or you can use dijon. I could go on an on. I've tried many different variations and have found this recipe works well.

What You'll Need:

1 lb of round steak, cut across the grain into strips
salt and pepper
vegetable oil
1 T butter
6 ounces fresh button mushrooms, sliced
5 green onions, chopped (white parts only)
2 T flour
1 1/4 cups beef broth
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 1/2 T sherry
1/3 cup sour cream
wide egg noodles, cooked according to package directions
chopped green onion tops for garnish, or chopped parsley

Season the round steak with the salt and pepper and set aside. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the mushrooms until they have lightly carmelized. Add the onions and continue to cook for a couple of minutes. Remove the mushroom/onion mixture and set aside.

Add enough vegetable oil to the pan to lightly coat the bottom. Sear the meat over medium/high heat in batches. Add the meat to the mushroom/onion mixture.

Remove the pan from the heat and add about 1/4 cup of the beef broth, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the flour and whisk until it's smooth. Add the remaining broth and whisk to combine thoroughly (no lumps).

Return the pan to the heat and mix in the dijon and sherry. Add the meat/mushroom/onion mixture and simmer slowly for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Spoon over wide egg noodles and garnish with green onion tops or parsley.

The sauce for this dish is so delicious that it could easily be adapted for a meatless meal. Just swap out the meat with extra mushrooms. Portabello mushrooms would be a wonderful substitute for the meat. Their taste and texture is very close to that of meat, so using portabellos would make a wonderful vegetarian meal.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

2009-08-04T14:07:00.012-05:00

A Nice Meal and a Dozen Deli Sandwiches

Corned beef is one of those things that you either love or hate. Some people don't care for the tangy flavor that the brining process imparts into the meat. And one person I know, who is very near and dear to my heart :), won't eat it because of the color! I believe she likens it to rare meat. We fall into the "love it" category and cook it quite regularly.

I just buy a vacuumed sealed, flat-cut corned beef and cook it according to the package directions, which is simmering it on a very low heat for 2 1/2 hours. It is most definitely fully cooked! After 2 1/2 hours, it should be fork-tender. Remove it from the cooking liquid, tent it with foil, and let it rest.

I like to cut cabbage into quarters (core removed) and cook the cabbage in the liquid that the corned beef cooked in. It's also good with stir fried cabbage. Sometimes I'll add potatoes and cook them in the pot liquor also.

One of the real bonuses to this meal is all the corned beef sandwiches that you can make with the leftovers. I like to use a toasted California sourdough with dijon mustard. Outside the box, I know, but that's what I like. Rye bread and spicy mustard or thousand-island dressing are probably more traditional combinations.

Old-Fashioned Chicken Fried Steak and Pan Gravy

2009-07-27T13:04:00.010-05:00

A Tasty Southern Tradition

My mother learned to cook this by watching my grandmother, and I learned by watching my mother. This is truly the "old-fashioned" method, before egg washes and double/triple dipping rose to popularity. There are no measurements here. It's just a method for chicken fried steaks that will come out with a beautiful crispy coating that clings to the meat rather than falling off in the skillet.

What you'll need:

1 top round steak

salt

ice water

flour

pepper

milk

For the meat:

Cut the round steak into serving size pieces. Use the tenderizing side of a heavy duty meat mallet to pound the meat to about 1/4" thick. Place the tenderized meat in a bowl of salted ice water (use roughly a tsp of salt for every 8 cups of water) and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

When ready to cook, squeeze as much of the water from the meat as possible (really squeeze ) and dredge the meat in a mixture of flour and black pepper (no salt). Press the flour down into the meat to get a heavy coating. You can also use the meat mallet to work the flour down into the meat if you prefer that method.

Heat about 1" of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium/high heat. When the oil is hot, cook the meat in batches until golden brown and cooked through.

For the pan gravy:

Pour off the vegetable oil, saving the drippings and a little oil. Over a very low heat (I have electric, so I have to take my skillet off the burner to let it cool down some.) add some flour to make a roux. Cook the roux until it turns a golden brown, being very careful not to scorch it. Add some milk and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until it's to your liking. Taste and add some salt if needed.

Place the platter on the table and watch the forks fly!

Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Bernaise

2009-07-26T15:41:00.008-05:00

Bernaise & Pork

They go Together Like Peas & Carrots

Creamy, herby bernaise over pan seared pork tenderloin medallions is a favorite at our house. A lot of people cook the whole tenderloin, searing it in a pan and finishing it in the oven, but that never worked quite right for us. No one wanted the ends because they were overcooked before the middle was just right. And my idea of the middle being "just right" is very different from my husband's idea of "just right."

So, we now cut the tenderloin into medallions before cooking and pan sear them in a very hot cast iron skillet, which allows mine to be cooked to my liking, and his to be cooked to his liking. It also solves the seasoning/no seasoning debate we used to run into. He's a purist and wants no type of seasoning on his pork before it it cooked. I, on the other hand, like some Montreal steak seasoning or Cavender's sprinkled on mine before it's cooked.

Here's how we do it:

Cut the pork tenderloin (not pork loin) into 3/4 inch medallions. Add seasoning if you want. Lightly coat the bottom of a cast iron skillet with vegetable oil and heat over very high heat. Quickly sear the medallions, in several batches, turning once. They cook very, very quickly, so be careful not to overcook. Voila--Everyone gets his pork cooked to his idea of "perfection."

Knorr's bernaise sauce works perfectly for this. Of course, if you're having a Julia Child moment, you can make your own. I suggest :) that you don't use McCormick's bernaise sauce mix. It's just.....I don't know.

I like to serve this with steamed cauliflower as some of the bernaise always makes its way to the top of my cauliflower--such a great combination!

Mustard Potato Salad

2009-07-14T13:39:00.012-05:00

Mother's Mustard Potato Salad

This is one of those dishes that evokes a lot of memories for me. When I was growing up, we had this mustard potato salad every Easter alongside a huge bone-in ham that was put in the oven early in the morning and roasted to perfection. The ham came out moist and tender with a crispy brown skin, and it was always delicious. I clearly recall the "bone-in" part because I remember the vegetable soup that always followed a few days later. I sure wish that I'd paid a little more attention to what was going on in the kitchen back in those days because I've never been able to duplicate that ham.

I still make my potato salad the same way that she did. I love the olives and red onions in it. There are no set amounts for ingredients. This is just a mix-and-taste type recipe. I like a lot of "stuff" in mine, and I like a lot of mustard, but you can add/delete as you like.

What you'll need:

Potatoes, boiled until tender and diced

Hardboiled eggs, chopped

Celery, chopped

Red onion, chopped

Salad olives w/pimientos, chopped

Prepared mustard

Miracle Whip

Salt and pepper

Mix the potatoes, eggs, celery, onion, and olives together. Add some mustard and Miracle Whip. Mix and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add more mustard and Miracle Whip as needed.

Pan Seared Salmon with Lemon Butter Caper Sauce

2009-07-12T13:05:00.005-05:00

Too Hot to Grill - Just Pan Sear!

It has really been a scorcher these last couple of weeks here in Texas. With the heat index, it has been consistently up in the 100's, way too hot to grill outside even in the evenings. Salmon is great on the grill, but lately we've been choosing to hang out in our air-conditioned kitchen rather than swoon in front of the pit.

On the up side of summer in Texas, some of the vegetables are really beginning to look good. I chose yellow squash, mushrooms, red onion, and fresh cherry tomatoes (from my very own tomato plants) for the side. Drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle with a little Lawry's seasoning salt, and roast in a 425 oven until they are to your liking. I like a little crunch, actually a lot of crunch.

What you'll need:

2 salmon filets
olive oil
butter
lemon
capers

Drizzle olive oil in a skillet and heat to medium/high. I used a heavy, non-stick pan because I was afriad that it would stick and turn into a big mess. When the skillet is hot, add the salmon filets (skin side down ) and cook until you can see the fish begin to turn opaque. I like to let the line get at least to the center of the fish before I flip because I like mine opaque throughout. If you like it not so thoroughly cooked, flip earlier. The second side doesn't take long at all.

Remove the fish. Adjust the heat to low (or off for an electric cooktop), and add the butter, lemon, and capers to taste. I didn't put any seasoning on the fish before it was cooked, knowing that the capers would add enough salt for us. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve with your choice of roasted vegetables.

Note: I have since learned that the preferred method to cook pan seared salmon is to cook the presentation side first. I'll try that next time.

Snippets II

2009-07-09T15:55:00.009-05:00

A Few More Snippets

Fresh is always best. But if you get in a pinch and need a guacamole in a snap, try Yucatan brand. You can find it both refrigerated and frozen. Yucatan brand is 95% avocados (lol--if you can believe the box), and the taste is pretty good for a pre-made guacamole. It's also a nice alternative for when the avocados in the grocery store are not looking so great.
I added some chopped red onion, fresh tomatoes, and a few dashes of Frank's Red Hot to this and simply served it over a bed of shredded iceburg lettuce. It works just as well as a dip, topping for a burger or taco, or slathered on whatever else you put guacamole on.
This works particularly well for us because I'm the only one in the house who eats guacamole. I just cut off whatever size piece that I need, and it defrosts in a bowl while everything else comes together. I really love the fresh, but this will do in a pinch.

Ahhhh........the beauty of a deep fryer. These little wonders were just "naked" wing sections that were deep fried and then doused with a mixture of melted butter and Frank's Hot Sauce. Pass the napkins, please.

Yet another reason to fire up the deep fryer.......fried catfish. The coating is a ratio of 3 to 1 cornmeal and Louisiana New Orleans Style Fish Fry, and that's it. Pass the tartar sauce, please.

And lastly, this is our tomcat perusing the grocery ads. Had to slip him in there somehow. :)

Chopped Steak

2009-07-06T14:51:00.010-05:00

Roadkill - aka Chopped Steak

One Sunday we were having lunch at the Texas Roadhouse (a popular chain steak house in Texas) . I wasn't in the mood for a great big ol' steak, so I was just cruising the menu looking for something less filling. When I first saw this, I thought to myself, "Now why would they give this dish such a gross name?" I really don't know how they came up with the name, maybe because they use ground sirloin for this instead of what they're known for, choice cuts of prime beef. It's very good and one of my favorite choices when we go there.

So this is my rendition of Texas Road House's Roadkill. It is simply a seasoned-up, chopped beef steak topped with cheese (they use Jack cheese) and sauteed onions and mushrooms. I'm not sure how the Road House seasons their meat, but I think this comes pretty close in flavor.

What you'll need:

1 lb of 85/15 ground beef
3/8 cup (or 6 tablespoons) of A-1 steak sauce
3 tablespoons of finely minced red onion
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 small carton of sliced button mushrooms
1 medium onion, cut into lengthwise slices
Cheese of your choice (I used crumbled smoked cheddar.)
chopped green onion

Combine the ground beef, A-l, and onion together and mix lightly. Form into three 1/3 pound patties. Don't pack the meat too densely. They are supposed to crumble apart when you cut into them with a fork. Heat 1T of the oil in a grill pan or large skillet over medium/high heat. When hot enough, cook the patties through. Set them to the side, top with the cheese of your choice, and loosely tent to keep warm. Saute the onions and mushrooms in the other 1T of oil until lightly carmelized. Top the patties with the onions and mushrooms and sprinkle on some chopped onion.

If you are careful not to pack the meat too tightly when you are making the patties, they will just crumble apart as you cut them with a fork. It looks like a mess on the plate, but it tastes like a glorious mess.

Bow Ties with Sausage, Tomatoes, and Cream

2009-07-02T13:38:00.021-05:00

Oh-La-La

We have this pasta dish quite regularly. You can give it quite a kick or not, depending on the amount of red pepper flakes that you add. I use about 1/2 teaspoon, but that is far too hot for some. :) I'm talking about those who order teriyaki or honey wings at the local bar because the regular or mild sauce is way too hot for them. :)

What you'll need:

cooked bow tie pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled
red pepper flakes to taste
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can diced Italian-style plum tomatoes, very well drained
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
salt to taste
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes and cook until the sausage just begins to brown. Add the onion and continue to cook until the onion is transparent and the sausage is cooked through. Add garlic. Cook for a few seconds and then add the tomatoes. Let some of the juice from the tomatoes cook off. Add the cream and salt to taste. Simmer until the mixture thickens slightly.

To serve, ladle the mixture over bow ties and sprinkle with the parsley.

Note: I drain the tomatoes very, very well and save the juice. Once you see how thick the sauce is, you can either add some juice or not.

Credit and Thank You: I used this basic recipe and modified it a litttle: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bow-Ties-with-Sausage-Tomatoes-and-Cream/Detail.aspx.

Just Some Snippets Today

2009-06-28T15:13:00.007-05:00

How do you cook your asparagus? I was a steamer for a long, long time. Then someone convinced me to try this method: drizzle it with olive oil, add a little salt and pepper, and roll it around in a hot skillet until just crisp-tender. I was skeptical, but I tried it and never went back to steaming again.

Got any leftover pizza dough? Make some little dippers for a marinara sauce. Or, you could serve them alongside a spaghetti dinner. But really, hot out of the oven, they're great all by themselves.
I used the same dough and cooking directions that were posted for the Mediterranean Pizza. For the bread sticks, I just pushed the dough out with my fingers, drizzled on quite a bit of olive oil, and sprinkled on some Italian seasoning and extra basil.

And lastly, a salad loaded with goodies.......cheddar, gorgonzola, cucumbers, ham, chopped egg, tomatoes, and whatever else caught my eye in the fridge.

Chicken Shrimp and Pineapple Fried Rice

2009-06-25T14:23:00.006-05:00

Forget the Take-Out - Stir Fry at Home

I have a confession to make. I have become a bit of a food snob when it comes to oyster sauce. I have always cooked with LaChoy oyster sauce. No More. It will never darken my door again. We did a taste test a couple of nights ago using LaChoy oyster sauce and Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce. The LaChoy went into the garbage. I have to go to the Chinese grocery store to get it, but most regular grocery stores in the larger cities carry the Lee Kum Kee products. They are worth the little extra cash.

What you'll need:

3 cups of steamed and chilled white rice

3 T vegetable oil

1 small white onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 to 3 bok choy leaves (roughly chop the white stem part; in a separate pile, cut the leafy green part chiffonade style)

4 to 6 chicken tenders cut into bite-size pieces

10 to 12 medium/large shrimp, cleaned and rough chopped

8 oz can of pineapple chunks, drained (I cut the chunks into two pieces because I thought they were too big.)

3 T Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce

3 T soy sauce

Sesame oil - just a couple dashes

Green onion, sliced (optional)

Mix together the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and the sesame oil in a small bowl. Have all the above ready and within easy reach.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the onions and stir fry until they begin to lightly brown. Then add the garlic and the chopped bok choy stems. You want the bok choy crisp-tender, so don't overcook.

Add the chicken and cook until it begins to change color. Add the shrimp and stir fry until the shrimp are pink and cooked through. Add the rice and pineapple chunks and mix well. Pour the sauce over all and heat thoroughly. Take off the heat and stir in the leafy part of the bok choy. Garnish with sliced green onions.

Pack the leftovers for your lunch. You'll be glad you did :).

Chicken Marsala

2009-06-22T14:16:00.023-05:00

De-Lish Chicken Marsala

We love this dish. If you are a "saucy" type eater, you will want to make a recipe and a half of the sauce. You can use the cooking marsala that can be bought in the grocery store, but if you use the "real" thing, you'll never use the other again. It really does make a difference, especially in this recipe.

What you'll need:

1/2 cup flour

boneless/skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenders, pounded thin and seasoned

1 T olive oil

4 T butter

1 small container of sliced button mushrooms

3/4 cup marsala wine

1 cup chicken broth

cooked pasta of choice

chopped parsley for garnish

Place the 1 tablespoon of olive oil and one tablespoon of the butter into a large skillet and heat to medium-high. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour and cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. You may have to do this in batches, depending on how many chicken pieces you are using. Set these to the side.

Add 1 tablespoon of the butter into the hot skillet and saute the mushrooms until tender and lightly browned. Add the marsala and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the wine has reduced by half. Add the chicken broth and continue to cook until the sauce has slightly thickened. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the remaining two tablespoons of the butter.

To serve, place the pasta (just plain ol' spaghetti is great) on the plate, top with the chicken, and pour the sauce over all. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Mediterranean Pizza

2009-06-21T14:20:00.013-05:00

Thin & Crispy Crust - Loaded with Goodies

I love the Mediterranean Pizza at Schlotzsky's, so I decided to try my hand at duplicating it at home. Never, ever have I been able to produce a thin and crispy crust for pizza until I discovered this recipe for the dough. It is simple enough, can be made ahead, and has terrific flavor. What more can you ask for?

Mix together in a large bowl:
1 3/8 cup (11 ounces) of lukewarm water
3/4 T granulated yeast
3/4 T salt
1/2 T sugar
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

Add:
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Mix well and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let this sit on the counter for two hours. After it rises, you will have something that looks like this:

Refrigerate the dough overnight. When you are ready to make the pizza, preheat the oven to 400, flour some waxed paper and roll 1/2 of the dough to the thickness that you like. We like ours very thin and crispy, so I had to roll, let it relax, and then come back and roll some more . If your dough rolling skills are not so great (like mine :)), you will probably come out with an oblong sheet of dough. I just placed a large dinner plate in the center of the dough and used a pizza cutter to cut out a perfect circle for a medium-sized pizza. I trimmed up the two oblong pieces which were left on each side to save for smaller lunch-sized pizzas. You can save the other half of the dough for something else or make two medium pizzas.

Once the dough is ready, brush off the excess flour and then take a fork and prick the dough all over to prevent bubbles as it cooks. Brush the dough with olive oil and bake just until it begins to firm up. You want it firm enough so that you can place it directly on the oven rack without using a pan, but not fully cooked.

Top the pizza with your choice of toppings, starting with a light all-over spread of pesto. I started with the toppings that Schlotzsky's uses and added some of my own favorites. Artichoke hearts were a must because I absolutely adore them, and Schlotzsky's would probably put them on their pizzas too if they weren't so expensive :).

Some suggested toppings:

pesto sauce (store bought or homemade)
mozarella cheese
fresh tomatoes
red onions
artichoke hearts
sauteed fresh mushrooms
black olives
feta cheese

Drizzle evoo over the toppings and place the pizza directly on the oven rack (no pan) and bake a little longer. If you have rolled the dough pretty thin, it won't take long--at all. You'll just have to watch it closely.

Into the oven:

Shrimp Salad

2009-06-20T11:35:00.008-05:00

A Cool & Refreshing Summer Dinner

This is one of our favorite salads, and I don't know why we don't make it more often. It's super simple, can be made ahead, and can be a pretty healthy meal if you use reduced fat mayonnaise.

What you'll need:

1 lb of shrimp boiled in Old Bay, shelled, rough chopped, and cooled

1 cup of celery, medium chopped

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1/4 cup salad olives with pimientos, chopped

2 T red onion, minced

The dressing for this is a basic Louis dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise

2 T chili sauce

1 T ketchup

1 T worcestershire sauce

1 T A-1 steak sauce

lemon juice to taste

garnish - chopped green onions

Mix the shrimp, celery, eggs, olives, and onions together. In a separate bowl, mix the ingredients for the dressing. Add the dressing to the shrimp mixture and chill thoroughly. You can use as much or as little of the dressing as you like.

To serve, spoon the shrimp salad onto a bed of greens. This is great served with a side of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and a quartered hard-boiled egg.

Broccoli Bites

2009-06-14T15:06:00.012-05:00

Little Bites of Cheesy Goodness

These are great straight out of the oven or at room temperature. You can use them for a buffet, for a dinner side (cut into larger pieces), or ........ if you're trying to disguise vegetables with cheese **grin**, you can use these to entice a finicky kid to eat greenery/green stuff/aka broccoli.

What you'll need:

20 oz frozen, chopped broccoli

3 eggs

1 c milk

1 c flour

1 t baking powder

1 t salt

1 lb shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 c chopped onion

Thaw the broccoli and pat dry. Mix the egg and milk together. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add the broccoli, cheese, and onion. Pour into a greased 13x9 baking dish.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes.

If you are cooking these for a buffet, they would look really pretty cooked in the small muffin tins. They are a little hard to cut "perfectly" when cooked in a casserole dish. But hey, they sure taste good, and that's what counts :) .

Pasta Salad

2009-06-13T08:21:00.009-05:00

Wacky Mac Salad - A Real Summer Treat

Pasta salad really hits the spot when you're looking for a great lunch or dinner on a hot summer day. Vine-ripened tomatoes, freshly picked cucumbers, and fresh broccoli combine with the veggie pasta spirals and turkey to make this dish hearty enough to satisfyy without weighing you down. Here's how I like to make this salad, but you can add your favorite veggies or leave out any of the ingredients that you don't care for. The dressing is what really takes this salad over the top. It's not too tangy, and it's not too sweet. We think it's.........just right!

For the salad:

12 oz Wacky Mac (veggie spirals)
broccoli florets
chopped cucumber
halved cherry or grape tomatoes
chopped red onion
salad olives
cubed turkey
cubed smoked cheddar cheese
baby spinach

For the dressing, combine all the below ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously until blended.

1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 T prepared mustard
1 t celery seeds
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. During the last minute of cooking, drop the broccoli florets into the pasta water. Drain the pasta/broccoli and put into the refrigerator to cool. When cool, add the remaining salad ingredients (except the spinach) and mix together. Pour the dressing over the salad and refrigerate.

When ready to serve, line plates with the baby spinach and spoon the Wacky Mac salad over the top.

Disaster Strikes

2009-06-07T17:51:00.013-05:00

Ice Cream Sandwiches made with Dutch Chocolate Ice Cream and Pizelles

This seemed like something easy enough to do. Sunday afternoon, both of us in the kitchen, we should be able to knock out some really good ice cream sandwiches--NOT!

Things started out alright. Used the "boat motor" to beat the heavy cream until it began to thicken:

Lookin' Good, Lookin' Good......................

Added the confectioner's sugar, flour, salt, and vanilla:

Still Lookin' Good, and Tastin' Really, Really Good

We had to taste this dough several times before we both decicded that it was really, really ready for the pizelle iron. :) Yum We pre-heated, used a little vegetable oil, and put a rounded tablespoon of the dough onto the waffle iron:

Disaster.........I Mean Really Disaster

Not Pretty At All

We did taste it though, and it was surprisingly good. What we pulled off was light and crispy like a pizelle should be. Do you see my little rack below? I was fully prepared to cool off those beautiful pizelles that I had envisioned us making.

After some re-grouping (letting the dough rest for a while and adding some flour to tighten the dough), we did produce some edible pizelles. They were certainly not the beautiful pizelles that were dancing around in my head when we first started this. And they were certainly not the pizelles that I envisioned using for my ice cream sandwiches. But, some of them turned out OK. I stuffed them with the ice cream discs that I had prepared, and we became the proud owners of some pretty pitiful ice cream sandwiches. :(

Needless to say, we will never use that recipe again. Ask me where I got the recipe..........go ahead, just ask..........a Rival cookbook that came with our 20 year old waffle iron. Tsk tsk, I should have known better. Oh well, things in the kitchen don't always go as planned. :(

Creamy Chicken Spaghetti

2009-06-06T11:59:00.023-05:00

Great Casserole for a Crowd or a Couple

In Texas we regularly have lots of "dinners" to raise money for different groups/clubs. If men are cooking, you can count on a bar-b-que or fish fry; however, if women are in the kitchen, you can bet that chicken spaghetti will be on the menu. It's a very inexpensive entree that is easy to double or quadruple, and all it needs is a little salad and bread to be a complete and satisfying meal.

My recipe comes from experimenting with many different recipes over the years. It has evolved to the point that I'm not even sure any more if it's chicken spaghetti or chicken tetrazzini. I do know this recipe is a pleaser. I make one recipe, divide it into two casseroles, and freeze one for later. I have, however, been on the assembly line turning out 10 to 12 huge aluminum pans of this creamy concoction.

What you'll need:

1/2 of a whole chicken
2 top pieces of celery stalk with leaves
salt and pepper
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Ro-tel
5 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
1/2 lb spaghetti

Place the chicken in a large pot. Add enought water to just barely cover the chicken. Add the celery stalk pieces, and salt/pepper to taste. Simmer this over a very low heat until the chicken is fully cooked.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and celery and saute over medium heat until both are tender. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the two cans of soup and the Ro-tel. Mix thoroughly and heat until blended. Add the Velveeta and continue to cook over low heat until melted.

Remove the chicken from the pot (saving the broth), de-bone, and set aside. Add the spaghetti to the broth and cook until al dente.

Place the spaghetti in a 13 x 9 greased casserole dish or two smaller casserole dishes. Spread the chicken evenly over the spaghetti. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the soup/ro-tel/cheese mixture evenly over the chicken/spaghetti. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of the chicken broth over the casserole. Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.