GRANNY'S TASTIES

PLEASE READ THIS

2008-06-21T13:41:00.007-06:00

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If you have come to my site here sometime in July and if this blog has no postings for awhile, it is because I am unable to publish at this site. I am lucky to have been able to post this today.
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This is due to changing my sign-in name and password AND therefore cannot get into my blog. If this happens it will be rather obvious and an unfortunate happening for me. Hopefully I can get back in and continue posting to my blog.
For now I can give you the LENS where I will post the NEW ADDRESS which is http://www.squidoo.com/coastingalong
OR you can contact me at coastingalong@ezanga.com with Granny's Tasties in SUBJECT.

Shrimp Season is now open on the Gulf Coast

2008-06-17T20:11:00.002-06:00

I am certainly looking forward to this summer with the shrimp season opening. I understand they will be pricey due to the increase of cost of fuel but the shrimp will still be a great item for summer salads, cold shrimp, fried shrimp and casseroles. I found something interesting on how to prepare the jumbo shrimp over at SEASONED WITH ABANDON. The recipe suggests cooking the shrimp in less time so as not to become tough and then stuffing the shrimp using crab meat. Here is the recipe:

Crab-Stuffed Shrimp
Serve 4 shrimp as an entree, or 1-2 as an appetizer.
For stuffing
1 cup chopped mushrooms (about 1/4 pound)
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
1/8 cup minced ham or prosciutto
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup white wine
24 Ritz crackers, crushed into coarse crumbs
For Shrimp:
16 jumbo shrimp (about 2 pounds), shelled
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley leaves
Accompaniment: lemon wedges
Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter a large baking dish.
Make stuffing:In a large heavy skillet cook mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and parsley in butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and liquid mushrooms gives off is evaporated. Add ham and crabmeat and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, 3 minutes. Stir in broth, wine, parmesan and cracker crumbs and remove skillet from heat. Mixture should be fairly moist.
Butterfly shrimp by cutting lengthwise along inside curve, almost completely through. Split open shrimp and devein. Mound about 2 tablespoons stuffing onto each shrimp, pressing gently, and put shrimp, stuffed sides up, in baking dish. Melt butter and drizzle over shrimp. Add a small amount of wine or broth to the pan. Sprinkle shrimp with paprika and bake 20 minutes, or until stuffing is golden.
Garnish shrimp with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
This is fantastic and will make a great meal along with salad and maybe a baked potato. What I like about it is there is no rich cream sauce and it is baked versus a fried shrimp platter.
Here is an idea for using summer squash in a casserole. I cannot find where it was posted but here is the recipe without any quantities.
My mom slices the yellow squash, puts sliced fresh tomatoes on top, and then sliced sharp cheddar cheese slices on top of that. Bake till veggies are tender. I'm sure you could use different cheese, too, but there's just something about cheddar cheese and tomatoes. Can't get much easier than this. I definitely want to make this even if in a small quantity.

To All Cookbook Collectors

2008-06-09T18:35:00.007-06:00

Here is something you may just like to have if you collect cookbooks or really use it for all your books. It is a software where you catalog all your books. Really fascinating. It is called http://www.bolidesoft.com/allmybooks.html "ALL MY BOOKS". A must-have program for every book collector and book lover! Get your book collection organized! This was taken from the website where you can download it today--FREE. YEAH!!! Just think, you can put all your cookbooks into this file on your computer. Best part here is that you can use the internet to get all the info on a cookbook and store it there for future viewing. I know, why do you want all this on your computer. Well why not. If someone needs to know what cookbooks you have, all the information is already available and you can send your friends an email description. Anyway I have been playing with this today since I downloaded it and it is great. Course you can
also use this software to list all your other books as well. I normally do not talk much about software and computers but this is too good to pass up being that it is FREE. I hope you were able to download it.
Come over and visit my NEW FOOD LENS called "Cooking to Satisfy your Taste" . I decided to set up my food blog in another way for other foodies to visit, so I decided on Squidoo. It was fun setting it up and I tried to separate things in certain modules showing my favorite sites, cookbooks and other sources. Eventually I will add recipes and tips and ideas. Leave a comment, if you wish, as I am always open for suggestions or maybe there is something you would like to see there.

Enjoy Your Memorial Weekend!

2008-05-25T12:42:00.003-06:00

With all the hoopla of parades, bands and cooking out, my town is having a concert in the park. Great idea to listen to some music while munching on some great food from the grill. Oh yeah, there always is a food stand where you can buy what you want but food from home sure tastes better.
What better way than to have a Twinkie or cupcake from Hostess. I found a way to make my own Twinkies over at "Top Secret Recipes" by Todd Wilbur. This is a how-to video for you to follow which is quite easy. I know it is so much easier to pick up a pack at the grocery store for your picnic. So try this some time soon. I read about even having a fried Twinkie but have not gone that far yet. But I did find a recipe for fried cheesecake bites at Chefsline.com that I sure want to try.
How about freezing green onions or fresh grown herbs? I happened upon Lunchinabox blog by Biggie where she described how to do this using empty water bottles. So simple but makes sense. Now as she says there is a time limit to keeping these items in the freezer. Sooo, it sure beats throwing this out and having them available, pronto.

Finger Licking Good

2008-05-18T18:19:00.003-06:00

I have been all over the cooking blogs today and found some great recipes. For starters go to The PioneerWoman for some down home, finger-licking recipes. Carrot cake, oatmeal crispies, apple dumplings and fried onion strings. The latter, onion strings, I made a batch yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed them along with my hamburger sandwich. Now that I think about it, I should have put some on my hamburger. Duh! Here is the place for the PW's Fried OnionStrings recipe. Here is the site to pick up alot of her recipes. BTW, she also has a great blog for every day. Atta-a-girl.
Get a free book FROM BARILLA PASTA for 2 UPCS. I use alot of pasta so this is not too hard for me to come up with the UPCS. To redeem your free book, simply mail in two valid Barilla Piccolini UPCs with your name, phone number, email address and mailing address to: Barilla Book Offer,
557 Broadway, P.O. Box 711, New York, NY 10012.
Cookware with graduation and wedding season upon us. Retailers will be cooking up some enticing promotions. Even if you're not in the market for a graduation or nuptial gift, you can get your hands on some brand new kitchen goods, which will come in handy for all that summer entertaining. Here are two places that are offering some good deals:
- Save 40% instantly on kitchen & home from CircuitCity.com
- Special offers on small appliances from BestBuy.com

Happy Mother's Day to All

2008-05-09T10:20:00.003-06:00

This is the REALLY BIG weekend to celebrate your Mom. Everyone has a reason and mine is as follows: Thanks Mom for how to cope with all the tricks of life that can come along. You were a good example to follow. I have learned to live my life each day as it comes.
Many of the cooking blogs/sites are giving ideas for what to do/give on Mother's Day. Whatever you decide to do, Mom will appreciate the thought. The best gift for me was to go out to eat being as I cooked for 6 people each and everyday. This was a great treat to be waited upon especially for a meal I would not normally prepare. I usually got to choose where to go, as well.
I came across a new cooking blog today at "Cooking Light" called "OUR TABLE". Lots of interesting foods to peruse thru. What I like about the magazine itself, is that there is a different take on cooking more healthy meals. Cooking for 2 makes a big difference as well. On the home page for "Cooking Light" look for the ad for 2 free issues(down at the bottom of page.) If you wish you can always cancel later on. I find getting magazines this way, gives me a chance to decide if I want to subscribe to them.
I just finished baking a 'lemon pound cake' in a loaf pan from "Taste of Home". Strawberries are available again, so I planned the baking in time.
Ingredients: Loaf Lemon Pound Cake
· 2/3 cup butter-flavored shortening
· 1-1/4 cups sugar
· 2 tablespoons lemon juice
· 1 teaspoon lemon extract
· 2/3 cup milk or 1/2 c yogurt
· 2-1/4 cups cake flour *
· 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
· 1 teaspoon baking powder
· 3 eggs
· Confectioners' sugar
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in lemon juice and extract. Add milk; beat for 30 seconds. Sift cake flour, salt and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour into a greased waxed paper-lined 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan. Bake at 300° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove waxed paper. Dust with confectioners' sugar.
* I used 1 3/4 c regular flour + 1/4 corn starch
** Have all your ingrediets measured and at room temperature.

Chicken, chicken and more chicken!

2008-05-04T18:59:00.003-06:00

Chicken seems to be quite dominant on my weekly menu lately. I like chicken, mainly the breast meat, as I find many different ways to use it. Every month there is a sale at the food markets for .99/pound which is pretty good. So I usually buy a large enough package and freeze each piece individually. Sometimes the breast is rather large, so I cook the whole piece and make two meals out of it. Here is a list of meals I have made--baked as is, chicken tenders, chicken pot pie, chicken sweet and sour with rice, chicken parmesan with spaghetti and chicken nuggets. I know there are lots more but these are pretty much it. When I go out to eat, I notice I look for anything but chicken cuz I do pretty good on that at home. With the price of food going out of site, I am glad I like my own cooking. Also look at what the whole chicken can offer such as the legs and thighs as well. The thigh meat can be used for chicken pot pie or chicken salad. The legs are the legs. Not much to change there and who doesn't go for only chicken legs, breaded and baked. You may have noticed I don't mention fried chicken. True, southern fried chicken is terrific but how about all the fat. I, for one, stay away from it as far as cooking it. So all in all, chicken and all its parts can make for many different meals for one person or a family. Try some variety in your chicken meals and your family may just like it. Two sites that have some great recipes are GROUP RECIPES.COM and EONS-COOKING FOR ONE/TWO(links are to the left.)
Also, try some fish now and then. Broiled or baked filets are great with a salad and baked potato. I may have mentioned that catfish filets are our local venue. True they are not as reasonable as chicken but oh so tasty. This is one item I like to order in a restaurant. I am looking forward to us getting fresh fish markets in operation again where the fish is fresh off the boat.
Now that summer is here and fresh vegetables will be available, try cooking at home more often.

Cookbooks to check out

2008-04-22T08:23:00.005-06:00

I feel sure many of you have cookbooks you love to look thru for a certain recipe. Or you may have cookbooks you thought you just had to have and still have not opened. I usually order a cookbook cuz I like the way the author cooks. One thing I like to do is copy out special recipes and save them to my own special cookbook.
Here are two new cookbooks I would like to bring to your attention. "Eating-Well-Healthy-Heart-Cookbook" by Philip Ades offers great recipes to help us out to eat better when it comes to our heart. No fast food stuff but good tasting and healthy. On April 29th this book--The-Oprah-Magazine-Cookbook-2008 will be available. These recipes are from O magazine showcasing great chefs who submitted their ideas to her magazine. In the event you don't get her magazine, here is a chance to get those recipes from great chefs all in one book.
Here is a tip I picked up at the food blog--Lunch in a Box . Look for April 15th and how to freeze meats. When I get ground meat I like to separate it into patties for future use. The idea here is to open and place the packaged meat into a baggie; flatten it out to about a 1/2 inch. Now take a long chop stick or ruler and "rule" out the portions. Close the baggie and freeze. This makes for taking individual portions out when needed as it should break off easily. Whether for hamburgers or chili or spaghetti, you now can take out just what you need. Can't get much easier! Try it and see how it works.

Ever had a shrimp po-boy!

2008-04-20T18:57:00.004-06:00

Looks like I am slacking off some. Could be the weather being that it is so nice, I have been outside just enjoying. I have been crusing the area for new places to eat and what is on their menu. The menus vary with the restaurant but mostly the seafood is really great. Our waters were rather stirred up since Katrina and the oyster beds are being restocked and the catfish look really good. The biggest problem is where to find fresh seafood as so many of the places were wiped out. Anyway I got a great shrimp po-boy yesterday with the biggest shrimp going. If you don't know what a po-boy is, here goes.
A good roll or french bread loaf
Freshly fried breaded shrimp
lettuce and tomato
mayo (mainly)
Mayo the bread and place lettuce and tomato on it. Place lots of fried shrimp on top of this and top it with more bread. Some folks press the bread with all the goodies(like a panini) which makes the bread nice and crispy. This definitely is a great way to eat shrimp or any other seafood or meat as well.
Living on the coast seafood is plentiful but what is better is to get it fresh off the boat. In June the shrimp season opens and there are so many dishes that can be made. The shrimp can be just cooked and eaten with cocktail sauce, deep fried shrimp, shrimp salad and casseroles as well. Besides shrimp, I feel catfish comes in second followed by bait and hook fish--flounder, red fish and snapper. Not to leave out blue crab for crab cakes. So with seafood so plentiful, I love to search out new restaurants to see what their ideas may be.

Carrot cake or cupcakes

2008-04-07T10:16:00.006-06:00

How do you feel about carrots? Maybe take them or leave it alone!!!! Well it seems baking carrot cake or cupcakes is the online "in thing" for baking. Numerous sites are touting using carrots, so I figured I may just as well join in. I have just recently taken to eating the baby carrots with a meal but now I am into using them in baking.
My favorite is the carrot cake but not so much the three layer one as it is just too much cake for me. I went to visit Martha's site and found a great recipe for cupcakes that I turned around and make a 8 X 8 one layer. Yep, even spread the cream cheese frosting which really makes it all the better. Here are the ingredients and go over to her site and get the how-to which is just combining the ingredients and baking at 350º.
Martha Stewart's Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes or 8 x 8 pan
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled) 1 1/2 cups FINELY shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup shredded coconut, plus more for garnish
8 ounces bar cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
So I now have a great recipe to take care of carrot cake. A much bigger sheet cake is here beetgoeson.blogspot.com/2008/03/grin-and-carrot.html. Lots of other carrot cake recipes at Group Recipes.
If you would like to read more about carrot cake and its origin, I found a wealth of information at FoodTimeLine by Lynne Olver (IACP & ALA), editor.

Pound cake is anytime!

2008-03-24T10:07:00.004-06:00

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend. I know this is late but I am going to do it anyway. Mainly because I love pound cake and all that you can do with it.
Before I get into the recipes I want to share with you some ideas about making a pound cake. This came off of Saveur.com which I seem to be going to quite often lately.
Here is a list of things to do when making a pound cake.
1. Use only a standing electric mixer.
2. All ingredients must be a room temperature.
3. Use only US Grade AA butter.
4. No substitutions--no margarine, no skim milk and use regular flour.
5. Prep ingredients in advance. Sift flour, bp and salt at least 3 times. Measure the sugar in another bowl.
6. Blend flavoring into the milk in a glass.
7. Keep eggs next to mixer for easier access.
8. Cream butter and sugar at med-low speed. Take care not to overbeat.
9. Be certain pan is of a light color inside.
10. Never bake a pound cake longer than 1 1/4 hours @ 325º.
11. Let cake cool for at least 30 minutes in the pan.
12. Never store cake in the refrig. It will keep for a week.
This is my favorite recipe--Yellow Vanilla Pound Cake. The secrets of a successful pound cake, by renowned Southern cook Edna Lewis @Saveur.com.
Here is a list of other type pound cakes.
Lemon Loaf Pound Cake
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Golden-Lemon-Pound-Cake
Sour Cream Pound Cake
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Sour-Cream-Pound-Cake
Certainly one of these should touch your fancy. Strawberries are in right now, so go for fresh strawberries on top of pound cake for dessert.

St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-06T09:56:00.003-06:00

It is time to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. It doesn't matter if you are Irish or not cuz the meal is what counts. True, you do need to like corned beef but I also like the leftovers. Anyway I toodled around and found a classic recipe by Diana Rattray @ About.com
that takes care of the cooking part.

Corned beef dinner with rutabagas, carrots, onions, potatoes, and cabbage.
INGREDIENTS:
1 corned beef brisket, about 4 pounds 1 small bay leaf
6 peppercorns
2 to 3 rutabagas, cut in chunks
1 pound carrots, 8 to 10, trimmed, scraped, and left whole
12 small whole onions, peeled
6 medium potatoes, peeled
1 medium head of cabbage, cut in wedges
PREPARATION:
Place meat in a deep stock pot or kettle; cover with water. Add bay leaf and peppercorns. Bring to a boil; skim off foam. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 3 hours. Add vegetables; simmer for about 45 minutes longer, or until vegetables and meat are tender. Serve corned beef surrounded with vegetables. Serves 8 to 10.

If you can find a smaller brisket, just cut this recipe in half. Enjoy the moment and then go for a Reuben sandwich with the leftovers. How much better can this get the next day!

Easter is coming up soon, so I will post my favorite pound cake. I have a recipe from my Mom as well, so I will post something. If you want, look around for a Bunny mold and fancy it up.

Today is National Banana Bread Day

2008-02-23T09:55:00.004-06:00

According to Slashfood.com, today is National Banana Bread Day. Here in the south bananas are plentiful as we get boatloads of them daily. When not so plentiful, I let them get yucky looking and stick them in the freezer for a later date. Personally I like to eat them as is, on cereal and of course, in baking. I must have a half dozen recipes that I have made and like, so I just pick one and go for it. I like to use the mini baking pans and that way I take out one little one at a time. Course this is a good way to give some away to friends who love the bread but don't do much baking. You don't have to have a holiday to share this goodie.
The one recipe I like came from Food and Wine.com sometime last fall. This was posted there by the writer but came from Beth Hensperge--PILLSBURY COOKBOOK 1998. It is just one loaf pan but you can always use the minis and spread the dough into at least 3 small ones. Anyway it is one of my favorites which I am sure you have yours as well. I looked in my files for a picture but there were none. Imagine that!
I got my copy of the Southern Living 2007 Annual Cookbook. To say the least there are many recipes to enjoy but I was really dissappointed in that the pictures were like a centerfold only. I like to see the picture on the recipe page itself which makes me inclined to make it. See for yourself. One thing I did get by ordering it was a springform cheesecake pan with a recipe book as well. Yes, yes, I am definitely going to make myself something for Easter. This is going to be one of those rich, creamy ones with a cherry topping.

Valentine's Day is coming soon

2008-02-11T12:15:00.001-06:00

Valentine's day is upon us and chocolate is upon us. This looks scrumptous and is so simple to make. They are called Chocolate Kumquat Spring Rolls and was posted Feb 9th, 2008 by Ellen Slattery at Slashfood. She in turn tells us the the recipe can be found at
Epicurious. So I will give you the ingredients and then you go check the how-to at Epicurious.
5 kumquats, cut into 1/4-inch slices and seeded, juices reserved 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon of salt
8 1/4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
Thirty-six 5-inch square spring roll wrappers
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Canola, vegetable, or other neutral oil for deep-frying
As noted, please read both articles as each has interesting info on these lucious, chocolatey items. This is a fantastic treat.
Here is a malt chocolate cupcake from Rachel Ray via Slashfood from Marisa McClellan. Rachel has her own site at Coconut&lime where she discusses and shows a picture of the cupcakes. She uses malted milk powder which gives a different taste but oooooh so good. These I am going to serve my family as a treat for Valentine's Day.
This info I found very interesting. The wierd use of foods. This covers a myriad of foods and how to use them in your daily life. Like using peanut butter to remove gum from a carpet, for example. There is a slideshow at
AOL, so I hope you can get to it. Let me know if you cannot and I will get some of the suggestions and add them to my site.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO EVERYONE!

Try some citrus desserts!

2008-01-31T09:51:00.000-06:00

I am back from a great vacation in Hawaii. That is Honolulu, Oahu and Lahaina, Maui. Still in jet-lag as Sunday rolled into Tuesday in nothing flat. Everything seemed to be with pineapple and macadamia nuts so I enjoyed. I also tried fruitbread, purple sweet potato, poi and Korean noodle soup(ugh on the last two.) Finally got a grilled hamburger with some good fries at the airport that brought me back to the mainland.
Anyway today I came across a blog by Smitten Kitchen with a list of citrus desserts to link to. The list is after a colorful array of candied grapefruit peels pictures. My favorite was the lemon bars so I may try them this afternoon. I also want to try the espresso-chocolate-shortbread-cookies/ by Dorie Greenspan. I love this site as I am always surprised each time I read it.

Slow-Cooker Recipes

2008-01-14T10:49:00.000-06:00

I got an email this morning from BHG showing 2 slideshows on slow cooking recipes. With the weather changing here in the south, I am always looking for goodies for those really cold days. The first one is for soups . The other one is for dinners and desserts . Now I realize these recipes can feed a load of folks but there are some good ideas here. With the soups you can always freeze the leftovers. Right now I am defrosting some vegetable soup from the last cold snap. Stay warm.

Your Own Steak Sauce

2008-01-10T12:24:00.000-06:00

Now that the holiday recipes are over with, let's look at what we can do to improve our meals as well as our eating habits. For the latter it seems nutritionous meals are being touted by eating a balanced meal and what makes up the major food groups. That I will touch on another day.
Right now I want to share a great steak sauce by Chef John. As he says, "no more bottles, make some homemade sauce." Here is a simplified version:
· 1/2 cup cold water
· 1/4 cup raisins preferably white
· 1/2 cup aged balsamic vinegar. (aged because it tends to be a higher quality.
· 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
· 1/4 cup ketchup. (Gives us a nice color, sweetness and acidity.)
· 1/4 cup Dijon mustard. (Don't substitute or you won't get the same product.)
· a pinch of cayenne for some heat (optional)
· 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
· 1 garlic clove cut in half. Don't crush it.
Combine the Steak Sauce Ingredients
Mix and cook on low simmer heat for 15 minutes. When I say low simmer, I mean we want the bubbles just breaking the surface.
After 15 minutes, strain this through a fine mesh strainer. Squeeze out all the juice.
Let this cool completely. If you season this hot, it will taste different when it's cold.
Once it's cool, then taste for salt and pepper. So adjust for your own taste.
Serve the Steak Sauce
Visit Chef John's video to get his take on the sauce.
SpiceAdviceChart--I found a valuable chart to use when cooking with spices that you may wish to keep handy while cooking. The spices are listed with foods they would enhance. Sometimes you just need that extra "bam" for your dish and maybe you could search thru this list.
COOKING ERROR REMEDIES. How many of us have found our dish ruined by too much salt or too hightly seasoned? Here is a site that might save the day. I found some ideas here that could help me out and maybe you also.

The holiday eating is over.

2008-01-05T10:18:00.000-06:00

Well the holiday eating binge is over and I still feel stuffed yet I still reach for another ginger cookie. Not only did I make cookies, I also got them from Santa. Duh!
The picture above is something to try the next time you have mashed potatoes. Chef John at Food Wishes suggests combining potatoes with cauliflower. Makes for an interesting dish. Wander over and view his video and maybe you might want to try it.
I still keep finding good cookie recipes. This one is called
Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread Logs. It is found at About.com in their cookie section. I like shortbread as is but dipped in chocolate just makes it better. Really any cookie is good dipped in chocolate. Right! It really is a simple cookie that can go well with a hot cup of tea on those really cold days.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2008

2007-12-26T12:50:00.001-06:00

The really big day is over and our bodies are stuffed with all the goodies that were available for us to devour. I said I would not look at any more cookies and there I was with my hand reaching for a crescent cookie for breakfast. I started out at one house for seafood gumbo which is a tradition here in the south. It was so fine but I still had another meal ahead of me. Being as I was invited for a fantastic prime rib dinner, I have no leftovers to contend with. This is when the question for many may arise as what to make with all the ham, turkey or some other main dish. My suggestion is to go for a casserole or pot pie or maybe use ham with potatoes au gratin(my favorite). One good thing is you can put the dish in the oven and go take a quick nap while it cooks. If you don't have to go near a mall, you will avoid the masses. Any bargains available will still be there for a few more days.
Anyway I want to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year 2008. I have many, many new recipes I have gathered over the year that I am looking forward to some new meals. Hopefully you will find something here that will perk you up.

Cookies to die for!

2007-12-16T16:11:00.000-06:00

I have spent a good deal of time finding cookie recipes this week all over the net sometimes where I least expected. It was fun being as this is the week to get my cookie tray ready for the holidays. Epicurious has a great list of what their chefs picked as favorites. They had quite a list to choose from like chocolate-chip peppermint cookies and pecan sandies. Check it out! Food and Wine came up with some sugar cookie variations. Check out this too. Double-ginger cookies is one that tempted me even tho all of them did. My list of which ones to make is getting too long so I must make a choice today.

Anyway here is a recipe for chocolate-cashew toffee from Gourmet. This I have to make as it has chocolate and cashews. Oh my!

CHOCOLATE-CASHEW TOFFEE
Servings: Makes about 1 1/2 pounds.
subscribe to Gourmet
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped roasted and salted cashews
Preparation
In a heavy 2-quart saucepan combine the brown sugar, the corn syrup, the butter, the vinegar, and the water, bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat, stirring and washing down any sugar crystals clinging to the side with a brush dipped in cold water, until the sugar is dissolved, and boil the syrup, undisturbed, until it is deep golden and a candy thermometer 290°F. Stir in the vanilla, pour the mixture into a buttered 13- by 9-inch metal baking pan, tilting the pan and spreading mixture with a wooden spoon, and let the toffee cool completely.
In the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water melt the chocolate chips, stirring until the chocolate is smooth, and spread the chocolate evenly over the toffee. Sprinkle the cashews evenly over the chocolate, pressing them gently into it, and chill the confection for 30 minutes, or until the chocolate is firm. With a thin knife loosen the confection from the pan and, using the knife as a lever, remove it in one piece from the pan. Cut or break the toffee into serving pieces. The toffee keeps, separated by sheets of wax paper in an airtight container lined with wax paper, in a cool dry place for 2 weeks.

This year is the most fun I have had looking at what to make for the holidays. I have looked at my usual haunts and found new ones as well. You too can get into what is online just by browsing around. Oh yeah, I have done some online shopping as well.

Holiday treats--FUDGE AND COOKIES

2007-12-11T19:07:00.000-06:00

Well with the holidays now here, I like to dig out the cookie recipes and make my picks. I do add a few new ones each year and if I like them, they get added to the file. I am looking forward to making a nice assortment to take as well as to eat right here at home. We all deserve a treat, right!
I visited MOM'S MENU site today and found some great ideas to make things easier, time wise. Here is the article that will do it-- Hassle-Free Holiday Baking: 6 Easy Days to Perfect Christmas Cookies. Each day is laid out to complete a chore leading up to the actual baking day instead of doing it all at once. So I am going to try it and enjoy the fruits of my labor.
At the same site I found my joy of joys-- FUDGE MAKING. There are recipes listed for any and all kinds of fudge. True, I can't make them all but will make the old stand-by and go with a new idea as well like peanut butter fudge.
I have found some great ideas online for new cookies but will make at least two new ones. One is a ginger cookie and also a chocolate chip toffee bar. I figure when I come to visit with a nice assortment of cookies and a batch of fudge, I should receive a nice welcome.

Fried apple rings

2007-12-09T12:55:00.000-06:00

I just love apples and applesauce but how about 'fried apples'. Cracker Barrel has some good apple slices in carmelized syrup. Sometimes I will order this with my meal instead of the veggie of the day. This recipe is as simple as it gets.
FRIED APPLE RINGS (posted on EONS)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar (BROWN OR WHITE)
1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 medium tart apple, cored(Don't pare the peel...it holds the tender cooked apple together.)
In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in sugar and lemon juice. Cut the cored apple into four rings and add to the delicious concoction in the skillet. Reduce heat to simmering point. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until apple rings are tender, turning frequently.
Have you tried the silicone bakeware for cupcakes or other baking? If so, let us know what you think of it. Well here is a site that each month offers 1 item FREE. Like I ordered the cupcake pan. Now, you do have to pay S&H which is in the range of $5.95. I figured I would try it out to the tune of s&h and that would be it. Anyway here is the site EASY BAKEWARE. Check it out.

LET' S SAY THANKS TO OUR TROOPS

2007-12-07T10:35:00.001-06:00

Lets's say thanks to all our TROOPS for what they are doing to protect our country USA. Here is the site to send a note to them. It is sponsored by Xerox who is backing this. Just click on the picture you want and then click on the message you wish to send.

Get involved. CLICK NOW. www.letssaythanks.com/ThankYou.html

Got the MUNCHIES

2007-12-01T10:02:00.000-06:00

Now that we are over turkey, it is time to look at the Christmas holidays. Maybe we need to come up with new recipes for candy, cookies or munchies. We all have our favorites I am sure. Here is one I like and the kids will enjoy it as well.

POPCORN SNACK

9 to 10 cups popcorn

1/2 package almond bark

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies

1/2 cup peanuts

Melt the almond bark and peanut butter together in the microwave. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir altogether. Spread out on wax paper until cool. Break into pieces and

store in air tight container or zip loc bags.

You can add m&m's or lots of other stuff that the kids might enjoy. Just keep it simple.

Chocolate is all over and especially the dark stuff. I made truffles the other day that are just so simple but very rich. This IS a holiday special. This is a recipe from Chef John from FOOD WISHES.

CHOCOLATE MINT TRUFFLES BY CHEF JOHN
1 # DARK CHOCOLATE
1 CUP CREAM
1 TSP PEPPERMINT EXTRACT or whatever you wish
COCOA OR COCONUT

1. Break chocolate into small pieces(1/4 to 1/2 inch)
2. Put cream in cooking pot and bring to boil. Be sure to watch as it will boil over.
3. Pour over chocolate and cook for 1 minute.
4. Slowly stir in center until chocolate is all melted.
5. Scrape sides to get all mixed together.
6. Cover with saran wrap and chill for 1 hour.
7. Use melon ball to scoop up truffle and roll in cocoa.
8. Done

Note:Chocolate can be rolled in sprinkles or chopped nuts as well.

Anything made with chocolate, especially dark, is always a delight for me.

SAVEUR Thanksgiving

2007-11-20T10:45:00.000-06:00

I went to one of my favorite sites--SAVEUR MAGAZINE-- to see what they had "cooked" up for Thanksgiving. Here is their menu for the holiday:
Stuffed Mushrooms
Thanksgiving Roast Turkey with Corn Bread Dressing
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Pecans
Turnip Soufflé
Thanksgiving Twofer Pie
This Twofer Pie intrigued me so I had to check it out. Maybe you might want to do the same. As described, this two-for-one pie bakes two favorites(pumpkin and pecan) into one delicious combo. This recipe is an adaptation of one in Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (Houghton Mifflin, 2006).
Thanksgiving Twofer Pie MAKES 1 9" PIE
You can view the entire recipe HERE. However here is the last paragraph for the recipe that might get your mouth watering for such a combination.
5. To assemble: Give the pumpkin filling one last quick pulse, then remove bowl, rap it on counter to debubble batter, and pour filling into crust. Top pumpkin filling evenly with pecans, then pour over pecan filling. Poke down any pecans that float to the top and aren't covered with filling. Bake pie for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300° and bake for another 35–40 minutes, or until it is evenly puffed and a slender knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pie to a cooling rack and let it stand until it is just warm or until it reaches room temperature.
As I mentioned that with Thanksgiving there are gobs of sites tauting the how-tos of making a great meal. I found that SAVEUR had a well rounded list of dishes to offer so just click HERE to see what amazing dishes are available including what is in their menu. You will not be dissappointed. BTW I have no connection with Saveur, I just like the magazine and the site.
Well that should cover Thanksgiving for now. I figure I have covered all there is on the meal and now I will enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from my coast to yours, Coasting Granny.

New ideas for using wontons

2007-11-18T14:49:00.000-06:00

I made my egg rolls yesterday and today I found 2 interesting recipes for using wonton wrappers. The Toll House Tarts were good and I would imagine the Quiche should be equally good.
I know potstickers and dumplings use the wonton. I am sure there are many other ways to use wonton wrappers. So if you have an idea for us, please send it in my comments.
******************************
Toll House Pie Tarts Makes 12 Tarts
(Based on the traditional Toll House Pie recipe from Nestle)
1 large egg
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts
24 wonton wrappers
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Layer two wontons into each muffin cup.
Beat egg in large mixer bowl on high speed until foamy.Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Using an ice cream scoop, spoon one scoop of the mixtureinto each wonton cup.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes and cool before attempting to remove tarts from the muffin tin.
Recipe from http://erincooks.com/
****************************
Recipe: Mini Quiches Servings: 4

12 Azumaya Square Wraps or Nasoya Wonton Wrappers
1/2 C shredded Swiss or jack cheese (dairy or soy cheese)
2 T bacon bits (optional)
2 T chopped green onion
2 large eggs
1/3 C half & half Salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray muffin tin with non- stick cooking spray. Press wraps into each space. Fill evenly with cheese, bacon bits and green onion.Beat half & half with eggs, and then pour over cheese, bacon bits and green onion mixture. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe from Nasoya Wonton Wrappers site

Thanksgiving is coming

2007-11-15T10:56:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving is almost upon us and I have been perusing the web for ideas for cooking recipes both old and new. At Campbells.com they have some great ideas for side dishes. One in particular is for the annual green bean casserole which I dearly love and make every year. This has a few variations, so here it is.
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or 25% Less Sodium)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. soy sauce
Dash ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions
Directions:
MIX soup, milk, soy, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in 1 1/2-qt. casserole.
BAKE at 350°F. for 25 min. or until hot.
STIR . Sprinkle with remaining onions. Bake 5 min.
Serves 6
HINTS:
For a change of pace, substitute 4 cups cooked broccoli flowerets for the green beans.
For a creative twist, stir in 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese with soup. Omit soy sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup additional Cheddar cheese when adding the remaining onions.
For a heartier mushroom flavor, substitute Campbell's® Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup for Cream of Mushroom Soup. Omit soy sauce.
For those of us who are cooking for 1or2 here are some ideas to make your meal as enjoyable whether a large crowd or not.
1. Buy either a turkey leg, thigh, or breast - which ever meat you prefer the best and cook in the crockpot. The meat is nice and juicy and tender.
2. I like cornbread stuffing with my turkey. I usually just buy the Stove Top kind and add sauted onions & celery to it. Put in small casserole dish and bake. (For 1 or 2 just make half the box)
3. Small can of Bush's baked beans, add some bacon and onions to this, put in small casserole dish and bake.
4. Mashed potatoes - boil 1 potato, mash up with some butter and cream. (or the lazy way and make some instant potatoes)
5. Either make some homemade gravy or buy a jar of gravy to pour over those potatoes and drizzle on the turkey.
6. Frozen vegetables - I usually have several kinds on hand. Microwave a serving of your favorite kind, say broccoli or cauliflower & melt some cheese on it to make it extra special for the day.
7. Make a salad - lots of good salad recipes on the recipe index.
8. Buy a couple fresh dinner rolls from your local bakery.
9. Dessert - most deli's or grocery stores have individual pieces of pies, cakes, cheesecakes. Buy your favorite kind & don't forget the cool whip.
10. Just about forgot the cranberries. If you like the fresh ones, cook up just part of the bag, they are really easy to make just follow the directions on the bag. Or buy a can of the cranberry sauce.

Thanksgiving is almost here

2007-11-15T10:17:00.000-06:00

Looks like Thanksgiving is almost upon us. So I have been perusing the web for recipes, old and new. I like this dish and may just have to make it for myself. At Campbells.com I found the great green bean casserole with a few suggestions. If you go to www. campbells.com you will forward to see the green bean recipe. Here is their recipe.
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or 25% Less Sodium)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. soy sauce
Dash ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans 1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions
Directions:
MIX soup, milk, soy, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in 1 1/2-qt. casserole.
BAKE at 350°F. for 25 min. or until hot.
STIR . Sprinkle with remaining onions. Bake 5 min.
Serves 6
HINTS:
For a change of pace, substitute 4 cups cooked broccoli flowerets for the green beans.
For a creative twist, stir in 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese with soup. Omit soy sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup additional Cheddar cheese when adding the remaining onions.
For a heartier mushroom flavor, substitute Campbell's® Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup for Cream of Mushroom Soup. Omit soy sauce.
There are alot of other ideas for side dishes and variations to make a change up this year. Try it out.
Many of us may be cooking for 1/2 folks rather than a large crowd. So here are some ideas to make your meal enjoyable even if not so big. This was posted at EONS.com by Rita.
1. Buy either a turkey leg, thigh, or breast - which ever meat you prefer the best and cook in the crockpot. The meat is nice and juicy and tender.
2. I like cornbread stuffing with my turkey. I usually just buy the Stove Top kind and add sauted onions & celery to it. Put in small casserole dish and bake. (For 1 or 2 just make half the box)
3. Small can of Bush's baked beans, add some bacon and onions to this, put in small casserole dish and bake.
4. Mashed potatoes - boil 1 potato, mash up with some butter and cream. (or the lazy way and make some instant potatoes)
5. Either make some homemade gravy or buy a jar of gravy to pour over those potatoes and drizzle on the turkey.
6. Frozen vegetables - I usually have several kinds on hand. Microwave a serving of your favorite kind, say broccoli or cauliflower & melt some cheese on it to make it extra special for the day.
7. Make a salad - lots of good salad recipes on the recipe index.
8. Buy a couple fresh dinner rolls from your local bakery.
9. Dessert - most deli's or grocery stores have individual pieces of pies, cakes, cheesecakes. Buy your favorite kind & don't forget the cool whip.
10. Just about forgot the cranberries. If you like the fresh ones, cook up just part of the bag, they are really easy to make just follow the directions on the bag. Or buy a can of the cranberry sauce.

Food Videos

2007-11-07T20:04:00.000-06:00

I found a few sites for food videos. I like to watch these as recipes are being prepared in case there are some extra thoughts the chef wants to add that are not in the recipe. You do get the recipe along with the video so you don't have to write real fast to keep up with the chef. Plan to spend some time if you go to these sites as they are fun and food interesting. Here are the 2 places I enjoyed. My favorite chef--Chef John --puts some of his videos at
http://ifoods.tv/site/browse-recipes.jsp. The other site is http://www.imcooked.com/. Check them out and have fun.
Have you ever wondered how to make Chicken Nuggets? Well I have a recipe for you from FORFOOD by myamii. You may want to cut the recipe in half as it makes alot of nuggets.
Ingredients:2 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts (that’s 4 breast fillets)
1 teaspoon of Salt
1/2 teaspoon of Parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon of Oregano
1/4 teaspoon of Onion powder
1/4 teaspoon of Pepper
2 Eggs, beaten
1 Cup of Flour
about 1.5 Cups of Oil for frying (I used Sunflower seed oil)
1.Heat oil in a heavy-duty skillet (like a cast iron skillet) on medium-high heat while preparing the chicken nuggets
2.Cube chicken and place in a food processor. Blend chicken until it has all been taken apart and is a fine paste.
3.Remove to a bowl and add salt, parsley, oregano, onion powder, and pepper, and combine well.
4.Pour out flour on a plate and have your beaten eggs in a small bowl ready to work with.
5.Roll the chicken paste mixture into 34 ping-pong ball-sized balls (smaller than a golf ball). Then roll a “chicken ball” in flour, then in egg, and then in flour again.
6.Then, press the ball down to make a nugget. Set nuggets aside.
7.Sprinkle the hot oil with some flour and if it bubbles really quickly right away, your oil is ready for frying. Place as many nuggets as possible in the oil, and fry until the bottoms are golden, turn and fry until the other side is golden. Will take about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove to a towel-lined plate (to catch any excess oil).
Note: Taste after making one batch and make changes if needed.
Enjoy with dipping sauce or bbq sauce and fries.
I am in the process of gathering Christmas magazines for new recipes this year for different cookies. If you have a recipe to pass on, just send it on in comments.

NATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY--OCTOBER 28

2007-10-30T16:02:00.001-06:00

I thought this an appropriate picture versus all the others depicting chocolate. This way you can even use this in your email messages, etc.

Anyway I came across an article by Bob Sassone of Slashfood.com celebrating National Chocolate Day on October 28, 2007. In his article he mentioned a recipe for QUADRUPLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES which certainly peaked my interest. I continued to search further only to find more info at Food and Wine.com. I could not imagine such a recipe and I proceeded to read it. Here is how F&W describes the creator(Michael Recchiuti) and the recipe is there as well.

QUADRUPLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
MAKES 4 DOZEN 2-INCH BROWNIES
Inspired by aromatic spices like sesame and pink peppercorn, and herbs like tarragon, San Francisco chocolatier Michael Recchiuti of Recchiuti Confections searches local farmers' markets for the absolute freshest ingredients. Beyond truffles, Recchiuti creates all kinds of fun, homey chocolate desserts (like s'mores), the recipes for which appear in his stunning new cookbook, Chocolate Obsession. However, he didn't choose to share the recipe for his four-chocolate brownies—until now. By swirling chunks of white, milk and bittersweet chocolate into a batter made with unsweetened chocolate, then melting and drizzling more all over the top, Recchiuti says this sweet has "all the chocolates I like in one brownie."
Recipe by Michael Recchiuti From Chocolate. This recipe originally appeared in December, 2005.

After reading this I just had to pass this on to all chocolate lovers who just might want to make this. I decided to pass this time as all that chocolate would be delicious but not good for me. Oh well, I will stick with my own recipe of one chocolate.

Chinese Egg Rolls

2007-10-25T07:29:00.000-06:00

I have been looking at cooking Chinese food and recipes for foods I enjoy. I know it is fun to go to a buffet and get all the variations of foods but I usually like to eat an egg roll as I choose all the different foods. Here is a simple recipe for making your own.

Chinese Easy Egg Rolls

Ingredients
1 pound hot ground pork sausage
1 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (10-oz.) bag shredded coleslaw mix
1 (16-oz.) package egg roll wrappers
Vegetable oil
1. Brown sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink.

2. Drain excess grease, and pat dry with paper towels, if necessary. Return sausage to skillet.
3. Stir in ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute.
4. Add coleslaw mix, and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes or until coleslaw mix is tender; let stand 30 minutes to cool.
5. Spoon 1/4 cup sausage mixture in center of each egg roll wrapper.
6. Fold top corner of each wrapper over filling; fold left and right corners over filling. Lightly brush remaining corner with water; tightly roll filled end toward remaining corner, and gently press to seal.
7. Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 2 inches into a wok or Dutch oven; heat to 375°. Fry, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes or until golden, turning once; drain on paper towels.
Note: Egg rolls can be assembled up to a day ahead. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill. Fry according to recipe instructions. Do not fry them ahead of time or fry and freeze.

If you are interested in cooking these egg rolls, check out EGGROLL TIPS this site for 10 tips on how-to.
You can find more recipes at Southern Living and About.com for other Chinese recipes.

Don't forget the fortune cookie. I love to see what it says inside.

FALL IS COMING SOMETIME

2007-10-17T10:52:00.000-06:00

Now that "fall" is here(in name only) there are two vegetables that come to mind. Pumpkin and potatoes. I found a great recipe for "pumpin muffins" at SIMPLY RECIPES. I like all the spices that go along with this, so it should be a good one. As far as potatoes, one thing I love to make is potato soup but for now it is rather warm for that. But there are lots of other recipes for these goodies at HEALTHY POTATO. I know we can get some quickie potato meals out of a box but I like doing things from scratch. Sometimes when I go out to eat and have a good meal, I wish I had the recipe to make for myself. Well I found a few clone recipes at RECIPE SECRETS that are like the read deal. These are free recipes, nada. Get your recipes ready for fall and when it comes you will be ready.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

2007-10-08T14:42:00.000-06:00

Here is a terrific squash casserole with a cornbread topping. I picked this one up at the Martha White.com site. Really,You can use any cornbread package mix for the topping.
Summer Squash and Cornbread Casserole
Ingredients
1 pound zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 large sweet onion, cut into thin wedges
1 pound yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 package Martha White® Cotton CountryTM Cornbread Mix
OR 1 package Martha White® Buttermilk Cornbread Mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Preparation Directions
Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease 2-quart casserole.
Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion;
cook until tender, stirring occasionally.
Add summer squash, zucchini, water, salt and pepper.
Reduce heat; cover and cook 15 minutes or until squash is tender.
With fork, mash squash gently to break up large pieces.
Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened and creamy.
Pour into greased casserole.
In medium bowl, combine cornbread mix and milk; mix well.
Stir in cheese. Spoon batter evenly over mixture in casserole.
Bake at 450 degrees F. for 15 to 18 minutes or
until cornbread is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Serving size: 8 servings
Ever heard of steak-frites? I had not until today while reading Epicurious.com. Basically steak is steak but frites(which means fries) is Belgian. Go here
and read about how to make them.
I feel sure you have a great chocolate-chip cookie recipe but, BUT
DIANA'S DESSERTS says hers are better than better. She has CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP and REALLY BIG,THICK CHOCOLATE CHIPPERS. Read and make the recipes and put her to the challenge. I like the CHEWY best cuz mine never come out like that.
P.S. MY Chicago Bears beat the Packers. YEAAAAAH!

APPLE DUMPLINGS AND VEGGIES

2007-10-02T09:09:00.001-06:00

Everything seems to be apples today on all the recipe sites. I picked a really simple one --APPLE DUMPLINGS--from Cooks.com. I know there are lots of different recipes for this but here it is.
Apple Dumplings
package -- of 10 Pillsbury refrigerated Biscuits )the small ones)
3 apples
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup water 1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla and cinnamon
Pat each biscuit into 3 inch circle.
Wrap 1/4 peeled, cored apple, in each. Press edges to seal.
Put in a bake dish, seam side down, Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Put margarine, water, and sugar in small saucepan, and bring to boil.. Boil one minute..
Add vanilla, and spoon over dumplings..
Bake in 350 degree F. oven for about 30 min. or until golden.. Serve warm, spooning a little of the sauce in the pan over each.... Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired..
Now how simple is that. If you don't want that many dumplings then cut recipe in half. Not sure how good they are if frozen.
I found 2 recipes for vegetables--broccoli and brussel sprouts that are somewhat different. These are by Chef John including videos which shows the veggies in a different light. As he states many folks are not too keen on b.s. but this is interesting. His site is called FOODWISHES.
Have a good day and I hope the weather is decent where you are.

Tomatoes and Apples

2007-09-22T08:21:00.000-06:00

Whether you are a southerner or not, fried green tomatoes is a treat you need to taste. This recipe is from Elise of Simply Recipes.
3 medium, firm green tomatoes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs or cornmeal
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Simple ingredients and simply delicious. Serve with all meats.
If you are baking this weekend, here is a suggestion for getting a pie crust to come out just right. Ximena Maier of Lobster Squad put this out as follows:
1- Blind baking. You know, all that thing about the pie weights, and the beans, or the chain, or the marbles? The thing to do here is to take some loosely scrunched tin foil, and lay it inside, making sure it presses against the sides. It´s more than enough to keep the pie walls from caving.
2- Soggy crust. No more. As soon as you have done the step two, taking the foil out, letting the shell become golden, you inmediately give it a quick brush with egg white. The heat from the pastry will insure that the shell cooks inmediately, sealing it and effectively making it waterproof.
Never thought of the egg wash and it worked for me. Made a delicious apple pie(they are in season now) with a beautiful shell.
Get yourself some beautiful apples and tomatoes and you got the start of a fine meal for the weekend.

SLOW COOKER AKA CROCK POT

2007-09-16T13:11:00.000-06:00

I finally had a chance to use my new Slow Cooker and love it. I know it won't be used daily but I do hope often as it is so easy to put a meal in it and forget about it for the day.
Anyway I have found some great sites for recipes. So I may forgo buying any more slow cooker cookbooks. Here are the sites:
Southern Living at Home Slow Cooker Cookbook
Southern Food crockpot recipe index
Ivillage.com
AllRecipes4Me.com
Better Homes and Gardens Slideshow
Surely there will be some recipes that will strike your fancy. I have started a slow cooker recipe folder to find my recipes alot easier. If you have a site for us to visit, please enter in comments so we can all enjoy.

Fall vegetables and desserts

2007-09-15T07:39:00.000-06:00

Here is a nice dessert or even make for breakfast. I notice they use pears but I prefer the apple.

Autumn Dessert
1 large ripe pear or tart apple, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup water, divided
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon raisins, optional
1 teaspoon butter or margarine
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash ground nutmeg 1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 slices cinnamon bread, toasted
In a saucepan, combine pear, 1/4 cup water, sugar, raisins if desired, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg.
Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until fruit is tender. Combine cornstarch and remaining water until smooth; add to fruit mixture.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
Serve warm over cinnamon toast. Top with ice cream or whipped cream if desired. Yield: 2 servings.
NOTE: I made this with a tart apple and made my own cinnamon toast. This recipe came from Taste of Home.
You can find many recipes at Taste of Home site using many of the fall vegetables that are already showing up in the stores. One such recipe is a BUTTERNUT APPLE CRISP and recipes for pumpkin.
I found a great list of desserts at Food and Wine. Browse thru the list and maybe you will find something. I also have been getting emails from Pillsbury.com with lots of recipes for fall. So I suppose all the baking sites will be showing more and more for fall and even the holidays. But it is still quite warm here on the Gulf Coast and I am not into heating up the oven.

Chef John's Red Clam Sauce

2007-09-06T13:20:00.000-06:00

I just had to post this today as it was quite inviting. Here is the recipe from Chef John @ Food Wishes that he calls a favorite "go-to" dish. As he says it takes only 15 minutes to whip up and is good for anytime or group of people. He does have a video of how to make this but here is the recipe as well. Go to his Food Wishes site and read more of what he has to say about his "Go TO" dish.
1 pound pasta
2 cans (6.5 oz) chopped clams in juice
3 cups tomato sauce (plus 1/4 cup water to rinse jar)
1 cup good white wine
1 tbl anchovy paste or 2 fillets
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes 2 tbl capers
2 tbl olive oil
Parmesan to taste
salt and pepper to tastefresh
herb to taste, basil or Italian parsley

I know it is rather hot in some parts of the U.S. and maybe you only make banana bread at Christmas but go check out this recipe at Food and Wine. I made it and it is delicious. No walnuts for me tho, so I tried some pecans. In fact Food and Wine has interesting articles on restaurants and wines as well. Give it a try for something different. May you have a good banana bread recipe you might like to share. Send it along in "comments"

Use up the zucchini with dinner

2007-08-25T18:40:00.000-06:00

Here is the latest on using zucchini as a side dish with your chicken, beef or pork dinner from Simply Recipes. This is much like latkes using potatoes and tastes just as good.
Ingredients 1 lb of zucchini (about 2 med size), coarsely grated
Kosher salt and Ground black pepper
1 large egg
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grape seed oil or olive oil
Sour cream or plain yoghurt(optional)
1. Salt the zucchini with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Try to remove the excess moisture from the zucchini by either squeezing the liquid out with a potato ricer, or by squeezing with paper towels.
2. Whisk egg in a large bowl; add the zucchini, flour, scallions, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Mix to combine well.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
4. Cook fritters in two batches. Drop six mounds of batter (2 Tbsp each) into the skillet. Flatten slightly. Cook, turning once, until browned, 4-6 minutes on each side.
5. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining batter. The sour cream can be dolloped on top.
I also found a cake, chocolate no-less, using zucchini which made it quite moist. This was at Is My blog burning which is an unusual name, for sure.
There are recipes for zucchini bread, which I have made for years for Christmas gift-giving rather than banana bread. Zucchini, itself, can be cooked, stuffed, and broiled. YES, it can be frozen also. Grate it, separate into 2 cups each and pack in freezer-loc bags for use later on. So the vegetable is quite versatile depending on the meal or baking. I just wish it didn't produce so much at one time. Next year I plan on fewer plants. Let me know if you have a favorite and I will gladly post it here.

Foodie BlogRoll

2007-08-15T13:11:00.000-06:00

If you like to browse thru food blogs, check out the Foodie Blogroll in the left hand column. Maybe you are looking for a particular food blog or just want to browse. The nice thing is you can zip thru the blog names, click on it and you are there. This idea was generated for food bloggers by TheLeftoverqueen. If you have a food blog and would like to join the blogroll and put it on your blog, just click there, complete the form at the site. Once you get the blogroll code, you need to put this on your site in order to get your site name added to the blogroll. Really quite simple to get this list of ALL the food bloggers. One sure way of getting new recipes and ideas.

TODAY is my big DAY

2007-08-09T10:38:00.000-06:00

This is my big DAY--BIRTHDAY-- and lucky day too cuz I found a site with brownies galore from all over the world. Here at ONCEUPONATART are all the recipes submitted for the contest. BTW there also is a roundup-1 which you can reach if you look in the column to the right at the site. Chocolate Crunch Brownies was the winner. The recipe is located at llcskitchen and where I got the picture from. I read this recipe and cannot wait to make this but have to cut this recipe down some. This is going to be my treat for my birthday.
Dorie Greenspan-a noted chef- has her own blog. She states the following:Bake With Me on Serious Eats. Starting today, and for every Thursday forever after (or at least for a long while), I’ll be posting a recipe with tips and a story on serious eats. I have her cookbook and love it.
For all you Elvis fans I found his favorite recipe. Nothing fancy but supposedly he loved it(maybe too much.) In a small bowl, mash the banana with the back of a spoon. Toast the bread lightly. Spread the peanut butter on one slice of toast and the mashed banana on the other. Fry the sandwich in melted butter until each side is golden brown. Cut diagonally and serve hot. Got to try it as I love peanut butter and bananas.
Have a good day everyone and TRY to stay cool.

If you need help cooking, CALL

2007-08-04T09:39:00.000-06:00

I found the answer to your cooking dilemna. Call CHEFSLINE which is an online cooking service. For 30 minutes ($10) you can talk to a chef and get the help you need, IMMEDIATELY. How about that for service! The web site shares a list of recipes from their chefs for some interesting foods. They are planning on having online classes which I would love to view. They also have a membership for $20 a month if you think you may need help more often. Sounds pretty good for any time or when company is coming.
Here is a great crabmeat recipe posted at GROUP RECIPES. This would be great for brunch.

1 lb. lump crabmeat OR shrimp
2 croissants
4 oz. mayonnaise
1/2 lemon (juice)
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch of salt & pepper
8 slices of Swiss cheese

Directions
Put 4 ounces of mayonnaise in a large mixing bowl. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 lemon into the mayonnaise. Add the dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and mix well. Gently toss the crabmeat into the mixture to retain the lumps. Split the croissants in half and lump 4 ounces of crabmeat mixture onto each half of the croissant. Top with two slices of Swiss cheese. Place in oven at 500º for approximately 8 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.
Serves 4

August 1 brings a Hot Brown sandwich

2007-08-02T09:27:00.001-06:00

Chef Fred K. Schmidt at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, created The Hot Brown sandwich in 1926. Recently Bobbie Flay @ Food Network had a cookoff making this dish which is where I got the picture. It is rich but so tasty. Here are the ingredients
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, room temperature and beaten
salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup prepared whipped cream
8 slices toasted white bread, crust trimmed
1 lb cooked turkey breast, thinly sliced grated parmesan cheese, for topping
1 (2 ounce) jar diced pimentos, drained
8 slices bacon, fried crisp
Read more about how to layer the sandwich @ RECIPEZAAR
Visit this blog FOODBLOGGA and look for July 15th with the title of The 91st Weekend Herb Blogging Round-Up is Here! Here are 39 delectable recipes from around the world that make this 91st round of Weekend Herb Blogging shine! Lots of foodblogs all about herbs. Great reading.
Happy August 1 to all and enjoy cooking.

Whew, it sure is hot today

2007-07-24T15:33:00.000-06:00

Here is a pic I thought you might enjoy called Super Cook at the Michael Powell site. Just another hot one here. No rain yet but we had a gulley-washer yesterday and my weeds are growing like crazy.

I found some great recipes today on AOL using Hershey chocolate. Some people are out of sorts with them moving to Mexico but I feel big business needs to keep making money. That is a given. Anyway the CHOCOLATE recipes are worth looking at.
Here is another place for recipe sharing called MY RECIPES. You can save recipes there for future use or even start your own stash. I picked off a Blueberry-lemon muffin recipe to make this week. Earlier I stashed a few pounds of blueberries in my freezer for later use.

I added a few more food blogs to my list that I found interesting. Yes there are recipes there to pick. I like to go thru the list now and then to see what is new and possibly make. I did win an auction today for seafood forks. Weird huh, well at the buffets that have beautiful, big, juicy crab legs that need that tiny fork to get at the crab meat. So now I got them for the next crab fest.

Here is my apron

2007-07-14T09:47:00.000-06:00

Go Chicago Bears

Here is my favorite apron made by my sister a few years ago. Being my family are die-hard Chicago Bear fans, she felt this would be good to worn when the Bears are playing. Really get into the spirit. Or really any time. It just goes over the head with ties on the side. It also has 2 pockets for whatever. If you wish to see more aprons, go to Show Us Your Apron @ Lucullian.

Summer is here for sure

2007-07-07T12:45:00.000-06:00

Summer is here and it is truly hot and sticky. Only 3 more months to go before fall will come on in. Anyway, the 4th is over and all the fireworks are shot up. Good thing as I found one on my roof as well all over the back yard. My neighbor has a blast each year but I am getting tired of it as it goes on til the wee hours. I just stayed home and coughed must of the day. Rats! Got some allergy going from what I understand.

So I decided to get to the farmer’s market and got some great veggies. Might as well as enjoy something in this heat. Came home and fixed eggplant parmesan which was nice and crusty. Next time I may try a casserole. Got a slew of tomatoes to last til next week. I eat well during the summer as I like all the fresh veggies and like to mix them up with other cool foods. Picked up shrimp today for a shrimp salad tonight along with a green salad maybe. The price is coming down on the shrimp as they are rather plentiful.

NO other news here on the coast. Everyone is staying in with the a/c running. I believe there is a fishing rodeo this weekend so that will be jumping for a few days. Two new casinos opened this week including a food spot at one by Emeril which is drawing a crowd. Hope his menu will be good as what I see on TV.

Happy 4th to everyone!

2007-07-03T17:54:00.000-06:00

We took a break today and went to eat at one of the casinos that have opened since Katrina roared thru in 2005. They had a fantastic buffet for under $10 and it was crowded. One of the best things was the desserts but all of the food was good and hot. That is one of the perks to getting there at the first sitting. They have the foods set up by cusinine and the southern was the best which included a large mound of prepared shrimp. They were so big and so tasty. Visitors never seem to get enough of fresh shrimp and this year's shrimp season is one of the best.
After thoroughly enjoying the meal we decided to play the slots for awhile. As usual I lost and my friend won. Oh well, I keep on trying. Not sure yet what the 4th will bring as I understand the weather is not going to be good for outdoorsy stuff.
Have a fun and safe day everyone.

Yesterday I was baking alot

2007-06-30T07:53:00.000-06:00

I decided to really get into some baking for the weekend. I figured with the 4th I wanted some extra food in case of drop ins.
I started out with cheese corn bread. Simple recipe but meant turning on the oven but oh well, I did it anyway.
Here goes:
CORNBREAD
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons poppy seeds(optional)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Grease or spray one 8x8 baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the poppy seeds, cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Breat in the egg, milk and oil but well combined. Pour into pan and bake 25 minutes or until golden brown and a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. While warm slather some butter over the top. Hey, cut a slice and enjoy.
Next I wanted something cool so I reached for a box of premix cheese cake. There are different brands out there so I went for the Jello. The crust is a graham cracker crust which is simple mixing the graham cracker mix with butter and pressing it in the bottom of a 8 or 9″ pie dish. Be sure to press down to make sure it will firm up. Put it in the refrig while making up the cheesecake filling. Just add milk to the cheesecake filling and blend according to the directions which can take a few minutes. Add the filling to the crust and let sit for at least an hour in the refrig. When ready to serve, pour a can of cherry pie filling(or any fruit you like) over the pie. Let sit and chill in the refrig while you are eating your meal. This serves 4-6 people.
Enjoy your holiday and be safe with the fireworks.

How to Substitute Salted or Unsalted Butter

2007-06-24T12:20:00.000-06:00

Today I found the answer I have been looking for when it comes to how do you substitute unsalted butter and vice versa when baking? Here is the rule according to Chefs Cary and Kevin @ CHEFSLINE. When recipes are written with just “butter,” and do not specifiy salted or unsalted, you want always to use unsalted butter. As a general rule, most professionally developed recipes call for unsalted butter. When baking a cake, you will usually get the best results by including salt as an ingredient. If your recipe does not include salt as an ingredient, or if your recipe calls for salted butter and you are using unsalted butter, then you should add salt to your dry ingredients. Use 1/4 tsp of salt for a 1 stick of butter recipe and 1/2 tsp. of salt for a 2 stick of butter recipe. Mix the salt with your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cornstarch – again, it depends on your recipe) and you’ll be good to go.
You want to use salt in your baking for flavor, to control leavening, and generally, you just won’t get the best results on these two fronts when you bake with salted butter.
Here is more info about Chefsline and that is you can get help instantly if you are having problems while cooking. It is a 1-800 number which helps. So it seems you get recipes from great chefs and some help instantly if need be. Sign up for the weekly free email while you are there as well. Imagine! Great resource when you need it.

Happy National Chocolate Eclair Day

2007-06-23T12:59:00.000-06:00

Here is the latest national day to celebrate according to Slashfood. It is National Chocolate Eclair Day. Now you have to like chocolate and eclairs to do this. I found some great recipes Cooks.com that might be of interest. I can remember my mother bringing these home from the bakery and we could not wait to get one.

Viewing how-to-make chicken-parmesan

2007-06-18T16:43:00.000-06:00

Today I visited one of my favorite sites to get the scoop on how the chef at BESTWISHES prepares chicken parmesan. He also has a video to watch as he goes step-by-step. Good place to learn the tricks to make a fine dish. Anyway, for starters, here is his recipe and the how-to is on the video.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 cups "Panko" Japanese style bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup grated provolone
4 oz fresh mozzarella
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes to taste
olive oil for frying
1/2 cup prepared tomato sauce (high-quality!)
1/4 cup fresh shredded basil, or pesto, or dried Italian herbs of your choice, or omit
*Baked for approximately 15-20 minutes at 450F
I already have some of the items and need the cheeses. It is quite simple and I like his idea to take it easy on the sauce which many restaurants DO NOT.
I love Italian food so I am looking forward to this dish.

Something for breakfast!

2007-06-16T14:50:00.001-06:00

I just had to post this picture. Maybe some of you may feel like this tomorrow morning.

Anyway I have found alot of good food slideshows at BHG on everything from meals to desserts. Usually their weekly email has a slideshow. I been looking at chocolate recipes today and found a good slide show at BHG which as usual made me want to bake something chocolately. Instead I made a cinnamon coffee cake. I added a banana this time and it added a great flavor. I am always looking for something to go with scrambled eggs. Here are two other recipes you may want to try. The first is an apple-cinnamon-oatmeal-bread and secondly is making doughnuts. Just something to get your sweet tooth going.

NEW SITES FOR WOMEN

2007-06-10T13:35:00.000-06:00

I just added two sites for women interests and issues. Both have blogs for food but have interesting info on other subjects as well which is why I am posting. The point is that there is information there especially for women, you may not read elsewhere.
The BLOGHER site is for all women bloggers to get their site listed and viewed. There are topics for everyone but the main idea is to list your site and be exposed. As you register your site you are asked to pick a category for it to be placed. Many topics for you to choose. If you do not have a blog but would like to, there is lots of help for you to begin. Like at BLOGGER.COM.
You may have read about this site called SK*RT, which seems to be showing up on many headline news sites. Topics discussed are quite varied but do pertain to womens' issues. You can vote on the post as to importance. At the top of the page you can pick a category of interest which gives you recent posts for a given category. You can select those posts that are most important. Either way, there is lots to read.
Both of these sites are important for women who peruse the internet looking for something relative to their way of life and interests. I would rather read of what interests me and other women than all the everyday Hollywood glitz and woes their money brings to them. So look into each site for something of interest to you.

Chocoholics take heed!

2007-06-03T17:42:00.000-06:00

If you a chocoholic, here is some interesting info for ya. Here is a picture they posted with this title- "this-chocolate-treat-should-come-with a warning". Read the whole article and see just what this is all about. This is one amazing piece of sweets for all chocolate lovers. I could not believe it. I had to find some chocolate as soon as I finished reading the article. Thanks to "desertculinary" for the article.
Here is the latest chocolate survey on those little chippers we use so often in cakes and cookies. Some folks decided to do a rating on chocolate chips and Guittard came out on top. Ghiradelli was right up there as well. It was good to know where my chocolate chip choice came out. Check it out to see how your favorites rate. Interesting!

Here is someone who decided to make Lemon Cupcakes With Milk Chocolate Frosting Adapted from Perfect Light Desserts by Nick Malgieri and David Joachim after the Virginia Tech shooting. It was a great idea to pass out these cupcakes "with the hope that with each crumb, the world would be a sweeter, more tender place."

Bought a NEW KitchenAide

2007-06-01T10:10:00.000-06:00

I am so excited since I purchased a new KitchenAide mixer yesterday. Bright red, no less. This has been a dream come true as I have looked at them for years but the price was not right, like too high. Anyway a lady posted an alert on KitchenAide mixers that were reduced on Amazon. I checked it out and the 6 quart was already over but the 5 quart was still in progress. It has 3 beater attachments, chrome bowl and pour it attachment. Anyway I checked the colors I might want and found my gift coupon for $10 that was still good and DID IT. I have a few weeks to wait for delivery(no delivery charge) but already picked a few recipes to make. So I made space already by moving things around cuz I am going to keep it available. BTW I checked Amazon and the price has gone back up. I would imagine alot of folks jumped on this deal. I always look to compare prices before I buy any electronics cuz there usually is someplace that is more reasonable and especially no shipping charges.

Memorial Weekend

2007-05-27T09:14:00.000-06:00

Looks like a good weekend for outdoor grilling. Needless to say, so many sites are promoting grilling and the how-to that goes with it. Here is one on
Slashfood that gives different ideas for your hamburger. Other sites talk about the sauce to use on the ribs other than out of the bottle. Just in case you would like a Bloody Maryyou can find it here. So it goes for finding any kind of recipe for all foods for the holiday.
I noticed that Pillsbury is going for its 43rd Bake-off contest which ended April 22nd. While the judges work to select the 100 finalist recipes, try some winners from the Bake-Off® Recipe Collection.They do have it setup by category if you are looking for something in particular. I am curious as to what the finalist will be as the recipes are sometimes rather unusual but the winner gets $1,000,000 which is worth winning.
Have a fun weekend and enjoy the food.

GROUP RECIPES

2007-05-15T15:12:00.000-06:00

I had an interesting time at GROUP RECIPES where I found some fantastic chefs and their recipes. One I wish to comment on is called chefjeb from Mississippi(click on name in sidebar.) Quite an interesting background and so many recipe honors that are really simple and won't scare you away from making. Being a New Orleans chef he has many southern recipes as well as others. Any recipes that lean towards southern I am naturally attracted to read. Anyway, go there and view what he has available. I feel sure you will find the page filled with great ideas.
Another chef who has a unique idea of presenting his recipes is called called chef john who uses videos on his site as well as gives the recipe. Interesting! Both he and his wife are chefs and he has quite a list of recipes you may be interested in making.
These men have a different approach to their recipes but both have great ideas and great recipes. This is the fun part of being a food blogger and finding new and refreshing ideas for recipes. Try GROUP RECIPES and see all the great recipes.

Mother's Day

2007-05-12T15:56:00.000-06:00

Needless to say Mother's Day has arrived. Talked to my son yesterday, who is laid up with a broken ankle. Seems he missed the last step while moving into his newly acquired home and really did some bad damage to the ankle. It hurts to even think about it.
Anyway I have read all the different blogs about what to do on this great day. No, I am not cooking as I deserve a treat. The local restaurants and casinos will all have great menus to entice me. So I will have a great choice whether to go with buffets or be waited upon which I do like the latter best. We have one particular place that serves excellent catfish like I have never had elsewhere. It is here in Ocean Springs so I may head that way. Or go to a casino for their buffet with Alaskan king crab. Oh such a decision. They do have excellent desserts, tho.
I do wish, however, that my son and family were here to go with me but that's life. I am not one to back off from going it alone. Sobeit.
A Happy Mother's Day to all those who celebrate.

Find good eating in Chicago

2007-05-04T12:15:00.000-06:00

I was reading quite a discussion on Chicago and its notable foods. Very interesting being as I lived there for most of my early life. Hot dogs and deep-dish pizza are the in-foods today but I feel this might be for those visiting the city. Another additon is the Italian beef sandwich. We are such a diverse city it really is too bad to limit food selections. When I visit I certainly do not limit to these 2 selections. Being from the South Side I have such a variety to choose from like Italian, German, Greek, Polish, Chinese, really anything. This is true anywhere you are in the city. My family has lived there so long they have their favorites when it comes to going out for a meal. One for bbq ribs, pizza or a good steak. I usually check with them as to the latest find. If I have time I like german food at Ann Sather's. The bbq rib places are all good but I like The Patio and Luther's. I have noticed that buffet restaurants are not as plentiful. There is a good beef sandwich at Gyro's in Tinley and a great ice cream place at 193rd and Harlem. Check around before you end up at a fast food place. If you want to find a good place to eat, just ask one of the local folks.

May has finally arrived

2007-05-02T13:26:00.000-06:00

So glad that May has finally arrived. Except now we are getting some high heat which is really early. Oh yes, Mother's Day is in 2 weeks. So I hope you are thinking already how and what you are going to do to make Mom's Day.

If she likes chocolate, I found a fantastic site on BHG with lots of chocolate recipes. Now the one I gave you is a slideshow for brownies. Surely you should be able to find something here that Mom would just love to eat. I was amazed as to how many variations they came up with. Somewhere in this maze they also have recipes for cakes and other sweets.
If you like to watch the Food Network, try to catch the Barefoot Contessa. She cooks down home style like Paula Deen with foods you may just already have in the house. I am interested in one of her books called "Everyday Recipes You'll Make Over and Over Again". It came out last October and the title alone intrigued me.
Do you like fresh, baked bread? The aroma is terrific. If you said yes, HERE is a step by step process. Once you start making this bread, you won't even want everyday white bread. I guar-an-tee it.

Vote in the Blogger Choice Awards

2007-04-16T09:45:00.000-06:00

Now you can vote for your favorite blogs in the Blogger Choice Awards , namely food blogs. Final awards will be listed in June. In the left margin is a list of the awards, so click on your favorite category namely food blogs. Those blogs nominated will show with the number of votes. You need to register if you want to vote as well as to nominate a favorite blog. My food blog is nominated even if way down on the list. What fun!
Decided to make BBQ Ribs this weekend. No, not on the bbq but just as good. Cover your slab of ribs with water with seasonings and slow-cook for about 2 hours or until tender. Remove ribs and slather with bbq sauce(clone of Applebee's sauce). Place ribs under broiler for about 5-7 minutes on each side. So good, tasty and tender. Serve with baked potato and salad and enjoy.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE

2007-04-07T08:57:00.000-06:00

Just browsing today and found a few recipes for Easter morning breakfast. At CRISCO.COM they had a braided, bread roll which looked really good. You would probably want to make it today as it used yeast. At TASTE OF HOME there was sticky buns or hot cross buns using a can of biscuits as the base. A quicky recipe without using yeast. As far as preparing Easter dinner, ham and lamb is the fare with asparagus on the side. I picked up my asparagus yesterday, so I am ready. Go to all your favorite food sites and you can find many great ideas. I got most of my ideas at MOM'S MENU mainly because the recipes are so homey(just like MOM used to make.) One idea I found there was for a CARROT CAKE which is one of my favorites. I decided to make cupcakes from the recipe. That way I can freeze them and have them as a treat now and them.
Happy Easter and enjoy your day where ever you spend your meal.

DON'T MESS WITH OUR CHOCOLATE

2007-04-03T12:29:00.000-06:00

I am a chocoholic, I admit it and like it just the way it is. But it looks like the FDA is trying to make changes in the definition of Chocolate according to info at the Candy Blog. Check it out and see what you can do to let the FDA know how you feel. You can link to the dontmesswithourchocolate site to spread the word.

HOLY WEEK STARTS SOON LIKE TOMORROW

2007-03-31T13:46:00.000-06:00

I have been looking at many food blogs for a few weeks now and so much is centered around Easter. I am not into coloring eggs, peeps, chocolate bunnies, etc. but I love the candies that are available. Naturally I love all chocolate but I dearly love the malted milk balls with their candy coatings. So I got two bags this year one with minis and then the bigger Whopper. Yummy is a good word for them. I really need to get another bag before Easter is over and they pull them off the shelves.
All the standard food sites like BHG, Sunset, Bisquick, Pillsbury, Martha White, etc. have interesting menus mostly using lamb and ham as the main course with fresh green asparagus spears.
MW had Old-Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings, The Crescent City Skillet, Buttermilk Chess Pound Cake, and Mom's Apple Cobbler.
One interesting site is Mom's Menu Kitchen that covers various cooking ideas from the main meal to desserts. Sign up for her weekly newsletter email which always has interesting choices and Easter will be just as enjoyable. You can find a good Carrot Cake here with cream cheese frosting.
I have been looking for a recipe for a Lamb or Bunny Cake which usually is a pound cake made in a mold but have not found anything yet. If anyone has something like that, I would love to hear from you. Next week I am going to search out the food blogs for what they have to offer for Easter. If you have some favorites, email me and I will add them to my blog. Thanks for coming.

MARCH CAME IN LIKE A LION

2007-03-05T08:56:00.000-06:00

Woke up this morning with a really bad sinus infection and am prepared from last time. Only bad thing is my right ear is really hurting. Oh well, just deal with it.
Came across an interesting recipe on Tribute to Katherine Hepburn Brownies. Quite a title! Not sure if she made these herself(which I doubt). There are two sites that carry the recipe whereby the ingredients are very different and naturally the taste is different. Check out the two--recipesfrom4everykitchen and cdkitchen . The former calls for cinnamon and instant coffee and the latter does not. Very unusual to say the least. I am just wondering where the tribute part comes in to play here. Brownies are my favorite to make and eat so I will let you know what I find out.
I did order a new cookbook on baking. The name is Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. I read about her background and the recipes in this book and figured it would be a great addition to my books. The recipes are not overwhelming as to ingredients and easy to prepare. You can read more about this book, the author and recipes at the blog iliketocook I thought it very interesting how many of the recipes were farmed out to various cooks to test.
We are going to treat ourselves in 2007. Yes, a few of us are going to Emeril's restaurant in New Orleans. I checked out the menu(no prices) and it is has a good variety. Seems his Signature Dishes are recommended-- the New Orleans BBQ Shrimp — and Banana Cream Pie with Banana Crust and Caramel drizzles for dessert. Both items appealed to me, so we shall see.

March is upon us

2007-02-27T10:56:00.000-06:00

I have been having fun the past few days finding new cooking spots to view as well as blogs on cooking. The latest I found this morning was for 50+ if you are interested. The site name is EON and here is the cooking group community.eons
There are two cooking groups and I joined both. It will be a fun exchange of ideas, recipes and just comments. There are many groups to get into which I can read now and then but I chose the cooking cuz that is my main interest now. My favorite haunt now is Slashfood at Slashfood who always has something of interest going on.
Here is a place to post your stickies each day to keep from losing your to-do list. STIKKITS is the place to go each day whether to add something new or even check out your latest to-do-list. I am finding I go there more and more as I am thinking about jotting something down as I surf the web. Great!!!!
Another place for searching out something specific whether shopping or whatever. Come join WINZY and maybe even win something. They have daily prizes based on the members who come for searches each day. The site is WINZY This tells them I referred you to join.

LENT IS UPON US

2007-02-16T09:56:00.000-06:00

I figured we can always use a good laff and this kitty will get us there.

Lent is coming next Wednesday and I need to stock up with lenten meals and recipes. I usually cook whatever for this period of time but I also like to have meals available on busy days.

One of the mainstays is macaroni and cheese which goes with most things. There are plenty of good recipes available on Southern Living, Better Homes and Gardens, Sunset and other cooking sites. All you need to do is add a can of tuna(drained) and some green peas and you will have a good meal.

I love fish but not so much the frozen. I already have shrimp in my freezer so I plan on a few meals with this item. Being as most of the fish markets here in MS are gone, due to Katrina's help, there is not much fresh fish to purchase. Maybe some of the local stores may have something available. Lobster and crab usually is there but can get expensive. We like gumbo and can use the crab and shrimp for a good meal. So there are many good ideas if a person is creative.

Of course meals can be created without any fish which I have tried in the past. I love vegetables of all kinds and a good cheese omelet with goodies added is delicious. Pizza is another answer to meals which can have lots of ingredients added to the cheese. The only time it can be tedious is when I am hungry and I don't care to wait a half hour while I create. As I sit here to write this, I am writing down ideas so I will be ready next week.

LOOKING FOR COOKING ANNUALS

2007-01-30T15:49:00.000-06:00

I am on a new quest--looking for cooking annuals either previous years or current(2006-2007). I found the latest for "Taste of Home 2007" at amazon.com but it is too pricey right now. The previous cookbooks from 2000 to 2005 are more reaonable. The cookbook for 2005 is probably the one I will go for now. Another book I am looking at is called "Fine Cooking" which is being offered with their subscription for this year. Not so sure if I would like to have it but may have it sent, look thru it and decide then.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am creating my own online cookbook mainly with the recipes I find this year. I may have to make the book into separate sections as it creates a separate page for each recipe which normally a cookbook is not created that way. It sure is alot nicer to look at a cookbook the way I am creating it versus looking thru a list of files to find what I want. They have an index page at the beginning by categories which is another facet I like.
One thing is that I do make many of the recipes that I save mainly for a variety in my meals and treats. This week I made the peanut butter/chocolate treat which is rather rich. I also tried a mexican dish and scalloped potatoes to go with my pork. This is the week for promoting cooking for tailgating(which is not allowed for Super Bowl Sunday. IMAGINE!). BHG has come up with a site BHG RECIPES and I need to look at Southern Living as I feel sure they will have something also.

FOOD BLOG AWARDS

2007-01-18T08:50:00.000-06:00

Another week has passed and I have located some ideas from Southern Living Magazine listed as TOP 40 HOLIDAY DESSERTS FROM SOUTHERN LIVING. Very goood show of foods to make for your holiday company.
SOUTHERN LIVING
SouthernLiving RECIPEFINDER
Here is a place to see all the sites that won awards for their contributions to food blogs.
BLOGAPPETIT
One nice thing about this is that you spend lots of time going from blog to blog to get the latest. I have definitely added this site to my favs as I have the whole list available onscreen. Fun, fun.

MY FIRST DAY

2007-01-12T11:15:00.000-06:00

Today is my first day of setting up my blog where I can publish my cooking finds on the internet as well as to express my feelings for food in general. I have become addicted to cooking blogs and look forward to reading what others have published regarding recipes, cooking, and restaurants to visit. Whether I agree or not is not the issue as I am willing to learn about what is available. My latest adventure is to create my own recipe book from many of the online finds that reach my taste buds. This I am doing thru the online offer from BHG which I will post the site later on. Somewhere down the line I would like to create a Family recipe book with all the great ones from my Mother, my own recipes and those from family members.