Quick Italian Fix.

I love Italian food, but was led to believe it takes hours to prepare. Not true, my quick fix Manicotti is fast, easy, and delicious!
I make a marinara I call Pantry Marinara, it comes from ingredients I keep as pantry staples. In a saucepan combine a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes with a half teaspoon each, salt, black pepper, onion powder and one teaspoon garlic powder and a tablespoon of Italian seasoning. Adjust these seasonings to your taste. You can add a can of sliced mushrooms if you'd like. Simmer until it reaches the consistency you like.
Boil 8 manicotti noodles until al dente, drain and cool.
Mix 15 ounce tub of Ricotta, 16 ounces of shredded Mozzarella, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and 2 eggs. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Pipe cheese mixture into noodles and arrange in a 9x13 baking pan. Top with marinara, cover with foil and bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with more shredded Mozzarella and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes. Cheese will be melted and bubbly. Serve with tossed salad and cheesy garlic bread.

More Butt.

My Mom makes meat pies out of "whatever's in the icebox", so I figured I'd try them with the butt. I just took some of the pork butt and chopped it up, I added some spices, some of the pan juice, and shredded cheese. I then put the mix in pie crust and baked it until it was golden. I used chili powder and pepper jack cheese, so the addition of sliced avocado and a dollop of sour cream was just the ticket. Use your imagination and enjoy the versatility of this wonderful and inexpensive cut of meat!

Chicken Fried Chicken.

This is my favorite way to fry chicken! Take boneless chicken breasts and pound them out to tenderize and even them out. Season with salt and pepper. I do a triple dip because my favorite part is the crust! For 2 breasts, make an egg wash out of 1 egg and 1/4 cup of milk in a pie pan or similar dish. In another pie pan put 1 cup of flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Take the breasts and dip them in the flour then the egg, repeat 2 or 3 times ending with the flour. Fry the coated breasts in oil turning once or twice until golden. Serve with cream gravy.

My Butt.

The pork butt I put on with the chicken was left on about 3 hours. It got good and crusty on the outside. I then took it off and put it in my Crock Pot on low and forgot about it. Around 8-10 hours later, I had a beautiful piece of meat. You'll know it's ready when it falls off the bone! The 3 hours on the grill left a wonderful smoke ring and a great taste! The Crock Pot cooked it low and slow, key to moist and tender BBQ. I only used a rub at this point, so the meat can be used as a roast, in tamales, as sandwiches, or any number of ways. The juice that comes off in the Crock Pot makes a great gravy.
I chose in the picture above, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. Just take a hunk, chop it up as fine as you like and add your favorite BBQ sauce. Serve it on a bun with a slice of cheddar cheese and you have an easy way to satisfy any BBQ craving

Happy 4TH of July!!

We're cooking out today like everybody else! I'm going to bar-b-que some chicken and put a pork butt on too! That, with potato salad, deviled eggs, baked beans and brownies, should just about kill us!

Brownies:
by Tweety Grams
40 min 15 min prep
Serves 8 -10
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
The first 3 ingredients cook over a stove on medium heat, till margarine melts. Remove from heat, add the eggs and vanilla. Then add the remaining ingredients. Stir in the walnuts. Put in a greased 8 inch squared pan, bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
This is the glaze that goes with the recipe, I substituted home-made chocolate icing.
Cocoa Glaze:
1 cup icing sugar (aka: confectioners or powdered)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons margarine (soft)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Combine icing sugar, and cocoa powder. Beat in margarine, add 1-2 tbsps of boiling water to make a smooth glaze.
© 2009 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved. http://www.recipezaar.com/

Texas Breakfast Biscuit

This is a basic biscuit recipe. 1/2 cup shortening cut into 2 cups of self-rising flour, and add 1 cup of milk or buttermilk. Turn out on a well floured surface and knead lightly. Roll about 1/2 inch thick and cut with biscuit cutter (for these, I used a really big one). Place, sides touching, in a greased baking dish. Brush tops with melted butter and bake @ 450 for about 20 minutes. This biscuit is topped with a 4 oz. sausage pattie, 2 scrambled eggs, and sliced cheddar cheese. That's a Texas sized breakfast!!

Don't be afraid of Hollandaise!

One of my all time favorite things is Eggs Benedict! I shyed away from making it for years, because I thought it was too complicated. I had issues with poaching eggs and the hollandaise just seemed too difficult. Then I discovered blender hollandaise!
For two servings, split two english muffins and place on a cookie sheet. On the same cookie sheet place 4 slices of ham or canadian bacon and toast under the broiler. Now let's tackle the eggs. Take a deep non-stick skillet with a lid and fill with water, add 1 TBS. vinegar. Bring the water to a boil, add eggs one at a time. Cover and remove from heat, let sit for 3-5 minutes depending on how you like your eggs done. Remove with a slotted spoon. In a blender put 4 egg yolks, add the juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1TBS.), a pinch of salt, and a dash of nutmeg or red pepper. Blend briefly, and slowly add one stick of hot melted butter. If you have a hand blender, you can use that instead of your regular blender. The trick is to get everything out and ready to go. Once you're set up everything goes pretty quickly. If you need to hold the Hollandaise, have a double boiler hot and ready. I find the whole process is much more enjoyable with a Mimosa (Champagne & O.J.).

Zardoz

This is one of my favorite sandwiches! I discovered it about 25 years ago at a place called Tootsies in Fort Worth. The place has long since closed, but I've been fixing my version of the sandwich ever since. For two sandwiches, toast two onion buns in a skillet. Warm 6-8 ounces of pastrami (in the same pan, if you want). Top the pastrami with 2 slices of provolone each. While the pastrami is warming and the provolone melting, spread the bottom of each bun with two ounces of cream cheese. Add thinly sliced red onion and half an avocado (thinly sliced). Top with warm pastrami and provolone. This sandwich is very rich and delicious!

Fresh Blueberry Muffins.

I love this time of year with all the fresh fruit available! The picture on the left is half a dozen muffins with soft butter. The one on the right is a healthier version, no butter, fresh fruit, and a cup of green tea.

FRESH BLUEBERRY MUFFINS:
(Makes one dozen.)
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pint fresh blueberries
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners. Wash blueberries and coat lightly with flour. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla beat well. Add milk and flour mixture. Beat until combined. Stir in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes.

Well Deserved Reward.

Hard work sure builds up an appetite! That's why after my Sweetie mowed the lawn, I wanted to fix him a nice lunch. I chose some of his favorites, Salmon Patties, Mac n' Cheese, and Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I always have the makings for Salmon Patties on hand. I take one can of Pink Salmon and pour the liquid into a mixing bowl. I take the Salmon and remove all the skin, fat, and round bones (the little pin bones are okay). Add the cleaned fish to the liquid in the bowl, break in one egg and mix with a fork breaking up any big chunks. Add about 16-20 crumbled saltines depending on how much liquid there is (you should be able to form patties). Fry patties in oil about 350 degrees, turning once, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with Cocktail or Tartar sauce. Serve these on a bun for a great sandwich alternative.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!

I love Mexican food!! Today is the perfect excuse to indulge in one of my favorites, Chili Rellenos! Two days ago I roasted and peeled my Pablanos. You can do this on the grill, or in the oven. I chose to do them in the oven. Just rinse off the peppers and pat dry. Lay them on a cookie sheet lined with foil and put them under the broiler. Watch carefully, as they start to toast, you'll see them start to brown and the skin bubble. Turn often to toast evenly. Put the toasted peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave them to steam and cool down. While the the peppers are cooling, grate the cheese. You can use your favorite Mexican cheese or any white cheese you like. I use a mix of Muenster, Monterrey Jack, and Queso Quesadilla, allow about 2 ounces per pepper. Remove the skin from the peppers and stuff with the cheese. I then coat the stuffed peppers with corn flour (you can substitute regular flour) and wrap them individually in plastic wrap. I put them in a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer. Today all I have to do is take out as many Rellenos as I need, coat them in egg batter and fry them. For the egg batter separate as many eggs as you need (1 egg usually is enough for 2 peppers) and for each yolk add 1 TBS water & 1 TBS corn flour (or regular flour). Whip the whites until firm and fold in the yolk mixture. Dip the partially thawed Rellenos in the batter and fry at 350, turning once, until golden. Drain on paper towels and serve with Mexican rice, refried beans, guacamole, and sour cream for a real Fiesta!!

FLOUR EVERYWHERE!

My sister is flying in for a short visit from Georgia today. We will be driving up to Mom's tomorrow to stay the weekend. I can't wait, I really miss my sister and wish we lived closer to each other.
Tonight we have some cooking to do, I can't leave my Sweetie to fend for himself while I enjoy a girls weekend being stuffed with my Moms wonderful cooking. I've made sure he has plenty to eat, but so he won't feel abandoned I'll make two of his favorites, Mac & Cheese and Chicken & Dumplings. I might as well make some biscuits while I'm throwing flour around. The Chicken & Dumplings is like his Grandma used to make, or as close as I can get it. I boil 2 chicken breasts in chicken broth seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. Remove them and pull the meat off into bite sized chunks. Mix 2 parts self rising flour with 1 part milk for the dumplings. The dough will be very wet. Turn it out on a well floured board and knead lightly. Roll dough thin like a pie crust and cut into 1 inch squares. Bring broth to a rolling boil and drop in dumpling squares a few at a time, making sure the broth stays at a high boil. Boil for about 15-20 minutes, until dumplings are cooked and add chicken back in. The biscuits use 4 parts self rising flour with 1 part shortening cut in, add 2 parts milk or buttermilk. This will also be a very sticky dough. Turn out on floured board and knead lightly. Roll to about 1/2 inch thick and cut with a biscuit cutter. Put biscuits into an oiled baking pan with the sides touching. Brush the tops with oil or melted butter and bake @ 425 for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
I can now spend a guiltless weekend knowing my Sweetie is enjoying his food as much as we will be enjoying ours!

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!!

I'm 1/4 Irish and love to celebrate life! So join me and eat, drink and be Irish! I've got a couple of recipes that will help you celebrate. Just add the drink!

Slow Cooker Old-World Corned Beef and Vegetables

It’s that meat-and-potatoes meal everyone dreams of coming home to. And now you can!
Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 9 hours 15 min
Makes: 10 servings

2 1/2 pounds medium new potatoes, (about 8), cut in half
2 cups baby-cut carrots
1 cup frozen small whole onions, thawed
1 corned beef brisket (3 to 3 1/2 pounds)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water

1. Mix potatoes, carrots and onions in 4- to 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Thoroughly rinse corned beef; discard seasoning packet. Place beef on vegetables; sprinkle with pepper. Mix 1/2 cup water and the Worcestershire sauce; pour over beef.
3. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 9 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender.
4.Cut a small head of cabbage into 6 wedges, and place on top of the corned beef in the slow cooker for a more filling meal.

Nutrition Information:
1 Serving: Calories 340 (Calories from Fat 160 ); Total Fat 18 g (Saturated Fat 6 g); Cholesterol 95 mg; Sodium 1120 mg; Total Carbohydrate 28 g (Dietary Fiber 3 g); Protein 20 g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 100 %; Vitamin C 12 %; Calcium 2 %; Iron 18 % Exchanges: 1 Starch; 2 Vegetable; 2 Medium-Fat Meat; 1 1/2 Fat
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.


Irish Soda Bread

Whether or not you're Irish, this classic quick bread recipe brings great taste into your kitchen.
Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 55 min
Makes: 1 loaf (14 slices)

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup raisins, if desired
3/4 cup buttermilk

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. Grease cookie sheet.
2. Cut butter into flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in raisins and just enough buttermilk so dough leaves side of bowl.
3. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Shape into round loaf, about 6 1/2 inches in diameter. Place on cookie sheet. Cut an X shape about 1/2 inch deep through loaf with floured knife.
4. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with butter or margarine, softened, if desired.

Nutrition Information:
1 Slice: Calories 110 (Calories from Fat 25 ); Total Fat 3 g (Saturated Fat 2 g); Cholesterol 10 mg; Sodium 240 mg; Total Carbohydrate 19 g (Dietary Fiber 1 g); Protein 3 g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 2 %; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 4 %; Iron 6 % Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1/2 Fat
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Pork Butt

If you want an economical and versatile piece of meat, you can't beat a pork butt! I find them on sale all the time for $.99 a pound, some times even less! Last night when I grilled Fajitas, I also thawed out a pork butt (2 birds with 1 stone again). I made a rub with brown sugar and a variety of spices and coated the butt with it. I put the pork on the back of the grill while I was grilling the Fajita meat. When the Fajitas were done, I moved the butt up to the front (fat side down) and added a few wood chips. While we were eating, the pork was smoking over what was left of the fire. When we finished dinner, I removed the pork and put it in the Crock Pot and added about an inch of water. This cooked on low for about 8-10 hours until it was falling apart. It may not take as long in your cooker, check it at about 6-8 hours.
Once it was falling apart, I put it on a platter and shredded about half of it. I piled the shredded pork onto warm buns and topped with BBQ sauce. I served this with baked beans and potato salad. The leftovers are very versatile, they can be served hot or cold. Try them anyway you would a roast, maybe with some mashed potatoes and gravy.

Fiesta

Tonight we had Fajitas. I had a skirt steak and some chicken breast already marinated in the freezer. I do this when I bring the meat home from the store. My favorite marinade for Fajitas is salsa and orange juice. You just trim the fat, put the steak and chicken in separate freezer bags add the marinade of your choice and pop them in the freezer.
Once they thaw, just grill the meat to medium rare. It will finish cooking when you add it to the skillet with the sliced onions and bell peppers. In a skillet cook the bell peppers and onions in some oil until tender-crisp. Slice the steak and chicken across the grain and add to the peppers and onions. Turn up the heat and saute until chicken is cooked through and veggies are caramelized. I served mine with warm flour tortillas, shredded cheddar, shredded lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, refried beans, and Spanish rice.

China American Style.

We have a wonderful restaurant near us called Skillman Wok. They deliver!! So tonight we ordered a variety of items, egg rolls, spring rolls, beef and chicken satay, crab rangoon, spareribs, dumplings, and fried rice. We took it all in the living room in front of the TV and while we ate, we watched Shanghai Noon with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson. What a fun dinner, and no cleanup!!

A little taste of Italy.

Tonight we're having Chicken Parmesana with Fettuccine Alfredo and salad with the Giardiniera I put up after Christmas.
The Chicken Parmesana is simple, just lightly tenderize some boneless chicken breasts and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Dredge them in flour, then egg wash, and finally Italian bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese. Saute in olive oil until golden brown, turning once. Transfer to a baking dish and top with your favorite marinara and mozzarella and bake @325 for about 20 minutes. The Alfredo is also easy. Boil Fettuccine and drain. Saute garlic in a little butter, add Fettuccine and toss with heavy cream and Parmesan cheese.Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg. You can find the Giardiniera in the pickle section of the grocery, or make your own (see my 12/26 post). Mangiare!

Happy Birthday!

January 14, 1923- March 4, 2007

Happy Birthday Daddy!
We love you and miss you very much!!