Peanut Butter Étouffee

Request from my husband

2011-05-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

"do it the way your sister does it". Husband is referring to a poached egg.
Here's my story. For the past 37 +/- years I have struggled making my dear husband a poached egg on toast. A favorite breakfast of his. Seems like cooking eggs of any kind would be a bit of a struggle early on in our marriage. Like hard boiled eggs but that can be another post.

So over the years I tried different ways and methods of poaching that egg. Almost everytime I put that egg on the toast and put it in fromt of my dear husband, the yolk starts oozing out. Well that's not the way a poach egg is supposed to be served. We'd go to breakfast and the first thing dearest would order would be a poached egg. Well dang it out it comes all pretty and intact.
Once I grabbed a waitrees to ask her what the secret is in keeping the egg firm in water...................vinegar she says. It firms to whites. Well surely you must know I tried that. One time too much another time not enough..........CRAP I say!!

Fast forward to a few years ago while vising my sister. She offers her husband and mine breakfast, they voted on poached eggs on toast. I said "I'll butter the toast".

Wait till ya read this..........it is so simple and obvious why the heck did I never think of this. The following is dear sister's method of poaching an egg. And if you ever have trouble poaching an egg think of my many years of struggle.
*Moon's method of poaching an egg*
Heat an 8 inch pan put a little bit of butter or margarine in the pan to melt. I use Smart Balance
Heat, in the microwave or on the stovetop, a couple a cups of water.
Break the egg into the pan after the butter has melted. Keep the heat med and cook the egg just enough to seet the egg white. Now that water that you heated, gently pour that water into the pan with the egg. Cook egg till the desired hardness of the yolks. Scoop egg out of the water, drain a bit then place on your toast or english muffin.
The springtime aspargus has been so good lately I had a bit leftover. Put the warmed asparagus on the toast that I spread with a dollop of chipotle mayo then the egg on top.

Needless to say I have a very happy spouse!!

Found the following over on Whole Foods recipe blog

Eggs Five Ways

Top a beef or turkey burger with an over-easy egg and a slice of turkey bacon for a knife-and-fork burger that puts the regular ones to shame. Who says you can't have burgers for breakfast?

Tired of fried egg sandwiches? Slice hard-boiled eggs and layer them on buttered toast instead.

Toss scrambled eggs with leftover brown rice and steamed veggies for a hearty lunch.

Top rice cakes with a thin smear of miso and sliced hard-boiled eggs for a healthy breakfast.

Arrange slices of hard-boiled egg on whole wheat bread, top with a dollop of cottage cheese, slices of avocado and salt and pepper.

Re post of Pasta with Pepper and Cheese

2011-04-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

This is a re post/update to an earlier post Spaghetti with cheese and black pepper. This time I did not use Parmesano Reggiano. I had the Trader Joe Parmesan grated in the tub. I always have that in the fridge and honestly, I mean honestly it was just as good. I know, there will be some purists that disagree but go for it. I also made it exactly as the recipe with nothing else added.

This is such a fantastic, last minute out of the pantry dishes, you've got to try it and add it to your list of favorites. It seems like quite large for two but the leftovers are great. Just reheat in a skillet with a bit of oil and you've got a second meal. I had some leftover sausage and I'll chop those and throw them in for lunch. Yum.

If you're serving this to friends be sure to use the Italian name, Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe, it sounds better.

The other white meat

2011-03-18T03:00:00.001-07:00

Isn't that what they call pork? Well I'm a big fan of pork loins cooked on the grille. For many reasons but one it's easy, and two it's fast.

When at the market try to get a plain old pork loin, not one that been injected with flovoring. Don't want a butcher dictating what is in my meat.

I marinated this particular piece in mojo , which is a bottled Cuban sauce. Of course how and what you cook your pork loin does influence how you prepare your leftovers. Watch the temperature (approx 140-145*) and remember this still cooks once removed from the grille. Place on a platter tented with foil while you finish roasting some fresh veggies, your choice. For this I did fresh yellow and red bell peppers and some cute tiny yukon gold potatoes. This meat is so tender you can cut it with a fork.

Carrot cake ala Outdoor dutch oven

2011-03-17T11:13:00.001-07:00

Carrot cake ala Dutch oven a photo by mooncrazy on Flickr.

Love to cook outside in the cast iron and I'm getting ready for our annual teardrop camp out so thought I try my new carrot cake recipe. Worked wonderful. Just as tender and fluffy as one baked in my indoor oven and now I can't wait to make it at the potluck.

Here is the link to Mrs. Garrett's Carrot Cake.

If you are interested in more recipes for outdoor cooking visit the Cast Iron link.

What no roast chicken

2011-03-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

So I stopped by the big box store on the way home for a roast chicken, actually I was going to get two so I could make a tasty chicken salad for lunch over the weekend, much to my dismay they were sold out. WHAT the heck!! Run to the back, pick up a roastable chicken and while waiting in line thinking hope it's not too hot to turn on the oven.

On the way home I remembered a roast chicken I made with some lemons stuffed inside. Gotta go find that recipe. FOUR YEARS AGO!!! holy cow time flies. It's nice to revisit some of our olders posts and this one especially I really like. Before it gets too hot to turn on your oven make this chicken. I know it's so easy to buy the roasted one at the market but trust me you'll be glad you did.

April 12, 2007 is the original post.
This has to be my favorite way to roast a chicken. It is a recipe adapted from a recipe from Giada DeLaurentis. This is a very rich tasting chicken that I served with roasted red potatoes and carrots.
I did place cleaned carrots on the bottom using them as a rack for the chicken and it's the lemons, garlic and oranges that you place in the cavity so don't skimp on that.

Garlic and Citrus Chicken
1(5 to 6-pound) whole roasting chicken, neck and giblets discarded I don't discard these little gems I cook them in some broth and use them at a later time
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 orange, quartered
1 lemon, quartered I used two lemons they were kind of small
1 head garlic, halved crosswise, plus 3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (14-ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed I used fresh juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves I used thyme
Kitchen string or butcher twine didn't have any

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the orange, lemon, and garlic halves. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen string to help hold its shape. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. I rubbed a bit of butter and olive oil on the bird.Place a rack in a large roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the rack in the pan. Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting occasionally and adding some chicken broth to the pan, if necessary, to prevent the pan drippings from burning. Whisk the orange juice, lemon juice, oil, oregano, and chopped garlic in a medium bowl to blend. Brush some of the juice mixture over the chicken, after it has baked 1 hour. Continue roasting the chicken until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the innermost part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F, basting occasionally with the juice mixture and adding broth to the pan, about 45 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Tent with foil while making the sauce (do not clean the pan).
Place the same roasting pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in any remaining broth and simmer until the sauce is reduced to 1 cup, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Strain into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and discard the solids. Spoon the fat from the top of the sauce.
Serve the chicken with the pan sauce.

Soup, it's what's for dinner

2011-02-05T16:17:00.000-08:00

Originally uploaded by mooncrazy

February, even though the weather is warm, is soup month for me. I can't get past the fact I'm making it wearing shorts but soup is a good "winter" meal for us.

A little spring cleaning was needed in my freezer after the holidays and January visit from relatives. I found some cubes of ham and a bone. There was also a package of chicken bones (I throw hardly anything away) left over when I boned a chicken last week. I roasted the bones with some chopped onions, carrots, and celery and then simmered the ham and chicken bones with the veggies in a large pot, about 4 quarts of water. Add some salt and pepper but remember, this is not the final product. The broth was drained through a sieve and discard everything else, it has served it's purpose. Chill in the fridge over night makes it easier to get rid of the fat. I then got busy making two soups.

Split Pea with Ham

1 lb of dried split peas, rinsed and sorted

2 quarts of broth

1 small onion, chopped

3 carrots, grated

3 stalks of celery, chopped

about 1 1/2 cups of chopped ham

salt and pepper to taste (careful with the sauce as the broth is sure to have seasoning)

Bring all to a simmer and cook uncovered until the peas are no longer peas, about 2 hours. If it gets too thick add some canned chicken broth or a bit of water. Adjust the seasonings and serve. We like cornbread to accompany it be it can be a first course if you wish. This soup freezes quite well and since it's just me and my honey, I freeze up separate containers for a future lunch.

The next soup is Artichoke Potato Puree and that post will be along any day now.

Getty Villa Carrot Cake

2011-01-29T08:54:00.000-08:00

If the Getty Center in Los Angeles is my passion then the Getty Villa in Malibu is my secret love. I don't get there as much as I'd like but when I do it's special.

If anyone remembers the early days at the Villa you must have fond memories of the tea room. There were delicious scones and this wonderful carrot cake. I'm adding a link to the Getty Iris for this recipe. Read the interesting story of how this cake came about.

The cake could not be easier to make and since I've acquired the recipe I've made it about four times. The latest was when we were entertaining relatives from the East Coast just this past week and it was a big hit with them.

Enjoy and if in LA visit the Getty Center or Getty Villa

Mrs. Garrett's Carrot Cake Recipe

Up until now

2011-01-10T03:00:00.000-08:00

This is the best Posole I have ever made, which is a hearty pork stew. Yes you can make it with chicken I suppose, I never have.

Following is my method.....adapt it to your liking and taste.

About 2 cups of chopped pork brown in a tablespoon of oil. Brown well so you have those bits, frond I believe it's called, on the bottom of your pan. Remember to salt and pepper to taste.

Once browned add 2 boxes of Swansons chicken broth, low sodium and my secret ingredient sort of is to add about a half a box of beef broth. I happened to have my last but favorite Trader Joe's beef broth which I used. Let that simmer for about two and a half to three hours. Before poppping the lid on add a a couple a teaspoons of cumin.

Put the lid on and go chop some onions and celery, shred some carrots and get two cans of hominy rinsed. Make sure you have on hand some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, I used only one pepper out of the small can** along with about a teaspoon of the sauce. Also one can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted tomatoes plus a couple a tablespoons of tomato paste.

I had some corn tortillas I had cut up in slivers and toasted, chopped some fresh cilantro and a squeeze or three of lime juice. Normally I would add a few slices of avocado but none on hand.

This is such a warming, feel good soup/stew.............I was giddy while enjoying the flavors.

**the small can of chipotle pepper in adobo sauce is way too much to put in the posole. With the remaining peppers I took one pepper and a bit of sauce wrapped them in foil and froze. Since I'll be making sister's red pepper hummus I'll be using at least one packet of the chipotle peppers.

My own version of food truck fare

2010-12-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

Not the usual food beauty shot because this lunch is traveling. This week our mechanics at Christian Auto had a time with the transmission in our Honda Hybrid. Because they were not satisfied until it was perfect, I'm taking them lunch today.

What's on the menu?

Pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw and chocolate brownies.

The pork butt was rubbed with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili pepper and roasted slow in a 275 degree oven for over six hours until it was tender enough to shred with a fork. I added some of the drippings and BBQ sauce.

The coleslaw couldn't be easier. Chopped cabbage, green and red along with shredded carrots. I did not put onion but sometimes I do. Dressing:

1/2 cup + heaping Tablespoon of Mayo

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar

3 Tablespoons sugar

Combine sugar and vinegar, stir to dissolve. Beat in the mayo. Pour over cabbage and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. I like to let it set over night.

Just wanted them to know how much we like their work. Thanks Jonathon and Shawn.

Relish, no can

2010-11-21T07:27:00.000-08:00

Gotta post this great recipe for the quintessential Thanksgiving accompaniment, cranberry relish. Funny thing, I never eat it. Not because I don't like cranberries, love them and their juice. Can't say exactly but it might be growing up that jellied-from-the-can stuff was always on our table.

Because I can't shamelessly post this as my own creation I'll give credit to Pioneer Woman. Her recipes always seem to need a little adjustment and this one took less than most. Here is our version.

1 twelve oz. bag of fresh cranberries
1 sixteen oz bottle of POM, pomegranate juice
3/4 cup of sugar

If you like a looser sauce add all the juice. If you like a firmer sauce take out about a quarter cup but don't toss it, drink it; it's really good. Sugar, too, give it a taste and add more but we like ours on the tart side.

Combine all into a large sauce pan and bring to a slow boil--medium low hear-- lid off. Cook for at least twenty minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. All those wonderful little berries need to pop and the juice reduce a bit. Cool and refrigerate. I think it tastes better the next day but hey, if don't it will be ok. It will thicken a bit more when it cools.

See I told you it was easy.

If you like cranberries

2010-11-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

I am bringing back this delicious dessert because it is easy to put together and always a huge hit for a big meal like the upcoming Thanksgiving, And if you are going as a guest tell them "I'll bring the dessert". We have already had our family Thankful Day but I'm goin to make this for when Sister and Bro in law come up for the day next week. I see a good hearty soup and this tasty dessert after an afternoon at the movies.

Cranberry Tart

3 cups (12 oz bag) rinsed cranberries

¾ cup chopped pecans

½ cup sugar

¾ cup melted butter

2 large eggs slightly beaten

2 tbls orange juice ***

1 cup sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

Butter and lightly flour a deep 10 inch pie plate or a 10 x 2 quiche dish.

Place cranberries in the bottom of the pan, sprinkle with the pecan pieces, then sprinkle the ½ cup sugar.

Now in a bowl combine the melted butter, eggs, juice (when I have a fresh orange I will add a bit of orange zest) and the 1 cup of sugar. Add the flour and whisk till smooth. Pour mixture over the cranberries.

Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 45 minutes. Insert the old toothpick in the center to check for doneness.

Let cool…………………add a scoop of really good vanilla ice cream or not.

Tomato Tart

2010-10-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

I can't find the derned photo I took of this
Tomato tart
Ingredients

2 Small Tart Pans I used a 9 inch pie plate
Butter (for Greasing The Pan)
½ cups All-purpose Flour
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Sugar
3 Tablespoons Cold Unsalted Butter (cut Into Small Pieces)
4 teaspoons Ice Water, Or More As Needed
half of one medium onion I used a vidalia
tomato for a 9 inch pie I used three larger tomatoes
Salt & Pepper To Season I also used fresh basil chopped fine
freshly grated parmesan cheese
goat cheese I'm not fond of goat cheese cooked so I used gorgonzola and mozzarella
Olive Oil

Preparation Instructions

To make the tart dough: OK I make the very worst pie crust ever so I cheat and use Marie Callenders frozen pie crust, nice and flaky and fine for this dish

1) Put flour, salt & sugar in food processor and pulse to blend. Sprinkle the pieces of (VERY COLD) butter over dry ingredients. Pulse until butter pieces are reduced to small pieces.

2) Sprinkle ice water evenly over dry ingredients & butter, pulse until small clumps form. (You may add more ice water as needed.)

3) Take dough out of processor, press together lightly to form ball. Divide in half, pat each half into a disc, and wrap each in plastic wrap or waxed paper. Chill for 30 minutes.

To make tarts:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. I bake at 350 degrees

2) Thinly slice onion and cook in 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat until nicely caramelized. (This should take about 10-15 minutes.) Season with salt and pepper.

3) While onions cook, de-seed and slice your tomato. Season lightly with salt and pepper. I don't mind the seeds

4) Remove tart dough from refrigerator and roll out into discs a bit larger than your tart pans. Be sure to BUTTER your tart pans (trust me on this one), and then place the dough into the pan, pressing it lightly into the bottom and sides of pan.

5) Time to layer in the tart ingredients! I spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on the bottom of the crust first. Then several nickel size pieces of cream cheese scattered on the bottom. Put a layer of freshly grated Parmesan on the bottom of the tart, followed by some of your caramelized onions. Place tomato slices on top–you might have to cut your slices into smaller pieces to get them to layer nicely. Crumble goat cheese onto the top of the tomatoes. This is where I used the Gorgonzola Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the top, then sprinkle with pepper. Fold the edges of the tart dough around the top. (It’s a lovely rustic look.) Brush the exposed edges with lightly beaten egg.

6) Bake your tarts for 20-30 minutes, or until the crusts are golden brown.

Note: You can easily scale this up for a larger crowd and bake it in a full-sized tart or pie pan. Use your favorite pie dough recipe, or even use a store-bought pie crust! Trust me, this one is easy, delicious, and VERY impressive-looking!

Hope you try it and then let me know what you think.

Pears

2010-10-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

When I think of fall food that I look forward to pears they are at the top of my list for many reasons

After browsing the food magazines the other day I beat feet to the local food purveyor and bought me some pears. I ended up with bartlett, not that that is a bad thing mind you, but I am looking forward to trying a forelle.

Pears and cheese go quite well together your favorite soft ripened cheese or a very sharp cheddar. But think about making pear sauce instead of applesauce.

Add some cranberries and served with a pork loin you just cooked on the grille.

Just enjoy the fall pears, then you can concentrate on the pumpkins , gourds and such that are making their appearance as well.

the little known Forelle when ripe, cut open and you will see a blushing pear

I have a pear tart recipe I need to post for you soon.

from Washington and Oregon the very popular Comice

your basic bartlett

Pommes Frites ...........it's all about the sauce

2010-08-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Pommes frites are just french fries – but since I don’t make them like traditional french fries I like to differentiate them so I can keep the recipes separate. Not only that but by using the term pommes frites I tend to think of them in a slightly better frame of mind, foodie wise, than french fries (which seem so McDonald’s like to me). Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of McDonald fries.

This is a twist on a very classic worldwide pairing – mayo (or even mayo and ketchup mixed together) with fries is VERY traditional, its not overly common here in the USA however. So try it next time if you haven’t yet. .
In parts of Utah, Nevada and the Northwest USA there is a popular sauce usually called fry sauce'

Fry Sauce Ingredients

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
salt & pepper to taste

Mix ingredients till well blended.

Instead of cayenne pepper I have used a product I found when driving thru Oklahoma awhile back called Slap ya Mama. Nicely spiced, white pepper blend which is marked as a Cajun seasoning. It is made by Walker & Sons from Ville Platte, Lousiana.

I also have used less ketchup and added a good BBQ sauce.

Now to the pommes frites

I try to always use russet potatoes as they produce the best fried fry. Anything else doesn’t get as crispy or dehydrates leaving only a shell behind. The only exception would be sweet potatoes, which make fantastic fries in my opinion.
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Peel potatoes and cut lengthwise into quarter-inch thick slices. Cut again into 1/4-inch thick fries. Place the potatoes into a bowl with cold water; this will help keep the fries crisp. Just before cooking, drain water and place on paper towel, pat dry.
Put the potatoes in a bowl; add canola oil, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Toss well and lay out in 1 layer on nonstick baking sheet. Bake until light brown. Cook for approximately 30 to 40 minutes, turning frequently until golden brown.

Remove from oven, allow to cool for 1 or 2 minutes and serve with some of that sauce you made while cooking your poomes frites.

Steam driven cookies

2010-08-09T07:59:00.000-07:00

There is a subset to the science fiction genre called Steampunk and the Underground Art Show chose it as their theme this year. Basically this fantasy sub-culture is what technology produced without electricity in the Victorian-era using steam driven engines would look like. Think Wild Wild West and you've pretty much got it or Willy Wonka, or the recent Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey, Jr.

Gear driven machines are at the heart of it all so my submission for the dessert table is all decked out appropriately. This post is more of a product review than anything else because these are just plain, rollout and iced sugar cookies. I knew what I wanted to do and talked to PBE's resident chef Teri, she had the solution, Wilton's Color Mist, a spray on editable color. I made my own stencils out of heavy cardstock and iced the cookies with royal icing to give a smooth base. Then laying the stencil over the cookie and gently spraying gave me the look I was going for. I played with different layers of color. Of course you can use this spray on any dessert and a quick spray would dress up plain white cake or cupcakes.

Things to know:

Practice spraying first on something you can wash off
Give yourself lots of space because there will be overspray
Shake often, really shake a lot
Spray in a sweeping motion so as not to "puddle" the color
Let dry at least an hour before stacking or adding another color

I do like this product and for about $4 a can it wasn't too pricey.

And, if you lived in the Victorian-era and played guitar, this might be what an electric one looked like. Google for more creative examples of this fantasy world "Steampunk".

Ragu: Italian gravy

2010-07-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

Editors note: this, seemingly, is the longest recipe I've ever posted but I guarantee if you make this your family/friends will sing your praises for a long, long time.

Because I'm making ragu today I tried to remember when I posted the recipe on PBE. Come to find out, I didn't. This is from a recipe I found on Laura Rebecca's Kitchen. She was participating in a challenge from Darling Bakers and I'm not sure who had the original recipe. It is Lasagna Verdi al Forno.

It was delicious the first time I made it but way too much work so next time I used store-bought lasagna noodles and it still took forever but the ragu is what I loved so, in honor of my darling companion coming back from a short, but grueling road trip to fetch our trailer from New Mexico, I decided to spend the morning cooking up a double batch and have his partner in crime for this three-day adventure, his lovely wife and the Princess and her court, over for some splendid Italian Gravy.

My mom, an excellent cook in her own right, had met an Italian woman and they became fast friends. Reason being, they both loved to cook and sometimes I think they tried to out-cook each other but being on the receiving end of these culinary wars was a good thing. Poking through my mom's refrigerator on day for something to eat for lunch I ran across a dish of pasta with sauce. It didn't seem to have much tomato sauce but was heavy in the meat department and asked it I could have some. Momma called it Pasta and Gravy and it was the best damn ragu sauce I'd ever tasted. It wasn't until I made the ragu from the Daring Bakers had I ever even come close.

So, pick a morning, at least four hours, and make a double batch because it freezes so very nicely and you are going to want more of this gravy.

Ragu alla Contadina (country style ragu)

This recipe doubles nicely

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
2 medium onion, diced
4 ounces pork loin
4 ounces mild Italian sausage
8 ounces beef skirt steak, hanging tender, or boneless chuck blade or chuck center cut (in order of preference)

2/3 cup dry red wine or broth
1 &1/2 cups chicken or beef stock (homemade if possible)
2 cups milk
3 canned plum tomatoes, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a very large skillet saute the pancetta and onions stirring frequently about 10 minutes, or so, until the onions barely begin to color. Coarsely grind all the meats together in a food processor or meat grinder.

Stir into the skillet and slowly brown over medium heat. This takes a while because, first, the means will give off a liquid and turn dull grey but, as the liquid evaporates, browning will begin. Stir often with wooden spatula. Protect that nice crust forming on the bottom of the pan you'll use that later. Cook until the meat is a deep brown. Pour the meat into a very large sauce pan.

De-glaze the skillet with some dry red wine scrapping until you loosen the lovely bottom bits. Pour in the sauce pan with the meat.

Stir 1/2 cup stock into sauce pan and let it bubble slowly until totally evaporated. Repeat with another 1/2 cup stock. Stir the last 1/2 cup stock along with milk and adjust heat so the liquid bubbles very slowly. Partially cover the pan and cook 1 hour. Stir frequently to check for sticking.

Add the tomatoes, crushing them as they into the pan. Cook uncovered, very slow bubble, for another 45 minutes or until the sauce resembles a thick, meat stew. I've never had to add salt and pepper but now would be the time so give it a good taste.

Now your done with the ragu. Let's whip up a bechamel sauce. This is easy, very easy.

Bechamel
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all purpose unbleached flour
2&2/3 cups milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Sift over the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.

If you cook up a package of lasagna noodles and gently warm the bechamel and ragu, if needed, you can layer all of this, along with a cup of Parmesan cheese, into a 13 x 9 pan, ending with the beschamel and bake for about 40 minutes, covered. Uncover and brown the top for about another 10 min. Let rest for about 10 minutes it will be so much easier to cut.

You're gonna cry when your family or guests gobble this up in what seems like a minute because only you know how damn long it took to make. Just be happy you were smart enough to freeze a batch for the next meal. You did make a double batch, right?

Gooey Butter Cake

2010-07-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

Those three words just say it ALL!!

Sure wish I would have taken a photo of the cut piece with the homemade banana nut ice cream on top. I know good lord I'll have to walk an extra mile of three.

I have heard of this cake but had never, until last nite, had the pleasure of an up close and personal meeting with this tasty treat.

A small gathering of friends got together to say our farewell and best wishes for a wonderful couple that for med reasons must go home for the summer.

One of the gals that works here put the function together and brought this cake while her dear husband made the ice cream. There weren't many of us but the company was enjoyed as well as the desserts.

Try googling gooey butter cake and see the many, many items that come up. Well it seems that when you Google the cake and put in the word butter guess whose name comes up...............Paula Deen = butter. In spite of the Deen connection I did like the cake a LOT!!! But my thighs are in pain!!

I found a winner

2010-07-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well actually I was the recipient of winning this product.

Paula over at http://www.bellalimento.com
had a giveaway recently and I was the lucky recipient of these two items. The roasting and grilling salt is wonderful. The other item is a sun dried tomato spread that I have yet to use.

The above photo is of some roasted spuds drizzled with a bit of olive oil sprinkle some of the grilling salt and roast in a not (425*) for about 20~25 mins.

Find the grilling salt and their other products here

lemon, lemon, lemon

2010-06-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

I like lemon just about everything, well with the exception of lemon Jello not so much!!

The following recipe was delivered to my facebook page. We have a birthday celebration function in a couple a days and the celebrant loves lemon, so these will be perfect I'm hoping. And this is easy cause you use prepared mixes. I know for all you bakers you are just shuddering, but sometimes ya just have to cut corners to save time.
Lemon filled sugar cookies
1 pouch of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup whole almonds, peeled
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 jar of lemon curd (surprise I have a jar I made )
2/3 cup canned whipped fluffy white frosting (yes canned)
1/2 cup cool whip type stuff
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon sliced almonds

Heat oven to 375* Spray 36 mini muffin cups with a light cooking spray
In a large bowl stir cookie mix, ground almonds, butter and cream cheese until a soft dough forms.
Shape dough into 36 ( 1 1/4 inch) balls. Press each ball in the bottom and up the side of the muffin up. Careful because the dough does puff up some.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Keep an eye on these cause they do brown easily. Cool completely in pan, about 30 minutes.
Remove cookies cups from pan, fill each cup with about 1 1/2 teaspoon of the lemon curd.
In a small bowl mix frosting and whipped topping until blended well. Spoon a teaspoon of the frosting mixture on top of the cookie cup. Top each with lemon peel and sliced almond. Store covered in refrigerator.

No change for high altitude cooking.

Hey Mambo, you mixed up Sicialiano

2010-04-20T04:44:00.000-07:00

Another great, easy and meatless pasta dish, this time from America's Test Kitchen. It couldn't be easier and a wonderful light main course or starter. Most Pestos are heavy with the oil, garlic and basil and this hits all those notes, just softer. Hot or cold it does well.

Sicilian Pesto Pasta

1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds, toasted

2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup basil leaves plus a few for garnish

small clove of garlic

pinch of red pepper flakes

1 peperoncini, chopped

Throw all of the above in a food processor and blend until everything is chopped. While running, add 1/3 cup of olive oil and blend. Then stir in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook 1 pound of spaghetti or linguine pasta in salted water and reserve a cup of cooking water.

Toss the pesto with the hot pasta using a little of the cooking water if it is too thick. Serve with a few chopped basil leaves and more cheese.

This is one of my new pasta bowls; I love them. Tell me why I didn't buy more? This is good hot but I served it cold the next day and just as yummy. I let it come to room temp before serving.

You say catsup..........I say ketchup

2010-04-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

the cast of characters

either way you spell or say it you know you can make your own. Why would anyone want to do that you say.......one word TASTE.

1 6 oz. can of tomato paste

1/2 cup of vinegar I used apple cider & rice wine

1/2 cup of sweetener I used brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt unless your paste has a hefty amount of sodium already

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 1/4 cups water I started out with 1 cup

optional seasonings***

Combine all the ingredients, except for the optional seasonings, in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and then reduce the heat to low.

Simmer the mixture gently, stirring frequently, for approximately thirty minutes, or until it thickens to the consistency of ketchup.

Taste and adjust the seasoning to balance out the flavors, adding a bit more of any of the flavor components according to your preferences. Add one or more of the optional seasonings, if desired.

Continue cooking for two to three more minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Let the ketchup cool.

there it is 24 oz of pure ketchup

Store ketchup in a covered container in the refrigerator. Unless you have some preservatives hanging around in your pantry this will only keep no more than a month I'm thinking.

***Optional seasonings would be to your pleasure. Spice it up with cayenne pepper, a smokey paprika, even some Middle Eastern spices.

So when we are having that yummy grilled buffalo burger in a few weeks my, my ketchup is gonna taste great.

Cast Iron Beef and Noodles

2010-04-08T04:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know, I'm like a one string banjo when it comes to cooking outside but I've truly come to love this. It might be that old pioneer coming out. I mean, we did come to Simi Valley in the '70s when there wasn't much here but a few housing tracks. That's a bit of a stretch because they did have a drive-in theater. Who can say why but I love to cook and this is an extension of that love.

So, rather than bore you with the instructions I'll add a new recipe I've found for noodles. I usually make them with all-purpose flour but picked up a package of Bob's Red Mill at Whole Paycheck. Their product is worth the extra cost and thought I give their recipe a try. I've always been a fan of home made noodles bu this makes such a wonderful textured noodle I think I'm hooked.

I like to use a little all-purpose flour with the semolina and I use my food processor to do the kneading. I'm not lazy, just … well, I am lazy. Do what you want. I will use a pasta machine to roll out and cut the noodles but try doing it yourself. There's nothing like hand cut to show that they didn't come from a package. Plus they are always a bit chewier when they are hand rolled and cut.

1 1/2 Cup Semolina ( I use 1 1/4 semolina and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour)
1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Water
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Combine Semolina Flour and sea salt. ADD beaten eggs ( or egg whites), water and oil. Mix to make a stiff dough. Knead 10 minutes or until dough is elastic. Wrap dough in a towel or place in plastic bag and let rest for 20 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out to desired thickness and cut as desired. Bring large pot of water containing 1/2 tsp. oil to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender.
Here is the cast of characters:

Celery, onions, and carrots; cut into small pieces
3 cups of beef broth
2 cup of chicken broth
about 2 cups of shredded beef

Saute the veggies in a bit of oil and add the broth and meat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the veggies are soft. Throw in the noodles fresh made noodles. If you use packaged or dried noodles you'll need some additional broth or water as they'll soak up that broth like a thirsty sailor.

Slowly simmer until the noodles are tender. Try not to stir too vigorously or the noodles will fall apart. When you use the home made noodles your broth will thicken a bit from the extra flour on the noodles. If not add a little roux and cook until thickened. I think these types of dishes are better the next day but after working this hard, it's usually right to the table.

Coconut Pie; oh my!

2010-04-04T04:44:00.000-07:00

If I had a family coat of arms it would be a chicken on a field of noodles wearing a coconut hat; that's if I had a crest. I will undoubtedly choose coconut over any other candy and love spring because Passover comes with the most delicious macaroons but that's for another post.

Last week was spent on the edge of the Arizona desert with my sister, Doodles and her husband and their somewhat rambunctious young cat, Bogart. Given enough time together Doodles and I will always find an antique shop to poodle through and this trip the find was an 8 inch glass pie plate.

My stove at home has a small, nine inch wide side oven and I've been trying to find a pie plate for about two years. Doodles is a full-time gypsy and her RV has a small oven as well. You can only imagine the joy we both experienced to find not one but a stack of old class pie plates; we each bought one.

When I got home I was dying to try it. Well, I was needing something sweet and it was sitting on my counter. Any who, I made a blind pie shell and got out my Bird's custard. Since the pie is so small I thought one pint would be enough. It should have been a bit more but it worked. Bird's is quite easy to use just add the milk and a bit of sugar. I toast my coconut because I love that flavor and texture and it's easy in a dry skillet. Toast twice as much as you need because you'll find yourself nibbling on it as the pie cools in the fridge. Or, that might just be me.

To the pud I added a handful, or so, of coconut and pour it into the shell. Just a word of warning; make sure you cook your pudding long enough or you'll have, what are darling mother used to refer to as, "spoon" pie. Not a complete failure but the filling was a bit soft which meant the whipped cream topping pushed it out of shape and when cut, the filling gushed out the sides. As a matter of fact it was mostly whipped cream but when has that ever been a bad things.

A little hint for whipping the cream, to the 1 cup of heavy cream, whipped to a very soft peak, I added 3 heaping tablespoons of powdered sugar and about 2 teaspoons of cornstarch. Then whipped the heck out of it. Don't forget to sprinkle on a bit of toasted coconut just in case you forget what kind of pie it is. Yeah, like that would happen.

What no sourdough bread!!!

2010-04-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

Woke this a.m. thinking of french toast. It was a icky windy cold nite and the weather doesn't look much like it's going to improve. Comfort food on cold windy days yummm!!!

French toast will help but I am all out of sourdough bread OH wait I have sourdough english muffins that'll work right.

Here ya go..............

Preheat your oven to 350* yes your oven. Now whisk 2 eggs, 3/4 cup of milk (any kind) and half & half. I did that cause I didn't have a full amount of either. Couple a pinches of cinnamon if you want, some good vanilla and a pinch of salt.

I split apart 6 muffins then heat some butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Dip the muffins in the egg & milk mixture and cook in skillet 2-3 minutes per side. Add more butter if you need. Now as the pieces brown place on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven for 8-10 minutes.

The pieces brown in the skillet then finish cooking in the oven. And when they come out they are puffy and delicious.....................see!!

Cast Iron Soufflé

2010-03-16T04:44:00.000-07:00

Since I only drag out the cast iron a few times a year I like to practice a bit before I go off and try to feed a bunch of people. We are heading South to do just that in March so I've been doing a bit of outdoor cooking.

Here is a recipe I use quite often in my kitchen oven and had an idea I could fix for the potluck at the Teardrop Gathering.

The recipe was in a recent post by doodles, A trip down memory food lane.

Rinse chilies free of seeds and cut into inch pieces and assemble rest of ingredients.

Heat a 10 inch Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven heated with coals 14 top and 6 bottom.

Because I'll be cooking this on a camping trip I did not use an electric mixer and whisked the eggs in a large bowl. Beat the eggs until they are thick and light yellow. Next whisk in flour and when you have no more lumps mix in the milk and salt and pepper.

Add butter to preheated outdoor dutch oven and coat the inside. Layer green chilies and cheeses and gently pour in the milk mixture.

Replace lid and cook for approximately 40 minutes turning lid and pot 1/4 turn every 15 minutes.

At 30 minutes I added two more fresh coals to the top because I wanted the cheese to brown.

I took a peek at 40 min and it was done. I tested by sticking a knife in the center and it came out clean.

Removed it from the heat and let it rest about 10 minutes without the lid. It needs to cool off a little before serving.

We had friends over that have had this before and they said this was the best one I've ever made.

Aye, Begorra! It'll be time to be cookin' up sumtin' OIrish

2010-03-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

Not sure if I'll take this recipe for the camp out but thought it was a good one for St Paddy's Day. Would be great with that Corned beef and cabbage you're planning. I did make it in the outdoor dutch oven and pretty much followed the recipe. Either cooked outside or in your oven it is a very easy bread to make. Just don't fuss with it too much. It is like pie crust, it take a gentle hand.

First get your coals going outside for your dutch oven. I used a Lodge 10" and needed 400 degrees so I used 25 briquettes, 17 top and 8 on the bottom. Since it only cooks for 45 minutes I never replaced any of the coals but it's good to have a few extra in case it gets windy or cold. I put the coals on then made the bread dough.

Make a well in the flour mixture and stir it with a fork just until it start to come together.

Dump it out onto a work surface and knead it together to get all the loose flour incorporated.

I use a parchment paper sling to get it into the hot dutch oven. Crunch the parchment under the lid on and put your coals on top. Every 15 minutes turn the lid 1/4 turn and the entire DO a 1/4 turn. When you smell the bread or about 40 minutes open the lid and test with a tooth pick. If it comes out clean, it's done.

I use the parchment to get the loaf out of the hot pan.
Now, doesn't that look yummy?

This was quite tasty and like I said, save some for the morning because it's great toasted.

Soda Bread (from American's Test Kitchen)

If you don't use cast iron it can be baked on a baking sheet. This bread is best eaten the same day but can be stored covered. The next day or two; great for toasting.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tarter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon melted butter

Heat over to 400 degrees. Place flours, soda, cream of tarter, salt and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add butter and rut it into the flour using your fingers until it is completely incorporated and the mixture resembles course crumbs. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk. Work the liquid into the flour mixture using a fork until the dough comes together in large clumps. Don't over mix. Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead gently until the loose flour is just moistened. The dough will still be scrappy and uneven.

Form the dough into a round about 6 to 7 inches in diameter and place in a warm cast iron skillet. Score a deep cross on top of the loaf and place in the heated oven. Bake until nicely browned and is done when a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. About 40-45 minutes. Remove and brush with melted butter. Cool for at least 30 minutes it will be easier to slice. Serve slightly warm or at room temp.

A little help here for the camp cook, please

2010-03-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

Ah, spring in Southern California and all thoughts turn to cast iron. No? Well, mine do. Our big, once-a-year camp out is approaching and I'm getting excited. A few years ago I added my love of cooking to the camping experience which truly makes me a happy camper.

Outdoor Dutch Ovens. They are a challenge but maybe that's the appeal. Anyone can cook a stew in the oven but I can take my cast iron cookers and have a fantastic meal at the beach or any other place without electrics. We camp in that tiny trailer pictured above called a teardrop and before you scream, yes we sleep in there, too.

Every year we camp at Lake Perris with about 100 other of these little trailers and have so much fun. Trading stories and recipes, meeting new people, or re-acquainting with friends--it's lots of fun.

Saturday is always a gi-normous potluck dinner but last year someone decided to add a Friday night potluck for Outdoor Dutch Oven enthusiasts. Bring your cast iron, whether experienced or brand new, it's great to make new friends and learn something new about the challenges of cooking outdoors.

Last year I made a Cast Iron Apple Pie and chili verde; both a big success. This year I'm looking for something new so here's a big request. What should I make? It should be a dish able to simmer in one pot or bake in an oven for about 1-2 hours. Does anyone have an idea for me? Most of the prep is outside and my working space is usually a picnic table.

Reply in the comments and if you have a link to the recipe that would be great. I'm leaving next week so don't let that suggestion go to waste, leave me with an idea or two. I'll give you credit at the potluck.

A trip down memory food lane

2010-03-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Many, many years ago my dear sister put together a collection of several of her favorite recipes, at the time. Sent as a Christmas bonus gift, at the time it was quite special. No one really did that back then. Sister was way ahead of her time.

We always talked about having a Bed & Breakfast one time in our lives. You should have heard the husbands scream "No WAY!!!". Conversations were mostly around food and where recipes came from. Let's do a cookbook I say. It just never happened.

Now in the day of very modern technology we have a food blog not a cookbook but it is a way of sharing with friends and family.

My very dear niece, an excellent cook and super food enthusiast, happens to be our third writer.

This is a blog about food so I will get back to it with a terrific recipe of a Green Chile Souffle. It appeared in the collection sister shared many years ago.

Green Chile Souffle

4 4oz cans whole green chiles

2 cups grated jack cheese

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

6 eggs

1 cup flour

4 cups milk
salt & pepper to taste

350 degree oven

Butter the bottom of your baking dish, I use an 8x8 glass dish*. Try to remove the seeds from the chiles, rinsing them works well, but make sure they are dry. Cut the chiles into about 2 inch pieces. Layer the cheese and the chiles on the bottom of the dish. Beat together the eggs and milk, add the flour. Mix so there are no lumps. Pour over the cheese and chile. Pan should be no more than three quarters full. Bake for about 1 hour or until done in center.

Serve with some of your favorite salsa and maybe a lite salad.

*Notes..............Notice I did not use a glass dish. Also I had some leftover tri tip roast and I added some caramelized onions. Easy dish to change.

Spaghetti with cheese and black pepper

2010-02-24T04:44:00.000-08:00

This basic recipe came from SmittenKitchen by way of my sister, Doodles. She thought this dish would taste wonderful in my new pasta bowls. She was right it was tasty but made too much for just the two of us. I had half the dish leftover (more about the leftovers later.)

This is a pretty simple pasta dish but does, in my opinion, require a very good cheese and since I was ready to splurge I picked up some Parmesano Reggiano at Whole Paycheck. Seventeen bucks a pound but since there is nothing else in this recipe to mask the flavor of the cheese so go for the best.

Also grind your own pepper. It calls for 1 1/2 teaspoons but I used more. I love pepper and for this dish I used smoked peppercorns. Giving it a lightly smoked flavor. Your call. I also used penne instead of spaghetti.

What's great about this recipe is it's a start to as many variations as you can think of and I tried a bit of a twist with the leftovers. Here's what I did:

Fry one slice of bacon crisp and removed from pan, chop finely and set aside. To the pan add half cup finely diced leftover tri-tip steak. Fry gently in the bacon fat and add the leftover pasta. If it's dry add water a few tablespoons at a time. Toss with tongs and remove to bowls. Top with the reserved bacon and more cheese. A little chopped parsley couldn't hurt, now could it?

There ya go, a simple pasta two different ways. This is a recipe I'll keep and use again because I love quick and easy meals for nights when I just don't want to cook. As long as you keep your pantry stocked with the basics you're home free.

Spaghetti with Cheese and Pepper [Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe]
Serves 4 as a main, 8 as a first course

1/4 cup olive oil 
1 pound dried spaghetti 
2 tablespoons butter 
4 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated 
1 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper 
Salt (optional)
Cook spaghetti in well-salted water to your al dente tastes in a large, wide-bottomed pot. (You’ll have fewer dishes to wash if you use this pot to assemble the dish as well.) Drain spaghetti, reserving 1 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water.

Dry out your pot, then heat the olive oil over high heat until almost smoking. Add drained spaghetti and 1 cup of reserved pasta water and jump back, this will splatter mightily, also known as “I made this three times, and never once learned my lesson. Do as I say, not as I do.”
Add butter, 3 ounces cheese and ground pepper and toss together with tongs. Taste, adding more pasta water, cheese, pepper or salt (which should not be necessary, as Romano is very salty) to taste.

Serve immediately, sprinkling with reserved cheese and an extra grind or two of black pepper.

Throw me somethin' mister

2010-02-19T04:44:00.000-08:00

My friend Crystal, who was born in New Orleans, told the story of how she got her name. When they'd pass by this sign her momma 'n them would tell her that's where they got the idea for her name, Crystal Preserves. I found this photo on the Crystal Hot Sauce site. It made me smile because our dear Crystal died a few years back and I sure do miss her, especially around Mardi Gras. Even though she was transplanted to California she always planned our Mardi Gras "feast" at work complete with "throws" she'd collected. She was a doll.

Sorry you're not with us anymore Crystal but, wherever you are, I know you've written and directed a play, sewed all the costumes--and made a great pot of red beans and rice for the after party.

Let the good times roll,
Crystal M. St. Romain
July 8, 1957 - May 16, 2003

In Crystal's honor I made a big pot of Red Beans and Rice. Everyone has their favorite recipes and I'm no different, but I did tweak it a bit. I didn't simmer the beans on the top of the stove but here's what I did.

Soak one pound of beans over night in four quarts of water and three tablespoons salt.
Drain and rinse the beans and add them to ovenproof pot with onions, celery, green pepper and a ham bone. Then cover with water and bring to a simmer.
Place the covered pot in a 250 degree pre-heated oven to cook for one hour. Test the beans and cook longer if not done. They should be soft throughout.

This is a great way to cook the beans. The skins were not tough but the bean was not falling apart, either. I always mash half the beans and they were nice and creamy. I added some smoked sausage and it was a fine pot of beans but since I'm the only one that eats Red Beans, I had to freeze the rest. None will go to waste because this is a dish that freezes well.

Potato Pancakes

2010-02-15T04:44:00.000-08:00

a bit different but tasty pancake. Found this in a Bed and Breakfast cookbook that sister and I have traded back and forth for several years.

I am giving you this recipe from memory because I'll be darned if I can find the actual cookbook.

5 medium potatoes to end up with approx.

1 1/2 cup shredded

1 bunch green onions cut small include some of the green

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 large eggs

salt & pepper to taste

canola oil for frying

Sometimes I cheat and use a package of already shredded potatoes. Don't judge me I live in an RV and space is valuable lol!! Whichever potato you use be sure to squeeze the moisture out of them. Try two clean dish towels that usually works well for me.

In a large bowl mix together all of the above ingredients except the oil, put some oil in the frying pan heat to a medium high. While you are frying up the pancakes keep a piece of plastic wrap over the mixture sometimes it will discolor if you don't.

Make a patty, put the mixture in a medium hot pan, let set for a minute but don't let burn. Serve the pancakes as you make them because they do not hold well in a warmer.

How we do it: hamburger

2010-02-12T04:44:00.000-08:00

Let me ask a question: what kind of hamburger do you buy?

I examine each package for fat content
I buy what's on sale
I throw in one of those plastic sleeves of hamburger because I can't stand the look of ground meat.

If I had a meat grinder I'd grind my own meat. I'm not so sure what actually goes into the hamburger coming out of the large processing plants and I'm not so sure I want to know. Your local (add your favorite market) does not grind their own meat for hamburger. Once they did but for some reason they decided butchers were too expensive to have around each store and now it comes from a town far, far away. Well, unless you live near a meat processing plant but I think our meat comes from Pleasanton, CA and anyway, I like to know just what is in my ground meat.

A few months ago I noticed Von's had a boneless chuck roast for sale and asked the man stocking the bins if he could grind this for me. Oh, it was his pleasure and was back in just a few minutes with my ground chuck. And when I cooked this hamburger it actually tasted like something other than cardboard; it tasted like beef. Imagine that. So when I hand the butcher my chuck roast it comes back just that chuck roast and nothing else.

I've been fortunate to find boneless chuck roasts on sale. This one was $2.99 a pound and I don't think that's too much for good tasting chopped meat. I'll leave it up to you but I now look for roasts on sale and when I do we have dinners like meatballs or meatloaf or chili, but the chili, that's another post.

If you try this let us know. Do you taste a difference or if you think this is way too much trouble and just buy one of those plastic sleeve o'meat.

Give-away winner

2010-02-11T07:25:00.000-08:00

Our winner for the give-away was chosen very scientifically. The names for both sites were written down, cut into strips, and put in a hat. They, one name picked out. Check out the Facebook page for the winner.

Thanks

Valentine's Day Give-away

2010-02-07T16:44:00.000-08:00

Since PBE has expanded to Facebook (see badge at left) we thought we'd celebrate by having a give-away. Valentine's Day is Sunday and we'd like to add some Fans to our Facebook page. To win the prize, a hand-made felt Valentine pin, simply answer this question in the comments. Now, you might have received or given this gift but, tell us what made it so memorable.

What was your best Valentine's Day gift, ever?

Winner will be chosen at random from the combined comments on Blogger and Facebook so only comment once, please. All comments must be made by Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 9:00 a.m PST; we want to mail your prize in time for the big holiday. Winner will be announced on Wednesday afternoon. If the winner is outside the US you most likely won't get it by the 14Th but, we'll try. Good luck!

Superbowl snacks

2010-02-06T04:44:00.000-08:00

Planning a Superbowl party on Sunday? Here's a great snack that is easy and fit for either Colts or Saints fans. I've made this for many a party and never had to worry about leftovers. Enjoy.

Smokey Chipotle Hummus
2 15 oz cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons minced canned chipotle chilies*
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 4-ounce jar sliced pimientos in oil, drained
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
bagel chips or flat bread

Blend garbanzo beans and next 7 ingredients in processor until smooth. For a thinner or more spicy hummus use more oil or chipotle chilies, if desired. Add pimientos; process until pimientos are coarsely chopped. Transfer hummus to a medium bowl. Stir in cilantro. Season hummus to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill. Can be made one day in advance. Bring to room temperature before serving. Accompany with bagel chips or flat bread torn in bite-sized pieces.

* To save the leftover canned chipotle chilies puree the remainder and scoop tablespoons on foil-lined cookie sheet and freeze until solid. Peel off the foil and store in zip-lock bag.

Meatloaf: revisited

2010-02-04T07:35:00.000-08:00

This post has two purposes; a new method for meatloaf and a product review.

For the past few years I've been trying to recreate my Mom's meatloaf. I loved it but can't seem to hit on the exact recipe. It's not from trying but since my beloved doesn't love meatloaf like I do I don't try it too often. My last attempt Meatloaf on the Grill was a very complicated, many ingredient recipe from America's Test Kitchen. Though tasty, it was not what I was looking for plus it had way too many ingredients and prep.

As they often do, ATK had revisited the recipe and created different. Far less steps and indredients but more of a change in procedure. Check out their website for the recipe or adjust your own favorite but here might be the secret.

Add crushed saltine crackers instead of breadcrumbs.
Saute whatever vegetables you use. I like onion and celery.
Use a mixture of plain yogurt, egg and Dijon mustard.

Now for the product review. For Christmas I'd requested a French Blue Steel skillet and got a wonderful de Buyer pan. It's 12" with an extra handle because this sucker is heavy and that handle makes it easier to get in and out of the oven. It browns meat perfectly and even doubles as a roasting pan.

Treat it just like any cast iron pan, make sure you season it first and don't wash it with soap and don't let food sit in the pan. I wipe out the pan and "scour" it with kosher salt then run water and scrub with a hard bristle brush. Rinse, dry and wipe a bit of vegetable oil in the pan and good to go. I've yet to have a problem with sticking.

Here I'm using it to bake my meat loaf. Always put a tiny bit of oil in the pan before putting in the meat.

The recipe calls for bacon to be wrapped over the meatloaf and baked until the bacon is crispy and internal temp is 160 degrees. Don't forget to let it rest for 20 minutes.

Very good, not my mom's but I liked to just the same. Now, my beloved isn't that crazy about meatloaf so he drowns it in ketchup. I think I like it cold in sandwiches the best but since he's not a fan I don't usually make it for just the two of us. Wanna come to dinner?

Do you crave food?

2010-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

It's OK sure you do, we all do. Some better for ya than others.

I woke up thinking about this salad dressing my sister introduced me to awhile back. She posted the recipe here

I remember that I made a fruit salad a few years ago that we really liked. I have the same ingredients on hand plus a few other items. Perfect for the salad dressing I have been craving.

Well I made this added some napa cabbage, a few pieces of gorgonzola cheese, pecan pieces, a few dried cranberries then added this wonderful dressing.

Try this, I know it's out of the norm. If bannanas are not your thing add manadrin oranges, navel oranges or even fresh pineapple. Let me know!!

And no I do not know where the name of this dressing came from.

A fitting name, The Oinkster

2010-01-11T10:32:00.000-08:00

We don't usually do restaurant reviews but a post is a post so here's what we got into on a beautiful sunny Southern California Sunday. I'd heard about The Oinkster but Eagle Rock is about a 45-minute drive and nothing else out there I wanted to see but with two good friends wanting to go, we made a day of it.

Guy Fieri is to blame. After watching all the fun places he goes to I had to find a new one for us and thanks to Yelp, I stumbled on to this joint's website. First, let me say, I don't always believe everything I read on Yelp except when there are lots of current reviews. Most were positive with a few that thought the everyone was crazy for liking this place. We wanted to make up our own minds so off we went.

Driving there I'd remembered the area and talked about a fabulous Italian Bakery/Deli I thought was nearby. We searched the Garmin and sure enough, it was down the street. It's the Eagle Rock Italian Bakery and Deli. If you're in the area, it's quite a treat.

Lunch ordered we took a table outside. It was 12:30 pm and still not real crowded and a perfect day to eat on the patio.

Everyone ordered the Pulled-pork Sandwich with coleslaw and grilled onions. Their BBQ sauce, a vinegar-based Carolina style, came in a bottle. Not being a fan of the sauce I ordered the Rotisserie Chicken with Belgium fries and Roasted Garlic Aoili.
They make their own sauces and it's hard to say which one was better the Aoili or the homemade ketchup. I could have drank the ketchup but that garlic mayo was great too. Imagine it on a burger. Sigh.

What I wished to try, but didn't, was their House Cured Pastrami. It was as big a sandwich as the pulled pork and though a bit pricey, almost 9 bucks, it looks fantastic. I should have share it with someone. That doesn't mean my chicken wasn't delish, it was tender and juicy and full of flavor.

I might have been expecting something different with the Belgium Fries. They were soft but not greasy and a great way to get the ketchup into my mouth. They did have a very fresh flavor.

The menu also has beer and wine though we opted for soda and one of their handmade malts that was pretty hefty.

This place needs a return visit but being so far out of the way I'm not sure when. And the Italian Bakery? Yes, we stopped there and each got a loaf of their Italian bread. Oh brother was that good.

Christmas Guest Chef

2009-12-22T11:20:00.000-08:00

We had a guest chef in the PBE kitchen this morning. She comes from a long line of fantastic cookie bakers. I felt honored just to be in the same kitchen let alone her helper.

Here are her 2009 Christmas Cookies. I'm sure they'll be copied as soon as the public sees them. I'm just hoping she lets me help her again next year.

Shut the door, I'm dressing!

2009-10-28T04:44:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite cookbooks is The Junior League of Pasadena California Heritage Cookbook. I've had it since 1976. My dog, as a puppy, chewed the corner and many of the pages have stains. I love this cookbook. One of my favorite recipes is something they call Mexican White Dressing. Reading the recipe you might also wonder why it's called this, it's puzzled me forever.

This is one of those sweet dressings that goes well with avocado and citrus salads but the following is an old standby of mine. First, the dressing.

Mexican White Dressing
1 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon of powdered onion
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all the ingredients in a 1-quart covered jar and allow to stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving. Shake well just before using. This dressing will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator.

Now, the salad. It couldn't be easier. You can add candied nuts or Gorgonzola, whatever you enjoy. The sweet dressing is a wonderful compliment to the strong cheese.

Napa Cabbage Salad
Chop into bite-sized pieces a medium head of Napa cabbage.
To this add walnuts and crumbled blue cheese and toss with dressing.

Artichokes and cream: what's not to love

2009-10-16T04:44:00.000-07:00

If life were perfect I would have created this dish but nope, it wasn't me. It was another food blogger, Ree Drummond at Pioneer Woman. She's just come out with a cookbook but I've been reading her blog all along. She takes a million photos of the process for each recipe and has fun doing it. She has a handful of home schooled kids and a working cattle ranch. She is way too organized but has an honest blog that is fun to read and is a damn fine cook.

Spaghetti with artichokes and tomatoes

She touts this as almost entirely made from the pantry and I did use canned artichoke hearts but I had enough fresh Roma tomatoes so I blanched and pealed them. I had thought frozen artichokes but they might be to watery and Trader Joe's has a very nice canned product. It is easy, quick and very filling. I like to have a meatless dinner ever so often and this fits the bill.

Ree added the cheese a bit differently. Hot pasta into a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle a fair amount of grated Parmesan. Then top with the hot sauce. I think that helped to incorporate the cheese better. And like her, I use tongs to help mix this all together. Where ever would I be without tongs. They are on my family crest.

Editor's note: I got so wound up about this dish I missed one thing. It was delicious! My beloved enjoyed it and didn't even miss the meat. I could have eaten the whole bowl but held myself in check. Red sauce is on for me but I really have trouble with the acid. This had a yummy tomato flavor without the acid-reflux I usually experience. Do make this. Go to the store right now.

Hot Fudge

2009-09-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes hot fudge sundaes for dinner is just what you need. I mean, really, let's throw caution to the wind and enjoy what we want. Life is stressful enough these days, but I'm an optimist; I feel we are getting better.

When my beloved decided he wasn't hungry for dinner I asked if he had room for dessert. He quickly agreed he had room for a hot fudge sundae. Friday we had friends over for dinner and since I don't bake much in the summer, we had a simple dish of ice cream with peach sauce for dessert. That meant there was ice cream left in the freezer.

A few days ago, in an unusual fit of cleaning, I ran across a recipe for my mom's hot fudge. This was not your usual chocolate syrup this was something divine. I had never made it but had asked mom quite a few years ago how she concocted this delightful pleasure. It is way too easy.

Hot Fudge
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (try some of the La Lechera that Doodles posted about)
powdered cocoa
milk
pinch of salt (optional)

In a small sauce pan heat the condensed milk slowly and whisk in enough cocoa powder to taste. Some people like it more chocolaty than others. As it heats, thin it to the right consistency with milk. You want to be able to pour the syrup. Add a pinch of salt. Heat and stir until it's smooth, no need to come close to a boil.

Pour over your favorite ice cream but pour enough you want a bite of that tasty fudgy syrup with each bite of ice cream.

It's September

2009-09-11T09:26:00.001-07:00

Some areas of the country are beginning to feel some coolness to their weather, not where we are but hey Southern California always has to be different.

I read somewhere that September is National Fruits & Vegetable month. Well I know for a fact that there are some tasty fruits around this time of the year. Farmer's Markets have an abundance of fruits and veggies and for that I am so thankful.

But have you noticed in your market the vast supply of avocados, my word this must be a bumper crop year. Oh and where we are right now the price is very good thank you very much.

I love me a good avocado salad with red onion, chick peas, chopped tomatoes and for a dressing just fresh lime juice and good extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. I add chopped cilantro but not everyone likes this herb so leave it out if you want. If I have some red cabbage or even savoy cabbage, I slice that thin and add it, gives it a crispness Maybe add some fried/baked tortilla strips to use instead of croutons.

But one of my favorite ways to eat an avocado is to mash it with a little lime and salt and add just about a nickel size dollop of some pepper paste, you know that stuff you get in a tube, add that, then spread it on a piece of sourdough bread that has been under the broiler for a few seconds.

Well since it's still September I'm gonna go think of some fruits and veggies to share that is a bit out of the ordinary.................do you have some to share?..................email and I'll post them as well................stay tuna'd

Sweet

2009-09-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

We had company the other nite for dinner...........friends were leaving so I made a pork roast with all the trimmings, nothing special just the carrots, onions and potatoes. What I liked the best was the gravy I made from the juice, quite tasty with the addition of the smokey paprika I rubbed on the roast.

But this post is not about the main meal it's about my new favorite desert or should I say desert addition. It was a bit too warm to bake a pie or a cake. And given the time of year and the great fruit that abounds in this area at
least.

Peaches are at the top of my list with a few blueberries and raspberries added as well as some toasted pecan pieces added after a drizzle of this delectable sweetened condensed milk. I just recently found this product and was quite pleased with the fact it is not as heavy sweet like the sweetened condensed milk I have been using for many, many years.
The wonderful locally grown peaches are spectacular, added to the peaches were some dried cranberries and some toasted sliced almonds.

Next up using this to make my key lime pie recipe..............that will be the real test I'm thinking.

Not enough butter in your diet? We have the answer

2009-08-28T04:44:00.000-07:00

Buttercream Frosting! I was feeling like the blood through my arteries was moving much to fast so I decided to make honest to goodness buttercream frosting. This is a Cook's Country recipe and it's pretty easy though I'm sure very high in cholesterol. This recipe makes enough for a small cake or about 24 cupcakes. I cut it in half for 15 and I still had a bit left. What ever to do with a 1/4 cup of frosting?

Buttercream Frosting
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch table salt
1 pound unsalted butter, softened and each stick cut into eights

Combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in bowl of standing mixer, place bowl over pan of simmering water. Whisking gently but constantly, heat mixture until thin and foamy and registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer.

Beat egg mixture on medium-high speed with whisk attachment until light, airy, and cooled to room temperature, about five minutes. (I put an ice pack around the outside of the bowl because it was pretty hot in my kitchen.) Reduce speed to medium and add butter, one piece at a time. (After adding half the butter, buttercream may look curdled; it will smooth with additional butter.) Once all butter is added, increase speed to high and beat 1 minute until light, fluffy, and thoroughly combined. (Can be covered and refrigerated up to 5 days.) Do let it warm up and restir to make it fluffy and spreadable again.

I frosted the cupcakes and sprinkled some toasted sugared slice almonds. Just perfect. I kept them refrigerated until a few minutes before serving because that butter sets up solid when cold, just like it does in your arteries.

a new find.............goat cheese

2009-08-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Not a new find to me but to my dear husband. While checking out the local farmers market Mr Doodles found the goat cheese vendor. My word you would have thought he had found the hope diamond but he did find some killer goat cheese.

What Mr liked was the creaminess of the cheese with the additions of dried cranberries. Then there was a variety with the cheese in a jar with lemon juice,good olive oil, a sprig of fresh rosemary and some black peppercorns. Another variety was plain cheese rolled in a variety of items, one was cilantro very finely chopped. So because Mr was enthralled with the cheese he had to have a very long chat with the fellow who was also the owner,he and his wife are the owners actually, wife happened to be at another farmers market.

We went to lunch later and I was telling Mr about 'lil bird', my sweet niece, wanting to have a few goats and make some cheese. Well he laughed hysterically and said if only we were younger we would do that. We had one goat once upon a time, Doone was a very sweet goat. Mr reminded me a a cute photo of sweet niece feeding Doone but Doone decided he liked niece's dress she was wearing and started chewing on the hem. As I remember it was Easter and 'lil bird' was dressed in all her Easter finery. I think I'm gonna look for that photo.

Anyway back to the goat cheese,
one of the cheeses I purchased was the creamy goat cheese rolled in some wonderfully sweet and moist dried cranberries.

Gonna go look for some recipes that uses goat cheese............stay tuna'd.

Reprise of an old favorite: part two, the guacamole

2009-08-20T04:44:00.000-07:00

You can hardly call this guacamole since there is so little avocado in it but that's what they call it at Cielito Lindo's. You can call it damn delicioso and put it on anything, well maybe not dessert.

Let's get this finished. I had so many pix for the first installment and my camera decided to be uncooperative for the second so we are gonna proceed photoless.

Take the approximately 3 cups of the Salsa Verde you made from the previous post and add one half a medium sized ripe avocado. Yes, that is correct, one half, 1/2, or medio; however you say it–it's just a tiny bit of the whole sauce.

Liquefy in the blender until smooth and bring to a simmer in a small sauce pan. Simmer for about five minutes. This cooks out the "raw" taste of the avocado. Not a bad taste but somehow different once you cook it.

Now thin with a bit of what's called in the restaurant biz, "profit". That would be water to us folks. This sauce is very thin, like a heavy tomato juice. Adjust the salt and let this cool; refrigerate and serve cold over the taquitos. It is also good on tacos and I love it mixed in with frijoles.

I hope this helps the readers who can't make it to downtown Los Angeles for their taquito fix and maybe spur someone else to try this classic Olvera Street favorite.

Reprise of an old favorite: part one, salsa verde

2009-08-19T04:44:00.001-07:00

Editors note: Lots of photos on a blog site, not my thing but sometimes you need to show the process so if you have a slower computer, I sincerely apologize, there are many photos with this posting.

We've received a number of questions about the Guacamole Sauce used at a famous taquito stand in Los Angeles. Ok, two is a number, right? I posted about recreating the recipe and came pretty close. If you've been to Cielito Lindo's you know what the big fuss is about. Recently, we've had a few other questions and I thought it time to do a thorough post, with pix, to help everyone out. Since this can be a complicated recipe and would be too long for any sane person to read, I'll serialize it.

First you need to make the Salsa Verde. I rarely make it from scratch because I live near an ethnic Mexican market that makes it fresh but if you can't find this make this recipe or find canned, Herdez Salsa Verde. It works in a pinch. Do stay away from any canned Salsa Verde that has sugar, yuck. Once in a while I find canned tomatillos just packed in brine. This will work too but you have to cook the other veggies so why not do it all.

1 lb of Tomatillos, husked removed
Note: These look like green tomatoes with a papery skin. Peel off the skin and wash the tomatillos thoroughly. They are sticky, very sticky; they should make glue from tomatillos.

3 whole jalapeño peppers
Note: I use Fresno Hots because I grow them in the summer. These are hot mamma jammas and need to be treated, as all hot peppers, with respect. Seriously wear gloves and wash before you touch any skin, yours our someone else's. I also used one of my Anaheim Green chillies, they have such great flavor but you can make it with just jalapeños.

7 or 9 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 medium white onion, quartered (I know the photo shows a brown onion)
1 can of 14.5 oz. chicken broth
a small bunch of cilantro with stems, about a cup roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Cut the tomatillos in quarters. See why? You can't tell from the outside if it's got a bad spot.
Cut the peppers in quarters and if they are really hot remove the seeds.
Cut onions in quarters and peel the garlic.

Everything, including chicken broth goes into a pot. Don't worry if the broth does not cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil and simmer with lid on for about 20 minutes or until everything is soft.
Because you can never be sure how hot your chillies are you can, in a separate pan, boil a few chopped and seeded chillies.

This will smell wonderful. I believe this is what heaven smells like.

I took this snap before I added the cilantro stems but don't bother chopping them everything will go into the blender when cooked. Give it a taste and if it isn't hot enough for you add a few of the extra cooked chillies. If it's too hot, I have no idea, it's never been too hot for us. It needs to have some heat. Adjust the salt.

Here it is finished cooking. Now, didn't that all go together nice? Yes, it did.Let this cool before you process it, please. I have had Salsa Verde colored kitchen walls before. You could use the salsa, to cook pork or chicken or a sauce for enchiladas. It is very versatile.
For our Guacamole recipe whir in a blender until completely liquefied. Strain the salsa through a fine mesh strainer while you push it through with the back of a spoon. I strain it this way because the tomatillo has those pesky little white seeds. You do what you want but the resulting sauce should be quite smooth. You should have somewhere near 3 cups.
You are halfway there. Stay tuned for the second installment of the recipe; making the guacamole. It is totally different from guacamole you eat with your chips in a Mexican restaurant. It is for dipping taquitos and licking the plate after.

Use one quart of the Salsa Verde in my version of Chilaquiles.

It's cantaloupe time

2009-08-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but I am quite fond of cantaloupe, especially now since I discovered this brand of melon. Did I tell you about this last year, well even if I have, it is well worth repeating.

Rocky Ford is an area in south east Colorado. If by chance you should run into a cantaloupe that has this sticker on it grab it, take it home and you will be thanking me forever. Now if you cannot find Rocky Ford cantaloupe, well I am so very sorry, wish I could send y'all some cause these melons are perfect just what a cantaloupe should taste like.

And yes I have made my infamous (in my own mind) cantaloupe salad and will be making it again for a friendly gathering.

Ridiculously short Shortbread Cookie

2009-08-11T04:44:00.000-07:00

They do not travel well; you can hardly get them to your mouth in one piece.
Forget about putting them in a cookie jar, you have only crumbs.
Do not dip them in coffee; they disintegrate.
The better the butter, the better. (I love that sentence, read it again)
They must be beaten for 10 minutes; no more, no less and baked immediately.

Ok, that all the bad things about these cookies, here is the one reason you will run right out and make them: These are the lightest cookies you will ever put in your mouth. Do I have to say more?

Shortbread Cookies (this recipe can be cut in half very easily)

1 lb unsalted butter, softened but not too soft.
4 cups flour
1 cup powdered sugar
1 pinch of salt

Beat for 10 minutes with a stand mixer. Pip from a pastry bag with a large tip onto parchment.
Bake 350 for 15-17 minutes. Just brown on the edges. Let cool about a minute on cookie sheet and remove to a rack to cool.

Who needs a recipe?

2009-08-07T04:44:00.000-07:00

For Lemonade, well, honestly–I do. If I just throw in sugar, water and lemon juice I'm futzing around adding more juice or sugar, oops, now it's too strong and I need more water so I adhere to a recipe.

Since I have a beautiful lemon tree right outside my door I don't have to buy lemons and usually by this time of the summer we are begging visitors to take bags home. Unfortunately the drought has hit close to home in more ways than one and my lemon tree seems to be suffering a bit. The lemons are smaller and not as plentiful but I did have a few dozen to make up a batches of concentrate to freeze for a later use.

This recipe is so simple I never change it.

1 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
4 cups water
1 lemon sliced

I make a simple syrup from 1 cup of water and the sugar then add the water, lemon slices and juice. I have no idea how long it last because it's usually gone that day.

For the concentrate: combine sugar and lemon juice is a small container; mix until sugar is dissolved. Freeze. Defrost slightly and add the water and sliced lemon.

A tall glass with lots of ice is the fav here and on occasion, a shot of Raspberry Rum. Yum.

I have never met a biscuit I didn't like

2009-08-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

But when I saw that Dutch Girl found a copycat recipe for the Red Lobster cheese biscuits I quickly went to print out her recipe. The photo of the gems were perfect and brought back some wonderful memories.

When I lived in South Florida and my Momma lived about a hundred or so miles north I ventured up the interstate quite often. We would go to a movie and then have a late lunch early dinner. One of Momma's favorite spots for lunch was to go to Red Lobster for lunch. Always ordered the very same thing a large bowl of clam chowder, a small Caesar salad and an iced tea. With any meal you receive a basket of these biscuits................dang they are good!!!

So if you like those biscuits then you are gonna love this recipe. Don't thank me thank Kay for bringing them to our attention.

Now for the recipe for Faux Red Lobster Biscuits
ingredients 2 cups Bisquick 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp garlic salt 1/2 tsp onion powder 1 1/2 cups grated cheese 2/3 cup buttermilk 3 tbs butter 2 tsp oregano Optional: 4 sun-dried tomatoes Use a large mixing bowl to combine the bisquick, garlic & onion powder, grated cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Add the buttermilk and mix til the dough is firm. Drop spoonfuls on a baking sheet lined with baking powder. Melt 2 oz butter and mix in 1 tsp garlic salt and 2 tsp dried oregano. Brush half of the mix on top of the biscuit. Bake the biscuits at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the biscuits from the oven and brush the remaining butter mix on top.

My notes for these biscuits..................I did not use sun-dried tomatoes since I had none on hand, next time maybe, also I would use fresh chives and I did not use oregano.

Kay I must say thanks bunches for the recipe my hips aren't pleased but my taste buds are. And thanks Kay for sending me the email and attaching the copycat cookbook.

attack of the killer zucchini

2009-07-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

yes, i know it's been a month since we last posted, but you know what it's like. anyhoo, my friend annaluisa and her husband, jerry, have a garden and they're growing, among other things, some great zucchini. annaluisa was kind enough to share some of their crop with me. check this thing out, it's ginormous

i love the flavor of grilled zucchini, so, i dusted off the chicken crematorium, i mean, the barbeque, and grilled me up some zucchini, with a side of london broil steak. i made some caramelized onions to go on top of the zucchini and it really brought out the sweetness of the zucchini. one thing i learned about caramelized onions: i do not have the kind of patience it takes to make them. this is probably no surprise to anyone that knows me. ahem. anyway, here's the final product -

thanks, annaluisa and jerry for sharing the bounty of your harvest!

Not your Grandma's pie

2009-06-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

This pie is so versatile and tastes good too. Always looking for different recipes and anything that includes tortillas go to the top of the must try list.

Layers of roasted pork, fresh tomatoes, grated cheese. roasted green chiles, beans, and the ever popular cilantro.

Found this recipe over on Simply Recipes and Elise has never failed when it comes to Mexican food. She calls this comfort food and I can readily agree.

For the beans I used a can of pinto beans that I cooked in some tomatillo sauce I had on hand. Buttering the tortillas is also the key to crispiness.

I made two and shared one with friends, when the pie plate was returned I was asked if I was gonna make another one of these.

How we do it: Green Chilies

2009-06-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

There is really only one way to peel green chilies; roast them. I use a lot of the Anaheim long green chilies. The flavor is milder than say a jalapeno but it still has some bite and a terrific flavor.

Usually to roast them I rub a bit of oil on the skins and drop them on the BBQ grill while I'm cooking something else. You just turn them until they are equally charred on all sides and put them in a plastic bag. Their heat will cause them to steam a bit loosening the charred skin. When cooled the charred skin slips right off. Slice open one side and remove the seeds. I always snip off a piece to assess their hotness. If they are too hot for you remove the veins on the inside. That is where the heat is. Wear gloves if you are the least bit sensitive to the chili oil and whatever you do, don't touch your nose or eyes. That goes for any other chili you are handling.

When I only want one or two I turn on the gas burner and roast them there. It's quick and I love the smell in the kitchen of roasting chilies. Just remember to turn them carefully so all areas gets charred. Those odd shaped ones are difficult to keep on the burner so make sure to buy long straight ones at the market.

Cook them the same as above and remember when you are peeling off the skins and removing the seeds, don't do it under running water, it dilutes the flavor but do give them a quick rinse. I like to leave just a bit of the char on some of the chili to add some additional flavor.

We've posted a number of recipes with green chilies. Here are just a few.

Green Chili Quiche
Doodles Chili Verde

When in doubt

2009-06-12T07:28:00.000-07:00

make two desserts I say. Recently hosted a small gathering for a dear friends birthday celebration. Small gathering meaning only about a dozen adults. Menu was going to be a BBQ of hot dogs , hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans and a broccolini salad I concocted. More about that later this is all about desserts.

Just realized sister moon and I have been doing a lot of desserts lately, must walk off those extra pounds next week.

So back to the two desserts one of which is red velvet cupcakes. I chose cupcakes because birthday sparkle candles look cute on cupcakes. The texture of the cupcakes are moist and delish. No fancy frosting just a buttercream that is my favorite. No need to post the recipe but here is the link to the original, which I might add is one of my very favorite sites for recipes. Know that Elise does not fail to come thru.

The second dessert is one I found over of P'Dub's blog. Pioneer Woman comes up with some fine concoctions and the desserts are usually butter laden. Pita apple crisp with a sweet cream sauce does not disappoint.

Click here for the recipe. No I did not use the wheat germ or the apple brandy. And when Miss P'dub says proceed with caution she ain't kiddin'. Wonderful desert for a crowd. I made the sauce that she posted and also made my Mommas sauce she used to make for her apple dumplings. Trust me folks eith one will get ya huge praises.

Sauce for Apple Crisp

1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon Karo syrup
1/2 cup apple sauce

Combine above ingredients, heat over medium heat till thickened, spoon warm sauce over apple crisp.

Might I tell you that the birthday girl took home the two cupcakes that were remaining and the husband of the guest of honor was quite disappointed there wasn't more apple crisp to take home...............guess everyone was happy. Glad I made two desserts.

A favorite

2009-06-08T06:00:00.001-07:00

In many parts of the USA the weather is a bit warm and may not be chili weather. Where we are in southwestern Colorado there is still snow on the mountain peaks and it's a bit cool in the evenings.

This is one of my favorite go to dishes for a cool lazy Sunday evening.

Start by making your favorite chili recipe.....................now follow the photos and you'll end up with a delicious dish.

start off with a burger pattie in a bowl suitable for chili

next ladle chili over the burger

follow that with some diced onion and grated sharp cheddar

There ya have it.........my olde standby go to meal when you want something hearty, warming and comforting. Add some toasted sourdough bread and a beverage of your choice, just remember to make enough because seconds will be requested I'm thinking.

Where the egg whites came from

2009-06-05T16:44:00.000-07:00

Choux Pastry has always fascinated me. So light, so delicate and filled with all the wonderful things I like. So when I ended up with more Fat Free half and half than I could use in the next week I thought I'd give this recipe a try. It's from a lovely little book entitled, Vanilla. Yum. Though Yum isn't in the title, it should be.

First the Cremé Patissiére.
(I used all fat-free half and half for all the liquid)
2/3 cup milk
2/3 heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
4 egg yolks - room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons flour

Put milk and cream into a medium, heavy-bottom pan. Use the tip of a small sharp knife to score the vanilla bean lengthwise through the center. Add it to the pan and bring the milk to a boil. Remove from heat and let it infuse for 20 minutes.

Bean together the egg yolks, sugar, and flour until smooth. Remove the vanilla bean from the milk, scrap out the seeds with the tip of a knife, and return the seed to the milk. Pour the milk over the egg mixture, beating well.

Don't discard the bean, rinse and dry it and put it in a container with sugar. In a week you'll have the most delicisoso sugar.

Return the custard to the pan and cook over a gentle heat, stiffing constantly with a wooden spoon, for 4-5 minutes until it is thick and smooth. Turn the custard into a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool before use.

Now for the Choux pastry.
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla ( I love paste vanilla)

Lightly grease a large cookie sheet and sprinkle with water. Sift the flour onto a sheet of waxed paper. Cut the butter into pieces and melt in a medium pan with 2/3 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove the pan from the heat.

Tip in the flour and beat until the mixture forms a ball that comes away from the side of the pan. I did this with a wooden spoon. Let cool for 2 minutes then gradually beat in the eggs until mixture is smooth and glossy. Add the vanilla.

Place 12 even-size spoonfuls of the mixture, space well apart, on the prepared cookie sheet and bake in a pre-heated 400 degree over for about 22-25 minutes until they are well risen and golden. Make a slit around the middle of each puff and return them to the oven for 3 more minutes to dry out the centers. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool.

Open each puff and fill with the pastry cream. I placed three banana slices on the bottom, then the cream and finally the top. Dust with confectioners' sugar and store them in a cool place until ready to serve.

They were tasty but my pastry cream was not set as much as I'd wanted so they were a bit difficult to eat, too runny. It was either I didn't cook it long enough or, as I suspect, the fat-free half and half. Next time, the hell with the calories, I'll use regular half and half.

You can be as creative as you want. I've made these with chicken salad for a luncheon buffet and
were very good. Just remember to assemble at the last minute so they puffs stay crispy.

sashimi dinner

2009-05-31T19:33:00.001-07:00

sashimi dinner
Originally uploaded by lornababy

we're lucky enough to live close to a couple of japanese markets. we were by the nijiya market on saturday and stopped in to pick up the fixin's for a nice sashimi dinner. tuna and salmon. simple, healthy and delicious.

When life gives you egg whites, make meringues

2009-05-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

I ended up this morning with four egg whites and I can't throw away four egg whites. Nope can't do it. I've tried, I've even froze them thinking I'd do something at a later date and since I already have frozen egg whites that are from the Clinton administration I figured I better use these. Don't try to understand me, just feel sorry for me.

Even though I've collected a dozen recipes for meringues I'd never made any of them. Oh, I've eaten my fair share. There is a lovely bakery in Westlake that make a coconut meringue cookie that is to die for but I've never tried until this morning when I ended up with four egg whites. How I ended up with four egg whites is another post that I will hopefully finish this weekend but you've seen my track record lately, don't get too excited.

Now, the most important thing about meringues is don't open the oven. Sheesh, what a test of my patience. My sister makes a wonderful roast prime rib that you cook for a while, turn the oven off, and let it rest for a few hours. Holy Cats. She had to tie the oven door shut so I wouldn't, you know, just check on it. So here I am with my cookies tucked neatly into their warm little beds and me on the outside tapping on the glass, Open, Open, Open ...

Here's the recipe I used. Could not be more simple, it's just the damn waiting.

Pecan Meringue cookies

Notes on working with egg whites. Before you start, remove eggs from refrigerator and let them come to room temperature. (A couple of hours will do, or if you are rushed for time, immerse them in warm water for 10 minutes.) Make sure that all bowls, hands, and utensils that might touch the eggs are clean and free from oils.

* 1 cup whole pecans (preferably lightly roasted - 8-10 min at 250°F)
* 3 egg whites
* Pinch salt
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon vinegar

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Place pecans in zipper baggie and beat them with a wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Set aside.

Put egg whites into a stand mixer bowl. Add salt. Start the mixer speed on low, gradually increasing the speed until soft peaks start to become visible and the egg white bubbles are very small and uniform, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Increase the speed to medium-high, and slowly add the sugar to the egg whites. Continue to whip the eggs and sugar for a few minutes. Then add the vinegar to the bowl. Increase speed to high and whip the egg whites until they fluff up and become glossy, and stiff peaks form when the whisk is lifted, 4-5 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the pecan pieces. Drop by teaspoons onto a cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper or Silpat. (I piped them from the same plastic bag the nuts were in after cutting off a corner)

Put the cookies sheet in the 300°F oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Leave them in the oven overnight. In the morning they should be ready - crisp on the outside, light and airy on the inside. If they are a little marshmallowy or chewy on the inside in the morning, just let them dry out for a few more hours. Makes 12-24 cookies, depending on the size.

Editors note: I did finally get the photos posted. It's not easy taking a snap of something white in something glass. Should be a photo assignment somewhere. The cookies are wonderful. Not too sweet and light and airy.

How we do it: Pie vents

2009-05-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

This ever happen to you?
You finally get the pie crust right. You get the fruit in the pie shell and you even get a decent top crust on. Now into the oven it goes and 45 minutes later you have a drooly bubbly goo oozing out of your pie onto your clean oven making a smokey mess. I can't tell you the number of times I've had to remove the pie, toss salt on the gooey mess, make a little foil boat to catch the dripping mess and put the pie back to continue to bake.

What I found out, and from who I just can't remember, is use three pieces of uncooked penne pasta stuck in the crust before putting the pie in the oven can almost eliminate that above scenario. These little steam vents will turn crunch brown but relieve the pressure of you bubbling juices in your fruit pie. Don't forget to remove them and toss them away.

Yes, you can use those cute little ceramic birds to sit in the center but I found this is so easy and it only leaves little holes in the top crust, plus, it's nearly free unless you never use penne. Could that be? Is there someone out there who is planning to bake a pie and has never made penne pasta?

If you put a cookie sheet or something else under the pie it seems to interfere with the proper baking of the bottom crust. My mom always said, your bottom crust needs to be set before the filling bubbles or you'll get that under-done crust. She's right, you need all the heat focused on the bottom of the pie to get it right.

The pie? It's my all time favorite, Pineapple Pie. Check out the link for the recipe.

Chilaquiles: not just for breakfast anymore

2009-05-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

As many cultural dishes do this recipe comes from the peasants side of the table. Usually they are fixed for breakfast from last nights tortillas and salsa. The poor of this planet have always been green.

Chilaquiles (chee lay kee lays) has so many variations but while tinkering about with this recipe I came up with great casserole version. Since I fry my tortillas in oil before assembling my enchiladas I thought I'd combine the two dishes.

Salsa Verda is a sauce of tomatillos, spices, and chillies and you can use homemade or buy it in the store. If you can find salt-free tortilla chips you could use them in a pinch but frying the tortillas isn't very difficult at all. That's the whole idea of using left over tortillas.

Chilaquiles Enchilada Style

1 quart Salsa Verde, homemade or store bought
vegetable oil for frying
12 corn tortillas
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Jack cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

In a large pan bring Salsa Verda to boil and turn down to a simmer until thickened a bit.

While that is simmering cut tortillas in wedges or strips and fry in small batches until golden. Remove to paper toweling to drain. Make sure oil is hot enough between batches so the chips don't become oily. Put chips in a very large bowl or pan; big enough to add the sauce and stir.

Return the salsa to a light bubble and whisk in quickly the beaten eggs. The sauce will start to thicken and continue to whisk for about 30 seconds. Pour the sauce over the chips tossing gently as not to break them. Toss until they become soft and absorb some of the sauce. Sprinkle with cheese, onion, and cilantro. Serve hot.

Now this is where I changed my recipe. After you turn off the heat and before you pour the sauce on the chips gently stir in the following:

2 large cooked chicken breasts, cubed
2 green chillies, chopped
1 cup Pepper Jack cheese, cubed
2 green onions; including tops, chopped

Now pour over chips and gently mix. This goes in a 2-3 quart oven-proof dish and into a 375 oven until bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the cheese, onion, and cilantro. To serve, use a large spoon.
This photo is before the oven and because it was so yummy, no photo after. I was going away for the weekend so I made the whole recipe, took out three portions, and gave the remaining to our neighbors. I hate to waste anything.

This is great to use leftovers and you can add anything you'd normally put in your enchiladas. Olives, medium cheddar cheese, salsa, and you could certainly leave out the meat if you wanted. The eggs you whip into the sauce makes it very rich and velvety.

An actual Vegan Recipe

2009-05-01T04:44:00.000-07:00

This might be the only Vegan recipe you'll ever find on PBE but I had to share this.

Last week I attended the LA Times Festival of Books at UCLA. This is my third year and it is always a good day though last year they didn't have any decent authors on the Food Stage. I was very lucky to be there and see a good demo from two authors. Amelia Saltsman author of the Santa Monica Farmer's Market Cookbook was half of one of the cooking demos on Saturday. The other was, Jo Ann Cianciulli , and her book is LA's Original Farmer's Market Cookbook .

Amelia was focused on all farmer's markets and the wonderful fresh local food to by and Jo Ann was more about one the 3rd and Fairfax Original Farmer's Market. I bought her book and even stood in line to have her sign it for me. Something I usually don't bother with but she was so charming I had to ask a few questions.

What I found at the demo was Green Garlic. I know, I'm always a bit late to the party and lil bird had mentioned buy some at her FM a few years ago but I was so intrigued with a very simple vegetarian soup Amelia made I had to find some. Quite surprisingly I found some at Jon's our local ethnic market. It looks very much like Mexican Onions but not. It's actually garlic not formed into a head of cloves with the green tops. Everything is eatable and has a mild garlic flavor. I made the soup and as vegetarian recipes go it wasn't bad and it's very quick to make. Next time I'll saute the leeks and green garlic with bacon to give it a little more flavor; maybe a little cream, too.

Vegan Potato Leek and Green Garlic Soup

about two cups of leeks, white and just a bit of the green part
three bulbs of green garlic, remove the roots and chop
about two cups of cubed red potatoes, don't peel

Saute leeks and garlic in a large sauce pan in oil. Add potatoes. Just cover vegetables with water and simmer, not boil. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until potatoes are done. You may need to adjust the seasoning. Serve.

Now she suggested to puree some of the soup to give it a different texture which I did. I just did a quick few whirs with my stick blender. The flavors are very subtle and I'm sure that's why there is no chicken broth and it's quick, less than 30 minutes and with no milk or meat you could serve this to you Vegan friends. My meat-eating husband ate it for lunch and enjoyed it quite a bit.

The book I bought, LA's Original Farmer's Market Cookbook is great and brought back some fond memories. Little vignettes about the origins of the Farmer's Market and great recipes from some of the food vendors. If you've never been or a regular patron this book is great.

I found my meatball

2009-04-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

I have found many recipes on Simply Recipes that I have kept in my library of favorites. But this one for her meatballs is just the best..............and when my sweet husband raves about a new recipe I know I have a winner.

The addition of ricotta cheese makes for a great taste in my humble opinion. And yes I did add freshly grated parmesan cheese once plated. But lately I have been so bad about taking any photos while cooking I just jumped the gun a bit. I opened a new bottle of wine from a local vineyard we just happened to visit here in Arizona. Beautiful winery and if you like dark red wines you would like this CABERNET SAUVINGNON

Back to the recipe if y'all like meatballs I think you might like this recipe. The recipe makes a bunch so we will be having meatball subs for lunch and the rest I froze.

Is this decadent...............

2009-04-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

photo from the food network site cause mine turned out horrible

oh my you betcha it is chocolate over the top decadent, evil and a tad wicked.

Flipping channels awhile back and I heard Giada DeLaurentiis say something to the effect of "be right back with my chocolate honey almond tart". Put the brakes on the remote cause I could wait for that. Now you must like chocolate to be able to handle this decadency. I'll be real honest, this dessert I can only handle in small portions.

Make it and you decide..............

Chocolate Honey Almond Tart

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis, 2008

Prep Time:
10 min
Inactive Prep Time:
5 hr 20 min
Cook Time:
12 min
Serves: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, at room temperature, plus extra for coating the pan
9 chocolate graham crackers, 5 1/2-ounces total
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup honey
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Place the graham crackers and almonds in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture forms fine crumbs, about 15 to 20 seconds. Add the butter and pulse until incorporated. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

In a small saucepan, whisk the cream and honey together over low heat until the honey has dissolved. Increase the heat to medium and bring the mixture to just below a boil. Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the mixture is smooth. Pour the chocolate filling over the prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or preferably overnight.

Loosen the tart from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the edge. Unmold the tart and transfer to a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

Being Green; still

2009-04-17T04:44:00.000-07:00

To me, "being green" can mean a variety of things. Saving energy or using something I'd have just thrown away and, more often than not in this unstable economy, saving money.

Here is a dessert I prepared recently that hit all those high notes. I was using the gas BBQ and I needed to get it very hot and use all three of the burners so instead of letting that heat go to waste I prepared a skillet full of sliced apples with white and brown sugar, a pinch of salt, cinnamon and about a half stick of butter. For the topping I crushed three homemade biscuits from breakfast. I don't like them reheated and made too many for me and my beloved so this was an alternative tossing them in the trash.

After I'd pulled my dinner from the BBQ I put the skillet, covered with foil, on the grill, turned off the center burner and reduced the heat to 325/350 and closed the lid. After dinner, about 30 minutes I removed the foil and tested the apples. That was enough time to cook them and caramelize the sugars. I set them on a board to cool and when we were ready for dessert just spooned the apples into a bowl.

Really any recipe you have for baked apples or an apple crisp should work but using the biscuits was great. The real work for the grill is the preheating so that was already taken care of cooking our dinner. Plus it cooked while we were eating, no fuss.

Sometimes being green is just taking the time to think about how you are cooking.

Share your ideas with us, won't you?

Bite the cookie

2009-04-03T04:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I become obsessed with food and make and remake recipes until I like them. Cookies are on the Hit Parade right now so bear with me, folks.

I adore cookies, all types, flavors, and sizes. If I'm thumbing through a magazine cookie photos will make me stop, asses the recipe, and tear it out for later. I've piles of snippets stuck in the back of my cook book. Someday I'll organize them, ha!

Let me sing the praises of the cookie. Easily stored in a variety of containers, put in a slice of bread alongside cookies you want to stay soft, you don't need a fancy jar though I enjoy my crock. You don't need a plate or a fork or any fussy presentation; hands work great. It's portable, you can walk by the cookie jar, on your way to the gym, and snag one or three. They are a favorite of all ages, cultures, and cooks. I bet your family has its favorite and it's time you made them some right now.

Here is my latest Vanilla Pecan Refrigerator Cookies. I can't say where I got this recipe but I do enjoy having a log of refrigerator cookies in the freezer. I can bake the entire recipe or maybe just a dozen for my beloved and me. He likes them, too. Though shortbread cookies are my all-time favorite these little gems are easy, quick and delicious. I've been going for more of a crispy cookie lately and, since there is only white sugar, they fill that order. I used butter but if you use shortening they might be a bit crispier; I'll try that next time.

Vanilla Pecan Refrigerator Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter or shortening
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla (yes, this is correct)
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans (nice if you toast them)

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each. Add the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Use a spoon to stir in the flour mixture into the sugar mixture. Add the pecans, mixing well. Shape into three rolls about 2 inches in diameter and wrap in was paper. refrigerate at least two hours or up to three days. You can also freeze.

Bake in 375 oven. Cut the dough into 1/4 inch slices 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake about 10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack and store in airtight container. Makes about 6 dozen.

Editor's note: My husband usually can take or leave cookies, I know, why would I marry someone like that? With these he can't keep out of the cookie crock. It has quite a heavy lid so I can always tell when he's in there. I asked what he liked about them and he couldn't put his finger on the reason. Finally, who needs a reason to eat a cookie!

Let us know your family favorite cookie.

Cast Iron Potluck a big success

2009-03-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

Here's an update on my earlier post, Cast Iron Pie. I made the changes I mentioned in the recipe and it was very well received.

We all had fun talking with one another, sharing recipes and techniques, and then sitting down to eat. My Apple Pie wasn't as pretty as the early post but was very tasty. I'll make that again.

Plain but perfect

2009-03-24T04:44:00.000-07:00

There are as many sugar cookie recipes as there are families. For roll out cookies I'd made the same recipe over and over until I found Sylvie's on Soul Fusion Kitchen. Perfect for cookie cutters but growing up I remember a plain sugar cookie with the tops dusted with sugar. As luck would have it I found a recipe to satisfy that old memory.

While celebrating Christmas at Mary's, my step-mother, I found some cookies she'd baked but didn't have out. She said they were a little stale. They were exactly what I was looking for, well not the stale part, but I asked her to send the recipe and now I make these regularly. I only make a half recipe because my darling and I would sit down and eat them all and four to five dozen is way too many.

They are dusted cinnamon and sugar and are made with butter and oil and couldn't be easier to throw together. I hope you enjoy them.

Sugar Cookies
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup margarine (I used unsalted butter)
1 cup cooking oil

Cream together – beat until fluffy.

Beat in 2 eggs

4 cups plus 4 tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. In a small bowl, combine some sugar and cinnamon. Using the bottom of a drinking glass, spread with margarine, dip it into the sugar and cinnamon mixture, and press on top of each cookie. Cook for about 10-15 minutes.

Happy find

2009-03-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

I don't often do product review/rave but I am doing one here about Panko I use panko a lot in a variety of ways. I just found this new product at my local Safeway/Von's and I'm sure maybe your local market. Go take a look at the web site and see some recipes ideas. If you try it email me and let me know how you like it please. Oh I just used it as a topping for mac & cheese makes for a nice crunchy top.

Cast Iron Apple Pie

2009-03-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

Since I'm planning to participate in a Outdoor Dutch Oven demo when we go camping the end of the month I though I'd better try out this new recipe before I did. I saw this recipe on America’s Test Kitchen (www.americastestkitchen.com) on public television's Beg Week and thought I could convert it to iron. I followed the recipe as stated and the product was, ok. I hate, just ok so when I do this again I'll make some adjustments. There are also adjustments to using an Outdoor Dutch Oven.

The sauce had little flavor and was not thick enough. They use cornstarch and I'm not a fan of that to thicken pies so I'd use flour next time. Also, you need to adjust the thickening agent for the different apples. Some, more juicy that others, will take more flour. Now cinnamon is not to everyone's taste but an 1/8 of a teaspoon, who could even taste that. I'll add more. I've made my suggestions in red for the changes to the recipe and green for the adaptation to cast iron.

For the camping trip, I'll pre-make the pie dough and slice the apples and sprinkle with lemon juice to keep them from getting brown.

Skillet Apple Pie
from the Episode: Easy Apple Desserts

If your skillet is not heatproof, precook the apples and stir in the cider mixture as instructed, then transfer the apples to a 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Roll out the dough to a 13- by 9-inch rectangle and bake it as instructed. If you do not have apple cider, reduced apple juice may be used as a substitute—simmer 1 cup apple juice in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 10 minutes). Serve the pie warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Use a combination of sweet, crisp apples such as Golden Delicious and firm, tart apples such as Cortland or Empire.

Serves 6 to 8

Crust
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces), plus more for dusting work surface
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening , chilled
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter , cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3–4 tablespoons ice water

Filling
1/2 cup apple cider (see note)
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons cornstarch (I'll use 4 tablespoons flour)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I'll use 1-2 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I'll use 3 tablespoons)
(I'll use 3 tablespoons brown sugar)
2 1/2 pounds sweet apples and tart apples (about 5 medium), peeled, cored, halved, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges

1 egg white , lightly beaten
2 teaspoons sugar

Use a 12 inch deep outdoor dutch oven. Pre-heat with 25 coals underneath, lid on, until pan is hot.

1. FOR THE CRUST: Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in food processor until combined. Add shortening and process until mixture has texture of coarse sand, about ten 1-second pulses. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture and process until mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse crumbs, with butter bits no larger than small peas, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer mixture to medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture. With blade of rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix. Press down on dough with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more ice water if dough does not come together. Turn dough out onto sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into 4-inch disk. Wrap dough and refrigerate 30 minutes, or up to 2 days, before rolling out. (If dough is refrigerated longer than 1 hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable.)

3. FOR THE FILLING: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (between 7 and 9 inches from heating element) and heat oven to 500 degrees. Whisk cider, syrup, lemon juice, cornstarch, and cinnamon (if using) together in medium bowl until smooth. Heat butter in 12-inch heatproof skillet over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, add apples and cook, stirring 2 or 3 times until apples begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. (Do not fully cook apples.) Remove pan from heat, add cider mixture, and gently stir until apples are well coated. Set aside to cool slightly.

For DO: Add butter, then apples to the preheated DO. Stir and cook until apples begin to caramelize. Remove DO from coals add cider mixture stirring to coat the apples. Dust in more flour, if needed.
4. TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface, or between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap, to 11-inch circle. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll over apple filling. Brush dough with egg white and sprinkle with sugar. With sharp knife, gently cut dough into 6 pieces by making 1 vertical cut followed by 2 evenly spaced horizontal cuts (perpendicular to first cut). Bake until apples are tender and crust is a deep golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes; serve.

For DO: After you cut the pie dough, place 4 coals on the bottom and remaining on the lid. Most of the heat should be towards the outside with a few in the center. You can see I had not enough on the rim. Turn lid every five minutes 1/4 turn and bake until crust is golden brown. I needed 25 minutes. Resist opening the lid until 20 minutes have passed.

This will be quite hot but it needs to be dished up since the DO hold onto that heat for a long time. I spooned it into bowls.

If you are camping and prep this before hand it is a great dessert. I might even try this in my regular home oven.

bad yet remarkably neat dog

2009-03-07T10:13:00.001-08:00

bad yet remarkably neat dog
Originally uploaded by lornababy

i forgetfully left an open box of cheez-its within dog reach. when i got home from work, the dogs had gotten into the box. if you look in the bottom left of the corner of the photo, you can see that they pulled the inner bag out of the box, then completely emptied the bag into a neat pile. i like to imagine them running back and forth to the cheez-it pile all day long to take one cheez-it at a time. however, it's more likely that this had just happened right before i got home and i caught them in the act.

fwiw, they didn't get in trouble for this, it was my fault for leaving the box within their reach. i made max sit by the cheez-it pile for the photo. i was just lucky i caught him licking his lips when i snapped the pic.

Spring time asparagus

2009-03-06T04:30:00.000-08:00

if you are an asparagus lover this is just the best time.
We are big time asparagus fans and have it quite often in a variety of ways................one of which is the omelet I made recently.

saute up a bit of the tender, fresh asparagus............I like my asparagus a bit crunchy and definitely not mushy.

add the sauted asparagus and some of your favorite cheese that you shredded not that already shredded dry stuff you buy in the market, add that to your eggs and VOILA!!!

Asparagus Omelet

Zucchini Stir-fry

2009-03-03T04:44:00.000-08:00

Zucchini has always fascinated me. Left raw, it leaves me cold and cooked too much, it's mush. For a long time I've made a stir-fry zucchini dish that would go from perfect to the afore mentioned mush in an instant. It has onions, tomatoes, and zucchini cut into slices and I've experimented with many different incarnations.

After eating a similar dish at the Getty Center for lunch last week I came up with what I think is a winner. The squash held up quite nicely and was still nice and firm the next day for lunch.

Recipe

Two small zucchini squash sliced in 3/4 inch slices
1/2 sweet onion sliced in wedges
1 cup sliced Crimini mushrooms*
1/4 cup pesto without cheese
1 Roma tomato, quartered seeds removed

I made a quick pesto with about a cup of fresh basil, chopped garlic, salt, pepper and enough olive oil to make a paste.
I cut the squash in circles at least 3/4 of an inch wide. This way I could get some "color" on the zucchini without cooking it to death.
I cooked the onions and mushrooms separately, removed them from the pan to saute the squash with the pesto. Then, when it was just barely cooked, I tossed back the onions and mushrooms and quartered Roma tomatoes. This only gets a very quick stir to heat the tomatoes and blend the flavors. Off the heat I tossed in some Parmesan cheese and served.

Out my door

2009-02-26T06:30:00.000-08:00

stands this beautiful tree. The fruit on this tree is a limon, which as you probably know is a cross between a lemon and a lime.

Here we sit in our RV in Mesa, AZ fruit trees everywhere around us. And we are so lucky to have access to this bountiful limon tree.

Asked Mr Doodles to pick me some ripe fruit so I could make a Key Lime pie. Notice the the skin is the lemon but the flesh is the lime, dang these are good so I knew what a great pie they would make.

Here ya go but this photo does not do this pie justice one bit cause Mr Doodles said "ya know living in the Florida Keys we had access to some of the best key lime pies in the world, this is better than any of those". WOW!!! what a compliment huh? He's my sweetie tho.

Now where I got the recipe I do not know but it is one I have used for years, it's the key lime pie that gives you that tart taste but rich enough to curl your toes.

So if in fact you do partake in this recipe don't email me about the calories I already know, but what is worrisome is that there is still more of the little gems coming ripe on that beautiful limon tree, there goes the hips.

Citrus Key Lime Pie

Crust
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs or cheat like I do sometimes buy a prepared crust
3 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp butter, melted

Filling
1 can (14-oz) sweetened condensed milk
3 large eggs
1/2 cup key lime juice NEVER use bottled juice/regular limes are OK
2 tsp lime zest

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a large bowl, or a food processor, combine wafer cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter, stirring until mixture resembles wet sand. If you are using vanilla wafers or graham crackers, add 2 tsp lemon zest or lemon extract.
Pour into a 9-inch pie plate and press into an even layer across base and up sides.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the crust begins to lightly brown.
Cool completely before filling.

Preheat oven to 300F.
In a large bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, egg, lime juice and lime zest until mixture is smooth. Pour into prepared crust.
***Bake for 20 minutes, until filling is just set.
Cool to room temperature then chill in the refrigerator before slicing.
Top with whipped cream to serve.

*** not everyone bakes their key lime pie..........I always have because of the eggs.

Cast iron biscuits: so tender

2009-02-24T04:44:00.001-08:00

The weather is starting to warm up and it's outdoor dutch-oven time, again. The last trip to the beach I brought and bought my cast iron collection to practice for our Tear Drop camp out in March. I've been perfecting a recipe for the potluck, Chili Verde but I tried a new one for biscuits. Who doesn't like the smell of freshly baked biscuits while camping?

Because our weather did not allow me to set up outside I modified my biscuits to the indoor kitchen. Instead of the outdoor dutch-oven I used my ancient iron skillet. This was passed down from my Grandmother, Emily to my Mom, Lorna and then to me. I use it to cook fried chicken, among other things, and it is seasoned to perfection.

My recipe for biscuits is easy:

2 cups AP flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, not kosher
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup shortening, cold cut into pieces
1 cup buttermilk
1 or 2 tablespoons canola oil

You will need a ten inch iron skillet, hopefully seasoned. If not you can make this in a glass dish.
Preheat oven and iron skillet, 400 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients then cut in the shortening until it resembles course sand. I use a pastry blender but you can also rub it between your fingers.

Pour in buttermilk and gently mix with a fork and dump out on floured surface. Gently knead with floured hands and then fold over a few times and pat it to about an inch thick.

With a floured cutter, I use a wine glass, cut out as many biscuits as you can, then gather the remaining dough together; gently and repeat. Did I say gently enough times?

Remove your hot skillet from the oven and add oil tilting until it covers. Place each biscuit in the skillet. I just touch the top in the oil and roll the biscuit over to get a bit of the hot oil on top. Be careful the pan is hot and it should sizzle. You want to crowd them in so they all touch, I get eight in my 10 inch pan.

Bake for about 18-20 minutes until tops are slightly golden.

I should tell you to enjoy but I can't imagine anyone not enjoying hot biscuits and honey butter.

If you want to do these while camping use a ten inch camping dutch oven. I put eleven coals on top and only five underneath. Remember to preheat that DO smoking hot before putting in the oil and the dough. Turn every five minutes. Cooking time should be the same.

Birthday cake

2009-02-20T04:44:00.000-08:00

More from the Princess' birthday cake. I was chastised by Laura Rebecca to post more photos and a recipe. Thanks for the prod, Laura. Check out her blog she seems to be a proficient baker.

This recipe is from America's Test Kitchen and I did not change the recipe a bit. Mine came out more dense than I thought but still quite tender. I do believe the key is everything needs to be room temperature.

The first time I made this cake, every cake has an audition in my kitchen, I did not frost it but used the odd vanilla filling I post about last week. Auditioned cakes get shared with my neighbor and she really liked it. She doesn't realize it but she's my food tester. Well, maybe now she does since she does read the blog.

To frost this cake I used a product called "Frosting Pride" I get it at Smart and Final and it tastes like a whipped cream frosting. Very easy and quite tasty you can add color and I've added softened cream cheese before. As you can see, decorating is not my strong suit.

I doubled this recipe for a half-sheet pan

2 1/2	cups cake flour , plus extra for dusting pans
1 1/4	teaspoons baking powder
1/4	teaspoon baking soda
3/4	teaspoon table salt
1 3/4	cups sugar (12 1/4 ounces)
10	tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
1	cup buttermilk , room temperature
3	tablespoons vegetable oil
2	teaspoons vanilla extract
6	large egg yolks , room temperature
3	large egg whites , room temperature

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch-wide by 2-inch-high round cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Grease paper rounds, dust pans with flour, and knock out excess. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 1/2 cups sugar together in large bowl. In 4-cup liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and yolks.

2. In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium-high speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. With machine running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; continue to beat until stiff peaks just form, 30 to 60 seconds (whites should hold peak but mixture should appear moist). Transfer to bowl and set aside.

3. Add flour mixture to now-empty mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment. With mixer running at low speed, gradually pour in butter mixture and mix until almost incorporated (a few streaks of dry flour will remain), about 15 seconds. Stop mixer and scrape whisk and sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium-low speed and beat until smooth and fully incorporated, 10 to 15 seconds.

4. Using rubber spatula, stir 1/3 of whites into batter to lighten, then add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans. Lightly tap pans against counter 2 or 3 times to dislodge any large air bubbles.

5. Bake until cake layers begin to pull away from sides of pans and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen cakes from sides of pans with small knife, then invert onto greased wire rack and peel off parchment. Invert cakes again and cool completely on rack, about 1 1/2 hours.

A satisfied customer

2009-02-18T07:15:00.000-08:00

This is one of the cakes I made last weekend. The little cake with an E was for the Princess in honor of her first birthday. I made a larger adult cake, too. She wasn't too sure what to do with it but once a piece was cut she picked it up and had a taste. She just didn't want to soil her dainty fingers.

A creamy cake filling

2009-02-16T08:31:00.000-08:00

Having no pictures because my camera is wonky should not be an excuse for not posting but, regrettably it has been. I'm posting this recipe because I found it odd. While searching for the perfect cake for a first birthday I ran across this filling. In the final cake I ended up not using it but thought it would be an interesting post, anyway. I guess it's because I like odd things.

What I found odd was, you make a cream sauce then add butter and shortening, sugar, and a bit of vanilla. I was sure it wouldn't be any good so I tried it and was pleasantly surprised. It is light and not too sweet and would hold up to adding a bit of fruit or jam. I wonder why I'd not heard of this one before. The first time I made it I used non-fat milk, all I had on hand, but when I made it again with half-and-half I didn't notice much difference.

This is a Paula Deen recipe.

5 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a lidded container shake the flour and milk until mixed. In saucepan, cook and whisk until thick. It's a cream sauce and you don't want lumps so whisk the hell out of it. Cool.

In bowl, combine sugar, salt, shortening, butter and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer until fluffy, then add the cooled milk mixture and beat again, until fluffy.

A new favorite

2009-01-29T09:03:00.000-08:00

tasty oil...........I found this at a farmers market that we recently visited

I am a huge fan of Meyer lemons and anything that pertains to such lemon. I understand that Trader Joe's now carries a cookie that is made with Meyer lemon that is similar to a graham cracker..........looking forward to finding these when we get near a TJ's again.

Stay tuna'd for some recipes using this new find!!!

Soup's on......updated

2009-01-23T10:39:00.000-08:00

Quite tasty and hit the spot due to the coolers temps we have been having these last few evenings.

well not quite but it sure is in the works..............making beef barley soup. Which is no big deal but it sure fits with the weather.

What's your favorite soup recipe........send us a link cause I have a feeling soup season is gonna be around for a few more weeks. I'm a cream soup lover but beef barley just seems to fit the bill today and I also had these meaty beef shanks that I had to use.

Stay tuna'd for a photo maybe and a review from Mr Doodles.

I might also add that our very own "lil bird" and her sweet husband attended the inauguration this past week as well as one of our favorite bloggers Sylvie. Go check out their blogs for photos of the historic event and see if they thawed out yet!!!

Our wish for our friends

2008-12-23T07:57:00.000-08:00

Your attention please.........

2008-12-06T06:11:00.000-08:00

The PBE ladies are going to take a break for a few weeks, not that we haven't done that already...............sorry bout that!!!

It seems that lil' bird is so busy with work also her and her sweet bunky are readying up to attend the Inauguration in January.....how cool is that.

My sweet sister Moon is now our resident juror being called up to perform her civic duty one more time as well as getting ready for the Christmas celebration that is just around the corner.

And me well, my sweet hunky husband and I are managing a Christmas tree lot and right now I do not have a moment to eat let alone cook!!!

So please forgive us for not holding up our PBE duties. If in fact that we do get a chance to cook something or even share a tid bit we'll pass it along.

As I always say.............stay tuna'd!!!

The movable feast

2008-11-28T06:10:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is a universal, one size fits all, no present required, small effort holiday. What is not to love about that! For our family it's also a movable feast. To accommodate the odd schedules we shift it around a bit and this year it landed the Saturday before the traditional date. This works on a number of levels. No crowds at the market before the event. All the store are stocked with all the appropriate items and they are super fresh. Why not?

We had three together to cook the day before; a great idea. Doodles, step-mom Mary, and myself chopped and mixed and baked up a storm leaving the turkey for the actual day. You must have that wonderful roast turkey smell awaiting the guests. Our guests this year were Pat and Frank, Mary's sister and brother-in-law. We must do the prep early as it is our tradition to drink Mimosas on Thanksgiving.

This year we had the traditional Thanksgiving fare. A wonderful fresh Foster Farms turkey from Costco. It was the tastiest bird I've had in a long while. Sometimes the turkey can taste something like a big chicken but this bird had flavor. We didn't brine it because I sort of ran out of energy but you would have thought we did. It was so juicy even the wings were tender.

Everyone has their own favorite way to roast a turkey and I give it a blast of high heat for about fifteen minutes, then cover the breast with heavy foil and reduce the heat to 325 for a good long time. The last thirty to forty minutes I remove the foil to crisp up the skin. The thighs get done without the breast drying out and it was amazing. Also, don't try this without a meat thermometer and let it rest a good thirty minutes before carving. Don't forget it give it a nice foil blanky to keep it warm. If in doubt, go to the Butterball Turkey website. It has all sorts of tips and roasting times.

Not anything new except a wonderful cranberry relish from lil bird. Maybe she'll share that recipe. I will put a link to our must have broccoli casserole.

Oh, and Christmas this year, a day or two after. Like I said, "It's the people, not the day."

Chicken with Sherry

2008-10-22T04:44:00.000-07:00

Most of my meal planning, unless I'm doing a dinner party, is done at an open refrigerator. What do you have for me today? This week I had a couple of chicken breasts, some crimini mushrooms and the normal stuff in the cupboard.

Mushrooms: left the small ones whole and quartered the larger ones. Sauteed them in butter and olive oil, some salt and pepper and at the last 30 seconds tossed in a few cloves of chopped garlic. Damn, that smells good. Removed to a dish.

Chicken breast: sliced them across the grain and flattened the slices. Dredged these in seasoned flour and sauteed in mushroom pan with a bit more olive oil; quickly removing when each was lightly browned.

Cooked some linguine in boiling water until just cooked; drained. Always save a bit of the pasta water. Some restaurants call that "profit."

Finish: deglazed the pan with a bit of chicken broth, added chicken and mushrooms back to pan along with 1/4 cup of creme fraiche, fresh chopped thyme and a good splash of Spanish Sherry. This simmered for a few minutes to blend the flavors. To this add the hot, drained linguine and a bit of the pasta water if the sauce needs thinning.

Serving: into the hot dish I tossed about a half cup of grated Parmesan and topped with chopped fresh Italian parsley and a bit of salt.

I love these flavors together. Chicken, thyme, garlic and sherry. The creme fraiche just makes the sauce milder and very rich. Dredging the chicken in flour adds a bit of thickness to the sauce as well. This dish is loaded with flavors and it is easy to overlook the salt. I feel you really must taste before serving because salt seems to tie all the flavors together.

Question: Do you plan your meals? If so, how far ahead?

Philippe's

2008-10-19T18:07:00.001-07:00

Philippe's pork french dip
Originally uploaded by lornababy

sorry for the blurry photo, but this was taken with the ol' cel phone camera. this is a philippe's the original pork french dip sandwich with their spicy mustard. oh yum. philippe's claims to have created the french dip sandwich. they celebrated their 100th anniversary this month with 10 cent sandwiches and the line was around the block.

My Chile Verde

2008-10-17T06:29:00.000-07:00

What you don't see in this photo is the warm tortillas and the bottle of Corona.

I happened to get my Cooking Light magazine about the same time I was given the green chiles I have been raving about in previous posts.

The recipe featured fresh roasted Anaheim chiles, which are moderately spicy. Spike it with hot sauce, if you like more fire.

I might also say that there are many, many variations of this dish........I just found this recipe quite nice.

Yield

6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients

12 Anaheim chiles, halved and seeded (about 1 1/2 pounds) I used the much raved about Denver chiles
Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium)
1 1/4 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 garlic clove, minced
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (15.5-ounce) can white hominy, drained and rinsed

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler or use your BBQ

2. Place chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet; broil 8 minutes or until blackened, turning after 4 minutes. Peel and chop.

3. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, pork, and garlic to pan; sauté minutes or until pork is browned. Add chopped chiles, chicken broth, oregano, and salt; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until pork is tender. Stir in hominy; cook 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Nutritional Information............Calories: 243 (28% from fat) Fat: 7.5g (sat 2.6g,mono 3.3g,poly 0.9g)Protein: 24.8g Carbohydrate: 20gFiber: 3.3g Cholesterol: 56mg Iron: 2.4mg Sodium: 389mg Calcium: 51mg

clam chowda

2008-10-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

i'm not emeril's biggest fan, he's a bit overdramatic for me. case in point, he calls this dish "clam chowder of love." that being said, this soup is so good i have to make up a word, it is fantabulous. probably the best chowder i've ever had. the leeks and the bacon totally make this dish, giving it layers of flavor. it's definitely not low fat, but it tastes sooo good. you could probably make it with half and half or even milk, but why?

here are the ingredients...

1/2 pound bacon, medium dice
1 cup chopped leeks (about 1 pound)
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots, peeled
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup flour
1 pound white potatoes, peeled and medium diced
4 cups clam juice (i used 5)
2 cups heavy cream
2 pounds littleneck clams, shucked, chopped (i used 3 cans of chopped clams and drained the juice to make up the clam juice - could've used 4 cans)
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

and the steps...

In a heavy stock pot, over medium-high heat, render the bacon until crispy, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the leeks, onions, celery, and carrots. Saute for about 2 minutes or until the vegetables start to wilt.

Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Add the bay leaves and thyme. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes.

Stir in the clam juice. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the mixture until the potatoes are fork tender, about 12 minutes.

Add the cream and bring up to simmer. Add the clams and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Enjoy!

Baby washing; complete

2008-10-11T07:42:00.000-07:00

It seems like we've given up on PBE but we are not quitters we're just distracted by a few goings on. Doodles and the Gypsy Caravan are on the move, lil bird is bogged down with work responsibilities and myself, well Moon's just being Moon. We can't blame any of our usual readers if they've drifted off but we will make more of an effort to continue, at least through the tough times.

Some of my time was spent getting ready for a small twenty person reception after the Christening of our little Princess. I received much help from sister Doodles and daughter lil bird. I know it would not have been a success without them.

Doodles and I had great fun planning the menu and I have to say all of the food was a big hit. Some was bought pre-made, others we made ourselves. The menu was Asian, as per the request of the parents of the princess. Both Doodles and myself were a bit dumbfounded when one item stood out above the rest, Radish with Garlic Ginger Cream Cheese. People could not stay away from them.

Here's how we developed the recipe. I had an extra package of cream cheese, we had loads of garlic, ginger, and chives, and we found a way to transport all of this to a mouth; the radish. We literaly needed something else cold and started adding flavors. Our first choice was daikon but it lacked the color and punch.

To 8 oz of softened cream cheese add:

about 1 tablespoon each of grated ginger and pressed garlic
a bit of milk to loosen the cheese
pinch of salt
few tablespoons of minced chives

All of the above is to taste but we made it strong to balance the radish.

Slice large radishes in thirds, small ones in half and dry. Pipe cream cheese on top and serve immediately. I made the cheese mixture the day before and put it in the piping bag already to go the next day. Doodles dried the radish and piped them on the serving plate. Very efficient. Like I said, easy and everyone was popping these little gems like crazy.
Menu
Asian Meatballs with Hoisin sauce
Shrimp Tempura (pre-made from Costco)
Chicken Teriyaki (pre-made from Costco)
Pineapple sausage (Costco)
Chinese chicken salad
Pork pot stickers dipping sauce (Trader Joes)
Wings with lime dipping sauce
Tofu satay with p-nut sauce
Radish with spiced cream cheese
Fresh pineapple and strawberries skewers

Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

Banana orange punch

I will get some additional photos and recipes up in the coming days; oh sure, how about weeks that sounds more like me.

Denver Green Chiles

2008-09-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

never heard of them???...........neither had I, until a local farmer bring me some the other day.

Right now Mr Doodles and I are residing in South West Colorado.......read about that here if you care to.

A few weeks ago this fellow came in on his way back to his farm to talk about storing his boat on property here at the RV park for the winter. I happened to be reading a cooking magazine at the time. "Ya like to cook"? he says.........ha I sure do and am always looking for local foods to use. "Do you ever cook with chiles"? O you betcha I do!!! "Well I grow chiles on a little plot of land on my farm they are called Denver green chiles and they taste a lot like New Mexico Hatch chiles. I will be roasting some around the beginning of September and I'll bring you some". Now when someone says that I'm always a tad skeptical.....BUT.......two days ago this fellow, my new best friend, walked in with TEN pounds of these magnificent chiles. My teeny brain just started spinning for recipes immediately thought of green chile quesadillas and chile verde......oh my word!!!!!!!! Now I googled freezing chiles.......don't ya just love Google, any way I found a site that tells how to prepare chiles for freezing. Unfortunately fresh roasted chiles cannot be kept in the fridge for more that a few days because they will mold. So sister moon and niece lil' bird will be getting some fresh frozen chiles when I arrive soon.

Let me get to the very simple method of a chicken, green chile quesadilla that I made last nite.
Ingredients
2 flour tortillas
grated cheese of your choice
chicken or steak.........leftovers a great for this if no sauce was used green chile cilantro
If I had some caramelized onions I would have added those

Method place your first flour tortilla in a skillet, start layering your ingredients, I start with cheese, then the meat, the chiles, cilantro a bit more cheese and top that off with the other flour tortilla. Turn the heat to med to low, place a lid on and carefully watch so as not to burn the tortillas but the cheese melts nicely and the inside heats the meat. Once one side is a bit toasty turn over with a wide spatula and continue for another minute or two till the contents are warmed thru and the cheese is well melted. I serve with a fresh salsa as well as sour cream mixed with some green sauce and extra cilantro.

omnivore's hundred

2008-09-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

tim at very good taste is doing a little meme called the omnivore's hundred. here's how it works:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

here's how we'll do it. first, the list is long and posting all three of our lists would be very long indeed. second, i thought it'd be cool to do a little cross promotion of our individual blogs (so you can see what we've been up to lately, as it has obviously not been food blogging). so, we're posting the original list first. then, immediately below will be a hyperlink to each of our three lists on our individual blogs. click to see how we all fared on vgt's omnivore's 100.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini - many dirty, filthy vodka martinis, actually
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin - isn't this clay?!
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

doodles' omnivore's 100
maltese parakeet's omnivore's 100
mooncrazy's omnivore's 100

we hope you'll post your own omnivore's 100. if you do, please put a link in the comments.

Ever start dinner with dessert?

2008-09-04T04:44:00.000-07:00

No, me either but here I'm going to start my Labor Day BBQ meal post with my dessert, peach cobbler. I found this fresh peaches and a yummy tender topping made with buttermilk cobbler on Food Network.

This was served after a killer meal of smoked pork, broccoli salad, baked beans, and a few great appetizers. All will appear on future posts but lets get at that peach cobbler, shall we?

Peach Cobbler
It says it serves 6-8 but I doubled it and served 8; maybe we're pigs.

Cobbler filling:
4 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon flour

Cobbler crust:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon brown sugar, for topping.

Preheat over 425 degrees.

Butter a 1 1/2 quart shallow baking dish. Place the sliced peaches in the dish and sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and flour. Mix gently and spread evenly again. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile combine all dry ingredients for cobbler crust in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or you fingers, to make the texture like course crumbs. Add buttermilk and stir to form a soft dough.

Remove fruit from oven and drop rounded spoons full of dough on top. Sprinkle with last tablespoon of brown sugar and return to oven. Bake until fruit is bubbly and crust topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Cooking the peaches for ten minutes before putting on the topping made it so very light and I think kept it from being "doughy" underneath. It was a little bit of heaven floating down to my kitchen.

Last picture? Only one piece left.

not your typical white person

2008-08-31T15:22:00.001-07:00

ham hock boilin' away in red beans
Originally uploaded by lornababy

quick post. when i was buying the ingredients to make up some red beans and rice for our tailgate party tomorrow (go bruins!), i had to ask the butcher if they had any ham hocks because there weren't any out in the open cases. the other person standing at the counter at the time, a black guy about my age, turned to me and said, "ham hocks? you are NOT a typical white person!" i thanked him for the complement and left the store grinning ear to ear!

update - because joanna asked so nicely and she is such a good friend of the blog, here's the recipe. p.s., sorry, j, this won't ever be entered for consideration on the heart of the matter! anyway, here it is...

auntie lil bird's n'awlins red beans and rice

(adapted from emeril's red beans and rice from his louisiana real and rustic cookbook)

1 lb dried small red beans, rinsed and sorted, soaked overnight and drained
2 tbsp canola oil
1 c chopped onions
1/2 c chopped bell pepper
1/2 c chopped celery
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
4 bay leaves
1 lb boiled ham, cut into 1/2 in cubes
1 smoked ham hock (skin scored crosswise)
8 oz smoked sausage, cut in half then into 1/4 in slices (half moons, if you will)
3 tbsp chopped garlic
8 - 10 c water
steamed white rice

bust out your large heavy pot (le creuset or similar works best) and saute the trinity (onions, peppers, celery) and spices for about 5 mins over med-high heat. add the bay leaves, ham and ham hock and saute for an additional 5 or so minutes. (note, i did not say to add the sausage yet. simon says, back to the beginning!) add the garlic and saute until you start to smell it but before it burns. add the beans and then enough water to cover all ingredients. bring to a boil, then reduce heat. simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally. add more water, if things start to get too dry and thick. at about the 2 hour mark, take your spoon and start mashing the beans against the side of the pot until you've mashed about 1/2 of the beans. (tip from auntie, do this on the side of the pot that is facing the back of the stove, in case you push the pot, it won't fall off the stove and spill boiling beans all over you!) this is the critical step as this is what gives the dish its creamy texture. now stir in your cut up sausage pieces and continue to stir for another 1 1/2 hours or so until mixture is creamy and beans are soft. feel free to add more water, the texture should be liquid but not watery, ifyaknowwhutimean. before serving, remove the bay leaves and the ham hock, salvage any of the non-fatty meat from the hock and return it to the pot. serve over steamed white rice with plenty of crystal hot sauce and an ice cold abita amber beer.

as a bit of history - red beans and rice is still typically served on mondays in new orleans. the reason: monday was wash day and a pot of red beans was easy to cook as it could be left relatively unattended while the lady of the house was busy all day in the yard with the laundry.

Where are those women?

2008-08-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

You might be wondering where we've been lately. I can answer for all of us. It's just that summer time comes with responsibilities. Friends visiting, hot summer nights that don't require any additional cooking because you've baked your body all day, and let's throw in a bit o' work. Summer is just too much fun to be in the kitchen, well for me it has been. We do promise to get back to it soon.

With the long weekend here and yes, another bbq, I hope to have one new recipe to post on Tuesday but until then, ponder this.

As the days get shorter I'm starting to think of trying something new in the kitchen. I've been toying with a list of recipes I've always wanted to try and before it becomes a novel I should start ticking off a few.

These are by no mean all of my list or in any particular order:

Angel food cake
Dill pickles
Low-fat dishes that are tasty
More outdoor dutch oven cooking
More smoked meats
Chicken Molé
Real sourdough bread from my own starter

The list is growing and maybe when the thermometer dips a bit in the coming months I can tackle something new.

How did your summer go?

Vegetarians: no monkeys were harmed in the making of this dish

2008-08-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

When I'm in a fix for something sweet to make, in a short amount of time, I'll go to my standard, Monkey Bread. It serves as well as a dessert as it does a breakfast treat. I've never had to take any leftovers home. It's so simple it amazes me when people rave about it. Must be the brown sugar and cinnamon, gets them every time. Since there are few ingredients needed I always keep them on hand for that last minute surprise potluck. The refrigerator biscuits last forever. It's scary but I try not to think about it.

Please, no one turn up their noses at the canned biscuits used in this tasty treat. I've made it from scratch and to be honest, I like the texture of the Pillsbury biscuits better. Some recipes call for dipping each piece of dough in butter then rolling in sugar. Takes too much time and, again, not much different in the final product.

Monkey Bread
4 cans Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits, ten in the can. I buy 4 wrapped together in their "value pack"
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon (sometimes I throw in a bit of fresh nutmeg, too)
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 stick unsalted butter (do not use margarine)

Grease the sides of a tube/bundt pan.
Mix white sugar and cinnamon together and put in a bag.

Open cans one at a time and cut each biscuit into four pieces. Put all of the one can's cut biscuits into the bag with the cinnamon sugar and shake to coat the pieces.

Start layering the biscuits into the prepared pan. If you desire, you can add chopped nuts or raisins with each layer. Do each can then set aside as you make the syrup.

Melt the butter and brown sugar in a small pan. Bring to a boil and cook for about two minutes stirring continuously. Pour over biscuits in prepared pan.

Bake in 350 oven for about 30-40 minutes until they biscuits are golden and puffed. Don't over bake. Let cool for about 10/15 minutes or so; if not, all the monkeys fall out. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn upside down on a plate.

Serve warm or cold. Use a fork to separate a piece, cutting can be difficult unless it's cold.

I'd like to show a photo but every time I make this I'm rushing out the door.

Rigatoni with Roasted Red Peppers

2008-08-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

One morning laying on the sofa trying to rid myself of a crummy sinus headache......what better way to take your mind off of your ills than by watching someone cook on TV, just seems to take me elsewhere. Well I ran across an older spot by Giada De Laurentis...........sounded so easy I knew I had to try it..........cause it had all the ingredients we like.

Couple of comments about the following recipe....

don't overpower the rigatoni with too much of the bread crumbs
I used my own red peppers that I roasted on the BBQ......you can use jarred red peppers but make sure they are packed in water and not oil
I also added a bit more garlic cloves while pulsing the croûtons
Also when toasting your almonds..careful not to burn them.......med heat, five minutes. Keep shaking the pan to move the almonds around.
use rigatoni as with the little ridges it hold the bread crumb mixture.

1 pound rigatoni pasta
3 cups purchased garlic-flavored croûtons, (about 5 ounces)
1/4 cup slivered almonds (about 1 ounce), toasted
1 cup julienned roasted red bell peppers
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl.

Place the extra garlic, croutons and the almonds in a food processor. Pulse until it becomes the texture of bread crumbs. Add the mixture to the hot pasta. Add the peppers and the olive oil. Toss to combine and serve.

Now if you are someone who likes to have tomato sauce on your pasta.........this dish is not for you. My sweet husband is a purist and likes tomato sauce on his pasta, so I took a big chance with this dish, but he LOVED it.........the man never ceases to amaze me.

The answer

2008-08-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

The can on the left was the product I was hoping someone would identify. One person said it was baking powder, Laura from Laura Rebecca's Kitchen and she was as wrong as me. I picked up this can at Trader Joe's thinking:

I need baking powder
baking powder comes in a round can
baking soda comes in a square box
I'm in such a hurry

I then went home to bake some cookies that have three teaspoons of baking powder. I was baking them for a gallery opening I was involved in. When I tasted them they had a very flat flavor with an aftertaste. They were frosted with a great ganache, what's not to love there, but they still were a bit off. I've made this recipe before and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out the problem.

Fast forward to last week when I got out the ingredients for biscuits and actually read the can. Yikes! I'd used baking soda instead of baking powder. I don't know about you but I'm a very graphic person and relied on my memory of what the can looked like and failed to read the label.

Laura Rebecca, because you were as smart as I was and thought the can looked like baking powder I'm sending you a homemade felt lapel pin. Just contact me with a mailing address via e-mail.

Everyone else, be wary of just grabbing something to use before you read the label. I know I shall not make that mistake again.

Can you guess?

2008-08-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

How about a game today?

Who can tell us: what's this product?

One comment said Baking Powder. Who thinks this is Baking Powder? Go look at your's in the cupboard.

Post a comment with your guess. If no one can answer I'll post a hint, tomorrow. I might even have a prize but just the knowledge that you are smarter than Moon is worth a lot. Wait, there are many smarter than Moon. I should give a prize.

Click the comments, all comments welcome. If you are a "nonny mouse" include your e-mail.

i heart trader joe's

2008-08-09T12:08:00.001-07:00

lemon pepper papardelle with sundried tomato alfredo sauce
Originally uploaded by lornababy

have i said that before? well, let me say it again. not only are they cheaper than the supermarkets, their selection is better and fresher and they offer so many options that are better for you and the environment.

i made this lemon pepper papardelle with sundried tomato alfredo sauce and grilled chicken for my grandmother's recent visit. it was a perfect summer afternoon meal and we enjoyed the meal and each other's company with a nice rex goliath pinot grigio.

here's the tj's shopping list:

sundried tomatoes (the dry ones, not the ones in oil)
garlic
kosher chicken breasts
lemon pepper papardelle
alfredo sauce
basil
lemon
parmesan cheese
pinot grigio

grill chicken and cut into slices. chop sundried tomatoes into strips and simmer with one or two smashed cloves of garlic in some of the wine until soft. add jar of alfredo sauce and simmer until flavors blend. meanwhile, boil the papardelle until al dente. drain pasta, add to sauce and heat over low for a few minutes so the pasta finishes cooking and soaks up some of the sauce. plate pasta and put the grilled chicken on top. garnish with grated parmesan cheese, basil ribbons and lemon zest. enjoy with a glass of the wine!

Appetizer

2008-08-08T04:44:00.000-07:00

We are very excited Doodles won their contest so here is another recipe from the magazine. This time I'll let you go buy Cook's Country or at very least, join online. I made this as an appetizer for last weekend's dinner party and it was very successful. It does take some pre-prep but then it goes together quickly.

The whole trick to this is instead of making a normal pizza dough with yeast you make a dough with beer. Because you don't need it to rise you can roll it out and slap it in the skillet. I wanted to have them ready to go so I rolled them out and slapped them between two pieces of waxed paper and slapped them in the refrigerator. I love slapping things.

When it came time to fix them I oiled my non-stick pan and cooked the first side. When it's nice and crispy flip it over, load on the toppings and cover until the bottom is crisp and the chees is melty. This is all similar to the pizza on the grill, another America Test Kitchen recipe, that is fun, but a lot more work. I cut them into bit sized pieces and served them hot. Six adults when through three nine-inch pizzas quickly and if I didn't already have dinner cooked I might have made more.

Photo editor's note: Before I slid the last pizza out on the cutting board, plastic; I set down the pan to take a snap. When I lifted the pan, the cutting board came with it. Glad this was my last pizza. Just a little calamity in the kitchen, when it all cooled it was easy to scrap the melted plastic off the skillet bottom but the board, not so lucky. I was happy to see it bore the little recycle triangle so at least it could be made into something else.