Butter pecan cake

With the arrival of baby James I don't get very much done on time. I seem to be late on everybody's birthdays. My Dad's birthday was the 29th of Nov and was finally able to make him a cake on Dec 3 and gave it to him the next day. It was a very yummy cake. I  had 2 boxes of butter pecan cake mix, so i went in search of a recipe for the icing. I  found this one which looked good.
http://www.threelittleblackbirds.com/2011/12/butter-pecan-cake/
I wanted to use a crusting cream cheese frosting so I used from Wilton.

Baking the Cake

• So for this recipe I used the 2 boxes of butter pecan. I prepared the mix following the directions  on the box....I greased three  9"  X 2 " circular pans.   I filled up the each pan 2/3 of the way with batter. I baked as directed, cooled on wire racks for 10 minutes still in the pans, then used a knife to score the sides of the cake in the pan. I removed the cakes from the pans and continued to cool the cakes until no longer warm. Because i didn't have time to frost them. I covered each layer  completely with plastic wrap and then wrapped them in tin foil and placed in freezer until ready to frost. 4 days later I pulled them out of the freezer to defrost.

Buttered Pecans

• between the layers of the cake and on top of the cake
• 1 stick  butter
• 1 2/3 cup chopped pecans
• pinch of salt
• 1 T maple syrup

• Melt the butter and pinch of salt in a saucepan and then add in the pecans.  Cook until the butter is slightly browned and bubbly about 3-4 minutes.  Butter will start to foam up and cover the pecans and that’s when they’re ready.
• Begin stacking the cakes by placing the first layer, trimmed side up, on the cake stand or cake round.  If using a cake round, spread a small amount of frosting or ganache on first to “glue” the cake to the cake round.
  Brush the top of the cake layer with simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, boiled and cooled with vanilla extract or other flavorings), if desired.  This will keep the cake moist if it wont be eaten right away.
  
  
  Spread or pipe an even layer of frosting on top of the cake…
• Place a handful or so of the cooled pecans onto the frosting, staying away from the very edge.  Gently press the pecans down into the frosting…

Crusting Cream Cheese Buttercream Icing
Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Vegetable Shortening
1/2 Cup (one stick) Unsalted butter @ room temp
1 Cup (8 oz Bar) Cream Cheese @ room temp
1 Tablespoon Clear Vanilla Extract
2 Lbs Sifted Powder Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Directions:

Cream together shortening, butter, and cream cheese until nice and smooth. Add vanilla into mixture and combine, beating until smooth. Sift together powdered sugar and salt, then add to butter and cream cheese mixture, one cup at a time. Scrape sides of bowl as needed.

Notes: Domino brand powdered sugar may be used without sifting, if you like. Most often, I use salted butter to cut the sweetness.

For the best flavor, use Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese, it really makes a difference in both consistency and taste. My small store was out of Philly Brand and purchased the available alternative. Result was not as flavorful and consistency was softer.
*If to stiff of a consistency use less sugar but all the salt or gradually add milk to make the perfect consistency!

Pasted from <http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=7&threadid=130405 >

Breakfast Casserole

There is so much cooking to do before Thanksgiving. I usually plan it out the week before what I'm going to make. Then I make a couple of lists including  a cooking prep list, a decorating list, a grocery list, a menu list with all the recipes together and a timer list of what goes in the oven and at what time. I know it sounds like a lot, but it helps me stay on track, because I can get distracted with my husband and kids if they are here. This year we will have my daughter Joy, her husband Tim and new baby James. My dad and his girlfriend and my brother will also join us. My 3 other kids along with there spouses will not be present this year. Boo hoo.
Because there is so much cooking to do, I decided to prepare a breakfast casserole the night before and bake it in the morning and voila breakfast is served without all the fuss of making it. Our daughter in law Anne brought this last year for Christmas morning and I fell in love with  it. So here is the recipe.

The original recipe uses a 9 by 13 baking dish and feeds about 10 people.. I cut the recipe in  half since it is only my husband and I and still have leftovers.

8 oz sausage ( I used beef sausage since I don't eat pork)
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups cubed bread
1 to 2  cups sharp shredded cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup green onion thinly sliced
1/2 tomato seeded and diced
2 cups frozen hash browns

butter a casserole dish on all sides and bottom
Brown sausage over medium high heat until no longer pink. Set aside
Mix eggs, milk, mustard and salt and pepper together
Place hash browns on bottom of dish
Cover with a layer of cheese
Layer half of the sausage on top of the cheese.
Next layer half of the cubed bread
Layer on top the mushrooms, onions,  and tomato
Cover with more cheese.
Repeat all layers except hash browns.
Pour the milk egg mixture over all layers and let seep in.

If you are not cooking right away, cover with tin foil and place in the fridge. When ready to cook pull the casserole out of the fridge for an hour to bring the temp down. Preheat oven to 375 and bake for  an hour. If the top browns too fast cover loosely with tin foil.
This is a filling dish. Here is a picture of the casserole. I forgot to take a picture of it before we ate it.

Chicken and rice soup

I have a bunch of leftover rice. What to do with it...aha! lets make chicken and rice soup.


1 T olive oil
4 chicken thighs
1 onion
3 carrots diced small
3 celery sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves minced
2 cups  of cooked rice
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
2 T fresh basil chopped finely
1 T parsley chopped finely
 7 cups of chicken broth

• Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium heat.  
• Add the chicken thighs. Sear the thighs for 3 minutes on each side. 
• Add enough water to cover the thighs. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low for an hour. 
• After an hour remove the thighs and set aside. Cool thighs before dicing or shredding. 
• Also reserve the chicken water in another container. 
• Add a little more olive oil and onion. Saute for 5 minutes. 
• Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. 
• Add the celery and carrots and saute for 5 more minutes. 
• Re add the  chicken water, rice, salt and pepper, basil, parsley, chicken thighs. 
• Also, add more chicken broth to make 7 cups. 
• So I ended up with 3 cups of chicken water so I added 4 more cups of boxed chicken broth.  Bring to a boil and then back down to low for an hour. This soup is delicous. Enjoy.

Cottage Pie and popovers

For our shabbat dinner a month ago my husband wanted shepherd pie or cottage pie. Here is my recipe for cottage pie. I like to make them individual size. Nothing is better on a cold winter or rainy night. 

Meat filling

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb ground beef

1 onion diced small

3 garlic cloves minced

1 carrot diced small

4 oz frozen peas

A1 sauce

8 oz mushrooms

3 T brown sugar

1/4 cup red wine

salt and pepper to taste

1 T basil

Warm olive oil  in large skillet .Brown beef when olive oil sizzles. Drain fat if necessary and set beef aside.

Put carrots in skillet and saute until soft. Add onions and saute  until soft. Add mushrooms and saute till soft.  Place ground beef back in pan with veggies. Add peas and garlic. Saute for a couple more minutes. In a small bowl mix together A1 sauce and brown sugar. Add to skillet and mix thouroughly. Add red wine and seasonings. Bring to a bowl and then cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

While meat filling is cooking, prepare mashed potatoes

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

MASHED POTATOES

Ingredients

6 medium sized potatoes
salt
·pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
4 oz sour cream
2 oz cream cheese
1 stick butter
finely chopped onion (1/2 small)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup potato water

Preparation

1. Scrub, wash and peel potatoes
2. Chop potatoes into cubes
3. Fill 2 qt pot 2/3 with water. Add 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil
4. Place potatoes in boiling water. Boil for 20 minutes or until tender
5. Drain potatoes saving 1 pint of potato water
6. Mash potatoes with masher
7. In large measuring cup or microwave safe bowl mix sour cream,  cream cheese, butter, milk, garlic powder and  pepper. Microwave for 1 minutes until butter and cream cheese has softened. Mix well.
10. add a small amount of potato water to potatoes and mix with mixer breaking up chunks of potato.

11. Add the sour cream mixture from above to the potatoes and mix again.

12. Taste at this point to see what needs to be added. Add additional salt and pepper or butter.

Putting it all together.

Use 2-4 small casserole dishes depending on size. Place meat mixture on bottom of lightly greased dishes. Top with mashed potatoes. . Place in oven at 350 for 30 minutes until piping hot. 

For extra taste roll out thawed out phyllo dough and cut circles large enough to overlap top edges of dish. Place the dough on top of the potatoes and sealing the edges like you would a pie

 

 Popovers

Makes 6 large or 12 small popovers

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the pan

2 large eggs

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups milk

Preheat the oven to 450°F, and thoroughly grease the pan.

Melt the tablespoon of butter and set it aside to cool slightly.

Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk gently. Then stir in the flour, salt, milk and melted butter until just barely blended; a few lumps are fine.

Fill the cups 2/3 to 3/4 full, and bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 350 and bake an additional 20 minutes. (No peeking! Opening the oven door in the first 20 minutes can cause them to collapse.)

When they are brown and crusty, remove them from the oven, and make a small slit in their sides with a sharp knife. Serve immediately, or return to turned-off oven. Makes 6 to 10 popovers.

Beef Tips Marsala

What to do with unused beef chuck? 
Last weekend I made beef grillers which were delicious.Here is the link for chicken grillers. Beef grillers made the same except with beef.
                http://diyrita.blogspot.com/2014/06/cracker-barrel-campfire-chicken-copycat.html

 I had some beef left over that had not been cooked, so I went in search for a recipe. I kind of had a hankering for chicken marsala...so this kind of turned out like beef marsala.

garlic powder, salt and pepper
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces chuck beef, cut into large dice
1  onion, diced
2 tablespoons butter
4 large mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup wine ( i used marsala wine)
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
mashed potatoes, for serving ( my husbands recipe for mashed potatoes found on page for meatloaf)
                  http://diyrita.blogspot.com/2014/07/my-husbands-favorite-meatloaf-dinner.html

Combine salt, pepper and garlic powder with flour. Turn pan on medium heat...check for readiness by sprinking water droplets on pan. If droplets sizzle pan is ready....Add oil and do the same test again, looking for sizzling.
Place flour mixture in shallow bowl and dredge the beef  
Saute the meat until it is medium-rare\ turning occasional.
 Add the onions and cook until it is softened. 
Add the butter to the pan and then add the mushrooms
Cook until the mushrooms begin to color, then remove the meat, onions, and mushrooms to a platter and keep warm.
Deglaze the skillet with the wine, making sure to loosen any browned bits, and let it reduce a little.
Add the beef broth and bring to a boil, then return the reserved meat and vegetables back to the pan and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour, or until the meat is tender.

Mix the cornstarch with a little of the cooking liquid to make a paste and add it to the simmering broth
Wait for it to thicken before serving. 
I plated mashed potatoes, then place the beef tips on top and then poured the gravy on top...Yum yum.

adapted from 
http://texasroadhouseathome.blogspot.com/2013/02/sirloin-beef-tips.html

Golden tea and carpal tunnel

Recently i  have been having problems with my thumb, wrist and arm. I have done a lot of internet study on carpal tunnel, thoracic outlet syndrome, remedies and exercises. I have also done quite a bit of research on the herb tumeric that is used for inflamation. I came across the recipe and decided to give it a try. I was quite suprized at how well it tasted. I am not a big fan of tumeric, but in this drink I feel like I am drinking a blonde hot chocolate...kinda ....I have been drinking it once every day for 3 days straight. I look forward to drinking it, but can't really say it is working yet. 

In order to make this tea you first make the tumeric paste which after it is cooled it will be stored in the fridge until ready to  make tea. 

Tumeric paste

1. Take 1/4 cup turmeric powder, mix with 1/2 cup pure water and simmer over medium-high heat for at least 7 minutes, stirring constantly. You will notice a thick paste form.
2.  If it get's too dry while cooking you can add additional water. 
3. Once cooled, put into a glass jar and put in fridge. This is good for up to one month. 

Golden Milk:

Add 1 tsp. to 1 cup. hot milk (cow, goat, soy, rice, almond, or any combination), 

maple syrup or honey to taste and 1/2 tsp. of almond or sesame oil. 

Gently heat and stir. 

My family loves this just before going to bed.

here is the link for the recipe and the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYCQb2YNGt4&list=PLX2rwNJnvyQHFQ4_p7ECs0fz3XxLj9rY2&index=9

  I found this recipe I liked better to use with the tumeric paste.

• 8 ounces (1 cup) almond or coconut milk ( i used almond milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2-inch wide round slice of ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon honey or other sweetener
• Optional additions: a small pat of butter, cinnamon, cardamom

1. Gently warm the almond or coconut milk on the stove.
2. In a mug, combine the remaining ingredients.
3. Drizzle a teaspoon of the warmed milk into the mug and mix until the liquid is smooth with no lumps. Add the rest of the milk and mix well. You can leave the pieces of ginger in the tea, or strain it out before drinking.

:http://www.mintconditiondaily.com/2013/10/24/creamy-tumeric-tea/#sthash.X9UkLdtG.dpuf

Southwestern salad

Southwestern salad

• I love salads and eat them every day. I saw this salad on pinterest and thought this would be good to try. I love all the ingredients. I do not normally use Catalina dressing, but thought it would be good with this salad. It is super easy to make. i didn't have a whole bag of corn chips...I just had a little one....so four cups would be a lot and would have probably filled it to the top. I got to use my trifle dish to display the salad. I am currently waiting for my  husband to come home from playing tennis. This should hit the spot for him after a sweaty                             game of tennis. 
• I remembered to take pictures of the food this time. Usually, I am so excited about what i just made, we devour it before i can photograph it. Well this time, I did photograph it and when i brought it back to the kitchen to set on the countertop before lifting it into the refrigerator, my right arm slipped and the whole thing tilted and out came the corn chips and some of the salad out onto the countertop. Luckily i got it all back in and looking halfway decent. I have been having problems with my right arm and hand and am wearing a hand and wrist brace.I will serve this with some leftover naan bread that i made earlier in the week. Thanks Jessica for suggesting I try making it. 
here is the link from taste of home


http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/southwestern-salad#.T9frLvPO0_g.pinterest


1 can (15 oz) pinto beans rinsed and drained
1 bunch green onions with tops, sliced
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and chopped
1 bottle (8 ounces) Catalina salad dressing, divided
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 medium head lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
4 cups corn chips


• Directions

  1. In a large salad bowl, toss together the beans, green onions, tomato, avocado and half of the Catalina dressing. Top with cheese and then lettuce. Refrigerate. Just before serving, add corn chips to salad and toss. Serve with remaining dressing.Yield: 8-10 servings.

Spiraled cucumber salad

I love to use my spiralizer for many things. I  eat some sort of salad every day and today I thought I would try something different besides lettuces and leafy greens. It's a very simple recipe. You must use an english cucumber which is long and has no seeds in it.

I english cucumber
1/2 carton of grape tomatoes sliced in half
feta cheese to your liking
1/4 cup finely sliced red onion
1 T fresh basil finely chopped
1 tsp oregano finely chopped
1 tsp mint finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
Rita's dressing ( recipe following after

Cut  ends off of the cucumber and spiral the cucumber. The brand I use is made by world cuisine and is called a spiral vegetable slicer.  I like it because it has 2 other size blades with it. Mix all ingredients into the spiraled cucumber and then top with dressing.

Rita's dressing

juice of one orange
juice of one lemon
4 T olive oil
4 T apple cider vinegar (Braggs)
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 T of fresh basil chopped finely
1/2 t oregano chopped finely
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp mrs. dash
1/4 tsp cinamon
1/2 packet of powdered stevia

Combine orange juice and lemon juice and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl or 2 cup measuring cup. Add garlic and all herbs. Mix well. Slowly add the olive oil. Mix in all seasonings and stevia. Transfer to a salad dressing bottle or mason jar. Shake well. before using.

Overnight Blueberry Oatmeal

               My daughter in law, Anne, and daughter Jessica both rave about overnight oatmeal. So I decided to give it a whirl. I was quite impressed. I know there are many flavors you can choose from, but I love blueberries so this is the one I tried.

It was very easy to assemble. Just place all ingredients in a mason jar, mix it up and place in the frigde overnight. If you're on the go in the morning, it is quick to grab it and eat on the road. I like to prepare it for when I know i have a long drive early in the morning and won't have time to make or stop for breakfast. I find that it holds me quite awhile and staves off hunger pains. I drive an hour away to give a voice lesson to a very brave woman in her 70's. I give the lesson for an hour and then proceed to drive back. I usually stop off halfway and shop for a couple of hours and then go home. So, this oatmeal really holds me all this time. I have tried taking yogurt smoothies and fruit but they don't really last in my stomach very long.
So here is my version of the overnight oatmeal.

1/3 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats ( steel cut even better)
1/3 cup homemade yogurt
1/3 cup rice milk or any other kind you have
1 t chia seeds
1 t LSA ( see notes below)
1/3 cup blueberries
 Place oats, yogurt, milk, chia seeds, lsa into a small mason jar. Tighten lid on and shake ingredients until  mixed well. Remove lid and add blueberries or whatever fruit you would like to add. Place lid back on and set in fridge overnight. In the morning grab and go. Don't forget to bring a spoon and napkin.

LSA

 (Linseed-Sunflower-Almond) 

    1 cup raw linseed / flax seed

    2/3 cup raw sunflower seeds (hulled)

    1/3 cup raw almonds (shelled)

 

Place flax seeds first, then sunflower seeds, then almonds in a blender or a nutribullet. Use a low setting and blend or grind  until mixed and flour like. Place in airtight container until ready to use. You can add to cereals, smoothies, salads...etc.

Naan Bread

     

             
         My daughter  Jessica was recently here. She was here for the birthing of our first grandchild from her sister, Joy. She flew in from Australia and surprised me. I mean really surprised  me since she said she was not coming for another 2 months. She works in a cafe in Sydney where Naan bread is very popular. I had never heard of Naan bread. She was here for 3 weeks and has returned to Sydney to her husband, Istvan..lucky duck. 
        So, today I decided to try making the Naan bread. Seems to be very similar to making pita bread with a few extra ingredients. They turned out delicious.

• 1½ cups warm milk
• ½ tsp yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3½-4 cups of all-purpose flour
• 4-5 tbsp melted butter
• ¼ tsp garlic powder (optional)
• salt (optional)

Instructions

1. add yeast and sugar to warm milk, let stand 3-5 minutes
2. add salt and 3½ cups flour to milk mixture and mix in mixer with dough hook for 3-5 minutes or about 8-10 minutes if mixing by hand, Sprinkle additional flour as needed to keep dough from sticking to the sides. Do not exceed 4¼ cups.
3. Let rise for 2 hours or do the quick oven rising method described above in step 3
4. Punch dough down and divide into 12 equal pieces.
5. Form pieces into balls and let rest for 30 minutes (cover with plastic wrap or clean dish towel)
6. Put your stone(s) in oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees
7. Roll out dough balls to desired thickness (about the size of a small tortilla)
8. Cook rolled out dough on stone for 2-4 minutes
9. Stack cooked Naan on top of each other and brush each side with butter
10. (If you desire you can add ¼ tsp garlic powder and a couple shakes of salt to your melted butter)

Here is the link that I got the recipe from.

http://reallifedinner.com/how-to-make-naan-bread-step-by-step-instructions-and-pictures/

Baked Panko chicken tenders with Basil Aioli

            I am always looking for new ideas for chicken. I am not a big fan of fried food. I like the way it tastes but it does not like me...so I prefer to bake the food that traditionally is fried. I tried this recipe and was quite impressed with the taste. I loved the aioli with it. I have tried over the years to make my own mayonaise..Most of the time it doesn't taste good or it doesn't set right.  I served this with a salad and sliced the chicken after it was baked and placed it on top of the salad. I used the aioli to dip the chicken in. You could also use it for salad dressing but I think you need to make more. 

Makes 3-4 servings (ish).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or breast tenders
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
Cooking spray

For aioli:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350?F. Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with foil and lightly spraying with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl or shallow dish, season the flour with salt and black pepper, and lightly beat the eggs in another shallow dish. In a third shallow dish, combine panko breadcrumbs with basil, garlic, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper.

If using chicken breasts, prepare by putting one breast in between two layers of plastic wrap. Pound to an even thickness of approximately 1/2". Remove plastic and slice into strips.

Dredge tenders in the flour to coat, shaking off any excess flour. Dip the floured chicken tenders into the egg and then coat the chicken tenders with the breadcrumb mixture. Arrange on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining strips.

Bake chicken tenders for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown, flipping once part way through the cook time.

To prepare aioli, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Here is the link for the recipe

http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2009/02/baked-panko-chicken-tenders-with-basil-aioli.html

Baked Eggplant parmesan

     We love eggplant at our house. Last year and the year before we had eggplant coming out of our ears from our little garden. This year we only yielded one. I don't know why..We planted 3 plants and they all got real bushy but no eggplants except one. I have tried many different ways to make eggplant. This one by far was the easiest to make.

Baked-Eggplant Parmesan

Choose firm, smooth eggplants. We bake rather than fry ours for less mess and less fat.
Ingredients

• Olive oil, for baking sheets 
• 2 large eggs 
• 3/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs 
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus 2 tablespoons for topping 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 
• Coarse salt and ground pepper 
• 2 large eggplants (2 1/2 pounds total), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds 
• 6 cups (48 ounces) store-bought chunky tomato sauce or homemade chunky tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush 2 baking sheets with oil; set aside. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 2 tablespoons water. In another bowl, combine breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Parmesan, oregano, and basil; season with salt and pepper.
2. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; place on baking sheets. Bake until golden brown on bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn slices; continue baking until browned on other side, 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove from oven; raise oven heat to 400 degrees.
3. Spread 2 cups sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange half the eggplant in dish; cover with 2 cups sauce, then 1/2 cup mozzarella. Repeat with remaining eggplant, sauce, and mozzarella; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

Source

Everyday Food, December 2003Ba

My husbands favorite meatloaf dinner

My husbands favorite birthday dinner is meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy, creamed corn, creamed spinach and peach cobbler for dessert. He asks for this every year. With the leftover meatloaf we like to make meatloaf gyros with tzatziki sauce. Myhusband is known throughout the family for his mashed potatoes. We are asked to bring them to every get together. I buy a can of creamed corn and frozen creamed spinach. I can make it from scratch but most of the time don't because the meatloaf and mashed potatoes takes so long to make.  Here is the linnk for the original recipe.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/dads-meatloaf-with-tomato-relish-recipe.html

MEATLOAF

• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 red peppers, finely diced
• 2 tomatoes seeded, fd
• ¼ c parsley
• 12 oz ketchup
• 1 T worsestershire sauce
• Evoo
• 1 lb ground beef and turkey
• 3 eggs
• Thyme, sea salt, pepper
• 3 slices white bread, torn
• ½ c whole milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Sauté onion, garlic, and bay leaves.
3. Throw in red pepper and cook for 2 min. 
4. Add tomatoes. 
5. Stir in parsely, ketchup, worcetershire; season with salt & pepper. 
6. Simmer for 10 min. Remove from  heat.. 
7. Soak the bread pieces in whole milk. Combine meats in large bowl.
8.  Squeeze out milk from bread and add to bowl. 
9. Add eggs, I c relish, thyme, salt and pepper. 
10. Mix. Place in loaf pan & top with more relish.
11.  Bake for 1 ½ hour

ERNIES MASHED POTATOES

Ingredients

•  5 lb bag of potatoes
•  salt
• ·pepper
•  ½ tsp garlic powder
•  8 oz sour cream
•  8 oz cream cheese
•  1 stick butter
• ·finely chopped onion (1/2 small)
•  1 pt milk
•  1 pt potato water
•  1 can of durkees

Appliances

• · Hand mixer
• · Hand masher
• · 4 qt pot
• · Casserole dish
• · Tin Foil

Preparation

1. Scrub, wash and peel potatoes
2. Chop potatoes into cubes
3. Fill 4 qt pot 2/3 with water. Add 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil
4. Place potatoes in boiling water. Boil for 20 minutes or until tender
5. Drain potatoes saving 1 pint of potato water
6. Mash potatoes with masher
7. Begin to add 8oz sour cream, 8oz of softened cream cheese, 1 stick of butter, the finely chopped onion,        mixing (hand held mixer) and mashing each ingredient at a time.
8. Add ½ tsp garlic powder and ½ tsp pepper
9. Heat 1pt of milk in microwave till warm
10. Begin to add equal amounts of potato water and warm milk. Mix with mixer. You may not use all the             milk or potato water, but add till the consistency is a bit soupy.
11. Add additional salt and pepper to taste
12. Put mashed potatoes in casserole dish and place durkee fried onions on top.
13. Cover with tin foil and place in oven for 45 min @ 350 degrees

French Onion Soup with Rueban sandwiches

              
        A long time favorite of mine is French onion soup. I started making it when my brother and Dad would come over every day for lunch and dinner after my mom died in 2010. I would make a huge crockpot of it and it would sit for a couple of days. The longer it sat the more it carmelized. I'm pretty finicky about my soup bowls and spoons. All of my soup bowls have double handles so they can be picked up with both hands and not burn yourself. I also prefer a rounded soup spoon..not so easy to find. I use my grandmothers real silver spoons for my soup spoons. I know, I'm picky.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 T oil
• 1 1/2  lbs onions, peeled, halved and sliced thin (you'll be crying soon)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced very fine
• 1/4  t sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 6 cups beef stock
• 3 T flour
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ovenproof soup bowls
• slices of French baguettes, 1/2 inch thick
• Swiss cheese, grated
• Parmesan cheese, grated

1. In a large saucepan with low heat melt the butter and oil together.

2. Add the onions and cover. Saute for 15 minutes

3. Remove lid and increase temperature to medium. Sprinkle sugar and salt over onions. Saute for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally until caramelized and turns a deep golden brown.

4. Add the flour and mix into onions for 3 minutes continually whisking. The flour will stick to the onions and absorb up any grease or liquid still remaining.

5. Slowly add the wine mixing well into the onions. Slowly add the beef broth. Cook on medium for an hour. I cook it for about 10 minutes on the stove and then I transfer it to a crockpot on low for several hours.

6. About 20 minutes before eating put your oven on broil. Place the soup in oven proof bowls, cover with a slice of bread and top with the swiss cheese. A faster way is to toast the bread in the toaster. Place it on top of the soup and add the cheese. Place in microwave for 30 seconds for the cheese to melt. This is absolutely delicious on a cold winter night.


Reuben Sandwich

• Pumpernickel or rye bread
• spreadable butter
• thousand island dressing
• sauerkraut or (cultured veggies)
• thin sliced or shaved corned beef
• Swiss cheese
• sour cream (optional)

Mix a little sour cream with sauerkraut and warm up in microwave for 20 seconds. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place two slices down in a pan if they will fit over medium heat. Spread thousand Island dressing carefully on top of the bread. Layer corned beef, swiss cheese, and sauerkraut or cultured veggies. Spread a little more thousand island on top of the saurekraut and top with another slice of bread. Cook in pan for 4-5 minutes until cheese is melted. Flip over carefully and cook for another minute. Plate immediately. Serve with chips, or homemade fries and or french onion soup.

Pineapple black bean salsa

                  I wanted to try a different kind of salsa. I had a can of black beans on hand and did a search on Pinterest. I found this recipe. Once I made the salsa, I cooked up a lb of ground beef, drained the grease and then added taco seasoning with a little bit of water. I let that simmer for a little while. I plated some chopped up romaine.I added a cup of the salsa and 3 T of the ground beef and topped it with shredded sharp cheese. I drizzled vidalia onion salad dressing over it. I was quite surprised how great it tasted. After I devoured the first plate I went back for more and crumbled some tortilla chips over the top..Even better.

• 1 can black beans,drained and rinsed
• 1 pineapple, cored, peeled and diced
• 1 T fresh basil, 1 ts lemon balm, 1 ts mint finely chopped
• 1/4 red onion finely chopped
• 1 banana pepper finely chopped
• 1/4 jalepeno, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 limes juiced
• salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to eat


Here is the link I used and tailored the recipe to my liking and size.

http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2011/08/pineapple-black-bean-salsa/

Black bean taco soup

             
                This is very easy to make if you have all the canned ingredients on hand. I had some leftover quessadilla burgers I had made earlier in the week. I threw them in the cuisinart to grind and used it to make the soup. Normally, I would use fresh ground beef, but because i had this on hand and I already knew it was seasoned with a Mexican flavor, I knew this would be perfect with this soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey tastes so good in this recipe too!)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 package mild taco seasoning mix
• 1 16 oz can corn (undrained)
• 1 16 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (you could use kidney beans or pinto beans)
• 1 14 oz can stewed tomatoes
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 4 oz can diced green chilis
•  tortilla chips
•  Other taco toppings you like (cheese, sour cream, avocado, etc)

Directions:

1. Brown meat and onion, drain
2. Stir in taco seasoning, corn, black beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and green chilis.
3.  Simmer on low heat for 20 to 30 minutes. 
4. Place tortilla chips on bottom of bowl and then pour soup over top. 
5. You can add shredded cheese on top, chopped up scallions, or sour cream.. whatever you like. The first thing my husband reaches for in any meal is the hot sauce. It always has to be hotter.

Linking to:

http://www.tipjunkie.com

Homemade Vanilla Icecream

      I love ice cream but it doesn't like me. I really get bloated after eating it. I believe I am dairy sensitive. Since  making my own yogurt and cultured veggies for over a year now, my gut has been doing better. I bought an ice cream maker about 2 years ago at Goodwill and never used it. Well, I finally got it out but had no idea how ice cream is made. I went online looking for videos on how to use it. I couldn't find any for this particular sunbeam model, so I followed the directions in the book. I  used the old fashioned recipe for ice cream and I was quite surprised at how well it turned out.
Here is the recipe I used for a Sunbeam Electric Ice cream maker model GC8101

 1/2 cup sugar
dash of salt
1 cup whole milk
1 egg beaten
1 cup  whipping cream
2 t pure vanilla extract

Wrap the canister part of the ice cream maker in a plastic bag and place upright in the back of your freezer overnight, where the temperature is the coldest. There is liquid in between the canister walls, so shake the canister to check to make sure you do not hear liquid moving within the walls after freezing.

Combine sugar, salt and milk in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until mixture almost boils. Reduced heat to low.
Gradually stir about 1/2 cup of hot milk into the beaten eggs. Add eggs to remaining hot mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Combine whipping cream, vanilla and chilled mixture, stirring with a wire whisk to combine.

Remove canister from freezer and attach it to the motor and paddle part. Turn motor on to check to see if paddle is moving clockwise.
Pour the ice cream mixture through the mixing feeder in the canister.  Leave it on for 20-40 minutes as it churns. Turn switch off when you reach your desired consistency.

Tiara baby shower cake

Meridiths Baby Shower and Tiara Cake

   
             My friend Claudia's daughter, Meredith, is having a baby shower this weekend. Claudia has asked me to decorate the cake. We work well as a tag team.. She does really well with baking the cakes, and I do well with icing and decorating. This will be the second time we work together on a cake. She helped me in January with my sons wedding cakes. We made 4 cakes. 2 of them were coconut cakes and the grooms cake was a lemon raspberry and the brides cake was a lemon blueberry cake.. They did not even  touch the two lemon cakes. I wrapped them tight and froze them for 5 months and brought the cakes to them by car from Florida to Atlanta.

Josh and Anne Wedding cakes      

             Meridith wants a Tiffany box cake with a tiara on top. I made 3 tiaras and a bow out of fondant ahead of time to make sure it would hold up. I got an oatmeal container and printed out a diagram of a tiara from here. I taped it to the oatmeal container. I stabilizer the container with gripper paper so it would not move. I then taped  wax paper on top of the  diagram. I smeared a little of crisco over the wax paper so the fondant would have something to stick to. I got out my fondant, rolled it out. When i tried to hand roll it, it didn't work for me. It kept tearing and breaking when i would put it on top of the design especially when i tried to make the curls. So i gave up on trying to do it by hand. I then tried the clay extruder. I couldn't believe how hard it was to push the fondant out. The smaller the die hole i used the harder it was to push it out. This was the only one I could find around here. Please do not get this one if you do not have strong hands. The  ropes that come out of the extruder were very symmetrical. I liked that. It still wasn't very flexible especially when curling it. I finally finished. I repeated it 2 more times on different size cans and different size diagrams. I waited 3 days for it to dry.

1. diagram of tiara 2. fondant 3. white chocolate 4. split cake 

             After 3 days I cut the wax paper from both ends and gently removed the tiara. It crumbled to pieces. Well, that didn't work. I went back to youtube and watched so more videos on tiara making. I somehow missed the part that it was suppose to made of gum paste. After purchasing gum paste I repeated the same process all over again. The clay extruder wasn't any easier, but the gum paste was a little easier to curl.
            I also tried to make the tiaras out of white chocolate. I melted down the chocolate in a double boiler with a little coconut oil. That was my mistake. I put the chocolate in a piping bag with a small tip and traced out the design. My hands are too shaky to do this. I again repeated it 2 more times in different sizes. It is suppose to harden withing a couple of hours. After 3 days it still would not harden. I removed them from the can. Replaced the wax paper and melted the chocolate this time in the microwave by itself. Put it in the piping bag with a small tip and traced it  out again. It seemed to be getting harder faster. The next day, I removed the wax paper and it crumbled. I gave up on the white chocolate. After 5 days the last batch of gumpaste tiaras were removed from the cans. I was so surprise to see that it held together. I was so excited and relieved. My strong suggestion to anyone who is doing this for the first time and doesn't have a whole lot of experiece with fondant or gumpaste is to start 2 weeks in advance just to get the hang of it. I started a week ahead of time and got lucky that one of the 9 tiaras i made held together.

            2 days before the shower I made the frosting and tinted it light pink. Very pretty. My friend Claudia baked the cakes and Friday I frosted and decorate the cake. I had great difficulty frosting this cake...It was a white box cake mix and for whatever reason it was too moist. She used  2 inch square cake pans, but it did not rise up to 2 inches. After leveling them each layer was only one inch thick...The cake split in  half when i tried to put the top layer on. I used frosting to fuse it back together. then I tried frosting it...The frosting kept picking up the cake and making it break off. I thought surely this will not work. After much diligence and praying I finally got the frosting to stick in the right places. It no longer would pass for a tiffany box as uneven as it was. So we winged it. We added the black and white polka dotted ribbon at the bottom  with the fondant bow and put the tiara on top. We used  pearl candies to try and hide some of the imperfections of the frosting.

              Below is the card I made for Meridith for the baby shower. 2nd picture is the inside of the card.

Peanut butter chocolate banana bon bons

3 large bananas, peeled and cut into 1/3" round slices
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
2 T coconut oil

popsicle sticks
I icing bag with coupler, small star tip,and  coupler ring

double boiler

water

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper of wax paper.
2. Peel bananas and cut into 1/3" round slices
3. Prepare icing bag for peanut butter ( I like to use this method because it keeps my icing bags clean and when I'm done I just pull out the insert of icing.

• Put icing  coupler in small icing bag.
• pull a long sheet of cling wrap (about 12 inches and place on counter.
• Plop peanut butter in center of cling wrap. Fold over cling wrap until peanut butter is covered. Pick up both ends of the cling wrap and twist and flip until the ends have twisted shut.
• Carefully slide one end of the insert( peanut butter wrap) into the bag and through the coupler. If the end will not come out, use tweezers to grab and pull through. Cut end that you just pulled through.
• insert icing tip and seal with coupler ring
• Twist bag shut over peanut butter, pushing down gently toward coupler to move the peanut butter down. If you push too hard peanut butter will start to come out. Secure with rubber band.

4.Pipe peanut butter onto one slice of banana.Gently cover  with another banana slice. Repeat for all banana slices. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

5. Carefully slide Popsicle stick halfway through the banana sandwich.

6. Place in freezer for 30 minutes.

7.While they are freezing, bring 2 inches of water to simmer in the bottom of a  double boiler. Place chocolate chips and coconut oil in top part of double boiler and stir until melted.

8, Transfer chocolate to tumbler or cup.

8. Remove banana sandwiches from freeer.

9. Carefully dip banana sandwiches into chocolate until completely covered. Place on cookie sheet. Repeat procedure until all slices are done.

10.  Transfer to freezer for at least 2 hours

Enjoy

Here is link for original recipe

http://joythebaker.com/2014/07/peanut-butter-banana-bonbons/?crlt.pid=camp.xU1PSaBo360L