I made (real) beef stroganoff a couple nights ago. Real meaning I used top serloin round steak vs. ground serloin)
With this recipe the only thing I changed was I sub'd real sour cream for (light) and the only pasta I had in the house besides spagetti or macaroni was Fusilli (bow-tie pasta) It came out fine.
See pics behind the cut if your interested.
Other news?
1.) I have been working on my painting. (I'll post a progress shot soon)
2.) I think I'll try another new recipe tonight Smoked Salmon "Hacher"
3.) I will be posting the story "What Happened to George"soon for Kelly.
4.) I just finished putting fakey tan stuff on my legs.
5.) I've done 4 loads of laundry.
6.) Painted my toenails shimmery light blue.
7.) I went shopping yesterday and bought some cool turquoise earrings
8.) Think I found a close substitute for my favorite "Equistite Rain" perfume oil that they don't make anymore. It's a Jasmine Vanilla aromatherapy essential oil. (love it) by Bath & Body Works.
9.) Our neighbors chopped their BIG tree down because a branch fell on their roof (It wasn't the first time a branch had cracked off) I can't get used to it not being there.
10.) I want to show you these neat purses my friend Valerie makes, but I can't find her CD of pictures! (I think it's at work)
11.) So that's it for all the exciting Sunday happenings at the Hall abode.
(don't forget the recipe follows for that beef goop...)
Have a nice Sunday!
Stuff you'll need:
8 ounces of sliced mushrooms
3/4 to 1 cup sliced onion (I chopped mine--oopps)
6 T. butter (divided)
1/4 cup flour
1 teasp. salt
1/4 t. grd. blk. pepper
1-1-1/2 lbs. round steak, about 1/2" thick (cut into thin strips)
1-1/4 cups beef broth
1T worcestershire sauce
2 T. flour
1 cup sour cream
Cooked noodles or rice
In a skillet over medium low heat, cook the mushrooms and onions in 4 T of butter until tender. Remove vegetables from the butter, set aside. Add remaining butter to the skillet. In food storage bag or shallow bowl, combine the flour salt and pepper...dredge meat in the flour mixture. Brown beef quickly in butter (I screwed up here and didn't brown the meat!!) sprinkle with remaining flour mixture (if there's any left in the bag). Add the beef broth and W. sauce -- stir--and heat through.
Add the sour cream to the meat, stirring to blend. Add the mushrooms and onions; cook over low heat until thickened and hot.
Serve over rice of noodles and that's it! Oh! I always add parsley on goopy stuff to fancy it up a little :)
"Hash, comes from the French word hacher (to chop)"
I might try this one this weekend. Sound interesting to me.
The Heathman's Smoked Salmon Hash
Makes 4 servings
This popular mainstay of the breakfast menu at The Heathman Restaurant in Portland has been featured in Sunset magazine and in "Best American Recipes 1999." It uses hot-smoked salmon, which has a firmer texture than cold-smoked salmon such as lox.
2 pounds potatoes (about 7 medium)
1 pound hot-smoked salmon (not lox)
1 small red onion, minced
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon coarse-grain mustard
1/4 cup capers, drained
1/4 cup sour cream; plus more for garnish (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Whipping cream (optional)
Place the potatoes in a large pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Cool completely, peel and cube.
Shred the smoked salmon and place in a medium bowl. Add the onion, horseradish, mustard, capers and 1/4 cup sour cream. Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
In a large, heavy saute pan, melt the butter and add the oil. Add the cubed potatoes and saute until golden brown and crisp. Add the salmon mixture and toss to combine and heat through. Add additional salt and pepper, if desired.
Divide among 4 plates and top with the optional garnish of a little sour cream (thinned with cream, if desired). Serve immediately.
Lo**
Happy Tuesday everyone! Thanks for all your enthusiastic comments about my last painting. It made my day (week, month, year... it did!)
Topic Change: In the cafeteria at my work they make these great wraps. They are really popular with everyone so I thought I'd give the chicken one a whirl. (It was great!) So, I decided to buy the stuff and make it for Kip's dinner last night. So if you wanna see the recipe (with pictures) it's behind the cut.
So here's what you need. Chicken pieces (breaded)--look at mine! they are shaped like little drumettes... (I'm so special) shredded lettuce, those really large tortilla wraps & some ranch dressing. You cook the chicken according to the package instructions then layer everything as you see below. Oh! Your suppose to add chopped tomatoes too...but I don't em...so mine went Tom-less.
Heat the tortilla's up a little in the microwave so it rolls easier...then cut in half. See? easy-easy-po-peezy. I think next time I will try those Spicy Buffalo Chicken strips! (gawd...fat-ton-ning)
Blog more tonight...Oh! If you like Juxtapoz Magazine you'll love this site ARTDORKS.COM
Teresa's FSB is done...working on Kitty's, Barb's, Lili's and one for my sister. I am almost done wih my large "Wizard Cat" watercolor, I will show you tomorrow :)
We are off to the Buddhist Festival tonight with friends. I can't wait! LOVE the food and it's not too hot out either. I'll be taking my camera along so I will show you the sights again this year. Remember THESE PICTURES from a couple years ago??
Here's some interesting info. about this two day event :)
More than 750 church members volunteer to bring this
annual cultural event, which is in its 58th
consecutive year, to the Sacramento community.
·Estimated attendance for the two-day event is 40,000
to 50,000 people.
·One and a half tons of rice cleaned cooked and
consumed in traditional Japanese cuisine.
·10,000 + pounds of chicken seasoned and barbecued
for chicken teriyaki.
·400 pounds of shrimp cleaned and cooked for tempura
and sushi delicacies.
·1,500 pounds of beef prepared for teriyaki meat
sticks and sandwiches.
·500 pounds of noodles prepared for hot and cold
dishes.
·2,000 pounds of charcoal used to cook teriyaki
chicken and teriyaki beef sticks.
·150 gallons of soy sauce used to create authentic
marinades and other seasonings.
·500 pounds of sugar and 100 pounds of salt used in
preparation of various seasonings.
·6 tons of ice used to cool drinks, keep fish sushi
fresh and make refreshing snow cones.
Have a great evening everyone,
Lo**
Hi Everyone!
In my quest to eat more FISH-- I came across this recipe online that sounded pretty good... so I tried it out a few days ago and holy-ta-lee-dough it was great!
See recipe, and pictures behind the cut.
Here's what you'll need.
So I took some bread and threw it in my food processor to make the soft bread crumbs. Added the horseradish, mayo, part of the shredded cheese, and then I tossed in a little dill weed w/dried onions (just because I had it hanging around) Mix it up well.
Spoon the bread mixture (about 1/4" thick) down the center of each fish fillet and roll them up starting with the narrow end. Secure with a couple toothpicks and pop them seam side down in a casserole dish.
I had some extra bread mixture so I just sprinkled that on top of the rolled up fish. Bake for 30 mins. Then after the 30 mins is up sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese on top and bake for a few more mins. or until the cheese melts.
All done!! I used the Convection part of my new oven and WOW!! It works great! I love it...ya I think I'll marry it :)
I made mashed potatoes to go along with the fish, but next time I won't because with the fish having the bread stuffing it was a little too much starch? The stuffing inside was perfect. The horseradish and cheese gave it a nice little kick! and I really liked the dill weed I added. This was one of Kip's VERY favorites and he's not a big fish eater....so ya me!
Ok gang That's it! Have a great Friday! (((smooooochie!!))
Hi Again Gang!
Here's a recipe that I made on Wed night. It was very easy and really good--I know Dan and Joe won't make it because it has that scary GREEN stuff in it (broccoli) YOU BIG BABIES! lol! Anyway, I thought I would post it tonight so maybe if you wanted to make it this weekend you would have a chance to get the ingredients at the store. It's nothing very complicated only 6 items.
Here's what you'll need:
The rest of the pictures are behind the cut...
Here's the actual recipe:
Ok, So you cook up the pasta, and at the last few minutes of cooking the pasta you toss in the 3 cups of chopped up broccoli. While that cooks you...
Add the 2 T. of the caesar dressing and the red pepper flakes to a pan. Dump in the shrimp and saute for 3 minutes. Drain the pasta/broccoli.
Transfer to a large bowl, add the caesar dressing & shrimp. Mix well. Spoon some out on a dish and add the grated Romano cheese.
ALL Done!!! Looks good egh?
bye!
Lo**
This is a vegetarian entree...VERY yummie, from "Sunset Cook Book of Favorite Recipes II" ((just for you Teresa!)) Pictures and stuff behind the cut....
Creamy Mushroom Enchiladas
Stuff you’ll need:
4 T. Butter
1-1/2 lbs. Mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 can (7oz.) diced green chilies drained
1 cup sliced green onions (including green tops)
1/2 pint (1 cup) plain yogurt
1 sm. 3oz. package cream cheese, cut into small pieces
2 T all-purpose flour
10 Corn Tortillas
1-1/2 Cups shredded Jack Cheese
I made the Enchilada Sauce a day ahead.
Stuff for the sauce:
1 15oz. can Tomato Sauce
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup dry red wine (or water)
1 T Chili Powder
2 teaspoons each Oregano Leaves & Honey
1 teasp. each of Salt, Ground Cumin and Ground Coriander
1/4 to1/2 teasp. Liquid Hot pepper seasoning
Heat the vegetable oil in a wide fry pan. Throw in the chopped onion, stirring until soft. Next add all the other ingredients. Stir well, Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 min. Set aside to cool (covered) or refrigerate until next day.
Ok here’s the mushroom filling part.
In wide frying pan melt the butter over medium heat, add the mushrooms, stir until mushies are golden and liquid evaporated. Reduce heat to low and add the chilies, onions, yogurt, cream cheese and flour. Cook that, stirring until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat.
Heat up your enchiladas sauce if you made it the day before...remove pan from heat. They say to dunk the corn tortilla in the sauce with tongs (softening it) but I was too rough with my tong-age handling and it kept breaking! So, I just would lay the tortilla in the sauce and “smoosh it a little" with my fingers...it worked fine, just becareful-- sauce will be hot. So anyway, you dunk the tortilla in the sauce and spoon about a 1/2 cup of the mushroom mixture down the center.
Gently roll it with seam side down in a 9” x 13” greased casserole dish. It’s ok if they kinda break. Then at the end, pour any remaining sauce on top. If you don’t have much sauce left or it gets too thick, add a little more wine or water to it. (don’t add the jack cheese yet -that comes later.)
Cover with foil and bake for 20 mins 375 degree oven. After the 20 mins. Remove foil add all the Jack Cheese and plop back in oven for 5-7 mins. or until cheese is all melted. I warmed up some rice and added some grilled corn to it and we had that along the side.
That’s it! (Makes 4-6 serving) I hope you try making it sometime. We both really enjoyed it. You can always just buy already made enchilada sauce, but I wanted to follow the recipe exactly the first time I made it. My new stove worked great, but it really heated up the kitchen!! (I was sooo sweat and hottie)
(ya...I guess it wasn't the best choice of recipes to try on a 92 degree day? lol!)
Bye!!
Lo**
** that's me in one of Teresa's handmade felt hats**
It's in! it's hooked up! it works!! Ive already made a grilled turkey sandwich last night on it. What a treat to have a stove again! I can't wait to bake something :) Maybe I'll look through my recipes right now and see if there's something Forth of July-ish that I can bake....thinking....(Edee why don't you come over and help me cook?) lol, ok...ok...just bring some wine ...gotcha ;)
There's a cool little feature on the top where you can flip over a part of the grill to hold a wok...clever huh?
Well, Kip did a great job getting it to fit. He wasn't thrilled that it sticks out a little too far in front, but it had to be that way to allow the vent grate. I don't mind it at all. It's a lot higher than my old stove top so I really feel like a shrimp if I dont have shoes on. The grates come up to my, ummm...well they come up kinda high. I'll have to be careful (((reaching)) or I might have the same problem Mrs. Doubtfire had---ya that!
Well I hope everyone has a great Forth of July...be careful, relax, have fun, stay cool,
Lo**
Happy Monday!!
Since my stove (the oven part) is working intermittently, I decided to make that Porkchop Hashbrown recipe I mentioned awhile back. I know it's kinda of a winter type meal, but I wanted to try it anyway. Also, I am kinda sick of BBQ'ing. (I've been doing it for a straight month -so you blame me?)
Anyway, the recipe with pics are behind the cut....
And what would a blog post be with out a Kitten Noodle picture. He she is VERY noodlized.
Pork Chop Potato Bake Casserole
6 Pork chops
1 can Cream of celery, or mushroom
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Sour cream
Salt and pepper
24 ounces O'brien potatoes, or hash browns
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 can Durkee onions (I used a combination of regular plain and the NEW! cheddar cheese variety Durkee onions)
Brown pork chops in a small amount of oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large bowl combine potatoes, soup, milk, sour cream, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, and half of the fried onions. Spoon into 13x9 baking dish. Arrange pork chops and cover. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and onions and bake 5 minutes longer, uncovered.
Serves 6.
It was really good!! (fattening but good) I could eat a vat of just the potatoes cooked like that. ((I won't! but I could...ya, a small vat))
Bye!
Lo**
Hi Everyone! Here's that sandwich recipe I promised...It's simple. ((Yum))
Stuff you'll need:
Sourdough Bread (I used a cracked wheat variety)
any kind of Pesto
shredded Gouda Cheese
thinly sliced Turkey
a shake or two of red pepper flakes
K.. the most important part is not to put too much Pesto on the bread (I kinda put too much) Then you just do what you see in the pictures below. The red pepper flakes add a little zip and the Pesto/Gouda combination is killer. I used most of the sliced turkey on the sandwiches I made for Kip last night...so my sandwich here in the pictures is a combo. of ham and turkey. (Try and use just all turkey) cuz the ham is too rich (((I thought anyway))) Excuse my blue nail polish...:)
there's more....((other stuff not food))
Here's a little progress on the Friendship Bracelets I'm making for you guys...oops, but I forgot to include yours Erikie...:(
(drawing by Kip)
Happy Friday everyone!
I have a recipe to show you later... (a sandwich)
Lo**
Ok, Ok, I know DanMan won't even come close to this salad...((ya, scary green things in it) but I thought I'd dedicate it to him anyway. :P
So, for the people out there that DO like broccoli, this is a very tasty salad. I think it's Kip's favorite? (and he's not a big salad eatting guy) I make this for potlucks and it seems to be quite popular...OH! and it's also nick-named "Natures Broom." geeet it?? lol!!
So, if you want to see the recipe with pictures...take a peek behind the cut.
Ingredients:
Fresh (uncooked) Broccoli (aprox. 2 bunches, cut into tiny pieces 1/2" or so --and just use the florets not the stems)--I used a little cauliflower in mine this time too.
5-6 pieces of Bacon (cooked, blotted and crumbled)
1/2 cup Red Onion chopped fine
Raisens (about 1/4 cup-I just used one of those tiny boxes)
1/4 cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds
Dressing part:
3/4 cup light Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Seasoned Rice Vinegar (my favorite)
2 packets Splenda sugar substitute (or a couple tablepoons of regular white sugar)
Black Pepper
Chop your broccoli up and throw in the crumbled bacon.
Add the red onions, raisens and sunflower seeds...
In a separate smaller bowl, mix the mayo, vinegar and sugar (whisk to blend well) add some fresh ground pepper.
Pour dressing over broccoli...but a little at a time...stir...then taste? Because you might not want to use it all. (just depends on what you like)
That's it! It's best if it kinda has the dressing on it for about an hour? (it should be kept in the refigerator) and toss it again before serving.
P.S. Kathe and Annie? I will be posting the recipes you sent to me soon. Ya, I haven't forgotten.
...and Joe?? Wheres my Grilled cheese sandwich? My Sacramento Kings clobbered your Seattle Grey Poo-Ponics in the playoffs last night! lol!!
So everyone, how's your Saturday going? Hey! My "Lo" signature kinda looks like my broccoli salad doesn't it?? :)
Hi All, I am still shopping around for new gas range. :(
The problem is that we need to actually yank out our old (drop in) range to get a more accurate measurement. Right now all the stoves I'm likin' are about a 1/4" too wide! :( And once we pull out our old one...I'm not sure if we will (re-hook up the gas?) That would mean I wouldn't be able to use the top burners like I have been.
Speaking of top burners. I made a taquito salad the other night....and since I couldn't bake the Taquitos in the oven, I did them in a fry pan. I had a little difficulty...but if you want to see my salad ---you can check it out behind the cut.
You can use any toppings you like. I wish I would have had some black olives :( The taquitos add that "corn chipee" taste and you can use a combination of chicken or beef taquitos. Its very fast and super yummy.
Have a great day.
Hi Everyone!
Happy Saturday! I was out and about in the afternoon picking up some groceries to make this special Easter ham recipe of my Grandmothers that I told you about on Friday. It's kinda weird actually. It's not a "Gourmet" type looking ham when it's all cooked up...(far from it!!) but it tastes unbelieveable. Its kind of a hickory and clove taste, which sounds weird but its really great...and cooking it in the milk gets rid of alot of the saltiness and makes it very moist. I mentioned you slice it up super thin and eat it like that or you can make little buffet type sandwiches with it, like we do.
K wanna see pics. of this VERY famous "Rase" Ham tradition? Then go!
First you try and buy a "Butt Portion" Ham at the grocery store (You can also use the Shank Portion type) but the "butts are better cuz' they are meatier" Hey! that was fun to type---lol!!!
OH! and it should say on the label "fully cooked" and shouldn't be spiral cut or anything. ok? ok...
Blot the moisture from the ham so its not so slippery as you cut off all the visable fat. I chopped off a big hunk on the side and stuck it in the center where I cut out some yukie-ness. It also helps it fit it into the pan better.
Then I mixed up some Dry Coleman's Mustard (about 4 tablespons) and 1 cup dark brown sugar AND this time I added a different (fancier type) of brown sugar called "Dark Muscovado." Ever hear of it? I hadn't and it sounded great so I bought it. The bag I bought was $4.50, so you can see its not cheap. I think it will taste really good in my coffee tomorrow morning :)
Mix up the brown sugar and dry mustard with your hands...and try and smoosh the brown sugar lumps out, best you can. (not super important) Then take whole cloves and stick then into the ham on all the sides about an inch apart.
Next, fill a large pot with hot water and plop your ham in the water. Cook on medium--simmering the ham so gets really hot. (about 30 mins.?) ---you'll need to flip it once if alot of it sticks out of the water--BUT BE CAREFUL!)
After the ham is nice and hot, pour the water out of the pot and take the brown sugar mixture and pat handfulls of it all over the ham. Since its hot, it'll start to melt and get super messy (which is normal) Flip it over if you can and pack some sugar/mustard on the other side. (If you run out -which sometimes happens, just mix up some more brown sugar and mustard...)
Next add a half quart or more of WHOLE milk down the inside edges (NOT on the ham) of the pot until it almost covers the ham. Cover it (leaving the lid cracked at titch) on med. low...and cook for 2 hours. The milk will get all curdled (thats ok) It smells SO GOOD as it's cooking!!!
After the two or so hours is up, remove the ham onto some foil, wrap up and throw in frig to cool for a couple hours (flavor is better if left overnight)
A couple hours before serving you'll can mix up the mustard honey spread. (You don't have to use this) it's just something my family loves.
It's a combination of Coleman'sw Dry Mustard (again) and a little hot water to make a paste. Then you add some mayonaise to that and a couple teaspoons of honey. It's a spicy hot mustard...so beware :)
K. Thats it til later or the next day, when you will be taking the ham out, wiping all the curdled milk off of it with a paper towel, and slicing it thinly. Place the slices neatly on a serving platter. Serve with small little rolls so your guests can make themselves sandwiches if they want.
That's it!
HAPPY EASTER tomorrow!!
and Good Night :)
Happy Friday Night!!
FINALLY the weekend is here....it's been a long week at work for me. I needed to unwind tonight so I thought I'd try out a new recipe. It's not a full fledge honkin' entree type one, just a side dish.
In honor of St. Patrick's Day coming up next week I thought I would make something ((green)) for you all. YES it's going to be a "Tell Me if I Have any Broccoli in my Teeth Recipe Tonight"
I was searching the internet for Broccoli recipes and came across a ga-zillion of them. But I was thinking...ok, my goal tonight was to get the non-broccoli eatters out there a recipe they could try..."kinda a transitional type recipe" So if they like this one...(because it does have cheese and yummie-ness to it) maybe they would start to kinda like the taste of Broccoli? Why am I concerned with this? Well, for one thing Broc. is SOOOO good for you....and second, it looks like mini trees :) You've gotta love that!!
My Dad hates broccoli...absolutely hates the smell of it cooking etc...and will only eat it raw. Well, raw is the healthiest way to eat it, but it's kinda hard on your stomach (gassy?) So, I will put up with the smell as it cooks (which isn't near as bad brussel sprouts?) YUK!!! and I usually just drizzle a little low fat Italian or Caesar salad dressing on top :)
K...Ready to see the recipe I picked?
So here's the recipe I used. Ya, it has corn in it too because I LOVE corn. :) You can leave it out if you want. The only thing I had to kinda alter was I had to add a little more flour to the milk to thicken it up and I already had purchased a Mexican cheese blend so I used it ---otherwise I followed the recipe exactly.
** (Oleo is margerine I used butter instead)
Ok, so you take a couple small heads of broccoli (or one REALLY big one) chop it up a little, rinse it with some cool water and steam it for about 10 mins? Check it as its cooking by stabbing it with a knife to see if its tender. Don't over cook it!
Meanwhile in another pan, melt a tablespoon of butter and add two tablespoons of chopped up onion. Saute that for a minute or so...then sprinkle in the two tablespoons of flour ---stir-- then gradually add the milk. You have to stir this now...don't get impatient...it will start to thicken, adjust your heat (higher) if you want... but just keep stirring it. When it gets thicker (3-4 or so mins. later) add the shredded cheese....stir some more...
Add the can of corn and HALF of the cracker crumbs to the milky cheesy mixture and stir. Dump the steamed broccoli into a shallow casserole dish and pour the cheese mixture over the top.
Sprinkle the rest of the buttery cracker crumbs on top of the broc. and put in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 mins. Thats it!! See?? Looks good huh?
Night all!
UPDATED 7:33pm (Recipe part)
I have been buying alot of small frames over the past few months---picking up the ones I think would good with my type of artwork in them. I've been finding them up at various small specialty type stores, antique shops, art supply stores and I even found a cool one at the nursery the other day. I'm likin' this "Small Look" for some of my new mini watercolors. I will be putting originals in a few as well as prints of some of my art. I think people like small stuff...you know? for gifts as well as for themselves. Well, I'll give it a go and see what happens.
This small simple white wood frame looks nice on some of my "Girlie Girl" cards...so I have about 4 of these...then some much smaller...oh! and a cool one that is kinda Arts and Crafts looking and it's two sided. I only found one frame that style though :(
k...what else is happening...Oh! I have an experimental crockpot recipe going today. I'm copying Joe again...his burrito filling recipe sounded good the other day.
Anyway mine is kinda like Joe's original Crock of Spaghetti...in that I made the meatballs (which consisted of: ground serloin, plain bread crumbs, 1 egg, dejon mustard, onion, & blk. pepper) then I slightly browned them, but instead of adding spag. sauce I mixed a can of Cream of Mushroom soup with a little water and about two cups of frozen wild mushrooms that I bought in a bag at Trader Joe's.
So, I put the slightly browned but uncooked meatballs in the crock first then just plopped the thick soupy mixture on top of them (not stirring) and put it in the frig. I decided to have Kip actually (start) the crockpot going at about noon--on low. So hopefully 6 hours will be just right. I think I'd better call him and remind him right now.
I'll let you know how it turns out...I'll probably serve it over noodles....sound ok to you guys?
K, back to work for me.
Lo**
UPDATE:
Well I got home from work and the house smelled great---from the mysterious Crock Concoction I was making. Here's what it looked like when I checked it...
k...I see the slightly burnt meatballs there, as well as the nice puffed up wild mushrooms...but wah! where's my sauce!! Oh well...I just added a cup of milk to it and everything was fine.
((I loved this recipe)) Yep! I'm definately making this one again. :) I'm a sucker for goopy food. I think I got the goop loving trait from my Dad :)
Bye!
Lo**
Hi All Well here's the yummie (but very fattening) Wild Mushroom Soup that I made last night.
Next time I make it, I'm replacing the heavy cream with whole milk, because it was just too rich for me. I only had a few spoonfull of it last night and Kip had a medium size bowl. He loved it! It smells wonderful as it's cooking :)
But again, it was rich and it was fattening so we both kinda shyed away from having very much of it. (kinda a shame) Well, it didn't cost that much to make, I figured about $12.00 total.
Anyway, I had to try it once with the exact ingredients. Gawd...it would be a great soup to have at a fancy dinner like during the holidays etc.
K ---go look at the pictures now if you want :)
Take 2 cups of dried porcini mushrooms, place in a shallow bowl and pour 1 cup of warm water over them. Soak for 30 mins.
While the mushrooms soak, slice up the two leeks , 2 shallots (I used a couple green onions instead) and 1 large clove of garlic. Note to Joe: not a whole HEAD of garlic...just 1 clove bud ok? (giggle)
After the 30 mins. is up squeeze all the water outta the mushrooms reserving the liquid to add later.
Chop the soaked porcinis up fine. Pour 2-T. of olive oil and 1 T. of butter in a heavy stock pot, stir and heat til' it foams. Add the leeks, garlic and shallots. Stir and cook on low for 5 mins. careful not to brown.
Chop up 8oz. of any other type of mushroom you like. (I used Crimini) OH! save a few mushrooms not all cut up to add as garnish at the end.) Add them to the stock pot, stir and cook on low til the mushrooms get soft (2 mins) Add the reserved porcini liquid.
Add the beef stock and the dried thyme. Bring to a boil...then turn down heat and HALF cover the pot and simmer on low for 30 mins.
After soup is done simmering, pour about 3/4 of it in a food prcessor and blend til' smooth (I didn't get mine very smooth). Pour it back into the pot, add the heavy cream and stir. Add salt and pepper to your liking. Make sure soup is nice and hot, then laddle into small bowls and top with a few fresh sprigs of thyme. Serve with French bread and Kathy will now tell you which wine will go good with this...k...Take it Kathy... :) lol!
I have a Food Question:
Can I use Marsala wine instead of Madeira Wine in the Wild Mushroom Soup that I'm making tonight? Does anyone know what the big flavor difference would be? I'm wondering if I could just leave it out... The recipe only calls for 1/4 cup.
I don't want to go out and buy a whole bottle of Madeira if don't have too. I have the Marsala Wine from when I made Ray's Recipe for Marsala Chicken ---Shoots! My pictures are missing in that post....well, I'll fix that tonight.
See the neat bowls I bought yesterday? Cool egh? The two larger ones are actually bowls too, they are just a shallow type.
Thanks!
Lo**
Hi Everyone!
Gawd, Ray your rib recipe was killer! My only complaint was that I didn't like the taste of the BBQ sauce I used. Not your recipes fault. I used some funky Mesquite Hickory one. I wished I'd had some ((Doug's BBQ Sauce)) Hear that Jeff?
My friend Jeff drives 80 miles to Oakland, CA (near San Francisco) to just buy this great BBQ sauce from this really small hole-in-the-wall rib joint. I always ask if he will get me some too :) It's been a couple years since I've had it. I wished I'd had some tonight instead of the crapola one I used. Anyway, the meat was so tender...just melts in your mouth. Very easy good MESSY recipe Ray ;) Thank you!
Anyway...take a peek at Rays Ribs>>>
So you take the rack of Pork Ribs and slop on a ton of BBQ sauce, then wrap them in plastic, then in foil.
I made this seasoning spice today (tell you about it in a sec...) But anyway, then you pop them in the oven. (I should have put them on a cookie sheet cuz they leaked --oops)
K... Set oven to 300 degrees (Bake) and 3 hours later...PRESTO!
ALL DONE!---Do you llike my little sprinkle of parsley? Yep, is my lame attempt to make this big ol' slab of meat look healthier :P
K. Let me tell you about this new spice sensation. At the grocery store one day, I was at the spice isle and there was a guy next to me complaining about high price of the Ground Cloves. I said, "Well? you can get the tiny half bottle generic one right there instead?" He laughed and said, "Well, ya I guess I could, or I could just take the whole cloves I have already and grind them in my coffee grinder but I need alot more than that---cuz' I use it alot."
ummmmm....I'm thinking ok...I need to know why this guy uses so much ground cloves or my life will be incomplete.
Anyway, we keep sighing over the spice price delimma and then it dawns on me that the Natural Food Market down the street has bulk spices and maybe he could get ground cloves cheaper there?
I blab to him about my thought, but then I can't stand it any longer and have to ask him what he's using all the ground clove for? He rolls his eyes like ((Ya wouldn't YOU like to know)) and I say "COME ON SPILL IT DUDE COOK! So he says it's for his top secret spagehetti sauce. :)
Oh Really??? I throw him to the ground until he cries U.N.C.L.E. and tells me that its a combination of cinnamon, ground cloves, sugar, and cayenne pepper.
He wouldn't give me the exact measurements, so I kinda guessed at it- and I changed it a bit and decided to mix brown sugar and white sugar together...and I used red pepper flakes vs. cayenne.
So here's the Lolo version:
I threw it in the spaghetti sauce that I made this morning and ran a spoonful of the sauce to my taste tester (Kip) to try out. He thought it was good. YA! So I made more of the spice and stuck it in a little jar for future use. You guys might wanna try it too? The cloves add a nice warm flavor to the sauce.
K, I have more to tell you and show you about the art walk and all, but I'll save it for tomorrow. Have a nice evening all! Sleep well.
Lo**
UPDATED 8:23pm
Hi all you wonderful people out there. Having a nice Sunday night? I hope so...
Well...are you ready for this Catalina Rib Recipe? The COOK OFF WAR!?? Show your stuff! But beware! Cuz my ribs SO rock! Well, at least I hope they do :)
To fill you all in:
At 10:0am I threw my stuff in the Crock O'Love Pot and in just a matter of moments it will be ready to consume. (well, 9 hours later) It's actually ready to eat now...but I need time to post this blog comment so we will be eatting at 7pm.
Joe? How are you doing with yours? Erikie? Scott doesn't like Pork Ribs? Why not beef ribs then? Do they make a Country Style Beef Ribs I wonder? Lili!! wah! I wish you could have joined in the cook off as well. :(
K...Here's mine so far:
Catalina Ribs
So...while that is looking yummie I decided I would have a side dish of corn. I decided I would make "Fried Corn" a recipe I saw in Sacramento Magazine.
OK...corn is ready...(3 hours later...Ribs are ready 9 hours later KIP is ready (to eat dinner) since 5pm opps!
So I will be back with my final presentation pictures of this meal to show you all. :)
Bye!
Lo**
Update 8:23pm:
Well...I know it's not a fancy presentation...but Kip asked me.."Is this recipe your making tonight art? or is it dinner ?" :P (That was his subtle way to let me know he was kinda ((starving???)) well, anyway... I asked how he liked it? and on a scale of 1-10 he voted a 5 :( he said the corn & salad was good...but the meat was kinda dry inside. (DRY!??? wah!!!!!!!!!!) So it looks like you won this one Joe...I mean Garlic Man :)
Lo**
Hi again everyone :)
K..here's the scoop. I emailed Joe the other day and told him about a Crock Pot Rib recipe I found online. I thought he might like it since he said he loves ribs and the Crock-O-Love is his kitchen friend.
So, I tell him about 3 or so days ago about the recipe, and he tells me that he plans on making the recipe tomorrow. Well this means A FOOD WAR! because I just so happened to buy the Country Style ribs the other day too and "I" planned on making them tomorrow.
RIB CONTEST! (Not that anyone can really judge, but anyway...we will see who's ribs are the tastiest (per our spouses) as well as have a judging as to the "Presentation" ((((whooo? You scared Joz?))) lol ;)
The ingredients are so simple it's silly...
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless country style pork ribs
1 bottle (8oz) Catalina dressing
1 cup chopped onion
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker/Crock Pot; cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours.
Serves 4 to 6.
OK! Let the crocking contest begin (well...tomorrow I mean)
((and)) anybody else that wants to join in the fun PLEASE DO!--but you'll have to run to the store right now!
Lo*
Hi All! Well here's that Crockpot Vegetable Tortellini Soup I made on Sunday. See pictures behind the cut.
Here's the actually recipe I used:
So here ya go...
TA Da!!! See? Pretty easy huh? Kathe's recipe (see comments from earlier today) Sounds MUCH better than mine!
Have a nice evening all...I'm headed out to the spa for a dip to make my weary back feel better :)
Bye!
Lo**
Happy Striped Sockies Tuesday! Like these? I bought them yesterday at Target. I bought three pairs of wild socks (these being my favorites) Do I look like I have referee legs? Hey? did the Wicked Witch of the West have striped socks on like this when the house crashed down on her and her legs shirveled up? I can't remember... Check these socks out! I want a pair of those Tartan Tights at the bottom! (k...maybe not...)
I'm sitting in my office eatting a nice hot bowl of Vegetable Tortellini Soup that I made on Sunday night in my crockpot. It came out so so...(I will show the recipe with pics tonight.)
Things I would change would be to add another can of corn, use chicken broth vs. vegetable broth and add another 9oz package of the tortellini....I know that doesn't really make sense at the moment, since you don't know the original recipe. Anyway, it's a VERY healthy soup....so of course I had to add a ton of fresh grated parmesan cheese to the top and some garlic bread with it, to unhealth-a-fy it a bit.
Oh here..I found a recipe thats similar to the one I made (except mine didn't have the beans)
K, I better finish eatting and get back to work. Bye all!
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Be safe...have fun...and keep the Rolaids close by.
Lo**
Here she is all done. Boy! What a problem child she's been. I've been trying to scan her tonight and my scanner lost all its settings and is driving me absoultely bonkers. Obviously, I'm still trying to come up with that "perfect killer" title for her.
So tonight...I decided to try out that Perkins Potato Pancake recipe (like I said I was gonna do today) and it was good...but it wasn't something that went well with the grilled scallops and salmon fish I made tonight.
It's definately only a breakfast type food. I should have realized that when I read it called for 4 tablespoons of sugar? It would be perfect with some breakfast sausages though---hear that Joe?
Anyway, ya... it's kinda sweet and not as potato-ee as I thought :( I just wanted it to be like the hashbrown potatoes that they make at my work---or like at Denny's GAWD! They are soooo perfect there!
So what's the secret with making hashbrowns!? (someone please tell me!) I try and make them but they never get crispy and brown on the outside. Is it the temperature? the grill? should I use a teflon pan? or is it the butter? should I use oil? is it the potatoes? Should grate my own or use frozen? Wah!!!! I wanna know! (((sigh))) Mine just turn out like mushy shredded mooshie crap!
Anyway, I'm kinda frustrated over making them (can you tell?) I want to "master them" I want to be known as the hashbrown princess. Then I'll paint a "Girlie Girl Hash Brown Princess" watercolor :P
Ok...I'll be thinking about this all night now.
Lo**
What a pleasant weekend! Thank you all for you BD wishes...and again, Jenn was great meeting you and your friends at the Art Walk on Saturday night, I’m glad you sold a lot of art! :)
After cruising around to a few of the galleries Sat. night Kip and I went out to dinner to a place we hadn't been to before called P.F. Changs. It's fairly new, open less than a year and is located in the heart of downtown Sac.
So anyway...this P.F.C place is known as a China Bistro. Wha? According to the dictionary, Bistro means: a small informal restaurant that serves wine. Well this place was HUGIE!! I’m thinkin’ it must just be the “trendy” thing to call a restaurant these days?
So here we are waiting for our table (1-1/2 hour wait) ya, that's a long time, but I knew every place downtown at 7:30pm on a Sat. night would be the same. So we camped out standing at the bar, talking about the past week, enjoying a nice glass of vino and watched everyone eat :) I noticed it was a great place for large groups and families...and now that I think about it, we probably had to wait a little longer because there was just the two of us. :(
I loved the arched mirror and these really big lantern lamps were so cool. My pics aren’t the best, because I wasn’t using the flash...(yes, being polite and incognito as well) But you can see it’s a big place inside, and even has a large central staircase that leads up to more dinner seating.
They gave us this cool thing ---red lights flash when your table is available instead of hearing them scream your name over an intercom.
What’d we eat? Thank you for asking...Let’s see, I ordered the Mongolian Beef (quickly cooked steak with scallions and garlic) and Kip ordered Cantonese Scallops (Stir-fried with garlic, yellow chives and snow peas)...both were **yummie** The waiter makes a sauce at the table for you. It was: Chili paste, super hot chinese mustard, soy sauce and hot peanut chili oil. WhooWee!
Oh and the best part was the bathrooms! (and guess who forgot the camera back at the table? :(---Darn it all!
Anyway, the sink in the bathroom was this big slanted piece of slate stone (not a counter and not an actual sink. It had no faucets (just that hand motion sensor thing) that kinda worked as you held your hands under the mirror. The mirror only went so far down into the slanted sink trench (sorry I don't explain things well do I?) K...trying...
But what was cool about it was that you could see the water and sometimes fingers of the guys washing their hands too!-yep, just on the other side of the mirror was the guys bathroom, so you shared the sink. You know? I was thinking though...I wonder if you can hear each other talking? and I wonder if anyone ever reaches under the miror quick to grab someones fingers? Gawd, what shock that would be!
While I was doing a search for the restaurant, I saw that they are opening up a P.F.C. in Lynnwood, WA! That’s where we will be for Thanksgiving!! Maybe instead of smoking a turkey for Thanksgiving, we can have strir fried something or other at the local P.F. Chang Hugie House? lol!
Well, all this food talk has made me hungry for lunch. So Bye 4Now all,
Hi All! (I didn't say y'all)
The art shows Saturday night were very fun, we had a beautiful sunset too see? Here's my painting in the W.A.S.H. show...it got a pretty good spot. Poor Kip's was kinda hung over in the corner :(
The little appetizer tray of Brie cheese and green grapes went over nicely. Well, in the picture it doesn't look like anyone wants to get close it it!!! lol!---but they did...eventually)
I think Kip ate all the Hot N'spicy Cheese-it's outta that little molded foil cup I so cleverly made. Did you see that the Cheese-It people just came out with a BBQ flavored one too? Geez...next they'll have that yukie salsa lime one that suppose to taste like you are eatting a margarita or something.
Speaking of BBQ!...
I made oven Baked Pork BBQ spare ribs. They came out really really tender, super messy and just plain stick in your teeth good. I usually like ribs just baked in a really hot oven with just salt and pepper...they are all crunchy and taste great that way. Well, I think so anyway, thats how my Mom always made them...so I guess I'm just used to that version vs. these messier ones.
So anyway, here's the ones I made last night.
You start out by covering them with thin slices of lemon and onion and a 1/2 cup of water....cover with foiland bake for an hour.
Then you whip up some homemade sauce. 1 c. Ketcup, 1/4 c. vinegar, 1 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 teas. salt, 2 T. worch. sauce, 1/4 packed brown sugar & 1 Teas. dry mustard...cook on the stove for 15 mins til' thickens.
Then after the hour is up on the ribs, dump the lemon, onion and the liquid, and cut the slabs up into smaller pieces. Brush on the sauce and bake for another hour and a half or til tender.
Basting frequently...(oh! both times the oven is at 350 degrees)
k...please pass the toothpicks!
Thats it for today--So how is everyone? Hi Ronnie! Hi John! So when are you gonna pipe up in here Ronnie? You know...leave a comment? (jk)
Tonight or tomorrow, I want to show you the progress on Ray's commission watercolor (if he says I can show progression pics of it online :) Ray is that cool?
Lo**
(Since Erikie asked)----with the Shrimp Quesidillas I made last Wednesday night, I had to make a couple Margarita's to go along with them--so here you go.
Doesn't that look yummie? I needed a lime though :(
Lo**
Happy Monday Everyone!! :) It was an absoultely gorgeous day outside today here in Sac. It didn't start out that way though...it was overcast and very cool. Around noon the sun broke through....so I decided to go to lunch someplace different, instead of just warming up a Lean Cusiune and eatting it at my desk. I'm glad I decided to get away from the office, and go someplace I haven't been to in a long time---it was a VERY nice change of pace.
Speaking of food...:) I wanted to show you some Shrimp quesidillas I made the other night. They are pretty easy...I screwed up one part ---see if you can spot my mistake?
Yes!! A test!!!
First I dumped a pound of shrimp into a large saute pan and added tub of fresh mild salsa (1-1/2cups or so) a 1/2 cup of Italian salad dressing, a cup or so of red onions and some fresh cilantro. I sauted it for about 3-4 mins then transferred it to a bowl. If you don't want to make quesidillas...in my opinion I think this shrimp (with the sauce) would taste great over some jasmine rice :) Don't you think?
K...see my mistake yet??? no? (catch up!--jk)
Wipe the saute pan you just cooked the shrimp in and spray it with some oil, and add one of those large flavored flour wrap tortillas. (I used a Garlic Spinach one.) Sprinkle some grated mexican cheese on it --heat on medium.
Spoon some of the shrimp on one half of the tortilla....and fold it over when it's golden brown.
Remove from pan and add some shredded lettuce and some more fresh cilantro and some fresh lemon or lime juice if you want...
Cut into wedges and serve :) SEE? Very easy.
Ok, my mistake was I forgot to remove the tails from the shrimp!!! :( I know duh...so anyway, I had to do that before I spooned them into the tortilla :P
Ok That's it! Have a great Monday everyone...I'm off to jump in the spa to soak for a bit. :) do I hear an awwwwwwwww...nice and hot, ya it is :)
Hey! wanna see what I made tonight for dinner? Yes you do! :) Even though it's 91 degrees outside right at this very moment, I decided to make... Fisherman's Stew!!!...via the Crock Pot O'Love. (recipe w/pictures follows) I know...pretty silly huh. Who wants soup on a hot summer day? I did!!
Here's the stuff for it:
1-28oz can of chopped, peeled tomatoes
1- 6oz. can Tomato Paste
2 cups water
2 cups dry white wine
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium green bell pepper (I left it out of mine because Kip can't deal them...)
3 celery ribs, chopped
2 garlic cloves (crushed through a press)
2 teas. dried basil
1 teas. dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1/2 teas. salt and pepper
---------------------
Pinch of sugar
1/2 pound shelled and devined raw medium shrimp
1/2 pound small scallops
1 lb. halibut steak, skinned, boned and cut into 3/4" chunks
1 (4oz) can or jar mushroom stems and pieces or sliced mushrooms, rinsed and drained. **I used fresh mushrooms)
3 T Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Put the first 12 ingredients into a large bowl, mix and dump into a crock pot.
Cook on low for 6 hours.
After the 6 hours is up, turn the crock pot to low, remove the bayleaf and add the pinch of sugar, the fish, stir and cover.
Ok. gang...I started my recipe a little late today so to hurry things along a bit during the last 30 mins. instead of using the crockpot on high...I transferred everything to a big pot on the stove and simmered it for 20 mins. It worked beautifully. :)
Here's the finished dish. Next time I will have some garlic bread with it too. Kip said it was awesome! (yea me)
Have a great Sunday night all!
Bon Appetit!--Lo**
Here's the Baked Bean recipe that I just finished making to take to the 4th of July BBQ tommorow.
**I'll cook them right before we go.
Enjoy the pictures (Flat Tanner helped me out in the kitchen...are you envious Mr. Hand?)
HOT AND SMOKY BAKED BEANS
Serve these hot or at room temperature.
6 bacon slices
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/4 cups purchased barbecue sauce
3/4 cup dark beer
1/4 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 to 6 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilies
6 15- to 16-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained
Chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to paper towels and drain. Transfer 2 1/2 tablespoons bacon drippings from skillet to large bowl. Finely chop bacon; add to bowl. Add onion and next 7 ingredients to bowl and whisk to blend. Whisk in 4 to 6 teaspoons chipotle chilies, depending on spiciness desired. Stir in beans. Transfer bean mixture to 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Bake uncovered until liquid bubbles and thickens slightly, about 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Serves 8 to 10.
OOPS! I almost forgot to add the bacon drippings...so thats what's I'm doing in the picture next to my action shot...
Well, that's all there is too it! (Note: I didn't find the Chipotle chiles at the tiny store I go to, so I just got the fire roasted Ortega brand.)
Lo**
Yes...I made Joe's famous spaghetti in the crockpot last night...it was an adventure....go see pics
Ok here's how I made mine...first off I can't find Joe's recipe so I can't tell you exactly what he puts in his spaghetti. (LiveJournal! You need a search feature!) I think he puts some green peppers which I didn't do, and I think he adds spackle, some cat chow...oh wait, I mean Beggin' Strips, and a titch of glitter--- something like that :P Anyway, here's my version (the main difference is that I added sweet Italian sausage & the red wine) can you believe Joe doesn't add sausage to his? I know, me neither.
...finally, with a little help...Joe's recipe link! (you've gotta see his pics- lol!)>> HERE
The Stuff:
Lean Ground Beef
Italian Sausage
1 egg
fresh mushrooms
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 small onions (one chopped fine, the other one coarse)
1 T dry fennel seed
3 garlic cloves
1 T dijon mustard
1 T. horseradish
1 c. red wine
2 jars store bought Spagehetti Sauce (any kind)
green pepper --which I forgot at the store :(
First I cut up about a cup of the fresh mushrooms and 1 small yellow onion really fine and put in a large mixing bowl. Then I added 1 lb. or so of lean ground beef and 4-5 links of Italian sausage (casings removed)
OH! Hello Mr. Hand!!! Welcome to my kitchen!---Well...yes! since you insist...you can handle the icky pre-mixing of the ingredients so far. Thank you! Now, no funny business...
As you can see, there are a few other ingredients that I plopped into the bowl for Mr. Hand to mix a couple minutes later. (Note: After everything is well mixed. Roll the mixture into meatballs. )
Cook the meatballs only enough to brown them, then put them in your crockpot with the rest of the fresh mushrooms, the coarse chopped onion, the wine and the 2 jars of spag sauce---stir gently, Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours.
Mr. Hand wanted to stir the meatballs but I knew he would be waaaay too rough so I did it, and quickly covered up my little babies.
Mr. Hand...insisting once again to help....what a pain in the bu** he's becoming. Really wearing out his welcome in MY kitchen. Seven minutes later, when the pasta is ready DINNER IS SERVED!---Looks good huh?
My thanks again to Jozepo9 for initially providing this fun recipe!
Have a great Monday everyone! Lo**
Here's the Rice Paper Wrapped Salad Rolls I made last night. I'm not quite sure how many of you brave souls are willing to try these...they are really good but, you must have patience--- which I didn't have much of last night :(
They are SUCH a Bi**h to roll!! (sorry) So if you wanna see the Salad Rolls from hell then GO!
Oh! and Morning everyone :)
Ingredients:
1/3 lb. Pork shoulder (I bought loin chops)
12 med. size raw Shrimp w/shells
8 (12 inch) round rice papers (keep extras on hand because you'll tear some)
1 small head of Red Leaf Lettuce
1/4 lb. Rice Vermicelli
1 cup Bean Sprouts
1 cup fresh mint leaves
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Step 1: The recipe says to cook the pork in salted boiling water just until tender, but I didn't read that part...oops...I did mine in a pan. It worked fine. Slice up the pork thinly and set aside. After that I cooked the shrimp in boiling water 3-mins or so, drained them, remove the shell and deveined. Pop both the pork and the shrimp in the frig while you get the rest of the ingredients ready.
Step 2: Wash the lettuce and split the leaves in half lengthwise. Wash the mint and separate the leaves off their stems. Rinse the bean sprouts. Boil more water and cook the vermicelli 4-5 mins. Drain and rinse.
Step 3: Pour yourself some bubbly or something---you'll need it!! otherwise you'll be cursing your head off and throwing the vermicelli at the walls.
Set up all ingredients in their own bowls (assembly line fashion) Oh! I forgot to tell you that the shrimp needs to be cut in half too....sorry. while your doing that... start boiling another large pot of water to dip the rice paper wrappers in.
Step 4: When the water is almost to a boil turn it off and let the water cool a little bit so you don't burn your fingers while dipping the wrappers in like I always do. :( The secret I've found is you need to use two of these wrappers for each salad roll. I just couldn't roll them with just one thickness of wrapper, it's impossible I tell ya!
Step 5: Remove the first rice paper wrapper and lay it out flat on some damp paper towels, smoothing it out best you can. (have a little bowl of hot water close by so you can use it to smooth out the wrinkles) working quickly dip the other one in the hot water, and place on top of the first. Now your ready to assemble GO! =quick=
Step 6: First lay out 3 shrimp (cut side up) about 1/3 of the way down the edge of the wrapper. Then add three or so pieces of the pork on top. Then place a leaf or couple long narrow pieces of red lettuce, some bean sprouts (not too much of any of these ingredients ok?) the Vermicelli, ending up with 3-4 mint leaves. Line everything up all neatly down the roll. Quickly fold in the two ends of the wrapper...and using both hands squish down all the filling part as you carefully...and slowly...roll it up. (NOW PRAY)
Ok...if it doesn't all shoot out of the ends, or tear down the middle, but it's still not a really tight or pretty roll job, who cares! CONSIDER IT A SUCCESS!! Yea! sip your champagne now... then start another salad roll.
As I'm making these, I usually stick them on a plate and put in the frig. Leave them in the frig for ten -15 mins. or longer because it makes them easier to cut.
You'll want to cut them in small maybe 2" pieces? and arrange on a pretty dish (the pretty dish thing is VERY important :P) and then make the dipping sauce. Which is Hoisin sauce, mixed with some rice vinegar and a little sugar. You could chop up some peanuts and sprinkle them on top of the sauce if you wanna get fancy. I didn't do it because Kip was hovering in the kitchen waiting to eat these :(
That's it! So who's brave enough to try them? Common show me your best "roll job" I dare you.
Happy Wednesday all!
Hey you guys! I made a recipe that I wanted to share with you. It's not a pretty one (presentation wise) it's just a big bowl of stuff, kind of a stir fry thing--but not really. Wanna see? It's super fast & easy.
_____________________________
First off I got most of the ingredients from Trader Joes...so if you don't have a Traders Joe's market near you, then I'll tell you what the ingredients are so you can try and sub them ok? It's pretty much just three things: Rice, Sausage and Mushrooms.
First I used two packages of these Mushroom Asiago Chicken Sausages. (so 8 total)
Then I bought one 16 oz. pkg. these frozen mushrooms because they had a bunch of different types of mushrooms that I'd never heard of, and it was easy because they were already sliced up. But I also bought some regular fresh sliced mushrooms.
I used two 16oz packages of Nasi Goreng. It's an Indonesian rice mixture of basamati rice, carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, some soy sauce and garlic.
So first I browned up the chicken sausages in a large pan with a little oil, garlic and water. (Note: the Pink Tongs!!! That pic was for you Jennifer. I KNOW they are salad tongs not sausage tongs Joe)
After they are all browned up, I cut them into small bite size pieces and popped them back into the same pan. (You could always keep the sausages whole, but I would remove them from the pan before adding all the other stuff) So anyway, I added the rest of the stuff; the two bags of rice, the frozen mushrooms and the fresh mushrooms and added a cup of water. Stir well, turn the heat to low and cover it. I cooked it about 15 mins. and that was pretty much it!
I told you it's not glamorous looking...more like comfort food.
....here ya go! Serve yourself up a big bowl of rice sausage mushroomie goop. :)
I made these last night...
This is my Grandmother's recipe for Scalloped Potatoes. It's really easy, especially if you use one of those mandolin slicers on the potatoes. They tasted better when Gram made them though, because she would use whole milk...maybe even with some half and half in it, and would also put plops of butter between the layers of potatoes. I don't do that, because it's fattening enough with all that cheese. I like to use blend cheddar cheese, shredded parmesan one called Cotswold Double Gloucester.
The Stuff:
2 very large russet potatoes (or 4-5 medium) I didn't peel mine.
1 cup onion (chopped fine)
some flour
butter (I didn't use any)
aprox 2 cups of 1% milk
2 cups - shredded cheese (Gram used all sharp cheddar)
salt and pepper
paprika if you want
Wash the potatoes (peel if you want) and slice up thin. Scald the milk (you know, heat it til it's almost boiling) get the cheese all shredded up, chop the onions fine...and get out a 1/2 cup or so of flour.
I spray the bottom of the pan a little before layering everything. You just add a thin layer of potatoes, sprinkle on some onions, a little of the flour (this is where you add butter plops if you want) and then some of the shredded cheese, a shake or too of black pepper then pour some of the scalded milk over it. Repeat layers...
End up with cheese on top and the rest of the scalded milk. Add a little paprika, and bake uncovered in a preheated oven 375 degrees for an hour or until pots are tender, and edges are brown. That's it!
Ok, I'm off to go water outside It's suppose to be close to 90 degrees today!
So more later...have a great Saturday everyone,
-Lo
Good Evening all. Well, well, well, I am so happy with the outcome of this soup recipe I made tonight :) It was melt in your mouth perfect! The only thing I can tell you is that it just took a few minutes to cut everything up to prepare for it.... kinda likke a stir fry thing, but if it's all cut up and ready to go it's such a breeze.
So here it is...PLEASE please try it...I guarantee you will amour it! Especially if you have company over. OMG you will get many yums and your guests will have very happy tummies. So what's better than that! ok...sorry...I just liked this one alot!!! :)
Go...see it!
Here are your what you'll need for: Fisherman's Soup (serves 4)
6 slices of Bacon (cut into strips)
1 T. butter
1 Lg. onion chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1 T. chopped parsley
1 t. fresh thyme or 1/2 dried
3 cups fresh tomatoes, seeded & chopped
2/3 cup dry vermouth or white wine (I used Chardonnay)
2 cups fish stock (I bought kinda fancy fish stock that was frozen...)
2 cups diced potatoes (I used small Yukon golds)
2 lbs. skinless, white fish fillets, cut in large chunks. (I bought Halibut, Sea Bass and some medium size Prawns---it's a total of 2lb. not two pounds of each :)
It was excellent with the fish mentioned above... (please don't get cheapy cod or snapper) use the halibut and sea bass-- it's the texture of that particular fish that just melts in your mouth. Actually the prawns (which I added, but the recipe didn't call for) didn't fit in well. I probably won't use them next time. Oh, Salt & Pepper to taste... and fresh parsley (for garnish) are the last few ingredients.
Cook the bacon til it's just brown (NOT crisp) then drain the whole mess on some paper towel (leave a little bacon grease in the pan, but not a ton. Melt the 1 T. butter in the pan and throw in the chopped onion and cook stirring for about 3-5 mins. til' soft. Add in the thyme, parsley & minced garlic.
Pour yourself some more wine...fix your hair...put on lip gloss. :) You guys can just stand there stirring looking manly...and compliment the little lady if she happens to walk by :)
Add the tomatoes, wine & fish stock, and bring to a boil...then lower the heat and cover for 15 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook an additional 10-12 minutes Stir a titch, and cover again.
Add the chunks of fish and the bacon . Simmer for 5 minutes uncovered or until the fish is cooked. (kinda lighly mix it up as it cooks...but not alot ok? otherwise the tender fish breaks up) Add a little salt & fresh ground black pepper and serve at once!
That's it! I forgot that I bought some French bread to go with this soup tonight :( ---but YOU don't you forget ok? I guess I'll have toast for tomorrow?
Night all! ...going to bed early.
Cheers!
Lo**
Last night for dinner I made that Stir Fri Teriyaki recipe again but this time I sub’d the shrimp and bay scallops with some chicken breasts. It was good Sheila! I actually liked this recipe better. Next time I’ll add some mushrooms though. I also changed the veggie in it. Instead of Chinese pea pods I put in fresh broccoli.
Anyway...blah blah blah...pics are attached if you wanna see. :)
As you saw from this mornings pretty Bird of Paradise picture I posted, I was at the nursrey yesterday. I bought a small (1 gal. Coral Bark Japanese Maple) and some soil. I took a few other pictures, but am just going to show you this other cool one tonight. It’s something I think DanMan will enjoy (cuz he likes backlit things) :) right DanMan? Whoo Whoo! I kept it pretty large so I’m just going to link to it here.
Oh here's some roses I just picked for my new vase tonight. One of Susy Keely's prints next to it...
....and here's the chicken teriyaki recipe if you wanna see:
I chopped up the broccoli with a few red onions and sunflower seeds that I sauteed with sesame oil vs. peanut oil this time. After a few minutes of cooking the broc. slightly, I dumped it in a separate bowl and set it aside.
I used the same pan to cook the chicken (that I marinated all day in that same marinade as the shrimp.) When the chicken looked done I popped the broccoli mixture back in, and stirred it all together and that was it. :)
So now, I'm gonna burn a little Jasmine incense and paint if that's ok with you all? lol! Have a twisted tantilizing Tuesday everyone!...Shoots, is it only Tuesday? poo...
Drive Safe,
Cheers**
Here's a very quick and easy recipe I tried out tonight. It was really good, but I think next time I'll serve it with some jasmine rice. The importrant thing is that the prawns and the scallops have to marinate for 30 minutes or longer. I think mine marinated for a couple hours. So...anyway. If you want to see the step-by-step pics then **GO** If not have a great Friday night all.
-Lo
Like I said this recipe is VERY quick, so you need to cut up all the stuff before hand...and just throw it back in the frig. til' your ready. Ok? because it only takes like 6 mins. to cook...
Here's the stuff you'll need. (It serves 2 hungry guys or 1 hungry guy and to girlie girls.) :)
Marinade:
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
6 T. dry sherry
4 cloves crushed garlic
3 teasp. fresh ginger root
3 teasp. cornstarch
1lb. medium to large prawns
1lb. small bay scallops
---------------------------------------------------------------
For the rest of the ingredients:
2+ cups of mushrooms, any kind (I used portabellini)
1 bunch green onions (including most the tops, cut in 2" lengths)
1/2 lb. Chinese pea pods
Peanut oil (don't subsitute any other oil)
In a deep bowl mix the teriyaki sauce, grated ginger, sherry, garlic and the cornstarch. Add the fish. I shelled the prawns yesterday and just had them all ready to go tonight. Put the bowl in the frig to marinate for 30 minutes or longer if you have the time.
While the fish is marinating cut up all the rest of the stuff. I cut off the tips to the Chinese pea pods but you don't have too. I also pop out the stems to the mushrooms because they are kinda tough and funky. :P
When you are ready to start cooking, you'll need a non-stick pan or a wok. Pour 2 T. of the peanut oil in the pan heat oil on high and cook the pea pods (stirring quickly) just until they turn bright green ---transfer them to a bowl and set aside. Add a couple more T. of peanut oil to the hot pan and add the cut up mushrooms....again stirring quickly...the mushrooms will absorb the oil fast will but don't add and more oil!! just keep stirring them, they'll get all soft in a couple minutes.
Add the whole bowl of the fish mixture and the green onions to the mushrooms. and cook on high heat-but keep stirring. The prawns will start to pink and the sauce will thicken. (about 2-3 minutes depending on the size of the prawns you use) cook for a minute or so, then dump the pea pods back in and let them warm up with the rest. Serve in a shallow bowl ---That's it!
Next time I think I'll have it over some rice, but do whatever you'd like!
Looks good huh? yeah...pretty easy too...Oh and you can use the bigger scallops if you want, just adjust the cooking time a little. It has a very nice teri-yakkkiiieee flavor and not too salty. Let me know if you try it ok?
Cheers**
Well, either I copied something down wrong or "Kenny" the recipe guru from Bon Appetit magagine screwed up. I'm blaming Kenny. Anyway, I am still going to show you what I did to correct this little mishap....since I'm a professional, and my Mom would be ashamed of me if I bailed on this one (she taught home ec.) So anyway, I had to add some beans (yes, tooties) to the beanless recipe. It would have been like soup otherwise (still kinda was)---Bah!
Wanna see the disaster? First one that see's the mistake wins! (something) ---ok go!
Actually this recipe is called "Kenny's Quick Game Day Chili" just so you know... and Kenny gets full credit for this big ol' soupy mess! (It serves 10 to 12 by the way) and no of course I didn't cut the recipe down for just Kip and I...so now I will have this thin crappy chili for a couple months :P
Ok, I'll tell you the ingredients as we go, ok? It'll be an adventure.
First you brown the 3lbs. of ground serloin beef in 2 T. of vegetable oil. Then when it's all browned up you pour everything through a sieve into a bowl to reserve the precious 2 stupid T. of liquid to add to the recipe later.
Cook the 3 cups of chopped up onions in remaining oil in pot over high heat for 4 mins. stirring constantly. I realized I needed to shift everything into a bigger stock type pot after the onions --so that's what I did. :P
Ok...here we are with the 10 cloves (yes I count 16 too) chopped up all fine and pretty along with the 2-3 seeeded & chopped jalapenos and all these spices>> 5 T. chili powder, 2 T. ground cumin, 1 teas. cayenne pepper (yikes!) oh there's more...
2 T. of flour, 4 T. red wine vinegar, 3 T. tomato paste, and the 2 T. of the stupid reserved liquid from the ground serloin. (you add the ground serloin back to the pot too. :)
OK...here's where the recipe takes a turn. Add 4 cups chopped canned tomatoes, 2 cups canned tomato juice, 6 cups of chicken broth. ...that's just too much broth!!!! What's up? Your suppose to let it all simmer on top of the stove for 30 mins. I did 50 mins...it didn't help thicken it.
So anyway, I added a bunch of different beans that I had. (I drained and rinsed them first just cuz')
So...here's the result ---it turned out fine. But we did have a slight emergency. Kip ate his first bite and it was a little too hot (not spicy) just hot so he did a war dance around the livingroom for a few minutes and then was a ok. (Poor baby.) All in all, it did taste good even after all of the crapola that it took to make.
So who's gonna be the brave soul who tries THIS one? ha!
Have a great night all :)
Cheers,
Lo**
Well the pictures of my flower planting fest today came out bad. They were all really blurry...wrong setting I guess? Here are a few I salvaged. Also, you can see I got the new umbrella lights up too! Maybe I can get a few better flower/plant shots tomorrow.
Patio Fern w/wiggly arms
Buddha dude in sun (I like this one the best)
Patio shot with Nutty
Nutty and Spa
Umbrella Lights (day)
Spa & Umbrella Lights Night
Fish Taco recipe follows!!
Stuff you'll need:
This recipe will make about six largish tacos. (I cut the recipe down since it was just me...but here's the whole recipe) Oh! and the batter should be made at least three hours ahead of cooking time, or even do it the day before and pop in frig. til your ready to cook.
Fish Batter:
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp crushed oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt & pepper as you like
1 egg yolk
4-6 oz beer
oil for frying
1/2 cup lt. mayonnaise
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 lime
1 ripe avocado
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 lb shark filet (They were out of shark, so I used cod)
steamed corn tortillas
Lime for squeezing
Mix up some light mayo with juice from half of a large lime, and some chopped fresh cilantro. Thinly shred some green cabbage, slice up some avocado.
Coat the fish in the batter and fry in the oil 4-5 mins turning...ya you'll know when they are done. Drain on paper towel. (Do one piece of fish at a time)
Assemble it all together, and squeeze a bunch more fresh lime juice over it all.
YUMMIE!
Have a wonderful Saturday evening all :)
Lolo
"Smoked Cheese and SAUSAGE Lasagne"
Recipe follows:
First off, I made the sauce yesterday. I thought I would get a jump on doing it because I thought I might be gone to that Antique Faire thingie... But since I didn't go to the Antique Faire, it made things very easy today to prepare today (except that I started it a little too late and Kip keeps coming in to see if it's done yet, starving ----shoot!)
Ok, here's the poop on how to make the sauce. Heat 1T. oil in a large saucepan over med. high heat. Add the 1 lb sweet Italian sausage (casing removed), and saute for about 6 mins. breaking it up into small pieces. Add 2 ounces of chopped up prosciutto, stir & cook for 1 min. Transfer mixture to bowl and set aside.
Heat 2 T. of oil in the same pan and add 2 cups chopped onion, 1 stalk of chopped celery, 3 chopped fine garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon dry oregano and 1/4 t. red pepper flakes...saute til tender about 5 mins. Stir in 1 can of tomato paste and 1- 28 oz. can of Chopped Italian tomatoes in juice, fresh basil and sausage mixture. Reduce heat; simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally about 15 mins. Season with salt & pepper.---oh! I added some fennel too because I like it. :) Ok this is where I stopped. You can throw the sauce in the frig til' the next day.
NEXT DAY: Heat the sauce you made yesterday on low. Grate 3 cups of the Smoked Mozzarella. (This cheese was kinda hard to find and expensive, but makes the whole recipe---so make sure you get it exactly!) Only use 1-1/2 cups in with the ricotta cheese mixture the remainder is for the top. Add in the 15oz. tub of whole milk ricotta cheese and one egg. Add some salt and pepper. Mix well.
Cook the lasagne noodles about 14 of them according to the package directions. Oil a large casserole dish and start layering all the stuff. First add some sauce, then the noodles, plop on clumps of the cheese mixture and repeat twice, finishing up with the left over grated smoked cheese.
Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven covered with foil for 40 mins. Remove foil and bake 15 more minutes. remove from oven and let sit for 10 mins. before cutting.
Finally you can eat it! Phew! It's a long recipe... but really really good!
Ok, Have a nice Sunday evening everyone...I need to eat now.
xoxo ;) -Lo
Here's what we ate for dinner tonight...no drooling unless you have a napkin...if you have a napkin, please still turn your head. ;) cuz that's yuk.
continue if you dare...
NOTE: (All the ingredient amounts are in my previous post)
First I put thin frozen pork loins into my crock o'love pot to cook on "low" all day, along with a can of chicken broth, some red pepper flakes and some various seasonings-nothing too terribly special. This pork really made the recipe. Very tasty, I'm using it from now on instead of chicken.... Drain the broth off the pork and put in a large bowl (you don't need to save the broth--just el'dumpo)
After the pork cooked all day it broke up into small pieces (with Kip's help in stirring it up once in awhile).
Add 3 cups of cheese to the pork along with about a cup of chopped onions--see the next group of pictures as well (I used a combination of Monterey Jack pepper cheese and shredded cheddar cheese.) Mix well set aside. Steam the corn tortillas (I bought two packs of 12---I didn't use them all, but they are cheap) I steamed them on top of some foil in my vegetable steamer pot.
Mix everything together. Place a ton of it on the steamed corn tortilla squish it into a 'log shape and roll up. Place in a large oiled casserole dish. (Do that to all of them) You can really pack them tight.
For the sauce it's 1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup, 1 can of Cream of Chicken soup, 1 can of chopped mild green chilies (mine was a 7oz. can size) and a cup or more of regular Sour Cream. Mix all up and heat on stove until warm. Pour over the rolled enchiladas and add some extra cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes and serve over Spanish rice. I added some chopped fresh cilantro, some chopped black olives and an attractive "plop" of sour cream. :)
I'm so full....
¡Esto es realmente bueno que espere que usted lo trate alguna noche fría de invierno! :)
-Lolo
After sitting in a hard plastic bucket of a chair at the Arco Arena for almost three hours to watch the Kings beat the Suns (Basketball) last night my poor back was just on fire. It is probably kinda sore from gardening over the weekend...but boy those chairs are b*tt torture (aren't they?)
You can't really cross your legs because you'll kick the back of the person's head in front of you...and you have constantly shift sideways or get up to let others in and out of the aisle to sit. I do get up an walk around, but it's like taking off your shoes after a long day of standing or walking---once there off there's no getting them back on comfortably. So I sit-- and take a couple Advil while cheering on my team like a good little fan.
Dinner Plans tonight include Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas (all I had were Pork Loin Chops in the freezer...so they will be Sour Cream Carnita Enchiladas!)
Instructions follow...
So this morning before leaving for work, I put the frozen Pork Loins in "The Magical Crock Pot"
as Joe calls it, and added 1 can of chicken broth, some red pepper flakes, 1 clove and a little Mrs. Hall's Artist Seasoning. I set it on Low and hopefully Kip will stir it for me occationally as I kindly instructed him to do--so I won't have parts overdone and other parts still frozen. ;P
Here's the stuff that you need: I'll show you how it comes out later (yes, pics)
1 doz. corn tortillas
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. sour cream
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. chicken (or pork), coarsely chopped
2 c. sharp cheese (I'll be using that mexican blend cheese that comes in a bag? and will add some hot pepper jack cheese as well), grated
Fresh Cilantro (optional)
Combine soups, sour cream, chilies, and salt. Heat and stir until smooth. Mix cheese, onion, and chicken/OWM. Steam tortillas to soften. Place a portion of cheese filling across center of tortilla. Roll and place seam side down in greased casserole. Pour sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with additional cheese, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.
Ok...well I need to finish eatting my salad and get back to work. So happy art day, cooking day, whatever day! Check back tonight if you want to see the cheesey pictures. :)
-Lo
garlic powder
onion powder
oregano
thyme
white pepper
ground sage
cayenne pepper
hungarian paprika = a masterpiece in the Spicy Shakin' World.
That'll be a dollar. (Paypal ok.) :p
-Lo
also....
I buy all the spices at the Natural Food store, mix them up and put in a old spice jar with a shaker type top.
Well here's Chicken Marsala for my doctor art collector friend Ray (RX8Doc). I think it tasted great except for my "sauce" could have been a little thicker I thought... Grab a napkin.
You'll need:
- 4 large Chicken Breasts
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 1 cup Marsala Wine
- Aprox. 3 cups fresh sliced mushrooms (any kind)
- 3 T. Olive Oil
- 3 T. Butter
- Salt, pepper & Artists seasoning of choice...
- Buttered Pasta ---I used "Farfalle" or Bow Tie Pasta --I've just started to like it ;)
- Fresh parsley (optional)
Cut the chicken breasts in half length wise if they are really thick. Use the meat hammer thingie to flatten them out thin (yes, on both sides), but be careful you don't tear them. I added a little salt, fresh ground black pepper and some "Mrs. Hall's Artist Seasoning" :p. Dredge the chicken breasts in regular flour on both sides shake off excess and set on a plate. (Do that to all the chicken breasts)
Next, add olive oil and butter to a heavy saute pan (Again I used my fry pan from H*** that is not non-stick) so everything stuck to it. I'm still trying to figure out why my Mom told me this pan was so fricken fabulous? And that brown stuff inside the pan is not food crud--it's called a "Well Seasoned" pan---it is!!!
Stir up the butter and oil ---(heat was on med. high) but kinda watch it...because butter burns really easy. Cook the chicken breasts a couple minutes on each side (but not totally done) Start boiling a big pot of water for the pasta--This recipe doesn't take long.
The chicken is browning nicely on nice even heat. If (like mine) it starts to stick...add a little chicken broth to the pan (not much!) As the chicken browns transfer to a piece of foil & wrap up to keep warm as you cook all the additional breasts. (I had too many breasts!) You can see my friend, Mr. Bow Tie pasta is cooking nicely.
After all the chicken is slighly browned, add the Marsala wine and the Chicken broth to the pan (Carefully!---the pan is super hot) Add the fresh sliced mushrooms, stir and cook til' the mushes are slightly soft. 2 minutes or so.
Place the chicken breasts back into the wine/broth/mushroom sauce and cook for about 5 minutes. The flour that's on the chicken should help thicken the broth, (It really didn't get that thick for me though, darn it) When pasta is done (about 7-8 minutes for a full 16oz. bag of Farfalle) drain it thoroughly & return to the same pot. Add some butter (a tablespoon or so) and fresh chopped parsley, stir.
Put some of the buttered pasta in a shallow bowl/dish, add the chicken and some sauce....and if you have it, some fresh parsley on top!
Is that what you remember it to be like Ray? I hope so...wah, I wanted my sauce thicker. Oh well, next time. :)
Night all, hope you had a nice Sunday.
XO,
Lo
I know this is suppose to be my "Art Blog" but right now it's my food blog---sorry. That's just how it goes until I get my studio put back together....and cooking is creative right? ---Ok, thanks :)
So here's the Clam Chowder recipe I made last night. It's more of a "fish chowder" because it has not only has clams, but bay shrimp and white crab meat. (Of course you can just add what you like.) Again, this is a "Mommy Recipe" that I have kind of adapted to my own tastes.
Ready?
Stuff you'll need:
Milk (I use 1% fat but any kind is fine)
4-5 slices Bacon and 1 thickly sliced piece of ham cut up (no fatty parts)
4 celery stalks
2 teasp. dry dill weed spice
2 cans chopped (not minced) clams
1 bag of "Simply Potatoes" w/Onions
1 bottle of clam juice
1 can white crab meat
About 2 cups bay shrimp (fresh or canned it doesn't matter, and it doesn't have to be 2 cups---just whatever you want)
2 cans of Campbell's Cream of Shrimp Soup (hard to find-but the best) If you can't find it use 2 cans of Campbell's New England Clam Chowder or even Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup
4 green onions (optional garnish)
Fresh chopped Parsley ( " " )
_______________________________________________________________
Brown the bacon in a big stock pot type pan. After it's cooked remove it and drain or blot out most of the bacon fat out with paper towel. Add the cubed ham to the pan and cook it so it kinda browns. You can crumble in the 4 original bacon slices to the ham too. Turn down the heat to med/low.
Add the bag of potatoes to the ham/bacon mixture, stir and cook a little so the potatoes get slightly bowned. If you can't find the "Simply Potatoes" just use red potatoes cut up into 1/2" cubes. (It was just easier for me to use the already chopped up ones last night) Mix up and you'll see that the potatoes will absorb the bacon fat.
Add the 4 stalks of chopped celery, bottle of clam juice, 2 cans of clams (do not drain off juice), the bay shrimp and the can of white crab meat. Stir up and let cook for 5-10 minutes on med. low heat.
Add the dry dill weed spice, the 2 cans of Cream of Shrimp soup, and the milk. Add however much milk you want. I like my soup kinda thin...but it's up to your own preference. :) Stir all up and let cook on the stove on low heat for 15 or so minutes...mainly to finish cooking off the potatoes.
Chop up the fresh parsley and the green onion (totally optional garnish...but it is really good because it makes it taste fresh) to add as a garnish on top. I usually serve with crusty french bread on the side.
Well, that's it. It really does taste much better the next day...so if you want, make it on Friday night or something and reheat for a nice warm tummy meal on Saturday night ---you know with a with a fire going in the fireplace and a cold glass of chardonnay. (((sigh)))
Ok, Have a nice Tuesday night everyone. ---Lolo
Hello my friends. I just finished preparing a meal tonight that maybe you would like to make for your Valentine?
It is one of my very favorites that my Mom taught me how to make years ago. (she was a home ec. teacher) No, this isn't Tator Tot Casserole (Joe) it's Chicken Cordon Blu.
Oui! Trust me...your sweetie will love you for making it. Ready?
You will need the following:
- Boneless Chicken Breasts
- Sliced Swiss Cheese
- Sliced Ham (a nice smokey kind--like Black Forrest Ham)
- Wooden toothpicks or twine
- Thyme spice (fresh or dry)
- White Wine (any kind)
- Milk
- 2 cans of Chicken Gravy or cream of chicken soup
- a metal meat mallet thingie
________________________________________________________________
Pound the chicken breast with the mallet so it's about 1/2" thick.
Put the swiss cheese and ham on it and roll it up as best you can, securing it with the wooden toopicks.
A couple of these chicken breasts were "double D's so I had to lasso them together with a little cooking twine :) (otherwise they'll look like this one below.)
Place the rolled up chicken "packages" :) in a heavy duty pan with some butter or olive oil to brown. I used my favorite pan. It's a b*tch of a pan to use though, because the chicken sticks to it. I really have to babysit it...so you should use a non-stick pan to avoid my torment ok?
Chicken browning in the oil on medium heat.
Add a bit of water (white wine or even chicken broth) to the pan if it starts to stick) just don't use any more butter or oil.
See how nice and brown my breasts are getting? lol!
When the chicken is nice and brown, put them in a separate dish as you prepare this simple sauce. (Oh and I usually blot the pan with a paper towel to remove the excess oil)
Add a couple cans of any kind of chicken gravy along with a cup or so of milk. When you stir it up all the brown "chicken tidbits stuff" will merge in and make it taste fabulous!
Add about a teaspoon of dry Thyme. I added some fresh lemon thyme from my garden (only because I didn't have any dry)
Put the chicken packages back into the hot gravy and cover. (You can turn off the heat)
Start cooking the rice...(if that's what you want to serve it over) I like rice for this dish, but mashed potatoes are wonderful too.
Doesn't that look yummy? The swiss cheese and the smokey flavor of the ham kinda melt into the sauce. It's sooooo good.
Well, that's it...I hope you try it. Have a nice lovey dovey evening.
-Lolo
ya, yesterday was a poo day. I don’t know why, I just felt in limbo. I made some comfort food for dinner to snap me out of it. So I present Comfort Food for Thursday Jan 15th, 2004....Tater Tot Casserole.
Stuff you’ll need: 1 lb. very Lean ground beef, large bag of generic frozen Tater Tots (they are like mini hashbrown potatoes-in a fun lil' cork shape!) shredded cheese, 1 medium yellow onion, 1 cup milk, black pepper and 2 cans of Campbells Cream of Mushroom soup or Cream of Chicken Soup.
*This time I used a can of Cream of Chicken/Mushroom and a can of Cheddar Cheese, because it was all I had)
Chop up the onion, put in a pan with the beef and cook until meat is browned. Add some black pepper. Drain well and set aside.
TIP: Use as lean of beef as you can find.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the two cans of soup and aprox. 1 cup of milk. Some people don't use any milk, but I like to...
In a large 10” x 13” casserole dish (lightly oiled) dump out the whole bag of frozen Tater Tots. (Tip: I buy the generic Tator Tots -not the "Oreida" brand, because I've found they are a little less greasy when cooked and they have less fat grams)
Add the cooked beef & onion on top of the Tots...
Pour the soup mixture on top...
I kinda separate the tots a little so the soup gets down in around them...
Add the shredded cheese on top (I used a mexican cheese blend) Pop into a 400 degree PRE-Heated oven and bake for 45 mins. or so--- just make sure the tots are nice and crispy brown on top.
ALL DONE! It's not a fancy meal, by any means. It tastes like having a hamburger and fries.
The can of cheddar cheese soup tasted great! Kids love this recipe. That's it!
Just found this recipe too I might try sometime...
1 bag of tator tots
1 16 oz sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ( I used mozzarella)
1 can French Fried Onions
Spray the bottom and sides of a baking dish. Pour in tator tots. Mix sour cream, soup, and cheese together and pour over the top of the tator tots. No need to mix. Then top with french fried onions. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes.
--Lolo
Cate is a funny girl. She has a very funny site. You'll laugh you'll cry.
Lolo
Ready for the step-by-step pics of how I smoke my turkey!? I'm letting out a BIG family secret here...my brother-in-law comes all the way from Washington when I cook this turkey!
I tell ya...you've gotta try this once in your life. It is the BEST tasting turkey in the entire world! I've been cooking my turkeys like this for 8 or so years. Kip asked me tonight where I got this recipe, and honestly I can't remember! The only thing you can't do is stuff it with any bread or rice stuffing. (I'll tell you why in a minute...)
First off:
You must use a BBQ that uses regular charcoal, not a gas grill. I use a large dome lid Weber kettle. You'll also need a very large large bag of charcoal (any kind, and any mixture like Mesquite etc. is fine) I'm using all regular charcoal this time, no fancy stuff.
First remove the smaller lower grill from the bottom of the BBQ, and place a large foil ball about 10" in diameter smack in the middle.
Use a starter chimney thingie to get a bunch of charcoal started.
While that is going...unwrap your fresh turkey (or defrosted frozen turkey) and rinse it inside and out really well with cold water. I throw out the bag of giblets and the turkey neck. (of course you can save it to stew in some soup, but I don't---cuz' it's too icky. ;Þ)
Since you've removed the stuff in the (butt area) I usually stuff some bread or an orange cut in half to "fill it out" It just makes it look nicer than a concave buttocks!
After rinsing the turkey pat it dry with paper towels and place in a heavy duty foil turkey pan that has thick metal handles. (a couple bucks at the grocery store) Rub the skin of the turkey all over with Olive oil or any oil you have on hand.
Add any type of spice rub you want. This time I used a combination of onion powder, garlic powder, lemon pepper, black pepper, paprika, salt, a touch of cayenne---just whatever you'd like! (Just don't use to much salt) I also added a bunch of cut up oranges to the turkey cavity, about 4 garlic cloves and a big bunch of fresh rosemary from my garden.
Now that the turkey is ready to go...check to see how the BBQ coals are coming along. If the look nice and hot dump them in the BBQ around the foil ball making a ring. Add a bunch of fresh charcoal to the hot ones, making sure you don't cover the foil ball.What you are trying to achieve is a ring of coals so the heat won't be directly underneath your turkey, but just around the edges. Like indirect cooking...
Add new charcoal to the hot charcoal.
Put the larger top grate on the BBQ and place the turkey on top of that.
Add a can of chicken broth (14 oz) down the side of the pan not on top of the turkey and cover lightly with foil.
Put the BBQ lid on slightly ajar so air can get to the charcoal...
After about 30 minutes I always check to make sure the new coals have caught fire. If they haven't, then you'll have to remove the turkey, put in your oven on warm and start the chimney charcoal starter thingie again for new hot coals. It doesn't happen very often...
Every half hour or so you must add 10-20 new charcoals down the sides of the grill (where the handles are) so the temp. is kept nice and hot...add more chicken broth to keep about a half inch at all times bubbling away under the turkey.
It's almost done!! I baste it a few times the last hour of cooking. The reason you don't stuff the turkey with a bread or rice stuffing is that the broth and the oils from the turkey just get the dressing inside the turkey too mushy and greasy...believe me, I've tried it, and it just tastes yukie.
Near the end of cooking, check the turkey with a meat thermometer and if it's close to the "poultry done" stage remove it and let it sit in the kitchen still covered with the foil for another 30 minutes to an hour to rest...it'll finish cooking as well.
That's it!!! It smells so good. The rosemary...and the meat just falls off the bones....and leftovers? they taste so smoky and wonderful. I hope you get a chance to try this way of cooking a turkey sometime. Ok! Gotta go eat dinner!
Lori
I think I'll smoke my Christmas Bonus from work today. (a 16 lb. turkey) I've either got to cook it or find room in the freezer, which I don't see happening. So, I'm off to the store to buy a couple bags of charcoal. Stay tuned!
Lori
Here's a recipe I make every Christmas Eve. You need to make it the day before and refrigerate at least 8 hours so the milk, bread and eggs all jive together. TIP: It takes an hour and a half to bake...so even before you brush your teeth that next morning, preheat the oven!
Pictures follow...
Ingredients:
8 eggs, 1 small loaf white bread (get a nice dense white bread--I used a buttermilk bread), 2 teasp. Dry Coleman's Mustard, 4 cups milk, 2 cups shredded cheese, 8 slices bacon (or 1-1/2 lbs. sausage Joe and Dan... :) 1 teasp. salt and 1 large (aprox.) 10" x 13" oven proof casserole dish.
Cook the bacon, drain well, blot and crumble into bite-size pieces (you can always leave out the bacon/sausage if you are vegetarian---what's a good substitute is a couple tablespoons of canned diced mild green chilies)
Toast the bread slices and cut into small squares.
Add the 2 Teasp. of Dry Colemans Mustard to the eggs. (My picture shows only 4 eggs but I doubled the recipe to 8 eggs after I took these pics)
Add the milk and salt to the eggs...
Whisk it all together...
Put all the cut up bread cubes & crumbled bacon in a lightly buttered casserole dish. Add the shredded cheese.
Gradually pour the egg/milk mixture over the top of the bread---try and cover all the bread so it's well soaked. You should be able to see the egg milk mixture float up around the sides of the casserole dish.
Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. In the morning Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Keep the foil cover on the casserole and bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Remove the foil, lower the temp to 325 degrees and cook an additional 30 minutes, or until set.
Well, that's it! (Joe...feel free to let Mr. Hand elaborate on this one if you'd like.)
P.S. If it's too late for this Christmas, then you should try it for New Years Day...it tastes great "The Morning After" hint, hint... I've also put a mixture of different white breads in this casserole. I usually love to add some sourdough bread, but I was out. :( I've also thrown in some toasted cut up english muffins etc. I wouldn't recommend using wheat breads or darker type breads, just because they add too much of a "different" flavor to this dish. I hope you get a chance to try this sometime!
Have a wonderful Holiday Eve--XOXO,
Lori
It rained really hard here last night, luckily it waited until after we got home from the Kings Basketball game (which we won!) It’s clear blue skies this morning...perfect for a little holiday shopping at lunchtime I’m thinkin’
Question: Your ideas for what type of appetizer goes well with fresh cracked crab? I was thinking of one of those gourmet type thin crust pizzas? Baked and cut into small narrow pieces? Maybe a feta cheese one? or maybe that Gorgonzola Pear one from Trader Joes? and of course we'll need something green and healthy-ish too
P.S. Look at Sheila's sparkly ball ornaments she made--comes with directions and everything! I'm going to try to make one--- in all my spare time.
More later...
Lori
Well Thanksgiving went well here at the Hall house. Everyone got a little hungry towards the end waiting for the turkey to finish getting "smoked." But it's their own fault. I had plenty of vegies, nuts etc. on the coffee table to eat, but they all said they didn't want to spoil their dinner (Huh?) This Year I used all Mesquite charcoal which made the turkey taste even better, and made the backyard smell great too!
I made mashed potato casserole, but never baked it. I had a feeling it would be too rich with the gravy. So I just made another batch of M. Pots to keep it simple. I did try out a new wild rice stuffing from The Natural Foods Coop, everyone seemed to like it---except me. Anyway, it's over, I'm happy, everyone is home safe and full. Lot's of leftovers for Kip and I. Can't wait to dive into that vat of mashed potato casserole---it's mine all mine!!!
Almost forgot, I bought (thinking of Jen) some of that Fat Bastard Shiraz like I said I was going to do---and look---they gave a certain portion of the sales to BC Research!
On todays Schedulleee:
I bought some flat latex wall paint in a really pretty dark honey color (got the color idea from Leanne's wall) to paint our fireplace (just the fireplace.) Kip thinks I should paint the whole room....but that's too much work :) So Here's the little test area. I hope it'll look good.
We are going to "yet another" Kings basketball game today. I think we play the Houston, Rockets?
Have a good Friday.
Lori
I made a mashed potato casserole recipe that Sheila suggested that had the cream cheese and the 2 eggs in it, but I decided to make it tonight instead of tomorrow (actual Thanksgiving day...) Does anyone know if that'll be ok for just popping in the oven tomorrow to cook? I failed to ask that all important question. Are there any other problems with preparing it ahead of time and baking it? (no comments from Mr. Hand please)
I luckily bought another bag of potatoes so I can make another batch of just regular mashed potatoes tomorrow if I have too. Anyone know? Thanks alot!!! ...ok, back to the kitchen GO I.
Lori
Is there one food that a friend or relative serves for Thanksgiving (or during another holiday) that you absolutely hate...but you are too nice to hurt anyone's feelings---so you take some on your plate and try to casually scrape it inside your dinner roll?
For me it's that marshmellowee Ambrosia Salad :(
Lori
Where should I hide all my messy piles that are throughout the house, for the 4 or so hours my family will be here for Thanksgiving?
This year all the birds decided to moult all at once. Everyday there are tons of feathers under their cages and pretty much spread throughout the room. If Carrie decides to fly off her cage, the breeze from her wings spread all the teanie tiny feathers throughout the house. wheeeee!
House clean up is the thing I dread most. I actually like to cook...but to do both will be pushing my happy hostess mood over the edge. One year I thought I was quite clever hiding the mountain of dirty clothes in our washer and the dryer (yes, both--- there was a lot of laundry.) So I can do that again.
I didn't mean to go on about my mess, and you know? I did buy a new mop, so I'm actually kind of excited to try that out. ya.
I'm not sure yet how much cooking I actually want to do. I guess I'd better think that through fairly soon? I think I'll cook the turkey as I always do outside in the barbeque because it pretty much cooks itself. Kip usually likes to "tend the bird" because it gets him away from my parents every few minutes.
Then, I think I'll pick up some already made wild rice type stuffing, and a desserty thing at one of those little specialty stores. That just leaves a vegie, salad and mashed potatoes. I think I'll nix the vegie and just have a salad. Potatoes? MUST HAVE potatoes. Maybe I'll try one of those mashed potato casseroles so I can make it a day or so ahead and just slam it in the oven that day. Anyone wanna share their MPC recipe with me? (Not you Mr. Hand)
Wine, almost forgot the wine...I think I'm going to try some Fat Bastard Shiraz this year--because I like the name :) Fat Bastard: "From the south of France, smooth and polished Shiraz, generous with its plum and berry flavors, finishing dark and appealing. Great with turkey!"
Otherstuff---
I signed up to take a 2 hour class at The Community Learning Center on Dec. 1. It's on "Making Your Own Essential Oil Perfumes" It's held at the Natural Food CoOp Should be kinda fun. Maybe I can make some cool gifts with the tips from this class. Here's what they say in the write up:
"Discover a beautiful lost art and its pleasures-personal perfumery ala natural! Make your own classic personal perfumes, using recipes from Victoria Edwards' book The Aromatherapy Companion. Instructor: Victoria Edwards"
Gotta go-
Lori
OK...a little different entry here---It's a food post vs. an art post.
Does anyone like Tuna Noodle? I know, I know. Well, Kip says I make a mean (lower-calorie) TN. But of course he likes everything I cook because he doesn't cook, AT ALL. In fact, today he called me at work to tell me some bad news. Our microwave died. The microwave is the only way Kip cooks.
So last night when I was making my tuna noodle casserole I took pictures --yes, step-by-step pictures!
My girlfriends Diane, Debbie and Valerie are laughing their butts off now. "Has Lori gone even MORE weird on us? Is glittery puffy paint on sweatshirts the next thing she's gonna show us how to do?"
Ok, I admit TN isn't a high class entree, it's comfort food. Something that I think is nice to make every so often. Now...don't just click away...take a look at my pictures! Because it takes time to photograph, crop, size, transfer and post these pictures!
So here we go:
PREHEAT the oven to 375 degrees (on Bake...lol!)
Step one, here are your ingredients.
2 cans of tuna. 1 small, 1 large. (use the kind packed in water not oil)
2 cans of Campbell's (Healthy Request) Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 cups 1% fat milk
1 green onion chopped (even though I showed 2 in my picture)
1 12oz. bag of "No Yolks" Wide Noodles (these are better for you and they taste "lighter"---like homemade pasta)
1 Tablespoon of Mrs. Dash...or some kind of herb seasoning (w/no salt if possible)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (lower fat if possible) I just had some shredded Mexican 4-Cheese blend hanging around so I used it...
Mix the soup, milk, tuna, onion and herbs together in a sauce pan and warm up on low heat so it's all blended.
Cook the noodles according to package directions. Spray a large casserole pan with some Canola or PAM oil spray so the casserole won't stck to the pan.
Put the cooked noodles in the oiled casserole dish and add the tuna mixture.
Blend the sauce into the noodles, then add the shredded cheese on top. I had to grate some more cheese because I didn't have enough ---and I love cheese. I used 2% fat cheese. It's the only low fat cheese I've found that melts normal (even though it's low in fat) vs. not melting at all!
Put casserole in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 mins. Remove when bubbly hot and the cheese is melted (and slightly browned around the edges of the dish)
Turn off the oven!
Remove the casserole and serve...or cover with foil if you are cooking some other things for dinner like a vegetable or something. It'll stay hot for a half hour or more.
See? that's it! easy huh?
Ahhh...comfort food.... Nite,
Lolo
I just ate a salad and it was messy.
It was a spinach salad with shredded carrots, 4 nicoise olives, feta cheese crumbles, green peppers, broccoli and a few walnuts. With every bite I took, either a drop of dressing, a tidbit of a spinach or a shred of a carrot, would fall onto my keyboard. About 5 bites straight, something dropped or dripped. I finally got clever and moved my keyboard forward, away from my mouth, but then a piece of feta cheese dropped on the carpet. As I bent over to wipe it up, I wiped it right under the corner of my clear chair pad. So now I have a teanie segment of spinach leaf between the e.r.t.y. and d.f.g.h. of my keyboard and a hunk of feta cheese smooshed under my chair mat. How was your lunch?
Also for my lunch, I picked out what I thought was really ripe pineapple...but it turned out to be yellow watermelon! I've never tasted a yellow watermelon before-it was good-just like the red.
Well, some of the relatives showed up last night...I fixed everyone tacos. One of my neices said it was the "best dinner she's ever had in the whole universe" Yes, Lori's taco's totally kick a! (Wasn't that cute though?)
So now that first group is headed to Lake Tahoe, and Kip and I are awaiting the next group...who will be here on Tuesday night at 1 in the morning. ugh. I'm making one of those breakfast casseroles that you can do the night before, then I won't have to worry about breakfast on Wed. I make these casseroles for Xmas morning or for a New Years day hangover cure.
I had Kip go to the store for me yesterday because I needed some eggs for the casserole (I only needed 8) I told him get a dozen "large" eggs. He came home with a box of 18 eggs. I asked why did you buy this big ol' box? He said, "you said LARGE eggs...." :)
I'm going to start a new painting today while I have a little break in the activities. So have a great Sunday everyone!
For Father's Day I'm going to share with you one of my tastiest recipes for that "guy" in your life who likes meeeeeaaaat. So all you vegetarians can bail now if you want.
It's VERY simple. I'll be using Flank Steak, which is one of the leanest cuts of meat. Everybody loves this recipe and it makes great sandwiches the next day. (if you have any left!) I've included many pictures for your viewing pleasure!
May I present "Grilled Flank Steak a la Lolo"
read----------------------
Here's what you'll need.
1.) A piece of flank steak.
2.) A big shallow pan of some kind for marinating.
3.) Olive oil (I'm using a flavored virgin olive oil infused with garlic)
4.) Any kind of wine vinegar, like red wine vinegar or balsamic.
5.) Salt, fresh cracked black pepper and plently of fresh garlic.
6.) I'm going to be broiling it this time, but on the BBQ is how I usually cook it.
Unroll the meat and lay it flat on a cutting board. Score it with a sharp knife in a diamond pattern on both sides. This allows the marinade to absorb into the meat easier as well as keeps the meat from curling when cooking.
Shake on some salt and black pepper. Press the garlic and add to the meat (I like a lot garlic!)
Add a couple splashes of vinegar and olive oil, enough to make a "shallow puddle" of marinade.
Smoosh it all up flipping the meat over a few times to get it all covered with the garlic and oil. Let the meat marinate for at least an hour-- longer if possible. You can cover and put in the refrigerator (flipping it a few times) til' your ready to cook it.
Put meat on a broiler pan (high setting) very close to the flame --about 2-3" or so and cook for 6 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side about 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and set in the pan it was marinating in (I wash the pan clean first) and let the meat rest for 15 minutes. It'll also finish cooking and all the meat juices will be in the pan, which is a good thing.
After it's rested, remove from the pan and slice meat at an angle thinly, with a serrated knife.
I over cooked this one a little this time, I usually like it a little pink inside. Anyway, transfer all the slices back into the pan with the meat juices and serve from that pan....and like I said "if" you have any leftovers they make great sandwiches. Easy huh?
My husband had a belated birthday party last weekend and one of his gifts was some Wasabi Peanuts. Since he is away on a business trip, and I knew he wouldn't care... I decided to open them to try one.
Oh man! they are the BEST thing I've munched on in a long time! Here's what they look like. The can says they are from Smithfield Tavern, of Williamsburg Foods. I found this ---not exactly the same (can color) as the one I took of my mine...but I'm sure they are the same thing. Anyway...very good AND addicting!
If you like eye watering, sinus cleansing foods---these are definitely for you. (Kitty?)
