Judy's Kiffel Recipe

1 lb butter

12 oz cream cheese (full fat)

4 cups flour

Cream butter and cheese, add flour until thoroughly mixed,

shape into 4 balls, cover each with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Make Filling:

Filling:

1 lb ground nuts ( I use walnuts)

1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 egg whites slightly beaten

Mix all ingredients until blended, put in fridge until dough is ready.

When dough is chilled roll each ball out on 10X sugar till about 1/8 inch thick, cut into circles about (3 inch diameter). Fill with teaspoon of nut filling placed on top third of dough circle. Fold dough over filling, then fold over again and crimp edges. Resembles a little burrito.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for about 14 minutes, just until the bottoms start to turn golden. I use parchment on my cookie sheets. They don't seem to burn for me when I do that.

Remove from oven, sift 10X sugar over while still hot. Cool and store.

INSIDE OUT ALMOND JOY MACAROONS

1 package (14 oz.) sweetened shredded coconut, divided

1/4 C. all purpose flour

1/4 C. sugar

1/4 C. light corn syrup

1/4 C. cream of coconut (such as Coco Casa or Coco Lopez -- DO NOT USE COCONUT MILK)

3 egg whites

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

1 t. vanilla extract

pinch of salt

32 chocolate 'kiss' candies with almonds, unwrapped

Mince 1 1/2 cups of the coconut in a food processor. (processing a portion of the coconut helps the dough hold together as it's shaped around the kisses) Transfer minced coconut to a bowl. Add the remaining coconut along with the other ingredients (except kisses). Mix gently with your hands until combined, then chill the dough for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 350, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or coat with nonstick spray.

Shape a heaping tablespoon of dough around a chocolate kiss, enclosing the candy completely. Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1" apart. Bake until firm and deep golden at the base and light golden on top, 16-18 minutes.

Let the macaroons cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.

Makes 32 cookies

Snowball Cookies

1 cup of butter

1/3 cup of sugar

2 tsp. of water

2 tsp of vanilla

2 cups of flour

1 cup of chopped nuts (I use pecans)

powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and water. Mix well. Blend in flour and nuts. Gather dough together and wrap in cling wrap.

Chill four hours or overnight.

Shape into 48 equal size balls. Bake on un-greased cookie sheets, 325 degrees for 20 mins. (I’ll bake two sheets at a time – 24 cookies.)

Cool and roll in powdered sugar.

Black Forest Crinkle Cookies

Preheat oven to 350; line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp table salt

Melt 1/2 stick (4 Tbl) unsalted butter

Add to melted butter:

1/3 cup cocoa powder, whisking until smooth.

Stir in (fully blending in each one before adding the next one):

1 egg

1 tsp instant coffee granules dissolved in 2 Tbl hot water

1/2 tsp vanilla

Stir chocolate mixture into flour mixture just until combined.

Fold in:

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup dried tart cherries

Shape into 2" balls and roll two times in powdered sugar (3/4 cup)

Place 2" apart on prepared baking sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until cookies are cracked, yet still soft. Do not overbake. Let cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.

Makes 2 dozen 3" cookies

Pecan Tassies

CRUST:

1 (3 oz. pkg. cream cheese

1 c. sifted all purpose flour

1 stick butter

For the crust, have all ingredients at room temperature. Mix together and chill for at least 2 hours. Pinch off dough and shape into two dozen 1 inch balls. Place balls in 1 3/4 inch ungreased muffin tins. With thumb, press dough against bottom and sides of tins. Set aside and mix filling.

FILLING:

1 egg, beaten

3/4 c. brown sugar, firmly packed

1 tbsp. soft butter

1 tbsp. vanilla

2/3 c. chopped pecans

For filling, mix all ingredients together. Fill each tassie 3/4 full. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool on cake rack. To remove, run sharp knife around edge and lift out.

Chocolate Cherry Bars

* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter

* 3/4 cup cocoa or

* 2 cups sugar

* 4 eggs

* 1-1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, divided

* 1/3 cup chopped almonds

* 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

* 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

* 1 cup Hershey Mini Kisses

* 1 cup chopped maraschino cherries, drained

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat; stir in cocoa until smooth. Remove from heat. Add sugar, 3 eggs, 1-1/2 cups flour and almonds; mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, whisk together remaining 1 egg, remaining 1/3 cup flour, sweetened condensed milk and almond extract. Pour over baked layer; sprinkle chocolates and cherries over top. Return to oven.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until set and edges are golden brown. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Refrigerate until cold, 6 hours or overnight. Cut into bars. Cover; refrigerate leftover bars. About 48 bars.

Pecan Pie Squares

3 c. all purpose flour

1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. sugar

3/4 c. butter, softened

3/4 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease jelly roll pan (15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch). Beat flour, sugar, butter and salt in large bowl on medium speed until crumbly. Press firmly in pan. Bake until light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Prepare filling.

FILLING:

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. Karo light or dark corn syrup

3 tbsp. butter, melted

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 c. chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients except pecans until well blended. Stir in pecans. Pour over baked layer and spread evenly. Bake until filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool.

Insanity

I spent over $100 freaking dollars today on cookie shit. And I forgot some stuff. And I need to buy a few more cookie sheets and a few cooling racks too since I left all my crappy disgusting ones in Pennsylvania when I moved.

One Bowl Macaroons

Makes 4 dozen

1 (14 ounce) bag of sweetened coconut flakes

1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk

2 tsp. vanilla

HEAT oven to 350°F.

MIX coconut, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls about 1-inch apart onto well-greased baking sheets (I use parchment paper instead).

BAKE 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheets after about 5 minutes cooling time. Cool completely on wire racks.

Xma$ Cookies

I will soon begin my yearly ritual of baking hundreds of cookies so that I can give them away. I've wanted to start since Saturday but I bought a bike and edited and designed a newsletter so I didn't have a lot of time. So here it is . . . Monday. And I still haven't started. I swear I'm gonna make one type a nite from now on.

But anyway . . .

Here are some pics from years gone by.

I'll post recipes and pics as I bake.

No more ouzo

Well, I really enjoyed the Greek Festival. Probably enjoyed it a little too much. I am NEVER drinking ouzo again. The food was superb. The festival was held right on the Halifax River. We even saw a dolphin. Just look at that food!!!

Oh no!!!!

I'm not quite sure what is up with me. On Thursday night I made rice pudding. My salt was refusing to come out of the cannister. So I shook it really hard, but I made the mistake of holding the measuring spoon over the rest of my dry ingredients. I obviously didn't notice that a lot of additional salt kinda went in too. So my rice pudding was inedible because i t was too damn salty.

Last night, I decided to make corn bread bites from a recipe in "Cooking Light" magazine. I was yakking on the phone with a friend while combining the ingredients. And I kinda forgot the egg. So I ended up with sort of but not quite cornmeal hush puppies. I dunno. I really didn't like the taste of them though, although I sure the lack of egg could have played a part in that. They were more savory than sweet and I think I like my cornbread on the sweet side rather than the savory side.

Today I'm not making ANYTHING. Instead I'm heading down to the 31st Annual Greek Festival here in Daytona with a friend.

New beer

I picked up a Melbourn Brothers Strawberry Beer at ABC a few days ago. I just drank it last night. It was OK. I say OK because of what I paid for it. Had it been a $3 bottle of beer, I'd praise it up and down. But it just was not worth what I paid for it. I've forgotten the exact price. I wanna say it was around $7.

What BeerAdvocate has to say about it. Most appeared to like it much more so than me.

My breakfast this morning

I couldn't finish it, of course. I can't eat two eggs. One egg just didn't seem like enough but two eggs was just too much. I did eat all the bacon and cheese though. The Publix biscuit was pretty good.

Chile Cheese Soup

Since I'm now cooking for one most times, I usually freeze half of this recipe, sans cheese. Good tomatoes are very important. If it's not tomato season, I strongly suggest you put out the extra money and purchase hothouse tomatoes.

4 cups of rich beef stock
10 garlic cloves, peeled
4 large tomatoes (Tomatoes need to be good quality and ripe)
3 medium onions, quartered
1/2 tsp mixed dried herbs
1 scant tsp of sugar (I use Splenda)

1 medium onion, cut into thin rings (I usually halve the rings,)
2 jalapeno peppers, cut into thin rings ( I leave seeds in because I like the soup to be spicy)
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut into thin rings or chopped
1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup of mozzarella cheese


I couldn't find four large tomatoes - at least not of the quality I needed so I used nine small. You do not need to remove the skins. I just use my tomato shark to remove the tops.

In large saucepan, bring broth, garlic, tomatoes, quartered onions, herbs, and sugar (or sugar substitute) to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to simmer and continue cooking for thirty minutes. Puree in blender or food processor and return to pan. ( I do half at a time)



Add onion rings and peppers and simmer until tender, about fifteen minutes.

Toss together cheeses. Ladle soup into serving bowls. Add cheese and stir gently. Serve.

Macaroni and cheese

Yeah, I know everyone has their own recipe for mac and cheese, but last night I made the best mac and cheese I have ever made.

16 oz of elbow macaroni
1/2 cup of butter
1 onion, chopped
6 tbs of flour
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp of Mexican chili powder
4 cups of milk ( I used 2 %)
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups of four cheese Mexican blend shredded cheese (mix of Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Asadero, and Quesadilla cheeses)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook macaroni for approx. 5 minutes. Drain.
In medium non-stick saucepan, melt butter. Add onion. Saute onion for about 2 minutes. Blend in flour, salt, pepper, and Mexican chili powder. Stir until paste is made. Gradually add milk. Bring to boil. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly.
Place cooked macaroni in buttered 9 X12 pan. Mix cheeses with macaroni. Pour sauce over cheese and macaroni. Stir.
Place in heated oven and bake for approx. thirty minutes or until top browns.

The new kitchen

I need to jazz it up a little. I'm thinking about wall decals for the cabinets or for above the sink.

The Ormond Wine Company

Well, I guess I'm as settled in as I can be, considering. Judy took me out to lunch on Saturday. We went to the Ormond Wine Company. I would post their url, but there is nothing there so I won't even bother.

They have an rather extensive wine list and a sampling bar, but we bypassed that. They also have a rather large list of beers. So I ordered the only Lindeman's Lambic that I have not tried, the pomme. (apple) Judy wanted a beer recommendation from me on what she should try. I told her to get the Stoudt's Pale Ale. I've never had it, but I have enjoyed all the other Stoudt beers I've had in the past. It was quite good.

For once we weren't absolute gluttons. We ordered a trio of specialty dips and spreads. They have five to choose from. We went with the olive tapenade (too much rosemary), the Kalamata olive goat cheese spread, and the sun-dried tomato goat cheese spread. ( The two remaining choices are - roasted red pepper hummus and pear/apple Stilton spread.) We both agreed that the sun-dried tomato was the best. They served it with a crusty white bread and crostini.

We also ordered a cheese plate. We chose the Rosy Goat (a hard goat cheese) and the mango and ginger white Stilton. Suprisingly Judy preferred the Stilton. She usually doesn't like fruit cheeses. I find most fruit cheeses to be too sweet, and this was not an exception. They gave us a sampling of their roasted nuts (too much rosemary), dried fruit and fresh grapes. The platter was drizzled with honey and the presentation was was quite nice.

They have many items on their menu that I would like to try - specialty salads, specialty sandwiches and grilled paninis, and flatbreads. The portions are huge and can easily be shared. Judy had been there previously and ordered the duck and apple flatbread. (roasted duck, pear and apple Stilton spread, roasted apples, parmagiano reggiano, topped with miso ginger.) She said it was delectable.

We decided to order dessert rather than a meal since we were pretty full from our appetizers. We went with the truffle sampler plate. The plate consisted of four truffles, with raspberry sauce on the side and mint. Neither of us cared for the coconut curry truffle. I can't stand the taste of curry powder, but I really thought the chocolate would overpower the curry. It did not and I ended up being very classy and spitting it out on my plate. The goat cheese truffle was covered with nuts and good, but the other two truffles were much better. Judy and I both liked the salted caramel best, followed by the balsamic reduction truffle.

All in all, I'd recommend the place and plan on going back again to try a sandwich or salad.

Our waitress was also a sweetheart and when she found out that I loved Lindeman's, she told me where I could get it cheaper than anywhere else in the area - World Market.

Whoo hoo

Just got a new job in Florida!! I'm leaving Daytona today to go back to Pennsylvania, pack up my life, try to get as much stuff done as I can get done until I have to be back down here to start on October 8. I'm a little frazzled, a little fearful, a little ecstatic, and very overwhelmed.

So . . . I don't think I'll be posting for a while. But I shall be back.

Pork Dumplings with Soy Ginger Sauce

I got off my lazy butt and made the dumplings. I smell like ginger and garlic. Mmmmmmm.

Dumpling Ingredients

1 pound of ground pork

2 scallions, chopped fine

1 garlic clove, chopped fine

2 tablespoons of finely chopped ginger root

1/4 cup of chopped bamboo shoots

1/4 cup of chopped water chestnuts

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

salt and pepper

1 package of won ton skins (60 count)

Mix all of the above ingredients together with the exception of the won ton skins. I usually mix it up and refrigerate for about an hour to let the flavors combine with the meat.



Place about heaping teaspoon of the meat mixture in the middle of the won ton skin. Follow the directions on the wont ton package on how to fold the won tons. (Don't laugh at my wrap job.)



I steam the dumplings. I'm afraid to boil them for fear they will fall apart. And this recipe is too much work to screw them up at this point. I line the steamer with lettuce for added moisture and so they won't stick to the steamer. Steam until pork is no longer pink. Sorry I can't give you a better estimate than that. I used the wrong pot today and my steamer didn't fit properly. The dumplings will become slick. I'd test after about 8 minutes.



Sauce Ingredients

2 tablespoons of sesame oil

2 tablespoons of chili oil

2 tablespoons of of vegetable oil

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of of kecap manis (sweetened soy sauce, if you don't have this, just add some additional soy sauce and brown sugar)

1 tablespoons of ginger juice ( I use the Ginger People brand, but if you can't find it or don't have any on hand, just add additional ginger root)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 inch piece of fresh ginger root, minced

2 scallions, minced

5 tablespoons of chicken stock

2 tablespoons of of brown sugar

I usually mix sauce ingredients before hand to allow flavors to mingle. To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a non-stick pan and heat gently, without bringing it to a boil. Pour sauce over steamed dumplings.

New England Clam Chowder

Alright. I'll admit it I got lazy and didn't make the dumplings, but I did make the chowder. I adapted it from a recipe I found in The Clam Lover's Cookbook" by William Flagg, put out by Gorton's.
Ingredients

1 pound of bacon (if you are like me, the entire pound won't go in the chowder, you'll eat some of it. The original called for 1/4 pound, but hell . . . with all that butter and half and half, what difference is 3/4 pound of additional bacon gonna make?)

1 medium onion, diced

2 cups of potatoes, in 1 inch cubes (I use red skinned potatoes and I don't peel them.)

2 cups of clam broth

fresh ground pepper (as much as you want or as little as you want - it's your chowder)

2 cups of half and half (the original recipe said heavy cream was best, but believe it or not, I grew up drinking skim milk. Cream kinda does me in.)

2 cups of clams, chopped

3 tablespoons of butter


What to do with those ingredients

Cook the bacon over medium heat, until crispy. Remove bacon and most of the bacon fat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.



Add potatoes, clam broth, and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.



Add clams and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Add milk, butter, and chopped bacon. Heat but do not allow to boil. Adjust seasonings.

This usually tastes better after it sits for a day.

It's official

I'm making pork dumplings AND New England clam chowder. I'll eat the dumplings today and the chowder tomorrow.

I'm making my shopping list now but before I leave the house I have to fill out an application, print resumes, and pack up the books I sold and take them to the post office. Ugh. It's raining and I really wanna curl up with a good book and do nothing but read, but a forty year old slacker is just so unattractive.

Mitch Hedburg Pickle Quote

"I think pickles are cucumbers that sold out. They sold their soul to the devil, and the devil was dill."

I liked it. He's kinda like Jack Handey but he uses the f-bomb a lot more. Maybe that will be my project for the day. Searching for silly food quotes. You know . . . rather than doing something constructive that will improve my life.

Although I am going to do a edible food project today too. I'm thinking about making some pork dumplings.

The Farmers Market

I went to the farmers market today. I kinda went apeshit. I bought Concord grapes, yellow pear cherry tomatoes, pickling cukes, garlic, fresh corn, red and green bell peppers, zucchini, onions, scallions, fresh broad leaf parsley and the most beautiful ginger root I have ever seen.

So, of course, I came home and used most of it. I made corn salad.



I also made pickles. I couldn't find fresh dill there though, and I ended up having to visit three grocery stores before I could find any.



I'm packing it all up tomorrow for my trip to Georgia. I'm hoping that Aleta will make her fried chicken if I show up with food gifts.

Thai shrimp with noodles

Very easy clean-up. One bowl, one pot.

8 ounces of linguini or spaghetti, broken
1 1/2 pounds of broccoli florets (5 cups)
1 pound fresh or frozen shrimp in shells, peeled and deveined, with tails intact
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup soy sauce
3 TBS rice vinegar
2 TBS sesame oil
1 TBS chili oil
1 TBS grated ginger root
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup of chopped peanuts

Bring a large amount of water to a boil in a 4 qt. Dutch oven. Add pasta. Cook for 4 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for 2 additional minutes. Add shrimp. Cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, until shrimp is pink.

Meanwhile, combine peanut butter and soy sauce in bowl. Stir in vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil, ginger, and garlic. Drain pasta mixture; return to Dutch oven. Add peanut butter mixture, green onions, and nuts. Toss gently to coat. Serve.

Capellini with sausage and spinach

Quite easy and tasty. Hopefully you won't get e. coli from the spinach.

2 tsp olive oil
1 pound of sweet Italian sausage, sliced in 1/2 slices
1 large onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 cans (14 oz. each) chicken broth
1/4 cup of water
8 oz. of capellini or vermicelli pasta, broken in half
2 bags (10 oz. each) fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup heavy or whipping cream

Heat oil in Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook 3 to 4 minutes, turning as it browns. Add onion and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned.

Add broth and water to pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add spinach and pepper and cook, stirring spinach into pasta and sauce, 2 to 3 minutes more, until past is al dente and spinach is wilted. Stir in cream. Serve immediately.

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake with Peppermint and Chocolate Mint Buttercream

The finished cake, with some mint and bergamot for garnish.

I love this cake. I don't make it much because it's pretty labor intensive. Plus my mint was kinda straggly this year. But it's always worth it when it's finished.

Cake Ingredients and Directions

2 1/2 cups of unbleached flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
10 TBS unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 extra large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup milk, steeped with 1 cup packed peppermint leaves (see directions below)
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
1/2 cup fresh chopped peppermint

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 nine inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with a circle of wax paper, and dust lightly with flour. Sift the flour with the cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, whip the butter with an electric mixer for a minute. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and chocolate and blend well.

Stir half of the peppermint milk into the buttermilk, reserving the remainder for the buttercream . Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture in thirds alternately with the milk mixture. Fold in the chopped mint.

Place the batter in the prepared pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake starts to pull away slightly from the sides of the pan. Cool the pans on a rack for ten minutes. Turn the layers out of the pans and carefully peel away wax paper.

After assembling cake with the buttercream, I try to allow the cake to sit overnight, so that the mint permeates the cake.


Mint Milk


Put 1 cup of milk in sauce pan. Add 1 cup of mint. Use the back of a spoon to bruise the leaves against the side and bottom of the pot, while heating over medium heat. Do not allow milk to boil. As soon as the milk begins to bubble around the edges, remove from heat and allow the milk to cool to room temperature.

I leave the mint in the milk for at least 30 minutes.

Chocolate Mint Buttercream


8 TBS unsalted butter, softened
2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
reserved peppermint milk
1 pound confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, whip the butter with an electric mixer for a minute. Add the chocolate and blend well. Add the confectioners' sugar, a cup at a time, alternating with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the peppermint milk, using only enough milk to make a spreadable icing, 4 to 6 tablespoons. Discard the rest of the milk or use for another purpose.

When the cake has cooled, assemble it with the buttercream, spreading it on the tops and sides of both layers.

Cleaning House; Recipe-wise that is

Last night, I spent about two hours going through my recipe "collection". I have one of those little binder book with transparent sleeve in which you can place recipes. I never, of course, put my recipes in those sleeves. I just shoved pages ripped from magazine, little recipe booklets, and recipes given to me by friends in it until it became a large unwieldy mess. It was next to impossible to find anything in it.

So I ripped it apart. I threw away all the recipes that I have never made and that I don't think I ever will make. I got rid of those that just didn't seem that special or different.

Now I want to type all of those that are left and have them on the computer so I can find them more readily. I want to try all those that I have tried and if they don't thrill me, they are gone too.

School started today and I'm not working. I plan on moving to Florida as soon as I get a job down there so I decided not to take a contracted position here, but I never realized how I would feel when school started. I'll do day to day subbing until I make the move, but I won't get any calls for a few days I'm sure. That will keep me busy and I'll have some money coming in.

I have so many other things I could be doing, like filling out applications, packing stuff, getting rid of stuff, and just talking care of odds and ends, but right now I feel so blah that I can't do any of it so I'll just waste time with my blogging and the internet and become even more behind and overwhelmed.

Ugh.

Tilapia Veracruz

I adapted this from a Red Snapper Veracruz recipe. I cannot get red snapper here. I've also made the sauce and used it over pierogies. I've never put it over pasta, but I'm sure that would work too.

1 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen skinless red snapper or other fish fillets
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 large onion, sliced and separated into rings
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBS cooking oil
2 large tomatoes, chopped, (2 cups)
1/4 cup sliced pimento-stuffed olives
1/4 dry white wine
2 TBS capers, drained
1 or 2 fresh jalapeno or serrano peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp sugar (I've used Splenda)
1 bay leaf

Thaw fish if frozen. Cut fish into 6 serving size portions. Rinse fish: pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

For sauce, cook onion and garlic in hot oil in a large skillet till onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, olives, wine, capers, peppers, sugar and bay leaf. Bring to boiling. Add fillets to skillet; return to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 6 to 10 minutes or till fish flakes easily with fork.Use a slotted spoon to carefully transfer fish from skillet to a serving platter. Cover and keep warm.

Boil sauce in skillet for 5 to 6 minutes or till reduced to about 2 cups, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. Spoon sauce over fish and serve.

Leftover Hell

I went on a massive cooking spree this week. I made a sausage/potato chowder, chicken pot pie (homemade stock and I hand rolled the dough), and a large ass roast. My fridge is packed and I can no longer stand the sight of any of the above dishes.

I cannot cook for one. Instead, I cook enough for marauding armies. None of it will freeze well and I'll probably end up throwing a lot of it out. I am a food waster and should be flogged accordingly.

Chai (tastes like Oregon Chai)

A very on the mark knockoff recipe.

5 1 inch pieces of ginger
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
heaping tsp of cardamon
1 vanilla bean, cut into 1 inch pieces
dash of nutmeg
heaping tsp of sugar (I've used Splenda)
1/4 cup of honey
3 Darjeeling or chai teabags ( I like Bigelow)
2 cups of water
2 cups of milk

Bring water to a boil. Add teabags and all other ingredients, with the exception of the milk. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir and add milk. Bring to boil and then strain.

The Leftover Queen and the Foodie Blogroll

While searching on the internet for ways to whore my blog, I came upon The Leftover Queen web site. (Leftovers like you've never seen before) It is by far one of the most beautiful food sites I have ever come upon. I strongly suggest you check it out.

• Stunning layout.
• A wealth of food related links.
• Gorgeous food pics.
• Information on stocking your pantry and refrigerator.
• Great stuff on food safety.
• Monthly contests.
• Information on herbs.
• An active forum.

I'm in awe. And quite frankly, JEALOUS.

The Queen obviously puts much time and effort into her site.

She also has created "The Foodie Blogroll". Her description - "This Blogroll is especially designed for people who have a passion about food. If you have a blog about food, whether you cook it, or just like to talk about it, this blogroll is for you! It will be our way to create a community of Foodies!"

Please check it out on my site. (right under the devil girl) I haven't visited all of the sites yet, but from what I have seen so far - I'm impressed.

Bitch's Brew

Last evening, when I made my post about my recent beer purchases, I attempted to link to the brewery sites so that if you wanted more information on the beer, you could check it out yourself. That didn't work out so well. Why?

Blue Point Blueberry Ale
Slick, but click on a large number of links and all you'll get is an "authorization required" message. It's beer, man, not homeland security.

Buffalo Bill's Orange Blossom Cream Ale
Their site is is online but it's just a "Our website is currently in re-development" page. That's kind of ridiculous. Why didn't they leave the old site up while they were "redeveloping"?

Smuttynose Portsmouth Lager
Lots of info on the Smuttynose site, but when you go the the Portsmouth site, don't expect to find anything out on Portsmouth Lager, because it is a broken link.

Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale
Brewed by Coors. Ick. Slick, slick, slick. Too bad it's not user friendly. Extremely slow loading. Downright freakin' annoying. I had to supply my date of birth three times too. Not worth the effort.

Abita Brewery - Abita Strawberry Harvest Ale, and Abita Turbo Dog.
The easiest to navigate but nothing on the Strawberry Harvest Ale.

Ham Shank Shortage and Beer Shopping

I've been to three freakin' grocery stores today looking in vain for ham shanks. I've come to the conclusion that there is some kind of ham shank shortage (say that three times fast) in east central Pennsylvania. It's 54 degrees and and I want ham and bean soup. Dammit.

But anyway . . . I went to my favorite beer store. I got Blue Point Blueberry Ale, Buffalo Bill's Orange Blossom Cream Ale, Smuttynose Portsmouth Lager, Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, Abita Strawberry Harvest Ale, and Abita Turbo Dog. No Aegean (a recomendation from a friend) to be found and the owner wasn't there so I couldn't ask him about it. He had some Beavis and Butthead clone working the register.

Screw the bean soup. I have beer now. I'm drinking the Blue Point.

Tomorrow I'm going to review the web sites of the above beers and I'm pretty much gonna crucify all of them. Just because I have beer doesn't mean I won't be bitchy.

Jim Bartol's Irish Cream

I have not seen Mr. Bartol, my favorite meat man, lately. I guess this would qualify as a shelter recipe too since he is married to the former shelter manager. And I got it when Ginger and I both worked there.

2 tsps. instant coffee
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp of almond extract
2 TBS chocolate syrup
1 1/3 cups of Irish Whiskey (I use Tullamore Dew)
4 eggs
1 can of condensed milk
1 cup of light cream

Put all ingredients in blender. Blend. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Daiquiri Punch

Quite easy and everyone is usually impressed.

6 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened strawberries (I've never used frozen for this recipe, but if you decide to, thaw the berries AFTER measuring)
1 (6 oz) limeade frozen concentrate
3/4 cup light rum or unsweetened pineapple juice (I've used both, depending on the crowd I'm serving. And it holds up well no matter which you choose)
1 (16 oz.) bottle lemon-lime soda, chilled

Place strawberries, half to start, in a blender. Blend until smooth. Place rest of berries in blender and blend. Stir in rum and limeade concentrate. Pour into ice mold. (I use a fancy bundt cake pan.) Freeze.

When ready, place ice ring in punch bowl. Add soda.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Another white trash recipe. I've substituted Splenda for the sugar on occasion. I also use sugar-free Jell-O. It actually jells quicker.

2 cups of crushed pretzels (thin)
3/4 cup of melted butter
1/2 cup of sugar

Mix and cover bottom of 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes. Cool completely.

8 oz. of cream cheese
1 cup of sugar
8 or 9 oz container of whipped topping.

Combine cream cheese and sugar. Add whipped topping and spread on cooled pretzel layer.

6 oz of strawberry Jell-O
2 cups of boiling water
20 oz (2 1/2 cups) frozen strawberries (*fresh berries, slightly mashed and sweetened may be used)

Dissolve Jell-O with two cups of boiling water. Add berries, juice and all. Let set until it begins to jell. Gently pour over cream cheese layer and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

MRS. MISUNAS'S PICKLES

It took me over five years to get this recipe. I had to grovel for it. As soon as I got it, I gave it to everyone who asked for it. I don't understand recipe hoarding.

2 quarts of water

1 cup of vinegar (the crappy distilled white actually works the best)

1/2 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of salt

large bunch of fresh dill

at least one head of garlic, chopped

approx. 16 pickling cukes (It ain't gonna work with regular cukes)

Combine first four ingredients in pot and bring to boil.

While waiting for brine to boil, pack a pickle jar with dill on bottom, half the chopped garlic, the pickling cukes cut into spears, and top with remaining garlic.

When brine has cooled, pour into pickle jar. Refrigerate for two days and then eat!!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

I use celery and tortilla chips as dippers.

Boil three chicken breasts halves. Allow to cool and then shred.

In a bowl combine 8 oz. of cream cheese, 1 cup of bleu cheese dressing, 1 cup of hot sauce. Mix with shredded chicken. Top with 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. Microwave until cheese is bubbly.

Asian Flank Steak (Grill)

Easy grilling recipe.

¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 TBS fresh ginger
1 ¼ lb. flank steak (I've made it with London Broil too)

Whisk together first 5 ingredients. Add steak. Marinate overnight.

Drain marinade into small saucepan and bring to boil.. Reduce until sauce thickens.

Grill steak. Thinly slice across grain. Use reduced marinade as sauce.

NOTE - I buy my London Broil when it's on sale. I make the marinade when I buy my steak. I place the marinade and meat in a freezer bag and freeze. When I want to eat it, I allow it to thaw while still in the marinade. Very flavorful when I do it that way.

No Peek Beef Casserole (Crock pot)

It's a white trash cheap beef recipe, but it's goddamn good.

2 lbs of stewing beef cubes
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup (10.5 oz)
1 can of mushrooms, 4 oz size
1/2 cup of red wine

Combine in crock pot. Cook on low 8 - 12 hours, or high 5 - 6 hours.

Serve over noodles or green beans.

Chow Down Chowder

Easy and quick.

In 4 qt. Dutch oven, combine -

1 20 oz. pkg. of refrigerated shredded potatoes
1 14.5 oz. can of chicken broth
1 10 oz. pkg of frozen corn

Bring mixture to boil. Then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Using potato masher, slightly mash potatoes.

Stir in -
2 cups milk
1 lb. of cooked crumbled sausage
1 bunch of chopped scallions
Pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste.

Oven Roasted Sea Bass with Ginger and Lime Sauce

I'd make this all the time if I could get sea bass, but I can't, so I don't.

2 TBS fresh lime juice juice
1 ½ TBS soy sauce
1 TBS fresh cilantro
1 TBS fresh ginger
1 TBS shallot
5 tsps olive oil

2 6 oz sea bass fillets.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Mix first 5 ingredients and 3 tsp of oil in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Brush pie pan dish with remaining oil. Arrange fish in prepared dish, turning to coat. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Spoon ½ TBS of sauce over each fillet. Roast fish until opaque in center. Top fish with remaining sauce and serve.

Crab Imperial

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm . . . butter, half and half, and crab. How could you go wrong? You can't. It's very rich.

4 oz of butter
½ cups of finely chopped green pepper (I usually just use the entire pepper)
½ cup of finely chopped red pepper (I usually just use the entire pepper)
1 cup finely chopped onion
4 tbs of flour
3 cups half and half
1 tsp salt
½ cup of finely chopped parsley
½ tsp of cayenne pepper
1 lb of crabmeat

In large skillet, melt butter. Sauté onions, and peppers for about 2 mins. Add flour then half and half. Blend with whisk until smooth. Cook slowly until sauce become medium thick, about 8 - 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove sauce from heat and add all remaining ingredients except crab and paprika. Fold in crab gently and fill a lightly greased 2 qt casserole with mixture. Dust with paprika. Bake 15 to 2o minutes.

Spicy Baked Shrimp

I love this dish. I like it very hot and served over Forbidden Rice.

½ cup of olive oil
2 tbs. of Cajun seasoning (I make my own. Recipe follows this one)
2 tbs of fresh lemon juice
1 tbs of honey
1 tbs of soy sauce
Pinch of cayenne

1 lb of shrimp, shelled, deveined

Combine first 6 ingredients. Place prepared shrimp in glass baking dish. Pour sauce over shrimp. Marinate at room temp for an hour stirring occasionally.




Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Bake until shrimp are cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Serve over specialty rice or brown rice.

Cajun Spice Blend

I use this mix in Spicy Baked Shrimp and if I want to blacken anything. Better than store bought blends.

2 tbs cayenne
2 tbs paprika
2 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs oregano
1 tbs thyme
1 tbs onion powder or onion flakes
1 tbs salt
½ tsp white pepper
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Basic White Sauce (microwave)

Quite easy. I use this when I make scalloped potatoes.

3 - 4 tbs unsalted butter
3 - 4 tbs flour
1 cup of milk

Microwave butter on high for 30 seconds in 2 cup measuring cup. Blend in flour. Slowly add milk, blending well. Microwave on high for 1 min. Stir. If not thick enough, microwave on high for 30 more seconds.

Peanut Sauce

I love this sauce. It's the best recipe for peanut sauce that I've found. And with the changes I made it's even better. I use it on grilled chicken, shrimp, and pasta.

¼ cup of peanut butter
¼ cup of soy sauce
¼ cup of sugar
3 cloves of garlic
optional - fresh ginger, chopped same size as garlic
2 TBS of sesame oil
1 TBS of water

Mix peanut butter and 2 TBS of soy sauce in saucepan. Blend in remaining soy sauce, sugar, garlic, oil, and water. . Heat to dissolve sugar. Cook at low heat until sauce thickens.

Broccoli Salad

I just made this and took it to a Tyndal family celebration. Travels well.

I got this recipe when I worked at the domestic violence shelter. It's easy and everyone always wants the recipe. Thanks, Deb!

Head of broccoli, in bite size pieces
4 - 5 slices of cooked bacon
1 small onion, chopped
1 (8 oz.) pkg of mozzarella cheese

1 cup mayo
½ cup sugar
2 TBS vinegar

Mix these ingredients together to form a sauce. Pour over broccoli, onion, and bacon.

Fresh Corn Salad with Vidalia Onion

Another shelter recipe. We really liked to eat there. This one was brought in by the boss. she served it over cold spaghetti, but I like it on it's own.

Kernels from 6 ears fresh corn
1 large Vidalia onion
2 medium zucchini
1 bunch of scallions
1 sweet red pepper
1 green pepper
½ cup fresh chopped parsley
2 tsps mustard seed

DRESSING
1 clove of garlic
2 tsps of Dijon mustard
2 tsps sugar
1 tsp hot sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup of oil or vegetable oil

Cook corn in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and cool. Slice off kernels. Toss them with other vegetables and herbs. Set aside. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and add to corn mixture.