Salame Roll-Ups

It's Christmas party season, and we have been invited to several of them. Lately there has been an overabundant appearance of variations of bean dips on the buffet table. I have a bean dip recipe I use as a go-to for parties. Walking in with my bean dip seeing 6 of them already there made me realize I needed to change gears. I have an easy go-to appetizer using salame and cream cheese to bring and share and it is always a hit. Most of the time I solicit the help of one of the kids to do it for me.

Salame/Cream Cheese Roll-Ups:
Good quality salame (about 3/4 pound or so)
1-2 eight oz. packages of cream cheese softened to room temperature
about 3 pickles sliced match stick style.

Smear a thin layer of cream cheese on salame, place a pickle match stick on it, and roll up. That's as complicated as it gets, folks.

I know posting this so close to Christmas seems useless, but think of the next wave of parties you could bring this to like New Year's parties, and also Super Bowl parties.

Thanksgiving Turkey

Yummmmm..... Turkey cooked just right is delicious! However, I know many of you have been turned off by dry, chalky, over-cooked turkey. I know because it happened to our family this year. My sister-in-law hosted Thanksgiving, and the turkey was dry despite the fact that she went out and bought the most expensive turkey she could find. The rest of the extended family knows I'm a fairly decent cook, and I was given the "please cook us turkey tomorrow so we can have a good meal" look at the dinner table.

So, I obliged them...

Over the years I have tried and tested several methods. This one has yet to fail me:

ROAST TURKEY
In the bottom of a deep roasting pan place:
2 quartered onions
about 3 celery stalks cut into 2" pieces
a couple of carrots cut into 2" pieces
2 bay leaves
about 1 and 1/2 cup of dry white wine

Rinse your turkey and remove giblets and other assorted body organs. Remove the plastic thing near the butt. Pat turkey dry inside and out with paper towels.

Rub the turkey with a mixture of:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons sage
1 teaspoon thyme

Loosely place a quartered onion and a cut up celery stalk inside the turkey cavity. Place turkey UPSIDE DOWN (breast side down) in the roaster and loosely crimp foil to cover. Bake at 325* for about 4-5 hours (depending on turkey size).

During the last hour or so of baking, carefully flip turkey over breast-side up and baste. Continue baking uncovered until done. This will brown the breast and get the skin crisp.

Do not put stuffing inside the turkey during the baking process. It absorbs all of the moisture and leaves your turkey dry and baking is uneven. You will have a burned outside and raw inside. I always bake my stuffing in a separate baking pan basted with the juices from the roasting turkey to give the stuffing a nice brown crunch on the top and flavor.

Red, Red Wine

Yes, this is a cooking blog, but wine and food go hand in hand. Living in the wine country of California naturally exposes me to just about every wine known to mankind.

No, I'm not one of those obnoxious, pretentious wine snobs. They should all be lined up, shot and killed. Don't let anybody intimidate you about wine. All of their phrases and words are uppity, self-important bs. Here's my philosophy: If the wine tastes good to you, drink it. I don't care if it's Two-Buck-Chuck. If you LIKE it, then DRINK it.

Don't be afraid to ask for recommendations for the budget conscious. There are LOTS of delicious wines that won't put you into the poor house. Your real friends won't care how much (or how little) you've spent for a bottle of wine -- as long as it tastes ok. Finding an inexpensive red wine is like getting lucky on a treasure hunt. AND, I have been served plenty of so-called "expensive" reds that I wanted to spit out.

Canning Tomatoes

Our garden is producing an overabundance of tomatoes. I can't let them rot. I decided to give canning a try. I have always been intimidated by the canning process, but gave it a go. Here's how I did it:

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for about 30 seconds;
With a slotted spoon, scoop them out and shock them with a quick dip in ice water;
Skins should easily slip off -- remove core.

Get a large kettle full of boiling water;
Place clean canning jars + lids + rings into boiling water and boil for about 5 min;

Using care, remove jars one at a time and fill with skinned, cored tomatoes until about 1/2 inch away from the top. I put in a little fresh lemon juice and salt as well. I also put in a couple of fresh basil leaves. Place lid on; and twist ring on loosely.

Put filled jars back into large kettle of water making sure that water does NOT cover tops of jars (you may have to remove some water). You don't want your jars totally immersed in the water. Water should come up leaving jars sticking out about an inch or so. Cover large kettle and gently boil for about 50 - 60 minutes.

Again, using care, remove jars from kettle and place on counter top to cool. You may want to use a towel underneath to absorb the water. The "popping" sound is music to the ears, as that means the jars have sealed properly. It may take a full 12 hours for all the jars to "pop" so be patient. If the jar does not seal properly, use immediately. You can tell a jar is properly sealed if when pressing on the lid it does not have any "give." The lid should be inverted enough not to allow any air movement from underneath. Just think of a baby food jar. If the baby food jar top "clicks" you know it's not sealed when the lid is pressed; whereas, sealed (unopened) baby food jar will not 'click' when the lid is pressed.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

We eat a lot of pasta at this house. When I run short of time (which is a lot) I will simply boil some pasta and dump some tomato pasta sauce on top. A variation of this is to add about 3/4 cup of cream to the sauce and warm in a saucepan. It makes for a richer, creamer meal that will stick to the ribs for a little longer. The flavor and texture are nice.

Corn on the Cob

Another summertime staple around here is corn on the cob. My hubby grows it in our back yard. It's also readily available at the supermarkets this time of year. However, there is no taste comparison for fresh. Everybody loves it, it's easy to prepare, and it goes with just about any summer meal/BBQ you could imagine.

Last year, when our English friends were visiting, I was preparing corn on the cob in the kitchen. The cobs were quite large, so I simply snapped them in half. CG looked at me in an astonished manner as she tried to half corn on the cob with a knife. It's like sawing a tough log! It was one of those slap-your-hand-on-your-forehead-why-didn't-I-think-of-that-before kind of moments.
The point is that I think of CG every time I snap a corn cob in half.

Here's how I prepare my corn on the cob:

Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Add a few pinches of salt and about 1/3 cup of milk.
Add corn cobs and gently boil for about 10 minutes.

That's it.
Simple is good.

Fresh Fruit Dessert

Whoa!!! We are on berry overload here. For last night's party I brought a huge caprese salad (which disappeared quickly) from tomatoes and basil from our garden. We were invited to another party tonight. For tonight's party, I'll take advantage of all the fresh berries that are everywhere.

A couple of years ago I purchased a trifle bowl. Why? Impulse purchase, I guess. Anyway, I thought the layers of cake, berries, and whipped cream looked so pretty in the trifle bowl... If you don't have a trifle bowl, use any glass pan/dish you have. The point is to have the layers visible.

FRESH FRUIT DESSERT

Make a pound cake from scratch. The recipe I use is off of the Food Network and is called "Southwest Georgia Pound Cake" courtesy of Paula Deen at www.foodnetwork.com. However, the internet is chock-full of pound cake variations. You can purchase pre-made pound cake at the supermarket if you're desperate for time, but it just doesn't have the same taste and freshness.

Purchase (or pick depending on where you live and time of year) a variation of berries. Today I have fresh blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. If berries are out of season, you can cheat by purchasing a bag of frozen berries.

Whip up some fresh whipped cream. Get the little carton in the dairy section and make it yourself. The flavor does not compare to pre-made. You will need an electric mixer to whip it up. Tip: Use a chilled glass bowl when whipping cream. I like to add a few drops of vanilla and about a teaspoon of sugar to my whipped cream when it's just about done whipping.

After the pound cake has cooled, cut up into portions that will cover the bottom of your trifle bowl or serving dish. Place some berries on top (slice the strawberries as they are just too chunky). Cover with a generous layer of whipped cream. Repeat layers. Garnish with a few berries and a couple sprigs of fresh mint if you happen to have it.

Cover and keep your dessert in the frige until ready to serve. For presentation, do not create the layers too soon before your event. Sometimes the berry colors will bleed and run -- especially if you're using frozen berries. It doesn't effect the taste, just the presentation. OR another serving variation is to just make individual servings on a plate. Solicit a couple of volunteers to help cut the cake, sprinkle some berries on, and top with the whipped cream and serve.

I like to make this dessert as it has a wide range of appeal. Small kids to adults love it. I always take it as a compliment when my food disappears:) It usually does. I love to make people happy with food.

Wow.... I took several paragraphs to say "pound cake, fresh berries and whipped cream." Sorry for the rambling post.... I guess you could say that I'm into cooking.

Friday BBQ

Tomorrow night we've been invited for a bbq dinner party:) I need to get in touch with the hostess, as I offered to bring something. The hostess has visions of me and another lady arriving early to prep food and drink wine. That's my kind of evening. The hostess knows that I love to cook and I don't view her solicitation of helping in the kitchen as commissioning slave labor. In fact, prepping the food, sipping wine, and talking in the kitchen is the best part of the evening.

What to bring, what to bring.... I think I'll bring sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil (caprese salad -- i know it's spelled incorrectly).

Small Bites: Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Sandwich

The other day I had a marvelous sandwich at a local deli that was made of fresh mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, and fresh tomatoes. Then it occurred to me, "DUH... I have all of these ingredients at home!"

I never claimed that I was the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Instead of making the same-old tired grilled cheese sandwich, give this a try. It's filling, but not heavy. Here's how I did it:

I took some sliced french bread and placed some sliced tomato, sliced fresh mozzarella, and a couple of fresh basil leaves on it. I brushed each side of the sandwich with some olive oil. I then placed it into a preheated skillet and used a brick wrapped with tin foil to gently 'press' it down acting like a weight while it cooked (I don't own a paninni press and I don't want to -- too much kitchen clutter). Remove brick after a couple of minutes and flip sandwich over and place brick back on. Voila! Yummy sandwich:)

If you don't have a brick lying about to act as a weight, use any non-flammable weighted object like a ceramic bowl or whatever you can find that won't catch the house on fire.

Serve with: green garden salad, tomato soup

French Toast

Yup, we're desperate for dinner tonight. All I have on hand is some french bread, milk, and eggs. Groceries won't arrive until tomorrow night. Making french toast seems like a viable option.

4 eggs slightly beaten
about 1/3 cup of milk
a few drops vanilla
a couple pinches of cinnamon
a pinch of salt
sliced bread of any kind (great way to use up day old bread)

Mix together all ingredients (except bread) in a bowl. Preheat skillet to medium/medium high heat.

Quickly dip the bread on both sides to coat and immediately place on preheated skillet. Cook on the one side until golden brown and flip over to cook the other side.

Put whatever you like on top whether it be butter and syrup, powdered sugar, jelly, etc.

Cheat, Cheat, Cheat....

I highly recommend to those who don't really like cooking to use the internet for menu planning and shopping. There are dozens of sites nowadays that make it really effortless to plan and cook.

I believe that 85% of our cooking dilemma is deciding on what to make for dinner. Once the decision is made, everything magically falls into place. Even if you don't want to cook, plan for not cooking on a particular night. Plan on stopping by the take-and-bake pizza place if you know you're going to have a full day. Nobody ever said you had to be Martha Stewart offering gourmet meals on a daily basis... Getting into the habit of planning is what you're trying to accomplish. Allow for cheating with take-out if that is what it takes.

Easy Entertaining

Inviting guests over doesn't have to lead to a major anxiety attack on your part. With the price of everything going through the roof, socializing is becoming more personal with entertaining at home as meeting at a restaurant has just become too darned expensive.

Fear not. You *can* have people over and have a good time. No, I'm not Martha Stewart. I don't pretend I am. Here's how I figured out (through much trial and error I might add) to put together an evening.

Plan your menu. If one of the guests offers to bring something, by all means, take them up on it. Shop and cook the day before the party. Granted, not all things can be pre-made, but prep as much as possible the day before. Hamburger patties can be made the day before. Most cutting and slicing of vegetables, cheese, and whatnot can be done the day before. The idea is to be able to reach for whatever and have it all ready to go.

The day of the party finish prepping any food that couldn't be prepped the night before in the morning. Get out whatever eating utensils, napkins, cups, serving bowls, etc., your going to need. THEN clean up your kitchen. The idea is to only clean up your kitchen once. I can't tell you how many times I cleaned the kitchen and then prepped my food. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. Something always gets dropped or spilled during the prepping process, and I end up doing everything over again. What a waste of time and energy.

Clean only the rooms that your guests will see. Don't worry about bedrooms and such. That is last on your priority list. Having guests does not mean your house is on display. Don't feel obligated to give guests a "tour." Simply close the door. No explanation is necessary. If you're prodded for a tour, state that your not ready to show yet and that it will be something to look forward to on a subsequent visit, then immediately change the subject.

Clearing dishes is fodder for ettiquite debate. There are those who believe doing household chores of any kind while guests are present is strictly forbidden. I suppose they're right, but who wants to be cleaning the kitchen late into the evening after everybody leaves? Here's how I sneak around that little rule...

Always, ALWAYS make sure your dishwasher (or sink) is empty and ready for dirty dishes *before* you serve your meal. Know where your tupperware (or storage bowls) for leftovers are, and have them poised and ready. After the meal, I have my husband show our guests his garden. This is where I spring into action. I quickly collect the plates and eating utensils, and place them into the dishwasher. It's done before anybody even realizes what's happening. Every so often I get a clever wife who's hip to my trick -- and she will offer to assist me. I always initially decline the help, but if she's persistent I will assign her a kitchen task. We usually end up talking in the kitchen and cleaning it up isn't such a chore.

After dinner we will have a game of cards or whatever. Sometimes we just talk. I like to have background music going as well. Pick music that is fun, but not overpowering. Last night all of us (including the kids and adults) had some fun bombing each other with water balloons.

Most importantly, don't fret if your house isn't perfect. Who's is? I used to go into a tizzy fit thinking that everything had to be *perfect* in order to have anybody over. It was never perfect, and nobody cared that it wasn't.

What was my menu last night? It was:

Marinated tri-tip (marinated the day before or longer)
hamburgers (patties made the day before and condiments prepped)
hot dogs
potato salad (made the day before)
baked beans (prepped the day before but baked the day of)
Orzo pasta salad (brought by one of the guests)
watermelon (cut-up the morning of)
grapes
potato chips
dip (prepped the day before)
brie cheese and crackers
Chocolate kahlua cake (brought by one of the guests)

The Internet is Your Friend

Sometimes I do "reverse" meal planning. What I mean by "reverse" is that the normal way is that usually people plan their meals, make their shopping list, and then get their groceries.

We all know that life happens, and our best meal planning intentions get waylaid. When that happens, go to "reverse" meal planning.

I *always* recommend keeping staples on hand like bread, milk, eggs, potatoes, etc. even if you don't have an immediate idea for how you'll use them. For "reverse" meal planning, scan your pantry for stuff you have on hand, and then use the internet to find a recipe so you can use what you already HAVE instead of making another trip to the grocery store.

For instance: Tonight I had on hand fresh zucchini, eggs, breadcrumbs. Doesn't sound like meal material. However, I Googled "baked breaded zucchini" and immediately an easy-to-follow recipe popped up that is promising to be satisfying and healthy.

My point is to use the internet as a tool in your everyday cooking. We have a computer and work desk in our kitchen area, and it's the best thing we've ever done. Even if you don't have a computer in your kitchen, using the internet for 'reverse' cooking is a lifesaver when going out to the grocery store just isn't going to happen.

Pasta with Sauce

OK.. so even cooks don't like to put a lot of thought into cooking sometimes. Here's yet another easy-on-the-cook and easy-on-the-budget meal that will fill up the family with minimal complaints. Most of the ingredients I just grabbed from my on-demand grocery story (hubby's garden).

Pasta with Tomato Sauce

1 cut up medium onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup shredded zucchini
20 oz. whole, canned tomatoes (with juice)
1/2 cup dry, red wine
Italian Seasoning
salt & pepper to taste

preheat large frying pan with some olive oil;

chop onion and saute for about 5-7 minutes or so

add garlic and zucchini and saute for another 2 minutes

add tomatoes with juice. Squish tomatoes with your hand to break down.

add remaining ingredients and let simmer for an hour or so.

Boil pasta according to directions. Drain pasta and serve with tomato sauce on top. Goes great with a green salad and cheesy bread.

Too Hot to Eat

Ever feel like ditching cooking when it's 100* plus outside? I certainly do. Salads are a main course in this household in the summertime. With all of the fresh veggies from the garden, why not? It's light but filling, and doesn't heat up the kitchen.

A lot of times I'll cook a couple of whole chickens on Sunday, and take the left overs for salads and sandwiches for the next few days. Why heat up the house and "cook" every night?

My husband tends to a vegetable garden and I'm fortunate to have fresh spinach, butter lettuce, and other types of greens in addition to green peppers, green onions, tomatoes, and zuchinni.

I will simply go out to the garden and bring in a bunch of veggies and wash them. I will toss them into a large salad bowl and top with any leftover meat, crumbled bacon, or whatever else I have on hand. If I have croutons, I will also toss those in as well. Done.

On the Road Again

Yup, it's traveling softball season again here in beautiful Northern California. We're playing in Davis/Dixon tomorrow, which is about 30 or so minutes west of Sacramento. What does this have to do with cooking? Well, not so much with cooking per se, but with planning on what to have when the team walks off the field, collapses onto the ground in the shade and asks, "What's to eat..... I'm STARVING!"

I went to the local grocery store and bought a few things. For the cooler tomorrow I have ready:

a vegetable platter with carrots, broccoli, jicama, red pepper, and celery complete with a ranch dip;

a stock of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches already made with the crusts cut off for fussy girls;)

cut up watermelon and bananas for a fruit snack along with a bunch of grapes;

plenty of water and other drinks to rehydrate the girls;

AND the insta-shade is packed along with a couple of blankets so the girls can relax in between games in the SHADE to keep cool (always a problem in the valley).

The point is a little anticipation and planning can make the difference between softball games and complete unorganized chaos when in an unfamiliar town and nary a grocery store or snack shack within miles. When a team of 13 girls looking to you as the 'team mom' for snacks and refreshments, at least with a little planning you'll have *something* in the cooler to tide them over.

Frantic Fajitas

It was a late one tonight. We didn't get home until about 9:00 PM. Of course, everybody was hungry. What to toss together quickly? hmmmmmmmm After a quick review of what I had on hand, the answer was frantic fajitas. I had some leftover tri tip steak in the frige, and I had some flour tortillas as well.

FRANTIC FAJITAS
Cut up leftover trip tip steak into strips (or use chicken or pork if that's what you have)
1 bag (appx 12-16 oz)of frozen bell pepper strips
1/2 large onion sliced
taco seasoning mix
canola oil
flour tortillias
shredded cheese
sour cream

Heat about 2 tablespoons oil on medium high heat into large fry pan. Add frozen bell pepper strips. Stir fry until unfrozen. Add onion and appx 1/2 packet of taco seasoning mix. Stir fry until vegetables just begin to caramelize. Add meat and mix together. Turn off heat.

Take your flour tortilla and nuke for a few seconds until warm. Add fajita mixture and top with shredded cheese and sour cream. Wrap up and enjoy!

Try to keep your pantry and freezer supplied with essentials. I try to keep frozen vegetables on hand. You won't believe how handy they are. I also try to keep my spice rack filled with my "must haves." The point is that by having some items on hand in the freezer and pantry, tossing together meals is a lot easier. Remember, practice makes perfect.

Pancakes and Potato Salad

OK...being I'm from the Midwest (Minnesota) I have some quirky food habits. I'll admit to putting ketchup on EVERYTHING. Here's something else for you to try. Try putting potato salad on your pancakes for breakfast. Sounds weird, but try it.

Sticky Honey Chicken Wings

Yes, we do a lot of BBQ's here in California. It's how we socialize. We love pleasant afternoons and evenings to sit around, eat, drink, etc. The kids will get a backyard game of something going, and sometimes we adults will join in as well. We were invited to a BBQ this afternoon, and I always ask what I should bring... hmmmmmmm....

These chicken wings are ALWAYS a hit. I have yet to bring home any leftovers. I got this recipe off the Food Network.

TYLER FLORENCE STICKY HONEY WINGS

2 pounds chicken wings
1 cup low sodium soy sauce,
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (substitute w/ flat-leafed parsley if you don't like cilantro)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup honey
Sesame seeds, for garnish

Rinse chicken wings and pat dry. Remove tip and discard; separate each wing at the joint into 2 pieces. Place wings in a shallow dish and pour over the soy sauce, ginger, cilantro, garlic, and lemon juice. Toss well to coat; marinate, refrigerated, for 2 hours.

Remove wings from marinade and pat dry; season with salt and pepper. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter in the olive oil. When the butter stops foaming, add the honey and chicken wings and fry until browned on each side, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking the wings, turning them over often to coat them as the glaze reduces. Cook until the wings are sticky and cooked through. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.

Killer Spinach Salad

Tomorrow night we are invited to a BBQ party/ classic car show. I'm very excited as I will get to see some old friends I have not seen in a while, and get an opportunity to make some new ones. The weather here in Sonoma County, California has been HOT. I want to bring something to the BBQ that isn't too heavy, so I thought I would bring spinach salad

Spinach Salad

1 pound bag (appx) fresh spinach
6 slices of crisply cooked bacon
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 can sliced water chestnuts

Dressing:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 tarragon vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons Worchestire sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup

Mix dressing together, shake vigorously, and set aside

Place spinach in large bowl. Top with remaining ingredients. About 5 minutes prior to serving, pour about 2/3 of the dressing over and gently toss. Spinach will shrink down so be careful not to overdress. You can always add more dressing, but can't take it out

Taco Friday

Again, it was taco Friday in our household. As usual, several "extras" appeared from the neighborhood and extended family to partake in the chaos and festivities.

Tonight's tacos consisted of:

browned, seasoned ground beef
shredded cheese
sour cream
quacamole
sliced, black olives
salsa
lettuce
diced tomatoes
diced onions

I fried up 48 corn tortillias in hot oil on the stove. Here's how I do it. I heat about 1 inch of canola oil in a small frying pan. When the oil is hot, I add one corn tortillia. I let it fry flat in the hot oil for about 10 seconds, and then, using two forks, flip it over and double back literally folding it in half creating that familiar 'taco shell' U shape. I let it fry for about 15 seconds, and then flip it over and fry for an additional ten seconds or so. I then remove it from the hot oil and place on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the grease.

Yes, you could buy pre-made taco shells at the store, but I think they're terrible and they crumble into messy bits when you bit into them.

To serve with tonight's tacos, I made a side dish of Mexican rice. I also made a side dish of refried beans with a sprinkle of cheese on top. The beans disappeared quickly, and I made another batch of them for my hungry guests.

When it's dinner time, I set out all of the taco ingredients out to create a "build-your-own-taco-bar." I find when people select their own ingredients to put in their tacos, it's always a hit as they can add or delete ingredients according to their own taste buds.

I didn't have any left overs. I ALWAYS take that as a compliment.

UA's Bavarian Potato Salad

One of my e-pals came to visit me from Bavaria (Germany) about a year and 1/2 ago. UA is an outstanding cook. UA made some potato salad while she was out here, and it was the best I ever tasted. UA showed me how to make it, and again, there is no set recipe. I can give approximations, and according to your taste buds, adjust the recipe accordingly.

UA's Potato Salad

About 8 large potatoes
1/2 large apple, finely diced
1 stalk celery (including leaves), finely diced
1 large pickle, finely diced
1/2 large onion, finely diced
3 green onions, finely sliced
2 chicken bullion cubes
mayonnaise
pickle juice
salt
black pepper

Bring potatoes (skins on & whole) to boil in large pot. Gently boil until fork tender (about 20 minutes or so -- you don't want them boiled into mush).

Remove potatoes from water and allow them to cool.

While potatoes are cooling, dice apple, pickle, celery, onions, and green onions.

In a 2 cup salad dressing shaker, dissolve the two chicken bullion cubes in about 4 tablespoons of hot water. If you don't have a salad dressing shaker, you can use a canning jar with a lid, or anything that will hold 2 cups of liquid you can shake vigorously with a tight lid.

After the bullion dissolves, add about 1/2 cup pickle juice and 1 1/4 cups of mayonnaise. Shake vigorously. Mixture will be thin.

Peel cooled potatoes and cut into bite size chunks. Add remaining dry ingredients. Pour about 1/2 of the mayonnaise mixture over the top and gently toss. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

At serving time, remove cover and toss with more of the mayonnaise mixture if needed. You don't want it to dry or too runny.

Easy Honey Mustard Chicken

I'm on a chicken kick... It's not like we don't eat beef, we do. I think I like chicken so much because it's so versatile. Another reason is we tend to eat more poultry than beef is that it's somewhat lighter. Here's another easy recipe for stuff you already have on hand:

Honey Mustard Chicken

4-6 chicken breast halves, skinned
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 teaspoon curry powder

Place chicken in buttered 9x13 inch baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients and spoon over chicken. Bake at 350* for 60 minutes, basting frequently with the sauce. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Serve with: cooked rice and asparagus spears (or broccoli).

Mustard Baked Chicken

Mustard Baked Chicken

This is from my all-time favorite cookbook. Everything in it is six ingredients or less.

1 chicken, cut up
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
Seasoning Salt

Coat chicken pieces with flour. Combine melted butter and dry mustard in shallow, flat bowl. Dip chicken in mixture to coat. Place chicken, skin side up, in greased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Bake at 400* for 50-60 minutes, basting frequently with the drippings.

Serve with baked potatoes baked right along side the chicken for super easy cooking. Also serve with a side of your favorite vegetable for a balanced meal. Presto! Meal complete.

Food 911

Truly desperate for a fast, easy dinner? Try making BLT's (bacon, lettuce & tomato) or grilled cheese sandwiches served with tomato soup.

Summer is in the Air

What a beautiful day it was today here in Sonoma County, California. The temperature was in the low 80's and no fog or wind to spoil our evening outdoors. Perfect.

Who wants to cook in the kitchen when the warm spring weather is beckoning us outside? Not me. Fortunately, my sister-in-law taught me a complete meal BBQ trick. I employ this trick ad nauseum during the summer months.

If you live in a place with 1/2 way decent weather, I recommend getting an outdoor gas grill. Gas grills heat faster than regular coal ones. They are also easy to maintain. We have one, and we use it almost nightly during the summer. We are even known to use it in the winter when it's down pouring rain. My brother, who lives in northern Minnesota, will even use his grill when it's -40* in blizzard white-out conditions. My point is, there is no excuse...

Anyway..... my simple meal trick is this:

Take some chicken pieces or tri-tip steaks and marinate them in your favorite marinade in the fridge overnight. We use Greta's marinade, which is available at Costco. Again, don't knock yourself out trying to find Greta's, you can use some Italian salad dressing or whatever oil and spices you have on hand that sounds like an appetizing marinade to you.

ALWAYS BRING YOUR MEAT TO ROOM TEMPERATURE BEFORE COOKING OR GRILLING. You won't believe how that little trick will make the meat so much better.

Pre-heat your grill.

Take a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray. Place some cut up onions chunks on the bottom of the foil, followed by cut up quartered potatoes and carrots. Drizzle some olive oil on top along with sprinkling on your favorite seasonings. Wrap up foil around vegetables and seal shut.

Place foil package of vegetables on the center of the pre-heated grill for 10 minutes.

After ten minutes, move the foil vegetable packet to the higher rack. If your grill does not have an upper rack, simply place the vegetable foil packet to the side of the grill to continue cooking.

Grill your meat as usual.

By the time your meat is done grilling, your vegetable foil packet should be ready to eat with tender veggies.

You will have your meat, potato, and vegetable with absolutely NO cleanup. YEAH!!!!!!!!

Popcorn

My older sister, Holly, makes the best popcorn in the world. She has done so since age 10. She is now 47 and has had it down perfectly for decades. I will be forever in her shadows trying to perfect her popcorn methodology.

For home made popcorn, I recommend a cranker. A cranker is a popcorn maker from Indiana with a manual 'crank' that stirs the bottom of the popcorn maker like the ones you see at the movies. The ones at the movies are automatic and large for commercial use , but the 'cranker' is manual and is for home use.

Place about 2 tablespoons of canola oil in bottom of 'cranker' over medium high heat.
Add about 2/3 cup of yellow popcorn

"Crank" slowly until pops have slowed (about 1-2 per second)

Dump popcorn into large bowl

Melt about 4 Tablespoons butter over medium heat in saucepan until *almost* burned. Drizzle melted butter over popcorn. Shake. Add Mille Lacs popcorn salt (popcorn salt is powdered salt that is especially fine) or just use regular salt if popcorn salt is not available in your area.

Enjoy! It's especially good on a Friday night with a movie snuggled up on the couch with your favorite somebody;)

Chicken McNuggets

Every once in a while I get the craving for chicken McNuggets. You know, those nasty deep-fried pieces of mystery chicken parts you get at McDonald's? It must satisfy some primal craving, as anybody who analyzes the ingredients of McNuggets should get instantly turned off by them. I especially crave them after being ill (don't ask me why) as I have been ill for the past week or so. Instead of caving in to the call of the golden arches, I've come up with an alternative to satisfy the fast-food urge without as much grease, salt and fat.

Home Fried Chicken McNuggets

1.5 pounds of chicken tenders
about 1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
about 1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese
about 1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper
Pappy's seasoning
Cooking spray
2 eggs lightly beaten in a separate bowl for dipping

Preheat oven to 450* and line a cookie sheet with foil . Spray lightly with cooking spray.

Mix together in a gallon size zip lock bag the bread crumbs, parmesean cheese, salt, and pepper.
Take the chicken tenders and cut into bite sized pieces.

Dip chicken pieces in egg and place into zip lock bag with crumbs (a few at a time) and coat. Place coated chicken pieces on lined cookie sheet.

Sprinkle Pappy's Seasoning (available at Costco -- or use your favorite seasoning mix you have on hand. Don't feel compelled to buy something for this) on the chicken pieces. Lightly spray nuggets with cooking spray and put into oven for about 5-6 minutes. Remove from oven and turn pieces over. Return to oven for about another 5-6 minutes.

The nuggets bake rather quickly, depending on your version of 'bite sized.'

I'll often make 'oven fries' to accompany the McNuggets to complete the fast-food craving. Oven fries are just cut up potatoes drizzled in olive oil and baked instead of fried.

Vegetarian Chili

This is a slow cooker recipe I got off the internet. It has a lot of flavor, but not too much heat. My entire family eats this -- including my fussy daughter.

16 oz. tomato sauce
32 oz. kidney beans, drained
16 oz. canned corn
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 green pepper, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt

In slow cooker combine all ingredients and stir. Cover and cook on high 3-4 hours or on low 6-8 hours. Great leftovers! 6-8 servings.

Serve with cornbread.

Lemon Mushroom Chicken

This is a recipe my husband goes nuts for. It's a little more time consuming than I like for a weekday meal, so I tend to reserve it for the weekends. Double the recipe and freeze into family sized portions for meal(s) later on.

6 chicken breasts, pounded into 1/4 inch thickness;
9 tablespoons flour;
3 teaspoons butter;
3 teaspoons olive oil;
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced;
3 cloves garlic, minced;
1 1/2 cups chicken broth;
6 tablespoons lemon juice;
6 tablespoons dry white wine (like a chardonnay);
3 teaspoons parsley
1/2 teaspoon white pepper*
*White pepper is generally what Europeans refer to as regular pepper. Americans tend to refer to black pepper as just pepper.

Place the chicken pieces, one at a time, between two sheets of plastic wrap. Pound.

Melt butter and olive oil in 10 inch skillet.

Dredge the pounded chicken in flour and cook in skillet over medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side (turning only once) transfer cooked chicken to a plate;

In same skillet, combine mushrooms and garlic and saute over medium-high heat until mushrooms are softened (about 3 minutes).

Sprinkle the left over flour from dredging over mushrooms and garlic and stir quickly to combine.

Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and flavors blended (about 5 minutes);

Return chicken to skillet and cook until heated through (about 5 minutes).

To freeze: Cool. Place in labeled freezer bag. Pour mushroom sauce over chicken. Seal and freeze.

To serve from frozen state: Thaw. Place chicken and mushroom sauce into skillet over medium heat until heated through.

Serve with: Mashed potatoes and peas

Get the Family Involved

I've just returned from being out of state for 4 days. In a perfect world, the house would have been spotless, and all of the groceries would have been purchased, sorted, and put away. I can hear laughter from around the world.

Today I'm very tired and jet-lagged. My 19 year-old offered to cook dinner tonight. I'm glad, because dinner just wasn't going to happen. It would have been scrounging the freezer for miscellaneous items, and shaking the bread crumbs out of the toaster for tonight's meal.

My point is, the kids learn just from watching you cook over the years, even if they're not actively involved in the cooking process nightly. They will learn how to toss some ingredients together for a meal. My 19 year-old is making Japanese food tonight. Where his passion for the Japanese culture came from is a mystery to both my husband and I. We've given our 19 year-old the nickname "The Caucasian Asian."

After a good night's rest, I'll be able to regroup and get the grocery list and menus for the week plotted. The best thing yet is that we escaped the dreaded drive-thru with their meals of salt and fat.

Egg Salad

What would the week after Easter be without egg salad sandwiches? I will make egg salad sandwiches throughout the year because we like them in our house. Again, I wish I could pinpoint an exact unit of measurement when posting recipes, because over the years I've pretty much ditched any formal measuring. When it comes to cooking and adding flavorings, there really is no wrong answer. It all comes down to what your individual palates like. I can only give a general guideline.

Egg Salad:
6-8 hard boiled eggs chopped
about 3/4 cup mayonaise
about 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
about 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
about 1/2 teaspoon tarragon
about 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
about 2 tablespoons finely chopped pickle
about 2 tablespoons pickle juice
a little squirt of mustard (about a 1/2 teaspoon)
a little dash of Worscheschtire sauce (someday I hope to learn how to spell it correctly)
salt and pepper to taste

The consistency shouldn't be too goupie, nor too runny. If it's too runny, add another couple of eggs. If it's too goupie, add more mayo and pickle juice.

Mix it all together the night before and let the flavors meld overnight.

When ready to use, bring out some sourdough sandwich rolls and slice in half. Scoop out some of the middle excess bread to create a nice nest the egg salad (no pun intended) can sit in. Drizzle a little olive oil on the sourdough and toast in your toaster oven.

When done toasting, spread on the egg salad and top with freshly sliced tomato (if you like tomato) and lettuce. LUNCH!!!!!! YUMMMMMM

Happy Easter

It seems a bit strange to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and Easter all within the same week. I don't remember Easter falling so early.

The Easter Bunny has arrived at our home complete with loads of brightly colored eggs. At the moment, I'm cooking omelettes for the family along with some pork sausages for breakfast. For Easter dinner I'm going to cook a ham, asparagus, potato salad, and buns. It's nothing exotic by any means. It's rather simple and traditional.

Quite frankly, it's too beautiful outside to stay inside the house cooking. I'm going to go out and enjoy it. We have a new addition to our family -- a yellow lab puppy!!! She's so adorable:)

Tomorrow's cooking blog will address what to do with all the left over ham, and how to use up all those easter eggs.

The Garden

Before I get into the garden, CG asked whether or not I had that sweet potato dish with marshmallow on top. I have. It's a Thanksgiving side dish staple.

It's spring here in Sonoma County, and all the signs of renewed life are all around us. All the trees are in bloom, the days are getting longer, and my roses are showing signs of producing big blooms.

That brings us to the garden. I must mention that the American definition of 'garden' is the place where vegetables are planted. When I visited England, they referred to the garden as inclusive of everything outside of their back door.

My husband's hobby is planting and tending to the garden. Today he is planting seeds. He's planting: spinach, cucumber, green onions, bell peppers, zuchinni, tomatoes, corn, sweet peas, and I forget what else is on his list. He also tends to an herb garden for me that includes: sage, thyme, rosemary, and basil.

When everything comes to season, it's like have an on-demand grocery store in the back yard. Everything is so fresh. There is no comparison to home grown vegetables to the ones you get in the store. My husband does not use any chemicals whatsoever in the garden, so we know the growing conditions are natural.

We make a good team.... He plants and tends to the garden, and I cook everything up. I recommend doing a garden even if you have only a small space. There is something very soothing to the soul about it as well....

Meatloaf

It seems the two readers of this blog enjoy soup recipes, as do I. I love getting ideas from others as well for new ideas to try. So, thank you CG and Anonymous for your input.

One of my two readers requested a meatloaf recipe. I will post one somewhat hesitantly, as the recipes for meatloaf are endless and the variations too many to count. I also hesitate knowing that American ketchup (or catsup) tastes differently than English ketchup. The ketchup topping could be omitted, I suppose, or substituted with a healthy basting of barbecue sauce.

At any rate, here is a basic, basic meatloaf. We enjoy our meatloaf with mashed potatoes and peas. I also have a recipe for a LARGE batch of meatloaf that I mix and then package up into family sized portions and freeze in gallon-sized zip lock bags (takes less room in the freezer) so all I have to do is thaw, plop in a dish, and bake.

Basic Meatloaf: Single Meal

2/3 cup bread crumbs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 pound quality ground beef
2 eggs slightly beaten
1/4 finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sage
a little pinch of crushed, dried thyme
a little pinch of crushed, dried marjoram

Soak breadcrumbs in milk. Add meat, eggs, onion and seasonings. Place in greased baking dish (I use a bread pan). Bake in moderate oven (350*) for 50-60 minutes.

Add the following ingredients together and pour over meatloaf about 15 minutes prior to meatloaf being done and return to oven to bake off:

3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon mustard

When the meatloaf bug strikes our house, like I mentioned above, I have a recipe for a LARGE batch. Play with the seasonings to fit your family's taste buds before delving into producing massive quantities.

While I'm doing the meatloaf manufacturing gig, I will also make a LARGE batch of mashed potatoes at the same time. When the potatoes have cooled, I place them into meal portions in gallon sized zip lock bags (I will double bag them to prevent leaks) and freeze flat like a pancake. Upon thawing, the mashed potatoes will look like a watery mess, but don't worry -- just put them in a microwavable bowl and microwave on high for a few minutes. They fluff right up and taste like fresh.

The more meals I can get out of a single cooking session the better. Cooking is enjoyable, but sometimes our schedules can get harried and having meals ready to pull out of the freezer is a life saver. Another added bonus of ready-to-go-meals: NO POTS TO CLEAN:)

Savory Lentil Soup for my Two Actual Readers

Today I found a comment on my blog from an unidentified person in England. So, now I have *two* actual readers -- and they're both from England. I must apologize for not being very good at describing the differences between American and English ingredients. However, I'm at a disadvantage, because I've only been to England once and some of the food stuffs there were completely new to me. My English friend, CG, makes the best sticky-toffee-pudding with double cream in the entire world:)

Anyway, here is another slow cooker recipe that is easy to toss together, can be assembled as vegetarian and is low in fat.

Savory Lentil and Canadian Bacon Soup

Lentils are ideal for cooking in a slow cooker because they don't require soaking as do most dried beans and peas. They grayish green lentils are most familiar, but look for other colors such as white, yellow and red for something different.

Canadian-style bacon is a closer kin to ham than regular bacon (or what the English people call 'streaky bacon'). Canadian-style bacon is taken from the lean, tender eye of the loin so it is also lower in fat, and it is fully cooked. However, if you have left over ham, go ahead and use 1 1/2 cups instead. If you prefer a vegetarian version, leave the Canadian bacon out. Personally, cook the beans with the bacon and I just let my daughter pick it out.

1 package (16 ounces) dried lentils (2 1/4 cups) dried lentils, sorted and rinsed.
2 cans (14.5 ounces each)ready-to-serve vegetable broth
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (one cup)
1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (one cup)
1 medium onion chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium stalk of celery, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
4 cups water (personally, I use broth instead of water for more flavor)
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix everything together in your slow cooker for about 8-9 hours on low. I like to toss together my slow cooker recipies the night before or in the morning. Serve with warmed, crusty french bread and a green salad.

Desperation Dinner

So I'm not perfect. My best laid plains go haywire sometimes. Things just did not go as planned today. I had to stay at work longer than expected, and my daughter's softball game went into extra innings. When I finally got home, I had to think fast as to what to pull together for dinner.

I had a couple of chicken breasts in the fridge. Quickly scanning the cupboards, I found a package of instant mashed potatoes. I also had some frozen peas in the freezer.

I cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and dipped them in raw egg, and then coated with a bread crumb and corn meal mixture. I wish I could actually point to a recipe, but all I did was crack a couple of eggs into a bowl and lightly beat them. I then dipped the chicken pieces into the egg bath and coated them with a crumb mixture of about 1/4 cup corn meal and 1 cup breadcrumbs.

I then placed the coated chicken pieces into a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil and butter and cooked about 4 minutes on each side.

In the meantime, I prepared the instant mashed potatoes (the ones you can get at Costco are really quite tolerable and are made from real ingredients: I promise). I took some frozen peas and nuked them warm. Presto. Desperation dinner.

Dip the chicken nuggets in bbq sauce, Ranch dressing, or honey mustard. yummmmmm

No, this is not a gourmet, company dinner. However, it fills the bellies without complaints and is quick and easy.

Safeway Delivery

If you have the opportunity to grocery shop online, I highly recommend you do so -- even IF they have a delivery fee. Your time is worth more than whatever the delivery fee may be. Personally, I have never paid a delivery fee because I always get coupons for "free delivery" e-mailed to me from Safeway. I'm sure wherever you live you can get coupons for free delivery. Check out your local online grocers.

It's soooo much easier to shop online for groceries than waste any precious time at the grocery store. You've got better things to do than grocery shop like watching paint dry and grass grow. Another added bonus is that you're not apt to purchase any impulse items because you'll have a list for your items needed for the week. Plus, you won't have any children begging you for that box of Sugar Snaps or other impulse items that zap cash from your wallet.

This is where planning becomes critical. Again, don't try to plan gourmet meals. SIMPLE IS GOOD. Take a look at your calendar for the upcoming week for appointments, sports practices, and nights where you know you just won't feel like doing any cooking for whatever reason. Plan your SIMPLE meals and order online.

After a couple of weeks you'll find a rhythm. Once you're on the online grocery gig, you'll wonder why you ever wasted your weekends doing it.

Hamburgers

Another family favorite is the good ol' hamburger. I like to buy meat in large quantities, then bring it home and separate it into family-sized portions. Here's what I do for hamburgers:

Purchase the largest package of good quality hamburger you can find on sale;
Bring it home and dump it into a large bowl;
add a couple of eggs (to act as a binder);
toss in some seasonings (I like Pappy's seasoning);

Make hamburger patties until you turn blue in the face. *Note: Do not over mix or overwork the meat -- it will make it tough. Freeze the patties separated by waxed paper in gallon sized zip lock bags. I will also toss in the bag some cheese slices as well to freeze with the burgers -- that way you'll know you have cheese on hand to put on top of the burgers and you won't be scrounging about in the frige muttering to yourself, "I could have sworn I had some cheese in here that I could use for the burgers."

Save yourself the time and frustration. Package together everything so all you have to do is grab one thing out of the freezer and be on auto pilot. This goes for buns as well as condiments.

Now.... you have ready made hamburgers at your command that are ready when you are. Just grill and eat.

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Here's one of my favorite "go to" meals that is on the lighter side, but still very filling and satisfying. Plus, it's very inexpensive to prepare. Even my picky daughter will eat this.

4 potatoes peeled and cubed (about 1.5 pounds)
28 oz. vegtable or chicken broth
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion chopped
1 carrot cut into small-ish chunks
2 chicken boullion cubes
dash of garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup cream or milk* (don't add until blending at the end)

Place above ingredients (but not the milk) in a slow cooker for about 8-10 hours on low. I usually toss this together in the morning prior to leaving the house. OR, you can assemble it the night before.

After mixture has cooked for 8-10 hours, remove lid from slow cooker and using a hand blender (a.k.a. boat motor), blend ingredients together along with mixing in 1 cup of milk until smooth. If you don't have a hand blender, you can use a regular blender by putting small batches of the soup in and blending until smooth. I LOVE my "boat motor" hand blender because I don't have to dirty, dismantle, and then clean another large appliance.

This soup has a rich, creamy texture without a lot of added fats. A lot of times I will add frozen peas at the very end to trick yet more vegtables into the family diet. The frozen peas (don't blend them into mush -- just put them in whole) gives the soup color and texture. If you're not fond of peas, leave them out.

If you're feeling in the mood, you can also add crumbled bacon and a dallop of sour cream for garnish on top at serving time.

Serve with a green salad and warmed, crusty french bread.

Homeless Shelter

Sometimes I think that I run a homeless shelter for stray animals and people. What does that have to do with cooking? Everything.

Today I was at the office figuring taxes. I had taken out some T-bone steaks for dinner for my immediate family of four. When I arrived home later than I expected, there were four extra mouths inside my home that were anticipating dinner.

How do I stretch the limited t-bone dinner I had originally planned for four people stretch to eight? Think fast.

I found some marinated chicken thighs in the freezer. I put them in the microwave for a quick defrost, and then sauteed them on the stove top to supplement the t-bone steaks.

I also put some day-old sourdough bread in the oven to warm. It tastes wonderful, and the crust has a nice crunchiness to it while the inside stays warm and chewy. It's a great filler.

I found a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese. It's a pantry item that I don't brag about, but comes in handy when picky kids show up.

With dinner I also served a spinach salad and twice baked potatoes. Between everything that was put out, there was enough to feed everybody. Whew.

Come On Over!

Yesterday the phone rang about 5:30 PM. It was a dear friend of mine. "What are guys doing tomorrow night Do you want to come on over for a barbecue? The S's are free as well, and I thought we all could get together. Come on over!"

Music to my ears. A relaxed atmosphere, good food, and good friends are always welcome in my world.

I offered to bring my famous baked beans as a side dish. This was met with much enthusiasm as the S family loves them. Actually, I stole the recipe from my sister-in-law, so I can't claim any credit. However, I'm still flattered when people specifically request them.

A's Baked Beans:

4 - 16oz cans B&M Beans
1 onion chopped
1/2 pound bacon cut into small pieces

Saute the bacon and onion in a fry pan until *almost* burned.

Open the bean cans and empty into a 9x11 baking dish. Add to beans:
4 tablespoons bbq sauce
2 tsp. Worchestire sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 tsp. mustard

When bacon and onion are cooked, add to bean pan mixture. Stir together and bake uncovered in a low oven (about 250*) for about 3 hours.

Amazingly simple, but rave reviews each time.

When we arrived at our friend's home, I was met at the door with M still in her sweats and hoodie. She ran out of time and didn't change into regular clothing or have time to fix herself. S arrived wearing her sheepskin slippers, sweats and hoodie. What a wonderful thing -- all of us can arrive as we are, don't care what the others are wearing, and just sit around, eat, drink, and have some good laughs.

I needed to use one of M's platters for an appetizer I brought, and M pulled it out of her cupboard, blew away the dust that had accumulated on it, and handed it to me with an ear-to-ear grin that only true friends could get away with. I wouldn't have it any other way. M and S are genuine friends, and we are totally comfortable in each others' homes and there is no need to try to put on a show or pretend to be perfect.

Turkey Potato Pie

Again, the lone reader of this blog has requested the recipe for Turkey Potato Pie.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1.5 cups chopped onion
3 garlic cloves (minced)
2 cups left over turkey meat (cubed)
3 tablespoons flour
water
1/3 cup red dry table wine (like a cabernet or merlot)
2 packets beef boulion cube
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (I often use dried)
leftover mashed potatoes

In large skillet heat oil. Add onion and garlic and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until onion begins to soften (about 1 minute). Remove from heat.

Stir in turkey pieces. Sprinkle flour over turkey pieces mixture and stir quickly to combine. Return skillet to burner and cook over medium high heat stirring constantly for about one minute.

Add 3/4 cup water, red wine and broth packets. Cook until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley.

Place turkey mixture into a baking dish. Top with left over mashed potatoes. Cook in a 350* oven uncovered until heated through and potatoes are golden brown.

*note: I often add leftover chopped carrots and peas to the turkey mixture. It's a great way to use up all those leftovers and sneak in veggies.

Turkey: Not just for Thanksgiving

My husband works for a company that gives its employees a free turkey every Christmas. Now that the turkey has been in the freezer for a good couple of months, it's time to do something with it. Again, being it there were a couple of birthdays within the past week, I invited the birthday people over for a "Thanksgiving in February" birthday dinner.

With the leftover turkey I made turkey soup, turkey enchiladas, turkey salad, and turkey potato pie. And to think that only cats have 9 lives! The soup is for after school snacks, the turkey salad for lunches, the enchiladas are frozen for another night's dinner, and the turkey potato pie was eaten the next night for dinner.

The point is to cook one big meal, and tweak the rest for dinners later on. Just adding a few spices, etc., to something transforms it and gives it another life so you don't hear whining about eating left overs.

Taco Friday

Everybody loves tacos in our house. It's a meal that has broad appeal and also happens to be cheap and easy. We tend to have tacos on Friday nights because, well, I'm not exactly sure why... it just evolved and now everybody looks forward to them on Friday nights. Usually a couple of stray neighborhood kids wander in around dinner time because they know our Friday night ritual.

You need not follow a recipe for tacos. Being creative is half of the fun. Here's how we make ours, but feel free to add or delete whatever you want! There are no rules. Experiment with different spices such as cumin, chili powder, etc., to create your own special taco spice blend to season the meat with. I have a set of plastic bowls that I put the taco fillings in and let everybody come on up and build their own. Here's what I put out in my bowls:

• cooked meat (browned hamburger, or shredded cooked chicken)
• shredded cheese (cheddar)
• chopped black olives
• shredded lettuce
• chopped green onions
• chopped tomato
• sour cream
  
• guacamole (living in California avocados are pretty available)
• corn tortillias (I fry mine in about 1/2 inch of oil -- I find the store bought pre-shaped shells are brittle breaking apart when you bite into them and tasteless. You can use flour tortillias if you like if you don't want to fry them.)
• taco sauce/salsa
• refried beans

Blow the chow whistle and let the troops fill their plates.

Pizza Night

After coming home from three days away in Southern California I have to admit to ordering pizza. No, I don't cook every single night of the year. The point is that this is the exception rather than the rule. Fast food and pizza were never meant to be staples of our diets. Don't beat yourself up if you order pizza or use the drive through once in a while.

Be kind to yourself and allow nights here and there that free you of your cooking responsibilities. Cooking for your family does not mean you need to be balled and chained to the kitchen.

Japanese Rice

To my lone reader of my cooking blog: Japanese rice is a stickier and starchier than American rice. The name brand I use for Japanese rice is Botan. Does this help?

The Gift of Cooking

Are you ever dumbfounded as to what to buy a friend or relative for his/her birthday, anniversary, etc? How about the gift of a dinner at your home? You will be amazed at how people respond to a meal prepared by you in your home.

Your home need not be fancy or the dinner gourmet. In fact, people prefer a 'home' to a 'museum' any day. Your guests will just appreciate the notion of not having to deal with dinner and look forward to somebody else doing the meal selection and the cooking. Unfortunately, we have all been poisoned with the notion that when we entertain we need to have our home spotless, the finest china set, and the family linens gracing the heirloom silverware. Add to that kind of stress attempting to cook a gourmet meal and you have yourself a nervous breakdown in the making.

Let go of the urge to be 'perfect.'

Invite a a friend over for his/her birthday for dinner (and family if that applies to the situation). Keep the menu SIMPLE. Your friend will be so appreciative that you actually took the time to make dinner for him/her. Remember, this need not be a five-star, gourmet affair. Who cares if you're making tuna hotdish as an entree and your living room has not been dusted or vacuumed?

The memories, laughter, and conversation that take place over dinner supersedes everything else. If you wait until the 'perfect' time to entertain your friends/family in your home, you'll be waiting a long, long time.

Six Ingredients or Less

That's my mantra when selecting recipes for dinner. In fact, I bought a cookbook with that title about 17 years ago, and it's one that I would save in a fire. It's been lovingly used, complete with food stains and paper discoloration, but it's been a savior many a night when time was critical and ingredients on hand few. The internet is full of tasty meal ideas with few ingredients, so nose around and explore. Here's a chicken recipe that's easy -- the trick is to allow yourself enough cooking time. If you know you're going to have a full day I often put this together in the morning, place it in the oven, and set my oven timer to start the cooking process before I get home.

Maple Sauce Chicken

1 chicken cut up
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 ketchup
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Wash chicken and pat dry. Place onion slices in a buttered 9x13 baking dish. Arrange chicken on top, skin side up. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over top. Bake at 350* for 60-70 minutes or until nicely glazed, basting frequently with the sauce. Makes 4 servings.

If you don't have a rice cooker, I recommend getting one -- yes, it goes against my anti-clutter philosophy, but *some* gadgets are good to have.

Serve with rice (I recommend Japanese rice) and toss some frozen vegtables in the microwave and you have yourself a complete meal.

Organization is Key

I was watching a popular afternoon talk show earlier this week, and it featured this man who says that clutter actually makes you fat. He visited a family who struggles with organization and too much stuff. He went on to say that the kitchen is the most important room in the house. He went into the cupboards and drawers and literally threw everything OUT!

I guess my point is that LESS is MORE and he repeated my mantra that if things are not easily accessible to you in your kitchen, you're going to dread cooking. You do NOT need a lot of kitchen gadgets. Most of it is clutter. Think quality, not quantity. I'm not a big fan of kitchen gadgets. Plain ol' sharp knives work best. Plus, I find that kitchen gadgets are difficult to clean and store.

Microwavable Egg Breakfast Part II (Coffee Cup Breakfast)

Again, I've had a request from the lone reader of this blog for making 3-4 servings of the microwavable egg breakfast.

This microwavable egg breakfast is also known in some parts of the country as "coffee cup" breakfast. The reason being is that many people do not have a complete set of glass custard bowls sitting around and easily accessible for microwaving a single egg to cook up in a perfectly round circle to sit prettily on a toasted English muffin or a bagel. So, using a coffee cup instead of digging through the cupboards for the finer kitchen items is just a lot more practical.

To make this breakfast really easy, just grab 4 microwavable coffee cups out of the cupboard. Lightly spray them with cooking spray. Crack an egg in each cup and add 1 tablespoon of milk. Salt and pepper to taste and scramble with a fork. Place all four cups in the microwave for about 3 minutes. Voila! You now have breakfast for four. Slide your pretty, perfectly circular cooked egg onto a toasted muffin and you'll have breakfast faster than you could get at a drive-thru. I like to serve Coffee Cup breakfast with cut up fruit (I love fresh fruit with all breakfasts). If you're in a hurry and don't have time to cut up fruit, just serve with a banana.

To reiterate: Keep your kitchen simple. You do not need a lot of kitchen gadets. Clutter = chaos. Less is more.

No pots to clean! Just put the dirty coffee cups in the dishwasher.

Microwavable Egg Breakfast

I had a request from the one person who actually looks at this blog for a scrambled egg microwavable breakfast. This is a recipe that prepares a single serving egg McMuffin that can be prepared by young cooks (your kids can do this themselves).

Spray a microwaveable custard bowl, or other small, glass microwavable bowl with cooking spray;

Crack egg into sprayed bowl and add 1 tablespoon of milk. Salt and pepper to taste. Scramble egg with fork;

Microwave egg on high for about 75 seconds (one minute + 15 seconds);

While egg is cooking in the microwave, place an English muffin (or bagel) in the toaster;

Carefully slide egg onto toasted English muffin (or bagel).

If desired, sprinkle a little cheese on top of egg and microwave for a few seconds (to melt cheese).

That's it!

Breakfast

Everybody wants a hot breakfast to start the day. However, weekdays can leave us all frazzled and time-crunched. Here are a couple of breakfast tricks:

• Make a batch of pancake batter and keep it in the refrigerator. You can have hot and fresh pancakes faster than you can microwave a frozen, packaged, fat-filled convenience breakfast food item.

• Scramble some eggs along with sauteed left over vegtables on Sunday. Wrap them inside in a flour tortillia and sprinkle with some cheese and you'll have ready made breakfast burritos you can warm in the microwave for breakfast for the week.
  

Double Duty

Another one of my favorite tricks is that I try never to cook just one meal. If I'm making lasagne, I'll make a double batch: one for eating, and another to put in the freezer for a future meal.

It's really no extra work to double a recipe and freeze it for later. The mess is already there, so why not make use of it? I tend not to attempt to triple recipes (unless I'm really familiar with them) as tripling skews the ingredient/spice ratio and can throw off the flavor and/or texture.

Another example of cooking for more than one meal is roasting a turkey (or whole chickens) for multiple meals. We can have a turkey dinner one night, and then use the leftover meat for the next few days for sandwiches, the carcass for soup, and some other left over meat for turkey enchiladas, turkey divine, stir-fry, etc.

Lesson for the day: Try to cook more than one meal at a time. Think ahead as to what you can use left overs for. To many people, the term 'left over' has negative connotations.' Maybe I should use the term "pre-cooked," "recipe ready," or "ready made," instead. Isn't that what you're paying the big bucks for at the grocery store for the convenience of "ready made" food? Think about it -- you're paying a premium price for somebody else's leftovers. Wouldn't you rather use your own? It's a lot like underwear.....

The Refigerator

Part of reclaiming your kitchen and freeing yourself of drive-thru/delivery hell is paying attention to what you have on hand and making it easily accessible. This includes the refrigerator.

Your task is to completely clean out your refrigerator. Take everything out and wipe down the inside with mild soap and water. This includes wiping off the bottles of salad dressing, ketsup, etc., that have been in there for God-only-knows-how-long. If you can't remember the last time you used that opened 1/2 bottle of whatever it is, get rid of it. When in doubt THROW IT OUT.

After wiping out the refrigerator, put things back in groups. Group like items together like putting all condiments next to each other, putting dairy products together, etc. You will quickly figure out a pattern that is convenient for you. This saves you precious time when you need to reach for something in a recipe.

Also, I'm a fan of plastic, gallon-sized zip lock bags. For example, I keep deli meat and cheese in a large zip-lock bag. That way when I make sandwiches for lunches in the morning all I have to do is reach for that one bag and all the sandwich fixings are together. I don't have to dig around for stuff.

Remember, the Golden Rule is: If your cooking items and utensils are not easily accessible, you're not going to use them. Arrange your kitchen as such.

Joe's Special

This recipe came from a dear, dear friend. My friend came from a household of 7 children in Pebble Beach, California. If one mother can make this for 7 children and not hear one complaint, something is right. Over the years this recipe has been nicknamed "Joe's Special" and is the epitome of early late 1960's early 1970's Central California cuisine. Here goes:

1 package chopped frozen spinach, or 1/2 pound chopped;
1 clove garlic finely minced (Gilroy garlic RULES);
1 medium onion chopped;
2 Tablespoons olive oil;
1 pound lean ground beef;
salt and pepper to taste;
4 eggs, lightly beaten.

Thaw spinach and drain well (or cook fresh spinach in 1 tablespoon of oil and set aside).

In a heavy skillet, sautee onion in oil until transparent. Add garlic and sautee for 1-2 minutes more.

Add ground beef and brown thoroughly. Sprinkle in salt and pepper and reserved spinach.

Put heat to high, add eggs to the skillet, stirring constantly until eggs are blended and cooked.

Serve immediately on a flour tortillia plate*
with mild salsa or taco sauce and with sour cream (if desired).

*flour tortillia plate is a regular flour tortillia that has been warmed in the microvave for 15 seconds or so. It is used like a wrap AND used like a plate. The point is there isn't any disposable "dishes" to throw away, because the tortillia wrap is used like a plate -- and is edible. Translation: No dishes to wash

Lazy Woman Pseudo Lasagne

Do you have picky eaters? I do. Here's a quick, vegitarian meal that can be tossed together quickly and I yet to have one objection. I call it "Lazy Woman Pseudo Lasange." Serve it with a green salad and warmed french bread and you have yourself a meal in no time flat.

You will need:

1 - pound penne pasta
1 regular jar pasta sauce
1/2 onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
shredded mozzarella cheese
Vegtable oil

Sautee chopped onion in a saute pan with a couple of tablespoons of vegtable oil on preheated medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and sautee for a couple minutes more. Turn off heat and set aside.

In a large dutch oven (extra large sauce pan), bring to boil water. Add penne pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain pasta and rinse with cool water.

In a large mixing bowl, dump in cooked pasta, jar of pasta sauce, onion and garlic sautee mixture and combine with a large spoon.

Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13x2 pan with a spritz of cooking spray (or any large, squar-ish pan you have on hand) and then put 1/2 of the noodle mixture on the bottom. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese (about 1/2 cup). Add the remaining noodle mixture and then top with another 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake in a 350* oven uncovered for about 20-30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is lightly browned and melted. If you want, you can cheat and put in the microwave on high for about 5 minutes if you're really short on time.

The gist of this is to make a layered "fake" lasagne with few ingredients. The melted cheese and tomato-based sauce mixed with pasta is an instant winner and a crowd pleaser -- especially with kids.

Serve with green salad and French bread.

Pantry Items

Looking through a non-cook's eyes, I'm anticipating you're wondering what to have "on hand" in the pantry to toss meals together quickly. If you have any spices that are over a year old, you should probably toss them out as the flavor just isn't there.

Keep a black Sharpie handy in your kitchen (another essential tool) and when you bring in spices from the grocery store write the date purchased on the bottom of the container, or on the lid, or on the label. Write the date anywhere you will notice so you will not be astounded when you reach for a spice and suddenly say aloud to yourself, "You mean I've had this container of tumeric since 1989?"

While purchasing some spices may initially stretch the budget, I promise you that it's an investment that will more than repay itself with money saved from the dreaded drive-through and the satisfaction of cooking real food for your family.

I'm not a professional cook. I'm just a mom who has *finally* figured out a way to put real food on the dinner table. Here's a peek into my pantry. I'm in no way suggesting you run out and purchase all of these spices. I've indicated my own personal "must haves" with an asterisk. Based on your family's food tastes, you'll soon recognize your own pattern to which spices you will reach for most often. It will take some thought and practice to get this down:

Spices:
Salt*
Pepper*
Basil*
Allspice
Celery Seed
Cayenne Pepper*
Ground Cumin*
Whole cloves
Ground Cloves
Cajun Spice Blend*
Ground Corriander
Ground Cinnamon*
Cream of Tartar
Curry Powder*
Garlic Pepper
Chinese Ginger*
Italian Seasoning*
Ground Marjoram
Mint Flakes
Nutmeg
Chili Powder*
Oregeno*
Bay Leaves*
Paprika
Crushed red peppers
minced onion
Onion salt
Onion Powder
Parsley flakes*
Garlic Powder*
Poultry Seasoning
Caraway Seed
Sage*
Thyme*
Sesame Seed*
Tarragon*
Rosemary*
Tumeric
White Ground Pepper
Saffron

Helpful Hint: Keep all of your spices in one location and in alphabetical order. No, I'm not anal retentive and super-organized. You will save yourself precious time by knowing just *where* to reach for that spice called for in the recipe without digging through cupboards grumbling to yourself.

Been there -- done that.

Remember: If your cooking utinsils and ingredients needed for a recipe are not easily accessible to you, you're not going to be successful and will quickly revert to your old habits.

Other things in the pantry:
sugar
flour
brown sugar
corn starch
bread crumbs
oatmeal
honey
maple syrup
rice
pasta
canned tomatoes
kidney beans
tomato paste
cooking oil
vinegar

OK.... I'll stop for now. I can sense your eyes glazing over. The trick is to find a handful of recipes/meals that your family likes that are easy to toss together and build from there. Baby Steps!!!!

Easy Lunch Box Treat: Rice Crispy Bars

Don't forget the insanely simple and crowd pleasing rice-crispy bar. I don't know of one person who does not like these. They make great after school snacks and treats for the lunch box. Most of all, they come together with three ingredients and ten minutes. Sure, you can buy them pre-packaged, but they're a lot more expensive and have a chemical aftertaste.

You will need:

40 large marshmallows (or 4 cups miniature ones)
5 1/2 cups rice crispy cereal
1/2 stick of butter (half a stick should = 1/4 cup)

Melt butter over medium low heat in large saucepan on stove. Add marshmallows and stir until melted and smooth. Add rice crispy cereal. Combine. It will be sticky.

Spray a 13x9x2 baking pan (or whatever square-ish pan you have that will fit) with non-stick spray (or butter your *clean* hands and rub to thinly coat pan if you don't have any cooking spray).

Dump the rice/marshmallow mixture into pan. Grease your hands (so it doesn't stick to you) and gently pat down so it's evenly distributed. Let rest for 15 minutes. Cut into squares with pizza cutter or knife.

That's it.

Clean up tip: Immediately place saucepan and utinsils in sink and fill saucepan with water even if you can't get to doing the dishes right away. They will wipe clean without effort.

Getting it Together

Now that your kitchen is (somewhat) organized and you know where everything is, you need to pick a day each week where you will sit down with a calendar and think about what you will serve for dinner for the next week. Your calendar will prove to be your savior. Keep close eye on sports practice schedules, dentist appointments, work meetings, or any thing else that will disrupt your schedule. I know, I know, there's something going on every night. Fine. Plan your meals around your chaotic life by using a crock pot or other extremely simple dinners. Crock pot (or slow cooker) meals are very forgiving. They're ready when YOU are. You'll be amazed at how a few ingredients can come together into a meal.

Take a little time thinking about your family's food tastes, and your real-life schedule. Jot your thoughts down on the back of your calendar or any notebook. Your weekly meals will be based off of this. Pretty soon you'll have a routine of easy go-to recipies that you can toss together in your sleep. That's the whole point. You want to put all of this on automatic pilot. However, you will have to invest a little mental energy up front.

The Chore of Cooking

It shocks me as to how many people use the fast-food drive up window multiple times per week for lunch and dinner. Reasons for doing so range from lack of time, dislike for cooking, etc. I've been there myself. However, you don't have to be a good cook or even like cooking to put dinner on the table. I'm trying to reach all of you non-cooks out there. I don't intend to attempt to transform your personality or make you Food Network Star ready. Just a little thought, planning and practice will get the job done with minimum drudgery on your part.

If you're a non cook, I'm betting your kitchen is not organized. This is vital step one. You probably can't locate your measuring cups, know what's in your spice cupboard, etc. Go through your kitchen (one drawer at a time -- don't overwhelm yourself) and take note of what you have on hand. If you can't find/identify your pantry items or kitchen tools, and if they're not easily accessible, you're not going to use them. Don't get hung up on perfection. A general organizational outlay is all that is needed.

De-clutter your kitchen. People think they need to have all sorts of kitchen gadgets. You don't. Two things I insist on having are good quality knives and good quality cookware. Even in that regard, less is more. You will also find your kitchen easier to keep clean if you don't have as much stuff. Trust me.

If you have any teflon pans that are chipped and/or worn, toss them out. Personally, I very rarely use teflon coated pans. Fumes from burning teflon is a toxin that can kill small animals. I put two and two together and got rid of mine.

So, get to it with step one: de-clutter, organize, take note of what you have on hand, and keep most often used items where you can easily get to them.