tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-859529609703925672024-03-14T02:35:45.511-04:00Get Real CookingCooking in the real world. All things in moderation, including moderation. Recipes using readily available natural and seasonal foods with minimal processing. Easy, efficient, low cost, energy saving, water saving, low fat and low salt techniques.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.comBlogger145125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-30491900753682382652015-07-11T17:49:00.000-04:002015-07-11T17:49:10.878-04:00Caramel Coated Catfish<div class="MsoNormal">
This was a different fish dish for Fridays. I looked up more
recipes and this is a Vietnamese specialty. There are many versions. This was
very tasty – sweet, salty and a bit sour and spicy. Mmmm!</div>
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<br /></div>
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I also researched making caramel. The original recipe called
for cooking equal amounts of water and sugar until golden brown. All that
happened was it took forever for the water to boil away and I was left with
hard lumpy sugar in the pan. Just start with melting the sugar to a golden
brown. </div>
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Be sure to have all ingredients ready. When the sugar gets
to the right point, you will need to act quickly.</div>
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Serves 4 - 6</div>
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1/3 cup water</div>
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2 Tbsp fish sauce</div>
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¼ tsp granulated onion</div>
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2 Tbsp chopped garlic</div>
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1/4 tsp ground black pepper</div>
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<br /></div>
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1/3 cup sugar</div>
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1 lb. catfish nuggets, trimmed to large chunks</div>
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1 tsp sugar</div>
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1 Tbsp lime juice</div>
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Dash Sriracha sauce to taste</div>
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<br /></div>
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Mix 1/3 cup of water with the fish sauce, granulated onion, garlic,
and black pepper in a small bowl and set aside.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Heat 1/3 cup of sugar in a large heavy skillet over medium
heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar turns deep golden brown. </div>
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Gently stir in the fish sauce mixture and bring to a boil. </div>
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Add the catfish. Cover, and cook the catfish stirring
occasionally, until the fish flakes easily with a fork - about 5 minutes. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Scoop the catfish to a plate, cover, and set aside. Increase
heat to high and stir in another teaspoon of sugar and the lime juice. Bring to
a boil and simmer until the sauce has reduced. </div>
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Return catfish to the pan and toss to coat with sauce.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Serve over rice or noodles. I served this over stir fried
rice noodles and vegetables.</div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.thanghung.com/special-recipes/" target="_blank">http://www.thanghung.com/special-recipes/</a> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-34760092021335941672015-07-11T17:15:00.001-04:002015-07-11T17:15:51.637-04:00Mango Chicken Curry<div class="MsoNormal">
This was sooo good! I really wanted seconds. I took
left-overs to work for lunch the next day.</div>
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Serves 4 - 6</div>
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1 Tbsp sesame oil</div>
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1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch
pieces</div>
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1/2 medium onion, diced
</div>
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1/2 orange bell pepper, diced</div>
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2 Tbsp chopped garlic </div>
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1 Tbsp candied ginger, diced</div>
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2 Tbsp yellow curry powder</div>
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1/2 tsp ground cumin</div>
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1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk </div>
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1 ripe mango, peeled and diced</div>
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1 Tbsp lime juice</div>
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salt and pepper to taste</div>
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Sriracha sauce to taste</div>
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<br /></div>
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Heat large stainless skillet until hot and dry. Remove from
heat and lightly coat with canola oil spray. Return to very low heat while
preparing chicken and vegetables.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Turn heat to high and add sesame oil. When oil is hot, add
chicken and sauté while stirring, until it starts to brown. Turn heat down to
medium and add onion, bell pepper, garlic, ginger, curry and cumin. Cook, stirring
occasionally, until onion softens. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Add coconut milk, mango and lime juice, stirring to pick up
all the browned bits. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, then lower the
heat to maintain a low simmer. Add salt, pepper and Sriracha to taste. Simmer for
about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Serve over a very good rice like jasmine or basmati.</div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/" target="_blank">http://www.simplyrecipes.com</a> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-20510970592869333332015-03-28T10:00:00.000-04:002015-03-28T10:00:39.882-04:00Third Annual Soup Party<div class="WordSection1">
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Hosted by Kevin & Lynne</span></div>
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February 8, 2014</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Reviewed by Gail<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hl-ahuClJQM/VM6JezgH-tI/AAAAAAAAACU/8LHMFB1EQiI/s1600/The%2BSetting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hl-ahuClJQM/VM6JezgH-tI/AAAAAAAAACU/8LHMFB1EQiI/s1600/The%2BSetting.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Setting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were ten entries this year. Jamie brought two! She must
not have been able to make up her mind. I know I have that problem every year.
I managed to try each one. I was so busy taking pictures of the soups this year
that I didn't take any notes on the go withs. lol</div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span>Attendees this year were: Kevin & Lynne, Jesse & Dianne, Doug, Carlie & Tammy, Paul & Judy, Ed & Linda, Matt and Dawn with daughters Hannah and Emily (who had her third birthday cake!), Bill & Cyndi, with granddaughters, Juliana and Joanna, (Jessica’s daughters), Chris & Jessica with baby, Deta & Dave, Richard & Gail with son Thomas, Jamie & Tommy.</div>
<div>
</div>
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<b>2<sup>nd</sup> Runner
Up<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fYJBO90DiLo/VM6JykMidfI/AAAAAAAAACc/S2O8uEqyMOU/s1600/Cindy%E2%80%99s%2BChili%2BSoup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fYJBO90DiLo/VM6JykMidfI/AAAAAAAAACc/S2O8uEqyMOU/s1600/Cindy%E2%80%99s%2BChili%2BSoup.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p><b>Cindy’s Chili Soup</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And this is a soup, not a chili. Ground beef and beans in a
light beef and tomato broth. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
+Texture: Good, the beef was loose, not chunky, the beans
were tender. A very nice proportion of meat to broth and beans.</div>
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+Color: Excellent and appealing. A nice red chili color.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
+Flavor: Excellent flavor - full chili flavor with overtones
of beef broth and tomato juice without any overpowering saltiness or spicy
heat.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Runner Up</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QAWiqIvfuUI/VM6KFH7aryI/AAAAAAAAACk/DV1nHc8qJ8c/s1600/Dawn%E2%80%99s%2BTurkey%2Band%2BVegetable%2BSoup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QAWiqIvfuUI/VM6KFH7aryI/AAAAAAAAACk/DV1nHc8qJ8c/s1600/Dawn%E2%80%99s%2BTurkey%2Band%2BVegetable%2BSoup.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p><b>Dawn’s Turkey and
Vegetable Soup</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was a lovely surprise. It looked like just any other
chicken vegetable soup. But it was tasty. Dawn made it last week and froze it.
It held up to freezing very well.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
+Texture: Nice big tender - not mushy - chunks of carrot,
zucchini, potatoes and tomatoes. There were some big chunks of turkey, but most
of the turkey was shredded. I wished for more of that zucchini, especially this
time of year. I really couldn't believe this soup had been frozen, given the
very nice texture of the vegetables.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
+Color: An appealing mix of green zucchini, orange carrots,
red tomatoes and yellow potatoes in a nice light poultry and tomato broth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
+Flavor: Excellent. Something to warm up with on a cold
winter night. Full flavored, savory, even umame.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>And the Grand Prize
Winner!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TbBz7szrs3Y/VM6KdlAeUsI/AAAAAAAAACs/2zIJTIkIzwo/s1600/Linda%E2%80%99s%2BMeatball%2Band%2BTortellini%2BSoup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TbBz7szrs3Y/VM6KdlAeUsI/AAAAAAAAACs/2zIJTIkIzwo/s1600/Linda%E2%80%99s%2BMeatball%2Band%2BTortellini%2BSoup.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Linda’s Meatball and
Tortellini Soup</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A delightful entry from Linda. The little meatballs
complemented the tortellini well. Nice size diced carrots and celery with diced
spinach in a chicken broth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
+Texture: Excellent, everything was tender, not mushy or
tough. Pasta nicely al dente; meatballs, carrots, celery tender; spinach tender
- not stringy. Broth light and thin.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
+Color: Excellent, nice contrast of creamy white pasta,
diced carrots, flecks of green spinach.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
+Flavor: Excellent. If I’d had the room, I would have eaten
a whole bowl of this soup. Flavor was, hmmm, umame would describe it best.
Savory, not salty, nothing overwhelming, but you will want more.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Rest of the Tasty Offerings</b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 970px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 2.0in; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: none; height: 2.0in; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.3in;" valign="top" width="331"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SnG3jHqIqSs/VM6K4dRPw-I/AAAAAAAAAC0/8oY1yFv-2FE/s1600/Judy%E2%80%99s%2BSpicy%2BTortellini%2BSoup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SnG3jHqIqSs/VM6K4dRPw-I/AAAAAAAAAC0/8oY1yFv-2FE/s1600/Judy%E2%80%99s%2BSpicy%2BTortellini%2BSoup.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-align: start;">Judy’s Spicy Tortellini Soup</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DzbkVc6KWaE/VM6LVRfAu2I/AAAAAAAAADE/Fa-2SMq-7gA/s1600/Lynne%E2%80%99s%2BChicken%2BEnchilada%2BSoup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DzbkVc6KWaE/VM6LVRfAu2I/AAAAAAAAADE/Fa-2SMq-7gA/s1600/Lynne%E2%80%99s%2BChicken%2BEnchilada%2BSoup.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px; text-align: start;"> Lynne’s Chicken Enchilada Soup</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; height: 2.0in; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 159.6pt;" valign="top" width="319"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ngfwQm27zag/VM6LGiDOqhI/AAAAAAAAAC8/hkOocHfTbJk/s1600/Deta%E2%80%99s%2BWild%2BRice%2BSoup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ngfwQm27zag/VM6LGiDOqhI/AAAAAAAAAC8/hkOocHfTbJk/s1600/Deta%E2%80%99s%2BWild%2BRice%2BSoup.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px; text-align: start;">Deta’s Wild Rice Soup</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jvOQw--mKCE/VM6Mstci_BI/AAAAAAAAADQ/BljxtudBmZE/s1600/Dianne%E2%80%99s%2BBeef%2Band%2BVegetable%2BSoup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jvOQw--mKCE/VM6Mstci_BI/AAAAAAAAADQ/BljxtudBmZE/s1600/Dianne%E2%80%99s%2BBeef%2Band%2BVegetable%2BSoup.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px; text-align: start;">Dianne’s Beef and Vegetable Soup</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</td>
<td style="border: none; height: 2.0in; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 159.6pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal">
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</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 1.8in; mso-yfti-irow: 1; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border: none; height: 1.8in; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.3in;" valign="top" width="331"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mPRahg09Yso/VM6M_v4lnLI/AAAAAAAAADY/0kigylt2NUE/s1600/Jamie%E2%80%99s%2BPotato%2Band%2BBacon%2BSoup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mPRahg09Yso/VM6M_v4lnLI/AAAAAAAAADY/0kigylt2NUE/s1600/Jamie%E2%80%99s%2BPotato%2Band%2BBacon%2BSoup.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px; text-align: start;">Jamie’s Potato and Bacon Soup</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_i119utye94/VM6NkIcfQMI/AAAAAAAAADo/uBSqYPfCD1k/s1600/Gail%E2%80%99s%2BPolish%2BDill%2BPickle%2BSoup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_i119utye94/VM6NkIcfQMI/AAAAAAAAADo/uBSqYPfCD1k/s1600/Gail%E2%80%99s%2BPolish%2BDill%2BPickle%2BSoup.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px; text-align: start;">Gail’s Polish Dill Pickle Soup</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</td>
<td style="border: none; height: 1.8in; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 159.6pt;" valign="top" width="319"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xeOD9DAdam4/VM6NQ0-ibpI/AAAAAAAAADg/5f10Bz2T8zI/s1600/Jamie%E2%80%99s%2BTaco%2BSoup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xeOD9DAdam4/VM6NQ0-ibpI/AAAAAAAAADg/5f10Bz2T8zI/s1600/Jamie%E2%80%99s%2BTaco%2BSoup.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px; text-align: start;">Jamie’s Taco Soup</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border: none; height: 1.8in; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 159.6pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-36038019593517284172015-02-01T14:27:00.001-05:002015-02-01T14:27:42.811-05:00Second Annual Soup Party<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
January 26, 2013<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hosted by Kevin
& Lynne<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Reviewed by Gail<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This was our
second gathering, on its way to a truly annual event! I managed to sample all 9
soups :-) Again! After the unofficial, and totally unbiased ;-), judging, this
year’s winners are:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>2<sup>nd</sup> Runner Up<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Carlie’s Ground
Beef and Vegetable Soup. Carlie presented a colorful array of small diced
tomatoes and veggies, cooked just tender and not mushy, in a flavorful beef
broth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Runner Up<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gail’s Hotel
Roanoke Peanut Soup. This soup was a creamy, smooth, full flavored peanut
butter soup. It was a little sweet, a little tart, a little savory and a touch
of salty. If you like boiled peanuts, it had that almost addictive flavor.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>And the Grand Prize this year goes to:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Judi’s Tortellini
Soup. This very flavorful combination had delicious tender tortellinis in a
beef broth with little sliced (breakfast?) sausages, diced tomatoes and
veggies, with a touch of hot pepper. There was not enough of this entry. Everyone
wanted to take some of this one home!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Rest of the Tasty Offerings:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lynne’s Butternut
Squash Soup<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Linda’s Turkey
with Lentils & Barley Soup<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Dawn’s Split Pea
with Carrots and Ham Soup<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Karen’s Spicy
Beans and Rice Soup<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Cynthia’s Potato
Soup<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Deta’s Zippy Corn
Chowder<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>The go withs were great too!<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Judi’s Bruschetta
Appetizers with Chicken and Cheese – The Best!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Karen’s Cornbread
and Butter – Great accompaniment to Carlie’s soup<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Judi’s Date Walnut
Bread with Cream Cheese – sweet and rich<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lynne’s Olive
Rolls – nice and hard and crusty<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tammy’s Real
Mincemeat Pie – an old fashioned venison favorite<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Judi’s Brownies
with Marshmallows – a yummy treat<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Richard’s Home
Canned Hot Pepper Mix – crunchy and not too hot<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gail’s Strawberry
Banana Jello Fluff – what can I say? It’s Jello.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That Judi sure likes
to bake! Thank you Judi.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Attendees were: Kevin
& Lynne, Paul & Judi, Raymond, Ed & Linda, Dawn
& Emily, Karen, Carlie & Tammy, Bill, Cindy & Juliana, Deta &
Dave, Richard, Gail & Thomas.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-76743327254975873382015-02-01T14:24:00.000-05:002015-02-01T14:24:41.816-05:00First Annual Soup Party<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">January 28, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Hosted by Kevin & Lynne<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Reviewed by Gail<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Lynne started this community
event to get together during the mid-winter blahs. And what could be better than
hot soup, good friends, a toasty wood stove and a few beers? My secret is to pace
myself, so I manage to get a good taste of each entry.;-)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">2<sup>nd</sup> Runner Up<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Gail’s Smoked Chicken and
Leek Soup. Here was a decadently savory broth with tender, tiny strips of leeks,
shredded carrot and bits of smoked chicken. This soup was not as salty as the
others and came off light in comparison. It could have benefitted from the
addition of some fine egg noodles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Runner Up<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Judi’s Cabbage Soup. This
soup was a pleasant surprise. It was the first soup I tasted and was so
delicious, it was hard for the other entries to measure up. It had an
attractive presentation with 1 inch pieces of pale green cabbage floating in a light
clear broth with chunks of diced red tomatoes, carrots and Kielbasa. The vegetables
were tender and perfect – not crunchy and not mushy. There were a few too many
vegetables to broth ratio, but not so much to even come close to thinking it a
stew. The flavor of the broth impressed me the most. It was savory and rich
tasting, but not too salty. Recipe follows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Grand Prize <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Carlie’s 17 Bean and Bacon Soup.
This was the only male entry and was absolutely delicious in its simplicity.
When asked, Carlie said he “should have used more bacon”. There were tender,
meaty, half inch pieces of bacon floating over an interesting variety of beans.
The beans were a very pleasant surprise as they melted smoothly over my tongue.
This soup was rich and flavorful, with a nice dark color, a good balance of
savory and salty and a good proportion of beans to broth. I only wished there
was more. Thank you, Carlie!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The Rest of the Tasty Offerings<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Linda’s Italian Wedding Soup<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Cynthia’s Vegetable Beef Soup<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Deta’s Potato Soup<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Karen’s Broccoli Cheese Soup<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Lynne’s French Onion Soup<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Janice’s Chili<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">And lots of go withs –
breads, desserts, pickles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Attendees: Kevin & Lynne,
Judi & Paul, Ed & Linda, Bill & Cynthia, Carlie & Tammy, Karen,
Gail, Richard & Thomas, Kerry & Janice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Judi’s Cabbage Soup<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Dice cabbage in one inch pieces
and par-boil until just tender in a large box of Swanson’s Chicken Stock. Add
diced onion, a large sliced carrot, a can of diced tomatoes, some sliced kielbasa,
parsley, oregano, thyme, and 1 can beef broth. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer
until done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-18417457773361804322015-01-10T18:11:00.000-05:002015-01-10T18:11:50.002-05:00Bleu Cheese and Sausage Crêpes<div class="MsoNormal">
By Gail Foley</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This recipe is from my first computer file of recipes, dating
to the early ‘90s. I have the original magazine clipping that I adapted, but
don’t remember the magazine. I dated the year to 1973/74 from the Fisher-Price Family
Play Farm advertised on the back. The original recipe, Sausage-Filled Crepes, can
be found all over the internet and contained no brand names. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This recipe is made so savory and elegant by substituting
shredded process cheese with crumbled bleu cheese. It is also a bit lower in
fat by using low-fat milk in the batter, Neufchâtel instead of cream cheese in
the filling and non-fat sour cream in place of sour cream and butter for the
sauce.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This makes an elegant brunch served with Mimosas and
fresh fruit.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Serves 8</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Crêpes </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 eggs</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup low-fat milk</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 Tbsp. canola oil</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup sifted flour</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Filling</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1/4 cup (1 small) onion, finely diced</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 lb. bulk ground sausage (Good quality country sage)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 oz. Neufchâtel</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 oz. crumbled bleu cheese</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup non-fat sour cream</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Combine eggs, milk and oil. Add flour and beat until smooth.
At this point the batter can be refrigerated for 3 to 6 hours. At least let it
sit for half an hour.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat a 12x8-inch baking dish
with canola oil spray.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sauté sausage with onion until done. Drain well, then turn
out on paper towels to drain some more. Rinse skillet with hot water to
degrease. Place meat back in skillet and stir in Neufchâtel and bleu cheese.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Heat a 6-inch skillet until hot and dry. Remove from heat
and lightly coat with canola oil spray. Return to medium heat and pour 2 tablespoons
of batter into skillet and rotate to evenly distribute. Cook until set. Invert
on toweling and stack to the side. Repeat, to make 16 crêpes. Remember to
remove skillet from heat and give a quick spray of oil between each crêpe.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Place 2 tablespoons of meat mixture across center of each crêpe
and roll up. Place seam side down in prepared baking dish. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Spoon sour cream over top. Bake,
uncovered, five more minutes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Serve immediately with some attractively arranged fresh
fruit - a few strawberries, a small clump of grapes, apple slices or wedges of
melon. Citrus slices are also elegant.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-7086141527342030632014-11-15T16:32:00.000-05:002014-11-15T16:32:00.411-05:00Chocolate Zucchini Cake<span style="font-weight: normal;">By Gail Foley</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I mixed up a couple of recipes for chocolate zucchini bread
and chocolate zucchini bars and came up with this cake that everyone seems to love.
So, I've made it several times since then with several different toppings – a dusting
of powdered sugar, a peanut butter, buckeye topping and melted chocolate chips.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup butter</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 oz. dark chocolate</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2½ cups all-purpose flour</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ teaspoon salt</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 teaspoon baking soda</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 cups white sugar</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 eggs</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 teaspoon vanilla extract</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup buttermilk (or soured milk – ½ cup milk + 1 ½ tsp.
white vinegar, let it set a bit to curdle)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 small ripe banana</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 cups fresh grated zucchini (if frozen, thaw and squeeze
out a bit of the juice)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9 x 13 inch glass baking
dish with canola oil spray.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Melt butter and chocolate over low heat or in microwave,
whichever technique is preferred.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In medium mixing bowl, lightly fold together flour, salt,
cocoa, baking soda and cinnamon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In large mixer bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed,
combine butter, chocolate, sugar, eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, and banana. Fold in
zucchini. Stir in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Spread in prepared baking dish.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in
middle comes out clean.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While still warm, sprinkle with a bag of milk chocolate
chips, spread with a knife to cover as they melt. OR</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mix up your favorite buckeye filling (peanut butter, butter
and powdered sugar), warm it up a bit to soften, and spread over warm cake. OR</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let cake cool completely and dust with powdered sugar. OR </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Use your imagination – Chocolate frosting, Cream cheese
frosting, Buttercream frosting, etc.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-36842413406244441972014-11-15T15:21:00.000-05:002014-11-15T15:21:39.486-05:00Garda’s Baked Spaghetti<div class="MsoNormal">
By Gail Foley</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My mother-in-law was a wonderful woman. She had a magic way
with children, but cooking not so much. This is a recipe I recreated at the
request of my husband, Richard, about thirty years ago. The big difference from
her recipe is that I never use spaghetti sauce from a jar. I use whatever sauce
I have left over and I almost never make spaghetti sauce the exact same way. So
use your favorite sauce.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 cups leftover cooked spaghetti noodles</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 cups leftover spaghetti sauce</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
12 slices real American cheese (NOT cheese food wrapped in
individual slices)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a one and a half quart
rectangular glass baking dish with canola oil spray.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Spread half of noodles in bottom of dish. Cover with half of
sauce.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Top with six slices of cheese. Repeat layer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is
starting to brown.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let cool for five minutes or so. Cut in six squares and
serve with a vegetable or side salad and a crusty garlic bread. Some red wine
is nice too! The kids always liked green beans on the side. Myself, I prefer
lightly steamed broccoli. (but no wine for the little ones ;-)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Richard really likes a good crusty browned top on this
casserole.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-84861039917009636272014-07-26T17:32:00.000-04:002014-07-26T17:32:40.190-04:00Egg Foo Yung<div class="MsoNormal">
By Gail Foley</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I expect my first experience with Egg Foo Yung was in Junior
High when I learned to make the gravy. I have made this dish so many ways. I am
not a fan of fried foods, but once in awhile is OK. See my motto – All things
in moderation, including moderation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The traditional vegetable is bean sprouts. That would be
mung bean sprouts. When I learned to grow sprouts, this was the dish to use
them up. Then I learned to sprout alfalfa. There is nothing better than fresh
home grown alfalfa sprouts. Again, when you have excess, make Egg Foo Yung!
Since then I have used finely shredded cabbage and added slim strips of
julienned carrot and onion. Now I have excess broccoli slaw. I always watch for
it to be marked down at Kroger. The vegetable possibilities are many. Just
slice them very thin and stringy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was the first time I tried tuna. Usually, I use
leftover bits of shredded chicken, beef or pork. The 4 oz bags of frozen salad
shrimp work very well. If sliced small enough, surimi (imitation crab meat) is
very good, too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yield: 5 to 6 cakes</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Serves: 3 to 4</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5 large Eggs</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
10 oz Broccoli Slaw Mix</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ medium Onion (4 inch), peeled and julienned</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 (5 ½ oz) can solid white Albacore Tuna, drained and flaked</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ to ½ cup peanut oil</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 recipe <a href="http://getrealcooking.blogspot.com/2014/07/egg-foo-yung-gravy.html" target="_blank">Egg Foo Yung Gravy</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you haven’t done it yet, make gravy now and hold it in a warm
place. (Top of stove or in warmed oven.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Set large skillet over high heat. Remove from heat and
lightly coat with canola oil spray. Return to very low heat while preparing
ingredients. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Set oven to warm. Line a baking sheet with a double layer of
paper towel and set in oven.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Break eggs into large mixing bowl, (at least 4 quart) and beat
well.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Add rest of ingredients and toss with large spoon to mix
well.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pour oil into skillet about an 1/8 inch deep and heat until
a drop of mix sizzles instantly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Using your large spoon, toss mix and pick up a big scoopful.
Immediately and gently, set it in the skillet. Mash it down a bit with the
spoon. Be sure to stand far back to avoid any grease splatters.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cook it for a minute or two, until you can see the bottom
edge turning brown. Then gently turn it over, again standing far back to avoid
any grease splatters. Cook for another minute or so. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then lift it out of the oil, tilting slightly and leaning
against the side of the pan to drain off excess oil. Set it on your prepared
tray in the oven. Repeat until all mix is used. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Serve with rice and top with gravy. Bet you can’t eat just
one <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-43165963807143645002014-07-26T17:26:00.000-04:002014-07-26T17:36:01.679-04:00Egg Foo Yung Gravy<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
By Gail Foley</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s hard to remember that far back, but I think I first
made this in Home Ec in Junior High School. That was Norup Junior High in Oak
Park, MI. I have lost and found this recipe a few times over the years. This
sauce is what makes me want to eat more <a href="http://getrealcooking.blogspot.com/2014/07/egg-foo-yung.html" target="_blank">Egg Foo Yung</a>. For some reason, it
inspires a craving. It is a nicely translucent brown and tastes smooth, savory,
salty and tangy with a touch of pepper.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Yield: 1 1/2 cups</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Serves: 3 to 4</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
1 Tbsp Sugar</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
1 Tbsp Cornstarch</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
1 Tbsp White Vinegar</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A couple dashes of finely ground White Pepper</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
1 ½ cups Water</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
For this recipe, you need a measuring tablespoon, a measuring
cup for the water, a one quart saucepan and a large spoon to stir.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Combine the first five ingredients in saucepan, in order
listed. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Stir well until cornstarch is blended in with no lumps. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Stir in water and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally
so that nothing sticks to the bottom.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, stirring
occasionally. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ladle over <a href="http://getrealcooking.blogspot.com/2014/07/egg-foo-yung.html" target="_blank">Egg Foo Yung</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-610205109635885722014-07-26T16:07:00.000-04:002014-07-26T16:07:46.315-04:00Copycat Campbell’s Golden Mushroom Soup<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">By Gail Foley, February 10,
2014<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">Eureka! I’ve finally done it!
After many years and many web searches, I put together a recipe tonight that
worked perfectly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">1 can (10.5 oz.) condensed
cream of mushroom soup<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">2 Tbsp. tomato purée<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">½ tsp. beef base dissolved in
2 Tbsp. water<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">1 Tbsp. white wine – Pinot
Grigio<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">1 tsp. soy sauce<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.5pt;">Stir together and cook down
to desired thickness for your favorite recipe. Mine is Beef Stroganoff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-37051986213414566122014-07-20T23:30:00.000-04:002014-07-20T23:30:00.248-04:00Cheesy Stuffed Zucchini Bats<div class="MsoNormal">
By Gail Foley</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kpXthy4ov90/U8yH2e7yY4I/AAAAAAAAACE/3E5MBRnqyaE/s1600/DSCI0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kpXthy4ov90/U8yH2e7yY4I/AAAAAAAAACE/3E5MBRnqyaE/s1600/DSCI0028.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well it’s that time of year again. The zucchini are coming
on like gangbusters and there’s always a couple that get away and turn into
what we fondly call “baseball bats”. If you've ever grown zucchini, I’m sure
you’re familiar with this phenomenon. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A freshly picked “bat” should still have tender skin for
this recipe. Poke it with a fingernail to test it. I didn't feel like doing the
usual treatment for very large zucchini –
shredding. My other favorite treatment is to cut them into pickle size spears and
make dill pickles. I’m not quite ready for pickling yet. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I researched some stuffed zucchini recipes on the internet
for something new and different. This recipe from Rachel Ray for <a href="http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/side-dish-recipes/cheesy-zucchini-boats">Cheesy
Zucchini Boats</a> offered two new techniques. She baked the zucchini first,
using the same technique I use for winter squash: Cut the squash in half and
bake it cut side down. And the more interesting technique was to put the cheese
on the bottom, under the stuffing rather than as the usual topping.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 very large zucchini, 14 inches</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¾ lb ground beef (ground sirloin)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ onion, chopped</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 stalk celery, diced</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ large orange bell pepper, diced</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 Tbsp chopped garlic</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Salt and pepper</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 can (10.5 oz) tomato soup (1 pint homemade tomato soup)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8 slices bread, white balloon (2 Kroger onion rolls + 3
slices white bread)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6 ounces (1 ½ cups) shredded mozzarella</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1/2 cup grated Parmesan</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9x13 inch baking dish
with canola oil spray.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trim the ends from the zucchini, enough to fit in your
baking dish. Using a tablespoon, scoop out the spongy center with seeds and
discard, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell. Place the zucchini shells cut side
down in prepared baking dish and bake for 60 minutes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Meanwhile, heat a large cast iron skillet until hot and dry.
Remove from heat and lightly coat with canola oil spray. Return to very low
heat, while chopping vegetables. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Add the beef, onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic and seasonings
to skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring to break up meat, until no longer
pink and vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato soup and
bread.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Using tongs, turn over the zucchini shells and line the
bottoms with the mozzarella. Pack on the filling. Sprinkle the parmesan on top.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for five
minutes. Cut each half crosswise into four pieces. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Serve with a side salad or another vegetable such as corn on
the cob or steamed broccoli.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Inspired by: <a href="http://www.rachaelraymag.com/">http://www.rachaelraymag.com/</a>,
September 2007, <a href="http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/side-dish-recipes/cheesy-zucchini-boats">Cheesy
Zucchini Boats</a>.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-89983957166192511352014-07-20T19:26:00.000-04:002014-07-20T19:26:56.992-04:00Tuna Romanoff<div class="MsoNormal">
By Gail Foley</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jFCf7D_dA4o/U8xPmYli-3I/AAAAAAAAAB0/bu1iYgbcPXU/s1600/DSCI0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jFCf7D_dA4o/U8xPmYli-3I/AAAAAAAAAB0/bu1iYgbcPXU/s1600/DSCI0004.JPG" height="241" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
A long time ago, and
far, far away, I was a teen working at J.L Hudson’s Department store. I learned
to make my first casserole from Joanne, one of the ladies I worked with in the
wrapping department. It was with some excitement, we would have a ladies’ night
at her house and cook. This casserole is so rich and creamy with the salty
flavors of tuna and the tang of the olives. It is a favorite even with those
who don’t like tuna!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t remember the origins of this recipe. I suspect it
might have been from Kraft for the cream cheese. The closest recipe I found on
the WWW is linked below. It was published in Sheila Metcalf’s, <u>The Tuna
Cookbook</u>, in Jan. 1972, but I was making it two years earlier, in 1970. The
original recipe did call for one can of tuna, but we always felt it was better
with two cans. And the more olives the merrier! We didn’t bother with chives or
the breadcrumb topping.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Serves 8</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8 oz wide egg noodles</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5 Tbsp butter</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5 Tbsp flour</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ tsp salt</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ tsp pepper</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 ½ cups milk</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8 oz cream cheese, cubed</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 cans tuna (white solid albacore in water), drained and
flaked </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup pimento stuffed green olives, sliced</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6 oz (1 ½ cups) muenster cheese, grated OR sliced</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 2 quart (or 2 one
quart) baking dish with canola oil spray. Cook noodles according to package directions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Make <a href="http://getrealcooking.blogspot.com/2014/07/easy-peasy-white-sauce.html" target="_blank">white sauce</a>. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Stir
in tuna and olives.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In prepared baking dish(es), layer ⅓ sauce, ½ of the noodles,
and ½ of the Muenster cheese. Repeat. Top with remaining ⅓ sauce.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bake for 30 minutes. Let set five minutes before serving. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This makes a full meal with a side salad, steamed broccoli or
another fresh vegetable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Eat one casserole now and freeze the other for later. Cool it and
wrap well with saran wrap and foil..</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Close to original recipe: <a href="http://www.recipe4all.com/recipe/Tuna-Romanoff-3290/" target="_blank">http://www.recipe4all.com/recipe/Tuna-Romanoff-3290/</a></div>
<h1>
<span style="color: white; font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 13.0pt; font-weight: normal;">Tuna Romanoff<o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<h1>
Tuna Romanoff</h1>
Serves 6<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8 oz Flat
egg noodles</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2½ cups Medium
white sauce</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8 oz Cream
cheese</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 (6 oz) can Tuna; drained, flaked</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup Green
olives; pimiento-stuffed, sliced</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Tbsp Chives</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6 oz Muenster
cheese; sliced</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup Bread
crumbs</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Tbsp Butter;
melted</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cook noodles according to package directions and drain. In
saucepan, heat white sauce and add cream cheese, which has been cut into cubes.
Cook and stir until the cheese has melted. Stir in tuna, olives, and chives. In
a greased casserole, make layers of sauce, noodles, and Muenster cheese slices,
starting and ending with sauce. Toss bread crumbs and butter together and sprinkle
over casserole. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
From: The Tuna Cookbook, Sheila Metcalf, Doubleday, Jan 1,
1972</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-29073935160754636122014-07-20T18:38:00.000-04:002014-07-20T18:38:12.688-04:00Basic Cheese Sauce<span style="font-weight: normal;">By Gail
Foley</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Cheese
sauce is a basic white sauce with cheese melted in it. Start with<a href="http://getrealcooking.blogspot.com/2014/07/easy-peasy-white-sauce.html" target="_blank"> Easy Peasy White Sauce</a> and add cheeses.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
The
flavor and texture depend on the cheese used. Don’t use a stringy cheese like
Mozzarella. At least, only a little bit. You want a cheese that will melt and
has good flavor. Cheddar, Colby, Muenster, Swiss, Jack and American cheeses are
good in any combination. Please use American cheese, NOT "cheese
food". American slices can be dropped in a few at a time and stirred until
melted. If cream cheese is needed, I use lower fat Neufchâtel instead. Just cut
off small chunks with a wire cutter and drop them into the bowl. The addition
of some grated Parmesan and Romano adds good flavor, but by themselves the
texture is a bit grainy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Experiment
with those leftover bits of cheese hanging around in your refrigerator. But no
extra mold please! The natural mold from cheeses like Bleu and Roquefort is
eminently acceptable.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
This can
be made lower in fat with skim milk and low fat cheese. If you need pepper for
flavor, use finely ground white pepper so there aren't any dirty specks. Cheese
is usually pretty salty so be wary of adding additional salt.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
2
cups <a href="http://getrealcooking.blogspot.com/2014/07/easy-peasy-white-sauce.html" target="_blank">white sauce</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
1 cup
shredded cheese<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
While
white sauce is still hot, add cheese and stir.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Microwave
another minute and stir, if needed, to completely melt the cheese.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
If more
cooking is needed to thicken or melt cheese, repeat the one minute cook and
stir as needed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Yields
about 3 cups.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-54680946864890807302014-07-20T18:16:00.000-04:002014-07-20T18:16:14.596-04:00Easy Peasy White Sauce<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">AKA
Béchamel Sauce<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">By
Gail Foley<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">With the advent of
electric appliances, I gave up that convoluted mess of frying flour in butter
and then trying to mix in the milk without making lumps. Also known as making a
“roux”. Get real! Until the power goes out, or you really need that
browned flour, you can revert to the classic method. My method is
easier, quicker and low-fat. Only an elite gourmet palate could tell how I
cooked my flour! And I barely miss the butter, especially since this is usually
the base of a recipe, not eaten for itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The cooking times are
based on a microwave power of about a 1000 watts. Newer microwave ovens are
often of higher wattage. Adjust the power level to 70% or so, if the flour
cooks too quickly into a hard layer in the bottom of the bowl. If by some
circumstance, your microwave oven only cooks at 700 watts or so, then lengthen
the cooking times accordingly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">For thin white sauce use
2 tablespoons flour. For a thick white sauce, use 1/3 to ½ cup flour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you have to have
butter, just throw it in the blender and whiz it with the milk and flour. It
will melt quickly in the microwave and stir right in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Once you learn how your
microwave cooks, this recipe is easy-peasy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yield: 2 cups</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2
cups milk<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">¼
cup flour<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dash
of salt and ground white pepper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pour
milk into blender, measuring by marks on side of blender jar. Add flour, salt
and pepper. Cover and stir until blended, about 30 seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pour
into 6 cup glass microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir with
whisk, scraping sides and bottom of bowl and breaking up any lumps that may
have formed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Microwave
for 1 ½ minutes. Repeat stirring with whisk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Microwave
for 1 minute. Repeat stirring. If still not done, cook another minute or so as
needed to achieve desired thickness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-36669944524978750452014-04-26T17:53:00.000-04:002014-07-20T17:07:48.956-04:00Corn Fritters with HamBy Gail Foley<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every weekend morning, I cook breakfast. Well, if I am not
working. The first thing I hear from my son, Thomas, is “Cook eggs?”, if I am
not already cooking them when he wakes up. Which is late as usual. </div>
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<br /></div>
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This morning, I had memories of my Grandma Main and the corn
fritters she made us as children. They were light, with lots of corn and egg
and a little bit of flour to hold them together. We drenched them in butter and
syrup. Yummy!</div>
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<br /></div>
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I had not made them in many years and looked up some recipes
to refresh my memory. I remembered that there were two main types – northern
and southern. One was doughy and one was mostly egg. Since Grandma is from
Mackinac Island in northern Michigan, I would guess that the northern ones are
mostly egg. </div>
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<br /></div>
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My recipe search yielded lots of recipes, southern,
northern, Canadian, and southwest variations but nothing like Grandma’s. So I
just had at it. I figured about an egg per ½ cup of corn with a little milk to
make the egg fluffy. I added a generous
tablespoon of flour for each egg and put in some baking powder to keep the
flour light. I added some diced ham, because my guys like meat with their eggs.
I fried them in corn oil to enhance the corn flavor.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2M5ULDqCmqg/U8wvalMJJUI/AAAAAAAAABU/kqkjkOGLR94/s1600/DSCI0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2M5ULDqCmqg/U8wvalMJJUI/AAAAAAAAABU/kqkjkOGLR94/s1600/DSCI0001.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
They turned out like
Grandma’s fritters, with ham! Delicious!</div>
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Yield: 6 fritters</div>
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4 large eggs</div>
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2 Tbsp. milk</div>
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1 pint corn kernels, drained</div>
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Salt and pepper</div>
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1/3 cup flour</div>
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½ tsp. baking powder</div>
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½ cup thinly sliced deli ham, diced (6 small slices or 2
oz.)</div>
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Corn oil</div>
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Butter</div>
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Maple syrup</div>
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<br /></div>
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Preheat oven to 250°F to keep fritters warm. Line cookie
sheet with paper towels to drain fritters.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Heat large skillet (preferably cast iron or heavy stainless
steel, heavy aluminum in a pinch) hot and dry. Remove from heat and lightly
coat with canola oil spray. Return to very low heat while preparing batter.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Put eggs and milk in 8 cup mixing bowl and whisk together. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Add corn, salt and pepper, flour and baking powder in order
listed. Fold together with large spoon until all is moistened. Crumble in ham
and fold several times until evenly distributed.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Put about a ¼ inch of oil in skillet and turn up heat. When
a drop of batter sizzles instantly, place a 1/3 cup of batter in skillet for
each fritter. Hopefully, the skillet is large enough to hold three fritters
easily. Shake some more pepper over them. Fry at medium heat until nicely
browned on bottom. Turn fritters over and brown other side, a few minutes for
each side. Remove to paper towels and put in oven to keep warm. Repeat with
rest of batter.</div>
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<br /></div>
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To serve, put one or two fritters on a plate. Top with a
dollop of butter and a good splash of syrup. Enjoy!</div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-55074601779558537302014-04-19T13:02:00.000-04:002014-04-19T13:20:51.947-04:00Bacon, Egg, Cheese and Spinach Casserole<div class="MsoNormal">
I found this recipe posted on FB and adapted it to a smaller
amount and quicker and easier directions. The 9x9-inch dish still serves 8
easily, especially when accompanied by <a href="http://getrealcooking.blogspot.com/search?q=hash" target="_blank">hash browns</a> and fruit.<br />
<br />
This is a wonderful breakfast dish. It was moist, tender and tasty. It would also be good with sausage or ham. -Gail</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Mg7_TC2XgM/U1Krl2GYACI/AAAAAAAAAAs/bpqaEXk33Ls/s1600/Bacon+Egg+Cheese+and+Spinach+Casserole.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Mg7_TC2XgM/U1Krl2GYACI/AAAAAAAAAAs/bpqaEXk33Ls/s1600/Bacon+Egg+Cheese+and+Spinach+Casserole.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<!--[endif]--></div>
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3 cups bread, diced (4 fresh heels from white and wheat
bread) </div>
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6 eggs</div>
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1 1/2 cups milk</div>
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1/2 onion, diced</div>
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1 ½ cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed</div>
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1/2 cup Hormel real bacon bits (4-5 slices bacon, cooked
crisp and chopped)</div>
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1 1/2 cups cheese, shredded (Colby or mild cheddar)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Preheat oven 325°F.</div>
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<br /></div>
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In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the
bread cubes, stir to moisten and let sit while preparing and gathering the rest
of the ingredients.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Coat a 9×9-inch baking dish with canola oil spray.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Add onion, spinach, bacon and 1 cup of cheese to bread
mixture. Toss together lightly and pour into prepared baking dish.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Sprinkle with rest of
the cheese and bake for about 45 minutes, until puffed and set. A knife
inserted in center should come out clean.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Original recipe: </span><a href="http://hugsandcookiesxoxo.com/2014/04/bacon-egg-cheese-spinach-casserole.html#sthash.NuS2gPcx.dpuf"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">http://hugsandcookiesxoxo.com/2014/04/bacon-egg-cheese-spinach-casserole.html#sthash.NuS2gPcx.dpuf</span></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09020974870792748758noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-60018349780129628242014-04-10T18:30:00.000-04:002014-04-19T13:18:42.029-04:00Scalloped Chicken and Potatoes with Green Beans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9wwrDMBtLMk/U0car8wwaCI/AAAAAAAAAAY/IfjiPZjP6E8/s1600/Scalloped+Chicken+and+Potatoes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9wwrDMBtLMk/U0car8wwaCI/AAAAAAAAAAY/IfjiPZjP6E8/s1600/Scalloped+Chicken+and+Potatoes.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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I did a recipe search for a dish with chicken and green
beans. This one popped up in my saved files. I couldn’t find this recipe on
Google. You can always count on Russie to have something that tastes good. Thank
you so much, Russie! I adapted the ingredients to what I had on hand and
decided to layer and bake it like a more traditional scalloped potato dish.<br />
<br />
This was so delicious and creamy. The sharp cheddar cheese added a little tang and the spices were a savory whisper of flavor.</div>
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Serves 6</div>
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<br />
1 (1/2 lb.) Chicken breast </div>
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2 cups Water from poaching chicken</div>
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3 Red potatoes (about 3” round), sliced 1/4 inch thick </div>
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1 cup Milk </div>
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2 Tbsp. Chicken base <br />
3 Tbsp. Flour </div>
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1 small (3 oz) pkg. Neufchâtel<br />
4 oz. (1 cup) Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded </div>
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1/4 tsp dried Thyme<br />
1/8 tsp each ground Sage, Garlic powder, Onion powder, Pepper<br />
½ tsp. dried chopped Chives<br />
1 (15 oz) can cut Green beans, drained<br />
<br />
To poach chicken: Put chicken breast in pot and cover with water. Bring to boil
and turn heat to a low simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand
for 15 minutes. Remove chicken to a dish to cool, saving broth in pot. Pull
skin and bones from chicken and save in freezer bag for a future kettle of
soup. Shred chicken.</div>
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<br /></div>
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To cook potatoes: Add sliced potatoes to pot with saved
broth and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and cook covered for 15 minutes or until
potatoes are almost tender when poked with a fork. Drain potatoes and save
broth. Pour broth through strainer and save 2 cups for sauce. Save remaining broth
to use in another recipe.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat an 8x8-inch baking dish
with canola oil spray.</div>
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<br /></div>
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To make sauce: Put the saved 2 cups of broth, milk, flour
and chicken base in a blender jar and whisk until mixed. Pour into 2 quart
microwave safe bowl and microwave about 2 minutes at a time at 75% power
(depending on power of microwave oven) until sauce is thickened, stirring every
two minutes.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Drop little chunks of Neufchâtel into the hot sauce and
whisk until melted and blended. Add shredded cheddar and stir until melted and
blended into sauce. Stir in herbs and seasonings.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Assemble casserole:</div>
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Put about one cup of sauce in bottom of prepared baking
dish. Cover with a layer of potatoes (one third of potatoes). Sprinkle with one
half of the shredded chicken. Sprinkle with one half of the drained green
beans. Add another layer of potatoes (half of remaining potatoes). Drizzle a
good cup and a half of sauce over casserole. Continue layering with remaining chicken,
beans, potatoes and sauce. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Bake for one hour or until bubbly and top is golden brown.
Remove from oven and rest for 15 minutes before serving.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Serve with a side salad or steamed vegetable - broccoli or
asparagus. Yummy!</div>
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---------------------------</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Original recipe: Russie <<a href="mailto:russie2003@*******.net">russie2003@*******.net</a>></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Subject: [dailyrecipes] ---Scalloped Chicken and
Potatoes---with Green Beans---</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Date: 1/18/2007 10:51 PM</div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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SCALLOPED CHICKEN AND POTATOES<br />
<br />
2 1/2 pounds red potatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick<br />
14.5 oz can chicken broth<br />
8 oz pkg cream cheese<br />
1/2 tsp dried thyme<br />
1/4 tsp each dried sage, garlic powder, salt, pepper<br />
1 cup milk<br />
3 tbs flour<br />
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules<br />
4 scallions, chopped<br />
1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4 inch cubes<br />
10 oz pkg frozen cut green beans<br />
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss or harvarti cheese<br />
<br />
In pot, cook potatoes in 1 cup broth, covered, 15 min. until almost tender.
Whisk cream cheese and next 8 ingredients and remaining broth and scallions in
bowl. Add chicken and cream cheese mixture to potatoes in pot. Cover, simmer 5
min. Stir in green beans and Swiss or harvarti cheese, cook 10 more min. or
until chicken is cooked through. MAKES 6 SERVINGS.*</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-1356592666328709412013-11-10T14:20:00.001-05:002013-11-10T14:20:56.130-05:00Toad in the Hole - West Virginia Style<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is a traditional British dish akin to their Yorkshire
Pudding. But in West Virginia as in other parts of Appalachia, we have great
pork products. This recipe uses those tasty little rolls of sausage. We bought
several pounds from the FFA at the Harvest Festival and I wanted to try this
dish with the last of them.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The British would traditionally serve this for dinner with
lots of onion gravy and mashed potatoes. But in my house, sausages cooked in
essentially pancake batter are breakfast fare and best topped with maple syrup.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I used a blender to mix the batter, but a bowl and whisk
would work as well. Be sure to use a deep baking dish. This batter rises like a
soufflé or popover.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This was very tasty and good looking with the nicely browned
sausages peeking through the lightly browned and fluffy baked custard (pudding?).
It was not soggy and not dry – just right. Yum!</div>
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Serves 3 to 4</div>
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<br /></div>
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1 cup milk </div>
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2 eggs</div>
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1 cup all-purpose flour </div>
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¼ teaspoon salt </div>
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<br /></div>
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2 Tbsp bacon grease</div>
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<br /></div>
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10 (1/2 pound) skinless pork country sage sausages </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Put milk, eggs, flour and salt into blender jar. Cover and process
at medium speed until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Let rest 30
minutes.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Set oven to 450ºF. Lightly coat a deep two quart baking dish
with canola oil spray. Drop bacon grease in dish and put it in the oven to
preheat.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Fry sausages in skillet until just browned. Take off heat
and set aside until batter is ready. (When thirty minutes of rest is done.)</div>
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<br /></div>
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When batter is rested, open oven door, slide out oven rack a
bit and lay sausages in hot baking dish. Pour and scrape batter out of blender
and over sausages.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Close door and do not open for thirty minutes. Do not bang
or stomp in kitchen so as to jar batter while it rises. The secret to a fluffy
dish is the hot fat, the hot oven and no jarring.</div>
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Serve immediately, as it deflates as it cools.</div>
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</div>
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Top with hot maple syrup, and serve with an over-easy egg and
some fresh fruit on the side.</div>
</div>
Gailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266279005642200076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-9240807095771242422013-08-13T15:56:00.000-04:002013-08-13T15:56:42.763-04:00Simply Elegant Chicken à la King<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
By Gail Foley<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFT5mQejdZo/UgqOaDyHzsI/AAAAAAAAANg/HP_B4LBn1uw/s1600/stars-5-0.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZFT5mQejdZo/UgqOaDyHzsI/AAAAAAAAANg/HP_B4LBn1uw/s1600/stars-5-0.gif" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Creamed
chicken dishes have been around for hundreds of years. Chicken à la King can be
traced to the 1890’s mostly in the New York/Philadelphia region. The earliest
print documentation I found was (14 December 1893). Alumni of Princeton College
luncheon. New York Times. It became very popular in the middle of the 20<sup>th</sup>
century especially with women’s
clubs, mess halls, and board luncheons all across the United States.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
The
vegetables should be sparse and fine. The sauce should be thick, rich and
creamy. The chicken should be delicate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Serves 4<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
¼ cup
finely minced onion <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
1/2 green
pepper, finely diced<br />
1 can (10.5 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup<br />
½ cup mayonnaise<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
3 oz. Neufchâtel
(low-fat cream cheese)<br />
¼ cup milk<br />
1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms (stems and
pieces), drained<br />
<a href="http://getrealcooking.blogspot.com/2010/02/easy-poached-chicken.html">1
chicken breast, poached and shredded ½ inch, (no skin or bones)</a><br />
1/2 teaspoon ground sweet paprika<br />
1 Tbsp. Cream sherry<br />
2 Tbsp. pimiento (canned sweet red pepper), finely diced<br />
Hot toast points, (4 slices quartered)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Season
skillet with canola oil spray.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Sauté
onion and green pepper.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Stir in
soup, mayo and milk. Heat to almost boiling. Stir in Neufchâtel until melted.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Stir in
sherry, paprika, chicken and pimento. Heat to almost boiling.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Serve
over toast points.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Notes:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Used
minced onion in place of onion juice. Could also grate onion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Used
cream of chicken in place of flour, butter, salt, cream and chicken broth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Used
mayonnaise in place of egg yolks, butter and lemon juice.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Used 1
can of mushrooms in place of thinly sliced fresh mushrooms.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
If using fresh
mushrooms, sauté with onion and peppers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Added Neufchâtel to make thicker, richer and creamier.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Can use
red bell pepper instead of pimento, but sauté with onion and green pepper.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Recipe for the original CHICKEN
A LA KING<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<strong><span style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SOURCE:
The New York Times, 14 April 1980, an article by Craig Claiborne citing a
circa-1900 brochure from the Brighton Beach Hotel.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<strong><span style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Melt
two tablespoons of butter and add one-half of a green pepper shredded and one
cup of mushrooms sliced thin. Stir and cook five minutes and then add two level
tablespoonfuls of flour and a half teaspoonful of salt. Cook until frothy and
then add one pint of cream and stir until the sauce thickens. Put this all in a
double boiler, add three cups of chicken cut into pieces and let stand to get
very hot. In the meantime, take a quarter of a cup of butter and beat into the
yolks of three eggs, one teaspoonful of onion juice, one tablespoonful of lemon
juice and one-half teaspoonful of paprika. Stir this mixture until the eggs
thicken a little; add a little sherry and finally shredded pimento before serving on toast.”<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<br /></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://theaesthetecooks.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/chicken-a-la-king-elsie-de-wolfe/">http://theaesthetecooks.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/chicken-a-la-king-elsie-de-wolfe/</a><o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><br /></strong></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Gailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266279005642200076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-16306544828564274922013-08-13T12:25:00.000-04:002014-04-19T13:24:10.307-04:00Dad's Open-faced Broiled Tomato Sandwich<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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By Gail Foley</div>
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One of my earlier memories of my father is of his tomato
garden. He would grow these large Beefsteak tomatoes - most often Big Boys. This
is what he made with the first ripe tomatoes.</div>
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1 slice Bread</div>
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1 slice American Cheese</div>
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1 slice of a large fresh Tomato </div>
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Malt vinegar</div>
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Ground black pepper</div>
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<br /></div>
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Preheat oven broiler.</div>
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Lightly coat a small sheet of aluminum foil with canola oil
spray.</div>
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Assemble sandwich on foil – Lay down bread, then cheese,
then tomato.</div>
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Put under broiler, a couple of inches from flame. Watch it
carefully!</div>
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When cheese is browned, remove from broiler to plate.</div>
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Sprinkle with malt vinegar and pepper.<br />
<br /></div>
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It is easier to eat with a fork, but have some fun trying to
pick it up and eat it like a sandwich!<br />
<br />
I should note that Dad's bread of choice was Wonder Bread. I favor a heartier bread and would recommend Sourdough, Italian or French bread. I have also liked it on various wheat breads.</div>
</div>
Gailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266279005642200076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-91399633018559585082013-08-13T12:09:00.000-04:002013-11-07T10:23:41.274-05:00My Favorite Raisin Bread and Cheddar Sandwich<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h1>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">By Gail Foley</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">I have enjoyed this sandwich since I was a child. It is
probably the first recipe I created. The combination of sweet and salty, sour and bitter is a delight to the taste buds. The combination of crunchy, gooey and creamy textures is also pleasing.
It is better at room temperature, when the bread and raisins are soft and the cheese is
creamy.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">2 slices Raisin Bread (Frosted even better!)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">French’s Prepared Yellow Mustard</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">1 thick slice Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Generously cover one side of each slice of bread with
mustard.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Lay cheese on one slice of bread and cover with other slice
of bread - mustard inside.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cut diagonally into wedges and enjoy!</span></span></div>
</h1>
</div>
Gailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266279005642200076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-42145258622540484862013-07-24T12:08:00.000-04:002013-07-24T12:08:01.907-04:00Crock Pot Stuffed Whole Cabbage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Richard harvested four cabbages. Not really enough for a
crock of kraut yet, but I need to use them up. I remembered a Paula Deen recipe
I was going to try last year for a whole cabbage, stuffed and barbecued. </div>
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<br /></div>
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After reviewing several recipes on the www, I decided to
hollow out a cabbage, place it on a bed of the removed chopped cabbage in a
crock pot. I made a meat stuffing reminiscent of our traditional family turkey
stuffing and when almost done, I topped it with a tomato cheese sauce. It
cooked for four hours on high.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It was absolutely, deliciously different! The main drawback
was being afraid to remove the whole hot cabbage to a platter for a beautiful display!
After it cooled down, I was able to remove the leftover half cabbage entirely
to a casserole dish for storing. </div>
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Serves 6-8</div>
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<br /></div>
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1 good size cabbage (needs to fit in crock pot with maybe an
inch to spare)</div>
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1 cup diced onion</div>
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1 celery stalk, diced</div>
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1 lb. lean ground pork</div>
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2 Tbsp. ground Poultry seasoning</div>
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Salt & pepper</div>
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2 cups diced bread</div>
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2 eggs, beaten</div>
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2 cups chicken broth</div>
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1 can (10.5 oz.) condensed tomato soup</div>
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1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese</div>
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<br /></div>
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Set up crock pot and coat inside with canola oil spray.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Prepare cabbage: Trim cabbage of ragged outside leaves and remove
core. Cut circles around core to within an inch of bottom of cabbage, remove
pieces leaving a nice one inch shell all around.</div>
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Dice removed cabbage and place in bottom of crock pot.
Sprinkle with half cup of diced onion and 1 cup of broth. Set cabbage on top of
diced vegetables. Turn crock pot on high.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Prepare stuffing: Heat
10 inch heavy skillet until hot and dry. Remove from heat and lightly coat with
canola oil spray. Return to very low heat while gathering and preparing
ingredients. Turn heat to medium and sauté onion and celery with pork and
poultry seasoning until pork is no longer pink. Turn off heat. Toss with bread
cubes. Stir in 1 cup broth and eggs. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Put stuffing in cabbage. Cover crock pot and cook on high for four
hours. Every half hour or so baste cabbage with juices from bottom of crock
pot. A turkey baster comes in handy here.</div>
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<br /></div>
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After 3 ½ hours, mix tomato soup with cheddar cheese. Heat
in microwave to melt cheese, stirring frequently. Pour over top of cabbage and
cook for another half hour or so. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Cabbage is done when ribs near top are tender when poked
with a fork.</div>
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Slice wedges from outside into center and scoop onto plates
for serving.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This was very delicious accompanied by Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes.</div>
</div>
Gailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266279005642200076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-15988685623936533062013-07-20T14:01:00.001-04:002013-07-20T14:01:43.696-04:00Easy Creamy Savory Polenta<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have tried making polenta before, but it was nothing to
write about. It was yucky. Not even as good as grits. Then I saw this recipe, <a href="http://lupo-lobo.com/photoblog/sunday-breakfast-polenta-and-eggs/">Polenta
and Egg Breakfast</a>, and thought I would give it a try. I didn't know which
cornmeal to use. I had regular yellow corn meal I use for corn bread and a fine
white self-rising cornmeal. </div>
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After research on the www, I discovered some interesting
facts:<o:p></o:p></div>
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From <a href="http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/article.asp?docid=23339">Cook’s
Illustrated</a>: <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Baking soda added to the
cooking liquid </span>softens the endosperm, <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">reducing
the time it takes for gelatinization to occur, which in turn, shortens the
cooking time; and </span>use degerminated
cornmeal. <o:p></o:p></div>
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From <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polenta">wikipedia</a>:
“<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Polenta has a creamy texture due to the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">gelatinization
of starch</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">in the grain, though it may not be completely
homogeneous if a coarse grind or hard grain such as<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">flint corn</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">is used.</span>” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">From <a href="http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/687172">Chowhound</a>: For creamy
polenta, the ratio of water to polenta is 5:1.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I decided to use the
self-rising cornmeal. It already has baking soda in it, it is degerminated and
the fine texture would probably give a creamier texture than coarse ground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I brought the water to a boil
and whisked in the cornmeal. Yuck, a bunch of lumps. I threw it out and started
over. If I want a no lump gravy, I quickly stir small amounts of water into the
flour. Then stir the loose paste into simmering broth. For the creamiest
oatmeal, I stir the oats into cold water. So I put the cornmeal into the pan
first, whisked in cold water gradually, then brought it to a boil. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Hooray! Success! This recipe is
very smooth and creamy. I even snacked on the cold leftovers.</span></div>
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Serves 2-4</div>
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1/4 cup Self-rising Cornmeal</div>
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1 1/4 cups Water </div>
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1/2 tbsp Butter</div>
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1 Tbsp Milk</div>
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1 Tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese </div>
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2 Tbsp grated sharp Cheddar Cheese</div>
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Dash hot sauce</div>
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Dash ground black pepper</div>
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Put corn meal in 1 quart saucepan with a tight fitting lid.
Slowly stir in cold water with a whisk, eliminating all lumps. Bring to a boil
stirring frequently. Cover tightly and turn heat to very low, barely a simmer. Set
timer for 20 minutes. Stir every five minutes. After 15 minutes, stir in milk
and butter. After 20 minutes, stir in the cheese, hot sauce and pepper. Taste
for seasoning. Cover and let set at least five minutes or until rest of meal is
ready to serve.</div>
</div>
Gailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266279005642200076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85952960970392567.post-47313054554664660402013-06-13T00:57:00.000-04:002013-06-13T00:57:34.296-04:00Velvet Chicken and Pork with Broccoli and Snap Peas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Now
that I am cooking for just three, there are bits and pieces left over. I picked
my first snap peas and some broccoli side shoots had to be harvested. (BTW, I saw
the first white cabbage moths today.) I had a small piece of pork and another
of chicken. Why not combine them? I was thinking of the wonderful creamy tenderness
of velvet chicken and thought that pork loin would benefit from this treatment
also.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Have all your ingredients prepared and ready to go before starting to
stir fry. Once the wok is hot and you start stir frying, time moves along
quickly. Advance preparation is a must. You can prepare the vegetables and
sauce while the meat is marinating and the rice is cooking.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Serves 4 </div>
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6 oz boneless skinless chicken breast (1 small half)</div>
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6 oz boneless pork loin (1/2” chop)</div>
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1 egg, separated</div>
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2 ½ Tbsp cornstarch</div>
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2 Tbsp cream sherry</div>
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2 Tbsp golden soy sauce</div>
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1 Tbsp chicken base</div>
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1 cup water</div>
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1 Tbsp sugar</div>
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2 shakes hot sauce</div>
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dash white pepper</div>
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<br /></div>
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1 cup white rice</div>
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2 cups water</div>
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<br /></div>
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6 cups of water</div>
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<br /></div>
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1 Tbsp sesame oil</div>
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½ cup diced onion (½ inch dice)</div>
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1 Tbsp minced ginger</div>
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1 Tbsp minced garlic</div>
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2 cups broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces</div>
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1 small can (6.5 oz) mushroom pieces and stems, squeeze drained</div>
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2 cups snap peas</div>
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Cut the meats across the grain into very thin slices. Combine
egg white, 1 tablespoon corn starch, 1 tablespoon sherry and 1 tablespoon soy
sauce in a medium bowl. Stir until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Add the
meat pieces and toss with a spoon until completely coated. Cover and place in
the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.</div>
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Put rice and water in rice cooker or 4 to 6 cup pan with
tight fitting lid. Bring to boil. Immediately turn heat to very low for 20
minutes. Remove from heat. Do not lift cover. Let steam for five minutes before
fluffing with fork to serve.</div>
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Put 6 cups of water in a 2 quart saucepan and bring to
boil over high heat.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Heat wok hot and dry. Remove from heat and coat lightly
with canola oil spray. Return to very low heat to season, while preparing
vegetables, meat and sauce.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Clean and prepare vegetables and set aside on a paper
plate or dish for each.</div>
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In a small bowl, make up sauce with remaining 1 tablespoon
soy sauce, 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon sherry, stirring until
cornstarch is dissolved. Stir in chicken base until smooth and dissolved. Stir
in water, remaining egg yolk, sugar, hot sauce and white pepper. Set aside.</div>
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<br /></div>
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When water boils, remove from heat and place meat with marinade
in the hot water. Separate the meat with a spoon and let it sit in the hot
water for five minutes to poach. Drain meat, put in a dish and set aside.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Heat wok to very hot. Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil.
Stir fry onions for about 1 minute or until they start to look translucent. Add
garlic and ginger and stir fry about 10 seconds.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Add broccoli. Stir fry until hot, about 1 minute.
Sprinkle with a tablespoon of water and cover for 1 minute. Remove cover and
stir some more. Replace cover for another minute. Repeat as necessary until broccoli starts to change color to bright
green. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Add mushrooms and snap peas and stir fry another minute,
until hot. Add meat and stir fry for a minute. Cover for a minute. Repeat until
hot and peas are changing color to bright green. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Stir in sauce mixture. Cover for a minute. Repeat
stirring and covering, just until sauce has thickened. </div>
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Serve over rice.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adapted from: <a href="http://www.afamilyfeast.com/velvet-chicken-with-vegetables/" title="Permalink to Recipe"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.afamilyfeast.com/velvet-chicken-with-vegetables/</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Gailhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11266279005642200076noreply@blogger.com0