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Monday, January 31, 2005

Cheese Nuggets 

This would make a great addition to your Super Bowl Festivities. Cut your cheese sticks into thirds. Place your flour in a plate and season with salt and pepper. Put the egg in a small bowl. Place your bread crumbs on a plate. Add your cheese piece to the flour and toss to coat. Dip in your egg and finally roll in the bread crumbs. Arrange your coated cheese pieces in a single layer onto a baking sheet. Let stand for 15 to 30 minutes ( 30 minutes works best) Pour the oil into a large skillet at least 1 inch deep and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot carefullly drop cheese pieces in and fry until golden in color. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.... Serve with your favorite marinara sauce.

# posted by Anonymous : 1:33 PM

Sunday, January 30, 2005

Wine 101 

I found the folowing in one of my many cookbooks. There is a right way and a wrong way to hold your wine glass. You should hold it by the stem rather than the bowl because the heat of your hand will quickly warm the wine.
Red wine should always be served in a glass that is more rounded and has a large bowl this allows all the flavors to POP. Giving you that real taste.
When pouring wine fill the glass no more than two-thirds full.

# posted by Anonymous : 11:31 AM

Saturday, January 29, 2005

To make life easier in the kitchen 

Gather around everybody what you are about to learn in this lesson you may find a bit helpful when you are in the kitchen.... With the help of us you will be the queen of the kitchen in no time.

# posted by Anonymous : 5:40 PM

Basic Guidelines for Grilling Meat 

This is taken from my Great Grilling and Casual Cookouts recipe book. A couple of definitions first. Direct grilling is done over the coals/flames(gas grill) with no lid when grilling. Indirect grilling is done over a 'drip pan', with some water in it, and with the lid on when grilling. There will be 4 different 'tables' one for each type of meat/veggies. If anyone has trouble with the lists, let me know. I will try to make a table. I am still not that good at html. The list was easier for me.

# posted by micki : 11:06 AM

Friday, January 28, 2005

Taffy Apple Salad 

Taffy Apple Salad Drain the pineapple really good and save the liquid.In a medium size saucepan combine the pineapple juice, flour, sugar the beaten egg and it has to be beaten prior to adding to the mixture and the vinegar Cook on medium heat stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Let this mixture cool completely. In large bowl combine pineapple, marshmallows apples and ½ of the peanuts. Mix Cool whip with the cooled liquid mixture; fold into fruit. Chop the remaining nuts and sprinkle on top. Chill in the fridge before serving.... You have to follow the directions to a tee if not it will not turn out right..... I make this all the time it really is a great snack....

# posted by Anonymous : 2:16 PM

Salsa Making Lesson 

I like mild salsa, so that's what I'll create for you. Remember, all measurements are RELATIVE. I rarely actually use measurements, so do not be afraid to expiriment. I like Tina's recipe. I just have my own taste when it comes to salsa. I did after all, make a lot of salsa in mexican restaraunts. There will be a future post for a different flavored, chunky hot salsa recipe. Have to get cooperation from the husband. Now we have all of our 'stuff'. This part is easy. Throw it all in the blender. If you have a stick mixer great. One thing though, do not overmix, you don't want to taste tomato sauce. You want it to be smooth. Do put in your spices as they will mix thoroughly into your other flavors. The thing about salsa is, the longer it's been made, the more your flavors will develop. If you are using immediately, then it's ok to adjust your spices. If you are using it later on, adjust spices then. Trust me, I have tasted salsas and they are very different with just one day's difference. Go, expiriment, enjoy the simplicity of salsa with the ability to 'make it your own'. Cooking can be a fun expirience. On a side note, I expiriment with all food I make. If I don't like it, it goes in the trash, No one knows when I make bad things.
Tip: Salsa takes a long time to go bad. I am going to tell you how to 'tell' if it does. This applies to anything with tomatoes in it. If you see it boiling in the refrigerator, it is bad. Not until that point. Salsa is good for a long time. By boiling I mean boiling. You may want to try this to see, I find it highly amusing.

# posted by micki : 8:13 AM

Pico de Gallo Lesson 

Ever wonder how they make it? That stuff you get at the restaraunt, some call it chunky salsa. It is salsa as strictly defining it, but most people don't consider it that, since it is fresh veggies. I taught my husband how to make it. It was one of the few things he didn't know about mexican cooking. (Note: if you were really eating authentic mexican food, it would have no flavor. No salt, no pepper, etc. They are/were a poor country, those things are luxuries.) 15+ years expirience cooking mexican, at that time, and I taught him something. I was so proud. This is so amazingly simple. I will give ingredients, then directions. This lesson will look like a recipe! We will prepare our ingredients first. First thing you need to do is wash the scallions, we need them to be dry when we chop them. Go get a clear bowl, container, whatever. It needs to be clear, we are using relative measurements. We are measuring in layers. De-seed and dice your tomatoes. I prefer small pieces, you choose your own preference.
First Layer: Put all the tomatoes in the bowl. Preferably our bowl is square or has straight sides.
Next layer: Peel and dice your yellow onion, these really should be small pieces. Layer enough on top of the tomatoes to cover them completely.
Next Layer: Peel and dice your purple onion. We are using less purple then yellow. This layer should cover the yellow, but still be able to see some of them.
Next layer: Scallions, these need special instructions to chop. I will show the easiest way to do it. Leave the rubber bands on. Chop of the end of the green parts, just so there aren't any nasty's on them. Use a chef's knife for this. With the back end of the blace, we are going to dice them very thinly. You can do this, it just takes practice. Note: The back end of a chef's knife, closest to the handle, is always the sharpest. You need a sharp knife for this. I can do this fast, but you can go as slow as you need to. With the back end we are using a 'curving' motion. Back end comes down, pushes across the entire bunch, lifts back up. Keep your fingers out of the way, this is why we use the rubber bands, it helps hold them together. Cut all the way down to the other end, moving the rubber bands when necessary. If you get big chunks, never fear, I will help with that too. Just pile them up, use the same curving motion with the knife, but this time use your other hand to hold down the front of the blade. Chop in a diagonal arc. Scoop back into a pile, repeat until you have the size you want. This will also work with anything you want chopped smaller. It just makes the scallions messier, and we want pretty. One bunch should be sufficient, they have a strong flavor. Sprinkle over the purple onions.
Next Layer: the peppers. Not much I can tell you about the amounts. If you want very hot, use a lot. If you want very mild, you can actually get away with using none at all. I use a paring knife to cut into very small pieces. This way ensure you get a little pepper with each bite. That is why we added it isn't it? Just sprinkle over green onions.
Now we have all our layers. Cool we're almost done. We have come to the trickiest part. Sprinkle, I said sprinkle, salt over the top. We don't want to taste the salt! Splash the lime and lemon juice on top. We don't want the flavors, we are preserving the colors of our veggies, with the plus of making them last longer. I use lime juice along with the lemon, as this enhances the flavor, without tasting either one. Stir with a wooden spoon. Gently, we don't want to bruise the tomatoes. A little secret: I actually use my hands to stir, much easier and gentler.
Taste it. Using a tortilla chip is good for this, but if you use a salted one it will not taste the same. If you don't have an unsalted chip, use a small piece of flour tortilla. If you want more (insert veggie here) add more. This is why I titled it lesson instead of recipe. The trick here is not adding spices. We are going for a fresh veggie mix. You don't need those spices. If you want them, go make salsa, that's what you are wanting. The longer these stay in the refrigerator, the more the flavors blend. This is tricky, if you leave too long, you will taste the lemon/lime juice. A couple of days shouldn't hurt it. If you want those flavors, don't add more to the salsa, just leave a couple days. We want the consitency of salad not salad dressing.
Note: despite being so easy to make, the reason a restaraunt will charge more for this is the fresh veggies.

# posted by micki : 8:13 AM

Its Salsa Time 

Thats right don't add water to hot oil what was I thinking.... I know you drop water on a griddle if you are making pancakes..... Ok Ok Its Salsa Time... This recipe is very different and unusual I mad it for New Years Eve and it was a hit I just started throwing stuff together and came up with it myself..... Mix everything together and walah you have a very unusual salsa...... When I made this I wrote down how much I put in there but trust me you can add more or less of any of it depending on your taste...... I love cilantro..... I added it once to a lemon sauce I made now that was different...I may submit a desert recipe next ..... now that is where I get creative..... So folks bring your empty stomachs and a fork and lets eat.....Micki are you still asleep?

# posted by Anonymous : 6:59 AM

Thursday, January 27, 2005

Lesson:Tortilla chips 

Find the cheapest corn tortillas you can buy. Do not buy the ones that can just be heated without oil. Those will not work.
Use a chef's knife to cut a 'stack' of tortillas into fourths. (*Note: ALWAYS use a dry towel over the knife, so if your hand slips you won't cut a finger off.*)
Heat any kind of oil you like, to 350F. Tip: you can check this by dropping a pinch of flour into the oil, if sizzles immediately it's ready.
Here's the trick. When you drop the tortillas into the oil, have a pair of tongs at the ready to stir them. When I say stir, I mean Gently push down and out. It will take practice, but anyone can do this. They do not take more than 30 seconds to cook. They will not be brown if you are using fresh grease. That's ok, they will be crispy. If you are new at this, you should taste your first batch to make sure you have the hang of it. Shake salt over them, if you like.
Note: You can also shake Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Dressing Mix over them, put into bag and shake. These are much better then the Ranch chips you can buy.

# posted by micki : 3:27 PM

Ranch Cheese Chip Dip 

This recipe is fantastic.... It is always a crowd pleaser at my Super Bowl parties... What is a Super Bowl Party without the beer... Well you now have
BEER DIP Combine the cream cheese and the dressing mix in a bowl; stir in the cheddar cheese and then the beer.(Dont add the beer and the cheese at the same time for some reason it really screws this up.) The mixture will appear to be mushy. Cover and chill at least 3 hours but it is best if chilled over night.... Did you save the remainder of your beer.. Drink up... This dip is really good on warm tortilla chips..

# posted by Anonymous : 2:57 PM

Golden Chicken Nuggets 

This one can be either an appetizer or the main dish. My kids loved this. I substituted the parmesan with the fake parmesan you buy at the store. If you do this add a little less. It was a bit salty. Tip for cooking things with breading: Allow time for the breading to look like it blended into the meat. This will make it crunchier and you will not lose as much breading. Tip for measurements: If recipe calls for measurement of #teaspoon chopped something, you should chop then measure. If calls for measurement of #teaspoon something, chopped measure first then chop.
    Directions:
  1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. (Parchment paper is better for anything like this.)
  2. In large bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese, season salt, salt, thyme, basil and parsley; mix well. Dip chicken into butter, then roll in crumb mixture.
  3. Place chicken on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.
makes 30 servings

# posted by micki : 12:49 PM

First Recipe: Chili Lesson 

Ok, I think the appropriate first one is going to be about chili. In honor of the Superbowl on Feb 6. I'm going to tell you something about cooking chili. Measurements are relative.There are a few basic things you throw in, then season to taste. Thus ends our chili lessons. I will scour my vast repertoire of recipes for a chili one I can approve of.
*Note: chili powder has cumin(mexican seasoning also good itself to add to chili), garlic, oregano. Check the label of your bottle. There are different mixes depending on the brand.
micki

# posted by micki : 12:05 PM

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