Replies

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four; unless there are three other people.

~Orson Welles~

April 9 National Chinese Almond Cookie Day

April 10 Cinnamon Crescent Day

April 11 National Cheese Fondue Day

April 12 National Licorice Day Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

April 13 National Peach Cobbler Day

April 14 National Pecan Day

April 15 Glazed Spiral Ham Day

Weekly Cooking Thread Ping List
(to be added/deleted - post on this thread or by PM)

Recap of last weeks Recipes:

Appetizer* 9 Chicken liver pate
Dessert* 40 Easy Chocolate Mousse
Meal* 3 Absolute best liver & onions
Meal* 13 Homemade Pizza-scattered posts
Meal* 14 Upside Down Pizza
Meal* 39 tonkatsu sauce
Meal* 43 Cheap Chop Suey
Meal* 59 Crazy Crust Pizza
Meal* 71 tuna casserole recipes-variations
Meal* 88 Kate’s Tuna Casserole
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2698653/posts?page=91#91

A delicious weekend breakfast!!

Oatmeal Pancakes
Yield: 10-12 3” pancakes

Please note that the oats begin soaking the night before.

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
scant ½ cup flour (white, whole wheat, or spelt)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons (½ cube) butter, melted, and cooled slightly
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Additional butter and vegetable oil, for the pan
Maple syrup, for serving

The night before:
Combine oats and buttermilk in a small bowl, and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning:
Remove oat-buttermilk slurry from refrigerator. Set aside, to warm slightly.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Add egg, melted butter, and maple syrup to oat slurry. Pour oat-egg mixture into flour mixture, and stir to combine. The batter should be substantial, the consistency of thick yogurt.

Place a large non-stick skillet or griddle over a gentle medium heat, and melt a knob of butter with a splash of neutral oil (butter for flavor, oil to prevent burning). Pour batter by the shy quarter cup, allowing room for spreading and flipping. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until bubbles appear around edges and bottom is golden. If bottom is browning too quickly, nudge down the heat. Cook another two minutes or so, until reverse side colors nicely, and pancakes are cooked through.

Re-grease pan with butter and oil mixture between batches, and repeat until all batter is gone.

Serve immediately, with butter and maple syrup.

I am making a cake for a fundraiser.
I use the Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake and Perfectly Chocolate Frosting on the back of the Hershey’s Cocoa container. Excellent basic chocolate cake. If you like to improvise - this is a good one to start with.

Tonight’s version: I substituted almond extract for the vanilla and will decorate the cake with almonds.

I have made both a strawberry and a raspberry filling in the past to add to the cake.

My favorite variation is to make a batch of candied orange peel on the side. I save the syrup and mix a couple of tablespoons of Grand Marnier or Cointreau in the syrup then paint the cake before frosting. Then I decorate with the orange peel.

Of course it is also great plain!

Looks like a beef day....

Asian Style Flank Steak

1 flank steak
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 rice wine
1/4 cup honey
1 tsb minced garlic
1 tsb minced ginger
1 tsb sesame oil
1/2 tsb chili oil (optional)

Mx ingredients together and put the flank steak in a large zip lock bag. Put flank steak in ziplock and seal. Lay flat in the fridge for 2 hours to marinate, turning once every half hour.

Cook on BBQ to your desired degree degree of done-ness.

Can’t keep out family and friends away from it. We usually serve with a boxed rice-a-roni chicken rice and a fresh green veggie.

great to have at parties or cook-outs

Smoked sausage

1 1/2 lb smoked link sausage
1 can beer
1 bottle Dell Monte chili sauce
Slice sausage in about 1/2 to 3/4 inch slices and put in
large pyrex dish (shallow dish) in single depth.
mix chili sauce and beer and pour over. Bake 350 degree
for 1 to 1/2 hour. Enjoy

I have had people tell me they did not eat liver. When eating this did not know it was liver.

The Very Best Rumaki

1 lb chicken livers 2 cans water chestnuts
1 lb good bacon
marinade: 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon powdered
ginger

Mil all marinade ingredients together and blend well.
Cut all of the green off the livers and wash them well.
pat dry and cut into thirds (if large) Cut bacon strips
in half. Cut water chestnuts into halves or thirds,
according to size. Wrap piece of liver and one piece
of water chestnut with piece of bacon and secure with
tooth pick. Repeat until all are done. Let sit in
marinade overnight.
Place in foil broiler pan (to help with cleanup) and
bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until
bacon is done on one side and turn over and bake until
bacon is done on the other side. Serve warm.
Make lots as they go fast at the party. Enjoy

My carrots. Was my husband’s favorite.

carrots sliced -— sugar -— salt -— Grand Marnier
butter

Put carrots in water with salt and cook until almost
done. Then add sugar to taste and about two or three tablespoons Grand Marnier(according to how many carrots you have)
Cook until the carrots are slightly glazed

Here's our breakast this morning.

Breakfast Cups
½ lb Ground sausage
5 eggs, scrambled
3 Green onions
4 slices Cheese
1 cn Jumbo Refrigerated Flaky Biscuits (8ct)

Heat oven to 400'F. Grease 8 muffin cups. Brown ground sausage in large skillet; drain. Scramble eggs. Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Place 1 biscuit in each greased muffin cup; firmly press in bottom and up sides, forming 1/4" rim. Spoon about 1/4 cup of sausage into each biscuit-lined cup. Place a portion of egg on top of sausage Sprinkle the green onion bits on top and cover each with ½ slice of cheese, or more.
Bake at 400'F. for 10-12 minutes or until edges of biscuits are golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from pan. 8 servings. Like so many recipes, substitution works great. You can vary the meat, cheese, with or without onion. I can envision using Croissant dough also. My wife added salsa at her plate. And of course, ovens vary, mine were done at 7 minutes.

I am living the dream life right now with a daily nanny who is in charge of the kids, the house, and the cooking. I’m down to the last few weeks of writing my book and then going through the edits, and this is the only way I can stay sane. When I have to let her go, I’ll cry.

Anyway, last week she made an Alfredo sauce that was quite good but she used the powdery Parmesan cheese in the green can. I always use freshly grated Parmesan and now I know why. The powdery stuff makes the sauce taste gritty. I don’t know if I’ve ever posted this recipe here, but this is my absolute favorite Alfredo sauce.

Better than Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

5 tablespoons sweet butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 (12 ounce) box angel hair pasta

1.Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium/low heat.
2. Add the garlic, cream, white pepper and bring mixture to a simmer.
3. Stir often.
4. Add the Parmesan cheese and simmer sauce for 8-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened and is smooth.
5. When sauce has thickened add the Mozzarella cheese and stir until smooth. STIR FREQUENTLY.
6. While the sauce cooks, boil noodles for 3-5 minutes.
7. Place pasta on serving plates and spoon sauce over pasta

If you make this, don’t even think of checking out the calorie count. I made this for a Christmas Eve dinner and mixed it in with cooked mostaccioli, sliced mushrooms, and chopped up chicken. It was the hit of the evening, but why wouldn’t it be, with all that cream and butter??

My mom just gave me this recipe. I’m going to pick up the corn flakes and give it a try. She said they’re pretty good.

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bakes

1 16 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 C peanut butter
5 C corn flakes.

Melt the chocolate chips in a large bowl in the microwave. Add the peanut butter and blend well, then fold in the corn flakes.

Spread in a greased 9x13 pan.

CHICKEN TETRAZZINI
1 lb. pasta, cooked
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms
1 stick butter
2/3 cup flour
1 large onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
4 c. chicken broth
2 c. light cream
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 c. diced chicken, cooked
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook and drain pasta according to package directions. Slice the mushrooms 1/8 of an inch thick and sauté in 2-3 tablespoons of the butter, along with sliced onion, and chopped garlic until lightly browned. Combine the remaining butter with flour and add chicken broth, stirring over low heat until thickened. Add the cream, salt, pepper, sherry, and garlic powder.

Divide the sauce in half. And one half of the chicken meat, and half of the mushrooms and cooked pasta. Butter a casserole dish and turn the pasta mixture into the casserole leaving a well in the center of the pasta.

Turn remaining cooked chicken half into the center of the pasta mixture. Top with Parmesan cheese, and bake uncovered at 400°F for 20 minutes.

Optional: may also top with butter to breadcrumbs and grated cheddar or American cheese.

two or three weeks ago, there was a post on making a boule of bread...... My favorite bread recipe I think it was.

I made some and it was poor to fair. The second loaf was fair. I am now making my third loaf and would like to speak with the coach before next time.

Was it you? Can I question you?

I am disgusted with the store bought dough loaves passing for bread and decided to make my own. Bad as it is it is superior to the storebought