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April 30 - National Oatmeal cookie day
May 1 - National Chocolate Parfait Day
May 2 - National Truffles Day
May 3 - National Raspberry Tart Day
May 4 - National Orange Juice Day - National Homebrew Day - National Candied Orange Peel Day
May 5 - National Chocolate Custard Day - Totally Chipotle Day - National Hoagie Day
May 6 - National Crepes Suzette Day - International No Diet Day - National Beverage Day
Weekly Cooking Thread Ping List......~Ping~
Recap of last week’s recipes:
Appetizer* 15 Mama hen w/ baby chicks
Appetizer* 56 Baked Crab Dip
Appetizer* 56 Feta Olive Dip
Appetizer* 78 Artichoke Dip
Appetizer* 84 Angel Eggs
Bread* 14 Zucchini Bread
Bread* 10 Hot Cross Buns
Dessert* 16 White Carob or White Chocolate Easter Treats
Dessert* 19 Homemade Almond Joys
Dessert* 22 Easter Bunny Cake
Dessert* 25 Bird’s Nests
Dessert* 38 Zucchini Apple Crisp
Dessert* 64 Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pie
Dessert* 69 Chocolate Pudding
Ingredient* 40 Ham Glaze (various)
Meal* 13 Easter Eggs In A Basket
Meal* 17 Rosemary and Garlic Leg of Lamb
Meal* 20 Awesome Chicken Strips
Meal* 21 Caroline’s Macaroni & Cheese
Meal* 33 Chicken Salad
Meal* 52 Cook’s Country Ham Salad
Meal* 79 Chicken Salad
Meal* 80 Chicken, Black Bean, and Corn Tacos
Meal* 90 Cheesy Potatoes and Ham
Side* 23 Brussel Sprouts with Bacon
Side* 58 Summer fruit salad
Side* 72 No Yolk Deviled Eggs
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TOMATILLO AVOCADO SALSA
8-10 tomatillos (husked, rinsed and cut up)
1 fresh jalapeno (taste to see how hot and add accordingly; start with ½ jalapeno)
½ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro
2-3 cloves garlic
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ripe avocados, diced
2-3 green onions (white part, cut up)
1/2 lime, juiced, start with ½ lime and adjust to your taste
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon cumin, optional
Place all ingredients in food processor. Pulse to desired consistency. Taste and adjust to your taste, e.g., more salt, more jalapeno, more onion, etc.
The garden is producing so we’ve been having lettuces and greens on the menu this week. Looks like tomatoes and squash will be on the table by next week. Here’s a quick little garden spinach dish we enjoyed a couple days ago with some on sale mushrooms.
Spinach
In a skillet, saute thinly sliced 1/4 onion and a handful of sliced mushrooms in 1/4 C ham juices (from the Easter ham). Add a bag of fresh baby spinach to wilt and cook through. No need to add salt because the ham juice is salty and adds a nice flavor.
BTW, don’t throw out that Easter ham bone. Pick it clean and freeze the meat bits to use later in soups or casseroles. Freeze the bone to use next winter in a pot of pinto beans. Also, pour the ham juice into tiny freezer containers or pour into ice cube trays and then bag them up. When you need that bit of flavor for a dish, just throw in one or two of the cubes.
Eggs were on sale this week. If you have excess eggs, freeze them in ice cube trays. They can be separated with yolks in one cube and whites in another for easy baking use. When you use them, thaw them on the counter rather than nuking them so you don’t cook them.
I used to have a friend who traveled to Mexico a lot. I would go on some of the trips with her and while she worked on an orphanage home’s computer system, I had lots of spare time on my hands. One day, some of the kids “drug” me into their kitchen and taught me this recipe....so authentic Mexican for all of you.
Picadillo (Shredded Beef)
1-2 4 bls cheap beef roast
4-8 cups beef broth
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 8 oz can diced tomatoes
6 cloves minced garlic (I now use the bottled minced variety)
1 large onion chopped
1 tsp red pepper flakes (more if you want hot)
1 tbs cayenne pepper
1 tbs chili powder
1 can chopped jalapenos (or fresh)
1 can chopped green chilies
1 pinch of salt to taste
Mix all ingredients in a large dutch oven and place the roast(s) in the mixed liquid. Slow cook at a simmer for 4 hours or until the meat pulls apart easily. Put the roast(s) on a cutting board and allow to cool so you can touch it. Pull the beef apart with two forks. Place the shredded beef back into the liquid for 1/2 hour to allow all the beef to soak up the great liquid.
We use this to make tacos, burritos, etc. We freeze the leftover meat and just pull it out of the freezer when we want some more.
Enjoy!
Running late today for my cousin’s 70th birthday gathering so all I can come up with is an old family standby, the jam sandwich. Simple and cost effective, all you do is take two pieces of bread and jam them together. Apologies in advance.
In honor of National Oatmeal cookie day . . .
Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups oatmeal (blended)
12 oz. chocolate chips
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 oz Hershey bar (grated)
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 tsp. vanilla
Blend oatmeal in blender to a fine powder, set aside. Cream butter with both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. Roll into one inch balls, place two inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 375. Makes about 50 cookies.
I give these out at Christmas every year to family and friends. They are always excited to see me at their doorstep.
Better Than KFC's Cole Slaw
2 bags Confetti Cabbage (shredded green and red cabbage, carrots), 10 oz. each
1 bunch green onions, washed and trimmed
¾ cup mayo
½ cup sugar
3 tbsp. salad oil
3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Day before serving:
Finely chop Confetti Cabbage and green onions (I used a vegetable chopper, worked fine) and place in large bowl. Mix mayo, sugar, oil and vinegar in a separate bowl and pour over cabbage mix; stir well, refrigerate overnight, stirring once or twice before serving. Flavor improves overnight.
12 medium shrimp peeled and de-veined
2-3 stalks scallion sliced with all of the white and some green for color (green onion)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil 3-4 tablespoons quality soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
Cook time: about 4-5 minutes
Pre-heat small 8-10 inch sauce pan over low heat about 2 minutes. Add oil (Rule of thumb; hot pan cool oil, food never sticks).
Add shrimp and cook till almost translucent, add soy sauce (be careful of splatter) saute another 30 seconds.
Immediately add scallions and hot sauce if desired and turn the heat off! Let stand 30 seconds and serve in small serving plates.
This is a very simple dish to make. I came up with it on the fly one time when I had unexpected guests. It's expandable for larger groups....up to a point.