You've heard the saying, "every dog has its day," unless it has a broke tail then it's a weak-end. I feel like a dog with a broke tail this weekend as my girls at a church retreat. Aaron is busy all weekend and so I'm on my own. Don't you feel sorry for me?
That means this will be a no cooking weekend. I wish I could say I was relaxing and had all this time to cook up some wonderful meals. But alas, I have a wedding tonight and will be at the church tomorrow from 9-noon. I should have some time in the afternoon to do some relaxing.
I do plan to cook myself a good rib-eye steak tomorrow evening. I already have it marinating. This is my favorite steak. What little research I've done leads me to think that grass fed cattle are the best. The marbling may be a little less but the flavor is better.
Marbled simply means meat that has fat running through it, is more tender and flavorful than other meats. The front part of cattle has more marbled meat (shoulder, ribs) than the other end. For stews and roasts use chuck, it comes from the shoulder. You'll need to stew, boil, or braise the rump or round cuts to make it more tender and flavorful. It doesn't hurt to do it with chuck as well.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Pesto Talapia
We've been cooking alot of talapia lately. I wanted to try something a little more challenging. So I had looked up some recipes on Saturday. I found one I liked and emailed it to myself.
On the way home from work I was trying to figure out how I was going to cook it in the oven along with some aspargus and mushrooms. I decided to cook the aspargus first. While it was cooking I prepared to cook the Talapia.
I ran into a problem though. The internet was down and I couldn't get to my recipe. So I decided to wing it based on my memory. First, I took 8 oz of pine nuts and put them in the blender and tried to turn them into powder as best I could. It turned out better than I thought. Then I took about 4 oz of parmesean and 2 tbsps of pesto and blended them with the pine nuts.
Next, I rinsed the fish off and placed them on a pan with cooking spray. I spread the pesto mixture over about 8 pieces of fish, covering them as best as I could. The oven was preheated to 450 degrees and I baked the fish for 12 minutes. I like mine a little crispy so I brioled them for about 2-3 minutes. Oh, I forgot to say I salt and peppered the fish before I put the pesto on. I probably could have used a little more salt, but Charlcie thought they were fine just the way they were and so did Abi. Another successful cooking event.
Now that the internet is working, I'll have to check the recipe and see what I left out. I know there were some spices mentioned. Everyone liked the meal so much that I'm sure I'll do it again and do it the right the way.
On the way home from work I was trying to figure out how I was going to cook it in the oven along with some aspargus and mushrooms. I decided to cook the aspargus first. While it was cooking I prepared to cook the Talapia.
I ran into a problem though. The internet was down and I couldn't get to my recipe. So I decided to wing it based on my memory. First, I took 8 oz of pine nuts and put them in the blender and tried to turn them into powder as best I could. It turned out better than I thought. Then I took about 4 oz of parmesean and 2 tbsps of pesto and blended them with the pine nuts.
Next, I rinsed the fish off and placed them on a pan with cooking spray. I spread the pesto mixture over about 8 pieces of fish, covering them as best as I could. The oven was preheated to 450 degrees and I baked the fish for 12 minutes. I like mine a little crispy so I brioled them for about 2-3 minutes. Oh, I forgot to say I salt and peppered the fish before I put the pesto on. I probably could have used a little more salt, but Charlcie thought they were fine just the way they were and so did Abi. Another successful cooking event.
Now that the internet is working, I'll have to check the recipe and see what I left out. I know there were some spices mentioned. Everyone liked the meal so much that I'm sure I'll do it again and do it the right the way.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Sausage And Sauerkraut
Something I haven't cooked in a long time and I really like is sausage and sauerkraut. It's so simple. I quartered an onion, chopped up 4 or 5 carrots and put a 32 oz bag of sauerkraut in a pan and turned the stove on high. I think Vlasic makes a good sauerkraut. I use the jar or the kind that comes in a plastic bag. Then I mix it up. While this was heating up, I chopped up 2, 14 oz bags of Chappell Hill Pork and Deer Sausage. Man oh man is this stuff good. I don't know if you can get it anywhere but southeast Texas, but if you can ,you outta try it.
Place the sausage in the pan and mix it up. Then I turn it down to low and let it cook for 4-5 hours. It's best to stir it every so often. You don't have to wait this long to eat it, but it tastes a whole lot better if you do. Most of the liquid will boil out and the flavor and taste will be awesome. Add this one to the cookbook.
This is another recipe I got from my sister-in-law Gen. In the past I spelled her name Gin, not thinking. That's what you get for being in a hurry and not paying attention to important things. The important thing here though, is this is good cooking and eating.
Place the sausage in the pan and mix it up. Then I turn it down to low and let it cook for 4-5 hours. It's best to stir it every so often. You don't have to wait this long to eat it, but it tastes a whole lot better if you do. Most of the liquid will boil out and the flavor and taste will be awesome. Add this one to the cookbook.
This is another recipe I got from my sister-in-law Gen. In the past I spelled her name Gin, not thinking. That's what you get for being in a hurry and not paying attention to important things. The important thing here though, is this is good cooking and eating.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Cooking For Friends
Last night we had some friends, we've known for a long time, come over. Since it was Friday, we needed something quick and easy to cook. Charlcie mentioned pesto chicken. On the way home I went by the grocery store and got some chicken breasts and pesto. While I was there, I thought I'd get some things to make a great salad.
We got some fresh spring mix, a yellow and red pepper, mushrooms and some walnuts. When I got home I brined the chicken for 20 minutes and then put a rub on it and put it in the refrigerator for an hour. While I was waiting I made the salad. I used about a half a head of iceberg lettuce, 4 ounces of spring mix, half of the yellow and red pepper, green onions, carrots, and celery. I chopped up some tomato for individuals to use in their salads, so the leftovers wouldn't get all watery. The walnuts were chopped up and put in a side dish for people to add if they liked as well.
Since I had too many mushrooms I decided to saute about 75% of an 8 once container and put the rest in the salad. First, I put some noodles on to boil and cut up the chicken into a good bite size chunk and sauteed it in olive oil. When the noodles were done (I cooked enough for 8) I added about 2/3 cup of pesto and the mushrooms and chicken and mixed it up. If I had to do it again, I'd mix the pesto and the chicken and mushrooms and serve them in a separate bowl to add on top of the noodles. But it worked and everyone really enjoyed.
For dessert we had left over strawberry shortcake. We used the muffins I had made for pot luck. I had put a little splenda on the strawberries and they were very good. To top it off we added a little cool whip.
We had a great time eating, remembering old times, sharing our lives and praying together. You can't have a better Friday evening.
We got some fresh spring mix, a yellow and red pepper, mushrooms and some walnuts. When I got home I brined the chicken for 20 minutes and then put a rub on it and put it in the refrigerator for an hour. While I was waiting I made the salad. I used about a half a head of iceberg lettuce, 4 ounces of spring mix, half of the yellow and red pepper, green onions, carrots, and celery. I chopped up some tomato for individuals to use in their salads, so the leftovers wouldn't get all watery. The walnuts were chopped up and put in a side dish for people to add if they liked as well.
Since I had too many mushrooms I decided to saute about 75% of an 8 once container and put the rest in the salad. First, I put some noodles on to boil and cut up the chicken into a good bite size chunk and sauteed it in olive oil. When the noodles were done (I cooked enough for 8) I added about 2/3 cup of pesto and the mushrooms and chicken and mixed it up. If I had to do it again, I'd mix the pesto and the chicken and mushrooms and serve them in a separate bowl to add on top of the noodles. But it worked and everyone really enjoyed.
For dessert we had left over strawberry shortcake. We used the muffins I had made for pot luck. I had put a little splenda on the strawberries and they were very good. To top it off we added a little cool whip.
We had a great time eating, remembering old times, sharing our lives and praying together. You can't have a better Friday evening.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Strawberry Shortcake
I needed a diet dessert for our potluck last night since I'm trying to eat healthy. I knew there would be lots of temptations and that would help. I found this low carb, low cal muffin mix for strawberry shortcake.
You take 2 cups of almond flour (I found it in the specialty food section at Kroger). Then add 2 tsps baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt and mix it all together. In another bowl mix 1 stick of melted butter, 4 eggs, 1/3 cup of water and about 1/3 cup of spenda. Pour this mixture into the first one and stir well. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, place mixture in muffin tin ( about 2/3 full) and bake for 15 minutes. I'd check it after about 12.
Next cut the tops out of the strawberries and wash. Then slice them and cover with a little spenda and refrigerate. When the muffins are done and cooled put one in a bowl and cover with 1/12 of strawberries and add a little cool whip. The muffin has about 1.5 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber and about 185 calories.
This was very good and you could add blueberries or apricots to the mix for an alternative. The mix is a little grainy, but everyone liked it. I think I may experiment and try and mix the almond flour with some regular flour and maybe something else low carb. I'll let you know.
You take 2 cups of almond flour (I found it in the specialty food section at Kroger). Then add 2 tsps baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt and mix it all together. In another bowl mix 1 stick of melted butter, 4 eggs, 1/3 cup of water and about 1/3 cup of spenda. Pour this mixture into the first one and stir well. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, place mixture in muffin tin ( about 2/3 full) and bake for 15 minutes. I'd check it after about 12.
Next cut the tops out of the strawberries and wash. Then slice them and cover with a little spenda and refrigerate. When the muffins are done and cooled put one in a bowl and cover with 1/12 of strawberries and add a little cool whip. The muffin has about 1.5 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber and about 185 calories.
This was very good and you could add blueberries or apricots to the mix for an alternative. The mix is a little grainy, but everyone liked it. I think I may experiment and try and mix the almond flour with some regular flour and maybe something else low carb. I'll let you know.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Roasted Asparagus & Mushrooms
My dad and I used to grow asparagus in our garden and we really loved cooking it. More than that though we loved eating it. It was a favorite in our family. But since my parents have been gone we have seldom cooked it. I don't know why because Charlcie loves it dearly.
Recently, I've seen it in the stores and we've been trying to eat more vegetables. So a couple of weeks ago I picked up a bunch and pan roasted them with olive oil. They were good but I thought we could cook them better. So I googled asparagus and found some recipes.
We had a pound of asparagus and trimmed off the woody stalks. I put them in a food storage bag along with 3 tbsp of olive oil, 1/2 pound of sliced mushrooms and 1 clove of minced garlic. On a large baking sheet I spread out the mixture and sprinkled with sea salt and pepper and a little more olive oil. Into a preheated oven to 425 degrees they went and baked for 20 minutes. You might want to check it after about 15 so not to over cook. You want them to be tender and lightly browned. This was enough for 3 of us last night and Charlcie and I finished them off tonight. I'm really loving this and this is one for the cookbook.
Recently, I've seen it in the stores and we've been trying to eat more vegetables. So a couple of weeks ago I picked up a bunch and pan roasted them with olive oil. They were good but I thought we could cook them better. So I googled asparagus and found some recipes.
We had a pound of asparagus and trimmed off the woody stalks. I put them in a food storage bag along with 3 tbsp of olive oil, 1/2 pound of sliced mushrooms and 1 clove of minced garlic. On a large baking sheet I spread out the mixture and sprinkled with sea salt and pepper and a little more olive oil. Into a preheated oven to 425 degrees they went and baked for 20 minutes. You might want to check it after about 15 so not to over cook. You want them to be tender and lightly browned. This was enough for 3 of us last night and Charlcie and I finished them off tonight. I'm really loving this and this is one for the cookbook.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Success How Good It Is, Cooking That Is!
Sunday was a great day. The worship service was great and so was the spaghetti dinner for the garage sale team after the service. We didn't have any leftover but I was sure glad I added the leftovers from cooking earlier in the week or we wouldn't have had enough.
It really is a good feeling when things turn out. The sauce was hearty, tasty and delicious. I was challenged though, by a great salad that Barbara Smith made. This salad was colorful and crisp, with a wide variety of fresh vegetables. Then Barbara made a rice pudding with brown rice for dessert that was delicious and healthy. It was hard sharing the compliments - not!
Really though, I'm a little insecure about my cooking and I need all the positive feed back I can get (can you hear the violins playing in the background). You'd think at age 55 I'd be past all that but I'm not (am I getting any sympathy yet). I'm being a little silly but not totally so keep up the encouragement.
Last night I made some oven fried eggplant and it turned out great. Believe me, if my 2 kids like something that has to do with a vegetable then I'm doing good. They both loved it and it was so simple. This was the first time I made it and I didn't know how it would turn out. I may have cheated a little because after I baked it I had some hot grease and I quickly fried it to keep it from being so dry. You gotta watch that though, because they can brown really fast. We also had pan fried fish and coleslaw.
It really is a good feeling when things turn out. The sauce was hearty, tasty and delicious. I was challenged though, by a great salad that Barbara Smith made. This salad was colorful and crisp, with a wide variety of fresh vegetables. Then Barbara made a rice pudding with brown rice for dessert that was delicious and healthy. It was hard sharing the compliments - not!
Really though, I'm a little insecure about my cooking and I need all the positive feed back I can get (can you hear the violins playing in the background). You'd think at age 55 I'd be past all that but I'm not (am I getting any sympathy yet). I'm being a little silly but not totally so keep up the encouragement.
Last night I made some oven fried eggplant and it turned out great. Believe me, if my 2 kids like something that has to do with a vegetable then I'm doing good. They both loved it and it was so simple. This was the first time I made it and I didn't know how it would turn out. I may have cheated a little because after I baked it I had some hot grease and I quickly fried it to keep it from being so dry. You gotta watch that though, because they can brown really fast. We also had pan fried fish and coleslaw.
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