Absolute Cooking

Fish and Chips

2011-09-14T06:25:00.000-05:00

I am not a big fan of seafood. I love shrimp and crab, but that's where the love ends. My husband, however, loves fish and seafood and doesn't get it very often. Last night I made fish and chips for him, once again using my mother's recipe, which I believe she got from her dad.

Classic fried fish has a batter or beer batter you dunk the fish into and then deep fry. I choose to bread my fish similar to how I bread the tenderloins I make, but instead of bread crumbs, I use instant potato buds, or in other words, mash potatoes out of a box. The only time I will EVER recommend their use. Instead of deep frying, I pan fry, which I find keeps the fish from being overly greasy.

Pan Fried Fish

What you'll need:

Fish, I used Cod
Eggs
Potato Buds
Flour
Salt and Pepper
Oil
Butter

Measurements are purposely left out because it never fails, I run out before I am finished breading the fish.

What you'll need to do:

Rinse your fish, lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour, then egg and finally the potato buds.

( yes, I am a very messy cook)

In a large frying pan, heat oil and butter. You will want about a half inch of oil in your pan and 4 tablespoons of butter. When the butter is completely melted and bubbly, add your fish! Brown on each side, which doesn't take more than a couple minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in a 200 degree oven while you fry the rest.

Chips...A.K.A. Baked Potato Wedges

What you'll need:

Russet Potatoes

Olive Oil

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Salt

Pepper

Seasoning Salt

Cayenne Pepper

What to do:

Wash potatoes thoroughly, leaving the skins on! Cut into wedges and keep in cold water until ready to use. This will keep your potatoes from turning brown. Always keep peeled and cut potatoes in cold water until ready to use for all recipes!

On a large baking sheet, generously pour olive oil on the bottom. Roll the potato wedges in oil and line potatoes up with the skins on the bottom. In the bowl you had your potatoes in, mix 1/4 c. of olive oil with a teaspoon or two of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt and a dash of cayenne pepper.

Spoon this mixture over the potatoes and bake at 450 degrees until the outsides are golden brown.

Football Snacks

2011-09-11T07:35:00.000-05:00

I woke up in an awesome mood yesterday, however it was a tad early at 3:30am, so I decided to cook for the Iowa game. I would really rather not even mention yesterday's Hawk game, but it simply cannot be avoided. My Hawks lost in triple over-time. Needless to say after stuffing my belly all morning, the loss was a huge disappointment and inspired a nap as soon as ISU scored that finally touchdown. It was a truly exciting game with an outcome we Hawkeye fans haven't seen in three years.

Our friends, Brice and Shannon came over to watch the game with us. Shannon brought a delicious Buffalo Chicken Dip that will definitely make the football snack list in this house! I loved it!

I started our morning off with my mother's classic Monkey Bread recipe and added walnut pieces.

A raw veggie platter came next with a homemade Dill Dip my family loves! Halftime brought Seven Layer Taco Dip and Crockpot Pulled Pork Sandwiches.

Seven Layer Taco Dip

What you'll need:

Large Can Refried Beans

1 Taco Seasoning Packet

16 oz. Cream Cheese

8 oz. Sour Cream

Salsa

Shredded Cheddar

Lettuce

Tomato

Onion

Black Olives

....and whatever else you may want to throw on.

First layer:

Mix refried beans and spread over a 9x13 baking dish.

Second Layer:

Mix sour cream and cream cheese and spread over beans.

Third and Fourth Layer:

Spread salsa over the cream cheese mixture and then sprinkle shredded cheddar over the salsa. This helps keep the next layer, lettuce from wilting.

Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Layers:

The last layers are your veggies, lettuce, tomato, onion. And lastly, cheese and black olives.

The Week in Review...

2011-09-10T06:56:00.000-05:00

Another week with not much time to write. Let's see what I made...

Baked Chicken, Bacon Ranch Pasta & Bake Potato

Apple Crisp & Ice Cream

English Muffin Pizzas

Portabella Mushroom & Italian Sausage Lasagna

Chicken Soup for the Cold/Flu

2011-09-07T10:54:00.002-05:00

The change in weather seems to have brought the flu/cold to our household. First, my son Jake started coughing, then my daughter Skye. Next went my husband and yesterday, ME. A batch of homemade chicken noodle soup, is just what this holistic healer ordered.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipe is once again one that came from my mother and was adapted by me for flavor reasons. Yesterday I did some research on why chicken noodle soup is always recommended and what could I add to my recipe to make it's healing powers even better. Each ingredient in this soup is good for you in its own way and adds to helping you feel better.

Here is a great article about why Chicken Noodle Soup is super food when you are sick.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_makes_chicken_soup_good_for_colds

What you need:

1 Whole Chicken

1 Sweet Onion, finely chopped

4 Cloves of Garlic, minced

4 Stalks of Celery, finely chopped

2 c. Carrots, diced

Chicken Broth or Water

Salt

Pepper

Coriander Seed

Parsley

Thyme

Butter/Olive Oil

Egg Noodles (recipe below)

In a stock pot, add a couple tablespoons of butter and a couple tablespoons of olive oil then add all of your vegetables and spices. Saute until veggies are hot and just starting to cook down.

After rinsing your whole chicken thoroughly, add it to the veggie mixture and cover in water.

Simmer for several hours until the chicken wings pull away easily from the rest of the bird. Remove the from pot and let chicken cool until you can touch it comfortably. Next, take off the skin and throw it away. Take all of the meat off the bone, being very careful not to miss any small bones which could choke someone. Then dice up the chicken and set aside.

Once you remove the chicken from the pot, you will notice the broth level disappear. I like to use canned broth instead of water to refill the pot. Bring your pot of stock and veggies to a boil and add your egg noodles. I like to cook the noodles without the chicken at first. After the noodles are done, add the chicken and simmer until you are ready to serve.

Egg Noodles

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 pinch salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter

Mix salt and flour and set aside. Then mix the rest of the ingredients together. Pour wet ingredients into dry, mix well. On a floured surface, knead your dough and roll out into a thin square. A pizza cutter works great to cut your noodles fast and straight. Use immediately or let dry completely for later use.

Slow-Smoked Baby Back Ribs

2011-09-05T09:16:00.001-05:00

It's Labor Day! Most Americans are enjoying this day off by firing up their BBQ's for one last summer fun day in the sun. My family is no different. My cousin Kate and her clan are coming over today for slow-smoked baby back ribs and some outdoor fun.

Iowa's weather has always been unpredictable, but last week's highs hit 100 degrees and today we'll be lucky to hit 70 degrees, a welcome change for me. This by far is my favorite time of year; unfortunately, we don't have many days like this ahead.

Iowa can go from summer heat to winter snow while winking at fall, as if to say, maybe next year you'll have a chance to stick around. Our warm days and chilly nights will soon be replaced with gray cloudy skies and dreary wet weather. The highs will soon only be in the 50's, then 40's and before you know it, it will be -30 degrees and hell on earth in my book, so today, we will bask in the sun, stuff our faces with delicious morsels and attempt to work them off with some volleyball, croquet or bad mitten.

Slow-Smoked Baby Back Ribs

My first attempt at smoking baby back ribs was a disaster. I had just bought my cherished dual grill. Gas on one side and charcoal on the other, but I had no idea what I was doing. I didn't know about direct heat and indirect heat, nor did I know about the essential water pan to add moisture to the smoking process and let's not forget soaking your woodchips to avoid burning. I didn't know that either. Lastly, I didn't know about the slow and low rule. I instead, grilled these expensive ribs at about 400 degrees. Luckily I make killer BBQ sauce so they tasted okay if you could get past the wood/rock like exterior. Who am I kidding? They were awful!!

I then educated myself by reading every blog, article and website I could about smoking meats. This is what I learned:

1. Start with a great cut of meat. Don't buy frozen, instead go to your butcher or meat department at your local grocery and buy fresh!

2. Remove your meat from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.

3. Rinse your rib racks in cold water.

4. If you're not going to hang your ribs, remove the membrane off of the back. This is kind of tricky and does take some practice, but well worth the time and effort in the end. A Phillips head screwdriver seems to work the best. Insert the screwdriver in the center and gently pry backwards until you can pull off the membrane. Use a paper towel as the membrane is pretty slippery and allows better grip.

5. Rinse and pat dry.

6. Apply a thin coat of yellow mustard prior to applying your rub. This will not give your ribs a mustardy flavor; instead it works as a binding agent between the ribs and the rub you apply. A rub is a mixture of spices you apply to your meat before you start the smoking process. Rubs are generally applied 24 hours prior to smoking, but if you are short on time, 30 minutes at room temperature will suffice.

7. Soak your wood chips thoroughly! A couple hours at least! I like to use hickory, apple and cherry for smoking ribs.

8. Get your smoker ready! If you have a charcoal grill, like me, you can easily convert it to a smoker with a few items and some know how. Smoking requires indirect heat, so arrange your coals around your water pan which is directly under your meat. I like to have the coals and wood chips on one side of the grill, but I have seen people smoke in the center with coals on either side. As long as your coals are not under your meat, you will be fine.

9. Allow your coals to burn for at least 15 minutes prior to adding your ribs. You want these ribs to cook SLOW AND LOW, so it is important to make sure the temperature does NOT surpass 250 degrees. 200-225 degrees is your target temperature, so if you are burning too hot, remove some coals and not burning hot enough, add some more. You will want to start off with about 15 briquettes. I use a charcoal starter rather than lighter fluid, so I don't have a chemical taint to my food. The cost is about $10 for a charcoal starter and well worth it!

10. Once your grill is at the optimum temperature, add your presoaked wood chips to the hot coals.

11. Place your ribs bone side down, making sure they are NOT overlapping and are NOT anywhere near the coals. You can't undo crispy or burnt.

12. BE PATIENT! Resist opening the lid. Yes they are beautiful and the smoking process is pretty cool to watch, but every time you open the lid, you let out heat messing with your cooking time and progress.

13. Check the ribs for the first time after about 20 minutes. Apply your mop sauce very thin and turn over. Repeat about every 30 minutes thereafter. Each time you check you ribs, you MUST pay attention to the temperature. 15 coals are not going to cook these ribs all day at 200 degrees. You will have to add more coals a few at a time as needed. It's important to utilize your charcoal starter for this. Simply throwing on some briquettes will result in a way too hot grill temperature.

14. 5-8 hours is how long these baby backs can take, sometimes longer. When the meat starts to pull away from the bone easily, your ribs are done. If you have a meat thermometer, you are looking for an internal temperature of 205 degrees between the bones. I do NOT use a thermometer, not even when making candy, but if you are new to cooking and are having guests you want to impress, get one!

15. Wrap in foil and allow to rest once done. This will also allow you time to finish up any side dishes you

Rub Recipe

1/2 c. DARK Brown Sugar

1/2 c. Kosher or Sea Salt (NOT TABLE SALT)

1/2 c. Sweet Paprika

6 T. Black Pepper

2 T. Garlic POWDER (not garlic salt)

2 T. Dried Onion Flakes

2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

Directions: Mix All Together,Thoroughly!

Mop Sauce Recipe

1/2 c. Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 c. Water

1/2 c. Ketchup

1/2 c. Dark Brown Sugar

4 T. Yellow Mustard

2 T. Minced Garlic

4 T. Minced Onion

3 T. Olive Oil

1 T. Garlic Powder

1 T. Chili Powder

1 T. Onion Powder

1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil, then cool.

MIA But Still Cooking!!

2011-09-05T07:23:00.004-05:00

No one said raising a family is easy and my family is about as dysfunctional as they come. We love unconditionally and are as loyal as can be, but that doesn't mean my boys don't find trouble...all the time!!

For anyone who thinks they don't have problems; you are in denial, plain and simple.

Our problems, unfortunately, get spread like wildfire, mountains made out of mole hills and the gossip, which is rarely true, still sparks unneeded drama usually resulting in the police visiting my home. Needless to say, I have been MIA due to family issues, but I am happy to report.... I have returned! Finding time to write about my cooking adventures has taken a back seat as of late, but that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking.

Football season kicked off Saturday with my beloved Iowa Hawkeyes slaughtering Tennessee Tech. I couldn't have asked for a better start to College Football, even with the rain! With two boys, my husband, my daughter and I all liking different NFL teams, the only thing we can agree on is our HAWKEYES. There is always a game on we MUST watch and with each game there has to be food, snacks and beverages.

I am going to be trying a ton of new recipes this year while keeping some of our favorite tailgating dishes around.

Snacks Recipes to Come:

Pickle Wraps

Cucumber Sandwiches

Crispy Fried Hot Wings

Turkey Meatballs

Chicken Wraps

Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms

Seven Layer Taco Dip

Crockpot Chili Con Queso

Sweet and Spicy Lil' Smokies

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Pigs in a Blanket

Bacon Wrapped Crackers

Beer Bread with Spinach Dill Dip

These are just a few of the snacks coming to my living room this football season.

Saturday = College Football and the occasional NFL, Sunday = NFL, Monday = NFL, and now even Thursday = NFL in this house. One would think this is a bit much, but not for this household. We love our FOOTBALL!!

GO HAWKS!!

GO VIKES!!

Sweet Italian Sausage Meatballs

2011-08-21T23:08:00.000-05:00

I must admit, spaghetti is probably my least favorite food, but my family LOVES it. Meatballs, however are another story. I cannot get enough! I have made several different kinds of meatballs over the years; turkey, beef, pork and a combination. Out of all of them, I prefer sweet Italian sausage meatballs.

Sweet Italian sausage (the good stuff anyway) isn’t found at Wal-Mart or in the freezer section of any grocery store. It is made by the grocery store and found in the fresh meat section. In Iowa, I can only find “Sweet Italian Sausage” at one store and luckily I only live a block away as I love to use this sausage instead of ground chuck.

Family Foods is our local grocery store here in Tipton, Iowa and coincidentally it was also the local grocery store in the small town where I grew up. My son, Jake works at the one in Tipton and did work at the one in my home town prior to us moving. Love the store, but watch your prices, some items can be well above what you might pay compared to Wal-Mart, but if you are anything like me, I like to shop local rather than give my money to large corporation who care only for their profits rather than their employees and customers. Family Foods meat department is amazing and resonable! Plus the quality surpases that of Wal-Mart every single day. They also sell a "Pit Ham" that my mother and I swear by.

Sweet Italian Sausage Meatballs

What you need….

1 Sweet Onion, diced

5 cloves of Garlic, minced

2 pounds Sweet Italian Sausage

2 Eggs

½ cup Milk

Worcestershire Sauce

Red Pepper Flakes

Black Pepper

Salt

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Seasoning Salt

Parsley

Basil

Bread Crumbs

Dice your onion and garlic. I like to dice veggies fine due to a picky daughter who thinks because my mother doesn't eat certain things, she shouldn't either. I started disguising them in sauces she loves and telling her after the fact they were in there.

Add eggs.

Add the rest of the seasoning ingredients and mix well.

Then add your sausage.

Lastly, add your breadcrumbs.

Mix well. I use a wooden spoon but a lot of people like to use their hands to really work everything together.

Make into bite size meatballs. There is nothing worse than trying to eat spaghetti with meatballs too big to fit in your mouth. It might take a bit more time to make them smaller as their will be more to make, but your dinner guests or family will appreciate it!

Bake at 400 degrees until the tops begin to turn brown.

Transfer meatballs from oven directly into your pot of sauce and continue to simmer. If you aren't sure if they are done or not, the best advice is to cut one in half to see. I make my own sauce, but not everyone has that much time. Meatballs are a great way to turn a store bought sauce into a labor of love for your family!

Seasoning amounts are missing from this recipe and pretty much all of my recipes because:

I don't measure anything except for when I bake (and sometimes not even then).
Each person enjoys different amounts of flavor.

I am a smoker. I know for shame, for shame, but that means my taste buds aren't as aware as non-smokers. Needless to say, BOLD FLAVOR is how I cook. With meatballs, 1-2 teaspoons is probably plenty for each. Less on the spicy seasonings if you prefer a mild flavor.

Caramel Apple Pie

2011-08-16T22:18:00.000-05:00

My son, Jake, commanded the kitchen tonight with this pie....it was almost all him!!

I can make a heck of a pie crust, but the truth is, it's a step I would rather not do and have to clean up, so usually I buy prepared pie crusts in the refrigerater section at the grocery store. You can do whichever you prefer for this recipe.

In you pie pan, start with one pastry crust on the bottom. Next layer 6 cups apples, with 3 T. flour, 1/2 c. sugar. Meanwhile, melt 1/2 a stick of butter, 1 c. brown sugar, and 1/4 cup milk. Simmer until butter is completely melted and remove from heat and add 1 tsp. Almond flavoring. Poor over apples in your pie crust. Top with a mixture of 1 c. brown sugar, 1/2 c. flour, 1/2 c. rolled oats cut with 1/2 c. butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

This was lush, enjoy!!

BBQ Chicken, Hashbrown Casserole, Baked Beans and Macaroni Salad

2011-08-16T21:44:00.000-05:00

Last night I cheated and took the family to Subway, so tonight I cooked up a feast! BBQ Chicken on the grill accompanied by a cheesy hasbrown casserole, baked beans and the ultimate macaroni salad. I spoke of this salad a few weeks ago and ended up making an Italian pasta salad instead, so this tonight you all will finally get the recipe.

BBQ Chicken

My family loves chicken legs and I like breast meat, so I usually buy a bunch of legs and a whole chicken which I cut up later. I wait for whole chickens and legs to go on sale and then buy a bunch and throw them in the freezer. You can save yourself a ton of money if you learn to cut up a chicken yourself. It's not that hard if you have the right tools. Wings, then legs, cut out the back, then the thighs, split the breast. Takes some time, but once you get the hang of it 10 minutes will take care of it and save your pocket book.

Now this recipe is gonna sound strange as this is cooked on the grill. But I give the chicken pieces a coating before placing on the grill. I have found this locks in the juices and almost makes the chicken underneath similiar to broasted chicken.

I brine my chicken pieces in a mixture of sea salt, pepper, sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder and water. The important thing to remember about brining is to make sure your salt and sugar has dissolved prior to adding your chicken. For cut up chicken pieces, only a few hours are needed for this brining process. It's worth it!

After the bringing process is complete rinse your chicken pieces and pat dry. Dip in the buttermilk or egg mixture then flour and set aside.

Meanwhile, get your grill fired up. I prefer to use charcoal as the flavor is so much better than gas. I also use a charcoal starter instead of lighter fluid, as the chemicals can taint the flavor of your food and we don't want to have that now, do we.

Throw you chicken on the hot grill, the flour outer coating will begin to get crispy under the heat just like you are frying this in oil. Continue grilling flipping the chicken often to ensure it doesn't burn. Keep a spray bottle of water handy to put out any fires that may expode, but be warned grease fires and water do not mix, if the chicken fat is on fire and you spay water on the fire it will engulf in flames, so be careful.

After the chicken is done grilling, transfer to a baking sheet. Before putting this chicken in the oven, take a bowl and fill it with your favorite barbeque sauce. My family prefers Sweet Baby Rays, we buy nothing else. Bake in a 400 degree oven until the BBQ sauce is bubbly.

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

This is one of my all time favorite side dishes.

What you'll need:

Bag of Frozen Hashbrowns

1 Family Size Can of Cream of Chicken Soup

8 Ounces Sour Cream

3 Cups Cheddar Cheese

1/2 Stick of Butter

Corn Flake Crumbs

Salt

Pepper

Seasoning Salt

Directions:

Thaw hashbrown and put into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Next add a cup of the cheddar cheese and mix in with the hashbrowns. Season hashbrowns with salt, pepper and seasoning salt. In a seperate bowl mix cream of chicken soup, sour cream, salt, pepper and seasoning salt. Pour over the hashbrowns. Top with cheddar cheese, then corn flake crumbs and pour melted butter over the top. bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Baked Beans

What you'll need:

Large Can of Pork and Beans. (I prefer Van Da Kamps)

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Vinegar

1/2 cup Catsup

1/2 a Sweet Onion diced

1/2 a pound of Bacon cut into pieces.

2 teaspoons Yellow Mustard

Cut up your bacon into small pieces and fry until crispy. Remove bacon from grease and drain on paper towels. Using the same pan you fried your bacon in, using the reserved grease, thow in your diced onions for just a few minutes. Add all ingredients together in a greased baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbling.

The ULTIMATE Macaroni Salad!!

What you'll need:

2 cups Manyonaise

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 cup Vinegar

1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tablespoon Horseradish Mustard

1 teaspoon pepper

1 Green Pepper, diced

2 cups Carrots, shredded

1 Roasted Red Pepper, Diced

1 Red Onion, diced

1 Sweet Onion, diced

1 cup Peas, frozen or fresh, NOT CANNED!

3/4 box of Elbow Macaroni

Cook macaroni, drain and run cold water over pasta until cool to the touch! Get your veggies cut up and mixed together in a bowl and add cold macaroni. In a seperate bowl mix remaining ingredients and blend well. Pour dressing over the macaroni and veggies. Mix well and refridgerate for several hours before serving for optimum results.

Coming Next....Caramel Apple PIE!!!

Just A Couple More Meals From This Week

2011-08-14T05:40:00.000-05:00

Just a collection of photos from the meals this week....

Ham Fried Rice

Chicken Salad

Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

Buttermilk Shake and Bake Pork Chops

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

Homemade Pizza

2011-08-14T05:21:00.000-05:00

Pizza is probably my favorite food of all times. I can always eat pizza....ALWAYS!

After our family reunion yesterday, I came home and relaxed for a bit before food once again became the topic of conversation. After a bit of negotiating, I finally caved and agreed to make my family homemade pizza.

Dough...

Yeast
Honey
Warm Water

Set aside for 15 minutes....

Add sea salt, olive oil, corn meal and flour.

Mix in flour....

Knead on a floured surface...

Put a dab of olive oil in a bowl....

Coat your dough....

Let it rise....

Spray your pizza pan with non-stick spray and dust with cornmeal....

Roll out your dough....

Make your pizza!!!!

Hawaiian Pulled Pork

2011-08-14T04:39:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was our family Reunion on my Dad's side. It was brought to our attention, by my father of course, that he is now the matriarch of our family. The youngest of four children, he is now the oldest at our family events. We had a wonderful time and the food spread was amazing. I must give another shout out to my cousin Cathie for all her hard work!

The theme was Hawaiian Luau, so naturally I brought a Hawaiian pulled pork. This recipe is a lot easier than one might think and you literally get to sleep right through the cooking process if you like.

Hawaiian Pulled Pork

What you will need...

1 Bone-In Pork Shoulder, or Boston Butt Roast
1 bottle Honey Terriyaki Marinade
1.c Brown Sugar
1.c Apple Cider Vinegar
2.c Pineapple Juice,
1 Pineapple, cut in rings
1 Ginger Root, sliced
1 head of Garlic, smashed
2 sweet onions, chopped
Marichino Cherries
2 Celery Stalks, sliced
Sea Salt
Pepper
tooth picks

Directions....

Rinse and pat dry your roast. Place roast in electric roaster or roasting pan fat side up. Generously cover in sea salt and pepper. Take the bottle of teriyaki marinade and pour over the roast. Using toothpicks, attach the pineapple rings across the top and garnish each with a cherry. Sprinkle half of your brown sugar over the top and the rest around the roast. Add the rest of the ingrediants to the roasting pan.

Cook this bad boy SO and LOW all night long. Set it and forget it! 225 degrees for 14 hours is how long this cooked. When you can remove the bone with your hand, it is done! You shouldn't have to force the bone out, when it's done it will come out easily.

The next step is to shred the meat. If this roast cooked long enough you will be able to do this with your hands, a couple forks if your delicate fingers cannot take the heat, or a pair of tongs. Once you have shredded, strain the veggies from the liquid in the roasting pan and pour the liquid over the shredded pork.

This was absolutely fantastic and a great change from BBQ sauce. Sweet and tangy. Yum, yum in the tum for sure!

Chicken Alfredo Mostaccioli Florentine

2011-08-09T21:35:00.000-05:00

Tonight I made Chicken Alfredo Mostaccioli Florentine. One of our family's favorites! Everything I make is usually from scratch and tonight was no different. I started with half a stick of butter and a few tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan adding cut up chicken.

Garlic, mushroom and salt and pepper and saute.

The "Florentine" in this recipe refers to spinach. so next we add whole baby spinach.

This will cook down....

Next, start the sauce. A stick of butter, several cloves of garlic (4-5) and chopped mushrooms. Saute until bubbly.

TURN YOUR FIRE DOWN TO LOW!! Next add 8 ounces of cream cheese quartered. blend butter, and cream cheese until completely melted. Then add 1 quart of heavy cream and stir gently. Then add all your cheeses. Technically, fresh grated Parmesan is all this recipe calls for, but I cannot stop there....2 cups Parmesan, and 2 cups of Italian blend; Parmesan, Asiago, Provolone and Romano. Continue cooking on very low heat until all the cheese is melted and blended with the butter and cream. This does take some time, so be patient.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to a boil and cook Mostaccioli noodles aldente. Do not cook completely because this dish will go into the oven where the noodles will finish cooking while absorbing the fantastic flavors of this sauce. Mix the noodles and chicken mixture together and pour into your greased baking dish. Then mix in your sauce and top with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Left-Over Smoked Chicken Salad

2011-08-07T07:19:00.000-05:00

Last night I smoked country style ribs and boneless chicken breasts. Today we have left-overs, as we always do, so I am going to take the left-over smoked chicken and turn it into chicken salad for sandwiches and our lunch.

Miracle Whip vs. Mayo

In our house, the answer is BOTH. Yes, I cater to all the taste buds in my home and with six people under one roof, well lets just say, it's easier to make both rather than listen to the bitching.

Diced celery, garlic, and onion, sweet relish, salt, pepper, and some fresh herbs will make this smoked chicken salad the perfect lunch today!

The Dessert....

2011-08-07T07:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had a vision of a brownie cheesecake pie....

I made it. No recipe, just a craving.

First layer

Turtle Brownies

One might think Turtle Brownies would have been enough.....

The second layer is a white chocolate cheesecake. Cream cheese, powdered sugar, melted white chocolate, vanilla and whipped cream all blended together topped with Cool Whip and chocolate shavings! Oh boy! This was yummy!!!

Smoked Chicken and Country Style Smoked Ribs

2011-08-06T13:50:00.000-05:00

Hectic, does not even begin to describe this last week, but needless to say, I survived. It didn't leave much time for blogging and as I sit here today for the life of me I cannot remember what I even cooked last week.

I had to consult my photos....

Okay, so I haven't taken any photos either, the above are last Sunday. This weeks meals are lost in the abyss.....

Today I am going to break out the BBQ and smoke some country style ribs and boneless chicken. I have a vision of a dessert, just not sure how I am going to construct it. Thinking chocolate mocha brownies on the bottom, a layer of cheesecake, then chocolate sauce and topping it off whip cream and chocolate shavings....I do not have a recipe....just a vision. Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake Pie?

My love of good cheese always takes me to pasta or potatoes for side dishes. Asiago, Parmesan, and Romano are my "go-to" cheeses and I tend to splurge for the good stuff, as it is SO GOOD! A variation of a potato skin is on the agenda using my three amigos and perhaps some cheddar, bacon and ranch seasoning. Topped with sour cream and chives. Homemade coleslaw will be the other side I serve tonight with my smoked chicken and ribs.

Happy Cooking!!

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken and Wild Rice

2011-07-29T11:02:00.000-05:00

It's Friday night and I need something fast and simple tonight. Grilled chicken breast it is! I marinated the boneless chicken breasts in teriyaki marinade I bought from the store. Tonight I will throw them on the grill and a box, yes I said box, of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice will be the perfect partner for this meal.

The great thing about this quick meal is that the bold flavors from the chicken and the rice will make it seem like you spent all day preparing it, when in fact, 30 minutes is really all you need.

Jim and I will be celebrating our first wedding anniversary, even though we have 10 years under our belt, Sunday marks our first year of marriage. T-Bone Steak Dinner on Sunday, maybe pulled pork tomorrow if I get to it in time tonight, probably some baking and salad making ahead!

Have a great weekend all!

Calzones

2011-07-28T14:20:00.000-05:00

One of my family's favorites is homemade pizza, but I get tired of just pizza, so tonight I am making calzones. I make my own pizza dough from yeast, brown sugar or honey, warm water, corn meal, flour, salt and olive oil. Not everyone has the time after a long day to wait for pizza dough to rise, so make it the night before and throw it in the refrigerator. It will be ready to go by the time you get home the next night.

When your dough is ready roll out onto a floured surface, then transfer to your baking stone or cookie sheet which has been sprayed with non-stick spray an dusted lightly with cornmeal. Gently coat the dough with olive oil then layer with cheese and your toppings. Since we have 6 people in this house with all different tastes, I will be making 6 small calzones made to order for my bunch.

Skyler is an All meat girl, Italian sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, bacon and beef. No veggies.
Jacob is a Hawaiian lover; Canadian bacon, bacon and pineapple.
My husband, Jim and I both like super supreme. All the meats plus mushrooms, red onion, black and green olives, and green peppers.

Building your calzone...

Start with a coat of olive oil, then on half start piling your toppings. Cheese, meat, veggies, cheese. Fold over the top covering your pile of goodness, then fold up the bottom creasing the two edges together. Finally top with more cheese. I like to use a mix of cheeses; mozzarella, Romano, provolone, cheddar and Asiago.

Hand Breaded Tenderloins Pics

2011-07-28T13:57:00.000-05:00

Left-Over Fruit Salad Cheesecake Bars

2011-07-27T12:07:00.000-05:00

I am already hungry for something sweet today, no big surprise there, I suppose. I am craving cheesecake, but since I don't have the time or patients to make a cheesecake today, I am going to make cheesecake bars utilizing the left-over fruit salad we had for dinner last night.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 cups graham cracker crumbs. (put in a Ziploc and use a rolling pin to crumble)
3 T. butter
3 T. Sugar

Melt butter and pour over cracker crumbs and sugar mixture. Mix well and press into your greased baking dish.

Fruit Swirl

2 cups fresh fruit
1/4 cup sugar mixed with 3 T. cornstarch.

Blend your fresh fruit in the blender until smooth. Transfer to a small pan, whisk in sugar and cornstarch and heat to boiling. Mixture should be thick and smooth before removing from the heat. If it isn't, add a few tablespoons of cornstarch to 1/4 cup of water, mix and add a little at a time to the fruit mixture. Cool.

Cheesecake

2 - 8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sugar
8 oz sour cream
2 eggs
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. Flour

Mix all ingredients together with electric mixture and pour over graham cracker crust. The dot the surface with your fresh fruit sauce. Take a toothpick and swirl together. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely, then refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Hand Breaded Tenderloins, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Fresh Green Beans with Bacon & Garlic

2011-07-27T10:22:00.000-05:00

Hand Breaded Tenderloins

Hand breaded tenderloins are something, we Midwesterners, take for granted. In other parts of the country they simply are not available and always a real treat for those who come to visit.

I start with boneless center-cut pork chops and pound them thin with a meat cleaver. This is quite a messy job as little pieces of the meat can go flying all over the place, so cover with wax paper or plastic wrap before beating your meat. I crack myself up sometimes.

After you have your tenderloins tenderized, liberally apply salt and pepper then dredge in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. I add flavor to each step in the process; I add salt, pepper, and seasoning salt to the flour, the egg and the bread crumbs. You can spice this up a notch by adding some cayenne pepper for a spicy tenderloin.

Once you have all your tenderloins breaded, you can pan fry, or deep fat fry until golden brown.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

My daughter has requested roasted garlic mashed potatoes for dinner. One of her favorites and super easy. First we are going to roast a head of garlic. Easier than you might think. Cut the top off a whole head of garlic, drench in olive oil and wrap in tinfoil. Bake at 350 degrees until the garlic is soft inside.

Peel and boil russet potatoes. Add 8oz. cream cheese, 8 oz. sour cream, salt and pepper and squeeze the roasted garlic out of it's head. With an electric hand mixer, blend all these ingredients together. Spray your casserole baking dish with a non-stick spray and pour in your potato mixture. Top with slices of butter, salt and pepper and a dusting of paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Bacon Garlic Fresh Green Beans

During the summer, one of my favorite fresh veggie dishes is bacon, garlic green beans. These are super yummy and easy. First blanch your fresh green beans; bring a large pot of water to a boil and throw in your green beans for a few minutes or until their color is a bright green.

Cut up bacon and fry crispy and set aside. In the same pan you fried your bacon, reserve the bacon fat and throw in your blanched green beans. Liberally salt and pepper the beans as they cook and continue to cook them until they begin to turn golden brown, add finely chopped fresh garlic and your bacon back into the mix. Cook for a few more minutes and serve!

A dessert may come to me at some point today, but for now this is the menu tonight!

BLT's with Avacodo, Tomato and Lettuce Pics

2011-07-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

The humidity was horrible last night, so horrible in fact, I didn't even make the sweet macaroni salad, instead I paired our BLT's up with an easy Italian pasta salad.

The salad is super simple and a crowd pleaser as well. Simply boil multi-colored rotini noodles until done, run cold water over the noodles until they are cold to the touch, add veggies, Italian dressing, and the kicker to this recipe is McCormick's Suddenly Salad seasoning. Three tablespoons or so of the seasoning and you're done! I like to add shredded carrots, diced zucchini, black olives and marinated cucumbers.

Marinated cucumbers are they only way I like to serve cucumbers. In fact, the other day I added them to a fresh lettuce salad without marinating them and my son, Chase complained. He said they tasted bad. HA! Marinated cucumbers are super easy too. Peel and slice your cucumbers, cover in salt for 15 minutes or so, then rinse. Then cover in water, vinegar and sugar. About a cup of water, a few tablespoons of sugar and the rest is vinegar. Marinate for a few hours before serving, overnight is better.

The other side we had with last night's dinner was a fresh fruit salad, which is also super simple, and more like dessert than a side.

I used the fresh fruit I had in the fridge for this salad, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, plums, seedless grapes and oranges. Slice all your fruit, add 1/4 c. sugar and the juice from one lemon and one lime. Stir, chill and serve. It is so refreshing and fantastic on these hot summer days!

Hot and Humid Can Only Mean BLT's

2011-07-26T11:49:00.000-05:00

Last night was the last night of cool weather, today heat and humidity has resumed. Last night I made one of my mother's classic meals. Fried pork chops, boiled potatoes and gravy, and sweet corn. It was just as delicious as I remember growing up!

Tonight, a twist on the classic BLT. I like to add some fresh avocado with my lettuce and tomato to give it an extra kick. A sweet macaroni salad and fresh fruit salad will be perfect side and refreshing for this icky weather. The macaroni salad recipe comes from a dear friend of mine, Pat Blackledge. I will post the macaroni and fruit salad recipes later today. Wasn't even able to post yesterday, but will find time later tonight to get these recipes out, they are must haves for any backyard bbq, family reunion, or afternoon picnic.

Sunday night dinner pics.

2011-07-25T05:59:00.000-05:00

Sunday night dinner with HBO's Trueblood

2011-07-24T14:36:00.001-05:00

Sunday nights around our house are usually spent together over a late supper and HBO’s Trueblood. My eleven year old daughter, Skyler and I first began watching Trueblood back in season one and it wasn’t long before we both were obsessed. Now, my entire family and “extended family” gather together on Sunday nights for our latest fix. Our living room is packed with the five of us, Taylor, my sons’ friend that lives with us, and a couple more of their friends that are like family as well. Our lives are very hectic with three teen boys and an eleven year old girl in the house, but tonight is the one night we all sit down together over delicious food and our favorite show on television.

There has been a break in the weather here in Iowa; for the past week and an a half heat indexes have soared well into the 100’s. Needless to say, last night was the first night I dared to use the oven as our old Victorian home only has a/c in the bedrooms. No central air has been a nightmare! With the cooling of thunderstorms, today I will bake bread, make my favorite lasagna and with all the fresh veggies in my fridge, a salad will be the perfect side for this meal.

Lasagna has been a staple in my household since I was a child. I first learned by watching my mother, who by the way is where I learned everything I know, and over the years I have made her recipe my own by adding a whole lot of ingredients she refuses to every use.

I start with the sauce, sauté onions, mushrooms, garlic and a handful of diced green peppers. I then add hamburger and Italian sausage. Once the ground meats brown; add tomato sauce, tomato paste and seasonings, which consist of Italian seasoning, basil, parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. I make everything to taste, so try adding a little at a time for your family’s own flavor. Avoid over salting, but if you do, a teaspoon of sugar at a time should bring it back to edible.

Once the sauce is done, it’s easy street from there. Cook your lasagna noodles, once they are done I like to run a bit of cold water over them so I can handle easily. In a small bowl, mix 2 eggs, cottage cheese, a dab of ricotta, and a cup of the Italian cheese mixture consisting of mozzarella, parmesan, Romano, and Asiago, then start building your masterpiece.

Spray your deep baking dish with non-stick spray and put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom, a layer of noodle, a layer of Italian cheeses, then do it again, except the second time around be more liberal with the sauce and instead of the cheese mixture, replace it with the egg and cheese mixture. From there, start with a layer of noodle then cheese, a layer of sauce, noodle, cheese. Keep repeating until you only have room for 2 more layers. The top two layers should be sauce and cheese, if you put noodle then cheese as your top layer, your noodles with bake crispy and make it almost impossible to cut.

Once you have built your lasagna you can refrigerate or freeze for a later time. I will be baking mine immediately at 350 degrees until the cheese on top begins to turn golden brown. Should take between 30-45 minutes, however if you put it in the fridge for a couple hours, it may take longer than that to cook all the way through, so for the first 30 minutes, cover with tinfoil and then remove and bake until the cheese begins to turn golden brown.

The key to serving lasagna is to let it rest for at least 15 minutes after you bake it, if you try to serves this as soon as it comes out of the oven, it will slip and slide all over, then fall into a disgusting looking pile on your plate. It will taste fantastic, but will look nothing like what you spent all your time building. Be patient! Let it rest!

I always make my own Italian bread, but it’s really what I do with it after it has cooled that makes this delicious side. Slice your loaf of Italian or French bread at a slight angle, butter the bottoms and place on a cookie sheet. In a small bowl mix mayo, shredded mozzarella, Asiago, and Colby Jack cheese, garlic powder to taste and spread over your sliced bread. Top with a sprinkle of basil and parsley then bake at 350 degrees until cheese is bubbly and beginning to turn brown. For mayonnaise haters out there, I have a family of picky eaters; they like Miracle Whip, not mayo and they love this bread. You don’t even really know it’s there, so give this a try, you might be pleasantly surprised!

Gotta get busy, getting a late start on this one today!