Adventures of a Cooking Mom

Holiday Cooking Blogger Style #2 edition

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:10:00 +0000

Overwhelmed with Joy is hosting a holiday recipe exchange..I love cooking during the Holidays. Looking over all the recipes, I'm going to enjoy making so many of them. Our family has a couple recipes we serve up every year! Here are mine.

If you love Pumpkin Pie, you'll love this. It's really smooth and creamy.
PUMPKIN CHIFFON PIE
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 package instant sugar-free vanilla pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups Cool Whip, thawed

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, pudding mix, pumpkin pie spice and evaporated milk. Mix well. Fold in 1 cup of the Cool Whip. Pour filling into pie shell. Chill for a couple hours, or until set. Top with remaining 1/2 cup Cool Whip.
Category: Dessert

This recipe we make for every occasion, birthdays, holidays, or just because it just sounds good some days! When we do make it, my husband always begs me to save him some. It's one thing that's very addicting.
My MIL's Shrimp Dip
16-oz of thawed shelled,deveined,and cooked shrimp,chopped
1 pkge. cream cheese,room temp, cut up
1cp. shredded cheddar cheese
2cps. salsa
Mix all ingredients together.

Zucchini cupcakes with Cream cheese frosting

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 05:38:00 +0000

Baking these cupcakes reminded me of when my mom would harvest the last zucchinis from her vegetable garden as Summer came to an end, and baked her famous Zucchini bread.

It's been ages since I'd had my mom's Zucchini bread, and while I was reading Kayln Denny's article, "Zucchini Madness, the Final Chapter: Zucchini Bread, Cakes, Cupcakes, and Muffins", I came across Garrett at Vanilla Garlic, and his recipe for Zucchini cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting . What I love about these cupcakes, is the plump raisins, and the turbinado sugar, give it a natural sweetness, not that sickly sweet taste, and the cinnamon gives it, it's warm Summer flavor. And how could I forget the cream cheese frosting. The recipe for the frosting is so easy, I'll never buy store bought again. You just blend butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
The best part about it, is my kids love them. So, they don't know exactly what's in them, but all they care about is how good they taste.

Here's a recipe from All Recipe's. I subsituted the walnuts for raisins, and left out the chocolate.

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs
1 3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated zucchini
3/4 cup raisins

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, beat eggs with sugar for about 10 minutes or until thickened and pale. Blend oil into the beaten egg mixture.
In a small bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir flour mixture into egg mixture until just blended. Stir in zucchini and raisins. Spoon in batter into 24 paper-lined or greased muffin cups, filling the cups 1/2 full.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until fork or toothpick inserted in a cupcake's center comes out clean. Let cool in pans on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; let cool completely. Spread with cream cheese frosting.

I hope you enjoy not only baking them, but savoring their Summer goodness.

Key Lime-Raspberry Cheesecake

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 23:41:00 +0000

Key Lime Raspberry Cheescake

2 Cps. graham cracker crumbs

6 Tbls. butter , melted

1/3 cup sugar

Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter. In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs and butter; mix well. Press into bottom and 3/4 the way up the sides of prepared springform pan; refrigerate.

Filling

4- 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1-1/2 Cps. sugar

5 eggs

1 T. grated lime rind

1/2 C. lime juice

1 8oz. container sour cream

1 cp. fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar; beat until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in lime rind and juice. Stir in sour cream. Place raspberries evenly at the bottom of prepared pie crust. Cover raspberries with cheesecake batter. Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until filling is set. Turn oven off; prop the door open. Let cheesecake stand in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan; cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Cover and chill 8hrs, or refrigerate overnight.

Recipe of the Day: Lemon Iced Tea Sorbet

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 20:32:00 +0000

What is more refreshing than a tall, cold glass of frozen 'Iced Tea'?

Lemon Iced Tea Sorbet

What's for Dinner? Briam,Macaroni and Cheese, Meatloaf, and Cheesecake Marble Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:01:00 +0000

Above is my Summer comfort foods dinner. Our family loves macaroni and cheese, but it wasn't until I made this recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese from Alton Brown, that I told myself, even though it's more expensive than Kraft Macaroni and cheese, there is no comparison in how good it tastes. It really is a comfort food.

My husband loves vegetables, and I get tired of broccoli, and green beans, when yesterday Ms. Cellenia posted about Briam a Greek side dish of roasted Summer vegetables. I'm not a huge fan of eggplant and tomatoes, but when roasted in beef broth and olive oil with garlic, it becomes a very satisying and very healthy side dish.

What can I say about meat loaf, as a child growing up there was something about meatloaf I just didn't like. Most of my dinners I use ground beef, beef stroganoff, enchiladas,spaghetti with meatballs, but meatloaf is one of those versatile dishes, that you can add anything to ground beef to make it. In mine I used eggs, seasoned bread crumbs, parsley, dijon mustard, ketchup, worchestire sauce, salt and pepper and onions.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe has the best of both worlds, Cheesecake, and Brownies. What dessert can be better than that. Here's the recipe from Epicurious.com Cheesecake Marbled Brownies.

See if you can eat just one!

Blog Review~La Tartine Gourmet

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 07:19:00 +0000

Besides showing beautiful photos of food, Beatice the author of La Tartine Gourmet ,shares with her readers her original recipes, tips on what she does while she prepares her creations, and some very useful cooking information. It is no surprise her blog won the 2006 Best Food Blog Award.
Take a look at this recipe for her Cheesecake-Marble brownies. They look sinfully delicious. Looking for something a little more healthier, then this post Summer and it's Gifts will give you a feast not only for your eyes, but good for you too.

Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 06:11:00 +0000

Mark Bittman of the New York Times is brillant. Just what I've been looking for some FAST, EASY Ideas for Meals. Here is his article, Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less . Some of the ideas that caught my attention,

#14 Put a few slices of chopped prosciutto in a skillet with olive oil, a couple of cloves of crushed garlic and a bit of butter; a minute later, toss in about half a cup bread crumbs and red chili flakes to taste. Serve over pasta with chopped parsley.

#28 New Joe’s Special, from San Francisco: Brown ground meat with minced garlic and chopped onion. When just about cooked, add chopped spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted. At the last minute, stir in two eggs, along with grated Parmesan and salt and pepper.

#76 Make a thin plain omelet with two or three eggs. Sauté cubes of bacon or pancetta or strips of prosciutto until crisp. Cut up the omelet and use it and the meat to garnish a green salad dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 20:46:00 +0000

When we were kids growing up, my mom only bought us the healthy for us cereals, like Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Grape Nuts. We didn't get to eat any of the 'FUN' cereals like 'Cookie Crisp' or 'Cocoa Puffs', and although I really did not like Raisin Bran when I was little, as I got older I really didn't care for the Bran Flakes, but I loved the raisins. Surprisingly my son loves Raisin Bran, and I like anything with 'clusters', so when I was asked to review Fiber One Raisin Bran Clusters, I thought we'd make a good family to review it, being that Josh is a Diabetic, I wanted to compare Fiber One Raisin Bran Clusters to Raisin Bran.

First I compared them nutritionally.

Kellogg's Raisin Bran (1 cup): 190 calories, 1.5 grams fat, 7 grams fiber, 19 grams sugar, 350 grams sodium, 5 grams protein.

Fiber One Raisin Bran Clusters (1 cup): 170 calories, 1 gram fat, 11 grams fiber, 13 grams sugar, 250 grams sodium, 4 grams protein.

With Josh's Juvenile Diabetes, I try and (as hard as it is sometimes) limit the amount of sugar he eats to under 15 grams of sugar. The Winner, Fiber One Raisin Bran Clusters, it has less fat, more fiber, less sugar, and less sodium.

As far as taste goes, honestly I liked Fiber One's bran flakes better. They are not as big and they are not as rough textured as Raisin Bran's. They are sweetened with honey. I also noticed the raisins weren't covered in sugar. I would have liked to have seen more raisins. Raisin bran clearly has more raisins. And when I think of 'clusters' I'd expect them to be bite sized. The clusters were really good, but much smaller than I anticipated. I definitely prefer this to Raisin Bran, simply because I like these flakes, and I like how they taste, just sweet enough.

Overall, our family, really liked Fiber One Raisin Brand Clusters cereal and as an added bonus, it's a great way for my family to add more fiber to their diets.

* * *

The product was sent to me for review. I received no payment for this review, other than the box of cereal.

Home made Strawberry Ice Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 07:31:00 +0000

Nothing tastes better on a Hot Summer's Day, than a deliciously cold scoop of creamy ice cream. Just one spoonful of ice cream can instantly cool you down and make you feel better. And ice cream is fun to eat. As kids we would eat it as fast as we could, before it all melted, and hoped we didn't get a brain freeze. You can eat ice cream in a cone or in a cup, with sprinkles or chocolate syrup. Ice Cream is synonymous with Summer Fun. I like a big scoop of vanilla ice cream covered in hot fudge. But today the kids and I had fun making homemade strawberry ice cream. First I went and bought a Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker .When I got home with it, I never expected the thought of homemade ice cream would give this family a little pick me up from this awful heat wave. Then I went to the store to pick up strawberries, cream,a lemon, and some sugar.

Katelyn had fun as I was cutting off the green tops and slicing the strawberries. Katelyn was doing this, " Put one in the bowl, put one in my mouth, put one in the bowl, put one in my mouth."

After the strawberries were all sliced, I then added a 1/2 cup of sugar and the juice of one lemon over the strawberries, and set them back in the fridge to macerate for a few hours.

After taking the macerated strawberries out of the fridge, I strained the juice and set it aside. Then I divided the sliced strawberries in half, putting one half in a mixing bowl. Then I mashed them.

To the mashed strawberries, I added the strawberry juice, one cup of sugar, 2 and a half cups whole milk, and 2 cups heavy whipping cream.

After mixing everything together, I then pour the strawberry ice cream mix into the ice cream maker, and use according to the manufacturers instructions.

About 5 minutes before the ice cream became solid I added the set aside other half of sliced strawberries.

Grab a spoon! Hope you enjoy it! Tastes better than any store bought ice cream for sure!

Menu Plan Monday: Fourth of July edition

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 07:42:00 +0000

With Wednesday being the Fourth of July, I thought it would be fun to make some great grilling menus.
Monday-Cilantro Grilled Chicken Breast with Balsamic Grilled Vegetables
Tuesday-Bourbon Barbecued Pork Ribs and Deviled Potato Salad
Wednesday-Happy 4th of July

Beer Brats and Marinated Grilled Steak
Grilled Corn
Baked Grilled Potato
Strawberry Ice Cream Sodas

made with Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

Thursday- Wrigley Field Chicago-Style Grill Cart Hot Dog with Waldorf Coleslaw and

Chocolate Dipped Frozen Bananas

Friday-Key West Grilled Salmon
Saturday-Grilled White Corn Taco with Bbq Pork Loin, Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes and Tomatillo-Red Pepper Relish
Sunday-BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Blog Interview with~Chow Down Phoenix

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 17:14:00 +0000

How appropriate is this for my first Food Blog Interview with Jason of Chow Down Phoenix. Not only is he also from the Valley of the Sun, here in Arizona, but like me grew up in Orange County, California. As I'm browsing through blogs, Chown Down Phoenix caught my attention was Jason's fantastic recommendations for not only restaurants locally like Joe's Real BBQ in Gilbert, Arizona, but his photographs of the food, look just as if I were sitting down to eat at the restaurant. Which is something I find very helpful when it comes to choosing where we're going for dinner. He's also just recently returned from San Diego, and a trip to San Diego wouldn't be complete without visiting Coronado Island. I've found Jason's Chow Down Phoenix very enjoyable and informative to read, I hope you do too. On with the Interview.

What motivated you to start Chow Down Phoenix?

Back in early 2006, a couple buddies from work and I started this really juvenile venture called Project I.C.E. (International Cuisine Expedition). Every two weeks we’d go on a “mission” to a restaurant that represented a different regional cuisine, and then we’d put a sticker on this huge National Geographic map for each country we’d visited. After about a year, we started talking about creating a blog to rate/review the restaurants we’d been visiting.As it turned out, I got really absorbed in the whole idea and kind of took it on as my baby. It’s my hobby now; I truly enjoy it.

Do you have a favorite restaurant that comes to mind?

There’s a tiny Italian restaurant in Huntington Beach called Basilico’s Pasta e Vino. “Mamma” used to run the kitchen and make all the meals from scratch. Every visit was a heavenly experience. The restaurant is still there, although I’ve not eaten there in about five years. I have to get back there next time I’m in Orange County!

At which restaurant did you have your most memorable experience?

One experience that sticks out in my mind was during my high school days when we dared my friend Jerry to eat a “20 by 20” at In-n-Out. That’s 20 patties and 20 slices of cheese between two buns! The manager was so excited about the order that he took over the grill and put the monstrosity together. It didn’t go down easy—Jerry started turning green about ¾ of the way through, but after about 45 minutes he had finished every last bite. He went prepared; he brought a fork, knife, and bottle of Tabasco with him, lol. Before we left, we got a Polaroid of the manager holding up Jerry’s arm like a heavyweight champ after a big fight. The most amazing thing was that when we got back home, I made a thick, jumbo-sized chocolate malt for him (I make good malts), and he downed it like it was nothing. Half an hour later, we hit the pool, and he was doing laps like Tarzan. He was an eating machine.

If you had to choose, which type of cuisine do you like most? And what wouldbe your favorite meal?

That’s a tough one, but I’d have to go with Italian. There’s nothing I like better than excellent plate of fettucine alfredo served with milanesa (thin cut, breaded steak). Wash that down with a cannoli…badda bing!

Where does your love of food and cooking come from?

I think the Food Network is to blame. I quickly became hooked back in the mid-90’s when Emeril started his first show, Essence of Emeril. The show was entertaining and relaxing, and it drew me in to the world of food and cooking. Cooking is a unique and personal art form. When other forms of art are presented to you, you can see them, hear them, or possibly touch them, but with food and drink you can smell and taste them as well. It is highly sensual in the true meaning of the word, and I suppose that’s why dining can be such a romantic experience. To me, a homemade meal that someone puts their heart into is one of the greatest signs of love. Just think of grandma cooking a huge turkey dinner on Thanksgiving or your spouse cooking a special dinner for you on your birthday…food brings us together.

What goals do you have for your blog? Are you considering writing a book?

I want to reach as many food-lovers as possible, and I think the best way to do that is to create a unique experience for the reader so they’ll want to keep coming back. I want my readers to be able to experience restaurants through the blog as if they’re sitting at the table right in front of the food. Ultimately, I want to make people hungry. If I’m making people put down the mouse and head for the pantry, then Chow Down Phoenix is a success. I’d never rule out the possibility of writing a book someday. I enjoy writing, but the idea of a book is a little intimidating. Let me know if you have a good idea for a theme.

Thank you, Jason for taking the time for this interview!

Foil Pack Taco Chicken Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 07:01:00 +0000

I made these for dinner the other night. The chicken was very moist, and I loved the zesty flavor from the cheese, taco seasoning and salsa. My husband and I love Tex-Mex food living here in the SouthWest, cheese and salsa are staples at our house. What was really nice about this was the easy cleanup. You just toss the foil and that's it, no mess.

Foil-Pack Taco Chicken Dinner

Ingredients

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb./500 g)

4 tsp. taco seasoning mix

2 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes

1 cup KRAFT Tex Mex Shredded Cheese

1/2 cup salsa

1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

1 PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Sprinkle chicken evenly with seasoning mix. Place 1/2 cup of the potatoes on centre of each of four large sheets of heavy-duty foil; top each with 1 chicken breast, 1/4 cup of the cheese and 2 Tbsp. of the salsa.

2 BRING up foil sides. Double fold top and both ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place in single layer in 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

3 BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until chicken is cooked through (170°F) and potatoes are tender. Remove packets from oven. Let stand 5 min. Place one packet on each of four dinner plates. Cut slits in foil with sharp knife to release steam before opening. Top each serving with 1 Tbsp. of the sour cream.

Easy Cleanup

Because the cooking is done in the foil packets, there's little to clean up!Make AheadAssemble packets as directed. Refrigerate up to 4 hours, then bake as directed, increasing baking time to 40 min. or until chicken is cooked through (170°F) and potatoes are tender.

Note

To prevent potatoes from sticking to the foil, spray foil with cooking spray before using. Or, use nonstick foil.

Recipe Source - KraftCanada.com

Blog Review- Coconut & Lime

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 21:04:00 +0000

My first thought after finding Rachel's Coconut and Lime, was what beautiful photos she takes and how delicious everything looks. What is also really cool is the photos in her sidebar are linked to their corresponding recipes, making it really easy to find what I want to EAT. My favorite photos are of East Meets SouthEast Barbeque Pulled Pork Sandwhich, ShotGun Wedding Soup, and I love Steak, Onions and Zucchini, but how creative to put them all together into a Crepe. Besides all the great recipes, and beautiful photos, Rachel also has some fantastic How To tips. My favorite would be How To Make Ducle de Leche. If you are looking for some 'creative tips and original recipes' than you would definetly enjoy Rachel's Coconut and Lime.

Chicken Cacciatore

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 20:12:00 +0000

This is a very quick and delicious meal which can be served hot or cold. According to Wikipedia, Cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian. In cuisine, cacciatore refers to a meal prepared "hunter-style" with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, herbs, often bell pepper, and sometimes wine. Cacciatore is popularly made with braised chicken or rabbit.

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3lbs (1350g), chicken skinless chicken breasts, cut into one inch chunks
28oz (400g) can of crushed tomatoes,drained
2 cups of sliced mushrooms

One green bell pepper chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsps. dried Italian seasoning

Spinach or tricolor pasta cooked according to directions on package.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Cook chicken in olive oil until brown. Transfer chicken to a glass 13x9 baking dish. Add all ingredients. Cover and Bake for 35 minutes. You can serve this dish with crumbled Feta cheese and sliced olives.

Serves 4.
Adapted from Wiki-Cookbook

Serve with:

Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva 2001 $24

Region: Tuscany, Italy

Slim Down Wednesday- Almond Chicken Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:55:00 +0000

Almond-Chicken Salad

8 POINTS per serving

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups plain nonfat yogurt

2 tablespoons mango chutney

2 teaspoons low-sodium ketchup1 teaspoon mild or hot curry powder

8 ounces skinless cooked chicken breast, shredded

2 cups cooked elbow macaroni

1 cup chopped scallions

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley2 ounces slivered almonds

Instructions:
In medium bowl, combine yogurt, chutney, ketchup and curry powder. In large bowl, combine chicken, macaroni, scallions, parsley and almonds. Add yogurt mixture; toss well to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate, covered, until chilled.

Yield: 4 serving8 POINTS per serving

Nutrition information:Per serving: 376 Calories; 28 g Protein; 12 g Fat; 38 g Carbohydrate; 246 mg Calcium; 210 mg Sodium; 52 mg Cholesterol; 3 g Dietary Fiber

Source:Weight Watchers Slim Ways Chicken

Menu Plan Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 22:37:00 +0000

This is my first week of menu planning. I am always looking for short cuts and easy ways to save time in the kitchen, or keep me from running to the grocery store every day. Finding easy menus without too many ingredients that my children would actually like to eat, that is good for them. I'm going to test run this week and see how everything goes, but I picked up Once-a-Month Cooking, and here's what the menu looks like this week.

Monday- Mandarin Orange Chicken* served with an Apple Spinach Salad
Tuesday-Roast Beef Sandwhiches with Au Jus*
Wendsday-Chicken Cacciatore with Spinach noodles*
Thursday-Polynesian Pork Loin* with Candied Yams
Friday-Grilled Swordfish over sliced Cabbage and Baked New Potatoes*
Saturday-Grilled Chile Pepper Cheeseburgers*
Sunday-Savory Beef with Noodles*, Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin with Cheddar Cheese, with Old Fashioned Gingerbread

* Recipes from Once-a-Month Cooking

Blog Review-Chocolate and Zucchini

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 20:29:00 +0000

When I first came across Chocolate and Zucchini written by Clotilde Dusoulier, a 27-year-old Parisian woman who lives in Montmartre, almost three years ago this was the first post I read
Confiture d'Abricot aux Amandes, translated means Apricot and Almond Jam. What I was looking for was a recipe for Apricot Jam, and what I found is this gem of a blog. It's not just her collection of simply the best recipes, or her beautiful photographs, but what I love are her stories that go along with her recipes and her photographs. She ties them all together, for a truly phenomenal blog . In addition to her blog she has just recently published her very own cookbook Chocolate and Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen . With it being perfect time for Summer here is another one of her post about Apricot Coffee Cake. I hope you enjoy reading her blog as much as I have.

Grilling for Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 01:51:00 +0000

To kick-off this Father's Day weekend, I thought I'd have some fun and post what's on the menu for what I'd like to grill for my husband.

I'm going to start off with Grilled Rib Eye Steaks with a Mushroom-Wine sauce, and some grilled asparagus.

uploaded by tychay

Grilled Rib Eye Steaks with a Mushroom-Wine sauce

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon margarine, divided

• Vegetable cooking spray

• 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots

• 1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine, divided

• 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef consomme, undiluted and divided

• Cracked pepper

• 4 (8 ounce) Rib Eye steaks (about 1 1/2 inches thick)

• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme

• Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt 11/2 teaspoons margarine in a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add shallots and mushrooms; saute 4 minutes. Add 1 cup wine and 3/4 cup consomme; cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove mushrooms, and place in a bowl. Increase heat to high; cook wine mixture 5 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup. Add to mushrooms in bowl; set aside. Wipe skillet with a paper towel.

2. Sprinkle desired amount of cracked pepper over steaks. Melt remaining 11/2 teaspoons margarine in skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add steaks; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 11/2 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness. Place on a serving platter, and keep warm.

3. Combine soy sauce and cornstarch; stir well. Add remaining 1/2 cup wine and consomme to skillet; scrape skillet with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Add mushroom mixture, cornstarch mixture, and chopped thyme; bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Serve with steaks. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Recipe from the Wyoming Salers Ranch Company

My usual cooking method for asparagus is to steam them with Kosher salt until tender, but my husband showed me this quick and easy way to grill asparagus. I take a pound of asparagus spears and coat them with Extra Virgin Olive oil and sprinkle them with Kosher salt. He then grills the asparagus for 5 minutes over a hot grill. Every minute or so, roll each spear. The asparagus will start to brown in spots. Be careful of oil that drips, will cause flames to flare-up. Keep a spray bottle of water handy to spritz on grill.
Remove from grill and serve immediately. He then squeezes fresh lemon juice and sprinkles parmesan cheese over the hot of the grill asparagus. Enjoy with a glass of

2005 2 up Shiraz ($14) .

If your husband loves to grill as much as mine does, why not give him this fabulous cookbook

by Rick Rodgers recipient of the 1999 American Food and Entertainment Award for Outstanding Cooking Teacher, author of over 25 cookbooks, and television and radio guest chef.

Kingsford Complete Grilling Cookbook