Boyle Over

Eggplant Rollatini

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 20:23:00 +0000

Now here is a dish that looks difficult but is relatively easy and kind of fun. It is slices of eggplant rolled around a filler of ricotta (a light and moist cheese) and spinach. Not big on spinach, this can change your mind. You do have to do the first step early, maybe in the morning (see note #1) but that isn’t much to ask.

Notes:

1. Measure the ricotta into a fine strainer then put the strainer over a small bowl. Put the strainer, bowl, and cheese into the refrigerator and leave it there for a few hours to get rid of the liquid. You can do this in the morning before going to work or right when you get home unless you are planning on eating right away. You don’t want to press down on the cheese because that will force the ricotta through the strainer but maybe if you put it in cheese cloth then compressed it you could get rid of the liquid. I never tried the cheese cloth method so if you do, let me know how it comes out.

2. Make sure you check the expiration date of the eggs because they don’t have to small to be bad.

3. To help protect against bad eggs and having egg shells in things, crack each egg into a small bowl then empty the bowl into whatever you are working from. If you are using two or more eggs, do this each time.

4. To save time the day you plan to eat these, cook the eggplants (steps 2 thru 9) earlier and put them in the refrigerator.

5. Straining the spinach isn’t all that difficult. Take it out of the packages, put the spinach into a strainer, put the strainer into a bowl or sink, and forget it for a while. You can do this in the morning and put the strainer and bowl into the refrigerator in the morning and it should be good at dinner time. If it is still a little frozen just break the spinach up with your hands, leave it in the strainer, and put the whole think in the sink or on the counter until you need it. Still overly wet? Then squeeze it over the sink with your hands. You don’t want it bone dry, just get rid of the bulk of the moisture.

Eggplant Rollatini

Ingredients

· 3 1/2 cups of ricotta chees

· Olive oil, to coat pans

· 2 good sized eggplants

· Course salt

· 5 eggs

· Salt and freshly ground black pepper

· About a cup or two of All-purpose flour

· 2 12 oz. packages of frozen spinach, thawed and strained

· 1 ½ tsp of minced garlic or 3 finely chopped cloves

· 3/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan or buy a combo of the two in a package

· 3 1/2 cups tomato sauce

· 2 to 3 cups of shredded mozzarella

Directions

1. Prepare the ricotta as in Note 1. You can then discard the excess liquid or use it for something else like the liquid in a ricotta bread,

2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F,

3. Spray a baking or cookie sheet with olive oil. If you have them, spray 3 sheets and if you don’t, don’t worry because the cooking stage can be done in several stages,

4. Wash the eggplants and cut off the ends. Put one of the cut sides down on your cutting board and slice downward, about ¼ inch strips. You are not cutting little circles but instead you are cutting lengthwise. This should result in about 15 pieces,

5. Shake some course salt on each slice then put the slices on a cooling rack or at least a towel. The salt will draw out some of the moisture. They should be left alone for 15 minutes or so but if you don’t have the time just eliminate this step.

6. Crack 4 eggs into a bowl, season with small amounts of salt and pepper, then beat them slightly just enough to crack the yolks and combine the eggs,

7. Pour the flour on to a small dish but not a coffee cup dish, that would be too small. You can use a dinner plate if you want,

8. Dredge each eggplant slice through the flour, then dip it into the beaten eggs, drain any excess egg mixture back into the eggs, and lay the slice on baking sheet. Do this with each slice until you have filled the baking sheet but not overcrowded it. If you can’t or don’t want to cook everything at one time, don’t worry, you can do them in batches,

9. Bake the eggplant slices until they are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer the slices to some cool baking sheets or dishes and let them cool to about room temperature. You see, doing these in batches doesn’t do much more than add 15 minutes per batch,

10. Crack the last egg into a small dish, possibly the one you used for the four eggs earlier,

11. Combine spinach, ricotta, remaining egg, garlic, and 1/2 cup of the grated Romano, Parmesan, or mixture in a bowl. Add some salt and pepper to your liking and mix everything completely.

12. Spoon about 1 cup of the tomato sauce onto the bottom of a small baking dish.

13. Spoon 1 or 2 tablespoons of filling onto the wide end of each piece of eggplant dependent on the size of the slice.

14. Roll up each slice lightly and put them into the baking dish with the ends, not edges, down. If need be, use a toothpick to hold them together but remember to remove the toothpicks before serving,

15. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce, then the shredded mozzarella, and remaining grated Parmesan on top of everything,

16. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, until the tomato sauce is bubbling and the filling is hot,

17. Let everything them rest for 15 minutes before serving to let the juices and all settle and merge.

Vegetable Ground Beef Soup Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 18:00:00 +0000

This is a real easy soup, almost a chowder, with some great tastes that doesn’t take very long to make. Another thing I like about it is that I can use all those small bags of frozen vegetables from other meals that are sitting in the freezer, formerly fresh vegetables changing colors in the vegetable keeper, or a little of both. Remember though, if you don’t know how old the frozen stuff is or the formerly fresh veggies are really dark and getting wet, then throw them away. Nothing makes you skip desert like a trip to the emergency ward.

Notes:

1. Save yourself some dishwashing. Using a 4 cup measurer pour the water into a large Dutch oven (the large pan you probably use for pasta) then use it to measure out the right amount of potatoes, then use it again for the vegetables.

2. I peel the potatoes then slice them lengthwise then slice each piece lengthwise again, and then chop them into cubes.

3. You can use about 8 cups of thawed frozen vegetables (maybe 2 cups each of corn, carrots, green beans, and okra or just mixed vegetables like I did) or chop up some fresh or semi-fresh vegetables.

4. I didn’t have dried minced onions so I just cut part of a normal fresh onion and added it to the ground beef while cooking. I also threw in about five button mushrooms with the cooking ground beef just to add some more flavor.

5. If you want the soup a little thicker try a roux. Cook up 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 tablespoons of oil or butter until a light brown and add it to the soup then stir. You can try tomato paste but I think the added tomato flavor will dominate the soup and take away from everything else.

6. I know there isn’t any salt or pepper in the ingredients but don’t worry. Condensed soup normally has enough sodium to make anyone happy and if you want pepper either add it after tasting or to the individual serving bowl.

Vegetable Ground Beef Soup

Ingredients

· 6 cups water

· 4 cups cubed peeled potatoes (about 1 to 1 ½ inch cubes)

· 8 cups of vegetables (see notes 1 and 3 above)

· 1 pound ground beef

· 5 teaspoons beef bouillon granules

· 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed tomato soup, undiluted

· 3 tablespoons dried minced onion

Directions

1. Pour the water and potatoes into a Dutch oven and bring to a boil,

2. Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Test the firmness by sticking one or two with a fork. Remember that the potatoes will cook for at least another 10 minutes so don’t let them get too tender,

3. While the potatoes are cooking, after you have covered them, cook the ground meat until the pink is gone,

4. Once the potatoes are cooked but firm add the meat, soup, vegetables, onion, and bouillon. Don’t drain the potatoes please,

5. Stir to blend all the flavors. If you want it a little thicker start making the roux and add it,

6. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for another 8 to 10 minutes so that the soup is heated throughout. Stir it occasionally to keep the flavors mixing.

7. Take a little taste once in a while and you will know when it is done but don’t be overly critical.

Squash Plus Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:40:00 +0000

Cooks.com has a real good recipe for a Squash Casserole that can easily be converted to a Lenten dish (Vegetarian) by substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth. You could also get it to Vegan with a sour cream substitute but I’m a carnivore and took it the other way. It is simple, good for using leftovers, and doesn’t take a great deal of time or attention. Give it a try and feel free to use your imagination.

I had a half bag of frozen squash and another half bag of broccoli. Just go threw the freezer and see what is sitting around. If it looks like it would go with the meat you are using, do it. If it looks like the mixture is too dry, add something like more sour cream, cream, or milk.

Squash Plus Casserole

Ingredients:

· 5 cups cooked squash

· 1 medium onion

· 1 stick butter or margarine at room temperature

· 1 bag stuffing mix

· 1 can cream of chicken soup

· 1 can cream of mushroom soup

· ½ cup sliced mushrooms

· 8 oz sour cream

· About 3 cups of cubed chicken or ham

· Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F

2. Heat the squash and onions until they are tender. Don’t overcook though since this will all find itself in the oven

3. Drain the vegetables

4. Pour about half the stuffing into a bowl

5. Combine the vegetables and everything else except the remaining stuffing in the bowl

6. Mix everything up lightly

7. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish

8. Top the meal with the remaining stuffing mix

9. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes

10. Test to make sure it is done. If not, put it back for a few minutes or whatever it takes.

DEVILED CHICKEN

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:48:00 +0000

Now here is a fantastic recipe inspired by some things I found on the internet over the years. It takes what could be drab chicken and gives it a great taste you remember. Very easy for yourself or for entertaining a large group when you don’t have much time.

As for the chicken I happen to enjoy using thighs but feel free to use whatever parts you want. You will have to adjust the baking time though if you use boneless since that cooks much quicker.

Ingredients:

· 3 lbs Skinless chicken

· ¼ cup Dijon mustard

· 4 tsp Vegetable oil (or 1 Tablespoon and 1 teaspoon. Same thing)

· 4 tsp Brown sugar (or 1 Tablespoon and 1 teaspoon. Same thing)

· ½ Garlic powder (2 minced cloves of garlic work just as well)

· Vegetable oil spray

· ½ tsp Pepper

· ½ cup Bread crumbs

Directions:

1. On the night before take the chicken out of the freezer, place it on a dish, and let it thaw in the refrigerator.

2. In the morning pull and cut the skin and fat off the chicken even though it may not be totally thawed. I find it is much easier to do this when the chicken is still partially frozen.

3. Put the chicken back on the wrapper and dish and wash your hands thoroughly. You shouldn’t have to touch it again until it is cooked and ready to eat.

4. Begin to preheat the oven to 375 degrees

5. When you are ready to begin dinner mix the mustard, vegetable oil, brown sugar and garlic together in a small bowl

6. Lightly spray a baking dish

7. Using tongs place the chicken on the baking dish

8. Brush the top and sides with the mustard mixture

9. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on the chicken

10. Put the baking dish into the oven and bake for about 50 minutes. Remember, my recipe is for bone-in thighs so adjust the time for yourself, especially if you are using boneless chicken

11. Cut into the largest portion of the chicken and observe the juice. If the chicken juices are clear, you are ready to serve

12. I like to pull the baking dish out of the oven, place it on the stove, and let it sit a few minutes before serving

I served this with rice and broccoli but feel free to use whatever side dishes you want. Simple mashed potatoes would be good also.

Hurricane Irene problems

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:45:00 +0000

I really like to develop at least two recipes each week and add them to this blog but Hurricane Irene forced me to change thing. Getting ready for the storm delayed my schedule then Irene took out my electricity, phones (land line and cell), and my internet connection. My phones started working again today (Tuesday) and my internet connection came back at the same time though the electricity is still out. Hopefully this will be corrected by Thursday. Unlike many we suffered only minimal damage, just the schedule problem. I have one recipe for you now and will try to catch up before the end of the week.

Sourdough Bacon & Apple Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:58:00 +0000

So, you have some overnight guests and want to throw something together in the morning that will be both filling and impressive? How about a pancake filled with great ingredients that is as large as a small casserole. This can also be on your brunch menu or something to make with the kids on the weekend that lasts most of the week. It is pretty inexpensive and easy to prepare.

Remember to pull the sourdough starter out of the refrigerator the nigh before and add a cup of flour and water. Stir it up and let it sit until morning. This will take you all of five minutes.

Ingredients:

· 5 strips Bacon (more if you want)

· 2 Tbl Oil (use the bacon drippings or a combination of drippings and oil (I supplemented with Olive Oil

· 1 Apple

· 1/3 cup Green onions (optional)

· 1 small Pepper (optional)

· 1 cup Starter

· 2 Tbl Sugar or Honey

· 1 Egg

· ¾ cup Flour

· 1 tsp Baking soda

· ¼ tsp Salt

· 1 tsp water or milk

· Oil spray

Directions:

1. Fry up the bacon

2. Put the bacon on a paper towel to drain and save the remaining drippings for the recipe. You want the drippings to cool a bit or you could kill the starter. Don’t worry about the bacon getting a little cold as it will be heated when baking the pancake

3. Preheat the oven to 425

4. Core, peel, and chop the apple into chunks. Don’t chop it too small like I did. Put the resultant apple into a small bowl

5. If you want to add the onions, pepper, or whatever, chop them and add them to the bowl

6. Break the bacon into small pieces and add it to the small bowl

7. In a second larger bowl add the starter, sugar/honey, egg, baking soda, salt and water/milk. If you use honey, add the oil/drippings first then the honey using the same tablespoon measurer. This will make it easier for the honey to flow

8. Remember to take care of the remaining starter. Add a cup of water and a cup of flour, stir, let sit for a while (maybe until you pull the pancake out of the oven), and put back in refrigeration

9. Mix the contents of the larger bowl

10. Add the contents of the smaller bowl to the larger one and mix them all. Don’t over mix though

11. Spray a casserole dish of about 8x8x2.25

12. Pour the larger bowl, the only one with stuff in it, into the casserole dish

13. Bake for about 15 minutes

14. Turn the oven down to 350 and heat the casserole for another 15 to 20 minutes. Poke a toothpick into the middle and on the sides. If the toothpick comes out clean, you are done. If not, cook a little longer

15. Take the finished breakfast out of the oven and let it sit a few minutes.

16. You can serve from the casserole dish or slide the end results on to a serving dish. If it comes out in one piece everyone will be impressed. If it doesn’t, call it rustic

Sourdough Sausage & Apple Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:57:00 +0000

Remember to pull the sourdough starter out of the refrigerator the nigh before and add a cup of flour and water. Stir it up and let it sit until morning. This will take you all of five minutes.

Ingredients:

· 1 lb Breakfast sausage

· 2 Tbl Oil (I used Olive Oil)

· 1 Apple

· 1/3 cup Green onions (optional)

· 1 small Pepper (optional)

· 1 cup Starter

· 2 Tbl Sugar or Honey

· 1 Egg

· ¾ cup Flour

· 1 tsp Baking soda

· ¼ tsp Salt

· 1 tsp water or milk

· Oil spray

Directions:

1. Fry up the sausage and break it up into small pieces

2. Put the sausage in a bowl on a paper towel to drain

3. Preheat the oven to 425

4. Core, peel, and chop the apple into chunks. Don’t chop it too small like I did. Put the resultant apple into a small bowl, possibly the one with the sausage if it is drained

5. If you want to add the onions, pepper, or whatever, chop them and add them to the bowl

6. In a second larger bowl add the starter, sugar/honey, egg, baking soda, salt and water/milk. If you use honey, add the oil first then the honey using the same tablespoon measurer. This will make it easier for the honey to flow

7. Remember to take care of the remaining starter. Add a cup of water and a cup of flour, stir, let sit for a while (maybe until you pull the pancake out of the oven), and put back in refrigeration

8. Mix the contents of the larger bowl

9. Add the contents of the smaller bowl and the sausage to the larger one and mix them all. Don’t over mix though

10. Spray a casserole dish of about 8x8x2.25

11. Pour the larger bowl, the only one with stuff in it, into the casserole dish

12. Bake for about 15 minutes

13. Turn the oven down to 350 and heat the casserole for another 15 to 20 minutes. Poke a toothpick into the middle and on the sides. If the toothpick comes out clean, you are done. If not, cook a little longer

14. Take the finished breakfast out of the oven and let it sit a few minutes.

15. You can serve from the casserole dish or slide the end results on to a serving dish. If it comes out in one piece everyone will be impressed. If it doesn’t, call it rustic

Kielbasa Stir Fry

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 02:18:00 +0000

Here is a real easy and filling recipe that is even better when you just don’t have time. The leftovers are also good for a second meal or lunch. Don’t have a Wok? Not a problem, just use a large pan.

Ingredients:

· 3 Tbl Butter

· 1/4 cup chopped onions

· 1 Green pepper

· 2 cups fresh broccoli

· Garlic powder to taste

· Oregano to taste

· 1 lb Kielbasa

· ½ cup Parmesan

Directions:

1. Chop the onions and put aside in something like a soup bowl

2. Cut up the pepper and add it to the onions. Don’t use the seeds or white membrane

3. Cut the Kielbasa into 1 or 1 ½ inch lengths. Put this on the side but not in the bowl with the onions

4. Melt the butter in the Wok

5. Add the onions and green pepper and let them cook for a couple minutes

6. Stir in the broccoli and let that cook for a minute or so

7. Sprinkle in the garlic and oregano and stir

8. Toss in Kielbasa and heat through (Kielbasa is normally pre-cooked so you are just heating it up. If it is real fresh you will want to cook it some more.

9. Add the parmesan cheese, stir and cook for 30 seconds or more depending on how you want the cheese.

You can serve this with rice, potatoes, beans, on a slice of bread or hot dog roll, or as is. I gave you something real easy so you have to make this decision.

Potato Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 02:17:00 +0000

Want to really impress someone? How about homemade soup? It isn’t as hard as you think and there are alternate methods that you can use to make it even easier. It also stores well in the freezer.

Ingredients:

· 3 cups Diced raw potatoes

· ½ cup Finely chopped celery

· ½ cup Finely chopped onion

· 3 cups Water

· 2 cups Milk

· 2 cubes Chicken bullion

· 3 Tbl Butter

· 1 cup Sour cream

· 2 tsp Salt

· 1/8 tsp Pepper

Directions:

1. Dice the potatoes and put in a medium or large sized container

2. Chop the celery very small and add to the potatoes

3. Chop the onion into small bits and add to the potatoes (There is a real easy way to do this by first cutting parallel to the board then vertical, then slicing. You can probably find it on the internet or somewhere in my blog)

4. Pour the water into a sauce pan that has a cover

5. Add the potato/celery/onion mixture to the water, cover, and cook until tender

6. Take the vegetables out of the water with a slotted spoon and put them in that container you used in step #1. Don’t drain the water as you still need it and it contains much of the nutrients. Don’t worry if you miss some as it just adds to the texture

7. You can push the potato/celery/onion mixture through a sieve, dicer, or run it all through a blender. I don’t like the blender idea though as you lose the vegetable pieces. I guess you could crush them with the back of a fork though if you don’t have a sieve or dicer. Put the end results back into the container

8. Add the milk, bullion cubes and butter to the water

9. Add the sour cream and flower and stir until smooth

10. Pour everything into the saucepan containing the water

11. Cook over medium heat and stir constantly until everything has thickened and the bullion cubes have completely dissolved

12. Stir in the salt and pepper and cook a minute

You now have about 6 servings of soup that will impress your guests and can be used later. Freeze the leftovers and nuke them when needed.

Veggie Casserole From Leftovers

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 21:42:00 +0000

So, you are looking through the fridge and find all these small containers with remnants of former meals. You are probably in a hurry, that is why you are scavenging. Some broccoli, a few peas, quarter cup of carrots, and fresh mushrooms that were on sale but you didn’t need them all. Tonight’s dinner is almost done, you just don’t realize it yet. It is even closer if you have some rice so look a little harder. Rice is usually in two or more containers, from the Chinese dinner you brought home and some from the meal you made last Tuesday.

I’m going to give you the recipe as if it was from scratch because I don’t know what you have left over. Your job is to make the substitutions. For instance my recipe calls for a bag of frozen vegetables. See what you already have and make the adjustment. Since this is a casserole you can often put in some vegetables that you don’t normally like because they will be covered by the rest of the meal or hidden in someone else’s serving.

As for the rice, depending on how you cook it, 1 cup of uncooked rice will produce about 3 cups of cooked rice. See what you have and cook up the rest. I like to use a broth instead of water, or maybe half broth to half water for a little different taste. I tried beer once but it didn’t do any good.

Ingredients:

· 2 cups Uncooked rice

· 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup (don’t make the soup, just use the concentrate)

· 1 small jar Cheese Wiz

· 1 bag Vegetables like broccoli or mixed

· Fresh mushrooms (canned if you have to)

· Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook up the rice

2. About the time the rice is finished preheat the oven to 350

3. Pour the cooked rice into a casserole

4. Add the remaining ingredients to the casserole

5. Stir everything together

6. Bake for 40 minutes

Nice meal, easy to prepare in a short time, stores well for later, good for Lent. Cooking is easier than you thought.

Buckeye Candy

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 21:40:00 +0000

Here is something even a Michigan State fan will like.

For a little background, the Buckeye tree is a species that grows very well in the North, especially in Ohio. In fact there is an Ohio Buckeye tree. Because of the very dense and strong fibers which prevent it from splitting, doctors have used the wood for prosthesis’ for years. Now that different metals are used, the Buckeye is best know as the mascot of THE Ohio State University and the candy I am going to give you the recipe for is made in the form of the one-of-a-kind seed that falls from the tree.

Enough of that, my mouth is already watering. I’m just putting the basics here but don’t limit yourself to that. Use your favorite peanut butter, dark chocolate, and maybe vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract.

A little hint. You want to melt the chocolate in a double boiler but not everyone owns one. If you are part of that majority, make one. Use a sauce pan filled half way with water and bring it to a boil. Then put a glass bowl, that is larger than the sauce pan, on top of the sauce pan making sure that it does not touch the water. Put the chocolate in the bowl and it will melt. You can use this method for other recipes calling for a double boiler.

Ingredients:

· 1 stick Butter

· 1 lb Confectioners sugar

· 2 ½ cups Creamy peanut butter

· 2 tsp Vanilla extract

· 1 lb Dark chocolate

· Toothpicks

Directions:

1. Cream everything, except the chocolate, together

2. Butter a cookie sheet

3. Take out about a teaspoon of the creamed mixture, roll it into a ball, and place it on the cookie sheet

4. Keep doing this, maintaining about a half inch to an inch of space between each one

5. Refrigerate for 2 hours

6. After the 2 hours begin to melt the chocolate

7. Stick a toothpick into the peanut butter ball and dip the ball into the chocolate. Make sure to cover only about 3/4thsof the ball because a buckeye is only 3/4ths dark brown and 1/4^th light brown

8. Put the buckeye back onto the cookie sheet, smooth out the toothpick hole with a damp finger, and let cool

My Wife and Daughter have been making this for years, since Kristen was little. It is a great recipe to make with little children, just keep them away from the boiling water as the steam can burn if they take the bowl off.

Scones – Fruit

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:17:00 +0000

Here is another idea for scones that you can make one day and enjoy all week long. These are also good if you are expecting friends to come over for a day or two. Serve them some delicious scones or take them with you while showing off your location. Just a thought.

Remember what I said about the bacon scones earlier. Keep the butter real cold and sift the dry ingredients. This really makes a big difference in the ultimate taste.

As I told you before, scone recipes are all over the place and very similar. One day I was watching Alton Brown on the Food Network and he really gave me confidence in making scones. I’m not sure if it was his recipe or additional information, like the cold butter. This may or may not be close to his recipe but he was my inspiration. Or was it Elton John? No, I believe it was Alton Brown.

Ingredients:

· 2 cups Flour

· 4 tsp Baking powder

· ¾ tsp Salt

· 1/3 cup Sugar

· 4 Tbl Cold butter

· 2 Tbl Shortening

· 1 Egg

· ¾ cup Cream or buttermilk

· Handful of dried fruit. Raisins are good but I like dried cherries better. Cranberries would work also. I think bananas would have to be revived a bit, maybe by soaking for a while in rum or banana liquor

Directions:

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a large bowl

2. Heat the oven to 375 degrees

3. Chop the butter into small pieces but don’t overwork. Put into a small bowl

4. Mix in the butter and shortening

5. Crack the egg into the bowl that held the butter and beat it normally.

6. Add the cream/buttermilk to the egg and mix

7. Pour the wet into the dry ingredients and stir

8. Add the fruit and combine.

9. Pour the dough onto a floured surface

10. Roll the dough to about an inch thick

11. You can either cut the dough with a biscuit cutter or roll it out into a rectangle and cut that in half and then into triangles.

12. Spray a banking sheet lightly put the scones on it and bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Your going to love it. One time I cut a few apples up and used them in place of the dried fruit. I also reduced the buttermilk some and substituted apple butter. Unfortunately I didn’t measure the changes so I can’t give you the recipe.

Scones – Bacon, cheese, and green onions

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:15:00 +0000

If you are like me breakfast is your favorite meal but it comes so early in the day. I would like to have something good but then I would like to sleep even more. Maybe one of those breakfast bar things I can grab and eat in the car with a travel cup of coffee. Maybe not. I can always to get near work and pick-up something at the local coffee shop. Well here is a compromise.

Before I share the recipe with you let me say that these can be made days before. Maybe make a large batch to surprise the family on Saturday morning with enough left over for the week. Just refrigerate in a plastic storage bag and pull one out on the way to the car on Monday.

These are really pretty easy and cost a lot less than at the coffee shop. The biggest secrets ared to have the butter frozen and sift the dry ingredients. The butter will heat in the scone and burst with flavor and the flour wont clump.

Oh, where did I get this recipe? I don’t really know. I have tried many variations from the internet and found that they are all about the same. So I guess this is my version of what you will find almost anywhere. Just remember that butter trick and yours will taste better than anyone else’s.

Ingredients:

· 4 to 6 slices Bacon

· 1 ½ cup Sharp cheddar cheese

· ½ cup Green Onions

· ½ tsp Pepper

· 3 cups All-purpose flour

· 1 Tbl Baking powder

· 1 Tbl Sugar

· 1 ½ tsp salt

· 1 stick Frozen butter

· 1 cup Buttermilk or cream

· 1 cup Shredded Parmigianino (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook the bacon. When done, drain on a paper towel.

2. Shred the cheddar cheese and put into a bowl

3. Cut the green onions up into small pieces and put in the bowl with the cheese. Some people say to only use the green part but I use the entire thing. Well, except for the roots and very top.

4. Add the pepper to the bowl.

5. Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a large bowl.

6. Take the butter out of the freezer and cut into small pieces. Not so small that the melt, just small enough to blend with everything.

7. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

8. Mix the butter and the onion bowl with the dry ingredients until you see some lumps. Don’t over process. You can use a pastry blender but I use a fork.

9. Add the bacon to the mixture.

10. Add the buttermilk/cream and work it in. You should have a sticky dough and still be able to see chunks of butter.

11. Throw some flour on a flat surface and pour the dough on to it. Don’t use too much flour, not even enough to cover, just to influence.

12. Form the dough into 2 rectangles about 4 inches wide and 1 inch high.

13. Cut the rectangles from one point to the opposite point making 4 triangles. You can also use a muffing/biscuit cutter if you would rather.

14. Spray a making sheet lightly and put the wedges on it about an inch or half inch apart.

15. If you would like, shave or sprinkle the Parmigianino over the top of each wedge.

16. Bake for about 22 minutes or until golden brown.

17. Let the scones cool on the baking sheet and eat warm or cool.

You can actually make this a bacon and egg scone if you want, There are several variations for this but I just scramble up two eggs and add them to the batter with everything else, around step #10.

Chicken Reuben Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 01:14:00 +0000

Here is something you can make for tonight if you have about an hour and a quarter before dinner, or you can make early and just reheat when needed. Using chicken breasts instead of corned beef should make it healthier, I think. I don’t really know though as determining the healthiness of food is outside my expertise. Well, to be serious, cooking is outside my expertise, it is more of a hobby usually based on the help of others who do have an expertise.

Anyway, this works and I would expect that it works well with corned beef, ham, or turkey also but I haven’t tried those yet.

Ingredients:

· Cooking Spray

· 4 boneless Chicken Breasts (4 half breasts are fine if you would rather and they are large enough for you

· 1/8 tsp Black pepper

· 14 oz can Sauerkraut

· 4 slices Swiss Cheese

· 1 cup Thousand Island Dressing

· 2 Tbl Parsley

· 4 boneless Chicken Breasts (4 half breasts are fine if you would rather and they are large enough for you

· Cooking spray

Direction:

1. Spray a good sized oven proof baking dish. One large enough for your chicken. Use two if you want.

2. Cut the fat and skin off the chicken breasts, then wash them, and place in the baking dish.

3. Wash your hands thoroughly. Raw chicken can cause problems.

4. Look into the oven and make sure nobody is storing anything in there. I had some starter resting in mine once and forgot about it. Oh well, it only takes about a week to start a new one.

5. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

6. Place the sauerkraut over the chicken. Use tongs so you don’t touch the raw chicken

7. Place one slice of cheese over each chicken breast (or half breast if you are going that way)

8. Pour the dressing over everything

9. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 1 hour. Poke it with a knife and if the juices run clear, it is ready. If you really want to be safe, cut the largest piece in half and make sure that the inside isn’t red. If you can save the chicken with a tourniquet then it really has a lot of time to go. Maybe your oven isn’t working. By the way, frozen chicken will take about a half hour longer.

Pesto Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 01:13:00 +0000

Pine nuts are great but their price and availability are limiting. Want a great taste and save a few bucks, use walnuts. Try this and see what I mean.

Ingredients:

· ¼ cup Walnuts

· 1 clove Garlic

· ½ cup Olive oil

· 1 cup Basil leaves, fresh and tightly packed

· ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese

· 1/8 tsp Salt

· 1/8 tsp Pepper

Directions:

1. Pour the nuts into a small sauté pan and toast (don’t burn)

2. Pour the nuts into a blender and chop on high for about 10 seconds

3. Add the garlic, oil, and basil leaves to the nuts and puree on high for about 45 seconds

4. Add the Parmesan, salt, and pepper and blend for another 10 seconds

This is good on chicken, pasta, fish, cheese tort, or as a dip. You may have to increase the amounts though depending on how you are going to use it.

Apple Stuffed Chicken Breasts

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 18:16:00 +0000

Chicken is a fantastic summer dish. It can be made in so many ways, served hot or cold, and the addition of fruit only enhances the flavor. My friends at Summer Recipes have come up with a nice and easy chicken recipe that incorporates the bird with apples, raisins, pecans, orange juice, apple jelly, and sherry. Great for your tongue to play with and the leftover can be reserved or chopped up into a chicken salad spread between slices of raisin/cinnamon bread. WOW.

Ingredients

· 6 boneless and skinless chicken breasts

· 1 ½ cups Diced apples. You choose red or green. They both work

· ¼ cup Chopped golden seedless raisins (I like the golden in the Summer and red when it is cold)

· ¼ cup Chopped pecans (use walnuts if you prefer)

· 3 Tbl Minced onion

· 2/3 tsp Sage (pour it into your hand and rub it around a bit to get the oils working)

· Some toothpicks

· ¼ cup Orange juice concentrate (make orange juice out of the remainder)

· ¼ cup Margarine

· 1/3 cup Apple jelly

· ¼ cup Sherry (dry works much better than cream sherry here)

Directions

1. Prepare the apples, raisins, nuts, onion and sage, put into a medium bowl, and combine (stir them together). (Prepare means dice the apples, chop the raisins, etc.)

2. Take out a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap about 3 times as wide as the largest chicken breast.

3. Wash the chicken and cut off the fat

4. Fold the plastic wrap in half and put a chicken breast in the middle. This will keep everything clean.

5. Pound the breast with a meat mallet or rolling pin until it is about a quarter of an inch thick. Don’t go crazy hear thinking about the guy who cut you off on the way to the grocery store.

6. Place the breast on a plate and do the next one until all are done.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

8. Put about a spoonful of the apple mixture (stuffing) on each chicken breast.

9. If you have some left either cook it or add it evenly to the chicken breasts.

10. Roll the breast up, tuck in all sides, and put a wooden toothpick through each to keep them closed.

11. Place the chicken in a baking pan with sides.

12. Wash your hands very well. Raw chicken is not something you want to play with.

13. Combine the orange juice, margarine, Apple jelly and sherry. I use the same bowl I had the stuffing in.

14. Pour the orange juice mixture into a small saucepan and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. This will make about 1 cup of glaze.

15. Put the chicken into the oven, uncovered, for around 45 minutes and brush/baste often with the glaze.

Authentic Italian Meat Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:40:00 +0000

“Authentic”, don’t you love that word in a recipe title? As if somebody got everybody in Italy together years ago and said, “here isa da way we goin to makea da meatAball.” It never happened but having grown up in an Italian family I can tell you there are some things that are common and often not copied by cooks in other countries. Probably the biggest thing is bread. Most of us don’t use bread crumbs, we use slices of bread that are pulled apart into small pieces. Another is meat, we include veal when at all possible.

But like I wrote, we didn’t get together and come up with the “authentic” recipe so if you want to add pine nuts, diced prunes, ricotta, pecorino, mint, chives, or tarragon, go ahead.

Ingredients:
About 3 slices of bread. I like a white bread for this because of the absorption factor.
¾ cup Milk. Whole milk is normal but I use what I have, including non-fat
20 oz Meatloaf mix (lean beef, pork, and veal)
2 Eggs
2 cloves Garlic
¼ cup Grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbl Italian parsley

Directions:

1. Pour the milk into a large bowl.
2. Cut the crusts off the bread. You wont need it anymore so use it for crotons or at least give it to the birds.
3. Put the bread into the milk and press down with your hands or a large spoon. Don’t use much pressure though, you just want the bread to absorb the milk. Flattened bread won’t be any better than bread crumbs.
4. Put the meat into a bowl. If you had to purchase the beef, pork, and veal separately then mix them together by hand.
5. Squeeze the milk out of the bread, tear it into small pieces (about a half inch wide), and add to the meat.
6. Add the eggs, garlic, Parmesan, and parsley.
7. Mix everything together with your hands. Feel free to add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Pull out small portions of meat and form into balls of about 1 ½ inches thick.
9. You can cook these in several ways but I really like to just drop them into a tomato sauce. It will take about a half to three quarters of an hour and help flavor the sauce at the same time.

Irish Whiskey Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 23:05:00 +0000

Tired of Irish Soda Bread? Well here is a simple recipe for something equally as Irish but I guess people in the Old Sod enjoy it so much that there is never enough to export to the New World. I got the inspiration from Irish Genealogy Toolkit where you can find a lot more than just recipes.

The recipe calls for “caster sugar” which is a European term for a finer than normal granulated sugar. You can use confectioner’s sugar or take granulated sugar and put it through a blender, food processor, coffee grinder or spice grinder instead. You want it super fine but not powdery. Powdered sugar is also good depending on the recipe but it may contain corn starch or something to lengthen the shelf life. By the way, if you want to make your own powdered sugar just grind granulated sugar even more.

Ingredients:

• 1 Orange
• 2 tbs Irish whiskey (any brand will do, there isn’t a big whiskey taste to this)
• ¾ cub raisins
• ¾ cub Butter (about a stick and a half)
• 6 oz caster sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 8 oz self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt.

Method:
1. Grate the peel from the orange into a bowl. When you see the white portion of the peel then stop and move to another section. You can also use a vegetable peeler.
2. Squeeze 1 teaspoon of the juice over the peel.
3. Add the raisins and pour in the whiskey for a light coating.
4. Cover and put in a cool place for a few hours or overnight.
5. You can discard the orange peel but if it is grated real fine you may want to leave it in for a nice light taste. If it is long strips of peel, take them out and throw them in the compost.
6. Grease a decent sized bread loaf tin. I like to use the spray oil for this as it is easier, cleaner, and doesn’t allow you to overpower the loaf.
7. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
8. Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them.
9. In a mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar until the mix is fluffy.
10. Add the eggs in small doses and stir.
11. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt together and gradually fold it into the mixture. Never just drop flour into a recipe, especially a bread recipe because it clumps and can bake that way. You don’t want to cut a slice of bread and find chunks of white flour.
12. Stir in the raisins and any remaining liquid.
13. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 20 minutes.
14. Check to see if it is browning properly. If it is browning to quickly then wrap some aluminum foil over the top.
15. Continue baking for 40 to 55 more minutes for a total of 60-75 minutes until cooked through and the top is light to mid brown.
16. Let it cool for 15 minutes before placing on a wire rack.
17. If you want a stronger whiskey flavor then, while still hot and in the loaf tin, punch some holes in it with a skewer and drizzle a teaspoon or two of whiskey over the loaf.
18. It can be served hot or cold.

Gnocchi with a Parmesan-Beer Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 23:02:00 +0000

First let me say that most of us with an Italian family history believe “potato gnocchi” is redundant. We never learned to make gnocchi with anything but potatoes, the flour type was always called Cavatelli. But now between “fusion” cooking and the Americanization of ethnic dishes many restaurants and food producers use the words “potato gnocchi”. Funny though, they never make gnocchi with anything else. Oh well like Shakespeare would have said, gnocchi by any other name would still be fantastic.

Second, it isn’t Ga Nochi.

Third, you can make your own or buy it at the store. I’ll show you how to make it from scratch in another post but for now, buy it. I want this to be simple.

Fourth, Parmigiano-Reggiano is the legal name for a specific cheese made in a specific area of Italy by a specific recipe. It is fantastic and has a great melting ability but if you are only using it to lightly cover something, then buy a less expensive parmesan for dishes like this or topping spaghetti.

As for this recipe, it was inspired by one I read on Oklahoma Beer. That is a good site for both recipes and facts about beer. Try it sometime.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbl Butter, divided
• 2 ½ Tbl Flour
• 1 cup Pumpkin ale (a good Lager or Cream ale will also do and produce interesting alternative flavors.
• 1 ¼ cups Half and Half
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated and divided
• 1/8 tsp Nutmeg, ground
• 1 lb Gnocchi
• 10 oz frozen peas and carrots
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put water into a large pot, add some salt, and heat to a boil at a medium high heat setting.
2. Butter a glass baking dish or casserole about 11x17. Don’t use too much butter, only about ½ to 1 tablespoon.
3. Melt the remaining butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. If you used too much butter on the glass dish then make sure you have 2 ½ tablespoons of butter for this stage.
4. Slowly add the flour to the butter and whisk them together.
5. Pour the beer into the butter mixture and continue to whisk.
6. Now add the Half-and-Half to the butter mixture and keep whisking. In fact keep whisking until everything begins to boil. After about 3 minutes this stuff should begin to thicken.
7. Begin to preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
8. Add ¾ cup of the parmesan cheese and all the nutmeg to the butter mixture and cook for another minute. Add salt and pepper if you like and take the saucepan off the heat.
9. The water should begin to boil around now so add the gnocchi and cook according to the package instructions. That normally means about 3 minutes when the pasta begins to float.
10. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. If you would like, take the gnocchi out of the water by using a slotted spoon and put it on a plate. Then dump the water and gently return the gnocchi to the pot.
11. Add the butter mixture, which is no a nice cheese sauce, to the pasta.
12. Add the peas and carrots to the pasta.
13. Stir gently to make sure everything is covered.
14. Using one of those big spoons take the pasta and everything out of the large pan and put it into the baking dish/casserole.
15. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese on top.
16. Cook in the oven uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes. It should be bubbling.
17. Let it sit for a minute and serve it hot.

Authentic Italian Meat Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Sun, 29 May 2011 03:49:00 +0000

“Authentic”, don’t you love that word in a recipe title? As if somebody got everybody in Italy together years ago and said, “here isa da way we goin to makea da meatAball.” It never happened but having grown up in an Italian family I can tell you there are some things that are common and often not copied by cooks in other countries. Probably the biggest thing is bread. Most of us don’t use bread crumbs, we use slices of bread that are pulled apart into small pieces. Another is meat, we include veal when at all possible.

But like I wrote, we didn’t get together and come up with the “authentic” recipe so if you want to add pine nuts, diced prunes, ricotta, pecorino, mint, chives, or tarragon, go ahead.

Ingredients:
About 3 slices of bread. I like a white bread for this because of the absorption factor.
¾ cup Milk. Whole milk is normal but I use what I have, including non-fat
20 oz Meatloaf mix (lean beef, pork, and veal)
2 Eggs
2 cloves Garlic
¼ cup Grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbl Italian parsley

Directions:

1. Pour the milk into a large bowl.
2. Cut the crusts off the bread. You wont need it anymore so use it for crutons or at least give it to the birds.
3. Put the bread into the milk and press down with your hands or a large spoon. Don’t use much pressure though, you just want the bread to absorb the milk. Flattened bread won’t be any better than bread crumbs.
4. Put the meat into a bowl. If you had to purchase the beef, pork, and veal separately then mix them together by hand.
5. Squeeze the milk out of the bread, tear it into small pieces (about a half inch wide), and add to the meat.
6. Add the eggs, garlic, Parmesan, and parsley.
7. Mix everything together with your hands. Feel free to add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Pull out small portions of meat and form into balls of about 1 ½ inches thick.
9. You can cook these in several ways but I really like to just drop them into a tomato sauce. It will take about a half to three quarters of an hour and help flavor the sauce at the same time.

Beer Ribs

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Tue, 24 May 2011 19:32:00 +0000

Everybody believes they make the best ribs and the assumption is usually based on their bar-b-q sauce. The ribs themselves are probably under or over cooked, a little tough. I wasn’t an exception until I talked to my friend Tim who has won rib cook-offs, been in the restaurant business for years, and truly makes the best ribs I ever ate. Using some of his secrets I came up with the following idea and, if I must say so myself, has a fantastic deep taste.

Even more important though, it doesn’t take very long and you can buy most of the components if you want so you are not stuck in the kitchen while all your friends are having fun.

Ingredients:

1 or 2 slab of ribs

2 or 3 cans of beer

Some marinade

Some Bar-B-Q sauce

Directions:

First; buy yourself a nice marinade and bar-b-q sauce. If you don’t want people to know they are from the grocery store just pour them into jars and tell everyone you made them. If you do want to make them yourself I will try to help you in a separate post.

Second; freeze the ribs. I know, people say they can taste it if meat has been frozen but the truth is, they can’t. Pretty much all meat is frozen to transport without spoiling. Besides, all you are doing here is making it easier to remove the membrane.

Third; remove the membrane. This is a lot easier if the ribs are frozen and you use a sharp knife. The membrane is that thin white thing on the back of the ribs. Start in one corner and carefully run your knife between it and the ribs until it is removed. Tim can do this in such a way that he can take the entire thing off in one sheet but I can’t. Just keep working at it and don’t cut yourself. Nobody wants food that you have been bleeding over and a trip to the hospital can really ruin your timing.

Then run your knife between each rib and over each rib on both sides and cut the entire thing into two or three rib sections.

What you have accomplished is the removal of the one thing that prevents the heat, marinade, and sauce from penetrating the meat. If you just do this and plop the ribs on a grill it will be better than anything your neighbors cook. But you want it even better.

Fourth; pre-cook the ribs. You can steam them but if you don’t have the correct hardware you may want to try this method. Put the ribs in a large Dutch oven and pour the beer over it. If that doesn’t cover the ribs then add water. I usually put the water into the used beer cans, slosh it around, and then pour it in. Why waste the beer taste? I usually use a Lager for many reasons, the primary being that I drink Lager and it is handy. Guinness would be good also since it is one my favorite drinking and cooking beers. The key here is to add flavor to the liquid or else you are just boiling the meat and that can cost you in flavor.,

Fifth; bring the ribs to boiling, turn down to a simmer, cover, and cook for about an hour.

Sixth; put the cooked ribs into a container and pour the marinade over it. Stir it around to make sure everything is coated. Cover this and let it sit for a while. Look at the directions on the bottle/envelope to get an idea of the timing. Put it in a cooler or refrigerator for this phase.

Seventh; cook it on the grill. You can also cook it in your oven at 350 degrees. Flip the ribs about every 5 minutes or so and baste them with the remaining marinade. When you have about 10 minutes left then baste with the bar-b-q sauce and throw the remaining marinade away.

Unless the ribs are real thick you should see the meat separate from the bone. You are probably done at that time unless you want jerky.

Colcannon

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Thu, 19 May 2011 10:18:00 +0000

This is an old Irish idea that can be made into a full meal or side dish. There are several variations using kale, leeks, Canadian bacon, ham, cream, beer, etc. and I encourage you to look into them. The general ingredients are common and inexpensive and the entire meal is fairly simple to make. I believe it is a great alternative to simple mashed potatoes or rice and much easier than polenta. It also has a good starch and vegetable so all you need is meat.

Ingredients:
• 2 ½ cups cabbage, coarsely chopped or shredded
• 2 cups water
• 5 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbl butter, melted
• 5 strips Crumbled cooked bacon
• minced fresh parsley

Directions
1. Pour the water and cabbage into a large skillet and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to simmer, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes until tender.
3. While the cabbage is cooking peal, wash, and quarter the potatoes and put them on the side.
4. Cook the bacon (I use the microwave).
5. Put the cooked bacon between two paper towels to blot off the grease.
6. Drain the cabbage water into a medium saucepan that you will later use to cook the potatoes.
7. Put the cover back on the cabbage and place it out of the way to keep warm.
8. Put the potatoes into the saucepan you have the cabbage water in (step #6) and add enough water to cover the potatoes.
9. Bring the potatoes to a boil then reduce the heat, cover and cook for 15-17 minutes or until tender. I used an electric range so I covered the pan right in the beginning of this step so it would boil quicker.
10. A few minutes before the potatoes are done pour the milk and green onions into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
11. Drain the potatoes and pour them into a large bowl.
12. Mash the potatoes and stir in the milk mixture.
13. Melt the butter while mashing the potatoes.
14. Stir in the cabbage, salt and pepper.
15. Add the melted butter, bacon and parsley.

Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:37:00 +0000

You’re driving home from work and remember that you have not done anything about dinner. Sound familiar? How about a good taste meal that needs 5 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes of cooking? Well here is something I found at All Recipes.com that will put you in front of the TV screen with a smile.

Ingredients
2 red bell peppers, julienned
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
Cooking oil spray
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil
2. While the water is warming prepare the red bell peppers and garlic and put them in a small open container (a bowl will do) and sprinkle the cayenne over them
3. Add the pasta to the water and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente
4. While the pasta is cooking spray cooking oil in a large skillet and heat to medium
5. Pour the bowl of peppers, etc. into the skillet and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes
6. Drain the pasta then pour it back into the pan you cooked it in and cover. Do I have to tell you to take this off the heat first?
7. Stir sour cream and broth into the skillet and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes
8. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cheese
9. Pour the peppers and sauce into pan with the pasta, season with salt and pepper, and stir everything until combined. Don’t get carried away stirring

See, 15 minutes and a full meal for 4. Eat what you want and put the rest away for a great leftover meal. Don’t leave it too long though.

Want more than 4 servings? Click on the Recipe title and allrecipes.com will compute what you need.

Malty Mustard

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:32:00 +0000

One of the charms of the BBQ season is getting together with friends and family, trying some new recipes, and drinking beer over a hot grill. It brings more smiles than a new car. Everybody usually brings some beer, potato salad, or baked beans but maybe you’re Kitchen Challenged or want something different to impress everyone. Why not make and bring a jar of good homemade mustard for everyone to enjoy on their brats?

Mustard can be a little difficult but our friends at Beer Cook site have a fantastic recipe that wont take you long, is easy to do, lasts about 2 weeks refrigerated, and is quite tasty. All you need is the ingredients, a blender or food processor, and a double boiler mechanism which is pretty simple.

If you don’t have a double boiler just get a sauce pan and a Pyrex, stainless steel, or heat proof glass bowl that is larger than the opening of the sauce pan. This is important because you don’t want the bowl to fall in or the steam to work its way into the food. This comes in handy for melting chocolate also.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup dark ale
2 tablespoons brown mustard seeds
2 tablespoons powdered mustard
1 / 2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 shallots, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/ 2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter; melted

Directions:

1. Pour about 2 inches of water into the saucepan.
2. Heat the water on low to medium heat until the water begins to simmer.
3. Blend all the ingredients in the blender and run it on high until smooth.
4. Spoon the mixture into the top of a double boiler.
5. Put the double boiler together, cover and simmer until it is thickened and steaming. Steaming, not smoking. This should take about 10 minutes. Whisk it a lot so it doesn’t curdle.
6. Watching not to get burned, take the pan off the heat and the bowl off the pan. Let everything cool to room temperature.
7. Scrape the mustard into a re-sealable, sterilized glass jar. Can’t sterilize, wash it out real good. You just don’t want to contaminate the mustard with anything.
8. Chill the mustard before serving.

This should yield about 2 cups. If you are going to serve more people, make the recipe again. I never tried doubling the ingredients so I can’t tell you if that works. The mustard should last about 2 weeks which means you can make it well in advance.

Pumpkin Bread, Cooked in Coffee Cans

noreply@blogger.com (Ed Boyle) — Mon, 09 May 2011 12:45:00 +0000

Here is a different recipe with a great taste that can be assembled and cooked with your young children. Depending on their age though you may want to keep the kids away from anything that is sharp or hot. I found it at The Gourmet Coffee Shop site which is a great place for you to visit and learn even more about coffee.

First; you will need two old metal 1 pound coffee cans. Wash them out and remove all paper and glue from the cans.

Second; you can make your own pumpkin purée or buy it at a grocery store. Doing it on your own is pretty simple but the end result may not be what you expect. You see pumpkins don’t have much taste and the Jack-O-Lantern type are the most bland. When you are at the store look at the pumpkin pies and you will see that they contain a great deal of squash and seasoning which is the real taste.

Ingredients:

· 2 Coffee Cans (one pound each, no lip)

· Butter for greasing the cans

· 1 ½ cups Flour

· 1 cup Sugar

· 1 tsp Baking Soda

· 1 cup Pumpkin Purée

· 2 Eggs, beaten

· 1/2 cup Olive Oil

· 1/4 cup Water

· 1/2 tsp Nutmeg

· 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

· 1/2 tsp Allspice

· 1/2 tsp Salt

· 1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped (optional)

Directions:

1. Take all the paper and glue off the coffee cans then wash and dry them.

2. Grease the inside of the cans with butter.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

4. Combine the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda in a mixing bowl.

5. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat them (after you have smelled them for freshness and taken out the egg shells.

6. In another bowl mix the pumpkin purée, eggs, olive oil, water, and the rest of spices.

7. Now pour the bowl of dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients but don’t over mix them.

8. Stir in the walnuts if you decided to include them.

9. Pour the batter into each of the coffee cans. Do not fill more than half way because the bread needs room to expand and you don’t want to spend hours cleaning your oven.

10. Put the cans into the oven and bake for about 50 to 60 minutes.

11. You can test the doneness with a toothpick. Insert the toothpick into the center of the exposed bread and if it comes out clean, your good. Don’t cook until the smoke alarm starts or the Fire Department shows up.

12. Once done, remove the bread from the coffee cans and let them cool on a rack.