Brandy's Cooking Tips and Recipes

Freezer Rules For Food

2015-06-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

Check this out! It will definitely come in handy!

You can also find more infographics at Visualistan

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

2012-08-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

I thought I had come up with a great recipe that no one else had thought of...peanut butter and jelly cookies! They sounded fabulous, especially if you love peanut butter as much as I do. Peanut butter and chocolate are the best two flavors ever put together! Whoever thought of that should have won some sort of award, in my opinion. I sat down at my computer and immediately did a Google search. To my dismay, I was not the first to think of this delicious recipe.

I flipped through several pages of recipe's to find the one that looked the best to me. There were lots of results, but I finally found "the one". I found it on a website called "Pip & Ebby", interesting name, I thought. The picture that won me over is below.

I know it, they look as good as they taste! I decided I absolutely had to share these with my readers because I would feel guilty keeping them all to myself. This recipe will make approximately 2 dozen cookies, depending how large you make them. I suggest you follow the recipe exactly, though. Here it is....the recipe that has been a big hit with my friends and family.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine:

1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

With a hand-held mixer, beat the mixture on medium speed until just combined. Add 1 egg and beat until incorporated. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until combined.

Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls with your hands. Place them onto ungreased baking sheets and press into the center of each cookie with your thumb to create a divot.

In each divot, place 1/2 teaspoon of jelly and 1/2 teaspoon of creamy peanut butter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

This recipe was copied exactly from the "Pip & Ebby" website. I would like to personally say a big thank you to them for posting this recipe, which has now become my favorite cookie recipe! I hope your friends and family enjoy them for years to come.

Delicious Strawberry Cupcakes And Strawberry Frosting Recipe

2012-03-18T02:45:00.002-07:00

Strawberries were on sale, so it was time to figure out what to do with them. Because of my health, I am unable to do very much. However, baking seems to make me happy, well at least the menopausal side of me, hehehe. I can do a little..take a break..do a little more...take another break (okay, you don't want to know ALL the details)...and voila...strawberry cupcakes!

I always search the Internet to try and find the best recipe. You can pretty much pick out the good from the bad if you know anything about cooking or baking at all. Just mosey through the ingredients and see what's what! Sometimes you are just looking for easy. That's alright as well, but make sure you check out at least a few recipes for the same item. Trust me, you want to do this.

So as I was looking around at some strawberry recipes, I remembered having strawberry cupcakes with strawberry frosting when I was young. My Grandma raised me....miss you, Grandma! =) Everything she made was wonderful. I wish she had written a cookbook, the world would be a better place. But, I remembered her making a cake for one of my birthdays. It was strawberry lusciousness! I wanted to try and recreate that cake in the form of cupcakes. And that I did! I found the recipe on food.com. It was posted by Marsha D., but she actually got it from The Martha Stewart Show.....uh-huh..after you taste them, it all makes perfect sense!

Ingredients:
¾ cup fresh strawberries , sliced in half

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup milk

½ cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

3 tablespoons fresh strawberries , pureed

For Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter

3 ½ cups powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 dash salt

Directions:
1
Preheat oven to 350'.

2
Using cupcake liners, place 12 liners in a muffin pan and set to the side.

3
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt and set a side.

4
In a food processor or blender add strawberries and process until pureed.

5
Empty pureed strawberries into a 1/3c measuring cup and set aside. Add rest of strawberry puree to a small bowl and set aside to use in the frosting.

6
Using a electric mixer with bowl, cream butter on medium high speed until lightly fluffy.

7
Gradually add sugar and continue to mix until well blended. Reduce speed to low and slowly add one egg and egg whites and mix until lightly blended.

8
Add vanilla extract if using.

9
Mix together milk and 1/3c strawberry puree.

10
Alternate flour and milk mixture to mixer slowly ending with flour. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue to blend well.

11
Using a ice cream scoop or tablespoon, add batter to prepared muffin cups.

12
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.

13
Cool cupcakes completely on a wire rack before adding the frosting.

14
To make the Strawberry Frosting:.

15
Using a electric mixer with bowl, add 1 cup butter (soften) and salt and blend on medium high until fluffy.

16
Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar and blend well.

17
Add vanilla extract and 3TBS of the strawberry puree, blend well.

18
Using a knife frost the cupcakes and top with strawberry slices and/or decorative candies. (I personally like the strawberry slices the best)

This recipe makes 12 cupcakes, however if you would like to change the recipe to suit your needs for more or less...OR you would really like to see the nutritional information (though I do not recommend this!) just follow this link: Delicious Strawberry Cupcakes And Strawberry Frosting Recipe - Food.com - 307154

And speaking of strawberries...when you don't have the real thing, sometimes it's nice just to have a little peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I said jelly, but you have to try the
preserves. Get it on Amazon, today!

Cooking Tips - Ripen Bananas Quickly

2011-10-16T22:57:00.000-07:00

Cooking Tips - Ripen Bananas Quickly

I needed to ripen bananas quickly to make some banana bread a few days ago. I jumped online and started looking around to find a way to make it happen. I saw several different solutions to my problem, unfortunately most of them required that I wait at least 24 hours. Some of them required an apple, a tomato, a brown paper bag and time. I didn't have time, I had four teenagers craving banana bread. I will tell you if you have a couple of days to wait, you can put the bananas into a paper bag with either an apple or tomato. You just put the bag somewhere dry and in 24-36 hours...voila! This solution came up on many websites in my search to ripen bananas quickly. The reason this works is all because of ethylene gas. Give that a try if you have a little time.

Back to my search! I would not take "no" for an answer, so I kept searching. I ended up following a link, and then another link, and then several other links......long story short, I found the solution to my problem. There it was..."how to ripen bananas quickly." The website is called Buzzle.com. But I found the banana information here. It was written by Mrunmayi Deo, who seems to be quite an author on Buzzle.com. Well, I would like to thank him because he made four teenagers very happy.

Drum roll, please..........ripen bananas quickly by putting them in a 300 degree oven!! Yes, that's right, in the oven. You need to watch them closely because you don't want to burn them beyond recognition. I believe it took my bananas about 20 minutes. Obviously this will differ depending on where your bananas are in the ripening process. I just made sure they were mostly black with a little bit of yellow showing through here and there. The bananas were absolutely perfect for banana bread. I hope this makes someone in your home happy too! Happy ripening!

Income for Life — Start Earning Money Now

2011-06-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

Even though it is not related to Cooking Tips or Recipes, I wanted to share with you my new website that makes it easy to work from home. Anyone with a computer can do this, so at least go watch the video..Income for Life — Start Earning Money Now. I wouldn't share it with you if I didn't believe in it!

Tucson, Arizona Recipes are Coming Soon!

2011-05-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of this wonderful city that I live in, Tucson, Arizona, I am going to do a series of recipes from Tucson. Tucson does not lack in the great food category! Tucson is known for it's wonderful Mexican restaurants. Even some past President's of our country have graced the seats of some of these fabulous restaurants as well Adam Richman with an episode of Man vs. Food. Let's not leave out some of the other restaurants that deserve to be spotlighted for their ability to tantalize the taste buds here in Tucson.

When I moved away from Tucson, (I always come back) I used to sit and daydream about some of my favorite restaurants and my favorite dishes. So I thought it would be a good idea to put together a collection of these recipes for people who cannot just stop in, sit down, and have a bite. Bookmark this page or subscribe to get updates because you do not want to miss this!

Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs

2011-04-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

Happy Easter!! What can you make with the Easter eggs after they have been found? Make this recipe!

This is a great recipe! I made them for my husband's office, for their potluck this week. Apparently, they were gone in a matter of minutes and everyone loved them. Next time I make them, I will add some green onions. I think that's the only thing that would make these taste better than they already are. I got this recipe from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:
12 eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 slices bacon
2 tablespoons finely shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon mustard (dijon might work as well??)

Directions:

Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and cool. To cool more quickly, rinse eggs under cold running water.
Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Alternatively, wrap bacon in paper towels and cook in the microwave for about 1 minute per slice. Crumble and set aside.
Peel the hard-cooked eggs, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to a small bowl. Mash egg yolks with mayonnaise, crumbled bacon and cheese. Stir in mustard. Fill egg white halves with the yolk mixture and refrigerate until serving.

Cooking Tip - Grating Cheese Easily

2011-03-25T15:46:00.001-07:00

I am feeling pretty yucky today, still in bed. I
love watching cooking shows always, but watching
comfort food being made just does something good
for the soul!

I was watching Giada at Home on the Food Network.
She shared a tip about grating cheese. If you are
like me, you had never heard of this until today.
Super great tip! Just put your cheese in the freezer
for about 10-15 minutes before grating. It will
firm your cheese up to ensure easy grating.

I hope this helps..happy grating!

My Favorite Apron Creation!

2011-01-06T15:49:00.000-08:00

Are you ready to get your COW on??? by brandybock
Many more cooking aprons online at zazzle

The First Apron Design..by Brandy

2011-01-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

I MAKE MESSES &MAGIC by brandybock
Browse Funny Aprons

Pumpkin Pancakes

2010-12-04T19:38:00.000-08:00

My mother in law makes pumpkin pancakes for the holidays almost every year. They are really good and the kids all love them. She uses pancake mix, making the pancakes the way the box says. Then she adds a little all spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. She also adds in about a half of a can of pumpkin for about 8-10 pancakes. She says you get to know the color they should be after making them as long as she has. So I decided to go on a hunt for a completely homemade recipe. After searching many recipes, this is my favorite. I got this recipe from the Martha Stewart website. Super easy and super tasty, enjoy!

Whisk 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt; 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg; and a pinch of ground cloves. In a separate bowl, stir together 1 cup milk, 6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 egg; fold mixture into dry ingredients. Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat; pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side; serve with butter and syrup. Makes 8 to 10.

Chicken Marsala Recipe

2010-10-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends, Leah, turned 40 and we threw a dinner party for her with an Italian theme. There were some great dishes there, thank you to all that contributed wonderful food! One of my all time favorite Italian dishes is Chicken Marsala. So I jumped on the computer to see if I could find a recipe that stood out above the others. This is the first Emeril Lagasse recipe that I have tried, and I am so happy I chose this one. It was honestly the best Chicken Marsala I have ever had. The creole seasoning gives the chicken a little bite, which is extremely tasty! I had a bit of a hard time finding the Marsala wine, thank you to The Beverage House! This wonderful lady there pulled down from the shelf a wonderful bottle that she recommended. She was right on the money, it was fabulous as well as extremely affordable. I actually doubled the recipe but didn't need to double the creole seasoning recipe, there was plenty. I also left out the oyster and shiitake mushrooms and substituted baby portabella mushrooms with the cremini's. Serving thin spaghetti noodles with it is highly recommended as well. It turned out fabulous. Everyone at the party loved it, and so will you! This is the recipe you want when you are cooking to impress. Enjoy!

Ingredients

· 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

· 1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows

· 2 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and pounded thin

· 1 tablespoon olive oil

· 4 tablespoons butter

· 3 cups sliced mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake)

· 3/4 cup Marsala

· 1 cup chicken stock

· Salt and freshly ground black pepper

· Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions

In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour and Essence and stir to combine thoroughly. Quickly dredge the chicken breast halves in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, add salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

· 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

· 2 tablespoons salt

· 2 tablespoons garlic powder

· 1 tablespoon black pepper

· 1 tablespoon onion powder

· 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

· 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano

· 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

"Emeril's New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.Chicken Marsala Recipe : Emeril Lagasse : Food Network

Marmite...a Little Jar With BIG Flavor!

2010-08-07T12:38:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of Marmite? Don't worry, I had never heard of it either. Well, let me introduce you to an unforgettable flavor. The tagline for Marmite truly is "you either like it or hate it." It has a very distinct taste that can be very overbearing if used incorrectly. One of my dearest friends, Maria, introduced me to one of her favorite little English secrets. Apparently, it is quite popular over in England. In America, it's a little harder to find. It is not sold in your "average" grocery store, but don't give up hope because I have found it for you. I recommend trying it on warm toast after you have slathered the toast in butter. But don't use too much...use it very sparingly. I know that yeast extract doesn't sound very appealing, but trust me..I love it! It almost tastes like it has beef bouillon in it. A little salty, and packed full of flavor. I am not a vegetarian, so the fact that it reminds me of beef makes me happy! But, it is 100% vegetarian and contains B vitamins. It is also a great source of folic acid. When Maria introduced me to it she gave me the toast version. It was delicious and I didn't want to stop with just one piece! But the great thing about Marmite is that there are many ways to enjoy it. Maria just came back from a trip to England and she brought me back a little gift. It was The Little Book of Marmite Tips. Thank you Maria! This informative little book gave me some great cooking tips to get started, as well as some quick little recipes that I never would've known about. Marmite can be used to make broth, gravy (Maria's gravy is most delicious), add flavor to roasted veggies, perk up your dressings...the possibilities are endless! Again, let me stress that not everyone likes Marmite. If you look in the wrong places, you will find an awful lot of bad mouthing about it. But because there are so many uses for it, I think everyone should try it. Just because you don't like it on toast (I can't even imagine) you may like it in another recipe. Don't give up on the Marmite! Paul Hartley, the author of The Little Book of Marmite Tips, throws in the tip to warm your spoon or knife before dipping it in the jar. It's pretty gooey, so this is a great tip! I think I could do a whole cooking show about it....hmmmm...

Thank you to Maria for bringing Marmite into my life, and thank you to Mark for bringing Maria into my life! Get your Marmite NOW!

The Best Idiot's Guide Ever...

2010-07-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

This is the best idiot's guide I have seen. I have always been a fan to the concept, but this is one guide that everyone must have. Even if it's for the occasional dinner party, it's always great to know how to pick the perfect wine, even if you are an idiot. :-) Go find out for yourself that it is completely affordable and well worth the price.

Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Smashed Potatoes

2010-07-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from a show that I watched earlier today called Sandra's Money Saving Meals. Sandra Lee truly has some great recipes. This is easy and looks delicious! I knew after the meal was complete that I had to share this with you. You can do this, and it is a nice alternative to spending more money at a restaurant. Everyone can stand to save a little money, right? I was a little skeptical about the chicken thighs as opposed to chicken breasts, but the finished product looked good enough to eat!

Ingredients

Stuffed Chicken Thighs:

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled and diced
1 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted and diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons canola oil
Smashed Potatoes
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 whole sprig rosemary
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the onion and diced apple. Add brown sugar and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until onion begins to soften, stirring frequently. Add chopped fresh rosemary and parsley and mix to combine. Remove from heat. Stir in diced bread and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Lay the chicken thighs out flat on a work surface. Cover with plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/4-inch thick. Spoon some of the apple filling into each thigh, making sure not to overstuff so you don't lose the filling while cooking. Roll up each thigh and secure with toothpicks.

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large skillet over high heat. Generously salt and pepper each side of the thighs. Place thighs in the skillet and cook for 5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from the pan to a serving platter and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Smashed Potatoes:

Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. In the meantime, add milk, butter, garlic, and rosemary sprig to a small saucepan and warm over low heat. Drain potatoes and return to the pot. Use a potato masher or large fork to mash the potatoes. Remove rosemary sprig from milk mixture and discard. Add the hot milk to the mashed potatoes. Mix to combine and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with the chicken.

Thank you Sandra Lee and the Food Network for this great recipe! I hope you enjoy it, I will be enjoying it tonight.

Picking the Perfect Watermelon

2010-07-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

I have never really known what the secret is to picking a good fruit like watermelon. There is a trick to it, but what is it? It seems that different folks have different ideas about how to do this the correct way. I always thought that you just thump the watermelon to see if it's ripe. My mother in-law told me yesterday that you look for the crusty areas on the outside of the watermelon. She said that these are the areas where the juice has escaped and insects feed on the juices. I came home and did a little research. I found an article on About.com that states the exact opposite. Apparently you are to look for a watermelon that doesn't have bruising or dents. Out with that theory! According to this article, you should thump the watermelon because you CAN tell if it is ripe this way. If it sounds hollow when you thump it, you're getting close to the perfect watermelon. You also want to look for yellowing on the skin, this is another sign that it's ripe. If the stripes of the melon go all the way around, it is not ready yet. Put it back and find one that has the yellow spot. But that's not all, there is one more tip to picking the sweetest, juiciest watermelon. If it feels very light in weight, what is it missing? Well, water of course! So let's review...

Picking the perfect watermelon

No bruising, dents, or scars
Yellowing on the skin, missing stripes
Hollow when you thump it
Heavy, we don't want a dry watermelon!!

There you go, you are now armed with the knowledge to pick the perfect watermelon. It's summer, it's hot, so get to the store and pick a great melon for your smoothies! Enjoy!

Easy Pasta Salad

2010-05-11T22:27:00.000-07:00

This pasta salad is one that I have been making for a long time. It's super easy and always a hit for a get-together, picnics, or the pot luck. Just make sure you give yourself enough time to let it cool completely before serving. This is a cold pasta salad, so don't rush it. I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to post anything...work and menopause are killing me!! By the way...great book over here and extremely helpful for all you poor souls dealing with it. I know it's not a cook book, however I couldn't pass up the opportunity to offer you a solution. Without ovaries or hormones I am surprised I still like to cook! I hope you enjoy the pasta salad...I know you will. Double the recipe if you are sharing with others.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. tri-color Rotini pasta
1 small can of black olives, sliced (make it easy when you can)
1 5oz. pkg. grated Parmesan cheese
1 pkg. of sliced Pepperoni, cut in half
1 bottle of Wishbone Italian salad dressing (use at least half of the bottle)
2-3 tomatoes, diced (I like the ones sold on the vine)
Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain the pasta and I always put a little Italian dressing into the pasta and mix it up before I cover and place in the refrigerator to chill. I grab another bowl and chop up all my ingredients. Add in grated cheese and olives as well. Mix it all up with a little more dressing. When pasta has chilled completely your ready to mix it all together. Stir in more dressing as you mix. You can make it as wet or dry as you like, it's all up to you. I have also experimented with a little red onion as well. I liked it, but my husband and daughter didn't. This is a great recipe because you can play around with it and add in whatever you like. I personally like it just like this..easy and tasty. Enjoy your Easy Pasta Salad!

Kathy puts WHAT in her chili?

2010-02-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

When I was laying on the couch waiting to go back to work, my friend Kathy brought over her chili. I have to tell you, it was some of the best chili I have ever had. It made my mouth water with every bite. I couldn't figure out what the ingredient was that made it taste so much better than MY chili. So I called Kathy and got her permission to share her recipe with you. It is so simple, but I really think you will like it. You may already know about this ingredient, if so, why didn't you tell me?? Here it goes....thank you Kathy!!

(3) cans Ranch Beans

(1) 15 oz. can Petite diced tomatoes with green chilies

(1) can Rotel

1 lb. Ground beef

Spicy V8 Juice (There it is...the secret ingredient. Love it!)

Brown the ground beef in a large pot. Once the beef is browned, add the Ranch Beans, diced tomatoes and the Rotel – stir. Add the spicy V8 to your preference of thickness, stir. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Eat and enjoy!

Quick, easy, and delicious!

Frosting Recipes - Recipes for Frosting, Icing, Glaze

2010-02-20T19:32:00.001-08:00

Frosting Recipes - Recipes for Frosting, Icing, Glaze & Fillings at Cooks Recipes | Page 1

Posted using ShareThis

Your Guide To Organic Cooking

2010-01-25T16:37:00.000-08:00

This could be the "healthy" alternative you have been looking for. Use grocery store food, simple cooking methods & easy to follow directions to create amazing organic dishes that will have everyone asking for more! Healthy organic meals, dishes, recipes, cooking instructions and tips. Your Organic Cookbook - Online! You can get it here, just click the link above.

Blackberry-Ginger Glazed Salmon

2010-01-25T10:41:00.000-08:00

Hello again! I hope everyone had a great weekend, I was preparing myself for another surgery tomorrow. I think I'm ready..as ready as you can be, I suppose.
Enough about that, let's talk salmon. I was watching one of my favorite cooking shows, "Cooking for Real with Sunny Anderson." That girl has got it goin' on! Her recipes remind me a lot of growing up with my grandmother. I was raised on the southern food. Normally these recipes can be a little on the non-healthy side. However, this recipe should be great for everyone.
My husband and I invited our good friends, Mark and Maria, over for dinner on Thursday. My husband decided to make this recipe for them and they absolutely loved it! We had made it once before, but he forgot to ask the butcher to remove the salmon skin. So it was slightly disastrous, but we made it work. If for any reason your butcher is not available to cut off the skin, I will be putting a link below to show you how to easily do it yourself. We also found that the glaze was pretty thin. I don't believe that my husband let it reduce long enough, so make sure that you let it reduce by half as the recipe calls for. He wouldn't fess up to that error, but I am pretty sure that's what happened. :-) (I still love you, my darling) I would actually wait to preheat the oven until the glaze is almost cool. No need to waste good gas or electricity. So, here we go!

Ingredients
1 cup water
12 oz. blackberries
1 inch piece of ginger root, peeled and sliced into coins
The juice of 1/2 of a lemon
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. olive oil
4- (8 oz.) SKINLESS salmon fillets
Salt and Pepper to sprinkle on both sides of fillets
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine water, blackberries, ginger, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until berries break down, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and strain into a bowl, using the back of a spoon to push blackberry pulp through. Return blackberry mixture to the sauce pot, add sugar and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until REDUCED BY HALF (there it is folks, very important). This process takes approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. Remove from heat (after it is reduced by half) and cool completely.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Brush a baking sheet with olive oil and set fillets on top. Brush fillets with oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Once blackberry mixture is cool, brush over salmon fillets and bake for 4 minutes. Brush again with blackberry mixture. Turn oven to broil and broil another 3 minutes.
There it is, a great salmon recipe! I will tell you, if you don't get the glaze thick enough, you end up with dyed salmon with not a lot of flavor. So, do the right thing...follow the recipe! :-)
Thank you Sunny Anderson! And thank you Food Network for bringing us Sunny! Enjoy everyone. Get your Food Network Kitchens cookbook here...
Thank you to my wonderful husband for doing all the cooking, and for being such a great sport!

Favorite Restaurant Recipes

2010-01-20T15:25:00.000-08:00

So I came across this and couldn't believe how many recipes there are that I want. There are recipes for Taco Bell hot sauce to Pizza Hut's deep dish crust. So the next time you want to spend the money to go out and pay someone else to make it...just pull out your handy dandy recipe book. The link will stay on my page, but I just wanted to point it out in case you missed it. So here's the link, come back and tell me how your favorite restaurant recipe turned out after you make it. I will be back later today to bring you a great recipe and story about Blackberry-Ginger Glazed Salmon. Enjoy! Once again, here's the link..

Recipes for your body

2010-01-13T18:51:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you have seen the television show "The Doctors", but I find it incredibly informative. They have useful medical advice, but they also occasionally come up with a few fun surprises! I wanted to pass these great recipes for your body, along to you.

Need to exfoliate? Mix your favorite mild facial wash or cleanser with a little baking soda.
Got bags under the eyes? Brew a cup of chamomile tea, add ice (to cool down the tea bag), squeeze excess tea out of bag, and place on your closed eyes. (I love this one!)
Nails looking dingy? Just cut up a lemon and get to work! Rub the lemon on your nails to brighten them up.
Need to nourish your hair? Mix 2 eggs, 1 cup of mayo, 1 soft avocado, and 2 tbsp. olive oil. You may need to double the recipe for thick or long hair. I know this sounds disgusting, but it works! Just massage it into your hair and leave it on for 5-20 minutes..basically as long as you can stand it. Rinse out and wash hair as normal. It will leave your hair silky soft!
Who doesn't want a soothing bath? Just add 1 cup milk, 1 cup honey, and 1 cup Epsom Salt.
Do you suffer from dry hands? Coat your hands with a moisturizing lotion, put your dish gloves on, and start doing your dishes. You have to do the dishes anyway, so moisturize at the same time. The hot water will actually assist in the process.

I hope you enjoy these body recipes and tips. Let me know if you have a few you would like to add. Check out this great book for others.

My Amazon Store is Opening Today!!

2010-01-07T09:10:00.000-08:00

I have just opened the doors to my Amazon store. Please check it out! I will be updated and improving as I go, so please remember to save the store as one of your favorites. You will want to check back frequently, as the products will be updated frequently. If you don't see what you're looking for, just send me an e-mail or leave a comment here on the blog. Give me a day or so (depending on the number of responses) to locate the item you are looking for. If I can't get it, I will let you know. If I post an item for you, I will let you know here on the blog. In case you don't see the link to the store, it is here. By the way...who didn't love the Jefferson's?

Lemon Roasted Potatoes

2010-01-06T17:46:00.000-08:00

Okay ladies, here's a recipe even your husband can make! Well, with a little trial and error by mine.. So goes the story of the "Lemon Roasted Potatoes". My husband came home with all the ingredients to make the recipe he got from Miss. Ma'am. He decided to go with the red potatoes instead of the Yukon Gold. He prefers red, always over any other. He also had several lemons and told me that he was making this new recipe for potatoes and that he had it covered. He was told to just add lemon juice, zest, and peel to the normal recipe for roasted potatoes that he makes. This means besides the EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and whatever spices you find suit your taste..that's it. That's all there is to it, no room for error...right? Well, I have to say that the house smelled as if he was in the kitchen cleaning with some lemon cleaner. This lemon scent soon devoured the house, you could not escape it no matter where you went. I started getting a little concerned..."Sweetie, did Miss. Ma'am tell you how many lemons to use?" I asked. "I've got this..no worries!" His response. An hour later or so, the dinner was ready to be served. It looked fabulous! He decided to make chicken breasts with it as well as corn on the cob. I dove in for a bite..you know how when you eat something tart, your mouth revolts? Well, let's just say my whole face revolted. My taste buds were begging me not to take another bite. I asked him how many lemons he used....3 was his answer. So what we know now is....3 lemons are way too many for a pound of potatoes. He seasoned the potatoes with italian seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme. I could tell that without quite so much lemon, it would be very tasty. A great tip for roasting potatoes is to stir them at least once during roasting. This helps to really seal in the flavor with all the spices and flavors you have added. An additional tip is to marinate the potatoes with all ingredients for at least a 1/2 hour. So, the moral of this recipe story is.....
1 lb. red potatoes, quartered (or whatever you like)
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 lemons (I think we've concluded this is sufficient)
the zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp. EVOO (you want to thinly coat potatoes)
1/2 tsp. each of whatever spices you like! (We like, as I said before; italian seasoning, rosemary, and thyme)
Roast in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or so. If you like them a little mushier, roast them a little longer.
Enjoy! Come back and tell me what you thought of this recipe. Doesn't everyone forget to buy a zester when they are at the store? I know I did!