Category: MISC

Serious Food for Thought

The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you’re not good enough. On occasion, some may be correct. But do not do their work for them. Seek any job; ask anyone out; pursue and goal. Don’t take it personally when they say “no” ~ they may not be smart enough to say “yes”.
~ Keith Olberman, an American journalist and former sportscaster

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SALMON FILLETS with TANGY MUSTARD SAUCE

Sorry no pictures – just posting the recipe for a new friend!
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
4 tablespoons FRESH minced tarragon
Four 6-ounce salmon fillets with skin
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons creamy prepared horseradish
  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with 2 tablespoons of the tarragon and rub it over the salmon. Let stand for 5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.
  • Spray baking dish lightly with PURE.
  • Bake salmon fillets for 15-20 minutes or until just barely done (varies with thickness).
  • Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the whipping cream, mustard, horseradish, the remaining olive oil and tarragon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Spoon over the salmon and return to oven for 5 minutes.

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How to replace Campbell’s condensed soups from scratch

I am not supposed to eat processed and preserved foods on a normal basis so have been working on replacing creamed condensed soup with “scratch” ingredients.  The following  recipes make perfect substitutes for 1 can of soup.
BASIC
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk 
  • Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
  • Whisk in flour and salt and cook until bubbly. 
  • Remove from heat and gradually whisk in liquid. 
  • Return to heat and cook, stirring, until smooth and thickened to desired consistency.
CREAM OF CHICKEN
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup chicken stock

  • Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
  • Whisk in flour, poultry seasoning and salt.
  • Cook until bubbly. 
  • Remove from heat and gradually whisk in liquid. 
  • Return to heat and cook, stirring, until smooth and thickened to desired consistency.
CREAM OF CELERY
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup chopped celery  
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 cup milk 
  • Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
  • Add. chopped celery and  finely chopped onion. Saute’ until tender.
  • Whisk in flour and salt and cook until bubbly. 
  • Remove from heat and gradually whisk in liquid. 
  • Return to heat and cook, stirring, until smooth and thickened to desired consistency.
CREAM OF MUSHROOM
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 cup milk 
  • Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
  • Add. chopped mushrooms and  finely chopped onion. Saute’ until tender.
  • Whisk in flour and salt and cook until bubbly. 
  • Remove from heat and gradually whisk in liquid. 
  • Return to heat and cook, stirring, until smooth and thickened to desired consistency.
CREAM OF TOMATO
2 tablespoons butter 
3 tablespoons flour 
1 cup pureed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups milk 
dash each of garlic salt, onion salt, basil, and oregano.
  • Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
  • Whisk in flour and seasonings and cook until bubbly. 
  • Add tomato puree’ and blend well.
  • Remove from heat and gradually whisk in liquid. 
  • Return to heat and cook, stirring, until smooth and thickened to desired consistency.

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NUTTY MUSHROOM CASHEW CHICKEN

NUTTY MUSHROOM CASHEW CHICKEN
4 chicken breast halves, cut into bite sized pieces
1 small bunch green onions, sliced
1 ounce dehydrated Maitake mushrooms, re-hydrated and then chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons oil
2 cup hot chicken broth
2 teaspoon lemon juice
½ cup cashews
cooked rice
  • Heat canola oil over medium high heat until JUST sizzling.
  • Saute’ green onions and mushrooms until tender. Using a slotted spoon remove onions and Maitake mushrooms to drain on paper towels.
  • Stir fry chicken in hot oil in frying pan or wok until chicken is lightly brown and tender, about 8 minutes. 
  • Remove chicken from oil and drain excess oil from the pan. 
  • Whisk together the brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and  the  Worcestershire sauce. 
  • Blend well, then add chicken stock to the pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened. 
  • Add lemon juice; add chicken pieces, onions and mushrooms and reheat. Do not boil. 
  • Taste to correct seasonings. 
  • Add cashews. 
  • Serve over hot rice.
He all but licked his plate!

Don’t forget to enter the new giveaway!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole ~ the SCRATCH version

This is another recipe that was full of boxed, canned or preserved ingredients that I changed to “scratch” ingredients.  It was another great success and will be a wonderful cold weather dish this winter.
CHICKEN CORDON BLEU CASSEROLE
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
2 cups cooked chicken pieces (2 large breasts)**
1 cup ham steak, diced
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
4 cups cooked egg noodles
1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese
2 slices swiss cheese
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
  • Lightly spray 9×9 baking dish.
  • Melt the butter in saucepan.
  • Whisk in the flour, poultry seasoning and salt and cook until bubbly. 
  • Remove from heat and gradually whisk in liquid. 
  • Return to heat and cook, stirring, until smooth and thickened.
  • Set aside to cool.
  • Cook noodles, drain and set aside to cool.
  • Spray a skillet with PURE.
  • Over medium high heat saute chicken pieces and onions until chicken is cooked through.
  • Add ham pieces and heat through.
  • To the cooled soup mixture add the mayonnaise, parsley flakes and blend well.
  • Stir in the chicken, ham and onion mixture until well mixed.
  • Fold in egg noodles gently.
  • Arrange in baking dish.
  • Bake 20 minutes.
  • Top with cheese (see picture above).
  • Bake 10 more minutes.
  • Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

**This is a great recipe to use with rotisserie chicken!

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Veggie Tales by Kris! Pasta Time!

I love pasta. I think that it’s safe to say that I have an obsession with it. I love coming up with new ways to incorporate vegetables into my pasta dishes, and here is my latest creation! Have a great weekend and enjoy!
Angel Hair with Shaved Carrot and Zucchini Ribbons
{serves 4-5 hungry Italians!}
What you need:
1 box/lb of Angel hair pasta
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup pasta water
1/4 cup, 2 tablespoons olive oil
5-6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
sea salt and pepper to taste
2 large carrots, peeled and shaved in ribbons
1 summer squash, shaved into ribbons
2 pinches dried oregano
3/4 cup white wine
1 lemon juiced, zest
1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley
1/2 cup freshly chopped basil
1/2 cup, plus extra garnish Parmesan cheese

What you’ll do:
  • Boil water for pasta. Salt it and add bay leaf. Add pasta and cook until al dente. About 7-8 minutes. Angel hair is quicker than other pastas.
  • Meanwhile, in a LARGE saucepan heat 2 tablespoon oil. Add pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute.
  • Add carrot and zucchini ribbon shavings. Salt and pepper the veggies.
  • Add the oregano. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
  • Add in garlic and white wine. Bring to simmer for about 10 minutes. Let the alcohol cook down.
  • Add lemon juice and zest. Cook for another 3-5 minutes. When pasta is done, save 1/2 cup of the water.
  • Drain pasta and discard bay leaf. Transfer pasta to a large bowl.
  • Add 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup parmesan, salt and pepper and stir up so that pasta is flavored and coated.
  • Dump the veggie mixture over the pasta.
  • Add in fresh herbs and toss.
  • Transfer helping to serving dishes and garnish with any extra herbs and cheese. DELISH!

TEX-MEX GREEN BEANS

This recipe originally called for ALL processed ingredients ~ from canned green beans to sweet and low, Hormel bacon bits and Campbell’s soup. I brought it into the “from scratch” world and it was a huge success around here!
TEX MEX GREEN BEANS
4 cups fresh green beans, chopped
1 Vidalia onion, sliced thin & chopped, divided
1/4 pound bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili seasoning
2 + 2 tablespoons butter 
3 tablespoons flour 
1 cup pureed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups milk
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a saucepan, over medium heat, sauté chopped onions in 2 tablespoons butter until translucent. 
  • Remove from the heat. 
  • Whisk in the flour so that no lumps remain.
  • Slowly whisk in the tomato puree. 
  • Return to the heat and add salt to taste. 
  • Cook until just boiling.
  • Let cool 10 minutes then slowly stir in milk.
  • Set aside.
  • In a large skillet brown bacon pieces until crisp.
  • Remove to paper towel to drain.
  • Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and saute’ green beans, onion rings and garlic until tender crisp.
  • Add brown sugar, chili seasoning, tomato soup and bacon bits.
  • Combine until well blended.
  • Bake 10-15 minutes.
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Mexican ‘Fondue’ with Chorizo & Tomatillo Salsa

When you are grilling for guests, people are always hungry before the food is ready so I’m always on the prowl for good appetizers to keep the wolves at bay while I’m finishing on the grill.
I had some Mexican chorizo sausage that I needed to use tonight and wanted to try something I had not made before. I decided to try this dish that I saw on Serious Eats a while back.

Mexican ‘Fondue’ with Chorizo & Tomatillo Salsa
adapted from Serious Eats
4 ea flour or corn tortillas
1 1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup queso Cotija, aneejo, or manchego, grated
1/2 lb Mexican chorizo
tomatillo salsa
1 avocado, sliced
Cut each tortilla into 6ths with a pizza cutter. Spray or brush lightly with olive oil and bake 7 minutes in a 400f oven until crisp.

Crumble and brown the chorizo in a hot skillet. Drain.
Reduce oven heat to 375f. In a small oven proof dish, spread half the cheese and bake until the cheese begins melting, about 5 minutes.
For the manchego, I used Cumberland cheese from local Locust Grove Farm. It is their manchego cheese base with green peppercorns, sweet red chili’s, onion, garlic, and ginger. Yeah, how awesome is that?

Top with the cooked and drained chorizo. Top that with the rest of the cheese mix. Bake for another 5-7 minutes until the top layer of cheese is melted.
Finish for a minute under a broiler but we forgot that part.
Serve with the tomatillo salsa, chips, and avocado.

While the flavor was very good, I would have liked for the texture to be a little more “saucy”. Next time I’d probably take half of the cheese and melt it into a white sauce to make a cheese sauce to pour over the chorizo and cheese.

Ahhhhhhh Summer Salads really hit the spot

We don’t buy bottled dressing around here as you can see from the list below.   I cannot stress how much better dressings made fresh taste. Any one of these dressings is great with this combination of flavors. 

6 cups torn romaine lettuce
2 vine ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin (I like the larger Mexican ones)
1 chicken breast per person, grilled, & sliced
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup grapes, quartered
salt & pepper to taste

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TASTE & CREATE ~ NO REASON NEEDED ~ EGG SALAD & DEVILED EGGS

The whole purpose of Taste and Create was, and has been, and continues to be to create a community of bloggers who test each others’ recipes and share links. The participants of the event are paired together and try a new recipe from one another’s blog.
My partner this month is Carol from NO REASON NEEDED. I spent another rainy afternoon (so much rain this year) perusing her recipes again and was still intrigued by her unusual recipe titles like elephant ear cookies, zippy slow cooker chili, pizza stuffed pretzels and super easy strawberry and lime ice cream but opted for a comfort favorite of our family Simply Deviled egg salad.  I wish I could tell you that we had some left for tonight, but alas they were so good that there are none left. 

I marbled the eggs for effect since it was a fun family meal. 


one time use Seasoning Mix     to make it in bulk

2 teaspoon dried chives            2/3 cup (150 ml) 
1/4 teaspoon onion powder       1 Tbsp. (15 ml) 
1/4 teaspoon celery salt           1 Tbsp. (15 ml) 
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard         1 Tbsp. (15 ml) 
pinch paprika                          1 tsp. (5 ml)
pinch black pepper                   1 tsp. (5 ml) 
pinch cayenne                         ½ tsp. (2 ml) 
Simply Delicious Egg Salad 
5 hard-cooked large eggs, peeled
Seasoning Mix (recipe above)
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
  • Chop eggs in medium bowl using pastry blender or fork. 
  • Stir in single seasoning mix or 2.5 tsp./12 ml bulk seasoning mix and mayonnaise. 
  • Stir in add-ins, if desired such as minced fresh herbs, finely chopped onion, celery, pickles or sun-dried tomatoes, or bacon bits. 
  • Serve on lettuce leaf, or use as a sandwich filling or cracker spread.
Makes 1.5 cups

Devilishly Good Devilled Eggs 
10 hard-cooked large eggs, peeled
Seasoning Mix (recipe above)
1/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
  • Cut eggs in half lengthwise. 
  • Scoop out yolks into medium bowl; mash with fork. 
  • Stir in single seasoning mix or 2.5 tsp./12 ml bulk seasoning mix and mayonnaise. 
  • Spoon filling into egg white halves. 
  • Top with garnish, if desired such as fresh herbs, paprika, small cooked shrimp, bacon bits, sliced pickles or olives.
Makes 20 devilled eggs

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List of Decorations for Audie Murphy.

Medal of Honor
Distinguished Service Cross
Silver Star (with oak leaf cluster)
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star (with oak leaf cluster and Valor device)
Purple Heart (with two oak leaf clusters)
UArmy Outstanding Civilian Service Medal Ribbon.jpg
U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal
U.S. Army Good Conduct Medal
Presidential Unit Citation (with First Oak Leaf Cluster)
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (with One Silver Star, Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead (representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France)),
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal (with Germany Clasp)
Armed Forces Reserve Medal
French Fourragère in Colors of the Croix de guerre
French Legion of Honor – Grade of Chevalier
French Croix de guerre (with Silver Star),
French Croix de guerre (with Palm)
Medal of Liberated France
Belgian Croix de guerre (with 1940 Palm)

Additionally, Murphy was awarded:

  • |Combat Infantry Badge.svg  the Combat Infantry Badge,
  • Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar,
  • Expert Badge with Bayonet Bar

 

  

Isn’t it sad the media can tell us all about the crap that goes on, but ignores the GOOD people. If a movie star or politician stubs their toe we have to hear about it for days!!!

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Subject:  A Great Lady Has Passed

Pamela Murphy, widow of WWII hero and actor, Audie Murphy, died peacefully at her home on April 8, 2010. She was the widow of the most decorated WWII hero and actor, Audie Murphy, and established her own distinctive 35 year career working as a patient liaison at the Sepulveda Veterans Administration hospital, treating every veteran who visited the facility as if they were a VIP.

Any soldier or Marine who came into the hospital got the same special treatment from her. She would walk the hallways with her clipboard in hand making sure her boys got to see the specialist they needed.

If they didn’t, watch out. Her boys weren’t Medal of Honor recipients or movie stars like Audie, but that didn’t matter to Pam. They had served their country. That was good enough for her.  She never called a veteran by his first name. It was always “Mister.” Respect came with the job.

“Nobody could cut through VA red tape faster than Mrs. Murphy,” said veteran Stephen Sherman, speaking for thousands of veterans she befriended over the years. “Many times I watched her march a veteran who had been waiting more than an hour right into the doctor’s office.  She was even reprimanded a few times, but it didn’t matter to Mrs. Murphy. “Only her boys mattered. She was our angel.” 

     Audie Murphy died broke in a plane crash in 1971, squandering millions of dollars on gambling, bad investments, and yes, other women.  “Even with the adultery and desertion at the end, he always remained my hero,” Pam told me.  

She went from a comfortable ranch-style home in Van Nuys where she raised two sons to a small apartment – taking a clerk’s job at the nearby VA to support herself and start paying off her faded movie star husband’s debts.  At first, no one knew who she was. Soon, though, word spread through the VA that the nice woman with the clipboard was Audie Murphy’s widow. It was like saying General Patton had just walked in the front door. Men with tears in their eyes walked up to her and gave her a hug.

“Thank you,” they said, over and over.

The first couple of years, I think the hugs were more for Audie’s memory as a war hero. The last 30 years, they were for Pam. 

 One year I asked her to be the focus of a Veteran’s Day column for all the work she had done. Pam just shook her head no.

“Honor them, not me,” she said, pointing to a group of veterans down the hallway. “They’re the ones who deserve it.”

The vets disagreed. Mrs. Murphy deserved the accolades, they said.  Incredibly, in 2002, Pam’s job was going to be eliminated in budget cuts. She was considered “excess staff.”  “I don’t think helping cut down on veterans’ complaints and showing them the respect they deserve, should be considered excess staff,” she told me.  Neither did the veterans. They went ballistic, holding a rally for her outside the VA gates.  Pretty soon, word came down from the top of the VA. Pam Murphy was no longer considered “excess staff.” 

 She remained working full time at the VA until 2007 when she was 87.  

“The last time she was here was a couple of years ago for the conference we had for homeless veterans,” said Becky James, coordinator of the VA’s Veterans History Project.   Pam wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help some more of her boys.  Pam Murphy was 90 when she died last week. What a lady.

 Dennis McCarthy, Los Angeles Times on April 15, 2010 ~

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