Category: MISC

LAST CHANCE ends TONIGHT at 11:30 PM Pacific Daylight Time

CSN stores is helping us celebrate our birthday by giving YOU the present!

We were recently made aware of a wonderful online shopping experience  and it’s available right from your desk top. Whether you are looking for a sofa, TV stands, dining room furniture or cookware they have it all.

Seriously, you really need to go check out these sites
www.racksandstands.com
www.allmodern.com
www.diningroomsdirect.com
www.cookware.com
www.moremailboxes.com

Maybe you need a new spice rack like this one? How can you get it for free? By joining in on this giveaway of course!

The winner receives a $60 gift certificate to use
as they wish on any of the CSN.stores websites.

Kamenstein 16 Jar Acadia Wood Spice Rack

THE RULES
  • Answer one question – What is your favorite kitchen appliance color?
  • You can earn an extra entry by blogging about this contest. Come back and leave a 2nd entry with the link.
  • You can earn another entry by becoming a follower of OUR KRAZY KITCHEN. Come back and leave a comment.
  • You can earn another entry by signing up to be a guest host.  Your guest host piece would need to be completed and in place before the deadline.  We would then schedule it into our time slots available over the next 2 months.
  • No entries after 11:30 pm Pacific Time Sunday, 6/27.
  • Winner will be selected at random and announced Wednesday, June 30th.
  • Good luck!

Veggie Tales: My Summer Medley

This is simple down to the core, or should I say corn? But the flavors are fantastic, and the vegetables are perfection. The next time you are craving chips and dip, make a veggie salsa salad like this one instead! It could almost be considered vegetable ceviche! Ole!

What you’ll need:
1 cucumber (skinned and diced)
1 can black beans (rinsed)
2-3 cups chopped heirloom tomatoes (mine were green)
1 red onion (diced)
1 can corn (rinsed)
1/4 cup Cilantro
2 limes (zest and juice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

What you’ll do:
Just throw all of the ingredients into a bowl and toss.
Then eat it of course!

Honey Grilled Pork Chops

In almost any neighborhood on any given night during the summer, you can smell the aroma of one of your neighbors grilling out. That and soft green grass are two of my favorite things of summer.
One of my favorite things to grill on hot summer nights are honey grilled pork chops. They are a great change up from the usual burgers, dogs, and beef. Plus these are simple and quick to make.
Honey Grilled Pork Chops
2 ea boneless pork chops, at least 1″ thick
2-4 Tbsp pork chop rub (see recipe)
2 Tbsp creamed honey
When selecting pork chops, look for ones that deeper red in color as opposed to pale. Sure it’s “the other white meat” but you want chops with the most color. That’s a tip Chris Lilly gave at a recent cooking class and he knows his pork.
For the “creamed honey”, this is a specially crystallized honey. It’s not a mix of honey and cream. If you can’t find it locally, you can just use a good local honey.

Season all sides of the chops with the Pork Chop Rub. I made this rub specifically for pork chops following the section in Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book on creating your own dry rub. It will make about a cup and will keep for 6 months in an airtight container.
NMT Pork Chop Rub
1/4 c white sugar
1/4 c turninado sugar
1/4 c smoked paprika
2 T garlic salt
2 T kosher salt
1 t black pepper, smoked
1 t cayenne pepper
1 t cumin
1/4 t allspice
1/2 t dried thyme
Get your grill cooking with direct heat at 350 to 375f. Grill the chops on the first side for 2 minutes. Flip and grill the second side for two minutes (now at 4 minutes total cooking time).
Flip back to the first side and grill for two more minutes (6 minutes total). At the very end of those two minutes, glaze some of the creamed honey on both chops. Flip, glaze again, and let finish cooking for 2 minutes (8 minutes total at this point).

At two minutes check the internal temp and it should be around 140-145f. If so, pull and let rest for 10 minutes. If not, switch to indirect heat (move to the side of grill and roast it) until it hits 140-145f.
These are crispy and a little sticky on the outside and juicy & tender on the inside!

Have a great weekend everyone and try to stay cool!

21 pieces of sage advice for a happy life ~ another email gem.

  1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
  2. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, t heir conversational skills will be as important as any other. 
  3. Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want. 
  4. When you say, ‘I love you,’ mean it. 
  5. When you say, ‘I’m sorry,’ look the person in the eye. 
  6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married. 
  7. Believe in love at first sight.
  8. Never laugh at anyone’s dreams. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much. 
  9. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely. 
  10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling. 
  11. Don’t judge people by their relatives. 
  12. Talk slowly but think quickly. 
  13. When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, ‘Why do you want to know?’ 
  14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk. 
  15. Say ‘bless you’ when you hear someone sneeze. 
  16. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson. 
  17. Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.
  18. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship. 
  19. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. 
  20. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice. 
  21. Spend some time alone.

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TGIF

To Play JOIN us HERE!

1. On vacation, I like to relax, unwind and unplug.
2. For my vacation I’d like to be on a cruise ship in the ocean.
3. One of my favorite vacation spots Alaska.
4. There really are nuts out there during full moon.
5. Up, up and away is a song that easily gets stuck in your head – damn elevators.
6. Bananas and chocolate go together perfectly.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to try a new recipe, tomorrow my plans include painting and Sunday, I want to go see a movie!

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WHITE ZINFANDEL COQ AU VIN

WHITE ZINFANDEL COQ AU VIN
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 pound bacon. choppped
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons butter
1 & 1/2 cups carrot slices
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
1 really large bunch green onions, sliced thin (I used Mexican green onions)
1 & 1/2 cups white zinfandel
2 tablespoons Better Than Chicken Base
2 cups boiling hot water
fresh parsley sprigs
fresh tarragon sprigs

  • Place flour in a large plastic bag, add chicken, seal and shake to coat chicken with flour.
  • In a large saute’ pan brown bacon until crumbly.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
  • In the bacon drippings stir fry the chicken pieces until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
  • Add butter.  Scrape bottom to loosen and browned bits.  These will add great flavor.  When butter is melted add carrots and cook 2-3 minutes.  Add celery and onions and saute until tender.
  • Whisk together wine, boiling water, chicken base and seasonings.  Pour over vegetables.
  • Add back in the chicken and bacon pieces. 
  • Cover and bring to a boil.
  • Lower heat and simmer 15-20 minutes until sauce is thick.
  • Serve over Parmesan Potatoes.

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Szechuan Beef FOR the faint of heart (and Jackie) and Szechuan Chicken for me!

I LOVE Szechuan anything.  Beef, chicken, fish… It is one of my “go to” items to order at the storefront Chinese takeout restaurants that seem to be on every other street corner.  My wife… Not so much.

By definition, Szechuan is …

a style of Chinese cuisine originating in Sichuan Province of southwestern China is famed for bold flavors, particularly the spiciness resulting from liberal use of chilies and “numb” or “tingling” flavor (Chinese: 麻) of the Sichuanhe  peppercorn (花椒)

WOW… just reading this definition is numbing my mouth!  And striking fear into my wife. Once again, the ugly divide between our taste buds rears its ugly head.  While in Kansas, ordering Chinese take-out is easy and inexpensive, and every one can order what they wish… Here in the paradise that is St Thomas (US Virgin Islands), there are no Chinese take-out joints (that I have found).  So, my dreams of numb tongue were to be put on hold… Until I saw this recipe from one of my favorite bloggers… ANGEL IN THE KITCHEN!
She advertises her recipe for Szechwan Beef as …

Szechwan dishes are typically on the spicier side, and although I’ve had my share that have made my eyes water and my nose run, this dish (which is from Better Homes and Gardens), is actually on the milder side. You can certainly increase the amount of crushed red pepper flakes, or even add some sriracha or other hot sauce, to amp up the heat.

OK… I can work with this.  First, DO NOT TELL JACKIE SHE IS EATING Szechwan Beef!  Just the words will scare her and prejudice her about liking the dish.  Next… I can pull her bit out, keep it warm, while I add and finagle it into something mouth numbing (yeah).
Here’s what Angel says to do..

Szechwan Beef
Serves 4

3 Tbsp. dry sherry
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced.
1 lb. steak, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 green bell peppers, cut in cubes
1 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
Cooked rice, for serving

1. Combine the sherry, soy sauce, water, hoisin sauce, cornstarch, ginger, sugar, red pepper flakes, pepper, and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Put oil in wok and heat over medium-high heat until hot.

3. Add carrots and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add peppers and stir-fry another 1-2 minutes. 4. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside.

5. Add beef and stir-fry 2-3 minutes, or until cooked.

6. Push beef away from center of wok, and add sauce. Reduce heat to medium, and cook and stir sauce until thick and bubbly.
7. Add veggies back to wok, and combine with beef and sauce.
8. Serve over rice.


Pretty much, just what I did…
Slice and dice… I did add Onions… Caused I like onions!
I used skirt steak… be sure to slice against the grain of the meat so that the bits are more tender.
I do not have a wok here, but my sauté pan worked fine.
As the Kitchen Angel advertised, it was WONDERFUL.  The little kick from the red pepper flakes was there.  but not overpowering.  I did happen to have a pepper grinder full of actual Sichuanhe peppercorns (god bless my “spice guy back in Kansas).  So, once I plated Jackie’s dish, I doctored mine up a bit.


We were both thrilled!

And next day for my lunch…

I made the same recipe with a bit of my beloved Rotisserie Chicken!

I doubled the red pepper flakes, and added some Sichuanhe peppercorns.  I served over some leftover garlic noodles!

NOW THIS WAS THE Szechuan that I know and love! so, thanks Angel.  Great recipe and a great menu item for me to add to my repertoire!


Take a minute and drop by ANGEL IN THE KITCHEN and thank her for me!

Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. It really is just this easy!  

 … I CAN COOK THAT! 

And so can you!


Cheese Latkes

            For more recipes, join me at Comfy Cook and My Sweet and Savory

Cheese Latkes – This comes from the Holiday Series on My Sweet and Savory.  I was looking at some of the pancake recipes, I had posted on my blogs and saw cheese latkes and felt hunger pangs.  I decided to share with you since, I was not going to cook.
I happen to love cheese latkes. For those of you, who do not use the word latkes, try pancakes. There is something heartwarming about pancakes. It brings back memories of when my children were little and pancakes were a Sunday morning breakfast, particularly “puzzle pancakes.” There will be a photo below. That was the part of making pancakes that was fun, creating shapes that looked like animals or familiar objects. Sometimes, we didn’t know until the pancake was on the plate, what it turned out to be, if anything. The ones, below had no significance to me but if you find something in them, do share.
Although I found this recipe on Goldmine.com, it comes from one of my favorite cookbooks and chances are that I have made these, several times, over the years. The book is a big purple hard covered book which is well worn and it is called, Spice and Spirit, The Complete Kosher Cookbook. There are good solid recipes in the book and has been a go-to book up until I began my journey to learn how to cook gluten free. Then, I expanded and picked up a few gluten-free books to later find, I did better with regular cookbooks, making my own adjustments.
As a result, I built a new library (small but good for me) and attempted to get books by many of the cooks we bake or cook “with” online. Today, I got the best one, so far, Baking, from my home to yours, by Dorie Greenspan. I thought I would sit down and put a sticky on a few pages that caught my eye. I found that every page had a great recipe and that the sticky solution is not a solution, with this book. I think now, I will look at the recipes, that Tuesdays with Dorie has used, and make some of them.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup cottage cheese, drained   (use Ricotta for a more refined taste)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used a gluten-free mix)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup oil for frying
Method:
Place all the ingredients except oil together in a large bowl. Mix until smooth.
Heat 1/4 cup oil in a skillet.
Using a large spoon, drop the batter into hot oil.
Fry 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned.
Continue until the batter is used up, adding oil when necessary.  The latkes may be served topped with sour cream, applesauce or maple syrup. (I went for the maple syrup. Hubby ate them plain.)
These make a good weekend breakfast, a lunch dish, even a snack.

Tequila Fajitas

Chris over at Nibble Me This is entering a contest that requires a video.  So he did a practice video for his last Fire Day Friday at OUR KraZy kitchen and he did an awesome job on it too.  I decided to make the recipe for his fast fajitas for father’s day and the guys loved it! Here is his video and recipe. I offer up my picture of our finished product too.

Fast Fajitas
3/4 lb Milanesa style sliced beef
1/2 to 1 green onion, seeded and sliced
1/2 to 1 onion, peeled and sliced

Marinade
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup beer or tequilla (I used the Tequila)
1 1/2 tsp season salt
1 1/2 tsp oregano, dried
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
Fajita Finishing Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
2-3 Tbsp of the marinade (reserve before marinating the meat)

Marinate the beef for 30 minutes. If you like, you can also season your veggies with salt, garlic pepper, lime juice and oil.
Sear over a hot grill (400-450f) for about 30 to 45 seconds per side. You could also do this in a cast iron pan if you get it preheated very high heat.
Roast veggies for about 4 minutes, until starting to char slightly and soften.

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CREAM CHEESE PEPPERMINT COOKIES

Hi Tamy here filling in for Jen this morning.

Save Room for dessert new badge

Out of my grams archive I found this awesome little recipe that would be perfect for baby or bridal showers.  Grams notes on the side suggested using food color to alter the cookies for the appropriate event.  I also highly recommend keeping these cookies refrigerated as they will melt! Next time I will go a step farther and freeze them for an hour and then quick dip them in melted almond bark.
Using extracts you could also change the flavor to just about anything you wanted.  I’, curious what a blackberry almond combo would be like.

CREAM CHEESE PEPPERMINT COOKIES

8 ounces cream cheese softened
1/2 cup crisco shortening
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
8-9+ cups powdered sugar

  • Line your baking sheet with wax paper.
  • Using a stand mixer cream together the shortening and cream cheese.
  • Add extracts and beat until smooth.
  • Gradually add powdered sugar until dough is soft and elastic.
  • Roll into small balls.
  • Use a fork to hash mark the top and slightly flatten each cookie,
  • Cover and chill overnight.

I filled a few of the hash marks with some hot fudge I made recently and the guys loved them.