Category: MISC

TUNA PASTA SALAD

Remember that less than stellar dinner I told you about the other day? Well I had about 4 ounces of pasta left and wasn’t sure what to do with it. So I coated it in about a tablespoon of safflower oil and 2 tablespoons of champagne vinegar overnight. Then the next day I added a can of drained tuna, chopped onions and a handful of aged white cheddar cheese. Let me just say YUM!

aprons 3

LEMON BASIL TEA ala My Year on the Grill

Greetings from the tropics! All you east coasters, I see that you are getting a late winter surge of the white stuff. 6 inches to a foot. Ah yes, I used to worry about the next surge of weather. But, I only have one reaction to the news…


Ha Ha…

Hee Hee…

(insert snort where i try to be gracious and stifle the giggle)

… But

…

To no avail

…

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Ho ho


You see, I finally made the move. As of Saturday of this week, Jackie and I are residents of the US VIRGIN ISLANDS! The above shot is a view out our balcony overlooking the harbor town of Charlotte Amalie (the Island capital). I feel terribly guilty about the giggling, but in fairness, Jackie had the same reaction when we watched MSNBC this morning.

If you would like to follow along, I have started 2 NEW sister blogs that will be exclusively about my island adventures. One is my foodie experiences, called, “A Kansas Foodie in the Virgin Islands“. The other is more of a visual scrapbook of what I see and do. No food details there, just little slices of my new life. I figure when we get shipped back to Kansas in 6 months (just in time for tornado season, so you can save the laughs for when I deserve em), “Daily Photos in St Thomas” will be a great souvenir.


Here is a photo of Jackie shopping at a local farmer’s market. I already did a post on the experience at the Kansas Foodie site. Lots of new and interesting items to look over. I am not quite brave enough to jump in on the new veggies I see yet, but soon.


HOWEVER, we did buy some “Lemon Basil”. I have seen flavored basil in my local farmer’s market. I never did buy any, but I figured this would be a good chance to get my feet wet so to speak with more local ingredient cooking.


At the same table, they offered “Lavender Basil”. The salespeople were very gracious, allowing us to sample a bit. Both kinds were so full of flavors, matching what you would expect. We were told that often you can see this growing wild on the roads and they will take a leaf and suck on it to sweeten their breath and encourage saliva (it is hot, and not having a dry mouth is not always easy).


BUT, what interested me was the idea of making tea with the leaves. We got some very handy instructions (it’s not difficult) from one of the locals. I figured if it worked, this is a skill I can take back home with me when I shop at the local KC Farmer’s market.

And maybe it is something you might want to try…


It is not at all difficult. I have limited cooking supplies. So, I used a coffee pot as my steeping pot. For each pot full, I used 1/2 cup of the leaves (washed). just dump them in and get the water slowly simmering.

Here’s a collage of what happened over the next 10 minutes… notice the darkening of the water.


Almost looks like tea!


And the verdict is that it tastes like tea. Actually, it tastes like green tea. It has a lemon taste thanks to the lemon basil. Jackie happens to be a fan of green tea. She gave it a big thumbs up, and fills a water bottle of it every day to start on her way to work. I drank one cup while it was hot. I added a bit of locally made honey to sweeten it and it was indeed… TEA!

Who knew it was that easy!

Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. As always, I was SO surprised to learn that I CAN COOK THAT!!!

Give me a little taste of home, and stop by the comment section. Let me know you won’t forget me while I am gone!

See you next week!

Roast Chicken with a Lemon Herb Sauce

This week’s recipe is for Roast Chicken with a Lemon Herb sauce the easy way, on the stove top. That way all the tantalizing smells will bring your family to the table on time.

ROAST CHICKEN
4 tablespoons butter, divided & softened
1 whole chicken cut into pieces
1 1/4 cups hot water
2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
salt & pepper

SAUCE
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 green onion, chopped fine
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon flour
1 tablespoon butter

  • Rinse chicken and pat dry. Salt and pepper.
  • Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet and when HOT, place chicken skin side down in pan.
  • DO NOT TURN chicken pieces until you see blood and bottom side is golden brown.
  • Whisk together the hot water, bouillon, thyme and basil.
  • Turn chicken and add 3/4 cup of chicken stock.
  • Reduce heat and simmer on low 15 minutes.
  • Transfer chicken to a plate and pour stock into a measuring cup.
  • Melt remaining butter in skillet and return chicken skin side down to skillet and cook another 5 minutes until skin is crisp.
  • Transfer to an ovenproof plate, cover with foil and keep warm.
  • Skim the fat from the broth and add enough of the additional broth to make 3/4 cup.
  • Heat the olive oil in the skillet on a low heat, scraping up any of the little pieces from the chicken to add to the flavor.
  • Add green onions and saute’ a minute or so.
  • Add flour and mix well.
  • Increase heat and add broth and bring to a simmer.
  • Simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup.
  • Stir in any juices that have drained from the chicken. Simmer a few more minutes.
  • Remove from heat and whisk in lemon juice, thyme and basil.
  • Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately. I like to serve it with rice.

aprons 3

SWEET & SOUR CUCUMBERS

1 cucumber, chopped
1 large firm tomato, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar

  • Toss chopped vegetables together in a tuuperware bowl.
  • Whisk together vinegar and sugar until well blended and sugar is dissolved.
  • Pour over vegetables.
  • Chill several hours or overnight.
aprons 3

COUNTRY CHICKEN & RICE

COUNTRY CHICKEN and RICE

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, tenders or thighs
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes, drained
or I prefer 1/4 cup sun dried tomato pesto
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons Marsala wine
3 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin tops and all
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cups boiling water
chopped fresh parsley for garnish
  • Whisk together the tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Italian seasoning and 1/2 of the salt and pepper.
  • In a Tupperware marinader or a large Ziploc bag pour sauce over chicken pieces and marinade 2 hours or overnight is really yummy too.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Spray a 9×13 baking dish with PURE.
  • Place rices, carrots and onions in the baking dish.
  • Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.
  • Remove chicken pieces from the marinade to a plate.
  • Stir remaining marinade into the boiling water and then stir that into the rice.
  • Evenly layer chicken pieces over rice.
  • Cover tightly with foil.
  • Bake 1 hour or until all the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
  • Sprinkle with fresh parsley as garnish.

aprons 3

ORANGE HONEY CHICKEN

ORANGE HONEY CHICKEN

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
heavy coat of olive oil
1 clove minced garlic, jar
1 bunch green onions, minced
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
Juice of 1 orange
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon red chile pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoon cream sherry
5 tablespoons sugar
zest of one orange
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

  • Mix cornstarch, flour, salt & pepper in ziploc bag.
  • Toss chicken pieces in beaten eggs and sesame oil and then dredge in the flour bag.
  • In a large skillet, heat olive oil. When hot, add the chicken pieces and cook turning as needed until all sides are golden brown. 4-8 minutes.
  • Drain chicken on paper towel lined plate.
  • Pour off excess oil and clean pan with paper towel.
  • Add 1 tablespoon more olive oil and saute’ garlic and green onion.
  • Add the soy sauce, sugar, honey, orange juice, sherry, red chile pepper flakes and ginger.
  • Cook until thick, do not boil.
  • Dip in honey mixture and place on sprayed cookie sheet. If you would like sprinkle some sesame seeds over the chicken at this point.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
  • Brush with original glaze after the first 10 minutes.
  • Save any additional glaze to use over the rice.
  • Serve over rice.

aprons 3

BACON CHEESEBURGER HAMBURGER HELPER NOT!!


BACON CHEESEBURGER HAMBURGER HELPER NOT!!
6 bacon strips cooked crisp and crumbled
1 1/2 pounds hamburger
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cups green giant frozen corn, thawed
2 large Yukon potatoes, sliced
Land o’ Lakes American Cheese Slices

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Toss bacon and corn together.
  • Layer potatoes over top.
  • Generously salt and pepper the potatoes.
  • Place a thin layer of cheese slices over potatoes.
  • Brown hamburger and onions together. Salt and pepper well while meat is browning. Drain off fat.
  • Layer over the potatoes and top with another layer of potatoes.
  • Salt and pepper again and layer with another layer of cheese.
  • Cover and bake for 45 minutes.
  • Uncover and bake another 15 minutes.

**I like to make this and the ITALIAN SAUSAGE BAKE back to back (that way I also have 2 meals ready to go with half the mess) so the left over bits of browned sausage and caramelized onion add flavor to the hamburger.
aprons 3

Italian Sausage Bake

ITALIAN SAUSAGE BAKE
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, (no casings)
1 small Vidalia Onion, chopped
2 large Yukon potatoes, chopped
1 cup baby carrots, halved
1 can diced tomatoes with herbs
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning mix
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Brown sausage and onion. Drain off grease.
  • Place sausage in the bottom of a 9×9 casserole.
  • Drain tomatoes, reserving juice.
  • Toss together the potatoes and carrots and layer over the sausage and onion mix.
  • Top with the tomatoes.
  • Whisk together the tomato juice, ricotta cheese and seasoning
  • Pour over top of everything.
  • Top with mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake 45 minutes or until potatoes are done.
For some reason hubby loves Hamburger helper. Must be left over from his bachelor days. Now I can’t have pre-prepared foods due to health issue so I made him a substitute recipe that tastes even better. I make it in advance too which makes a great weeknight casserole ready to pop in the oven when you get home. Hubby likes the texture of Velveeta, but I find it a bit rubbery. So I tried Land of Lakes American cheese and it slices great while still giving you that smooth creamy cheese texture when it melts.

aprons 3

2 1/2 BEAN SALAD

I love 3 bean salad, but I hate kidney beans. So, I developed this recipe to cater to my own likes. If you like kidney beans, add them back in.
2 cans green beans
1 can wax beans
1-2 oz. jar pimentos
1 cup white vinegar
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons salt
  • Drain beans and pimentos and place into a jar with enough room for the liquid.
  • In a sauce pan dissolve the sugar and salt into the vinegar and bring it to a boil.
  • Let it cool.
  • Pour it over the beans.
  • Marinate at least 24-48 hours for the best flavor.

aprons 3

S.O.S., creamed chipped beef or S*%$ on a Shingle ~ it all tastes the same no matter what you call it

Hubby had been craving S.O.S. a lot lately! I hadn’t made it in years and he really wanted to go OUT for a hometown diner style breakfast. Someone told us about a local diner that had it as a special every other weekend. Of course we had just missed that weekend so he had to wait almost 2 weeks until yesterday! He was soooooooooo excited and then he was soooooooooooo disappointed. It truly was S@#%! on a shingle, the dogs weren’t even thrilled with the leftovers! So this morning I surprised hubby with home made Creamed Chipped Beef and I thought I would share the recipe. One of my ‘secret’ ingredients is serving it over sourdough toast for extra flavor. The other is using a cast iron skillet.

1/3 cup butter
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 jar Armor dried beef*, chopped small
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (my last secret ingredient)

  • Melt the butter and add the onions.
  • After about 2 minutes add the beef also. Saute’ until onions are translucent.
  • Sprinkle with pepper. Use salt sparingly (beef is pretty salty)
  • Sprinkle flour over the meat and onions and stir in well. The flour will burn, so work quickly.
  • Gradually add in the milk, stirring continuously until mixture boils. Turn down heat.
  • Add the Worcestershire sauce and thicken to a gravy consistency.
  • Serve immediately over toast.

aprons 3

Chocolate Obsession

CHOCOLATE OBSESSION
It is a little frightening. I go through my recipes on both my blogs and what do I see dozens of recipes for chocolate chip cookies and brownies plus all kinds of other chocolate goodies and I keep baking more. Of course, my excuse is my class, who I do the bulk of my baking for. They adore chocolate, like I don’t.

I thought I would bake one of the best recipes with you and of course, it has chocolate.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients:

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into squares
1 stick unsalted margarine
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Method:
In a microwave, melt the bittersweet chocolate and margarine. Allow it to cool.

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and vanilla in a mixing bowl until frothy.

Slowly add the sugar and beat until the mixture ribbons off the beaters. Add the melted chocolate mixture. Stir to combine.

Sift the dry ingredients together.

Add to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine.

Fold in the chips and nuts.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough is well chilled . I did not have the time to do this.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with baking parchment. (I used four sheets and doubled on one of them. I got loads of cookies, figuring 16 on a sheet.

Using a small cookie scoop (one teaspoon) make balls to place on cookie sheets, leaving about one and a half inches between cookies.

Bake about 12 minutes. Start checking at 11. Depending on the shelf, they were on, some were done.
The tops of the cookies should look dry and cracked. None of mine were.
Allow to cool for a minute on the baking sheet, then remove to cake racks for further cooling.
Finally, eat and be aware, you will want to keep eating more and more. These cookies don’t look like much, in my opinion but they are the chewiest so if you like chewy, here it is.
Check out Tyler’s brownies on Sweet and Savory – more chocolate