Kai's "Old-Fashioned" Recipe Thread

[Jolie Rouge]

Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese

6 - 8 cups baby spinach
1 red apple, chopped
1 green apple, chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup pecans, chopped

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss. Combine dressing ingredients in a cruet and shake well. Pour dressing over salad just before serving and toss.



Sesame Logs

1 block cream cheese
sesame seeds
soy sauce

Cut cold cream cheese into 2 logs, roll in sesame seeds, place on serving dish and pour soy sauce over top. Serve with favorite crackers.



Stuffed Shells

1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Ground pepper to taste
12 oz. box jumbo macaroni shells, cooked
1 - 12 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Saute ground beef, onion and garlic in a saucepan. Drain off any fat. Add beef broth, parsley, basil, pepper and Parmesan cheese and mix well. Stuff each shell with meat mixture and place in a glass baking dish. Pour sauce over shells and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.A lot of stuffed shells recipes only use cheese for the stuffing. We like this recipe because of the meat and the fact that, well, I guess we are carnivores, or omnivores to be more precise. If you are not a carnivore, or omnivore than you can omit the ground beef and substitute sun-dried tomatoes or some chopped spinach in the filling.


French Bread

4 packages dry yeast
2 and 1/4 cups warm water
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
7 cups flour
corn meal
1 egg white, beaten with 1 Tbsp. water

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large mixing bowl. Add salt, sugar and flour to yeast and mix into dough. Knead dough on floured surface until smooth, about 15 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl and cover bowl with damp towel.

Let dough rise for about 2 hours until doubled in size. Squish dough back down and let it rise again for about 1 hour. Divide dough into three pieces. Roll dough out with rolling pin on floured surface and then shape each piece into a loaf.Sprinkle corn meal on cookie sheet and place loaves on cookie sheet. Slit tops of loaves with sharp knife and brush with egg white/water mixture. Let dough rise again, uncovered, for about 1 hour and then brush again with egg white/water mixture.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Brush loaves again with egg white/water mixture and bake for 15 minutes longer.



Chocolate Pie

1 - 9 inch pie crust
3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs. beaten
1 Tbsp. flour
6 oz. evaporated milk or half and half
whipped topping for garnish

Place pie crust in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, melt chocolate and butter in a large saucepan, add sugar and vanilla and beaten eggs and continue to cook over low heat. Combine flour and evaporated milk and stir until flour is dissolve. Add to chocolate mixture and cook for several minutes until mixture starts to thicken. Pour into pie shell and bake at 375 for 20 - 25 minutes. Allow to cool and serve with whipped topping if desired. We made this pie for Thanksgiving and the kids loved it. We have now made it two more times at the request of the kids.

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[Jolie Rouge]

Rosemary and Garlic Pork Roast

3 1/2 to 4 lbs pork loin roast
10 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed
3 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp. coarse ground pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil

Place roast on rack in shallow roasting pan. Mix the garlic, rosemary, pepper, salt and oil. Rub evenly over the roast. Let stand at room temp for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Roast uncovered at 325 F for 1 1/2 hours until meat thermometer reaches 150 F. Increase oven temp to 400 degrees and Roast 10 to 15 minutes longer until temp reaches 175. Cover, let rest 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

[Jolie Rouge]

Cucumber Dip

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with crackers. This starter is fresh and tasty.



Spicy Pork Stew

8 dried red chiles
2 - 3 pounds pork loin cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 red potatoes, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
4 cups beef broth
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Place chiles in warm water for 10 - 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet and brown pork with onion and garlic. After chilies have been sitting in the water until softened, remove tips and seeds. Chop the chilies. Place beef broth in a blender and add red chilies. Puree broth and chilies in the blender. Place beef broth in a crock-pot followed by browned pork, onions and garlic. Add potatoes, tomatoes, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and vinegar. Cook for several hours until potatoes are tender. This stew is somewhat spicy. If you do not like your food hot, reduce the number of red chiles that you use in the stew. We would recommend that you use some chilies in the stew because they add a great flavor.

.

Corn Cakes with Black Bean Salsa

1/2 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 egg
1 - 8 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained

Place first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and mix. Whisk together buttermilk, butter, egg and corn. Add to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat. Ladle mixture onto skillet creating 3 inch cakes. Cook until golden brown; about 3 minutes per side. Serve with black bean salsa, recipe to follow.


Black Bean Salsa

2 - 15 oz. cans black beans, drained
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
Juice of 1 lime
2 serrano chiles, diced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. cilantro, minced

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Make at least a few hours ahead to allow flavors to blend.



Butter Pecan Bars

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 and 1/3 cup flour
1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup pecans, chopped

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan and bake for 20 - 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool and cut into bars. You can just tell by the ingredients that these are going to be good.

[flute]

Originally posted by the fugative
Kewl

How did it turn out??

I didn't think so well, but that's prolly cus I don't like figs which is what I put in the bars, but Isabel ate at least 2 bars yesterday, so, I guess if she eats it, it's ok lol.

[Jolie Rouge]

Scratch the Scratch and Get Over It!

I used to think I had to make everything from scratch. If it wasn't homemade, it wasn't good enough.

When I made spaghetti, I had to make my own sauce.

When I baked, I'd never touch something like Bisquick. That was "fake-baking" to me.

I even went through a phase where if I was going to make any kind of pasta dish, I had to make the noodles.

Even worse, I had the experience of making an Asian sauce that took over seven hours to prepare. And that was just the base sauce! Then you had to make the meal! By the time I served it, I was so sick of smelling it I was no longer hungry and couldn't even taste it. My taste buds were shot! The friends who were over for dinner that night still tell the story. They enjoyed the dinner. I didn't.

So how do you go from there to spending your time perfecting dishes that take 5 ingredients or less? From there to dinners that can be made in under 2 hours for 12 people?

Volume. When you're like me and do 30 to 40 dinner events a year, you realize you're killing yourself and wasting too many hours of your life in a kitchen if you stick to that kind of strict regimen. Don't get me wrong. Sometimes I still labor over a special dinner and see nothing wrong with spending a full day in the kitchen. I do it fairly often. Just not all the time anymore.

I'd rather spend half of my day working in my garden or go see a movie, then take an hour to go to the grocery story and make the meal with time to spare. Time to take a long shower and relax before guests come.

You see, I know you want to have a life and a dinner party. They don't have to be mutually exclusive events!

So now I don't mind if I open a jar and "doctor it up a bit" to make it into a quick spaghetti sauce. I even use a pre-prepared cookie dough as a crust for a fruit tart. And I won't get caught dead making that sauce again. I considered throwing away that cookbook, but it's so cool looking on my shelf that I can't part with it; but it never gets opened because just about everything in that book requires that you make that serious sauce in advance. I lose my sense of taste just thinking about it!

Here is a new rendition of a lasagna from my mother's favorite cookbook. Of course, my mother wouldn't have thought of using a jar spaghetti sauce or no-cook noodles like the recipe here, but she was a practical lady and a mother of seven. I'm sure she would have adopted this recipe as her own if she were alive today.

Use this recipe for Chicken Lasagna for your family or don't be afraid to serve it to guests with a Caesar salad and garlic bread. You can find my recipe for an easy Caesar on the website, www.apexperformancesystems.com/recipes/, and you can find a Beef Lasagna "shortcut version" too. Both have drawn rave reviews at many a dinner party.

Cheers! Zola

Southwestern Chicken and Red Pepper Lasagna (short-cut version)

1 box Barilla no-cook lasagna noodles
2 red bell peppers
2 26 oz jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce
(You can even mix sauces. For the Southwestern feel, I use a "zippy" or spicier version.)
2 packages of Louis Rich Southwestern chicken strips (12 oz total)
4 cups shredded mozzarella (large bag)
1 package Italian mixed cheeses (8 oz) or parmesan
2 cups (large tub) of ricotta cheese (low-fat or regular)
1 Tbl dried Italian spice mix
1 Tbl dried parsley
1 tsp salt
olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray olive oil in your 9 X 13 pan. Slice the red peppers into quarter-inch strips. Open the box of noodles. Take 4 out and place them, slightly overlapping, in the bottom of the pan. Spread 2 cups of sauce on top. Open one package of the chicken strips and put on top. Spread half of the pepper strips. Open the ricotta. Dip a spoon in the ricotta to make an indentation. Put the spices in the hole and mix carefully. If you do this right you won't even dirty a bowl. When thoroughly mixed, put 6 heaping tablespoons full of the ricotta on top of the lasagna. Position them around the area so they don't touch each other. Now layer on 1-1/2 cups of mozzarella.

4 more noodles are next. This time lay the noodles in the opposite direction. Press down on the noodles gently to compress the layer below. Layer the sauce, chicken, peppers, ricotta, and mozzarella again.

One more layer of noodles goes on top. Top the final layer of noodles with the last of the sauce. Make sure no noodles stick out or they will get dry. Add the last of the mozzarella and then the whole bag of Italian cheese mix.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Let stand 10 minutes before you cut it. Great for leftovers too!

This will serve 6 very hungry people or 8 as an entree with Zola's Caesar Salad. (See "Salads.")

Enjoy! Zola

The truth about Zola: In reality, Zola Gorgon is unreal -- an invention, an alter-ego, a double life of Madison CEO Sarah McCann. For more information on Zola and to see more of her recipes, visit her Web site at www.apexperformancesystems.com/recipes

[the fugative]

Jamaican Chicken


• 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

• 2 small onions, sliced thinly

• 1 large chicken, cut into serving pieces

• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

• 2 tsp. paprika

• 1 tsp. salt

• 3/4 tsp. pepper

• Nutmeg to taste, preferably freshly grated

• Ginger root to taste, preferably freshly grated

• Butter and oil for browning

Place garlic, onion and chicken in a dish. Sprinkle garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper, nutmeg and ginger root over it. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Remove garlic and onion from chicken and reserve with any liquid produced during the marinating period. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Brown chicken well on all sides. Drain most of the cooking fat, add the onions, garlic and juice from the marinade dish to the chicken. Cover and simmer about 45 minutes. Remove chicken, pour pan juices over it, and serve.

[janelle]

Everyone would starve if I ever had to make a seven hour sauce. Is that woman crazy?????!!!!!

[Jolie Rouge]

Cheese and Veggie Sandwiches

is combo is delicious with a bowl of tomato soup.
Start to Finish: 15 minutes

1-1/2 cups cottage cheese, drained
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/2 teaspoon finely snipped chives
1/4 cup chopped green pepper or celery
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
8 small slices whole grain bread
2 tablespoons horseradish mustard
Spinach or lettuce leaves
4 tomato slices

In a medium mixing bowl combine the cottage cheese, carrot, chives, and green pepper or celery. Stir in the yogurt. Spread the bread slices with horseradish mustard; top with spinach or lettuce leaves. Spoon the cheese mixture onto half of the bread slices. Top with a tomato slice and remaining bread slices. Makes 4 servings.


Easy Tex-Mex DINNER

Brown one pound ground turkey and one chopped onion until the turkey is no longer pink. Stir in one can of chopped tomatoes with juice, one can of chili seasoned beans (like Bush's), one can of corn (drained), one can of diced green chilis (optional). Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally 'til warmed through. Top with grated cheese for the last few minutes if desired. Serve over hot cooked rice. Can be topped with shredded lettuce and sour cream.
Great with Fritos!


ROSALYN'S DESSERT

This recipe is VERY, VERY simple. I get raves each time I make it.

1 stick butter or margarine
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1 can sweetend condensed milk
2 bags chocolate chips (or combination of flavors you prefer)
1 1/3 C sweetened flaked coconut

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in 13x9 inch pan. Layer remaining ingredients over melted butter in order given. Bake in oven until coconut is nicely browned.



Shrimp Tomato Aspic
(Miss Margaret Couvillon)

3/4 cup cold water
4 envelopes Knox gelatin
4-1/2 cups tomato juice, heated
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
9 to 10 drops Tabasco
3 Tablespoons horseradish
1/2 cup diced green onions
1-1/2 cups chopped celery
2 cups diced shrimp, or
2 (4-1/2 ounce) cans small shrimp
1 (2 ounce) jar stuffed green olives, drained and sliced
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered

Pour cold water in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle gelatin on top. Add heated tomato juice and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Add seasonings and put aside to cool in refrigerator. When mixture begins to congeal, add remaining ingredients. Pour into large decorative mold or individual molds that have been sprayed with Pam. Chill until set. Serve with homemade mayonnaise.

SERVINGS: 12

[Jolie Rouge]

[b]Almond Toffee

1 pound butter
2 cups sugar
6 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons white corn syrup
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 packages (4 ounces each) German's sweet chocolate
1 cup almonds, coarsely ground

Combine butter, sugar, water, corn syrup, salt and vanilla in large heavy pot. Cook, stirring constantly, until candy thermometer registers 290 degrees. Pour onto 2 large buttered baking sheets with 1/2 inch sides. Let cool. Melt chocolate over hot, not boiling, water and spread over cool, hardened candy. Sprinkle immediately with ground almonds. (Sometimes, to harden chocolate, candy must be placed in refrigerator for a little while.) When topping has hardened, break candy into pieces.

YIELDS: About 2 pounds of toffee

[Jolie Rouge]

Baked Potato Soup

4 - 5 baking potatoes
2 cups water
1 quart milk
1/2 cup celery
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/3 cup green onion, chopped
2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley or dill, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Place potatoes in the oven and cook for about 1 hour at 350 degrees. Meanwhile heat water in a large saucepan and add chopped celery to the water and simmer until celery is tender. When potatoes are fully cooked, slice down the center and scoop out pulp of each potato and add to celery and water. Add milk, butter, sour cream, bacon, green onions, 1 cup of the cheddar cheese, parsley or dill and salt and pepper. Allow mixture to simmer over low-medium heat until it thickens. Serve hot with cheddar cheese sprinkled on top. You may also add chives (from the top of the green onions), bacon pieces and sour cream. When I made this recipe last time, I chopped up the potato peels and added them to the soup. The skins added flavor and texture and you may want to try this. I also understand that most of the vitamins and minerals are in the skin of the potato.


Chicken Fried Steak

2 - 3 pounds round steak, tenderized
1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning or paprika if you can't find Old Bay
Fresh ground pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
Vegetable oil

Gravy
1Tbsp. butter
6 Tbsp. Flour
3 cups hot milk
Salt and pepper

Cut steak into 4 pieces. Combine flour, salt, garlic powder, Old Bay or paprika and pepper on a plate. Combine eggs and milk in a bowl. Dip steak in egg/milk mixture then coat with flour mixture. Cook steaks in hot oil in a heavy skillet. Remove steaks and keep warm. Add butter to skillet and mix with drippings. Add flour and cook and stir until flour browns. Add hot milk and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper and pour over warm steaks. This is an old Southern favorite. The steaks are tender and tasty and the gravy adds a nice touch.


Vidalia Onion Casserole

4 medium Vidalia onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine
12 saltines, crushed
1 (10-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Sauté the onions in the margarine in a skillet until tender. Reserve 3 Tablespoons of the cracker crumbs. Line a buttered 8x11-inch baking dish with the remaining cracker crumbs. Alternate layers of the sautéed onions and soup in the prepared dish until all of the ingredients are used. Cover the top with the beaten eggs. Pour the milk over the layers. Sprinkle with cheese and reserved cracker crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly.


Royal Red Snapper

3/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1 quart toasted bread crumbs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped lemon sections
2 Tablespoons grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
2 or 3 whole red snappers, or redfish
(3-4 pounds dressed fish)
Salt
3 Tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup dry white wine

To prepare stuffing, sauté celery and onion in butter until tender; combine with bread cubes in large bowl. Add sour cream, lemon sections, lemon rind, salt and paprika; mix thoroughly. Spread stuffing in a well-greased baking dish. Sprinkle fish inside and out with salt. Cut into individual sized portions and arrange over stuffing. Bake in 350 degree oven for 40-60 minutes, or until fish flakes easily. Make basting sauce by combining melted butter and wine. Baste fish occasionally while cooking.



Broccolini with Toasted Sesame Seeds

2 pounds broccolini
1/4 cup butter
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale. Broccolini is very tender and not as bitter as broccoli can be. If you cannot find in the produce section of your local grocery store you may substitute regular broccoli spears. Blanch broccolini by placing in a saucepan and covering it with water. Bring water to a boil and cook for several minutes until broccolini is crisp tender. Drain off water. Add soy sauce, butter, garlic and sesame oil to the saucepan and cook for several more minutes. Add toasted sesame seeds and salt and pepper. You may toast the sesame seeds by placing them on a baking sheet and heating in the oven on 400 degrees for several minutes until they turn golden brown.



Cherry Pie

9 inch pie crust for two-crust pie
2 15-oz. cans pitted tart red cherries, drained
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/8 tsp. almond extract
1 Tbsp. butter

Combine cherries, sugar, flour and almond extract and mix well. Pour into bottom portion of pie shell. Dot with butter. Place top piecrust over cherry mixture and crimp together on the sides. Cut several slits on the top of the crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes or until golden brown and cherries are bubbling through slits made on the top. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream if you desire.

[the fugative]

Roasted Butternut Squash and Shallot Soup


• 3/4 lb. shallots

• 2 lb. peeled and seeded butternut squash

• 3 tbsp. canola or vegetable oil

• Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tbsp. dried thyme leaves

• 1 bay leaf, broken in half

• 2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley plus several extra sprigs for garnish

• 5 c. chicken stock plus an extra 1/2 c., if needed

• 1 c. crème fraîche (see below), divided

• 2 tbsp. dry white wine

• 6 fresh thyme sprigs for garnish (optional)

Line a large, heavy baking sheet with foil. Peel shallots and halve lengthwise. (Large shallots should be quartered.) Spread cubed squash and shallots in a single layer on baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss vegetables to coat lightly with oil.

On low rack of 450-degree oven bake vegetables, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent sticking, until tender when pierced with a fork and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven.

Transfer vegetables, scraping up any loose brown bits on the foil, to a 4-to 5-quart pot (with a lid) and season with thyme. Add bay leaf, parsley sprigs and 5 cups stock. Place pot over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove soup from heat and discard bay leaf halves and parsley sprigs.

Purée soup in a food processor, blender or food mill. Stir in wine and 2/3 cup crème fraîche. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. (Soup can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool, cover and refrigerate. Reheat, stirring, over medium heat. If soup seems too thick after reheating, you can thin it with an additional 1/2 cup chicken stock.) To serve, ladle soup into soup bowls. Garnish each serving with a dollop of crème fraîche, a parsley sprig and a thyme sprig, if desired.




crème fraîche


To make crème fraîche, whisk together 1 cup of heavy cream and 1/3 cup of sour cream in a nonreactive bowl. Let stand at room temperature until thickened, 6 hours or longer. Cover and refrigerate.