Italian Dressing

10 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in Italian Dressing, salad dressing, yummy stuff

≈ 6 Comments

Salad dressings are easy to make. If you keep a lots of seasonings on hand, you can put some together in a matter of minutes.

You will need a jar that has a tight fitting lid. A 16 oz. jar is the perfect size.

Ingredients:

1 cup oil. I use olive oil, but any vegetable oil will do.
1/4 cup vinegar
2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Add the the ingredients to your jar. Screw the lid on tightly and shake well.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Shake well before using.

Makes 1-1/4 cups dressing.

Enjoy!

A couple recipes I have that use Italian dressing are Jambalaya Salad and Italian Cheese Bread.
****************************************************

Last year’s I- Italian Cheese Bread

Skillet Hash

09 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in Hash, skillet hash, using leftovers, yummy stuff

≈ 20 Comments

This is a great way to use up leftover roast or corned beef and potatoes. Very fast, simple and tasty.

You will need a skillet.

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped, cooked lean beef or corned beef
2 cups chopped, cooked potatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley- use 1/2  the amount if it is dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
about an 1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup cooking oil

Pour the oil in a skillet and turn on the heat to medium.
Mix all the other ingredients and add to skillet when the oil is hot.
Fry it for about 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are browned. Turn the hash frequently so it doesn’t burn.

Makes  3-4 servings.

Enjoy!
*********************************************************
Last year’s H- Ham and Beans

Grilled Chicken Cheese Sandwich

07 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by in Cheese, chicken, grilled chicken cheese sandwich, yummy stuff

≈ 18 Comments

This sandwich is a meal all by itself. I really love grilled cheese and I am always looking for ways to change it up.

You will need a skillet.
You will also need another skillet or griddle for grilling the sandwiches.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast half, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
1/2 cup sliced onion
1/2 cup sliced bell pepper(red, green, OR a mix of both)
1-2 Tablespoons cooking oil to coat the skillet
salt, pepper, garlic powder to season
6 slices of your favorite bread
butter for spreading on the bread
Approximately 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat a skillet to hot. Add the cooking oil.
Add the chicken, bell pepper, and onion.
Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Cook, stirring frequently until the chicken is done and the vegetables are tender.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Butter one side of all the slices of bread.
Heat up your griddle or other skillet.
Lay 3 slices of bread butter side down on the griddle.
Divide the chicken mixture among the bread slices.
Sprinkle with the cheese, about 1/4 cup per sandwich.
Lay the remaining slices of bread on top of the chicken- butter side up.
Let cook for a few minutes until the bottom bread slice is golden and than carefully flip over.
Cook for another few minutes until the cheese is melted.
Remove from the heat and serve.

Makes 3 sandwiches.

If the chicken breast half is large, you may have enough left to make a 4th sandwich.

Enjoy!
****************************************************
Last year’s G-  Gravy

Fry Bread for Tacos

06 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in fry bread, fry bread for tacos, yummy stuff

≈ 8 Comments

I love tacos and these are my favorite way to eat them. Fry bread is thick and chewy and altogether yummy.

You will need a skillet or griddle large enough to hold a 6 or 7 inch piece of fry bread.

Ingredients:

4 cups flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup shortening
1-1/3 cups water
cooking oil for greasing the pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in the shortening with a fork or your hands.
Add the water and stir just to make a soft dough.
Turn dough out onto floured counter and knead until it is smooth. This will take maybe 5 minutes.
Cover with a towel and let the dough rest for a half hour.
Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces.
Roll or pat dough out into circles- 6-7 inch.
Put a small amount of oil on you skillet and heat to hot.
Add a piece of fry bread and cook until the dough puffs and bubbles. This will take only about a minute.
Turn over and cook for another minute.
Repeat with the rest of the fry bread.

Serve with your favorite taco toppings.
Enjoy!

Makes 12 pieces of fry bead.
*******************************************************
Last year’s F- French Toast

Essential Sweet and Smoky Seasoning Salsa

05 Thursday Apr 2012

Posted by in Essential Sweet and Smoky Chipotle Seasonong Salsa, yummy stuff

≈ 6 Comments

This stuff it potent. A little goes a long way. So, one batch will last you for quite a while.
I found this recipe in the book Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen.
You can use this for a condiment or as an ingredient to a dish. I have added a little to homemade salsa before and chili. I also use it to make chipotle shrimp. I will be posting the recipe for chipotle shrimp for the letter S in the challenge.

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups water
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons molasses
3, garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt
4oz dried red chipotle chile peppers
Vegetable oil- enough to cover the bottom of a frying pan to a depth of 1/4 inch.

In a saucepan, combine the water, brown sugar, and molasses. Bring to a boil and take off heat. Stir until the sugar is all dissolved.
Set aside.
Heat a 10″ skillet with oil in it.
When the oil is hot, add some of the chile peppers.
Stir and toast for a couple minutes until they start smelling spicy and have turned a reddish brown.
Scoop out with a slotted spoon and drop into the sugar water.
Repeat with the remaining chile peppers.
Pour off most of the oil in the skillet and than add the garlic to the hot skillet and cook until golden, about 4 minutes.
Add the garlic to the chiles.
Pour the water with chiles and garlic into the bowl of a food processor or blender.
Blend until smooth.
Heat the oiled skillet back up.
Add the pureed mixture.
Stir good for a minute to make sure nothing sticks.
Turn the heat down to low and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
The mixture will be thick like tomato paste.Carefully taste and season with salt if you feel it needs it.
Scape it into a jar and store in the fridge.

To use as a condiment, you need to add a little water to make it more sauce like.
For adding to recipes add a tablespoon or less at a time and taste before adding more.

This makes about 1-1/4 cups.

You can find dried chipotles in Mexican grocery stores. I have also seen Walmart carrying some dried chiles, but I am not sure what all kinds they sell.
You can also get them at Penzeys Spices either online or if there is a store near you.
********************************************************************
Last year’s E- Baked Empanadas

Dumplings For Stew

04 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by in dumplings, yummy stuff

≈ 24 Comments

I love dumplings. I have had plain chicken and dumplings, but I really prefer them in a stew.
To make it stew, I add some peas, carrots and onion and thicken the broth.
Either way you like to make them, they are still delicious.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup flour
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley OR 1-1/2 teaspoons dried
1 teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of dried basil OR dill weed
a pinch salt
1/4 cup milk
2 Tablespoons cooking oil

In a medium size bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Mix the milk and oil and add that to the flour mixture.
Stir just until combined.
Set aside.
Make sure your stew is bubbling.
With a spoon, scoop 4-8 mounds and drop on top the stew.
Cover the stew and let simmer for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick is clean when poked into one of the dumplings.

Serves 3-4.

If you want to thicken the broth, combine 1 cup milk and 1/3 cup flour and stir into 2-1/2 cups boiling broth. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.

Enjoy!
*******************************************************
Last year’s D- Deviled Eggs

Cilantro Sauce

03 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in cilantro, cilantro sauce, condiment, coriander sauce, walnuts, yummy sauce

≈ 32 Comments

This is a great sauce for meat or any kind of kebab. It has so much flavor. It is also sometimes referred to as coriander sauce, but coriander is the seed of the cilantro plant. This sauce is made with cilantro leaves so I call it cilantro sauce.
It tastes great room temperature or cold.

You will need a blender or food processor.

Ingredients:

1 cup of stemmed loosely packed cilantro leaves( If you buy it, 1 bunch should do)
3 cloves of peeled garlic( In a pinch, 3 teaspoons garlic powder will work)
1 hot pepper like jalapeno or serrano, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/3 cup lemon juice OR white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 to 4 Tablespoons water

Stick the cilantro, garlic, pepper, walnuts, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cumin into the bowl of blender or food processor.
Turn it on and get the mixture as much into a paste as you can.
You probably won’t get it completely smooth and you may need to stop and scrape the sides a few times.
Take the mixture out and put into a jar and add a couple tablespoons water. Stir well. If it is the thickness you want, good. If you want it a bit more pourable, add another tablespoon or two.
Taste and season with more salt if needed.

This is very intensely flavored! So much that it may surprise you.
You might call it tart.

This makes about a cup.

Serve within 4 hours of making and refrigerate any leftovers.

******************************************************************
Last year’s C- Chocolate Syrup

Bacon Jalapeno Poppers

02 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in bacon, bacon jalapeno poppers, jalapenos, poppers, yummy stuff

≈ 38 Comments

If you love bacon and hot peppers, this is for you. This recipe takes the jumbo jalapenos.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit/220 Celsius
You will also need a large baking sheet.

Ingredients:

6 jumbo size jalapenos, cut in half and seeded. Leave stem on.
12 slices bacon
4 oz. cream cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a small bowl, mix the two cheeses together.
Divide among the jalapeno halves.
Wrap one slice of bacon around each cheese filled pepper half.
Bake on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes or until the bacon is as browned as you like and the cheese is all melty.

Enjoy.
Makes 12, serves?

**********************************************
Last year’s B recipe was Brown Bread.

Avocado-Turkey Wrap

01 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in avocad, avocado-turkey wrap, yummy stuff

≈ 35 Comments

This is one of my favorite quick foods. It is also extremely healthy and filling.
For the tortilla, use any kind you want. As long as it is pliable, it will work great.

You will need a microwave safe plate.

Ingredients:

1 small avocado or 1/2 of a large one, cubed.
1 serving sliced turkey- you can use lunch meat or two slices of roasted/smoked turkey
2 Tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
handful of sliced jalapenos or serrano peppers- optional
1 large soft shell tortilla- about 7″ or “burrito size”

For the avocado, cut in half lengthwise. Twist apart.
To remove the pit:
Scoop it out with a large spoon OR with the cutting knife, stab the pit. It works best if you use the bottom portion of the blade. The blade will be stuck in the pit. Holding the fruit in one hand and the knife in the other, twist. To take knife out of the pit, wrap a paper towel around the pit and pull it off the blade.
If you only need half the avocado, wrap the other half immediately in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Run a spoon in between the skin and flesh of the avocado. Pull the flesh out and cube it. Or slice, if you’d rather.
Set aside.
Lay the tortilla on a microwave safe plate.
Cover the tortilla with the turkey.
Sprinkle with the cheese.
Sprinkle with the pepper slices, if using.
Microwave on high for 30 seconds.
Turn the tortilla. If you don’t lift and rearrange it, the bottom will get soggy or at the least very moist.
Microwave for another 30 seconds.
Remove from the microwave and put the avocado on just one half of the tortilla.
Flip the other side over the avocado.

Enjoy!
Makes 1.

**************************************************************
Last year’s A recipe was Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

What Is Gluten?

24 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by in gluten, what is gluten, yummy stuff

≈ 16 Comments

Yesterday I was talking to a friend and she asked me what gluten was.
I gave her a pretty simple answer- what causes bread to rise.
But, it is really more than that.

It is what makes dough stretchy.
It’s what gives cookies structure.
It is why bread rises so much. The yeast helps, but it needs gluten.

If your flour doesn’t contain gluten, the results are different.
To get the same effect, you may need to add more eggs or use a flax seed slurry, xantham gum, or guar gum to mimic the effects of gluten.

In Going Gluten Free part 1 & part 2, I gave you a general idea of what you need to know to be gluten free.
Now,I am going to tell you what gluten is.

Gluten is made up of two proteins- the gliadins and the glutenins. When they come together, you end up with the texture you want in breads, cookies, and cake.

The protein gliadins is the major trigger for celiac disease.
There are three subtypes of gliadins.
They are a/B-gliadins, y-gliadins, and w-gliadins.

Glutenins are basically what causes the rising or structuring effect.
It adds in air and is why the crumb in your baked product is the way it is.

Wheat is the major producer of gluten.
The amount of gluten does vary from strain to strain of wheat.

The ancestors of modern wheat, emmer and einkorn, contain far less gluten.

Gluten is also present in barley, rye, bulgur, kamut, or triticale.
Oats do not contain gluten, but may be cross contaminated if processed in a facility where gluten products are being processed.