Feasting on Friday ... Frog and Toe Jams

DH and I are finally back home again after nearly two months ..

SO good to be back in our own beds and normal routine....

now if we can only get re-adjusted to our home time-zone.

 

We spent Mother's Day weekend with my mother-in-law ~

found these at a small roadside stand while driving to

my in-law's home. 

 

Just had to get them both for DMIL and DFIL!

Love the names!!

 

 

Gotta love the quirky names! 

And there were several people who walked into the place,

read the jar titles and said "Eww!!"

 

"Toe jam" in the US is a slang term for

the gunk that accumulates between the toes.

Definitely not the first thing you think of at a produce stand!!

 

In this case .. "Toe Jam" means "Tangerine, Orange, Elderberry"

~ "Frog Jam" is "Fig, raspberry, orange and ginger".

 

Do you have a quirky food specialty in your area?

Please share!!

Hope to hear from you soon ~

Holly

 

 



Yummy Pork in Pear Sauce

DH and I enjoy this frequently .. it's one of our "go to" recipes.

 

I brought this recipes with us on our trip -

knew that DH and I would be staying in a hotel with a kitchenette ...

really get tired of eating out ~

plus a diet of restaurant food tends to be unhealthy after a while.

 

Had planned to make this while we were at DS's home ..

just never quite happened.

 

1 small pear, cored and cut into 6 wedges

1/2 cup pear nectar or apple juice

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

dash of cinnamon

2 boneless pork chops

1 teaspoon black pepper

dash of salt

1teaspoon olive oil or butter

1 teaspoon cornstarch or Wondra flour

 

-In small pan, combine pear wedges, nectar, ginger and cinnamon.

-Bring to boil; reduce to simmer and cook for a few minutes 'til tender.

-Once tender, pour juice into measuring cup ~~ if less than 3/4-cup of  

    liquid, add additional juice to make up the shortage.

-Set both pears and juices aside for later.

 

-Salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops.

-Heat oil or butter in pan over medium heat until lightly browned and

    cooked through. 

-Remove chops from pan and keep warm... keep the drippings in pan.

-Stir cornstarch or Wondra flour into drippings; add reserved juice.

-Cook until juice/dripping mixture thickens.   Cook another minute or 2.

-Add pears and cook for another minute or two.

 

-Serve pork with some of the sauce and pears on top.

-Serves two.

 

Comments:

Made this without the ginger... kinda bland without the ginger.

Will update with a better photo once we get home --

hotel kitchenette stocked with the basics ... but only the basics.

 

Took the easy way out this time and used a couple Dole diced pear cups for school lunches.  Had the juice I needed and pears were cut up.

 

 What is one of your "go to" recipes?

I'm always interested in exploring the wonderful world of food ~

Holly

   



 

It's Spring!! Special Menu to Celebrate!

One of our family traditions is to have a special meal when the season changes ..

Today is the first day of Spring ...

 

So we enjoyed

 

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

 (with spiced apples and bacon)

Rosemary Potatoes

 

for dessert ... yogurt fruit bombe with apples, strawberries and bananas

 

 

... both are really easy to make ...

and I found the potatoes in the freezer section of a local grocery.

 

Even better ... DH was off

(normally he works evenings),

so no rush to make this for lunch!

 

Do you celebrate a  change of seasons?

I would love to hear of your traditions ~

Holly

 

 

 

 

 

Irish Ham and Potato Pie

"Irish" Ham and Potato Pie

 

6 large eggs
1/2 cup green onions chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cooked diced potatoes 
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup diced cooked ham
1/2 cup finely chopped red or green bell pepper
1/2 cup half-and-half or milk

 

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9-inch pie pan.

Mix together eggs, onions, salt and pepper in large bowl.

Add potatoes, cheese, ham, bell pepper and half and half to egg mixture.
Stir to blend. Pour into pie pan.

Bake until tested done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Could be 50-minutes or up to 1 hour 30 minutes. 

Cut into wedges to serve.

Makes 4 to 8 servings.

 

 

Holly's notes:  This last time, only had medium eggs in the house ~ so I used seven instead of six large eggs.  Also used about 3-1/2 cups of potato (couldn't see tossing the last bits of the potatoes) and only 1-cup of shredded cheese.  Forgot to add the milk entirely ... oops.   But since I had included the extra 1/2-cup of potato, that was probably for the best.   The pan was completely full and if I added anything more - it would have over-flowed.   Still turned out fine.   Pretty forgiving recipe.   Mine only had to cook for about 50-minutes.

 

Most likely will make the same changes the next time  I make this.  Uses things that I commonly have in the house (other than the ham ... rarely do I buy ham --- though we both love it).

Ultra- Easy, Yummy-in-the-Tummy Mac N Cheese Muffins ... really good!!

A friend shared this with me recently --

just got around to trying it this week.

 

Oh my.. they are wonderful! 

And easy to put together ~

Decided to make over-sized muffin sized ones and not normal size ones this time.

DH took some to work for his dinner.

 

 

Mac and Cheese Cups  

 

2 cups uncooked macaroni (I used shells, Bonnijean used elbows - doesn't matter)
1 Tbl. butter
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese 
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tsp. olive oil
Salt, to taste

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a muffin tin (or a mini muffin tin, depending on the size you want) with nonstick cooking spray.

Stir together the bread crumbs, oil and salt. Set aside.

Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water, for about 8 min. Remove from heat, drain, and return to pan. Add the butter and egg and stir until the pasta is evenly coated. Save out 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and stir the remaining cheddar, mozzarella and milk into the pasta.

Spoon the noodles into the muffin tin. Sprinkle the top with the reserved cheese and the bread crumb mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from pan.

 

Comments:  I only used about a cup each of the cheeses.    The olive oil I used was from my garlic jar (When I get garlic, I separate the head of garlic into the separate teeth and then store the teeth in just enough olive oil to cover the teeth.  The garlic stays usable for a long time in the fridge and then I have flavored oil to use in cooking.)  Anyway, this gave the crumb topping a bit of a garlic taste ... which was a nice accent to the macaroni and cheese. 

 

Really good recipe ... will make this often.  Thanks bunches, Bonnijean!

 

Holly

 

 

 

 



Feasting on Friday ... Scrat

A friend sent me this photo she found on the Internet~

She knows DH and I love Scrat in "Ice Age"

hummmm... may want to add Scrat to our 25th anniversary party cake ..

gotta have something fun and kicky on the cake!

Happy Friday!

Holly

Feasting on Friday ... or is it Friday Funny?

My niece sent DH and I a care-package for Christmas ... she was so sweet to send us treats that we can't easily get over here.  When DH and I visit someplace new (for us), we really enjoy wandering through the different shops and seeing what food items are offered that we might not have seen before ... often buying them to enjoy.

Anyhow ... one of the items she sent us was Split Pea Soup mix.  It's one of our favorite soups ...though some people have a hard time getting past the weird green.

Had some leftover ham ... so decided to make it this evening and have an easy lunch tomorrow.

 Green Garden Soup?   

That's a different name for Split Pea ... oh well, it's only a name ....

 Hang on a minute.... 

the ingredient says the number one ingredient is Great Northern Beans ....

Nope ... not a white bean to be seen...

Oh well,,, it was accidentally mis-labeled ... no biggie.

Found a sorta HoneyBaked Ham Split Pea soup recipe on the web -

soup turned out fairly well ... 

but it is missing something - probably the ham bone.  

Never the mind ... we'll enjoy the soup ... and the love that sent it ....

Holly

Fantastic, Delish, Wonderful Chicken Pot Pie

I've been experimenting a lot  in the kitchen ... trying out new recipes.
DH LOVED this one ... went back and had seconds ... and thirds!!
Will make a few changes the next time ... but for the most part, it was great!

4 Tablespoons butter
3 stalks celery, finely chopped (I used 4 ... we like it really veggie)
3 medium carrots, finely chopped (I don't peel them though you can)
1 cup finely chopped onions
1/2-cup flour (can use cornstarch or sauce thickener if you prefer)
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used leftover rotisserie chicken)
1/2-cup frozen peas, thawed (think I used a full cup worth)
1 teaspoon thyme (will make it scant next time, a bit too much this time)
1 teaspoon salt (will omit this next time ... it was a bit too salty for us)
1/2-teaspoon pepper
biscuits for topping (original recipe uses a pie crust ... these were on hand)

Preheat oven to 400-degrees F.  Heat butter in a large skillet over med-high heat.  Add carrots, celery, onion and cook, stirring often until tender (about 8 minutes).  Add flour, stir until smooth (since I used a sauce thickener, I waited to add toward the end).  Add chicken broth and granules, bring to a boil, stirring constantly.   Reduce heat and stir in cream.  (This is where I added the sauce thickener) Cook stirring often until thickened.  Add chicken, thawed peas and seasonings.

Pour mixture into a 9x13-inch pan coated with cooking spray (original recipe suggested using a deep-dish pie pan).  Top with either the biscuits (I cut them in half, makes serving it easier) or the pie crust. 

Bake 30 minutes or until topping is lightly browned and filling is bubbling.  

Cool 10 minutes or so before eating ... we couldn't wait that long!!

Apple-Ginger Jam

Taking advantage of all the wonderful apples grown here in the local area

and making apple-ginger jam.

Really easy ....

wash, peel and shred 3-pounds of apples (about 1.5 kg)

add 2 teaspoons ground ginger (the dry spice)

add in the appropriate amount of sugar and pectin

(I'm not providing the amounts in this posting ..

German stores sell the sugar-pectin mixture the recipe I use specifies ...

you can check with your local farm bureau or 

canning advice service to get the recommended amounts .... 

I don't want give you the wrong amounts and

have you end up getting sick ... that would be BAD!!!)

Let apple-ginger-sugar-pectin mixture sit in the refrigerator 24 hours

Pour mixture into a pan and bring to a slow boil

(keep stirring to keep it from burning),

cook for 5-10 minutes until a cooled sample is gelatinous

(I put a small spoon of it on a plate, blow on it to cool it and tilt the plate)

Once it is gelatinous, scoop into canning jars -

Clean off the rims and screw the lids on.

Flip upside down and let cool.

You will hear the lid "Pop" when it seals.

You can keep this on a shelf in a cool area for 3-6 months

(we're doing good if it lasts 2 months).

Don't need to pressure seal or boiling water process this (good deal!!) 

Here's some I made a few days ago (sorry about the fuzzy photo)

We'll be able to enjoy the flavor of fall well into Winter ... Yumm!!

Holly

Sharing a new self-indulgence!

I found a new self-indulgence the last week at a local market!  DH won't touch it (not something he enjoys in the slightest) ... so it's all mine ... mine....mine!!

The flavor is blood-orange & pomegranate.  It is fabulous!!  And reasonably priced.  I could enjoy it morning, noon and night (I know, cliche to the max) ... but I love the taste and since we left Sicily, there isn't gelato readily found. 

This works!!

What is your favorite indulgence? 
Holly

Cuban Picadillo - cheater's style

Had this in a restaurant long ago .... had my doubts while reading the menu ... a main dish that combines beef and cinnamon?  But I gave it a try and it was really good.  
Later I found this recipe in a magazine I read occasionally ... must have been fate!

This tends to be our "emergency meal" for the nights we are both tired from work and didn't start anything before heading off to work.  
Both DH and I really like this ... as you can probably tell from the LARGE jar of olives! 

Cheater's Picadillo


1-lb package of lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped -  about 1 cup
1/2-teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 jar (16-oz) corn and black bean salsa
1/2-cup golden raisins (brown raisins work, but they can look like bugs)
1/4-cup drained pimento-stuffed Spanish olives, stuffed

In a large, non-stick skillet, cook beef and onions over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned and onion is soft.  
Stir in cinnamon so it flavours all the beef.
Add salsa, raisins, olives and 1/2-teaspoon salt.
Cook stirring occasionally until heated through.
Serve over cooked rice or quinoa.
Chopped cilantro can be sprinkled over the top, if you have any. 

I keep mis-placing the recipe ... decided if I saved it here, I could always find it again!
Enjoy!

super-easy chicken wings

It's Superbowl Sunday for American football .... time to settle in and watch the 49ers and the Ravens battle for supremacy.  It is a time to gather with friends, cheer on your team and eat!

This is my go-to recipe for wings...

You will need:
bag of chicken wings
bottle of barbeque sauce (I personally prefer one with molasses)
bottle of hot sauce (tabasco, texas pete, buffalo wing -- whatever)

Boil however many of the wings you want in a pan of water until they are cooked (I usually set them cooking and fix other dishes .. so not a clue how long they generally cook).
Drain off the water.
Mix the bottle of barbeque sauce with however much hot sauce until it has the spiciness you prefer (we like it spicy so we generally use a about half of a large bottle of tabasco sauce).
Pour the sauce mixture over the cooked wings.

You either cook the wings now or let them set for a while ... either way works.

Line a shallow pan with foil (believe me, you don't want to try and clean the pan .... been there, done that ... I ended up tossing the pan) and spread out the wings and the sauce in the pan.

Put n the oven at about 350 - 375 degrees F and let cook until the skin is cooked to your liking.
I like my wings crispier than DH does so we pull out his share and then put the ones for me back in the oven to finish crisping up the skin.

Yum! 

Happy New Year 2013!

Welcome to another year!   I had to work yesterday (ugh!) but we spent part of the evening at one friend's home watching movies and having dinner ... then we all went to another friend's home for more food ...a  bonfire and to set off some fireworks.
Left just before midnight to go to the top of a hill near-by to watch the surrounding towns set off their fireworks ... don't know how well my camera picked up the pictures... new camera - still playing with how it works.  A friend got a video ... if I can figure out how to copy his video on Facebook, I'll post it.

Our oven is out... so we are doing a lot of crock-pot and top of the stove meals...

Tried this the other day ... really good and simple to toss together.

Fantastic Pork Tenderloin

2-lb pork tenderloin
1-envelope of dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3/4-cup red wine
3 TB minced garlic
3 TB soy sauce
fresh grd pepper to taste

Put tenderloin in a slow cooker with the soup mix.  Pour water, wine and soy sauce over the pork and turn the meat so that it is coated on all sides.  Spread garlic over the top of the meat ... you want to have the garlic on top of the meat while it is cooking.  Sprinkle with pepper, cover and cook on low for about 4 hours.  Once done, the cooking liquid can be served as au jus. 

We had baked potatoes topped with au jus. 

Good stuff!!

What I made for dinner the other night

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

serves 6, prep 10 minutes, cook 40 minutes adapted from Chicken Pot Pie

• 1/2 cup butter
• 8 oz mushroom, sliced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups milk
• 3 cups cooked chicken meat (usually leftover rotassire chicken I put in the freezer)
• 1/2 cup frozen crinkle cut carrots (I just sliced up a few carrots)
• 1/4 cup frozen green beans
• 1/4 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup frozen corn kernels (tossed in a whole can that was on the shelf)
• salt and pepper

1. Melt butter in a large soup pot.  Add mushrooms a handful at a time, lightly browning each batch then pushing them to the sides and adding the next handful to the center.
2. With the last batch of mushrooms, add onion and garlic.
3. Saute mixture until onion and garlic are soft. Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture.  Stir and cook several minutes until flour is golden.
4. Add chicken stock and milk and heat to a boil.
5. Simmer soup, stirring frequently until thickened.
6. Add chicken and frozen vegetables, heat soup until hot, stirring occasionally.
7. Salt and pepper to taste, serve over a scoop of mashed potatoes.

Serve with biscuits, pie crust, puff pastry, a bread bowl or over baked potatoes instead of mashed.  If you store or freeze the soup, store separately from the mashed potatoes.  Otherwise, when the soup is reheated,  the potatoes will melt and adversely affect the texture.

I generally have to add extra stock and milk ...otherwise it comes out more like a potpie filling for me.

Not a clue where I got this from ... have had it forever.

Easy Peasy Turkey dinner tonight

It's hot here .... too hot to be in the kitchen for long.

Tried out a recipe that a friend shared a couple years ago (yup ... it's been hangin out that long waiting to be tried) ... it's a keeper!

Turkey breast
1 package of onion soup mix
1 can cranberry sauce (I used whole-berry, but you can used jellied too)

Put the thawed turkey breast in a slow cooker.
Mix the sauce and the soup mix together and spread over the  turkey.
Cook on high for an hour or two -- then on low for 4 to 6 hours.
Baste occasionally.

Can thicken the juices with cornstarch ... we just drizzled some over the turkey slices.

Made up some top-of-the-stove stuffing mix to go along with the turkey, and added some fresh nectarines from the market.   Works for us...plus there's turkey to make into sandwiches for work tomorrow.

easy-peasy hummus and pita chips

Not a clue where I picked up this recipe, I've tried a bunch over the years since living in Bahrain.
Have made this recipe a few times .... and I think it's wonderful!!  It's a keeper in my house!
Dip can be made and refrigerated 5-days ahead and the chips can be kept in a resealable bag for about a week.    Neither one lasts that long in our home.
This is one of the things I'm taking this to a friend's home for a Christmas day potluck. 

Dip:
1 lemon
1 (15-oz) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4-cup tahini
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teas. vegetable oil
1/2-teas. ground cumin
1/8-teas. cayenne pepper
1/4-teas. salt
1/4-cup water
olive oil and chopped parsley for garnish

Pita chips:
6 pita bread rounds
1/4-cup olive oil
garlic salt (I generally use a little garlic powder and kosher salt ...salt is a must, the chips are really bland without some type of salt)
pepper
2 TB dried herbs such as basil or oregano (my personal favorite is basil)

To make the dip:
Squeeze the lemon and put 1/4-cup of the  juice into a blender or food processor.  Use any leftover juice however you please.

Add everything else other than the garnish ingredients in with the lemon juice and process until smooth; pausing when necessary to scrape down the sides with a spatula.

Put the hummus in a small bowl or shallow platter and drizzle with oilive oil.  Sprinkle with parsley.  It can sit at room temperature for up to four hours.

To make the chips:
Heat oven to 400-degrees.

Cut the pita rounds into 6-wedges and then separate each wedges into two pieces.
Can use small cookie cutters instead of cutting into wedges if you want the chips to be fancy.

Arrange the pita pieces on two baking sheets.  Brush the tops with olive oil, then sprinke with some garlic salt, pepper and dried herbs.

Bake the chips for about 7-minutes or until lightly browned.  Rotating trays halfway through the baking.
Cool the chips.

Leftover chips can be stored for up to a week in a resealable bag (ours never last that long). 

Carribean Chicken Jerk Wraps

Found this recipe a few months ago on scribbit.blogspot.com (it was posted in July 2010).... finally tried it out this weekend.
We'll be making it again.
Skipped investing in either the nuts or the mint this time (thought about it until I saw what the store wanted for each) ... maybe next time. 
The store only had marinade --so it was probably spicier than if we used the jerk sauce.

salt to taste (I didn't use any)
1/2-teas. cinnamon
1/2-teas. allspice
1/3-cup jerk sauce (liquid, not the dry spice)
1-1/2 lbs. of chicken, cooked and shredded (we had some leftover grilled chicken)
2-cups cooked rice
3/4-cup pineapple (the original post said fresh, I used canned crushed, well drained)
1/4-cup chopped macademia nuts (didn't have any, maybe next time)
3-TB. chopped fresh mint (skipped this time)
2-teas. lime juice (I just sprinkle a few drops of lime juice on each wrap as I made it)
4   10-inch flour tortillas for wraps

In a bowl mix the spices and jerk sauce together.
Warm the tortllas and spread the spiced jerk sauce evenly on each.
Top with warm cooked rice, warm shredded chicken.
Top with nuts, mint, lime juice.
Roll up like a burrito and serve immediately.

Holly's notes:
Our tortillas fell apart as we were eating them ...next time I think I'll put the sauce on top of the rice or heat the shredded chicken in it.
Makes a quick, filling meal that tastes great.
Since I could only find marinade -- the sauce was probably spicier than regular jerk sauce.

Lemon Doodle Cookies

Recipe By : Land O Lakes Cookie Collection


Serving Size : 48


2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup coconut flakes
1 cup butter -- softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon peel -- grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixer bowl, combine all ingredients.
Beat at low speed, scraping the bowl often, for 2 to 4 minutes until well mixed.
Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.
Remove from the pans immediately.


Holly's notes: I got this recipe from an E-friend in one of my Email groups.
I made these last Sunday ... and they didn't last long at all.
Keep an eye on them in the oven - they cook quick!
Especially if you make smaller ones like I did for the second batch.
I also greased the cookie sheets after the first batch ...made it a bit easier to remove the cookies.

Really good Orange Cake

Made this cake from the new

Debbie Macomber Cedar Cove Cookbook ....it's wonderful!

Her recipe suggests topping it with a fresh orange juice-powder sugar glaze ....but I think it's perfect without a glaze.  

Goes together quickly, not a lot of ingredients ....

longest hands-on part was beating the egg whites -

even that didn't take very long.

This one won't last long in our house! 

Will be making it often .. while orange season lasts.

Dinner - Enchiladas and Rainbow Jello

Dinner last night was Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas and Rainbow Jello. Had the enchilada recipe for several years and never tried it out (am finally purging my recipe folders) ...these are both keepers!
The Rainbow Jello is from Funky Polkadot Giraffe - I posted it the other day.



Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Jar of Tomatillo (green) salsa (original recipe included how to make this)

12 corn tortillas

2 TB vegetable oil

3 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used some rotissarie chicken we had)

1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1-1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 teas salt (I left this out since I used jarred salsa)

Lightly brush both sides of the tortillas with oil and stack them by 2's on a cookie sheet.

Heat in a 375-degree oven until soft and pliable ... about 3 or 4  minutes.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, half of each cheese, onion and salt.

Add 1/2-cup of the salsa to chicken  mix and toss to combine.

Put a third of the salsa left on the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish.

   Put 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in each tortilla and roll up.

Put each filled tortilla seam down in the baking dish.

Pour the rest of the salsa over enchiladas and top with rest of  cheeses.

Bake the enchiladas until the enchiladas are heated through and the cheeses are bubbly and beginning to brown ... mine took about 35 minutes.

We had the leftovers of the rainbow jello I took to my volunteer luncheon.