Recipes Below the Pictures

Scenes from our backyard: Rosemary blooming

Scenes from our backyard: Rosemary blooming

Scenes from our backyard: Strawberry blossoms

Scenes from our backyard: Grapes

Sorry Behind of the Posts

It was my birthday this weekend so I didn't get a chance to do much in the way of cooking. I did however get a new camera and will be posting a bunch of new pictures. This camera is just one I wanted to carry around to take with me wherever. It is a Cannon A1000 IS. I'll be getting those up in a few minutes.

We're going to be cooking this week so look for new recipes. I'm working on some heart healthy recipes. I was on the American Heart Association site and decided to take their 2-week challenge. Unfortunately I didn't see the 2-week challenge menu selection on the site so I made one up. I'm hoping to use a few of their recipes with my own little taste changes. It'll be fun to see what I come up with.

Check out my new Associate Content article on Transporter 3.

Movie Review: Transporter 3
Transporter 3, now in DVD, offers a fast paced action packed thriller that has some pitfalls.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1578890/movie_review_transporter_3.html

Lifetime sets Nora Roberts Books to Film

Northern Lights the first of four new Lifetime Movies featuring Nora Roberts romance books will play on Saturday March 21 at 9 p.m. Country Star LeAnn Rimes will play the lead actress role. I can't wait.

Nora Roberts Midnight Bayou on Lifetime

Lifetime will present Midnight Bayou on March 28 at 9 p.m.

Nora Robert's High Noon on Lifetime.

Grab the popcorn Nora Roberts' High Noon will be on Lifetime April 4 at 9 p.m.

New Nora Roberts Movies on Lifetime

"Tribute" Plays April 11

Planting Roses in the Garden

Spring planting time is here. Check out my Associated Content story on how to plant roses in the garden for the Novice Gardener. Click here for more details.

Ravens or Crows?

What is your guess? Are these just very large crows or are the ravens.
We have both in our area.

Quick and Easy Fried French Toast

Ingredients:
8 slices of white bread
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 c. milk
1 teaspoon French vanilla
4-6 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
Maple syrup
Powdered Confectioner Sugar

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients. Blend milk and eggs together and then mix with dry ingredients. Heat oil in heavy frying pan. Dip bread in mixture and brown. Bread will swell to a larger size.

Corn Beef and Cabbage in slow cooker

Ingredients:
1 corned beef brisket, about 4 pounds
3 cups apple juice
1-1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
8 small red potatoes
3 medium carrots, pared and cut into chunks
1 large onion, peeled and cut into eighths
1/2 head cabbage, cut into chunks
dash allspice
3 whole cloves

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a large slow cooker (cut meat in half if necessary). Stir gently to mix. Cook on High for 4 to 5 hours.

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Soda Bread is a pretty standard recipe and always a fav in my family this type of year. The only way I can describe it is a cross between raisin bread and rye bread.

Ingredients:
4 cups presifted flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tbsp no salt butter
1 cup raisins and dried cherries
1 egg
2 cups buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda.

Add cold butter into flour mixture, then stir in raisins and cherries. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add beaten egg and buttermilk and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir. Gently knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. You may need a little more flour if the dough is sticky. Remember don't over do on the flour or the bread will come out heavy. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf.

Place dough into a large, lightly greased a baking sheet. Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about 1/2'' deep in an "X" shape. Bake for about 35 minutes or until bread is golden brown.

Beef and Bean Tortilla Bake

This is one of those recipes that is oh so bad for you, especially if you are on a low salt diet. I'm not a diet guru so I have no idea what the savings on salt will be with the modifications I have made to this dish, but I think they will be significant. The original recipe called for canned tomatoes and vegetables, pre-packaged taco spices, and a few other no-nos. I did keep in the taco sauce, which is probably really bad, but some things just can't be changed. If you have any other ideas to help reduce the salt I'd love to hear them. This is a family fav, which can't be made too often.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1 tablespoon dried herbs, savory, basil, oregano, thyme
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon crush chili pepper
2 teaspoon crushed garlic
5 tomatoes peeled and finely chopped with seeds and liquid
1 bottle of taco sauce, plus ½ cup water
2 cans 15 oz. low salt black beans rinsed, drained
1 ½ cup corn (frozen or canned)
1 small package of tortillas, (about 6 or 7) torn into medium pieces
2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven at 350º.

Coat a large skillet with olive oil, add onion and cook until soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add ground beef, spices and garlic until meat is browned.

Mix the taco sauce and water together and add to skillet along with the tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then add black beans* and corn.

Using a 13 x 9 inch pot add coat bottom of pan with a layer of beef. Then lay half of the tortilla pieces over the beef, add a layer of cheese and then spread the remaining beef in another layer, the rest of the tortilla pieces over the beef and then top with cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream.

My recipes on my Associated Content page

Looking for more recipes?

Check out these links with some of my recipe articles listed on Associated Content:
Elegant Easter Dinners
St. Patrick's Day Favorites
Spring recipes for fun
Celebrate Mardi Gras all year long


Tell All your friends where to find some great recipes.

Simple Southwestern Green Salad

Oops! Forgot to take the picture. I'm always looking for variations for salad because let's face it salad can be really boring, but really good for us. I made this one and served some pork along with it. It was a nice combo.

Ingredients:
1 bag of mixed greens
2 cups frozen yellow corn, thrawed
½ oz cheddar cheese, diced
1 medium sweet red pepper, diced
2 medium scallions, chopped
1 chopped jalapeno pepper
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine garlic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash
1 1/2 tablespoon cilantro, minced
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions:
Combine bag of greens, corn, cheese scallion and both kinds of peppers.

In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients for dressing. Pour over salad, and toss well.

Indian style shrimp

This dish may not have looked so great, but it smelled incredible and tasted pretty good too.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash or salt substitute
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 medium squash, acorn or zucchini chopped
nonstick cooking spray
3 medium shallots, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned
Cooked couscous or rice if you wish (follow package directions)

Instructions:
Mix together spices and vinegar. Set aside. In a large saucepan spray nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until translucent. Do not let the garlic brown.

Add the prepared spices and vinegar mixture and cook, stirring constantly, for 15 seconds.

Add the squash cook while stirring the mixture together to get the squash well coated. This should take just a few seconds. Then add in the broth and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the shrimp. Cover again and cook about 3 minutes.

Serve over cooked coucous.

Chicken Stew with an Island Flare

Ingredients:
3 lbs. chicken thighs
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoon ginger powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 shallots, minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon mixed seasonings (ie: Italian, Greek which ever is your favorite)
1 onion, thickly sliced
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 8 oz. can pineapple chucks in light juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 red bell pepper
2 cups frozen peas

Directions:
Mix soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, shallots, red pepper flakes and seasoning. Place chicken in a slow cooker and pour soy sauce and seasoning mixture on top. Add onions and broth and cook for about 4 to 5 hours on high and 10 hours on low.

When chicken is completed remove just the chicken from the slow cooker, leaving all of the juices. Mix pineapple juice, hold back pineapples for now, with cornstarch and red wine vinegar. Stir cornstarch and vinegar into the slow cooker with remaining juices. Add bell pepper and peas. Cover and cook on high until boiling, about 15 minutes. Add chicken back to slow cooker and mix thoroughly.

Serve with rice.

Recipe: Bagel Casserole

Every Sunday morning I like to cook the family something different for breakfast. Usually it is some odd dish. Here is something I saw a picture of but didn't have a recipe so came up with idea for myself. All I knew was that it had bagels, eggs and bacon. It seemed pretty simple to figure out what would go along with it. It didn't turn out half bad. Although my picture looks nothing like the one I found.


Ingredients:
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 plain bagels
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
12 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
Sprinkle of garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cook bacon and onion in a large frying pan and cook until brown. Slice each bagel into four thin slices. Cover the bottom of a 9x13 greased pan with bagel slices. Cover with the bacon and onion mixture, followed by the Cheddar cheese. Top with remaining bagel slices.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, Italian seasoning, garlic salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the bagel layers. Cover, and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake egg and bagel mixture 25 to 30 minutes, or until eggs are firm. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve warm.

Asparagus, Corn and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:
½ pound fresh asparagus spears
2 tomatoes, chopped
1//2 pound small red potatoes
1 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons of Hollandaise Sauce (packaged or canned)

Directions:
Boil the red tomatoes. Boil water in a kettle. In a large pot place trimmed asparagus. Take boiling water and pour over to the top asparagus and simmer for about 12 minutes.

Remove the asparagus spears and run cold water over them. Drain and set aside.

In a large bowl place the asparagus, potatoes, corn and tomatoes and mix together.

Pour Hollandaise sauce over top. Chill and serve ad desired.

Recipe: Yorkshire Pudding

Yorkshire Pudding
Yorkshire Pudding was one of those things I heard so much about but I never knew what was, so I decided to make it just to see what the big deal was. I found several recipes, which were all really exactly the same. There didn't seem to be any variation to the recipe and I cooked it up on Sunday afternoon. So here you have it. The name sounds very elegant and it will make a nice addition to a special meal.


Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup of milk
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup melted butter, or substitute drippings from beef

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 450˙.

Beat the eggs with a whisk with milk flour, and salt. Cover the batter with a towel and let it rest for a while to become bubbly.

Recipe: Capri Style Appetizers

Ingredients
1 loaf baguette
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Garlic salt
Italian seasoning
3 hot house tomatoes, sliced
1 1/4 pounds fresh mozzarella, sliced

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425˙ F.

Sliced baguette bread in 1/2 inch piece and place on a baking sheet. Brush slice with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake for about 5 minutes. Will be golden brown. Remove from the oven and place one slice of tomato and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Top each slice of tomato with a slice of mozzarella. Return the baking sheet to the oven until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Recipe: Avocado Salad

Ingredients
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup scallion (green onions)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian season
2 diced Hass avocados

Directions
Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, scallions, jalapeno peppers, and lime zest in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, and seasoning and pour over the vegetables. Mix together well. Fold avocados into the salad.

Recipe: Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I made this on Sunday morning for breakfast and realized at the last minute I was out of vanilla, so I made due with what I had. I added Rum Extract. It tasted pretty good. I might just do that all the time.

Ingredients:
Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cake:
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose sifted flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
In small mixing bowl, combine all the topping ingredients. Blend with fork until crumbly.

In another bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix together. In a medium bowl, beat together beaten egg and 3/4 cup sugar and 1/3 cup melted butter. Add milk and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture and mix well.

Pour batter into a greased 9-inch layer-cake pan. Sprinkle topping crumb mixture evenly over batter. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, or until cake tests done.

Recipe: Irish Lamb Stew with Root Vegetables

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 tablespoons flour
1 zip-lock plastic bag
2 cups leeks, sliced
1/2 cup flour
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup Guinness beer
3 cups beef stock
1 cup tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 pound baby carrots
4 medium red potatoes cut into 2-inch pieces
4 cloves of chopped garlic
1 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon each—thyme, rosemary, oregano

Directions
Place lamb in a zip-lock bag with 1 tablespoon of flour. Shake well. Add olive oil to coat bottom of frying pan then place on medium heat. Add lamb and cook until brown on all sides. Set lamb aside reserving as much oil and drippings as possible. Add leeks and sauté until soft. Add butter to leeks cook until melted. Add flour and mix well to make a roux sauce, turn heat down to low and cook for about 15 minutes. Add beer and mix well cook for 5 minutes.

Add meat, roux sauce and beef stock into crock-pot. Mix well. Add tomatoes, parsnips, carrots, potatoes, garlic, peas and spices. Mix well. Cook on crock-pot high temperature for four hours.

Serves: 6 to 8 servings

Recipe: Mixed Berry Fruit Smoothies

Smoothies are great fun whether they are mixed with ice cream for a warm weather treat or protein powder for a breakfast on the go. Here’s our family’s favorite for anytime.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup orange juice (any fruit juice will do. Cranberry is another of our favs)
1 banana sliced
2/3 cup of frozen mixed berries fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.)
3 oz. vanilla yogurt

Directions:
Mix all ingredients into blender until smooth.

Recipe: Homemade BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:
2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 small finely chopped onion
1 can (5 1/2 oz size) tomato paste
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup catsup or 1 small can of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cooking molasses
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ cup apricot jam or preserves

Directions:
Sauté onion with non-stick cooking spray until just beginning to turn light brown. Add rest of ingredients; stir well to blend. Bring to a boil for just a few minutes and then cover and simmer for one hour. Stirring ever 10 minutes. Let cool and stir in apricot jam. Refrigerate overnight and your ready to spread on your favorite barbecue meats.

Recipe: Tex-Mex Enchiladas

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup sliced red onions
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 chopped jalapeno pepper
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper
8 (10-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups packaged dirty rice
1 cup sliced cheddar, plus 1 cup for topping
Chili verdi enchilada sauce
Red enchilada sauce

Directions:
Heat skillet on medium flame, add oil and saute onions. Once the onions are sauteed, add the garlic, cumin powder, hot sauce and beef. Saute until the beef is brown, then add the chopped cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lay out a tortilla, add a layer of dirty rice, beef, and cheddar. Roll up the tortilla and place in a casserole dish. Repeat process with the remaining tortillas. Once all the tortillas are stuffed and in the casserole dish, pour the tomato sauce over the top, and sprinkle the rest of the cheddar cheese over the sauce. Bake casserole for 20 to 30 minutes until heated through and the cheese is melted.

Recipe: Ratatouille a la Garlique

Some years back I had the opportunity to enter the Gilroy (California) Garlic Festival’s Cooking Contest with an old family favorite Ratatouille a la Garlic. At the time I didn’t quite remember the recipe and had to make my husband suffer as I spent months perfecting the recipe for the contest. The work paid off in the end and I had the chance to present my dish to the judges at the Festival and my dish will forever be immortalized in the pages of the Garlic Festival Cookbook.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 head of garlic, crushed and minced (remember this was the Garlic Festival)
1 large onion, chopped
2 large eggplants, cubed
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 small zucchini, chopped in large chunks
½ cup mushrooms
2 stalks of celery
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
2 springs fresh rosemary
5 to 6 leaves of fresh basil
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon c
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon cayenne
1-2 dashes of hot pepper sauce

Directions:
Add olive oil to large Dutch oven heat until hot. Add garlic and onion and sauté for 5 minutes until onion starts to tan. Add eggplant, bell peppers and cook for 10 minutes stirring frequently. Add zucchini, mushrooms and celery and sauté for 3 more minutes stirring frequently. Add tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients, cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until eggplant is tender.

Recipe: Simple King Cake

This recipe may not be authentic, but it is easy and fun to make during Mardi Gras.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 package (18.25 ounce size) yellow cake mix, batter prepared according to directions
1 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
Red, blue, yellow, and green food color (red and blue make purple)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9x13 inch baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Make cake batter as directed on box. Add lemon peel, nutmeg and gumdrop, and then bake in the prepared pan according to the cake directions.

Cool completely on a wire rack. In a small bowl, combine the confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and water until the mixture forms a creamy glaze.

Spread the glaze over the top of the cake. Place 1 tablespoon granulated sugar into each of 3 closeable plastic storage bags. Add 1 drop of red and 1 drop of blue food coloring to one bag to create purple sugar; mix well. Add 2 drops of yellow food coloring to another bag; mix well. Add 2 drops of green food coloring to the remaining bag; mix well. Sprinkle the colored sugars over the glaze to decorate as desired.