Roasted Potatoes

Roasted Potatoes

 Served with baked chicken and baked asparagus


 2  large potatoes, salt, pepper, rosemary, olive oil, butter

 Wash potatoes and slice lengthwise in thirds.  No need to peel them, the best nutrients are in the skin of vegetables often.

 Cut the 2 smaller ends into 2 and the centers into 3 strips. Place onto a baking pan.
You now have perfect large wedge cut fries for roasting if you prefer.

     
chop into chunks,    salt,                     pepper,                   rosemary,           olive oil, and      2-3 tbsp butter.

Baked for 35-45 minutes  at 350 degrees F until brown and crisp outside and soft inside.

Why buy Kosher salt if you're not Jewish? or Popcorn salt if you don't eat popcorn?

Why buy Kosher salt if you're not Jewish?  and 
     Why buy Popcorn salt if you don't eat popcorn?

    Well this was a new one for me that I learned on accident.  I have been buying Kosher salt for years for the difference in taste and the larger crystals of salt that add some interest to some recipes. 

I recently purchased some popcorn salt by mistake.  I haven't actually ever bought it before, and was trying to just buy regular morton's table salt. 

Well, for starters, it is much, much smaller crystals that regular salt.  Don't do what I did and put it into your usual salt shaker as it will almost pour out-oops.  Luckily it wasn't done over what I was cooking so nothing was ruined. 

Courser larger crystals of salt in the Kosher salt are nice for adding on top of dishes last minute as they are being served where you want to taste the salt a bit. 

Regular table salt I use in quite a few recipes, disolves well, etc.

Popcorn salt is super fine powdered salt.  It adhears well to popcorn, fries, etc., and sticks well to the dishes.

NOTE:  A teaspoon of table salt contains more salt than a tablespoon of Kosher or sea salt.

Store now has 1000's of new items !

Store now has 1000's of new items !
Check it out, every spice, rare herbs and vegetables, vegan, kosher, ethnic specialties, and ready made treats.  You can get it all here.
I included some of my favorite cookbooks that I have used
and abused over the years with kitchen splatters-oops. 

Strawberry Ice Cream

 Strawberry Ice Cream


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cream
2 1/2 cups milk ( I use 2% fat)
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 pint strawberries-remove tops, and slice and chop into small pieces- 2 cups
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice

Instructions Mix the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small bowl. Use a fork to squish the berries, and allow the berries to macerate for 30 minutes. Stir in the cream and milk. Add the maserated strawberry mixture. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to instructions.

Pork Botana, soft and crunchy tacos

 Pork Botana Tacos, with pork shoulder
 I served the pork as homemade tacos including lime, Roma tomatoes, lettuce, cheddar cheese and a new way to make your tortillas both soft and crunchy and lower calorie at the same time.
Playing with garam masala spice again. :)/ Also found a new way to have fried shells without the frying.
I am making my usual pork botana, but added garam masala, smells yummy.
Botana is basically a braised pork and then it is baked on high heat for a few to crisp up some of the edges. I'm serving with lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream, and lime as pork tacos.

 

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pound pork shoulder (can be made with pork loin, but shoulder holds up to the oven baking at the end better. Besides, you remove the extra fat at the end anyway, so why not get some of the flavor
• 1-lime
• 2 Roma tomatoes
• lettuce
• cheddar cheese-1-2 cups 
• tortillas-a new way to make your tortillas
• 2 Bay leaves
• 4-7 cups of chicken broth-enough to cover roast in liquid (Note: some stock powers contain msg)2 tbsp onion flake
• 1 tbsp coriander
• l tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp garam marsala
• 1-4 ounce can of diced green peppers

 This is a large spice ball. I use it for bay leaves and other whole spices.  That way you get the flavor and don't have to fish them out of the broth.

    

Add 4 cups of the chicken stock and the herbs and herb ball, all the pork, and enough extra stock to almost cover the pork. Cover and bring to a lower boil, simmer.  Simmer for 3-3 1/2 hours until meat easily pulls apart. 

                            
Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the braising liquid         Discard the fat.
onto a baking pan.  Use a fork the pull the meat apart a little, and
remove the fat.

  Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees, and bake for 25 minutes.
While the meat is cooking, prepare and place the tortillas in the oven to crisp.

   
I found a new way to "fry" my tortillas. For years it's been, what do we want, soft
tacos or crisp? and had to decide. This is cool as it's both.

Brush both sides of your tortilla (flour shown), and place into a taco holder (oven safe holder) and bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  They end up soft taco like on the bottom, and crispy along the tops, a super nice compromise, gets you both tastes.

   
Cheddar Cheese,    Limes,           Roma Tomatoes,  Sour Cream with Pepper and Dill

 Lettuce or cabbage adds a nice green too.  

Pork Botana                                                                                 Finished Botana tacos.

Taco Bar 

Strawberry Creme Brulee

Strawberry Creme Brulee

Makes 6 creme brulee

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks

6 tbsp granulated white sugar

1 cup large bite size strawberry pieces

2 cups whipping cream

1/3 cup brown sugar

To Prepare:  Beat the egg yolks in a Kitchen aid mixer, or mixing bowl.  Mix them on high for 5 minutes, until thick and lemon colored.  Slowly mix in the granulated white sugar.  Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat just until hot.    Stir in 1/2 of the cream into the eggyolk mixture. Mix well, and then add the eggyolk and 1/2 the cream mixture into the remaining cream in the saucepan.  Cook over low heat stirring constantly for 6-8 minutes until it thickens. 

Pour into a large measuring cup.  Take your ramekins, or brulee dishes, and pour a small amount of the liquid into the botttoms, add some chunks of the fruit,

 and then pour the remaining liquid over the begun dishes, trying to cover all the strawberries with the cream. 

 Place into the refrigerator for 2 hours-no more than 24 hours-until firm.  Divide the brown sugar into 6 portions, and spread onto the tops of each of the set brulees. 

 You can then use a torch to crisp the sugar and form a crust.  You can also do so for just a few minutes under the broiler on Low.  Don't overcook, or it'll be delicious soup.

                                                     

Call your mom, ya slackers!, jk

 Remember to call your mom today and make her smile.  If you cook, and I hope you all do, try an easy recipe here, and surprise her today.

Peanut Butter Nut Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp of nutmeg (freshly grated is best)

1 cup of butter

l cup chunky peanut butter

l cup brown sugar

3/4 cup of white granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups (1 1/2 cups before chopping) deluxe mixed nuts, or specialty nuts of your choice

1/4 cup additional white sugar for rolling cookies in before baking.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together the flour, nutmeg, and baking powder, set aside.

In another mixing bowl, or your kitchen Aid mixer, mix together the butter and sugars until smooth and creamy. Add eggs in one at a time, mixing after each addition. On a low speed, slowly add the flour mixture. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place ball into the 1/4 cup of sugar reserved, and roll them around covering all sides. Place on a baking sheet 2 inches apart. Next get a small bowl of water, and a fork. You are to place the fork in water and press the cookies out flat. Then back into the water with the fork and press the other direction. Continue with all the cookies the same way. Right before you bake them, take any remaining sugar and sprinkle a pinch of sugar on the tops. Bake for 22 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a rack and enjoy. These are my favorite peanut butter cookies, been working on them for years, finally totally happy with them.

Chocolate Chip cookies

These are my husband's favorite.


Chocolate Chip Cookies with walnuts

Ingredients for a double batch (cook one, and throw one in the freezer for another day)

4 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

2 cups low calorie margarine (4 sticks)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

4 cups chocolate chips

2 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped

4 eggs

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, mix a little, and set aside. Blend in a kitchen aid if at all possible. Add margarine, vanilla, almond extract, and sugars. Blend well, then add eggs in one at a time. Slow down your mixer and begin to add the flour mixture in l/2 cup at a time until completely blended. Then using your stir setting, or simply stir in the chocolate chips and the walnuts. By the way, no need to chop your walnuts if the pieces are too large, as the beater will do this for you.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-17 minutes for large cookies, smaller cookies bake for 9-12 minutes.