An Cooking

Once you or your children try this,  itll be their and your ultimate favorite comfort dessert...

Servings: (2)
Prep: 3 Mins.

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

1 (15 oz. can) pear halves in light syrup, drained (reserving syrup)
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
4 tablespoons reserved syrup, more or less
2 teaspoons mayonnaise

--2 whole maraschino cherries, with stems on (optional)

METHOD

Set out 2 serving bowls to be filled.

In small bowl, mix the cottage cheese with the reserved light syrup and mayonnaise. Spoon mixture equally among both serving bowls.

Cut four or six pear halves lengthwise into quarters, and fan out as in photograph in each of the 2 bowls atop the cottage cheese mixture. Top each center with a maraschino cherry, and serve. – Enjoy!

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Tip: This recipe works well using alternative canned fruits such as peaches, fruit cocktail, etc., which kids love ~ The addition of mayonnaise was my bother Larrys idea ~ It works!

What a special treat that is so quick to prepare, a must when you have fresh Alaskan king crab...

(Serves 2 as an entree,
or 4 as a sidedish)

Posted: by Sandra
Prep: 15 min |
Cook time 20 min

INGREDIENTS

***Crab mixture
· ½ lb. king crab meat
· 1/4 cup mayonnaise
· 1/4 cup sour cream
· ½ teaspoon lemon juice
· ½ teaspoon worcestershire sauce
· ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
· 1/8 teaspoon curry powder
· ¼ teaspoon each:
--Old bay seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder
· Kosher & freshly ground pepper to taste

***Cheddar cheese sauce
· 1-1/2 tablespoons butter
· 1-1/2 tablespoons flour
· Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
· 3/4 cup milk
· 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese; grated
· 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (beautifully enhances ‘yellow’ color)
· 4 slices of quality bread
· Olive oil (for brushing the bread before toasting)
· 4 bacon slices, cut in half, and cooked
· 1 tomato, thinly sliced (placed on top after cooking, but before cheese sauce)

***Garnish options
· paprika
· 1 chives (or green onions), chopped

METHOD

Preheat the over to 300 degrees. Cook the bacon then set aside on paper towel. In a medium bowl whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, worcestershire, dijon, and curry powder together, and then fold in the crabmeat; set aside.

Scantly brush the bread with olive oil and ‘lightly’ toast in toaster (to prevent getting soggy in the oven), and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Layer each with two ½-slices of bacon, and generously place crabmeat mixture over the bacon. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and seasonings and let the ‘flour flavor’ cook out for a couple of minutes; gradually adding the milk and heat (do not boil), whisking constantly until well blended. Turn heat off and add the cheese and tumeric, blending until smooth.

Remove bread with crab and bacon from oven; placing two apiece on each serving plate, place a slices of tomato on top, covering with cheese sauce, and garnish with paprika, and chives. Serve hot. ~ Enjoy!

I often find that I have an abundance of herbs at times, and here is a quick method of freezing some of them so you have use of your herbs year round...

Posted: by Sandra

This is so rewarding...

I often have to go to the market for just one herb while cooking a particular recipe. Further, I tend to never use all the herbs I purchase or grow, so this is the best method I found to preserve herbs is by freezing them.

Choose the best and healthiest, leaves, sprigs, or shoots of herbs: basil, parsley, thyme, chives, rosemary, etc., (See below).

Wash, and spin dry fresh herbs (or pat dry with paper towels).

Spread them out in one layer on a parchment paper (or wax paper) lined baking sheet. Flash freezing them flat and individually will prevent them from melding together later on.

Cover and place the cookie sheet of herbs into the freezer and freeze solid for a minimum of 24 hours.

Meanwhile, mark small Zip Lock bags with date/name of herb/amount/expiration date = up to 6 mos. When frozen, measure and place ¼ cup into individual bags, and to freezer.

If you freeze quite a few herbs, it may be easier to find them in your freezer if you store the individual packages of the same herb together in one large container.

[Be aware that when herbs are frozen, they become limp, lose their color and are best used in cooked foods, dressing, sauces, pesto, salsa, etc., although not as a garnish for instance.]

BASIL a natural snipped in with tomatoes; terrific in fresh pesto; other possibilities include pasta sauce, peas, zucchini, Italian toppings for brochettes

CHIVES dips, potatoes, tomatoes

CILANTRO Mexican, Asian and Caribbean cooking; salsas, tomatoes, salads, dips

DILL carrots, cottage cheese, fish, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, dips

MINT carrots, fruit salads, parsley, peas, tabouli, tea, parfaits, desserts, drinks, garnish

OREGANO peppers, tomatoes, sauces, stews

PARSLEY The curly leaf is the most common, but the flat leaf or Italian parsley is more strongly flavored and often preferred for cooking. Naturals for parsley include potato salad, tabouli, green salads, sauces, soups, and stews, to mention a few

ROSEMARY chicken, fish, lamb, pork, roasted potatoes, soups, stews, tomatoes

SAGE poultry seasoning, stuffings

TARRAGON chicken, eggs, fish, salad dressings

THYME eggs, lima beans, potatoes, poultry, summer squash, tomatoes

WINTER SAVORY dried bean dishes, stews

I created this recipe inspired by a pizza I ate at a local eatery while attending a conference in the San Francisco Bay Area...

Servings: (6 to 8)
Prep: 20 mins. |
Baking: 25 mins. total + rising time

Posted by Sandra

INGREDIENTS:

***Dough:
1-1/2 cups warm water
½ teaspoon sugar
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
3-1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out dough
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more in other steps
1 teaspoon cornmeal

***Sauce:
1 lb. ground moose/venison/beef/buffalo/chicken/turkey burger
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with zesty mild green chilies, undrained
1 cup of picante salsa (or make this: Homemade Mexican Salsa)

***Toppings:
1 (14.5 oz.) can of refried beans
1 (2.25 oz.) can of sliced black olives
2 cups of mexican-blend cheese, shredded

***Garnish options:
1 roma tomato, de-seeded and chopped
1 cup shredded lettuce
¼ cup mexican blend cheese, shredded
1 green onion, finely sliced
2 tablespoons nacho cheese chips, finely crumbled
taco sauce

METHOD:

***Prepare the dough:
In the bowl of standing mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine warm water, sugar and yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes until yeast blooms. Add flour, kosher salt, and olive oil. Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes, just until the dough is smooth elastic. Spray a medium-size bowl with oil, and place the ball of dough in it, rubbing it around in oil, and then flip over and cover with a clean towel. Place bowl of dough in a warm place until it has doubled in volume, about 1 hr., and place dough on floured surface and roll out into a 12” round, building up the outer edge slightly. Transfer to an oiled pizza pan that has been slightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Brush the entire top and outer edge of unbaked crust with olive oil. Par-bake the crust in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside.

***Prepare the sauce:
Meanwhile, heat a medium-size skillet over medium heat, add the moose/venison burger, onion and saute until burger is browned. Add the garlic, and taco seasoning. Stir in the diced tomatoes with zesty mild green chilies, and picante salsa, and then simmer until sauce is reduced and mixture thickens, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and let cool to room temperature before spreading on pizza crust.

***Prepare the toppings:
Spread with a spatula the refried beans over crust. Ladle the sauce evenly over the pizza to within ½” of edge. Sprinkle with the sliced black olives, and shredded mexican-blend cheese. Place pizza on middle rack in oven, and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Remove and sprinkle with garnish ingredients in the order listed - Enjoy!

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Life just doesnt get any better than when youre eating these tasty steamer clams and sopping up the flavorful sauce with warm crusty bread...

Serves: (4)
Prep Time: 10 min |
Cook Time: 10 min.

Posted: by Sandra

INGREDIENTS

***Steamer Clams:
3 lbs. live steamer clams, cleaned and scrubbed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
½ medium onion, cut into quarters and julienned
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup good white wine, I used Pinot Grigio
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped (or ½ teaspoon dried)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

***Garnish:
1 green onion, chopped
Fresh parsley, chopped
Fresh lemon wedges

--Warm, crusty bread slices for sopping up sauce

METHOD

Place a steam-insert into a large pot, and add water so it is just below it and heat to boiling (this is to let any remaining sand fall to the bottom of pot, not in your sauce).

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet to medium-high, add olive oil and butter until melted, toss in onions; cooking just a few minutes until translucent, add the garlic and cook 30 seconds longer. Add the white wine (remove from heat source beforehand if using gas burners to prevent flare up). Add the basil, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper; turn heat down to warm.

Reduce heat under large pot to medium-high. Place the steamer clams inside of insert and cook with lid on for about 4 minutes. Remove lid from pot and most steamer clams should be open, and toss any that are not. Remove insert with clams and gently place clams into large skillet with sauce, spooning sauce over them to ensure flavors are distributed throughout, and cook for 1 minute.

Transfer clams with tongs into pasta-type serving bowls, pour sauce over them, garnish with green onions, sprinkle with fresh parsley, and place lemon wedges on the side, including crusty bread slices for dipping. ~ Enjoy!


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