Liz's Jello Salad

1 (6 oz.) box lemon Jello
1/2 c. hot water
1 (8 oz.) carton whipped topping
3/4 c. grated Cheddar cheese
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, not drained
3/4 c. Miracle Whip salad dressing

 

Dissolve Jello in hot water. Mix in in all other ingredients. Pour into a baking dish or salad bowl. Chill until firm.

Chinese Fried Rice via the Mayo Clinic

This is directly from the Mayo Clinic website.  you can see this recipe and the nutrition facts HERE

1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup rice
3 tablespoons peanut oil
4 green onions with tops, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 carrots, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 egg
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped parsley

In a saucepan, bring the water and rice to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the rice is tender and has absorbed all the liquid, about 20 minutes.
In a large heavy skillet or wok, heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Add the cooked rice and saute until lightly golden. Add the green onions, salt, carrots, peppers and peas. Stir-fry until the vegetables are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes.
Hollow out a circle in the center of the skillet by pushing the vegetables and rice to the sides. Break the egg into the hollow and cook, lightly scrambling the egg as it cooks. Stir the scrambled egg into the rice mixture. Sprinkle with soy sauce, sesame oil and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Loaded Cheesy Rice

2 Cups of Uncooked Rice

Make according to directions with Chicken broth instead of water and adding some minced onion

Melt in about 2 Cups of Cheddar Cheese.  (Enough to coat all of the rice)

Place in bowls topped with sour cream and bacon bits

This was not an all around hit in our house.  Exactly half and half, actually.  It tastes like the rice version of a loaded baked potato.  I dug it, personally, but the potato purists felt it would be better to stick with the good stuff.  LOL

If I ever make this rice again, I think I might add broccoli.



Roasted Panko Asparagus

For the last month I have gotten a bunch of asparagus in my bountiful basket. I love asparagus, but needless to say I have thrown out a few bunches cuz I didn't use them. This week I was determined to use the asparagus. But I wanted something different. I saw a recipe similar to this somewhere online and just threw it together.

1 large bunch of asparagus (from bountiful basket)

2 eggs whisked

1 package of Panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

2-3 tsps of Emeril's Essence

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray

Pam Olive Oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Pour the Panko crumbs into a casserole dish or something like that. Add the salt pepper, cheese and Emeril's Essence to the panko and stir to combine. Cut the ends off the asparagus and rinse them. Whisk the 2 eggs in another casserole dish. When asparagus is dry toss them a few at a time in the egg. Then toss them in the panko. Place the covered asparagus on a foil lined and cooking sprayed cookie sheet. After all asparagus is on the sheet dump the remaining panko crumbs on top of the asparagus. Then spray with the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray all over the asparagus. Then I sprayed more Olive Oil cooking spray on top of that.

Bake for 15 mins.

This was REALLY good! Enjoy!

French Fun with Da and Lexi

Da and I were feeling the cooking mojo today and spent the whole day in the kitchen.

Today's menu:

Stuffed Chicken Roulade

Risotto with White Wine Reduction Sauce

Saute Green Beans with Almonds

Shaved Salad

Crestini with Goat Cheese, Pesto & tomato

Cinnamon Apple Upside Down Cake

Blanch the green beans in 2/3 water, 1/3 chicken stock and a small palm full of coarse salt.

Drain when the beans are al dente.

Saute beans in two pads butter, add slivered almonds, saute 1-2 minutes more tossing constantly in pan. Remove from heat and serve hot.

Risotto - add 3 pads butter and 1 turn olive oil to hot skillet. Add arborio rice to mixture and saute in pan until butter is foaming. Add warm chicken stock to pan until arborio rice is covered. Stir constantly until liquid is absorbed. The risotto will not be cooked through at this point... Add more stock and continue in this fashion until rice is cooked through and sauce is creamy. Serve with chicken and white wine sauce over top. (white wine sauce in early post)

Chicken roulade - start with a fully deboned chicken. Pat inside and outside of chicken dry and season with French thyme, S&P. Add stuffing of preferance, close back and sew closed.
Turn chicken over and truss working from the center out in order to create a uniform log.

Place in a casserol (create a trivet on the bottom with carrots, celery and onion.)

Preheat oven to 450. Cook for 15minutes at this temp and baste every 5min with a mixture of melted butter and olive oil.

Reduce heat to 350 and continue to baste ever 15min until bird reaches between 150-160 degrees.

Remove from oven, turn out into a metal bowl with breast facing down, tent with foil and allow to sit. The temp will continue to rise until the core temp is 170 degrees and juices will redistribute to the meat. (Allowing to sit for 5-10 minutes will ensure the meat is tender and juicy).
Turn out onto a platter and slice in thin rounds.
Use innards from deboned chicken to create a rich chicken broth to cook rice stuffing and risotto and/or other soups and dishes for future dinners.
Simmer slowly for at least a few hours if not all day.
For the stuffing finely dice carrots, celery, onion, and rehydrate dried morels (mushrooms).

Add butter and olive oil in a hot pan, add long grain rice and saute until butter is foaming then add the vegetables and saute until fragrant.
Add chicken stock, bring to a boil and the cover and reduce heat. Simmer until rice is cooked through. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before stuffing bird.
For shaved salad (recipe in previous post). Slice vegetables as thinly as possible. Toss in dressing and then serve with shaved Parmesan Reggiano and parsley as a garnish.

Pesto - start with fresh basil, resh pine nuts, Parmesan Reggiano, garlic, lemon juice, and high quality olive oil.
Blend all ingredients in a high powered mixer until smooth.
Crestini - slice day old bread very thin.
Brush with olive oil and Italian spices of choice.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until crispy, but not burnt.
Top crestini with soft goat cheese, a dollop of pesto and a half of a grape tomato.

Baked Celery Casserole

4 cups sliced celery

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cans sliced water chestnuts drained

1/4 cup sliced almonds sauteed in butter

1/2 cup corn flake crumbs

melted margarine or butter

Parboil celery in water with a little salt added, zap in the microwave for a few minutes or sautee in a pan for a few minutes to take the bite off. Combine drained celery with water chestnuts and undiluted soup. Place in casserole. Top with crumbs and margarine. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes ala Norma

5 large potatoes peeled

1 garlic clove, split

2 egg yolks

fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup butter

1 cup hot milk

4 slices Italian salami, diced

1/4 pound mozzarella cheese diced

2 tbsp heavy cream

2 tbsp grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Cover potatoes and garlic with boiling salted water and cook through. Preheat broiler. Drain potatoes and garlic and mash with butter and milk. Beat in egg yolks (make sure egg yolks are not cold have them on the counter to come to temp while potatoes are boiling to prevent scrambling). Mix in diced salami and mozzarella and then place in a buttered oven safe dish. Spoon cream over the top, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and place in the broiler 8 inches from the heat. Cook slowly until light brown crust appears.

Hollandaise Sauce

Julia Child's Hollandaise
This sauce is wonderful over eggs, asparagus, broccoli, etc. Find different uses for it and enjoy!

Ingredients
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon water
1-2 tbl fresh lemon juice or orange juice
6-8 ounces very soft unsalted butter
fresh ground white pepper, to taste

Directions
Whisk the yolks, water, and lemon juice in the saucepan for a few moments, until thick and pale (this prepares them for what is to come).

Set the pan over moderately low heat and continue to whisk at reasonable speed, reaching all over the bottom and insides of the pan, where the eggs tend to overcook.

To moderate the heat, frequently move the pan off the burner for a few seconds, and then back on. (If, by chance, the eggs seem to be cooking too fast, set the pan in the bowl of cold water to cool the bottom, then continue).

As they cook, the eggs will become frothy and increase in volume, and then thicken. When you can see the pan bottom through the streaks of the whisk and the eggs are thick and smooth, remove from the heat.

By spoonfuls, add the soft butter, whisking constantly to incorporate each addition. As the emulsion forms, you may add the butter in slightly larger amounts, always whisking until fully absorbed. Continue incorporating butter until the sauce has thickened to the consistency you want.

Season lightly with pepper, whisking in well. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding droplets of lemon juice if needed. Serve lukewarm.

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Hallandaise via a blender
3 egg yolks
2 TB lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
Pinch of white pepper
1 stick (4 oz.) butter, melted until bubbling hot

Place egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and pepper in blender. Cover and blend at high speed for 30 seconds. Uncover, and still blending at high speed, start pouring in the hot butter by droplets. Allow time for the butter to absorb and emulsify with eggs. When about two thirds of the butter has been added, you can pick up the pace a little more. Makes about 3/4 cup.

Yam Casserole

Yam Casserole

Stir together:

3 cups	Cooked Yams - Mashed	½ cup	Sugar
1/4 cup	Milk	2 large	Beaten Egg

Spoon lightly into greased casserole dish. Bake at 375 for 25 min or until center is done.

Stir together topping while it is baking:

1 cup	Flake Coconut	1 cup	Brown Sugar
1/3 cup	Flour	1 cup	Chopped Pecans
1/3 cup	Butter

Spread on casserole and bake at 350 for another 10 min.

Mac 'N' Cheese

This is my best friend Stefanie's recipe and one of my favorites.

16oz pkg elbow macaroni noodles
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
16oz-18oz Sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
milk
bread crumbs (I like to use Italian bread crumbs)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Make the noodles per the instructions on the bag.

Sauce:

While the noodles are cooking, in a medium sauce pan put both cans of mushroom soup. Fill the empty cans about 3/4 of the way with milk and swish a round to get extra off sides then pour in pan. (I like to use a whisk when mixing sauce to keep out clumps and it from sticking to the bottom.) Bring to small boil then pour in 3/4 of the grated cheese and cook until cheese is melted.

Once the noodles and sauce is done pour both into a 9"x13" pan. Spread the rest of the grated cheese on top and sprinkle the bread crumbs over that (this will give it a nice top crust when baked).

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 mins or until cheese is melted and a little crispy.

Substitutions:

Noodles: You can use what ever kind of noodles you would like. Sometimes I use bowtie or shells. Also on occasion you come across character, ABC,etc noodles and these can be fun too.
Cheese: Sharp cheddar is the best but as I prefer Colby Jack, I mix together half sharp cheddar and half Colby jack.

Note: I got this recipe from my best friend Stef and her oldest son doesn't like the crust with bread crumbs so she does hers half sprinkled with cheese & bread crumbs and the other half with just cheese. Also, my hubby likes this with pork chops or by itself.

Super Moist Corn Bread

Best Cornbread Ever

Description:
moist and delicious!

Directions:
1/2 c butter or margarine
ADD and STIR well: 2/3 c sugar
Blend in: 2 well beaten eggs
Combine and ADD:
1 c buttermilk (1 c milk with 1T vinegar)
1/2 tsp soda
Add and Stir: 1 c cornmeal
1 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
Put in greased 8 in square pan. Bake 375 for 30 min.