Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 at
12:53 pm
Potato Soup
Very hearty and delicious soup to satisfy the most ravenous appetite.
1 cup sliced celery
½ cup chopped onion
4 potatoes
2 carrots
1 cup sliced green beans
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
½ teaspoon dried thyme
fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon oil
Peel the potato and dice. Slice onion. Saute celery, onion, carrot on the pan with oil until onion is tender. Stir in flour; cook for 1-2 minutes. Gradually add broth stirring until the mixture comes to a boil. Add potatoes; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Puree 2 cups in blender and return to kettle. Add milk and beans and cook until green beans is soft. Add spices and garnish with parsley.
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 at
12:50 pm
Easy Spring Salad
1 head lettuce or iceberg salad
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
1 red apple
1 green and red pepper
1 celery stalk
1 cucumber
1-2 tomatoes
1 red onion
1 can of corn
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Dressing:
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup plan yogurt or sour cream
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
2 tablespoons chopped herbs: parsley, marjoram , thyme
Wash and dry lettuce and spinach. Red onion slice thinly and separate into rings. Cut veggies into small squares. Mix all salad ingredients together. Prepare dressing in a separate bowl. Cover and chill till serving time. Just before serving pour dressing over salad and toss to combine. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Note: For sharper taste add 2-3 cloves crushed garlic for dressing.
Saturday, March 27th, 2010 at
9:28 am
Deli Potato Salad
The fresh flavors of cucumber and dill give potato salad a homemade taste.
1 lb . (~ ½ kg) sliced potato (about 2 cups)
½ cup coarsely chopped pealed cucumber
1/3 cup sliced radishes
1/3 cup sour cream
1 spoon mayonnaise
½ teaspoon fresh of dried dill
1 teaspoons fresh green onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender; drain set it aside. Let it cool . In large bowl, combine all ingredients; blend well. Serve in lettuce- lined bowl, if desired.
Saturday, March 27th, 2010 at
9:26 am
Pan-fried Fish
Pan-fried fish fillets make a tasty, quick-to-fix meal.
1 lb . (~ ½ kg) fresh or frozen fish fillets, thawed
1 egg, slightly beaten
½ cup flour or cornmeal
¼ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup milk
¼ cup oil or shortening
½ teaspoon lemon pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Blend well egg and milk in shallow dish. Place flour, bread crumbs and spices in another shallow bowl. Dip fish in egg mixture; coat with flour mixture.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry fish 6 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Turn once during cooking.
Fish cooks quickly and is therefore easy to overcook. To test for doneness, insert the fork tines into the thickest portion of the fish and twist gently. If the fish resists flaking and still looks translucent, continue cooking it.
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at
5:01 pm
Planning a grill party? Try our tasty orange- glazed chicken. For this easy recipe you can use chicken wings, drumsticks or thighs. Three pounds of chicken wings will make 3 main-dish servings or 6 appetizer servings. Just have ready a small bowl for bones and lots of napkins. Enjoy!
Orange Glazed Chicken
12 chicken drumsticks or 3 lb . chicken wings
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Orange glaze:
½ cup orange marmalade
¼ cup orange juice
1 tsp. honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon hot mustard
In medium saucepan, combine glaze ingredients and heat 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Rinse chicken and let it dry. Combine spices together and rub over chicken. Grill chicken directly over medium coals for 20 minutes. Turn chicken and grill for 10 to 15 minutes more or till no longer pink. Brush often with orange glaze during the last 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to serving plate. Spoon glaze onto chicken
Note: You can also prepare this light chicken in oven. Brush chicken before you put into oven. About halfway through cooking, flip the chicken so the other side gets another coating in glaze. Bake chicken, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Remove from oven. Garnish with parsley or cilantro.
Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at
12:18 pm
To many people, Italian cooking means pasta and pizza. This sauce is very useful and can be applied to all sorts of noodles.
Easy Meat Sauce
2 pounds ground beef
2 cups whole tomatoes (~ 14 ½ oz. can)
2 cups tomato puree
3 onions
4 cloves garlic
3 green peppers
1 cup tomato paste (~2x 6oz. cans)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
½ teaspoons black pepper
½ cup water
Salt
Chop onions, peppers and crush garlic. Cook beef , onions, bell peppers and garlic till meat is Brown and onion is tender. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato puree, water and spices. Bring to boil, reduce heat. Simmer abort 1-1 ½ hours uncovered or until desired consistency. Serve over hot pasta.
Note:
To vary this dish you can add ½ cup dry red wine. For nice presentation garnish with fresh parsley and serve with grated parmesan cheese.
Sunday, January 10th, 2010 at
8:47 pm
Beef Stew
This meal is very easy and tasty. Just be sure you make enough. It really warms you up inside. For this hearty stew all sorts of vegetables can be added.
2 lb beef
3 liters of water
2 cups diced potatoes
1 cup carrot
½ cup celery
1 cup onion
¼ cup fresh parsley
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
¼ cup of flour
2 bay leaves
2 beef bullion cubes
2 tablespoons fat or oil
4 all spice pepper
Salt and pepper
Cut beef into bite-size cubes. Dice potatoes, celery, carrot and onion. Chop parsley. Rub the meat into flour. Brown meat on pan in fat. After 10 minutes add onion and fry for 5 minutes. Cover the beef and onion with water. Add bay leaves, all spice pepper, beef cubes and allow to simmer 2 hours . Cook until beef is tender. 30 minutes before serving add other vegetables.Cook until soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste. At the end add parsley, mashed garlic and serve.
Note: If you want your beef stew thicker blend ½ cup water with ¼ cup flour or corn starch. Stir slowly into hot stew. Cook until thick and bubbly.
Sunday, January 10th, 2010 at
8:45 pm
Looking for new ways to use leftovers of your Thanksgiving Turkey? This is light and easy delicious salad recipe.
Light Turkey Salad
1 cup baked turkey, cubed
1 small red onion
1 red pepper
½ cup celery
1 apple
1-2 spoons mayonnaise
salt& pepper
Dice all ingredients. In a large bowl combine turkey, celery, red pepper, apples and onion. Add mayonnaise and mix together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, arrange several lettuce leaves on salad plates.
Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 at
6:45 am
Traditional Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup margarine (~230 gram)
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
2 tsps baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1/4 tsps salt
Cream butter, add sugars, peanut butter and mix it well. Sift flour and other dry ingredients in large bowl. Beat in eggs and flour mixture. Shape into 1 inch ( 2.5 cm ) balls and flatten with fork. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 F ( 175 °C ) for 15 minutes.
Note: The cookies will be crispier when you substitute butter for margarine. If you want a chewy cookies use shortening.
Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 at
6:30 pm
CRUSTY FRENCH BREAD
Welcome your friends and family to the table with something fresh and crispy from the oven. This recipe produces two great tasting loaves- with nice crusty exterior and soft and tender inside.
Ingredients:
5-5 1/2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
2 cups warm water (105° F= 40° C)
2 envelopes (1/4 oz. each) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
For brushing:
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon milk
In large bowl dissolve yeast in warm water, 2 tablespoons flour and sugar. Let it stand for about 30 minutes allowing yeast to foam. Stir in 3 cups flour, salt, oil and beat until smooth. Add remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic- about 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turn dough to coat all sides. Cover and let rise in warm place until double in size (abort 1- 1 ½ hours). Punch down dough and divide in half and shape two long loaves. Let rise until double the size (30 minutes). Heat oven to 375 F (190 ° C). In small bowl stir together egg and milk, brush over top and sides of loaves. Cut diagonal gashes on top of each loaf (I use scissors). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Variation:
You can made baguette or smaller rolls suitable for the kids lunchboxes. Mix together : 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh garlic add to your dough and bake tasty garlic herb french bread.
Monday, December 28th, 2009 at
8:36 pm
Nothing tastes lighter, more refreshing, or more virtuous than a just-tossed salad.
Preparing healthy recipes that are nutritious and delicious doesn’t have to take a lot of time.
Easy Mozzarella & Tomato Salad
1lb/ 450g cherry tomatoes
4 green onions
1/2 cup extra- virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
7oz./200g mozzarella
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1 cup fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper
Using a sharp knife, cut the tomatoes in half and place in a large bowl. Trim the scallions and finely chop both the green and white parts, then add to the bowl. Pour in the olive and balsamic vinegar and use your hands to toss together. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add the mozarella, and toss again. Finely chop the parsley and add to the salad. Toss all the ingredients together again. Adjust the seasoning and serve.
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 at
4:50 pm
This easy cake recipe is perfect for a holiday gathering. Best of all, make it a day ahead of time, dessert will be ready when you are!
Pecan Pie
You will need 9 inch (23 cm) pie crust
Cake filling:
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter
1 1/3 cupe white sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 whole eggs
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine butter, sugar, and syrup in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to blend. In the meantime, beat whole eggs and egg whites in a medium glass bowl until blended. Stir the eggs and vanilla extract into the mixture. Fill the prepared pie crust with this mixture.
Bake at 375 degrees for 50 min or until center of the pie is firm, not watery. When done, put in the pie on a rack to cool. Serve the pie at room temperature, it goes well with vanilla ice cream on the side.
Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at
12:58 pm
CRISPY OVEN FRIED LEMON CHICKEN RECIPE
1 chicken (2 1/2 to 3 pounds), cut into pieces
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed marjoram
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup of water
Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt, place in shallow baking pan (15 1/2” x10 1/2” x1”), skin side down. Combine remaning seasonings, lemon rind and juice and water. Pour over chicken. Bake uncovered in a preheated oven at 400 F for about 40 minutes. Turn chicken and continue baking, basting with drippings once or twice, until chicken is done and skin is crisp (about 35 minutes).
Yield: about 4 servings.
