For future reference: corned beef and cabbage is a perfect dish to cook via pressure cooker! It is quick yet the meat is tender as all get out and the cabbage retains a separate identity with a bit of color.
Sally good work on the olive oil.
Tonite, baked fish with teeny tiney asparagus and jasmine rice. delicate flavors.
Cooking and food MidAtlantic, late winter 2013
coleup, nice meal there.
I'd snap up a pepper deal! I try to keep some chopped in the freezer. However you can buy them chopped and frozen already -? I usually assume frozen chopped vegetables cost more for the convenience but maybe not.
Is there a use for the broth saved from the corned beef? Pretty much salt and beef , and mild spice right? can go in vegetable soup maybe?
Sally, I usually double soak my corned beef to remove as much salt as possible and then cook it. One year I didn't do this and the 'broth' was so salty that even my cats wouldn't eat the kibbles I moistened with it.
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/corned_beef_and_cabbage/
I guess I must try cooking CB again. I've not been happy with my efforts.
I am forgetting how to cook. People have been bringing meals every night. It will go on for the month. Great support group for my DDIL. What a blessing!!!
Yesterday since we had such great weather I decided to make some spring sugar cookies that I will be giving to some of my friends and family for Easter I chose make them in flower shapes maybe it will speed up spring , well today it is sunny.
Here is a picture of the cookie collection you can never make a few.
Orchid, looks real yummy. Too bad my diabetes sugar level has been elevated lately, really have to limit things right now. No matter how hard I try, it is so much easier to want pasta, bread, cookies, and the like than it is to want vegetables and protein.
Edited to add that I like the toile fabric on your chairs.
This message was edited Mar 19, 2013 2:18 PM
I only get few of those because I have to watch my sugar level too, They are mostly as gifts .They are really good the icing is flavored with rose water.
Making me drool...
fab cookies!
And nice fabric.!
Those look good enough to eat!!!!
Jan, hahaha
Those are the cookies that I made for my annual tea party. I started to have a tea party once a year for Valentine's Day week end to thank all my friends that were there to help me through some difficult time. It stated as a thank you and now has become a tradition. This party include heart shaped cheesecake, mini sandwitches, scones and of course the cookies. Happy Spring everybody Yes I make them all...
SallyG: I don't think the "solidify" test is accurate for extra virgin olive oil -- see http://www.oliveoilsource.com/article/freezing-olive-oil-can-prove-extra-virgin-quality-its-fiction.
On corned beef: We have found that the more expensive cuts are not as good as the cheaper cuts. We actually did a side-by-side this year, and Mash's (the most expensive) lost. I agree on washing off the beef first -- it is really salty! One of the packages we bought said to include all the packing juices in the cooking water -- can you imagine how salty it would have been had we done that, and how many additional preservatives would have been included! We usually buy meat at Whole Foods to avoid hormones, etc., but make an exception for corned beef. Next year we may try corning our own.
Interesting note on the corned beef, Happy!
Orchid, those cookies are so pretty! But I *really* want a slice of that elegant cheesecake. I decided years ago that I would not learn to make a good cheesecake, because I can't afford to be in the same house as a whole (or even a leftover half) cheesecake. Indulging in a good restaurant or pot-luck slice once in a long while just works better for what's left of my waistline. So I bake cookies instead, because I really can eat "just one!" LOL
I like the way yours are frosted -- dipped first, then other colors added? Your flower cookies were beautiful, with the way you drew out the darker icing from the center. Would you please share your icing recipe with the rosewater? That would be fabulous, especially with some others that had been sprinkled with vanilla sugar or lavender sugar...
thanks happy
Critterologist: the icing is called King icing. Here is the recipe.
1 lbs of 10x sugar,
1/3 cup of water (I used rosewater instead)
1 tblsp of lemon juice mix well adding another 1/tsp of water does not hurt keeps the icing from hardening as fast
I divided the icing in several cups and added or mixed the colors until I obtain the right shade. I do not dip the cookies I brush them on one side and add whatever other color right away if I want the new color to blend. If I want a raised effect on the cookies like I did on the hearts , I brush 7 or 8 cookies and go back to decorate this give the first layer of icing time to dry a little and give the cookies another dimension.
for decorating I use some mini syringe that I got from the vet. I got them from the vet when I rescued a mama cat who had a bunch of kittens who had to be treated,They gave me way too many syringes, I kept them just on account and they have become a great tool for decorating cookies so do toothpicks I wash them and reuse them
You are giving me an idea , lavender sugar cookies....it sounds yummy.
It is a good thing that my husband is at home to eat the cookies or that I give them away because I might eat few like 3 or4 and that is it for me I will not be touching them again , my husband or anyone else can enjoy my baking....
Thank you Sally-g , I have mishevious cat (no my husband's cat) so I had to make some slip covers for my chairs so the little miss would not completely destroy the upholstery. Bad kitty....
Thanks! I like an easy recipe. :-) I appreciate knowing you brushed rather than dipped, too... tips are always good!
I like your teaparty tradition. This year, Joyanna and I hosted a Groundhog's Day Tea Party for several of her friends, and in my head I called it the First Annual Groundhog's Day Tea Party, LOL
Love those annuals that become perennials!
I made stuffed peppers last night. Used red peppers instead of green. Yum Yum. I forgot how good basic recipes could be.
LOVE stuffed peppers and make them too rarely. I don't have a recipe... hint hint.
""
Chicken vegetable soup today. Unseasonable chill, off work this morning, the 'planets are in alignment!''
Love those cookies, Orchidfancy
I often make stuffed peppers at the end of season if I have a bunch. I make a big casserole and divide them up and freeze them. They keep very well. For a quick meal add a little sauce and reheat. The peppers look a little wrinkled but taste great.
Sally, here is the stuffed pepper recipe that I got from my friend Dawn. I have found that the recipe makes much more filling than is needed for 4 peppers, and I either use more peppers or cook the extra filling in a casserole dish.
I have a hard time resisting kitchen gadgets, and I bought this pepper pan a while back. Totally unnecessary, but totally cool.
http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/26323-chicago-metallic-stuff-it-up-pan.aspx
Dawn's Stuffed Peppers:
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 cup uncooked rice
1 onion
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can rotel
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
4 bell peppers
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all ingredients
Cut peppers in half or cut off top and leave whole, remove seeds
Stuff peppers with mixture, sprinkle cheddar cheese on top
Bake 1 hour
Does anyone here make Tiramisu? (sp?) The "real" kind, with those special little "lady finger" cookies... but with no alcohol. Where might I find that ... what is it.. mascarpone cheese? And those lady finger cookies? DH came home from work the other day having tried some that someone brought in and was wondering if I could make it. Looked up a couple recipes online and it looks totally do-able, but I was wondering what you all could share, please? (I'd trust you guys a million times over before I trust some strangers at other websites!)
So, does anyone here make it? How do you make it? Got any helpful hints please? Where do you get your ingredients? Are any of 'em hard to come by?
Thank you! =)
I've done it and it isn't hard. But you do need special hard ladyfingers -- not the soft kind you find in regular grocery stores. I don't know where you are in Maryland, but we have lots of specialty stores here (Vace's is where I usually shop for Italian ingredients -- wonderful store) that make it easy to find the ingredients. It has been a while since I made tiramisu (I don't recall what recipe I used -- I think it was the one on the package of lady fingers or mascarpone) but tiramisu has become so popular in recent years that I wouldn't think you'd have a very hard time finding the right ingredients at a specialty store (probably not at a regular grocery store). Actually, when I made it, it was such a hit that it was all eaten in a flash before I could taste it -- I'm not kidding!
thanks Terri , and Dawn !
That's a great looking recipe, Terri! Putting the rice in uncooked makes things simple, and I bet the rice absorbs a lot of yummy flavors that way. And you don't have to brown the ground beef first either? Definitely simpler than a lot of recipes I've seen. Bet it would be yummmmy with ground lamb, also.
Jill, you are right on the ground beef and the rice - nothing cooked before it goes in the oven. I like the recipe because it is so moist with that amount of sauce and rotel. I experimented with green and red peppers, and liked the red peppers better. You can also use regular diced tomatoes instead of the rotel, but I like the extra bit of zing the rotel gives it. Probably would be good with the ground lamb too. Hey, I finally got to Wegmens today and found that Coke Zero Vanilla.
Giada's recipe for Tiramisu always turns out great for me:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/tiramisu-recipe/index.html
I guess you could leave out the liquor and use some kind of rum extract just for the flavor.
Tried something new to me. I bought the "very skinny' whole frozen green beans at Aldi, dumped them in the heirloom Revere ware skillet with a bit of butter or oil , little water, salt, and sautéed/ steamed them. My they were really good that way!.
I had enough fresh mustard greens to cut and cook along with small boneless ham and a potato casserole tonight.
I made chicken wings for an appetizer this afternoon. After working on the tile floor in the conservatory (yay progress!), Mike sat down to watch the Nascar race so I thought I'd try the wings. First try ever, and it turned out pretty good. I had to cut the chicken wings at the joint and cut the wing tip off. Tried using a knife, but it was pretty dull so I switched to kitchen shears. Dipped in egg and flour, then browned in the skillet for 10 minutes. Transferred to a baking dish, covered with a "Hawaiin Teriyaki: store bought marinade, and baked for 35 minutes. Realy need to spend some time to sharpen my knives.
Yum.
My kid worked at a place that sold wings- they were fried earlier, then for each order they toss them in the sauce of choice and bake again briefly.
Betty Crocker potatoes may not be the most health conscious food (salt?) but the Parmesan- Asiago flavor is very good.
Terri, glad you figured out where I got that Vanilla Zero!
Jim was out & about last night, so Joyanna & I had our own little feast after a stop at Wegman's... asparagus steamed with a splash of white wine and topped with asiago cheese, crusty 7 grain bread wtih black olives, and perfectly ripe, unbelievably sweet fresh pineapple.
I sooo love fresh pineapple. Meeting a former student for dinner tonight out here in Oregon.
Holly and her dad both love fresh pineapple, so I often cut about one a week. Anytime I get ahead of them I just drain the pineapple well, throw it in a white cake, and ice it with cream cheese icing and cover it with coconut. I think sometimes they eat it slowly on purpose. LOL
I haven't been cooking a lot since I had the first hand done but I did manage a nice curried shrimp and brown rice the other night.
Turkey meatloaf, baked potatoes, and peas w/ cream cheese tonight.
Probably having a sausage, cheese, and Broccoli quiche tomorrow.
I was not impressed with the recipe I used, it was rather bland, made with beef or sausage it might have been good, next time I'll wing it and see. I like making an Italian style, with olives, cheeses,oregano, basil, and eevo.
This message was edited Mar 26, 2013 7:51 PM
I somehow was convinced to make Easter dinner on Sunday with a request for cornish hens with buttered potatoes. Was thinking about some asparagus and ? Suggestions, anyone?
Definitely asparagus (that's my vote); it sings of spring. We always roast it -- so easy. Put the asparagus on a cookie sheet (one or more) so it is in just one layer, add maybe tablespoon of olive oil -- not too much or it tastes oily. Roll the asparagus in the oil so it is just barely coated. Sprinkle with a good salt (I prefer Diamond -- something a bit crunchy is nice). Bake 10 minutes or so until cooked. You can drizzle butter and/or lemon juice over the cooked asparagus if so inclined. I think anything else (Parmesan, bread crumbs, etc.) is just gilding the lily.
We also like artichokes in the spring....
Then again, Joyanna & I "gilded" our asparagus last night with asiago cheese (very thin slices made with a veggie peeler), and that was pretty scrumptious. If you wanted to be really fancy, you could wrap roasted or steamed asparagus in proscuitto with a little asiago or shredded parm inside, then run under the broiler or in microwave to heat & melt cheese.
and...a fruit item, like ambrosia?