Apr 11, 2011

Bump in the Road

Good Morning,

Thank you for stopping by. I have hit a bump in the road of life. I will not be publishing anything new over the next two weeks, give or take and will be back as soon as possible. I will miss all of you and ask that you keep me in your thoughts.

Sandy

Apr 7, 2011

Bacon Q&E

Baked Bacon Don't pre-heat the 12bcnoven. Line sheet pan with parchment and avoid clean up. Just slide the pan of bacon into a cold oven and close the door. Turn it on and set it to 400°F. Set a timer and check for doneness in about 15 minutes. Times vary  depending on thickness of bacon. For a real treat dredge the bacon in brown sugar before cooking.

Apr 6, 2011

Roasted Vegetables

With spring just getting into full swing and summer soon to follow I thought of all the fresh vegetables and some easy ways to prepare them. Great for a family meal or for when entertaining.

Pre heat oven to 400°

 

What You Need
Directions
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 red onions, cut into thick wedges
  • 2 red potatoes, cut into 6 wedges
  • 2 medium carrots, cut into chunks
  • 2 medium parsnips, cut into large chunks
  • 2 zucchini, thickly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
  • Fresh rosemary sprigs
  • Ground black pepper

Choose your vegetables, include peppers (any color), squash and zucchini, root vegetables (such as onions), Brussels sprouts, crimini mushrooms and asparagus. Cut vegetables into uniform pieces for even cooking time.

Spray a large baking pan or ovenproof dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Put your vegetables in a bowl and drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil, toss to coat. Add rosemary sprigs and season with pepper.  Turn vegetables out onto pan making sure they are in a single layer.

Check vegetables in 20 minutes. Remove from oven and turn vegetables over. Roast for an additional 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and slightly browned.

Option: When vegetables are removed from oven drizzle with a good balsamic vinegar.

Apr 5, 2011

Antipasto Salad


Perfect for summer entertaining. Make ahead and let the flavors mingle. Only cooking involved is cooking the pasta. Most of the ingredients except meat and cheese are probably on your pantry shelf.

Antipasto Appetizer or Salad

What You Need
Directions

1 lb. of  curly or tube pasta
8 oz. pepperoni cut into 1/4 inch strips
8 oz. salami cut into 1/4 inch strips
4 oz. capicola  cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 jar pickled mushrooms sliced and drained
1 jar roasted red peppers in oil, drained
1 med. red onion sliced thinly
6 oz. provolone shaved
4 oz. sliced black olive
1 jar pickled artichoke heart drained and chopped
(optional 1 pt. cherry tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic smashed
red pepper flakes to taste
1/2 cup bottled Italian dressing

Bring 4 quarts of well salted water to a boil. When boil has been reached, add pasta and cook till al dente. Drain and immediately return to pot. Top with dressing and toss. Spread pasta on rimmed cookie sheet and chill for an hour. Bring pasta out of refrigerator and put in large bowl, add meats, peppers, olives,  provolone and toss well. If salad seems dry drizzle a little more dressing and toss. Put in container and cover salad will keep for 3 days.

Feel free to add or subtract ingredients to make the salad your own. Additional items could be shredded carrots,  pepperoncini,  croutons ( add at last minute), green olives. To make a light supper add a can of tuna in olive oil drained and broken into chunks.

Apr 3, 2011

My Fried Rice

This is one of my favorite go to in the freezer. It reheats well and goes with your favorite chicken, shrimp or pork dish. Great  as a side with bbq steaks. Mix and match from the freezer or refrigerator. Add more meat if you want or leave it out altogether. This is an easy comforting dish.123friceThis is the dish  when finished.

Rice: This is obvious, of course. You need to start with boiled or steamed white rice. Make the rice the day before to firm it up. Fresh rice will just give you a gummy mess.  If you can't do it the day before, at least let the rice cool in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Fried Rice

What You Need
Directions
2 cups enriched white rice
4 cups water
2/3 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped onions
2/3 cup chopped  carrots
1/2 cup frozen green peas
3 or 4 strips of cooked bacon crumbled
1 cup of cubed ham or chicken or shrimp (your call, I usual put in a mixture) 
2
T soy sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable (preferably peanut) oil
2 eggs
sesame oil, to taste (optional)

In a saucepan, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Heat a wok till the surface is almost smoking. Then add 2T  oil and spread it around till it coats the surface. Crack eggs into small bowl and stir till mixed. Add to wok and scramble. Set aside while you cook the rest of the ingredients. Add remaining oil, the garlic and optional chillies stir for a few seconds.

(If you prefer you can par boil the peppers and carrots for a few minutes before adding to the wok.) Add the carrots and stir for a few minutes then green peppers, onion, peas and stir for a few minutes. Add the rice to the pan, making sure to break up any clumps of rice. Stir till the rice is coated. Add your meats and then the bacon, stirring constantly.  Shake in soy sauce, and toss rice to coat. Drizzle with sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste and toss again.  Add scrambled eggs and gently fold in to meat, vegetables and rice. Serve. Leftover rice is delicious.

Popular garnishes include green onions cut on the bias and sprigs of parsley.

Apr 2, 2011

Enjoy the weekend and I will see you back here on Monday with a new post.

Apr 1, 2011

New Products On The Market

Thought I would share some of the new products I have found. Start looking in your grocery aisles.

Wheat Thin Sticks from Nabisco – comes in three flavors and I am partial to the Chipotle Pepper

Thomas  prez-a-bagels, option to sprinkle salt or not.

Lean Pockets with Pretzel Bread

Hostess Chocolate Crème & Strawberry Twinkies

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