Posted By dukat76 on August 8, 2008

Cucumbers in Sour Cream

2 large cucumbers
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup dairy sour cream
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
Dash of pepper

Peel cucumbers; slice thin. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and let stand 30 minutes.

Drain well. Combine sour cream, vinegar, chives, dill weed, sugar and pepper. Pour over cucumbers. Taste and add additional salt, if needed. Chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Category: Salads | No Comments »
Tags: Cream, Cucumbers

Posted By dukat76 on April 30, 2008

Cashew Caramel Fudge

2 teaspoons plus 1/2 cup butter, softened, divided
    (NO SUBSTITUTES)
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 (7 ounce) jar Marshmallow Cr?me
24 caramels, quartered
3/4 cup salted cashew halves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil; butter the foil with 2 teaspoons butter. Set aside.

In a large heavy saucepan, combine milk, sugar and remaining butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a rapid boil; boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; stir in chocolate chips and Marshmallow Cr?me until melted. Fold in caramels, cashews and vanilla extract; mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Cool.

Remove from pan and cut into 1-inch squares. Store at room temperature.

Yields about 3 pounds.

Category: Candy | No Comments »
Tags: Caramel, Cashew, Fudge

Posted By dukat76 on June 2, 2008

Divinity

1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup light Karo? syrup
3 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
2 egg whites
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put water, Karo? syrup, sugar and salt in a 3-quart saucepan. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan. Cook to the soft-ball stage (234 degrees F).

Add 1/2 of the syrup, a tablespoon at a time, to well-beaten egg whites, beating constantly. Continue cooking remaining syrup until it reaches the hard-crack stage (270 degrees F).

Pour into egg mixture and continue beating until high gloss changes to dull. Fold in pecans and vanilla extract and drop by the spoonful on wax paper. Have boiling water ready in case candy sets up too fast. Add 2 or 3 drops to make it creamy as it is spooned onto wax paper.

Makes 48 pieces.

Category: Candy | No Comments »
Tags: Divinity

Posted By dukat76 on March 13, 2008

Sweet Potato Pecan Pancakes with Ginger Butter

Sweet Potato Pecan Pancakes

Recipe courtesy of The William Kehoe House, Savannah, Georgia

Makes 24 pancakes.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
3/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons orange zest
4 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup canola oil
3 1/2 cups peeled, boiled, mashed sweet potato (or same amount canned)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 eggs

In large bowl stir together first 7 ingredients.

In a separate bowl combine remaining ingredients. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until well-mixed. Pour batter onto a hot griddle by 1/3 cup measure (may need to be smoothed out a bit). Cook until slightly browned. Serve with Ginger Butter.

Ginger Butter
1 cup soft butter
3 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger

Mix together until well-blended.

Category: Breakfast, Butter | No Comments »
Tags: Ginger, Pancakes, Pecan, Potato, Sweet

Posted By dukat76 on July 7, 2008

Tortilla Hash

Source: American Bakers Association

4 small flour tortillas, cut into tenths
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons minced onion
3 medium-size tomatoes, cubed
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 eggs plus 3 egg whites, beaten
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 to 2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, fry tortillas lightly in butter or margarine. Add onion, tomatoes and green pepper; cook until onion is limp. Quickly add eggs, salt and pepper; cook until eggs are of desired consistency. Sprinkle with cheese and serve with salsa on the side.

Serves 6.

Category: Southwestern | No Comments »
Tags: Tortilla

Posted By dukat76 on February 26, 2008

Skillet Chili-Mac

3/4 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jalape?o chili, seeded, minced
1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup elbow macaroni
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese
Chopped scallions

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the meat, onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalape?o, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is browned and the vegetables tender. Drain off excess fat.

Stir in beans, tomato sauce, tomatoes and their juice, macaroni, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and 1/3 cup water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring often, until the macaroni is tender and the liquid has evaporated. Top with cheese. Cover and cook for 2 minutes or until the cheese melts. Ladle into bowls and serve. If desired, pass chopped scallions and sour cream at the table.

Category: Chili | No Comments »
Tags: Chili-mac, Skillet

Posted By dukat76 on June 13, 2008

Tequila Marinated Spareribs

1 rack pork spareribs (about 3 pounds)
Salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil
Juice from 4 limes
1/2 cup gold tequila
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 medium jalape?os, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Season the ribs with salt and pepper. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the oil, lime juice, tequila, onions, garlic, jalapenos, and cilantro. Season with more salt and pepper. Place the ribs, meat side down, in a glass baking dish. Pour the marinade over the ribs, coating each side completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (at least 12 hours), turning every couple of hours.

Remove from the refrigerator and bring the ribs to room temperature.

Preheat the grill on low. Place the ribs, meat side down, and grill them, turning and basting every 15 minutes. Cook for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the ribs are tender. Remove from the grill and slice into individual ribs.

Category: Grilled Pork | No Comments »
Tags: Marinated, Spareribs, Tequila

Posted By dukat76 on January 20, 2008

Tart Cherry Pie

Source: Taste of Home magazine

2 (16 ounce) cans pitted tart cherries (in water – no syrup)
1 large box cook & serve sugar-free vanilla pudding mix
1 small box sugar-free cherry gelatin
Sugar substitute to equal 4 teaspoon sugar
1 baked 9-inch pastry shell

Drain cherries, reserving juice. Set cherries aside.

In a saucepan, combine cherry juice and dry pudding mix. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil and is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat; stir in gelatin powder and sweetener until dissolved. Stir in the cherries; transfer to pie shell. Cool completely. Store in refrigerator.

8 servings, 176 calories each, 293 mg sodium, 0 cholesterol, 24 gm carbohydrate, 3 gm protein, 8 gm fat

Diabetic Exchange: 1 starch, 1/2 fruit

Category: Diabetic | No Comments »
Tags: Cherry

Posted By dukat76 on April 18, 2008

Nachos

About 40 crisp wedge-shaped tortilla chips
1 1/2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
Pickled jalape?os, chopped

Spread tortilla chips all over the bottom of an ovenproof serving platter. Scatter the cheese over the chips and place under a broiler until the cheese bubbles and begins to brown. Scatter jalape?os over the nachos according to taste. Serve immediately with lime wedges, salsa, sour cream and guacamole on the side.

Nachos Grande
Use the basic Nachos recipe, substituting sharp Cheddar cheese for the Monterey jack, but first put a bit of refried beans on each tortilla chip. When ready to serve, garnish with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, guacamole, crema or sour cream and salsa.

Nachos with Steak
Pound a thin round steak flat. Rub with olive oil and a mashed garlic clove. Pepper heavily and grill until done. Salt to taste and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Use the basic Nachos recipe, substituting Cheddar cheese for the Monterey jack. After you have nachos topped with the cheese, scatter the warm steak cubes over the top, then the jalape?os. (If the steak cubes have cooled, run them under the broiler for a minute.)

Category: Appetizers | No Comments »
Tags: Nachos

Posted By dukat76 on April 7, 2008

Sweet and Sour Meat Balls

2 pounds ground beef
1 slightly beaten egg
1 large onion, grated
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix all ingredients and shape into tiny meatballs. Brown gently in frying pan.

Sauce
1 (12 ounce) bottle chili sauce
1 (10 ounce) jar grape jelly
Juice of 1 lemon

Simmer all sauce ingredients until thoroughly blended. Then add meatballs and cook on low heat for about 15 minutes. Keep at low heat for buffet or cocktail serving.

Serve with wooden picks and napkins.

Category: Appetizers | No Comments »
Tags: Balls, Sweet