~ Chef ~

~oOo~ Memorial Day Weekend ~oOo~

Take time to pause and remember the

TRUE meaning of the DAY.

~ Chef ~

~*~ Southwestern Corn Pudding ~*~

Ingredients:

(STEP 1)
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 cup firmly packed Extra-Sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
~~~~~
(STEP 2)

2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed and drained
2 cups firmly packed Pepper Jack cheese
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1 and 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup canned enchilada sauce
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 8-inch square baking pan. (USING STEP 1 INGREDIENTS ONLY) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix in cheddar cheese. In a second medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs and butter. Add buttermilk mixture to cornmeal mixture; stir just until blended. Pour batter into buttered pan. Bake until cornbread is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Approximately 22 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a baking rack.

Now butter a 13x9-inch baking dish. Cut cooled cornbread into 1-inch cubes and place in a large bowl. (USING STEP 2 INGREDIENTS) In a large, dry pan over Medium-High heat, stir corn until dry. This will take about 3 minutes. Now add the corn, pepper jack cheese, bell pepper and green onions to bowl with cornbread. In another medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, enchilada sauce, eggs and salt. Add buttermilk mixture to cornbread mixture. Pour mixture into buttered pan. Cover pan and refrigerate at least 1 hour up to 1 day. Then heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, uncovered, until it is golden brown and a little crisp. This will take about 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.  Not a quicky dish but worth the time to prepare.  ~ Chef ~

~ Southern Creamy Pasta Salad ~

Ingredients:

8 ounce Macaroni (your choice of shape)
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
2 thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:  Cook pasta in rolling well-salted boiling water just under the time on package or al dente. Drain into a colander, rinse briefly with cold water and allow to drain.  In a medium bowl, combine the celery, red and green bell peppers, onion, pickle relish, vinegar, seasoning salt and black pepper. Mix well.  Fold in the mayonnaise and the sour cream blending thoroughly. Taste and add additional salt if needed. Fold in the pasta, cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.  Fold in the cheddar cheese before serving. 

Great summer dish! 

~ Chef ~

~*~ Chicken Alfredo De-Lish ~*~

Ingredients:

2 cans of Grands Biscuits

1 lb. jar Alfredo Sauce

2 c. Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning

1 lb chicken, cubed and cooked

Directions:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut each biscuit into 6 pieces and place in a large bowl.  Toss biscuits with Alfredo sauce, garlic powder, garlic salt and Italian Seasoning.  Add chicken and half of the cheese. Toss until well blended.  Now spray a 9 in x 13 in pan with cooking spray. Pour the biscuit mixture into the pan and top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 25–35 minutes or until biscuits are done. Be sure the middle is done!  This is more like a Chicken Alfredo pizza than a typical Chicken Alfredo casserole.  Serve with your choice of sides.  Enjoy!  ~ Chef ~

~*~ Homemade Salsa ~*~

Ingredients:

• 4-6 Roma tomatoes, cut into large chunks
• 1 jalapeno pepper (more if you like it HOT)
• 1/2 white onion, cut into large chunks
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro, rinsed
• 2 cloves of garlic
• salt and pepper

Directions:

Put first 5 ingredients in a saucepan. Add water until tomatoes are almost covered. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tomatoes are tender.  Add more water if too much water evaporates.  Now pour everything into a blender and add salt and pepper. Blend till the consistency of your choice.  Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips or veggies.  Simple, simple, simple.  ~ Chef ~    

 

~ Sensational Saturday ~

~ Maggie ~

~*~ Pleasing Plum Cobbler ~*~

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

8 cups sliced fresh unpeeled plums

6 tablespoons butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 400ºF.  Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the cornstarch and cinnamon in saucepan. Stir in plums. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Pour into ungreased 13x9 casserole; keep plum mixture hot in oven.  Cut butter into flour, 2 tablespoon sugar, the baking powder and salt in medium bowl, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until particles are size of fine crumbs. Mix in milk until mixture forms soft dough. Drop by 12 spoonfuls onto hot plum mixture.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve warm.  Amazing!  ~ Chef ~

~ Cool Strawberry Smoothies ~

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

INGREDIENTS:

8 large ripe strawberries

(topped, hulled and washed)

1/2 cup whole milk

(I never said it was lo-cal)

1/2 cup plain yogurt

3 T. white sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

6 ice cubes, crushed

DIRECTIONS:  In a blender combine strawberries, milk, yogurt, sugar and vanilla. Toss in the ice. Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.  Yummy!  ~ Chef ~

~ Zesty Bacon and Pea Salad ~

Ingredients:
1 cup of zesty Italian-style salad dressing
1/2 cup of Hellmann's mayonnaise
1 (10 ounce) package of frozen green peas
1 cup of celery, chopped
1/4 cup of red onion, chopped
5-7 slices of crisp cooked bacon, crumbled
 

Directions:  Mix together the Italian-style dressing and mayonnaise in a bowl. Fold in peas, celery and onion until well mixed. Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours. Crumble bacon on top just before serving.  So simple, but oh so good on a hot summer day!  ~ Chef ~

~ Baker's Choice Angel Food Cake ~

 

I don't normally promote store bought brands over made-from-scratch but sometimes the hassel isn't worth the extra work.  I found that to be the case with a recent purchase at Aldi's.  I found the Baker's Choice brand angel food cake to be lighter than the one I normally make from scratch and alot less hassel.  So in this case I would say buy this brand you will be glad you did.

~ Chef ~

~ Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake ~

For the Streusel Topping you will need:

5 tbs. of cold butter, cubed in 1/2” squares

3/4 cup of all-purpose flour

1 cup of brown sugar

2 tsp. of cinnamon

1/4 tsp. of salt

Directions:  In a food processor or by hand, mix brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and cold butter until the mixture is crumbly. If mixing by hand, just use your fingertips or the back of a fork. If you are using a food processor just pulsate everything until you get a crumb mixture. For bigger clumps, form little balls with your hand. Add streusel topping mixture to the top of your cake gently pressing everything down. Bake as directed below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the Coffee Cake you will need:

2 cups of all-purpose flour

2 tsp. of baking powder

1 cup of sugar

1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened

1/2 tsp. of salt

1 egg

2 tsp. of vanilla extract

1/2 cup of sour cream

2 cups of fresh blueberries

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8×8 square pan with non stick spray. In a medium mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes until light in color and creamy. Add egg, sour cream and vanilla and cream for an additional 2 minutes. Add salt, baking powder and all-purpose flour and mix on medium speed. Mix batter until everything is fully incorporated, approximately 3-5 minutes. Batter will be nice and thick. Gently fold in fresh blueberries and pour batter into pan. Top with streusel topping and bake for 55-60 minutes.   

Amazing!

~ Chef ~

~ Sensational Saturday ~

Broccoli trees and hills made from bread.

~ Chef ~

~ Pineapple Glazed Meatballs ~

Ingredients:

For the Meatballs

1/4 pound bacon, diced

1 pound ham, diced

1 pound ground pork

2 eggs

1 cup breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tbsp pineapple juice

For the Glaze

1 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp ketchup

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

1 teaspoon corn starch mixed with 2 Tbsp cold water

 

Directions:  Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Put the bacon and ham into a food processor and pulse briefly 3-4 times to chop fine. Do not purée. Place the mixture in a large bowl with the remaining meatball ingredients and mix well to combine. Using your hands, form meatballs in 2-inch diameter.  Arrange the meatballs in a casserole pan and put in the oven for about 1 hour.  (Internal temperature of about 165°.)  Make the glaze when you put the meatballs in the oven. Mix all the ingredients except the corn starch in a small pot and bring to a boil. Whisk in the corn starch and simmer 1-2 minutes.  Baste meatballs once they have cooked for 20 minutes, again at 40 minutes, and then again 5 minutes before they're done.  Serve with a meal or as a finger food.  Yield: Makes approximately 20 meatballs  ~ Chef ~

~Tomato Soup/Grilled Cheese Croutons~

Ingredients:
3 lbs. Roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 yellow onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28-oz) can plum tomatoes, with juice
1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
4 cups chicken stock or water

 

For the Grilled Cheese Croutons

4 slices country white bread

Butter (enough to spread on each slice of bread)

4 ounces Gruyere cheese, sliced (or any hard swiss)

 

Directions:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes.  In a large stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme and chicken stock.  Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet.  Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor and pulse until it is the texture you like. Season if needed and serve with the grilled cheese croutons.

 

To prepare the Grilled Cheese Croutons:  Butter one side of each slice of bread and place cheese slices on the unbuttered sides. Grill the sandwiches, buttered sides down, for about 5 minutes until nicely browned. Cut into 1-inch squares and toss into soup. Serve hot.  Oh so good!  ~ Chef ~

~*~ Celery Soup ~*~

Ingredients:

*  2 Tbsp. butter

*  6 c. of celery, sliced 1/2 inch thick crosswise 

(reserve leaves for garnish)

*  1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

*  1 potato, (8-10 ounces), peeled and cut

in 1/2 inch cubes

*  coarse salt, to taste

*  fresh ground pepper, to taste 

Directions:  Heat butter in a large (4-quart) saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, onion and potato. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, 8 to 10 minutes.  Add 6 cups of water to saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes.  Now puree soup until smooth in a blender. Do this in small batches.  To prevent splattering, fill the blender only halfway and allow the heat to escape.  Remove cap from hole in lid; cover lid with a dish towel, holding down firmly while blending.  Once you have all of it pureed return the soup to the pan and season with salt and pepper to your desired taste. Garnish with the celery leaves, if you wish.  Celery is said to be wonderful for your skin so eat knowing that you are doing your body good.  ~ Chef ~

~ Pot Luck Potato Casserole ~

Ingredients:
2 lb. Ore-Ida Southern Style Hash Browns (thawed)

1-10 ¾ oz. can Cream of Chicken Soup (undiluted)

2 cups (16 oz.) Sour Cream 

1/3 cup Green Onions (chopped) 

2 cups Cheddar Cheese (grated) 

1 ½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Pepper

1 stick of Butter

Directions:  Combine soup, sour cream, onions and cheese.  Melt ½ stick of butter, mix into soup and  sour cream mixture.  Add potatoes and stir.  Put potato mixture in 9" x 12" x 2" buttered baking dish.

~~~~~~~
Topping:
2 cups dried Bread Crumbs

½ stick of Butter

Directions:  Melt the butter and toss together with Bread Crumbs.  Top the casserole with the mixture and bake in a 350° oven for 1 hour.  Enjoy!  ~ Chef ~

~*~*~ Good Day for Chili ~*~*~

I don't know about ya'll but I'm in the mood for chili.  Something about this rainy, cold weather makes you crave comfort foods.  So bring out the dutch oven and get cooking.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground chuck

1  medium onion, chopped 

2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained

3 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer

Click to see savings

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can beef broth

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 to 2 teaspoons ground red pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

Cook first 2 ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well.  Combine meat mixture, beans and remaining ingredients in Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 3 hours or until thickened. Garnish, if desired.

~ Chef ~

~ Sensational Saturday ~

I normally do not blog on the weekends but have decided to do a post titled "Sensational Saturday" each week.  This will feature something outrageous that I would never attempt.  It will simply be a picture that will make you think, "WOW ... how did they make that?"  Hope you enjoy these post.  

Yes, it is a cake.

Unfortunately it did not say who made it.

Amazing!

~ Chef ~

~ Garden Update / Roast Beef ~

The Squash have broken ground ...

and the tomatoes already have blooms!

That compost must be some rich stuff.

Now if it will get warm enough to plant the okra.

 

Recently, I prepared a Eye of Round Roast Beef and I have to say ... it was AMAZING and so simple.  Expensive, but well worth the money spent.  So give it a try.

 

Ingredients:

2-3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 

1 eye of round roast (2 to 3 pounds)

vegetable oil

 

Directions:

Combine pepper, salt and garlic powder; set aside. Trim any excess fat from the roast. Using a sharp knife, make a horizontal cut through center of roast to within 1/2 inch of other side. (Do not cut entirely through the roast.) Open roast (butterfly), then rub all sides with vegetable oil and sprinkle generously with pepper mixture. Place roast on rack of a broiler pan. Bake at 475° for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 350° and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until thermometer registers 140° (rare) or to desired doneness.  Let set in oven for 2 hours before removing. 

Serves 6 to 8 

~ Chef ~ 

~ 1-Hour Rolls ~

I've never had much luck at making bread / rolls.  Guess it's not my expertise.  But I am going to give this recipe a try.  One thing I know for sure ... always use FRESH ingredients when making breads.

Ingredients:
1 c. warm water
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. oil
2 Tbsp. yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
3 1/3 c. flour

Directions:  In a kitchenaid mixer bowl, mix together warm water, sugar, oil and yeast. Let stand for 15 minutes until yeast mixture is bubbly. Stir in salt and beaten egg to yeast mixture. Gradually add flour. Dough will be kind of sticky, but add enough flour until it's manageable. Let dough rest in the kitchenaid bowl for 10 minutes. Spray hands with non-stick cooking spray and form dough into balls. Place balls so they don't touch on a cookie sheet (18" x 26" pan).

Let rise for 20 minutes.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. 

Makes about 24 rolls. 

~ Chef ~ 

~ Stir Fry with Ramen Noodles and Rice ~

This is a one-pot meal and quite frankly there is no recipe.  I simply throw it in as I go.  Start off with some diced pork chops.  Simmer them in a dutch oven with a little oil until done.  Remove them from the pot and set aside.  Now put in whatever diced vegetables you desire; carrots, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, baby corn, water chestnuts, etc.  Cover and cook until desired tenderness.  Then put your cooked diced pork chops back in the pot and stir.  Simmer for an additional 15 minutes.  In a seperate container cook your rice and ramen noodles (pork flavored).  Once the vegetables get to the desired tenderness place a layer of rice, your stemed vegetables and top with a layer of ramen noodles.  Like I said before here in the South we don't cook by recipes ... we cook by taste.   

~ Chef ~