ICE CREAM CUSTARD

 

 

The basis for all ice creams using cream is a good custard base.  This will do it...

 

 

 

Ingredients:

4 cups of heavy cream

1 cup of half and half

1 cup of superfine sugar  

6 egg yolks

pinch of salt

vanilla (two tsps.)

 

Mix above in a pouring bowl that you can microwave.  Nuke for two minutes.

 

Pour into the ice cream maker in two halves.

Perfect Shortbread Cookies

 

 

I don't like making cookies.  Too time consuming and the product doesn't seem worth all the effort unless the cookie is perfect.  This one is...

 Preheat oven to 350° F

 Ingredients:

1 cup of butter ---must be at room temperature
1 cup of sugar
2 tsps. of vanilla
3 cups of flour
1/2 tsp. of salt

 In a Kitchenaid or good mixer with dough paddle inserted, put butter and sugar.  Cream the butter well on low speed.  If you don't have a Kitchenaid, a food processor works with the plastic dough hook but don't overprocess.  Add the vanilla...mix until incorporated.  Add the flour and salt.  Mix until a great dough forms.  Put the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

 Allow oven to preheat while the dough is in the fridge resting.

 Take a 9 x 11 disposable aluminum baking pan and put dough in pan.  No need to do anything to the baking pan.  Press down until all dough fits. 

Bake 15 to 20 until the edges are slightly brown.

Remove the pan from the oven and place on a rack.  Cut the cookies into rectangular shapes while warm (I use my ravioli cutter so the edges look pretty).  Place on a rack to cool.

Technically, you now have perfect cookies.  However, many cooks like to finish these off by dipping in melted chocolate or topping with sprinkles. 

Chocolate topping:

Melt chocolate with a 1/4 cup of Nutella and a little butter in the microwave on low speed until melted.  Add some premade coffee (just enough to make a creamy melt).  Mix with a fork.  Dip one half of each cookie in the chocolate.  Place on rack to cool.  Add sprinkles or whatever.

 

Cookies will keep for a couple of weeks in fridge.

 

Rainy Day Soup

 

 

 

Returned home to Massachusetts from Charlottesville and today, June 6th, it is 46 F and raining.  Cold, rainy weather cancelled the barbecue idea and indicated soup and bread would be a better choice.  Since I always have the ingredients for a soup, I rummaged through the refrigerator and freezer to make a delicious dinner.  Your pantry should include broth (any kind will do), canned beans, flavor mixes and some kind of grain.  Raid your fridge for leftover pasta, veggies or meat.  Add a package of frozen spinach (unthawed) and you have most of what you need to create a delicious soup.

 

Ingredients:

64 ounces of broth

2 cans of beans (lentils, cannelloni, pinto, etc.)

Leftover meat from fridge or freezer (I used one pound of frozen beef which I cut into cubes)

Leftover gravy

1 package of any soup mix (I used a pork gravy mix)

1/2 cup of grated pecorino romano cheese or any Italian hearty cheese

 

Optional ingredients:  (1 whole onion, chopped; 2 to 3 carrots, chopped; celery, chopped)

 

Dump everything into a slow cooker.  Check the flavor after several hours of cooking time and add salt if necessary.  Serve with hearty Italian bread and extra grated cheese.



 

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

 

 

 

 

 

When rhubarb is in season, the fresh stalks make great desserts.  Here is my recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie...

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 lb. of sliced strawberries in sugar syrup

3 slices of rhubarb, cut into one inch pieces

2 tsps. of white vinegar

1 tsp. of lemon juice

2 tbl. of corn starch

 

Two pie crusts (your own or purchased)

 

Mix all of these ingredients in a deep bowl that you can put in the microwave.  Microwave for 12 minutes.  Stir the ingredients well.

 

Preheat your oven to 425F.

 

Roll out one pie crust and fill a deep dish pie plate with it.  The crust should overlap by a lot.

Fill the crust with the cooled filling.  Top with the other pie crust.  *

 

Bake for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool thoroughly before serving.

 

*  If you want to decorate the crust, be creative.  I simply traced a heart in the center and filled the heart with colored candies.  The cut in the crust allows the pie to vent while baking. 



Oven Fried Pork Chops

2 to 4 pork chops

Buttermilk

1 cup of breadcrumbs

smoked paprika

garlic powder

dash of salt

You need two pie plates...one for the buttermilk and one for the breadcrumb mixture.  Preheat your oven to 400F...

In a mixing bowl, put breadcrumbs, paprika (a half tsp. or more), a teaspoon of garlic powder and a dash of salt.  The mixture should look a little orange from the color of the paprika.

Spray a baking sheet with Pam.  Dip each chop in buttermilk and coat with breadcrumb mixture.  Bake for about an hour.  

Fettuccini Norma Jean

Developed this sauce after eating in a small, family owned tratoria in Rome.  You can make it quickly by sautéing the various items, adding the liquid ingredients and finishing off on top of the stove. Alternatively, throw the ingredients in a slow cooker after each is cooked, adding the liquid ingredients and allow the sauce to simmer while you go to work or play.  It’s delicious…key ingredient…heavy cream!

Ingredients:
2 oz. each of chopped onion, celery and carrots
10 oz. of sliced portabella mushrooms
6 oz. of pancetta
1 lb. of Italian pork sausage
1 lb. of meatloaf mix (ground beef & pork)
1/2 cup of cabernet sauvignon
3 ounces of chicken broth
28 ounces of crushed tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
1 tbl. of Tuscan (Italian spices) spice
2 tbl. of demi glace

Simmer the vegetables in olive oil for fifteen minutes.  Remove from heat.  Put pancetta, mushrooms and meats in the pan.  Simmer for about 20 minutes until the meat is lightly browned.  Remove mixture, putting it in a bowl or your slow cooker.

Add 4 ounces of red wine,  6 ounces of chicken broth  and a large can of crushed red tomatoes (28 oz.) to pan.  Allow to cook down for about ten minutes.

P:ut all ingredients back in a large saucepan and add demi glace,   Cover and simmer for about an hour.  (Stovetop method).   Or put all ingredients in a slow cooker.

Add ½ cup of heavy cream to the sauce ten minutes before serving.  Serve with fettucini and grated Italian cheese.

American Chop Suey

My mother fed our family of seven as well as possible for an at home Mom.  This casserole was always a favorite...easy to make, tasty and feeds a small army.  My brothers and I probably make this a little differently with the results tasting the same.  Be creative!

Ingredients:

1 to 2 lbs. of chopped beef, veal or pork or a combo 

1 large onion, diced

2 to 3 garlic cloves, chopped

Chinese bean sprouts in a can

Soy sauce and chicken broth 

Chopped celery (optional)

Brown meat and onions over low heat until onions are translucent.  Add all ingredients except liquid. Add 1/2 cup of soy sauce/broth (combo of both, to taste).  If you like celery, add ten minutes before serving time.

Serve over hot white rice.  Top with Chinese noodles.

Peach Oatmeal  Bars

Peach Filling:

6 peaches, peeled and diced

2 cups of diced peaches in syrup
1/2 tsp of freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 cup of superfine sugar
2 tbl. of cornstarch

Place all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat.  Simmer for fifteen minutes.  Allow to cool and refrigerate overnight.

Remove filling from refrigerator to allow to warm up.  Toss a little with a fork to blend everything in again.

 

Nilla Wafer Crust:

 

1 box of Nilla wafer cookies

1 cup of melted butter

1/4 cup of superfine sugar

 

In  a food processor, put all of the above ingredients.  Pulse for about 20 seconds or until the wafers are well blended.

 

Assembly:

 

Preheat oven to 350F

 

In a rectangular aluminum baking pan with an edge over 1 inch, put two thirds of the crust mixture.  Press down with fingertips, creating a bottom crust.   Use a soup ladle to spoon the filling over the crust, leaving enough room for a top crust.

In your food processor, add 1/2 cup of steel cut Irish Oatmeal; 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. of ginger.  Pulse until you have a crumbly topping. 

 

Add the crumbly topping to the cookie pan, covering the top of the peach filling. 

Bake for about 30 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Allow these bars to cool significantly, even overnight if possible.

Frosting:

1 package of cream cheese

1 generous teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of butter (room temperature)
juice of a lemon
Confectioner's sugar

This is a real touchy feely recipe...start with the first three ingredients.  Slowly add sifted confectioner's sugar until you get the consistency you want.  Squeeze in a little bit of lemon.  If you don't have fresh lemon, please use really good lemon in a plastic container (Italy rules on this one).  You may or may not need to add more sugar and/or lemon until it tastes right.  Don't be shy on the vanilla...

 

 

 

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 400F

 

Pie crusts (2)

 

3 stalks of rhubarb, cut into one inch pieces

2 tsps. of white vinegar

1 tsp. of lemon juice

3/4 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp. of freshly grated nutmeg

2 tbl. of cornstarch (sifted)

1 container of sweet strawberries in juice (from freezer section of market)

 

 

In a large glass or microwave safe bowl, put all of the ingredients (except for the pie shells).  Nuke for 13 minutes.  Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature before making the pie (if you add the hot liquid to the unbaked pastry, it might melt the pastry and create a mess). 

 

Roll out one piece of crust for the bottom of the pie plate.  Add the strawberry mixture (if you have leftover mixture, allow it to cool completely and freeze it for another pie).   Roughly mix the rhubarb filling to ensure the balance of flavors.   Dot the mixture with butter.  Add the top pie crust, turning the edges under to seal the mixture.  Crimp the crust either with a fork or your fingers.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the pie is golden brown.

 

Note:  The cornstarch helps the mixture to gel while cooking.  You must sift it so that it distributes evenly when you mix the rhubarb filling.



Trifle

 

 

 

When the weather is hot and you don't want to bake a dessert, a trifle is a wonderful option.  There are no rules for a successful trifle...basically you combine some kind of cake with fruit, pudding, whipped cream, etc. to produce a delightfully tasting dessert that is refrigerated until serving time.  Make your own components or purchase them from the market for a quick assembly.  Most trifles are served in a glass bowl which allows guests to see the composed dish.   

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 crumbled cake



pudding

mixed fruit with juice

whipped cream

 

Crumble the cake mixture into the bottom of the bowl.  (Crumbled brownies work well, too.)  Cover with a layer of pudding and some fruit.  Repeat the layers and cover with cream or shipped topping.  Fruit can include frozen strawberries and juice; canned peaches with juice; mixed fruit with some jam or jelly; nuts (if desired).  Final layer should be whipped cream.  Sprinkle with powdered cocoa and top with fruit or cherries.  Refrigerate until serving time.  This recipe serves six to eight people.

 

 

Arranged Salad

 

 

 



 

Dinner parties need some elements that can be made ahead.  An arranged salad fills this requirement and can sit in the fridge until needed if there is no dressing on the salad and it is well covered with plastic wrap. 

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cooked chicken

32 ounces of chicken broth

1 tsp. of garlic powder

2 bay leaves

 

1/2 head of romaine lettuce, broken into pieces (not cut with a knife)

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

tiny plum tomatoes

1/2 lb. of prosciutto

2 hard boiled eggs

1/4 cup of smoked cooked bacon

1/4 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese (salty Tuscan sheep cheese --- get the imported kind)

croutons

 

Chicken Preparation:

I usually roast a very small chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder until well cooked.  Take it out of the oven and put it in a stock pot, filling the stock pot with broth, bay leaves and a little more garlic powder.  Allow the chicken to simmer until the bones are separating from the poultry.  Remove from heat and allow the chicken to cool completely.  Reserve the broth. 

 

NOTE FOR BUSY COOKS:  you can eliminate the roasting of a chicken by purchasing a whole, roasted chicken from your local market.  You will still need to poach the chicken in chicken broth (additionally, you can throw in a little dry white wine).

 

Bone the chicken when it has cooled.  Discard the bones.  You will only need half of the chicken so save the remaining chicken and put stock in containers to be frozen.  Do not add chicken to salad until it is completely cooled or it will wilt the lettuce.

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

Take a lovely platter and arrange a bed of lettuce.  I usually leave the middle less filled in order to build the salad up in the platter.  Your greens should be extremely crisp. 

 

Add the remaining components, starting with the chicken.  Sprinkle the bacon on top of the salad when you have added all other ingredients.   To finish the salad, sprinkle on the grated cheese and add the croutons.  (Any cheese will work...be creative.  Croutons can be home made or purchased.)

Also, the choice of ingredients is totally up to the home chef.  Other items that make this salad interesting are:  olives; pickles; capers; chives or scallions; etc.

 

When you are satisfied creatively, cover the salad with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until serving time.  Offer a choice of dressings. 

 

Preparation time is minimal if you use an already cooked chicken.  Although it looks like you spent an hour making this salad, it really is more like five to ten minutes. 

Future Lessons

 

 

COMING SOON

 

 

Answering cooking questions is fun...in the near future, in response to your requests, we will teach you how to make your own cream puffs; make delicious ice cream and a sensational Easter menu.  Stay tuned!!!!!

Deep Dish Turkey Pot Pie

 

Deep Dish Turkey Pot Pie

This recipe requires a little planning.  You need two days, a crockpot and some patience.  You also need three cups of diced turkey.  (I freeze extra turkey for recipes like this.) 

Ingredients:

2 turkey thighs (wings, etc.)
32 ounces of chicken stock
2 packets of turkey gravy

Place all these ingredients in a crockpot.   Set heat to lowest setting.  Slow cook for 24 hours.  Add one cup of heavy cream.  Cook another few hours.  Strain the sauce, reserving gravy.  If you want to incorporate turkey, debone and add to gravy.


Assembling Pie:

Preheat oven to 350F

Ingredients:

Turkey gravy
Diced turkey
pre-made pie crusts
Salt, pepper

In a deep dish pie plate, put bottom crust.  Fill crust with turkey and gravy.  Dot with butter.  Salt and pepper before putting top crust on....

Roll out top crust and place over pie.  Crimp edges.  Spray middle of crust (not edges) with baking spray.  Sprinkle finishing sea salt and pepper on top of crust.  Sprinkle with rosemary (crushed).

Bake for one hour.






 

Lasagna

 

 

1 lb. of lasagna noodles

2 cups of ricotta

1/2 cup of breadcrumbs

Six eggs (room temperature)

1 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano

2 lbs. of cooked Italian sausage

20 ounces of thawed chopped spinach

salt, pepper and nutmeg

4 cups of spaghetti sauce

freshly grated mozarella

eight slices of provolone

Cook noodles three minutes less than box advises or if using fresh noodles, blanch three minutes.  Shock in cold water.

Have a large lasagna pan ready.    Put one cup of spaghetti sauce in bottom.  Put one layer of noodles in the bottom of the pan.

In a large bowl, mix ricotta, breadcrumbs, eggs, parmigiano reggiano and sprinkle in a little salt, pepper and freshly ground nutmeg. 

Put one half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles.  Cover with the spinach.  Spoon over a little of the spaghetti sauce.  Add a layer of noodles.  Add remainder of ricotta mixture.  Cover with the cooked Italian sausage.  Sprinkle a little parmigiano reggiano and add the provolone.  Spoon over spaghetti sauce.  Add final noodle layer.  Sprinkle with cheese and add sauce.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350F.



Aunt Alice's Macaroni Salad

Aunt Alice's Macaroni Salad

 

 

My mother’s sister, Alice, made the best macaroni salad.  Her original recipe calls for salad oil and vinegar (I don’t use these in mine).  Try it both ways to see which you prefer.  Honestly, I’ve never had a better macaroni salad….

 

Ingredients

1 lb. of elbow macaroni, cooked

1 small onion, grated or cut fine

2 tomatoes, chopped (I use those miniature plum tomatoes instead)

1 can of shrimp, rinsed

1 cup of mayonnaise

1 clove of garlic, grated or 1 tsp. of garlic powder

2 raw carrots, grated

2 bell peppers, chopped

1 tbl. salad oil

1 tsp. of vinegar

 

Cook macaroni the night before, rinse well and add the oil and vinegar.  The next day, toss the ingredients and refrigerate until serving.



Chicken Caesar Salad

Chicken Caesar Salad

 



 

Ingredients:

Preheat oven to 350F

 

4 pieces of chicken or turkey thighs marinated for several hours in buttermilk (you can substitute        ranch style dressing if buttermilk is unavailable)

 

1 deep roasting pan

 

Wipe marinade off protein.  Place in a roasting pan.  Roast for one hour.  Allow the protein to cool thoroughly.

 

Salad:

Romaine lettuce

Specialty lettuces (whatever is at your market)

bacon bits

Imported parmesan cheese

Croutons

 

Break up cleaned lettuce(s) with your fingers and place in a deep salad bowl.   Add croutons, bacon and cheese.  Set aside until serving time.

 

Salad Dressing:

1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 tbl. of lemon juice

2 inches of anchovy paste

1/3 cup of imported parmesan cheese

1 egg

 

Process by putting all ingredients in bowl of food processor and then drizzling in the olive oil slowly.  Taste.  Add extra cheese or lemon and salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

 

When protein is thoroughly cooked, remove skin and shred.  Place the protein on the salad.  Slowly drizzle the salad dressing over the salad.  Toss.  Taste.  If necessary, add more cheese, or salt and pepper.  This salad is served at room temperature, not hot.  If you serve the protein hot, it will wilt the salad.



 

 

King Family Pork Ribs

 

 

The history of this recipe is interesting.   I was planning a large family event and asked my son-in-law, Christopher, what his favorite food was...he replied "King Family Ribs".  Since my son also loves ribs, this was a no brainer.  When I called Christopher's mother, Judy, for the recipe, she said it wasn't written down anywhere.  To try and track down the original recipe, she started emailing members of her family and included me in all responses.  Most family members agreed on two things:  beer and barbecue sauce.  Christopher was able to give me an idea of the flavor of the barbecue sauce.  The flavor of the rub was mine...it's mostly the rub I use for meat.  The first part of the recipe...cooking the ribs in beer...can be done a day or two ahead to save time.  Just wrap well and refrigerate.

 

 

4 lbs. of pork ribs



beer

 

Put the ribs in a deep baking pan.  Pour beer over the ribs to cover.  Bake for 2 hours at 200 degrees.

 

Allow the ribs to cool naturally before the next step.

 

Rub:

garlic powder; a dash of cayenne pepper; salt and pepper

 

Barbecue Sauce:

1 bottle of Jack Daniel's Bourbon flavored barbecue sauce

2 nips of Grand Marnier

1 teaspoon of brown sugar

Orange juice

1 tsp. of Dijon mustard

 

You don't need to cook this sauce.

 

Dry the ribs with paper towels and then generously coat with the rub.  Refrigerate the ribs until time to barbecue.  Add sauce as barbecue cooks through the meat.  Cook over flavored wood chips.  There will be none left...

 

Easy Chili

Chili is easy to make if you have a crock pot.  This recipe will make you want to go back for more.  Serve with a hearty, crusty bread.

Ingredients:
2 cans of chili
1 lb. of ground pork
1 lb. of ground beef
1 large red onion, chopped
12 ounces of porcini mushrooms, chopped
1/2 lb. of bacon
Chicken stock
dash of cayenne pepper

In a large skillet, brown the bacon.  Remove the bacon and allow the bacon pieces to dry on a paper towel.  Use the fat in the skillet to cook the pork, beef, onion and mushrooms. 

In a crockpot, put the chili and all remaining ingredients.  Eyeball the chicken stock.  Allow to cook on low setting of the crockpot.

Kick Ass Brownies

Preheat the oven to 350F

Butter and flour a brownie pan

 

 

1 box of Ghirardelli double chocolate brownies mix

¼ cup of strongly brewed Starbucks french roast coffee
¼ cup of Nutella melted with ½ cup of butter flavored Crisco
¼ cup of bittersweet Ghirardelli cocoa (sifted)
¼ cup of Hershey’s cocoa (sifted)
1 nip of Kahlua
1 tsp. of cayenne pepper
1 pinch of salt
2 eggs

There are two important keys to making great brownies from a mix...never use butter and elevate the recipe by adding simple ingredients like cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt.

Mix all these ingredients in a large bowl with a fork.  (Do not overmix…fifty strokes or less)…

 

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.

 

Frosting:

 

First frosting is a simple buttercream.

 

Simple Buttercream

 

1 box of confectioner's sugar

1 stick of butter at room temp

1 tsp. of vanilla

heavy cream

 

Use a hand mixer and a deep bowl.  Put sugar, butter and vanilla in the bowl and use the hand mixer.  Slowly pour in the cream until you have a proper textured frosting.  Frost the brownies when the brownies are cool.

 

Second frosting is a chocolate ganache.

 

Chocolate Ganache

 

8 ounces of semi sweet chocolate (I use Ghirardelli)

1 tsp. of vanilla

1/2 stick of butter

heavy cream

 

Melt chocolate with the vanilla and butter (heat water and melt slowly in a metal bowl over the water).     Remove the melted chocolate from heat and slowly drizzle in the heavy cream.  Mix with a fork until you get a great glaze.  Quickly pour the glaze over the buttercream frosting. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turkey Soup

This soup was so delicious that my husband suggested I make a batch for our Virginia trip and pack it in the cooler with the other food I'm taking there.  This recipe makes good use of leftover turkey from your holiday meal.  It is hearty and a very delicious meal for a New England fall dinner. 

Ingredients:

2 cups of leftover turkey meat
1 large onion
1/2 bunch of celery, chopped
4 large carrots, chopped
several sprigs of thyme
freshly chopped parsley
6 bay leaves
32 ounces of chicken stock
1 10 ounce package of frozen spinach, thawed with water removed
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of Bell's seasoning

In a very large stockpot, put in all ingredients.  Simmer over low heat for several hours to allow all the flavors to develop.