Welcome to my Cooking Blog!

Welcome to my Cooking Blog!

1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

1 cup sugar (brown sugar and white sugar, half and half)

1 egg

1 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350˚.  Combine peanut butter and sugars and beat until just mixed.  Add egg and baking soda and beat until just mixed.  Roll into walnut sized balls and place on baking sheet.  Press lightly with a fork.  Bakes for 10 minutes until lightly browned.  Do not bake longer!  If you do, you may get some really hard cookies!  Cool for a minute on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Makes 18-24 cookies.  They don’t last long!

Goulash Soup

2 Tbl. Margarine

Enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot

1 onion chopped

2 tsp. hot Hungarian paprika (3 if you like it hotter)

1 tsp. sweet paprika

2 lbs. beef – bottom round cut unto 1 ½ inch chunks or good stew beef cut the same

flour to coat

3 cans of beef broth

1 pepper cut into strips

1 can diced tomatoes

salt and pepper

1 ½ to 2 cups of dices potatoes (I used 5 small)

Pour oil into the bottom of a Dutch oven.  Add margarine and heat until melted.  Add the onion and cook until soft on medium heat.  Add the paprika and cook slowly for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently.  Roll the beef in the flour and add to the pot, browning (don’t worry if you can’t get them all to brown, they will cook long enough).  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add beef broth, diced tomatoes, and sliced pepper.  Cook for 2 – 2 ½ hours on low flame (covered with the cover cracked open slightly) stirring occasionally.  Add potatoes and continue cooking for 1 ½ hours.  The sauce will thicken and condense and the meat is the tenderest I’ve had in a LONG time!  Enjoy!

Salt Marinade

Per pound of pork roast:

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper

¼ tsp. thyme

Pinch of allspice

½ tsp. garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together and rub them into the surface of the pork.  Place in a zip lock bag and turn several times.  Marinate overnight.  Wipe marinade off (I use a paper towel) before placing in a roasting pan and cooking.

4 cups of flour

2 cups of sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp, baking powder

1 tsp. salt

2 sticks margarine

4 eggs

1 pint sour cream

2 tsp. vanilla (add this once the rest is mixing)

Pour into two greased tube pans or two 13x9x2 pans.

Mix topping:

1 cup sugar

2 Tbs. cinnamon

1 ½ cup walnuts

Swirl topping through the batter and bake at 350 for 25 minutes to an hour.

Cool 5 minutes and remove from pan.

Recipe can be halved to make one cake.  They also freeze well.  Enjoy!

Click on image to buy from Amazon.Com

Providing myriad options, this automatic bread maker embodies the marvels of 21st century electronic convenience and choice. Yes, it mixes, kneads, rises, and bakes bread in three loaf sizes up to 2-1/2 pounds. But its digital controls go much further, offering settings for white, whole wheat, multigrain, and French (crisp crust, open texture) breads, each made according to what’s best for that particular style. Other settings permit rapid baking and baking sandwich bread with a soft crust. For raisin (or other dried-fruit) bread, a beeper signals when to add the fruit so it’s not crushed during kneading. Crust color–dark or light–can be selected as well.

The machine automatically adds yeast at the proper time from a dispenser on the unit’s lid. It also bakes non-yeast, quick breads– like banana and gingerbread–and sweet cakes. And it mixes, kneads, and rises doughs for pizza, focaccia, croissants, and other pastries without baking them. A timer permits the machine to be programmed up to 13 hours in advance so fresh bread or cake is available for breakfast or dinner. For cleanup convenience, the baking pan is nonstick. Clad in metal and packing 550 watts of power, the machine measures 14 inches wide, 13.5 inches high, and 9 inches deep. Its instruction booklet is exceptionally easy to understand and includes recipes for 40 breads and doughs along with an insightful guide to baking basics and illustrated tips for making pastries. –Fred Brack, Amazon.Com Review

From the Manufacturer

There’s nothing quite like the warm aroma of freshly baked homemade bread from the oven. With the help of this user-friendly bread machine, even those with a busy, on-the-go schedule can enjoy this simple pleasure–without the time-consuming hard work normally associated with baking bread. Just add ingredients, press a few buttons, and it takes care of the rest.

Easily Bake Bread or Create Dough

Bake loaves of white or whole wheat bread for slicing and slathering with butter and jam or for making sandwiches. Create croissant or pizza dough for shaping by hand and baking in the oven. Make the classic fruitcake to serve during the holidays. From basic recipes to custom creations, the bread machine produces delicious results–and without the additives and preservatives found in store-bought brands. A recipe book with over 50 original bread and dough recipes comes included.

Customizable Settings

The unit’s top-access, soft-touch, push-button control panel with an LCD digital display helps ensure easy programming. Choose from three different loaf sizes (medium, large, or extra large) and the crust color (light, medium, or dark). It also offers up to six different types of bread or dough options–Basic, Whole Wheat, Multi-Grain, French, Pizza, and Cake. Baking modes include Bake Only (great for fruitcakes, gingerbread, and teacakes); Rapid Bake (reduces the baking time of basic and whole-wheat breads); Raisin (offers an audible beep to signal when to add raisins, dried fruits, or nuts into the dough); and Sandwich (produces bread with a soft crust). Dough modes include Pizza, Rolls, and Raisin Dough. Best of all, the appliance comes equipped with a digital timer, which can be set up to 13 hours in advance–great for waking up to the smell of freshly baked bread. Or set the timer before leaving for work in the morning so that a warm loaf will be ready and waiting after a long day at the office. Simply slice it up and serve with dinner.

Healthy and Nutritious

Baking bread at home allows for ultimate control over the finished product. By using only the freshest ingredients and making choices between a variety of options, homemade bread can be an important part of a well-balanced diet–for both young and older family members alike. High in fiber and low in fat, bread contains a wealth of beneficial components. It provides complex carbohydrates needed for energy, protein for strong muscles, and vitamins and minerals, including calcium and iron for healthy bones and teeth. Add nutrient-rich eggs to the recipe or choose whole-grain flour for an extra boost of fiber, iron, vitamins, and minerals. Mixing in nuts and dried fruits not only add to the pleasing consistency and taste of the finished product, but they’re also another way to add to the overall health factor.

Ultimate Convenience

Thoughtfully designed, the bread machine also supplies a YeastPro automatic yeast dispenser. Just add a measured amount of yeast into the holder on the unit’s lid, and the machine will automatically dispense the yeast in with the other ingredients at the perfect time for optimal results. Even more, the unit’s inner bake pan comes fitted with a wire handle (use an oven mitt when hot) for easily removing it from the appliance when the bread has finished baking. The pan’s nonstick coating allows baked bread to slide easily out of the pan onto a cutting board or a wire rack to fully cool for easier slicing.

Unique Design for Professional Results

Unlike other bread machines, the unit does not offer a viewing window. The absence of a viewing window allows a more even reflection of heat inside the unit, which offers the following three advantages: excellent crust, good rising, and even color. The machine also benefits from a unique temperature-control program that automatically optimizes the temperatures and times for each stage of the process. Its comprehensive microprocessor program makes slight adjustments as needed to ensure perfectly baked bread regardless of conditions like climate and room temperature.

In addition to the recipe book, accessories include a measuring spoon, a measuring cup, and a kneading blade that fits onto the base of the inner pan for thoroughly mixing ingredients. Other highlights include a top-loading locking lid, a handy indicator light to show when the baking or dough cycle has completed, a safety fuse for peace of mind, and power-interruption protection that allows the baking process to resume even when there’s an interruption in power for approximately 10 minutes or less. All parts should be hand washed only. The small appliance comes in a compact design that fits neatly on the kitchen countertop. Keep it out for everyday use or store it on a shelf or in the pantry when finished. Awarded the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, the 550-watt bread machine measures 13-3/8 by 9-1/16 by 14 inches, weighs about 15 pounds, and carries a one-year limited warranty.

Click on image to buy from Amazon.Com

What could be more satisfying than presenting friends and family with a perfectly crafted homemade dessert, fresh out of the oven? Yet for many, the idea of baking is intimidating; rolling out pie dough or making a cake from scratch is akin to climbing Mount Everest. THE FEARLESS BAKER is a beginner’s baking guide written to empower home cooks with spot-on advice and a cache of go-to recipes. Renowned pastry chef Emily Luchetti guides novice bakers through her amazing recipes to troubleshoot their most common pitfalls. Charming color illustrations and photographs of real-life beginning bakers in action complete the instruction, turning even the most tentative baker into a fearless one.

Editorial Reviews

“Emily Luchetti is one of a handful of leading pastry chefs who have been setting the gold standard for restaurant desserts in the United States over the past two decades. Yet she also has the remarkable ability to impart her keen insights into flavor and technique to beginners. While her previous cookbooks have given rise to fervent admirers among culinary professionals (including us), this one is destined to inspire a whole new generation of home cooks to be fearless in the kitchen when it comes to baking.” (James Beard Award-winning authors of THE FLAVOR BIBLE Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg )

“The Fearless Baker is like having a pastry chef answering all your questions alongside you as you whisk, roll, and stir. With Emily Luchetti’s can’t-fail recipes and lively sidebar commentary, bakers of all levels will be rewarded with sweet success.” (author of Ready for Dessert and The Sweet Life in Paris David Lebovitz )

“If your idea of baking is pleasure and chocolate (and why wouldn’t it be?), you are in the best of kitchens with wizard pastry chef Emily Luchetti. Her dessert and breakfast recipes are easy-to-follow indulgences and oh so délicieuses.” (author of French Women Don’t Get Fat Mireille Guiliano )

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Review

I got an electronic version of the book, so the final version might be somewhat different.

I am not a baker. I cannot prepare desserts unless I follow instructions; so the cookbook needs to be very specific for my desserts to turn out.

The author dedicates some pages to the type of equipment that we should have. I wish that they had included photographs, as I had a hard time finding some of the equipment.

The book is divided into several chapters that cover: cookies, bars and bites, cakes, pies and tarts, fruit, No oven required, Best Dessert Sauces and Breakfast. It also has chapters on Sources, Metric Equivalents and Acknowledgments (people who helped with recipes and tasted them).

The first recipe that I baked was Blondies. They turned out great. The flavor was great and they were easy to prepare. The second recipe that I tried was the Cardamon Shortbread. It kind of flop on me because my mixture was not like “wet sand”. I tried it again and had much better success with it. Both of them tasted good but I would have liked to see the final product to compare with what I baked.

This book is for the person who has a clue on baking. The lack of pictures makes it very hard for people like me that do not bake. – Vivian Deliz, Amazon.Com Customer Review

Paving the way for bakers, no elbow grease required

The Boston Globe Cookbook Review – August 10, 2011 (Excerpt)

I’ve been a fan of Emily Luchetti’s ever since I read her “A Passion for Desserts,’’ an elegant book that was her first foray independent of Stars, the San Francisco restaurant where she served as head pastry chef. It’s the rare restaurant chef who can speak directly to the home cook or baker in her recipes; and it is clear Luchetti has a gift. She uses everyday equipment, combines accessible ingredients in interesting ways, and her recipes work.

Advertisement

AMERICAN MALE PROSTITUTE

How I (Almost) Got A Book Deal Through Sex, Lies, And Deceit

Today’s publishing world is divided into two principle sections. First, there is the exclusive pool of traditional publishers, and, second, the help-yourself shark tank represented by the so-called vanity publishers.

Vanity publishers have a significant edge over traditional publishers in regards to brutality, business sense, and profitability. They ruthlessly pursue the infinite supply of aspiring writers who, in turn, are rejected by traditional publishers or literary agents. Ironically, in the world of traditional publishing, authors are rejected not necessarily due to lack of talent. Vanity publishers accept everybody and everything. No questions asked. Just pay your bill, but don’t come crying to them when you can’t sell a copy of your book.

The question remains, what does it take these days to get a book deal with a traditional publisher? What do you do when, hypothetically, you are running out of time and mere talent is not the be-all and end-all?

Stuart Martin Berry has found the answer: If you can’t impress them with your talent, baffle them with your bull-shit. [Read more, including an excerpt]

Click on image to buy from Amazon.Com

In the highly anticipated follow-up to her bestselling Screen Doors & Sweet tea, Martha Hall Foose shares recipes and stories that are even closer to her home and heart.

A Southerly Course delves deep into Mississippi Delta flavors and foodways, where Martha finds inspiration in local ingredients—from figs and sweet potatoes to crawfish and venison. In her signature style, she pairs each recipe with an anecdote or words of advice, her memorable tales about each dish lingering long after the last bite has been polished off.

Martha’s beloved Southern cuisine is a fresh take on homey favorites fiercely protected by the locals, including Skillet Fried Corn, Sweet Pickle Braised Pork Shoulder, and Blackberry Jelly Roll. Dishes such as Sweet-and-Sour Salsify and Peanut Chicken, on the other hand, reflect the influence other cuisines have had on Southern cooking. Martha’s lifelong bond with Mississippi is most apparent when she introduces her friends and family; she dedicates Burgundy Duck to a fiery group of women duck hunters called the Swamp Witches, while her cousin’s new wife inspires Korean-style Grilled Green Onions. And in recalling her former neighbor, the famed author Eudora Welty, she reveals the secret to a perfect Custard Pie.

With more than 100 recipes and beautiful color photographs, this book is a wonderful, personal look into the South that Martha loves. Gather around her table in A Southerly Course for unforgettable food and vivid stories, both hallmarks in a rich Southern tradition. - Amazon.Com Review

It takes a clever food writer to transcend the mythology and easy stereotypes of a place, and this collection of recipes and essays is a colorful, nuanced exploration of Mississippi eating. Following up her James Beard Award–winning Screen Doors and Sweet Tea, writer and chef Foose celebrates the “eccentricity, ingenuity, and creativity” of Southern cooking as she personally has experienced it. Yes, there are the usual suspects, like pimento cheese, crawfish, corn. and peaches. But there will be many quirky surprises for non-Southern readers—Rum Tum Tiddly, or tomato-and-cheese toasts, doe loin with winter biscuits, and mirliton or chayote squash stuffed with ham, shrimp, and breadcrumbs.

Foose, who got her culinary degree in France, also dabbles in the international influences that have inspired her, with recipes for a Mississippi Masala-style peas and paneer and Korean grilled green onions. Finally, there are her own inventive concoctions like sweet and sour salsify and Delicata brown butter crepes. Offering meditations on subjects like congealed salads and family china, Foose has all the savvy of a local tour guide, leading the way through her native state with poetry and wit. – Publishers Weekly

Review

Be warned: this is not your grandmother’s sentimental southern cookbook. No cheese grits or spoon bread. Few if any casseroles–although there is a good one for crab. But you’ll still find jellied salads and other favorites.

Martha Hall Foose has lived up and down the Mississippi from Minnesota to the Mississippi delta, where she grew up and now lives again. For this lavishly illustrated book, she followed back-roads, visited modern and classic kitchens, and explored southern ingredients. The result is a book that offers, at least for me, a fresh look at southern cooking and some recipes I can’t wait to try.

There are a few scattered essays which discourse on various ingredients or customs. Foose’s essay on venison includes an anecdote (funny only in retrospect) about the time she spilled Tink’s Doe-in-a-Rut Buck Lure on her new dress on the first day of seventh grade. But, though not a hunter, she loves to cook with and eat venison, and mouth-watering recipes include Venison Meatballs with a Mustard Sauce, Doe Loin with Winter Biscuits, and Jalapeño Rolled Loin.

An essay on congealed salads compares the salads to the pageant girls of the South. There should, she says, be a contest, “some way to genuflect towards the spectacles of the congealed salad.” She mentions Blushing Peach Melba, Cherry Co-Cola Salad, Carrot Pineapple Salad (who can forget that?) and Jeweled Lime Surprise. A recipe for Cranberry Salad follows the essay.

A recipe for Skillet Fried Corn is preceded by an essay on corn, the difficulty of growing it in the delta, the importance of holding a cob in your hand and eating it, and the traditional corn at the state fair. There is no mention of that Texas state fair favorite, corn dogs. Similarly, creamed corn, she claims, is not a native dish because dairy products were difficult and expensive to obtain. Mississippians used the creamiest thing on hand–bacon fat or lard. Before you start complaining about cholesterol, she suggests you research cream and then get back to her. For the skillet fried corn, like many other dishes, she insists on cast-iron cookware.

The most interesting essay in the book is on Eudora Welty and her strong presence in Jackson, where Foose lived as a youngster. When she was a young girl, an aunt gave Foose a cookbook that already had a name written on the flyleaf–only later would she realize that it was Eudora Welty’s name. In recent times, Foose spent time Eudora Welty’s house, now home to the Eudora Welty Foundation, exploring the annotated cookbooks and recipes from which the famous author, always hospitable, had cooked. Miss Eudora’s recipe in this book is for Custard Pie.

New to me was Rum Tum Tiddy, made from tomato soup, cheese and toast and traditionally fed to sick children. The recipe for Welsh Rarebit cast a whole new light on that dish, which I’ve loved from childhood–this version is much better. There are recipes for oysters and crawfish (pickled), burgundy duck and rabbit terrine, salsify (or oyster plant) bisque, Potato and Anchovy Salad, that old stand-by Copper Pennies, and many others. I’ll be dipping into this book for a long time to come.

A Southerly Course is an oversize book but still one meant for cooking, not the coffee table. The photography is spectacular, from a close-up of a Butterscotch Pot de Creme to a swamp landscape, the billboard for a cafe’s menu, or a store counter with a bored-looking clerk above a sign that reads “Catching is Good for the Appetite; Fishing is Good for the Soul.”

Welcome to modern southern cooking, which retains the best of the traditions behind it.

by Judy Alter
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Tales are her appetizers to recipes with regional roots

The Boston Globe Book Review – July 20, 2011 (Excerpt)

Martha Hall Foose has been a professional baker, an executive chef, and a food stylist, but it was her 2008 book debut, “Screen Doors and Sweet Tea,’’ that charmed readers nationwide (and earned her a James Beard award). You could practically smell the thick, mint-scented air, see the porch swing, and feel the warm, weathered wood against your back.

Advertisement

Crimson Dawn

Book One of the Darklife Saga by Ronnie Massey

Two Women Hunting A Rogue Vampire

Vampire Valeria Trumaine must confront old demons and face new possibilities as she struggles to bring a rouge vampire to justice. Her best friend and powerful Sidhe princess, Irulan, joins the hunt. Valeria will find that Irulan’s motives for keeping her safe are not what she thinks. And soon she is faced with an undeniable attraction that makes her question everything she knew about herself.

CRIMSON DAWN by Ronnie Massey is not just another vampire novel. Yes, the story line includes the favorites of all young adults – plus those who stayed young-at-heart – such as vampires, werewolves, witches, and fairies, but they represent a framework that is seamlessly incorporated in a captivating story that is well worth to be characterized as extraordinary. [Read More...]

Available at Amazon.Com, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble, and any other good bookstore.

2 sticks margarine, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 2/3 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 Tbs. cinnamon

3 Tbls. sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.  Beat sugar and margarine with a mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Add egg and vanilla.  Add flour, baking powder, and salt and beat on low speed until a stiff dough forms.  Form dough into 1” balls.  Mix remaining sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl.  Rolls dough balls in cinnamon mixture until coated and place on lightly greased cookie sheet, about 2” apart.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until flattened in the center.  Let cool for two minutes on cookie sheets and then cool on wire rack.

Every once in a while though, I cook what I consider to be kid food. For me that means chicken fingers and French fries. And I do cook it. We don’t rush out to McDonald’s and get it for him while we eat something else (although he has a fascination with McDonald’s that we don’t understand as we don’t take him there). When I was having some intestinal issues last year, I cut out most processed foods. So I make my chicken fingers and French fries from scratch. When I went gluten free, I took my regular chicken fingers recipe and substituted gluten free pancake mix for the Bisquick. It works. And no one can tell the difference.

Another favorite in our house is cookies. I make a lot of different varieties and usually they are gone quickly. Today was a good day to make cookies. We have a play date here tomorrow and I like having homemade goodies. When I looked through my recipes, there was the recipe for Snickerdoodles. And judging by the little boy asking for the third one after supper, they were good. It’s always a good day when the cookie jar is full! Enjoy!

For the Wednesday play group, I made oatmeal raisin cookies.  I baked the gluten free version and they were very well received, even by those who don’t need gluten free foods.  For the Friday play group, I made sour cream coffee cake.  I’m told it was yummy and it definitely smelled good.  I haven’t tried to make that gluten free, but perhaps I will soon!

I won’t be hosting a play group in the next few weeks, but I will hopefully come up with something new and different by my next turn!

Happy baking!

See the recipe at Gluten Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

2 sticks of softened margarine

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

3 cups Quaker oats (combination of old fashioned and quick cooking)

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped walmuts

Heat oven to 350°.  Beat margarine and sugars until creamy then add eggs and vanilla.  Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt and add to mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins, and nuts. Drop by tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown.  Cool for one minute on the cookie sheet and then move to a cooling rack.

Wicked good!

Make This Recipe Gluten-Free:

For gluten free cookies, half the recipe and substitute GF flour mix for the all purpose flour.  The texture is different, but the taste is good!

St. Patrick Irish Cheddar Soup

• 4 potatoes
• 4 carrots
• 4 Tbs. margarine
• 3 cans beef stock
• 1 –2 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ tsp. thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup milk
• 5 oz. shredded cheddar

Clean, peel, and dice vegetables.  Melt margarine in a soup pot and sauté the vegetables lightly for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add stock, garlic, and seasonings.  Bring to a boil and then cover the pot and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Blend the soup, either in a blender and return to the pot, or use a hand blender. Add milk and cheese and reheat the soup but do not allow it to boil.  Serve hot.