Cereal Square Snack

This recipe was pulled to go into my next cookbook Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts but I did want to share this comment with you from Mary Kennedy who will be shipping them out to the 389th Unit stationed in Iraq.

Martha, this recipe is FABULOUS!!! I made some today, and am going to make more. Packing it in big plastic pretzel jars to send to the 389th in Iraq. You were wonderful to think of it, I know they will love it. I also sent a dozen copies of DEAD AIR, the first of the Talk Radio Mysteries from Penguin. Can't believe that the release date for book 2, REEL MURDER is just around the corner, June 1st. Thanks again!! You're the best, mary

Chicken Veggie Bake

Sometimes simple is best.  I came in the other night and wanted something simple but tasty and this is what I ended up with.  I put my chicken in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray, drizzled it with a little olive oil, sprinkled it with a little garlic/sea salt and fresh Rosemary, put it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Then I added my broccoli and cauliflower, baked it for about another 15 minutes and dinner was done!  For something so simple, this was so good and left me with only one dish to wash.

Who Knew - Remedies from your kitchen

Eliminate ear mites.  All it takes is a few drops of Wesson Corn Oil in your cat's ear.  Massage it in, then clean with a cotton ball.  Repeat daily for 3 days.  The oil soothes the cat's skin, smothers the mites, and accelerates healing.

Kills fleas instantly.  Dawn Dishwashing Liquid does the trick.  Add a few drops to your dog's bath and shampoo the animal thoroughly.  Rinse well to avoid skin irritations.  Good-bye fleas.

Rainy day cure for dog odor:  Next time your dog comes in from the rain, simply wipe down the animal with Bounce or any dryer sheet, instantly making your dog smell springtime fresh.

Did you know that drinking two glasses of Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately-without the unpleasant side effects caused by traditional pain relievers?

Did you know that Colgate Toothpaste makes an excellent salve for burns?

Before you head to the drugstore for a high-priced inhaler filled with mysterious chemicals, try chewing on a couple of curiously strong Altoids peppermints.  They'll clear up your stuffed nose.

Achy muscles from a bout of the flu?  Mix 1 tablespoon horseradish in 1 cup of olive oil.  Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, then apply it as a massage oil for instant relief for aching muscles.

Sore throat?  Just mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup of honey and take 1 tablespoon six times a day.  The vinegar kills the bacteria.

Cure urinary tract infections with Alka-Seltzer.  Just dissolve two tablets in a glass of water and drink it at the onset of the symptoms.  Alka-Seltzer begins eliminating urinary tract infections almost instantly-even though the product was never been advertised for this use.

Honey remedy for skin blemishes...cover the blemish with a dab of honey and place a Band-Aid over it.  Honey kills the bacteria, keeps the skin sterile, and speeds healing.  Works overnight.

Listerine therapy for toenail fungus:  Get rid of unsightly toenail fungus by soaking your toes in Listerine Mouthwash.  The powerful antiseptic leaves your toenails looking healthy again.

Easy eyeglass protection...to prevent the screws in eyeglasses from loosening, apply a small drop of Maybelline Crystal Clear Nail Polish to the threads of the screws before tightening them.

Cleaning liquid that doubles as bug killer...if menacing bees, wasps, hornets, or yellow jackets get in your home and you can't find the insecticide, try a spray of Formula 409.  Insects drop to the ground instantly.

Smart splinter remover:  Just pour a drop of Elmer's Glue-All over the splinter, let dry, and peel the dried glue off the skin.  The splinter sticks to the dried glue.

Hunt's Tomato Paste boil cure...cover the boil with Hunt's Tomato Paste as a compress.  The acids from the tomatoes soothe the pain and bring the boil to a head.

Balm for broken blisters...to disinfect a broken blister, dab on a few drops of Listerine, a powerful antiseptic.

Vinegar to heal bruises...soak a cotton ball in white vinegar and apply it to the bruise for 1 hour.  The vinegar reduces the blueness and speeds up the healing process.

Quaker Oats for fast pain relief...it's not for breakfast any more!  Mix 2 cups of Quaker Oats and 1 cup of water in a bowl and warm in the microwave for 1 minute, cool slightly, and apply the mixture to your hands for soothing relief from arthritis pain.

These remedies were sent to me by my high school friend Barbara.  These are great and you can bet I'll be using several of them on a regular basis.   

GO GREEN Tips from Reynolds Wrap

With all of us trying to GO GREEN as much as possible, I thought you might find some of these tips from Reynolds Wrap useful.  I know I did.

Using aluminum foil from recycled aluminum is an easy way to add a little “green” to your kitchen and make it more environmentally friendly. Here are some easy ways from purchase to clean-up that will minimize your impact on the environment.

• Wrap lunches, snacks and leftover foods in Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil from 100% Recycled Aluminum for an updated way to keep food fresh.
• Conserve energy by cooking in the right size pots and selecting the air-dry option on your dishwasher.
• Line pans and baking dishes with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil from 100% Recycled Aluminum to cut back on cleanup and save water.
• Filter your own water from your kitchen tap. Store water in a reusable stainless steel water bottle to cut down on waste if you need water on the go.
• Recycle anything you can, including paper, plastic, glass and cans. Be sure to check with your local municipality to find out what products it accepts, as some municipalities recycle aluminum foil. If yours does, just rinse the foil, crumple it up and toss it into the recycling bin.
• Bring your own reusable bag anytime you go shopping.
• A sunny kitchen windowsill is a great place to grow fresh herbs and vegetables. You can use Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil from 100% Recycled Aluminum to start seedlings.
• Buy organic products. When you buy organic products with the USDA organic seal, you can be assured that the foods are produced without antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, irradiation or bioengineering. Organic farming practices are designed to encourage soil and water conservation and reduce pollution.
• Help control your kitchen temperature by planting trees outside your window to provide summer shade and block winter winds.
• For small meals, use your toaster oven which will use less energy than your main oven. Remember to line the tray in your toaster oven with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil from 100% Recycled Aluminum for easy clean-up.
• Cook in batches and freeze or refrigerate the remaining portions wrapped in Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil from 100% Recycled Aluminum. It will take less energy, time and effort to reheat the leftovers than to cook new meals.

Clothes Dryer Info

No, this has nothing to do with food but it's something that I've found to be very important.  After reading this story I did exactly as the repairman did in the story below and he was right.  The most of the little holes in my lint filter were closed up.

The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load of clothes.) He took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material. I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well...the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh - that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't see the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ... well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush at least every six months.

He said that increases the life of the dryer at least twice as long!

Grilling Tips from Kingsford

I love grilling and the even though gas grills are so easy to use, I would much rather have a burger, steak, chicken, just anything cooked over charcoal. Here are some tips for cooking perfectly over a charcoal grill.

Basic Grilling
1. Keep food from sticking by rubbing grill with vegetable oil or non-stick cooking spray.
2. Leaving space around each food item on the grill allows for even cooking and smoke penetration.
3. Turn meat just once on the grill—for steaks, turn them when the juices start to bubble on the uncooked side (the clearer the juice, the more well done the meat).
4. Apply sauces containing honey, brown sugar or molasses during the last 10 minutes to prevent the sauce from burning.
5. Keep a spray bottle filled with water handy so you can spritz flare-ups, which can blacken your food.
6. Place cooked foods on a clean plate, not one that has previously held raw meat, fish or poultry. Bacteria from raw food can contaminate the cooked food and cause food poisoning.
7. Brush the grilling surface (once it's cooled) with a wired brush to remove any stuck on food.

Direct Grilling
Cook foods that take less than 30 minutes directly over the coals.
Examples: boneless chicken, steaks, fish fillets, hamburgers and hot dogs.

Generally, use 30 briquets (just over 1lb) to grill 1lb of meat or poultry. The size and type of your grill, type of food and the weather all affect the amount of charcoal you need.

Indirect Grilling
Foods that take longer than 30 minutes and are higher in fat are best cooked over indirect heat, in a way similar to oven roasting.
Examples: whole turkeys, bone-in chicken, ribs and briskets.

Here's how:

* Bank charcoal briquets on one or both sides of a drip pan on the lower grid.
* Place food on the grill, centered over a drip pan.
* Close the grill lid to contain heat and seal in smoky flavor.
* Add water, apple juice or other flavored liquids to the drip pan to provide extra moistness and flavor to food, if desired.
Use approximately 25 briquets on each side of the drip pan for the first hour of cooking time. After each additional hour, add 8 new briquets to the outside edges on either side. Move them to the center when they're ashed over.

Happy Grilling!

Toffee Bars - Pulled

This is one of the really great ones! It's so good that believe it or not, I had no ingredient change suggestions for these perfect bars! But, they have been pulled and placed in the Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts manuscript file.

Crab Toast

This dish is made with crabmeat, garlic, cheddar cheese, mayo and English muffins.  What could be better?  Well....

Think With Your Taste Buds - Use 1( 3 oz.) block of cream cheese, softened and ¼ cup of room temperature shredded cheddar cheese or cheese of your choice instead of Old English.  Use 1 container of soft serve cream cheese flavored with chives or add your own seasonings to soft serve cream cheese.  Change the bread to rye or use bagel thins.  This makes a great appetizer or brunch item.  You can also use tuna, salmon or even chicken in place of the crab.

Read the complete recipe by going to Martha's Kitchen Korner

Book Bank

My dear friend Lillian's husband Bill send me a beautiful surprise last week.  He made a bank shaped like my cookbook Stir, Laugh, Repeat.  This was one of the sweetest things anyone has done for me and it's something that I'll cherish forever.  Thank you Bill.  Oh yeah, I've already started filling it up.

Cake Repair

What do you do when your cake looks like this?
No matter what you do, there are times when
your cake still sticks to the pan.  With this
cake, about 1/3 of the cake stayed in the pan.
So what do you do?  Throw the cake away
and start over?  Nope!

You simply "Think with your taste buds" and
get creative.  In my case I put the portion that
stuck to the pan into my pretty pedestal bowl
and then put the rest on top.  To repair my
cake I mixed up vanilla pudding, poked holes in
my cake and let it drain into the cake and
down the sides.  Put the cake into the
refrigerator for the pudding to set up and this is
what I ended up.
with.

Chicken Pretzel Casserole

Pretzels
butter
cream of chicken soup
cheddar cheese
chicken
onions (optional)
water

As you can see from the ingredient list, you probably have most, if not all, already in your kitchen.  This recipe was originally sent to me making it without the chicken and water.  I made those changes and used a different kind of pretzel and not as many (original used 2 lbs.).  With these changes, this dish came out wonderfully delicious!

See the full recipe at Martha's Kitchen Korner.

Think With Your Taste Buds - I topped mine with French fried onions.  You can also add extra cheese, some walnuts would make a nice addition.  You might even add some chopped celery.

Easy Deviled Eggs

 

Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal; mash till they are all broken up Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy; squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done - easy clean up. 

Getting Rid of Ants

Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

A Book and A Dish Book Review #100

I've just posted my 100th book review on A Book and A Dish.  Number 100 is called Stop Me by Richard Jay Parker.  This book is one that will really keep you guessing.  Go to A Book and A Dish, read my review and check out the Author's favorite recipe.

White Chocolate Pecan Bars - Pulled

Bottom Layer:
cake mix
egg
butter


Middle Layer:
white chocolate chips
pecans
coconut


Top Layer:
cream cheese
eggs
confectioners' sugar


This wonderful 3 layered recipe was sent to me by my friend Lillian. I made a few simple changes to make it suite my taste. The recipe is so simple but so good. There are many variations you can use to change the taste completely. Change the flavor of the cake mix. Change the chips.. milk chocolate, peanut butter chips, butter scotch chips. Change the nuts... almonds, walnuts. Add flavoring to the cream cheese. Use your taste buds to create the combinations.

But - It's been pulled and sent to the "Think With Your Taste Bud - Dessert" file.

Italian Casserole

ground beef
Italian sausage
pepperoni
onion
spaghetti sauce
sour cream
mozzarella cheese
crescent rolls
margarine
garlic

The original of this recipe was sent to me by a friend. I made changes by decreasing the ground beef and adding the Italian sausage and pepperoni. I made this last weekend for a couple of friends for the 1st time. They loved it!

View the full recipe by going to Martha's Recipe Cabinet.


Changes - Use ground chicken and chicken sausage. Add sauteed mushrooms, onions and peppers. Add black olives or change the spaghetti sauce flavors.

Goodbye Fruit Flies

To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2 with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

This was sent to me by a friend, I tried this and it works!

Hidden Candy Cookies - Pulled

butter
sugar
vanilla extract
flour
nuts
mini candy bars

While waiting in line at the grocery store I saw a Christmas cookie book and decided to buy it. One of the recipes in the book gave me the idea for the above cookies. I had a bag of mixed popular mini-candy bars and decided to try them. I also used caramel squares cut in half. Yes I did try one of each and they are all great. Each one has it's own special flavor. So go wild with this one. It's a great way to use up leftover Halloween, Christmas and even Valentine candy. You can also change the flavor with the nuts. I used almonds but pecans and walnuts will work too. You can make these pretty by drizzling colored icing over them but they are really perfect as they are.

Now that I have your attention I have to tell you that this recipe has been pulled and sent to the manuscript file for my next cookbook Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts.

Black Trumpet Mushrooms with Egg Noodles

Serves 1

1/2 oz. dried Black Trumpet Mushrooms (Marx Foods)
1 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
dash of Worcestershire sauce
dash of Tabasco sauce
1 serving of cooked egg noodles
Parmesan cheese

Rehydrate the Black Trumpet Mushrooms according to package.  In a small frying pan heat oil and saute garlic until lightly browned.  Add mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce and noodles.  Toss to coat with oil and garlic.  Serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

This can be made with other mushrooms but I found the taste of the Black Trumpet to have a slightly sweet yet woody flavor.  This recipe was inspired by a man I work with, G.C. Meetze.  He actually created this dish using Shiitake mushrooms so I thought I would give it a try with the Black Trumpet.  For more information on Black Trumpet and other dried mushrooms, contact Justin at Marx Foods

Reheating Pizza

Heat leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the food channel and it really works.

Jello Fruit Salads

Orange Jello Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
1 can of drained mandarin oranges
sliced strawberries
sliced seedless grapes
large marshmallows
nuts
1 pkg orange jello (3 oz.)
1 cup hot water



Strawberry Jello Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
sliced strawberries
sliced grapes
mini-marshmallows
walnuts
strawberry jello (3 oz.)
1 cup hot water




I found myself with some excess fruit that needed to be made into something so I played around with different combinations using different flavors of jello.  Even though the ingredients are almost the same, the flavors are totally different and that's due to the jello flavors.  This is a good one to play around with to come up with healthy, refreshing dessert salads.  Just remember... use only half of the liquid called for when mixing the jello.  There will be enough liquid coming from the fruit to make up the difference.

All-Bran & Ice Cream

So many times we find ourselves wanting something that is totally unhealthy for us and no matter what kind of excuses we come up with we seem to give in.  Yesterday was one of those days for me.  I love ice cream but not the normal chocolate, vanilla or strawberry flavors.  It has to have a little something else added for my taste.  I buy flavors such as black walnut, butter pecan, snickers, strawberry cheesecake and heath.  If it has nuts and/or caramel as an ingredient, it has to be good.  Well Saturday I spotted a flavor I hadn’t tried yet.  It’s Breyer’s Overload Fried Ice Cream.  This has a little caramel and a touch of honey and cinnamon.  Boy is it good! 

 

I decided to make myself a small bowl and started feeling guilty until I spotted a box of Kellogg’s All-Bran.  Kellogg’s sent me 3 boxes of their All-Bran cereal – flakes, buds, original, to try and see if I could utilize them as an ingredient in a dish other than breakfast cereal.  Well, I did it.  I came up with the perfect way to get your fiber through a healthy cereal and still indulge your sweet tooth.  A serving of their Original is a 1/2 cup and carries only 80 calories, 1 g Total Fat, 80 mg. sodium, 6 g sugar and 10 g fiber.  So here is what I did.  I sprinkled that 1/2 cup over my ice cream.  I hit the bull’s eye with this one.  The Original All-Bran doesn’t go soft so it gives you a little crunch in your ice cream, just as you would have if you were eating it from a sugar cone.  And that's exactly what it tasted like to me.. crumbled sugar cone in my ice cream.  Since this was so good I decided to give it a try with yogurt.  At lunch today I sprinkled my All-Bran Original over my strawberry yogurt.  It's just as good as being sprinkled over the ice cream. 

 

So, the next time you want to indulge in that bowl of ice cream, top it with All-Bran Original cereal and take away a little of the guilt or just sprinkle it over your yogurt and feel no guilt at all.

Hawkeye Cake

This is a cake recipe sent to me by my lovely friend Lillian with her blessings for making changes.  I'll give you the original version and then my changes.

Hawkeye Cake

1 Lemon Supreme cake mix (baked as per instructions on box)
1 can crushed pineapple, undrained (I used a 20 oz. can)
1/2 cup sugar
1 large (6 oz.) pkg vanilla pudding (prepared as diected on box)
Dream Whip (or whipping cream)

Cook pineapple and sugar.  Put small holes in the baked cake (a two tined fork does a good job).  Pour pineapple mixture over hot cake.  When cooled, cover with vanilla pudding.  Spread Dream Whip or whipped cream over the top.  Keeps well and can be frozen.  Refrigerate cake.

Changes - You could use coconut cream pudding with a yellow cake mix or use some coconut in the batter of the cake.  Use Cool Whip instead of whipping cream or Dream Whip.

Lillian is 100% correct in her statement to me "I know that you can find a million changes for this recipe."  I made my changes using coconut pudding, coconut extract in the cake mix and by using coconut milk in the pudding.  Work with this recipe and make your own changes.  View my recipe by going to Martha's Recipe Cabinet.  I've called mine Coconut Ice Box Cake

Apple Upside Down Cake

sugar
ground cinnamon
nutmeg
flour
apples
Spice Cake

These are the simple ingredients for making my Apple Upside Down Cake.  I served this to my Sunday Morning Coffee Group and it received a 10+ so without a doubt, it has made it to the Martha's Recipe Cabinet stage.  

Garlic Tip

 

Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

Rocky River Butterfly Blush

Today I had a book signing at Rocky River Vineyards in Midland, NC.  The book signing was part of a festival held twice a year (Spring and Fall) by the Vineyard.   This was the first time I've had the pleasure of attending this Spring event and you can believe me, it won't be my last.  The festival consisted of music, food and craft vendors and a wine tasting.  Yes, the wine tasting was extremely popular and I even stopped by before leaving.  I ended up with a bottle of their Butterfly Blush which is a sweet muscadine wine.  I had company coming for dinner and thought this would be perfect to serve with a new dish I planned on making that I ended up naming Italian Pot Pie.  Well, the new dish turned out delicious but I couldn't believe the compliments I received on the wine.  I heard "This has to be one of the best wines I've ever had."  "I've just found a new favorite wine."  "Where did you find this delicious wine?"  And they were right!  This wine has a wonderful, slightly sweet taste of muscadines that blended beautifully with my dinner. 

Rocky River Vineyards is located @ 11685 Reed Mine Rd., Midland, NC 28107.  If you are ever in the area, Rocky River Vineyard is well worth visiting and by going to their website you can also check out some of their other wines. 

Scrambled Egg Tip

To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream; then beat them.

Ground Beef Frying Tip

 

Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. 

 

Pomegranate Tapioca Pudding - Pulled

tapioca
sugar
cinnamon
POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice
milk
egg
sugar
vanilla

This is a recipe I worked up for POM.  It's so good but it's been pulled and moved to the manuscript file for Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts

Baked Potato Ground Beef Casserole

Ingredients:

potatoes

ground beef

cheese

onion

mayonnaise

sour cream

chives

salt & pepper

Bet you have all of these ingredients on hand.  This is a really good dish, simple to make and takes very little time.  You can view the full recipe by going to Martha's Kitchen Korner

Changes – Use chicken or bacon instead of ground beef.  Add mushrooms and/or minced garlic for added flavor.  Reserve ½ cup cheese to add to during the last 5 minutes of baking.

 

Pepper Tips

 

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.
Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Strawberry Jello Pie - Pulled

This pie can be changed simply by changing the  flavor of jello and/or fruit.  I would think cherry jello with cherries, a scoop of whipped topping and a drizzle of chocolate might even be appealing.

But this recipe has been pulled and sent to the Think With Your Taste Buds File - Desserts.  So, watch for this along with so many other desserts in the near future.

Cookin' Up A Cure - To Benefit Relay For Life

Last week a friend brought me a copy of a cookbook his daughter, along with a group of friends put together to benefit “Relay For Life.”  I thumbed through the book and found some really delicious sounding dishes, then I went to the front of the book to see what “Relay For Life” was all about.  Here is their story.

“Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity.  It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer.  Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path.  Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event.  Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length.”

Relay For Life is a life-changing event that brings together more than 3.5 million people to:

*Celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer.  The strength of survivors inspires others to continue to fight.

*Remember loved ones lost to the disease.  At Relay, people who have walked alongside people battling cancer can grieve and find healing.

*Fight Back.  They Relay because they have been touched by cancer and desperately want to put an end to the disease.

Flowers Baking Company of Lynchburg, LLC., has been involved with Relay For Life and the American Cancer Society for many years.  They do yearly golf tournaments, car washes, cook outs, raffles, dress down day at work and even hold a bowling extravaganza, using these unique ways to raise as much money as possible to find a cure for cancer.

Cancer knows no boundaries.  It knows no limits.  It does not care if you are a mom, daughter, son, husband, wife, grandparent, aunt, uncle, friend or child.  It does not care how old you are or how successful you are or how may hopes and dreams you may have.  It does not care if you are black or white, what religion you are, if you are single or married, or who you voted for as president.  Cancer can show up at any time or anywhere.  It can be you or someone you love.  It can be someone you work with, your next door neighbor, or your child’s schoolmate. 

Relay for Life started with one man, Dr. Gordy Klatt, in May of 1985.  ONE MAN started this world wide phenomenon.  He ran around one track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington for more than 83 miles.  Dr. Klatt’s efforts raised $27,000 to fight cancer in 24 hours.  He went on to start the first team relay event, known as the City of Destiny Classic 24-Hour Run Against Cancer. From there, Relay For Life took off, celebrating its 25^th year of HOPE in 2009.

So, this is just a small part of what Relay For Life is all about.  Flowers Baking Company of Lynchburg, LLC., has been involved with Relay For Life and the American Cancer Society for many years.  They do yearly golf tournaments, car washes, cook outs, raffles, dress down day at work and even hold a bowling extravaganza, using these unique ways to raise as much money as possible to find a cure for cancer.  And now they have created a wonderful cookbook called Cookin’ Up A Cure.  As I went through this great little cookbook, I found dishes that I can’t wait to try and to “play with” giving them changes to make them my own.  This is a book well worth having with the profits going to a cause that need all of the help it can be given.  

If you would like to have your own copy of Cookin’ Up A Cure and help support a wonderful group of people fighting to find a cure, contact danna_jones@flocorp.com  You never know when you or someone you love may benefit from the efforts of these caring people.

 

Cheesey Tip

Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

Banana Tips

 

DID YOU KNOW? Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off it. That's how the primates do it.

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.  

 

Experiencing Red Lobster's New Menu with Chef Mickler - Part 5

I'm going to bring my Red Lobster Posts to an end with the desserts.  I' can tell you that both looked so tasty but I didn't sample them.  I don't eat chocolate.  But I promise that from the look on everyone's face, they had to be wonderful.  Here is a little description to get your taste buds begging.

The Chocolate Wave cake is a warm, rich chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and a chocolate sauce.  It's for the true chocolate lover.  This dish also happens to be our #2 preferred dessert among regular guests.  As you can see from the picture, this cake is chocolate with chocolate with chocolate and a little more chocolate on top.  Man, if I liked chocolate, this would be a dream!

The Chocolate Lava Cookie is a warm chocolate chip cookie filled with chocolate ganache  and topped with vanilla ice cream.  It's a modern spin on chocolate lava cake and is only served at Red Lobster. This is the #1 preferred dessert.  I actually started to sample just the cookie part but got wrapped up in seeing the delight on everyone's face as they took a bite that I actually forgot.  Again, judging by their expressions, this was another hit.

Now I want to tell you a little about the  2 men that actually prepared these wonderful dishes that I’ve told you about. 

Cat Alvarez (left) has been with Red Lobster for 14 years.  He started as a Red Lobster bartender in 1996 and is now a manager of culinary operations.  He is responsible for ensuring  restaurants prepare and serve the executive chef’s creations with excellence, every single day.  He also plays a key role in the menu testing program (I would love that job).

 

Cat’s favorite dish to eat at Red Lobster is the Salmon New Orleans, his favorite foods  include cheese and any kind of sausage.  Cat has done live cooking demos on Hispanic television and remembers making seafood gumbo; he also cooks his Thanksgiving turkey every year in a different style

Chef William (right) discovered his passion for culinary arts while working at his local Red Lobster in Altamonte Springs, Florida during high school; he’s currently been with Red Lobster for 13 years.  He pursued a degree in culinary arts from Le Cordon Bleu’s program at the Orlando Culinary Academy.  Soon thereafter, he became the sous chef for Red Lobster’s corporate culinary development team, working with our Executive Chef’s Michael LaDuke, Darryl Mickler and Michael Senich.

Chef William’s role consists of being responsible for creating new menu items.  His recent creations found on the menu include: beer battered shrimp and Cajun shrimp scampi.  His proudest cooking moments -- seeing his family and closest friends react to his creations.  A favorite family tradition – always cooking on mother’s day.  He favorite cooking techniques are sauté and grilling and he has a special fondness Barbecue and Chinese cuisines.

Both of these young men are based in Florida, but travel to different parts of the country periodically.  I have to say that I would love to have either of their jobs.   I want to say thank you to both of them, to Chef Mickler, to Erica Jaeger and everyone else involved in making this tasty experience possible. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed my report on the new décor, the new menu and the new and some not-so-new dishes now served by Red Lobster.  If you’re not sure where the closest restaurant in your area might be, simply click on Red Lobster for their restaurant locator tool.

Experiencing Red Lobster's New Menu with Chef Mickler - Part 4

In the past, you could walk into a Red Lobster and one of the 1^st things you saw was the color red, at least that’s what I remember.  No more.  The colors are now woodsy, blues, grays with some warming reds mixed in.  The décor is made up of  flags, ship steering wheels (you can see I’m not up on the nautical terms) and other gadgets used in the fishing/seafood world.  And the lighting now accents the tables giving them a cozy, comfortable feel. But the interior and even the exterior décor aren’t the only things that have changed and been improved with Red Lobster.  They have added a “Today’s Fresh Fish” menu.

The day of my royalty treatment was on April 1^st and that day’s fresh fish choice consisted of – Atlantic Salmon, Tilapia, Rainbow Trout, North Atlantic Haddock and Mahi-Mahi.  All are prepared either on the wood-fire grill, oven-broiled or blackened, your choice.  Chef Mickler’s choice for this final meal was excellent and became my pick of the best!

The dish served was Atlantic Salmon with New Orleans Shrimp.  All I can say is OH MY!  The salmon was blackened with Cajun spices but the real treat came in with the shrimp topping and it’s spicy Tabasco beurre blanc.  The salmon was, of course, wonderful!  Moist and flaky with the perfect seasonings.  The shrimp was tender and juicy and cooked to perfection.  But the Tabasco beurre blanc was what really made the dish.  I have no idea as to what is included in the makeup this wonderful sauce.  All I can tell you is that it isn’t really hot as you would expect anything with the name Tabasco to be.  It has a gentle blend of herbs that I feel would compliment any dish it might be served over.  This has become my all time favorite and the dish that I will have a hard time diverting from when I order from Red Lobster.  If it weren’t for the wonderful treatment that was bestowed by Chef Mickler I would be begging him for this recipe.  But, I guess I’ll just have to indulge myself with frequent trips to Red Lobster to satisfy my taste buds for this one.

Tomorrow, in Part 5, I’ll tell you about the 2 desserts that were served and the 2 wonderful Chef’s who actually prepared each dish that was delivered to our table.

Go to Red Lobster to learn more about the new items on their menu.

Nutty Mushroom Spaghetti

Last week I received a package in the mail from a company out of Seattle, WA called Marxfoods.  Inside the box were 6 packets of dried mushrooms.  I had talked with Justin Marx a few days before and told him I would see what I could cook up using his mushrooms, so after they arrived I went on a search for recipes that would appeal all budgets and all tastes.  My daughter's mother-in-law came up with my 1st recipe suggestion which is from a Rachael Ray show and is called Nutty Broken Spaghetti-Sotto.  Any of you that really know me have already guessed correctly.  Yes, I did make changes in this recipe and oh did it come out so good.  So here goes with what I'm calling Nutty Mushroom Spaghetti

Let me say 1st that I used a 1/2 oz. pkg of MarxFood's Porcini Mushrooms which I soaked for about 30 minutes in water that I had allowed to come to a boil.  After 30 minutes, I drained the mushrooms saving the water for an ingredient in my dish.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup walnuts (original 1/2 cup
2 Tbl. butter
1 Tbl. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small onion, chopped small
Porcini Mushrooms (original called for 1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced)
1 Tbl. minced garlic (original 2 garlic cloves, grated)
1/2 lb. wheat spaghetti, broken into bite-size pieces (original 1 lb spaghetti)
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup white wine
liquid from mushrooms = 1 cup (original 4 cups chicken stock)
1 tsp. dried sage leaves, crumbled (original 10 leaves, sliced)
(original called for 1 cup of gorgonzola crumbles, I originally added Parmesan as a garnish but have since decided to add no cheese in the dish nor as a garnish - my own taste in this decision)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place walnuts on a baking sheet and place them in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until toasted.  In a medium to large skillet over medium heat, melt butter with oil.  Add onions and cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes.  Add mushrooms and garlic and brown for about 4 minutes.  Add broken spaghetti and cook, toasting the spaghetti, about 5 minutes.  Add wine.  Let it absorb into spaghetti.  Add about 1/2 of your mushroom water, cover and let that absorb.  Add remaining mushroom water, cover and let simmer until water is absorbed and spaghetti is tender.  Sage and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in walnuts.   (in the original you would have used 1 Tbl. of butter with the oil and added the other Tbl. of butter when adding the sage as well as half of the gorgonzola.  You would garnish each serving with more gorgonzola crumbs and the toasted walnuts.) I served my Nutty Mushroom Spaghetti with roast but I'm sure it would go well with just about anything or even as a main dish.

So, now you have it both ways.  I can say that no matter which way you make this I feel sure you will enjoy every bite.  I am.  And the dried mushrooms?  I'm going to really enjoy working with them.  the 1/2 oz. package swelled up to make the perfect amount for a dish of this size.  They are so easily hydrated and you also end up with that wonderful "mushroom water" that's created as they hydrate.  If you want more info on these little wonders of nature, go to MarxFoods to learn all about them.

Breakfast Soup

We have soups for lunch, dinner, supper, evening snacks but I don't think I've heard of one for breakfast.  This soup is really delicious!  I used gold fish as my crackers but it works great with toast.  For changes - try using bacon instead of the sausage.  I've not tried it yet but I can't see how it wouldn't be just as good as the sausage and maybe even better, if that's possible.  View the full recipe by going to Martha's Recipe's.

Experiencing Red Lobster's New Menu with Chef Mickler - Part 3

After enjoying both of the wonderful appetizers, it was time to try some of the main courses.  The first was called Maui Luau Shrimp and Salmon.  This dish consisted of a beautiful cut of fresh salmon and skewered jumbo shrimp, all brushed with a sweet and spicy glaze and cooked over that wonderful wood grill.  Again, the blends were so perfect that you could taste the smoky flavor of the salmon, the wood flavor that seeped into the shrimp but still pick up the sweetness and a touch of spicy heat from the glaze.  And to add even more taste, it came with grilled pineapple and a wonderful wild rice pilaf.  Great dish!

Next came the Maple-Glazed Chicken.  I have to admit that of all dishes served, this was my least favorite.  But that isn’t saying it wasn’t good because it actually was.  This dish consisted of a wood-grilled chicken breast basted with a maple and cherry glaze, served over wild rice pilaf.  Now when I said this wasn’t one of my favorite dishes, it has to do with the glaze.  I love my chicken.  I love it grilled.  But I’m not crazy about adding a sweetness to my chicken.  Now, if the glaze had been on shrimp I would have declared it wonderful.  I do have to tell you that I could actually pick up on both flavors as well as the smoky wood from the chicken.   So as you can see, the dish made with chicken is great and the glaze is great but my taste buds would rather have the glaze on shrimp or even salmon. 

I had thought about listing all 3 main course dishes in this post but changed my mind.  After indulging in both appetizers and the 2 dishes above, I really couldn’t see how anything could get any better…. But it did and I’m giving that dish its own post as Part 4 of this series.  So, check in tomorrow to read about the dish that has become my Red Lobster favorite.