Early Christmas Party

Thanks to Foodbuzz and Hormel, I had a Christmas Party on Halloween Day.  I had originally thought about having a Halloween Party but thought my recipes using some of  the Hormel products would be more useful with the Christmas holidays coming up. 

I'll start with the bottom right corner and going clockwise.  The cake is a recipe that came from Uncle Scott's Root Beer which is actually bottled here in NC.  The cake's recipe came from the company but the icing is one I created myself.  Watch for my post later for Root Beer Float Cake.  Next, bottom left, are my Ham & Mushroom Finger Sandwiches.  This is using Hormel ham and the recipe was posted last week.  To find this recipe, scroll down or type the sandwich name in the search above.  Just above the sandwiches you'll find a Peppercorn Hormel Tenderloin.  This was baked according to the package.  Before plating I sliced and inserted mushrooms between the slices.  Above the tenderloin you'll find 2 spreads.  One is topped using Hormel Real Crumbled Bacon, the other is topped with chopped Hormel Ham.  The recipe for this spread will be posted later and will be called Bacon Topped Cheese Spread.  Next, going up, you'll see my Mini Pizza Cups using Hormel's Turkey Pepperoni.  If you like thin crust pizza, you'll love these.  This recipe will also be posted later.  Directly across from the Pizza Cups are Mini cups made with leftover filling used in my Ham & Mushroom Sandwiches.  I'll include the directions for these when I post the Mini Pizza Cup recipe.

All dishes are so simple to make.  All ingredients are commonly found in most kitchens, no specialty ingredients.  They can all be made in advance and served at room temperature.  So, how did it go over with my guests?  I will say that I have very few leftovers and the rankings from 1 - 10 were all ABOVE 10.  My last report came in as an 11 so I would say all dishes were a hit.

Simple Dark Chocolate Frosting

18 oz. (1 12 oz. pkg plus 1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
a pinch of salt

Place chocolate chips in a medium size metal bowl or pan. In a sauce pan bring cream just to a boil over medium heat. Pour hot cream over chocolate chips and add butter and salt. Whisk until the chips are melted and the frosting is sooth and spreadable. Cool until barely warm before frosting your cake.

Easy Buttermilk Cake

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper or wax paper. Spray the paper with non-stick spray. If you are making cupcakes, use liners and spray the inside of the liners. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer for 5 minutes at medium speed. They will be light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda together. Add 1/4 of the flour mix to the butter-egg mix, add vanilla and 1/3 of the buttermilk. Continue adding 1/4 of the flour and 1/3 of the butter milk until all has been added, ending with the last of the flour. Mix well after each addition. Pour into pans. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans on a rack for 5 minutes. Remove from the pans and remove paper. Cool completely before frosting.

Changes - Add a different flavoring such as lemon, almond, coconut, etc. This cake comes out with a very strong butter taste and is great for any icing. I've made this in a tube pan by reducing the oven temperature to 325 degrees and cooking 55-60 minutes. If the top starts to brown too quickly before the inside of the cake is done lay a sheet of foil over the top of the cake.

Cucumber Spread

2 med. cucumbers
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
hot sauce (to taste)

Peel cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Chop very finely or run through a food processor. Combine cream cheese, hot sauce, dressing mix and garlic powder and beat until creamy. Mix in cucumbers.

Serve as a spread for party breads or serve as a dip for firm chips. This also works good with toasted pita wedges and crackers. Flavor it up even more by adding a 6 1/2 oz. can of very well drained crabmeat.

Another Hormel Recipe

Hormel, I hope you try this one!  Oh My Goodness did this one turn out great.  I was flipping through magazines looking for an idea for Hormel's Turkey Pepperoni and ran across a recipe for sausage balls, which I simply love.  Well, why not have Pepperoni Balls?  So here is what I did:

Pepperoni Balls

1 pkg (5 oz.) Hormel Turkey Pepperoni Minis
1 cup biscuit mix
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix all ingredients (using your hands is best).  If they mix up a little dry, add about 2 Tbsp. of water to moisten.  Shape into 1" balls.  Place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.  Bake 18 minutes or until lightly browned.  Makes about 24.

You could serve this as is or with a pizza sauce for dipping.  Either way, this turned out simply delicious.

Hormel Recipes

Remember the party I'll be hosting using Hormel products?  Well, I've worked up 2 recipes so far.  Both are simple and from what my testers tell me, both are delicious.

Both of these recipes are made by using Hormel's Cure 81' Ham.  When I bought this ham it had a price of just under $10.00.  Foodbuzz and Hormel had sent me coupons for $10.00 off so I ended up with my ham costing me $ -0-.  Thank you Foodbuzz and Hormel.  But, I have to tell you that the $10.00 price would have been worth every penny.  I'm actually coming up with 4 dishes using this one ham.  I've made 2 of my party recipes which will serve 10 people, I decided to make a pot of dried soup beans and still had 2 really thick slices left to serve with my beans.  That makes the cost of meat in each dish only $2.50 each.  In my book, that's a pretty good deal.

1st Recipe - BBQ Ham

This one was so simple and is really delicious.  I have a favorite BBQ sauce that is actually advertised as a Honey BBQ Wing sauce.  Its sweet with just enough heat to really make it great.  So, for my BBQ Ham I simply cut the ham into toothpick serving size cubes, placed them in a covered container, coated them slightly with BBQ sauce and refrigerated for a couple of hours.  Simple and wonderful! 

2nd Recipe - Ham & Mushroom Finger Sandwiches

2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk
1 can (4 oz.) Shiitake mushrooms, sliced & drained
1 cup Hormel Cure 81' Ham, diced
1 cup shredded cheese
1 sheet Puff Pastry, thawed
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the puff pastry in half.  Place it on a sheet of waxed paper lightly sprinkled with flour.  Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of puff pastry until it's about twice it's size.  Set aside.  In a medium sized fry pan, melt butter.  Turning the heat to medium, add flour, stirring until smooth and bubbly.  Gradually whisk in cream.  Cook until creamy and starting to thicken (1-2 min.).  Add mushrooms, ham and cheese.  Spoon evenly down the center of both sheets of puff pastry.  Carefully fold one side of pastry over filling.  Bring the other side over the 1st side.  Carefully place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, seam side down.  Bake 20 minutes or until pastry starts to brown slightly.  Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cheese.  Continue baking until cheese melts.  Slice into servings. Makes about 20.

Halloween Party

Yesterday I received a package from Foodbuzz and Hormel.  Inside I found a package of turkey pepperoni, 50% fat reduced bacon bits and coupons for a Hormel ham and some of their other products.  Why am I telling you this?  Because I want you to watch for my Halloween Party Appetizers that I'll be creating using the Hormel products.  I have some really good ideas and believe they will all come out simple to make and delicious.

Asiago Broccoli

1 bag (14 oz.) frozen broccoli florets
2 Tbl. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 oz. Asiago cheese, grated

Fill med. saucepan half full with water. Cover and bring to a boil on high. Add broccoli into boiling water. Boil 3-4 minutes or until desired tenderness, stirring occasionally. Drain broccoli thoroughly. Return saucepan to stove and reduce heat to medium high. Place olive oil in pan swirl to coat. Add onions and garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes to brown. Stir in broccoli until coated with oil. Cook 3-4 more minutes, stirring occasionally until flavors are well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a serving dish and sprinkle with cheese.

Steak Marinate

I've just posted this easy 5 ingredient steak marinate to Martha's Recipe Cabinet.  Go there to view the full recipe.

Strawberry Nut Crunch with Special K Crust

Another package came last week via UPS.  It was from Foodbuzz and Kellogs.  Inside I found 2 boxes of Special K Red Berries.  Now, what recipe can I make using Special K Red Berries?  Most people already know that cereal can be made into some really great tasting muffins but I wanted to do something different.  So... I made a crust using Special K Red Berries for my Strawberry Nut Crunch.  Here is the recipe:

2 1/2 cups Special K Red Berries
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 can sweetened condensed milk
6 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (save about 1 Tbsp. for garnish)
1 pkg frozen strawberry slices, thawed (save 8-10 for garnish)
1 carton (8 oz.) whipped topping

Put the Special K Red Berries into a gallon plastic bag.  Close bag.  Roll a rolling pin over the cereal to crush.  Pour into a bowl and add melted butter.  Mix and press into pie pan.  In a large bowl mix milk and lemon juice.  Fold in whipped topping.  Add strawberries and nuts.  Pour into crust.  Garnish with strawberries and nuts.  Refrigerate. 

The pie itself is delicious and I normally make it with crushed vanilla wafers but using the Special K Red Berries turned out to be a great change.  Not too sweet and just a little crunch.

Sauted Mushrooms

2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup red onions, chopped
4 fresh garlic cloves
8 oz. whole baby portabella mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

Preheat a large fry pan on medium-high for 2-3 minutes. Add butter and onions to the pan. Crush garlic and add to the pan. Cook 1-2 minutes or until browned. Stir in remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to med. Cover and cook 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

This is good served with rice, as a side dish or over steak.

Thin Cut Boneless Pork Chops

This recipe was sent to me from Chef Tom.  It looked so good that I had to give it a try.  It turned out to be just as good as it looks.  The blends of the garlic, soy and herbs are perfect.  There were two changes that I made.  One was to change the lime juice to lemon, but that change was made due my being out of lime juice.  The lemon worked perfectly.   The second change was the marinade time.  I ended up cooking it the next day so it actually marinaded for about 24 hours.  All-in-all, this was one of the best pork chops I've had in a long time.  So, below is the email sent to me by Chef Tom.


(Chef Tom) "The supermarket had an amazing sale on these thin boneless pork chops. I like pork, but usually make thick cut chops or pork loin, etc. I tried a variation of a chicken recipe I make and it actually came out pretty good."


2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 thin cut pork loin chops (with or without bone)
non-stick cooking spray

In a small bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. Then, using a whisk, slowly drizzle in the oil to emulsify.
Brush each pork chop on both sides with the marinade. Place them on a plate in the refrigerator and let it marinate for at least 1 hour.
Heat a grill pan or a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray, then add the pork chops. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Be careful not to let it burn.
Serves 4-6

Chef Tom Cooks - Recipe Blog

Fresh Express Steak Salad

Remember I told you that Foodbuzz and Fresh Express sent coupons for me to use and hopefully work up some good recipes?  Well my Steak Salad isn't just good it's Delicious!

1 lb. steak, cut into strips
1/4 cup marinade (I used Dale)
1/2 bell pepper cut into strips
1/2 med. onion, cut into strips
1 Tbsp. oil
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Put steak and marinade in a bag and refrigerate for about an hour.  Remove steak from marinade.  Saute until medium well done.  Remove from pan.  Heat oil, add peppers and onions.  Saute until slightly tender.  Add meat back to pan.  Turn heat to low.  Add cheese and toss until meat, peppers and onions are coated and cheese has melted.  Place over a bed of Fresh Express blend of your choice.  Drizzle with your favorite dressing. 

Changes - I used Italian but had planned on Ranch until I realized I was out.  But I have to say that the Italian is perfect.  Also, the changing of the dressing flavors will completely change the taste of your salad allowing you to make up a batch of meat, have one salad with Ranch, one with Italian and maybe another with vinegar and oil. You can also make changes by changing the cheese flavors, by adding a few chopped black olives or maybe some French fried onions.  As I say... Think With Your Taste Buds.

French Chocolate

Another Cold Weather drink.

 

Heat 2 ½ squares unsweetened chocolate (1 oz. each square) and ½ cup water over low heat, stirring until chocolate melts  Add 2/3 cup sugar and ½ tsp. salt  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 4 minutes.  Cool to room temperature.  Fold in ½ cup whipping cream that has been whipped.  Store in refrigerator.  To serve, place 1 heaping tablespoon in each cup and fill with hot milk.  Stir well.  Makes 6-8 servings depending on size of cup.

PICANTE SAUCE GOES ITALIAN!

This week I received a package from Foodbuzz and Pace.  Inside I found 2 jars of Pace Picante Sauce.  So what do I do?  I come up with a new recipe using this very versatile sauce but I didn't want to go the traditional route by making something Mexican.  Instead I went Italian and am calling my newest dish.

Meaty Italian Turnovers

1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage
1 cup Pace Picante Sauce
1 sheet puff pastry
5 slices of cheese (cheddar)
sour cream
1/4 cup Pace Picante Sauce


Brown both meats, allow to cool then add Picante Sauce.  Set aside.


Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.  Thaw 1 sheet of puff pastry (about 40 minutes on the counter).  Slice into 9 equal squares.  This is easy to do since the sheet is folded into 1/3s.  Simply cut at the folds and then slice each into 1/3s.  On a sheet of waxed paper/foil/parchment paper (your choice) sprinkle about 1/4 cup flour.  Spread over paper.  Dust rolling pin with flour.  Roll each to about twice their original size.  Fill each with meat mixture allowing room to fold over.  Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or foil.  Bake 20 minutes or until slightly browned.  Cover with 1/2 slice of cheddar cheese.  To serve, top with sour cream and a drizzle of Pace Picante Sauce.

Thanksgiving & Charbroil in October

OK Guys.  Here is what we have all been waiting for... how Charlotte, NC Fire Station #27 liked the use of as well as the taste of the turkey cooked in their new Charbroil's Big Easy Turkey Fryer.  Just to recap, Foodbuzz and Charbroil chose me to test the Big Easy.  The Big Easy fries your turkey without the use of oil.  It cooks using infra-red heat.   Well, I thought about this and decided that the best people to test this on would be the men at my son-in-law's fire station.  So, here are the results.

Mr. Tom gets an oil rub down.  This is the only oil used during the cooking of the turkey.

After his oil rub, Mr. Tom gets a massage using a dry rub.  In deep frying a turkey, you inject the solutions into the meat and/or under the skin.  Not with the Big Easy. You only use the dry rub.  So, with the elimination of the oil, you have saved a nice chunk of money and the ease of using the rub cuts down preparation time.  A big plus for the Big Easy.

Fire Fighter Eddie is now preparing to put Mr. Tom into his sauna.  The Big Easy will take up to a 16 lb. turkey and the cooking time is about 8-10 minutes per pound.  Mr. Tom weighed just over 14 lbs. so his cooking time ended up being about 1 3/4 hours.

                  Watching the pot "fry."

I think the guys are getting hungry and Mr. Tom is sure looking tasty.

                                                       Oh Yeah!  165 degrees!  Lets eat!

The browning of the outside is perfect.  Now, lets see what the inside looks like.

Bring this picture up and enlarge it so you can see the juices seeping out as Firefighter Eddie slices.  Boy this turkey is moist!

Time to chow down!  While enjoying our meal I asked the guys to compare the Big Easy with the standard oil type turkey fryer.  Their comments were; "it's healthier since you are not using the oil for frying"; "preparation time is quick and easy"; "clean-up is a breeze, you don't have to re-store the oil or find a way to dispose of it"; "taste is wonderful and the meat is very moist"; "you can practically put it on to cook and walk away without having to worry about the oil boiling over"; "there are no oil spills to clean up".  Negative "cooking time is longer but not enough to be a problem."

Now that we all have full stomachs, its time to clean up the kitchen.  So how do Firefighters determine who's turn it is to do the dishes?  They play cards... winner is exempt.

I left the Charbroil Big Easy with the "Boys of Fire Station 27."  I do have a promise of a video to come when they cook venison as their next meal using their Big Easy.  Total rating - from 1 - 10.... a 15+!

Chocolate Coffee

 

Winter is coming and I that’s when I start looking for some really delicious hot drinks to keep me warm, at least inside.  If you are a chocolate lover, you will love this one.

 

2 Tbsp. instant coffee

¼ cup sugar

Dash of salt

2 ½ oz. squares unsweetened chocolate

1 cup water

3 cups milk

Whipped cream

 

In a saucepan combine coffee, sugar, salt, chocolate and water.  Stir over low heat until chocolate has melted.  Simmer 4 minutes, stirring constantly.  Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until heated.  When piping hot, remove from heat and beat with mixer on low until frothy.  Pour into cups and top with dollops of whipped cream.  Depending on cup size, makes 4-6 servings.

 

Changes – You might want to try some of the flavored instant coffees such as hazelnut.

Fresh Express

In yesterday's mail I received a wonderful surprise from Foodbuzz and Fresh Express.  They sent me now 1 but 12 coupons, each one is for a free bag of Fresh Express salad mix.  To make it even better, I found that one of my local super markets was running a Fresh Express sale.  The sale is a buy one get one free.  That doubled each coupon's value!  Now I plan on getting busy to see how many tasty recipes I can come up with using Fresh Express.  Stay tuned to see what I create.

Charbroil Turkey Fryer

So, what will I be doing with the Turkey Fryer sent to me by Foodbuzz and Charbroil?

My oldest daughter's husband is a Firefighter for the Charlotte Fire Dept.  What I've decided to do is take the Turkey Fryer to the station and let the guys do the actual cooking.  Leslie (my daughter) and I will provide the turkey and all the fixins.  We will be serving them dressing and gravy, green beans, mac & cheese, slaw, rolls and some to be decided on later desserts.  We will be taping the actual cooking, he meal and getting comments from the guys regarding the cooker's performance, ease of use and cleaning as well as their comments on the actual cooked turkey.  After the meal and taping, the cooker will be left with the station.

And this will all take place when?   Sunday 10/10/10!  I hope to have a video posted of this "Early Thanksgiving Dinner" up and running next week for everyone to see.

White Lasagna

This was a recipe that came to me on the way to work one day.  I wanted to try something different using ground beef and Alfredo sauce.  This is what I came up with.  For changes - Use Italian sausage instead of ground beef.  This is also good made with Imitation Crab or shrimp.  I've not tried it yet but I think chicken would also be great and I might even add some spinach to the 1st layer.

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

Out of 25 people I was chosen!!!!!!

Below is a notice I received from Foodbuzz and Char-Broil

This Thanksgiving, how about taking your turkey to the next level? To help make it happen, we’d like to introduce The Big Easy® Oil-less Infrared Turkey Fryer from our latest Tastemaker partner, Char-Broil®!

Admit it, you’ve always been a little curious about deep frying turkeys, but between the mess and the potential danger of all that hot oil, you haven’t “taken the plunge” yet. That’s where The Big Easy comes in. Instead of oil, 100% infrared heat does all the work. Leaving you with a perfectly cooked, juicy, crispy-skinned Thanksgiving centerpiece!

We’re offering twelve Tastemakers the opportunity to inspire a little pre-Thanksgiving excitement by cooking a turkey or two in The Big Easy before Thanksgiving! Tastemakers will receive The Big Easy, a Flip HD video camera, and some helpful tools and instructions to get started.


Cheers,
Foodbuzz + Char-Broil


This is what I received next!


Dear Featured Publisher,

We will be shipping you your Charbroil Turkey Fryer on Friday. 

Cheers,

Saturday, Fed-EX brought me 2 packages containing my new Turkey Fryer. Now follow my blog to see what I'll be doing with it.  I have some big plans coming up this Sunday.

Swiss Onion Bake

 

This is a very simple and really delicious Brunch dish. 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook 2 cups sliced onions in 2 Tbsp. butter until tender but not browned.  Spread in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.  Evenly top with 6 sliced boiled eggs.  Cover eggs with 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese.  In a med. Saucepan mix 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, ¾ cup milk and ¼ tsp. pepper.  Heat, stirring until smooth.  Drizzle over cheese.  Butter enough ½” slices of French bread to cover egg slices.  Bake 20 minutes or until hot.  Broil to toast bread.  Serves 6

 

Changes – Add cooked bacon, ham or sausage.  Change the cheese to cheddar.  Add green peppers in with the onions. 

 

Beef Tips with Pepper BBQ Sauce

1 ½ lbs. beef sirloin tip

½ tsp. paprika

1 Tbsp. oil

1 jar (12-16 oz.) roasted red sweet peppers

½ cup BBQ sauce

 

Cut beef into 1 to 1 ½” chunks.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Heat oil over medium high heat.  Add meat and brown 5 minutes or to desired doneness.  Remove from skillet and keep warm.  Drain roasted peppers, reserving liquid.  Cut up peppers.  Measure ½ cup of reserved liquid (add water if needed to equal ½ cup).  Add peppers and liquid to skillet.  Add BBQ sauce.  Cook uncovered 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently until sauce is slightly thickened.  Return meat to skillet and heat thoroughly.  Serves 4.

 

 

 

Pecan Coconut Bars

This is another simple, quick and delicious cookie bar recipe made using a cake mix as the crust.  Here I've used a butter pecan cake mix but I think this would be good with a lemon cake mix.  If I used lemon I would sprinkle with a little lemon zest and maybe leave out the toffee bits.  Or change it to a chocolate cake mix and use chocolate chips.  This is a fun recipe to play with.

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