Thanks, Deev!!
 

I LOVE SALSA!

A little peanut butter, plenty of curry and some half and half makes a wicked sauce you can pour over chicken and then put in the oven to bake ... mmmm.....

yeah, i am addicted. and this is so easy to make and saves like a dream (the vinegar and lime juice keep everything fresh longer). and i'd like to think i was a health nut, so the lack of fatty crap is a great bonus.

lemme know if you try it, k?

I have found that I am now addicted to heart of palm salad, however, I haven't gotten the recipe quite right yet.

My last attempt, I sliced the heart of palm and marinated it in italian dressing and added some feta cheese, crumbled.

It still isn't perfect yet, the dressing I think is to strong. Maybe it is the feta.....im not sure.

If you have any ideas on this delectible treat, please let me know!!!!

If you add a rinsed 10-oz. can of Green Giant White Shoepeg Corn to the salsa recipe a little further up the thread (or better yet, a cup of fresh corn cut off the cob but who can find that this time of year?), it's even better. At least, IMNSHO. :)

don't mess with the best, baby.

Bean & Cheese Burritos:

Bean & Cheese Burritos:

ingredientes:
1 can refried beans
1 packet red chile powder*
1 packet cumin
1 packet granulated garlic
1 packet paprika
mild chedder cheese
ortega chiles (whole, not diced)
sour cream
salsa (not the canned stuff)
olives
tortillas (of course)
olive oil
________________________
1 nonstick pan
1 pot
1 strainer
1 cheese shredder
1 cooking brush
basic silverware
________________________

shred chedder cheese

tear ortega chiles into long strips.

strain about a cup of salsa.

Heat refried beans in pot. Add some water if they’re too thick. Mix in a teaspoon each of the red chile powder, cumin, garlic, and papricka. Maybe add a little extra cumin, but not too much because that stuff is quite spicy.

lay out a tortilla, flat on the nonstick pan. Add the cheese first, in a line running across the center, then heat up the tortilla, covered, until the cheese melts.

Transfer tortilla onto a plate. Spoon the beans in a neat line along the center. Resist the urge to pile them on. Moderation, people. Next, add the ortega chiles. Then the strained salsa. Then the sour cream. Then the olives. All in a straight line.

Fold in the two sides that run perpendicular to the direction of the line of ingredients in the tortilla. Add some salsa juice on top of the flaps.

Fold one of the sides that runs parallel over until it touches the opposite end. Pull it in with your fingertips and roll up the burrito. Add some salsa juice to the inside flap. brush the whole shebang with olive oil.

Place burrito on the nonstick pan, flapside down. Heat at low-medium, covered. The flap should steam shut from the salsa juice.

Lots of steps, but I’m probably overexplaining.

There’s probably a better way of steaming these suckers shut…

heh heh heh....

Chicken Paprika

Marinate the chicken in paprika for a few hours. Or just throwing the paprika in the pan works too.

Fry bite size chicken pieces in a little butter (and the paprika if you didn't do it earlier). Blend together enough cream cheese and hot water to make a medium consistency sauce and add in some parsley and tarragon. Pour it over the chicken when the chicken is cooked and simmer until sauce is warmed through.

Salt or chicken stock cube to taste. Serve with rice and french beans and it looks like you went to a sh*tload of trouble over dinner.

YUM!

ok, this is SO on my list of things to do!!

This is an awesome yummy appy! The mushrooms go super well with the brie / camembert. It's an appy that looks and tastes awesome while not being a lot of work.

fresh mushrooms 2-3 cups sliced cremini / button shrooms
brie or camembert or something similar - soft, unripened
garlic 2-3 cloves, chopped fine
butter mmmm butter ... about 2T, 30 mL
olive oil mmmm olive oil ... ditto, 30 mL
herbs fresh or dried, oregano is nice, dill is probably not :)
bread baguette, sliced diagonally looks flash - if it's very soft, toast it a bit.

Add butter and oil to a hot pan - a big frying pan makes life easier. Add the garlic, let sizzle for a bit, add the shrooms. Cook them down until they are soft (use a splash of white wine if you want), if there's a lot of liquid keep cooking until it evaporates. Add most of the herbs, salt and pepper, sizzle a little more, remove from heat.

While the shrooms are cooling a bit, slice the cheese into 1/4 inch thick slices. Don't be too fussy about it, it's all going to melt into fabulous velvety goodness. Arrange the bread on a cookie sheet, spoon the mushrooms evenly overtop, lay down the slices of cheese (do NOT be stingy!), put under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese gets soft and melty and a little bubbly - but don't overdo it, or the cheese will just run away on you and sink into the shrooms/bread. While it will still taste good, it won't look as nice and you won't get the satisfaction of biting into the velvety salty warm cheese and then experiencing the meaty garlicky shrooms and the crusty bread all distinct yet working together to make you happy ... sort of like, oh, I dunno... Diana Ross and the Supremes? Anyway. Sprinkle the rest of the herbs on top, and make lots because people eat this up like crazy.


A variation - if you wanna be Mr. Swank, you could drizzle some truffle oil over the top - holy smack, it's really really good

What is the asterisk for after the red chile powder?

I was gonna say you should get the mexican spices that come in the plastic bag because they are way more affordable. That applies to the cumin and other spices, too.

Great! All these new recipes :) Now all I need is someone to make them for me :)

Thanks, Rob. :)

SpicyJack, I triple dog dare you to hire a hooker & then when she says, "What do you want me to do?" tell her, "Cook me an 8 course meal" hahahahahahahaha ok, that was funnier in my head than on paper.


PFP's Mom's Yogurt Berry Pie

1 container (10 oz) frozen red raspberries, thawed
2/3 c sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 carton (8 oz) vanilla yogurt
1 c sour cream
1 6 oz Keebler shortbread pie crust
whipped topping, optional

Drain raspberries, reserving juice; add enough water to juice to measure 2/3 c. In a saucepan, combine sugar & gelatin; add reserved liquid. Heat and stir until sugar & gelatin dissolve. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in yogurt & sour cream; Mix well. Stir in raspberries, pour into crust. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. Garnish w/whipped topping if desired. Yield: 6-8 servings

Zen's famous Easter breakfast burritos's
 

1 package of fillo dough (in the frozen food section next to pastry and frozen pie shells)

1 package of sweeten (unsalted), whipped butter

I usually buy the sliced stuff cause I am lazy...

Provalone, swiss, mozerella cheese

Ham or turkey

canned spinich or canned asperagus (if you go with the spinich, make sure you drain it completely..(use a cheese cloth if you have one)

You can put anything you like in these babies really.

*****************************************

Melt the butter

have a dry space to work with the filo dough...if you get it wet or let it dry out to much...you are screwed!!

Place one sheet of the filo dough down, use a bbq sauce brush or kitchen paint brush..dab into butter and sprinkle on the sheet of filo dough..then lightly brush it around. You don't need to cover the entire sheet. Repeat this process with 7 layers of the filo dough.

When you are done...stack in the middle the cheeses, meats and veggies of your choice.

Then wrap it up like a burrito...all edges in and folded in tightly. Poof it a little so there is room inside for all the melted cheese.

Coat the outsides in some melted butter to seal it and keep it from drying out.

Do the math...7 layers for each one..i think about 28 come in a box. It varies.

Cook in the oven at 350 for about 15-20 minutes..check on them though. When they are golden brown and flakey on the outside and the cheese is oozing out and smelling divine they are done!

Serve with fresh fruit and Mimosas.

You will think you have gone to heaven...depending on your heart condition...you just might!

Enjoy!

Italian Wedding Soup

1 pound ground beef
1 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon olive oil
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 ½ cups pastina or any miniature pasta, ALREADY COOKED
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, cooked according to package
directions, drained

In large bowl combine beef, bread crumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce & garlic powder; mix well.

Shape meatballs using one rounded teaspoon meat mixture for each meatball. (They will be small, that is the point)

In large skillet, heat olive oil. Add meatballs; cook 5-7 minutes or to desired doneness, turning occasionally to brown on all sides. Drain.

In large sauce pan, bring chicken broth & water to boil. Reduce heat. Add meatballs, pastina & spinach, simmer 10 minutes. Makes 8 servings.


Eat sooner rather than later, the longer you wait, the more of the chicken broth the noodles will suck up.

Thanks PFP!

My grandmother, maiden name Elesieno, taught me never to put noodles into home made soup. Simply cook your noodles and put just enough clear broth over them to keep them from sticking. When you are ready to eat, put your noodles into the bowl first, then pour your soup over the noodles. Do this per serving.
Cooking/reheating soup with noodles breaks down the gluten and makes soup thick and starchy, thus ruining the flavor and using up all your wonderful broth.

This cooking tip brought to you by my Italian Grandma :)

This one time, my non-Italian mother made the soup w/o cooking the noodles. :eek:

all i want is pho

PFP's PMS Popcorn


Go to movies

Purchase large popcorn with or w/o butter & salt

Purchase Junior Mints

Purchase large Sierra Mist


Go into movie theater, sit in the middle of an aisle, in the middle of the theater (or wherever you like to sit) w/your feet up on the seat in front of you.

While the popcorn is still hot, mix the Junior Mints into the popcorn. The goal is to get one Junior Mint in your mouth w/each mouthful of popcorn. Wash down w/Sierra Mist.

This is a sworn-by cure for PMS, for the last 7+ years.

My husband isn't here this weekend. I get to go to a girly movie and have all the popcorn I wnat.

This is dinner tonight in the PFP household, except I am so poor, the recipe is being halved.

Chicken Souvlaki

4 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken
2 large cukes (some losers call them CUCUMBERS :p ), peeled, seeded & cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 3 cups)
2 green onions, (use both white & green parts, chopped to make 1/4 cup)
8 pitted kalamata olives
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved, or 2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup pre-crumbled feta cheese
black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or mint (or both)

Place chicken, cukes, onions, olives and tomatoes in large serving bowl. Stir to combine. Place yogurt and feta in a small bowl & whisk together or throw in the blender about 30 seconds for a creamier dressing. Pour yogurt dressing over chicken mixture & stir just to coat. Sprinkle pepper & parsley or mint on top. Serve w/wedges of pita bread. Makes 6 servings.

what the hell is a cuke?

.................................................. ...........................

Million-Dollar Potatoes


1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds potatoes, cut into wedges

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Place the melted butter in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, combine the remaining ingredients except the potatoes; mix well.

3. Dip the potato wedges in the melted butter then in the crumb mixture, turning to coat completely; place on baking sheets in a single layer and pour any remaining melted butter over the top.

4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

That sounds deeeeelicious!!!

Am I sposed to peel these potatoes? Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Does anyone know any good recipes for Orange Chicken or the Chinese garlic sauce. I surfed the net big time and couldn't find anything I thought would do the trick. I was looking for a recipe that someone actually tried or knows tastes scrumptous.

Zenbabe, that recipe sounds really good. I bought potatoes today so I'm going to try it out on Thurs.

Do you know what the sauce is called, a little more specifically? I'll ask my buddy's mom, Lily Lee. She is the wife of the last American ambassador to Burma, and we call her The Empress Dowager, but she actually does cook.

I wish I knew. . it's usually the garlic sauce mixed with Broccolli and chicken when you get chinese food *shrugs* I wish I knew more. Back home in CT it tasted the same at every Chinese food place.

This look vaguely familiar?
 

Chinese Garlic Sauce
makes 1 cup
________________________

2 tablespoons of peanut oil
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
3 tablespoons of oyster sauce
a little fresh ginger grated if you wish
1/2 cup chicken stock or canned broth

Heat wok or deep pan over high heat until it is hot. Add oil and wait until it is smoking, add ginger and garlic and leave for a minute or so. Then add the oyster sauce and stock simmering for another few minutes.

Pour over your favorite fried rice, white rice or meat, especially chicken.

Man, I was hunting for Oyster Sauce today to attempt a similar recipe and I couldn't find it anywhere. I was at the Superstore and normally they have everything. . . know where to get it?? I'm gonna try that recipe.

That would be the superstore 4 hours north of Edmonton?

Superstore here has oyster sauce... are you in Fort Mac? There's got to be a Chinese supermarket somewhere. Even Sobey's or Save-On Foods?

Yeah. . .


We're in Grande Prairie. Our Superstore has been out of everything lately .. they just renovated. I'll have to check save-on. . . I was there today too and was too perturbed that they were out of 24-packs of pepsi so I didn't think to look.

Just realized I got sesame oil and not peanut. . I'll have to go back anyways.

oh and is oyster sauce in a jar or can or what? and would it be in the japanese area or chinese?? there is like a million different ethnic food areas there at superstore. . .

hell no

is a cuke a cucumber? If not, what the hell is it?

hell yeah!