COOL WAY TO COOK CORN ON THE COB!

JUST GO TO THE YOUTUBE ADDRESS BELOW & CHECK OUT THIS GREAT WAY TO COOK CORN ON THE COB! SIMPLE EASY & NO MESS! THIS MAN IS A GENIUS!
              http://www.wimp.com/shuckcorn/
                               

Sausage & Pepper Sandwiches!

Sandwich with American Cheese & no sauce!

Sandwich with Pizza Cheese & Sauce!

   DELICIOUS & FAST TOO! For a QUICK but YUMMY dinner that makes you feel like you are at the beach , WHIP UP SOME OF THESE! 
2 LB of Really GOOD Rope Sausage! ( I use Darrenkamps Rope Sausage) always fresh & GREAT QUALITY!
4 to 6 Crusty Rolls ( I use Alfred & Sams)
2 Large Sweet Onions Sliced 
1 Large Green Pepper Sliced
1 TSP Minced Garlic
1 TSP Italians Seasonings
Cheese for each sandwich, I like Provolone, or White American or Pizza Cheese Blend
Sauce of your choosing if you like sauce!

Brown sausage in a large frying pan , brown nicely on both sides. Be careful to not brown to long or sausage will have a hard crust & you want tender sausage! Once both sides are browned cover the sausage with the onions, peppers, garlic & Italian Seasonings. Cover with a lid & cook on low about 30 minutes, making sure sausage is thoroughly cooked & veggies are tender. Place cheese on the bottom of the sandwich roll if using sliced cheese. Cover cheese with  sausage & then top with onions, peppers & sauce. Serve hot with cheese melted!

GOOD TO THE LAST BITE!

                                                                                

LONDON BROIL in a Coke Marinade!

THIS IS LONDON BROIL as it should be, JUICY, FLAVORFUL & TENDER! Marinated in a Coca Cola Marinade will give you just that & it is a GREAT STEAK! This 2 inch thick London Broil was done on the grill!

This one was done under the broiler in the oven!

                       Moist & FULL of FLAVOR & best yet TENDER TOO! This marinade takes London Broil to a HIGHER level on the STEAK'OMETER! Grilled outdoors or  broiled in the oven this is GREAT STEAK!

2 LB London Broil Steak
1 & 1/2 Cups Coca Cola
4 TBS Soy Sauce
4 TBS Olive Oil
2 TBS Minced Dried Onion or fresh chopped Onion
1 TSP Minced Garlic
1 TSP Parsley
1 TBS Jamaican Jerk Seasoning OR, Greek or Italian Seasonings all are good!
3 TBS BBQ Sauce ( I use Kraft Original)
Dash of White Pepper to taste

Place all of the marinade ingredients in a large zip lock bag or container with a lid. Shake well to combine. Place the London Broil in the marinade close up & shake to cover all sides of the meat. Refrigerate 24 hours!  When ready to grill remove meat & scrape off all marinade residue, discard marinade or do the following!! I have decided it is a shame to discard a great marinade. So once the meat is marinated remove it from the bag , zip the bag closed & freeze the remaining marinade. This will be good for another time. Just thaw & repeat above instructions. I have done this a few times & it works WONDERFULLY!  Now grill on hot grill 6 minutes per side for RARE up to 12 minutes per side for WELL DONE! The above picture was 12 minutes per side in the oven under the broiler. Use a meat thermometer to receive best results. 165 degrees for well done!                                                      

Macaroni Salad

                                                                               



 1 lb elbow macaroni cooked & cooled
3 hard boiled eggs, cooled peeled & chopped in about 1/2 inch dice
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
3 ribs celery chopped
3 carrots peeled & chopped
2 tsp chopped parsley or parsley flakes
2 large dill pickle spears chopped ( FOR PICKLE LOVERS ONLY) above picture is pickleless!

 Cook macaroni according to package directions. Stir in all of the above ingredients. Stir in the following dressing. Then refrigerate!

 3 cups mayo ( this dressing is GREAT for slaw too)
2 TBS yellow mustard
3 TBS vinegar
3 TBS sugar
Milk to taste, I use about 1/4 cup.

Iced Mint Tea or as The PA Dutch Call it Meadow Tea

          Refreshing on a hot day with the pure crisp blast of mint, this iced tea is the Bombdiggity! Get yourself some mint to plant & you have mint for the summer season. 

5 Sprigs of Mint 7 Inches Long ( Strip leaves from the stem but use the tip with it's bunch of leaves) 
6 Cups Water
1/2 Cup to 1 Cup Sugar
Cold Water

Place mint leaves & the tip of the stem with it's group of leaves, in a deep saucepan. Add the 6 cups water & bring to a boil. Immediately turn off the heat but leave tea steep for at least 20 minutes. In a 1/2 gallon container place the sugar, ( we love it sweet & use about 3/4 cup of sugar but play with it to get your tea the way you like it). Pour the steeped tea into the container & stir until sugar has melted. Now add cold water to make a 1/2 gallon. Save leaves for one more batch of tea OR double the recipes sugar & water amounts & make 1 gallon.  Refrigerate tea. Serve ICY COLD over ice  with Mint Leaf Garnish Optional! 
This year I am making Chocolate Mint Iced Tea from all of the Chocolate Mint my husband Frank grew. It is smooth, rich & an amazing Iced Tea!                                                                  

Boneless Chuck Roast

Tender Succulent BEEF  seared on the stove & then braised in the oven at a low temperature for hours to get a melt in your mouth Pot Roast!            

4 to 5 LB Boneless Chuck Roast
Flour to coat
1 Tsp Salt
Pepper to Taste
1 TBS Parsley Flakes
1 TSP Garlic Powder
1 TSP Onion Powder
1 TBS Italian Seasonings
2 TBS Olive Oil
2 Large Onions 
1 & 1/2 LBS Baby Carrots
1 Cup Water
Coat Roast with flour. Heat Olive Oil in a large deep skillet.  Brown roast on each side on medium high. You just want to get a nice crisp brown crust on both sides, so let meat brown without moving it or you will lose the crust. Give each side a GOOD 5 minutes, slowly lift up one corner & PEAK to see if it is browned enough. If not let sear longer otherwise carefully flip the meat to repeat the process. Once browned season the top side of the meat , lift roast into a large deep roaster flipping it as you do so & season the now top but was the bottom side of the roast. Chop 2 large onions & arrange them around the meat. Add 1 & 1/2 one pound bags of baby carrots around the roast. Add about 1 cup of water. Cover tightly & bake covered in a 325 degree oven for 3 hours. Reserve juices to make gravy. TENDER & DELICIOUS !        Any leftovers? Go to my Rustic Meat Pie in the February 2013 archive for a delicious PA Dutch Meat Pie recipe! A favorite here in Lancaster County Pennsylvania!                                                   

Black Raspberry Clafouti

   This is a beautiful, fruity custard that may be eaten warm or cold. Delicious either way! I like it warm when it is cold outside & cold when it is a summer day. I would be hard pressed to say which way I prefer because they are both so darn good! This picture is the seedless version of the recipe! I like to serve this with a few crisp cookies for a nice crunch. This works nicely with bought Sugar Wafers or a shortbread type of cookie!

 5 Eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sour cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
2 Cups Fresh Black Raspberries ( blueberries, cherries, peaches or plums could be used instead!)
1/4 TSP Each Nutmeg & Ginger added to the prebaked custard if you use the seedless recipe OR 1 TSP Cinnamon if using the whole berries.

Beat eggs, add sugar & beat again. Add sour cream & milk beat again. Add vanilla & beat. Stir salt & flour together then slowly sift this while beating into your egg mixture. Pour into a deep glass baking dish.
NOW YOU MAY FINISH THIS 2 DIFFERENT WAYS !

The EASY WAY!
Sprinkle  washed berries over the custard then sprinkle with the cinnamon. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven 30 minutes or until puffed up & lightly browned! Right before serving dust with a little powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped topping!

FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT LIKE SEEDS: Add the spices to the custard before baking.
Place washed berries in a deep saucepan.  Add 1 & 1/2 cups water & bring to a boil. Let simmer about 8 minutes. Now sieve berries thru a fine sieve to remove seeds RESERVING the juice & berry pulp. Return the berry pulp & juice to the saucepan. Stir 2 heaping TBS of cornstarch into a 1/4 cup of sugar. Bring berry mixture back up to the boil. Whisk in the cornstarch & sugar to the simmering mixture. Whisk until thickened. Remove from heat. Spoon this in swirls over the custard & bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until puffed up & lightly browned! Serve warm or cold with a dollop of whipped topping OR dust with powdered sugar before serving!                                                          

Pork Stew over Noodles

     This meal came about by necessity! We were hungry & I grabbed items that were in my freezer. Next thing I knew we had stew! Yummy too!

1&1/2 LBS Pork Loin cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Bag of Frozen Pepper & Onion Mix
4 Carrots cut in 1 inch Chunks
1 Heaping Cup Frozen Edemame
1 TSP Onion Powder
1 TSP Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 TSP Parsley Flakes
1 TBS Butter
WATER
1/4 Cup Cornstarch
1 Box or Bag of your favorite noodles ( to be honest I wanted to use wide egg noodles but only had a 1lb box of Rotini ) cooked to package directions.
Saute pork in butter to sear & brown. add raw Carrots, Onions & Pepper Mix, & Seasonings. Cook slightly tender. Cover with water  & simmer until pork is tender about 1 hour. Start cooking your noodles! Now thicken the meat mixture with the cornstarch stirred into 2/3 cup of cold water until it is smooth. Stir this into your simmering meat to make a nice gravy. Once thick add the frozen Edemame & cook another 15 minutes. Drain the cooked noodles. Serve a nice helping onto your plate & ladle the stew over the noodles! Great with a crusty bread served in the side!

Egg Salad

             YUMMY EGG SALAD without the olives for me PLEASE! But you could EASILY chop some & throw them in too, but why ruin a GREAT EGG SALAD! Feel free if you must but I like mine WITHOUT olives!

1 Dozen Eggs Hard Boiled ( I put mine in a deep pan covered with cold water. Place on the burner & bring to a boil, turn heat down to a gentle boil & let them simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat & run cold water into the pan. Once the water stays cold in the pan let the eggs sit in the cold water until they are cold. Shell & quarter the eggs. Place them in a deep mixing bowl & add the following:
2 Ribs of Celery Diced into small Dice
1/4 of a Sweet Onion Small Chop
2/3 Cup Mayo up to 1 Cup ( depends on how MUSHY you like your eggs salad) I use 3/4 Cup!
1 TBS Prepared Yellow Mustard
1 TSP Parsley Flakes
Beat with your mixer on low speed until you get the consistency that you wish. As you can see in the picture I like mine fluffy but with pieces of egg not to fine! This makes GREAT SANDWICHES or as a CRACKER SPREAD! This makes 5 cups of egg salad!                                                                     

Honey & Butter Glazed Carrots

            Sweet, tender carrots in a simple honey glaze!

1 LB Bag Frozen Whole Baby Carrots
1/3 Cup Honey
3 TBS Butter
Water
Sea Salt

Bring carrots to a boil in enough water to cover 1/2 over the carrots. Simmer for 8 minutes. Drain off water. Add the honey & butter & sea salt to taste, to the empty pan & stir until honey & butter is melted. Add carrots back to the pot with the sauce. Cook another 3 minutes to combine the sauce with the carrots. Sprinkle with the parsley & plate up for serving! PERFECT FOR ANY MEAL!                                                                    

Sizzlin' & a Smokin' Strip Loin Steaks

                                                                               


1 Strip Loin Steak per person  2 inches thick cut or thicker!
Olive Oil
Coarse Sea Salt
Cracked Pepper
Butter

                                                                                  

Take steaks out & let warm up from the frig for 15 minutes or so. In a large heavy skillet ( I use my cast iron skillet) drizzle enough olive oil to give the pan a coating. Let pan heat up to where the oil is just starting to smoke. While pan is heating coat each steak with olive oil, be generous! Sprinkle the side that is up with a nice sprinkling of the salt & pepper. as soon as pan is ready drop the steaks in season side down. Season the top side same as you did the bottom side. Let them sear in the pan without moving them. You want a nice brown crust. Cooks steaks for at least 3 minutes, check one steak by lifting up the edge. If nicely browned flip steak over & repeat the searing. As soon as you flipped the steaks heat the oven to 375 degrees. Once both sides of the steaks are browned you will finish them by popping them in the the pan into your hot oven. Cook steaks 3 minutes in hot oven for rare, 6 to 7 minutes for medium & 10 minutes for well done. CAREFULLY remove your pan IT WILL BE HOT & plate the steaks. Put a pat or two of butter on top of each steak & let it melt down over the steak for added flavor! STEAKHOUSE STEAK right at HOME!

Cheesy Meatloaf

          Comfort Food for SURE! The old fashioned goodness of meatloaf with a melting middle of cheese. This will be sure to please anyone at your dinner table!

2 LBS. Ground Beef
1 Large Onion Chopped
1 TBS Parsley
1 TSP. Salt
Pepper to Taste
1 TSP. Garlic
2 Eggs Beaten
1 & 1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs
1/2 Cup Ketchup
1 TBS Mustard
1 & 1/2 Cups Shredded Cheese ( I used 5 blend Italian)
3 TBS Milk
Mix everything, except the cheese, together blending everything evenly. Use about 3/4 of the mixture to form the meatloaf making a long indentation in the middle.

                                       Now fill the well with cheese spreading it out evenly.

                                                                                                                                                                            Now cover with the remaining mixture & seal the loaf by wetting your fingers & smoothing .
               Bake meatloaf in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour & 15 minutes so it is browned !

            DELICIOUS & DIFFERENT from the USUAL unexciting Meatloaf we had as kids!
                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Crusty Italian Bread

    Crisp & Crusty on the outside, soft & tender inside, this loaf of bread is the perfect extra for any meal! 

1 Package Yeast
1/2 TSP Sugar
1 & 1/4 Cup Warm Water
3 & 1/4 Cup Bread Flour
1/2 TSP Salt
Cornmeal for the baking sheet
1 Beaten Egg White
Sea Salt, Italian Seasonings & Parsley for sprinkling on top of the unbaked loaf.

Dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup of the water, stir in the yeast & let sit 5 minutes until foamy. In a large mixing bowl put in 3/4 of the flour & the water that has the yeast. Add salt & the rest of the water & beat 10 minutes or until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add remaining flour, knead until you have a nice stretchy dough. Grease the mixing bowl that you used & add the dough turning once. Cover with a towele & sit in a warm place until dough rises to double in size. This takes about 1 & 1/2 hours.

Punch down lightly. form a loaf & cover with a damp towel & let rise again until double about 45 minutes.

                                                                                                                                                    
  Sprinkle your baking stone preferably or baking sheet  with cornmeal. Place the formed loaf  on the cornmeal covered baking surface. Slice with a sharp knife making diagonal slits. Wash the loaf with the beaten egg white & sprinkle with the seasonings. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a pan of water in the bottom of the oven, this helps to make the loaf crusty. Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot !

                                                                                                                                        

Fresh Strawberry Pie as Elegant as can Be!

                                                                                



 Fresh Strawberries in a sweet butter crust nestled in a fresh strawberry glaze! Slice & serve with whipped cream & you are the DESSERT QUEEN or KING ! This pie is EASIER then it looks so give this one a try while the berries are available!

PIE CRUST:
2 Cups Flour
1/4 TSP Salt
1 TBS Sugar
2/3 Cups COLD Butter ( I freeze mine & cut frozen butter into about 1  TBS chunks)
5 TBS Cold Water
1 TSP Vanilla

Mix dry ingredients together. Cut butter in to fine crumbs. I use my food processor to make it easy. Once butter is cut in add cold water & vanilla. Process in until dough comes together. Roll out on floured surface. Place in an 8" pie pan. Flute edges & prick crust with holes. Blind bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Take out of oven & remove foil & rice used for blind baking. Return crust to oven at 375 degrees for another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven & let cool.
STRAWBERRY FILLING:
2 Quarts Strawberries cleaned & Hulled leaving stem on one large perfect berry for center of pie.

Remove 1 & 1/2 Cups of the smaller & imperfect berries & place them in 1 & 1/2 cups of water in a deep saucepan. Bring to a boil & let cook about 5 minutes. Turn off heat & let berries sit for 15 minutes. Go back a mash berries, sieve berries keeping the juice. Discard the mashed berries. Add juice back into the saucepan & add 1 TSP Lemon Juice. Now add 1 & 1/4 cups of sugar that you stirred together with 4 TBS of Cornstarch & a dash of salt. Bring berry juice up to the boil & whisk in the sugar mixture cooking & stirring until mixture is nice & thick. Stir in a few drops of red food coloring if needed. let glaze cool slightly. Now arrange whole berries in your crust in 2 layers. In bottom layer use smaller berries making one single layer. Spoon a small amount of glaze of this layer lightly coating each berry. Now go back & add the second layer of berries arranging in a pretty pattern. Spoon the remaining glaze over this layer. Place the one huge perfect berry you kept our in the center of your pie & glaze the berry. Chill pie to set. Slice & dollop each slice with whipped cream!  YOU WILL MAKE THIS YEAR AFTER YEAR WHEN BERRIES ARE IN SEASON!                                                                                                                              

Blogging Later Today!

COMING UP LATER TODAY, HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY PIE! Fresh local berries in my all butter crust with luscious berries in their own strawberry glaze that you make from scratch & topped with whipped cream! This is a STUNNING PIE!

Beef Steak Burrito

      This is a HEFTY Burrito stuffed with GOODNESS!
1 & 1/2 lbs. Cubed Steak left in pieces or Skirt Steak sliced thin.
1 Large Onion
1 TBS Olive Oil
1 & 1/2 Cups Cooked White Rice
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1, 13.5 oz Can Black Beans
1 TBS Chili Powder
1/2 Cup of your FAVORITE Salsa
4 Large Flour Tortillas
1 Cup Sour Cream
2 Cups Shredded Lettuce

In a large skillet place the olive oil & heat to medium heat. Add the cubed steak or Skirt Steak  you presliced.  Cook cubed steak to medium rare & then chop into bite sized long pieces. Continue cooking the skirt steak you presliced if you used that instead of the cubed steak. Once meat is cooked to medium well add the onion you chopped. Add the chili powder. Cook until well done. Add the black beans you drained & the salsa & the rice. Stir & cook until hot & bubbling & liquid is reduced. If you like a hot & spicy burrito add hot peppers or hot sauce as desired. Lay your burrito shell on your plate & add about 1/2 cup of the shredded lettuce. Top with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Add a heaping helping of the meat mixture on top of the cheese & dollop with the sour cream. Fold over into a burrito shape ( IF YOU CAN) our burritos were to fat to close but that is a good problem to have! DIG IN & ENJOY!                                                                         

Grilled Boneless Skinless Marinated Chicken Breast !

   JUICY & MOIST without the FAT from the skin; this is GREAT GRILLING! Try some for your family & friends!

6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
3 TBS Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Vinegar
3 TBS Honey
3 TBS Ketchup
1 TBS Minced Dried Onion
1 TSP Minced Garlic
1 TSP Sea Salt
1 TBS Parsley
Place Chicken in a zip lock bag . Stir up all the marinade ingredients in a large glass container & microwave on high 1 minutes. Stir & pour over the chicken. Zip bag shut & turn bag over & over to get marinade over all the chicken. Refrigerate over night or at least 4 hours. Once ready to grill, place chicken a large extra duty heavy foil using enough to make a large packet. Use 2 if you need & place 3 breast per packet. Pour the marinade over the chicken & seal up packet. Heat grill to medium high heat on one side only & place packets on the unheated side. Close grill cover & cook 40 minutes. Then open packet & place chicken directly on the heated side of the grill. Be careful not to lose the marinade that is in the bottom of the packet. Use the marinade to baste chicken now & again when you turn the chicken. Cook about 6 minutes with grill cover closed & then turn chicken, baste & cook another 6 minutes with grill cover closed. Internal temp. of chicken should reach 165 degrees to be cooked through. This is moist & juicy with plenty of grill taste! ENJOY!