And I'm back...

Sorry for the slow recipes.  I start back to work full time on Tuesday and I have spent the past week getting my house and affairs in order.
But I guarantee new and exciting recipes in the upcoming weeks!
Stay Tuned for more Food Orgasm!!

Recipe 37: BEST POT ROAST (Main course, beef)

SOURCE:  This recipe came from the Church Cookbook.
It was a recipe by Missy that was submitted by Becca. It is SO EASY, but guarantees the best pot roast.
To quote Becca: "Okay, Missy W (who's one of the best cooks I know) told me how to make the best roast in the entire world, and I'm not kidding. MMMMMMMMMM".

Best part:  crock pot it!!  Dump it in, set it and walk away for 8 hours.
Another great thing...2 ingredients.


THE RECIPE:
1 roast
1 jar of Pepperoncini peppers, with the juice.  (They are like banana peppers, look in the pickle aisle)

Put the roast in the crockpot.  Dump the peppers and juice over it.
cook on low for 8 hours.
Shred .

you will not be disappointed.

APPLE RECIPE: Chunky harvest Applesauce (Side dish, apples)

Another Apple Recipe for the Month of September!!
So use up those apples!
This is another recipe that really works well with a nice blend of sweet and tart apples.
I like a firmer applesauce, but if you have younger kids, a softer apple, like a golden delicious or macintosh would be perfect.









THE RECIPE

4-5 apples, peeled, cored and chopped.(I use 2 granny smith and 3 sweet apple like crispin or golden delicious)
1/2 cup water
2 TBSP Brown Sugar
2 TBSP White Sugar

In a saucepan combine the water and sugar.  Add apples and toss to coat evenly.
Bring to a rapid boil and let boil for 2 minutes.
Reduce to medium-low heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

Mash to a desired consistency. I use a potato masher, as I like my applesauce chunkier.
You can use a ricer or a food mill for a finer textured applesauce.

To this add:
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp (dash) ground nutmeg
dash of salt.

mix well and let simmer 2 more minutes.
Let rest and thicken up.
Goes great solo, with pork chops, I even used it as a filling for crepes once.

Can be canned:  6lb pressure for 10 minutes.

Recipe 36: SCALLOPED RHUBARB (Side dish)

Rhubarb is funny. You either like it or you dont.
My grandmother grew rhubarb in her backyard for YEARS and YEARS.  she always had Rhubarb pies and Rhubarb jams and Scalloped Rhubarb.

A NOTE ABOUT RHUBARB:  Do not use the leaves or roots. The leaves and roots of Rhubarb are toxic. Only use the red stems.  Eating too much rhubarb is NOT good for your digestive system. It is a powerful laxative if eaten in large quantities. It also has an astringent quality in the mouth.  When you eat rhubarb, it can make your mouth "tender".
Believe it or not, Rhubarb is a vegetable relative of Buckwheat. It has a very earthy, tart, sour flavor. For this reason you usually see a lot of rhubarb recipes mixed with other sweeter fruits, or sugar.

This is one of my Grandmothers recipes.  Beatrice was one of the best cooks I know. When she died in 2000, I inherited "THE BOX". A little oaken box that she kept her notecards and recipes in. I open it up and it still smells like her. I feel her around me when I go through her recipes that she collected throughout the years.
She has newspaper clippings glued onto notecards that I am quite positive are over 50 years old. In 1963 her friend Bertha mailed her a recipe on a postcard. It cost 4 cents in stamps and into the box it went.

This scalloped rhubarb is in her handwriting, and not one written down by a friend.


THE RECIPE:

4 cups rhubarb. (clean rhubarb stalk, cut into 1/2" to 1" chunks)
2/3  cup sugar.
mix together and put into a 9x13 pan.

in a separate bowl:

3 cups dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
mix together and sprinkle evenly over the top of the rhubarb.

Sprinkle MORE sugar evenly over the top.
Top with several dabs of Butter. and then sprinkle drops of water over entire casserole.

bake at 350 for 1 hour

APPLE RECIPE: Perfect Apple Pie

This recipe has never failed me.  In fact, my father in law says I make the best apple pie he has ever tasted. Now how's THAT for a compliment and testament to this recipe??  September is the month for apples. Most orchards across the US have apple picking. When we go, I inevitably pick WAAAYYYY too many apples, so I always love apple recipes to help use up the surplus. I hate to see good apples go to waste.

For this recipe I recommend a nice variety of apples.  Firm tart apples like a granny smith, Swiss Gourmet or Mutsu, mixed with a sweet firm apple like Empire, Gala, Cortland, crispin or honey crisp. Stay away from red delicious, golden delicious or other soft apples. They will break down and get mushy.

for my pie I use 2/3 tart apple like granny smith or mutsu, and 1/3 sweet like honeycrisp and gala. You really need at least 2 types of apples for the perfect apple pie. A nice tart apple and a nice sweet apple. All sweet and it is cloying.  All tart and it gets to be overwhelming.

6 cups peeled apples, thinly sliced. (think Apple Peeling/Coring machine)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 TBSP flour

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 TBSP Lemon Juice

dash of Clove

dash of allspice (I know what you are thinking...trust me)

In a large bowl combine everything well. Toss apples to completely coat.  Apples will start to juice and it will mingle with the sugars and spices and mkae this delicious "broth".  Make sure all apples are well coated.

Spoon into a pie tin, that has been lined with a crust.

drizzle the "broth" evenly over the top of the apples.

Top with random slivers of butter over the apples.  This will melt down over the apples and mingle.

Place top crust, flute endges and make venting slits in top crust.  Brush the top of the crust with a bit of milk

Bake at 425 for 40-45 minutes until apples are tender and crust is a lovely golden brown.

Towards the last few minutes of baking, pull pie out and gently brush top crust with butter.

lightly sprinkle white sugar  and put back in oven to finish baking.

This is optional, but adds a nice little finishing touch.

I know that Allspice is used typically on meat and poultry and in soup, stew, curry and jerk seasonings, it works WONDERFULLY well with this apple pie recipe.  Just a dash or two will go a long way, but really take it to the next level.

Recipe 35: HOT AND SWEET PICKLES (Appetizer)

Let me preface this by saying that these are kind of an acquired taste. I didnt really like them when I first tried them. But then I kind of wanted another one...then another one.  Now I am absolutely hooked. They are tangy and sweet and spicy all at the same time.  You can eat them plain, put them on hot dogs or burgers, set them on a relish tray etc.
You make this in gallon drums at a time and they are really good.









THE RECIPE:

1 Gallon Hamburger Dill chips
5 pounds white sugar
4oz jar of fresh minced garlic
1 bottle original Tabasco sauce(about 4 - 5 oz)

Dump jar of pickles into large strainer and drain away all the juice.

Put a layer of pickles back into the jar.
add a layer of sugar.
Sprinkle with Garlic.
Sprinkle with hot sauce.

Repeat layers until all pickles are back in jar.
Make sure to make your layers of sugar and garlic and tabasco thick enough to use the entire package.

Put lid back on jar . Put in fridge.
Shake or roll the jar back and forth 2-3 times a day to keep all ingredients mixed.
Do this for 1 week so flavor is developed/  The longer you roll and shake, the better the flavor.

Does not need to be refrigerated if you dont have room in the fridge.
HOWEVER, putting them in the fridge makes them crisp.

Recipe 34: SALMON RIGATONI SALAD (Salad)

This is another recipe from the church cookbook and was sumbitted by Deb Skea.  She always brings great treats and salads to things. I am always sure to get a bite of what she brings.This salad is actually quite healthy and delicious.  Great Omega 3 fatty acids, and a great combo of protein, dairy and carbs.  This is a really satisfying salad and you could eat it as a meal.  The only change I made to this recipe was using tri colored pasta instead of regular and using fresh basil instead of dried. DELICIOUS. Try to use the wild caught pacific salmon if available.

THE RECIPE:

2 cups rigatoni (4oz.) I use the tri color

cook the rigatoni in boiling salted water for 10-15 minutes until al dente. drain, rinse with cold water and drain well.,

For dressing, combine the following in a jar:

3 TBSP extra virgin Olive Oil

3 TBSP Lemon Juice

1 tsp Honey

1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed (or you can use 3/4 TBSP fresh ripped small)

1/2 tsp salt.

cover and shake well.

in large bowl combine rigatoni and dressing, tossing well to coat evenly.

Cover and chill a minimum 2 hours.

before serving:

1 can (7.5 oz)  wild caught salmon, drained.

remove any skin and bones from the salmon and break into chunks. You can also use leftover salmon from a previous dinner if you dont want to use the canned.

1 small cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

combine your rigatoni with the salmon and feta and cucumber.

Voila. A delicious, healthy pasta salad.

SPECIAL REQUEST: Omlettes and variations

About 11 years ago, back in my mid 20's I went on the Atkins Diet. I had just had a baby, moved to a new city, had a new job and tons of stress. I figured The Atkins was a great way to lose weight, AND I could eat all of my favorite foods. Steak...deviled eggs...meat of any kind...sausage and eggs for breakfast.
After 2 weeks I had eaten so many eggs, that to this day I cannot eat them with any regularity. I Literally turn green at the thought of them. EXCEPT Omelette's.  Give me a delicious, savory Omelet any day of the week.
The really great thing about omelette's, you can eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. There is really no bad time for an omelet.
I had a special request for an Omelet recipe post by a Facebook reader, Shaun.

The trick to a good omelet is to not add too much liquid to your egg base.  That will cross the line from Omelet to scrambled egg really quickly. I have had WAY too many scrambled eggs end up on my plate that started out as an omelet. I got overzealous with the liquid portion of my recipe...or I started pushing the edges too soon. But the more I make them, the better I have gotten at them. It is a matter of practice and forcing yourself to not mess too much with them.

The best basic omelet recipe I have found is an easy ratio recipe.
For every large egg use 1 TBSP milk. (the fattier milk the better. use at least 2%.  You can even use heavy cream for a truly decadent omelet experience).
Here are a few basic omelet pointers for perfect omelette's every time:

• make sure you have a smaller non-stick saute pan to cook your omelet in, and a good HEAT RESISTANT spatula.
• Don't add your toppings too early. Otherwise you will have a runny eggy mess inside
• dont go super overboard on the toppings. The more toppings you have the harder it is to "seal" the omelet and stuff falls out into the pan when you are trying to slide your omelet.
• saute onions and other crisp vegetables first until just tender.
• brown or heat any meats first and keep warm.
• tomatoes are GREAT in omelette's, but when heated can get juicy.  Make sure to heat tomatoes first and get out as much juice as you can.
• Salsa is a great topping on TOP of the omelet, but tends to get runny when put inside an omelet.

BASIC RECIPE:
2 large eggs
2 TBSP milk
salt and pepper to season

crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk them like crazy until they are well broken down and a pale yellow color.  Whisk in Milk and beat until evenly incorporated. You want a lot of air whipped into the eggs, this will make a light and fluffy omelet, so the longer and more vigorously you whip, the better the outcome.
To your eggs add salt and pepper.  I usually use a fresh ground pepper and maybe 1/2 tsp salt.

 Put a pat of butter into your small non stick saute pan and heat over medium-low until butter melts.  Make sure you swirl the melted butter evenly over the pan.  Your pan will be ready when you drop some water into it and it hisses.

Pour your eggs into the pan and LET THEM BE for  a minute or so until the edges start to set.
With a spatula, gently push one edge of the egg into the center of the pan, and tilt the pan to let the  liquid egg to flow in underneath. Repeat with the other edges, until there's no runny egg left.

at this point you should be able to flip the omelet over to finish cooking the other side for a minute.
After this point you add your toppings to one half of the omelet and fold the other half over to make the recognizable semi circle omelet. Let sit for a minute or so to kind of melt the cheese/toppings. Give it one flip and let set for another 30 seconds or so.  Turn down heat if you see the omelet starting to get too brown.
 Slide out onto a plate and enjoy!


When it comes to toppings, you are only limited by your own imagination.  If you like a food in real life, imagine how great it could be in an omelet.

SOME GOOD OMELET TOPPINGS AND VARIATIONS:

Asian Omelet: Finely chop some carrot, mushroom, green and red bell pepper and garlic.  Saute in a pan until tender. Add some teriyaki sauce. Keep warm until ready to add to omelet.

Ham and Swiss:  Diced smoked ham, shredded Swiss cheese, chopped onion

Greek Omelet: Feta Cheese, Chopped Spinach, Chopped tomatoes and olives

French Omelet:  Shredded or sliced Gruyere cheese, Crumbled Bacon and Caramelized onions

Denver Omelet: Diced Ham, Crumbled Bacon, red and green Bell pepper and onion.

Chicken chili: Shredded chicken, green chile's, cheddar cheese. Top with some salsa Verde and sour cream

Cajun:  Andoille Sausage, Green bell pepper, jalapeno, mushroom, onion and a dash of Cajun seasoning

Mexican Omelet:  Pepper Jack, chopped onion, chopped pepper (jalapeno is good). Top with salsa

Hawaiian:  Diced Ham, Small chunks of pineapple, Monterrey jack cheese

Pizza:  pepperoni, mushrooms, mozzarella and pizza sauce

Margherita:  Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Basil, oregano and onion.

Steakhouse:  Leftover strips of steak*, mushrooms and bleu cheese. 

*When making steak omelette's I usually bring home leftovers from the steakhouse. I cut them into Thin strips and lightly heat in the microwave for 30 seconds or so.




What are your favorite omelet combinations??

Recipe 33: BBQ Chicken Pizza (Main Course)

My mom first made this pizza when I was in High School.  I like pizza, though I wouldnt say I am a huge fan of it.  When someone asks "What do you want to eat", Pizza is never the first thought into my brain.  I REALLY have to be craving pizza to eat it. I used to LOVE pizza. Love. Love. Love.  But as I have gotten older I find the appeal has worn off.  I dont know why.  When I do get oin the mood for it, I really enjoy it.
This pizza, on the other hand, is one I could eat every day.  Not your typical tomato sauce and mozerella pizza.  BBQ chicken and fresh veggies make it absolutely delicious.
This is one of those recipes that are just so good, and easy.  And you save a few bucks by making it instead of delivery.


THE RECIPE:
1 can of pizza dough.
Roll out on a greased cookie sheet, bringing it to the edges.  Bake at 350 for just a few minutes to get some of the "soggy" out. This will keep your pizza from being soggy when you bake it.
After removing the dough from the oven, crank it up to 425.

the toppings:

3/4 cup shredded colby jack cheese, sprinkled evenly over the pizza dough.

3 cooked chicken breasts, chopped/diced. (about 2 cups or so)
1/2 cup barbeque sauce. I like sweet baby rays.
Mix the sauce and the diced chicken together, making sure the chicken is coated evenly.
spread evenly over the cheesed up pizza dough.

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

spread these veggies over the chicken pizza.

Sprinkle another 3/4 cups shredded colby jack cheese over the top of everything.

Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes until everything is cooked and pizza dough is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Sometimes I add mushrooms or red bell pepper to liven it up a bit...whew, I'm feelin Craaaaazzzzyyyyy!!