Tasty Tuesday: Scrapbook Sweets

Not long ago, I wrote about my adventures getting to know my great-grandfather through his old journals.

For the final five years of his life, he shared his thoughts and kept clippings in a scrapbook.  There are articles that struck him as funny or important.  There are quite a few pictures, cards, and old sayings.  I also found this simple recipe.  This isn't a gourmet dessert.  It's not for the highly sophisticated.  This is simply a dish that my great-grandfather enjoyed enough to keep in his scrapbook.  If this sounds good to you, give it a try.  More importantly, take the next few minutes to scribble down your favorite recipes to add to your scrapbook.  Your great-grandchildren just might enjoy your favorite dessert as much as you do.

Tasty Tuesday: Cracker Sandwich Cookies

My mother is always getting new recipes from the ladies at the office.  I'm afraid I don't know who came up with this cracker cookie idea, but I can vouch for it.  I was lucky enough to be one of the taste-testers.  It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

I rarely make desserts, but I love this recipe because even I could make it.  This isn't too hard for anyone.  This does not involve any baking.  This is fairly inexpensive.  The results are fantastic.

They taste similar to the Tagalong cookies that you'd buy from Girl Scouts, which I still recommend you do for the kiddos.  But, when you run out, these are a great alternative and they don't cost nearly as much.

Beware:  You can't eat just one.

If you are interested in testing out the sweet little cracker sandwich cookies, you only need a few materials and a few simple ingredients:

Ingredients:
Peanut Butter
Chocolate Brick (to melt)
Crackers (I use Ritz)

Materials:
Bowl
Spoon
Tin Foil

Assembly:
Spread your peanut butter onto a cracker.  Top it off with another cracker to form your sandwich.  Make several in advance.

Melt a large chunk of chocolate in a small bowl.  Dip your entire cracker sandwich into the melted chocolate, until it is completely covered.  Place your covered cookies onto a sheet of tin foil.  Fill the foil and then place it in your refrigerator to harden.

Serve and enjoy the compliments.  It seems crazy that such a simple treat could be so tasty.  My mother made a batch last time I was home.  She sent four cookies back home with me and they were gone in one day.

Tasty Tuesday: Fabulous Feast

Doesn't this just make your mouth water? YUMMY! This was the meal my lovely hubby made me for Mother's day! I just wanted to share with you this amazing meal! Filet Mignon topped with some melt in your mouth cheese that I can't remember the name of, lobster, risotto and asparagus!

Tasty Tuesday: Italian Love

Two types of Italian meat, Fontina cheese, kalamata olives and homemade spicy pickled eggplant on 12 grain bread! 

Living in the Northeast, we have access to some of the best Italian meats and cheeses in the U.S. I can't wait to go to Italy some day to taste their authentic creations. Until then, I will enjoy this!

The meats are rich and a bit spicy. The cheese is robust at first, then melt on your palette in excitement and OH!! The pickled eggplant??  It's tart from the vinegar, yet smooth because of the olive oil and, oh yes, you get a surprise by one of the hot peppers.  This dish is one of my favorites!

Tasty Tuesday: Basil=Pesto

We had a bountiful harvest of basil last year! As you are planting your garden this year, you may consider basil. You may ask how do you make it last through the winter?  Make pesto--- lots and lots of pesto. The recipe isn't scientific.  So, there aren't exact measurements.  I'm married to a chef-- they eyeball it!! Have fun trying it yourself.

mix in a Cuisinart:

- lots of fresh basil

- olive oil

- salt

- pepper

- pine nuts

It will blend down into a soupy concoction.

Then, add fresh Parmesan cheese into the Cuisinart to thicken it up. Pour it into an ice cube tray and then freeze them. You can pop out a cube anytime you want to add some pesto to a recipe. We did this all winter and it was amazing. I can't wait until we plant some basil again this year!

DELICIOUS!

Tasty Tuesday: Irish Lamb Stew

Okay....it is supposed to be Irish Lamb Stew.  But, I had venison in the freezer, so I used that.  But, let's just pretend you see lamb in that bowl for this Tasty Tuesday.  I found a variation of this recipe on allrecipes.com.  I really enjoy making it as a treat now and then.  It isn't for everyone.  But, you can adapt for your taste buds.

Traditional Irish Lamb Stew

Ingredients:

1 pound thickly sliced bacon, diced

3 or 4 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons white sugar

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

2 large onions, cut into bite-size pieces

4 cups diced carrots

3 potatoes

1/2 cup white wine

2 cups of guinness beer (add more beer if needed as the mixture cooks)

4 cups beef stock

Directions:

Okay, leave it to the folks in my Irish blood line to add a pound of bacon to stew, along with wine and beer.  Sigh.  I have found that I didn't really need a whole pound of bacon.  So, if you are afraid your arteries might clog just by looking at this recipe...feel free to cut down on the bacon load.  Your first task is to put the bacon in a large, deep skillet.  Cook it up until it is nice and brown.  Drain it or your stew will be really greasy.  Crumble the bacon into little bits and set the plate aside while you get some other work done.

I also found that you don't really need all of the lamb that the recipe calls for.  You know how much meat you like in your stew.  Use your own judgment.  Put the lamb, potatoes, onions, and carrots in a large crockpot.  A small crock won't do.  The vegetables alone take up a lot of space and as it gets boiling, you don't want a mess.  

Throw your bacon on top of the meat and vegetables.  

Spices next.  Add salt, pepper, flour, garlic, sugar, thyme, and bay leaves.

End with the liquid.  No water here folks.  Oh no.  This is traditional Irish lamb stew.  Break out the wine and Guiness.  Pour 1/2 cup of white wine, 4 cups of beef stock and 2 cups of Guinness over the ingredients.  If you find that you need more broth, add a little more Guinness.

Cook on low heat in the crockpot for 8-10 hours.  I tried to test it out after about 6-7 hours on low...and it wasn't ready.  So, make sure you give it lots of time.

I'm sure I'll be eating this stew for days.  The good news is, it tastes even better after sitting in the refrigerator for a day or two.  Enjoy!!

Tasty Tuesday: Natalie's Jerked Chicken Wings

Here is another recipe from my friend, Demi's wife, Natalie.

Fresh or Frozen Chicken Wings

2 Cups Oil

Jerk Seasoning (the best one is made by Walkerswood) (no measurement.  Use as needed, the more you use, the hotter the wings will taste).

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Place oil in a frying pan and heat it to 350 degrees.

Place wings in oil and cook, until they get a nice golden brown on the skin. (If frozen be very careful placing in oil, as the ice will "pop" the oil and cause burns).

After the wings have a nice color, remove from oil and pat dry with a paper towel. 

Place wings on a cooking sheet or in an oven safe dish and cook in preheated oven until internal temperature has reached 165 degrees.

While the chicken is still hot, place Jerk Seasoning in a bowl and add chicken wings.  Toss lightly, making sure all sides of the wings are coated.

Place on a platter and serve hot. You could also put out some ranch dressing or bleu cheese dressing as a dipping sauce.   

Enjoy the wings.  Also, if you're having a party for the holiday weekend, make the Buffalo Chicken Dip I blogged about last week with these wings.  All of your friends will be talking about your food!!!!

Tasty Tuesday: The Badger Poutine

OH MY GOSH!!! I'm not gonna lie-- THIS has my mouth watering and my backside telling me no! LOL- really! This is called The Badger Poutine. I had to look up what Poutine means: It's a dish containing french fries topped with fresh cheese curd and brown gravy or sauce. I don't think I've ever had cheese curd- but it sure looks yummy to me! This slice of heaven comes from one of Blogger's featured websites today. Head on over to The Grilled Cheese Social to see how MacKenzie Smith made it. Be sure to tell her we sent you over to share some love!

Tasty Tuesday: Crock Pot Cooking

Ok, so you have freezer prepared meals but there are some days when you want to come home to a warm cooked meal. That's when you get a wife-- well, if you are the wife-- that's where the crock pot comes in handy.

The other day I made a recipe that was so easy and yet so delicious it would make you wanna slap yo mama! These pictures just don't do it justice- it was great. I got it off the internet and was talking with a girlfriend of mine when I told her that I have a good slow cooker book but the recipes were so in depth they were intimidating. She pulled out this book "Crock Pot: The Original Slow Cooker". I'll admit I was hungry when I cracked it open but the next day I kept thinking about some of the recipes.

There are three books in one: chicken recipes, 5 ingredients or less and soups. All of the recipes seem very simple. I hunted it down and now own it myself. $9.98 well spent. So, now that I have an organized freezer my next step is to plan out my meals and you can bet your bottom dollar- one of our meals will be a crock pot recipe.

To make this lovely meal:

-brown Italian sausage links whole (we used sweet but you could use spicy too)

-put one can whole tomatoes in crock pot then squish them up

-submerge the whole sausage links and drippings in the tomatoes

-add 1 chopped onion

-add 3 or 4 small potatoes

-season to taste (I used salt, pepper and some garlic)
-let it cook on low for 4 hours

-the last 1/2 hour add zucchini and or squash

When this is done cooking pull out sausage, cut into circles, throw them back in and stir. Sprinkle some bread crumbs on top of served up dish with some cheese on top.

This was such an easy recipe and it was a huge hit in our home!

Tasty Tuesday: Tikka Masala

I've become addicted to this meal.  I love Indian food.  The spices are so rich and flavorful.  Making a dish from scratch sounds more intimidating than it actually is.  There is an art to it.  I've had it come out particularly dry OR nice, thick, and juicy.  

McCormick makes pre-measured spice packets now, with different recipes attached to the back.  Yes, the price for a pinch of six spices is a bit high.  But, this is an easy way to sample a recipe without buying full bottles of each spice.  I've tried to make most of McCormick's spice packet recipes.  The Chicken Tikka Masala is one of my favorite meals.

I'll try to give you their recipe here, with notes from me along the way:

You will need:

-------------------------------------------

*NOTE:  I go heavy with all of the spices, lots more than recommended amount.

2 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Minced Garlic

1 tsp. Garam Masala (This is part of McCormick's Gourmet Collection)

1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper

-------------------------------------------

1/2 tsp. salt

1tbsp. cornstarch ( I never use it to avoid the carbs, but it will help thicken it up)

1/3 cup heavy cream ( I probably do 1/2 cup easy, but I don't use cornstarch)

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. lemon juice ( I probably do 3 tbsp.)

1 medium onion, chopped (I use two)

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained ( I also add a couple of fresh tomatoes that I cut up)

1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes (I use 2 very large chicken breasts)

-------------------------------------------

Now, the ingredients I have here give me enough to split it into more than one meal...about one breast per sitting...but I have lots of sauce...which is what I prefer.  One breast is super filling since you serve this over rice.

-------------------------------------------

Cooking Directions:

1-Melt butter in large nonstick skillet on medium heat.

2-Add chicken, onion and lemon juice; cook & stir 10-minutes until chicken is no longer pink.

3-Add spices 1-5 plus the salt if you aren't going to use cornstarch.  Hold the salt if you are.  Cook and stir for 1 minute.

4-Stir in tomatoes until well mixed.

5-Stir cream into cornstarch and salt until smooth.  ( I just add the cream directly minus cornstarch).

6-Gradually stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, stirring frequently, simmer 5-minutes or until slightly thickened.  (I cover mine in a dish on the stove and let it simmer for awhile, making sure it doesn't get dry).

7-Serve with cooked rice or naan bread.

--------------------------------------------

You can buy basmati rice in the store, but good luck finding good naan bread anywhere.  I just eat it without naan.

I recommend you try it.  It is so tasty, especially if you cook it a few times and get a feel for it.  Your house will smell like Indian food though.  This is NOT for the meat and potato type.  But, you all know that.  Have fun!!

Tasty Tuesday: Tuscan Sausage Stew

You'll Need: (Crafty Cat increases all of these amounts)

This is a recipe from McCormick that is relatively easy to make and oh so good.  Crafty Cat discovered it as she was looking for quick and easy meals to make.  McCormick sells small packages of pre-measured spices, with this recipe on the back.  After the first bite, Crafty Cat kept the recipe and bought full servings of all of the spices:

-1/2 tsp. fennel seed
-1 tsp. basil leaves
-1 tsp. minced garlic
-1 tsp. crushed rosemary leaves
-1/2 tsp. oregano leaves
-1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
-1 tsp. salt

-2 tbsp. olive oil
-1/4 cup red wine or water (I use wine)
-1 medium onion (I use 1 1/2 onions)
-1 can (15oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
-1 can (14 1/2oz) diced tomatoes, undrained (I chop an extra fresh tomato)
-1 pkg (6 oz) baby spinach leaves (I load this up)
-1 1/2 pds. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

(Crafty Cat prefers one package of sweet venison sausage. Try any sausage package...it offers a richer meal than chicken.)

Directions:
1-Heat your oil on medium. Add your chicken. Stir 10-minutes until brown.
2-Remove sausage (chicken) from skillet. Cook onion & fennel seed on medium heat for 5 minutes.
3-Stir in beans, tomatoes, red wine, remaining spices, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Return sausage (chicken) to skillet.
4-Stir in spinach. Cover. Cook 5 minutes until spinach is wilted.

You can serve alone or with a side.

This is a delicious McCormick recipe!! Try it.

Tasty Tuesday: Wedding Bliss

Ever wonder what chef's do in their time away from their high pressure jobs? Well, we work, of course. Chef Donavan here! I had the privilege of catering a wedding this past weekend for some good friends of mine, Kowe and Sharron Webster. Aren't they a lovely couple? The prep time for this event was nine hours on Saturday, with the event scheduled on Sunday. That's when we worked another nine hours!  A co-worker asked me to help out and we had a really good time working together in a laid back environment.  Here are some pictures of the food and the event. In the coming weeks, I will put some of the recipes on the blog.  For now, enjoy the pictures.

Fruit and Cheese Board

Watermelon Basket

Cruidite and Compound Salad Display

Shrimp Cocktail Display

Some of the food we served:  Chicken Baltimore, Roasted Potatoes, Chicken and Shrimp Pesto.

Dessert Table

It was an honor to play such an important role in my friend's special day. I hope he has many happy years ahead with his beautiful wife.  On a side note, all of the clothing you see was handmade by the groom Kowe Webster!  Crafty Girl and Crafty Cat would say "SOO Crafty"!

Tasty Tuesday: Natalie's Curried Shrimp

Big shout out to my friends Dimy and his wife Natalie, she is Jamaican and her food is out of this world!!!!!You  can make this as hot as you can stand it or make it with little spice for the kids. If it is for the kids DO NOT add the Scotch Bonnet Peppers (they are the hottest pepper in the world) 2 lbs fresh shrimp (the bigger the better and make sure they are fresh, not frozen or pre-cooked) 2 tablespoons of olive oil 2 onions, chopped 1/4 of a scotch bonnet pepper finely chopped up (be sure to wear gloves and wash hands really good after handling these peppers, if you touch your eyes or nose you will know what mace for law enforcement feels like) 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tablespoons curry powder (purchase from a Caribbean Store) 1 tomato, chopped 1/2 sweet pepper chopped (Ancho or Bell Pepper) 1/4 teaspoon salt black pepper 1 1/2 cups water Peel and devein shrimp if necessary. Heat oil. Add the curry powder and continue to fry for two minutes(this is called cooking the curry and you must do this, it is what gives the curry its unique taste), add Scotch Bonnet at this point if you are going to use them. Then add the tomatoes, sweet peppers, salt, pepper and other seasonings. Add water. Bring to a boil then reduce. Cook for about 15 minutes the liquid will start to thicken. Add shrimp. Turn up the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until shrimp is cooked. Best served with white rice and plantains (look back a couple of weeks for this recipe)

Tasty Tuesday: Nana's Banana Bread

Crafty Girl here--- I've had a real sweet tooth for the past week or so. It's probably because I'm trying to shed my winter weight and I'm staying away from the sweets! Yesterday was a snow day for the kids- and instead of trudging to the gym for a work out--- you guessed it--- I baked! LOL Listen, the kids were couped up inside! I had to do something!! hehe So, here's a recipe I can't take credit for- it's actually from a card I got at the grocery store. The only thing I did different was substitute some white chocolate chips for the walnuts it called for! I figured- if I was going there, I'd go all the way!

Ingredients:
5 tbs butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup mashed, very ripe bananas
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used 2% milk)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (I used white chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottom of 9 x 5 x3 inch pan with nonstick spray. Beat butter till fluffy. Add sugar and brown sugar. Beat well. Add egg and egg whites and vanilla. Beat till well blended. Combine flour, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl then alternate adding the flour mix and milk into the mixture. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Use a toothpick to test it. Leave in pan for 15 minutes then transfer on to a rack for cooling!

ENJOY! Crafty Girl

Tasty Tuesday: French Butter Cream Icing

This is just my thinking, unless it is a Red Velvet or Carrot Cake (then it has to be Cream Cheese Icing) the only icing to use on a cake is Butter Cream. If made properly it is light, smooth, and very tasty. You can control the sweetness with the amount of powdered sugar you add to the icing. It is very easy to spread and with a container of hot water you can make your cakes look like the Cake Boss has made a personal visit to your home. The reason this batch of Icing is blue is because my 6 year old daughter asked me “Daddy what is your favorite color”, when I came home my Birthday Cake was on the table and it was blue.

1 lb of Sweet Cream Butter

½ Lb of Shorting (Crisco not butter flavored)

2 Lb of Powdered Sugar (10X)

5oz of Egg Whites (5 large eggs)

1 Tbsp of Vanilla (not imitation)

Mix Butter and Shorting together until light and fluffy. Slowly add egg whites until incorporated and mixture looks dry.

Add powdered sugar slowly and at a slow speed on the mixer (unless you want powered sugar on your ceiling, this is the voice of experience talking)

Add the vanilla and taste; if you want it sweeter add more powered sugar. If the icing gets to stiff add a couple teaspoons of water of milk to loosen it up.

Add food coloring if desired for decorating. Store in refrigerator for up to 6 months. When ready to use again put in mixer and whip until lose and spreadable.

When icing a cake use a cake spatula and a container of hot water. Spread icing on cake and as you need dip spatula in hot water and it will act like an iron and make the icing smooth as glass. Enjoy and have fun with it, the best way to make perfect cakes is to practice, practice, and more practice!!!!!

Tasty Tuesday: Plantains

Being from Texas we always had fried bananas, I married a girl that spent a lot of time in South Florida. There are a lot of Caribbean influences in that part of the country so I was introduced to Fried Plantains. I will admit I prefer the sweet ones but the savory ones are pretty good too!! The key to this recipe is making sure that the Plantains are ripe, and when I say ripe I mean black and pretty soft. If the market has them and they are green put them in a brown bag and put on top of the fridge for about 1 week. DO NOT FREEZE THEM!!

3 Ripe Plantains

2 cups of Canola Oil

Frying Pan

1/2 cup of salt (for savory)

1 cup of sugar and a couple pinches of cinnamon (for sweet)

Heat oil to 350 degrees.

Peel and cut plantains on a bias (angle) soak in water with a little lemon juice to prevent browning.

Remove Plantains from water and pat dry (do not put into oil wet, I do not think I need to explain why!!!)

Place plantains a couple at a time and cook until golden brown on one side then flip them over to brown the other side (be careful, oil might splash).

Remove from oil and place on a paper towel to drain.

While they are still hot sprinkle with salt, or toss in cinnamon sugar. (The key is while they are hot. This will allow the salt or sugar to stick).

Serve warm or at room temperature. With your favorite Caribbean Dish. Some of those recipes will follow in the coming weeks.

Salute and be well

Tasty Tuesday: Cream Tomato and Basil Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwich

      As a chef I am always producing food that I love to cook. Chefs also enjoy making a simple dish look really elegant with the way we present it to our customers or family.  I would like to say most of us are pretty simple when it comes to food we like to eat at home. Sometimes I go all out to produce a meal for my family, but most of the time it comfort food, you know the food you grew up on, it keeps you grounded to the simple things in life. So I have decided  to write this week’s blog about one of my favorite things to eat. It reminds me of my Mother and growing up in Texas. Of course I put a twist on because we did not keep basil and heavy cream in the house on a regular basis.

  1 Can of Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup

  1 Soup Can of Milk or Heavy Cream

  1 tsp of Dried Thyme

  2 tsp of Salt (I use Kosher but it does not matter)

  1 tsp of Crushed Black Pepper

  1 cup of chopped fresh Basil

    1/4 cup fine chopped Onion

  1/4 cup of Butter

  Heat butter in sauce pan and saute onions until tender about 2 minutes.

  Add Basil and saute until fragrant about 1 minute (do not burn, it will ruin the final product)

  Add soup and milk or heavy cream and mix well.

  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer and adjust with Salt and Pepper.

  Serve hot with a fresh Basil leaf for garnish.

   Grilled Cheese

2 Pieces of Whole Wheat or White Bread

1 cup of melted Butter

2 Slices of Cheese Cheddar, Provolone, or Swiss (not processed it taste funny and does not hold its form very well)

  Heat a frying pan or griddle to about 300 degrees.

  Brush melted butter on one side of bread.

  Place bread in pan.

  Put cheese on bread and top with other piece of bread.

  Brush top piece of bread with butter.

Cook for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.

  ***The sandwich is not pictured but I can tell you it was beautiful and teasted great***

As we say in Texas "Ya'll come back now, ya hear"~ Chef Donavan

Tasty Tuesday: East Utica New York Chicken Riggies

When I was working in Utica, Ny. I was turned on to this dish by one of my co-workers and loved it, Moving to Albany not many people know what Chicken Riggies are, so my friend Pete is from Utica and brought them over for a party. Here is a recipe for Chicken Riggies Chef Donavan style.  

1 box package rigatoni pasta

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut in bite-sized pieces

salt and pepper to taste

1 onion, medium diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

2 hot cherry peppers, seeded and minced (use the seeds if you want more heat)

1 large can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the rigatoni pasta, and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain and keep warm.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and cook in the hot oil until lightly browned on all sides, and no longer pink in the center, about 7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan, and keep warm. Stir in the onions and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion is tender, about 4 minutes. Add the roasted red peppers, hot cherry peppers, and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes, reduce heat and slowly stir in the heavy cream (do not pour in the cream too fast because it will be cold and cold liquid introduced to a hot liquid will cause the cream to break- that is it will seperate and look like spoiled milk, if that happens it ruined, discard and start the sauce over), simmer for 2-3 minutes and then add cooked chicken. Simmer 4 -5 minutes, then stir in the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to serve. Top with fresh chopped Italian parsley (flat leaf)

Tasty Tuesday: Hello Dollies

Crafty Girl here! Right now I'm trying to recuperate from all the holiday eating I did and I can't have one of my all time favorite sweet treats so I thought I'd at least share the recipe with you- in hopes that someone will take an extra bite in my honor!LOL Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

- nonstick spray

-1 stick of butter

-1 cup graham cracker crumbs

-1 cup shredded coconut  

-1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

-1 cup chocolate chips

-1 can condensed milk

Spray the bottom of your 13x9 glass cake pan. Melt the butter and evenly spread over the bottom of your pan. Then press the graham cracker crumbs into the butter to make a delicious crust. Then layer the items in order. Cook at 375 till golden brown- that may be about 15 minutes. Let them sit up a bit before you take them out and eat them with a nice cold cup of milk! Enjoy!!

Tasty Tuesday: Beef and Broccoli

Classic Asian Dish!!

2 lbs thin Sliced Beef (if your knife skills are not sharp, have your butcher slice it for you)
1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce
1/4 cup Canola Oil
3 cloves Fresh Garlic (minced)
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 lg Onion  (chopped or sliced)
2 lg Carrots (chopped or sliced and blanched)
3 heads of Broccoli (cut from stalk and in bit size pieces and blanched)
1 cup beef stock
1/4 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce (use Low Sodium because the Hoisin will add salt as well)
1/4 cup Corn Starch
1/2 cup Cold Water

I suggest using a Wok to make this dish, if you do not have one use a saute pan. A Wok is a must if you plan on cooking a lot of Asian style dishes.
Place canola oil in Wok and get it hot (when you look at the oil you should see ripples in the oil)
Add beef and cook until browned on all sides but still undercooked. Remove beef from pan and add onion, carrots, garlic, sautee until onions are translucent.
Add soy sauce and hoisin sauce to vegetable mixture, bring to a boil and then add par cooked beef back to pan.
Add beef stock and bring to a boil.
ix corn starch and cold water and add to boiling mixture about 1 Tbsp at a time to reach the desired thickness.
Add broccoli and toss until coated and warmed through, about 3-4 minutes. If sauce is to thick add a little cold water to thin out sauce.

Serve over Rice or Lo Mien Noodles
Xiangshou (enjoy in Chinese)