Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Part 1

  I found this recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Cookie a few years back on a diabetic website called diabetic-recipes.com. I haven't been there for a while but my recipe that I printed out has seen better days and I thought what better way to  get a clean copy of the recipe than to blog about it. So I thought I would let you know that I will do another post that will just be the recipe. And maybe I'll take pictures and download them for you. Advance apologies when the pictures don't look that good. I guess I am my toughest critic when it comes to that.

P.S. I just went looking for the website and have found that they have changed their name to DiabeticLifestyle

Tea for Tuesday #5 -18th Century Chinese Tea Pot

Old Qing Dynasty (Qianlong 1711-1799) Copper Bottom Tea Pot.

     Qianlong Emperor (Emperor Chien-lung)

Tea for Tuesday #4

Blueberry-Lemon Verbena  jam and biscuits can go great with tea.

Tea for Tuesday #2 - Alice in Wonderland

Over the weekend I finally watched the Disney animated version of 'Alice in Wonderland', mainly because I finally had a break and there was nothing else on at the time. To my surprise I actually enjoyed it and so today's 'Tea for Tuesday' is dedicated to 'Alice in Wonderland'. The Disney animated version.

Alice in Wonderland cake

The Mad Hatter pouring tea for everyone

Happy Unbirthday!

Half a cup, please!

Tea for everyone!

Tea for Tuesday #1

New feature: Tea for Tuesday. Just a photo of a tea related item, sometimes including food, and maybe a comment. So, enjoy your Tea for Tuesday.

George Ohr, Mad Potter of Biloxi, Mississippi, teapot

My Sauerkraut Recipe

Actually this is one that my Mom taught me that was taught to her by a friend of hers that was from the Bavarian region of Germany. Truth be told I don't know if it was the lady's family recipe or if the sauerkraut was/is just done this way in the area of Germany that she came from, so here is my sauerkraut recipe. It is very simple.

My Sauerkraut Recipe  

1 can or jar of sauerkraut

brown sugar

cinnamon

salt

Rinse sauerkraut (yes rinse ) under cold water to remove most of the brine.

Put into a pot with enough water at the bottom to essentially steam the sauerkraut

Now I'm don't really measure this out: Put about a handful of brown sugar or so into the sauerkraut

Then put in about a half a tablespoon of cinnamon. maybe a little more, maybe a little less. Just try and not over do it.

Finally, a small pinch of salt or just a quick shake or two from your salt shaker. Again don't over do it. 

Mix together while everything is heating up. The sauerkraut should have a brownish/tan color to it. This is because of the brown sugar and cinnamon.About like this, sausage is optional.

Bring to a boil and then turn down to a low simmer. 

Let cook for about 20 minutes. 

If possible and there is enough time before your finished with cooking the rest of your meal, give the spices time to meld through the sauerkraut. If need be turn it back on to heat up just before you sit down to eat. And it may not taste the same twice in a row and that's okay as long as we can get tasting good more often than not, then we're in business.

Enjoy!

Tempura Batter Recipe

This just a quick and easy nothing to it recipe. Well, at least it's easy after certain someone (yes me) has done a few dozen hundred times. I got this from an old cookbook that my Mom had and now I feel comfortable enough to share it with y'all.

Tempura Batter 

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 Cup of ice cold water or if you have cold water in the fridge that will work too

1/2 Cup of all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of sugar

Blend until dry ingredients  are moistened. Then use to coat shrimp, fish, squash fried green tomatoes or whatever you want to fry.

Mediterranean Poached Fish

1Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Medium Onion

1/2 sweet red pepper, chopped ( can be substituted with green bell pepper )

2 cloves of chopped garlic ( Here's an easy way: http://mishasblue.blogspot.com/2011/04/quick-tip-1.html )

1 can (14 1/2 oz) chopped tomatoes ( diced works too)

1/2 Cup of white wine or water

12 Kalamata olives, cut in half ( pitted Black Olives work just as well)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon ( No lemon zest, no problem. At least as far as I'm concerned)

1/2 Tsp of dried Oregano ( Italian seasoning should work as a substitution)

1/4 Tsp of Salt

1/8 Tsp of Pepper

4 Fish Fillets (5 to 6 oz each) such as, flounder, talapia or catfish

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, red pepper and garlic. Cook about 6 minutes, until softened, stirring so that the garlic doesn't burn.

Stir in tomatoes,wine , olives, lemon zest and juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add fish and cook covered, over medium-low heat, for 8 to 10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily. Gently turn the fish over halfway through cooking.

Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns!

Hot cross buns!

One ha' penny, two ha' penny,

Hot cross buns!

If you have no daughters,

Give them to your sons.

One ha' penny,

Two ha' penny, 

Hot cross buns!

  So goes the nursery rhyme with the earliest record of it in Christmas Box, published in London in 1798. However there is an even earlier reference to "Hot Cross Buns" as a street cry, for example in Poor Robin's Almanack for 1733, though many quibble over the date of their origin most agree that they predate 1733:

"Good Friday comes this month the old woman runs

With one or two penny hot cross buns" 

  Hot cross buns are popular in the days of Tudors, as there are specific mentions of them being allowed to be baked under certain conditions by Elizabeth I in 1592. This is because Protestant English monarch were saw the hot cross buns as a dangerous holdover of Catholic belief's in England being baked in the dough used in making communion wafers. However, maybe the most fascinating mention is in Sue Ellen Thompson's Holiday Symbols and Customs :

  "When archeologists excavated the ancient city of

Herculaneum in southwestern Italy, which had been buried 

volcanic ash and lava since 79 C.E., they found two small 

loaves, each with a cross on it, among the ruins.

Hot cross bun is a sweet spiced bun made with raisins or currants and marked with a cross on top and is traditionally eaten on Good Friday.  

  In many historical Christian countries, buns are usually eaten hot or toasted on Good Friday, with the cross symbolizing the Crucifixion.

  It is believed that buns marked with a cross  were eaten by Saxons in honor of Eostre, Germanic goddess that is the namesake of Easter. The cross is thought to have symbolized the four quarters of the moon. Other claim that the Greeks marked cakes with a cross much earlier.

  In English folklore there are many superstitions regarding the hot cross bun. One of them is that buns baked and served on Good Friday will not spoil or become moldy during the subsequent year. Another one is to keep a hot cross bun for medicinal purposes. A piece of it is given to someone who is ill and  is said to help them recover.

  Sharing a hot cross bun with another is supposed to be ensure friendship throughout the coming year, particularly if "Half for you and half for me, Between us two shall goodwill be" is said at that time. Because of the cross on the buns, some say they should be kissed before eaten. If taken on a sea voyage, are said to protect against shipwrecks. If hung in the kitchen, they are said to protect against fires and ensure that all breads turn out perfect. Each year the hanging bun is replaced.

 

Guinness Ice Cream Float

GUINNESS ICE CREAM FLOAT

1 Pint of Guinness

1 scoop of coffee ice cream

Whipped cream

Salty peanuts

Chocolate syrup

Fill large glass with beer and top with coffee ice cream, whipped cream, peanuts and chocolate syrup.

VOILA! Guinness Ice cream Float!

Courtesy of  The Fader  https://www.thefader.com/2012/03/06/five-spring-treats-to-make-right-now/3/

Latkes

Latkes are traditionally eaten by Jews during Hanukkah. The oil that they are fried in is the symbolic remembrance of the oil that kept the Second Temple of ancient Israel lit with a long lasting flame, which is celebrated as a miracle. Despite the tradition and popularity of eating latkes during Hanukkah, they are difficult to come by in shops and restaurants in Israel, because latkes have largely been replaced by the Hanukkah doughnut. This is due to connivance, local economic factors and influence by the trade unions.

The Hebrew name for latke, leviva, has it's origin in the Book of Samuel's description of the story of Tamar and Amnon. Some interpreters have noted that the homonym levav means "heart" and the verbal form l-v-v occurs in the Song of Songs as well.

 Latkes are not always made from potatoes. Before the discovery of the New World, which introduced potatoes to the Old World, lakes were, and in some cases still are, made with other kinds of vegetables, starches,cheeeses or legumes, depending on the available local ingridents and foodways of the various places where Jews live.

  The following is a recipe thatI use to make latkes but I make mine through out the year, just not that often because it takes me forever to get the potaoes ready. But that is just me

LATKES

1 large egg

 3 Tablespoons of chopped chives (green onions as a substitute)

 2 Tablespoopns of matzo meal or all-purpose flour (pototo flour works well, also)

2 Tablespoons of grated onions ( I just dice mine)

1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

 3/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

2 1/2 lbs of baking potatoes ( 4 medium sized potatoes), peeled

1/2 Cup of vegetable oil for frying

Applesauce and sour cream

1. Prheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels.
2. In a bowl, with a fork, lightly beat the egg. Stir in chives, matzo meal,onion,lemon juice,salt and pepper. In a foodprocessor with a shredding disk, shred potatoes. Or do it the old-fashioned way, use a hand held grater. Thenplace potoes in a colander in the dink or a deep bowl; squeeze out liquid. Stir the potatoes int to the egg mixture.
3. In a non-stick 12 inch skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until very hot, but not smoking. Drop the potatoe mixture by scant 1/4 cups into the oil to make 6 latkes. Flatten each latke into 3-inch round. (I guess I should have read that part better because my 1/4 cups are heaping. But they still come out fine.)
4. Cook latkes 8 to 10 minutes or until both sides are browned and crisp, turning once. With a slotted spatula, transfer to lined cookie sheet. Keep warm.
5. Repeat stirring mixture each time before frying and adding more oil to each batch. Serve with applesauce and sour cream. ( I think it's okay to serve the latkes without the applesauce and sour cream, because you may not always have them on hand.) 
   
   
   
   
   HAPPY HANUKKAH!



Mississippi Mud Pie

  This is one of favorite desserts, but because I'm the only one in my household that likes Mississippi Mud I don't have it that often. But one of my aunt's made some for Thanksgiving and I made a pig of myself with it and had two helpings. So I thought I would post a couple of recipes for it. One of them uses nuts in it, but because there seems to be a lot people allergic to nuts I'm including a recipe that uses Graham crackers instead. I have had it both ways and I think they both taste good. But then with chocolate involved... and the thing is I'm not all that crazy about chocolate or pretty much any kind of candy for that matter. Anyway if any of you try the Mississippi Mud I do hope you enjoy it.

 MISSISSIPPI MUD PIE #1

1 3/4 Cup of flour
1 stick of butter, softened
3/4 Cup of chopped pecans
1 Cup of powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese, softened
12 oz Cool Whip
2 (3.9 oz) packages of instant chocolate pudding mix
3 Cups of milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C)
2. In a medium bowl, combine pecans and flour. Mix well, then stir in softened butter. Stir until mixture forms a ball. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Then bake for 20 minutes or until golden brow.Remove from the oven and let cool.
3. Make chocolate pudding according to directions on the box. Let sit for 5 minutes before spreading on top of cooled crust.
4. In a large bowl, whip softened cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar until mixture is smooth. Then fold the Cool Whip into the cream cheese mixture. Spread over pudding layer. Garnish, if you like, with chocolate candy bar shavings or miniature chocolate chips. Serve chilled.

__________________________

MISSISSIPPI MUD PIE #2 

2 Cups of Graham cracker crumbs

1/4 Cup of white sugar

1/2 Cup of butter, softened

1 12 0z container of frozen Cool Whip, thawed

3/4 Cup of white sugar

2 small packages of chocolate pudding mix

3 Cups of milk

1. Thoroughly blend Graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup of sugar and butter. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan or onto the the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan.
2. Blend together half of the Cool Whip,3/4 cup sugar and the softened cream cheese. Spread onto top of pie crust.
3. Whip together the pudding and milk and spread on top of cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining Cool Whip. Put chocolate sprinkles on top for garnish.

I would think that a store bought Graham cracker pie crust would work in a pinch instead of making it yourself.

Pasta Fazool

PASTA FAZOOL

Ground Meat
15 oz can of Red Kidney Beans
Can of Tomatoes
8oz Can o f Tomato Sauce
Onion
Garlic
Tube Pasta (Penne Pasta for example)
Italian Seasoning
Oregano
Parmesan Cheese


 Brown down the ground meat in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. If you want to add Italian seasoning to the meat go right ahead, try and make it your own a little. While the meat is cooking go ahead and get the cans of tomatoes and tomato sauce open and also open the can of kidney beans but pour the beans into a colander to drain. You may need to rinse the beans as well, just put some cold water in the can a couple of times and pour over them. Next put water onto boil for the pasta. I put salt and olive oil in my water when I cook pasta, but however you usually do it is the way to go. Parboil the pasta.

Put the drained kidney beans in a bowl and use the colander to drain the meat. Wipe with some paper towels some of the excess grease that may be at  the bottom of the skillet (try and keep things relatively healthy). Put the stove on medium heat and put a Tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet to heat.Chop some onion and garlic, amount If you don not have fresh garlic or the kind that comes in a jar, rehydrate some granulated garlic in a bowl or a small jar.  http://mishasblue.blogspot.com/2011/04/quick-tip-1.html 
Add onion  to the skillet and turn temperature down to medium-low. When the onion is just tender add the garlic and keep stirring them because garlic can burn quickly. You can stop stirring long enough to reintroduce the ground meat. Stir until ingredients are pretty well mixed together and then add the can of tomatoes, red kidney beans  and tomato sauce. Hopefully, at some point, you have been able to get the pasta off the stove and drained and rinsed with warm water. Rinsing the pasta helps get some of the starch out of the pasta plus some of the taste of the starch. Either that or I'm just overly sensitive to the taste. Anyway, add the pasta, the Italian seasoning, the Parmesan cheese and oregano. Let cook until pasta is tender. If there is tomato sauce that has not been absorbed, let the Pasta Fazool stand in the skillet while you finish getting anything else you need together.

 And there you have Pasta Fazool. My way at least. Some people will put it in a baking dish with some mozzarella cheese on top and put it in a 350 degree oven until the cheese melts. just another option if you would like to try it.

Stuffed Bell Pepper Part 2

Sorry but I forgot something in the previous post. If you have any of the meat & rice mixture left over from when you stuffed the bell peppers,I always do, just put in an oven safe dish and heat it. This way you can have seconds if you like.

          Misha

Stuffed Bell Peppers

This is a combination of a few different recipes that I use to come up with my own.

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

INGREDIENTS 

1. Bell Peppers 
2. Ground Meat
3. Onion
4. Rice
5. Can Tomatoes
6. Can of Tomato sauce 15 oz
7. Salt & Pepper
8. Granulated Garlic (OPTIONAL)
9. Italian Seasoning
10. Oregano (OPTIONAL) 
11. Parmesan  or Romano grated cheese

 I usually just do two big peppers cut in half. First RINSE in 1/4 cup of rice until clear. This gets some of the starch out and the rice shouldn't stick . Use a fork to stir when the water gets too hot. Next cover with cold water and parboil.While the rice is cooking you can get started on the rest.

 Preheat oven to 350.Then start cooking the ground meat. Seasoning with salt, black pepper and granulated garlic. I use a non-stick skillet but use what you have available. While this happening you can chop the onions & get the bell peppers ready.

  Take a pairing knife to cut into the top of the pepper and go around the stem until you can pull the core out with the stem. PLEASE be careful when doing this.  From top to bottom cut the bell peppers in half  and clean out the seeds and membrane. Rinse with cold water and salt (OPTIONAL) the inside of the pepper. Bring to a boil for 3-5 minutes. You may have to turn the heat down. It's up to you.

Mind you that you may have to stop every so often and move the meat around so it does not stick and check the rice. If the rice is done enough remove and strain in colander. When this is done put rice into a bowl and set aside.  Hopefully by now the meat is cooked. What I do is put the colander in a bowl making sure that there is room between the bottom of the colander & the bottom of the bowl. Put the ground meat in the colander & let it drain while you do everything else. When the peppers have had the time you wish it to have, as long as it is no more than 5 minute, remove from the stove. Do this however you like but personally I use a flat slotted spoon (some times with help from a wooden spoon to get onto slotted spoon) & put the peppers on a platter with about 3 paper towels on it for draining purposes.

  Now is the time to start browning down your onions. Some people will add celery and/or garlic, it's up to you. When the diced vegetables are tender turn off stove & add meat, rice, tomatoes, 8 ounces of tomato sauce, Italian seasoning  & oregano. Put bell peppers in a glass dish and spoon in mixture. Take remaining tomato sauce & season with Italian seasoning & a pinch of sugar. Then our over bell peppers. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over them and then put into a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Lord willing this will give you some time to clean p the mess.Hope it turns out good for you.

This is the post that I mentioned on April 26 that I was working on for a while. Sorry this has taken so long but I have been working it. Thank you for bearing with me.

Quick Tip #1 - Minced Garlic in a Pinch

If you do not have fresh garlic or the minced kind that comes in a jar, use the dehydrated garlic- rehydrated. Put in a small container, even a washed out baby food jar, cover with cold water, tighten lid and put into your refrigerator. I keep a jar that had the minced garlic in it to start with. It is wonderful thing to have in case of an emergency. About 1/2 of a teaspoon can equal 1 clove of fresh garlic. Plus it can be economical if you get a big container of the dehydrated garlic. And I find no difference in the taste of my food.

Tomatoe Gravy

I was at Edwardian Promenade and she wrote about tomato bisque and that got me to thinking about my tomato gravy. I thought I would share it with everyone so...  

TOMATO GRAVY

Start by melting butter in a skillet on medium heat then add  sliced ham or ham steaks. If you do not have meat just start melting the butter.

Then you will want to add flour and continue to stir with a metal spoon . I find this kind works best for when scraping the bottom.

Add a can of tomato sauce, 15 oz works best for me.

Then add a can of diced tomatoes (sometimes I put them in and sometimes I don't).

Add milk when gravy becomes to thick.

Continue to stir with a wooden spoon or a whisk at this time. While doing this add your seasoning: pepper, pinch of salt and sugar. The sugar counteracts the tomato acidity.

Continue stirring until desired thickness. Then turn heat down to a low simmer for a few minutes.

If it becomes too thin gradually add corn starch-water mixture*. Too thick add milk.

When ready serve over biscuit with butter.

You can have this for breakfast or supper or whenever you like. 

 And now I'm hungry!

 

* Trick for the corn starch water mixture. Put desired amount of cornstarch in a medium jar (salsa jar works great), cover with water, put the lid on and shake. Then you can gradually add the mixture to the gravy until it comes to what you deem the right consistency.