Do you remember this dish from the School Cafeteria? I really didn’t mind it at all, really!
I had some of those bagged Carrot Matchsticks leftover from my previous blog post recipe and decided that I’d try my hand at this.
Carrot & Raisin Salad
1-2 Servings
1 Tbsp. Mayonnaise 1 scant Tbsp. Granulated Sugar 1-2 tsp. Milk 1 C. Carrot, cut into match sticks (I used those bagged ones) 1-2 Tbsp. Raisins
In a small bowl, whisk together the Mayo, Sugar and just enough Milk to thin out the dressing to the desired consistency. Add in the Carrots and enough Raisins to your liking; stir gently to thoroughly coat the Salad. Cover and refrigerate until serving
My DH wouldn’t go anywhere near this dish, which is why I only made a small portion, FOR ME!!!
Remember, a recipe is simply someone else’s idea, take it and make it your own.
Cook for your friends and family (or even just for yourself) !
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
You all may recall my previous post when I made my very first batch of Scones. Well, this time around, I tried my hand at scratch-made Scones for my Mom and DH. Me, I’m not the biggest fan of them, but isn’t part of why we bake and cook for our family and friends, to show them our love?
Cranberry & Orange Scones
Makes 8 Scones
2 C. all-purpose Flour
⅓ C. granulated Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Kosher Salt
¼ tsp. Baking Soda
8 Tbsp. unsalted Butter, frozen
½ C. dried Cranberries, chopped
½ C. Sour Cream
1 large egg
Heaping tsp. Orange Zest
≈ 1 Tbsp. Sanding Sugar
Preheat the oven to 400°F
Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper
Mix Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder, Salt, and Baking Soda in a medium bowl
Grate the Butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater
Use your fingers to work in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, then toss the dried Cranberries in the mixture until well incorporated
Whisk Sour Cream, Egg and Orange Zest together in a small bowl until combined
Stir wet mixture into the dry mixture using a fork until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball. (Dough may seem dry at first but will come together as you work it)
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle, about 3/4-inch thick
Sprinkle the top with the Sanding Sugar
Use a sharp knife or a Pizza Wheel to cut into 8 equal triangles; place each piece on the prepared baking sheet, about 1-inch apart
Bake the scones until golden on top, about 15 to 17 minutes
Cool for 5 minutes; serve warm or at room temperature
I found this
👇🏼
for my Mom, she just goes crazy for Scones with Clotted Cream and Lemon Curd
– oh – by the way, I just happened to have some of my homemade Meyer Lemon Curd for Mom too
😉
Remember, a recipe is simply someone else’s idea, take it and make it your own.
Cook for your friends and family!
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
… Couscous … I love the stuff. Now DH on the other hand is not a fan, at all.
I can’t remember where I got this idea, but I never follow a recipe, well, at least not all the time. I like to use someone else’s recipe as a jumping off point. Are there ingredients called for that
a) I don’t care for
b) Are they something I don’t already have on hand – `cuz I don’t like to buy stuff for just one dish
I keep a pretty well supplied pantry, freezer and `fridge. I’ll look around and try something new-to-us with what I have on hand.
So here goes it …
Curried Couscous Salad
Serves 8
For the Salad:
1 10-ounce box Couscous
1 ½ C. shredded Carrots
½ C. chopped Celery
½ C. chopped Green Onion
½ C. Craisins
½ C. Pumpkins Seeds or Pepitas
½ C. chopped fresh Parsley
For the dressing:
¼ C. Apple Cider Vinegar
¼ C. Olive Oil
3 tbsp. Honey
1 tbsp. Lime Juice
2 tbsp. Curry Powder
1 tbsp. Turmeric
1 tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Black Pepper
Cook the Couscous according to the directions on the package. Cool completely and fluff with a fork.
Add the Salad ingredients to a large bowl and mix well.
Add the Dressing ingredients to a mason jar or another container that tightly seals. Shake it well until blended and pour over the Salad.
Mix again and serve.
That ☝🏼 was DANG DELICIOUS!!!
Now, could you use other ingredients for this Salad?
Of course you could!
I was just thinking that some grilled Shrimp would be nice, maybe serve it all over a bed of mixed Greens, dressed in some of the same dressing that you make for the Couscous.
The possibilities are endless.
As I’ve said many times in the past,
Remember, a recipe is simply someone else’s idea, take it and make it your own.
Cook for your friends and family!
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
Hummus, really, I don’t think that I had ever even tried it prior to this.
I belong to an International Food Forum and this recipe is from there.
Ginger-Lime Hummus
Makes about 1 1/2 Cups
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp. Peeled & minced fresh Ginger
1 15-ounce can Chickpeas plus 2 TB reserved liquid from the can
¼ cup Lime juice (about 2 large Limes)
¼ C. Tahini
2 tbsp. Soy sauce or Tamari
In the bowl of a food processor, add all of the ingredients.
Blend for a minute or two until very creamy, stopping to scrape the sides as necessary.
Store refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 week. (if it lasts that long 😉)
Serving suggestion: place the Hummus in a nice bowl, drizzle over some good quality Olive Oil; serve along with some Pita Chips and/or Crudité
And come on man, how pretty does that all look?
Cook for your friends and family!
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
Hot Pepper Jelly. That’s right and I love that stuff. You know what I’m talking about, that savory, sweet, mildly hot jelly that gets poured over a softened block of Cream Cheese. Just gimme a spoon and some nice crackers and I’m happy.
Well, if you added in a glass (or three 😏 of wine), that wouldn’t hurt.
I have no clue why I decided that I needed to make this, but I did, so there.
No, I remember now! I wanted to do something different for our community’s bi-annual Craft & Bake Sale.
It did very well!
Hot Pepper Jelly
Makes 6 half pint jars
1 ½ C. finely chopped and seeded Red Bell Pepper
1 C. finely chopped and seeded Yellow Bell Pepper
1 ¼ C. finely chopped and seeded Green Bell pepper
¼ C. finely chopped and seeded Jalapeño
1 C. Apple Cider Vinegar
1.75 oz. package powdered Pectin
5 C. sugar
6 8oz. canning jars
Sterilize the jars and hold in warm water until ready to fill.
In a large saucepan over high heat, add in the four different Peppers, Vinegar and Pectin, bring it all to a boil while stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat and add the Sugar; return to the heat and bring back to a boil for 1 minute.
Remove from the heat and skim off any foam on the top.
Ladle jelly evenly into sterile jars, filling to ¼ inch from top of jar. Cover with flat lids and screw on screw bands tight.
Place jars into canner with hot water that is not boiling. Water should completely cover the jars by 2 inches.
Over high heat to a rolling boil.
Process for 5 minutes.
Remove the jars from the water bath and set aside on a heat-proof surface (I use a wooden cutting board covered in an old tea towel).
Allow the jars to cool for 24 hours, undisturbed.
Check seals by pressing the centers of lids with finger. (If lid springs back, it’s not sealed, and refrigeration is necessary.)
This Hot Pepper Jelly did so well at the sale, I was commissioned to make a batch for this nice gal.
Remember, a recipe is simply someone else’s idea, take it and make it your own.
Cook for your friends and family!
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
I know that this dish, if you want to call it that, was trending for a while now, but with price of Avocados being so ridiculously high, I’ve steered clear.
Our local “Greengrocer” had some beautiful little Haas Avocados on sale, and I thought, why not.
Mashed up half of the Avo, spread that on top the toast and that was a lovely light lunch for moi.
With the other half of that Avocado, I did a repeat, but with more goodies…
Arugula Microgreens and an over easy fried Egg … OH MAN!
DH said that this looked good, and can’t stand Avocados!!!
The gal at the local Farmer’s Market had suggested this, well what she really told was that these Microgreens are terrific with Eggs, and she was right!
Cook for your friends and family!
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
Have you seen this trend of Smoked Sea Salt going around?
I saw this stuff at a fancy-pants shop ahwiles back … not cheap, let me tell you buddy!
💡
Our community has a craft & bake sale twice a year and say what? We have one coming up?
Now, I’m already well known at these sales to have half-sized Bundt cakes for sale, but I wanted to add something else this go around.
😊
AND, I’ve got two new toys I wanted to try.
I did a little research on the WWW and this seemed simple, it’s just cold smoking, I’ve done this before… Let’s GO!
I set up my makeshift cold smoker by adding Hickory pellets to my A-maZe-N expandable smoker on my grill, new toy, and yes, it is AMAZING!!!
Went to the dollar store and got me two splash screens/guards, loaded the Sea Salt on them, and arranged them on the grate of the grill. (Oh, the grill isn’t on by the way)
Oh, I must add, DH had to play with that torch for a while, he thinks this is the best thing since sliced bread.
😆
My silicone gloves came in quite handy with all this hot stuff!
I left the Salt to smoke for a little more than 6 hours and my neighbors kept popping up over the top of the wall, “whatcha makin’?”
Smoked Sea Salt!
Can you see how the Salt isn’t white anymore?
This sold well, mainly because folks already knew about this trend, and I was only charging $5 per jar. And of course, you know me, I’ve got to make it look neat-o.
This Salt is just lovely as a finishing salt for things like fresh sliced Tomatoes, grilled Fish, my Mom likes Salt on diced Melons…
Cook for your friends and family!
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
Yup, that school lunch staple, that I loved by the way, I’ve never made this my self.
Now, there’s a difference between Cottage Pie and Shepard’s Pie – one has ground Beef and the other is Lamb, but then everything else is pretty much the same.
This dish is simple and budget-friendly.
And that lovely topping of Mashed Potatoes, YUM!
Cottage Pie
1 teaspoon Salt, plus more to taste
3 large (1 1/2 to 2 pounds) Potatoes , peeled and quartered
8 tablespoons (1 stick) Butter, divided
1 medium Onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 to 2 cups frozen Mixed Vegetables
1 pound Ground Beef (I use 80/20 lean)
1/2 cup Beef broth (or more if want more “gravy”)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon each of fresh Thyme & Rosemary, finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
Salt & Pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 400°F
Place the peeled and quartered Potatoes in medium sized pot. Cover with at least an inch of cold water. Add a teaspoon of Salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender (about 20 minutes).
While the Potatoes are cooking, melt 4 tablespoons of the Butter in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the chopped Onions and cook until tender, about 6 to 10 minutes.
Add the Ground Beef and sauté until well browned.
Add the Garlic and frozen (by now partially de-frosted) Mixed Vegetables and stir until the Garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the Worcestershire sauce and Beef broth.
Bring the broth to a simmer and reduce heat to low.
Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth if necessary to keep the meat from drying out.
Season with S&P to taste.
When the Potatoes are done cooking (a fork can easily pierce), remove them from the pot and place them in a bowl with the remaining 4 tablespoons of Butter.
Mash with a fork or potato masher, taste, and adjust seasonings with Salt and Pepper.
Spread the cooked Beef filling mixture in an even layer in a large baking dish, like a 9 x 13-inch casserole.
Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the Ground Beef mixture.
Rough up the surface of the mashed potatoes with a fork so there are peaks that will get well browned. You can even use a fork to make creative designs in the mashed potatoes.
Bake until browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. If necessary, broil for the last few minutes to help the surface of the mashed potatoes brown.
(Be careful when broiling using Pyrex or glass dishes, they have been known to shatter under the high heat of the broiler.)
AH YUM!!!
Remember, a recipe is simply someone else’s idea, take it and make it your own.
Cook for your friends and family!
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
I know that this has been treading for awhile, but I just never got on that train.
Until now.
How easy is this, I mean come on.
1) Toast a piece of bread to your liking – optional buttering of said Toast (I like Dave’s Killer Bread)
2) Mash up some Avocado
3) Spread that mash over the Toast
4) Sprinkle with S&P
NOW…
If you want to amp that up a notch –
Follow the above instructions
Fry an Egg to your preference
Set that beautiful Egg atop everything
DEVOUR!
I know, right?! MMM!
Cook for your family!
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
I really do not care for them, but my Mother loves them! I did some research and it seems that this brand of packaged Scones Mix is quite highly rated.
I found this at a gourmet market, I can’t remember where, but I thought we’d give it a shot.
I made my own Lemon Glaze out of 1/3 of a cup of Powdered Sugar and a scant tablespoon of Lemon Juice, nice addition.
For myself, I liken Scones to the American Drop Biscuits, a bit too dry for me, even with all the toppin’s.
In any case …
Cook for your family!
… and if you could, hit that ‘like’ button, leave a comment below maybe just to say ALOHA; subscribe to my blog if you like what you’re reading and get an email when a new post has been uploaded.
My Kitchen In The Middle Of The Desert 
You must be logged in to post a comment.