Beef and Blue Salads

Today let's talk about salad. It is another of those quick meal ideas. i love salads, but i can never make enough of them.

For a Beef and Blue salad you just need a few ingredients and you have a delicious meal in a bowl For a twist use sandwich steaks. Some of you may know the joys of a Philly cheese steak. They use a very thin cut of meat the cooks quickly and can then be torn apart like the lettuce.

For one salad:
2 "Steak-Um" slices
1 Roma tomato
1 oz blue or Gorgonzola cheese
1 thin slice of red onion with its rings separated,
1/4 celery
a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts
2 cups romaine lettuce

cook the meat. it just takes a minute each. salt and pepper to taste. Set them aside to cool. slice the onion, and dice the tomato. slice the celery

tear the lettuce leaves to bite sized pieces. add all the ingredients. top with the nuts and serve with your favorite dressing. I like buttermilk ranch with this salad.

Now who said you can't have your steak and eat it too?

thanks for stopping by...
Kimberly, your kitchen fairy.

The Joy of Pasta

More pasta!

How to create love and magic in the kitchen.

Sometimes success in the kitchen depends on being kind of fearless, you can’t be afraid to make a mess, and you have to be willing to throw out the occasional disaster. You can be creative, and have fun. Like anything else you get better with practice. Don't be afraid, have fun. Just pay attention, and you won't set your hair on fire or scare the dog.

How many people were allowed in the kitchen as children? Were you turned away from the door because your mother was fussing about getting dinner on the table, and you needed to occupy yourself elsewhere?

Don’t worry. That other room in your house shouldn't be scary. Your mom did ok, didn’t she? Or was dinner often bad? And you learned early not to complain? Feed the burned beans to the dog?

OK, that part of your life is over. Can you pour milk on cereal? Can you make a cup of tea? Good, that is not scary is it? You can warm up a can of soup? Excellent!

Let us begin….

This week’s recipe is a simple pasta dish.

You need a box of spiral shaped pasta

½ one large onion
1 clove of garlic
½ each red, green and yellow bell peppers
2 cups chopped broccoli
1 cup chopped zucchini
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 chopped tomato
1 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
3 Tablespoons of olive oil
Seasoning salt
Italian herb blend
Black pepper

Put the olive oil in a skillet. Chop the onion, garlic, and peppers in to small pieces. Chop the mushrooms if you are not using canned. And chop your tomato. Heat the skillet on medium. Add first the bells peppers, broccoli, zucchini and then the onion, and then the garlic.

Tip: if you put the garlic in first it could burn.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add salt and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. When it boils, add the pasta. Add the mushrooms to the veggie mix.

Keep an eye on the vegetables; don’t let them get too brown.

Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Add the seasoning salt, Italian herbs and pepper to taste. Now add the tomato and the broth. When the broth comes to a simmer do not boil. Continue cooking until the mushrooms are done, turn off the heat, serve and enjoy. You just made Pasta Primavera!

Splenda anyone?

I know, I know, there is a lot of controversy around artificial sweeteners, but there is an epidemic of diabetes in this country, and they need to eat well. Some guide lines to pay attention to when you are cooking for a diabetic are.

Diabetes Friendly recipes have:

No more than 35% calories from fat
No more than 10% calories from saturated fat
No more than 3 carbohydrate exchanges per serving (45 grams of carbohydrate)

A recent small study done in 27 rats using saccharin ("A Role for Sweet Taste: Calorie Predictive Relations in Energy Regulation by Rats") alleges a link between low-calorie sweetener consumption and weight gain. However this study needs to be considered in the proper scientific context, especially since there are many other previously published research studies in humans that reached the opposite conclusion. In fact, a 2007 study published in Pediatrics®, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, found that using sucralose (SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener) or sucralose sweetened beverages as part of an effort to decrease caloric intake by 100 calories per day, and to increase physical activity by 2000 steps per day helped to maintain and lower body mass index in the overweight children from the 111 families who participated in the "Families on the Move" program. It is important that the cause of obesity is not over-simplified, as it has many origins.

Also smaller more frequent meals are better. that way your insulin and blood sugar seem to balance out better.

No I'm no diabetic. but cooking for blood sugar issues do run in my family.

I don't cook with artificial sweeteners but other people do. So i found this nice recipe on Splenda.com. Nice site by the way.

Angela Tustin's Blueberry and Lemon Thyme Scones with Sweet Lemon Cream




Read Reviews (3)


Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 8 Minutes
Serves: 12
Submitted by: Maker of SPLENDA® Sweetener Products
"Moist, light scones with a golden crusty exterior are served warm with a sweet lemon cream."
Find Similar Recipes!
Add to Shopping List!
Print this recipe: 3x5 | 4x6 | Full page Send this recipe to a friend


Ingredients
Convert to Metric
Convert to U.S. Standard
Scones:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups soft cake flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
4 ounces butter, cubed
1/4 cup SPLENDA® Sugar Blend
1/2 cup dried blueberries
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
3 sprigs lemon thyme, stems removed, whole leaves

Sweet Lemon Cream:
8 ounces Neufchatel cream cheese
3 tablespoons SPLENDA® Sugar Blend
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Combine the first 11 ingredients except butter and buttermilk into a large mixing bowl. Add cubed butter and press butter into dry mixture by hand until butter mixture is coarse, not smooth (this is especially fun for the kiddies, but beware, it can get messy).
Add buttermilk slowly and mix dough together until lightly combined. Remove dough to a floured surface and knead until ingredients are blended but dough is not over worked.
Roll dough with a rolling pin until 2/3 inch thick. Cut out with a 2 round cutter (re- roll dough when needed) and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for approximately 6 minutes until tops of scones are golden brown. Remove from oven and serve warm with Sweet Lemon Cream (recipe below).
Sweet Lemon Cream: Place the remaining ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip on medium speed until mixture is fluffy and homogenous. Serve with Blueberry and Lemon Thyme Scones.
Note
Serving Size: 1 scone, 2 tablespoons sweet lemon cream



Enjoy.

What's for Dinner?

Do you hate asking that question night after night? Or, maybe you are the one asking? Do you get the same response? "Oh, What ever you decide is fine" (grin)
Ug!

Well tonight, how about a little salad? Salad? yes, we can make this fun...

grab some of your favorite greens.
some sliced tomato
a grilled chicken breast
a little green pepper
crumble a little bacon

and voila! dinner.

now for the dressing...
apple cider vinegar
the smooth Dijon mustard
some olive oil
and salt and pepper.

a great light dinner... feel free to add anything else you like. For instance, beans, and avocado for a southwestern touch.

or how about olives and feta cheese for more of a Mediterranean meal?

That is the beauty of a green salad. It can be what ever you want.

Ciao. bellas.

Kimberly

Orzo Salad

This is not your ordinary pasta salad. but it is so simple. It can be served hot or cold. Why not do something different for dinner? A Pork and Orzo salad. Simple to put together, and tasty. Why not make a little extra for lunch? Take this to work and your co-workers may be jealous.

Peppered Pork tenderloin, I like buy them already marinated. cut into bite sized pieces.(Turkey and be substitued if you can't/don't eat pork.)
One medium onion, minced
2 cups of bell peppers-mix green, red and yellow, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cloves of garlic, minced
teriyaki sauce
soy sauce
Chinese 5 spice.
One box of Orzo pasta.
One cup of sliced mushrooms
½ a bag of frozen pineapple chucks
2 tablespoons of apricot/pineapple jam
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
Bring a big pot of water to boil and salt and a tablespoon of sesame oil.

Chop up green beans. Be sure to remove the tip and strings add to the pork

Add mushrooms

Add pineapple

Heat until the mushrooms and cooked and the pineapple is hot.

To finish the sauce, add a little more teriyaki and soy sauce, the jam and the mustard. Bring to a boil in order to melt the jam and incorporate into the dish

Drain the orzo and Mix it into the pork.

This dish is good hot or cold. Keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It is good for a about a week.

Peace

Kimberly

Easter Dinner

Almost Easter- Do you have favorite dishes for this holiday meal? How about a spiral cut Ham and scalloped potatoes? Do you make homemade rolls?

Our family sort of does. Call it a new tradition. Mom get a honey baked ham and reheats with the glace. She puts champagne mustard on the site for who ever want it. Yummy. Of course peas. I think spring peas are her favorite food.

A few years ago, when the series The Mitford Years, was popular she added the orange cake.

Every Easter dinner is different. In more traditional homes its lamb. After all, lamb is served at Passover, which is closely tied to Easter. After all Jesus was Jewish. The “Last Supper” was the Seder meal for Passover when he made the new covenant with his apostles.

Here is a great Lamb recipe:

Lamb and rosemary is a match made in heaven. Meat will be tender and oh-so flavorful, with a wonderfully caramelized exterior.
Butterflied Lamb with Fresh Rosemary

6 pounds boneless leg lamb roast, butterflied
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
1. Trim fat from lamb. Discard fat and place lamb in a pan large enough to hold it flat.
2. In a small mixing bowl, blend olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, pepper, garlic powder, salt and crushed bay leaf. Coat lamb with mixture and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Before cooking, let lamb sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat broiler.
4. Place lamb in a broiler pan and cook 5 inches under broiler for approximately 15 minutes on each side; this will produce a medium-rare roast. Remove lamb from heat about 5 degrees from desired doneness* and let sit for 10 minutes loosely covered with foil. This allows the meat to finish cooking while the juices distribute evenly throughout the roast before slicing.
Makes 16 servings.
*Cooking temperatures: Rare 140°F, Medium 160°F, Well Done 170°F.

For me if you are going to serve lamb, then skip the peas, and serve asparagus instead. First wash the spears. Take one end in each hand. And snap them. You want to cook the tender tips. Save the ends for soup. Put them in just a little boiling water with some salt, butter and lemon juice. Cook until barely tender.

Scalloped potatoes are still a go.


Don’t forget to hide the Easter eggs for the kiddies!

Southwest Mac and Cheese

Sometimes when you're just learning to cook it is easy to take prepackaged meals and add things to them.
This is my "Adult" mac and Cheese dinner.

1 package of macaroni and cheese. Kraft is the best.
1 lb of ground beef
1 can of diced tomatoes
1/2 diced onion
1 clove a garlic
1 small package of frozen veggies-something with a southwest theme
salt
pepper
taco seasoning
milk
butter
vegetable oil

Get everything out of the pantry and refrigerator before you start. Carefully dice the onion and garlic. Set them aside. Put about 1 quart of water in a large pot and start it to boil.
In a large skillet and the oil, and heat it slowly. Add the onion and garlic. keep stirring them occasionally. don't let them stick to the bottom or burn.
When the water is boiling add about 1 T. of salt and the macaroni. set the cheese pack aside. stir the pot so the macaroni don't stick together. turn down the heat to low and cover the pan.
add the ground beef to the onions. break it up while browning. add some salt, pepper and taco seasoning. I always add to taste. add the veggies. and continue to stir and break up the meat.
when it is brown add the tomatoes. turn down to low simmer and cover.
drain the water from the macaroni. set the macaroni aside. in the sauce pan, on low heat melt the butter that the mac and cheese package requires. slowly add the milk. When the it is melted and well Incorporated add the cheese pack. stir it around break up any lumps.
add the macaroni to the pot and fold slowly.Let the macaroni heat back up. Add the meat and veggie mixture to the pot and fold in slowly.
That's it. Make sure you have enough seasoning. and serve.
Refrigerate any leftovers after it has cooled.

Beef Stroganoff

Beef stroganoff

Everybody loves a good beef stroganoff. My favorite is a blend of recipes The first I found in an old cookbook called “My Favorite Recipes”, and the second part is my Mom’s.

This is a true definition of comfort food. It is warm and creamy, and can be served over rice, noodles, or even mashed potatoes. I believe the cook book called for egg noodles. My Granny (father’s side) made a stroganoff to serve over both noodles and mashed potatoes.

Ok, I think I got my bubble gum casserole ideas came from a combination of lots of sources--.One of them being Granny.

1 lbs of round steak
Flour, salt, and pepper for dredging
1 lb of sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic (2 if small)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cups of beef stock
1 cup sour cream
1 tbls of Worcestershire
1 tbls of Balsamic vinegar
1 pinch herbs de Provence
2 tsp of Lowry’s seasoning salt.

Slice the mushrooms, onion and garlic. Set them aside. Cut the meat into bite sized pieces. Dredge them in the salt, pepper, flour mixture. Heat a large skillet with a little oil. When the pan gets hot, add the meat. Cook on medium heat stirring occasionally for 5 to 10 minutes. Don’t let the flour burn in the skillet.

Take the meat out and set aside. Add the mushrooms onion and garlic. Cook on medium low until some of the moisture has cooked out. Add back the meat. Add the stock and the soup. Cook on low for another 10 minutes. If you are serving this with noodles, now is the time to boil them.

Add the rest of the seasonings, and the sour cream. Turn off the heat stir to combine all the ingredients, cover and let sit until the noodles are ready.

Enjoy


Kimberly
Mistress of the Kitchen

Cabbage Salad

Do you remember the ½ a head of cabbage from the corned beef? Well this is something you can do with the rest of it.
Make a fun slaw.

But this one is special. It’s almost like ambrosia.

½ head of green cabbage
1 apple
1 cup shredded pineapple
1 cup of seedless green grapes
1 cup of chopped pecans
1 Tbs. of lemon juice
½ a cup of mayonnaise
½ Tbls. Of sugar.

Tear the cabbage into small pieces. Place in a medium bowl. Chop and seed the apple, add to the cabbage. Add the grapes and nuts. In a small bowl mix the lemon juice, mayo sugar and salt to taste.
Pour over the cabbage and mix. Chill in the refrigerator for about ½ hour before serving.


This is a good side dish with any picnic food. It is even nice enough to take to a pot luck- which is where I first discovered this treat.

Mistress Kimberly

One pot wonders

Caracoles are great. Ever wonder what to do with left over’s? Why not put it all in one big pot. Of course if you do this you have to watch out not over season. Sometimes mixing ethnic spices is a bad idea.

Herbs de Province and oregano don't really go with the plum sauce or the teriyakis of Japanese cooking.

Other times things are good together, like balsamic, Worcestershire and teriyaki can make a wonderfully bold statement in a hearty stew. You just have to experiment.
One experiment I am interest in trying is called a tomato soup chocolate cake. My assumption is that the condensed soup helps the cake stay moist.

Any way we humans have been doing one pot meals since the days of fire pits and the big cauldron hanging in the middle of it.

The French cassoulet is an example. The pot and the family recipe would be handed down from generation to generation. Generally the cassoulet is lamb, pork, partridge. The meat would also depend on the season, and region of France your family was.

Bean casseroles have been around for ever, over course in the old slow cook method, pot in the fire place it took days to make a good pot of beans. How we figured out how to eat a bean. Legumes when picked are as hard as little pebbles, but after washing and soaking for hours then cooking slowly for days, they can almost become pasty as the starch cooks up.


I love to cook in big pots. This way gives you a meal tonight, and tomorrow, and sometimes... it is even better later, because the spices have a chance to marry.

Today's one pot wonder:

Chili

1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cup mixed bell peppers, green, red and yellow
1 can of diced tomatoes with green challis added
1 package of frozen corn mixture with onion and peppers added
1 can of refried beans with lime
1 can kidney or pinto beans drained.
Spices:
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Seasoning salt
Ground cumin
Ground chili powder. (I like the Spanish style)
Dash of taco seasoning.
Squeeze of ketchup

Sauté the onion and garlic, then add back the ground beef. Add the corn mixture, the tomatoes, and 1/2 the peppers.
Leave it alone for 30 minutes. Add a little beef broth if it seems too thick, it seems to soupy, take an emulsion blender, and give it a few pulses. Add the rest of the pepper mixture. Cook for another 15 minutes.

This is one of those that are better the next day.

Serve with corn chips, and your favorite beer or soda.

Later Gators

Kimberly
Mistress of the Kitchen
http://dreamingtoday.info

Spring is in the Air!

Spring is here!

Spring always reminds of light suppers and different types of salads, and meals that take no time to make.

Why not do something different for dinner? How about an orzo salad with a Chinese twist? Simple to put together, and tasty. Orzo is always fun. It is this small rice-shaped pasta. Sometimes you can substitute it for rice, and visa versa. The cool part of this dish is that it can be served hot or cold.
Why not make a little extra for lunch? Take this to work and your co-workers may be jealous.

Pork tenderloin marinated in teriyaki cut into bite sized pieces. (Turkey and be substituted if you prefer)
One medium onion, minced
2 cups of bell peppers-mix green, red and yellow, cut into bite sized pieces
2 cloves of garlic, minced
teriyaki sauce
soy sauce
Chinese 5 spice.
One box of Orzo pasta.
One cup of sliced mushrooms
½ a bag of frozen pineapple chucks
2 tablespoons of apricot/pineapple jam
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

Bring a big pot of water to boil and salt and a tablespoon of sesame oil.
Chop up green beans. Be sure to remove the tip and strings add to the pork
Add mushrooms, add pineapple

Heat until the mushrooms and cooked and the pineapple is hot.
To finish the sauce, add a little more teriyaki and soy sauce, the jam and the mustard. Bring to a boil in order to melt the jam and incorporate into the dish
Drain the orzo and Mix it into the pork.
This dish is good hot or cold. Keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It is good for about a week.
Peace
Kimberly

http://dreamingtoday.info

How to make Corned Beef and Cabbage

Top of the Mornin' to ya'. March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day.


This is a semi favorite for St Patrick’s Day—although not exactly a traditional Irish meal. It was definitely born here in America. Next to all the beer and whiskey you can drink, and the "wearin' of the green".

This is a variation of the “New England” Boiled dinner. Basically every thing went in one pot the beef or pork shoulder, some vegetables, and what ever root vegetables were on hand. Most of the newly immigrated Irish were poor, so they couldn't’t but the best cuts of beef or meat, so they improvised, and learned that if you cook shoulder and brisket for a long time, it will come out tender. The more traditional dinners were just boiled in water. Later we learned, things taste better when cooked in stock or beer.

I spend part of my childhood in New England, so maybe that is why I relate to the one pot meal. Mom called my early versions of the one pot meal “Bubble Gum casseroles”. More on that topic later.

This is my version of Corned Beef and Cabbage.
You need a crock pot
Beef stock and dark beer
Cabbage
Potatoes,
Carrots
Celery
1 bay leaf
An onion
Beef roast
Whole pepper corns
Worcestershire sauce
Coarse ground sea salt.

One of the nice features of our modern super markets is that you can buy a package of beef brisket with the packet of pepper corns included.

In the bottom of a 5 quart crock pot layer a diced onion, the bay leaf, and celery chopped.
On top of that add the beef and the pepper packet. Add coarse sea salt, and beef broth. Add a dash of Worcestershire.
Cook on low for 6 hours.
Cut the potatoes in large cubes and place on top of the beef. Add the sliced carrots. Chop the cabbage into large chucks place on top season with more coarse sea salt, and let simmer for about another hour.
Just before serving, remove the bay leaf,and discard it. Carefuly take the beef out of the pot, and let it rest before carving.


Serve this with lots of hearty brown bread and butter. Yummy!


later
Mistress Kimberly
http://dreamingtoday.info

Rice Ole

Hi
I think it is time to take one direction and follow it. I admit I have been all over the place lately. It feels rather chaotic. I think the direction this is going to take is cooking.

I know, type cooking into any search engine and you will get thousands of hits. Well, cooking is one of first passions, My Mother, and Grandmother have let me "play" and create in the kitchen since the age of four. I remember in my Grammy's kitchen, I had my own work table and apron. Somewhere in the family albums is a picture of me being my "creative" self. So this is my tribute to her. If she were still live, Gram, it would probably embrace her. She was a very modest woman. And she knew how to make dishes "quick and tasty" on a budget.

So first up:

This was a favorite. All you need is one skillet. i am glad this recipe is still around.

Riceland Rice Ole'
Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked Riceland Extra Long Grain Rice
1 lb. ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp. butter or meat drippings
2-1/4 cups water
1 beef bouillon cube
1/4 cup tomato paste
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 lb. Cheddar cheese, cubed

Preparation:
Brown meat and onions in butter, stirring to break meat apart. Stir in rice, water, bouillon cube and tomato paste; add seasonings. Heat to boiling; stir well and cover. Simmer 25 minutes. Add cheese cubes and toss lightly. Serve immediately. (From our "Riceland Rice Cookbook")

Serves 6

We just added a green salad, and some bread and had a great lunch. Yes, bread, it is southern thing, One always served bread with a meal.

I want to thank Riceland Rice for their recipes and ideas. Gram had a recipe booklet from them. She used it all the time.


Riceland is an Arkansas company. You can not get it where I live, but that would be competition, I live near the rice fields of California.

Anyway check out their website. there is a section for their classic recipes, and a section call "All About Rice".


Well y'all, till next time

Kimberly