Red, White and Berry Parfaits

Nilla Wafers
Philadelphia Cheesecake Filling
Cool Whip
strawberries and blueberries

Whip some of the Cool Whip into the cheesecake filling (add a little
vanilla extract?). Crumble the Nilla wafers. Layer in small glass
bowls or short glasses: wafers, berries, cheesecake, wafers, berries,
cheesecake. Top with Cool Whip and serve with a spoon.

Dried-Cherry and Rosemary Tenderloin/Venison

Holy schneikies this was good. It's a Gourmet recipe that Mom fixed for dinner tonight with beef tenderloin that was so red and tender it fell apart... Dad and I both thought it one of the best meals we've ever had. Holy cow this was good, and she says it's even better with the venison. Yark!

1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (Mom chopped it very fine)
1 tsp coriander seeds (Mom used ground coriander)
1 large garlic clove (Mom tripled this and pressed it)
1 1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 (1-lb) venison tenderloin
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup dried tart cherries (Montmorency; Mom chopped 'em up)
3/4 cup fat-free beef broth (Mom used Swanson's)
1/2 cup water (Mom skipped this)
1 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp black-currant jelly (Mom says do not skip this or change proportions)

Preparation

Grind 1 teaspoon rosemary with coriander seeds and garlic with a mortar and pestle to make a paste, then stir in 1/2 teaspoon oil.

Pat venison dry and put in a bowl, then rub with paste. Season well with pepper, then cover and chill 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over high heat until hot, then add remaining teaspoon oil, tilting skillet to coat evenly. Season venison well with salt, then brown, turning once, about 6 minutes total (a little longer for beef tenderloin because it's larger; Mom did 4 min, 4 min, 4 min for the three sides of her roughly triangular tenderloin; if it's too rare when you slice it, then put the slices back in the skillet briefly).

Transfer skillet to middle of oven and roast venison until an instant-read thermometer inserted diagonally into center registers 125°F, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate and cover tightly with foil.

Add wine and cherries to skillet and deglaze by boiling over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Stir together broth, water, cornstarch and remaining 1/2 teaspoon rosemary in a bowl and add to skillet. Simmer, stirring, until mixture is thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in jelly and salt and pepper to taste.

Cut venison into 1/4-inch-thick slices and serve with sauce.

Pound Cake

This is the "Old-Fashioned" Pound Cake recipe from James Villa's "My Mother's Southern Kitchen" (though I truncated the directions, which is wrong of me to do.)

1 pound butter (4 sticks)
1 pound sugar (2 cups)
9 large eggs
1 pound flour (4 cups, but weigh it if possible)
Dash of salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
Juice of 1 lemon

Cream the butter and gradually add the sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well. Gradually add flour and salt, beating constantly, then the vanilla and lemon juice, beating till well blended.
Butter and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan; pour in batter; "spank" around the bottom of the pan.
Bake at 325 for 1 hr 15 min or until a straw comes out clean. Don't overcook.

Cranberry and Grains Salad

Here's another try at duplicating Central Market's addictive Four-Grain Salad (see also Wheatberry Salad recipe below). Drawn from this Wild Rice Salad and these instructions for preparing wheatberries.

• 1 cup wheat berries
• 3 cups salted water
  
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 cup wild rice
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 1/2 cups water with a pat of butter
  
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup slivered almonds
  
• Salt and pepper

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 Tbsp dark sesame oil

1 In a saucepan, cook wheatberries in 3 cups of salted water for 45 min. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook. Remove from heat. Cool completely.

2 In a saucepan, cook the rices in chicken broth for 40 min. Cool completely.

3 Simmer basmati 25 min. in 1 1/2 cups of water with a little butter.

4 Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil.

5 In a large bowl, gently mix together the cooled cooked rice, wheat berries, dried cranberries, almonds and dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

Chill completely before serving.

Meyer lemon semifreddo

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 3/4 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
7 large egg yolks
1/2 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice or regular lemon juice
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons finely grated Meyer lemon peel or
regular lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups mixed fresh berries (such as raspberries, blackberries,
blueberries, and quartered hulled strawberries)
Preparation

Line 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving generous
overhang. Sprinkle almonds evenly over bottom of pan. Using electric
mixer, beat whipping cream in large bowl until soft peaks form.
Refrigerate whipped cream while making custard.

Whisk 1 1/4 cups sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon peel, and salt
in large metal bowl to blend. Set bowl over large saucepan of
simmering water and whisk constantly until yolk mixture is thick and
fluffy and instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers
170°F, about 4 minutes. Remove bowl from over simmering water. Using
electric mixer, beat mixture until cool, thick, and doubled in
volume, about 6 minutes. Fold in chilled whipped cream. Transfer
mixture to prepared loaf pan and smooth top. Tap loaf pan lightly on
work surface to remove air pockets. Fold plastic wrap overhang over
top to cover. Freeze semifreddo until firm, at least 8 hours or
overnight. DO AHEAD: Semifreddo can be made 3 days ahead. Keep
frozen. Gently mix all berries and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in
large bowl. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Unfold plastic wrap from top of semifreddo and invert dessert onto
platter; remove plastic wrap. Dip heavy large knife into hot water;
cut semifreddo crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices. Transfer to
plates; spoon berries alongside and serve.

Garlic Cheese Tomatoes

2-4 medium ripe tomatoes
1 clove garlic
Crumbled feta or herb cheese
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Grease shallow baking dish that can take
broiler heat.
Halve and core the tomatoes; discard seeds and pulp. Set in dish, cut
side up (small slice off bottom can help them sit flat).
Mince the garlic and sprinkle on tomatoes. Drizzle oil; add salt and
pepper to taste.
Bake 20-30 min as tomatoes start to shrink and soften.
Take out dish; move top rack 4-5" from broiler; turn oven to "Broil."
Sprinkle cheese on tomatoes and broil 3-5 minutes till cheese starts
to brown.
Let rest 10 min. and serve.

Savory beef kabob marinade

1/2 cup dry red wine
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp soy
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp Worcestershire
1 Tbsp chopped rosemary
1 Tbsp thyme leaves

Technically I think this is Emeril's Essence. Marinate meat in
plastic bag 6-24 hrs, skewer and grill till medium rare, about 6 min.

Salmons! A la Mom and otherwise

Since Costco sells nice salmon fillets individually frozen, these are all essentially pantry recipes. (Love that!) All these recipes are for 2 portions.

Just move the salmon to the fridge the day before, to let it thaw, and bake about 18 minutes at 375. Most of these benefit from marinating before and/or glazing during.

Soy-Garlic Salmon (a la Mom) -- This came out MARVELOUS.
2 Tbsp Dijon
3 Tbsp soy
6 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic

Lemon Herb Salmon -- Haven't tried, but Allrecipes users rave about it
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp basil
1 Tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Original says to seal fillets in tinfoil and bake 35-45 min at 375.

Honey-Dijon Pecan Salmon
2 Tbsp melted butter
4.5 tsp Dijon
2 tsp honey
1 Tbsp bread crumbs
1 Tbsp fine-chopped pecans
Mix all the wet and marinate; sprinkle with the dry ingredients and bake.

Maple Salmon
2 Tbsp maple syrup
3 tsp soy
1.2 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Balsamic Salmon
1.5 cloves garlic, minced
tsp white wine
1 tsp honey
5.5 tsp balsamic vinegar
1.5 tsp Dijon
salt and pepper to taste
Soften garlic in sauce pan; add rest and simmer 3 min.; brush on fish and bake.

Experimental Black Bean Salsa

Here's an attempt.... don't know if it will work or not!

30 oz. corn
15 oz. black beans
15 oz. RoTel Fiesta
juice of 2 limes
4 cloves minced garlic
1 diced green bell pepper
5 green onions, minced
cilantro and a little olive oil, optional
Experiment with balsamic vinegar, chili oil?

Wheat Berry Salad

Central Market version had wild rice, brown rice, basmati rice, slivered almonds and craisins, plus vinegar (balsamic?) and lemon instead of the honey and dijon. And no greens.

Red Wheat Berry Salad
* 1 cup hard red winter wheat berries, soaked overnight
* 1/2 cup raw wild rice
* 2/3 cup toasted chopped pecans
* 1 cup dried cranberries
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions
* 3 tbs fresh lemon or lime juice
* 1 tbs honey
* 1 tbs dijon mustard
* 1 tsp kosher salt
* 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1. Soak the wheat berries overnight in cold water, covering them 3 inches. Drain the water in the morning.
2. Boil the wheat berries in 6 cups of water for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until tender. Add more water as necessary to keep wheat berries covered during cooking. Drain excess water from the wheat berries when done.
3. In another small pot, boil 2 cups of water. Add the wild rice and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the rice begins to split. I prefer to undercook the wild rice slightly so that it retains some structure. Drain excess water.
4. Combine the cooked wheat berries and wild rice in a large bowl.
5. Whisk the lime juice, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper to make the dressing. Add the dressing to the wheat berries and wild rice, mix thoroughly.
6. Now add the cranberries, pecans, parsley, and green onions and combine well.

Garlic burgers

We find that with a toasted bun (spread, in my case, with a scraped-thin layer of Miracle Whip) these taste pretty gourmet. This recipe is Chris' Bay Area Burgers from allrecipes. (He gives grilling instructions, also)

1 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced (we double this)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil

Also if we don't have the basil we skip it and they're still pretty tasty.

Cooking basmati rice

(Note: Brown Texmati retains some of the nutritional value.)

Do not wash U.S.-produced rice, as the coating is where the fortified
nutrients are. Wash imported rice 2 or 3 times to get starch off.
Optional: Soak in icy water for half an hour. (Drain and refill
before cooking)

Heavy pot, a little butter/oil/ghee and 1-to-1.3 rice-to-water ratio
for firm rice, 1-to-1.5 for tender

Simmer white basmati 11 minutes. Simmer brown basmati 25 minutes.

Don't stir while cooking -- and let it sit 10 minutes after.

Filipino Ginger Chicken

2 6-packs of boneless chicken thighs (3 lb)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar (red wine, apple vinegar, etc)
1 cup water
1 BULB garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons thinly sliced or grated fresh ginger root
2 bay leaves
1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns
basmati rice

Marinate chicken 1-2 hrs or overnight.

Optional: Brown chicken pieces.

Bring all ingredients to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover
pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Baste chicken occasionally.

Make rice. One option: Butter a casserole dish, put in a cup of
basmati, 2 1/2 cups of the pot liquid, 1/2 cup of water; cover and
bake at 425 for a half hour.

After 30 minutes, remove pot lid and cook until liquid has reduced to
half. Pull chicken out onto a serving plate.

Strain the liquid from the pot to remove all the food particles, and
set aside. Serve chicken hot over rice and drizzle with reserved sauce.

Updated quick Thanksgiving

Cranberry sauce was way too sweet.

Uncle Ben's original recipe wild & long-grain rice tastes wonderful -- one packet's barely enough for 4 Sue-sized servings so I'd make 2 to accompany a whole roasted turkey breast.

About that roasted turkey breast:

Modified the method somewhat, to wit --  

If frozen, breast can thaw in fridge for a day or two.

Preheat oven to 450.  

Brown the breast in a pan with salt and pepper, then toss it and its cooking oil into a covered baking dish.  

Roast 20 min, turn and baste with oil-salt mixture; 20 min and repeat; 20 min and take it out to rest for another 20 min.  

Meat thermometer should reach 180.

(Actually I covered it 10 minutes in, and roasted 40 min at 400 and 30 at 450, but schma.) 

To try: Fiesta shrimp

Possible Costco recipe: buy frozen peeled shrimp there?  Also, I'm told pine nuts freeze well up to a year.  If that's true, and a can of RoTel Fiesta could sub for the salsa, this becomes a pantry recipe.

Olive oil spray

3/4 lb. shelled shrimp

1 cup tomato salsa

3 Tbsp. pine nuts

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook shrimp and salsa in an olive-oiled pan 2 to 3 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink. Sprinkle with pine nuts, salt and pepper. Makes 2 servings (313 cal each).

Sugar math!

There are about 10 tsp of sugar in 12 oz. of soda. That's 0.83 tsp
per oz.

My plastic drink bottles are 20 oz. If I filled them with soda I'd
be getting 16 2/3 tsp of sugar, or 5.5 Tbsp, or just over 1/3 cup of
sugar.

My iced-tea pitcher is probably 64 oz. So I'd have to shovel 53 tsp
of sugar, or 17.7 Tbsp, or a cup and 1.7 Tbsp.

So, as a rough rule of thumb, if I make a full pitcher of tea and put
less than a cup of sugar in it, I'm doing better than soda! Or a
half-pitcher and a half-cup, etc.

Baked Sweet Potato with Cinnamon Butter

2-4 sweet potatoes

Scrub the potatoes well; prick them with a fork. Bake on rack 55 min
at 400 degrees. The skins may loosen off; if storing in Tupperware
to eat later it may be good to go ahead and peel them at this point.

1/2 stick butter, softened
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp sugar

Blend together; form into log using plastic wrap; refrigerate. Serve
potatoes with a coin or two of butter (or mix curry powder and olive
oil).

Pepparkakor

* 8 ounces butter
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
* 1 egg
* 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 2 teaspoons ground ginger
* 2 teaspoons ground cloves
* 1/4 cup orange juice
* 2 teaspoons orange zest

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Stir in egg, corn
syrup, orange juice, and orange zest. Sift together the flour, baking
soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; stir into the creamed mixture
until combined.
3. Roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness, and cut into shapes with
cookie cutters. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool
cookies on wire racks.

The new frontier in laziness

Fresh fruit, vegetables, oatmeal and snacks. I've been putting lots of effort into cooking three entrees (divided into 10 meals), with sides, per week. But I also want to increase my "raw" food intake -- and that shouldn't require cooking. Plus I want to start eating breakfast, and in fact grazing more often; a food diary revealed that I will eat something every three hours, even if all that's available to me is walking to the Coke machine for another soft drink (did I mention I'm trying to cut way back on soft drinks?) Also, I recently learned steel-cut oats can be prepared in the microwave -- I don't know why, but I assumed the healthier oatmeal would not also be quick.

In this new world order, I'd like to see what I can get done with two ten-minute entrees, possibly a side dish that requires prep, and various healthy "raw" sides. I'll require four each of two veggie sides and two fruit sides each week (bananas and minisalads being popular enough to stay on constantly); four of one breakfast item plus four oatmeals. Does this add up to 24? Yes it does!

Let's see if I can put together two week-plans, to alternate:

WEEK ONE
Lemon-herb chicken with carrots; beef ravioli (3 servings each)
Veggie sides: 4 salads and 4 carrots-with-yogurt cheese
Fruit sides: 4 bananas, 2 raspberry/cream cups, 1 apple/cheese (= 2 srv)
Breakfasts: 4 yogurt cups with blueberries, 2 oatmeals + 2 snack oatmeals

WEEK TWO
Berry potstickers; orange stirfry beef
Veggie sides: 4 minisalads and 4 carrots-with-yogurt cheese
Fruit sides: 4 bananas, 2 peach cups, 1 apple/cheese (= 2 srv)
Breakfasts: 4 yogurt cups with blueberries, 2 oatmeals + 2 snack oatmeals

WEEK THREE
Brown sugar chicken; red beans/rice with chicken
Veggie sides: 4 minisalads and 4 srv green beans with almonds
Fruit sides: 4 bananas, 2 peach cups, 1 apple/cheese (= 2 srv)
Breakfasts: 4 yogurt cups with blueberries, 2 oatmeals + 2 snack oatmeals

Tasty Pecan Breading

The tasty coating I am currently chowing down on contains:

Crushed pecans
Breadcrumbs
Sugar
Black pepper
Kosher salt
Onion powder
Garlic powder or garlic salt

(Keep it refrigerated)