March 2008
Monthly Archive
Cooking& Salads20 Mar 2008 12:38 am
COOKING/BAKING FOR A CROWD – CHICKEN SALAD
Combine first seven ingredients. Combine all dressing ingredients; pour over the ham mixture and toss. Refrigerate. Yield: 110 servings
Macaroni salad for 100
5-6 pounds of macaroni cooked and drained
5-6 pounds of fully cooked ham, cubed
3 pounds of shredded cheddar cheese
2 bags of 20 ounces frozen peas, thawed
2 bunches celery chopped (about 12 cups)
2 large onions, chopped- about 2-2 ½ cups)
2 cans pitted ripe olives (5 ¾ ounces) drained and sliced
Dressing
1 bottle of Western style or French salad dressing – 8 ounce
2 quarts of mayonnaise
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 cup light cream
1-1/2 tsp. onion salt
1-1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
ENJOY! Gogi
Cooking& Holiday Recipes19 Mar 2008 06:42 pm
TIME FOR A BREAK AWAY FROM COOKING
Good morning from my kitchen to yours. I grabbed a cup of coffee and decided to sit down and chat for a while. It is a beautiful morning, about 70 degrees, and the sky is a blue as can be. I love this kind of morning because it rejuvenates my energy and my spirit.
I’ve been thinking about Easter and what to plan in the way of cooking and baking. Of course there will be the traditional ham with scalloped potatoes, some kind of green beans, and of course deviled eggs. Our family goes for the simple comfort dishes. I guess that is why I love watching Paula Dene. Instead of being hooked on soap operas every day or evening, I am hooked on Paula Dene and her cook shows. When she prepares something you not only feel the love she has for what she is doing but can almost taste and smell the food she is preparing.
I was looking at a blog this morning on cupcakes. Cupcakes in the past were becoming a dead pan item. The “regular, normal cupcake” of yesteryear just doesn’t have the appeal that it used to. Today there are so many different ways of preparing and decorating cupcakes that they have become an exciting item in the world of recipes. I have been thinking; this might be a different twist to one of the desserts I will attempt to prepare for our Easter celebration. (Of course there will probably be coconut cream pie and banana cream pie to go along with the cupcakes!) Nevertheless, I believe I will give them a try.
Let me know if you have any great ideas on this subject.
Until later and Happy Easter,
Remember the reason for the season,
Gogi
BAKED PRETZEL COOKIES
This is something the kids would probably just love to help you bake.
1 tube of refrigerated cookie dough (16 ½ ounces)
1/3 cup cocoa powder (not sweetened)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Chocolate icing to dip cookie in:
¼ cup water
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Mix to consistency that will stick on cookies when dipped.
White icing dip:
¼ cup water
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Roll heaping teaspoons of dough one at a time into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 9 inch rope. Form into pretzel right on an ungreased cookies sheet. Place cookies two inches apart.
Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet for one minute. Move cookies to wire rack to cool. Out a piece of waxed paper under the wire rack so when you are dipping and putting the cookies back on the rack to firm up, the excess icing will fall on the waxed paper. Decorate with nonpareils, coconut, ground nuts or whatever you choose.
Enjoy,
Gogi
Salads18 Mar 2008 12:23 am
COOKING/BAKING FOR A CROWD – MACARONI SALAD
Combine first seven ingredients. Combine all dressing ingredients; pour over the ham mixture and toss. Refrigerate. Yield: 110 servings
Macaroni salad for 100
5-6 pounds of macaroni cooked and drained
5-6 pounds of fully cooked ham, cubed
3 pounds of shredded cheddar cheese
2 bags of 20 ounces frozen peas, thawed
2 bunches celery chopped (about 12 cups)
2 large onions, chopped- about 2-2 ½ cups)
2 cans pitted ripe olives (5 ¾ ounces) drained and sliced
Dressing
2 quarts of mayonnaise
l bottle 8 0unce French dressing
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup light cream
1 1/2 tsp. onion salt
1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
This is a recipe for a large family gathering, reception, or a church picnic.
Enjoy,
Gogi
ENJOY!
Cooking17 Mar 2008 08:25 pm
CHICKEN-NOODLE- CHEESE CASSEROLE BAKE
400 degree oven.
1 can mushroom soup
¾ cup milk
¼ tsp. pepper
2 cups frozen veggies
3 cups noodles cooked and drained
¾ cup cheddar cheese
2-3 cups cubed chicken (already cooked)
In a 2 ½ – 3 qt. casserole, add soup, milk, black pepper, cheese, veggies, and noodles. Mix well. Put in oven and heat for 25 minutes or until hot. Top with extra cheddar cheese if you have some.
In less than an hour you can have a very tasty meal for the family. A good way to top this meal off is to serve it with hot French bread. Also a fruit salad made up of whatever you have on hand, apples, bananas, fruit cocktail, canned peaches, etc. for dessert would also be great.
You could make both of these dishes the night before and refrigerate until you get home from work, shopping, church, or whatever. Make it easy on yourself!
Enjoy,
Gogi
ROUND STEAK – 3 STEAKS IN ONE
ROUND STEAK is divided into 3 different sections: (A) the top round; (B) the bottom round; and (C) the eye of round, which is part of the bottom round. Because the three parts are so different, markets usually divide them and price them differently. You can save yourself some money by buying whole round and cutting it up. This is simple to do because the round steak has natural seams and if you follow them exactly, the meats will cut apart easily. Each section varies in tenderness and requires different methods of cooking.
The TOP ROUND, consisting of one large muscle above the bone is more tender and can be oven broiled or pan broiled in the U.S.D.A. Prime and Choice grades, or used for braised dishes.
The BOTTOM ROUND, consisting of two smaller muscles below the bone, is not as tender as the top round. The bottom round tastes best when cooked with moist heat in all grades.
The smaller muscle of the bottom round is often separated and sold as EYE OF ROUND. Eye of round is also a less tender cut, but when sliced thin, U.S.D.A. Prime and Choice grades can be pan broiled.
Although the three sections vary in tenderness, they are all high in nutrition.
The TOP ROUND is best when it is about 1 ½ inches thick and marinated overnight in your favorite tenderizer or marinade. Score about 1 inch cuts diagonally on the meat so it can easily absorb the marinade. Turn once or twice.
The BOTTOM ROUND is best when cooked slowly in a liquid such as tomato sauce or some kind of soup. Bottom round is sometimes referred to as Swiss Steak, suggesting that this is the best way to prepare it. It can also be roasted, used in stew or beef burgundy.
EYE OF ROUND steaks are usually cut into thin round pieces and called breakfast steaks, minute steaks, or cube steaks. You need to gently tenderize them with a meat mallet. Cook them quickly so as to not overcook. A simple and good way to cook them is to flour and brown in skillet. It doesn’t take long because they are so thin.
Try looking for a nice whole round steak the next time you see them on sale. See how you can stretch the meat budget.
Baking& Holiday Recipes12 Mar 2008 12:58 am
OLD FASHIONED APPLE CAKE
Here is a recipe that takes basic ingredients and pleases everyone. Grab about 6-8 apples at the market, depending on the size, and go for it!
Cream together:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup shortening
Add:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
L tsp. salt
I tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
Nuts, as desired
Grease a 9 x 13 pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for on hour.
This a great year round cake and is so tasty.
Later,
Gogi
CANDLE CARE AND TABLECLOTHS
CANDLES AND TABLECLOTHS definitely do not come under the heading of cooking; however, when you are preparing a wonderful table of food, candles and tablecloths are present. There is nothing more frustrating than to pull out your fine tablecloth or a special candle and find neither is acceptable. Check your tablecloths ahead of time to make sure they are neatly pressed and your candles look good.
CANDLES require a certain amount of care to insure their longevity. Here are a few tips:
1. Candles fade if exposed to bright light for long periods of time.
2. Fingerprints can be removed by rubbing the candle with a nylon stocking.
3. Keep candles out of draft.
4. Candles burn more smoothly & evenly if refrigerated before using. Wrap candles in plastic or foil to prevent wicks from absorbing moisture.
5. Trim wicks ¼” for longer burning time and smaller flame.
6. Put votives in l/8 inch of water before burning. After votive is extinguished, press lightly on wax to pop remainder out of holder.
7. Burn pillar candles long enough to create a pool of wax across most of the diameter of the candle. The candle will last longer and burn more evenly.
8. Extinguish candles when they burn within 2” of holders or decorations.
9. To remove spilled wax, let it harden, then place a paper towel or brown paper bag on the spot. Gently press with a warm iron. Wax will melt and be absorbed into the paper.
Most of these instructions come with the candles but we don’t even read them. We just light the candle and deal with the results. Hopefully this will help your special candles last longer and stay looking beautiful!!
Gogi
Tips and Shortcuts10 Mar 2008 07:07 pm
COFFEE/TEA BREAK
TIME FOR A COFFEE (OR TEA BREAK)!
Dear friends,
I have been so excited about finding the internet and being able to share my 50 years of experience in cooking. I have had many failures and many successes. I have obtained hundreds of recipes from friends, family, magazines, cookbooks, you name it. I know I will never use them all but they give me such pleasure in thinking I might some day. Any of you know that feeling?
The experiences I have had with friends in preparing food for certain events have been wonderful. Getting together with those who love to cook and having conversation is not only fun but unforgettable. We share recipes and many stories.
Every year I have a Christmas cookie party at my house. I make the cookie press dough and the guests bring their Pampered Chef cookie presses and we make about 50 dozen of those beautiful cookies. Some don’t know how to use their presses very well, so our Pampered Chef lady, Denise Heckman, holds a class on that and reviews every year! It has become a tradition and so every year in November I have the party at my house. The ladies take the cookies home and freeze until Christmas. Not only do the ladies come to press and bake but the kids do also. Participants range from 8-80 years old. We have a great time!
Most of my experiences in cooking have been centered on family, friends and church. That is where you find your great resources. I realize that grandchildren come under the heading of family, but yet they are a special category all their own. We need to share our recipes and cook with them. They may be too busy now but one day they will be sharing and preparing food just like we do.
Until our next coffee/tea break,
Gogi
HOW DOES YOUR COOKIE CRUMBLE? Part 6 of 6
PART 6
Congratulations!!! You have just read 5 of the series of 6 tips on how to become the COOKIE QUEEN. Once you have put them in your memory bank, they will just automatically pop up when you pull the recipe/s out to make cookies.
LEAVENING. The last part of this series, #6, like all the rest is of major importance. In most cookie recipes, baking powder or baking soda provide puffiness. Without this leavening, the cookies would be hard and dry instead or light and flaky. Adding leavening is another way of incorporating air in the dough.
Baking powder and baking soda contain an alkaline and an acid that react when they get wet. The reaction forms carbon dioxide gas, which expands in the hot oven and fills the cookie with tiny air pockets. The pockets remain after the cookies are baked, creating light, tender cookies.
Double-acting baking powder is the most common leavening. It contains cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda and salt. It starts to react as soon as it comes in contact with moisture, though the majority of the leavening occurs in heat. This double action ensures that baking powder is effective even if the cookies aren’t baked immediately. BAKING POWDER DOUGHS CAN BE REFRIGERATED OR FROZEN.
Some recipes call for a small amount of baking soda in addition to baking powder. In most cases, baking powder is used in recipes that contain an additional acid such as buttermilk, sour cream, yogurt or molasses. However, baking soda starts to produce gas as soon as it is wet, so BAKING SODA COOKIES SHOULD BE BAKED IMMEDIATELY AFTER MIXIING.
Remember to follow directions EXACTLY!! Do not add a little bit more of this or that because you think it will enhance the cookie. It just doesn’t work. The only place I have added a little bit more of this or that is in the nuts and other goodie parts of the recipe. I like whatever I am adding to the dough to be very visible and exciting.
Please continue to watch my blog. I will continue to have some tried and true everyday recipes for you to master as well as enjoy. There is nothing more satisfying than to be able to prepare food for family and friends and watch them enjoy it.
Gogi
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