Creamy Clam Bisque January 1, 2010

I know obviously not a good pic this time…I was in a hurry well to EAT! This was sooo good. Hubby and me both commented on the fact that this would make a great base for clam chowder.

Gooseberry Patch  Recipes for Comfort

Pg. 132

 

10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup  10 3/4 oz. cream of celery soup

1 1/3 cup half and half  2 6.5 oz. minced clams in a can, undrained

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper   1/4 cup dry vermouth 

Garnish: butter, paprika, and green onions tops

1. In a large sauce pan, stir together soups and half and half. Cook over med.-low heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture simmers.
2. Add clams and cayenne pepper; heat through, but DO NOT BOIL.
3. Stir in vermouth; heat through.
4. Garnish each serving with a pat of butter, a dash of paprika and onion tops.

Now what I did was cut back on the vermouth and used 2 tsp. of it. I don’t like over powering flavors. I drained one can of  the calms. I added the paprika into the soup with garlic powder…my family really love garlic! I also used crushed red pepper flakes since I didn’t have cayenne pepper.

New Years Bash! January 1, 2010

Ahhh Lot’s of food from the New year bash at my house. This picture is Chicken strips and marinara sauce. I got this from GooseBerry Patch. I also have some yummy puff pastry finger foods that I made too. I hope you all had a fun and safe New Years too.

Chicken Strips

2 lb. chicken strips or tenders, boneless, skinless

1/2 cup flour  seasonings (I did garlic and Mrs. dash)

oil

1. Place flour in a med. size bowl. Season flour with choice spices. Mix to well combined.
2. Dredge chicken till fully coated.
3. Pour oil in a deep skillet. Heat till oil reaches 350 or you can hear it sizzle.
4. Drop chicken in batches, deep fry till golden brown.
5. Repeat with remaining chicken.
6. Drain on paper towels.

No new years would be the same without shrimp. I must say the best thing to do is get the Fish Monger to pre steam these for you and just freeze till you need them. Thaw them out a day in advance of the celebration.

This was my first time playing with puff pastry. I must this recipe came off the top of my heat and was soo worth it. I will also say that I hate puff pastry dough because it’s such a pain in the butt to use, but so worth it in the end!

Puff Pastry sandwiches

1 pkg. of puff pastry, thawed  

1 pkg. thinly sliced deli meat (I used corned beef)

1 pkg. cheese that corresponds with said deli meat (I used munster)

1. Lay one sheet of puff pastry out completely unfolded.
2. Layer meat, cheese, meat, cheese on both sides of the dough.
3. Lay completely unfolded second sheet of puff pastry on top of the meat cheese layers.
4. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
5. Using a pizza cutter cut into bite size squares.
6. Seal all the edges up on all the squares.
7. Spray the baking sheet with non stick cooking spray. Place squares about 2 in. apart (because the cheese will melt out a bit). Bake for no more than 10 min.
8. Serve warm.

Stuffed Tomatoes December 31, 2009

 Here is another yummy dish that I am serving up for New Years Eve. It’s stuffed tomatoes. The stuffing mix tastes like BLT’s with out the lettuce and bread. Oh so yummy and  so simple to make!

2 pints cherry tomatoes  3/4 cup mayo  1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp. garlic powder  16 oz. bacon, chopped

1. Cut the tops off the tomatoes. Using a melon baller carefully scoop out the seeds and pulp. Place upside down to drain.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Stir till well blended.
3. Stuff tomatoes with bacon mixture. Chill 2 hours to let the flavors blend.
4. You can makes these up to 24 hours in advance.

Cheese Ball December 31, 2009

Well I am getting into gear for New Years eve around here. So I made this oh so yummy cheese ball. I practically had to force my self not open the crackers and dig into it myself. I love the flavors and how simple it was to make.

1 pkg. 8 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened 

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded  1 tsp. chili powder  1/4 tsp. cumin

1/4 onion powder 

1/4 tsp. garlic powder (I use more because we like garlic)

1 handful of pecans, chopped in a food processor

1. Mix cream cheese, mozzarella, and spices in a bowl.
2. Shape into a ball.
3. Roll till completely covered in pecans.
4. Wrap in saran wrap and keep in fridge till you serve the day of the event with crackers.

MOVING December 27, 2009

Well folks it’s been grand here at WordPress but I must take my blog and move on to better pastures. I will continue to update my cooking blog till my WEBpage is done being designed, tweaked and the recipes are transferred from here to there.

The website offers so much more for all of you and me. I feel creative limitedness. I wanted to explode and have fun with you the reader and with my posts. The new home has a the following to offer you all and me!

• Forums…yes forums
• Chat room….thats right I said it a full fledge chatroom!
• Videos, I can upload videos…once I get a digital camcorder.
• Photos…You can now post photos of the dishes you cooked from the recipes I posted, How cool is that?

I am so excited about the new change. So please bear with me, since this is going to take a couple weeks to get everything all said and done. I will keep everyone posted when this blog will no longer be here and the new is up and running!  If you want a sneak peek check it out here!

http://mastertheartofcookingathome.spruz.com

New kitchen toys December 26, 2009

I’m the kind of woman who is happy with a new kitchen gadget that I would use…and I mean would use. I have no use for some of them kitchen gadgets out there like per say them things that help poach an egg. I for one don’t poach eggs and hubby has an allergic thing with them too. I rather have an omlet but that’s a whole another conversation.

Well for christmas my husband bought me a new attachment for my kitchen aid mixer. Ok he bought me two attachments for my mixer. The first one is a 2 quart ice cream mixer. I am looking at trying to make Green Tea Ice Cream. Go me.

 

This was the other nifty attachment that he got me. I’m all for cooking and everything. He forgot that I already the meat grinder attachment, but that’s ok…you can never have enough parts! From everything I read about fresh pasta is best pasta and NO not that refrigerated stuff in the grocery store.

DH also got this wonderful handheld blender for me.  I can’t wait to see what this bad boy can do in the kitchen for me. I loved my last hand-held blender, that was till it died on me. It was an el cheapo model from walmart. It held up for a good 2 years before it died.

So my lovely fans and fellow bloggers what kitchen gadgets did you all get?

Woods Creek Bean Soup December 23, 2009

Another very cold and busy night here in the heart of Fort Belvoir, Va. Now the weather people are calling for more snow. Yeahhh…heheh I love watching my son trying to eat snow flakes and the dog romping through the snow. I love snow days. This is a good feel hearty meal and warms you up just right. Bon Appetite!

Gooseberry Patch Cook Book: Fall, Family & Friends

Page: 110

1 cup baby carrots halved   1 cup onion, chopped  2 cloves, minced

7 oz. pkg. turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-in. pieces

4 cup fat-free chicken broth  1/2 tsp. italian seasoning  1/2 tsp. pepper

15.8 oz. can great northern beans, drained and rinsed

6 oz. pkg. baby spinach

1. Place first 4 ingredients in a large sauce pot coated with non-stick cooking spray. Saute over med-high heat for about 4 min. stirring occasionally. Lower heat; cook an additional 5 min.
2. Add next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 min.
3. Place 2 cup of soup in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Return puree mixture to pan; simmer an additional 5 min.
4. Remove soup from heat; add spinach, stirring carefully until spinach wilts.

Serves 5

Penne and Sausage December 22, 2009

I must say that a lot of these Gooseberry Patch recipes are bone sticking meals, which is perfect when the weather is cold and frightful outside. So enjoy this meal with a nice salad on the side and some cheesy garlic bread too. Bon Appetite!

Gooseberry Patch Cookbook: Fall, Family & Friends

Page: 183

Serves: 6

19.76 oz. pk. mild or hot italian sausage links 

16 oz. pk. penne pasta, uncooked  

15 oz. can italian stewed tomatoes w/ juice, chopped

1 pt. half and half  1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 tsp. rosemary, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1. Remove sausage from castings; brown in a skillet. Drain and set aside.
2. Cook pasta according to directions; drain and return to pan.
3. Toss together sausage, cooked pasta and remaining ingredients; cook until heated through.

Southwestern Casserole December 21, 2009

Ahhh nice warm meal that sits well with the body and soul. Another cold night here Fort Belvoir, Va. Been busy with the decorating of the tree and wrapping of the presents. Bon Appetite!

Makes: 6 servings

Gooseberry Patch Cookbook, Fall Family & Friends

Page: 178

2 lb. ground beef   1 onion, chopped  2 8 oz. can enchilada sauce

2 15 oz. cans chili beans with sauce  13 1/2 oz. pkg. tortilla chips, divided

8 oz. pkg. shredded cheddar cheese

1. Brown beef and onion together in skillet over med. heat; drain.
2. Stir in enchilada sauce and beans. Coarsely break up tortilla chips, reserving 1/2 cup. Arrange remaining chips in a lightly greased 13×9-in. baking dish; spread meat mixture on top.
3. Sprinkle reserved tortilla chips and cheddar cheese.
4. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 30 min. Remove from oven; garnish with sour cream.
5. Serve immediately.

Snow Cream December 20, 2009

This dish brings back great childhood memories. My mom use to make this for me and my brother. I haven’t had this since I was about 5 or 6 years old. Remember to use the freshest snow and not snow that animals have frolicking in or doing other stuff in. Bon Appetite!

Large mixing bowl of fresh snow
1-2 c. Milk (any type is fine, but whole milk is best)
1-2 tsp. Vanilla Extract or other flavoring   1/2 – 1 c. Sugar

1. Take your large bowl of snow and stir the snow around a bit to fluff it up. 
2. Now quickly stir in just enough milk to make the right consistency of ice cream. Start with about 1/2 cup and keep going until you have enough to make the snow creamy. If you add too much milk and it becomes runny, just add some more snow.
3. Then stir in a little vanilla and sugar, and Viola, you’ve got yourself some homemade snow ice cream! 
4. You can also add some other flavoring such as chocolate or strawberry syrup if desired, but I recommend having it plain at least the first time, it just tastes more snowy that way.  The snow ice cream can be put in the freezer and saved for later, but it’s best served immediately.