thegoodfood

Archive for February 2nd, 2010

Side dishes are an important part of the meal even though the main course gets most of the attention.  Here are some old-fashion recipes for some great vegetable casseroles to use as side dishes.  Try these soon: Crumb Topped Baked Eggplant, Spinach Casserole, or Donna’s Scalloped Carrots.

CRUMB TOPPED BAKED EGGPLANT
This recipe is from an old church cookbook I found in my mother-in-law’s things.

1 medium eggplant
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup cracker crumbs
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Cut and cook eggplant in salted water until tender. Drain eggplant and combine with the soup, onion, and milk. Put into a buttered baking dish and sprinkle the cracker crumbs and grated cheese over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 6.

SPINACH CASSEROLE
This recipe was found in an old Midwestern cookbook.

3 boxes frozen chopped spinach
1 cup sour cream
1 pkg onion soup mix
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook and drain the spinach. Mix sour cream and onion soup mix. Toss with the spinach until well coated. Empty into a lightly greased casserole dish. Melt the butter and add the bread crumbs and cheese. Add to top of casserole. Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes or microwave 8 to 10 minutes on high.

DONNA’S SCALLOPED CARROTS
This is another old recipe from the midwest.

1 sm onion (grated)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt (I recommend using less!)
1/4 tsp mustard
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp celery salt
2 cups milk
12 carrots, sliced and cooked
1/2 lb sharp process cheese, grated
3 cups buttered crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet saute the onion in the butter until onions are tender; add flour, seasonings, and milk. Cook until mixture is thick. In a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish (I recommend a light spraying with nonstick cooking spray), arrange a layer of carrots and a layer of cheese. Repeat layers until all the carrots and cheese are used, ending with cheese. Pour the hot sauce over all. Top with the buttered crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

*You can substitute 1/4 pound of American cheese for half the sharp cheese, if desired.

Enjoy!

Grandma Linda is a collector of vintage recipes. She enjoys sharing these recipes with others on her blog at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com
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Greenwood Farm was a unique and beautiful orchard in Northfield, Massachusetts and featured five acres of heirloom and antique variety apples. It also had a Cider House which produced an exceptional sweet cider together with apple sauce, apple butter, cider syrup and pure cider jelly.

Many people have never seen or tasted cider jelly but it is one of the most delicious products in the whole world of gourmet food. It is also one of the most difficult products to make. Unlike apple jelly which is made by adding sugar and pectin to apple juice and has a somewhat insipid taste, cider jelly is a pure and natural product made from fresh sweet cider with nothing added. It is both sweet and tart with a delicate yet pungent taste. If you like the taste of a good sweet cider, then multiply in your mind that taste eight times and you will get a sense of what cider jelly tastes like. It is wonderful on fresh bread or toast or as a condiment to many dishes.

Cider Jelly is made by the rapid evaporation of fresh sweet cider and is very difficult to make commercially because of the precise requirements of the pectin in the juice. But I will tell you how to make excellent Cider Jelly in your own kitchen, a true jelly that is clear and soft enough to hold firm and quiver gently on a spoon, like the very best of jellies.

First of all, get a gallon the freshest sweet cider that you can. Supermarket cider may work depending on how long it’s been on the shelf. The secret is in the pectin and the pectin in apple cider begins to break down as soon as it is made. That break down occurs faster if the juice is not kept cold. That is also why the juice has to be boiled down as quickly as possible. Once in the kitchen you will use the two large burners on your stove. You will need two large pots with a ½ gallon put into each pot. Using only one pot will take too long, the pectin will break down and you will get something akin to axel grease rather than good jelly.  With the burners on high begin to boil the cider. This process should take 45 minutes and give you two 8oz jars of cider jelly. As the boils begin all of the natural albuminous matter that makes sweet cider cloudy will come to the surface and should be skimmed off on a somewhat continuous basis with a slotted spoon. This is not essential to the taste of the finished jelly but will make it clearer and more visually appealing.

With about ten minutes to go one of the pots will begin to show nearing the end point as the boiling cider show larger and thicker bubbles. At this point combine the juice in one pot and you will be close to the end. Have ready nearby two jelly size jars and a tight mess strainer, as for loose tea. I use a two cup Pyrex pitcher and strain into it through the strainer. It is a good idea to have the jars warm to prevent cracking from the hot jelly (about 221 F). Getting back to the stove, watch very carefully for the end point of the boil. From the outside towards the middle the bubbles will begin to get larger. When about 1/3  of the bubbles get to be about ½ inch or larger you have reached the end point. Quickly pour into the Pyrex and you are done. How much you have in the Pyrex will give you a good sense of how your jelly will be. Much more than two cups and your jelly will be too thin or not jelly at all. Much less than two cups and your jelly will be too firm.

Good luck! I would love to hear about your efforts and results. And I would love to hear what you think of Cider Jelly.

Neal Smith lives in Montague, Massachusetts and is the web manager for an on-line gourmet food marketplace for  some of the finest foods found in New England including fresh lobster and seafood, bisque and chowders, Vermont cheddar and maple syrup, gourmet coffee, raw honey, fresh salsa and barbecue sauces, and homemade oatcakes.
http://www.gourmetnewengland.com
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Yes, you can go home again.  Well, sort of anyway.  With these recipes you just may be able to recreate some of the delicious breads you remember from Grandma’s and Mom’s.  Remember Johnny Cakes?  Now you can make your own with this simple old-fashion recipe.  Do You prefer those delicious big ole buttermilk biscuits?  You can do that, too, using this recipe for Wilma’s Favorite Buttermilk Biscuits.  Or perhaps you prefer hot rolls.  Bet you’ve never tried this recipe for Jiffy Cake Mix Hot Rolls!

JOHNNY CAKES

1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp soda
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten

Mix all ingredients together using only enough strokes to mix well. Drop by spoonfuls on hot griddle. Fry until brown on each side.

WILMA’S FAVORITE BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
This is another old Southern Indiana recipe.

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup lard (or shortening)
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp baking soda

Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together into a large bowl. Work the lard into the flour mixture using your fingers. Mix the baking soda into the buttermilk and add to the flour mixture; blend lightly. Knead and roll out to 1/2-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Using a biscuit cutter or the lip of a glass cut the dough. Bake on a greased baking pan (or even better, a cast iron skillet).

NOTE: Do not over knead the dough. The less you knead, the better the biscuits.

JIFFY CAKE MIX HOT ROLLS

1 box Jiffy brand white cake mix
1 pkg dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
3 cups flour

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Set in a warm place and let rise until double in size. Punch down and shape into rolls. Dip into vegetable oil and let rise again. Put into greased muffin cups or arrange in a pan. Bake at 375 degrees until browned.

Enjoy!

Grandma Linda is a collector of vintage recipes. She enjoys sharing these old-time recipes with otherson her blog at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com
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“Melkkos” is one of my favourite dishes ever. I do honestly not know what it is called in English, but if I had to translate it, it would be something like milk food. It is a dish with its main ingredient being milk, to which you add some flour and butter.

It is a great traditional dish that can be enjoyed all year round. Try it in the winter, it warms you up from the inside! Nothing tastes nicer than a bowl of “melkkos”, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar on the top.

What can be nicer, I ask you all! If you have never tried it, I would say it is time.

Ingredients:

1 cup of flour
1 1/2 tablespoons of hard butter
A pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups of milk

Method:

1. Rub the butter in with the flour, using your fingers. Add the salt and mix some more.
2. Bring the milk to the boil on the stove and add the butter and flour mixture a little bit at a time.
3. Turn the heat right down and let it boil for about 5 minutes. Make sure you stir the mixture often.
4. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the top and enjoy it warm!

You will not be disappointed with this recipe. Try and enjoy. Believe me, you will.

For more great receipes to enjoy with your family and friends visit: Violetpan.com – All Recipes In One Place

For more great receipes to enjoy with your family and friends visit: All Recipes In One Place
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Pumpkin is one of South Africa’s favourite vegetables.  Most restaurants serve pumpkin and spinach as vegetable side dishes with main meals and all mothers buy it for their families.  There are many ways in which you can serve the great varieties of pumpkin available like butternut squash, herbert squash, “boer” pumpkin or red pumpkin, to mention just a few.  

Not all types of pumpkin are in season and therefor available all through the year, so you have to use the one that is in season at a certain time.  The most common and quickest way to prepare pumpkin is to boil it in a little bit of water, season lightly with salt and add some cinnamon.  Otherwise you can mix the pumpkin with flour, salt and egg and bake “pampoenkoekies” in a little bit of oil, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve warm.

Another favourite recipe from times gone by, a truly traditional South African recipe, is “pampoenmoes”.  You can either bake this in the oven or boil it in a little bit of water in a saucepan.  This is a recipe worth trying:  

Ingredients:

8 slices of white bread
Butter
Apricot jam
2 cups of pumpkin (1 butternut squash should do.  Slice very thinly)
Salt
Sugar
Cinnamon

Method:

1. Butter the bread on both sides and spread apricot jam on the side facing up.  Place one layer in an oven proof glass dish, jam facing up.  
2. Cut the pumpkin thinly, season lightly with salt and place on top of the bread.  
3. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the pumpkin.
4. Repeat this until all the pumpkin and bread is used up, finishing with a layer of pumpkin.  Dot a few extra clots of butter on the top.       
5. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour in a pre-heated oven of 180°C

Serve the pumpkin hot with vegetables and maybe a lovely chicken dish, maybe a pie?  This is a great dish to try and impress your friends with.  It is very easy to make, so try it and see what happens!

For more great recipes to enjoy with your family and friends visit: Violetpan.com – All Recipes In One Place

For more great recipes to enjoy with your family and friends visit: Violetpan.com – All Recipes In One Place
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We all love spicy chicken; except if you are allergic or you just can’t love spicy food. Being a chicken lover myself, I have collected 3 hot n’ spicy recipes for you to try out in your chicken today or anytime you would like to treat yourself for a deelicious meal; they make good family specials as well! Although they have similar names, they are very different. Perhaps their origins differ.

Hot N’ Spicy Chicken Recipe #1. Spicy Chicken Wings

- 1 lg. can Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp. oregano
- 4 tbsp. parsley
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1 stick margarine
- 4-5 lbs. chicken wings

Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Melt margarine in small pan.  Cut up chicken wings.  Discard tips.  Mix all dry ingredients in bowl.  Dunk chicken wings in margarine and roll in cheese mixture.  Place on cookie sheet.  Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 1 hour.  Serve warm.  

#2. Hot Chicken Wings

Chicken wings

1/2 stick margarine
1 bottle Durkee hot sauce
2 tbsp. honey
10 shakes Tabasco
2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Deep fry wings for 20 minutes.  Drain and dip and let set in sauce.  Take out to dry and then serve.  

#3. Hot-N-Spicy Chicken Wings

5 lbs. bag chicken wings (drumettes)
12 fl. oz. Louisiana Pre Crystal Hot Sauce
1-2 sticks butter

Fry chicken wings until golden brown and drain on paper towel.  Mix hot sauce and melted butter and pour into deep pan or crock pot.  Add chicken wings to sauce and heat thoroughly.

For more great recipes to enjoy with your family and friends always visit: Violetpan.com – All Recipe In One Place

For more great recipes to enjoy with your family and friends always visit: Violetpan.com – All Recipe In One Place
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Coconut Beer Batter Fried Shrimp with Pineapple Salsa

2 eggs
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup beer
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
coconut oil
3 cups grated coconut

Seasoning mix:

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2-1/4 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1-1/4 teaspoons gar…

If you love coconut shrimp, here are three different, but very good coconut shrimp recipes to try.

Coconut Beer Batter Fried Shrimp with Pineapple Salsa

2 eggs
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup beer
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
coconut oil
3 cups grated coconut

Seasoning mix:

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2-1/4 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1-1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Thoroughly combine the ingredients for the seasoning mix in a small bowl and set aside.

Mix 1-1/4 cups of the flour, 2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix, baking powder, eggs, and beer together in a bowl, breaking up all lumps until it is smooth.

Combine the remaining flour with 1-1/2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix and set aside. Place the coconut in a separate bowl.

Sprinkle both sides of the shrimps with the remaining seasoning mix. Then hold each shrimp by the tail, dredge in the flour mixture, shake off excess, dip in batter and allow excess to drip off. Coat each shrimp with the coconut and place on a baking sheet.

Heat deep fryer to 350°F. Drop each shrimp into the hot oil and cook until golden brown, approximately 1/2 to 1 minute on each side. Do not crowd the fryer. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Lay shrimp on large lettuce leaves and serve with Pineapple Salsa dip. Garnish with lemon, orange, or lime wedges.

Pineapple Salsa

1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
1/3 cup chopped red onion, 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup pineapple preserves (or apricot-pineapple preserves)
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded fresh jalapeno chili
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine ingredients and gently toss.

Coconut Shrimp Kabobs with Island Coconut Salsa

1 lb. shell-on shrimp, uncooked
1/3 cup coconut milk, canned and sweetened
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon red chili peppers, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
12 to 18 fresh pineapple chunks

Island Coconut Salsa

1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup chopped green onion
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 to 2 teaspoons minced garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup olive oil or macadamia nut oil

Peel and devein shrimp retaining tails; set aside. Combine coconut milk, lime juice, garlic, red peppers, cumin, coriander and pepper; pour over shrimp. Marinate no more than 1 hour. Thread shrimp and pineapple chunks on skewers. Broil or grill, 3 minutes per side, or until shrimp are done. Arrange coconut shrimp on large lettuce leaves. Serve with Island Coconut Salsa on the side.

Caribbean Shrimp Run Down

1 lb shell-on shrimp, uncooked
3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
3 cups coconut milk
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
Finely chopped hot pepper to taste
1 lb. tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 t. fresh chopped thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peel and devein shrimp retaining tails. Pour the lime juice over the shrimp and set aside. Cook the coconut milk in a heavy frying pan until it is oily. Add the onion, garlic and cook until the onion is tender. Add the hot pepper, tomatoes, salt and pepper, thyme and vinegar. Stir and cook very gently for 10 minutes.

Drain the shrimp, add the other ingredients and cook until the shrimp is tender, about 10 minutes. Serve hot over rice. Preparation time: 30 minutes.

For more great recipe to enjoy with your family and friends always visit: Violetpan.com – All Recipes In One Place

For more great recipe to enjoy with your family and friends always visit: Violetpan.com – All Recipes In One Place
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For many people, making healthy recipes seems too difficult and time consuming…

But with some advance planning and some basic knowledge of nutrition, it is easy to create a week’s worth of healthy meals that you and your family will love. The key to creating delicious and healthy meals for the family is planning …and lot’s of it!

Planning ahead of time an entire week of healthy recipe meals is the best way to create dishes you can be proud of, while keeping cost and time commitment to a minimum.  So below are amazing tips you can use to make healthy meals all the time.

Healthy Recipe Tip #1:

Using convenient appliances such as slow cookers and microwaves can be a huge time saver when planning and preparing meals.  There are many delicious and healthy recipes that can be started in the morning and left to cook all day in a crock pot or slow cooker.  These are great choices for working families.

In addition, making the meals ahead of time on the weekend and heating them in the microwave is a great way to stretch both your food and your time.  There are many microwavable healthy meals you can make at home, and single serving microwave safe containers allow every member of the family to eat on their own schedule.

When planning the meals for the week, it is a good idea to create a chart listing each day’s menu and each days’ schedule. Here’s a smart tip…plan the quickest and easiest to prepare meals for the busiest days of the week.

Healthy Recipe Tip #2:

Get your family involved in creating the week’s meal plan by asking for their input and noting everyone’s favorite foods. It is still very important to eat healthy meals, so that (of course) does not mean eating pizza every night or having ice cream for dinner.  But involving your spouse and children in healthy recipe planning, you’ll help to increase their interest in healthy eating right away.

It is also a good idea to get your entire family involved in the preparation of the meals.  Even children too young to cook can help out by setting out the dishes, chopping vegetables, clearing the table and washing the dishes.

Healthy Recipe Tip #3:

Cooking large quantities of healthy food recipes – and freezing the leftovers – is a easy way to save time.  Cooking large amounts of stews, soups, pasta, chili and casseroles can be a huge time saver.  Making double and even triple batches of these staple foods, and freezing the leftovers for later use, is a great way to save both time and money.

When freezing leftovers, however, it is important to label the containers carefully, using freezer tape and a permanent marker.  Try to keep the oldest foods near the top to avoid having to throw away expired items.

Stocking up on meats when they are on sale is another great way to use that valuable freezer space.  Stocking up on such easily frozen foods as chicken, turkey, ground beef, steaks, roasts and chops is a great way to make your food dollar stretch as far as possible while still allowing you and your family to enjoy delicious healthy meals every day.

Healthy Recipe Tip #4:

Keeping a well stocked pantry is as important as keeping a well stocked freezer.  Stocking the pantry with a good supply of staple items like canned vegetables, canned fruits, soup stocks and the like will make healthy recipe preparation much faster and easier.

Stocking the pantry can save you money as well as time.  Grocery stores are always running sales, and these sales are a great time to stock up.  Buying several cases of canned vegetables when they are on sale, for instance can save lots of money and provide the basic ingredients for many nutritious, easy to prepare meals.

Examples of great staples to stock up on include whole grain cereals, pastas, tomato sauce, baked beans, canned salmon, tuna and whole grain breads.  It is easy to combine these staples into many great meals on a moment’s notice.
healthy recipe

I hope you found these healthy recipe tips easy as pie!

For more healthy recipes to enjoy with your family and friends always visit: All Recipes – Violetpan.com

For more healthy recipes to enjoy with your family and friends always visit: All Recipes – Violetpan.com
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When many people think of beignets, they think of those wonderful, soft, pillow-like pastries sprinkled with confectionery sugar, served at Cafe Du Monde in the Old French Quarter.

As New Orleans gets back on its feet following Hurricane Katrina, I’d highly recommend a visit to the Crescent City to taste the real thing.

In the meantime, here’s a different twist on a New Orleans favorite that you can try at home. It’ll have your family and friends saying, “Laissez les bons temps rouler.”

Ingredients:

4 cups LouAna Peanut Oil, for that nutty taste with no cholesterol

3 cups flour

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon seasoned salt

1 tablespoon garlic

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce

1 lb. lump crabmeat

2 cups fresh corn, cooked

1/4 cup parsley, minced

1/4 cup green onions, sliced

Directions:

1. Heat peanut oil in frying pot until oil reaches 350°.

2. In a large bowl, blend together flour, milk, baking powder, seasoned salt, garlic, thyme, and hot sauce and stir until batter is formed.

3. Stir in remaining ingredients until all are incorporated. Be careful not to break up lumps of crabmeat during the process.

4. Drop batter by the spoonful into hot grease, being careful not to splash yourself.

5. Cook beignets for 2 to 3 minutes after they float to the top of pot, flipping occasionally.

6. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Yield: Approximately 2 dozen beignets.

For more recipes to enjoy with your family and friends always visit: All Recipes – Violetpan.com

For more recipes to enjoy with your family and friends always visit: All Recipes – Violetpan.com
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