• 2/3 C Karo syrup
• 1/2 C heavy whipping cream
• 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
• Assorted fresh fruit and pound cake

1. Heat corn syrup to about 190º
2. Pour in cream
3. Add chocolate and stir until melted
4. Serve warm as a dip for fruit, pound cake or ice cream

• 1 can drained tuna (6 oz)
• 1/3 C Miracle Whip
• 4 English Muffins (I like Thomas)
• 4 slices cheese (sharp cheddar or Swiss)
• Spices as desired

1. Mix tuna and other dressing items
2. Divide into four amounts and place on English muffin
3. Top with cheese
4. Broil 4-6 inches from broiler only until cheese is melted and starts to color

 

• 4 large carrots – peeled and chopped into 1″ pieces
• 1 medium potato – peeled and chopped
• 1/4 onion – chopped
• 1 clove garlic – chopped
• ginger, cumin and corriander
• (opt)  1 squirt of Sriracha
• a few sprigs of cilantro

1. Boil the onions and potatoes in just enough water to cover them
   Alternately, toss in 1 TBL melted butter and roast them at 400º for 10 minutes
2. Sautee the onion.  When softened, add the garlic
3. Stir 30 seconds, then add the ginger, cumin and corriander.
4. Blend in an upright blender
5. Finish with 1 TBL each lemon and butter and a few sprigs of cilantro
6. Blend 10 more seconds
7. Serve with just a bit of black pepper on top

 

TIPS:

• Buy bacon from the full-service deli counter, not the plastic-wrapped stuff.  Ideally, have them slice it for you.
• Brown is better than red.  Red has probably been treated with nitrates.
• If buying plastic-wrapped get center cut and thick-cut.  They position the label to cut the fatty icky looking part of the bacon
• The bottom rack is usually the cheap stuff that is full of chemicals.  The top shelf is more expensive, and not necessarily a lot better.  Stick to the middle shelf.  Generally, just stick with the middle-priced product.
• Should be only slightly smokey, not overwhelming
• Artisanal products are generally better than National Conglomerates
• Lots of different flavors are available, so get what you like

This is a way to cook a pound of bacon on the weekend so that you have it available throughout the week quickly and easily.

1. Preheat your oven to 400º
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
3. Spread a pound of bacon out on the baking sheet
4. Cook the bacon for 15 minutes
5. Remove the bacon and place on a paper towel to cool drain

After cooled, you can roll it up in waxed paper and store in a ziplock back in the freezer for use throughout the week.  Just heat up the bacon slice for 20 seconds in the microwave or 1-2 minutes in your skillet.

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken breasts
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 C milk
• 1/2 bag of cooked spinach
• 1 tomato
• 1 clove of garlic
• Mozzarella cheese cut into slices
• Dredge:  Flour plus GTP, Panko crumbs, egg and milk
  Dip in flour bowl, then egg, then Panko

1. Dredge your chicken
2. Fry your chicken for 3 minutes per side
3. Remove from heat and let cool
4. Combine (and pulse) spinach, garlic and tomatoes and a bit of the cheese
5. Carefully slice a pocket in the chicken being careful to not go all the way through
6. Stuff with the spinach mixture
7. Top with Mozzarella
8. Bake at 350º for about 20 minutes
9. Let rest 5 minutes before serving

with Brown Sugar Frosting

FROM “Cooking with Scraps” by Lindsay Jean-Hard

1. • PREPARE THE CAKE
     • Peels from 2 very ripe ORGANIC bananas (NO PESTICIDES) stem and very bottom discarded (about 100 grams), well washed
     • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for buttering the pans
     • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
     • 2 large eggs, separated
     • 1/2 cup buttermilk
     • 1 2/3 cups cake flour (210 grams), plus more flour (any type) for flouring the pans
     • 1 teaspoon baking soda
     • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
     • 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
   • PREPARE THE FROSTING
     • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
     • 1 cup packed (220 grams) light or dark brown sugar
     • 1/4 cup milk, 2% or higher
     • 1 3/4 to 2 cups powdered sugar (220 to 250 grams), sifted
   • START BUILDING

It is a pain to deal with moringa in my brewed coffee every morning, so here is a way to prepare approximately 8 bottles of concentrate.

• Add 1 Gallon cold tap water and cover pot – place on largest burner
• Turn burner on medium high (setting # 4 on my stovetop) for 15 minutes. After that, check it every couple of minutes.
  
• When it starts to show the merest signs of a simmer, add 1 C ground coffee and 1/4 C moringa leaves into the large pot, stir and turn heat down to lowest setting.  Try to avoid a full boil.  If necessary, put the pot half off and half on the burner element.
  
• Simmer for two hours on low – covered – stirring every 15 minutes or so.
• Note for Grandpa: Use canning funnel and metal screen coffee filter to pour into my coffee pitcher with the pink flowers, which contains enough for 6 cups of coffee :: enough to fill two of Cynthia’s ICE bottles.  Flavor and season accordingly. Then pour into large canning jar to cool. After cooled, transfer to ICE bottles for storage.
• OTHERS: Pour through a screen coffee filter into large canning jar, to let the coffee cool a bit, and the suspended grounds settle.
• When coffee is warm (not hot) to the touch, and grounds have settled, pour into emptied 16-18 ounce plastic water bottles.  Avoid the final 1/4 C which will contain a heavy concentration of bitter grounds.
  
• One bottle is enough concentrate for three regular cups of coffee. Add the amount of sweetener and cream into the bottle that you would normally put into three cups of coffee, so you don’t have to do it each morning.
  
• Refrigerate for up to two weeks.
• To use, fill a cup 2/3 of the way up, and fill the rest of the way with water.
• Microwave 2 minutes.

1. Use chicken, vegetable or beef broth
2. Add vegetable, bones and other pieces that you may have saved
3. Bring up to a boil, then reduce heat
4. Simmer 30 minutes
5. Strain out solids, and you have a much more flavorful broth.

 

• Buy an eggplant that is medium to small in size
• Stem should not be brown or black
• Put into fridge for no more than 5 days

1. Quarter cleaned mushrooms – about the same volume as your eggplant
2. Toss mushrooms with EVOO and salt and place on baking sheet
3. Dice your eggplant into 1/2 inch pieces
4. Toss eggplant with EVOO and place on baking sheet
5. Cook 450º for 10 minutes, then stir, then cook 10 more minutes
6. Pulse separately in a food processor
7. The mushrooms will pulse just a bit longer than the eggplant
8. Mix mushrooms and eggplant in a large bowl
9. Add 1 egg, 1 tsp ginger, 1-2 cloves garlic, panko bread crumbs, mint, cilantro, ground cashews, salt and pepper
10. Form balls using a medium-sized ice-cream scoop
11. Put onto baking sheet and bake at 400º for 20 minutes.
12. Serve with rice noodles, pickled onion, cucumbers, cilantro
13. Top with Hoisin sauce or Teriyaki sauce

Crispy Wontons (pork fried wontons)

Wonton mixture:

• 3/4 lb pork (ground)
• 8 can water chestnuts (finely chopped)
• 1/4 cup green onion (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp starch (potato or corn)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ginger root (grated)
• 1 package wonton skins (16 ounces)
• Cooking oil for deep frying

1. Combine pork, water chestnuts, green onions, soy sauce, starch, salt and ginger in a mixing bowl, mix well. Place 1/2 teaspoonful of pork mixture in center of each wonton skin. Fold wonton skin over filling to form a triangle.

2. Heat oil in wok or large saucepan over medium-high heat to 375 degrees F. Deep fry wontons, a few at a time, 2 to 3 minutes, or until brown and crispy. Drain on a plate lined with paper towel. Serve warm with Japanese hot mustard and soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce, as desired.

Sweet and sour sauce:

• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp ginger (grated)
   
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 cup juice (pineapple or orange)
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp brown sugar (heaping)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (light color)
• 1 tbsp starch (2 tbsp water mixed together)

1. Heat a medium saucepan over high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the ginger and garlic. Stir-fry just until fragrant, and then add the juice, vinegar, brown sugar and soy sauce. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the cornstarch and water mixture and bring to a boil until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Set aside for dipping.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 racks baby back ribs
• 4 cups Brown Sugar Rub
• 2 cups water
• 1 smoking wood (pecan, cherry, hickory)

DIRECTIONS

1. Score back of ribs in 1” diamonds
2. Season generously with Brown Sugar Rub
3. In 6” deep metal pan place 2 cups of water in a metal pot and smoking wood
4. Place perforated pan in hotel pan with ribs
5. Cover with 2 x plastic and 2 x foil
6. Cook on 275 for 4 ½ hours
7. Remove from oven and open plastic to allow to cool
8. Brush generously with Cowboy BBW Sauce
9. Either finish ribs on the grill or broil in the oven on a sheet pan

Brown Sugar Rub

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cups brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup kosher salt
• ¼ cup black pepper
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp celery salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix all ingredients in mixing bowl

2. Label and store at room temperature

Cowboy BBQ

INGREDIENTS

• 1 quart Heinz Chili Sauce
• 2 cups Heinz Ketchup
• 1 cup yellow mustard
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup molasses
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp liquid smoke
• ½ tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• ¼ cup dehydrated onion, minced in spice grinder

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil

2. turn heat down and simmer BBQ for 20 minutes, stirring constantly

Homemade Onion Rings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large yellow onion
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ¼ cup corn starch
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp pecorino romano
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup buttermilk

DIRECTIONS

1. Lightly beat eggs and buttermilk in bowl; set aside
2. Combine flour and cornstarch in bowl. In another bowl combine panko, pecorino, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper
3. Slice Onion into ¾ inch rings
4. Dredge the onion rings in flour mixture, followed by the egg wash and finally in panko mixture
5. Place on parchment-lined sheet pan
6. fry in 350 degree oil for 3 minutes until golden brown

Fresh Strawberry Pie Filling

• 1 ½ lbs fresh strawberries, cleaned and hulled
• ½ cup strawberry jam, heated and strained
• ½ TBSP vanilla extract
• ½ TBSP Gran Marnier, Cognac or Kirsch Cherry Liquor – optional
• 1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Strawberries must be clean and dried on paper towels.

1. Hull strawberries by removing stems and cut into quarters.
2. In medium sized mixing bowl, combine jam with vanilla extract and liquor if using.
3. Add strawberries and gently stir with a spatula to combine.
4. Melt white chocolate gently in microwave. White chocolate burns easily.
5. Brush a prebaked 9” pie shell with melted white chocolate to create a seal.
6. Make sure to allow white chocolate to harden in precooked shell.

Pie Dough

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 8 oz butter, chilled and cut into ½” pieces
• about ½ cup cold water
• 1 tsp salt
• pinch of sugar

1. In food processor, pulse butter into flour to form pea size flour balls.
2. Place in standing mixture. Add salt, sugar and water on low speed just to combine. Put dough on cutting board to make sure all flour is combined.
3. Allow to rest at least 2 hours before rolling.
4. Roll out 8 ounces of pie dough to line a 9 “ pie pan.
5. Dock by using a fork and then line the pie pan with rolled dough.
    
6. Crimp edges and chill in refrigerator.
7. Line chilled shell with parchment paper or wax paper. Fill with beans, rice or pie weights.
8. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 12-15 minutes. Remove parchment paper or wax paper that has been filled with beans or wieghts. Return pie shell to oven and bake for 5 more minutes.
9. Allow to cool before lining shell with melted white chocolate and then berries.

Chantilly Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp kirsch or liquor

1. In standing mixer or with hand held mixer, on medium speed beat heavy cream to medium peaks.
2. Add extract, liquor and sifted powdered sugar. Continue to beat on medium speed to stiff peaks.

Render three pieces of cut bacon
Add grated garlic
Pour over Panko bread crumbs and mix in
Chop up parsley, thyme, rosemary, cumin and corriander
Add granulated onion
Add grated Parm Reg cheese or sharp white cheddar
Mix all together

Drizzle EVOO over chicken
Coat with Dijon and pepper
Roll into bread crumb mixture
Bake in oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes

Easy, perfect

Serve with honey mustard dipping sauce, lettuce and pita bread

Since you are baking anyway, on separate sheet pan

Toss together
Baby potatoes (halved), green beans, evoo, salt, pepper, paprika
Toss with fresh chopped chives after baking

1/2 Chopped Red Onion
Add to hot skillet with canola
Add cherry tomatoes (halved)
scallions
Ketchup, brown sugar, ginger, lemon zest and lemon juice

Marinate chicken in 1 inch chunks with oyster, soy, ginger, sesame and lots of garlic
Whisk and let set overnight

1 C flour plus 1/4 C corn starch
Drop into deep fryer or air fryer

Add into sauce

Add chili flakes and serve over rice
Top with green onions

1 pound penne
2 pints tomatoes
1/2 lb bacon
leak, garlic, thyme

Chopped bacon – Render and drain
Wash leeks and dry
Add to bacon
Add garlic, white wine
Add cherry or grape tomatoes
Use potato masher to break skins

Drain pasta and top with sauce
Add Peccorino cheese and mix

 

Butter, flour, mustard
Add milk
1 cup Franks red sauce

Mandolin potatoes

Sauce in bottom of casserole
Layer potatoes
Shredded chicken
Pepper jack cheese
Repeat sauce, potatoes, chicken and cheese
END up with cheese

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes