Author: Robert Andrews

Tips: Clogged Drains

Salt is one of the most commonly found minerals on earth. And while most people associate it with cooking, it actually has tons of uses all around the house. One of the more helpful alternatives uses for salt is to help fix clogged drains.

Here’s what you need to do. First, clear as much of the blockage as you can by hand. Then take 1/2 a cup of salt and 1/2 a cup of baking soda and pour it into the drain. Then take vinegar and pour it down the hole. It will bubble up fast, then by the time the bubbles stop, the clog should be gone.

Salt can also be used for things like putting out a dangerous grease fire. You can also use it as an abrasive to help clean a very dirty pot or pan. There are literally ended uses for salt around the house, that’s why it pays to always keep extra in your pantry.

Tuna Tarragon

This is close to what Sweet Tomatoes used to serve.

DRESSING

  • 1 C Miracle Whip
  • 1/2 C Sour Cream
  • 1 TBL Lemon Juice
  • 1 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar
  • 1 TBL Dried Tarragon
  • 1 TBL Dijon Mustard
  • 2 tsp sugar

STEP BY STEP

  • 20-24 oz tuna in water (drained)
  • 1 C frozen peas (don’t used canned)
  • 6-8 C cooked shell pasta
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  1. Mix together dressing
  2. Fold in Tuna and Peas
  3. Fold in Pasta
  4. Chill two hours before serving (better overnight)
  5. The pasta will absorb the flavors

 

Candied Orange Peel – VIDEO

      1. Cut three oranges into twelve segments each
      2. Use a knife to cut away most of the pith.  Leave some.
      3. Boil for 10 minutes
      4. Discard water
      5. Soak in cold water overnight
      6. Strain and discard water
      7. Transfer to large pot with 1 C sugar and 1 tsp vanilla
      8. Simmer over low heat until mixture thickens
      9. Let it dry on a rack, then coat with more sugar
        • Put into a bag or tupper and shake to coat
      10. Return to rack and let dry overnight before storing in a bag and the fridge.  Keeps for about a month.

 

How to Boil Water – Cooking Class

This class is designed for residents that have never had to do much cooking in their lives before Beatitudes.  If you have been cooking for a family most of your life, this class is NOT for you.  Since there are actual meal and ingredient costs, there is a $40 fee that will cover all ingredients for the entire course.  All meals prepared can be sent home with the student.

Class One – Boiling Water

We will cover many of the standards that are needed to cook, such as measurements, temperature, knife skills, and other basic concepts.

Class Two – Eggs

We will hard boil eggs, poach an egg, fryy an egg, and scramble an egg.  We’ll also create deviled eggs, egg salad sandwich, a basic omelet, mcMffin and a burrito.   Material cost for this class only = $5

Class Three – Chicken

We will start with a pre-cooked chicken and discuss how it got here, as we talk about broth.  After that, we will shred the chicken down to the bone and talk about stock.  We will use the shredded meat to create a burrito, chicken salad and a simple Chicken Enchilada Casserole.     Material cost for this class only = $10

Class Four – Breakfasts

We’ll cover the popular things normally served for breakfast:  French Toast, Pancakes, Crepes, Bacon, Sausage, Cream of Wheat, Toast and Bagels, Drop Biscuits, Banana Bread and Oatmeal.     Material cost for this class only = $10

Class Five – Pasta

We’ll make spaghetti and macaroni, and marinara sauce from scratch.  Since we have the macaroni, we’ll put together a mac and cheese recipe.  We’ll talk about cooking lasagna noodles for lasagna.     Material cost for this class only = $5

Class Six – Americana

Hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, PBJ, sloppy Joes, and pizza.     Material cost for this class only = $10

Lox and Bagels

Homemade Lox

  • Sushi grade salmon
  • Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, corriander seeds
    • Toast briefly and grind together – set aside
  • Chop cilantro – set aside
  • Combine
    • 1 C kosher salt
    • 1 C brown sugar
    • Add 1/4 C tequila
  • Cover sheet tray with plastic sheet
  • Put salmon on the large sheet of plastic – skin side down
  • Brush salmon with chipotle puree
  • Sprinkle with dried spices
  • Put citrus zest on top
  • Put salt slurry on top
  • Wrap in plastic
  • Top with another pan and put a weight on top
  • Refrigerate 48-60 hours
  • Wipe seasoning off salmon
  • Slice as thinly as possible against the grain

Pickled Red Onions

  • Slice red onion in half, then slice thinly
  • Pickling Liquid
    • 1 C Red wine vinegar, lime juice or citric acid
    • 2 TBL sugar, whole mustard seeds, corriander
    • Black pepper corns and kosher salt
    • Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and let rest ( on burner 15 minutes )
  • Pour over onion and let rest 30 minutes
  • Transfer to mason jar and refrigerate
    • Pour liquid to cover onions

Goat Cheese Spread

    • Goat Cheese
    • Green Onion
    • Fresh dill
    • Salt and pepper
    • Splash of milk
    • Mix in food processor

Jalapeno Cream Cheese

    • Cream cheese
    • Fresh cilantro
    • Roasted jalapeno
    • Splash of milk
    • Mix with a fork

 

Chorizo Egg Sandwich

  • Dice and sautee sweet onion
  • Smash and dice garlic
  • Add cumin, dried oregano, cayenne, smoked paprika
    • Cook and mix together with just a splash of cider vinegar
  • Put into blender and puree briefly
  •  Add to ground pork and mix together with salt and pepper
  • IF VERY LEAN add some chopped bacon
    • Let meld in the fridge overnight
  • Make flat patties – make on the lager side
  • Put into hot pan with canola oil
  • Cook all the way through, flattening if you need to
    • You want it to blacken just a bit, but not dry out
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Halve a Ciabatta roll and
  • Queso fresco, Monterey Jack
  • Add avocado
  • Top with a fried egg
  • Put into a hot skillet and flatten it with a cast iron pan
  • After browned, put a skewer through, and halve the sandwich

SALSA

  • DICE ALL FAIRLY FINE
    • Tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno pepper (fine, and without seeds)
    • Squeeze in lime juice, EVOO, salt and pepper

 

 

 

Grandma’s Paella

I’m not a fan of shellfish, lobsters, crabs, etc.

Here is a Chicken Paella

CHICKEN PAELLA

  • Cut chicken thigh into pieces
  • Sautee in thin layer of hot oil – skin down
  • – only to brown skin. Meat will be uncooked
    • MEANWHILE
  • Dice large sweet white onion
  • Layer into hot paella pan (paellera) scant oil
  • Add diced peeled red pepper
  • Add to pan and continue to heat
  • Mash and mince garlic – add to pan
  • Add peeled tomato – diced
  • Add 1-2 C Arborio rice
  • Continue to cook and sautee just a bit more
  • Add some saffron – or “Colorante”
  • Add 2x as much chicken stock as you had rice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Add chicken – skin up
    • DO NOT STIR
  • Sprinkle with peas
  • Cook in oven for 20 minutes @ 400º
  • All chicken stock should have evaporate or been absorbed
  • Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve hot

Tomato Basil Soup

  • Heat 1/3 C EVOO
  • Sautee minced shallots
  • Six cloves garlic – smashed
    • Continue to cook
  • Salt, pepper, and a bit of crushed red pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
    • Continue to cook
  • 6 C whole peeled tomatoes
  • 3 TBL tomato paste
  • Fresh bail – lots
  • Two Parmesan rinds
    • Continue to cook
  • Reduce to thick about 30 minutes
  • Remove bay
  • Add vegetable stock and 1 TBL sugar
    • Continue to cook
  • Use stick blender to blend right in the pot
  • Add lemon zest, black pepper
  • Taste and adjust
  • Serve with a grilled cheese sandwich on the side

Sandwich

  • Blend spinach and pesto
  • Drizzle EVOO to combine
  • Spread on your bread
  • One sheet of mozzarella
  • One sheet of Provolone
  • Top your sandwich
  • Cut into triangles, squares or round
  • Dip in eggs, and then bread crumbs
  • Fry in about ½ inch hot peanut oil till golden

Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich

This is a nice sandwich if you are looking for a bit of heat and a crispy mouth feel.  Here is my recipe, adapted from a recipe shown on YourLife A – Z.

    • Prepare wet marinade:  1/2 C buttermilk, 1 egg yolk, 2 TBL Frank’s Red Hot Cayenne, 2 tsp Grandpa’s Thunder Powder.  For less heat, use a bit of cumin and a bit of garlic powder.
    • Pound 2 chicken thighs between two sheets of plastic, lightly sprayed with Pam.  Make evenly flat, but not too thin.
    • Put into plastic bag, and let rest in refrigerator overnight.
       – – NEXT DAY
    • Next day (for lunch or dinner) remove liquid from plastic bag, and put into a large bowl for later use.
    • Pat dry  (DON’T WIPE)  and dredge in dry ingredients:
      • 2 TBL brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 TBL Thunder Powder,  1/4 C AP flour, 1 tsp corn starch
    • Set on wire rack and let rest an hour
       – – AN HOUR LATER
    • Dredge again in the dredge flour and place in hot oil – Canola or Peanut
    • Fry about 10-12 minutes each piece at 320 – 330º
    • Drain on a wire rack.
    • Put thighs in an oven at 350º for about 30 minutes
    • Serve on a brioche bun with desired sandwich toppings
    • Suggested:  Mayonnaise, dill pickles, lettuce
  1.  

2016-02-05 11.11.05Serve with Dill Pickles and Parker House Rolls

 

 

 

Mini Breakfast Fritattas

    1. Lightly grease muffin tin
    2. Break 4 eggs into a bowl
    3. Add 1-2 TBL whole milk or cream
    4. Add scant salt
    5. OPT: ham, sausage, black olives, chopped bell, diced onion, chopped cilantro, corn, spinach – Max 3 – up to 1/4 C each
    6. Add 2 TBL shredded cheese
    7. Distribute into muffin tins – only half way
    8. Bake 350º for 20-25 minutes
    9. Plate with bread or English muffin

 

 

No-Bake Cheesecake

You know, when you get a bagel, you sometimes have a left-over cream cheese.  This is a way you can put them to really good use.

Here is a baked cheesecake recipe using mostly the same ingredients.  It’s easy, but has to set overnight in the fridge, so allow extra time for that.

NOTE:  We are going to use a graham cracker crust for this cheesecake.  Here is a video of the same process making a larger cheesecake.  SallysBakingAddiction.com

Graham Cracker Crust

(larger recipe is shown in {{ brackets }}

  • 4 Graham Crackers   {{ 2.5 C graham crackers }}
  • 1 TBL butter (melted)  {{ 1/2 C butter }}
  • 3 TBL Brown Sugar (packed)  {{ 1 C }}
  1. Pulse grahams and brown sugar in a food processor
  2. Drizzle in melted butter while running
  3. Pack (bottom and sides) into lightly greased baking ramekin or miniature bread pan    {{ springform pan}}
  4. Put into freezer for at least an hour, or even overnight.
  5. Alternately, buy small frozen graham crackers crusts.

Ingredients for pie

  • 6 oz (6 mini tubs) full fat Cream Cheese.  DO NOT use Cream Cheese Spread – room temperature  
    {{ 1 block Philadelphia Cream Cheese }}
  • 2 TBL butter – softened  {{ 1 stick }}
  • 1/2 C powdered sugar  {{ 2 C }}
  • 1 tsp each sour cream, lemon juice
  • Splash vanilla
  • 1 tsp brown sugar   {{ 1/4 C }}
  • 1/4 C crushed pineapple  {{ 20 oz can }} drained
    COOL WHIP MIXTURE
  • 1/4 C Cool Whip  {{ 10 oz }} or start from heavy cream
  • Some of your crushed pineapple from above
  1. Beat COLD heavy cream into heavy peaks.  Do not skimp on this step.   •   Add confectioner sugar as you near completion
  2. In a separate bowl, combine softened cream cheese  (DO NOT use Cream Cheese Spread) with sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla and brown sugar
  3. Gently fold cream and sugar mixture in a large bowl.
  4. Combine and pour into pie crusts
  5. Use an offset spatula or back of a teaspoon to smooth the cake
  6. App pineapple if desired
  7. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours, but overnight is better.
  8. This WILL NOT freeze well. 

    OPTIONAL:  Before serving decorate with whipped cream, lemon curd, strawberry sauce, raspberry sauce, blueberry sauce, fresh berries or salted caramel.

 

Cheesecake

  • 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
  • three 8-ounce blocks (680g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons (15g) confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream, at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

McMicrowave Egg Sandwiches

This is intended to be served on Thomas English muffins, but you can adapt to whatever you want to use.

    1. Find a micro-wave safe ramekin slightly bigger than your muffin
      • If you are serving on bread, find a square ramekin or baking dish
    2. Beat one, and only one, egg – Place in lightly greased ramekin
      • This does not work for two eggs
    3. Cover ramekin with an inverted dinner plate
    4. Microwave for 60 seconds
    5. While it cooks, prepare your muffin.
    6. You are ready to eat

Variations:

    • You can mix in cooked and crumpled bacon or sausage.  Add 10 seconds
    • You can mix in chopped black olives.  Add 15 seconds
    • You can mix in shredded cheese.  Add 15 seconds
    • You can top with sliced cheese after cooking

Beatitudes LLL Class Recipes

 

Your Life A-Z Agenda

 

Nacho Bar

  • Proteins:  Beef, chicken, pork, chorizo,
  • Cheeses:  Cotijo, Jack, Cheddar, Oaxaca, Swiss, Gruyere, Parmesan
  • Vegetables:  Guacamole, pico de gallo, jalapeno, olives, beans, salsa, onion, etc
  • Put chips on a sheet pan
  • Top with cheese and proteins
  • Bake 4-8 minutes
  •  

Lasagna Soup

  1. Sautee mushrooms in garlic, butter and EVOO
  2. In soup pan add mirpoix vegetables
  3. Add protein – veal, pork, chicken or all of them!
  4. Add tomato sauce and simmer 1/2 hour
  5. Add chicken stock
  6. Add mushrooms into stock pot
  7. Cook an additional 15 minuts
  8. Add cheese, pasta, sour cream, etc

 

Spinach Crepe

From Your Life Arizona
Intended for Grandpa’s use only

It’s never too late to learn something!

  • 1/2 C Spinach
  • 1/4 C Ricotta Cheese
  • 1/4 C Rotisserie Chicken = sjredded
  • 1/4 C Parmesan
  • 1/4 C Mozzarella
  • Nutmeg
  • 2 Eggs

Wrap in a crepe and then bake at 350º for about 8 minutes

Kind of a Bechemel on top

  • 1/4 C Heavy Cream
  • 1/2 C Milk
  • 1 TBL Corn starch
  • Nutmeg
    • Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened

Top with grated Parmesan and a bit of pesto

 

 

 

Pumpkin Puree from Scratch

  • PREPARE PUMPKIN
    1. Slice pumpkin in half and remove seeds
    2. Further cut into segments and put into oven at 375º for 20 minutes – cut side down – skin side up.
    3. Rub canola onto the skin and bake 1 hour
    4. Let cool, then remove purée

Here is a Pumpkin Custard recipe

  • 5 0z Pumpkin Pureé – PUREE – not Pumpkin Pie Mix
  • 2 tsp Grandpa’s CinnaSugar®
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 2 TBL milk
  • 1 TBL corn starch
  • 2 TBL corn syrup
  • 1/4 C sugar
  • 1/4 C flour – or until a thick pourable custard
  • Put crust into a baking dish, then fill with custard.
  • Bake @ 350º till browning starts – approx 40 minutes
  • Turn off oven, but leave pie in to cook with residual heat
  • To avoid cracks, cook to internal temp of 170º
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