Doing something nice shouldn't be a big deal.

Maybe people have just become jaded in life; maybe the hard financial times are making people hard; maybe it's basic overpopulation and people feel overwhelmed by dealing with so many other people. I don't know, but I do know that people are not as nice, as they should be, to each other. Nice, what a word. It means, "pleasing and agreeable in nature", and is used for almost everything. "It's a nice day", "It's nice to meet you", "That's a nice sweater", "Oh, she is such a nice person", but has it become just a habit to say the word, and not really mean it? In these days and times, kind of feels like it.

So, just maybe, if you say the word, or do the deed associated with it, try and mean it. Heck, don't try, just do it!! This just might be an addiction worth spreading.

I do nice things for folks, and I don't expect some form of payment for it, whether in words or deeds; I'm just being nice. Doesn't hurt.

Here you go, have some brownies:

Hazelnut Brownies

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 ¼ cup salted butter, softened
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
½ cup hazelnut meal**4 Tbsp baking cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter and flour a 9” x 13” baking pan, or spray with nonstick baking spray (contains flour).

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until smooth and fluffy. Adding one at a time, beat in eggs, then vanilla. In another bowl, combine the flour, hazelnut meal, cocoa and baking powder; gradually add to butter mixture.

Spread mixture evenly in baking pan; bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool pan on a wire rack before cutting squares and serving.

Makes 18 brownies.

**How to Make Hazelnut MealPreheat oven to 400F. Place 1 cup of raw hazelnuts on baking sheet; roast for 20 minutes. While hot, place hazelnuts in clean dish towel and skins will rub off easily. Put cleaned hazelnuts in blender or food processor and grind into a meal.

Mary Cokenour

September 12, 1996 (that's when I came up with this recipe)

Men hear in a different language than women speak.

Any woman who has been in, or is in, a relationship, knows that men cannot hear the language that we speak to them. Whether your first language is English, Spanish, French, Arabic, etc; our men will hear something completely different.

Take, for example, this morning at my home. The phone is plugged into the electrical outlet; it's digital, has caller id, and an answering machine within it. To keep all the settings safe, if the electric goes out, there is a 9 volt battery in it. The low battery light was on:

Me - hunny, the phone needs a new battery
Hubby - the phone has a battery?
Me - yeah, in case the electric goes out, we won't lose our settings
Hubby - it's electric, why would it need a battery?
Me - *frustrated sigh* so we won't lose the settings if the electric goes out
Hubby - I don't understand, if the phone is plugged into the outlet, why would we need a battery too?
Me - $%#*&^% ((*&^%$#&^ that's why
Hubby - oh, do we have any extra batteries?
Me - look in the box labeled batteries
Hubby - we have a box full of batteries?
Me - nevermind
Hubby - don't get pissed, I'll do it sometime today, or tomorrow, or over the weekend
Me - whatever

Sound familiar? Basically, while I was speaking English, he was hearing Hebrew which is weird, since he has never learned Hebrew, nor ever really heard it; and I do not know the language myself at all. Can you feel my eyes crossing in my head as I go insane?

So, in honor of foreign languages, here's a recipe for Swiss Steak:

Swiss Steak

Ingredients:

2 lbs cubed steak
1 tsp each garlic powder, ground black pepper
¼ tsp sea salt
1/ 2 cup flour
1/3 cup canola oil or peanut oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 large onion, slivered
1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup beef broth

Preparation:

Season both sides of steak with garlic powder, pepper and salt; lightly dust with flour. Heat oil, on high, in a large skillet; lightly brown both sides of steak; set on paper towels to remove excess oil.

Spray a 4-5 qt crock pot with non-stick spray. Place steaks in pot with garlic, onion, bell pepper and mushrooms on top. Spread diced tomatoes evenly over vegetables; pour broth over tomatoes. Set on low; cook for 6-8 hours, until meat is very tender.

Serve over noodles or rice.

Makes 6 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Letting go can be so hard to do.

On July 29, 2010, my precious English Doberman, Bonnie, became very ill; we rushed her to the animal hospital at 2am in the morning. She had an illness we had never heard of, “Bloat”, which occurs in big chested dogs. The stomach can twist, causing necrosis, severe pain and eventually death. The vet operated on her, corrected the condition, but it was still a wait and see situation. We saw her on Saturday, she had been eating, and playing outside with the vet assistants, and the vet said she could come home on Monday morning.

Monday morning we received a call at 8am; Bonnie had passed away during the night. She was found sitting up in her cage, leaning against the wall, as if waiting for her morning meal. The vet, without doing an autopsy, felt that a blood clot had stopped her heart, so quickly that she didn’t even have time to fall down. My husband handled everything, for all I could do was scream and cry in agony. My baby Bon-Bon was gone, and I wanted to die too. But I had to get my act together, who would take care of Roy, and the other pets, if I was gone? I’m the rock of the family, and wasn’t allowed to crumble.

Since then, we have adopted a 5 year old female Doberman, named Jenna, and an adorable male Australian Shepherd mix, named Tippy (who just turned 8 months old). No, neither of them could ever replace my Bon-Bon; but the love they have brought to us makes it feel a bit better.

So why am I still feeling so sad? Of all the pets I have ever had, they have always been with family when they have passed on; whether they passed away, at home, while sleeping; or put to sleep at the vet’s due to illness; someone was always with them. Bonnie died alone, in a cold cage at the vet’s; she didn’t have any family members to hold her, tell her how much she was loved and that it would be ok, and relieve any fear she may have been feeling. That is what gets to me the most; Bonnie was alone; and with this writing, I’m hoping to come to closure with that.

I write this while watching the snow fall here in Monticello, and decide that tonight would be a good night for soup. Not only will it warm the body, but the soul; guess that will help ease the pain too. I love my Bon-Bon, always will, but now I’ve got to move it along

Meatball Soup

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 medium onions, diced
6 cups beef broth
1 ½ cups cold water
4 medium potatoes, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 (8 oz) bag of baby carrots, cut in halves
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
1 tsp each dried savory (or sage if you cannot find savory), garlic powder, onion powder
1 ½ cups plain bread crumbs (dried, fine ground variety)
3 eggs, beaten
Grated cheese

Preparation:
Heat oil, on high, in a 6 qt stock pot; sauté onions till tender, about 3 minutes. Add beef broth and water; bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium; add in potatoes and carrots.

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine beef, turkey, seasoning, bread crumbs and eggs. Mix together thoroughly; form meatballs of about a 1 inch diameter; makes about 60 meatballs.

Place meatballs on baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes; just to brown the meat, not cook all the way through. Dab each meatball on a paper towel to remove excess grease before putting into the stock pot. Cook for 30-40 minutes, or until vegetables are very tender.
When serving, sprinkle grated cheese on top of soup.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Cooking as a dramatic sport….sure, why not?

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I like to watch cooking shows; have both Food Network Channel and The Cooking Channel on my television lineup.  One show I have been watching is “Worst Cooks in America”, and this is their second season, featuring last season’s winner, Anne Burrell, and challenger, Robert Irvine.   The premise is average, everyday people, who cannot even boil water, and if they did, they would burn it; they are put on teams (red or blue).  The chefs teach each team member a dish which has to be, usually, replicated; or, for a challenge, each person has to come up with something original.  There is a cash price for the overall winner; one person is chosen for each team, must cook a gourmet meal for judges who determine the overall  winner, and, thereby, the winning chef.   

My problem with the show is, mainly, the recipes; they can be complicated, and for a beginner, I don’t believe they’re given enough time to reproduce the dish, and get it as close to perfect as they can.  A professional can get a dish together, start to finish, in 30 minutes, but a beginner would take more than 40 minutes for sure.  Ah, but that’s the whole idea, isn’t it?  I mean, how can the show be interesting and dramatic if all the chefs did was teaching, and not add pitfalls in?  If all one wanted to do was see recipes done by a professional, all they have to do is watch any of the numerous shows on either channel.

Back in the 1990s, I taught cooking for Adult Education; I enjoyed sharing and teaching.  Some of the students were clueless, so I worked harder with them; some students were know-it-alls, and I wasn’t really sure why they were in the classes at all, since they already knew everything.   Sometimes I would hold a class in my own home for those who couldn’t make the classes at the school, or just needed to learn basics fast (usually brides-to-be who wanted to impress the new husbands-to-be).     When it comes to cooking and beginners, patience is a big virtue; you have to ease them into the techniques and the terminology, or they will be so lost, they’ll never be found.

So, what would be an easy dish to teach a beginner, what about a favorite American comfort food like meatloaf?  Not only is meatloaf easy to make, it is very versatile.  It can be made with any type of ground meat or poultry, even combinations of same.  I remember when supermarkets sold a meat mixture of ground beef, pork and veal (have you seen the price of veal !?!) which was labeled “meatloaf mix”; and while it could be used to make meatloaf, it was, more than likely, used for meatballs.

Then there are the ingredients that go within the ground meat or poultry: vegetables, seasonings, breads, liquids, cheeses, even hard boiled eggs (chopped or whole).  I’m going to be posting a basic meatloaf recipe in this blog today, but it’s what you can do with it that’s the real trick.  Instead of plain diced onions and tomatoes, how about using a jar of salsa for a little extra kick?  Or use the salsa as the topping, instead of a tomato sauce or ketchup.   Thinking Oriental; use ginger and soy in the mix with a teriyaki glaze over the meatloaf.   Don’t like meat, ground chicken or turkey can be used, but they’re bland, so be generous with the seasoning.   Bread crumbs – fresh, dry (ground or soaked in milk), plain or seasoned; and the types of breads available are endless.  Liquids, to help moisten and flavor, could be milk, beaten eggs, wine, broth.    Besides having meatloaf as a meal, served with sides; it makes a great cold or hot sandwich.

Experiment, have fun and find an enjoyment in what you’re doing.  Sure, you might fail, but don’t dwell on that, and you’ll learn from the failures.  Imagine the great meals you will make, and that will keep the ego and inspiration up.

Basic Meatloaf

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 egg

1 small onion, diced

1 (14 oz) can petite diced tomatoes

1 cup Italian style bread crumbs

ketchup

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray 2 qt (oval or rectangular) baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for the ketchup.  Mix thoroughly; remove to baking dish and shape into an oval loaf.  Spread ketchup evenly over top and sides of meatloaf.

Bake for 1 hour, uncovered; remove and spread a second layer of ketchup over top and sides.  Return to oven, bake an additional 1 hour, uncovered. 

Remove from oven, let rest 15 minutes before placing meatloaf on serving platter.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Today would have been a good day for French toast.

During the week, the weather here had been in the 50's, the sky clear and bright blue; not an inkling of bad weather.  Oh, wait, there was that little snow flurry that lasted for about 5 minutes the other day.  While in the post office, I heard the post mistress say to an older gentleman, "it's just a minor disturbance in the atmostphere."

Was it no wonder, that as I left, I said under my breath, "Luke, I sense a disturbance in the force."

Anyway, upon awakening this morning, the wind was cold and bitter; the sky to the west was dark and ominous.  Weather reports were saying snow for Monday and Tuesday...oh joy....not.  For breakfast, I decided that today would be a perfect day for French toast.  I've always made it using Challah bread.

Challah is a loaf of yeast-risen egg bread that is traditionally eaten by Jews on Shabbat, on ceremonial occasions and during festival holidays. The word "challah" is also used to refer to the portion of dough that is traditionally separated from the rest of the dough before baking. The plural of "challah" is "challot."  There is no dairy in the bread, and most recipes use honey instead of sugar.

Can't find Challah, a wide loaf of French bread (it is French toast), or Texas toast will work just as well.  When hubby went out yesterday, I did ask him to buy a loaf of Texas toast, since the local stores don't carry the other types of bread.  What I didn't realize is, he went to the store, purchased items he felt the need for (cigarettes and Mountain Dew), but forgot the bread.

So, no French toast for breakfast this morning.  I did go shopping in Cortez this afternoon, and got a loaf of French bread....I'm getting my French toast eventually.

Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup

Ingredients:

1 loaf Challah bread, or a wide French bread loaf (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Maple syrup

Preparation:

Slice bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each.  Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended, but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

I made this for the members of my gaming (Dungeons and Dragons) group who had stayed overnight once........no leftovers.

Mary Cokenour

January 30, 2011

Fresh fish; not in a landlocked state.

Hubby and I enjoy eating fish.  While we lived on the East Coast, we were able to purchase fresh fish, not only in our own supermarkets, but off the docks in various states.  Oh, to be able to bake whiting in a simple butter sauce, the flesh easily slides off the bone; succulent and sweet like a candy.

Teriyaki glazed salmon searing on a smoky grill while toasted sesame seeds wait to adorn it.

Blue fish, topped with buttery crumbs, sizzling on a griddle; to lie on a toasted bun smeared with a spicy seafood sauce.

Fried catfish, crispy on the outside, flaky within; served with puffy hushpuppies and cool coleslaw.

Crab cakes fried to perfection, served with a creamy remoulade (that's French for tartar sauce), and that's how Roy likes them; I prefer the spicy seafood sauce (basically cocktail sauce with extra horseradish mixed in).

Are you drooling yet?  I am, and it's mixing with the tears for I know that, while I can make these items, they have to be with defrosted seafood, not the freshest.  The local markets will sell fish that looks as if it was packaged fresh, but, in reality, it is defrosted fish, and needs to be cooked very quickly before spoiling.  Or you can buy, in the freezer section, prepackaged, cut into portions, fish.  When it comes to crab meat, you're more likely to find it in a can, and very expensive.  Lump crab meat costs about $20, and that's for a 5 ounce can; about the size of a regular can of tuna fish.   Or, you have the old standby, imitation crab or lobster which costs about $2.50 to $3 for a 12 ounce package.  Imitation crab is whitefish that has been flavored to taste like crab or lobster.  Yeah, it's depressing for someone who really enjoys eating seafood.

So, if you're lucky enough to obtain the fresh stuff...yes, I'm jealous, but I'll still share a couple of recipes with you.

Cajun Catfish

Ingredients:

4 catfish fillets, cut into thirds

*Seasoning mix

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup cornmeal

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup canola or peanut oil

*Seasoning Mix

½ tsp ground cayenne pepper

2 tsp each salt, garlic powder

 1 ½ tsp each dried oregano, thyme

1 tsp each ground black pepper, onion powder

 3 tsp paprika

Stir together cayenne pepper, salt, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, black pepper, onion powder and paprika until evenly blended. Store in an airtight container.

Preparation:

Rub each side of catfish with seasoning mix. 

Mix cornmeal with flour.  Dip fillets into beaten egg, then dredge into cornmeal/flour mix; shake off excess.

In a medium skillet, heat oil on high; fry 3 fillets at a time, so they are not crowded and fry evenly.  Fillets should fry for 7 minutes on each side.  Drain on paper towels.

Makes 6 servings. 

Crab Imperial

Ingredients:

1 lb crab meat (claw and/or lump, picked clean), or imitation crab, flaked

½ cup mayonnaise

3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp each roasted red bell peppers and green onion, minced

¼ tsp each dry mustard and paprika

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

½ cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup Italian flavored bread crumbs

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400F.  Spray a 1 qt baking dish with nonstick spray.

In a medium bowl, mix together thoroughly all ingredients, except bread crumbs.  Place mixture into baking dish; sprinkle bread crumbs evenly over top.

Bake 20-25 minutes; or until bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Makes 4 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Influencing your cooking style.

When it comes to cooking, your style, the cuisine you excel in, is influenced by many factors: family background, area you live in, people outside the family, and your taste in foods overall. You might be Scandinavian, but Chinese food rocks your world; or mom’s English fare is just too bland for your taste buds, and you need to spice it up.

Though my roots can be traced back to Croatia, Italy has influenced my cooking style and that of my family immensely.  First off, our family came from the Western coast of Croatia, across the Adriatic Sea from Italy.  In Brooklyn, we lived in a 90% Italian neighborhood; and I sure do miss those streets fairs.  What I really could go for is a paper bag full of zeppoles covered in powdered sugar.  Fry bread with honey or cinnamon/sugar is good; but zeppoles are great!  If you’ve ever had a funnel cake, well that’s a large, flat version of a zeppola (single tense).

Italian cooking is very diverse; each region basically has its own style; but no matter which you choose, the flavors are intense and wonderful to the palette.  Learning to make your own homemade sauce is not difficult, and it can be used for more than just pasta.  Here’s my own recipe that I’ve perfected, and I most definitely get no complaints about it:

Homemade Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:

1 large onion, diced

3 Tbsp garlic

3-28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

1-28 oz can diced tomatoes

1-12oz can tomato paste

2 Tbsp dried basil, crushed

1 Tbsp each dried oregano, thyme and marjoram, crushed

1 tsp ground black pepper

4 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Add all listed ingredients into a 6-qt crock pot (previously sprayed with non-stick spray); mix thoroughly.   Set on low heat; let the sauce cook for 8 hours.

Yields about 14 cups.

Notes:

This recipe can be made on the stovetop, but should be stirred every 1-2 hours to keep sauce from sticking and burning on bottom of pot. 

The long cooking time allows for the sauce to become richer and thicker.  If a thinner sauce is desired, cut the tomato paste by half, leave out the diced tomatoes, and cut cooking time in half.

Besides serving as a pasta sauce, this can be used as a dipping sauce for fried foods, or as a pizza sauce.

If making a meat sauce, brown 2 lbs of lean ground beef mixed with 2 Tbsp garlic powder.  Only use 2-28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes, instead of 3.  Only cook the sauce for 6 hours, instead of 8.

~~~~~~~~ 

So, now you’re asking; what can I make with this to wow my family, and really boost my ego?

Lasagna!!!  Say what!?!  Sure, once you have your ingredients together, it’s just a layering process, bake and eat…what’s so hard about that?  The trick is to pay attention to what you are doing.  When in the kitchen, your main focus should be on what you are doing.  If you’re multitasking, it should be cooking related.  Don’t be trying to layer the lasagna while washing the dog and playing “Chutes and Ladders” with the kids; ain’t gonna work.  You’ll end up washing the game, baking the kids, and playing with the sauce and pasta; in other words, a total disaster.

The recipe I’m giving you makes 2 pans of lasagna.  When doing the layering, develop a rhythm of doing first in one pan, repeat exact layer in second pan, go back to first pan…you get the picture.  That way both pans will be at the same exact point and you won’t get confused or lost.

Lasagna

This recipe will make two pans of lasagna.  Use 9” x “12 inch rectangular aluminum pans; one can be served, the other frozen for another time.

Ingredients:

6 qt pot of homemade meat sauce (refer to above recipe)

2 (2 lbs each) containers of whole milk ricotta cheese

1 (28 oz) container small curd cottage cheese (if only large curd available, use blender or hand mixer to smooth out)

2 (8 oz) bags shredded mozzarella cheese

1 (6 ox) bag shredded parmesan cheese

24 sheets Barilla “no cook” lasagna

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, fold together all the cheeses, except 1 bag of mozzarella, with 2 cups of sauce; this will mix the cheeses together without breaking up the shredded cheese.  Use a hard rubber spatula to help scrape the sides and move ingredients up from bottom of the bowl more easily.

In a medium bowl, mix the reserved bag of mozzarella with 6 cups of sauce; set aside.

Set the pans side by side, and start the layering process.  First, 2 cups of sauce spread out on the bottom of each pan.  Side by side, lay down 3 sheets of pasta; they will overlap a little.  Spread out about 3 cups of cheese over the sheets.  Now repeat – sauce, cheese, pasta sheets, and you will get 3 layers of cheese before the last layer of pasta is placed on top.

Take the reserved sauce/cheese mixture, divide up between both pans and spread out evenly over last layer of pasta.  Take whatever sauce is left over from the 6 qt pot and smooth it over the pans from edge to edge.  Lightly tamp down the pans to release any air pockets, and allow for sauce to fill in those spaces the air vacated.  This will, not only, help cook the pasta evenly, but keep the sauce from flowing over the top of the pan while baking.

Place pans on middle shelf in oven; bake for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand for one hour before serving.  To freeze, wrap the pans first in plastic wrap, then in a layer of aluminum foil.  To reheat, remove foil and plastic; reheat at 350F for half hour.

Mary Cokenour

January 28, 2011