Onions with a Sweet Kiss.

Onions are best known for making us cry. Once an onion is cut, it begins to release a sulfuric component which irritates our senses. Keeping onions in the refrigerator will deaden this effect somewhat, but as the onion begins to warm up, so does the acid.

There are, however, on the market types of sweet onion which have a mild sulfuric, and higher water, content than regular onions. Examples of these are Vidalia from Georgia, Walla Walla from Washington state, Sunbero from Nevada and Maui from the Hawaiian island of Maui; to name a few. Red onions, also called purple onions, are also mild and sweet; their coloring brightens up any dish.

One way to use sweet onions is to make a relish which can be spread on toasted bread, used as a condiment on sandwiches, or an enhancement for beef, pork or poultry.



Sweet Onion Relish
Ingredients:

2 Tbsp canola oil
6 cups chopped sweet onions
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp celery seeds
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
½ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup water
¼ cup diced roasted red peppers

Preparation:

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium heat; add onions and celery; sauté until tender. Mix in remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring often. Let cool. Spoon into a bowl; cover and chill for 8 hours.

Makes 4 cups.

Mary Cokenour
March 23, 2006

....so lets cook up a family meal with that relish.

Sweet Onion Chicken Casserole
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 large red skinned or Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup sweet onion relish plus ¼ cup (set aside)
1 can (10 ¾ oz) cream of mushroom soup
½ cup half n’ half
1 (4oz) can sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp paprika

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 2-qt baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat; brown both sides of the chicken breasts.
Layer the potato slices in the baking dish; spread the onion relish on the potatoes before beginning each layer. Mix together the soup, half n’ half and mushrooms; pour over top of potato/onion relish layers. Place chicken breasts on top, spread the reserved ¼ cup of onion relish over the chicken breasts; sprinkle paprika over the chicken.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for one hour; remove foil and bake additional 15 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Mary Cokenour
July 22, 2006

Nothing to cry over.

In my Jan 27, 2011 blogpost, "Comfort is never overrated.", I gave you my recipe for "Potato Leek Soup", and leeks are primarily used in soups. However, this relative to the onion, and asparagus, is more versatile than one might think. Due to its mild onion flavor, a leek can be substituted for a regular onion; cutting it will not irritate the eyes either.

Leeks have a small bulb end; and the tastiest part is the white part which grows deep in the ground, and away from the sun's rays. The green upper part is very fibrous, and used for making stock; or thrown into the compost pile. Growing in the ground has the desadvantage of having dirt caked in between the many layers of the leek, so it needs to be thoroughly washed before use. The best way to do this is to cut the white part either into circular sections, or cutting it up into pieces, placing it all in a colander and washing under cool water.

The pieces can than be used in soups, quiches, casseroles, side dishes; anything an onion can be used for. Sauteed in butter or olive oil, they turn translucent and release a pleasant onion scent that is easy on the nose, and most especially, the eyes.

The recipe for today is an example of the versatility of the leel. Enjoy!

Potato and Leek Casserole with Meat

Ingredients:

4 cups thinly sliced, unpeeled and parboiled russet potatoes

2 cups cooked ham, or beef kielbasa, cubed

1 large leek, cleaned and thinly sliced

3 tsp each dried parsley, paprika and sea salt

¾ tsp ground black pepper

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

8 Tbsp butter

2 cups heavy cream

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Spray a 2 qt casserole dish with non-stick spray.

In a small skillet or saute’ pan, melt 2 Tbsp butter, add leeks and saute’ till soft and translucent.

In a small bowl, mix together parsley, paprika, salt and pepper.

In the casserole dish, build 2 layers of potato with meat, leeks, herb/seasoning mixture and cheese; dot with 4 – ½” Tbsp of butter.  There should be a 3^rd layer of potatoes which will have only the remaining herb/seasoning mix and butter on it.  Pour the cream over the potatoes.  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Jack and Janelle's of Cortez, Colorado

Jack and Janelle's Country Kitchen
801 E Main St
Cortez, CO 81321

(970) 565-2572

Website: N/A

When we first began traveling to Cortez, CO for our shopping needs, we found a large selection of places to have a meal. Seeing Jack and Janelle’s sign, it seemed welcoming, so decided to try the place out. It is a medium sized restaurant, clean and the décor is just as the sign indicates – country. For all the times we have been there, we have been usually greeted by Jack; a very friendly and pleasant man who makes you feel very welcomed. The waitresses are also friendly, and make sure that coffee cup is always full.

Breakfast is a wide selection from the basic “American” (eggs, bacon or sausage, hash browns, toast or biscuit), French Toast, Corned Beef Hash (crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and my absolute favorite), Chicken Fried Steak (measuring about 12” long, crispy and delicious), Omelets and Casseroles. The homemade biscuits come with thick, rich gravy. On Sunday, a breakfast buffet is available which consists of scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, bacon, sausage, toast, biscuits, gravy, cereals and pastries for only $8.95.

Lunch and Dinner have a good variety too, and if you add a cup of soup, or the salad bar, it’s only 50 cents more. The salad bar has a nice selection of items and dressings, and is a lot better than most places that offer a salad for $3.99; so don’t be cheap, go for the salad bar. The burgers and sandwiches are thick and come with plenty of fixings. There are “all-you-can-eat” specials, surprise specials, and you have to try the Navajo Tacos (offered on Tuesdays), and the Green Chili.

There is a small selection of Appetizers and the Chicken Quesadillas are highly recommended, as are the Onion Rings.

We have yet to walk away hungry from Jack and Janelle’s, always feel comfortable being there, and you never get the feeling of being rushed to get out.

Mary Cokenour

Yippee-ky-yo-ky-yay; it’s the Bar-M Chuckwagon.

Bar-M Chuckwagon

7000 U.S. 191

Moab, UT 84532

(435) 259-2276

Website: http://www.barmchuckwagon.com/

After a day of sightseeing, hiking, climbing, or any of the other outdoor activities available in Moab, the Bar-M Chuckwagon is the place to go for a relaxing evening. Located just 4 miles north of the Arches National Park entrance and 1.5 miles south of the turn off to Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands National Park, it is right off of Route 191. The ticket booth is located at the entrance of the ample parking lot, and as you make your way down the path to the Bar-M, don’t forget to stop and pay your respects to those buried at Boot Hill.

The evening begins with a comedic confrontation between two cowboys, a meeting with the sheriff, and the shootout. Nothing overly dramatic to frighten the children, and lots of laughter to get everyone in a happy, “yeee-harrr” mood.

Inside the main building, guests can seat themselves at picnic style wooden tables. The sheriff, who is also the ranch cook, greets everyone, and announces how the meal will be served. When he says to hold your plate on the apple sauce side, listen up, cause the hot food is hot; and metal plates conduct heat very well.

The two choices for the main dish are barbequed chicken or roast beef; served with cowboy beans, baked potato, apple sauce, spice cake, biscuit. Drinks are lemonade, iced tea, coffee and water; all refillable. Seconds on the meal are offered, and if you’re still hungry, get up and go get it, for it goes fast. Yes, it was that good!!! Dinner is about an hour, and after cleanup, the musical entertainment starts.

Classic and modern western songs, lots of jokes (mostly corny, but you can’t help but laugh), audience participation is encouraged and very welcome; young and old alike are guaranteed a heapin’ good time. There is a gift shop on premises, right next to the saloon where you can purchase alcoholic beverages and bottled soda.

From start to finish, expect to be at the Bar-M for about 3 hours. Since it goes into late evening, children under the age of 8 might find it to be long, and get antsy and/or cranky. Parents should know their own child/children’s temperament, so plan accordingly.

If you're visiting the Moab area, and want some real old time Western style entertainment and grub (that’s food), then the Bar-M Chuckwagon won’t do you wrong.

Mary Cokenour

Negative Energy Recreation.

Interesting title? Does it mean to create, or bring back, negative energy? Nope, just the opposite. It means to take negative energy and change it into something positive.

So, yesterday I was having a rather stressful day, and I had a few choices on how to handle it. Wallow in it? Been there, done that; don't like it much. Clear my mind and meditate? Fat chance of that happening, since my brain refuses to shut up. Destroy something? That accomplishes nothing, and only causes more stress. Be creative? Eureka!!! Been there, done that, and it works. Whether it is through my poetry, photography or cooking; transforming negative energy into something creative and positive brings comfort,and reduces the stress.

A food that is high on the comfort food scale is pasta, and I had ravioli in the freezer. Ho hum, regular pasta sauce; just not in the mood for making it fresh, or defrosting a container from the freezer. Alfredo sauce wasn't going to give me the zing I needed to get out of my funk. Hmmm, always wanted to try and make homemade tomato vodka cream sauce. I have tried the jarred variety (ok, get over the shock now and move it along), and it was ok, but it still had that processed after taste.

Do you know how many recipes you can find on the internet for this sauce...hundreds! Printed a couple out, compared ingredients and cooking styles, raided the pantry, gave it my own twist and style; and my creation became alive, alive I tell you!!!

Ok, enough of the drama, and here's the recipe:

Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce

A light cream sauce which can be served over any type of tubular pasta (penne, ziti, rigatoni); long, flat pasta (fettuccine, linguine); or cheese filled pasta (ravioli, tortellini, tortelloni).

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter

¼ cup diced onion

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 cup heavy cream

¼ cup vodka

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup grated romano cheese

1 lb hot, cooked pasta

minced fresh parsley for garnish

Preparation:

In a large skillet, medium-high heat, melt butter and sauté onion until translucent.  Add tomatoes and cook until liquid reduces by half; stir frequently to keep from sticking or burning.

Add cream, vodka and pepper flakes; bring to a boil; reduce heat to low; add in cheeses and let cook 10 minutes to let sauce thicken.  Add in cooked pasta, toss to coat.  Serve and garnish with minced parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

Note:  a half lb. of medium shrimp can be added the last 5 minutes of the sauce being on low; or a ½ lb of grilled chicken slices.

Mary Cokenour

A day for eating a lot of brownies.

This is the type of day that you never want to remember; that you want to delete from the calendar.  The type of day that you wished you had turned off the alarm clock, stayed in bed, and just let it pass you by.

First - found a brand new houseplant, that Roy had given me, totally shredded.  There was no saving it; even the roots had been destroyed.

Second - I only had my back turned for a minute; one of the dogs had grabbed my breakfast and scarfed it down.

Third - one of the other dogs decided to eat up all the dry food in the cats' bowl.  I had just refilled it too.

Fourth - for the second time, Roy had placed an ad for this food blog in the local "Advertisement" paper.  For the second time, not only was it full of mispellings, but they misspelled my name, so no one could find this food blog using the URL.

...and all that happened before 10am.  For me, this was equal to something that would make a teenage girl grab a plate of brownies, and devour them all, and even lick the plate.  Unfortunately, I can't do that; having diabetes most definitely prevents that; and giving myself a severe stomach ache wouldn't help at all.

So, I will drink my zero calorie/carb flavored water; eat my light yogurt, and give you my basic brownie recipe.  I can't eat them, but at least someone somewhere can enjoy them.

Brownies

A basic brownie recipe; the addition of other ingredients allows for the creation of other types of brownies.

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter

2 squares unsweetened bakers’ chocolate

1 cup sugar (or Splenda for baking)

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

¾ cup flour

¼ tsp salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray an 8” square baking dish with nonstick baking spray (contains flour).

Using a double boiler, melt the butter and chocolate together till smooth and shiny.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour and salt; add the melted butter and chocolate and mix well.

Pour into baking dish; bake for 25-30 minutes; until toothpick comes out cleanly from center.

Let cool before cutting into squares.

Makes 9-12 brownies, depending on how small or large they are cut.

Mary Cokenour

August 15, 1988

Additions:

Nuts: Add a ½ cup of favorite type of nut; should be roasted and chopped.

Fruits: Add a ½ cup of dried or candied chopped fruit.  Reduce sugar by ¼ cup.

Chocolate Mint: Add 4 Tbsp chocolate syrup plus ½ cup of either Hershey’s York Candy sprinkles or Andes Candies Bits (available in baking section). Reduce sugar by ¼ cup.

Add additional 10 minutes to baking time because of the syrup.

Walnut, Marshmallow and Toffee: Add ½ cup chopped walnuts, 1 cup mini-marshmallows and 1/3 cup of Heathbar or Skor bar bits (available in baking section).  Reduce sugar by ¼ cup.

Hmmm...Fried Dough.

Fried food, in general, gives you the kind of mouth feel that says, "all is right with the world."  I'm not going into all the scientific facts about why; we all know the answer, it's the fat.  It does something to our tastebuds and our brains that make us feel happy all over.  Sure, we can justify it by saying that deep fried veggies have the nutritional value of the vegetables to consider.  Sure, whatever you say; but we all know it's the crunch of the deep fried batter that we crave.

Deep down inside, we all have a little Homer Simpson in us.  "Hmmm...Donuts".  Nuff' said, and here are two recipes to try when you've got that fried food craving.

Apple Fritters

Ingredients:

Oil for frying

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

1 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

2 ½ tsp cinnamon

2/3 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 ½ cups diced apple (peeled)

Glaze:

3 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 ½ tsp vanilla

½ cup warm water

Preparation:

Fill deep fryer to fill line, or deep skillet halfway up, with oil; bring temperature up to 375F.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.  Add in milk and eggs; beat, on medium speed, till smooth; fold in diced apple.

Use 1/3 measuring cup to spoon up batter, and a rubber spatula to ease the batter into the oil.  Depending on size of deep fryer, or deep skillet, 2-3 fritters can be made at a time.

While first batch is frying, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla and water to make the glaze; whisk until smooth and creamy.

When fritters are golden brown, drain on paper towels and let cool slightly; dip fritters into glaze and place on jelly roll pan lined with waxed or parchment paper.

Makes 6-8 fritters.

Mary Cokenour

December 30, 2004

...but not to be outdone...

Zeppoli

Zeppole; singular term is Zeppola and in the Southern dialects it is Zeppoli, are light, deep-fried dough balls about 2 inches in diameter.  They originated in Italy to celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph.  Since it is typically in the season of Lent, these can be compared to the German, Fastnachts; a type of deep fried donut make with flour, sugar and a fat.  If in New Orleans, the Beignet is the equivalent; all can be covered in powdered sugar, cinnamon, and, sometimes, filled with fruit or jam.

How to Make Zeppoli

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil

2 cups all purpose flour

3 eggs

3 Tbsp sugar

¼ tsp baking powder

Powdered (confectioner’s) sugar

Preparation:

Pour oil to fill line in a deep fryer; bring temperature to 400F.

In medium bowl, mix together flour, eggs, sugar and baking powder until smooth.  Using a teaspoon, drop batter into the hot oil; depending on size of fryer, about 3-4 at a time.  To turn the zeppoli in the hot oil, use a wooden chopstick or kebob skewer.  When the zeppoli floats to the top, and is golden brown all around, remove to paper towels to drain.

While hot, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Makes about 2 dozen.

Mary Cokenour

March 8, 1985