Anticipating a new adventure with a wild creature.

Tomorrow, for the first time, I will be cooking and eating Elk.  I did attempt deer (venison) once, but it was a disaster.  The person who had given me the deer meat did not give me any instruction on preparing it.   In my ignorance, I killed the poor beast once again.  I expect this new attempt at serving a wild animal to come out much better.  The gentleman, an avid hunter, who had given me the Elk meat, gave me very good instructions on preparing the meat.  I just happen to have a mushroom and onion gravy recipe that I’ll pair with the steaks; making it, of course, in the same pan the steaks are cooked in.

So Charlie, thank you so much for giving me the tools (Elk meat) to jump into this new adventure, and I hope I do you proud.  Of course I’ll be writing about the results in another blog post; that way everyone will know how I did.

Actually, I’m not surprised that I’m going to attempt this; let’s face the truth, I’m a carnivore for the most part.  Vegetables are side dishes that are way off to the side, but I do love potatoes: mashed, boiled, roasted, fried, baked, and any other way they can be cooked up.   Yeppers, a real meat and potatoes woman am I.

One of my favorite meals is either Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie.  Now you may have heard of Shepherd’s Pie which is made with ground lamb, but did you know that its counterpart is actually made with ground beef, so called Cottage Pie?  I have made, and enjoyed both, and can say I do not prefer one over the other.  The origin for both is vague; the Irish, Scottish and English all say they came up with it first, and that is one debate I intend to stay out of.

Traditionally, either pie is made with white or Yukon Gold potatoes, but sweet potatoes can give the dish an entirely different flavor.  No matter which kind of potato is used, Shepherd’s and Cottage Pies will be the quintessential comfort food.

Traditional Shepherd’s Pie/Cottage Pie

Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb, while Cottage Pie is made with beef; all the remaining ingredients are the same for both.

Ingredients:

The filling:

2 ½ lbs. ground lamb or beef (depending on which pie is being made)

1 large onion, diced

1-4 oz can mushrooms, diced

2 Tbsp tomato sauce or ketchup

2 Tbsp. Worcester sauce

1-16 oz bag frozen peas and carrots

1 Tbsp each crushed dry thyme and marjoram

1 tsp pepper

2 Tbsp. flour

1 cup beef stock

The topping:

6 large potatoes, peeled and cut up

4Tbsp butter

1/2 cup milk
6 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Paprika 

Preparation:

In a large skillet, high heat, brown the meat and drain excess oil.  Add the onion and mushrooms, letting cook till the onion softens.  Add tomato and Worcester sauces, frozen vegetables, herbs, pepper, flour and beef stock; mix thoroughly and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes.

While meat mixture is simmering, boil the potatoes in salted water until tender.  Drain and mash the potatoes, add butter, milk, grated cheese and pepper to the potatoes.

Preheat oven to 375F.  In a 3 quart rectangular baking dish, spread 1/2 potatoes on bottom of baking dish; spread out the meat mixture; top with the other 1/2 of potatoes; sprinkle paprika over top.  Bake for 30-40minutes; potatoes should be lightly browned, and the pie heated thoughout.

Makes 8 – 10 servings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ and now for something completely different~~~~~~~~~

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

This recipe was chosen and featured in the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, March 1999 issue.  It also appeared in the Better Homes and Gardens “Annual Recipes” cookbook, 1999.

Ingredients:

2 lbs sweet potatoes

¼ cup milk

½ tsp each salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg

2 lbs lean ground lamb

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup chopped red onion

1/3 cup dry red wine

1 Tbsp snipped fresh savory

1 tsp finely shredded orange peel

½ tsp ground cinnamon  

Preparation:

Peel and cut up sweet potatoes.  Cook in a small amount of boiling water, just enough to cover, for 20-25 minutes, or until tender; drain.  Mash potatoes; add milk, salt, ½ tsp cinnamon and nutmeg; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a large skillet, cook lamb, mushrooms and onion together until there is no longer any pink to the lamb meat; drain excess fat.  Stir in wine and savory; cook for 1 additional minute and remove from heat.

Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.  Spread 2/3 of the mashed sweet potatoes over the bottom and up the sides of the dish.  Fill center with lamb mixture; top with remaining 1/3 of potatoes, spreading evenly over filling and to edges of dish.  Bake for 20 minutes; sprinkle orange peel and remaining ½ tsp cinnamon over top; bake an additional 15 minutes.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Mary Cokenour     December 9, 1995

A Gardener’s Daydream.

Looking out the window, I see the sun shining; the branches of trees swaying with the breeze.  I start to think that spring is just around the corner, and the ground will be softening up for planting.  I begin to daydream about my gardens, the ones I left behind, the new ones I’ll create.

When I lived in Pennsylvania, my home was surrounded by gardens I had designed and created myself.  It took many years, and there were many types: the perennial garden where flowering plants erupted into color each month from March until October; the shade garden filled with Hostas of every size; leaves deeply green or mottled with color; and Bleeding Hearts of pink, white and yellow.  The herb and vegetables gardens were my pride and joy.  I had two herbal gardens; a kitchen garden right outside my backdoor.  I could go outside and pick fresh herbs for a recipe.  Then there was the larger one where I would collect the herbs, dry them, and have them available all year long.  The vegetable garden was abundant, and I made sure to grow vegetables that could be frozen for later use.  I composted and mulched; fed and watered; these were children who I helped flourish.

The people who purchased my home said they loved the gardens, and that is one reason they wanted my home.  Liars!!!  I found out they immediately had all the gardens dug up, the beautiful trees cut down, and the lawn destroyed.  Why?  They needed places to park their motor home, excess vehicles, and…who knows what; they destroyed it all.  The neighbors were shocked at the destruction.  I wish I had known their plans; I would have dug up my rose and lilac bushes; removed all the herbal plants and as many Hostas as I could pack into our moving van.  What a waste of nature; so sad.

At my current home, the ground around the home was very neglected and abused; no one took care of the lawn which is nothing more than weeds; there were no trees, and only one rose and lilac bush which were terribly overgrown.  Last year we planted a Magnolia Tree out front, several rose and azalea bushes; trimmed the already existing bushes which are flourishing once again.  I started a small herbal garden outside the living room window.  However, I really will not know what did, or did not, survive the winter months until spring is officially here, and the weather stays warm.

Ah, but the plans are in the making; a rotor tiller to dig up an area in the backyard for a vegetable plot.   Plans to create a patio, and use the container gardening technique to help beautify the area.  I’ll be playing in the dirt, planning and planting, feeling the dirt on my hands, and hoping my knees don’t give out on me.  Daydreaming over the new gardens that will rise up around the home…it’s that type of day.

Therefore, a vegetable recipe seems appropriate for this post.

Vegetable Stir Fry

This is a basic recipe and vegetables can be changed according to tastes.  Using a Wok is preferred, but if not available, a large nonstick skillet will do.

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp sesame oil (if not available, use peanut)

1 small red onion, slivered

1 small red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 small zucchini and yellow squash, cut diagonally into ¼ inch slices

1 cup snow peas (if not available, use sugar snap peas)

1 tsp minced garlic

½ cup diced tomatoes

¼ cup each soy and hoisin sauces

½ tsp ground ginger

Preparation:

In a Wok, or large nonstick skillet, heat oil on high.  Sauté onions and bell pepper till they just start to soften; about 5 minutes.  Add in zucchini, squash, peas; cook another 5 minutes before adding in garlic, tomatoes, sauces and ginger; mix together thoroughly.

Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Makes 4 servings; can be served as is, or with rice or Asian noodles.

Mary Cokenour

Deviled Eggs are an evil goodness.

How can an appetizer that tastes so good, be associated with an image that embodies evil; the Devil?  Well actually, it doesn’t; the term “deviled” came about in the 18^th century, when more spicy ingredients, were added to the filling.  The “stuffed” egg originated back in Ancient Rome, and as it was introduced to Europe, ingredients changed depending on what part of the country you were in.  For example, in the Slavic countries, the filling consisted of caviar and remoulade (tartar sauce).

Personal opinion here, but for any Deviled Egg recipe, the most devilish part is the gas they cause.  They taste so good going down, but later on….well, you get the picture.

So, first I’m going to give you a recipe for the typical United States type of Deviled Egg; then I will post my personal recipe which includes the ingredient that makes it truly deviled…cayenne pepper.

Deviled Eggs – United States version

Ingredients:

6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
¼ cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
½ tsp dry ground mustard
½ tsp white vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
Paprika for garnish

Preparation:

Remove the egg yolks to a small bowl, mash with a fork.  Add mayonnaise (or salad dressing), dry mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper; mix thoroughly. Fill the empty egg white shells with the mixture; sprinkle lightly with paprika.  When filling the shells, you can either fill them by spoon, or put mixture in piping bag and use a fancy tip.

Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day before serving.

Makes 12 Deviled Eggs

Diablo’ Eggs  - my personal version of this recipe

Ingredients:

12 large eggs

2 Tbsp Miracle Whip

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 Tbsp yellow mustard

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp each ground black pepper and cayenne pepper

Paprika

Preparation:

In large saucepan, cover eggs with cold water; bring to boiling on high heat.  Remove from heat, let stand for 20 minutes; drain, rinse with cold water; peel.

Halve the eggs lengthwise; place the yolks into a medium bowl; mash with a fork.  Add Miracle Whip, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, black and cayenne peppers; mix thoroughly until smooth.  Place mixture into a piping bag (or a plastic bag with one corner cut off), and pipe mixture back into the egg halves where the yolks once were.

Sprinkle paprika over whites and egg mixture.

Makes 2 dozen.

Mary Cokenour

March 23, 1996

Fusion Cuisine is not a novel idea.

When a fancy restaurant advertises fusion cuisine, you’re paying an exorbitant price for a current fad.  Guess what?  This type of cuisine has been around for centuries.  Fusion cuisine is not just the merging of food from different cultures, but the cooking techniques as well.  As different countries and cultures, visited or invaded elsewhere, food items were either brought along, or discovered; not unusual to also discover that many went well together.  Cooking techniques were also shared, so where a culture had only baked bread over open coals, now they learned about the clay oven.

If you go into a restaurant that offers different cuisines, that is not necessarily fusion.  The dishes may be Greek, Korean and Mexican, but each dish is prepared and served in its traditional form.  An example of fusion would be to take the ingredients of a Greek Gyro (roasted lamb, taztziki sauce, vegetables), but preparing them as a Mexican Enchilada; adding some of the ingredients usually found in a traditional Enchilada, and/or taking away some of the Gyro ingredients.  While this might sound simple, care must be taken to ensure that the tastes meld together successfully.

The recipe I’m giving to you today is my attempt at fusion cuisine; a mixture of Irish with Mexican.  The O’Brien potatoes are cubed potatoes that are fried with diced onions, pimientos (roasted red bell pepper), or diced red and green bell peppers; this is the Irish part.  The other part will be ingredients that would typically go into tacos; the Mexican part.  The technique will include some frying, but finish off baking in an oven.

Taco Beef and Potato Bake

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground beef

1 cup diced onion, divided in half

1 envelope taco seasoning, medium

1 (14 ½ oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, medium

1 (16 oz) can light kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (28 oz) bag frozen O’Brien potatoes, thawed

1 (10 ½ oz) can cheddar cheese soup

¾ cup 2% milk

¼ cup diced red bell pepper

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp paprika

1 tsp ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a skillet, over high heat, brown the beef; add ½ cup of onion halfway through cooking; drain.  Reduce heat to low; add taco seasoning and tomatoes; mix well.  Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Spray a 3qt baking dish with non-stick spray; spread meat mixture in dish.  Spread on top of meat mixture the beans and potatoes.  In a large bowl, mix together the soup, milk, bell pepper, remaining ½ cup onion and Worcestershire; pour mixture over the potatoes, spreading evenly to edges of dish.

Sprinkle the paprika and black pepper over the sauce.  Bake for 1 hour covered with foil; bake uncovered for 15 minutes.  Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Mary Cokenour

You have to post this recipe!

That's what Roy said after having his first helping of my baked salmon and stir fry vegetables. Hey, who am I to argue with a happy man? So, thank Roy for these recipes, and here they are:

Sunday Evening Salmon

Gave it this name simply because it is an easy recipe to make for a Sunday evening, and don’t want to make anything complicated.

Ingredients:

2 lb side of salmon, skinless and bones removed

1 tsp Chinese 5 spice, divided in half

½ tsp sea salt, divided in half

6 Tbsp teriyaki sauce, divided in half

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray a jelly roll pan with nonstick spray.

First side of salmon, sprinkle half Chinese 5 spice and sea salt over fish; pour 3 Tbsp of teriyaki sauce over fish and massage into flesh.  Flip over, repeat on other side.

Place fish onto jelly roll pan and bake for 20 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Possible side dishes:

Fried rice

Stir Fry vegetables in ginger-garlic sauce

Vegetable Ramen noodles

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ginger-Garlic Sauce for Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1/3 cup vegetable stock

2 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp ground ginger

2 Tbsp minced garlic

2 tsp corn starch dissolved in 4 Tbsp water

*optional: 1 tsp of Thai chili sauce, or ¼ tsp ground cayenne

Preparation:

In medium saucepan, on medium-high heat, add stock, fish sauce, vinegar and honey.   As mixture begins to bubble, reduce heat to low; whisk in ginger, garlic and corn starch liquid (and chili sauce or cayenne pepper if using).  Mixture will thicken in about 1 minute; remove from heat.

Makes sauce to coat 3 cups stir fry, or dressing for 4 side salads.

Usage:

Salad dressing – let sauce cool down to warm before using.

Add to hot ingredients such as vegetables or combination of meat, poultry or seafood with vegetables.  After adding sauce, let food cook additional 5 minutes before serving.

Mary Cokenour

February 27, 2011

A busy day, but well deserved.

Yesterday was certainly a busy day, up at 6:30am, on the road by 8am, and not home again till 9pm. Every six months or so, we travel up to Grand Junction, Colorado and shop till we, literally, feel like dropping. The biggest stop is Sam's Club, where we can stock up on bulk items we use a lot of, especially pet foods. Borders is closing the store in Grand Junction; we found books for ourselves from 20-40% off, and picked up a few items for friends too.

We were also celebrating a personal triumph, so indulged by going to Red Lobster; and it was Lobster Fest!. The meals were terrific, and I'm sure we walked out of there with wings on, for we were both in pig heaven.

Today we are taking a break from everything; a pajama day you might say. Oh, a simple chore has been done here and there, but anything that would take hours will have to wait for another day. Dinner is going to be baked salmon with teriyaki vegetables as a side; nothing complicated.

Since we did have lobster yesterday, I'm going to leave you with a simple recipe to try out:

Lobster Newburg

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp butter
½ cup each diced red bell pepper and onion
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
¼ tsp each paprika and nutmeg
3 Tbsp dry sherry
2 cups half n’ half
Pinch ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp crushed dry parsley
1 lb cooked lobster meat (if not available, use imitation lobster)
8 slices (1/4” thick) toasted Italian bread

Preparation:
In a large skillet, medium heat, sauté bell pepper and onion until softened. Stir in flour, paprika, nutmeg and sherry completely; continue stirring as half n’ half is added; bring to boil.

Add cayenne pepper, parsley and lobster meat; let cook for 5 minutes. Spoon mixture over toasted bread.

Makes 8 servings.


Mary Cokenour

There’s a Monkey in our house.

We have a Monkey in our house who wears a cat suit. Confused? Monkey is our orange and white Maine Coon cat; he’s 18 lbs, his most distinctive marking is the orange yin/yang symbol surrounding his nose, and he’s very mischievous and adorable. He’s a pure bundle of a loving and fun feline covered in layers of long, soft fur. Why the name Monkey? Well, he told us his name, and so that is what we call him. When he was first adopted, the folks that owned him before called him Pumpkin, but he never would respond to it. One day he was being a mischief maker, Roy said to him, “you are a little monkey, aren’t you”; Monkey stopped whatever he was doing, looked at Roy and gave this meow, as if saying, “why of course I am, that’s my name” We changed his name to Monkey, and he’s been happy with it ever since.

Here’s a bit of information on his breed: The Maine Coon is a breed of domestic cat with a distinctive physical appearance. It is one of the oldest natural breeds in North America, specifically native to the state of Maine, where it is the official State Cat.

Although the Maine Coon's exact origins and date of introduction to the United States are unknown, many theories have been proposed. The breed was popular in cat shows in the late 19th century, but its existence became threatened when long-haired breeds from overseas were introduced in the early 20th century. The Maine Coon has since made a comeback and is now one of the most popular cat breeds in the world.

Maine Coons are one of the largest breeds of domestic cat. Males weigh anywhere between 15 and 25 lbs with females weighing between 10 and 15 lbs. The height of adults can vary between 10 and 16 in and they can reach a length of up to 40 in, including the tail, which can reach lengths of up to 14 in and is long, tapering, and heavily furred, almost resembling a raccoon's tail. The body is solid and muscular, which is necessary for supporting their own weight and the chest is broad. Maine Coons possess a rectangular body shape and are slow to physically mature; their full potential size is normally not reached until they are around three or four years old.

So, in honor of our Monkey, here’s a recipe with a tropical flare. No, our Monkey doesn’t really like to eat fruit, but he does enjoy lettuce; his favorite is Romaine. Yep, he’s a strange one, and that is probably why he fits in with our family so well.

Tropic Fruit Dessert Pizza

Ingredients:

1 (12”) premade pizza crust
1 cup powdered sugar
4 Tbsp banana extract
2 Navel oranges, peeled and cut into ¼” slices
1 small pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into ¼” slices
1 pint ripe strawberries, tops removed
1 banana, cut into ¼” slices

Garnish

¼ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup toasted coconut
Vanilla ice cream

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400F. Place premade pizza crust onto pizza pan, or nonstick cookie sheet.

In a small bowl, create a “sauce” by mixing together the cup of powdered sugar with banana extract; spread evenly on pizza crust almost to edge. Beginning near the edge, arrange alternating slices of oranges and pineapple; continue to the center. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until fruit begins to caramelize; remove from oven.

Place a strawberry, cut side down, into center of each pineapple ring; place a banana slice in center of each orange slice. Sprinkle ¼ cup powdered sugar and toasted coconut evenly over pizza. Cut into 8 slices and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour
June 10, 1996