Coffee, Sour Cream and Cake.

The UPS delivery truck just delivered my newest order from PapaNicolas.com...COFFEE!!! My favorite flavors were in the box: French Vanilla, Vanilla Nut Creme, French Caramel Creme and Toasted Southern Pecan; and I quickly filled up my Tupperware containers with this precious commodity. Now, what little tidbit can I have with my freshly brewed cup of Toasted Southern Pecan coffee? Looking round the kitchen, the answer was...nothing; no cookies, no cake for I did no fresh baking this past weekend. Shame on me, I know.

Quick scramble, what can I bake and it doesn't take a lot of work, nor time to make? Hmmm, coffee....cake.....coffee cake!!! I'm making nachos this week, so have sour cream on hand, so let's put it all together, well without the nachos and make one such sweet dish; a sour cream coffee cake.

Nirvana is now mine...enjoy yours.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ cups light brown sugar
½ tsp salt
1 cup softened butter
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp each ground cinnamon and nutmeg
½ cup sour cream
1 large egg, beaten

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F; spray an 8” x 8” baking dish with nonstick baking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, salt and butter until crumbly; set aside 1 ½ cups. To the remaining crumb mixture, add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Spread mixture evenly into the baking dish; spread the 1 ½ cups set aside over top of the mixture. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly from center. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Makes 9 servings.

Mary Cokenour
September 1997

Don't throw that sauce away!

Did you ever make a recipe that centered around some type of sauce or gravy? Did you ever have a lot left over, but didn't know what to do with it, so threw it out? At the time you probably thought, "what I am going to do with this; it's not like I'm going to use it again." Why not? Granted, sauces and gravies that have dairy in them will not freeze well and when reheated will separate and/or curdle. Not so with freshly made pasta sauces chock full of tomatoes and other vegetables; even if it's only as little as 2 cups worth. They freeze well and can be reheated easily for use as is, or incorporated into other recipes.

Take for example my recipe for Chicken Cacciatore; guaranteed there will always be extra sauce left over and I freeze it for future use. I might use it to create Chicken Cacciatore again; or do a simplfied quickie version. Today was one of those "I need something" quick days and it only took 3 main ingredients, plus a little olive oil and garlic.

First I put on a large pot of salted water, high heat,to bring to a boil. That was for the 1 lb bag of frozen cheese tortellini I was going to make. Secondly, I cut up 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves into bite sized pieces and sprinkled a tablespoon of fine sea salt over the pieces. On the stove I had ready a large skillet with 3 Tbsp of olive oil and 1 Tbsp of minced garlic which was heating on medium heat. The chicken went into the skillet to brown in the oil/garlic mixture.

Big deal you might be saying, so how is this all going to come together for something simple and tasty? What I had waiting on the side was a 2 cup container of leftover chicken cacciatore sauce which I had defrosted overnight. Ok, chicken is nicely browned in the skillet; tortellini is floating in the water; strain the pasta and put it into the skillet; add the sauce and let it all cook together for 10 mintues.

Four servings of absolute deliciousness; and took just a little effort. Between the prep work and the actual cooking; about 30 minutes; not bad I'd say. So next time you have a couple of cups of sauce left over, don't throw it out because it just might make that quickie skillet dinner you just needed to make.

Mary Cokenour

Get Porked!!!

Back on March 9th, I did a post about pork called Pig Heaven and mentioned a technique called brining. Simply, the pork is placed in a salt water bath to help tenderize the meat, and to help open up the tissues of the meat to absorb seasonings. Pork roast itself can become tough when cooked and any flavor is usually on the outside of the meat itself. That is usually why the pork is cut up into slices or chunks before using; the smaller surface allows for greater coverage, and, therefore, flavoring.

I had found some small pork roasts on sale at the market, so decided to pick up a two pounder to try the brine method out on. The real test would be my husband, Roy, for I have not found a pork recipe he likes yet; well, except for my ribs that is; this was also another way for me to play with more Southwestern flavors. I am happy to say that hubby enjoyed this new dish and actually was looking for seconds - that is until he remembered we still had some bread pudding in the fridge.

Spicy Pork Stew


Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless pork roast, trimmed of fat
water
2 Tbsp fine sea salt
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” cubes
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
1 (15.5 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup green onion, ½ “pieces
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles (medium heat)
1 Tbsp each minced garlic, dried crushed oregano and New Mexico chile powder
2 Tbsp paprika
1 cup beef broth
Sour cream

Preparation:

Place the pork roast in a plastic container, add enough water to cover and sprinkle the salt into the water. Cover the container and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Next day, set a 4 qt crock pot on low and place all other ingredients, except sour cream, on list inside; mix together. Take the pork roast out of the salt water and immerse into the crock pot. Cover and let cook for 8 hours. Before serving, take roast out, shred and return meat to the crock pot. Serve stew with a dollop of sour cream.

Makes 6 servings.

Mary Cokenour
August 24, 2011

Turkey is not just for special occasions.

Now Roy and I wander around what is called the Four Corners area; basically where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet in some fashion. On our travels we like to try new places to have a meal and I'll write a review about it for my Restaurant Review page on this blog. While we love to try new dishes, we also test the merit of a restaurant by old favorites; in other words, if a restaurant can mess up something simple, then it's not worth the time nor money to go there.

Now I truly enjoy roasted turkey and my fave two ways of having it is either as a turkey club or a hot open face; both sandwiches in case you didn't know. I expect real roasted turkey just like the type you would get when carving up the turkey on Thanksgiving Day (American holiday that occurs in November). What am I getting though? Cold cut style pressed turkey...if I wanted cold cuts, I would have gone to the nearest Subway or purchased the meat from the deli section of the supermarket. I even ask the waiter or waitress, "is it made with real roast turkey or cold cut style turkey?" The response is always "real roasted turkey", but the item in the sandwich is always "cold cut style pressed turkey". So I have asked why and the answer is usually, "there's no call for it, folks are happy with what we serve or we don't have time to always serve the real stuff." Seriously? No call for real roasted turkey...I hate to think what they serve for the holiday itself then.

Sunday I decided to make a roasted turkey; a 12 lb beauty stuffed with our family's handed down through the generations stuffing. First I gave the turkey a bath in cold water making sure to pull out any missed feathers; and seasoned the inside and outside with a liberal amount of fine sea salt. After stuffing the turkey, I trussed it up, so the stuffing would not come out; and coated the skin with a mixture of melted butter and olive oil. Into the roasting pan it went with aluminum foil over top, so it would not brown too quickly and/or burn the skin. The oven setting was 350F and it would take 5 hours to get the turkey and stuffing to the properly cooked temperature and consistency.

The first 3 hours, the turkey was left alone, but then I took off the aluminum foil; gave it another basting of melted butter and olive oil; and left the bird uncovered. I repeated the basting an hour later and by the time the end of the 5th hour, the turkey was beautifully browned.

I served it with homemade mashed potatoes, gravy and mixed vegetables in a butter sauce. No, I was certainly not going the healthy meal route....I wanted a good old fashioned turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

The slices of turkey were so moist, you could see the juices flowing; the stuffing was also moist and so flavorful. Sorry though, I will not be sharing my stuffing recipe; it's a family secret that will be passed onto my son whenever he feels ready to have a turkey dinner of his own making.

Now before I forget, the turkey did come with the neck, heart, liver and kidneys tucked inside. Those were generously given to the garden shed cats, so they didn't have to worry about field mouse or bird hunting for awhile. Lets say that they had a very long and contented sleep in the grass after that meal.

Having a craving for real roasted turkey, don't deny yourself by waiting until Thanksgiving Day.

Mary Cokenour

Red Lobster is a feast in New Mexico.

Red Lobster

3451 E. Main Street
Farmington, NM, 87401

(505) 325-5222

                                                  Website: www.redlobster.com/

Main Street in Farmington is a busy and congested roadway on a Saturday; after all the shopping is done, a meal in a local restaurant is much desired.  Getting there by 4:30pm for dinner, there was already a wait list of approximately 30 minutes, but we were seated within 20 minutes.  Our waiter, Eddie, was quick to take our drink order and left us to look over the menu, including the new specials for "Crab Fest".

For appetizers, we decided on the Crab Stuffed Mushrooms; mushroom caps stuffed with chunks of crab meat and smothered in cheese.

Also the Parmesan Crab Dip; shredded crab in a creamy sauce and encrusted in a parmesan cheese layer; thin pieces of toast for either dipping in the crab mixture, or spread on with a knife.

Hubby and I were not in the mood for cracking crab legs, even though they looked very tempting, but opted for easier to eat meals. He had the Steak and Shrimp Oscar; a tender steak topped with shrimp and asparagus in a lobster cream sauce.

I decided to have the Wood Grilled Lobster Tail, Shrimp and Scallops; all perfectly cooked with the seafood succulent and seasoned well. The rice pilaf which came with the dish was moist and flavorful; the broccoli steamed, but still having a crunch to it.

Our waiter continued to be attentive, making sure our drink glasses were always filled, and that the food was very much to our liking. As much as we would have liked to have dessert, we were very content and happy with the appetizers and dinners we had just enjoyed.

Overall, the staff and atmosphere of this Red Lobster made us feel welcome and comfortable; a most definite "come back to" place.

Mary Cokenour

Remembering Childhood Comforts.

There is a thunderstorm brewing and I am suddenly taken back to a childhood memory. During such storms, I would put 4 chairs in a square formation, throw a large blanket over them and pretend to be camping outdoors. I would have my favorite stuffed animals as company, a flashlight to light the interior, books to read and a large bowl of one of my grandmother's home cooked meals. It could be spaghetti and meatballs, shrimps in sauce, or one of her many delicious soups. Whatever it was, it was wonderful and I would always sneak out of my tent (between thunderclaps) to get a second bowl.

Happy childhood memories are few for me and they almost all seem to revolve around food in some way. No wonder really, as food is comforting in itself. It fools you into believing that all is right with the world, well for that moment at least; and later on, if need be, the memory of it can soothe an unpleasant moment in time.

My grandmother's cooking was able to provide me with, not just comforting moments, but comforting memories to help me later on. One such dish was her Paste E Fagioli; a wonderful dish of beans, meat and pasta in a flavorful broth. The steam rising up from the bowl, so fantasy figures could be picked out, much like one would do when watching the clouds in the sky. The storm is passing as I write this, so I better get back to my Pasta E Fagioli before the wonderous memory passes also.

Pasta E Fagioli

A traditional Italian soup, its name meaning “pasta and beans”. While it is usually made without meat, ground beef or sausage can be used in the recipe.  My grandmother made this soup in a large soup pot on the stove, but I have converted it for cooking in a crock pot.

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground beef
1 large onion, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1 (14 ½ oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can tomato puree
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 (16 oz) cans white kidney beans (Great Northern), drained and rinsed
1 qt beef stock
3 tsp oregano
2 tsp ground black pepper
4 Tbsp dried parsley
¼ tsp cayenne pepper flakes
8 oz ditilini pasta, cooked

Preparation:

In large skillet, brown meat till no pink shows; drain grease.

Spray 6qt crock pot with non-stick spray. Mix together meat and all ingredients except the pasta. Set on low heat and cook for 7 hours; add in pasta and cook another 15 minutes before serving. If desired, grated parmesan cheese can be sprinkled on top of each serving.

Makes 12 - 14 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Classic Comfort - The Tuna Noodle Casserole

You can go back for generations and you'll find a recipe for this classic comfort food - the tuna noodle casserole. Tuna, egg noodles, peas (sometimes a peas and carrots mix), and a sauce made from scratch or using a cream soup such as celery, mushroom or a combination of both. It can be quickly mixed together, baked in no time and a real fill-you-upper kind of meal. It was especially found in households that practiced the "fish on Friday" requirement of some religions. While some children won't eat fish, the majority won't turn down tuna fish (the canned variety, not the fresh type).

The food companies even tried capitalizing on the love of this basic dish by selling a boxed skillet version which contained a packet of dry sauce and peas mix and a packet of noodles; just add tuna and water...bingo, bango...tuna casserole in a skillet. No, sorry, I don't think so; it's not that hard to make it from a recipe and use the oven to make a proper casserole.

There's comfort food and then there's "I'm really lazy food"; for me, I'll go the comfort route any time.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

 Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup each diced celery, onion and mushroom 

1 can (5 oz) chunk light tuna in water; undrained and flaked

1 can (5 oz) albacore white tuna in water; undrained and flaked

1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup

1 can (10.5 oz) cream of celery soup

1 cup milk

1 cup frozen peas or peas/carrots mix

8 ounces noodles, cooked and drained

1/2 cup bread crumbs mixed with 2 Tbsp melted butter

Preparation:

In a large skillet, medium-high heat, melt butter; sauté celery, onion and mushroom until tender.  Combine this in a large mixing bowl with all other ingredients except the buttered bread crumbs.  Spread evenly in the baking dish; top with the buttered bread crumbs.

Bake for 30-35 minutes; until bread crumbs are browned and sauce is bubbling.

Makes 6 servings.

Mary Cokenour

August 18, 1982