Friday, September 30, 2022

Wendy's Chilli


 Another Fast Food Recipe.


INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds fresh ground beef 

1 quart tomato juice 

1 (29-ounce) can tomato purée 

1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained 

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained 

1 medium-large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups) 

1/2 cup diced celery 

1/4 cup diced green bell pepper 

1/4 cup chili powder (use less for milder chili) 

1 teaspoon ground cumin (use more for real flavor) 

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 

1/2 teaspoon sugar 

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper


DIRECTIONS:


In a large skillet, brown the ground beef. 

Drain off the fat. Put the beef and the remaining ingredients in a 6-quart pot. 

Cover the pot and let the chili simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. 

You can also cook this in a slow cooker on low for 3 to 4 hours.

ENJOY!

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

KFC Secret Chicken Recipe


 

This photo speaks for itself...I really don't know if this is the secret recipe...but the end results looks delicious. Check it out!


INGREDIENTS:

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces 

3 beaten eggs 

4 tablespoons oil

 For the coating 

2 cups flour 

4 teaspoons paprika 

1 teaspoons salt 

1 teaspoon pepper 

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (or chicken stock powder) 

1 teaspoon oregano 

1 teaspoon tarragon 

1 teaspoon parsley 

1/2 teaspoon thyme 

1 teaspoon chives 

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/2 teaspoon onion powder 

1/2 teaspoon celery salt


DIRECTIONS:


Sift flour and add together all the coating ingredients and grind finely with a mortar and pestle and place in a clean plastic bag.

 Coat each chicken piece first with the beaten egg, then with the flour mixture in the bag. 

Make sure you coat each piece completely with the flour. 

Heat the oil in a skillet. Brown the chicken in oil slowly, uncovered.

 Once browned, cover the skillet and keeping frying on a very gentle heat until the chicken is fully cooked. 

Place on paper towels to drain out the excess.

ENJOY!

Monday, September 26, 2022

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza


 Can you believe there is a recipe for this? 

INGREDIENTS:

For the Dough: 

3¼ cups all-purpose flour 

½ cup yellow cornmeal 

1½ teaspoons salt 

2 teaspoons sugar 

2¼ teaspoons instant yeast 

1¼ cups water, room temperature 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 

1 teaspoon + 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 

For the Sauce: 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

¼ cup grated onion 

¼ teaspoon dried oregano 

½ teaspoon salt 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 

¼ teaspoon sugar 

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

Freshly ground black pepper 

For the Toppings: 

1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 4 cups) 

(Pepperoni) 

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese


DIRECTIONS:


Make the Dough: Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Add water and melted butter and mix on low speed, using a dough hook, until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping sides and bottom of bowl occasionally. 

Increase speed to medium and knead until the dough is glossy and smooth and pulls away from sides of the bowl, 4 to 5 minutes. (You can easily make this by hand, mixing in the water and butter with a spatula and then kneading by hand.) Coat a large bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil. 

Using a greased spatula, transfer the dough to the bowl, turning to coat the dough in oil; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in volume, 45 to 60 minutes. 

Make the Sauce: 

While dough rises, heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. 

Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar, increase heat to high, and bring to a simmer. 

Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to about 2½ cups, 25 to 30 minutes. 

Off the heat, stir in the basil and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Laminate the Dough: Turn the dough out onto dry work surface and roll into a 15×12-inch rectangle. 

Using an offset spatula, spread the softened butter over the surface of the dough, leaving a ½-inch border along the edges. Starting at the short end, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. 

With seam side down, flatten the cylinder into an 18×4-inch rectangle. 

Cut the rectangle in half crosswise. Working with one half, fold into thirds like a business letter; pinch seams together to form a ball. Repeat with the remaining half. 

Return balls to the oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in refrigerator until nearly doubled in volume, 40 to 50 minutes. 

Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower position and preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 

Bake the Pizzas: Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons of olive oil each. 

Transfer 1 dough ball to dry work surface and roll out into a 13-inch circle. Transfer dough to the pan by rolling the dough loosely around a rolling pin and unrolling into the pan. 

Lightly press dough into the pan, working into corners and 1-inch upsides. 

If dough resists stretching, let it relax for 5 minutes before trying again. 

Repeat with remaining dough ball. For each pizza, sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella evenly over the surface of the dough. (If you’re using any meat or veggie toppings, add them now, on top of the cheese.) 

Spread 1¼ cups tomato sauce over the cheese (or toppings) and sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over the sauce. 

Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. 

Remove pizza from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving. 

ENJOY!

Monday, September 19, 2022

Cajun Shrimp Pasta with Sausage


 I don't eat Shrimp...but this looks delicious....I'll pick the shrimp out!


INGREDIENTS:

½ pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed 

1 andouille sausage, about ½ pound, sliced into rounds 

1 – 2 tablespoons cajun/creole spice mix, adjust to your spice/heat level Olive oil 

½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced 

½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced 

1 teaspoon dried thyme 

1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

1 tablespoon cajun/creole spice mix 

1 teaspoon brown sugar 

1 – 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (1 large or 2 small) 

½ cup crushed tomatoes 

¾ cup chicken broth 

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

¾ cup heavy cream, or ½ & ½ (I prefer heavy cream!!) 

12 ounces fettuccine or farfalle (bowties) 

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper 

Grated Parmesan and chopped parsley, for serving.

DIRECTIONS:


Bring large pot of water to boil for pasta. 

Toss shrimp with 1 – 2 tablespoons of cajun seasoning and coat well. 

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and drizzle bottom of pan with olive oil. 

Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes or so until starting to curl. 

Flip shrimp over and cook another minute or two and then remove to a plate and set aside. 

Drizzle pan with a little more olive oil, add sausage and brown until nicely caramelized, about 4 – 5 minutes. 

Remove to plate, set aside. Add pasta to salted boiling water and cook until al dente, a minute less than package instructions. 

Lower heat to medium and add another good drizzle of olive oil to the pan, add the onion, red bell pepper, thyme, smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning, brown sugar and a generous pinch of salt.

 Sauté until onion and pepper have softened a bit, scraping up any browned bits that you can. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan, simmer a couple minutes.

 Add cream and stir to combine, bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add cooked pasta and andouille sausage and stir to combine and heat through, 2 – 3 minutes.

 Add more chicken broth or cream if it seems dry or you’d like more sauce (I added ¼ cup of each). 

Salt and pepper to taste and then lastly, add blackened shrimp and combine, or place shrimp on top of pasta. 

Sprinkle with some more freshly cracked black pepper, grated Parmesan and chopped parsley. 

Enjoy!

Sunday, September 18, 2022

Fried Potatoes and Onions with Sausage and Peppers


 This is what it claims to be...Some good eating.. Check out the recipe-


INGREDIENTS:

 2 lbs baby red potatoes (you can also use regular red potatoes or gold potatoes), cut into 1 – 1 1/2 inch pieces 

1/2 Tsp Seasoned salt

1/2 Tsp Italian seasoning.

2 Tsp- Olive oil

1 onion, sliced into thick half circles 

1 Red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces 

1 Green Bell Pepper

8 oz smoked sausage or kielbasa (I use smoked Polish kielbasa), cut into 1-inch pieces 

Black pepper to taste

Shredded Parmesan Cheese to garnish (Optional)

8 oz fresh mushrooms (baby Bella, white button, etc.), cut in half or quarters

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: In a large pan, saute the onion in a large spoon of butter over medium heat until the onion is translucent. 

 Step 2: Secondly, cook the onion until it is soft. Take the onion out of the pan and put it aside. 

 Step 3: And in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil until the butter is melted, and add Combine the potatoes, seasoned salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper. 

 Step 4: After that, cover and simmer, turning occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are somewhat softened. 

 Step 5: Then, cook for another 10 minutes after adding the sausage. Combine the onions and peppers in a large skillet and sauté until the peppers are soft crisp.


Step 6: And finally, If using parmesan cheese, sprinkle it over top. 


 Don't Sweat the Techique: 

 Cook the sausage in a separate pan over medium-high heat until it is crisp, while the potatoes are cooking if you like a crisper sausage.

ENJOY!

Saturday, September 17, 2022

Rhubarb Pie


 I've heard this term used on television shows like "The Waltons" and "Matlock" for as long as I can remember and I always thought this was a fictional pie.. I googled it and found out that it is indeed real...There is such a thing as a Rhubarb Pie... And I have a recipe for it.  Enjoy!


INGREDIENTS:

1 cup white sugar

 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

 1 egg 

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

 ½ cup brown sugar 

⅓ cup butter, softened 

2 cups 1-inch pieces rhubarb 

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust


DIRECTIONS:

Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 

 Step 2 Mix white sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, egg, and vanilla in a small bowl until combined. 

 Step 3 Place 3/4 cup flour, brown sugar, and butter in another small bowl; mix until crumbly. 

 Step 4 Place rhubarb into pie crust. Pour white sugar mixture over the rhubarb. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. 

 Step 5 Bake in the preheated oven until filling is bubbly and crust is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

ENJOY!

Food Safety Tips
Protect yourself against food-borne illnesses.


1. Use a "refrigerator thermometer" to keep your food stored at a safe temperature (below 40 degrees fahrenheit).

Cold temperatures slow the growth of bacteria. Ensuring that your refrigerator temperature stays at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of food-borne illness. You can buy a refrigerator/freezer thermometer at appliance stories, home centers (i.e. Home Depot), and kitchen stores including online ones, such as Cooking.com.

2. Defrost food in the refrigerator, the microwave, or in cold water... never on the counter!

Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter for longer than two hours because, while the center of the food may remain frozen, the outer surface may enter the Danger Zone, the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly. If you’re short on time, use the microwave or you can thaw meat and poultry in airtight packaging in cold water. Change the water every half-hour so it stays cold and use the thawed food immediately.

3. Always use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/fish and cooked foods/fresh produce.

Bacteria from uncooked meat, poultry, and fish can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. An important way to reduce this risk is to use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/ fish, and cooked foods/fresh produce.

4. Always cook meat to proper temperatures, using a calibrated instant-read thermometer to make sure.

One effective way to prevent illness is to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, and egg dishes. The USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures are as follows:

* Beef, veal, and lamb (steaks and roasts), fish - 145 degrees fahrenheit

* Pork and ground beef - 160 degrees fahrenheit

* Poultry - 165 degrees fahrenheit.

Cook meats like roasts and steaks to lower temperatures, closer to medium-rare, so that they retain their moisture. It is recommended that those who are at high risk for developing food-borne illness (i.e. pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, or certain chronic illnesses) should follow the USDA guidelines.

5. Avoid unpasteurized/raw milk and cheeses made from unpasteurized milk that are aged less than 60 days.

Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats that has not been pasteurized (heated to a very high temperature for a specific length of time) to kill harmful bacteria that may be present. These bacteria, which include salmonella, E. coli and listeria, can cause serious illness and sometimes even death. The bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems or chronic illnesses. Raw milk cheeses aged 60 days or longer are okay, since the salt and acidity of the cheese-making process make for a hostile environment to pathogens.

6. Never eat "runny" eggs or foods, such as cookie dough, that contain raw eggs.

Even eggs that have clean, intact shells may be contaminated with salmonella, so it’s important to cook eggs thoroughly until both the yolk and the white are firm. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160 degrees fahrenheit and you can use an instant-read food thermometer to check. Eggs should always be cooked fully and those who are at high risk for developing foodborne illness (pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems or certain chronic illnesses should follow the USDA guidelines. If you can’t resist runny eggs or sampling cookie batter, use pasteurized eggs. They’re found near other eggs in large supermarkets.

7. Always wash your hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food and after touching raw meat, poultry, or eggs.

You can pick up a lot of bacteria out in the world, so it’s important to always wash your hands before you eat or prepare food. You should also wash your hands after touching any uncooked meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, as the bacteria from these foods can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. Use soap and warm water and wash thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

8. Always heat leftover foods to 165 degrees fahrenheit.

The USDA recommends heating all cooked leftovers to 165 degrees fahrenheit in order to kill all potentially dangerous bacteria.

9. Never eat meat, poultry, eggs, or sliced fresh fruits and vegetables that have been left out for more than two hours or more than one hour in temperatures hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you leave perishable foods out of the refrigerator or freezer for more than two hours they may enter the Danger Zone—the unsafe temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly.

10. Whenever there’s a food recall, check products stored at home to make sure they are safe.

You should discard any food that’s been recalled because it’s associated with the outbreak of a food-borne illness. But, according to a survey conducted by Rutgers University during the fall of 2008, only about 60% of Americans search their homes for foods that have been recalled because of contamination. For more information on food recalls, visit the website Recalls.gov






Cavier & Vodka
Courtesy of The Lady (Bug) of the Household