Recipes Clippings........Are they overflowing a drawer????

I love to cook!!! I am forever saving recipes...and when I say 'forever', I mean that I had recipes going back to the 80's.  I decided I had to get them under control... so, after a lot of thought, I decided to find them online and make a cookbook where it would be easy to add to,as well as a recipe easy to find.

As I began to see if they were online after that length of time, I was very surprised that 98% of them were.  SHOCK!  Over the first hurdle!  After doing hundreds of spreadsheets in 30 years of purchasing, MS Excel seemed a logical place to start.  The 'sheets' at the bottom became category tabs; each 'sheet' was given the same format of 3 column....(1)main ingredient (2) actual name of recipe (3) link to website.  I originally sorted alphabetically by column 1, but now I just insert a new recipe where it should be.  If I changed the recipe, I try to make notes but I can't highlight the 'note' portion of the cell in Google Sheets in order for it to standout...still thinking about how I'll do the 'notes'.

In the last few months, I have moved the 'cookbook' into Google Drive and it's much easier to work....'cause one tab is the cookbook and the next tab is my Google/Chrome search. Much better than working between Excel and Chrome.  Besides, I can pull it up on my phone wherever I am AND now, instead of printing it off, I simply follow the recipe from the phone.  EasyPeasy!!!!!!  Oh, I know....I can do the latter just by using MS One Drive....but I'm a Google person. :)

Salmon	Pan Roasted Salmon on Horseradish Potatoes	http://www.cooking.com/recipes-and-more/recipes/pan-roasted-salmon-on-horseradish-potatoes-recipe-813.aspx#axzz2dIyGqaGF
Salmon	Pan Roasted Salmon w/Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette	http://www.cooking.com/recipes-and-more/recipes/pan-roasted-salmon-with-citrus-balsamic-vinaigrette-recipe-2965.aspx#axzz2dIyGqaGF
Salmon	Plank Roasted Salmon w/Shallot Red Pepper Marmalade & Vidalia onions	http://www.cooking.com/recipes-and-more/recipes/plank-roasted-salmon-with-shallot-red-pepper-marmalade-and-vidalia-onions-recipe-5049.aspx#axzz2dIyGqaGF
Salmon - canned	Salmon Dill Cakes	http://www.dizzybusyandhungry.com/salmon-dill-cakes/
Scallops	Seared Sea Scallops with Orange-Basil Sauce (Note: Orig. printed in Traditional Home Nov. 2007)	http://www.familycookbookproject.com/view_recipesite.asp?rid=2767267&uid=99754&sid=256393
Shrimp	Fleur-De-Lis Salad	http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/fleur-de-lis-salad-10000000604692/
Shrimp	Grilled Shrimp & Zucchini Couscous with Feta & Mint	http://www.recipe.com/grilled-shrimp-and-zucchini-couscous-with-feta-and-mint/
Snapper, Bluefish or Cod	Grilled Fish with Caper-Herb Salsa and Corn	http://www.recipe.com/grilled-fish-with-caper-herb-salsa-and-corn/
Tuna	Pan Fried Tuna Steaks With Pico De Gallo Recipe	http://cookeatshare.com/recipes/pan-fried-tuna-steaks-with-pico-de-gallo-373675
Tuna	Tuscan Tuna-and-Bean Sandwiches	http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Tuscan-Tuna-and-Bean-Sandwiches-234263

Of course, my actual columns aren't this narrow on the 'Sheet'  shown above.   LOL

Here's hoping that you, too, can clean out those clippings into something usable.  Please make comments and give me your thoughts or tell me if you try my method....or...(dreaded thought) say if you Hate It.  :)

Taboli..or...Tabouli...or..Tabouleh...or Tabbouleh

Taboli

No matter how one spells it....it's a dish I love.  The Bishop Brothers in Bristow, OK have been packaging bulgar wheat for over 40 years.  For a lot of those years I tried various recipes and bought it pre-made at various places.  It would either be too acidic or too much parsley...you get the point.  Then I bought Taboli Wheat by the Bishop Brothers and the recipe on the back was the perfect blend for my palate.

The recipe is actually for 16 os. of bulgur wheat...but half that amount supplies me with several days of good eating. What follows is their recipe.......cut in half!

Today I had to fight off the honey bees from down the street who LOVE the flowers on my oregano to get to my fresh Italian parsley...but well worth it.  When I ran my knife through the pile of parsley it sounded like someone taking a bite of a crisp apple.  After chopping it FINELY, I used several paper towels to wrap it in and squeezed water through the 'bundle' to remove excess chlorophyll so my taboli wouldn't have green hues.  :)  Remember to remove all the insides of the tomatoes...no one wants a watery taboli....and take the time to chop all veggies finely....no one wants a big piece of tomato or onion with nothing else on the fork.     'No One', you understand, is ME.   lol

Old Fashioned Recipe  (using 8 oz. of bulgur wheat)

Pour 8 oz. of  Whole Grain Bulgur Wheat into large tea strainer, rinse and drain wheat.  Put wheat in a large bowl.

Add oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir Well.

 1 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Pepper

1/2 cup Lemon Juice

1/2 cup Oil....I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Then add:

1 1/4 cups Finely Chopped Parsley

1/2 cup Finely Chopped Onion

1 3/4 cups Finely Chopped Tomatoes (cored & seeded)

Add chopped veggies, mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, stirring a few times.

Suggestion: Add 1 bunch green onions, or 1 Tbls mint or 1 finely chopped cucumber or any vegetable of your choice.

Here's what you get for your effort........................

YUM, YUM!!!!!

Mulligatawny Soup and Cornbread Will Take Off The Chill Of A Fall Day

Fall has genuinely come to Northeast Oklahoma.  For me, it means lots of gorgeous colors in all our hardwood trees and a soup or stew or chili simmering on the stove with a pan of cornbread in the oven.  Thought I'd share Mulligatawny Soup with readers.  Because of the curry, I've thought it had roots in India, but my Sister-in-Law served this soup after they has lived in Johannesburg, South Africa for 2 years.  The bottom line.....it's delicious!

To begin with, I like to stew my own chicken and stock and freeze for future use.   If I purchase those items, I pull the chicken from a rotisserie chicken and use Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock.  

MULLIGATAWNY SOUP   

Serves 8

1 cup  Onion, diced

2 each  Carrots, diced

4 stalks  Celery, finely chopped

1/2 cup  Butter (1 stick)

Melt butter in large pan.
Saute onion, carrot & celery until lightly browned

6 Tsp. Flour
3 Tsp. Curry Powder

Remove from heat and stir in flour

and curry powder until well blended.

Return to heat and cook for 3 min.stirring constantly

2 quarts Chicken Stock

Add Chicken stock and simmer, 

covered, for 30 minutes.

1 cups Cooked Chicken

Add: Chicken

Hint: I freeze the chicken in 2 cup portions, then when slightly thawed, I run my knife across in a crisscross manner and it cuts in small pieces. 

           

2 cups  Cooked Rice

         (1 cup Min.Rice + 1 cup water)              

2 each  Granny Smith apples, 

          cored & roughly chopped

2 Pinches Thyme, dried

2 tsp. Salt                                           

1 tsp. Pepper                                        

Then add: Cooked Rice, Apples, Thyme, Salt &  Pepper and simmer for 14 minutes longer

1 cup Heavy Cream, heated slightly        

Add the heated cream. Stir in and serve.

Cornbread

1/4 cup Flour, siifted

1 1/4 cups Corn Meal

1 Tbl Sugar

3 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

3 Tbls Shortening

1 egg

1 cup + 2 Tbls  Milk

Mix Flour, Cornmeal, Sugar, Baking Powder and Salt in bowl...whisking it all together and then measure the Shortening and add to top of dry ingredients.  

Beat together the Egg and Milk in separate bowl.

Add about 2 Tbls Butter to an iron skillet and put in oven preheated to 450 degrees. 

       

                                                                                           

 It is important not to mix the liquid into the dry ingredients sooner, because it will start rising in the bowl and you don't want that to happen in order to have a 'high' cornbread.

While the butter in melting and the skillet is getting hot, beat the liquid into the dry ingredients until smooth. I use a whisk.

When the butter is bubbling nicely in the skillet take out and pour in the batter.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or whenever the tester pulls out clean.  Immediately turn upside down on a plate.

Serve. Yummmmmm!      

I always run a long narrow spatula under the cornbread so the crispy crust doesn't stay in the skillet.  If any does....I just lay in where it came from and it still looks OK. :) :) :)                                

Stawberry Freezer Jam......YUM YUM!

When the children were small, we had a vegetable garden and fruit trees.  My husband loved to till the garden and plant...but I loved to preserve the bounty that garden provided.  I mean...I loved every part of that process.   I cut corn from the ears and froze it, made chili sauce, kosher style dill pickles, sweet gerkins, canned tomatoes, a great pear relish...you get the picture.  But at my age, not even sterilizing the jars thrills me.

However, every year a friend of Roger's that sells to restaurants is in a contest to sell the most flats of Driscoll strawberries.  Being a native Californian, he thinks Driscolls are the only ones to have and wanting to help her he buys several flats and gives them to neighbors, etc.  This year he gave me two flats instead of one.  In years past, I could easily consume one flat in salads, with cereal, etc;  But two......hummmmm.  I'd heard about freezer jam so I began to look for a recipe on the 'puter.  As it turned out, the one on the SureJell site seemed the best and I thought they probably knew more about it that anyone, so decided to give it a try.

The recipe was simple...containers, berries, sugar and SureJell.  In order not to have to sterilize or have glass in my freezer, I opted for Rubbermaid Take Alongs, which have screw tops and are freezer safe.  The following photos will 'tell the tale'.  :)

 The Recipe:
 1 quart strawberries, stemmed, cut in quarters and crushed equaling 2 cups crushed berries
 4 cups sugar
 1 box SureJell

Ready, Set, GO

1 quart berries, stemmed,cored & quartered

Crushed and 2 cups measured out

Add 4 cups granulated sugar

Mix well and let stand for 10 min, stirring occasionally

Stir 1 box SureJell and 3/4 cup water in small saucepan,bring to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 min, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat

Stir pectin mixture into fruit, Stir Constantly until sugar in completely dissolved and no longer grainy, about 3 minutes. (a few sugar crystals may remain)

Ready to portion

I put about 1 1/3 cups into each clean container

 When the product is cool, screw on the lids and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours.  Then you can freeze for 1 year or put in refrigerator    for 3 weeks.                     

ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!

                 
Of course 2 days after freezing I just had to put one in the frig to thaw and  the next day had some on a piece of toast.                                               

I can think of several ways to use this jam.....if you try it, you will too.  Now I'm looking forward to the Oklahoma Blueberries, Blackberries and Peaches being ripe so I can do it all over again.   I even believe when my jalapeno chilis get ready I'll make some freezer jelly to put over a block of cream cheese.  :)

Cooking and Freezing for One........

When you love to cook but live alone.......here is my solution.....

In my last post, I mentioned cleaning my freezer and cooking for one.....most of the time.  I love to cook...from scratch... and when my husband passed away, for the first time in my entire life, I was living alone, cooking for one. But that didn't deter me! I still make a meat loaf, cook an entire pork loin, mashed potatoes, saute big bags of spinach, make a pot of beans, etc. But now, I portion it out, wrap it up and either vacuum seal it or put the portions in a freezer bag (depending on how often I anticipate getting into the bags. Meats and veggies are put into 4 oz. portions.

Portions of Roast Beef with gravy and Mashed Potatoes                    

                      














If I vacuum seal the food, I leave an extra inch for each time I think I'll open it so I can then re-vacuum the bag.

     
Portions of a Spanish Rice Casserole vacuum sealed

With the meat loaf, I slice it, freeze on a sheet pan, then I can put frozen slices in a freezer bag and they don't stick together so I can get the number I slices I need.


When I buy 2 pounds of bacon, I freeze packets....lay a strip of bacon on a long piece of plastic wrap, then make one turn so that the next strip goes against the film, turn again and repeat. I put them into 4 slice packets because that is perfect for a sandwich, but if I want 2 slices for breakfast, they pop away from the film with the tip of a knife. Then, I put all the packets in a freezer bag.


I'll triple my pancake or waffle recipe, put time on a sheet pan to freeze them and then put in a freezer bag.

  Pancakes and Waffles

 


That way I can take out a couple, microwave on a lesser 'power' and have wonderful pancakes that taste like they are right off the griddle. :) I do the pre-freezing for muffins as well.


What's left of my Lemon-Blueberry Muffins (recipe in my cookbook on this Blog)

When I bake breads.....I love having English Muffin bread in the freezer for toasting and making French Toast...I slice the bread prior to putting in a freezer bag set it in the bag as a loaf, and the slices will just pop apart.


I even bake a banana cake in a 9 x 9  pan, add a butter cream frosting, freeze it, then pop it out of the pan and place in a large freezer bag.  When company comes, I pop it back into the pan to thaw, and it's just like it was baked fresh that day.


If I make soups, I will put everything in the soup except the potatoes or rice. Then when I reheat it, I add those into the soup


For the fresh veggies to accompany all this, I have fallen in love with the Zip Steamers. Just put an amount of veggies in the bag....you can put in 2 or 3 kinds.....place in the microwave for the minutes recommended.....no longer that 6 or 7 for anything....no water....and the veggies taste great. For the amount of asparagus for one I'll only cook for 1.5-2 min. I like my veggies crisp.


Soooo... if you cook for one and really love to cook, as I do, then go ahead....cook up a storm....and then you can open the freezer door and it's like going to a restaurant....You can say ... "what shall I have for breakfast" or "Now, what do I feel like eating tonight"....and Voila! there it is....home cooked and delicious! Once you get used to thinking this way, you'll be surprised at what you'll begin to cook.


As Porky Pig always said...Tha-Tha-That's All Folks! :)
Tillie

Lemon Blueberry Muffins from Cooking Light

I've made these for several years...they aren't real sweet and great with a cup of coffee or tea for breakfast. They are a TRUE muffin....by that I mean they are not a cupcake. Muffins should be heavier and more coarse than cupcakes and that's done in the blending process. With muffins, you blend the dry ingredients, add the liquid ingredients, which you have already blended; and  FOLD in fruit and/or nut additions. So here goes...

• 2  cups  all-purpose flour                  
  
• 1/2  cup  sugar
• 1  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 1/4  cup  butter
• 1 1/4  cups  low-fat buttermilk
• 1  large egg
• 1  tablespoon  grated lemon rind
• 1  cup  blueberries
• Cooking spray
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
• 1/2  cup  powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees   Yield :   12 reg. muffins or 6 large muffins

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (flour through nutmeg) in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Combine buttermilk, egg, and rind; stir well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moist. Gently fold in blueberries.

Spoon batter into 12 (or 6 LARGE) muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until the muffins spring back when lightly touched. (the large one took about 23 min) Remove muffins from pans immediately, and place on a wire rack to cool.

Combine lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze evenly over cooled muffins.

 Getting ready...zest the lemon, squeeze lemon for glaze, blend dry ingred. with a whip then cut in butter

Everything ready to blend.

blend the liquids, pour into dry ingredients and stir just until all dry ingred. are wet.  Then GENTLY fold in blueberries.  You don't want to MIX the whole thing. This day I'm trying 2 different shaped pans.  A normal muffin cup hold 1/2 cup batter, but I wanted some like they have at Starbucks.  Both pans hold 1 cup of batter...left is shorter and wider from a restaurant supply; right is taller (Wilton from Target). I put a scant 3/4 cup batter in each cup.

They're done!

Pic with 2 shows the restaurant supply on left,Wilton from Target on right.  the bottom picture is very close to show how coarse the muffin is...and should be

Let me get you a cup of coffee........or tea.........Yum!

Grandma's Lazy Daisy Cake

2 Each Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Milk
3 Tbls Butter

Topping
4 Tbls Butter
5 Heaping Tbls Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Coconut
3 Tbls Canned Milk

1. Beat eggs until thick & lemon colored. Add sugar and dry ingredients. Bring milk & butter to boiling point. Add to mixture. Pour into small oblong pan or 9" square. Bake at 350 for 20-30 min.

2. While cake is baking, heat topping mixture. Pour over cake immediately when removed from oven. Put back under broiler until topping is light-medium brown.