Elementary Chef

In honor of the long weekend, I offer you… My Favorite EVER Drink. The Mojito.

2 oz. sweetened lime juice
4 mint leaves
1 sprig of mint
2 oz. Rum
2 oz. club soda

Place the mint leaves into a tall glass and pour the lime juice on top. Gently smash the mint into the lime juice with a muddler (a long wooden device, though you can also use the back of a fork or spoon if one isn’t available). Add ice (preferably crushed) then add the rum and stir, and top off with the club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Mojito, rum, drink recipes

Lentils seem to be extremely popular again, and why not? They’re a perfect food. Lots of protein and nutrients. All natural. Very little fat. Eat ‘em up! Of course, they can be a little boring, and they do take a long time to cook. But with the right recipe and a little time invested (you don’t even have to be present!), you can be lunching on a vegetarian power selection!

Lentil Salad

1/2 lb Lentils; cooked (buy them in a bag, soak them overnight, then cook based on package directions)
1 Onion; diced
1 Garlic clove; pressed
3 c white wine
1 T Basil
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
4 T Parsley
1 T Lemon juice
4 T Oil
1 tomato, raw & diced
Lettuce

Combine lentils, onion, garlic, and wine; simmer three minutes. Remove
from heat; add remaining ingredients. Chill and serve on lettuce
leaves.

lentils, salad, lunch

Because I KNOW you will be grilling over the Labor Day weekend, I’m offering you a new marinade. Personally, I think you should buy a rack of ribs between now and Saturday and give them 24 hours in this. You won’t be disappointed and neither will any guests who come to call!

Bourbon Marinade

1/4 c Bourbon
1/4 c Soy Sauce
1/4 c Dijon Mustard
1/4 c Brown Sugar
1 ea Small onion, chopped fine
1/4 ts Garlic powder
1 dash Worcestershire Sauce *

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, mix well and refrigerate. Use this marinade on all types of meat, chicken, fish, vegetables, etc.

[recipes] marinade, bourbon, ribs [/tags]

Here’s an easy and rewarding summer dessert. I hate to admit this, but I’ve tired of strawberry and blueberry cream-based desserts. I know. I’m going to regret this post in a couple of months, when I can’t GET good fresh fruit… But this weekend, I started craving something a bit different. I’m a coffee addict, so this pie is a natural for me!

Cafe Au Lait Pie

8 oz. cream cheese (1 package) — room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons instant mocha-flavored coffee granules — such as General Foods International Suisse Mocha
1 tub frozen whipped topping (8-ounce) — such as Cool Whip, thawed
1 graham cracker pie shell

In a mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Beat in the instant coffee, then fold in the whipped topping. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and smooth the top (or spread half the filling into the pie shell, then decoratively pipe the remaining half of the filling on top, using a large star tip). Freeze for at least 2 hours before serving. Thaw a few minutes before serving.

coffee, pie, cafe au lait, recipes

This copycat recipe is for Bennigan’s Chicken Salad. The Pineapple is an interesting twist!

Bennigan’s Chicken Salad

1 pounds chicken breast meat — cooked, skinned, boned and diced
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoons pepper
1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1/4 cup toasted almonds
1 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup crushed pineapple — well drained
alfalfa sprouts
whole fresh pineapple for serving — optional

Place chicken in large mixing bowl; add celery and mix. Add remaining ingredients and mix with rubber spatula. To serve in pineapple shell, cut whole pineapple in half lengthwise. Using a grapefruit knife, cut around the inside of the pineapple, leaving about 1/4″ from the edge. Scoop out remaining pineapple. Place a bed of sprouts in the shell; scoop salad mixture on top. Sprinkel with toasted almonds and serve chilled.

recipes, Bennigan’s

Steaming is the latest trend in all things microwave. When I hear steaming, I immediately think of broccoli and cabbage. But today’s steamed dinners comprise meats, veggies, seafood, you name it. So why steam? Because cooking with water and IN water adds no fats to your food!

McCormick has announced a new line of steamer packs. I haven’t seen these in the store yet, but I’m intrigued! Anyone out there tried this yet?

The humble microwave has emerged as the new kitchen darling — the go-to appliance for family dinners. But this familiar kitchen fixture has a new gig: serving as a “steamer” for preparing fast, fresh and flavorful meals.

“Home cooks are falling back in love with steaming — one of the quickest and healthiest ways to cook,” according to registered dietitian Liz Weiss, author of The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers. Steaming maintains more vitamins and minerals in foods than boiling or baking, and it requires no added fat. For seafood, it’s a simple and speedy way to prepare moist and flavorful fish or shrimp. Steaming also leaves more of vegetables’ natural taste, texture and color than any other cooking method.

“Families are no longer satisfied with frozen pizza, take-out or eating out of a box all the time,” Weiss said. “What many crave instead are fresh, nutritious, and easy-to-assemble home-cooked meals. Innovations in the supermarket like steamer bags, portioned seafood and pre-cut veggies help busy families create healthy meals that take minutes to make with minimal clean- up.”

McCormick has added to its successful Veggie Steamers products with a full spectrum of McCormick Steamers, which now includes McCormick Seafood Steamers and McCormick Potato Steamers. These innovative new products conveniently combine a microwave steamer bag along with a packet of seasonings. Simply combine the food with the specially-developed spice and
herb mixture in the bag, close and microwave.

The new steaming line-up includes:

— NEW McCormick Seafood Steamers
- Lemon Garlic
- Garlic Butter

— NEW McCormick Potato Steamers
- Roasted Garlic & Rosemary
- Italian Herb

— McCormick Veggie Steamers
- Garlic & Basil
- Cheddar Cheese

For more information, recipes and photography, visit http://www.mccormick.com.

First, if you buy them in the store, they are, of course, non-poisonous. But for those you find in the woods…. (And mainly, I offer you think because I know your kids, like mine, are just curious!) Sprinkle some salt on the “gills” the spongy part of the mushroom. If it turns YELLOW, it’s poisonous; BLACK, it’s non-poisonous.

Who knew?

mushrooms

I know you’re going to look at this recipe and not believe it will work. But it does! My daughter came home from a friend’s house bragging about the wonderful peanut butter cookies they’d made. I asked her how, and she gave me this recipe. So, I, of course, called the mom. She swore that it would work, too. And we tried it. And it worked! Now, these might not be the BEST cookies you’ve ever tasted, but they’re good. And they’re super easy. A great way for elementary chefs to try out their baking skills!

Peanut Butter Cookies
1 C. sugar
1 C. peanut butter
1 egg

Whisk together sugar and egg. Stir in peanut butter. Drop tablespoon size dollops onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

recipes, cookies

Here’s an easy and quick way to prepare your corn on the cob. Remember how I advised to turn off half your grill when you’re grilling chicken? Use that same trick for grilling corn with your entree.

First, peel back the green husk around the ear of corn, but don’t pull it off. Then, remove the silks from the corn. (These are the strings that are between the green husk and the ear itself.) Lightly salt and/or butter the ear. Carefully re-cover the ear with the green husk leaves. And place on the grill. If you’re putting it directly over the flame, you should wrap the corn in aluminum foil first.

Check the corn after about 5 minutes. It’s hard to time right, since grill heat tends to be variable.

Enjoy with butter, grilled chicken, and home-made icecream for dessert!

corn on the cob, grill, recipes

Here’s a wonderfully easy recipe! It’s a bit fancier than just serving them sliced.

BAKED STUFFED TOMATOES

4 medium tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon margarine
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon snipped fresh basil (1 teaspoon dried basil)
3/4 cup croutons
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley

Cut a 1/2-inch sice from the top of each tomato, discard tops. Scoop out pulp and throw away the seeds. Coarsely chop pulp (should have about 1 cup), and set aside. In a medium skillet cook garlic in margarine for 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato pulp, green pepper, and basil. Cook for 2 minutes or until green-pepper is crisp-tender. Stir in croutons and parsley. Spoon mixture into the tomatoes. Arrange stuffed tomatoes in a 9-inch pie plate. Bake, uncovered, in a 3500 oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through.

Makes 4 servings

tomatoes, recipes

It’s been over a 100 degrees in Alabama for the past 10 days. In honor of the heat, I offer you, the mudslide!

To prepare a mudslide:
1 shot Kahlua
1 shot Baileys
1 shot Vodka (Vanilla Vodka is wonderful)
Lots of ice for the blender

Blend until smooth.

mudslide, heat, drinks, recipes

You just KNOW you can’t go wrong with a breakfast recipe that has the word “Cheesecake” in the title!

Crescent Cheesecake Breakfast

2 packages Crescent dinner rolls
2 8oz packages Cream cheese
1 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cups sugar

Topping:
1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

Butter 9×13 inch pan. Cover bottom of pan with one entire package of crescent rolls (push together sections and roll out to make one piece).

Filling: Whip together cream cheese, vanilla and sugar. Add filling on top of crescent rolls. Cover filling with other package of crescent rolls. Melt butter and cover crescent roll. Mix sugar and cinnamon in one bowl and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. Let cool before serving.

breakfast, cheesecake, recipes

Here’s an easy, easy recipe to start your week. Serve this chicken with rice (I love brown) and a salad for a quick and healthy summer dinner!

Balsamic Marinated Chicken

1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mix all ingredients except chicken in a sealable plastic bag and shake to mix well. Cut the chicken breast lengthwise into several pieces. Place chicken into the bag, seal it. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Grill 8 to 10 minutes until the chicken is fork tender and no pink remains.

grill, chicken, Balsamic vinegar

Really. You can NOT go wrong. This is so popular with kids, that you could serve it at a birthday party. And did I mention it’s EASY!?!

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

1 box of ice cream sandwiches
1 bottle of caramel sauce
1 can of whipped cream (or tub of Cool-Whip)

Arrange one-half of ice cream sandwiches (unwrapped) along the bottom of square baking dish. (Glass looks prettiest.) Pour a generous amount of caramel syrup as a layer over the sandwiches. Stack other half of ice cream sandwiches over the first. Cover with slightly less caramel. Top with whipped cream. Cover dish with plastic wrap. Return entire dish to freezer. Freeze for 2 hours to overnight. Slice and serve.

ice cream, birthday party, caramel

Ice cream pie. What a great way to beat a summer heat wave! I love chocolate and orange in combination. You know those orange-shaped chocolates at Christmas? Love those. So it’s no surprise that I’m in love with this recipe. Try it this weekend!

(By the way, if you don’t like oranges, substitute Raspberry Sherbet!)

Chocolate Orange Pie

1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup (6oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup evaporated milk
1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened
1 pint orange sherbet, softened
1 9 in. graham cracker crust
1/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans

In a saucepan, combine the marshmallows, chocolate chips and milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and cool completely. Meanwhile, alternately arrange scoops of ice cream and sherbet in the crust; smooth the top. Pour chocolate sauce over pie; sprinkle with the pecans. Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours. May be frozen for up to 2 months. Yield: 6-8 servings.

chocolate, ice cream, pie