rollylowe

Here's a new easy one Slowe found. Cut up a 8 oz pkg of cream cheese into very small cubes (she gets about 36 to a pkg!) Marinate in Kraft Sun Dried Tomato Vinegarette. Add chopped fresh garlic and rosemary. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Serve with pretzel sticks for picks, and crackers.

Here's a TNT recipe that Slowe makes from the Super Suppers cookbook. The grandgirls request it often. Sometimes she cooks it in the crockpot, after browning the stuff in paragraph one. Taco Soup Sides: Top with crushed corn chips, shredded cheese, sliced green onions, sour cream (as desired) 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 6 corn tortillas, cut into 1" pieces 1 pound ground beef 1 1/2 cups chopped onion 1 cup chopped bell pepper 1 tsp minced fresh garlic 2 (14 1/2 oz) cans mexican style diced tomatoes, undrained 2 (14 1/2 oz) cans water 1 (15 oz) can small red beans, undrained 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1 (15 oz) can hominy, undrained, or 1 1/2 cups corn 1 (7 oz) can diced green chile peppers, undrained 1 (7 oz) can sliced pitted black olives, drained 1 (1 1/4 oz) pkg taco seasoning mix Preheat oil in 4-6 quart dutch oven or soup pot. Add tortilla pieces to hot oil. Cook and stir until brown, remove and set aside. Add ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to duth oven. Cook till beef is brown. Drain off fat. Stir browned tortillas, undrained tomatoes, water, undrained red beans, black beans, undrained hominy, chile peppers, olives, and taco seasoning mix into dutch oven. Bring to boiling, Turn heat to low and simmer, uncovered, about 20 minutes, stir occasionally.

Sue asked about my Christmas recipes. They were a rehash of Thanksgiving, which I managed to get together pretty well with the help of my son while Slowe was off in TX. Today I've made a big pot of beef stew. Also making a "german fest", a recipe I invented one night to feed a bunch of people. Basically roast potatoes in olive oil, add a bit of dijon mustart, sauerkraut, and polish sausage. Comfort food, and tomorrow I don't have to cook at all!

Slowe is in TX visiting our daughter and family for the holiday. My son is helping me get dinner on the table, hopefully all at the same time (this is a huge issue for me since the stroke). Breakfast bagels, cream cheese and bacon Crackers Black Olives Green Olives Sweet Gherkin Pickles Roasted Turkey Oyster/Cornbread/Sourdough Stuffing Gravy Erma

Slowe gets credit for this recipe. You know me, I'm a chef. So I think if you did a chiffonade of spinach (when spinach is safe to eat again!) and tossed it in just at the end to wilt it, it would (as Emeril says) kick it up a notch! It was pretty darn tasty!Can you tell we are both ready for winter (it was almost 90 here today!) Here's how she wrote about it to a friend: I just bought the Dream Dinners cookbook, and this is the first recipe I tried. OMG, who would have thought that opening up some cans and throwing in a couple of fresh ingredients would taste so darn good! Kielbasa Bean Soup 2 cups diced potatoes (1 1/2 pounds) 2 cans bean and bacon soup, undiluted (10 1/2 oz) 2 cans diced tomatoes (15 1/2 oz) 12-14 oz kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 1 onion, chopped 2 carrots, diced 2 celery ribs, diced 1 tsp salt 1 1/2 tsp pepper In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, soup, tomatoes, kielbasa, onion, carrots, celery, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Transfer to a crockpot. Cook on low heat in the crockpot for 5-6 hours. Or simmer over low heat on the stovetop for 2 hours. To freeze: Place ingredients in freezer bag and seal. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw completely and cook as directed. NOTES: I didn't add any salt. I sliced the kielbasa into slices, and fried first, then added to the pot. I think the potatoes could have been cooked more, so maybe dice them smaller, or parboil first. I don't think raw potatoes freeze very well, so if you're going to freeze this BEFORE cooking, I'd add them at the end.

I know fried foods have fallen out of flavor, but you still can't beat the "old fashioned" way of cooking, and sometimes we do eat that way. With the new deep fryer I have, it keeps the temperature at a steady level, and the food is really not greasy! Last night I made fried chicken, soaked in buttermilk and dipped in flour. Homemade KFC coleslaw and mashed potatoes made it a meal to remember!

We're hooked on Omaha Beef! Last night Slowe was in charge of dinner. She made sloppy joes using Omaha Beef, and the famiy literally licked the skillet clean! Homemade scalloped potatoes and a new dish she made were also hits (She steamed fresh green beans from the farmer's market, tossed them with a couple of pieces of diced bacon, yes, with the grease!, and a little of her homemade onion jelly. Quite tasty!

The weather is starting to cfhange here in Northern California. Still in the high 80's to mid 90's, but the nights are getting down to the 50's and there's definitely a hint of fall in the air. Makes me want to start winter menus soon! Last night I made spaghetti and meatballs. Slowe did a vegetable medley and her cheese bread. Gotta love comfort food!

This is one of our three favorite things to do with fresh summer tomatoes, preferably from your own garden, or perhaps a Farmer's Market. I've already posted the other two. Check the archives for gazpacho and bread salad. We have a batch of gazpacho in the refrigerator right now, that I made earlier this week. Slowe took some to work to share, and ended up emailing the recipe to the other two people in the office. Sunset Magazine Roasted Tomato Sauce Take a roaster pan whatever size, place enough halved (de-stemmed) tomatoes to fill it, cut side up. Top with sliced onions and sliced garlic Salt and pepper to taste, add italian seasoning if desired. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 425, uncovered, 1 - 1/2 hours. Puree in food processor and freeze. Presto, instant sauce! NOTES: I have had good luck cooking this on the bbq (indirect heat). Keeps from heating up the kitchen, especially nice during our current heat wave! I usually put in a whole head of garlic, unpeeled. Cut off the root end, squeeze into sauce before pureeing. I used one onion, sliced. I also added a small green pepper, whole. (Take the stem out after roasting--leave in seeds) Cool, puree in food processor. Forgot to say it freezes wonderfully! My friend makes up huge batches whenever she has a surplus of garden tomatoes. Freezes it in small portions (just the two of them at home). I've made it several times now. If you have bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, summer squash, whatever, add it! Also, makes a great dipping sauce for breadsticks! I keep the sauce on the chunky side, but do what you like best! Hope you enjoy.

We first had this salad in August, 2003. I'm sure we got it off the Food TV Network, I'm thnking maybe Alton Brown's "Good Eats". It surely is! Panzanella (Bread & Tomato Salad) Summer Italian Bread Salad Makes 4 to 6 servings Prep Time: 10 Minutes Ready in: 10 Minutes Ingredients: 1 clove garlic 1 (1 pound) loaf Italian bread 1 cup chopped tomatoes 1 cup cucumber - peeled, seeded and chopped 1 cup chopped red onion 1 clove garlic, minced 2 cups chopped fresh basil 1/8 cup chopped fresh thyme 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 4-5 chopped green onions Directions 1 Rub a peeled clove of garlic around a wooden salad bowl. 2 Pull apart or chop the bread into bite-size pieces. 3 In the prepared salad bowl, combine the bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, garlic, green onions, basil and thyme. Add enough olive oil and vinegar to lightly coat, toss and serve.

Be careful, I've read on the internet that Ziplock does not recommend their bags for this use. But I'm thinking the kind of freezer bags used for those vacuum "seal and lock" type machines would work for this, since they are OK for "boil in the bag type applications." Just my two cents, and what I've read!

Sue, Thanks for missing us! Slowe made these potatoes on Sunday, and along with a NY strip steak, marinated in olive oil, soy sauce and montreal steak seasoning, grilled corn on the cob and eggplant, fresh from the farmer's market and these potatoes, we truly had a feast fit for a king! The potatoes sound simple, but they are the best potato we've ever had, very dry (in a good way!), fluffy, and the skin has so much flavor! The Bomb Bakers Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri See this recipe on Food Network Sunday Aug. 20 at 10:00 AM ET/PT. Recipe Summary Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 5 minutes Inactive Prep Time: 8 hours 5 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Yield: 6 servings User Rating: 1 1/4 cups kosher salt 6 medium russet potatoes, washed 2 tablespoons garlic salt 2 tablespoons seasoned salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Horseradish Sour Cream, recipe follows In large mixing bowl dissolve 1 cup kosher salt in 8 cups of water. Add potatoes. Insure that all potatoes are submerged, and brine for 2 to 8 hours. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the potatoes from brine and liberally coat with the remaining kosher salt, garlic salt, seasoned salt, and pepper. Place the potatoes on a wire rack in the center of the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Do not puncture skin with tongs, fork, or tooth picks. Potatoes will be soft to the touch when done. Let potatoes rest 5 minutes before cutting. Horseradish Sour Cream: 2 cups sour cream 4 tablespoons prepared horseradish Salt and freshly ground black pepper Combine all ingredients. Serve with potatoes. Episode#: GI0105 Copyright