New Shipment of Cookbooks!

A large shipment of cookbooks are expected to arrive at Carissa's house on Thursday. I will be in Houston this weekend and will pick up half of them to bring back to Tyler. If you are on our list, you will be getting your book soon. If you haven't already told us, but want one from this order, please let us know. We have plenty of extras. Thanks to everyone that ordered! ~Janice

Pork Curry in a Hurry ~ page 182

I froze half my leftover Citrus Grilled Pork Tenderloin just to make this dish one day when I was in a hurry. Today I was not only in a hurry, but had some leftover this and that in the fridge which I needed to use up before I went out of town for the weekend. This is a very forgiving recipe. Don't worry if you need to substitute ingredients here and there. This picture shows sweetened shredded coconut as a garnish. Anything sweet seems to go well with curry.

I didn't have red pepper, but I had jarred roasted peppers. (These are very handy to have on hand. They last forever--kind of like olives will, and they add color and flavor to so many recipes.) My peanuts were not dry roasted, but party peanuts...oh, well.

I added some broccoli slaw to the onions and celery as they sautéed. (Needed to use the last of it up.) I also added some chopped fresh jalapeño pepper I had.

Just before serving, stir in the chopped apple to warm.  If I were serving this to guests, I think it would be fun to have little bowls on the table for people to sprinkle condiment choices on the top of their curry. In addition to shredded coconut, I like raisins, extra chopped peanuts, chopped dried apricots, and sliced green onion. (The dried apricots are especially amazing with curry--I tried this at lunch today!)

Tasty Italian Chicken ~ page 137

So, for dinner last night I stood in front of my opened fridge staring for quite a while trying to think of something I could make out of not much. I'm due for a grocery trip today! Then I flipped through the What We Cook cookbook and came across this recipe of my mom's that I had actually never made. It is one of those recipes that is great to make when you don't have much to work with in your fridge. I was pleasantly surprised at the very nice flavors that it had. I had chicken breasts in the freezer, so I thawed them and cut them up in place of the tenders. I'm glad I weighed my meat instead of guessing. 1 1/2 pounds is only 3 breasts, not 4 like I had thought.

I noticed that my Italian Seasoning expired in 2003! Oops! So I threw it away and opted for some Herbes De Provence which is just rosemary, marjoram, thyme, and savory. (sorry for the blurry pic)

After tossing it in a baggie with the coating, they cooked up very nicely, and if you brown them in two batches like the recipe says, they get surprisingly crispy with the coating on the outside! (I did double the parm cheese for the coating because...well, why not? ... more cheese is always a good thing right?)


Now the one change I did is that I decided to toss my pasta in some of the sauce before plating it so that all the pasta had sauce. Well, this isn't a real saucy recipe, so I was so sad to look into my sauce pot and see that I didn't have much left to pour over the top of the chicken. So, as fast as I could I whipped up another batch of sauce knowing that my hubby loves sauce. I left out the onions on the second go round because of time. Now I had plenty to spoon on top. The next time I make this I will just double the sauce from the start. You may not need to do this, I just know my husband well enough to know he needs this. It isn't much figuring to double...just add more chicken broth, tomato paste and Italian Seasoning.

 The result was very good....actually surprisingly good. The ingredients are so simple I wasn't expecting such great flavor in the end. I sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top also. My kids and husband both basically licked their plates...in my book that is better then 2 thumbs up. Give it a try! --Carissa

Vanilla Custard Pudding ~ page 264

I find the slow process of making this pudding to be relaxing. It is not hard, but it is slow. So I always plan just the right time to make it. There is a good 20 minutes or more of stirring to be done. But only the last 5 to 10 minutes or so need to be constant. So I start the pudding while I am unloading the dishwasher, cutting up veggies for supper, or something like that that lets me step over to the stove and give a quick stir every minute or so.

When you seperate your eggs (you will only use the yolks), put the whites in a container and mark the number in it, and freeze the whites. I save these up to make angel food cake, which takes 12 whites. So I am sure an angel food cake is in my near future!

A spring whisk is perfect for stirring/whisking the flour into the milk. When the custard starts thickening (that is when you start stirring constantly), change to a spatula that will allow you to scrape the bottom of the pan. 

This is the point I grab a stool, and sit down with a magazine at the stove and let one hand keep stirring while I read. This is when you relax.

No matter how good I stir, it seems I always get a few bits of flour that need to be strained out of the hot custard. But this is easy to do.

It is a MUST to put plastic wrap right on top the custard to keep a film from forming. Now put it in the fridge.

To make banana pudding, put your cookies and bananas in a bowl (single serving or a large bowl), then just add your cold custard. Cover it and put back in the fridge for an hour or so. 

One way I like to eat this custard, is mixed with plain yogurt. It is even good for breakfast that way!

Nutrition Info

I have an idea! I'm really excited about it and I hope you're equally as excited, but if not, it won't hurt my feelings.

Leave it to the one with the degree in marketing to think about how to better "sell" your cookbook...when really it truly doesn't lack anything because it does sell itself! I believe it has the potential to be a huge hit!

However, I had the thought this morning that if there were nutrition information included for each recipe, it could really have the potential to be a key selling point for the cookbook. People want recipes they're going to cook every day that don't taste so ordinary--well, this cookbook already has that. Fast, easy, yet healthy, hearty and just enough of the unusual tastes to test our normal cooking boundaries and cause us to step outside our comfort zones in the kitchen. But a lot of people also want the nutritional information without the hassle of calculating it all up. Since your recipes are already on the healthier side, it would be nice to utilize that as a selling point.

Now, it would be a daunting task for one person to calculate the nutrition facts for all the recipes, but with so many of us making the recipes at home, if we take the time to calculate the ones we make and post it with our pictures, it could be done in no time. Plus, I'm also not opposed to the idea of single-handedly taking on the task.

We could just include calories per serving or calories for the entire dish (which would be fairly simple and easy)...or include, calories, fat grams and protein (the main important ones).

What do you think? Is it doable or is it way too much work?

Two New Recipes

Check out the New Recipes tab for this amazing Cream of Poblano soup made with ground up corn tortillas! Also, below that one, is a wonderful new recipe for Tender, Buttermilk Cornbread that we like.

Boneless Chili Short Ribs ~ page 155

I understand it is easy to get scared off from this recipe when you see it calls for 1/3 cup chili powder, and 2 tablespoons cayenne powder. But I promise you, it is not too spicy! Something must happen to all that spice when the meat is slow simmered in the wine and broth. I have served this to my mother (who can't tolerate "heat") and she did not think it too hot. All that said, when I fixed this today, I was way short on the cayenne powder, so I made it with only 1/2 teaspoon, rather than 2 tablespoons! It was still very tasty, but I did miss the nice little kick it has with the full amount.

This time I used boneless short ribs, like the recipe calls for--though I just as often use brisket or roast cut up in strips.

Trim up excess fat from the meat before you cut it into large hunks.

Here is my spice rub...and I buy these small bottles of red wine to use for cooking. (I have a hard time getting the wine because I live in a dry county...so I get these for cooking when I go to Houston to see my kids. I know many recipes say to use really nice wines when you cook...but not being much of a wine connoisseur, I just get what is cheapest!

I mix the rub right on a tray.

And roll the meat around in it untill all sides are coated.

It is very important not to crowd the meat while it is browning, or it will steam, and you don't want that.

I have to warn you that browning these spices make your house really smell peppery! 

The wine deglazes the pan like magic. 

Put the browned meat, the wine and broth, and the half onions in a pan for the oven, or in your crockpot, if you prefer. I do it both ways, just depending on what my meals timing is that day. 

This is the finished chili short ribs. Let me tell you....this is one fine meal. Oh my goodness, this is SO good.

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Maple-Jalapeño Sour Cream

Every time I make sweet potatoes with this topping, I am amazed all over again at how good it is! I used to choose the smallest of sweet potatoes when I baked them, but now I want the biggest one, just because of this sweet/hot/sour topping! The maple syrup, minced jalapeño, and lime juice mixed with sour cream or yogurt either one, is just a great combination. I didn't have the bacon bits today, so I just mixed my green onions into the sour cream mixture.  I served this with the Boneless Chili Short Ribs on page 155.

Penne Pasta with Roasted Veggies ~ page 100

One of my favorite recipes in this book so far! Although the first time I made it Taylor complained it was "too dry and lacked flavor". Then he refused to eat the leftovers (very unusual for this leftover lover). Boo on him. I thought it was great! Determined for this to make it in the "permanent rotation" of meals on our regular dinner list, I tried again and did not let him know it was the same recipe. This time I went heavy on the balsamic vinegar and olive oil, added some oregano, garlic salt, mozzarella cheese and fresh parmesan cheese. I know, messed with the recipe a lot (forgive me Carissa-if it's any consolation, I liked it just the way you had it written) :-)
I'm pleased to announce that this time it was a HIT! It wasn't until after he scarfed it down and went back for seconds, that I reminded him of his disdain for it the first go 'round. (I know, I'm such a sneaky wife!) He was delighted in the meal this time and begged for me to make it again! I thought it was just as yummy as the first time!

Oh, and I used the remainder of the grilled chicken I had marinated in the homemade dressing from the Avacado, Cranberry and Pecan Salad and added it to this dish as well. The balsamic marinade complimented the pasta very well.

Creamy Jalapeno Chicken Pasta ~page 128

Don't let the word "jalapeno" in the title scare you from making this. Even my 4 year old Lillian ate 3 plates of it. The 2 year old did turn her nose up at it, but I have learned not to take it personally since she does that at 50% of her foods these days. (I think she went to bed without dinner this night!)

Here is a picture of the size I cut my chicken pieces into, along with one of my favorite kitchen gadgets...the poultry scissors. (Mom, is that in the gadget section yet?) If you are looking for something to put on your birthday wish list, add these scissors to the list. These were $20 from Bed Bath & Beyond, and are so much safer than a knife especially on half frozen chicken!

In case you are wondering what the recipe means when it says one bunch of cilantro with stems removed...I tear off the bottom 3 inches and put the rest into the food processor.

Here is the green salsa that I use...look around because there are MANY different brands ranging in price.

In case you are like me who didn't know what a poblano pepper looked like until I first made this recipe...here it is.

After you boil it the stem literally falls off. Take a little nibble of the pepper before you put it all in. Some poblanos can be pretty spicy. Sometimes I just add 1/2 or 3/4 of it in the recipe so my kiddos can eat it.

I don't pre-chop much in this recipe, here is how chunky I leave everything....I let the food processor do all the work for me. And here is the final sauce! Don't simmer it too much or the pretty green sauce will turn murky and not very attractive. I toss my cooked pasta right in with the chicken and sauce so all the pasta is coated. Sorry there were so many pictures on this post, can you tell my kids were not
around to hang on me? Adam had taken them to the park down the street while I was cooking dinner..resulting in me having too much time on my hands to take too many pictures as I was cooking!

Avacado, Cranberry, Pecan Salad ~ page 62

You're absolutely, right Janice...when you described this salad as "a lovely twist...tasty, unusual and colorful". My family loved it!
The dressing (of course) was the best part! I marinated a chicken breast in the homemade dressing and grilled it ahead of time. I added this to the salad to make this into a main dish. It was a perfect light dinner!

Carissa's Breakfast Crispy Quesadillas ~ page 309

Adam got back from running 8 miles this morning, I thought he needed a bit more for breakfast than cold cereal, so I threw these together. The recipe makes it look complicated, but really it is quite fast. Once you have had crispy quesadillas, you wont want to go back to soggy breakfast burritos (even if they are healthier)

Above is a picture of the little guys right after being filled, then I just folded them over and crisped the other side. Sprinkle the seasoning on after you flip the quesadillas so the hot oil helps the seasoning stick to the tortilla.

Now, I have to say that Hickory Seasoned Salt if probably my favorite seasoning in my spice cabinet. I like McCormicks the best, but I can't find it anymore, and read online that they discontinued it. About a year ago my sister in law Cathy found me a substitute from Spice Islands. (Cathy, did I ever pay you for that jar you gave me?) It isn't quite as great as McCormicks, but it gets the job done...I have to add a little extra salt, it is a little heavier on the Hickory more than the salt. So, if anyone finds my old faithful McCormick spice please let me know!!! I will pay you a finders fee!! :)

Lillian gobbled these up. The recipe says it serves 4 people. Adam and I ate most all of them, but we weren't having anything else for breakfast so we were really hungry, and remember Adam had just run that 8 miles beforehand!