A to Z Recipes
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~ 03-15-2004 ~ |
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IN TODAY'S ISSUE:
Publisher's Desk |
Estee Lauder captures the joy of nature, |
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Publisher's Desk...
Good morning to all. I hope your weekend went well. Ours was spent doing very little away from home (except for Angela who, at age 15, could no more stay home than I could walk on water). Monday is a great day even though it has gotten a very bad reputation, lol. This is the day you may find yourself asking “what will I cook all week?” If so, you should find some help in this issue. We have some great recipes for weekday meals.
You will notice a new section has been added to our daily newsletters. It is called The Mail Box, where a2z family members may send mail for all to read. It is expected that opinions, suggestions, etc. posted there be done with kindness and respect for all involved. If you have a message for the group, please send it to maggieblackwell@hotmail.com with “Mail Box” as subject. As in ALL items for posting, your first name and location must be included in the message. Posting is at the discretion of the publisher.
"It is a requirement that items sent for posting NOT be from other newsletters."
Please remember:
If you are having trouble receiving issues, please click here for assistance.
To subscribe (or unsubscribe) to this publication, follow the links at the bottom of each issue. I cannot subscribe (or unsubscribe) folks. You must do this for yourself. Enjoy!
Thought for Today
Shared by Bette, Pittsburg, CA
Tell a man that there are 400 billion stars and he'll believe you.
Tell him a bench has wet paint and he has to touch it.
~Author Unknown
Please visit my webpage featuring my new column, the SFPNN Link of the Week at http://www.sfpnn.com/aunt_bette.htm and be sure to check out some of our other authors too.
Pie Crust 101
Excerpted from an article by Pam Severance*, The Country Sunshine
Home made pie crusts have become a
rarity, similar to home baked bread. So simple are the pre-
rolled packages, or the pre-made crusts that are already in
the tin! But if you want a spectacular crust, making it
yourself is still the best way to achieve a light, flaky
crust with a wonderful flavor!
And you will find that a delicious pie crust can be
achieved, simply remember that it is not necessarily what
you put into it, as much as how you do it! Let's jump right
into it.
Here are a few tips:
One important key to making a flaky pie crust is do not
overwork the dough! This is very important! When you add
the shortening and water, toss the dough as little as
possible-this prevents the crust from getting tough, and
staying flaky.
There are many recipes for piecrust, some that call for egg,
or vinegar, or ice water. Many will produce a nice
piecrust. But sometimes the most simple recipe will give
you the best results. My favorite is as follows:
MOM'S PIECRUST
2 cups all purpose flour
Mix together flour and salt, cut in shortening until mixture
resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with cold water and toss
with a fork until dough clings together. Turn out onto a
lightly floured surface, press together to form a ball, and
divide ball in half. Roll dough out using a rolling pin,
until it reaches a thickness of about 1/8 of an inch.
Fold dough in half, then in half again. Place in pie plate
and unfold. Repeat process for second half of dough. Place
dough over filling of choice and seal the edges. Lightly
coat with whipping cream, and sprinkle with a light coating
of sugar. Bake according to recipe directions.
Remember to keep your work surface lightly floured, to
prevent your crust from sticking. A pastry cloth, or pastry
board is a great help! They still need to be floured, but
will help prevent sticking.
Using a rolling pin cover is also a tremendous help! These
are very inexpensive, and resemble a small stocking that
fits over the roller. At a cost of about 99 cents, you can't
go wrong!
To prevent a soggy bottom crust, try coating it with a small
amount of beaten egg whites. Pre-bake for 5 to 10 minutes
to seal the crust.
There you go! You are on your way to pumpkin pie heaven!
Or blueberry, or cherry, or what ever flavor is your
favorite! Just give it a try, and you will see that making
pie crust from "scratch" is not as difficult as you thought!
*About the Author:
Welcome to The Mail Box where a2z family members may send mail for all to read. It is expected that opinions, suggestions, etc. posted here be done with kindness and respect for all involved. If you have a message for the group, please send it to maggieblackwell@hotmail.com with “Mail Box” as subject. As in ALL items for posting, your first name and location must be included in the message. Posting is at the discretion of the publisher.
Here is an email from Stoney, WV
Maggie:
Stoney--I think you've said it all (and quite well!). I also have a routine when I log on the first time daily. I include voting for my favorite newsletters in it, as well as checking for local and national news (my controls set on my MSN homepage gives me that). I appreciate your sending me the information to share and becoming the very first a2z'er to post here!
Thanks!
Our discussion forum at QuickTopic for our topic "Eating and Cooking Healthier" is well under way. To join in (or just to read) use your web browser to go to:
A to Z Recipes Discussion Forum
You don't have to register or sign in, and you can choose to receive email for newly posted messages -- just click the
Subscribe button when you get there.
NOTE:
Five Ingredients Or Less Recipes
I believe this is a GREAT theme topic, don't you? I had been toying with the idea and then Mary from Nashville, TN solidified things for me when she sent me a slew of great recipes compiled when her local group had their theme of using 5 ingredients or less. Yes, we all enjoy preparing those more complex recipes and serving up something unique (if not spectacular!) to our family and friends. However, there is much to be said in "less is best". Do you have a recipe or two that require 5 ingredients or less to prepare? You know...the ones you rely on when time (or money) is at a minimum and hunger is high? How about that recipe that is so simple ingredient-wise but produces such fabulous results? Please share them with us in what could be a superb theme issue. Now, here is the NEW set of rules:
A to Z Recipes continues with its popular Theme Issues. We will share theme recipes and post them on the first Sunday of each month. Send your recipes no later than the last Friday of each month to have them posted in the next monthly theme issue. You may send in TWO of your favorite theme recipes in ONE email. If the number of recipes exceeds those needed in the issue, the publisher will post as many from every submitter as possible and save the remaining recipes for the following Sundays of that month. The rules for recipe submissions for the monthly theme issues are the same as ALL recipes submitted for posting.
As a service to your fellow readers, please send only recipes that are in a form that others could easily copy and save for their own use. Recipes that would require a lot of editing or cleaning up or use non-standard measurements should not be submitted. Recipes without a name and location of sender may NOT be posted or posted without any credit given. There will be NO recipes posted that are from other recipe-zines. A to Z Recipes protects the privacy of its readers and does NOT publish email addresses. There will be no exceptions.
The deadline for April's theme issue is Friday, March 26th.
Theme recipes must have subject: "Five Ingredients Or Less Recipes" and will be posted on Sunday, April 4th.
As usual, only recipes are to be sent to: A to Z Recipes Inbox
Good One!
Shared by Richard K, Bradenton, FL
Mr. Smith goes to the doctor's office to collect his wife's test
results. The lab technician says to him....."I'm sorry, sir but there has
been a bit of a mix-up and we have a problem. When we sent the samples
from your wife to the lab, the samples from another Mrs. Smith were sent as
well and we are now uncertain which one is your wife's.
Frankly, it is either bad news or terrible news!"
"What do you mean?" said Mr. Smith.
"Well....one Mrs. Smith tested positive for Alzheimer's, and the other Mrs.
Smith has tested positive for AIDS. We can't tell which is your wife's test."
"That's terrible!" said Mr. Smith. "Can we do the test over?"
"Normally, yes. But you have Blue Cross Health Care, and they won't pay
for these expensive tests more than once"
"Well, what am I supposed to do now?" said Mr. Smith.
"Blue Cross Health Care recommends that you drop your wife off in the
middle of town. If she finds her way home, don't sleep with her."
Shared by Jean, Syracuse, NY
When our second child was on the way, my wife and I attended a pre-birth class aimed at couples who had already had at least one child. The instructor raised the issue of breaking the news to the older child. It went like this:
"Some parents," she said, "tell the older child, 'We love you so much we decided to bring another child into this family.' But think about that. Ladies, what if your husband came home one day and said, 'Honey, I love you so much I decided to bring home another wife.'"
One of the women spoke up immediately. "Does she cook?"
Shared by Larry Holmes, Ontario, Canada
A first grade teacher collected well known proverbs. She gave each child in
her class the first half of a proverb and asked them to come up with the
remainder of the proverb.
Better to be safe than......................punch a 5th grader.
Strike while the ...........................bug is close.
It's always darkest before..................Daylight Saving Time.
Never underestimate the power of............termites.
You can lead a horse to water but...........how?
Don't bite the hand that....................looks dirty.
No news is.................................. impossible.
A miss is as good as a...................... Mr.
You can't teach an old dog new.............. math.
If you lie down with dogs, you'll........... stink in the morning.
Love all, trust............................. me.
The pen is mightier than the................ pigs.
An idle mind is............................. the best way to relax.
Where there's smoke there's................. pollution.
Happy the bride who......................... gets all the presents.
A penny saved is............................ not much.
Two's company, three's...................... the Musketeers.
Don't put off till tomorrow what............ you put on to go to bed.
Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and..... you have to blow
your nose.
There are none so blind as.................. Stevie Wonder.
Children should be seen and not............. spanked or grounded.
If at first you don't succeed............... get new batteries.
You get out of something only what you..... see in the picture on the box.
When the blind leadeth the blind............ get out of the way.
Better late than............................ pregnant !
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CHICKEN OLE
~Submitted by Treva, NC
Families will love this quick and easy Mexican dish that makes a fun weeknight meal.
Source: McCormick
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1. In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken strips and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Stir in corn, tomato sauce, chiles, chili powder, and onion powder. Heat to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. To serve, spoon mixture over tortilla chips and top with cheese.
Calories: 578, Fat: 25 g, Cholesterol: 98 mg, Sodium: 1218 mg, Carbohydrates: 48 g, Protein: 41 g
POTATOES SAVOYARD
~Submitted by Larry Holmes, Ontario, Canada
2 ½ pounds potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced
Preheat oven to 425° F. With 2 tablespoons butter, grease a shallow 2-quart
baking dish. Dry potatoes well; use half of them to line the dish,
overlapping them. Dot with 2 tablespoons butter, half the parsley, salt,
pepper and cheese. Add second layer of potatoes, again overlapping them,
and sprinkle with remaining parsley, salt, pepper, cheese; dot with 2
tablespoons butter. Pour boiling broth over and bake preheated oven, 55 to
60 minutes until potatoes are fork tender, tops are browned and broth has
been absorbed.
Serves 6 to 8
CORN CHOWDER
~Submitted by Mary B, MI
6 slices bacon
Fry bacon in a Dutch Oven until crisp; remove bacon, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in Dutch Oven. Crumble bacon, and set aside. Sauté onion in reserved drippings until tender; add potatoes and water. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in milk, corn, salt, and pepper; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle each serving with bacon.
LIMA BEANS WITH BACON
~Submitted by Tena, MO
20 ounces frozen baby lima beans
Combine lima beans and 1 cup water, bring the water to a boil, and simmer, covered, for 14-16 minutes or until they are tender. In a skillet cook the bacon over moderate heat, turning, until crisp. Drain and crumble. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet. Add the white part of scallion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is softened. Add all scallion parts to the beans, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the reserved bacon. Serves 8.
BANANA SOUR CREAM LOAF
~Submitted by Mary, TN
2/3 cup oleo or butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and bananas until well blended. Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with sour cream to banana mixture, stirring just to blend. Stir in walnuts. Spoon batter into loaf pan 9 x 5 x 2-3/4 which has been greased and floured on bottom only. Bake 1 hour and 15 mins. or until toothpick comes out clean. Let stand in pan on rack 20 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool. Wrap in foil. Loaf is improved if let to stand overnight. Store in refrigerator or freeze for 2 months. This is the most moist banana bread I have ever eaten. This was published in an Ohio newspaper many years ago.
MEXICAN CHICKEN CASSEROLE
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
Combine broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil. Add chicken, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once. Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving cooking liquid; cool chicken. Shred meat with two forks and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles and onion; saute 3 minutes or until soft. Add reserved cooking liquid, milk, Monterey Jack cheese, cream cheese and enchilada sauce; stir well. Stir in shredded chicken; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and chips. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Makes 8 servings (serving size = 1 cup). Nutritional values per serving: 369 calories, 31.3g carbohydrate, 79mg cholesterol, 11.4g fat, 479mg sodium, 35.6g protein, 360mg calcium, 2.4mg iron and 3g fiber.
Courtesy Cooking Light magazine
SAUSAGE AND EGG BREAKFAST PIZZA
Ready-to-serve pizza crusts make it easy to put together this morning meal.
1/2 package (8 ounces) frozen brown-and-serve pork sausage links*, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 10-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Cook sausage in skillet about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Remove sausage from skillet; set aside.
2. Pour eggs into skillet. As mixture begins to set at bottom and side, gently lift cooked portions with spatula so that thin, uncooked portion can flow to bottom. Do not stir. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until eggs are thickened throughout but still moist.
3. Place pizza crusts on ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with half of the cheese. Top each with eggs and sausage. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Source: Betty Crocker Kitchens
Note: We make this (and recipe doubled) using bacon instead of sausage...mmm!
BUSY DAY LASAGNA
A great casserole, feeds many, and is easy to make. Reheats, too!
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Add garlic, basil, and oregano to marinara sauce. In batter bowl, combine ricotta, egg, and parsley. In 3 qt. oval roasting dish or a 9 by 13 Pyrex dish, spread about 1/2 cup of marinara sauce. Place 4-5 noodles over sauce. Pour 1 cup sauce over noodles. Break up meat into small pieces and put half of the meat over the sauce. Place half of the tomatoes over the meat. Place 4 or more noodles over the top. Spread ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Distribute remaining meat over cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour one cup sauce over all. Add chopped tomatoes, then 4 or more noodles. Pour remaining sauce over everything. Cover dish with plastic wrap. Pierce once with fork or knife to allow some steam to escape. Microwave 25 minutes on half power, then 20 minutes on High, or until noodles are tender. Add mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on top. Microwave uncovered 2 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Or, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover with foil. Bake 45-60 minutes.
Corning Pyrex Oval Deluxe Storage Covered Dish 3 Qt.
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