Various tried and true recipes thread...

[treitz3]

Peanut Butter Banana Pudding

Not just your average banana pudding.....

1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 [12 ounce box] vanilla wafers
6 medium bananas, sliced
1 thawed container [8 ounce] whipped topping
1/2 cup unsalted, roasted peanuts

Combine sugar, flour and salt in a heavy saucepan. Add milk and eggs. Stir mixing well. Place saucepan over low heat stirring constantly [the bad part] for 25 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Spread about a 1/2 teaspoon peanut butter between two vanilla wafers forming a sandwich. repeat procedure with remaining vanilla wafers and peanut butter. Layer one third of the peanut butter/wafer sandwiches in the bottom of a three quart dish. Top with 1/3 of the sliced bananas. Pour 1/3 of custard over bananas. Repeat layers twice.

Cover and chill. Sprinkle with peanuts and whipped topping and enjoy!

 

[treitz3]

Ugly Dip

2 packages Philadelphia cream cheese
1 jar salsa
1 package of hot sausage

Cook the sausage and drain grease. Add cream cheese and salsa. Cook until all cheese is melted and everything is well blended. Serve in fondue dish or small crock pot with Frito's "Scoops" or your favorite chip. It just doesn't get more simple than this folks! Excellent end result.

Super Bowl Cheese Dip

2 pounds Velveeta cheese
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic
1/4 stick butter
1/4 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 tablespoon Cheyenne pepper
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
1 jar [drained] pimentos
2 to 3 chopped jalapenos
Monterey cheese [possibly, read on...]*

Saute the onions in butter. A double cooker is preferred but you can use a large pot filled with water, placing the cooking pot in the water. On low to medium heat [using lid when not stirring AND making sure that the water does not evaporate in the large pan] combine all ingredients, stirring occasionally until completely melted and well blended. The longer the cook time, the better the flavor. *Add Monterey cheese if the dip is too runny to achieve your preferred thickness.

Just like with the ugly dip, serve with Frito's "Scoops" or your favorite corn chips. You will need two large bags at least! Now, with this particular recipe you can keep the cheese heated in the double cooker on LOW heat [again, making sure that the water does not completely evaporate] or you can also put it a small slow cooker or bowl. If it gets too cold, just put it back into the double cooker and reheat.

The one thing with the Super Bowl dip recipe, is that the best is saved for last. The heat index seems to rise the longer it sits and the more that gets eaten [which, trust me, it will]. This is the perfect size batch for the Super Bowl and about 6-7 guests.

 

[treitz3]

Tom's Awesome Spaghetti Sauce

Here's a list of the ingredients. Please note, this makes a large batch.

Angel hair pasta, quartered [whatever is needed]
3-4 jars of your favorite prepared spaghetti sauce flavors. [mix and match at will] Don't laugh, here's where the magic happens...
1.5-2 lbs ground turkey
2 pounds hot breakfast sausage [will not be hot when all ingredients are combined]
1 to 1½ cups of sun dried tomatoes [my favorite comes from SAM's Club but it is a seasonal item]
2 whole tomatoes, chopped loosely
2 sticks of celery, finely sliced width-wise
1½ large whole onions, yellow chopped
2 medium yellow squash cut in half or quartered, lengthwise and then slivered
2 cups of Shitake*, Portobello or regular mushrooms, drained. Mix and match to preference
3-4 tablespoons of dried oregano
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
2 teaspoons of Sea Salt
1 teaspoon of garlic salt
1 to 1¼ cups red wine
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
3 bay leaves [remove before serving]
1 tablespoon rosemary leaves
1-2 tablespoons of dried parsley flakes
1 minute of crushed black peppercorn in grinder [or whenever you get sore from grinding]
2 teaspoons of Mediterranean [preferred] or regular basil leaves

Precook ground turkey [lightly salt the turkey] and hot sausage in separate pans, drain grease and throw in a BIG stockpot. Add all other ingredients into pot and cook on slightly higher than medium heat for about 4-5 hours. It will taste less than desirable until the flavors start to combine at about hour three. At that point, you will notice the onions just starting to get soft. When the onions are at about half soft and half texture, it is ready to serve. Stir about once every half hour or so.

Serve pasta with a generous serving of this sauce and add fresh or grated Parmesan cheese. Fresh garlic bread or a healthy salad both are a wonderful accompaniment to this meal.

When cooking pasta, add a bit of oil [olive, peanut, vegetable...about the equivalent of 2-3 tablespoons] to the water to prevent the water from boiling over the edge. Also, do not put the heat up all of the way. Water will still boil on #8-9 setting on an electric or gas stove and will also help to keep spillovers in check. When adding the drained and rinsed pasta back into the pan, add about 3-4 spoonfuls of sauce into the spaghetti and stir to prevent it from burning to the bottom of the pan and also to keep it from clumping up or sticking to the pan.

When cooking without a lid, add water to compensate for evaporation and in some cases, 2 cups of water is to be expected. Red wine can be used as well, but keep in mind that if you are storing any of this for future recipes or meals, the more red wine that you use, the more the sauce will sweeten over time.

Save the jars that the base sauce came in to store leftovers after cooling. Half everything if this is too large a batch and if you want to substitute fresh spices for the dried, this will alter the taste and amount used. Refer to a cooking site for dried -vs- fresh for a conversion chart. The original recipe that I make has the maximum amount of ingredients listed above.

You can not mess this recipe up and when you are done serving, sit back and enjoy all of the compliments that are about to come. Then enjoy it yourself if you haven't tasted too much while cooking! [I'm always guilty of this]

*Added note: If you use Shitake mushrooms, do not use the stems of the mushrooms. Use only the caps.

 

[treitz3]

The "No-Name" Snack

Take 1/4" slices of large portabello mushrooms and a small [4" to a 6"] seasoned cast iron skillet and add a couple of slices in it along with Worcestershire sauce, on medium heat caramelize the sauce onto the mushrooms. Each batch should only take about 4-5 minutes and is absolutely to die for when done right. The fresher the 'shroom, the better.

This is the preferred method, but you can substitute the pan for a nonstick to get the idea. Absolutely delectable!

 

[treitz3]

Chicken Supremo!

OK, I created this one day while trying to use some of my s'cetti sauce......

Take boneless breasts of chicken, 4 or 5 of them.
Place on a non-stick pan. Smother the outside of the chicken with canned mushrooms, tucking then toward the chicken. Lots of them. A couple of mushrooms can go on top so the flavor trickles down.
Sprinkle with Oregano, don't be shy now.
Bake at 350 until the chicken is "about" up to temp. [time varies due to the thickness of breasts]
Lay provolone cheese slices over all chicken.
Spread my spaghetti sauce over it all.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese [grated] over all of it.
Cook until cheese melts.
Serve.

This has become one of my all time favorite recipes, without a doubt. Definitely satisfies my flavor palette.

 

[treitz3]

Tom's Homemade Pecan Sandies Recipe

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened overnight
1 cup vegetable oil
½ cup white sugar and ½ cup brown sugar
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, ½ cup white sugar, ½ cup brown sugar and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the pecans. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and then form into the shape of a cookie. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are golden. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.

It is very important to beat the butter and vegetable oil with the sugars very, very thoroughly, until smooth and creamy, then add the other ingredients. If the dough is thin, you can put it in the refrigerator for about an hour to help firm it up a bit.

 

[treitz3]

Ultimate Rotisserie Turkey Recipe

Marinade and rub ingredients and instructions.....

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoons Moore's Marinade
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons minced onion
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon Morton's Nature's Seasoning
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
about 30 cranks of Italian Herb Grinder

Take this and combine all ingredients into a small saucepan and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring about every minute or constantly for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.

After it cools, using a fine colander or screen separate the liquids from the solids. Take the liquids and put into a flavor injector, injecting small amounts of this liquid into all areas of the turkey. You don't want to have large pockets of marinade, just many small ones. When all of the liquid is used up, take the solids and rub the inside and outside of the turkey. Tie up the turkey to prepare it for the Rotisserie.

Place this in the refrigerator covered with saran wrap for anywhere between 8 hours [min.] to up to 2 days to allow the turkey to marinate and absorb the flavors of the rub.

When the turkey is done marinating, place it on the rods for the rotisserie and insert it into the rotisserie cooker. Place two small stove safe dishes or creme brulee' dishes in each of the two back corners of the rotisserie filled 3/4 full with water. Start the cooking immediately.

Whatever the time says for the turkey to cook, ignore it. It's gonna take about twice as long using this technique. Three things will be different if you have never tried cooking it his way. First off, usually you want to take the turkey out when the temperature is 175 degrees because it will continue cooking when you take it out but using this technique you can wait until the "popper" or whatever you call it pops. The second thing you will notice is that the skin will be very crispy and beautifully done, great color, texture and an incredible taste. The third thing you will notice is that even the white meat is still juicy three days after the turkey was cooked.

 

[Steve Williams]

Tom

I am truly impressed

Keep em coming

 

[treitz3]

Tom's Seasoned Fries

4 small to medium potatoes
3 tsp Cajun's choice Creole seasoning
tsp popcorn salt
tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
peanut oil

Peel potatoes and wash. Slice each potato in half and cut each half into 3/16th" wide slices cutting lengthwise. Pat dry with paper towels. Mix all seasonings into a small bowl, set aside.

Now I have a fryer but this can also be done on a stove top. Fry up the wedges cooking no more than 1/2 of the potatoes at once in the fryer [or 1/3 of the potatoes if you are using the stove top] at a time. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until the fries are at the desired crunchiness/color. Remove from oil, draining the excess oil and place fries on a large cookie sheet lined with paper towels to further absorb excess oils. While the fries are still piping hot [do NOT delay] sprinkle seasonings coating one side and then flip the fries over. You don't need to flip them all over one by one, just take tongs and flip the bulk of them over, this isn't rocket science. Serve immediately.

If you like to spice things up and want "Hot Fries"? Just 2 add tsps. Tono & Beto's Salsa Mocha in with the mix.

 

[amirm]

Me too. What is Moore's Marinade by the way?

 

[treitz3]

Tom

I am truly impressed

Keep em coming

Thanks, Steve. Cooking just so happens to be another hobby of mine, Steve. Been cooking for decades while single and now, while married. I need to take a break right now as I have been sitting in this chair for some time but more will be coming. I'm not one of those cooks that like to hide my secrets and I do love me some good food.

 

[treitz3]

Me too. What is Moore's Marinade by the way?

Here is a pic of it, Amir.

It goes good on a steak but I wouldn't exactly do a dance around how good it tastes. It's one of those marinades that you use when you don't want to do anything homemade. I usually introduce it into other recipes to enhance the flavors.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Thanks for those Tom!

I've always loved to cook and have some decent recipes (some of which I've shared already). My problem is I do stuff on the fly a lot of times, so I'm never 100% sure about the measurements. I will make more of an effort to have a notepad with me next time.

 

[Ronm1]

Thanks for those Tom!

I've always loved to cook and have some decent recipes (some of which I've shared already). My problem is I do stuff on the fly a lot of times, so I'm never 100% sure about the measurements.

I'm the same way, John. Baking and I don't get along, since its more of a formula than recipe.

 

[treitz3]

Eh, you can try this one, Ron. See how it works for ya'. This one's rather easy IMO if you follow the directions and you can never get it right unless you try.

Tom's Moist and Fluffy Angel Food Cake

Ingredients are as follows....

1 cup Swan's Down Cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided (1/2 cup and 1 cup)
1 1/4 cups egg whites (around 9 normal sized eggs)
1 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. At the bottom of your stove, put in 2 cups of water in a small oven safe container [Pyrex or an all metal pot]. You don't want to forget that step, trust me. Place the racks to where you can bake the cake in the center of the oven. You may want to check the temperature of your oven at the center once it warms up and adjust accordingly, though that is not a necessity.

Take the cake flour and sift 5 or 6 times [very important], add only 1/2 cup of sugar and mix well. Set aside. Get your egg whites, cream of tartar, both of your extracts, salt and combine them all in a large mixing bowl. Whip all of it up on high speed [I have that big ol' Kitchenaide mixer but hand held mixers will do just fine] until the mixture is foamy. Now, gradually add the sugar in the mixture, 1 or two tbsp at a time while the mixer is still on high. You want to mix this until stiff peaks form, usually around 2-3 minutes. The mixer will no longer be needed at this point.

At this point what you want to do is slowly add the sugar/flour mixture in to the bowl. You can either sift it in [sifting two or three pulses of the handheld sifter at a time] or you can add it to the bowl adding no more than 1/3 cup at a time. DO NOT STIR! What you want to do is gently fold the sugar flour mixture into the mix using a rubber spatula. Repeat this until the sugar/flour mixture is all added. Be sure not to stir it or over handle it. when it is consistent, it's ready.

Pour the mixture into an ungreased tube pan and carefully run a knife through the mixture to remove any air pockets. Again, do not stir. Place in the oven for 35-45 minutes [at my house, it's usually right at 43-45 minutes].

It's done when the cake springs back and any cracks feel dry. Remove the cake to a wire rack and cool. Serve at room temperature. Mmmmm, Mmmmm good. This cake will still be moist and delicious after a week if it is contained properly. I would not recommend storing it in the fridge. Enjoy.

 

[treitz3]

Tom's Deluxe Potato Casserole

2 lbs. cleaned, unpeeled red potatoes, chopped to even size [1/2" chunks will do]
2 cans cream of celery soup
1 medium red onion, chopped....you can add more if desired.
8 ounces sour cream
1 stick room temp. butter, divided
1 teaspoon salt
16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups of dry stuffing mix

Take everything but 1/2 of the butter and all of the stuffing, mix well. Did I mention to mix well? Throw it into a Pyrex container(s) to where you have the mix about an inch from the top or more. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes.

Before the hour or so ends, make the stuffing mix according to directions and have it ready to top the casserole.

Go ahead and melt the rest of the butter. Add the ready stuffing to top the potato mix(s) and pour the melted butter over the stuffing. Slap the dish back into the oven for about 30 or so minutes [does not have to be precise] and when the stuffing starts to get brown and crispy on the edges, the dish is done.

That's it. Enjoy.

 

[treitz3]

Tom's White Chicken Chili

Man, this is so easy to make and you can't mess it up. It has slowly become one of my comfort foods to have in the fridge. I usually double or triple the batch because it freezes well, so it's always ready at a moments notice.

3/4lbs. Chicken, cooked and shredded.
1 med to large onion, chopped
1 4oz. can chopped green chiles [7oz. can does just as good]
30 oz. Great Northern beans, prepared or canned
2 and a half tsp. ground cumin
15 oz. chicken broth
2 heaping tablespoons of flour
olive oil

Take the onion and chop it. I like to make some of the onion fine and some a little chunky for taste and texture, but it's up to you. Slap the chopped onion in a medium pot and add some olive oil. Cook just until the onions are transparent on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Now add your green chilies, chicken broth, cumin and flour and stir. Cook on medium heat until bubbling, stirring occasionally. Add the Northern beans and cook until desired consistency.

If you desire a little more heat, try adding some chipotle tabasco sauce and some Tono and Beto's Salsa Macha [A Mexican product that's freakin' awesome] to taste.

 

[treitz3]

The following recipe is a modified version of a hand me down recipe from not only may family, but history. You will read about both below. This dish has been a staple in my life and has become [original recipe or modified] a classic example of what I would consider the ultimate comfort food. The original recipe consisted of nothing more than ground beef, beans, tomato soup and mashed potatoes.

Tom’s Classic Shepard’s Pie [or Cottage Pie]

This is one dish that has many versions of how to make as well as many versions of the history in which it derived. You can look up the differences of Shepard’s Pie and Cottage Pie and you will find that this dish is “technically” a Cottage Pie, however, in my family it has always been referred to as Shepard’s Pie.

I’ll give you the tale that was passed down to me from the ladies in my family. A long time ago, Shepard’s Pie was made due to the fact that a Shepard typically did not earn more than a modest living, mostly leaning toward that of being rather poor. Like affluent folks, they wanted something delicious to eat on what they had to scrape up and slap together.

So, they took whatever scraps of meat that were leftover and mixed them with leftover vegetables or whatever they could forage up and topped it with a relatively new, inexpensive and plentiful topping. That topping was potatoes. Now the version of the story you may have heard growing up may be similar or totally way off base from what was passed down from my family but I can assure you of one thing. Nobody is correct. The documented tales of origination go back to the late 1700’s and the origination of them both was earlier than that. So, with that said, whatever version you have heard? Believe that one and all will be well as nobody will ever know for sure.

Here’s the history of the dish I’m about to tell you about….I have been blessed to have grown up in a family of really good cooks. We grew up rather poor as young children and we had to eat this Shepard’s Pie about three or four times a month, if not more. I loved it then as I love it now. Anyhoo, after moving out of the folks’ house some 25+ years ago I would sometimes get a hankerin’ for some Shepard’s pie. So, I’d call my mom up and ask her the very simple ingredients for her Shepard’s Pie. It was always the quantities I'd forget since I was always experimenting with other cooking recipes and the time in between batches were so far and few between. This happened so often that she told me to write it down. Well, I did. Then I’d lose it [bachelor’s life and all…] and I’d have to call her back and ask her all over again. Then I’d lose it again.

Well, this went on for about 15 years until one day I said you know what? I’m gonna make my own version. Let me tell you, it’s hard to top Mom’s version though. I was a little intimidated at first and at first I failed, miserably. The first time I made my version, I forgot the meat. DOH! Yeah, the wife still teases me about that one. Well, 7 or 8 years have gone by and I think I’ve finally perfected my version. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I currently do.

It’s very simple, takes about 30 minutes to prep and 35-40 minutes to cook in the casserole dish. If you have room in the refrigerator, this can be prepared up to a day in advance and slapped in the oven about an hour before you plan on feeding guests with minimal effort and minimal kitchen time [you will have to increase the cooking time]. If you follow the ingredients and do not deviate, this dish will fit perfectly into a 10x15 Pyrex baking dish. I hope you enjoy.

Bottom Layer
2lbs. ground beef, cooked and drained
2-11oz. cans of tomato soup
3-14.5oz. cans cut green beans
1-1/2 tbs. of minced onions
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup milk
½ tsp. salt*

Middle layer
6 cups total instant or homemade basic mashed potatoes with 1 teaspoon white pepper added.

Top Layer
8oz. sharp shredded cheddar cheese
8oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 360 degrees. After you have cooked and drained the ground beef, simply add the rest of the ingredients for the bottom layer in a 12-14” skillet**. Take the ingredients, mix well and just heat them up to where everything is mildly hot and layer it all evenly into a 10x15 Pyrex baking dish or whatever you have that is large enough to hold all of the ingredients in layers. Now, take the 6 cups of mashed potatoes and one large spoonful at a time, smear into a 4-5” section over the lower layer [trying not to disturb the lower layer] until completely covered in an even layer of mashed potatoes. Cover with both types of cheese and pat the entire dish down to level with both hands to avoid any spillovers in the oven. Cook for 35 to 40 minutes uncovered in middle of oven until top layer is melted and turning a slight brown across the top. You might want to let it cool down a bit before serving because it is EXTREMELY hot when you get it out of the oven and it will retain that heat for some time. Enjoy.

[* Optional but it does the recipe justice with it....] , [**Mine happens to be a 12” cast iron skillet but you can use whatever will fit the ingredients]

Of all of the years I have tried modifying this recipe, I have found that keeping as true to the original recipe has always yielded the best results. Trust me, I have tried many things. Sometimes, keeping things simple is just the best way to go when it comes to food......Hmmm, kind of sounds like something you would hear in the audio world too, eh?

 

[treitz3]

Tom's Beef Stroganoff

3 pounds Beef Tips
1 large Onion, thinly sliced
Homemade Cream of Onion soup *separate recipe below
2 cans Golden Mushroom soup
1 pound canned Mushrooms
1 tblsp ground Pepper
2 - 8oz. packages of Cream Cheese
1 pound of Sour Cream
Egg Noodles

Homemade Cream of Onion Soup

5 tblsp Butter
1 medium Onion, thinly sliced
1 tblsp Flour
1/2 tblsp Salt
4 cups of any combination of the following for Cream mixture;
Milk, Heavy Cream and/or Chicken Stock
4 Egg yolks, beaten
Add to taste.....Nutmeg, Paprika and Worcestershire Sauce

Add all of the ingredients except the homemade Cream of Onion soup, Cream Cheese and Sour Cream into the slow cooker. Set heat to high and cover. Now start on the Cream of Onion Soup.

Add the Butter to a large saute' pan along with the Onions. Saute' until a light, golden brown. Add the Flour and Salt, stir until blended. Add Cream mixture and continue to simmer, covered, until onions are soft. Add a little bit of the hot Cream mixture to the 4 Egg yolks and combine thoroughly. Add the rest of the seasoning to taste and then the Egg mixture. When Soup is well mixed and hot, add to the Crock Pot.

After 8 hours, add the Sour Cream and Cream Cheese. Stir thoroughly. Salt and Pepper to taste and serve over the hot noodles. Enjoy.

 

[Ronm1]

I'll bite

Another simple process vs specific recipe.

Since Easter is on the way. Here's what is usually our main course

A whole lo-salt ham.They are a few bucks but worth it,

Night before make a simple concoction of mustard and lemon juice. Get those throw away gloves and rub liberally. In roasting pan add a large can of pineapple juice. About 325 for a couple of hrs or provided directions.
Make a glaze of brown sugar and red wine. Get a consistency that works for you and apply to ham a couple of times during last 1/2 hr. Make a roux and while ham rest gravy up the pan dripping's.
Hack a fresh pineapple into large rings, peel but don't core. Grill them, leaving them whole rings makes them easier to handle. Mashed potato's go well and whatever other veggies you wish.

I've recommended this simple glaze for ham to others and no one can believe how well it works. No spices just those two ingredients.