Aunt Karen's Fruit Salad

Many years ago, my aunt Karen visited and shared with us her famous fruit salad recipe. I loved it so much that I asked her to write it down for me. My mom laminated it, and I have had it in my arsenal ever since. This recipe makes a LOT of fruit salad, so it's great for potlucks or big groups and families.

Aunt Karen's Fruit Salad

1 pkg. vanilla pudding (cook & serve kind)
1 pkg. tapioca pudding (cook $ serve kind)
1 lg. can peaches
1 lg. can mandarin oranges
1 lg. can pineapple tidbits
3 barely under-ripe bananas

Drain juice from the cans into a bowl or large measuring cup. Add enough water to make 3 cups. Whisk in both pudding mixes and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir, then microwave for another 3 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

Cut up any canned fruit halves or slices into bite-sized pieces. Mix the cooled pudding with the canned fruit. Add sliced bananas and toss gently. Serve chilled.

You could add maraschino cherries, and the temptation is great let me tell you, but it will turn the pudding a strange reddish pink color that resembles the gel in "salmon egg" fish bait, so I don't recommend it. ;o)

Stuffed French Toast

Sometimes we just have to spoil ourselves for dinner. Yes, dinner. We're a breakfast-at-dinner family for sure. My daughter likes Malt-O-Meal for lunch on the weekends. LOL This is a recipe I modified from a breakfast cookbook.

Stuffed French Toast

Filling:
8 oz. brick cream cheese
1/4 C. packed brown sugar
1/4 C. maple syrup (or white sugar)
1 Tbsp. vanilla
Orange Zest (optional)
Cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Combine these ingredients, then stir in (if desired) chopped, roasted nuts (any kind you like) or shredded, toasted coconut.



The Bread:
Use regular, sliced bread. Butter one side of each. Make a sandwich, buttered side out, by spreading the filling mixture between two slices of bread.

If you're feeling ambitious, slice a whole loaf at about 1" thick to make 8 slices, then create a pocket in them for the filling. Butter both sides and stuff with equal measures of filling.

Dipping Mixture:
1 C. whole milk or half & half
3 large eggs
1/4 C. flour
3 Tbsp. white sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. vanilla
pinch of salt



Soak each sandwich (or stuffed slice) in the egg mixture, turning to coat both sides until saturated, but not falling apart.

In a skillet, melt a pat of butter with a splash of vegetable oil. At medium-low heat, cook as many slices as you can fit without crowding each other, until golden brown on both sides. (Be careful when flipping the sandwiches; they can slide apart pretty quickly.)

Transfer the French toast to a baking sheet, and bake in a 400 degree oven til puffy and crisp on the outside. (About 6-10 minutes.) Serve fresh from the oven with maple syrup or your sugary breakfast topping of choice.

Product Review: Dishers

I admit, I am a closet kitchen gadget lover. It's a trait I inherited from my mom, who loves to have all the new and cutest kitchen gear available. However, I've been blessed (and yes I say blessed) with small kitchens and limited drawer/counter space since I've had my own space to clutter up.

So I've had to curb my desires for fun stuff and go for functional instead. "Everything must serve many purposes" is my mantra, adopted from Alton Brown of Food Network's Good Eats.



Looking at dishers, those shiny kitchen devices that resemble ice cream scoopers, they appear to take up a lot of drawer space for perhaps only one purpose. However, I have to say that once I gave in and tried it, I would highly recommend getting one small to medium size disher for your own kitchen.

They're great for scooping cookies of equal sizes, forming meatballs, even measuring pancake or muffin batter. I have a smallish one that is perfect for mini-muffins, and if I need to make bigger muffins, I just use two scoops instead of one.

Yes, it takes up room in the drawer, but it's handy for so many things. If you have a disher, what size is it, and how do you like to use yours?

The Versatile Pancake

My kids love a hot breakfast, and I love being able to make it for them on the fly. We used to spend $8-10 on frozen waffles every two weeks, but I soon realized that a $3 box of baking mix will make enough pancakes to last almost an entire month.

So I make a huge batch, adding to the dry mix such goodies as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, brown sugar, pancake syrup, jam, etc. (Not all at once, mind you!)

No need to measure the water or milk either. Just add enough so the consistency is wetter than you probably think it should be. You want it to be able to pour easily, not plop it. (Rather like good, wet mud.) If you add too much water, just add in a little more baking mix. Use a small ladle to make measuring easy.



Keep the heat at medium since you're going to be cooking for awhile. Remove the pan from the heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray between pan-fulls.

I flip dozens of flapjacks in one session, cooling them on racks. The cooled pancakes can be layered with paper towels in a plastic bag and frozen.


(No, that isn't mold, for this batch, I shook sprinkles on the cakes after ladling them into the pan. They melted when I flipped them. But hey, they still taste the same!)

Lay the bags flat in the freezer at first, but once they reach Frisbee rigidity, they can be stacked like cards (or Frisbees for that matter) or however you'd like so you can reserve space in your freezer.

To warm them up, wrap loosely in a paper towel and microwave for 30-45 seconds or, better yet, to keep them crispy on the outside, place them in a toaster oven at just above medium high heat and press the button for toast.

Impromptu Caramel Apple Topping
Bite-sized apple chunks, peeled
Caramel sauce
Butter

Melt a pat of butter in a pan. Add apples and cook til tender. Add enough caramel sauce to coat the apples and then some. Serve over pancakes or waffles or...ice cream!

PERSONAL NOTE: My kids love the fruit cups from Chick-fil-A, but they aren't crazy about the apple chunks. I save these and use them the next day for pancake topping. A couple extra containers of caramel sauce from McDonald's apple dippers work great for this recipe. (I know, we probably eat out WAY too much!)

A Review: Worcestershire Sauce

I was once told by a timid cook that she was afraid of Worcestershire sauce. There's nothing to be afraid of here! (Except perhaps spelling it correctly.) This dark lovely condiment is a fermented combination of a dozen or so ingredients which may include vinegar, molasses, high fructose corn syrup, anchovies, water, onions, salt, garlic, custard, tamarind concentrate, cloves, and natural flavorings.

Worcestershire sauce is greatly versatile and can be used in both cooked and uncooked food. It can serve as a part of a marinade or as a steak sauce. It can be integrated into meatloaf and burgers or added to Chex mix to give it that extra special enhancement.

Sometimes I like to add it to things just to see what happens.

Yes, that picture above is of a whopping 18-ounce bottle of Worcestershire sauce. How long does it take for a family of two adults and two small children to get through 18 ounces of Worcestershire sauce? A LONG stinkin' time. But we did it! :oD

Fried Rice

Fried rice is one of the few Asian foods my husband will eat. Coming from a Thai culinary heritage, this is tough for me. But at least he's willing to pick SOMEthing he likes from Asian cuisine. Of course, there is no other fried rice that will do except my own. He can't stand fried rice from a restaurant. So here's my version, changed and adapted over the years from my mom's original recipe:



Fried Rice

Meat (ground beef, chicken, pork, kangaroo, whatever you like)
Onion, Carrots, Celery (diced)
Frozen peas
Garlic
Eggs
Cooked rice
Soy sauce
Tomatoes (diced)

In a large skillet or wok, cook veggies (except peas and tomatoes) in a bit of oil for a few minutes til almost softened, but still firm. Push veggies to the sides of the skillet, then brown meat in the center. (Look at you, you're stir frying!)



In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and a couple splashes of soy sauce together until smooth. The number of eggs you use greatly depends on how much egg you like in your fried rice and how much you're making. For example, my mom's original recipe calls for two of the white ovoids. With the way my husband likes his fried rice, I am now up to using seven eggs for one batch.

Push the meat and veggies up to the sides of the skillet. Pour in the egg mixture in the center and stir constantly until it begins to firm and form like scrambled eggs. It's fine at this point if some of the meat and veggies from the edges decide they're destined for an omelet. Just try to keep the eggs in the center of the pan.



Once the eggs are almost set (they will finish cooking as you finish stirring), go ahead and mix it all together, then add the rice by cupfuls until you have an even ratio of rice to vegetables/meat. Add peas.

Pour on the soy sauce and keep stirring it up. Taste as you go until you get it to the saltiness you prefer. Toss in diced tomatoes at the very end.

Fried rice goes with many different things, as well as stands up just fine on it's own thank-you-very-much, served along with some cool, sliced cucumbers. YUM.

Product Review: Floured Baking Spray

Can I just make an editorial comment here? The No-Stick Cooking Spray with Flour is a product made by Crisco.

I was enamored by the amazing commercial footage which touted how easy it would make baking for me and how efficient and quick preparing pans would soon become. Have you ever seen those commercials?

Well, I'm here to tell you that it DOES work. It IS faster than greasing and flouring a pan the old fashioned way. However, it's not nearly as glamorous as the commercials made it out to be. For one thing...

1. The spray does not stay a floury white after spraying onto the pan. It turns clear like any other spray.
2. The product DOES coat fairly evenly, but a few applications may be necessary for the corners.
3. And the nozzle collects this horrid yellow goo at the top after just a couple consecutive sprays. Gah!

Needless to say, this is a two-sided review of Crisco's No-Stick Cooking Spray with Flour. While it's an effective product for those bakers out there who are in a hurry, if you get grossed out easily, then perhaps you ought to stick to tradition and get out the paper towel and shortening.

Easiest Chicken Cattiatore Ever

Cattiatore means "cooked in a casserole." I've mostly baked my chicken cattiatore, however this is one I cooked in the slow cooker. It worked great and was a lot less work than fussing over the oven.



The Easiest Chicken Cattiatore Ever

4-5 chicken breasts
1 can diced Italian-style tomatoes (tomato soup will do in a pinch, but it won't be the same)
1 can cream of chicken (or mushroom or celery, whatever you have on hand)
mushrooms
tomatoes (yes, more!)
onions
bell peppers
rosemary, basil, garlic salt & pepper, parsley
splash o' milk

Place chicken in a single layer in a large casserole dish (or slow cooker) coated with non-stick spray. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken. NOTE: If you're doing this in the slow cooker, feel free to just throw it all in without mixing. It will meld together as it heats.



Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 45 minutes if the chicken was thawed. If it was frozen (like my chicken usually is), bake for 80-90 minutes. If you're going the slow cooker way, give it at least 5-6 hours if the chicken is frozen, perhaps 3-4 if it isn't.

Serve over rice. The vegetation-liquid part of this dish is uber delicious after soaking into the rice on your plate. Mmm... Also great with Cheesy Garlic Bread.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

I have to admit that the frozen garlic bread you can get at the store is absolutely mouth-watering. But as with most things, sometimes it's tastier (and cheaper) to make your own. Good garlic bread doesn't take a whole lot really. I bet you have what you need right this very second.



Cheesy Garlic Bread

Sliced bread or rolls (club rolls shown)
Butter or margarine
Shredded mozzerella or another good, melty cheese
Garlic salt

Split rolls in half lengthwise if necessary. (You can even use sliced sandwich bread if that's all you've got, but I would suggest using the toaster oven to avoid any nasty bread burns.) Spread one side with butter, then shake on some garlic salt.

SIDE TIP: Make your own garlic salt by combining a 2-to-3 ratio of table salt and garlic powder.

Place bread on a baking sheet and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-12 minutes, depending on the thickness of your bread. You're going for a nice brown on the cheese.

This side dish goes great with any Italian meals, especially tomato-based ones that require the sopping of plates with bread.

Coming up next is a recipe that would be perfect for Cheesy Garlic Bread: Chicken Cattiatore

Daring Sandwich I

I know I've mentioned the infamous peanut butter and mayo sandwich, which I must one day share, but today, I unveil one of my secret loves--tuna. Within the last few years, I discovered Albacore tuna which knocks conventional canned tuna out of the water. (A good tuna steak is not what you would think either. It actually doesn't taste at all like a giant slab of canned tuna. But I digress.)



Since discovering this whiter, tastier variety of tuna, I've taken to having my favorite version of tuna salad sandwich. If you usually put potato chips in your sandwiches and like the taste of all the ingredients below, then don't knock this weird combination until you've tried it.

Daring Sandwich I, Tuna Edition

1 can Albacore tuna (water drained onto a plate for the cats)
Real mayonnaise
Garlic salt & garlic pepper
1 stalk celery (finely diced)
Chow mein noodles
2 or 4 slices of bread

Toss the tuna, mayo, S&P, and celery in a bowl. Gently mix until evenly combined. Add S&P as needed to taste. Spread the tuna salad onto bread, then top with a goodish sprinkling of chow mein noodles. Enjoy!

One of the keys to great tuna salad is refrigerating the can of tuna ahead of time. Warm canned tuna is just... *shudders* Let's just not go there.

Food 911: Tip #1

Sara from Sara's Sojourns commented earlier this month:

The place I'm staying doesn't have pickle relish (I know, that's sorta un-American!) and my fish was already in the oven and I wanted tartar sauce to go with it.

So I searched the fridge and came up with sweet baby gherkins (pickles for the uninformed) and then I found a cheese grater. I put a few of those pickles over the small side of the grater. Worked like a charm!

Great tip, Sara! Thanks muchly!

If you have a cooking, baking, substitution, or otherwise food-related tip, please email it to myfooblog (at) gmail (dot) com. Be sure to include a link to your own blog if you would like me to add it to your post. Thanks!

Quick Tortilla Soup

I love recipes that can be made from food in the pantry, and this is based on one of those. My brother has a recipe for Tortilla Soup that's made entirely from canned items, but this one has a few fresh ingredients added.

Quick Tortilla Soup

Diced veggies (Onions, Celery, Bell Peppers)
Green Chilies to taste (canned are fine)
1 can corn n' peppers
1 can diced tomatoes (with green chilies)
1 can black beans
+ any additional veggies you like for tortilla soup (e.g. zucchini, yellow squash, more corn, etc.)
1 box chicken or beef broth
diced steak or chicken (cooked)
water
Garlic Salt & Garlic Pepper (regular S&P will do fine too)
Cumin
Shredded cheese
Tortilla chips

Sauté diced fresh veggies in the bottom of a large pot or dutch oven. Once softened, add canned veggies (including any liquid), broth, and meat. Add enough water to come up 1-2 inches above the ingredients. Add salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Serve hot with crumbled tortilla chips or strips (see previous post) and cheese. We like to put the tortilla chips with some cheese on the bottom, spoon soup over the mound, then top with more chips and cheese.

NOTE: The type of cheese is up to you. Any cheeses with gooey potential will be fabulous--cheddar, Monterrey Jack, "Mexican" blends, even mozzarella.

Baked Tortilla Strips (or chips)

Store-bought tortilla chips are absurdly expensive for what they are (i.e. flour, water, salt). So I like to make my own whenever the opportunity arises. That is, whenever I have tortillas that are about to go stale.

I bake them so there's no frying (or extra fat) involved. It produces a denser (and I think tastier) chip that stands up to dips really well. Not to mention you can buy fresh tortillas for pennies each, making these chips much more affordable.

Baked Tortilla Strips

Cut corn or flour tortillas into strips or triangles (or whatever shape suits your fancy) onto a dry baking sheet. A pizza pan with holes in it works excellently.



Spray with cooking spray. You could sprinkle a little salt on them if you wish at this point. Toss gently to coat, then spread them out evenly.

Bake at 325 degrees until crisp and light brown. I usually put the pan in as I'm preheating, then 15 minutes after turning the oven on, I turn it off. Leave them in til the oven cools or until you get a chance to remove them later. (Or the next time you open your oven to bake cookies. *oops*)

These strips are fabulous for Tortilla Soup, the recipe for which will be posted next!

Roasting Veggies

There's a very simple way enhance the flavor of just about any vegetable that might otherwise be given a lack luster steam bath, only to be later ignored or shoved off behind that mound of unchewable steak fat. That, my friend, is roasting.

Roasting causes caramelization which means that sugar is brought out of the food and burned on the surface. Ooo, yum, right? But didn't you catch that? SUGAR! So the simple math equation goes like this:

roasting (caramelization) + veggies = sweetened veggies

I've tried this method with many different veggies, and so far everything has been a success. Hey, if roasting can make brussel sprouts taste good, then we must be on to something!

Roasting Method

Slice, dice, or whatever you'd like to do to put the veggies into edible shapes. Place them on a baking sheet lined with foil. Spray somewhat liberally with cooking spray, then sprinkle generously with Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Toss to coat.

Spread the veggies out evenly on the pan and roast in the oven at 400-425 degrees until the edges begin to turn dark brown. (Usually 10-15 minutes.)

Vegetables that were once loathed (for various reasons, not always taste), but now loved in our house due to the roasting method: corn on the cob, asparagus, whole green beans, zucchini and other squashes. We also like roasting red potatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, and purple onion wedges.

Sherbet Float

Sherbet Float

Your choice of sherbet flavors
Lemon Lime Soda

It seems pretty easy, and it is! Simply scoop some sherbet into a glass, then top it off with the soda. This is a fruity version of a root beer float that is not only delicious, but also very pretty to boot.

Sherbet vs. Sorbet
The difference between sorbet and sherbet is easier to keep clear straight than their namesakes. A sherbet is made with milk or another fat, making it much more like ice cream than a sorbet.

A sorbet is technically Italian ice and is somewhat grainy in texture. If you've ever had a granita, then you've had a true sorbet.

You CAN use a sorbet in this recipe--hey, I'm all about the experimentation!--but I like the sherbet because of its creaminess.

Baking Tip #1: Unused Muffin Cups

If you're not using all the cups in a muffin tin, put an ice cube in each unused cup to even out the heating and protect your pan from burning.

p.s. Those silicone baking dishes are bunk. They don't get hot enough to give anything a good enough browning, and they're a pain to stand up in the dishwasher.

EDIT: (10/4/08) Linda B gave an excellent suggestion for silicone muffin pans in the comments of this post: "The silicone muffin cups are great for poaching eggs en masse, though. That's what I use them for. Just a little spoon of water in each one, then break an egg into each one, season, and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 10-20 minutes (depending on how firm you want them) and voila! A dozen poached eggs!"

Smoothies in Less Than a Minute

I have a strange fascination with infomercials. I love to watch them, but 98% of the time, it's my interest in marketing ploys, er, techniques that has me fixated to the screen at 2:00 a.m. Admittedly, most of the stuff sold on TV is extra junk and clutter.



The Magic Bullet, however, is one of those things which actually looked like a good idea. It doesn't take up a lot of space, and it makes single servings. Strangely enough, a couple weeks after I saw their infomercial for the first time and completely unsolicited, my mom gave me a Magic Bullet. It's been sitting on our counter, getting used at least a few times a month, sometimes a few times a week, and mainly for breakfast smoothies.

Quick Fruit Smoothie

Fruit
Yogurt
Orange Juice (or milk)

Start with any fruit you have on hand (canned, frozen, fresh), and don't be afraid to mix fruits. If you have some leftover peaches, go ahead and throw them in with the pears. Who knows? It might actually be yummy. (Or you won't even taste the difference.) Any stone fruit (fruit that has a seed), berries, or other soft stuff like bananas, are going to be great for smoothies.



Add some yogurt and juice or milk. Use as much as you like. A whole Yoplait container is usually perfect, but do whatever strikes your fancy that morning.

Try different kinds of yogurt too. The combinations really are endless. I usually have a standby of vanilla yogurt on hand, but don't shy away from throwing in that blueberry yogurt with a banana and some pineapple. Maybe try the key lime yogurt with some mandarin oranges. Ooo... That sounds pretty good actually.

The amount of juice or milk you add depends on how thick you'd like your smoothie to be. More liquid for a more drinkable smoothie; less for a spoonable one.



Blend your ingredients in a blender until smooth.



Of course you don't HAVE to have a Magic Bullet to make smoothies. You could make it in your food processor if that's all you have. The Bullet just makes it a whole lot easier and requires less cleanup.

Experimentation Tip: I've heard of people adding instant coffee to their smoothies for a little extra kick. I haven't tried it before because I'm not sure how I feel about mingling fruit with the sacred beverage. Also, my opinion of instant coffee is not very high. At all.

If you've tried this before, do comment! I would be interested to hear if it makes a difference in taste or potency.