Old Fashion Irish Stew from Judy Johnson

Ingredients:
1 lb leg of lamb, trimmed and cubed
¼ tsp salt and pepper 3 tbsp water
1 bay leaf 1½ cups beef broth
½ lb white turnips pared and sliced 1 sliced onion
1½ lb carrots, pared and peeled 1½ tbsp flour
Directions:
Place lamb, salt, pepper, bay leaf and broth in pot and boil. Cover and simmer for 40 min or, until meat is tender. Remove Bay leaf and skim off fat. Heat to boil and add vegetables cover and simmer for 30 min or, when vegetables are tender. Mix flour and water together until smooth and place into the stew and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until boiling. Serves 4. Calorie counters be aware that 100 gm of lamb equals 282 calories.

Mocha Torte - Free Betty Crocker Coffee Recipe

Recently found this recipe on an old Betty Crocker Coffee Maker's instruction page. Since Betty Crocker has great recipes, and the recipe was provided free, thought I'd pass it along. Ingredients: 1 pkg. Betty Crocker white angel food cake mix; 1-1/3 cups of Strong Coffee [cold]; 1 pkg Betty Crocker fluffy white frosting mix; 2 tsp. freeze-dried instant coffee; 1/2 oz. grated semisweet chocolate; 1 tbsp. toasted sliced almonds. Directions: Prepare cake according to pkg directions but substitute water with cold coffee. Bake and cool. Prepare frosting while cake is cooling according to the directions except dissolve instant coffee into the boiling water. Cut cake into 3 layers using a long serrated knife. Cover each layer of the cake with 1-1/4 cups of frosting. Join the layers together and cover the rest of the cake with the remaining frosting and add sprinkles of remaining chocolate and almonds to the outside. makes 20-24 servings. *Calorie counters remember that 2-1/2 pieces of cake [one piece = 2.5 oz. of cake] provides 250 calories.

7 Layer Cookies

Ingredients:
1 stick butter 1 cup graham cracker
1 pkg chocolate chips 1 pkg butterscotch chips
1 cup coconut 1 can Eagle Brand milk
½ cup chopped pecans Baking pan 13x9 inch
 

Layer in glass baking pan and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Cool and serve.

Diet and muscle building information

Click Here!

Man vs Food and Healthy Options

Received this E-mail with a lot of food benefits worth a chat on our Man vs Food blog. Some suggest ideas on how to avoid the chemicals of taking medication for a disease. Remember to check with your doctor first if you currently take a medicine for one of these ailments because too much cure might cause you problems!
HIGH BLOOD SUGAR? Eat cinnamon dry red wine, beer, celery and olive oil!!! All have been reported to lower blood pressure.
HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE? Celery contains a chemical that lowers pressure too.
HEADACHE? EAT FISH! Eat plenty of fish -- fish oil helps prevent headaches. So does ginger, which reduces inflammation and pain.
HAY FEVER? EAT YOGURT! Eat lots of yogurt before pollen season.
Also-eat honey from your area (local region) daily.
PREVENT STROKE DRINK TEA! Tea prevent buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls with regular doses of tea. (Actually, tea suppresses my appetite and keeps the pounds from invading.... Green tea is great for our immune system)!
INSOMNIA (CAN'T SLEEP?) Use HONEY! Use honey as a tranquilizer and sedative.
ASTHMA? EAT ONIONS! Eating onions helps ease constriction of bronchial tubes. (When I was young, my mother would make onion packs to place on our chest, helped the respiratory ailments and actually made us breathe better).
ARTHRITIS? EAT Fish! Salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines actually prevent arthritis. (Fish has omega oils, good for our immune system)
UPSET STOMACH? BANANAS - GINGER! Bananas will settle an upset stomach. Ginger will cure morning sickness and nausea.
BLADDER INFECTION? DRINK CRANBERRY JUICE! High-acid cranberry juice controls harmful bacteria.
BONE PROBLEMS? EAT PINEAPPLE! The manganese in pineapple can prevent bone fractures and osteoporosis.
PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME? EAT CORNFLAKES! Women can ward off the effects of PMS with cornflakes, which help reduce depression, anxiety and fatigue.
MEMORY PROBLEMS? EAT OYSTERS! Oysters help improve your mental functioning by supplying much-needed zinc.
HAVE A LOT OF COLDS? EAT GARLIC! Clear up that stuffy head with garlic. (Remember, garlic lowers cholesterol, too.)
COUGHING? USE RED PEPPERS!! A substance similar to that found in the cough syrups is found in hot red pepper. Use red (cayenne) pepper with caution-it can irritate your tummy.
BREAST CANCER? EAT Wheat, bran and cabbage. Helps to maintain estrogen at healthy levels.
LUNG CANCER? EAT DARK GREEN AND ORANGE AND VEGGIES! A good antidote is beta-carotene, a form of Vitamin A found in dark green and orange vegetables.
ULCERS? EAT CABBAGE ALSO!!! Cabbage contains chemicals that help heal both gastric and duodenal ulcers.
DIARRHEA? EAT APPLES! Grate an apple with its skin, let it turn brown and eat it to cure this condition. (Bananas are good for this ailment)
CLOGGED ARTERIES? EAT AVOCADO! Mono unsaturated fat in avocados lowers cholesterol.
BLOOD SUGAR IMBALANCE? EAT BROCCOLI AND PEANUTS!!The chromium in broccoli and peanuts helps regulate insulin and blood sugar.
LOW POTASSIUM? Eat Kiwi: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, Vitamin E & fiber. Its Vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.
Want antioxidants?
Apple: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low Vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids, which enhances the activity of Vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.
Strawberry: Protective fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer causing, blood vessels clogging free radicals. (Actually, any berry is good for you. they’re high in anti-oxidants and they actually keep us young.........blueberries are the best and very versatile in the health field.they get rid of all the free-radicals that invade our bodies)
Orange: Sweetest medicine. Taking 2 - 4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessen the risk of colon cancer.
Watermelon: Coolest Thirst Quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene - the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are Vitamin C & Potassium. (Watermelon also has natural substances [natural SPF sources] that keep our skin healthy, protecting our skin from those darn suv rays)
Guava & Papaya: Top awards for Vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high Vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes. (Also good for gas and indigestion)
Tomatoes are very good as a preventative measure for men, keeps those prostrate problems from invading their bodies.
Remember check with your doctor before you change your go on any diet or dietary change.
Want veggie meal ideas? Check out Click Here!

Measurements for Cooking

I just realized that since recipes all contain a variety of ingredients with different forms of measurements, perhaps a Measurement table might be helpful to those of you who don't have one handy. Here are Measurements using standard measuring spoons and cups.

A pinch = 1/8 teaspoon (tsp) or less
3 tsp = 1tablespoon (tbsp)
4 tbsp = ¼ cup
8 tbsp = ½ cup
12 tbsp = ¾ cup
16 tbsp = 1 cup
2 cups = 1 pint
4 cups = 1 quart (qt)
4 qt = 1 gallon
8 qt = 1 peck
4 pecks = 1 bushel
16 ounces (oz) = 1 pound (lb)
32 oz = 1 qt
8 oz liquid = 1 qt
1 oz liquid = 2 tbsp

Cinnamon Rolls Courtesy of "The Cave Creek Ladies"

INGREDIENTS: 8 tbs. Butter
1 tsp. Cinnamon 2 tsp. Salt
3/4 c. Buttermilk 1 Egg
2 pkg. Fleischman’s dry Yeast ½- c. Sugar
2 c. Warm water 2 c. sifted Flour
1/4 c. Canola oil Non-stick spray

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 4 c. milk, flour, yeast, sugar, salt, oil & water in mixing bowl. Crack egg in sm. bowl then mix in. Remove dough onto lightly floured wax paper and knead bread mixture until flour is smooth. If it seems to be too sticky You can add few Tbsp. of flour. Use the non-stick spray on a glass mixing bowl. Add bread mixture, cover & let the bread rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. Roll dough into a 15x8 inch rectangle. Cover the dough with melted butter, sugar & cinnamon. You can add nuts if desired. Roll the dough starting from one long side. Pinch seams to seal. Cut the roll into 1 1/2 inch slices & arrange on cookie Sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake until lightly brown. Make icing using melted 3 Tbsp. Butter, 3 Tbsp powdered sugar and 1 tsp. Vanilla. Serve warm.

Diet 4 Idiots

Although I personally do not care for the use of the term "for idiots" it seems to be a popular phrase when "How to" programs and books are made now-a-days. Recently I came across this website stating that they have the diet answer. They state their diet program is the winner. For those seeking knowledge, here is the link for this website: Click Here!

Island Chicken and Rice Salad from Charlotte Davis

Ingredients:
3 lbs boneless chicken 1 ½ tsp salt
3 cloves of garlic 1 tsp pepper
1 ½ tsp fennel seeds 1/3-cup cilantro chopped
15 oz can black beans 1 ½ tsp season all
1 cans pineapple with natural juice
1 each red and green bell pepper chopped
2/3 cups slices green onions lettuce leaves cleaned
Baking pan fancy serving bowl

Place chicken in pan with garlic, seeds salt and pepper and bake for 1 ½ hour at 400 degrees. While chicken is baking, Remove and cut chicken into cube size. Place chicken in bowl and add pineapple chunks, cilantro, bell peppers and onions. For dressing use 6 tbsp pineapple juice, season all and salt. Pour mix over chicken mixture and serve on large lettuce leaf. Serves 4-6

Confetti Chicken Salad from Charlotte Davis

Ingredients:
12 oz cooked chicken in chunks
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped carrots
1 tbsp limejuice
½ cup alfalfa sprouts
½ cup salad dressing

Combine Ingredients and toss together. Makes 4 servings. Contains 124 calories per serving.

Charlotte states this makes a healthy lunch.

Tropical Chicken Salad From Judy Johnson

Ingredients:
2 cups cubed cooked chicken 1-cup chopped celery
1-cup mayonnaise ¾ tsp curry powder
20 oz can chuck pineapple -drained 2 lg bananas, sliced
11 oz can mandarin oranges ½ cup coconut flakes
¾ cup salted nuts, in half ½ cup salad greens (peanuts, cashews, walnuts)
(optional)

Combine mayonnaise and curry powder in bowl and mix in chicken and celery. Cover and chill about 1 hour. Remove from frig and gently toss adding pineapple, banana, coconut flakes and oranges. Serve on salad greens. Serves 6

Chopped Chicken Salad from Judy Johnson

Chopped Chicken Salad from Judy Johnson
Ingredients:
2 cups chunked cooked chicken ¼ tsp salt
2 cups mixed salad greens ¼ tsp ground ginger
1-cup celery chopped large salad bowl
½ cup sweet red pepper
15 oz can peaches drained and chopped
½ cup yellow bell pepper
1/3-cup limeade concentrate ¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 2-½ tsp fresh cilantro
½ cup nuts (peanuts, pecans, walnuts)
Make the salad dressing: combine limeade, oil, vinegar, cilantro, ginger and salt and shake well. Place other ingredients in the bowl and pour over the dressing. Sprinkle with nuts and serve. Serves 6.

Free Betty Crocker Coffee Recipes

Found this old recipes Betty Crocker Coffee Maker. Sounds really good and Betty Crocker makes great recipes! Irish Coffee - Ingredients: 1/2 c. heavy cream; 2 Tbsp powdered sugar; 1/2 tsp Vanilla; 1/2 c. & 2 Tbsp Brandy or Irish Whiskey; 5 tsp. granulated sugar and 4 cups fresh brewed strong Coffee. Directions: Beat cream, sugar, vanilla in a chilled bowl until stiff. Heat mugs or Irish Coffee cups using boiling water. Add 2 tsp whiskey and 1 tsp sugar in each mug. Then add coffee and whipped cream. Makes 5 servings and coffee is needs to be served immediately. Check out http://www.cookingfreedownload.com for new Holiday Mugs.

Mexican Grilled Chicken

Chef Tyr sent in his favorite recipe:
Ingredients:
Chicken
Chili powder
Cumin
Rubbed sage
Salt & pepper
Directions:
Toss chicken in spices and grill until done.

Hash Browns 101

Hello, just back from a quick 4-day, 3 nights visit to Disneyland. Haven't been to Disneyland in 15 years so thought it might have changed and was not disappointed. Interesting though, the change in the food was the real disappointment. Perhaps I was too young to notice, because I used to enjoy breakfast especially there. They need my mother to teach them how to make good hash browns. If they would bake the potatoes first before they shred them into the skillet to fry on both sides they would have a cooked and delicious hash browns. Unfortunately, the hash browns served are not cooked all the way through They take frozen hash browns, do not defrost, toss into whatever grease they use, almost burn them on each side, then serve them up cool and uncooked inside the middle. Fortunately, one can safely eat raw potatoes without getting ill. I am certain that Disneyland has had to conform to the fanatics obsessed with fat. But honestly, most of the food served in the park was not only costly, but also preprocessed and tasteless.

Do you want to be a Mermaid or a Whale?

I recently received an E-mail with this story and felt it was worth blogging about.
Allegedly, in a large French city, a poster appeared in the window of a gym that said: DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE? A middle-aged woman posted on the board of that same gym the following response:
To Whom It May Concern: Whales are surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans). They have an active sex life; they get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphin’s stuff themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world. Mermaids don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them not to mention how could they have sex? Therefore they don't have children either. Not to mention who wants to get close to a girl whose skin is all scaly and smells like a fish store? You ask if I want to be a Fish or human? The choice is perfectly clear to me, I want to be a whale.

Unique Gifts for the Chef

Grilled Steak

This is a favorite used by my brother at office get-to-gethers:

Tri-Tip Recipe

Ingredients:

3 lb Tri Tip

1 cup Kosher Salt

½ cup crushed garlic or powder

1 cup Peppercorn

Martha Stewart’s Mixing Bowl

Directions: Put seasoning in a bowl and crush together into paste. Rub/pound seasoning into meat rolling the meat so, that it is thoroughly covered. Place meat on grill and cook slowly to brown on both sides. Flip on the grill until the meat is done the way you like it in the center. The trick for good taste is to make sure the seasoning is really rubbed on the meat so it will have good flavor. The Mixing Bowls are available at http:www.cookingfreedownload

Aromatherapy Healing Diet

I came across an interesting book with a diet suggestion written by Author Bloomsbury called, "Encyclopedia of Aromatherapy" Inside was an article by Christine Wildwood suggesting a cleansing Aromatherapy diet called, “Healing through Diet” consists of a 7 day course. First 1-2 day fruit “fast” followed by two weeks on raw vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, spring water, juices and herb teas to clean your body. For the next week, adopt a pure or whole food diet consisting of little to no dairy products with no more than 1 cup of coffee or 2 cups of tea a day. Thereafter, you can adopt an Aromatherapy dieting routine, which allows you to “feast” 6 out of 7 days. Yes, eating any & everything you like including cream, chocolate, fizzy drinks, coffee. Then on the 7th day, you must fast on fruit to clean the liver. This diet is difficult at first but after you clean you body of toxins, you can continue to condition your liver. Suggests fasting at once a week after healed. Book available at most bookstores Remember to always check with your doctor before starting any diet.

How to Make a Blintz

Here is an old recipe handed down from my grandma. Enjoy!

Making a Blintz

Ingredients:

4 eggs 2 cups milk

4 tbsp salad oil 1½ cup sifted flour

1 tsp. Salt 2 cups sour cream

½ cup butter Confection sugar

Medium bowl Mixer

Plastic wrap Fry pan

Directions: Make fillings first. Make both of the fillings or double one recipe. Then, in a medium bowl beat eggs, oil and milk together. Slowly add flour and salt and beat until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Batter should be consistency of heavy cream. Put ½ tsp. butter in skillet at medium heat. Add 3 tbsp of batter and spread evenly. Lightly brown batter on the bottom and remove. Continue until all the batter has been used. Stack blintzes with browned side on top. Place 3 tbsp of a filling on top of a blintz and fold. Fold ends in to cover the filling and roll. Use melted butter to close seams. You can freeze now and keep for a week. If you refrigerate they keep for 1-2 days. To cook now, melt the rest of the butter in skillet. Cook over low heat seam side down until golden brown. Keep cooked blintzes warm and serve hot with sour cream.

Cheese Blintz Filling

Ingredients:

6 oz pkg. softened Cream cheese 4 tbsp. Sugar

4 cups dry Cottage cheese or Ricotta 2 egg yolks

½ tsp Vanilla extract Medium bowl

Directions: In medium bowl combine cheese, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla. Beat with mixer until smooth then refrigerate until ready to use. Makes 2 ½ cups of filling.

Apple Blintz Filling

Ingredients:

4 lbs tart cooking apples peeled 2 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp nutmeg

Medium saucepan

Directions: In a medium saucepan, combine apples, cinnamon, sugar & nutmeg. Cook filling over low heat for 15 minutes, or until apples are tender. Cover and let it stand about ½ hour. Makes 2 cups of filling.

Check out the calories in this wonderful old fashion dessert on: http://www.cookingfreedownload.com