Sandra's Cooking Corner

Curried Pumpkin Soup

2010-10-26T19:11:00.001-07:00

The kids love this and ask for it often

Curried Pumpkin Soup

1 7-8 lb pumpkin

3 141/2 oz cans chicken broth

2 baking apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 tsp. grated gingerroot

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

6 slices bacon

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 TBSP sugar

1 cup croutons

With a large sharp knife, slice off the top fourth of the pumpkin and set it aside. Scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp. Replace the top of the pumpkin.

Place the pumpkin in a 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Bake in a 375* oven for 50-60 minutes or until you can easily scoop out the pumpkin flesh. (The pumpkin will not be tender at this point.) Cool the pumpkin slightly for easier handling.

Scoop out and reserve the pumpkin flesh, leaving the pumpkin walls abaout 3/4 inch thick. Cut the flesh into chunks (you should have about 4 cups). Do not remove any flesh from the bottom of the shell. Discard the pumpking top.

In a large pot, combine the 4 cups of pumpkin flesh, broth, apples, carrot, gingerroot, curry powder, and cumin. Bring the pot to boiling' reduce heat. cover; simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Cool slightly. Blend or process the mixture, one-third at a time, in a blender or food processor until smooth. Place the pumpkin shell in a 3-quart casserole. (If you'll remove the pumpkin from the casserole before serving, line the casserole with a double thickness of heavy foil to help lift the pumpkin out.) Ladle the soup into the shell. Bake, uncovered, in a 375* oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain the bacon, reserving 1 TBSP of the drippings in the skillet.

Cook the onion and sugar in the drippings until the onion is tender. Finely crumble the bacon. Stir the bacon and croutons into the skillet. Sprinkle the bacon mixture over the soup in the pumpkin shell.

Ladle the soup into bowls to serve.

Makes 8-10 side-dish servings (about 8 cups)

I use honey instead of sugar

******************* Eat Well, Live Well

Kicken Craisen Cookies

2010-09-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from culinary mystery series that I help out in the test kitchen. The series is written by Josi Kilpack and can be purchased here. This recipe comes from book 4, Key Lime Pie and is my favorite of all the recipies we have made so far.

Kicken Craisen Cookies

Preheat oven to 400* F

Ingredients:
1 cup butter                                        1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar                            2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla                                       2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups quick oats                       1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder                         1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cloves                                   1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon                                 dash of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cup craisens                            1 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs & vanilla till well combined. Add all dry ingredients and mix well. Add craisens, chocolate chips and nuts, using a wooden spoon to mix (dough will be too thick for most mixers.)

Roll into 1 inch balls, or drop using a cookie scoop, onto an ungreased cookie sheet about two inches apart. Bake 6 minutes or until barely browned- do not over bake.

******************* Eat Well, Live Well

Yellow Pineapple Cake

2010-03-13T14:55:00.000-08:00

Yellow cake mix

1 can sweet condensed milk

1 can crushed pineapple

Whipped cream or cool whip

Bake Yellolw cake in 9x13 pan

Cool for a couple of minutes

Poke holes with a fork

Pour sweet condensed milk over cake

cool

Put can of crushed pineapple on top- juice and all

Put whipped cream and coconut on top

Let sit overnight or at least 4 hours before serving

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Eat Well, Live Well

Tuna Cheese Spread

2010-03-01T15:50:00.000-08:00

6 oz cream cheese

6 1/2 oz can tuna, drained

3-4 Tbps mayonnaise

1/2- 1 Tbsp lemon juice

3/4 tsp. curry powder

Dash salt

2 green onions, finely sliced

Let cream cheese soften at room temperature for about 1 hour.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, tuna and mayonnaise.

Add lemon juice, curry and salt. Mix to blend well.

Add onions and stir to blend.

Chill for 1 hour for flavors to blend.

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Eat Well, Live Well

Homemade Tortillas

2010-02-28T15:46:00.000-08:00

Want to make your own flour tortillas?
Here you go:

4 Cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp shortening
1 1/4 Cup warm water (approximately)

Mix all dry ingredients. Cut shortening into flour mixture. Add water, a little at a time. Dough should be stiff. Knead untilo no longer sticky. Divide dough into small balls. Roll, turning 1/4 way each time until very thin. (Or use a tortilla press)
Brown on both sides on hot, ungreased griddle (12 tortillas)

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Eat Well, Live Well

Grandma Stephenson's Cinnamon Rolls

2010-02-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

1 quart scalding milk

2 cup sugar

1 cup shortening

1 cup mashed potatoes

2 eggs

1 tsp soda

3 tsp baking powder

3 tsp salt

2- 3 1/4 oz pkgs yeast

1/4 cup water

1 tsp nutmeg

Mix as for bread.

Let rise 3 times

make into rolls and let raise to double

Bake at 350*F 15-20 minutes

Glaze

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Eat Well, Live Well

Vegetable Dip

2010-02-23T15:11:00.000-08:00

1 Cup Sour Cream

1 Cup Mayonaise

2 Tbsp onion flakes

2 tsp beaumonde spice

2 tsp dill weed

Mix together. Let sit at 1 hour before serving.

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Eat Well, Live Well

Cinnamon Twist

2010-02-21T15:01:00.000-08:00

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp yeast

3-3 1/2 Cup flour

1 cube butter, softened

1 1/4 Cup warm water

3 oz pkg egg custard pudding mix

Let yeast set in warm water and sugar for a few minutes. Add other ingredients and knead 12 times or until dough is no longer sticky. divide dough in to 3 equal parts.

Roll 3 layers.

Put sugar, cinnamon, nuts or raisins on each layer. Put layers on pizza pan. Set a glass in the middle. Starting at the glass, cut 16 slits- from glass through to the edge, twist.

Remove glass

Let rise 30 minutes.

Bake at 400* F 12-15 minutes. Glaze

Glaze

Powdered sugar 1/2 cube butter

Enough milk to make runny

Pour over twist while still hot.

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Eat Well, Live Well

Lemonade

2010-02-19T15:00:00.000-08:00

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup Lemon juice

3 1/4 cup cold water

Mix and serve over ice

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Eat Well, Live Well

Chicken Biscuit Stew

2010-02-17T14:51:00.000-08:00

1/4 cup margarine

1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

Dash pepper

1- 10 3/4 oz can condensed chicken broth

3/4 cup milk

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1/3 cup chopped onion

1 cup cooked peas drained

1 cup cooked whole baby casrrots drained

1 can (10 bisciuts) Buttermilk or country style biscuits

Heat oven to 375* F. In oven proof 10 inch skillet, melt margarine, blend in flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken broth and milk. cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add chicken, onion, peas, and carrots. Simmer until hot and bubbly. Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Arrange biscuits over hot chicken mixture. Bake at 375* for 20-25 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. 5-6 servings.

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Eat Well, Live Well

Taco Burgers

2010-02-15T14:46:00.000-08:00

1 lb. ground beef

1 16 oz can tomatoes, cut up

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

3/4 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 dry mustard

1/2 tsp oregano

taco sauce, such as El Pato sauce, Picante what ever you like best

8 hamburger buns, split and toasted

2 cups shredded lettuce

1 cup shredded cheese

In skillet, brown meat, drain. Add undrained tomatoes, chili powder, worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, sugar, mustard, oregano and taco sauce.

Stir well, breaking up large pieces of tomato. Bring ot boiling, reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or till thickened.

Sprinkle each of the burgers with shredded lettuce and cheese.

Makes 8 sandwiches

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Eat Well, Live Well

Basic Cake

2010-02-13T15:14:00.000-08:00

If you know some basic measurments and ratios, you can make a cake. Then just by adding different spices or flavorings you can get a different type of cake. So here is your basic cake recipe:

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder for each cup of flour
pinch of salt

Sift dry ingredients together

1/2 as much sugar as flour (in this case it would be 1 cup)

1/2 as much shortening as sugar (in this case 1/2 cup)

Cream shortening and sugar together

1-2 eggs
add to shortening/sugar mixture and beat

Same amount of milk as sugar (this case 1 cup)
add to sugar eggs mix and beat

Slowly add dry ingredients and stir.

Add extract and or spices.*

Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Baking time will depend on size and shape of pan used.
Be sure to grease and flour pan before pouring batter in.

*Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and vanilla make a great spice cake
*Shredded carrots, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg for a carrot cake. Ice with a cream cheese frosting
*Cocoa powder, vanilla for a chocolate cake
*Orange extract, almond extract, mint extract- use your imagination

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Eat Well, Live Well

For the sake of time

2010-02-13T14:32:00.000-08:00

When I make something to share with you here, it takes me twice as long because I have to take a picture before each step, during each step and then after each step. Because I am not a food photographer I sometimes have to take 3 or 4 photos to get a good representation of what it should look like.

Then I started a Masters program and all my spare time got eaten up with projects, papers and reading and as a result I let my cooking go by the wayside.

I got a new microwave to go over my stove and needed to clean out my cook book cupboard. As I sat staring at my pile of books, I was sad that I had let this blog sit idle for so long. Then I had an idea.

Even though I don't have the time to make and photograph and post everything I would like, I can still post all my favorite recipes then come back and add photos later.

Deal?

And if you have any questions or requests, just let me know.

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Eat Well, Live Well

Strawberry Tart

2009-06-24T05:28:00.000-07:00

Let's try some French Pastry. It's not as hard as you may have heard, just follow the directions exactly, don't use any substitutions, and you will be just fine.

Today we will make a Strawberry Tart. It doesn't take a lot of work, but it does take time. I try to start early the day I want to eat it, or even the day before. But it is well worth it.

One of the first things you will need is a cute little French Pastry Chef to help you out.

First we will make the cookie part of the tart, called Pate Sable

Pate Sable

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup + 2 TBSP sugar*

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter,

chilled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 egg yolk

1 TBSP cold water

Pre heat oven to 350* F

Line 10 inch quich pan with circle of parchment paper;

set aside

if you don't have a quiche pan, use a straight sided cake pan or spring form pan

I don't use my food processor for very many things

mostly because it is in the bottom cupboard and behind everything

and I don't like cleaning it. But I use it for this.

If you don't have a processor, use a pastry blender or two knives, like we did for pie crust and biscuts

Combine flour, sugar and butter in processor and mix until consistency of coarse meal.

Combine yolk and water in small bowl.

With machine running, add yolk mixture through feed tube and mix until dough begins to form ball.

Roll dough between sheets of waxed paper into 10 inch circle.

If you wipe your counter just before you put your wax paper down, it will stick and not slip and slide all over the counter top.

Now, here is where pastry gets a bit tricky. Pastry does not like to be handled very much, but as you can see above, my pastry stuck to the wax paper. I didn't flour my paper, because too much flour makes pastry tough and hard and icky.

But because it stuck- probably the humidity in the air, it was raining- I did this instead

I scraped it all off of the wax paper, formed a ball

and rolled it out with my small roller

Here it is all rolled out

If I had rolled it with the wax paper, the instructions would say:

Roll dough between sheets of waxed paper into 10-inch circle. Remove top paper and invert pastry into quiche pan; peel off remaining paper.

Prick pastry thoroughly with fork.
Bake until cookie is well browned, 15-20 minutes,

watching carefully after 15 minutes as it will darken quickly.

I got the center a bit thinner than the rest, so it darkened faster than the outside.

Cool Completely

Pastry Cream:

1 Cup Milk

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 TBSP all purpose flour

2 TBSP (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

Bring Milk to boil in heavy 1 1/2 quart saucepan over medium heat.

Meanwhile, combine yolks and sugar in small bowl and whisk to blend.

Add flour and beat just until completely mixed

When milk is boiling, gradually stir about 1/3 into yolk mixture

Blend completely

Pour back into saucepan and, whisking constantly, bring to boil over medium heat.

Reduce heat and whisk until mixture is thickened, about 2-3 minutes

Remove from heat and blend in 2 TBSP butter with vanilla

stirring until butter melts.

Pour into bowl and spread light film of butter completely over top,

or set plastic wrap directly on surface (this prevents skin from

forming).

Refridgerate until chilled and firm

To Assemble:

Up to 6 hours before serving, set cookie on serving plate

Using pastry brush, spread 1/4 cup butter liberally over top

(you may not need entire amount, but be sure to get butter in all fork holes to keep crust flaky

You may also use a spoon if you don't have a pastry brush)

Stir pastry cream with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until spreadable;

do not use whisk or electric mixer or cream will thin and be runny

Put cream on cookie

Using brush, (or spoon) spread cream 1/8 inch thick over entire cookie

Finishing

2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled

2-3 oz currant jelly

Toasted sliced almonds(optional)

Powdered sugar(optional)

Hull your strawberries

I have my assistant do this

Place strawberries stem end down in concentric circles to cover top

With all the strawberries

Press jelly through strainer into small saucepan to break up any lumps.

Bring to boil over medium heat.

Immediately brush over strawberries and outer edge of crust to glaze completely.

You can use a spoon if you don't have a pastry brush

With all of the jelly on it.

If I had had some almonds, I would now

Place almonds over outer row of berries.

Set 7-inch circle of waxed paper over center of tart and

liberally sprinkle almonds with powdered sugar

Carefully remove paper and discard.

Refrigerate tart until ready to serve.

But because I forgot to get almonds

I just sprinkled the whole thing with powdered sugar

Tart is very delicate. Be careful when moving it or cookie base might break.

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Eat Well, Live Well

Handle, tang, bolster, blade

2009-06-22T04:13:00.000-07:00

Today let's talk knives. What you want to look for when purchasing your knives is very important. I was going to write it all for you, but then I found this great article at Amazon
Because I want to give credit where credit is due, I copied and pasted the entire article, so everything following is from Amazon Know How:

Handle, tang, bolster, blade: that is how a knife is made

There's more to a kitchen knife than a sharp edge. Look for these basics before you buy.

-Handle: Is the handle a clunky piece of hardwood or a sleek piece of rosewood? Or do you prefer a synthetic handle, something a little more ergonomic? The choice can often be personal, and it's not simply a matter of price. Wood has a natural warmth, but actual shaping is limited by the process of mass production. Synthetic handles won't crack and often have the feel of custom-made cutlery. And you'll want to take the size of your hand into account: a small hand will quickly tire of a hefty handle.

-Tang: The tang is the extension of the blade to which the handle is attached with rivets. If the tang doesn't pass through the entire handle, look for another knife--or start saving for an upgrade. The full tang is where you get the weight, balance, and stability of a high-quality knife. The best knife manufacturers use full tangs in all their knives, large and small.

-Bolster: The thick piece of metal between the handle and the heel of the blade, particularly on French-style chef's knives, is also a shield between your fingers and the cutting edge. It's there for safety's sake, and it adds to the balance of the knife. A well-balanced, sharp knife is effortless to use. But not all styles of knives have--or demand--bolsters.

-Blade: The size and shape of the blade help determine function. Boning a chicken with a chef's knife is probably how chicken nuggets were discovered. Select the right blade for the task at hand.

-Construction: There's a reason that stamped blades are less expensive than forged blades: they are punched out of sheets of steel with knife-blade-shaped dies. High-end knives often lay claim to being hand-forged. This doesn't mean an Old World master craftsman worked the blade at a forge and anvil with a big hammer. Picture a factory laborer with a pair of tongs holding on to a hot piece of steel for the several blows of a 100-ton drop forge. There are, however, many steps in the process of making a high-quality knife, and in a couple of them you can count on some human intervention.

Blade Material
-High-carbon stainless steel: Some of the best blades are made of either high-carbon steel or high-carbon stainless steel. The difference between the two kinds of steel is in the alloy, which must be at least 13% chromium to be rust- and stainproof high-carbon stainless steel. Companies such as Wüsthof, Henckels, Forschner, and Tramontina use high-carbon stainless.

-High-carbon steel: High-carbon steel blades, on the other hand, will tarnish over time. But they take a better edge, and it's easier to maintain. The blade is also more flexible. But it does demand a certain amount of upkeep--wiping it dry after use, for example. Or washing it after cutting acidic produce such as onions. Sabatier uses high-carbon steel in some of its knives.

-Ceramic: The relatively new ceramic blades are light and extremely sharp from the factory. But you can't sharpen these knives at home once they lose their edge. The edge is glassy-smooth and will glide across some materials--the paperlike skin of an onion, for example--rather than slicing through. There's no chance of corrosion with ceramic, but it is fragile. Chip the edge and only a wet diamond grinder can bring it back. Fortunately, they're usually backed with a strong warranty.

Types of Blades
-Chef's knife: This is the kitchen workhorse--the main piece of steel--in lengths of 6, 8, and 10 inches for the most part. If you have a big hand, a 6-inch chef's knife will be an annoyance, while a small hand may quickly tire of a 10-inch blade. The blade of a chef's knife is designed to rock on a cutting board for tasks from chopping on down to mincing. The weight and balance of the blade work to your advantage. You can spend $25 to $130 for a good, commercially manufactured chef's knife.

-Boning and fillet knives: These knives come in 5-, 6-, and 7-inch lengths. If you work with a lot of meat, poultry, and fish, you will want one of each. The fillet knife is long and straight, thin and flexible. Boning knives tend to have a curve to the blade, but can be either flexible or rigid. You use the flexible blade to bone poultry, the rigid boning blade to work around bigger bones. These knives cost between $10 and $65.

-Paring and peeling knives: These are little knives you will reach for almost as often as you do your chef's knife. The peeler often has a hooking curve to the blade and is great for cutting zest from citrus fruit. You'll use small knives for any number of peeling, paring, and shaping chores, not to mention cutting the string after you have tied up the chicken for roasting. These run from 2 to 4-1/2 inches and $15 to $50.

-Specialty blades: Cleavers, carving knives, serrated knives, Asian-style vegetable knives: these all have their right place and right time. The long, thin-bladed nature of a carving knife allows for perfect slicing of roasts or fowl. Serrated knives and crusty bread were made for each other. In fact, if you use your good chef's knife to slice crusty bread, you will ruin its edge.

Sharp Advice
Buy the best knives you can afford, and plan on using them for the rest of your life. Knife design has evolved over hundreds of years. If there's a flashy new kid on the block, ask yourself if the new design will stand up over time. Will it be comfortable? Is it necessary?

Knife Care
-Clean your knives after you use them.
-Store your knives in a knife block. Do not throw sharp knives into a drawer.
-Keep your knives out of the dishwasher. This protects the handle and the edge, and it protects your fingers when you aren't paying attention.
-Maintain a good edge with a ceramic stick or a steel.
-Teach your family basic knife skills.

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Eat Well, Live Well

Strawberry Ice Cream

2009-06-20T05:06:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

1 egg, stirred

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup Half and Half

1/3 cup sugar*

Mix all ingredients together

Add sliced strawberries*

Pour into freezer container

Add dasher

Put on the lid

Add motor

Ice

Rock salt

Freeze until done- varies with machine

Check it often and add ice and salt as needed

Your freezer motor will change pitch when the ice cream is done

Mine stops

Enjoy a bowl of home made ice cream

*I made a double batch in my freezer.

I also used an alertnative sweetener- Xylitol- and it works just fine. You don't get the sugar and diabetics and those wishing to eat sugar free can use this. Just remember- sugar free does not equal calorie free.

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Eat Well, Live Well

Chicken Scallopini

2009-06-19T14:38:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
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Eat Well, Live Well

Chicken strips

Turkey bacon chunks

Artichoke hearts, capers, mushrooms, onions

Saute until chicken is done.

Serve over Angel Hair pasta and top with Lemon Butter Sauce

Cook Angel hair pasta according to directions

Lemon Butter Sauce

¼ cup white grape juice, apple juice, chicken broth or white cooking wine

½ TBSP onion or garlic powder

½ tsp salt

2 tsp lemon juice

¼ cup melted butter

2 TBSP Veganaise

3 cups water + ¼ cup flour

½ cup coconut milk or rice milk

Minced green onion, chives or parsley

Combine all ingredients with hand blender.

Simmer until thick and serve over pasta.

The day I made this, I didn't have as many people eating, so my pasta to chicken/sauce ratio was off.
I also prefer apple juice or chicken stock to the white grape juice- it changes the flavor. Grape juice is kind of bland, so if you choose to use the grape juice, you may want to add a few more spices to the Lemon Butter Sauce.
You can also make this with regular cream or milk and regular mayonnaise, just substitute where needed. I just prefer this version because it cuts fat and calories.

Ideas

2009-06-15T19:28:00.001-07:00

Ok, today is a quick post. It is summer and the days are soon going to be filled with non-stop fun.

Readers, what would you like me to prepare for the lazy, hazy days of summer?

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Eat Well, Live Well

Just for fun

2009-01-26T13:56:00.000-08:00

Something fun while I make up the next recipe.

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Eat Well, Live Well

White Chili

2008-12-30T17:59:00.001-08:00

6 (16 oz) cans Greata Northern white beans- not drained

1 large onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 (7 oz) can green chili with juice

1 lb white chicken, cooked and chopped

1 tsp cumin

3 tsp oregano

1 tsp chili powder

4 chicken bouillon cubes

16 oz sour cream

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook and chop your chicken and put in a large pot

Open and add the beans- do not drain them

Add the diced green chili

I always use the Hatch brand

Add everything else to the pot

Stir and heat through

Or put it all in a crock pot and cook on medium for 2 hours.

Serve with rolls or corn bread.

Cherry Cheese Pie

2008-11-29T05:29:00.000-08:00

This recipe makes 1- 9 inch pie. I usually double it and make 2 pies. It is my most requested pie.

9 inch unbaked pie shell
2 cans (1 lb 5 oz) cherry pie filling
12 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract ( I prefer mexican vanilla if I can find it- it is so much richer and flavorful than the imitation extract)

Preheat your oven to 425*F

Prepare pie shell

Spread 1 can of cherry filling in bottom of pie shell

Bake for 15 minutes
Remove from oven
Reduce heat to 350*F

While pie shell is baking,
Beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth

This time I am going to use the paddle

Since I have a stand mixer, I let it beat almost the entire time the

shell is baking. This makes it really smooth and creamy.

This is what it will look like after the 15 minutes of baking

Don't forget to turn the heat down to 350* F

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the hot cherry filling

Clean up the spills on the door

Bake for 25 minutes

Make sure the temp is 350*F.

The filling will be soft when you take it out of the oven. It will set up as it cools

Cool completely on a wire rack

Just before serving, spread the remaining can of pie filling on top of pie.

If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, store it in the refridgerator.

Lemon Meringue Pie

2008-11-28T04:48:00.000-08:00

This is a simple and quick Lemon Meringue pie. We are going to use Jello Brand Lemon Pie filling. I will show you how to make a lemon pie from scratch in another post, but since I am making this along with my other Thanksgiving pies, I want to do it quick and easy.

Start with a baked pie shell

1 4.3 oz pk Lemon Pie filling

Make sure it is the cook and serve- not istant

You are going to combine the mix with

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

3 egg yolks

There are lots of ways to seperate the yolks from the whites

This is one of them. You crack the egg into the seperator and let the whites drain off

Even though I have this tool, I don't use it very often

I do it the following way

Crack the egg and drop it into my hand

Let the white slip through my fingers

It slips rather quickly.

A lot quicker than through the tool.

Be sure not to break the yolk. You are going to use the whites for your meringue and they can't have any yolk in them.

After stirring the mix, sugar, water and egg yolks together

add 2 1/2 cups more of water

The secret to smooth pudding pies is this--

STIR CONSTANTLY until it comes to a full boil

This is what a full boil looks like. The mixture will go from cloudy to clear

then it will start bubbling. Wait for it to be bubbling all over, not just in a couple of spots.

Take it off of the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes then pour into pie crust.

Now we are going to make the meringue.

We need to beat the egg whites from above.

I like to use a copper bowl, because the egg whites beat up fluffier, but my hand mixer is broken

and my copper bowl doesn't fit on my KitchenAid

These are the attachments for mixing things

The whisk, bread hook, and paddle

I am going to use the whisk for meringue and whipped cream

Put the room tempurature egg whites in the bowl and beat them on high speed until foamy

Gradually add in 1/3 cup sugar and continue beating on high speed

You want to beat them until stiff peaks form.

It will look like this

See the little peak that formed when I lifted the whisk out?

Spread the meringue on your cooled lemon pie

You can leave it like that but I like to make cute little mountains on mine

Place your spatula (or a knife works as well) lightly on the meringue

And lift- making a peak

Make them all over your pie

Bake at 350*F for 15-20 minutes

or until your meringue is lightly browned.

Watch your pie the last 5 minutes because the meringue will burn quickly once it has browned.

Cool at room temperature at least 4 hours.

2 Crust Pies

2008-11-27T16:13:00.001-08:00

Start with your basic pie crust recipe- doubled

Roll half of the dough and line pan

Don't trim yet

Put your filling in the crust

I used a canned apple pie filling for this pie

Roll out the rest of the dough for the top crust
The top crust needs to be vented to allow steam to escape
I like to use this design because it is the one that my
Mother and Grandmother always used
I take a butter knife and make two curved slits
then use the tip of the knife to make the smaller slots

Fold the crust and place ontop of your filling

Carfully unfold

Trim excess dough

Crimp the two crusts together

I pinch the dough between my thumb and forefinger and twist

Then I sprinkle the top with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar

Bake as directed for your filling

Apple pies are usually 40-50 minutes in a 350*F oven

Pumpkin Pie

2008-11-26T13:30:00.000-08:00

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) unbaked deep-dish pie shell or

2 shallow 9 inch unbaked pie shells
Whipped cream (optional)

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

POUR a small amount into pie shell.

Using a butter knife, trim off the excess crust and crimp the edges if desired

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Perfect Pie Crust

2008-11-25T12:52:00.000-08:00

1 cup flour
1/2 cup shortening

Put in a mixing bowl and cut the shortening into the flour

I use a pastry blender, but you can use a butter knife. It doesn't matter, just so your shortening is cut into small pebble bits into the flour.

It should look something like this. You can cut even more if you want to, but this is ok.

Add 1/2 cup water

Stir with a fork just until it forms a ball and no flour is left in the bowl.

Don't stir too much or your crust will be hard and not light and flaky.

This is what it should look like. If it is too wet, then add a small amount of flour and stir.

Now it is time to roll the crust out. I use a mat. The ridges tell you how many inches in diameter your crust is. You can get a mat like this at any kitchen store. I got mine at Pampered Chef. If you don't have one, you can roll out your crust on your counter top, or waxed paper, or even in a 1 gallon ziploc bag.

Even with the mat, I still need to flour my surface and my rolling pin so the crust doesn't stick.

Put the ball of dough on the floured surface.

Roll out your pie crust

Roll in more than one direction to keep your crust round.

Add flour as needed, but use it sparingly

If you don't have a mat, then you can measure your crust by turning your pan upside down on the rolled out crust. Your crust should be 1-2 inches larger than the rim of your pan.

Fold your crust in half.

Then in half again.

Place it in your pie tin

Unfold. It should lap over the edges

If you are making a pudding type pie, where you fill the crust after it is baked, then poke your crust with a fork before baking. This prevents bubbles and shrinking while baking

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350* F

Tomato Soup

2008-11-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

Today we have a guest chef in the Cooking Corner, my friend, David G. Woolley from Top Of The Morning. He allowed me to post his recipe here on certain conditions, which are:

As long as you post the following at the top of your how to cook blog in Big, Bold letters with a link over TOP OF THE MORNING BLOG, we will, in this one instance allow it."This recipe is used here by permission of the Top of the Morning blog staff. All tomato rights reserved. Reference to the snot setting is not necessarily associated with the Top of the Morning, its owners or share holders.".

You can also read the post that led up to this recipe here. Do that while your veggies are cooking. In the mean time, hang in there, stay with me and you will be glad you did. This is by far the best tomato soup I have ever eaten. Well worth the conditions stipulated by David.

David doesn't use lists when he tells you how to make something. Lucky for you that I happen to speak male and can translate his narrative into cooking jargon. Here we go: (David's words in red, mine in black)

Tomato Soup

14 oz can of diced tomatoes- drained- reserve juice (if you want more tomato flavor and deeper color, add more diced tomatoes)

Olive oil

Black Pepper

1 white onion- chopped (see how to chop an onion here).

Carrot

2 garlic cloves

Celery Stalk

8 oz can tomato sauce

10-14 oz chicken broth

Bay leaf
Soy milk *optional

While the tomatoes are baking, cut up a whole white onion, a carrot, two garlic cloves, a celery thingy (is it called a stalk?), the saved back tomato juice along with about 8 ounces of tomato sauce and a can of chicken broth. Simmer all of this stuff in a soup pan with about 1/2 cup of olive oil and a bay leaf until the veggies are tender.

This is David's second step, but it makes more sense to me to do it first, so I am going to take a risk and give you the instructions out of order here.

I use my handy dandy veggie chopper for carrots, it goes so much quicker. The smaller you chop them, the faster they cook.

Don't they look pretty together?

To peel the garlic cloves, lay it on the cutting board and using the heel of your hand, press down. Then just peel and chop.

If your hands smell like onion and garlic- rub them over your stainless steel faucet while you are washing them. It will take away the smell.

In the pot ready for the reserved tomato juice, tomato sauce and chicken broth.

Tomato sauce. So many kinds to choose from. The one in the yellow can, El Pato, is one of my favorite, but you have to be willing to have tomato sauce with a kick. Today I chose the Western Family tomato sauce with no salt added.

I also chose the chicken broth with less sodium

On a baking sheet empty one 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes and save back any juices. I never have more than a few spoonfuls. Is it really worth saving back three tablespoons? You can throw in more diced tomato if you like your soup deeper orange in color and more tomato flavor. Cover the tomatoes with between 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup of olive oil. Season with some pepper. Bake for 15-20 mins at 450 degrees. Its supposed to caramelize the tomatoes. Mine just get sizzling hot. Must be the altitude.

Notice all the different kinds of diced tomatoes you can get? I chose to use the Fire Roasted tomatoes today, but next time I think I will try the Lime and Cilantro or the Chipotle Chilies just for a little kick.

Here they are on the baking sheet ready to go into the oven. Drain them before you put them on the sheet, but save the juice.

Drizzle the tomatoes with 1/4-1/3 cup olive oil. Try and get the olive oil that is first cold pressed.
Season them with some black pepper. Bake in a 450* oven for 15-20 minutes. This will carmelize the tomatoes.

And they will look like this when they come out of the oven.

Dump the baked tomatoes and the simmered veggies into a blender and blend the snot out of em, which, translated into more feminine terms would be between 3-4 minutes on the highest setting until it has a creamy texture. If I were a blender manufacturer I'd design a snot setting one click beyond pulverize. You could also try blending this mixture until no celery threads get stuck between your teeth, but then you'd have to eat the soup before it was done and that would pretty much defeat the purpose of making it in the first place. Dumb idea. Just blend the snot out of it.

Notice my blender does not have a snot setting. Nor does it have a pulverize setting. I have no idea where David gets his blenders, but obviously not at the same store I shop at.

I used HI and Icy drink and it worked just fine.

Dump everything back into your soup pan and while you let it simmer for, say 10 or 15 minutes, stir in 1/4 cup of chopped basil leaves and a cup of soy milk. The soy milk is optional. You can leave it out if you don't have any around the house. Everything else is pretty common kitchen fare.

I purchase my basil fresh like this in the produce aisle.

Be sure you use original or plain soy milk. I like the vanilla to drink, but use the plain to cook with. There are many different brands, this is the one I prefer.
MMMM. My house smells so good right now.

There it is. A pretty healthy tomato soup. Its fairly fresh, but its not raw like fresh-from-the-garden cold soups. Its also fairly healthy though it doesn't max out on the high enzyme charts with all the cooking that degrades some enzymes. Add a leafy green salad (a big one) and you'll get all the enzymes you need to keep your energy levels up. This soup is a home run in every other health and nutrition category. From the tomatoes to the healthy olive oil, to the onion and celery and herbs. Its a great soup for you and your family's health.Our family loves it. We hope you will too. If you try it and like it, let me know. If you don't like it, the soup Nazi has a word of advice: "No soup for you!"

I choose baby spinach with kiwi slices and bambino watermelon chunks for the salad.

This soup is filling and oh so good. I will never eat tomato soup from a can again.

Potatoe dish

2008-08-06T08:56:00.000-07:00

This potatoe dish has a lot of names: Cheesy potoatoes, festive potatoes are among them. Here in Utah, they are called Funeral Potatoes because they are served at luncheons after a funeral because the recipe feeds quit a few people. So, lets get started.

Funeral Potatoes
* 32 oz bag of frozen shredded hash browns
* 2 (10 3/4 oz) cans Cream of Chicken Soup
* salt and pepper to taste (don't leave these out!)
* 1 cup Sour Cream
* 1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese (I like to use sharp Cheddar Cheese)
* 1/2 cube melted butter or margarine
* 1/4 c. chopped green onion ( I didn't have green onions, a big onion works just fine, and we learned how to chop it last time)
* 2 cups finely crushed Corn Flakes (Optional)
* 2 Tbs butter or margarine melted (Optional)

Directions
1. Grease 9x13 baking dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In large bowl combine soups, sour cream, cheese, onions, and the melted butter.

3. Gently fold hash browns into mixture.

4. Pour mixture into pan.

5. Combine crushed corn flakes and the 2 Tbs. of melted butter and sprinkle on top of potato mixture. (step 5 is optional)

6. Bake for 30 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly and hot.

Let's chop an onion

2008-08-05T08:56:00.004-07:00

Today lets learn a quick and easy way to chop an onion.

First, peel off all of the outer, crispy peel.

Your onion should now look like this

Next, cut off a small part of the top
Place the onion on the flat part you just made, and cut it in half, starting at the root end
You are now going to make a series of verical cuts- about 3-4

Make sure that you do NOT cut all the way through the onion

stop just before the root.

Sometimes it is easier to make the cuts with the onion laying down like this

notice how I stop before going through the root

Now, with the onion laying down, make about 5 cuts the other direction. Again, do not go through the root end

This is what your onion should look like now

One more series of cuts and we will be done

Turn the onion a quarter turn and chop, slicing all the way through

Discard the root end

What you have left is a perfectly diced or chopped onion

Biscuits and Gravy

2008-04-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

Biscuits

1/2 cup shortening

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup milk

1 3/4 cups flour

3/4 tsp salt

(makes about 10-12 biscuits)

Preheat oven to 400*F

Measure flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl

Mix well

Measure shortening and add to flour mixture

Using a pastry blender (or a butter knife), cut the shortening into the
flour mixture

Cutting in

Shortening should look like small crumbs

Pour in milk and stir

just until the dough rounds up into a ball

Sprinkle countertop with a small amount of flour.

Turn dough out onto it and knead for about 2-3 minutes

Roll dough out with a rolling pin till it is about 1/2 inch thick

Choose something round to cut the biscuits out with

pictured are- biscuit cutter, jar lid, glass

Cut the dough, reroll and cut the left over dough
Repeat until all dough is used

Place biscuits on greased cookie sheet

Bake 10-12 minutes in a 400*F oven

Remove from oven and serve with butter, honey, jelly or gravy

Gravy

*Ingredients for two people

but the pictures show it being made for my family of 8

2-3 Tbsp grease

(from bacon, sausage, cooking oil or melted shortening)

Use medium heat

Add 2 Tablespoons flour to grease

Whisk it together and let it brown for a few minutes

if it feels too dry, add a small amount more of grease so it is

smooth and stirrable

Stir in 3 cups of milk

You should not see any lumpy or pasty areas

( I use almost 1/2 gallon of milk for my family)

Allow to cook, stirring constantly until it is thick and bubbly.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

If it gets too thick, you can add a small splash of milk and stir

Serve with buttered biscuits

Tools, tools and more tools

2008-04-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

Today we are going to talk about the appropriate tools for measuring when cooking. It is really important for some recipies to be measured exactly in order for them to turn out properly.

This is a glass measuring cup. This particular one is a 2 cup measure, but they can come in many different sizes. They are also sometimes made out of plastic, but are always opaque-you will be able to see through them. These types of measuring cups are made to measure liquid.

Another liquid measuring cup. This set has 4 different cups. The largest measures 4 cups and the smallest measures in teaspoons and tablespoons. They are also slanted so you can see the measurement when you are standing up, instead of stooping to eyeball the measurement from the side. This set came from Pampered Chef, but you can get sets like them at many stores.

These two cups also come from Pampered Chef. The larger one measures up to 2 cups and the smaller one measures up to 1 cup. When the cup is turned the direction that the white one is, it measures liquides. When you turn it over like the pink one, it is used to measure solids. You then push the solid out by pushing the cup down, and there is very little waste of things like butter and shortening.

These measuring cups are used to measure solids and dry ingredients- shortening, butter, flour, sugar, oats... etc.

With this type of measuring cup, it is easy to fill it to the top and then level it off, making sure that you have the correct amount instead of a close approximation. These also come in both metal and plastic. I have seen them in ceramic. They come in measurements of 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, 3/4 cup, 2/3 cup, 1 cup. Usually the 1 cup measure will also have marking for the other measurments on them as well.

These are the tools used to measure smaller measurements- teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoons (Tbsp). They also come in sets- usually 1/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp, 1/2 Tbsp, 1 Tbsp. They also come in a variety of materials, usually metal or plastic, but I have seen them in ceramic as well. The red one is an adjustable measuring spoon, from 1/2 tsp to 1 Tbsp. I use it only for dry ingredients. I use the smallest of the Pampered Chef set to measure my tsp and Tbsp measurements of liquids.

In our next installment we will talk about bowls and pots and pans and perhaps knives. Then we will start cooking.

Cooking 101

2008-03-29T15:45:00.000-07:00

I have always loved cooking and creating in the kitchen. For the last two months I have been teaching a cooking club for 4-H and loved it. I look forward to deciding what we are going to make. I love finding the perfect recipie that is not too hard, but not too easy. I love watching the students make something they thought would be hard. I look forward to Wednesday afternoons in the kitchens in the food room at school.

In February, my sister set up a blog for my family to post our favorite recipes to. It has been great seeing and making my extended family's favorite recipes. My sister-in-law mentioned that while she could cook, she wished she was better at it. She stated that she would love step by step instructions with pictures. The idea for a how to blog was planted in my mind. I have been turning it over for a couple of months now. Today, I decided that I would just go ahead and start it.

I asked the kids for help in naming the blog. Matt said I should call it "Cooking for Dummies". Smart alec. I didn't want the novice to feel intimidated, but on the other hand, I didn't want the culinary master (which I am not) to feel talked down to. So, I think I struck a balance with Sandra's Cooking Corner.

Here is what you can look forward to in my little corner of the cooking world:

the basics of cooking, Cooking 101 if you will. I will discuss the different types of tools to have and use in the kitchen as well as the pros and cons of pots and pans, knives, spoons, dishes, etc. I will also discuss the different types of ingredients and when to use what.
We will make food with step by step instructions as well as photos. This is my children's favorite part, because if I am going to have photos, I am going to have to make it and they are going to have to eat it. We will start easy and then progress to more complicated foods. Evenually I will redesign the site so that there will be different links to different categories so you won't have to search through all of the posts to find the recipe you want.

I will not post daily, that would just take up too much time with the photography and loading the pictures and then writing. I will, however, try to do at least one post a week with a recipe to make. As we make this journey together, feel free to make suggestions of things that you would like to learn to make. Who knows, I just may learn something new myself!

Until the next post- Eat Well, Live Well!