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Well, it's not "free candy" but it's a good representation of patriotic spirit. :)

Twice-Baked Potatoes

I decided to make these spur-of-the-moment with no recipe, and I just kinda mixed stuff together until it tasted right, but I will try to tell you what I did in each step...

Twice-Baked Potatoes

4 baking potatoes
sour cream
garlic salt
chives (either fresh of dried)
butter
feta cheese

1) Bake, or microwave, some good-sized potatoes until done; they should have some 'give' when you squeeze them (use your oven mitt!).

2) I used a melon ball scooper to excavate the insides, leaving some of a "shell" behind...


3) Using a potato masher, break up potato chunks that you scooped out...


4) Mix in other ingredients until it is smooth and creamy...


5) Spoon filling back into potatoes...



6) Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until filling is hot and begins to brown a tiny bit on top...

(in the photo above, I had added some feta cheese on 3 of them)

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French Silk Chocolate Pie

Sorry, but this is the only photo I have of the completed pie; it was taken with Casey's iPhone, and the quality leaves a bit to be desired. But you can tell it's chocolate, and it's fluffy. :)

French Silk Chocolate Pie

1 prepared pie crust
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 c. butter, softened (no substitutes)
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
4 pasteurized eggs (OR 1 cup fat-free cholesterol-free egg product)

1) Make pie crust as directed on box, using 9-inch glass pie plate. (Or buy a frozen crust already made in a tin, and bake as directed.) Be sure to cool the crust thoroughly, about 30 minutes. (I actually put the finished crust in the freezer, because I was pressed for time. It worked very well!)


2) Melt chocolate in microwave, stirring often; allow to cool to room temperature.


3) In a mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in sugar, a little at a time, until light and fluffy.


4) Mix in chocolate and vanilla; blend well.


5) Add eggs 1 at a time (or egg product, a little at a time), beating on high speed for at least 2 minutes after each addition.
This is important: beat until mixture is smooth and fluffy.



6) Spoon into cooled baked shell. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or longer, before serving.




We served this with Cool Whip on top, but again, I didn't get photos, unfortunately.


NOTES:
I used pasteurized egg product, because salmonella is NO FUN!


Also, I think in the future, I'd substitute powdered sugar in place of the granulated sugar. This basically turned out tasting like a pie made out of chocolate frosting. Not that that's wrong. But, when you put the first forkful into your mouth, you get a little bit of a "grainy" texture from the sugar. Then, it kinda melts on your tongue. Not something to really complain about, but it just wasn't quite what I was expecting. I also think I'd put a heap of whipping cream into it, to thicken up the texture. We shall see what happens the next time I decide to make this.

Beefaroni Goldie Style

I apologize for not having more photos, but I really didn't expect to be posting this recipe when I made dinner tonight. It was just my own personal challenge with the imaginary "Chef Boyardee". But, yeah, I'll share...

Beefaroni Goldie Style

1 lb. pasta (your choice) cooked and drained
1/2 c. onion, chopped fine
1 T. olive oil
1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey, if you prefer)
2 t. beef bouillon
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
2 T. Parmesan cheese
2 T. brown sugar (yes, I said brown sugar!)
3 T. butter
dash of garlic powder
splash of half & half (I'll explain why later)
1/2 of a Kraft Single cheese slice

1. Sautée onion in olive oil in a large frying pan until it begins to brown (you want the onion to start to caramelize and become sweet). Remove onion from pan; set aside in heat-proof bowl.
   
2. Brown meat in frying pan.
3. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste to meat; add onions back into pan.
4. Stir in beef bouillon and butter; mix very well.
   
5. Add Parmesan and a dash or two of garlic powder; mix well. (don't over-garlic it)
   
6. Add a splash of half & half, or some kind of heavy cream—the purpose of this is to cut some of the acidity of the tomato products, but without making it into a "cream sauce."
   
7. Stir in the brown sugar—the purpose of this is to add a hint of sweetness that cannot be immediately identified, but just makes it "yummy."
   
8. The Kraft cheese slice was to add that certain "something" to the sauce, somewhere between a flavor and a consistency, but nothing overwhelming or too obvious. Tear into pieces and stir it in very well...and eat the remaining half of cheese. LOL!
   
9. Allow sauce to simmer over low heat until you don't see bits of Parmesan—you want to give it time to kinda melt into the sauce.
10. Pour meat sauce over pasta, and mix it up.
    

p.s.
Casey said that I did, indeed, kick Chef Boyardee's ass. :)

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Thumper

Just hangin' out, being fuzzy....

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Looking through some cookbooks, searching for recipes I want to try...

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Toasted Marshmallow Day

Once again, we find ourselves celebrating National Marshmallow Toasting Day.

Find some joy, get in touch with your 'inner child,' and most importantly, put a marshmallow over an open flame! Make s'mores for your friends and loved ones. Enjoy!

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Hard Boiled Eggs

This is a great diet food snack....I usually keep some handy in the fridge. If you're lazy, peel them in advance and wrap them in plastic for later, or use one of those little Gladware containers like I had the protein shake mix in...

Hard Boiled Eggs
yes, you can…

eggs
cold water (enough to cover eggs in pan)

Put your eggs—however many you want—in a saucepan and add COLD water to cover them completely. Don't crowd the eggs in the pan, either, or they may break.

Slowly bring the water to boil over low-medium heat. I usually set the timer for 10 or 12 minutes, and check on them at that point. If the water isn't boiling yet, turn the heat up slightly, and set the timer for 5 more minutes.

You may want to just sit there in the kitchen and open the mail, or look at the paper, because those five minutes will go by faster than you think. Last thing you want to do is leave the room and begin with the stupid laundry or something else [FACEBOOK] that might distract you until you wonder…*sniff, sniff*…what's that smell? OHNO! My eggs!!! (NOTE: yes, twice; not recently)

Done clipping coupons? Water's boiling? Good, go turn off the heat. Put a lid on the pan, and let your eggs sit in the pan for 5 minutes. Yeah, set the timer again, or you'll forget.

Now rinse the eggs in COLD water. If you plan to use them for egg salad or something, and want to cool them off quickly, fill the pan with cold water and drop 4 or 5 ice cubes into the pan (don't set it back on the stove; especially not on that same hot burner, genius.)

Your eggs should be done perfectly. Enjoy!

Tomato-Cheddar Bread

This is just slightly different from my Tomato Herb Bread, and is also extremely delicious...

Tomato-Cheddar Bread

1 c. + 2 T. warm water
2 T. tomato paste
2 T. brown sugar
3 c. flour
1 c. fine shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 t. salt
1 T. minced onion
1 pkt. active dry yeast

1) Mix all ingredients on "dough" cycle in bread machine (in order recommended by manufacturer), or by hand in a very large bowl. If making by hand, allow mixed dough to rise for 30 minutes, covered, in a warm place.

2) Remove dough from bowl or bread machine, and knead around a little on a lightly floured surface; allow it to rest for ten minutes (yes, you do need to do this).

3) Butter a large cookie sheet or jellyroll pan; set aside.

4) Flatten dough, and roll it out into a big flat rectangle shape, about 16" x 12". Cut the rectangle in half, leaving you with two pieces of dough that are about 8" x 12". Roll each up along the 12" side; make sure it isn't loosely rolled. Pinch edge to seal the seam, and shape each into desired loaf proportions (i.e. long & skinny, or short and stout—totally your call).

5) Move the loaves to your baking pan, and make diagonal slashes over the tops with a lame or a sharp serrated knife blade. Cover with waxed paper and then a kitchen towel, and allow them to rise for about 30-40 minutes.



6) Heat oven to 375˚. If you want, you can brush the tops with beaten egg, or water, and sprinkle with kosher salt, or Parmesan, before baking.

7) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until browned on top, and the smell become irresistible. Try to cool it on a wire rack after baking, and not burn your mouth. Save one of the ends for me…that's my favorite…



This one went to some friends, and disappeared right before my eyes...


The dried minced onion I use...too many fresh onions go bad in my fridge or pantry!


Well, it looks like about a cup of cheese....I think....



Mmmmmm....fresh baked bread....

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Well, Amy thinks it's a good idea...

Earlier today, Amy came over for a cup of coffee, and we sat and chatted for a while. When I showed her how I organized my daily protein shake rations (I don't know why people think I'm o/c...?) she seemed to think it was a good idea.

I like to mix a spoon of instant coffee into my shakes, and making it quick-n-easy in pre-measured Gladware containers leaves less room for excuses. Rather than getting out either of the big Optimum Nutrition containers, I can simply empty a little ready-made cup into the blender, add milk & ice, and then BOOM, it's a shake.

Hope y'all take a lesson, or just some inspiration, from this little tip. :)

Limey Cheesecake Pie

I'm sorry that I cannot recall where I found this recipe...I was somewhat skeptical about how well it would work, but it turned out to be pretty tasty.

Limey Cheesecake Pie

1 1/2 c. boiling water*
1 pkg. (3 oz.) LIME Jell-O
4 oz. (1/2 pkg.) cream cheese, room temp
6 oz. (1/2 of 12-oz. can) frozen LIMEADE concentrate, thawed
1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed
2 prepared graham cracker crusts

1. Stir hot water into Jell-O in heatproof bowl; mix for two minutes until completely dissolved. Set aside.


2. In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer until creamy.


3. Gradually beat lime concentrate into cream cheese.


4. Next, add Jell-O and beat until well blended.


5. Fold in Cool Whip. Pour into crusts, dividing it evenly.


This recipe makes 2 pies. After I poured the first one into the crust, I mixed some shredded coconut flakes into the mixture that was still in the bowl, and poured the second pie as Lime-Coconut. :) Seemed like a good idea at the time. Nobody complained...except Karoline. ;)


NOTES:
*I think that I'd reduce the water to only one cup, so that the mixture wasn't so soupy.
Also, to make up for the 1/2 cup of [water] volume, I'd use the whole package (8 oz.) of cream cheese. And, maybe I'd chill it after step 4, before folding in the Cool Whip. It was really soupy and didn't seem to mix well...although it ended up tasting good!

Salmon Stuffed Shells

The photos I have are dated August 4th, and now I'm not sure how I made this, exactly; but, it is based on my Salmon Meatloaf recipe...

Salmon Stuffed Shells

1 box jumbo shells, cooked and drained
1 can (15 oz.) salmon, cleaned
1/2 c. chopped broccoli
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 c. bread crumbs
seasonings: dill, garlic powder, onion powder
white sauce* or Hollandaise
Asiago cheese, shredded

1. Heat oven to 325˚.
2. Mix seasonings and cheeses in large mixing bowl; add eggs and blend well. Flake the salmon into bowl; mix. Stir in broccoli.
3. Prepare your sauce—I used a packet of Hollandaise sauce mix with some lemon juice added. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a baking pan.
4. Fill each shell with salmon mixture; place in pan. Continue until your shells are used, you run out of filling, or your pan is full.
5. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until it's bubbly around the edges and the cheese is gooey in the center of the pan.

White Sauce

2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 c. milk

Melt butter in a small sauce pan. Add flour and stir quickly; allow to cook briefly, but not brown. SLOWLY add milk, a little at a time, allowing sauce to thicken between additions. Season with whatever you like, such as garlic or cheese...or both! Serve or use immediately.

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Casey's Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake

I was having a vanilla shake with frozen raspberries added to it, and Casey decided he wanted a shake, too. This is the result...

Casey's Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake

1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 c. milk
2 t. peanut butter
7-8 ice cubes

Put all ingredients in the blender; mix until smooth.

Poached Salmon

Poached Salmon

2 (4 oz. ea.) salmon filets
1 1/2 c. vegetable (or chicken) broth
1 t. dried minced onion flakes
seasonings: salt, chives, dill, oregano, 1 bay leaf, paprika

1. In a large skillet, simmer onion and seasonings in broth for about 10-15 minutes.
2. Carefully add salmon filets into broth, baste with broth, then lightly salt fish, and place lid on pan.
3. Allow to simmer for 6-8 minutes over low heat. Check doneness by prodding with a fork—fish should flake easily and not be tough.
4. Spoon some broth over the fish, and serve while hot.
   

NOTE: I made a lemony Hollandaise sauce to go with this, but I don't have a recipe; I just kinda threw it together. And I wanted it to be lemony, but I added too much lemon juice!