THE BUZZZZ

I'm Back

2009-01-25T06:40:00.000-08:00

I have not used this blog since December of 2006. This was my recipe blog and quite often I forgot how to post, or my username, or my password. It has become easier to post here and more difficult on spaces and many of my blog friends have moved here, so I'm branching out and trying this again. It is, I feel, tentative, but I hope to get more proficient and will keep both blogs going for a while until I find in which I am most comfortable. Bear with me, friends.

RICE PILAF

2006-12-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

For some time now my blogging friend, Plain Jane, has asked for a recipe for Rice Pilaf. But because my life has been a trifle busy since July, I haven't posted it. Yesterday I put the recipe on her blog and thought it might be a good time to come here and continue to post recipes and get back to doing what I love to do: cook!

My grandchildren, Shay and Frank, love this rice dish. It is simple and tastes good and can be cooked at the last minute! So, Shay and Frank, this one's for you!

RICE PILAF
1/4 cup butter
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
3 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup fine chopped celery
1/3 cup finely chopped carrots
3 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 small can green peas
1 small can mushroom stems and pieces
1/4 cup finely minced parsley

Melt butter in a three quart saucepan. Add rice and stir until brown. Add chicken broth, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Mix celery, carrots, onions, almonds, peas and mushrooms and add to rice. Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes or until rice is completely done.

Serves 8

OUR BARBECUE SAUCE

2006-07-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

Mine is a second marriage. It is also a second marriage for my husband. In addition to children and furniture from first marriages, we also brought recipes. The children are all grown now and seem to know where they fit into the scheme of things and the furniture has long since been replaced. The recipes, however, have been more difficult to sort out and have required more diplomacy than a summit meeting. We are both ardent cooks and have been known to be competitive in the kitchen.

I came to the marriage with the conviction that the kitchen was my own private and exclusive domain. It is not that I did not know he loved to cook and was pretty good at it. He cooked wonderful gourmet meals for me when we courted and I have always been deeply impressed by his self-sufficiency in homemaking. I thought, though, that once we were married he would defer to me as the superior chef and that wousld be that. Well, that was not that and we continued to share the kitchen and sometimes it felt quite crowded. It is only because we love and respect each other that we were able to work out our problems in the kitchen so that we have both lived to tell the tale. There were times when we were not sure we would. What has evolved is the natural consequence of bowing to God-given abilities.

Dean is the better meat cook because of his ability to close the oven door or grill hood and not open it again until the clock on the wall says it is the right time to do so. I'm a pot watcher and a peeker who enjoys standing over the cauldron and stirring until a mixture is precisely the correct color and consistency and that makes me the better sauce cook. I also like to concoct desserts and to bake. Dean, however, is the better taster. He can detect subtle differences in flavors and identify the ones that elude me.

"My" recipes and "your" recipes have become "our" recipes. Our recipe for Barbecue Sauce is a prime example. It was Dean's recipe originally. He used brown sugar for which I substituted honey and that gives it a distinctive flavor. We both experimented to come up with a way to keep it from separating. We think these collaborative changes made a great recipe a memorable
one that is now rightfully called "ours."

This recipe is dedicated to Caroldee, a blogging friend and the author of the only comment on this entire blog!

OUR BARBECUE SAUCE
64 ounces catsup
12 ounces white vinegar
16 ounces vegetable oil
1 4 ounce box of dry mustard
dissolved in a small amount of water
16 ounces honey
4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 5 ounce bottle liquid hickory smoke

Combine all ingredients except catsup and mix in a blender on high for about one minute. In a saucepan bring this mixture to boiling and let cool. When this is cool enough to handle pour into a plastic one gallon milk jug and add catsup. Now blend small batches in blender until all is blended. Return to milk jug and cap. Let stand for a couple of days before using to allow flavors to blend. Sauce does not need to be refrigerated.
Yields one gallon

Trout Amandine

2006-06-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

Trout Amandine is the most classic of New Orleans recipes. Actually there are about one hundred classic recipes in New Orleans, but if you ask a native what represents New Orleans best, they will tell you it is Trout Amandine.

The trout in Trout Amandine is not a trout at all. It is a spotted weakfish, but we call them "speckled trout" and Lake Pontchartrain is full of them. This recipes works well with sole or perch or orange roughy or any white. firm fleshed fish.

This recipe is dedicated to my cousin, Mae. Mae always rowed our skiff out to the best "spec" hole on our little patch of Lake Ponchartrain, where we caught many "specs."

TROUT AMANDINE

6 fillets of any moist, white, firm fleshed fish ("specs," sole, perch)
1 cup milk
flour (enough to lightly dredge fillets)
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
2 sticks butter
1/2 cup shortening or vegetable oil
1 cup slivered almonds
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 drops Tabasco
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced parsley

Soak the fillets in milk for about an hour. Remove from milk and after drying well, rub with a little salt and pepper. Season flour with salt and pepper then lightly dredge fillets in flour. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy skillet; add the oil and when it is hot saute the fillets, browning lightly on each side. It is important that the fillets are not overcooked, about two or three minutes on each side. When the fillets are lightly browned remove to a hot platter. This also is important as the hot platter prevents the sauteed fish from getting soggy. Pour out the oil and butter, wipe the pan dry and add the two sticks of butter. Melt over low heat then add the slivered almonds. Cook slowly and when the almonts are lightly browned add the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco and lemon juice. Mix well until heated then spoon over fillets. Sprinkle with minced parsley and serve.
Brabant Potatoes are the traditional accompaniment to this dish.

Ruth's French Dressing

2006-06-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

My closest friend, Gayle, is married to a bear of a man named Ben. Ben is one of my favorite people. My husband, Dean has only one aunt; a gentle, sweet woman named Ruth. Ruth is also one of my favorite people. Ben and Ruth have never met, but they share an interest in food. Ruth loves to cook and Ben loves to eat.

Ruth has a much used cache of first-rate recipes. Over the years I have acquired several of her best. One of my husband's favorites is her version of French Dressing.

I love sharing recipes with my friends and when I visit Gayle and Ben I like to have them sample a few of my latest finds. Gayle and I have been best friends for so many years that cooking in her kitchen is as comfortable as cooking in my own and a few years ago while visiting I mixed up a batch of Ruth's French Dressing. That night at dinner Ben found the dressing to his liking. He liked it so much that he ate all the salad remaining in the salad bowl, just to have something on which to put the dressing. The next evening at dinner Ben spread some of the dressing on his steak as well as his salad. "Wow," said Ben, "this is delicious and I'll bet it is good on potatoes, too." The following evening at dinner, besides enjoying the dressing on his salad, he spread it over his scalloped potatoes, then he speared the remaining smoked beef sausage link from the meat platter and together with the one last hunk of french bread, he constructed an impromptu sandwich over which he spread Ruth's French Dressing. With that, Gayle picked up the dressing cruet and gazing at the last spoonful of dressing, said, with a twinkle in her eye, "Gee, Ben, there's just enough left for your coffee in the morning!"

Ruth's French Dressing is one of the best I've ever tasted and when you try it you may find that Ben was justified in his enthusiasm for it. One bit of advice; it is better made a few days before it is served as it takes some time for the flavors to meld.

This recipe is dedicated to Gayle, my best friend.

RUTH'S FRENCH DRESSING
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon A-1 Sauce
1/3 cup catsup
1 small yellow onion, grated

Put all ingredients in electric blender and blend for 10 seconds.

Yields approximately two cups

Key Lime Pie

2006-06-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

Key Lime Pie is a summer favorite at my house. I believe the secrets to really great Key Lime Pie is to make your own graham cracker crust, use fresh key lime juice and beat the egg whites and carefully fold them into the lime filling and, of course, make your own whipped cream.

If you just want a good Key Lime Pie you may use a packaged crust, reconstituted lime juice and a commercial whipped cream.

This recipe is dedicated to Plain Jane, one of my blogging friends.

KEY LIME PIE

Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons white sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1/2 cup key lime juice
3 eggs
1 pinch salt
1 pinch cream of tartar
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 lime

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix graham cracker crumbs with sugar and melted butter. Press into 9 inch pie plate and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Squeeze lime into a measuring cup to get 1/2 cup of juice. Separate 2 of the eggs. Place the two egg whites into a mixing bowl. Reserve yolks in another bowl. To the yolks add one whole egg, 1/2 cup lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and salt. Mix well. Beat egg whites with electric mixer until stiff, but not dry, adding cream of tartar after about 20 seconds. Fold whites into filling mixture. Pour filling into crust and bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until set. Let cool at room temperature, then freeze 4 hours or overnight.

Just before serving whip cream to form stiff peaks. Serve decorated with whipped cream and lime slices.

Yields 6 to 8 slices

GREAT PRESENTATION

2006-05-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

The photo is of me in a friend's kitchen. My husband has his back to the camera. He is responsible for this recipe. He found it in a magazine and even though I thought it was too complicated, I cooked it for him. The original stuffing was not that good, but I tweaked it and changed a couple of ingredients and now it tastes great. The best thing about this recipe is it's spectacular appearance. It makes a magnificent presentation.

My husband grilled it and that is somewhat involved. He used a gas grill and I'll give instructions for that. I would cook it in my oven at about 350 until (with a meat thermometer) the meat thermometer reads 120.

This recipe is dedicated to EZ, another one of my blogging pals. His blog is always interesting and it is very popular. EZ always has double digit comments and he is on all the recommended blog lists. EZ, this one's for you!

STUFFED FLANK STEAK

1/4 cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup coarsely chopped yellow onion

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup plain bread crumbs

1/2 cup olive oil

2 Tablespoons drained capers

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt, pepper and cayenne to taste

1 2 pound flank steak (placed in freezer for 30 minutes)

8 ounces prosciutto ham (thin slices)

8 ounces provolone cheese (thin slices)

In skillet heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and saute red peppers and onions. When tender remove from skillet and drain. In a medium bowl mix bread brumbs red bell pepper/onion mixture, olive oil, capers, parsley, salt, pepper and cayenne.

Season steak with salt and pepper and position so that long side faces you. Butterfly steak. Layer ham, cheese and bread brumb mixture over steak. Starting with short side, roll and tie steak. Season with salt and pepper, brush with oilive oil and refrigerate for at leat an hour. (Stuffed steak can be wrapped and refrigerated overnight.)

Heat all burners of gas grill on high for 15 minutes. Grill steak until browned on all sides (about 12 minutes.) Leave primary burner on high and turn off all other burners. Move steak to cool side of grill and brush with more olive oil. Cover grill and cook until instant read thermometer inserted in center of steak read 120 degrees, about 30 minutes. Rotate and brush steak with olive oil every 10 minutes. When done, remove to cutting board, cover steak with foil and let "rest" 10 minutes. Remove twine and slice steak crosswise in 1 inch slices.

My Recipe Place

2006-05-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

I have hundreds of recipes and I'm willing to share them with anyone who likes to cook. There won't be a lot of order here and probably no easy method of finding a category. I'm pretty technology-impaired (I could not get a photo into my profile, even though I followed the instructions and was quite successful in getting the photo into other spaces on the blog) but I'm a great cook. So, I'll do what I do best and that is share the best of the recipes that I have tweaked and refined.

All recipes come from somewhere else. Some recipes have been around for eons. It is what an individual does with that recipe; how one changes a recipe by adding or subtracting or innovating, that makes each recipe the signature piece of the cook. Even here, I expect that you may use a recipe as a springboard for your own creativity, so that the recipe becomes your own.

Grillades is an old-time New Orleans version of "smothered steak." Some of my friends in other parts of the U.S. call it "Swiss Steak." In New Orleans those titles are much too bland for the Creole mind set. All dishes in New Orleans have charming and sometimes amusing names. It is one of the many facets that make New Orleans so unlike any other city in our country. This is a very old recipe and while I've eaten it all my life, I first found the recipe in the very old "Times-Picayune Cookbook."

Originally this dish was made with veal round. When I was growing up in New Orleans, veal was plentiful and inexpensive. Today, however, veal is rare and extremely expensive. I use beef round, as do must folks in New Orleans. Grillades is traditionally served with Grits. In fact, in New Orleans the dish is always referred to as Grillades and Grits

This recipe is dedicated to Chip, a blogging friend. It was in copying this recipe for Chip that I got the idea for this blog!

GRILLADES AND GRITS

2 pound beef round

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

2 Tablespoon finely minced garlic

2 Tablespoons flour, more if needed

2 Tablespoons shortening

1 cup chopped onion

1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup beef broth, more if needed

3 cups cooked grits

Cut meat into pieces about 3 or 4 inches square and pound with mallet to about 5 or 6 inch square. Rub salt, black pepper, cayenne and garlic into the squares of meat (both sides,) then rub in the flour. Cover well with flour. You may need to use more than 2 tablespoons.

In a large, cast iron skillet, melt the shortening over medium heat and brown the meat (grillades) well on both sides. Lower heat and add the onions, tomatoes, beef broth. Bring to a simmer, cover loosely and cook over low heat for about 30-35 minutes, uncovering to turn the meat over ever 10 minutes. A rich gravy will form during cooking. If the gravy appears too thick, add more beef broth, a little at a time.

When the meat is tender, it is done. Remove meat and keep warm in oven. Prepare the grits according to package directions. Just before serving reheat the gravy. Arrange meat and grits on plates and cover with gravy.

Serves 4-6