Pork and Jalapeno Frittata

A frittata is an open faced omelet with other ingredients added to it. The recipe for my Pork and Jalapeno frittata can be used as an example, as most anything can be used in a frittata. It's an excellent way to use up leftovers.

• 6 oz. raw pork, cut into cubes
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 1/2 ripe red pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1 small jalapeno pepper cut into rings
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper 
• 3 eggs

I used raw pork in this frittata, so I used a little bit different method to cook it.

Put a few tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sized skillet (10-11 inches in diameter). Let oil heat thoroughly. Add pork, onions, red peppers, garlic and jalapeno, salt and pepper and fry until pork is done. Beat up the eggs in a bowl, slowly pour them over the mixture. Shake the pan to make sure the eggs spread evenly. Reduce the heat to medium and put on a lid to help the center of the frittata set, or you can put the pan in the oven (350 degrees) for a few minutes.  When the center is set and the frittata is golden brown on the bottom, turn it out onto a plate and enjoy!

A frittata can be made out of most anything you've got left over too. If the meat you're using is already cooked, you can add everything to the eggs before putting into the skillet, or add the eggs separately. Experiment with different ingredients and cooking methods. There's really no right or wrong way to do it, as long as the eggs get cooked and it tastes good!

Yogurt, Walnut and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here's a great recipe that uses yogurt and no eggs to make some of the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever tasted.

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
• 2 ounces chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together sugars, shortening and butter until thoroughly combined. Stir in yogurt and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine salt, flour and baking soda. Stir into creamed mixture until thoroughly combined, mix in chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  allow to cool for a few minutes on cookie sheet after taking out of oven, remove cookies to a wire rack to cool. Makes about 36 cookies. 

Tea Brined Chicken

First of all, hats off to Lacy and her blog New York City Eats where I first saw this recipe. She's got an impressive blog you need to visit with tons of great recipes.

I've seen chefs on Food Network brining turkey for Thanksgiving but never tried it. People who have, swear by the method as it makes the turkey more flavorful and juicy. I saw this recipe at the above mentioned blog and thought I'd give it a try for myself. Trying it with a chicken is easier than with a big turkey anyway. After making a few changes to the recipe, I found that brining the chicken with tea did make it very juicy and flavorful! So give it a try, either version of the recipe, and I'm sure you'll agree.

Original brine recipe
3 Twinings Lapsang Souchong tea bags
1 quart + 1 cup water
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
(for brining 3-4lb chicken)

My alternative recipe
3 Twinings African Rooibos Red Tea bags
1 1/2 quarts water
1/2 cup pickling salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
(I was brining a 5 pound chicken)

So why the changes? A bigger chicken for one thing, plus I couldn't find the Lapsang Souchong tea locally. I picked the African Red tea just to be different, and I didn't realize until I got home that it is an herbal tea. But sometimes you just have to run with what you've got. I used pickling salt instead of kosher salt because it's what I had. Like I said, run with what you've got...

Whichever recipe you use, bring the water to a boil. Take off  the heat and put in the tea bags. Let steep for 20 minutes, then add salt and sugar. Let mixture cool, then put chicken in a gallon zip-seal bag and pour brine into it. Seal bag, put in a large bowl (just in case it leaks) and refrigerate over night.  Next day, remove chicken from brine, place in a roasting pan and roast in a 375 degree oven until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

The chicken comes out of the oven a reddish-brown color and the skin is delicious. I didn't put anything on the chicken when I roasted it and it needed no salt at the table. After it rested for 15 minutes, it was very tasty and juicy. I'll definitely be doing this again using a different kind of tea to see how it affects the flavor.

Tuna And Home Made Noodle Casserole

Not just any home made noodles, but noodles that have flax seed meal in them. Flax seed is high in soluble and insoluble fiber, anti-oxidants, and Omega-3 fatty acids. flax seed meal can be found in the supermarkets. If you get some, be sure to store it in an air tight container in the refrigerator. It should be used within two months after opening.

Home made noodles are pretty easy to make, it just takes a little extra time to do it.

Noodles

• 2 3/4 cup all purpose white flour
• 1/4 cup flax seed meal
• 4 eggs
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP cold water
• 1/2 tsp salt

Put all ingredients into large bowl, mix and knead until loose dough forms. Gather all the dough and press it into a ball shape and knead for a few minutes. Again make the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.  Separate dough into halves, roll each half into a large rectangle, making sure to keep dough well floured.  When dough is the thickness desired (remember that the noodles will get thicker when cooked) start at one end and roll up the dough like a jelly roll. With a sharp knife, cut thin noodles along the whole length of the roll of dough. Noodles will unroll after cutting if enough flour was used. Heat a large pot of water to boiling that has a little salt and olive oil added to it. Cook noodles until tender, about 5 minutes. Check noodles often while cooking as fresh noodles cook faster than dried ones.

Casserole 

• 1 26-ounce can cream of mushroom condensed soup
• 3 5-ounce cans tuna packed in water
• 1 TBSP garlic powder
• 1 regular sized package frozen peas
• pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• cracker crumbs

In a large sauce pan, combine soup and tuna with all the water it is packed in. Add garlic powder and cook over medium heat until hot.  Add frozen peas and cook a few minutes. Drain noodles thoroughly and put in large bowl. Add soup mixture and combine thoroughly to cover all the noodles. Stir in pepper to taste. Place noodle mixture in a 13 x 9 baking pan. Sprinkle cheese and cracker crumbs on top. Place in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until cheese and cracker crumbs are nicely browned.

Apple Crisp

In Northwest Illinois most apples are ready in the fall of the year.  Apple cider, taffy apples, apple pie, all them delicious. Here's a recipe that makes a very good apple crisp without the hassle of pie crust.

I use a handy dandy piece of equipment that peels, cores and slices the apple all with a turn of the handle. It does a pretty good job, unless the apples are too much out of round. Then it leaves some of the peel. But all in all, it is a lot easier and faster than peeling, coring and slicing by hand:



Apple Crisp
This recipe makes enough to fill a 12 x 8 baking pan.

• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup white flour
• 8 TBS butter
• 6 large apples

Place 1/2 cup of the sugar, water, lemon juice and cinnamon in bottom of the pan. Mix ingredients well. Add sliced apples to mixture.  Blend in the rest of the sugar (3/4 cup) with the flour and butter. Blend until mixture becomes crumbly.  Put over apples and pat down until smooth.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until apples are crisp and crust is brown and crispy. 

Thai Marinated Baked Salmon

A great recipe to add some flavor into baked salmon, and it's easy to do too!

• Salmon fillets
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 3 green onions chopped
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger chopped
• small bunch cilantro
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 limes, 2 sliced, 1 cut into wedges
• 3 TBS honey
• 1 tsp sesame seed oil
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3 or 4 dried red chilies (optional)

This marinade needs no salt due to the saltiness of the soy sauce. Put all ingredients except salmon in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Omit hot peppers if you do not want the dish to be hot. Put salmon fillets skin-side down in a roasting pan and pour marinade over. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours. The longer it marinates the stronger the flavor.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove fish from marinade and put in a clean roasting pan. Or bake fish in the marinade for a more intense flavor. Bake for 15 minutes, serve with lime wedges.

Bundt Cake Neapolitan

A cake that has three different flavors baked into it; vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Just like Neapolitan ice cream!

• 1 package (18.25 ounce) yellow cake mix
• 1 cup water
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup chocolate syrup
• 1 TBS cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup strawberry jelly
• 8 drops red food coloring

Add water, eggs, oil and cake mix in large bowl and mix on medium speed for two minutes. After batter is thoroughly mixed, divide it into three equal portions. Use oil spray in a bundt cake pan and pour one of the portions into it. Take one of the other portions and mix in the chocolate sauce and cocoa powder. Carefully spoon this mixture into the cake pan.  Take the last portion and mix in the strawberry jelly and food coloring. Carefully spoon this mixture into the pan. Do not swirl the mixtures together.

Put in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. When done, let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use a thin rubber or plastic spatula (a metal one will scratch the cake pan) and gently run it down each fluted side of the pan to loosen the cake. Place a large bowl over the pan, turn it over and let sit until the cake comes out of the pan.  Dust with powdered sugar or drizzle glaze over the cake:

White Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 TBS milk
• 2 TBS softened butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients and stir until smooth. Pour over cake as desired.