7 posts tagged “cooking”

Really neat snack:

Bleu cheese sandwiched between two ginger snaps!

Delicious!

Martha:  Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of an ice cream cone to prevent ice cream drips.

Maxine:  Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete's sake! You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it, anyway!

Martha:  To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.

Maxine:  Buy Hungry Jack mashed potato mix. Keeps in the pantry for up to a year.

Martha:  When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.

Maxine:  Go to the bakery! Hell, they'll even decorate it for you!

Martha:  If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant 'fix-me-up.'

Maxine:  If you over-salt a dish while you are cooking, that's too bad. Please recite with me the real woman's motto: 'I made it, you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes!'

Martha:  Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.

Maxine:  Celery? Never heard of it!

Martha:  Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.

Maxine:  The Mrs. Smith frozen pie directions do not include brushing egg whites over the crust, so I don't.

Martha:  Cure for headaches: take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.

Maxine:  Take a lime, mix it with tequila, chill and drink! All your pains go away!

Martha:  If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dish washing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.

Maxine:  Go ask that very cute neighbor if he can open it for you.

Martha:  Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.

Maxine:  Leftover wine??????????? Never heard of it!

I found this recipe in a fascinating Vanity Fair article about the world sushi market. It's the invention of Nao Sugiyama, proprietor of Sugiyama in New York City. From Okayama, he is a master of Kaiseki, Zen Japanese cuisine of the highest form, presenting through a series of courses and interludes, the finest tastes of the shun (season).

There were no measurments for the ingredients. It was served as the last course of a very complicated meal.

• Hand-squeezed grapefruit juice
• Powdered sugar
• Lemon juice
• Chardonnay
• Scotch

"Magicked into a chilled semi-solid sphere, somehow ending up seeming to be an idealized peeled grapefruit, with no fibrous membranes, no pulp, no pits - served in very cold cream with a sprig of mint."

I use 10-year-old Laphroaig single-malt scotch, which has a distinct peat flavor. Not much imparts the most intriguing flavor to the recipe. For measurements, I've been just tossing the ingredients in a mixing bowl -- about 2 cups each of the grapefruit juice and powdered sugar, maybe a couple-three tablespoons of the lemon juice, about a cup of Chardonnay, and just a spash of the scotch. Mix well and freeze. Serve as indicated (I use whole milk). It's delicious and very refreshing.

What are your favorite weird food combinations?
Submitted by Dulce.

My favorite is something I discovered on a TV show about zoo kitchens where they make the food for all the animals.  They were talking about the predatory birds and parrots, and how as a treat they loved to get smashed banana and avocado.  I thought that sounded, well, interesting.  So here's how I do it:

Take one medium-sized banana, and one small avocado, both ripe.  Peel and chop coarsely into a mixing bowl.  Smash together with a potato masher or fork, and leave some chunks in there.  Toast one piece of bread, spread a little mayo on it, and spread the banana/avocado mixture on top.  Serve open-faced.

Makes a delicious, cool, summertime lunch.  Try it - I dare ya!  Betcha'll love it.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the following:

-- 1 can corn niblets, drained

-- 1 can creamed corn

-- 1 (8.5 oz.) box Jiffy Corn Muffin mix

-- 2 eggs, beaten

-- 3 pats melted butter

-- 1/4 cup milk

Mix well and pour into a casserole.  Cook covered for 1 hour.

Delicious!  (Learned this from my mother-in-law - thanks Bub!)

What food or drink do you love when it's cold out?  (Recipes and recommendations, please!)

Hot Buttered Rum.  It's fantastic and super easy to make:  Put a Tablespoon of sugar, a dash of cinnamon, and a pat of butter in the bottom of a coffee mug.  Boil some water and pour into mug.  Stir until butter is melted.  Add one ounce (or more!) of spiced rum like Captain Morgans and stir again.  Delish!

What's the last thing you crafted, constructed or created yourself?

French Onion Soup.  It takes hours to make, but the end result is the most wonderfully dark, sweet, rich concoction.  Dip some baguette into it and you're in heaven.