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Chicken Camp Meal

Working one handed has been a challenge for the last few weeks. Trying to make a tasty meal with my left arm in a brace/sling combo has been a challenge. I've seen several ads for camp meals and thought that's something I could make. Amish corn on the cob, red creamer potatoes, sweet onion and fresh green beans are the ingredients for dinner. Start with two boneless skinless chicken breasts. Lightly season them with seasoned salt, garlic and paprika. I like a little more heat and am adding some Datil Dave seasoning in my packet. Tear off two large sheets of aluminum foil about two feet long. Add the chicken, ear of corn cut in half, the potatoes, sliced onion, two pats of butter, and green beans. Lightly season the vegetables. I do this because each packet will have two teaspoons bacon pieces added and this will increase the salt level. Fold over the edges and roll, forming a tight seal down the center of the meal. Roll the end up and seal complete

Taco Tapas​

Although you might not tell from my posts, my wife and I do try and eat healthy. She came up with this idea after a visit to Rype and Readi farm market in St Augustine. We came home with several heads of hydroponic lettuce and organic tomatoes. The taco shells have been replaced by beautiful red lettuce leaves. For filling, we used chicken fillets  grilled with low sodium seasoning, which was then diced. After adding the chicken, the rest of the filling is diced tomatoes, olives, salsa and fine shredded cheese. To eat just pinch, fold, and eat! Hope you enjoy these delicious treats.

Banana Bread

My wife loves bananas. She always comes home with a bunch whenever she goes shopping.  Unfortunately, sometimes she doesn't eat them fast enough. This is a great recipe for those over ripe bananas.  Ingredients: 2 very ripe bananas  2 tablespoons cane syrup 1 teaspoon molasses  2 cups AP flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon  1/4 teaspoon nutmeg  1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons melted butter  2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 egg 2/3 cup of milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract  1 teaspoon banana extract (optional) 1 cup chocolate chips Mash the bananas in your stand mixer. Add all the ingredients except the chocolate chips and mix on low speed until well mixed. Add half the chips and fold them in batter. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan.   Add the rest of the chips and lightly push them just below the top of the batter. Place pan in a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until a skewer or toothpick co

Cranberry Relish

Every year for the holidays, my mother would make her cranberry relish. She would grind up all the ingredients by hand, then mix everything in a large bowl. Mom always ground up the citrus, rind and all, then add a lot of sugar to counter the bitterness of the rind. While shopping for supplies, I saw some beautiful fresh Florida strawberries. By zesting the oranges and lemon and then peeling them, I reduced the bitter flavor of the citrus rind. A pint of strawberries added sweetness, cutting the need for extra sugar greatly. Ingredients: 2 bags cranberries 2 navel oranges 2 small or one large apple 1 lemon 1 pint strawberries 1/4 cup of sugar Zest the oranges and lemon, then peel them. Grind everything, alternating between all the different fruits.  Add the zest and mix everything well. Refrigerate overnight and let all the flavors meld. Enjoy.

Mexican Potato Hash

I needed a quick to make for a cover dish. Looking around the kitchen I had potatoes, ground chuck, taco seasoning, a can of Hatch chilies and cheese. A quick trip to the store for some pico de gallo and cream and I was all set. Ingredients: 1 lb ground chuck 6 to 8 russet potatoes  4 cups Mexican cheese blend 1 can Hatch chilies  2 tablespoons taco seasoning  2 tablespoons butter  2 tablespoons flour  1/2 cup cream 1 16-ounce tub of pica de gallo Dice the potatoes into cubes about half an inch. Add to saucepan and cover with water. Parboil the potatoes for about 5 minutes. Add ground beef to skillet and brown over medium heat. Add the taco seasoning. In another saucepan make a roux with the butter and flour over low heat. Add the cream and raise the temperature to medium low. Add half the cheese stirring until melted. In a large disposable pan combine all the ingredients except the remaining cheese and stir to combine.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and

Cuban Bread

I love the Columbia Restaurant. We are blessed with several in the state to visit. One in St Augustine, that  we frequent with my daughter and her family, one in Celebration, and of course the original in Ybor City. We enjoy their  1905 salad and warm Cuban bread. The bread is amazing. This is my interpretation of their bread. The key to this deliciousness is lard. I read an article on La Segunda bakery that has supplied their bread forever. I saw in the article that they used to use beef tallow in the early day but switched to lard soon after. This recipe uses both. This is not a make in an hour or two recipe, but one that takes 2 days to make. Day one is a prefermentation. Day two is making the bread. Ingredients:  Preferment 1/2 cup bread flour 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast 1/2 cup of warm (not hot) water Dough 2 1/2 cups bread flour 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons instant yeast  2/3 cup of warm water 100 to 110 degrees 3 tablespoon

Italian Rice Casserole

This recipe started with a sandwich at my daughter place. I was up helping her and her husband.  She went to get lunch, and brought back Italian subs. They were delicious. A couple of weeks later, I was coming home from her place and drove by the deli. A quick visit and I was bringing home some of their Italian sausage.  Ingredients: 1/2 lbs ground round 1/2 lbs Italian sausage removed from casing 1 can San Marzano tomatoes  1/2 cup diced sweet onion divided  1 small diced red pepper divided  1/4 cup celery diced 1/4 cup diced carrot 2 cloves garlic finely diced  1/2 teaspoon fennel seed 1 tablespoon Italian spice 1/2 teaspoon basil 2 cups beef broth Extra virgin olive oil as needed. Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Begin by browning the sausage and ground round in olive oil until no pink remains. Break the meat up into  medium crumbs. Remove meat and add the celery, carrots, garlic and half the onions to the pan cooking until fragrant. Remove and puree veget