... it's

Even More Summer Catch All

I'm in the dog house - not only have I been abusing Buster (lately no extra time to supervise inspecting and watering every blade of grass ... he has the Humane Society's phone #), I have completely neglected the four-legged population. For those of us who can think of millions more interesting things to pass the time, cooking for a critter is a stretch at best but, they get bored with the same old stuff too. Find lotsa tail-waggin' treats below.

More True Confession: I've been off on a binge again, developing hash brown pizza variations. Ore-Ida country style shredded are the fave base so far. When not quite brown, pile on shredded cheese, chopped onions, tomatoes, olives, crumbled bacon, maybe some more cheese, whatever ... ya gotta try it.

What tools were recommended in the instructions for opening a tin of roast veal taken on English explorer William Parry's third voyage to the Arctic in 1824?
 
 A chisel and a hammer, as the can opener was not invented until 1858. OMG!

~~~

Apple Cobbler Cake

Prep time is 15 minutes - ready in 1 hour, 25 minutes.

2 (21-oz.) cans apple pie filling
1 (1 lb. 2.25-oz.) pkg. yellow cake mix
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
vanilla ice cream

Heat oven to 375°. In large saucepan, heat pie filling over medium heat until very hot, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine cake mix and butter; blend at low speed for 45 to 60 seconds or until crumbly. Place 1 ½ cups cake mixture in medium bowl; stir in walnuts and cinnamon until well mixed. Add milk to cake mixture in large bowl; stir until dry particles are moistened. Spoon hot pie filling into ungreased 13 x 9-inch pan. Top with heaping spoonfuls of cake batter. Sprinkle with walnut mixture. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until topping is golden brown and cracks appear dry. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream. Makes 15 servings. TIP: Cake can be baked in two 8-inch square pans. Bake as directed above. High altitude (above 3500 feet): No change.

The Grocery Bag Law: The candy bar you planned to eat on the way home from the market is hidden at the bottom of the grocery bag.

Murphy's First Law for Wives: If you ask your husband to pick up five items at the store and then you add one more as an afterthought, he will forget two of the first five.

~~~

Turkey Taco Puffs

Grease a cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 350°. Mix together 2 ½ cups buttermilk baking mix, 2 cups shredded Cheddar, 1 lb. lean ground turkey and 4 oz. can chopped green chilies. Roll into 1" thick balls. Bake 13-17 minutes. Serve with taco sauce or fresh salsa.

~~~

Why is lemon juice mostly artificial ingredients but dishwashing liquid contains real lemons?

Garlic Spinach Balls

2 10 oz. pkgs. frozen chopped spinach
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 clove garlic
2 cups stuffing mix
6 eggs, beaten
1 stick butter, melted
salt and pepper

Peel garlic and mince/chop finely. Thaw spinach and drain thoroughly. Combine ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Pinch and roll into one inch balls. Place in freezer overnight. Bake in preheated oven (350°) for 10 - 15 minutes.

~~~

A perfect wife is one who helps hubby with the dishes.

~~~

Joe-Burgers on the Grill

Ground beef - no more than 85% lean (you want a little fat in there or they will turn into hockey pucks on the grill).
1 small egg per pound of ground beef (less is more with this ingredient. You don't want to end up with scrambled eggs).
Salt and pepper to taste.
Chopped, dried red pepper (powdered cayenne pepper is an excellent substitute).
1 big, fat, juicy Vidalia onion.
beer (no lite beer and nothing stout)
sliced American cheese.

Place ground beef, eggs, salt, black pepper and red pepper in a mixing bowl. You can be frugal with the salt and black pepper but go ahead and be generous with the red pepper. You only live once, right? Mix thoroughly. Make as many hand-sized balls as you have meat for. I like to make about three per pound. Then flatten into patties. Cut onion into slices about a quarter inch thick. Place a slice of onion on the grill and put a hamburger patty on top of it. Let it grill on the onion side a little longer because the onion will absorb a lot of heat and the hamburger will take longer to cook.

Flip (Carefully! You don't want to lose that onion. I recommend a thin metal spatula.) and cook on the meat side. At this point I like to dribble a little beer over the onion to let the flavor soak into the burger. When they are just about ready to come off the grill melt a piece of cheese over the onion. This helps to keep the sucker from sliding off the burger.

I like to serve them on sections of French bread split down the middle. These babies are too big and juicy for flimsy little hamburger buns.

From DreamLovers@aol.com

Announcement: Kathleen wants your old family recipes for a new cookbook she's putting together with Mom's and her own collection. Send yours in today, ok to use just your first name for credit. Be sure to write recipe in the subject line.

Whenever I print a barbecue recipe, I feel obligated to run the be-careful reminder: Never use the platter the meat traveled to the grill on for serving later without rinsing in very hot water to kill the raw germies - food poisoning is no fun. Read on about indoor caution ...

Food Safety Mistakes Caught on Tape - excerpted

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - Think you're savvy about food safety? That you wash your hands well, scrub away germs, cook your meat properly? Guess again.

Scientists put cameras in the kitchens of 100 families in Logan, Utah, who thought they did a pretty good job. What was caught on tape in this middle-class, well-educated college town suggests why food poisoning hits so many Americans.

People skipped soap when hand-washing. Used the same towel to wipe up raw meat juice as to dry their hands. Made a salad without washing the lettuce. Undercooked the meat loaf. One even tasted the marinade in which bacteria-ridden raw fish had soaked.

Not to mention the mom who handled raw chicken and then fixed her infant a bottle without washing her hands. Or another mom who merely rinsed her baby's juice bottle after it fell into raw eggs - no soap against the salmonella that can lurk in eggs.

"Shocking,'' was Utah State University nutritionist Janet Anderson's reaction. But experts call this typical of the average U.S. household: Everybody commits at least some safety sins when they're hurried, distracted by fussy kids or ringing phones, simply not thinking about germs. Even Anderson made changes in her own kitchen after watching the tapes.

Indeed, the Food and Drug Administration funded Anderson's $50,000 study to detect just how cooks slip up. The ultimate goal is to improve education of consumers on how to protect themselves from the food poisoning that strikes 76 million Americans each year.

"One of the great barriers in getting people to change is they think they're doing such a good job already,'' said FDA consumer research chief Alan Levy.

Surveys show most Americans blame restaurants for foodborne illnesses. Asked if they follow basic bacteria-fighting tips ... most insist they're scrupulous in their own kitchens. But Levy says most food poisonings probably occur at home. The videotapes suggest why.

"People have no idea'' they're messing up, said Anderson. "You just go in the kitchen and it's something you don't think about.'' She described preliminary study results at a food meeting last week, but promised the families anonymity and so she didn't show the tapes.

For $50 and free groceries, families agreed to be filmed. Their kitchens looked clean, and presumably they were on best behavior, but they didn't know it was a safety study. Hoping to see real-life hygiene, scientists called the experiment `"market research'' on how people cooked a special recipe.

Scientists bought ingredients for a salad plus either Mexican meat loaf, marinated halibut or herb-breaded chicken breasts with mustard sauce - recipes designed to catch safety slip-ups. Cameras started rolling as the cooks put away the groceries. And there was mistake No. 1: Only a quarter stored raw meat and seafood on the refrigerator's bottom shelf so other foods don't get contaminated by dripping juices. (Never thought of that one myself.) Mistake No. 2: Before starting to cook, only 45 percent washed their hands. Of those, 16 percent didn't use soap.

You're supposed to wash hands often while cooking, especially after handling raw meat. But on average, each cook skipped seven times that Anderson said they should have washed. Only a third consistently used soap - many just rinsed and wiped their hands on a dish towel.

That dish towel became Anderson's nightmare. Using paper towels to clean up raw meat juice is safest. But dozens wiped the countertop with that cloth dish towel - further spreading germs the next time they dried their hands. Thirty percent didn't wash the lettuce; others placed salad ingredients on meat-contaminated counters.

Scientists checked the finished meal with thermometers, and Anderson found "alarming'' results: 35 percent who made the meat loaf undercooked it, 42 percent undercooked the chicken and 17 percent undercooked the fish. Must you use a thermometer? Anderson says just because the meat isn't pink doesn't always mean it got hot enough to kill bacteria.

Anderson's study found gaps in food-safety campaigns. FDA's `"Fight Bac'' antibacteria program doesn't stress washing vegetables. And Levy calls those dirty dish towels troubling; expect more advice stressing paper towels.

Anderson's main message: "If people would simply wash their hands and clean food surfaces after handling raw meat, so many of the errors would be taken care of.''

###

Editor's Note - Lauran Neergaard covers health and medical issues for The Associated Press in Washington.

Thanks to Neris, RecipesLostandFound@egroups.com, for passing the article along. Also from Neris ...

Lacy Corn Bread

1 cup white cornmeal
1 ¾ cup water
1 level tablespoon salt
dash pepper
1 small onion, chopped fine

Mix all ingredients well. Drop by tablespoon into 1/4-inch hot fat, allowing two tablespoons batter to one corn cake. Brown well; turn and brown other side. Drain on paper towels. Makes about 2 dozen.

Baked Egg Nests

1 Tbsp. margarine or butter
3 cups frozen Southern-style hashbrowns with onion and  peppers, slightly thawed
3 oz. (3/4 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 325°. Melt margarine in medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in potatoes; cook until slightly browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture evenly into 4 ungreased 10 oz. custard cuups or individual casseroles. Make an indentation in center of potato mixture in each cup. Carefully break 1 egg into each indentation. (Try breaking into a bowl first.) Top each with 1 Tbsp. of remaining cheese last 5 minutes of baking. Bake at 325 for 20 to 30 minutes or until eggs are set.

Puff Pastry Appetizers

This recipe is a guideline you can use to make a wide variety of delicious appetizers. The suggested fillings are just that - suggestions. Feel free to use whatever meat or vegetable fillings, sweet or savory, suit your fancy. Note that you can freeze unbaked, filled puffs on a cookie sheet, and then store them in airtight bags until ready to bake. Serves eight. Nutritional content will depend on the filling you choose.
 
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup flour
Filling of your choice: smoked oysters, anchovy paste, chopped sautéed
mushrooms, tuna flavored with chopped pickles, and so on.

Cream butter and cheese. Add flour; mix thoroughly. Chill dough several hours. Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Remove small portions of dough at a time from refrigerator. Roll 1/8-inch thick. Cut into 3-inch circles with cookie cutter. Put a small amount of filling on half of circle; fold over other half. Press edges together with a fork. Bake 10 minutes.

~~~

Critter Cookery

Great Cheezy Garlic Cookies

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
3 tablespoons shortening
1 1/8 cups milk
garlic powder

Heat oven to 375°. Mix cheese and flour, cut in shortening. Add milk and knead slightly. Roll out to desired thickness and cut into cool shapes! Put on ungreased cookie sheet and sprinkle with garlic powder (yum!) and bake for about 15 minutes or less depending on size of cookie. Cool and eat and eat and eat and eat! Store in refrigerator to keep tasting yummy!!! From Miss Liberty's What's Cookin'

Peanut Butter Basset Biscuits

4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups oatmeal
1/2 to 3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
2 ½ cups hot water

Mix all ingredients, adding more hot water if dough is too sticky. Knead well. Roll out to 1/4" and cut into shapes with cookie cutter. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool in oven overnight.

"Nabu's Kitchen" is part of K9WebWorld@aol.com, the E-zine for dog lovers. Always interesting content - general, breed specific, news, funnies and heart warmers. There's a graphics exchange too.

Doggie Biscuits

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup powdered milk
1/3 cup bacon grease, or substitute beef or chicken fat
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup cold water

In a bowl, combine flour and milk powder. Drizzle with melted fat. (I would use the beef or chicken, any form of pork scares me after almost losing my Yorkie to an illegal - Grandpa did it - rib feast.) Add egg and water; mix well. Gather dough into a ball. On floured surface, pat out dough. Roll out to ½-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Gather up scraps of dough and repeat rolling and cutting. Bake on ungreased baking sheets at 350° for 50 - 60 minutes or until crispy. Store in the fridge. Makes about 36 - 2 ½ inch biscuits. From DreamLovers@aol.com

~~~

I do not recall ever seeing any kitty recipes, send 'em if you've got 'em. 

~~~

I apologize for Buster's contest link Joschi's Famous Album. Thanks to everyone who tried to vote, that dang page is here today, gone tomaro and back again. Buster is, of course, his handsome, debonair, laid back self (caught trying to catch a snooze). Please check it again - the other pics are cute as can be too.

Puppy Pie
 
 Take one puppy, roll and play until lightly pampered, then add the following ingredients ...

 1 cup patience ...
 1 cup understanding ...
 1 pinch correction ...
 1 cup hard work ...
 2 cups praise and
 1 ½ cups fun ...

 Blend well. Heat with warmth of your heart until raised or until puppy has doubled in size. Mix until consistency is such that human and dog are one.

~~~

I'm a sucker for puppies. As far as I know, no one has a list announcing adoptions - every bit as important (in my not so humble opinion) a family addition as the two-legged types. I'll be happy to list your little bundle of fur, for that matter, any new critter. Send stats. First congratulations go to Gypsy, who acquired a new hubby recently too. Faraday is 8 weeks old. Tesla (first child, Tibetian Terrier) has her own site, read all about her adventures - http://www.angelfire.com/co2/Tesla.

BTW, it's been almost a year since Buster took over. I heartily recommend a Boston Terrier for anyone, as will anyone who knows them. He is my gentleman clown, impeccable manners and never fails to crack me up. An older animal is often the best choice, especially for a busy family when no one has the time required to put into housebreaking. Replacing chewed shoes gets expensive too - check with your Humane Society. I also just read that some now have "test-drive" programs. It's a great idea, you'll see an entirely different behavior at home than in a cage and there'll be no guilt if the match isn't right.

Here's another neat idea ...

Dryer Lint, it's for the Birds

To help foster and support a healthy bird population, which is generally a plus for gardeners, take the lint from your dryer and place it in your yard for the birds. Bits of lint offer a prime building material for a number of bird species. They don't need truckloads, just a fistful from time to time during nest-building season in your vicinity. You'll encourage birds to settle down in your area, raise a family, and eat some of the bugs that are poised to attack your plants. 

Bird nest building fascinates me. Several species took up residence when I lived in Arizona. They used pine needles, all the usual stuff and I'd find Lib's long tail hairs woven in. The lawn chair joints seemed to collect it, doubt she'd have stood still for a live harvest.

One family will always stay in mind. Momma was one smart cookie, choosing my clothespin bag for the nursery (great protection from wind and under the patio eaves). I'd never seen her and I'm not sure which one of us was more startled upon meeting while making my usual evening check up, but, she sat there calm as you please. Took me a while to breathe normally again. Evidently the landlord intrusion wasn't too offensive, I believe it was her (distinctive squawk) returning for several years. Come to think of it, maybe Momma had a system. Couldn't use my clothespins ... more dryer lint for her :)

More bug control

from DreamLovers

Plant a garlic clove beside the plant you want to protect. Pests of all kinds will stay away (plus you'll have your source of fresh garlic shoots). Do not plant garlic near peas.

Basil near tomatoes will repel worms and flies.

Plant onions near carrots and beets. Onions and garlic will protect lettuce and beans from Japanese beetles, carrot flies and aphids.

To protect cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts from the cabbage moth, use mint, sage, dill, and thyme. Do not plant cabbage near strawberries.

Use a bit of cinnamon in cupboards and drawers to get rid of silverfish.

Mo' Tips

Outdoor cooking fast starter: Stuff a crumbled sheet of newspaper under coals, then roll another sheet of news paper into a cone and poke it through the coals to the paper to form a chimney. Ignite the paper. It will carry the fire into charcoal.
 
  Easier cook-out clean-ups: Take a preventive step and spray the cooking grill with non-stick spray before placing the grid over the coals. Food won't stick nearly as much as it does on an untreated grid.

Juicy News: Always use tongs when turning meat on the grill. You'll avoid piercing the meat, which causes it to lose its natural juices.

The Worm Turns: Plant dill around your tomato bed. It's a great way to keep tomato horn worms from getting the better of your plants.
 
Morning is the best time to harvest fruits and vegetables for maximum flavor.

Adapted from Gabbie's Corner, MommieMail@aol.com

Some tips may not be suitable for everyone. Please use caution when using the tips. Mommy Mail will not be held responsible for any injuries.

~~~

Water Zones from: Tip World
http://www.tipworld.com

 One of the challenges of vegetable gardening is to supply a sufficient amount of water to the crops that need it without over-watering those that don't. It's all too easy to give your tomatoes a good soaking and drown a patch of neighboring carrots. The solution? Group your crops according to water usage. An easy way to do this is to plant crops according to how big they'll get and how fast they'll grow. For instance, lettuce, carrots, beets, spinach, and radishes make good neighbors, since they grow at about the same rate. Similarly, corn, tomatoes, and melons all grow quickly and get big - and therefore need lots of water - so it's helpful to plant them in the same area.

Thinning Carrots

If you plant carrots by dropping those incredibly tiny seeds into a furrow by hand, odds are good that they may wind up spaced a bit too close in some places. That's fine, because the plants themselves will emerge almost thread-like, giving you time to thin them to proper spacing as they develop. This process usually involves a few successive thinnings, actually. First, when the plants are an inch or two tall, you can take scissors and simply snip out the seedlings that are within a half-inch or so of another plant. (Using scissors guarantees you won't harm the adjacent seedlings, since they're likely to be pretty close together.) As the season progresses, you can keep thinning, with the goal of allowing the remaining plants enough space to widen into a normal carrot without bumping into a neighbor. The older plants you pull may actually have tiny carrots formed, which are often a delightful treat tossed into a salad for a sweet hint of carrot-ness!

Gardening & Yard Links

Creative Garden Design
http://www.backwire.com/go.asp?cid=12760

Step-by-step through a project that will turn your vegetable garden into something to behold - ready to enjoy from the kitchen window!

All You Need to Know About Radishes
http://www.backwire.com/go.asp?cid=12768

Did you know you could enjoy the sweet-hot taste of fresh radishes after only a few weeks of planting? Did you know we eat the swollen stems, not the root?

Herb Garden Extras
http://www.backwire.com/go.asp?cid=12793

Why not create a centerpiece with the excess herbs growing in your garden? Mix rosemary, basil and lavender for intriguing colors, fragrance, and textures! Photo.

Earthworm Central
http://www.backwire.com/go.asp?cid=12794

The lowly earthworm can play a lofty role in your garden. Find out why. Plus, a special job for red worms.   

Bay Leaves
http://www.backwire.com/go.asp?cid=12795

These handsome, dark, glossy leaves were once used to crown ancient Greek and Roman warriors. Use them to add flavor to everything from soups to custards.

A Little Ethnic Diversity for Your Garden
http://www.backwire.com/go.asp?cid=12802

Asian vegetables, Hispanic seasonings are a must not only for your cooking, but for your garden, too. Break out of the ordinary with these new trendsetters!

Get the Kids Involved
http://www.backwire.com/go.asp?cid=12798

Why? A) To get them away from the TV and video games. B) To help them better appreciate nature. C) To spend quality time together outdoors.
    
Have a Stake in Your Tomatoes
http://www.backwire.com/go.asp?cid=12788

Find out which tomatoes need staking and how to do it properly. Staking can help prevent disease and produce larger and more abundant tomatoes.

Prepping for Strawberries
http://www.backwire.com/go.asp?cid=12790

Strawberries are easy to grow, but it's important to avoid ground where grass, tomatoes, and peppers have been growing. Find out why.   

Perfect Time to Plant Potaoes
http://www.backwire.com/go.asp?cid=12791

As soon as the ground is dry enough to dig, potatoes are ready to be planted. Learn why you should plant certified seed potatoes.

The Arguments About Organic Foods
http://www.backwire.com/go.asp?cid=12784

Is organic food more likely to contain lethal E. coli bacteria? Organic Gardening claims chemical makers are distorting the facts.

The Mysterious Disappearing Vitamins
http://www.backwire.com/go.asp?cid=12785

Researchers say the amount of vitamin and mineral content in many fruits and vegetables is dropping. Organic Gardening asks if the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture is doing anything about it.

Starting a New Garden
http://www.backwire.com/go.asp?cid=12776

Here's a list of what every gardener should know before ever stepping foot in a nursery. (From soil and light to proportion.)

Possibly you are wondering why canned and frozen food proponet Queen Can-ivore is pushing au naturel. Elementary, my dears ... growing and picking your own is the only way to secure fruits and veggies any better than canned and frozen. C and F are processed immediately after harvest, thereby preserving the best state of nutrition. I don't have my own dirt to play in right now but when I do, I thoroughly enjoy the forage rewards. After all, one must pump up the goodtriment to afford ever-immiment naughtriment.

Articles and links courtesy of "Hillbilly Cornbread" - one of the friendliest little ol' variety zines around. Editor Crazy Martha (she said that, not me) features pen-pal ads, recall warnings, ButterBean Jean's freebie links, 'puter tips, poetry, inspirational stories, recipes, humor and more. hilbilcorn@aol.com

~~~

More Bug Stuff: Natural Fly Repellent
 
 Time to think about keeping those nasty flies out of the house and away from the picnic tables, huh?

 Here's a great tip my grandmother used to swear by: Plant basil around your back and front doors. Evidently flies don't like it! (Their loss ... ) Also, Nonna Christina used to pick basil leaves and spread them on the tables outside if we were doing garden meals. I have never tried this one guys, and don't remember if it works! LOL! We are condo-bound and don't do outdoor munching but I am planning on buying basil to grow on the terrace this summer. Now all I have to do is convince my kids they love pesto sauce! ;-)

From "Rexanne's Web Review," Tips and Tricks Department, subscribe-rwr@rexanne.com (send blank email).

~~~

Uniform-size meatballs: Spread meat mix in a flat pan, cut into squares, roll.

~~~

These were a pleasant surprise, many thanks to Vernalisa.

Welcome to Vernalisa's Party Corner

Be sure to check out Vernalisa's party tips page - all very practical advice for live ones for all occasions. Investigate all corners of the site - lotsa tips and goodies. 

~~~

Pudding Sauce

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cream or evaporated milk
1 ½ tsp. pure vanilla or rum extract
dash nutmeg

Combine butter sugar and cream in saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Do not allow sauce to boil. Stir in extract and nutmeg. Serve hot or cold over ice cream, bread pudding, gingerbread, rice pudding, vanilla pudding, mincemeat pie or squares of warm cake. Makes 1 ½ cups.

Dijon Oven-Fried Chicken

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts or
4 split chicken breasts with ribs
Dijon mustard
2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix

Preheat oven to 375°. Wash chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towels. Brush chicken pieces generously with Dijon mustard; set aside. Crush herbed-seasoned stuffing mix to break up large chunks, in a blender/food processor or in a ziploc bag. Generously coat the Dijon-covered chicken pieces with the crumbs and place them on a broiler pan or wire rack in a baking pan. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

From Grandma's Kitchen at "The PUBlication" LaLade@aol.com (Jeannie) - "The PUB" features also include Members' Opinion Poll, TriviaTickler, Creative Corner, Sentiments, Huggs Happy Hour (jokes), Tips and Info (variety). "I started this newsletter with a dream ... a dream of helping people and sharing. In life today, it's pay pay pay, I wanted to share and give a little something of me for free. I am very proud to know I have and continue to try in each issue to bring good things to my members :) It makes my life brighter to know I have helped, even if in a small way."

~~~

Jeannie had asked if I wanted any personal info or pic to go with blurb - I thought that was a peachy idea - sort of a Who's Who. Angie, InternetAngel@aol.com, Jack of All Trades Newsletter, who is another new contributor sez: "I am a housewife married to a sailor. I have three boys. One has ADHD, another is Bipolar, the other is normal for the most part, LOL. (Okay, I said not exciting but truthfully, we never have a dull moment in our home.) We move all the time and are now residing in the big hot state of Texas, on the coast. I love to do graphics and web pages for fun as well as the newsletter." (Pic on the way.)

Quick Baked Catch of the Day

Walleye or other fresh fish fillets
milk
1 bag of potato chips
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon thyme
1 sleeve soda crackers, crushed
4 tablespoons melted butter

Cut fish into you favorite-size pieces. In Ziploc bag, crush potato chips. Add Parmesan and thyme to bag and shake well. Dip fish in milk, then coat with potato chip mixture. Spray two large cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle with crushed soda crackers. Place fish on the cookie sheets. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake uncovered at 500° for 10 minutes or less, just until fish flakes.

Whether you caught it at the grocery store or your fisherperson has performed the ritual, once those gruesome guts are out of the way, fish is about as simple to cook as anything could be. More All-purpose Tips

~~~

Italian Chicken

2 ½ pounds chicken parts, skinned
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 jar (15 ½ oz.) spaghetti sauce

Arrange chicken in a 12 x 8-inch microwave safe baking dish, placing thicker portions toward edges of dish. Top with mushrooms and onion. Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken. Cover with waxed paper; microwave on high 22 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the center, rearranging chicken parts once during cooking. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

From "Jack of All Trades" - features include categorized links, jokes, crafts, Opinions Wanted, fonts, customized tag requests, a wide variety of tips and, of course, recipes.

~~~

Shake 'N Bake® Chicken Nacho Nuggets

Prep time is 10 minutes, ready in 25 minutes - no experience required.

5 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 ½ to 2-inch pieces
1 packet Original Chicken Shake 'N Bake
1 jar (8 oz.) Cheez Whiz Pasteurized Process Cheese Sauce
Taco Bell Home Originals Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

Moisten chicken pieces with water. Shake off excess. Shake 3 or 4 pieces at a time with coating mix. Discard any remaining coating mix. Place in 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Heat Cheez Whiz as directed on label, drizzle over nuggets. Serve with salsa.

 Shrimp and Okra Creole

Prep time is 15 minutes, ready in 30 minutes - learning cook skill level.

1 pkg. (14 oz.) Kraft Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh or frozen okra
1 can (14 ½ oz.) crushed tomatoes
1 lb. cooked small shrimp
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce

Prepare dinner as directed on package. Cook and stir green pepper and okra in nonstick skillet sprayed with no stick cooking spray until slightly crisp. Stir green pepper, okra and remaining ingredients into prepared dinner. Cook on medium heat until thoroughly heated.

Skewered Roasted Garlic Shrimp

Prep time is 10 minutes, ready in 1 hr. 20 minutes - learning cook skill.

1 envelope Good Seasons Roasted Garlic Salad Dressing Mix
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 Tbls. dry white wine
1 lb. large shrimp, cleaned
whole medium mushrooms and onion wedges

Mix salad dressing mix, oil, vinegar and wine until well blended. Reserve 1/4 cup. Arrange shrimp and vegetables on skewers. Pour remaining marinade over skewers; cover. Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes. Drain; discard marinade. Grill kabobs over medium-hot coals 3 to 4 minutes on each side, turning and brushing occasionally with reserved marinade.

From "No Limitz Recipes" - a recipe list for the working person. Specializing in fast and easy recipes found on the web. WavnSheila@aol.com also offers a variety of other lists: wavs, desktop themes, font trading, jokes, links, graphics trading, graphics for teens trading, PSP tubes, poetry, tag trading and more.

~~~

Glazed Carrots

3 cups sliced carrots
salt and pepper
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup catsup

Cook carrots until barely tender. Transfer to a baking dish, mix in butter, honey, and catsup; season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake at 350° for 20 - 30 minutes.

Scalloped Onions

6 medium onions
4 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. milk or heavy cream
grated Cheddar cheese
paprika

Peel and slice onions. Melt butter and sauté onions in butter until tender. Place in buttered baking dish, sprinkle with crumbs, salt, and pepper; and the milk or cream. Dust on grated cheese and a sprinkle of paprika. Bake until crumbs are brown. I usually bake this dish at 350° for 15 - 20 minutes. From reader Jeannie

~~~

Quick Chili and Cornbread

Pour two cans chili into baking dish, mix up 1 or 2 boxes cornbread mix (depending on how thick you like your cornbread) as directed on the package, pour over chili and bake until quite golden brown - quick and good! From reader Sue

~~~

A Trim Tuna Salad

1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
3 tablespoons nonfat yogurt
3 scallions, finely minced
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 cup red or green grapes, halved
6 ½-ounce can albacore tuna, packed in water, drained

Combine mayonnaise, yogurt, and scallions in a small bowl. Set aside. In another bowl, combine fruit and tuna. Blend in mayonnaise mixture. Serve on bed of lettuce. Makes 3 cups. From Martha forgets where - sorry about that (found it in an old pile - too good not to include). I'm not fond of tuna or yogurt, made my version with sour cream and canned chicken and, I think, a little celery. The pineapple and grapes give it the ooomph.

~~~

Guest Column

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Enjoy this juicy gem: Indulge in lush greens, mesclun, romaine, bibb, scattered with bright red raspberries. Drizzle with raspberry vinaigrette, made with 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup pureed raspberries, 1/2 tsp. each prepared Dijon mustard and black pepper, and 3 Tbsp. olive oil. Blend well. Seven Seas has a killer free-free bottled version, makes a zinger of a chicken marinade too.

Watermelon Slushie

4 cups seeded cubed watermelon (frozen slightly)
1/8 cup powdered XXX sugar
3 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate (thawed)

Blend in the blender. Serve immediately.

A Melon a Day?

The quintessential summer fruit - watermelon - is more than just a tasty treat. Watermelon may be the only fruit that boasts such universal appeal that kids and adults alike clamor for slices at summertime celebrations. We've long known that this sweet, drippy treat is a good source of vitamins A and C, as well as potassium and fiber. But a recent study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicates that watermelon contains another healthful ingredient: lycopene. Just 1-1/2 cups of watermelon contain 14 to 15 milligrams of the disease fighting antioxidant. Studies suggest that diets high in lycopene help protect against certain cancers, especially prostate cancer. Lycopene is only found in watermelons with red flesh - the lycopene, in fact, is what gives watermelon its red color. The redder the melon, the more lycopene it contains. Other sources of lycopene are tomatoes and tomato products, guava and pink grapefruit.

Weekly Product Review

I am taking Viactiv Soft Calcium Chews. The milk chocolate flavor is like eating a chocolate fudgy caramel. They contain 500 mgs. calcium (50% of your daily requirement), vitamin K 40 mcgs. (50% of your daily requirement, vitamin D (25% of your daily requirement). Vitamin D and K enhance absorption and utilization of calcium. I take 2 a day to get my daily calcium. I recommend them, giving them a 10. From Judy C., "Weigh Down Yonder in the Broccoli Patch." WeighDownYonder-subscribe@egroups.com

~~~

The Upper Crust's Bacon Cheddar Cheese Mold

1/2 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped green onions
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons diced pimento
crackers for service

Combine all ingredients except crackers. Form into a ball or press into a mold of seasonal theme (star, tree, etc.). If using the mold, line it first with plastic wrap. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to blend. Serve with crackers. Serves about 10. From recipeslostandfound@onelist.com. This list is huge and offers amazing variety.

~~~

Raspberry Sorbet

4 cups fresh raspberries
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier or Cointreau (optional)

In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, puree the raspberries. Strain through a sieve into a large bowl; discard seeds. Add orange juice, lemon juice and sugar; stir until sugar dissolves. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or until thoroughly chilled. Transfer Sorbet mixture to ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. When mixture is almost completely frozen, blend in liqueur, if desired. Transfer Sorbet to an airtight container; cover and freeze overnight to allow the flavors to develop, or for up to 3 days.

Blackberry Sorbet

2 ½/2 cups boiling water
1 tea bag or 1 tablespoon loose English breakfast or orange
pekoe tea
1 ¼ cups sugar
3 cups fresh blackberries, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 ½ lemons)
2 tablespoons creme de cassis liqueur (optional)

Pour boiling water over tea and let steep for 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, toss blackberries with sugar. Pour the tea, straining if necessary, into bowl with berries. Using the back of a wooden spoon, crush berries to release juices. Cover bowl and cool slightly. Puree mixture in food processor fitted with the metal blade, dividing mixture if necessary. Strain through a fine sieve into a large metal bowl. Add lemon juice and cassis, if using; stir to blend. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Transfer Sorbet mixture to ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer Sorbet to an airtight container; cover and freeze overnight to allow the flavors to develop, or for up to 3 days.

Mango Sorbet

2 to 3 large ripe mangoes, seeds removed, peeled and chopped
6 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup

Puree 2 mangoes until smooth in a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade. Measure puree; you should have 1 cup. If you need more to measure 1 cup, return puree to processor or blender, add more mango and process. Add sugar and corn syrup; process until blended. Pour into bowl and refrigerate 1 hour. Transfer Sorbet mixture to ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer Sorbet to an airtight container; cover and freeze overnight to allow the flavors to develop, or for up to 3 days.

JW got the above from links listed on the first page of this section. Lazy ol' thing - I guess he had an excuse: Publisher's Note: I didn't publish the news The Flamingo Times (Archives), jwhanley@Mindspring.com last week. I had a birthday and I was trying to avoid slipping into a coma ... at my age ya gotta watch it! Poor baby ... (~.*)

~~~

Jicama and the Bradys

by Gypsy-witch, guest columnist

Does anyone else get a weird feeling whenever the name Florence Henderson is mentioned? Like you've suddenly reverted to 15 and you're deathly afraid to get your clothes dirty because your mom will be so disappointed? I was never a fan of "The Brady Bunch" but the legacy of that show will, I'm afraid, live on for generations to come.

It turns out, though, that Henderson is a fairly accomplished cook and she hosted a cooking show on PBS at one time. It was called "Country Cooking" and while I never saw it, I did find a book on the discount shelves at Walden with recipes credited to people who made them on the show.

Since Billy dislikes mayo based salads, I'm always on the lookout for new ways to make the standards (potato salad, macaroni salad, Cole slaw ...) and this sounds really yummy. But picturing the scene when Carol Brady and/or Alice put a bowl of this on the table in front of the Brady clan makes me cringe. At least one of the kids would whine about it containing Jicama which is new and therefore unpalatable, and the dad - whose name I have thankfully forgotten - would go into lecture mode ... (It was Robert Reed. Can't remember what I had for breakfast half the time but the most nauseating trivia is on instant pop-up.)

Jicama and Cabbage Salad with Citrus-Honey Dressing

Salad
1 small (or 1/2 medium) Jicama, peeled and cut into julienne strips
1 half small head green cabbage, shredded with a sharp knife
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 2-inch julienne strips

Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
1/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbls. lime juice
2 tsp. honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the Jicama, cabbage, and red bell pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss well, and chill until ready to serve.

Short Cut Tips

Substitution: If you can't find Jicama in your market, the closest substitute in texture is water chestnuts. I would never substitute water chestnuts. They are close in texture, but not exact, and the taste would be totally different and I think it'd be a little unpleasant.

Measurement savvy: One pound of Jicama equals about 3 cups, chopped.

Time Saver: To "julienne" is to cut foods into thin stick-like strips. Crunchy vegetables such as Jicama and bell pepper are great to cut this way.

~~~

I made a fairly tasty cabbage/ground beef/rice casserole recently that involved a lot of chopping. Definitions regarding exact size specifications make me crazy. I chop till I get tired of it, or fumes get me. In general, minced means smaller than chopped - easiest to used the dried pieces. Seems like there's a size or two (diced and cubed come to mind) in between, I do have this on record ... gawd knows where right now tho. The point here: just do it, be free, set your own style. I threw the extra cabbage into vinegar and sugar with a little onion and it made a dandy slaw, despite cabbage traditionally being finely butchered for slaw.

BTW, the casserole was simple - brown about a pound of beef, drain, mix with with onion, a medium size can tomato sauce, one can beef broth, half cup uncooked rice and the cabbage. Bake about an hour at 350°, stir, let it go another half hour or thereabout. Easy to double, in fact, these measurements are half the original recipe.

Another successful experiment report: Still trying to organize the packing, unpacking, only to pack up again mess, I happened upon "Chicken and Spinach Surprise." The surprise must refer to how tastes change when spinach is not force-fed. The instructions called for slicing boneless, skinless breasts in half, lengthwise; placing fresh spinach on a piece of foil; topping with chicken slice; sprinkling with pepper and garlic salt; placing one slice Swiss cheese on top; then remaining chicken slice. Sprinkle with Parmesan, more spices. Seal foil, bake at 350° for 20 minutes. That's a lot of work and waste of foil. I distributed thawed, chopped spinach (one box) in a 1 ½ quart casserole, cut the chicken (halved breasts) into four pieces each, laid them on top of spinach and covered with lemon juice and chopped onion, hit it all with a generous amount of garlic powder (fresh shoots would have been better). Baked that about 30 minutes at 350° - added shredded Parmesan and Swiss, let it brown, that was it. Recipe could be easily doubled (or more) for a company dish and it would be a good 'un - the flavor is absolutely unique.

~~~

Potato Scones

From online friend Edna who lives in England, the first two recipes from Norfolk, England.

9 oz. self-raising flour
half teaspoon salt
3 oz. butter
6 oz. mashed potatoes
3 tablespoons milk

Set oven to 425°F or gas mark 7. Put the flour and salt into a bowl. Rub in the butter and add the mashed potatoes. Add enough milk to make a soft dough. Turn on to a lightly floured surface and roll to half inch thickness. Cut into 12 to 15 even-sized triangles. Transfer to a floured baking tray and cook for 10 minutes. Serve split and buttered, warm or cold.

Pigs-in-a-Blanket

8 thick pork sausages
3 oz. Cheddar cheese, cut into thin stick-shaped pieces
8 rashers of unsmoked streaky bacon

Split the sausages lengthwise leaving them hinged together. Place a stick of cheese onto one half of each sausage and fold back together. Wrap a bacon rasher around each sausage quite tightly. Cook under a medium grill for 10 - 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until crisp on the outside and cooked through. This is a simple recipe which particularly appeals to children. They are delicious cooked on a barbecue.

Next three recipes are from online friend Ellie.

Butterfinger Cake

Bake a German Chocolate cake as directed on box in a 9 x 11 pan. When cake is done, while still hot, Poke holes in top with end of wooden spoon. Mix one can Eagle Brand milk and one jar of carmel ice cream topping together and stir well, then pour the mixture over the hot cake. Chill cake in refrigerator until cold. Top with a 12 oz. carton of Cool Whip and 3 small or 2 large crushed Butterfinger candy bars. This is delicious and easy.

Pecan Dreams

1/2 pound butter, creamed
4 Tbls. powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients and roll into small balls, then press with a fork. Bake 15 minutes at 375°. While hot, roll in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. These cookies are delicious.

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

Only four ingredients for this quickly assembled dish that will become a family favorite.

12 oz. thin spaghetti
1 pound processed American cheese (Velveeta),cubed
10 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies (Rotel)
4 cups cubed, cooked chicken

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, combine the cheese and tomatoes (undrained) in a saucepan and cook until cheese is melted. You may also do this in the microwave. Add the chicken to the cheese mixture and heat through. Drain the spaghetti and toss with the cheese sauce. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings

From "Made with Love" - Weekly page with recipes submitted by members and myself (Susan). Also can include tips, hints and cooking questions. Anything food related, even jokes. TexasJayne@aol.com I also put out a no graphics/no pic edition of same newsletter - ask for just recipes.

Personal info: I am a 52-year-old grandma who lives in Fort Worth, Texas. I have always enjoyed collecting recipes and cookbooks and have an extensive collection.

Lookee, another guest column ...

From Out of my Mind into Yours (Aussie's a trip, make her a habit.)

My loony friend Martha's got me thinking about recipes (beware Martha's page if you're a food snob. She gets down.) (Shameless self-promotion - thanks Aussie, I took that as high praise.) Here's one of my better things.

Unk's Chicken Veggie Soup to Die for

a chicken
spoonful chicken bouillon, or a ramen soup packet or bouillon cube
can of tomatoes
couple white or red or peeled potatoes (maybe more, how big are they?)
couple carrots
an onion
can of jalapenos, Clemente Jacques or Faro or some Mexican brand

And for the complementary side recipe (Stuffed Jalapenos):

a brick of cream cheese

Complementary recipe number #2 (Chicken Salad)

buncha celery
jar of mayo

Boil the chicken in a big pot of water with a spoonful of bouillon (this just keeps the chicken from tasting watery). Low flame after it starts boiling. When it's falling apart enough to pull apart, 30 or 40 minutes boiling, separate it from the broth. Shove both chicken and broth in the refrigerator overnight.

Next day: pull the chicken off the bones and skin, use scissors or a knife to chunk it up into soup sized chunks. Toss out the skin and bones. You can save the chicken breasts for chicken salad and just use the rest if you like - depends how much chicken you want in your soup.

Pry the layer of chicken fat off the broth which is now jellied. Open up the can of tomatoes and squish them into smithereens with your fingers - do it over the pot, they squirt. Throw the chicken in the broth with the tomatoes. Dice up the potatoes into big soup sized chunks, ditto carrots, toss them all in. Add water if the broth is low. I whack off the ends of the onion and cut it into quarters and toss it in - well, I peel off a layer or two first.

Boil all that for an hour or so (low flame after it starts boiling) until the potatoes and carrots are toothsome. Slosh in the marinade juice from the can of jalapenos, stir, taste. Slosh, stir, taste. Keep sloshing in jalapeno juice until it tastes divine.

You now have a big pot of good soup, a can of jalapenos sitting high and dry, and possibly a couple spare chicken breasts. Slash the jalapenos lengthwise, pull out the seeds, soften up the cream cheese with a fork, and stuff the jalapenos with cream cheese. Call some refined personages over for a garden party. If you are in possession of chicken breasts, chop the chicken in chunks and mix with vast quantities of finely diced celery (2 or 3 sticks at least) and too much mayonnaise. I peel the strings off of the celery because I'm so dainty.

Now you have a huge pot of soup, a big old chicken salad, and a whole mess of stuffed jalapenos, plus garden party patrons ravening at the door. What a mess! Shove some English muffins or pita or something under the chicken salad.

I freely admit that I haven't made this in a long time (I only do fast and sloppy cooking now that standing up has gotten to be such a hassle) but I've made so many pots of it, to such good result, that I can guarantee it. There's science behind it, I assure you. The onion, which more or less disintegrates on cooking, is supposedly the Jewish momma secret to make it taste homemade, and the canned tomatoes are what makes vegetable soup taste vegetable soupy. I've also read that refrigerating the chicken stock and prying off the hardened chicken fat creates a 99% fat free soup. The bone jelly of homemade stock gives it body. The jalapeno juice just kicks its ass and makes it all taste a hell of a lot more lively.

Also from Aussie, e-response to previous lemonade recipes:

I've been drinking vast quantities of Crystal Light Lemonade fortified with a good slosh of RealLemon from the bottle. Neither one tastes good on its own, but somehow together they make a pretty good lemonade. About 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the 2 quarts of lemonade.

And the dip sage resumes ...

My personal quest for a clone for Fritos Jalapeno Bean dip continues. The closest I've come is a can of refried beans with 1/3 of a bottle of jalapeno green Tabasco mixed up in it. This doesn't taste the same, exactly, but it is very addictive with a big bag of Fritos Scoops. I need to experiment with garlic juice or something ...

I know an extremely easy recipe for enchiladas that's quite good, but one of the 4 ingredients is chili gravy, so it stops being simple right there. The chili gravy is for soaking the corn tortillas in (heated up) for maybe 10 seconds, just to soften them up ... so it needs to be soupy and not lumpy with meat. I used to pour the chili gravy off a can of Ranch Style Beans, which was just right, but there's never really enough. Tried a can of hot dog chili but it's too lumpy. Maybe I should try Campbell's Chili soup or something.

The recipe: corn tortillas, lots of chopped onion (a 1015 onion would be good), lots of shredded cheese, and some chili gravy. Soften the tortillas in the chili gravy. Put onions and shredded cheese in tortillas and roll up. Put rolled up enchiladas in a casserole dish packed tight against each other. Sprinkle onions, cheese and left over chili gravy on top. Bake until melty.

I was surprised that these enchiladas were good without any meat or beans or anything in them, but they taste just right. I just need a good source of chili gravy, like a big can of Ranch Style Beans without the beans. Any suggestions welcome.

My reply: Have you tried canned beef broth, or chicken or even bouillon (maybe thickened with cornstarch or catsup - hit it with hot sauce too - or hell a smooth taco sauce thinned with broth/bouillon (all theory, no idea what it would actually produce). Or maybe look for a Mexican soup. That's about the best I can do.

Ok, need reader input here ...

TheRealMartha@Mindspring.com or Aussie@woogly.com

~~~

Back to lemonade: I drink lemon water, no sugar, all year. Lemon prices are outrageous approximately 50 weeks out of a year. Oh happy day when I found a dozen limes for $1.48 - mix and match, it evens out the budget.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

Plan to celebrate America's birthday with fun and festivity. The Fourth of July holiday is a time to enjoy picnics, parades, and fireworks. Invite your family, friends, and neighbors to an All-American BBQ feast. This site has some tips, tricks, party plans, menus and recipes. They even included the recipe for constructing a flag cake. http://holidayrecipe.com/jul4th/home.asp

Red, White and Blue Slaw

6 strips bacon
6 cups coarsely shredded green cabbage
1 cup coleslaw dressing
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

 Cook bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat until evenly brown. Allow to cool, then crumble. (Or cut up with scissors before cooking.) In a large bowl, combine the bacon, cabbage and dressing. Mix well. Sprinkle with blue cheese and sliced cherry tomatoes. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

1/2 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup water, 2 Tbls. cocoa, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 3 cups oatmeal or 1 cup coconut

 Mix butter, sugar, water and cocoa, bring to a boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and add peanut butter, oatmeal or coconut. Drop on wax paper, let harden.

From Khatt Kountry's Lazy Kookin' - "If a recipe is more than 1/2 page long ... I ain't cookin it!" AllyKhatt@aol.com

~~~

What does the Gingerbread Man have on his bed? Cookie sheets :)

~~~

Marinade for Grilled Chicken

Marinating chicken prior to barbecuing is optional. In fact, it's quite possible to make excellent barbecued chicken without it, but for those of us who like to fool around with our food to the maximum extent, I recommend this simple marinade.

1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Trim any excess skin off chicken pieces. Marinate bone-in and skin-on pieces 8 hours or overnight. Skinless, boneless pieces should be marinated no more than 1 hour (hmmmm, wonder why that is - it's a new one on me). Drain. With paper towels, blot marinade from surface of chicken before putting on the grill. Makes enough to marinate about 8 good-sized pieces of chicken.

Grilled Cucumber Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts
2 cucumbers, peeled
1 package teriyaki marinade
1 each yellow, green and red bell pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Marinate all items, except cucumbers, in teriyaki marinate. After at least one hour grill chicken brushing heavily. When chicken is almost done cut all bell peppers in half and put on grill brushing heavily also. Making sure no more than 1 minute on grill for vegetables (you want them still firm). Evenly cube all items, including cucumbers. In large bowl combine cubed vegetables and chicken. Add 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar and a pinch of salt, pepper, basil. Can also add a teaspoon of Italian dressing. Serve as a side dish.

Oven-Baked Buttermilk Chicken

1 envelope Lipton Golden Onion Soup mix
1 cup flour
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 lb. chicken, cut into serving pieces
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425°. Combine soup mix with flour; set aside. Beat eggs with buttermilk. Dip chicken pieces in buttermilk mixture, then flour mixture, coating well. Place chicken pieces in a large shallow baking pan, chill for 30 minutes. Drizzle with melted butter, then bake 45 minutes or until well done. Serves 4 to 6 people, depending upon appetites - great for picnics or just eating on the patio.

Salsa Chicken Pie

1 pkg. 15 oz. Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts
1 ½ shredded cooked chicken
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup dark kidney beans (from a can)
1/3 cup thick and chunky salsa
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 425°. Prepare pie crust according to package directions for 2 crust pie. Place first crust on 12-inch pizza pan or cookie sheet. In medium bowl, combine chicken, corn, kidney beans and salsa; mix well. Spoon mixture on pie crust to within 1 inch of edges; sprinkle with cheese. Place second crust over chicken mixture. Roll up bottom crust over top crust to make seal; flute edges. Cut slits in top crust. Bake at 425° for 25 - 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool slightly before serving. Serve with additional salsa, if desired.

Crusty Salt Steak

steak of choice
2 cups of coarse salt
water

Mix 2 cups coarse salt with enough water to make it pasty, but not runny. Pack it firmly on one side of steak and place on the grill, salt side up. When salt starts to turn brown gently turn the steak over and pack salt on that side. Cook as you normally would. Remove from grill when it's just the way you like it and break off the salt. This might sound a little strange but the salt locks in the flavor and the juices. If you do it right, you'll have the juiciest steak ever.

Traditional Churrasco

2 pounds beef tenderloin
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup hot water

Preheat grill. Cut tenderloin into about six pieces. Reduce heat and place tenderloin pieces on the grill. As the meat starts to cook dissolve the salt in the water and add the garlic. When the meat is browned on the outside baste. Keep basting throughout until the meat is done. Almost any kind of meat can be used for this recipe. If you wish you can place the pieces on a rotisserie.

Caribbean Style Chicken

2 pounds chicken, cut-up
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon style mustard
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

Combine lemon juice, chili sauce, mustard, basil and parsley. Pour over chicken pieces in a shallow baking dish. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Preheat grill. Drain chicken and discard marinade (or nuke or boil to use as dipper). Grill about 25 - 30 minutes over medium heat. From DragonsKitchen@aol.com

~~~

Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine. From The Funnie Express, subscribe: TheFunnieExpress-subscribe@topica.com

A Short Lesson on Southernisms

If you are from the northern states and planning on visiting or moving to the South, there are a few things you should know that will help you adapt to the difference in lifestyles:

The North has sun-dried toe-mah-toes,
The South has 'mater samiches.

The North has Cream of Wheat,
The South has grits.

The North has green salads,
The South has collard greens.

The North has lobsters,
The South has crawdads.

From MinkyKat2@aol.com

Norwegian Pancakes

1 cup sour cream
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp. sugar
3/4 cup flour
4 eggs
3/4 tsp. salt

Combine sour cream and ricotta cheese. Add remaining ingredients and beat until well mixed with mixer or blender. Bake on hot greased griddle until bubbles break on surface. Turn and bake till golden brown. Serve with butter and syrup. Makes 24 4" pancakes.

Cubed Steak Casserole

cubed steak
potatoes
can of prepared brown gravy
onion
flour (seasoned with salt and pepper)

Flour meat. Brown in a small amount of grease. Place meat in baking pan. Add sliced potatoes, sliced onion, and gravy. Cover. Bake at 350° for an hour.

Suggestion for a bridal shower gift:  My mom copied down some of our favorite family recipes and tied a spice used in that recipe (Chicken Mornay=Curry) with ribbon, to the card. This way you not only give her a head start on recipes, but on filling kitchen shelves with basic ingredients. From TigersRecipes4U@aol.com

Did not have permission in this case to run reader's name, however, I will be happy to credit on request. Also, will add a link to any reader's site with submission of hints or recipes. Site need not be kitchen related.

~~~

More guests: from pagantable@onelist.com

Nathan's love for his dear wonderful extremely misunderstood wife Zohra, is put to the test yet again

OR

Georgian Lasagna

Ok, I was really hungry and grumpy at the leftover corned beef. We have mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, turkey breast (deli), Swiss cheese (also from deli) and Thousand Island dressing. Layer turkey, cheese, a bit of dressing spread over some kraut ... then one more time. Cover with mashed spuds. Bake about an hour or until it is all nice and bubbly at 350°. Corn is a nice side dish ... well, cause it was there. It actually tasted good!

Arwen's Well, Damn Beef Tips

I had to make something so I sautéed about 6 cloves of garlic in some oil ('bout 3 - 4 Tbls.), then threw in some beef tips (big ol' chunky things). Well, damn! No red wine so I dumped in enough white Zinfandel (Gallo ... bleagh to drinking) to come up to about 2" on the Dutch oven. Then hit the meat with a bunch of dashes of pepper sauce (the kind that is vinegar over peppers). Let that boil up and cook down some. Well, damn ... no tomatoes. Tomato soup didn't sound right so I looked for cream of mushroom. Well, damn again ... no c of m! But! I did have c of chicken so in it went and I stirred it on down. Dumped in some of my Unca Frank's salt (Lowery's or Tony's will have to do ya!). Well, damn! gravy is too white. I wanted brown gravy. Well, damn, no brown gravy mix. Okie! Dump enough soy sauce in to turn it brown and get it to that flavor I love. Put lid on and cook on low for an hour or so. Served over rice. Was delicious!

~~~

Latest Hot ('scuse pun) Tip: Keep potato chips in the freezer. Has anyone tried this? My teeny fridge has no room to spare so let me know. Related tip: Nuke chips for a few seconds if they've gone stale.

~~~

Newsflashes

Working on this promo has put me waaaay behind on new book, the good news is, there'll be lots more great LTFers included. My books have never sold well off the shelf - but word of mouth was terrific, so ... I have come up with a marketing plan that I think will interest quite a few independent agents - details available soon. I may also need help with assembling, mailings and record keeping - let me hear from you if you live in the St. Louis area (for in-house) or anywhere else for outside sales opportunity.

Subscribe to Rexanne's Web Review, subscribe-rwr@rexanne.com (send blank email), not only to enjoy Rexanne's unique and completely practical, realistic take on life, but to count on as the one regular, reliable source of update info on this place. Naturally now that I'm over that hump, I am also trying to set up my own mailer - iffy at best tho. Deleted a list I'd worked on about an hour from old Es, which I deleted after adding to list - lost and gone forever now - GRRRR.

I don't appreciate mail I don't request, so if you don't want any more from me, or get a duplicate ... scream. Or tell me now to add your name, but don't hold your breath. Mail servers are as mysterious an entity as I've come up against yet. Rexanne and I had one too-weird evening trying to figure out what the hell was going on with my link - kept changing from a click-on to written out html - it was only mine too.

Contributors, one more time, please check your info.

Also, please get your personal info and pics in a.s.a.p (only if you want to, the Who's Who is just for fun).

Attn: Domain ladies - must have wicked sense of humor. I have an idea for a private link club, logo is in the works. E-me for info. Newsflash! It's a done deal, boogie on over to the next page Still More Summer Catch All - scroll allllllll the way down. Anyone who enjoys a worthwhile cruise is cordially invited too.

Please be sure to mention this page when subscribing to newsletters and visiting site links. Gotta keep new info circulating. If I'd had the 'net when I first jumped into the kitchen, I'd be at least 10 years ahead in progress. As it was, all the good cooks I knew were a long distance phone call away. Take advantage of this resource, I am determined to make this conglomeration the best place for new ideas going. Share your secrets, ask a question (there is no such thing as a dumb one - really), participate! And send this page to a friend right now before you forget.

And don't forget to print out the Order Form so you can send me your autograph on a check for "Holiday Lifestyles of the Culinarily Inept" - you must have the killer beans recipe for the 4th. As always, delivered in a plain brown wrapper, money-back guarantee. I'll do a rush mail job - and if the books don't arrive in time, emergency e-service will be available.

~~~

For those who enjoy a little friendly man-bashing ...

Man at Home

Mo' Linkers

http://www.rexanne.com/P.A.C.html

(Pregnancy Advice Column - Humor ... after the main event)

http://members.aol.com/jokerslinkads/JL_NewAds.html

(Place free ads for almost anything.)

http://www.therealmartha.com/editingetc/index.htm

(Need help tuning your text?)

http://hometown.aol.com/recipeoasis/my_grocery_shopping_list.htm
(A check off, printable grocery list - now what would be really cool would be check off and have just your list print. Any ideas computer wizzes?)

~~~

Some graphics on this page are from Sharon's Land of Hearts - all original mouse-drawn - I grabbed about a million of 'em.

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/7101/new.html

TheRealMartha@Mindspring.com

Time to say later days Buckwheat. I may still squeeze in a late-breaking item - check back soon. More's on the way from new contributors too. Watch for new page link.

Back to: More Summer Catch All

Forward to: Still More Summer Catch All