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Showing posts from April, 2010

Rice Krispy Treats with Peanut Butter and Chocolate

A good sweet tooth treat is the rice krispy square. They are a nice break from cookies, cake, pie and any other dessert that requires longer prep time and use of the oven. These are good desserts to pack in lunches and to enjoy after dinner. Most kids enjoy them as do adults. We usually prepare a pan of rice krispy treats a few times a year for the soccer team, birthday treats for school, or simply for home enjoyment. They taste even better when you give them a little twist by adding other ingredients to the recipe. Enter chocolate and peanut butter. Those are two ingredients that many of us like to mix in our desserts. Not to take away from the traditional Krispy treat, I occasionally embellish the recipe a little bit and add some peanut butter and chocolate. This is probably nothing new to some people, but I really enjoy this alteration of a classic sweet snack and thought worthy of mention. Do you have to use Kellogg’s brand rice krispies cereal to make the dessert taste superb? Abs

Grilling With Cedar Planks

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So now the grill is up and running I through I would try an old favorite this week, grilling with cedar planks. If you have never had planked fish (or chicken), you may want to give it a try. Cooking meat on a plank is rewarding because it gives the meat a smoky flavor and the fish is cooked indirectly as the bottom of the filet is cooked by the smoldering wood plank and the top is cooked by indirect heat caused by the grill cover being closed. Some things to keep in mind when using a plank are as follows: 1. Cooking time will double that of cooking straight on the grill grate. Fish will take you about twenty minutes. 2. Purchase planks designated for cooking. Avoid wood that is chemically treated. 3. The plank needs to be immersed in water for at least an hour prior to cooking to avoid flare ups and burn up of wood. 4. Avoid quick grill items such as steaks, burgers, and chops when plank cooking. These items need to be in contact with direct flame and they will receive no benefit from

Gas Grill Maintenance

I am by definition a year around griller, as grill just about every weekend from March to late November. I do like to shuffle through the snow a few times in December and January for ribs or burger fix. Every spring I like to revisit giving the grill a good cleaning and tune up. It is amazing the amount of abuse the outdoor grill can take from the weather and excessive cooking. The interior of the grill is subject to grease build-up, carbon deposits, and occasional rust. The exterior of the grill can be subject also to rust, dirt and grease if the cooking until is not covered properly throughout the year. Before giving up on your dinosaur grill and thinking about purchasing new, think again. Revitalizing your old grill can be done rather cheaply and effectively with a few inexpensive replacement parts in addition to applying some good old fashioned elbow grease. Cleaning Interior of the Gas Grill First examine the gas/propane assembly and inspect for any potential leaks in the hoses.

Mayo Free Coleslaw

As the weather starts to heat up I like to cook out more frequently on the weekends. I like to fire up the grill and enjoy the outdoors as the kids play in the backyard and I can avoid using the stove and oven creating unnecessary heat in the home. Grill food is always a treat especially when accompanied by a tasty side dish and cold beverage. One of my favorite spring and summer side dishes to serve with barbecue is coleslaw. I have had coleslaw prepared so many different ways that you really can’t mess it up. Coleslaw in essence is cabbage salad with your choice of additional vegetables and a dressing to bind the salad together. I have tasted oriental slaw, three-cabbage slaw, broccoli slaw, and many others. For years we have prepared the traditional mayonnaise based coleslaw and it is delicious as always. As with all foods, it is good to prepare and try new alternatives to traditional dishes. My father has created a mayo free coleslaw recipe that goes great with pulled pork sandwich

Greatest Mac and Cheese Recipe

Hope everyone had a great Easter and having a good spring. I felt inclined to share with you all one of the greatest mac and cheese recipes handed down from my in laws that complemented a fried chicken dinner I hosted a few weeks ago. This dish is the bees knees and I highly recommend you give it a shot. Kids will also love this dish. HomeStyle Macaroni and Cheese 6 tablespoons butter ½ cup chopped onion ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 4 cups whole milk 2 teaspoons dry mustard ½ teaspoon salt 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 3 ½ cups shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked and kept warm 1 cup Panko bread crumbs 2-3 tablespoons melted butter Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, or until onion is tender. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Gradually add milk, a

Easter Lamb Pound Cake

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Spring is finally here ushering in warmer temperatures during this Holy Easter week. This time of year always reminds me of the great Easter feasts we would have at my Grandmother or Teta’s home after church. The meal usually involved a spiral ham with lots of side dishes and tons of desserts. The one dessert we all enjoyed in addition to the poppy seed cake was the annual Easter Lamb Pound Cake my dear Teta made. She and my Grandmother had the old cast iron lamb molds and would prepare several of these pound cakes every Easter. Though my dear grandmother and great aunt have passed on, my mother has fortunately kept the lamb pound cake tradition alive as she gifts all of her children a lamb every Easter Sunday. While our family enjoys these gifts from mom every year, I decided to go out and purchase one of our own lamb molds so we can prepare these for future generations of my own family. My newest acquisition is not the heavy cast iron model, but aluminum. It does a great job and seem