Creamed Cauliflower

I served this dish to some guests and it got thumbs up. It is from the Taste of Home test kitchens.

1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets (about 7 cups)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs, divided
1 cup half and half cream
1 T. butter
Minced fresh parsley

Place cauliflower in a saucepan; add 1 in. of water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 6 - 7 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Grease the bottom and sides of a 2 - qt baking dish; sprinkle with 2 T. bread crumbs. Add cauliflower. Pour cream over top. Dot with butter; sprinkle with remaining salt and bread crumbs. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Garnish with parsley. Yield: 6 - 8 servings. Enjoy.

Mom's Corn Casserole

1 can of corn
1 can of cream style corn
1 box of Jiffy corn bread
1 egg
1 8 ounce container of sour cream
1 stick of butter
Cheese Whiz
Melt the butter in a 13 X 8 casserole dish. You can use a smaller one for a thicker casserole, but you need to adjust the cooking time. Mix all of the other ingredients together except the cheese whiz. Pour the batter in the melted butter and bake on 350 degrees for an hour. After it is done, spread some cheese whiz on the top. Serve and enjoy. It's a family favorite.

Whole Chicken cooked by the Indirect Method

1.5 to 3 pound broiler-fryer chicken
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

Rinse chicken thoroughly with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Lock wings behind back and tie legs together securely. Brush entire outer surface with oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place chicken on cooking grate directly above drip pan. Cook 1 to 1 1/4 hours to an internal temperature of 180 F. This method of cooking on the grill produces a very juicy and tender chicken. If you need more detail about this method of cooking or a picture, you might look on the Weber web site. I got the recipe out of the Weber book that came with my grill.

Indirect Method

For cooking whole meats such as roasts, turkeys, or hams, place equal amounts of charcoal on both sides of the kettle. This way heat rises, reflects off the lid and kettle surface to cook food above, below and all around like a convection oven. Ignite charcoal. Leave lid off until coals have a light coating of grey ash, about 30 minutes. Place drip pan in center of the lower grate. Position cooking grate in kettle with handles directly over coals. Place food on cooking grate directly about the drip pan. Cover kettle. It is important in Indirect Cooking to have the coals burning equally well on each side before beginning to cook. Occasionally when the coals are started, one side will get a better start than the other. If this happens, move the charcoal from one side to the other so the heat is evenly distributed.

Pork Chops and Cranberries

I am making this tonight...I've had this recipe since I was in college. The same recipe is in the Tallowood Cookbook. It is very good!!!


6 pork Chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick
Flour for dredging
Margarine
2 cups gresh cranberries
1 cup sugar (can use less)
1 cup water

Dredge pork chops in flour and brown in a skillet with a little margarine (can use olive oil for healthier brown). Place pork chops in baking dish. Mix cranberries with sugar and water. Pour the cranberry mixture over the pork chops and bake at 350degrees for 30 minutes, covered. Then cook 30 minutes more uncovered. Serves 6.

Note: You can use 1/2 to 3/4 cups of sugar instead...play around with it to see what you prefer. You can also complete the process the night before up to the baking and then refigerate it to bake it the next night saving some time. I usually stock up on a couple of bags of fresh cranberries in the fall (in the produce section), freeze them and use them all year long for this dish. Enjoy!!!

Spiced Pecan Pear Salad with Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette

Makes 6 servings

8 cups mesclun salad greens
2 firm, ripe pears, cut into 1/4 inch slices
8 ounces seedless red grapes, halved
1 cup red onion, thinly sliced (optional for me)
Spiced Pecans
Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette
4 ounces blue cheese, chilled and crumbled
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Add Maple - Mustard Vnaigrette, and toss to combine. Divide salad evenly among 6 plates. Sprinkle each with cheese and black pepper.

Spiced Pecans

1 T. light brown sugar
1/2 t. ground red pepper
1/4 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. salt
2 t. olive oil
1 cup pecan halves (4 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl; add oil, and stir until well mixed. Add pecans, and toss until thoroughly coated. Place pecans on baking sheet and bake, stirring once halfway through, 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; cool on baking sheet.

Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 T. maple syrup
2 t. fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. Dijon mustard
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl; set aside.

Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms

Makes about 6 to 8 servings.

1.5 pounds fresh green beans
1-8 ounce package fresh mushrooms, quartered
2 T. olive oil
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Combine green beans and mushrooms on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat. Bake for 15 minutes, or until desired degree of tenderness. Serve immediately.

Basil Pistachio Butter

For use on top of grilled salmon. Probably good on chicken too.



3/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/3 cup shelled pistachios

2 tsp. fresh lime juice

1.2 tsp. minced garlic

1.4 cup softened butter, can use olive oil



Place basil, pistachios, lime juice and garlic in food processor. Pulse to coarsely chop. Place mixture in a bowl and add buter, stirring until well blended. Set aside.



Grill salmon skin side up first. After flipping add the pistachio butter on top to cover. Finish grilling to completely cook the fish. This should not take long. Serve immediately. It is splendid!

Chicken Pot Pie

A box of pie crust mix (just add water) or two frozen pie crusts
2 cans of mixed vegetables
1 can cream of chicken soup
some chicken (I get a rotisserie chicken and use some of that. You can use chicken breasts or canned chicken chunks, whatever really)

Put the pie crust in
Fill with other ingredients
Put pie crust on top
Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until top crust is brown.

*Jess: Post your recipe like this and we can see if it is the same. Yours was for more people and I want to know what you do. :)

Chocolate Silk Pie

Easiest chocolate pie ever!

Ingredients:
1 Oreo pie crust
1 tub of cool whip
1 large box of Instant Chocolate Pudding
Milk (about 3 cups or so-whatever it says on the box of pudding)

Directions:
1. Mix up the instant chocolate pudding following the recipe on the box for pie filling. (I can't remember how much milk you need, but it tells you on the box.)
2. Fill up the oreo pie crust shell. (You can find these on the baking aisle at the store, if you can't find oreo, you can use graham cracker.)
3. Top with cool whip.
4. Refrigerate for an hour or so and enjoy!

Roasted Potatoes and Roasted Green Beans

Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients:
1. 4 red potatoes (more if you are cooking for more than 2 people)
2. Olive Oil
3. Garlic Pepper
4. Onion

*Preheat oven at 350.
*I have also used baking potatoes and sliced them up. Those tasted good too!

1. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray with a little non-stick cooking spray.
2. Wash and cut potatoes. I usually cut them in half long ways. Then I cut each half about 3-4 times. It depends on the size of each one.
3. Lay on baking sheet. Cut up some onion and add to potatoes. (You don't have to use onion. I use it sometimes to add a little more flavor.)
4. Drizzle with olive oil. I always eyeball this, so I can't really say an exact amount.
5. Mix potatoes around in olive oil with your hands. Make sure all are coated.
6. Spread potatoes out and lay skin side down.
7. Sprinkle with garlic pepper.
8. Bake for about 35 minutes. Check on them occasionally when you are close to 30...you want them to become just a little golden brown. It depends on how many you are making as to how long to cook them.

Roasted Green Beans
*Preheat oven to 400.
1. Line baking sheet with foil. Spray a little non-stick cooking spray to foil.
2. Wash fresh green beans and cut off both ends.
3. Lay on baking sheet.
4. Drizzle with olive oil. Mix around.
5. Spread evenly on baking sheet.
6. Sprinkle with garlic pepper.
7. Bake 10-15 minutes. The time depends on how many you are using.

Both are really yummy!! :)