Her Favorite Thing, Pecan Pie

My neighbor is going to begin Mesothelioma treatment this week so I decided to make her something special. She loves my pecan pie and says it's her favorite thing so I am baking her one today. The recipe is easy so give it a try sometime when you're looking for a traditional southern dessert.

Pecan Pie Recipe

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
3 eggs well beaten
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine sugar, butter and corn syrup until well blended. Add eggs, pecans and vanilla and mix. Pour into pie shell. Bake for 35-40 minutes. It should no longer look liquid when shaken. Cool and serve.

What's For Dinner?

What's on your Friday evening menu? We are having a grilled steak salad. It's my husband's favorite and he's having a hard day talking to bcbsnc. I think he likes to grill steaks just so we can have left overs for this salad. While you can certainly used a freshly grilled steak, I prefer to use chilled.

There's not really a recipe here, but the secret is in the combination of ingredients. The way the blue cheese dressing, grilled steak, tomatoes and onions play off of each other is divine.

I start with a salad of mixed greens and fresh tomatoes. It is topped with thinly sliced grilled steak. Next comes blue cheese dressing. Top it off with thinly sliced and fried onion. To prepare the onion, slice it thin. Heat a layer of oil in a skillet until hot. Add the sliced onion and cook until well browned but not burned, it will happen pretty fast. It's also great to cook these in a deep fryer, it's a quick in and out with one of those. Drain them on paper towels.

It's Earth Day, Use a Solar Cooker

In celebration of Earth Day I have decided to cook our dinner outside in a solar cooker. Fortunately it's a bright sunny day! The menu is cumin spiced rice with black beans and mojo chicken. Here's the plan.

The black beans were soaked overnight in water. This morning I drained them and placed them in a pot with chopped onion and garlic and fresh water. They went into the solar cooker about 10 AM.

The cumin rice and the chicken will go into the cooker around 3:00. Both recipes are very simple. I marinated the chunks of chicken breast meat in a commercial mojo sauce overnight. It will be cooked in the marinade with sliced onions. The cumin rice recipe is below.

Cumin Rice

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup of rice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
dash of dried oregano
salt and pepper
2 cups water

Traditional stove top cooking - Place everything in a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low/medium and cook for 14 minutes. It should be at a low boil, just above a simmer. After the 14 minutes you should see craters in the rice. Turn off heat, keep covered and let steam for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork.

To cook the rice in a solar cooker place it in an appropriate solar cooking pan and place in your solar cooker. Cook until all moisture is absorbed. Rice generally takes about 2 hours here but will vary according to your cooker.

A Dip Recipe That's Good For You

Since the last recipe I posted was an indulgence I thought I should post one that doesn't require a weight loss product. This dip is tofu based but don't be afraid! You'll never know it's tofu once you are done. It's great served with fresh veggies or anything else you want to dip into it.

Tofu Dip Recipe

8 oz of firm tofu, drained
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Place everything in a blender and blend until smooth. If too thick add a little more lemon juice or water. Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator.

Why Don't I Cook For Them?

I was checking through our dog supplies this morning and started wondering why I don't cook more for the dogs. I have seen lots of recipes for dog treats. It certainly seems like home made treats would be healthier for them than the prepackaged ones. I think I am going to make an effort to start cooking for them more often. They're going to love it!

She Was On Rachel Ray!

What fun! I just read on the $5 Dinners blog that Erin Chase is on the Rachel Ray show today! A producer from the show found her blog and liked what she saw. She called her and after it was all said and done Erin went to New York and appeared with Rachel. It sounds like they did a great segment with her. I can't wait to see it this afternoon. Erin made a post on her blog all about her experience, the link I gave above will take you to her post. Erin, you're famous! :)

Who Want's Muffins?

This muffin recipe is pretty decadent but oh so satisfying. It's definitely not a wimpy muffin. The texture is chewy with oatmeal and you will definitely taste the brown sugar. If you want a special treat for breakfast serve it with bacon. You will get that special sweet salty taste thing going. But be warned, you many need to pick up some weight loss pills afterwards. :)

Brown Sugar Muffins Recipe

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup pancake syrup
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 c. pecans or walnuts (nuts are optional)
spray cooking oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray regular sized muffin tins with the oil. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk until blended. Pour into the muffin tins filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Spring Fever Continues

I think I am still suffering from spring fever, which in my case means rearranging things around the house. My latest project is doing something with the tv. I'm not happy with the set up so I am on a quest for a new plasma stand. The one we have now does not look good with the rest of the furniture. That's what happens when you let your husband pick out something like that by himself.

Grilled Brown Sugar and Mustard Salmon Recipe

I hope you had a wonderful Easter. We enjoyed our day. After the feasting I am in the mood for fish today. Here's a quick and easy recipe for salmon. For the most health benefit be sure to purchase wild caught salmon rather than farm raised. I am serving this with roasted potatoes and asparagus.

Grilled Brown Sugar and Mustard Salmon

1/2 cup light mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dried Italian Seasoning
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 T. spicy brown mustard
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
4 salmon fillets
olive oil

Preheat the grill. Combine mayonnaise and Italian seasoning in a small bowl. Combine mustard, brown sugar and curry powder in another. Coat all sides of the salmon fillets with olive oil. Place on preheated grill. Grill for approximately 3 minutes without turning. Turn the fillets and coat with the mustard mixture. Close the grill cover and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes until the internal temperature is 145 degrees F or it flakes with a fork. If your grill doesn't have a cover for this step loosely cover the salmon with foil. Serve the herbed mayonnaise with the fish.

Only a Tourist

I realize that I live in a tourist area. I enjoy it for the most part. But occasionally I seriously wonder about a few of our visitors. Being on vacation does not mean that the normal rules of society are suspended. The visitor in the rental house across the street is outside in her lingerie. And, yes it is lingerie not a bathing suit. Living in FL I know a bathing suit when I see one. I'm not trying to be a prude, but I think a cover up would have been nice. I'm just saying...

How About a Potato Soup Recipe

As I was sitting here online looking at economy hotels promotions my mind wondered to dinner. But my mind always wonders to cooking, doesn't it? :) I think we'll have potato soup tonight. We're having a little cold snap so soup sounds good. This recipe is quick and simple but produces delicious results.

Potato Soup Recipe

3 pounds of red potatoes, peeled and diced
water to cover potatoes
1 small onion, diced
4 T. butter
salt and pepper
1 pint Fat Free half and half (or regular if you like the calories)

Place the potatoes in a pot and fill with enough water to just cover them. Add salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med and cook until potatoes are well done. About 20 minutes. While potatoes are cooking, saute the onion in butter until soft. When potatoes are done do not drain. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher in the cooking liquid. Add the onions, half and half and pepper to taste. Mix well and bring back up to the boiling point. If it is too thick add a little water, this should be a thick soup. Your potato soup is ready to serve.

What a find!

There is a Goodwill store about a mile from my house. I like to stop in occasionally and see if I can spot any goodies. You never know what you might come across. So I stopped in the other day and I found a mandoline! I have always wanted one but never could justify the price. Imagine my surprise when I spotted one with a price tag of $5.99. I don't think anyone else knew what it was. It was in pieces and all the parts were tied up in a plastic bag. I've been a slicing fiend since I bought it.