Crab Cocktail Dip

by Tracey Seaman

From Every Day with Rachael Ray
August 2008


Spread 1 pound of softened cream cheese in a 5-by-9-inch baking dish.

Layer with 1 cup of cocktail sauce and 1 pound of lump crab meat.

Sprinkle chopped chives on top and serve with crackers.

Watermelon Cooler

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen, 2008 Show: Paula's Home Cooking Episode: Garden Delights

4 cups sliced seedless watermelon, rind removed 1 cup lemon sorbet 1 lemon, zested 1 1/2 cups cold water Watermelon wedges and mint, for garnish


In a food processor, blend watermelon, sorbet, and lemon zest until very smooth. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cold water; cover and refrigerate until very cold. Serve over ice and garnish with watermelon wedges and mint.

Recipe from the Food Network

National Ice Cream Soda Day

Today is National Ice Cream Soda Day

Actually, June 20 and June 30 are both listed as National Ice Cream Soda Day, depending on which website you refer to. Take your pick . . . I chose June 30 because that is today's date . . .

My personal favorite ice cream soda is a Root Beer Float.

When I was a kid, my mom and dad used to take us to one of those drive in restaurants . . . Dog N Suds . . . they made the best Root Beer Floats!

Sometimes I'll get a strong craving for one (actually one of the things that will get me out to the grocery store fast) . . . I even have the big and thick Dog N Suds mugs that I found on eBay . . . I also have A&W mugs and those awesome milk shake glasses from Steak & Shake . . . I love ice cream sodas and the glassware associated with back in the day.

Some of my glassware collection





The way I make my Root Beer Float . . . chill the mug in the freezer, fill the mug with vanilla ice cream (I like to smoosh it a bit to make it soft enough to stir around, but that is my preference) . . . carefully pour chilled root beer over the ice cream. I like to make it thick, using more ice cream than root beer, stirring the root beer in a little at a time until it is just the way I like it . . . and eat it with a spoon . . . try it some time. I guess I should just put it in the blender, but that would ruin the fun.

So Delish . . .


Other than taking your favorite flavor of ice cream and adding your favorite soda, below are two basic recipes for old fashioned ice cream sodas from back in the day . . . I remember purposely missing the school bus home so I could stop off at the drug store soda fountain on my walk home to have a strawberry ice cream soda . . . mmmmm :)

Old Fashioned Ice Cream Soda
INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 cup vanilla ice cream (or 1 large scoop)
club soda or seltzer water (cold)
canned whipped cream (optional)


DIRECTIONS:

Pour the milk into one tall 16-ounce glass.

Stir in syrup.

Add in ice cream and enough soda water or selzer to fill almost to top of glass.

Top with whipped cream if desired.

Serve with a long spoon and a big straw.




Strawberry Ice Cream Soda

INGREDIENTS:

strawberry jam
crushed fresh strawberries
heavy cream
strawberry ice cream
soda water
whipped cream
more berries for garnish or cherries


PREPARATION:

For each ice cream soda, put a heaping tablespoonful of strawberry jam and a heaping tablespoonful of crushed fresh strawberries in large (16 ounce size) glass. Add 2 tablespoons heavy cream and a big scoop of strawberry ice cream.

Fill up to 2/3 full with soda water, then add another big scoop of strawberry ice cream. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a garnish of chopped berries, if desired. Serve with straws and a long iced teaspoon.

Caramel French Toast

1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of butter
2 tablespoons of corn syrup
12 slices of regular sandwich bread
6 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Combine sugar, butter, and corn syrup in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat until
thickened, stirring constantly.

Pour syrup mixture into a 13x9x2-in baking dish. Place 6 slices of bread on top of syrup mixture. Top with remaining 6 slices of bread.

Combine eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt, stirring until blended. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread slices.

Cover and chill 8 hours.

Bake, uncovered, at 350ºF. for 40 to 45 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings

Hard Rock Cafe Baked Potato Soup

8 Bacon slices - fried & crumbled
1 cup Yellow onions - diced
2/3 cups Flour
6 cups Chicken stock - hot
4 cups Potatoes - baked, diced & Peeled
2 cups Heavy cream
¼ cup Parsley - chopped
1½ tsp Granulated garlic
1½ tsp Salt
1½ tsp Red pepper sauce
1½ tsp Coarse black pepper
1 cup Cheddar cheese - grated
¼ cup Green onions - diced



Chop bacon; reserve. Cook onions in remaining drippings over medium high heat until transparent, about 3 minutes.

Add flour, stirring to prevent lumps; cook for 3-5 minutes, until mixture just begins to turn golden.

Add chicken stock gradually, whisking to prevent lumps until liquid thickens.

Reduce heat to simmer and add potatoes, cream, chopped bacon, parsley, garlic, basil, salt, pepper sauce and black pepper.

Simmer for 10 minutes; do not allow to boil. Add grated cheese and green onions, heat until cheese melts smoothly.

Garnish each serving as desired with chopped bacon, grated cheese and chopped parsley.


Makes 8 Servings.

Perfect Crab Cakes

- serves 4 as a generous main course or 8 as an appetizer -

Adapted from The Dean & Deluca Cookbook by David Rosengarten, Joel Dean, and Giorgio Deluca

Ingredients

Canola or safflower oil for oiling the baking sheet
3/4 cup thick mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 pounds lump crabmeat, picked over to remove cartilage
Lemon wedges as an accompaniment

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, and egg in a mixing bowl until combined well. (I realize now that the last time I made these, I seasoned lightly with salt and pepper at this point. It seemed odd to me that it wasn't part of the instructions. I don't know if it made a big difference or not.) Gently fold in the crab with a rubber spatula until just combined.
3. Gently form the mixture into eight 1-inch thick cakes and transfer to the baking sheet.
4. Bake the crab cakes for 15 minutes or so, or until lightly golden. Run a spatula under them once or twice to make sure they’re not sticking. When the cakes are ready, put them under a preheated broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, or until they’re lightly browned on top. Remove from broiler and let stand on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Chicken Enchiladas

1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food, cubed
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
8 fluid ounces evaporated milk
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (10 ounce) can chicken chunks, drained
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium size microwave safe bowl, combine the processed cheese food, sour cream, 1 can of soup, and evaporated milk. Stir together, and heat in microwave oven until smooth, stirring at intervals. Add cumin to taste, and set aside.

In a medium size bowl, combine the chicken, remaining can of soup, shredded cheese, and green chile peppers. Drop spoonfuls of chicken mixture in center of tortillas, and roll up. Place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour reserved sour cream mixture over all.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes

Since I am cooking for one, I would adapt this recipe, taking the concept of ingredients into mind and adjusting the amounts accordingly. My chicken preference . . . frozen tenderloins from the freezer section . . . saute and cut into strips.

Credit: Dorie

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Momsmenuplan/

Join one or all of Dorie's groups for awesome recipe sharing!

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast

12 slices bread 3/4 C. peanut butter 6 T. jelly or jam 3 eggs 3/4 C. milk 1/4 t. salt 2 T. butter or margarine Spread peanut butter on six slices of bread; spread jelly on six other slices of bread. Put one slice of each together to form sandwiches. In mixing bowl, lightly beat eggs; add milk and salt and mix together. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Dip sandwiches in egg mixture; coating well. Place in skillet and brown both sides. Serve immediately. 6 servings. Dorie http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Momsmenuplan/

Bean Facts

1 cup of dried beans equals 8 ounces

1 cup of dried beans equals 2 to 3 cups of cooked beans

1 pound of dried beans equals 6 cups of cooked beans

One 15 to 16 ounce can of beans, rinsed and drained, equals 1 1/2 to 2 cups

Honey-Soy Chicken

Honey, soy sauce, and a splash of water make a simple sticky glaze. Lining the pan with aluminum foil eases after-dinner clean-up.

Serves 4

1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
8 skinless chicken drumsticks (about 3 pounds total)
coarse salt and ground pepper


Directions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Line a shallow roasting pan or 9-by-13-inch baking dish with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, mix together honey, soy sauce, and 1/3 cup water. Add chicken, and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken and honey mixture to prepared roasting pan.

Bake chicken, basting with juices from edges of pan every 10 minutes, until well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of drumstick (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve chicken drizzled with pan juices.



I found this recipe on Martha Stewart's website while crusing the internet . . . as yet I have not tried it . . . will comment when I do. If you try this recipe, I'd love to hear your comments.


How I'd vary this recipe . . .

Since I only buy frozen chicken tenderloins or whole chickens, I'd use chicken tenderloins in this recipe, with the addition of garlic and sliced onions and serve over white rice.

Roasted Chicken Tips

To get flavor into the meat and not just on the skin, lift up the skin and rub garlic, salt and butter right on the chicken. Keep disposable plastic gloves on hand for this prep step.

Stuff the chicken with onions, celery, carrots and garlic to get flavor from the inside out. Lemons and onions gives the chicken an awesome lemony flavor.

To get even browning on the chicken, coat it with vegetable cooking spray before baking.

To prevent the skin from shrinking while cooking, use wooden picks to hold it back in place over the breast meat.

Yogurt acts as a marinade to tenderize the chicken and make it moist. It does inhibit browning, so be sure to wipe excess from skin and coat with cooking spray.

Tie the ends of the legs together with kitchen string. This will help the chicken hold a better shape while baking. (Personally, I don't do this . . . in my opinion, the chicken cooks better without doing it . . . however, if the appearance of the roasted chicken is important, tie the legs)

Bake on a wire rack in an aluminum foil-lined pan. It's all about not letting the chicken lounge in the drippings. Use a broiler pan with a rack, or place a rack in a pan that has at least 1-inch sides, such as a jelly-roll pan.

Got more tips? Please comment :)

Banana Coconut Cream Dessert

This recipe is begging for me to try. It is one of those quick and easy desserts you can control ingredients to make lower fat. Looks yummy . . . will comment when I try it out. If you make it before I do, please comment! By the way, keep an extra box of Bisquick around!

2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup firm butter or margarine
1 package (4-serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 3/4 cups milk
2 medium bananas, sliced
2 cups whipped cream
1/2 cup toasted shredded coconut


1. Heat oven to 375°F. Mix Bisquick mix and sugar in medium bowl. Cut in butter, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until crumbly. Press in bottom of ungreased square pan, 9x9x2 inches.

2. Bake about 15 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

3. Make pudding mix as directed on package for pudding, using 1 3/4 cups milk; spread over crust. Top with banana slices. Spread whipped cream over top. Sprinkle with coconut. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour but no longer than 24 hours.


High Altitude (3500-6500 ft) No changes.

This recipe comes from Betty Crocker.com . . . on my link listing

Asian Chicken & Rice Bake

This is another one of those awesome Campbell Soup recipes that you can vary in so many ways by substituting or adding ingredients . . . like adding fresh mushrooms to this recipe.

From: Campbell's Kitchen

Prep: 5 minutes
Bake: 45 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts halves
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. garlic powder
Paprika

Directions:

Spread the rice in an 11 x 8-inch (2-quart) shallow baking dish. Top with the chicken.

Stir the soup, water, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Pour the soup mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle with the paprika. Cover.

Bake at 375°F. for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Tip: Add 2 cups frozen broccoli flowerets to the rice before baking.

Variation: Sprinkle with toasted sesame seed after baking.

Lemonade Party Cake

This recipe immediately caught my eye on Betty Crocker.com and now I have to find an excuse to make it . . . the only thing I will do different is make a cream cheese frosting.



Prep Time: 20 min
Start to Finish: 3 hr 10 min
Makes: 12 servings


1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® lemon or yellow cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

1 can (6 oz) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 container Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white or fluffy lemon frosting
Yellow colored sugar, if desired



1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Make cake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool 15 minutes.

2. Mix lemonade concentrate and powdered sugar. Pierce top of warm cake every 1/2 inch with long-tined fork, wiping fork occasionally to reduce sticking. Drizzle lemonade mixture evenly over top of cake. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled.

3. Spread frosting over top of cake. Sprinkle with sugar. Store covered in refrigerator.


High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Follow High Altitude directions on cake mix box.

Campbell's® Lemon Broccoli Chicken

I've mentioned that since I've become a widow cooking for one has become a chore and I use many shortcuts to make quick and easy meals. One of my secrets is using Campbell Cream Soups . . . their recipes are among my favorites . . . some I have used for years and years.

With the following recipe, I would use left overs from a previous meal . . . my favorite thing to do. For example, I'll cook a batch of chicken and vary the recipes so that I'm not bored with the same meal every night. Same with the broccoli . . . I'll steam a bunch at one time and use it for this recipe one night, another night a frittata . . . etc.

Another thing I love about these recipes . . . you can make different variations. I love mushrooms, so I would add mushrooms to this recipe if I have them available. How about using pork chops instead of chicken? The possibilities are endless . . . there is no need to be bored with recipes!



From: Campbell's Kitchen

Prep/Cook: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 lemon
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Broccoli Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1/2 cup milk
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
4 cups hot cooked regular long-grain white rice

Directions:

CUT 4 thin slices of lemon. Squeeze 2 tsp. juice from remaining lemon.

HEAT oil in skillet. Add chicken and cook until browned.

ADD soup, milk, lemon juice and pepper. Top chicken with lemon slices. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 5 min. or until done. Serve with rice.