I’ve got a wonderful corned beef brisket thawing right now. I’ll put it in the oven in the morning with some potatoes and onions. I tell you, corned beef is really a good choice when you’re wanting a beef roast for dinner. It’s usually less expensive and has a wonderful flavor. However, unless it’s cooked for a long time, it can be tough.

I prefer a flat cut corned beef brisket. It slices nicely and doesn’t have a lot of fat on it. Other cuts tend to be a bit more fatty than I like, and they really have to be pulled apart to get the best servings of meat on your plate. There is little waste to a flat cut brisket, though.

Of course, I always get one for St. Patrick’s Day but I use them all year long, too. Once this one is cooked up, we can get several meals including sandwiches from it. There really is nothing better than a Reuben sandwich made from corned beef you’ve cooked yourself. Use bagged kraut for it’s crispy texture and you’ve got a hit. Corned beef hash is another winner in our house when I use the leftover brisket in it. I cook enough potatoes with the brisket to make the hash without having to prepare more. I throw the carrots in it, too!

Technorati Tags: corned beef brisket, beef roast, St. Patrick’s Day, Reuben sandwich, Corned beef hash

A few days ago, a co-worker brought red beans and cornbread for his supper at work. He brought enough to share them with me and it was all super delicious. He had used smoked sausage in the red beans and the cornbread was the sweet, yellow kind - my favorite.

So, since I’m off work today, I’ve got a pot of white beans on the stove, simmering. I added sliced onion and smoked sausage to them. When they’re near done, I’ll cook up a batch of rice, some sweet cornbread, and leftover poke salad greens. I might even fry up some potatoes. It depends on just how hungry we are when it’s getting toward supper time.

Now, I like almost any kind of beans. Pintos are my favorite and garbanzos or kidney beans are my least favorites. I’m not crazy about beans that have a mealy texture when they’re cooked. I much prefer them to be creamy inside.

Leftover beans can be served again as is, mixed into salads, or mashed and used as a sandwich spread by adding things like finely chopped onion, finely chopped celery, chopped black olives, or anything else you like in a sandwich spread. I also mash pinto beans and use them as frijoles refritos (refried beans) for Mexican meals.

Technorati Tags: red beans, smoked sausage, beans

We just finished a rather late breakfast, but it sure was delicious. I don’t have to work today, but Son does, so I thought I’d send him off with a fully tummy.

I cubed some scrubbed, unpeeled redskin potatoes and started them cooking in the electric skillet. Then, I cut up a whole onion and half a large bell pepper into large bites and tossed them into the skillet. I added half a pound of bacon, cut in half, then fried it all together until everything was done to a turn.

I mixed 5 eggs in a bowl with 1/4 cup of milk. After removing the vegetable and bacon mix from the skillet, I put the eggs in and scrambled them. They took in all the flavors left in the skillet, which made them delicious. See, I’m not a big fan of eggs, but if they have enough other flavors added, I will eat them.

To keep the potatoes from sticking in the pan, I never add salt while cooking. It seems like salting the potatoes causes them to stick very badly. I always wait and salt them when I remove them from the skillet.

Anyway, this made a hearty breakfast that will energize us both for the tasks at hand the rest of the morning.

Technorati Tags: breakfast, redskin potatoes, electric skillet, bacon

In the south, where I live, there is a wild green that grows along almost every fence row or where ever the ground has been disturbed at home sites or along roadways. It’s called “poke salad”, and has been a favorite of mine since I was very young. The taste is similar to spinach but it doesn’t have that slick feel in the mouth that canned spinach does.

You do have to cook the poke salad a special way to avoid the toxins that can be found in the leaves, but once done, it’s perfectly safe and delicious. The toxins can make you very sick. There’s a large stand of this wild green where I’m living now, so I’ll be going out to pick it later today to have for my dinner tonight and tomorrow.

To cook it properly and render it harmless, the first thing that needs to be done is to wash and look over the leaves, as you would with any fresh greens. Next, you put them into a large pot of water and boil them until they are very limp. Then, drain, rinse, and squeeze the water out of the greens and boil them again, until they are tender. Season them during the second boil with salt, pepper, bacon, or any way you like greens seasoned.

It’s the first boil that removes the toxins, so the second time renders the tasty, free food to add to a soul warming, home cooked meal. I like to serve these greens with pinto beans, corn bread, and fried potatoes.

Technorati Tags: poke salad, fresh greens

I was getting hungry a little while ago. All I’d had this morning was coffee, so I decided to throw together a coffee cake. It turned out really tasty so I thought I’d share here what I did.

CHOCOLATE PECAN COFFEE CAKE

Ingredients

• >1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• >1/4 cup white sugar
• >1 egg
• >1 cup milk
• >1/2 cup chocolate chips
• >1/2 cup chopped pecans
• >1 stick butter
• >1 cup brown sugar

METHOD

Mix flour, white sugar, egg, and milk together, Set aside. In a greased 9 by 13 by 2 inch cake pan, layer butter, chocolate chips, chopped pecans, and brown sugar. Drizzle the batter over the top, getting it to cover everything right to the edges. Bake at 350 until top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve piping hot with coffee or cold milk. Yield: 12 servings.

This coffee cake seemed to perk me up and give me enough energy to get some work done around here. Maybe it will help you, too, whether you are washing dishes or auto insurance comparison shopping online.

Technorati Tags: coffee, coffee cake

One of the things that we served for Memorial Day was a beautiful and decadent tasting dessert made by my Younger Daughter. The real beauty of the dessert is that it was entirely fat free, but you’d never guess that when you tasted it.

I’m not sure what the recipe was called, so I’ll just call it

Chocolate Layered Deliciousness

Ingredients

• Chocolate cake mix
• Canned pumpkin
• Fat free whipped topping, large tub
• Fat free pudding mix, can be instant. Two packages

Method

Make the cake mix by adding only the canned pumpkin. No eggs, oil, or water. Bake as usual. Let cool.

Make the pudding mix as directed, using fat free milk. Let cool.

Using a large, clear bowl with fairly straight sides, layer chocolate pudding, crumbled cake, and whipped topping. Make three layers. End by putting pudding and sprinkling chocolate cake crumbles on top. Chill several hours or overnight.

This makes a beautiful presentation. You can’t tell there is pumpkin in the cake mix at all, but it’s extremely moist and delicious. The dessert will need to be spooned out onto plates.

I think this could also be prepared in individual stemware for a beautiful dessert to give to your family or guests.

Technorati Tags: Memorial Day, dessert, chocolate

I know it’s the middle of the night, but I was still hungry after not having eaten since around 5 this evening. So, I decided to whip up a little late night supper.

First, I peeled a few potatoes (red skin variety), then sliced them about 1/8 inch thick. I place the potatoes, 1/2 sliced onion, a couple tablespoons of butter, and water in a saucepan. I added a dash of pepper and sea salt, then let it simmer while I did some other things.

I sliced up a few yellow squash and about a pint of fresh okra, along with the other half of the onion. I mixed it all together in a bowl with yellow corn meal, salt and pepper to taste. I then fried it over medium heat.

While the other things were cooking, I made a small batch of home made biscuits. Everything got done at the same time, so there was no waiting. I added butter to the tops of the biscuits and sat down with a generous helping of everything on my plate. This was all extremely tasty and satisfying.

When I was finished eating, I made dessert of a biscuit with butter and fig preserves.

This tummy-warming late night supper is just what I needed to get drowsy and go off to bed. Nighty-nite, folks!

Technorati Tags: supper, biscuits

These days, many of us are health conscious and are reducing or eliminating high fat and high salt foods from our diets. Sometimes this leads to very boring meals. Today, though, the roast beef I fixed was anything but boring.

I used a small beef roast, about 2 pounds. I pierced it with a knife and rubbed in finely chopped garlic, black pepper, and about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. I put that in a glass baking dish and surrounded it with potatoes, carrots, onions, and sliced mushrooms. After peppering the veggies, I added about 1/2 cup water and covered it tightly with aluminum foil.

I roasted it at 350 degrees F. for about 2 hours. This made the roast done and tender without being too mushy or falling apart. The flavor was fantastic and there was absolutely no need for salt at all.

Technorati Tags: roast beef

Because I am not having to travel so far back and forth to work, I now have more time to cook. I’m very happy about that because I really enjoy cooking and serving hearty meals. Of course, I also like to make sure they are at least somewhat healthful for those who eat them.

A few days ago, I made some cheddar cheese biscuits that turned out pretty good so I thought I’d share with you how I made them.

Low Fat Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup fat free yogurt
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• fat free or skim milk

Method

Mix the flour, yogurt, and milk until the dough is workable. Add the cheddar cheese and mix well. Turn out on a lightly floured board and very gently knead 5 or 6 times, making sure not to break any air pockets in the dough.

Using your biscuit cutter, cut out the biscuits gently. Again, you want to retain the air pockets. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400 until golden brown on the top. Brush with a fat free spread and serve piping hot with your meal.

Technorati Tags: cheddar cheese biscuits

As I mentioned in a previous post, I made a luscious lunch using rice, boneless pork steaks, corn, and salad. Today, since there are leftovers of that lunch, I’ll make a House Fried Rice.

All I have to do is thinly slice the leftover pork, make fried rice from the leftover rice, and throw in a few frozen mixed veggies, soy sauce, and egg to make a delicious new meal. What I don’t have with me right now is sesame oil, which is delicious added to the fried rice. However, I’ll make do with what’s on hand and remember to pick up some sesame oil on the next grocery shopping trip.

Because I’m off work today and everyone else is at work, I’ll make this for our dinner instead of lunch. House Fried Rice incorporates everything we need for a well-rounded meal. I’ll put salad fixings out, of course, for those who want it.

House Fried Rice

Ingredients

• About 2 cups cooked rice, either brown or white
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables or leftover vegetables of your choice
• 2 cups thinly sliced cooked meat (chicken, beef, pork); small cooked shrimp if you have it
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sliced almonds, mushrooms, pine nuts, sunflower nuts, water chestnuts, or Chinese noodles add crunch and dimension.

Method

Heat oil in a wok or skillet until very hot. Add vegetables and cook until tender-crisp. Remove vegetables to a warm bowl and put rice in, cooking until it’s heated thoroughly. Remove rice and put in the same bowl as the vegetables. Put meat in and stir fry it until it’s warmed through. Add to bowl of veggies and rice. Put eggs in and scramble them, making them more flat than fluffy. Put all ingredients back into hot skillet and stir together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve piping hot with soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, duck sauce, or any other condiments you prefer.

Technorati Tags: House Fried Rice, dinner, wok, skillet