Did you know that bread is delivered fresh to the stores five days a week? Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Each day has a different color twist tie. They are:
Monday = Blue
Tuesday = Green
Thursday = Red
Friday = White
Saturday = Yellow
So if today was Thursday, you would want a red twist tie -- not a white tie which is Fridays (almost a week old)!
To remember the colors of the twist tie, they go alphabetically by color - Blue-Green-Red-White-Yellow, Monday through Saturday, skipping Wednesdays.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sweet Pork Enchiladas
My family had an enchilada cook off this past weekend (pictures to follow, I promise!) and my recipe landed me in second place. There were 31 people, 5 tables, 6 bowls of tortilla chips, and 11 full pans of different enchiladas. This is our 5th or 6th recipe competition in our family, and they always are loud, crowded and delectable. These enchiladas have a first place taste, no matter what those 31 voters thought of my delicious dish;)
Refer to a previous posting of Cafe Rio Pork for full direction of meat preparation.
3 lb pork butt/shoulder roast -- bone in or out, whatever you feel is best. (or on sale)
3 cans tomato sauce
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups Dr. Pepper (divided)
1 tbsp minced garlic
Whisk last 4 ingredients, and pour over meat in slow cooker. Cook on low 4-6 hours, until meat is fork tender. Remove roast, shred meat removing fat and bones and place back in sauce to cook for 1-2 more hours, adding extra Dr. Pepper)
Black beans
2 cans black beans
1 tsp garlic powder, or 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 small onion, finely minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
in small pan, saute onion in small amount of oil, until clear. Add in beans, with liquid from cans, with rest of ingredients. cook until heated through.
Cilantro Lime Rice
3 Cups cooked rice
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped pickled jalepeno
mix together, set aside.
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
10 tortillas
1 Can tomato sauce
** Separate meat from sauce out of slow cooker using slotted spoon, add extra can tomato sauce to cooked sauce**
In 9X13 pan, spoon out 1 cup of liquid from pork on the bottom. (spreay with cooking spray before!). Assemble each enchilada with 1/4 cup each of rice and beans, and equal amounts of meat. Sprinkle with small amount of cheese. Roll and place in pan. After assembling, top with remaining sauce from pork and remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, covered with aluminum foil.
Go win an enchilada competition, or really impress your friends and family, or, eat by yourself for a week.
Refer to a previous posting of Cafe Rio Pork for full direction of meat preparation.
3 lb pork butt/shoulder roast -- bone in or out, whatever you feel is best. (or on sale)
3 cans tomato sauce
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups Dr. Pepper (divided)
1 tbsp minced garlic
Whisk last 4 ingredients, and pour over meat in slow cooker. Cook on low 4-6 hours, until meat is fork tender. Remove roast, shred meat removing fat and bones and place back in sauce to cook for 1-2 more hours, adding extra Dr. Pepper)
Black beans
2 cans black beans
1 tsp garlic powder, or 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 small onion, finely minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
in small pan, saute onion in small amount of oil, until clear. Add in beans, with liquid from cans, with rest of ingredients. cook until heated through.
Cilantro Lime Rice
3 Cups cooked rice
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped pickled jalepeno
mix together, set aside.
2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
10 tortillas
1 Can tomato sauce
** Separate meat from sauce out of slow cooker using slotted spoon, add extra can tomato sauce to cooked sauce**
In 9X13 pan, spoon out 1 cup of liquid from pork on the bottom. (spreay with cooking spray before!). Assemble each enchilada with 1/4 cup each of rice and beans, and equal amounts of meat. Sprinkle with small amount of cheese. Roll and place in pan. After assembling, top with remaining sauce from pork and remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, covered with aluminum foil.
Go win an enchilada competition, or really impress your friends and family, or, eat by yourself for a week.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Overnight Carmel FrenchToast
I love this recipe because it is deceptively easy and obviously tasty! My mother found this family favorite in an old cook book and we have loved it ever since:)
INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 12 slices bread
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
• 6 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with six slices of bread. Combine sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle half over the bread. Place remaining bread on top. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, vanilla and remaining cinnamon. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes. Yield: 6 servings.
INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 12 slices bread
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
• 6 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
In a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Top with six slices of bread. Combine sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle half over the bread. Place remaining bread on top. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, vanilla and remaining cinnamon. Pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes. Yield: 6 servings.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Lemonade Ice Cream.... Cake?
This is the perfect summer dessert, I like to serve with a strawberry on top or perhaps a nice slice of Kiwi. I have no idea what to call this, my mother calls it Lemonade Cheesecake, but there is no cheese and my taste testers have doubted my skill when they don't taste any cream cheese texture. However, the rich, velvety texture will still refresh on any warm day.
1/2 gallon Vanilla ice cream (generic brand is just fine!)
1 can lemonade concentrate
9X13 pan
6 graham crackers, crushed
1/4 cup butter (or similar substance...) melted
In large bowl, mix together softened ice cream with lemonade.
In separate bowl, mix cracker crumbs with butter and press into bottom of pan.
Pour mixture on top of the crust and freeze for 3 hours or more.
1/2 gallon Vanilla ice cream (generic brand is just fine!)
1 can lemonade concentrate
9X13 pan
6 graham crackers, crushed
1/4 cup butter (or similar substance...) melted
In large bowl, mix together softened ice cream with lemonade.
In separate bowl, mix cracker crumbs with butter and press into bottom of pan.
Pour mixture on top of the crust and freeze for 3 hours or more.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Lemonade and Lemon Bars
I have had a love affair with lemons recently.
Lemon Bars
For the Crust:
* Vegetable oil, for greasing
* 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, diced
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, plus more for garnish
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Filling:
* 4 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
* 2 cups granulated sugar
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 8 lemons)
Directions
Make the crust: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with vegetable oil and line with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides; grease the foil with oil. Pulse the butter, flour, both sugars and the salt in a food processor until the dough comes together, about 1 minute. Press evenly into the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides of the prepared pan, making sure there are no cracks. Bake until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk the whole eggs and yolks, sugar and flour in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in the lemon zest and juice. Remove the crust from the oven and reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F. Pour the filling over the warm crust and return to the oven. Bake until the filling is just set, 30 to 35 minutes.
Let the bars cool in the pan on a rack, then refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Lift out of the pan using the foil and slice. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.
Lemonade
1 gallon of water
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
2 packets of KoolAid Lemonade
1 cup sugar
*this is a really lemony flavor that can't be beat!
Lemon Bars
For the Crust:
* Vegetable oil, for greasing
* 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, diced
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, plus more for garnish
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Filling:
* 4 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
* 2 cups granulated sugar
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 8 lemons)
Directions
Make the crust: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with vegetable oil and line with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides; grease the foil with oil. Pulse the butter, flour, both sugars and the salt in a food processor until the dough comes together, about 1 minute. Press evenly into the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides of the prepared pan, making sure there are no cracks. Bake until the crust is golden, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk the whole eggs and yolks, sugar and flour in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in the lemon zest and juice. Remove the crust from the oven and reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F. Pour the filling over the warm crust and return to the oven. Bake until the filling is just set, 30 to 35 minutes.
Let the bars cool in the pan on a rack, then refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Lift out of the pan using the foil and slice. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.
Lemonade
1 gallon of water
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
2 packets of KoolAid Lemonade
1 cup sugar
*this is a really lemony flavor that can't be beat!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Day Old Bread
What is day old bread? Well unless you made it yourself, I doubt it is anything but day old bread. Here is what I do with my old loaf that is about to go bad.
Bread Crumbs:
6 slices of bread, toast it if not already dried out and crusty.
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Italian Herb Blend
2 tbsp bread crumbs
combine in food processor. In 350 degree oven, toast crumbs for 10 minutes. (spread on cookie sheet in uniform layer) Use the Middle rack.
Croutons:
6 slices of bread
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 tbsp oil (any kind you have is fine)
Cut bread into bite sized cubes, you should be able to get 20 cubes out of a slice of bread. In a large bowl, toss with oil and remaining ingredients.
In 400 degree oven, bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until your bread has browned.
*This is cheaper than buying any crouton and will impress any salad lover!
Last one. I just found this recipe for quiche on the food network website. They use bread cubes instead of crust! I thought this was really cool, you should check it out. Crustless Quiche Master Recipe
Bread Crumbs:
6 slices of bread, toast it if not already dried out and crusty.
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Italian Herb Blend
2 tbsp bread crumbs
combine in food processor. In 350 degree oven, toast crumbs for 10 minutes. (spread on cookie sheet in uniform layer) Use the Middle rack.
Croutons:
6 slices of bread
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 tbsp oil (any kind you have is fine)
Cut bread into bite sized cubes, you should be able to get 20 cubes out of a slice of bread. In a large bowl, toss with oil and remaining ingredients.
In 400 degree oven, bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until your bread has browned.
*This is cheaper than buying any crouton and will impress any salad lover!
Last one. I just found this recipe for quiche on the food network website. They use bread cubes instead of crust! I thought this was really cool, you should check it out. Crustless Quiche Master Recipe
Shepherd's Pie
I generally have an aversion to most shepherd's pie recipes. This one is surprisingly excellent! With no tomato sauce or deplorable green beans, I'd say this is a winner. Many times when I am cooking, I skip some herbs and spices and substitute with what I have. Be sure to add the Sage, whatever you do!
INGREDIENTS
6 medium potatoes
1 pound carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups of beef gravy
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Peel and cube the potatoes; place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cover and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Add 1 in. of water to another saucepan; add carrots. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until crisp-tender, about 7-9 minutes. Drain.
In a large nonstick skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the carrots, gravy, 1/2 teaspoon salt, sage, thyme, rosemary and pepper. Transfer to a shallow 3-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Drain the potatoes; mash with milk, butter and remaining salt. Spread over meat mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 40-45 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings.
** If you want to used artificial potatoes, I think you should be fine. Save yourself 20 minutes! I often add canned corn or other vegetables I need to use up. Bell peppers are really great, as are peas!
INGREDIENTS
6 medium potatoes
1 pound carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups of beef gravy
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Peel and cube the potatoes; place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cover and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Add 1 in. of water to another saucepan; add carrots. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until crisp-tender, about 7-9 minutes. Drain.
In a large nonstick skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the carrots, gravy, 1/2 teaspoon salt, sage, thyme, rosemary and pepper. Transfer to a shallow 3-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Drain the potatoes; mash with milk, butter and remaining salt. Spread over meat mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 40-45 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings.
** If you want to used artificial potatoes, I think you should be fine. Save yourself 20 minutes! I often add canned corn or other vegetables I need to use up. Bell peppers are really great, as are peas!
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