NOLA Style Bloody Mary Mix

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Ever since I went to New Orleans I have been a Bloody Mary snob. When you get one there it is beyond spicy and tangy. I will make you want to "Slap yo momma!" Before returning home I bought a bottle of it thinking that I could just get more online. No such luck! They stopped shipping it!! I know right?! How could they?!?!! So I went to task at preparing my home. Perfecting it took some time but I did it. Below is the recipe to make a small batch. When I make them at home, I get all my canning supplies out and I make about 12 jars of the stuff. I cook mine to make sure all the flavors are well mingled but you can just prepare a small batch without going through that whole process. I gave it out last two Christmas's ago with a jar of my own pickled green beans as gifts. It was such a hit, I have to spend a whole day every few months making more of it. It is in demand!! So here ya go!! Enjoy!!!

Bloody Mary Mix

6 cups Tomato Juice

3 tbls. Lemon Juice, (fresh preferably)

3 tbls. Lime Juice, (again fresh is best! but not necessary)

1 tbls. Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp. Horseradish, (prepared, not creamed) (more if you REALLY like it, no more than 2 tsp.)

1 tsp. Tabasco Sauce (I go heavy on this ingredient, I love it tangy and spicy!!)

Celery Salt and Pepper, rim the glass and sprinkle on top of finished drink)

Serve over ice with a few ounces of vodka and with as much accouterments as you like. I prefer pickled greens beans or pickled okra.

Broccoli Beef!!!

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This recipe came to me in an email from AllRecipes.com. I tweaked it a tiny bit. I just love Asian foods. If you know me, know that! Everything from Chinese, Pho, Japanese and Thai! I LOVE IT ALL!! The thing is those aren't the easiest things to make at home. A lot of it seems to be secret. I can never get my Hot and Sour Soup to taste like it does at Mandarin Gourmet. I don't like using those packets or bottles of premade sauce. I mean what's the secret to that?! So when I made this last night and it tasted just like I thought it should I was oh, so happy!!  I served mine over white rice and an eggroll on the side. It was so good!


Broccoli Beef
30 Minute Meal                      15 Minutes Prep, 15 Minutes Cook Time             Serves 4
1/3 cup Oyster Sauce
2 tsp. Sesame Oil
1/3 cup Sherry
1 tsp. Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Cornstarch
2 tbls. Sriracha Sauce
8 Dried Chiles, broken into pieces
1 lb. beef round steak, cut into 1/8 inch thick strips, put in medium size bowl.
3 tbls Vegetable Oil
3 thin slices of Fresh Ginger
3 cloves Garlic, peeled and smashed
1 lb. Broccoli, cut into florets

1. Start your rice. Whisk together the oyster sauce, sesame oil, sherry, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch and sriracha sauce in a bowl. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the oyster sauce mixture over the meat and coat well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

2. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic. Let them sizzle in the oil for about 1 minute. Here is a deviation. The recipe said to take the ginger and garlic out. I didn't. Do what you're comfortable with. Stir in the broccoli and stir in the oil until bright green and almost tender, 5-7 minutes. Remove the broccoli from wok and set aside.

3. If you need a little oil, add some. Add the marinated beef until the sauce forms a glaze and the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Return the broccoli to the wok and stir until well mixed, about 3 minutes.

Finger Lickin' Fried Chicken

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Fried Chicken is one of my husbands favorites. He asks for it on his birthday and anytime that I ask what to make for Sunday Dinner. This recipe is easy and very flavorful. It might sound a bit weird to make it with hot sauce, especially the quantity, but it's delicious and it is not spicy at all. I repeat, it's not spicy!!! I personally don't like bone or skin with my chicken so I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and the breading actually stays on!! This is also great to do for chicken tenders!

Finger Lickin' Fried Chicken

30 minutes to Coat                     45 minutes to Fry                    About 8 pieces of chicken

Ingredients

3 cups Self Rising Flour

Salt and Pepper

1 cup Crystal Hot Sauce (or your favorite Louisiana Style Hot Sauce)

2 eggs

Chicken (thighs, drumsticks, breasts - whatever you like)

Peanut Oil

1. In a big bowl add flour and season it heavily with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, add the eggs and hot sauce and whisk until well mixed.

2. Dry the chicken with a paper towel. The best way to go is to have a "wet" hand and a "dry" hand. Other wise both your hands are caked! I get a station going and move right to left. Coat the chicken well with flour, then coat well with egg/hot sauce mixture, and back to flour mixture. Make sure you coat extremely well. I like to put the chicken on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, them I put a coat of flour down for the chicken to soak up. There will be some  bits of flour that get wet and stay in the flour bowl, try to get those to stick to the chicken. That is Matt's favorite, he calls them the finger drippings. Also, I like to sprinkle more flour on the chicken on the baking sheet. The chicken will become a tad wet again and will soak it up.

             (If you are doing a lot of chicken and run out of flour or egg mixture, you can 

              just add another cup of flour, or another egg and more hot sauce)

3. For frying the chicken you want your oil HOT!! About 350 degrees. I don't have a pot with the thermometer on it, if you do, use it. I sprinkle some water into the oil and when it starts popping, it is ready to go. You are going to want at least an inch and a half of oil. It should go about half way up you chicken. Place the chicken in the oil with tongs. You want to do this slowly and start with the edge of the piece closest to you, working away from you to avoid splatters.

4. Fry in batches. Overcrowding will reduce the heat of the oil and it will take forever. Drums take about 5 minutes per side per piece. The thighs and breasts will take about 7 minutes per side per piece. I heat the oven to about 170 degrees, place cooling racks in a roasting pan and place my chicken in there to keep warm while I continue with the rest of my batches.

Not Your Kids Macaroni and Cheese

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Who doesn't love Mac N' Cheese as a kid? But once you get older it's just not the same. You wish it were because how easy it is to make, but no, it's gritty and the second it's not hot it's time for the garbage!! Here is a great recipe for it. It takes a bit longer to make than the box kind but it is so worth it. This dish also is great reheated the next day!

Macaroni and Cheese
40 minute Side Dish           10 minutes prep, 40 minute cook time            Serves about 8
1 16 oz. box Elbow Macaroni (get the smaller kind, not large)
8 oz. Velveeta or Other "Cheese Food"
4 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese
4 oz. Muenster Cheese
4 oz. Sharp Cheddar
1 pint Half and Half
1/2 stick butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, heat water to boil and add pasta. While this is cooking, heat the half and half.
2. While waiting on the above, grate the Monterey Jack, Muenster and Sharp Cheddar. Cut the Velveeta into small pieces.
3. When the cream is hot, slowly add the Velveeta  Once it has all melted add the shredded cheeses slowly until well melted in.
4. When the noodles are almost cooked through, remove and add the butter to them mixing well. In a 2.5 quart baking dish add the noodles and then mix the cheese sauce into them. Bake for half an hour.

Chicken BLT Fettuccine

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Everyone loves a BLT! Everyone loves Pasta! My husband isn't a big fan of pasta with red sauce because he gets heart burn. But sometimes a girl just wants some carbs!! I came up with this recipe one night on a whim. I had a ton of fresh basil in my yard along with some fresh tomatoes. I decided to make something up and this is what happened!! I hope you enjoy!!! It's a mix between Chicken Fettuccine and a BLT!! It received the BLT name  because of the Prosciutto, Basil and Tomatoes.

Chicken BLT Fettuccine
30 Minute Meal                   Serves about 6

Ingredients:
1 package Chicken Breasts, cut to bite size pieces
1/2 cup Fresh Basil, minced
1 package Prosciutto, cooked and then crumbled
1 package Cherry Tomatoes, halved
3 tbls Olive Oil
1 tbls. Garlic, minced
1 tsp. Salt & Pepper
1 box fettuccine, cooked to al dente
1 container shaved Parmesan Cheese, reserve some to top with.

1. In a large skillet, cook the prosciutto and remove to a paper towel.
2. In the same large skillet, heat the oil while the fettuccine cooks separately. Add Chicken and Salt and Pepper.
When the chicken just cooked, add the garlic in. Cook for about 1 minute.
3. Add in the crumbled prosciutto, tomatoes and toss together well.
4. At the last minute add in the pasta, basil and Parmesan cheese. When serving top with a bit more cheese and serve.
This is such a tasty dish. And yes there isn't really a sauce except the oil and moisture from the chicken, you don't need it!!! (Not a recent picture but still posting it!!)

Carving A Turkey

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This is supposed to be the job of The Man of The House but my husband declines year after year because it can be somewhat intimidating. I never did a horrible job, but not a stellar one either. Last year I decided to use a new technique. I take the drum and thigh piece off first then the breast in one whole piece then the wing. This video is great!! I use the "Carving in the Kitchen" technique. It is so much easier than trying to cut nice slices on that huge bird!! This year when I carved the bird, I got rave reviews. Everyone thought I did a great job and gave me compliments. Even my stepdad was impressed saying that he wished he had been taught this way as it looked so much easier and got so much of the bird in such a short amount of time!

Did Someone Say SOUP!!!

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I love soup!! I love everything about it!! I love savory tomato based soups, creamy delicate soups and even a nice homemade chicken soup!! It's just my favorite thing to eat ever!!! My husband on the other hand wouldn't care if he never had to eat soup again. But I got him on this one!! He loves this soup, and so has anyone that I have either served it to or shared the recipe with.

Days like today are the perfect time to make a soup like this one. Paired with a crisp salad you cannot go wrong!!

“To feel safe and warm on a cold wet night, all you really need is soup.”
Laurie Colwin

“There is nothing like soup. It is by nature eccentric: no two are ever alike, unless of course you get your soup in a can.”
Laurie Colwin, 'Home Cooking' (1988)

“Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living.  For soup can do more to lift the spirits and stimulate the appetite than any other one dish.”
Louis P. De Gouy, ‘The Soup Book’ (1949)

Bacon Cheddar Potato Soup
15 minutes prep           30 cook time            Serves about 8 bowls

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 stick butter
5 cups diced peeled potatoes, You can leave the skin, but it's just going to come off when you cook it :(
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
12 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded
1 pint whipping cream
2 cups water
3 oz. package (or fresh) bacon bits, I like the packaged pepper bits!!
4 tbls. flour
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tbls. fresh or dried parsley

1.  In a sauce pan, saute onion and celery in 4 oz. of butter, season with salt and pepper. Add potatoes and broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes
2.  In a skillet, melt the remaining butter, add flour to make a roux. Slowly add water to thin out the mixture.
3. Add roux to the pot along with the cream. Stir well and add the cheese, bacon and spices. Cook over low heat until the cheese is completely melted. Garnish with some of the parsley and serve!