Rock & Roll Cafe

Crock Pot Flank Steak

2012-01-10T13:11:00.000-08:00

Cooking dinner in a crock pot saves time and energy. Your dinner can cook while you are out doing other things or at work and when you arrive home you have a meal waiting for you.

This recipe for flank steak is delicious. Because flank can be a tough piece of meat, the long cooking ensures tender meat.

You will need:

1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak, cut in half
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup water
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 1/4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Brown the flank steak in a pan with some oil and when it browns on the outside, place it into the crock pot.

Saute the onions in the same pan and oil.
Now add your water to this pan and stir to loosen up cooked bit left behind...hopefully not burnt ones.
Add the rest of the ingredients and pour it all over the flank steak in the crock pot. Cover and cook for 8 hours.

Now all you need do is make rice, potatoes or noodles and a vegetable and dinner is ready.

Winter Warmer Hot Drink

2012-01-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

It's cold! This hot drink is perfect for after school snacks or as a treat anytime. It does well at any event on a cold day. The plus is that not only does it taste good but it is good for you as well.
Another benefit is that as you are simmering this mixture your whole house will smell wonderful.

It's an old decorator's trick to simmer cinnamon and cloves in a large pot of water to give a warm and inviting winter scent to the house. Especially if you are trying to sell your home.

For a party you might keep it warm in a crock pot.
And for an alcoholic version you can adapt as you see fit try this.

You will need:

1 quart of apple juice or apple cider
1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
5 whole cloves
1 stick of cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a 2 quart saucepan and simmer for 15 or 20 minutes.
To serve, remove the cloves and the cinnamon stick and place in mugs.
You can top it with slices of fresh orange if you wish and some people place individual cinnamon sticks in each mug.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2011-10-06T13:19:00.000-07:00

You can use wings, drum sticks and thighs for this recipe.

The Batter:
1 c. cornstarch or flour
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 beaten egg
1 tsp. savory salt or seasoning salt (garlic)
Add milk to make a paste. Heat oil to deep fry.

I never trust deep frying to really cook chicken as sometimes the outside is done but not the inside. I am also not a fan of deep frying things in general as its dangerous and too fatty as well.
I par boil my chicken to make sure it will be completely cooked before I fry it. Yup, I do. And yes, I have heard all the no no's about it. Its my own personal quirk.
Then I dip it in the batter and fry it in a frying pan with enough olive oil and turn the pieces often until they are crispy and golden.
Drain on paper towels to absorb excess grease.

The dipping sauce:

1 c. sugar
1/3 c. water
2 tbsp. ketchup
2/3 c. vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce (use the low sodium)
Mix all ingredients, boil, stir. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
You can coat the pieces before serving or you can put the sauce into little bowls and let people dip for themselves.

Serve with Rice , with pineapple, with broccoli or just as an appetizer.

Wellesley Fudge Cake

2011-10-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

When I first made this cake many years ago I was amazed at how rich and delicious it was.

The recipe was created in the 1800's at the Wellesley Tea Room in Massachusetts.
Here is the recipe. You will not believe how good this cake really is until you try it.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

3 eggs ,
3/4 cup milk,
1 teaspoon full of vanilla extract. (use real extract. its better)
1/2 cup soft butter or margarine
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 2/3 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon salt
4 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 3/4 cup sugar (divide this in half)
1/2 cup water

Here's How to Make It:

I use round cake pans since this is a layer cake.
Grease two of them and set oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt the chocolate with half the sugar and the water over a low flame. Keep it very low, and stir it continuously so you do not burn this.
Then let this mixture cool down to a tepid temperature.

Cream the butter.
Then beat the rest of the sugar into the butter and mix until it is fluffy looking.
Now add your eggs one at a time and beat them in as well.

Now for the flour. mixture:
mix all the dry ingredients together and stir them well to be sure they are dispersed throughout very well. Flour, salt and baking soda.

Now you can begin to add the flour mixture and the milk to the egg mixture.
The trick is to alternate adding flour, then some milk, then flour..etc until both are mixed in nicely.
Beat them in well to make a nice smooth mixture.
Now add the vanilla to the chocolate and stir in well.
Then add the chocolate-vanilla mixture to the rest of the ingredients.

Pour the cake mixture into the oiled and floured pans.
Bake for about 30 minutes at 350F
Test if its done by touching the center. If it springs back it is done.
Cool the cakes down on racks.

Frosting/Icing:

You will fill the cake with chocolate filling and cover the outside with it too.
You could use your favorite canned frosting but here is a nice fudge recipe that goes with this cake:

1 pound of confectioner's or 'powdered' sugar traditionally used for making frosting or icing .
4 squares of unsweetened chocolate
2 Tablespoons of butter
a little dash of salt. Not alot, just enough to bring out flavor.
1/2 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Over very low heat, mix the butter and the chocolate , stirring until it is a nice smooth mixture.
Take it off the heat and add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
You can let it stand a while if the consistency isn't right.
Spread between the layers then put the two layers together and frost the entire cake, both top and sides.
If it is too thick add milk in tiny amounts until its spreadable.

This recipe is very nice for cupcakes as well.

Good luck and enjoy.

Buttermilk Pie

2011-09-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

Oh this is so delicious!

Here is what you will need:

1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 stick butter, melted
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pie crust you make or buy. You only need one crust.

Heat up your oven to 350.
Beat the eggs together and then add your flour and sugar.
Pour this all into your unbaked pie shell.
Bake for about 40 minutes but keep an eye on it as baking time can vary a lot.
If you see the crust might get too dark, you can place foil on it or reduce the baking temperature a bit more as well.
It's done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Serve with whipped cream if you wish.

For a variation on the pie, you can also add a spoonful of lemon zest to the mix before baking. Also you might consider making these into tarts, like in the photo. They are tiny personal pies that are so good too and look adorable.

Lavender Sugar

2011-08-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

There is nothing quite as lovely as creating your own fragrant and flavored sugars.
You can use a variety of things to scent and flavor sugar but lavender is quite lovely.
You will need to obtain some culinary lavender buds. These are untreated and safe to eat
You can buy them online or in specialty shops.
The photo I found is a sample of what they sell Here and it seems reasonably priced, though I have not bought from them as yet myself. Just be sure it is culinary lavender so its not been treated with insecticides, etc.
If you grow your own lavender you have it made in the shade!

For lavender sugar you will need the following:

2 cups of fine sugar.
3 generous Tablespoons of culinary lavender. You can use fresh buds if you grow your own and they are not chemically treated.
You may leave the buds whole or you can run everything through a processor or spice mill to finely chop and mix it all.
But some people do not want the buds or even pieces to be left in the sugar. If that is the case, leave them whole mixed into the sugar and store in a tight glass jar that you place in a cool, dark place for a week or so.
Once the scent is completely through the mixture, you can strain out the buds using a mesh sieve and then place the sugar back in its jar.

You can select a pretty mason type jar to both create the sugar and keep it.
To make a pretty touch, you might cut a circle of fabric a bit larger than the jar top with pinking sheers and decorate the top of the jar with it by securing with a ribbon.
I found this nice do it yourself tutorial on making them HERE.

Your lavender sugar is ready for tea or topping cookies... whatever you wish .

Lemon Ice

2011-08-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

photo:NCR

2 cups sugar.
5 cups of water
1 1/3 cups of freshly squeezed lemon juice. (bottled just will not taste the same but, you can use it if it is what you have ) This takes about 8 lemons by the way.
2 Tablespoons of grated lemon zest (that is the rind of the lemon grated finely)
Do NOT grate in the white part because it is very bitter. You can leave the peel out, children tend not to like it with the peel in it or even on it.

mint leaves for garnish.(Grow your own! Its wonderful to have)

Add the sugar to the water and bring up to a boil. Let it cook for 5 minutes and don't stir it.
Pour the mixture into a ceramic bowl and refrigerate 2 hours at least then add the lemon and lemon zest.
Pour into an ice cream maker and continue as the ice cream maker recommends.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, just pour the mixture into a metal container and freeze for 5 to 8 hours. Then, to serve, break off pieces and pulse quickly in a blender or food processor.

Easiest Preparation Instructions:
These are far easier but require more hands on time as you must stir it often.
Pour your mixture into a freezer container or metal bowl.. Now freeze for about 4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes until mixture turns into slush..

You can serve in tiny cups and garnish with mint leaves if you wish.

Gazillion Calorie Bourbon Macaroon Dessert

2011-07-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

This cake is literally loaded with calories and guaranteed to put you on sugar overload for a long time. The thing is, it is also delicious and you ought to know how to make it!

You will need:
Macaroons.... about 2 dozen should do it.
Bourbon... 1/4 cup
8 ounces of softened cream cheese
14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk
12 ounces or so of whipped cream
toasted pecans chopped . or plain pecans if you wish.

Macaroons

Soak the crushed macaroons in some Bourbon. Don't make it watery or swimming in the stuff, just enough to thoroughly coat and let them soak in it.
Spray a Jello mold or a pretty bowl with cooking spray and then line with plastic wrap.
Take your bourbon soaked cookies and press them into the pan creating a kind of shell.
With a mixer, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk into a smooth creamy mixture.
Now add the nuts and fold in the whipped cream.
Spoon this mixture into the macaroon shell.
Cover with tight wrap and freeze it until firm.

To serve this, just turn the bowl or mold over and tap lightly. You can also use a warmed tea towel on the bottom for a few seconds to loosen the frozen dessert. You want it to come out in a ball.
Remove the plastic cling wrap and decorate with whipped cream.
Drizzle with some nice caramel sauce or chocolate sauce
You can find a nice caramel recipe HERE.

Coconut Cream Pie

2011-06-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

I love coconut cream, chocolate cream and banana cream pies.
They are delicious and I can't get enough.
Here is how to make Coconut Cream Pie the old way:

You will need:

1 cup of flaked and toasted coconut.(spread your coconut around on a baking pan and simply bake it at 350°F for a few minutes until browned. You might need to mix it up once or twice and keep an eye on it too. It should take about 5 minutes or so.)
2 large eggs
3cups of half and half cream
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
a baked pie shell, your own or bought
1 cup of whipped cream
3/4 cup of white fine sugar.

How to assemble:

Combine the half and half, eggs, flour, sugar and salt in a pan and bring to a boil over low heat while stirring constantly.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 3/4 of your coconut and the vanilla extract.
Pour the mixture into your pie shell.
Refrigerate the pie for several hours. usually around 3 is enough.
It should be firm.
Top it off with the rest of the toasted coconut and fresh whipped cream.
You can even put a cherry on top.
Now make a pot of coffee and one of tea and invite your friends over for dessert.

Ice Cream Sodas

2011-06-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

These are wonderful for kids and you on hot summer days.
Grab the milk and ice cream ....

Here's How:

Pour 3oz of chocolate syrup in a large fountain style glass.

(Gourmets and Purists always used to use the Kosher for Pesach Ubet which is sugar only and considered the finest chocolate syrup available. I have not used it in years however and have no idea as to its kosher status now.)

Fill the glass nearly half full with icy cold seltzer or club soda and stir it very well.

Add 1 or 2 scoops vanilla ice cream and watch the foaming begin.
Fill with more ice cream if you can manage it and top with Whipped cream.

Summer Lime Rice Salad

2011-06-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

This is a complete meal. Its very delicious and easy to prepare.
You will need:

1 can black bean, rinsed and drained
2 cups brown rice, cooked and hot
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
a pinch of salt and pepper(cracked pepper is nicest)
1/2 cup red onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
If you can think of other veggies to add, go ahead.

Preparation:
Cook your rice, Keep warm.

Heat up the olive oil in a pan over a medium high heat and stir in your corn . Brown them lightly. This takes about 8 minutes but watch them carefully. You don't want to burn the corn.
Add in the black beans, heat a bit and then remove from the heat.

In another bowl mix together your lime juice, 2 Tablespoons of oil , the salt and the pepper and then add in the rice.
Now toss in the corn and bean mixture and then the rest of the veggies in the list.
Toss it carefully and test the seasonings.
Garnish with lime slice and Italian Parsley.
Tomato wedges are nice with it also.
Serve with crusty bread and tall glasses of frosty iced tea.
This is nice at room temperature.
Enjoy.

Dafina

2010-10-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

For Shabbat, the Sabbath, I make a stew on Friday and it cooks until Saturday afternoon when it is finally eaten. We do not cook on shabbat.
Here is my recipe for what is called Dafina.

1-1/4 cups dried chick-peas (soaked over night or use canned if you like, drained )

3 tablespoons Olive oil (more if you need it)

2 mediums Onions, chopped (about 1 cup) I like Vidalia but many like Spanish onions for this. You can add more if you love the taste.

4 whole cloves garlic (or to taste)

1 pound of Beef or veal bones (you dont need to use these but it does add huge flavor.)

3 pounds Beef brisket ora nice chuck roast, cut into 4 pieces . You can use cheaper cuts because you are going to cook the dickens out of it . It will be fork tender.

12 medium Potatoes peeled (you can even use sweet potatoes or yams for extra flavor. I use both white and sweet potatoes)

5 Pitted dates cut up or 3 tablespoons honey (up to 6 if you like things sweeter. I use sparingly)

1 tablespoon Paprika (use good Paprika)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground tumeric (news item says tumeric is a huge cancer fighter)

6 crumbled saffron threads (this stuff is expensive. The recipe is nice with it, but you can do without.)

2 teaspoons sea salt, about ( be careful) and you can use whatever salt you like, not just sea salt of course

Ground black pepper to taste . Freshly ground just adds more flavor

6 jumbo or large Eggs, in their shell or 8 small ones. As many as the crock pot will hold as far as I am concerned. I love these eggs like this!

Saute the onion and the garlic in a bit of the oil until onion is translucent.
Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a large crock pot. Add the onion and sauteed garlic and cover the whole mess with nice water.
Oh.. don't forget to put the eggs in., uncooked and in their shells. They will change color and take on the flavor of the stew. They are absolutely delicious.
Set on low and let it cook overnight. It can cook for 12 or more hours and still be delicious.
Enjoy.
I have a computerized crock pot that cooks for 10 hours then sets itself on low for the rest of the time.
10 hours usually will cook it all nicely .
As I make it pre-sundown on Friday, it cooks all that time until Sat. afternoon. So, don't worry if it cooks a long time.

You can serve the eggs with the meal . I have one at least that day but I put others away in refrig. to have for lunch and breakfast during the coming week.

Cinnamon and Hot Sauce in your Coffee

2010-06-28T06:08:00.000-07:00

Yahoo recently posted the idea of having coffee with Cinnamon and hot sauce to control cholesterol, stomach ailments and for diabetes. Seems Cinnamon and hot sauce as wonder products in that regard.

I know that if you feed black pepper to chickens in their mash they won't get salmonella nor will their eggs have it.

So I found a few recipes for coffee that might be interesting.

I am trying some Cinnamon and hot sauce in my coffee this morning and it's great and you don't taste the hot sauce.

Interestingly, hot sauce in chocolate candy is said to make it "gourmet".

Here is what Yahoo had to say:

Cinnamon goes back to ancient times and has been used to soothe indigestion, prevent stomach ulcers, prevent tooth decay and a whole host of other problems. Science finds that cinnamon has antiseptic qualities and also helps diabetics metabolize sugar.

Cayenne, also known as Capsaicin, has been shown to aid digestion, ease muscle pain with topical treatment, relieve cluster headaches, lower cholesterol, prevent heart disease, plus others. Cayenne pepper juice is found in most hot sauces and Capsaicin is found in many muscle rub creams.

Now I know you might be doubtful about adding hot sauce to your coffee, but you don't actually taste the difference. And it's been found that hot foods don't CAUSE ulcers, but may cause pain to an existing ulcer. Nonetheless, a few drops in coffee with your creamer should soothe any problems for those with ulcers.

Find their directions HERE

Cayenne Coffee:

(Makes 2-3 Cups)

1/2 Cup Coffee Beans ground to your liking.(or just use coffee as you usually do)

1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne

unsweetened chocolate powder - to taste

Mix all these together before you add water to make the coffee.

Cinnamon Coffee:

Coffee of your choice for the pot

a teaspoon of Cinnamon and 4-6 drops of red hot sauce.

Add the Cinnamon to the coffee before brewing. Drop in the hot sauce to the pot.

Enjoy.

You can also use a Cinnamon stick to stir your coffee.

Homemade Pepperoni

2010-02-16T13:41:00.000-08:00

Here is a great recipe for homemade pepperoni made from ground beef.

It will make about 2 pounds.

you will need:

2 lbs of lean ground beef. Use only lean. You don't want a lot of fat in this.

2 tsp of black pepper

1/2 tsp of sugar

2tsp of liquid smoke flavoring

2 tsp of mustard seed

a tsp of paprika

1/2 tsp of garlic powder.

2 big tsp of Curing Salt.

You can order Prague Curing salt online. Curing salt it NOT the same as regular salt. Mortons also makes one.

Combine all the ingredients , cover and refrigerate for 2 days.

Remove from refrigerator and shape the meat into rolls. You will have enough here to shape 2 long rolls.

Use a baking pan that has a rack in it so that the rolls can drain any fat.

Place the rolls on the rack and bake in a 200°F oven for 8 hours.

Yes, 8 hours. You are curing the meat that way. You can turn them over every few hours.

They won't be dark when done but more pink in color and thats what they should look like.

Wipe off any excess oils and cool the rolls.

You can slice them into thin slices after they are cool or just refrigerate the rolls and cut slices as you wish.

They freeze up nicely and in the fridge will hang out for up to 2 weeks.

Enjoy!

Cajun Style Fish

2010-01-25T13:45:00.000-08:00

Cajun doesn't have to mean blackened or super spicey hot.
Here is a recipe that is neither and yet very Cajun.
You can use whatever fish you prefer but Tilapia and flounder are especially nice in this dish.

You will need:

2 pounds of flounder fillets
16 ounces of tomato sauce
1 green bell pepper sliced thinly
1 yellow or red bell pepper sliced thinly
1 medium sweet onion sliced thinly
2 minced cloves of garlic
black pepper, cayenne pepper , salt to taste.
Olive oil for frying

Put a bit of oil in a frying pan and saute the bell peppers for a few minutes. Just get them a bit limp.
You saute the peppers first because they cook more slowly than the onion and the garlic.
Once your peppers are moving ahead but not yet really limp, add the onion and garlic and continue sauting until all are cooked well. They will be limp in appearance by then.
Sprinkle with black pepper, salt and cayenne to taste.

Now saute your fish about 2 or 3 minutes per side, also in some olive oil. You don't need too much oil but enough to keep the fish from sticking to the pan bottom. Don't turn the heat too high either.

Once you have cooked the fish for a few minutes on each side, cover the fish with the vegetables you have sauted and cover the pan and simmer it all for about 10 to 15 minutes to allow the flavors to mix.

Serve on a bed of rice... or alone. Or, serve in taco shells.

If you do not like hot foods be careful when adding the cayenne pepper.
Some people love this recipe with Louisiana hot sauce but those are the die hard heat fans.

Enjoy .

EGG CREAM RECIPE.. YUM

2010-01-15T12:19:00.000-08:00

Once more with Feeling!
This was very popular when first published so here it is again because people asked.
It is a staple at the Rock and Roll Cafe.
Once you try it , it will be a favorite of your own too.

The Egg Cream first appeared in NYC and Brooklyn in the 1800's and has been one of the most refreshing drinks you can imagine!! And tasty? You Bet!! No eggs and no cream in them though.

Here.. make one for yourself and you will see how wonderful they are:
About 1/2 cup cold whole milk
1 cup bottled seltzer
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

Pour about half an inch of cold milk into a tall chilled soda glass. Add seltzer or club soda to within 1 inch of the top of the glass; stir briskly with a long spoon to make it frothy..really frothy.

Pour in some chocolate syrup, approx 2 heaping Tablespoons. Let it drizzle down the inside of the glass then give some more brisk stirring action.
Serve cold with a straw.
Ok.. ok.. if you really have to break tradition, you could add a couple spoonfulls of vanilla icecream and I wont't tell .

Substituting in Kosher Cooking

2009-09-18T12:13:00.001-07:00

You don't have to let a recipe stymie you just because it contains meat and milk. There are ways around this.
When you find a recipe you think you would love just find substitutes for some of the ingredients.
One way is to find suitable pareve soy products that replace milk, creams and cheeses.
They come in all varieties now and they are quite good and very healthy.

Soy based yogurts are tasty and can be used to act like cream in a recipe. The idea of the cream is to make the recipe richer. Pareve plain Yogurt can accomplish the same thing.

Mayonnaise can be a good butter and oil substitute.

Soy cheeses are delicious and some are really indistinguishable from real cheese.

Beer in recipes is often substituted with non alcoholic beer or chicken broth. So, chicken broth might be substituted with beer.. if you are adventurous that is!

You have to experiment with these things to find out what works and what doesn't but over all I have had good results in using them.

If you don't like the idea of soy based products and want the real thing you can substitute for meat and its products in a recipe too.
If it calls for chicken broth, why not try a vegetable broth instead?

Also 1 Tablespoon of soy sauce in a cup of water will substitute for chicken broth.

Yogurt is a great substitute for buttermilk. You can use it in pancakes.

To substitute for cream use a pareve whipped topping.

Tofu can substitute for meat in so many things as well. Once cooked with spices and sauces it takes on it's own tastes and most can't tell it's not meat of some sort.

Recipes are rarely written in stone. You can and should add your own ideas and innovations to them.
Sometimes you will have a hit and sometimes a miss but you will be learning and having fun along the way.

Pumpkin Bread

2009-09-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

This is a nice recipe for pumpkin bread.

2 tsp. cinnamon
one 16 ounce can of canned pumpkin
2 tsp. nutmeg
3 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon allspice
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups of water
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
2 lightly floured and greased loaf pans( 9"X5")
2 tsp. baking soda

In a large bowl , stir together flour, spices , salt and baking soda.
Now add your eggs , oil, water and the pumpkin and mix in nicely until you have a batter.
You can add your nuts now if you wish. They are optional in the recipe, of course.

Pour the mixture into the loaf pans and bake for about one hour at 350° F
Test with a toothpick or tester . If it comes out clean the bread is finished.

Cool a bit and serve or wait one day as it tastes better the next day.
You can refrigerate it once you wrap it in clear cling wrap.

Enjoy.

Adjustment to Pumpkin Soup recipe.

2009-09-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

A reader called to my attention that I failed to add the adjustments to the recipe as I have in all my other posts.
A substitution of pareve soy based yogurt and soy milk is what I use in place of the cream in the recipe. I have used both together, and just the yogurt and found it worked nicely with the recipe.
You can also use pareve whipped topping or pareve thick creamer as a substitute for cream. It works very nicely.

Most cheeses and milks and creams are now available in soy pareve form.
I have even found cheddar in a pareve form. Enjoy.
If you don't like soy foods, then you might not like the recipe.

Thanks for the help anonymous!!

Pumpkin Soup

2009-09-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Autumn is the time to cook up recipes that use harvest vegetables and are homey and soothing to the taste.
Pumpkin soup is one such recipe that can become an autumn favorite.
Here's are a few variations of it:

For a thick cream soup:
1/2 cup of half and half
2 cups of mashed cooked pumpkin. You can use canned pumpkin just be sure it has no spices or sugar in it.
1 tsp of sea salt
1Tablespoon of sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 cups of good chicken broth... use a flavorful kind or make your own. Be sure its nice a chickeny .
3Tbs of butter
1/2 cup of yellow onion, chopped

Saute the onions in some of the butter , as they become transparent, add your pumpkin and heat through a bit.
Now add all your spices and pour in the broth while stirring.
Don't let this boil up. Keep it simmering to heat it and meld the flavors.
When just about to serve, add the half and half cream and stir through.

Spanish Pumpkin Soup :

Spices:
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 can (15oz) pumpkin(spice free!)
1 cup whipping or heavy cream
3 Tbls of dark brown sugar
3 cups of chicken broth or stock

Mix the broth and cream in a pan and heat to very hot...almost boiling.
Stir in the pumpkin and the sugar and spices and simmer low til flavors mix from the heat.
Soup should thicken from the pumpkin . Simmer about 10 minutes or so.
Season off heat with salt and pepper.
Garnish with grated cheese. Cheddar is nice.

Enjoy!

Steak Wraps

2009-01-06T13:22:00.001-08:00

Easy, fast and delicious. It's perfect for left over beef in any form as long as it's tender. Steak is fine, but so is pot roast.

You will need whole wheat flour tortillas, the large kind. Whole wheat is healthier.
You will also need some sliced left over steak or roast, etc.
Some tiny sweet salad tomatoes,sliced
Baby spinach or lettuce,
Thin cucumber slices
thinly sliced sweet red or yellow onion (vidalia is nice)
Sweet red peppers from a jar.
A salad dressing or sauce of your choice( a recipe for one follows)

Just layer the tortillas with the greens, tomato, cukes, peppers and onions.. roll up and heat for a few minutes if you wish, though its not necessary.

For a variation, you can use left over chicken or beef and left over potatoes which you fry til a bit crispy. Add the rest of the ingredients and heat the entire thing til its warm.
This makes a full and healthy meal.
Serve with sauce of your choice, even ketchup mixed with mayonnaise can be nice. For chicken try a honey mustard sauce if you like.
Any nice salad dressing will fit the bill also.
If you add salsa you can spice it up Mexican style too!

Saucy Marinade for steak or beef:
this marinade is from better homes and gardens recipes:

1 (1-1/2 to 2 pounds) flank steak
1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled
1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for grill pan
Directions
1. Trim fat from steak and place steak in a shallow dish. Stir together rosemary, marjoram, oregano, garlic, paprika, salt, and peppers in a small bowl. Stir in the oil until combined.
2. Spoon herb mixture evenly over both sides of steak, rubbing in. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
3. Preheat grill pan over moderately high heat. Lightly coat pan with oil and place steak in pan. Grill, turning once, until a meat thermometer inserted into center of steak registers 125 degree F for medium rare, 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Transfer to a cutting board. Cover and let stand 10 minutes before cutting, across the grain, into very thin slices. Makes 8 servings.

Herring in Cream Sauce

2009-01-05T01:40:00.000-08:00

This is a lovely dish any time, any place.

You will need:
8 pickled herring fillets

1/4 cup of Mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons of whipping cream

1/4 tsp of sugar

1/8 tsp of lemon pepper

1/8 tsp of worchestershire sauce

1/2 cup of finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup of fine chopped sliced leek

fresh dillweed

coarse black pepper

Drain the herring and reserve a tablespoon of its marinade.

Combine your mayo with the cream, sugar, half the dill, lemon pepper , Worchestershire sauce and reserved marinade and mix together.

On a nice plate, arrange the onion and the leek and some dill in a pleasing arrangement.

Top with the herring filets and then drizzle on the cream sauce.

Grind fresh coarse black pepper on top and garnish with more dillweed on the very top.

Shaved carrot also makes a nice presentation.

To make it extra special, top with a large dollop of red Caviar.

Make sure it is not *real* caviar as that is from Sturgeon which is not a kosher fish.

But there are kosher caviar types out there that are very nice and made from Salmon roe. Look for that kind.

Bubble and Squeak

2009-01-05T00:48:00.000-08:00

Bubble and Squeak is a British dish that is a delicious comfort food. If you have never tried it, you are in for a treat especially if you are a cabbage and potato lover as I am.
This recipe is easy and I give you here just a basic one, but you can add to it any vegetables from last night's dinner that you like. Its a perfect way to use up leftover veggies including potatoes.
The dish is perfect on a cold winter day with a serving of poached eggs for protein too. They just really go together well.

1 lb potatoes of unpeeled
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2 oz butter
8oz cabbage, shredded
3 tbsp water
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped well

How to:
Cook your potatoes in boiling salted water for about 20 minutes or so, til tender but not mushy. you stil have to fry them.. You can use potatoes from yesterdays meal and this is the best way to use them.
Peel them if you just made them.

Mash them with half of your butter.
Put the cabbage and remaining butter in a sauce pan with the water and cook on low medium for around 10 minutes or til nice and tender.
Now mix the cabbage in with the potatoes and season them with as much salt and pepper as you like. .

Heat half of the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion til clear and soft.
Now add the potato mixture and press down flat so it will brown nicely.
When one side is all browned, turn it over, adding more oil if necessary and brown the other side.
Remove to a plate to serve. You can cut it in wedges or just scoop and serve as a side dish.
This is hearty enough for a main meal though if you make enough of it and serve with thick slices of toasty bread and butter.

Comfort Food Potatoes

2008-11-09T23:22:00.000-08:00

These are made with French's French Fried Onions, (kosher OU) , cream cheese and cheddar cheese and potatoes.

This is just out of this world and an ultimate comfort food. Worth a try at least once in your life time... calories or not!

Boil and mash 6 or 7 large potatoes.

chop a small sweet yellow onion (Vidalia if you have it) very fine.

You will need 4 ounces of cream cheese

4 ounces of sour cream,

and 8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese.

1 can of French's French fried Onions. (about 3 ounces of them)

Mix the onion with the cream cheese , sour cream and cheddar in the hot potatoes.

Now if it is way too thick , which happens sometimes, use a very small amount of milk to thin them just a bit. Be careful now and don't make them runny. Just a small bit of milk to thin if they are just too thick to stir with a spoon .

Put the mix into a rectangle baking dish and you wil bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees F.

When the edges are bubbling you know its done.

When its just about finished, maybe 5 minutes from being done, top it with the fried onions and pop back into the oven to complete the cooking

Now serve and eat! That's the best part of it all. Hope you enjoy them.

Morrocan Chicken

2008-09-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

This is a great recipe and is served over couscous.
It is hearty and filling and tasty. Give it a try one chilly Autumn evening.
It makes a wonderful dinner party dish too.

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), skinned
Cooking spray
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
24 pimiento-stuffed olives, coarsely chopped
8 lemon wedges

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well. Add chicken; toss to coat. Arrange chicken in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife.

Combine flour, juice, and broth, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Sprinkle flour mixture over chicken, tossing to coat. Top chicken with olives and lemon. Bake at 325° for 1 hour

Mashed Potatoes for a Change

2008-09-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

"Hi Annie,
You say to serve mashed potatoes but don't they contain milk? How can I serve them with a meat dish?"

Mashed potatoes do not have to contain milk. If, however you like that texture that creamy milk gives, soy milk will do just as well.
There are other ways to make mashed potatoes though.
One of the most flavorful ways is to use Kraft or Gefen Mayonnaise .
Boil your potatoes, red, golden yukon or any kind of baker until soft but still a bit firm. You don't want them mushy. Drain them very well.
Rice or mash them as you prefer.
You can leave skins on or off as you prefer. If you have opted to leave them on, be sure you went over them carefully with a soapy(Rokeach soap does a nice job as does Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap) vegetable brush first and rinsed them well.
Now add some Kraft or Gefen Mayonnaise (we love the taste of Gefen) it is pareve.(neither meat nor dairy) so you are safe with it. Begin with a tablespoon and whip it into the potatoes. Add some pepper if you like. White pepper gives potatoes a particularly nice taste.
If they are not as smooth as you like, add more mayo or add a wee bit of soy milk to make them creamier.
This makes hearty and filling mashed potatoes but be warned .. they are high in calories this way. Well, aren't most comfort foods?

Another way to prepare mashed potatoes to serve with meat is to use non dairy sour cream and non dairy margarine. Add those slowly to the riced or mashed potatoes to give them a smooth and creamy texture.

As always, if you whip your potatoes with an electric mixer they will be fluffy and light.
Adding too much liquid will make them runny so go slow on adding any additions and make sure the potatoes were thoroughly drained before mashing them.

For variety, try adding garlic mashed into your potatoes.
Take one pound of washed , cooked and drained potatoes and mash them
Add in a few cloves of mashed roasted garlic. You can roast a whole head in aluminum foil in the oven or in a skillet!
Take the whole bulb..cut off the top so the inside shows a wee bit.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350F til the garlic is soft and sweet.
Takes from 30 mins to an hour depending on your oven. Check often for the garlic insides to be pretty soft.
Add a few cloves of this to your potatoes along with other ingredients you decide to use. Roasting garlic makes it sweet but still retains the garlicy flavor.

Adding Horseradish or Crayonnaise to mashed potatoes is also a delicious change of pace. Try it ..add slowly !

Crock Pot Chicken

2008-09-17T14:46:00.001-07:00

This is a quick and easy crock pot dish you will enjoy.

Crumple up some aluminum foil in the bottom of your crock pot.
Place a whole cleaned chicken on top and season it with garlic, paprika and whatever chicken spices you like. There are many of them out there that enhance the flavor of chicken so choose your favorite. You can even use dry salad dressing mixes if you like. Italian works very nicely. Season inside birdy too if you wish.

Set your crockpot on a high setting and allow to cook for one hour.
Then, reset the crockpot to cook on low for 7 more hours.
No liquid is used. The foil will keep the chicken from sticking and the paprika will lend a golden color.

Serve with Mashed Potatoes and green beans or salad for a lovely meal.

Chocolate-Toffee Trifle

2008-09-10T13:48:00.001-07:00

This dessert if quick to make but looks and tastes like a million dollars and if you love chocolate you will certainly like this.
If you have a lovely trifle bowl you can put it to good use in making this lucious dessert.

You will need to bake a box of brownies from a mix. That is the 'hardest' part of this recipe.
You can bake two boxes if you wish to make tons of trifle!
You will need chocolate pudding mix .
Prepare according to box instructions. If you are pressed for time, buy chocolate pudding in the plastic tub and use that.
Next you will need some Heath Bars (OU-D) about 10 of them that you will crush up.
And some whipped topping in a container

Raspberries, fresh or frozen for topping. Raspberry syrup if you can find it. Kedem makes a nice one.

Once you have prepared the brownie mix, Fold about 3/4 of the whipped topping into the chocolate pudding.
Now place some crumbled brownies into the bottom of your trifle bowl.
Top with some of the pudding/whipped topping mix.
Now layer with some of the crushed Heath Bar.
Now top the Heath with a bit of plain whipped topping.
Continue this layering til you have filled the bowl and finished off your brownies.
You want to end the layering with a layer of whipped topping.
On the very top you place the raspberries to garnish. Some mint leaves look lovely also. As does a little handful of crushed Heath bar.

If you can find the raspberry syrup, you can alter the recipe a bit by drizzling a tiny bit of the raspberry syrup on each layer of brownie as well as the pudding mix.
It 's bright deep jewel red color looks beautiful in the dish and it gives added interest in taste to the final dish.
Do not add syrup on top though, since it melts the topping and will make the dish look kind of sad.
Layer carefully to prevent a whopping mess!
It will taste good no matter how it looks though.

Alternate toppings include: chocolate curls, crushed chocolate bars.

To make it even more special here is a trick you might try:
If you enjoy Kahlua or any coffee flavored liquors, brush some of the liquor lightly over the brownies before crumbling them into the trifle dish.
This will add a bit of a kick to the dish.
Don't get too wild with the liquor or you will have mush instead of brownies.

Cincinnati's Famous Chili

2008-09-08T00:55:00.000-07:00

This chili recipe is really famous and one of the most unique and delicious I have ever tasted, though I never tasted it at the restaurants themselves but by making it at home.

It is served in Cincinnati Ohio at the famous Skyline Chili restaurants.

There are many soy or non dairy cheese substitutes now that are very tasty and you can pile them ontop just like in this photo. Ths is how it is served in their restaurants but I like it just plain with onion on top. Served over spaghetti or on hot dogs it makes a wonderful meal

1 qt. water2 med. onions, finely chopped

2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce

5 whole allspice or 1/2 tsp. ground

1 1/2 tsp. red pepper

1 tsp. ground cumin

3-4 tbsp. chili powder

1/2 oz. unsweetened chocolate

2 lbs. ground beef

4 garlic cloves

2 tbsp. vinegar

1 whole bay leaf

5 whole cloves

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

Put the ground beef into water in 4 quart pot. Stir until beef separates to a fine texture. Boil slowly for 30 minutes. (YUP! you will NOT saute the beef in this recipe. You can if boiling bothers you but the authentic way is to just boil it. Give it a try.)

Now, all other ingredients are put into the mix. Stir well and then bring it all to a boil.

Next, reduce the heat and simmer it all uncovered for about 3 hours.

You might have to cover the pot after a while when a good thick consistency has been reached. You don't want it to dry out.

This chili is best served the next day for two reasons. One, it just tastes better that way and two because after it sits in your fridge over night you can skim off any fat that layers on top.

If you used a very lean ground beef though, you can serve right away.

The key is to serve it over hot spagetthi.

Now at Skyline they serve it several different ways. Piles of onions on top, piles of cheese, piles of everything .. etc.

You decide what embellishments you prefer and add them to the plate.
This recipe is delicious served on hot dogs too so if you make up a bunch of it, freeze it in small batches for just that purpose. Your cook out guests will really enjoy it.

Chocolate and vinegar give this chili is addictive flavor. I never met anyone who didnt rave about Skyline chili!
I have never eaten it at the restaurant as I eat strictly kosher ..but I have made this at home and let me tell you it is really scrumptious.

If you are allergic to chocolate I can tell you it tastes almost as good without it. Just as always sample as you go along and regulate to your own desires.

Food isn't any good unless YOU like it no matter what anyone else thinks!

Bon appetite.

Kahlua Chili

2008-09-07T14:14:00.000-07:00

Kahlua gives this Chili the best flavor and a bit of a kick too. This recipe will make a large amount, but you can cut it down or freeze some for later use.
Here's how to make it:

In about 1/2 cup of olive or other veggie oil, saute 4 chopped yellow onions til they are transparent along with 4 cloves of minced garlic.
Now add 1/2 cup of chopped green peppers and 4lbs ground beef and cook the beef til all red is gone and crumbled nicely with a fork.
If you prefer sweet red or yellow peppers or none at all, that's just fine too. It's your recipe so you adapt it as you see fit.
Some people like to add Mexican green chilies to the recipe and that is also fine.
Taste along the way , though, to be sure how things are going.

Now add in:
2 teaspoons Cumin powder

2 teaspoons Dried marjoram

2 teaspoons Dried oregano
2 tablespoons Tomato paste

4 teaspoons Salt

2 teaspoons Red cayenne pepper

1 cup Kahlua

1/2 cup Parsley -- chopped

6 tablespoons Chili powder

Simmer all this together for a good hour or up to 10 hours in a crock pot if you like.
The results will be pretty doggone good.

Serve with a nice big dollop of sour cream. There are excellant non dairy sour creams that are light and low in fat.
Corn bread or crusty French bread make a great compliment for a real hearty meal.

Next up will be a recipe for Cincinnati (SKYLINE) chili!

Taco Mac

2008-08-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

Taco Mac is simply delicious and easy to make.It is a fresh new taste that everyone loves and I am sure if you try it you will also.

You will need a pound of spaghetti..cooked and drained.

1 pound of ground beef or ground turkey.

Sweet red, green and yellow peppers cored,seeded and sliced in small strips.

One packette of taco seasoning

I large can of crushed tomatoes

one large vidalia onion (any onion you wish is ok really) chopped fine

a bit of crushed garlic clove

1 small can of green chilies if you like them , otherwise don't bother.

small can or 1 cup of sweet white or yellow corn.

1/3 scant cup of brown sugar (not packed. The sugar cuts down on acidity in tomato sauces. always taste when adding sugar slowly so you don't add too much or too little)

In a skiller cook and crumble the ground meat til almost done. Add your onions and peppers and continue to cook til they are soft. Add your garlic now and heat through a bit.

Once they are sauted to your liking, add the crushed tomatoes , packette of taco seasoning, and the corn and 1/3 scant cup of brown sugar.

Simmer for about half and hour til the flavors are mixed nicely.

You can serve with a sprinkling of pareve cheese (soy usually) which are very nice .

Another variation of this recipe is Chili Mac. Simply serve your favorite chili recipe over cooked pasta. It's a hit with kids and adults alike.

Fish VeraCruz

2008-07-31T12:03:00.001-07:00

Here is one of the all time favorite fish recipes from Rock & Roll Cafe. People have been known to order 2 portions for themselves!
Fish is excellant food. They call it brain food and it seems that it does promote a healthy brain. Most people do not eat enough fish.

Here is the recipe. Give it a try and let us know what you think would you please?

You are going to need :

About 2 pounds of fresh or frozen red snapper filets. You can use flounder or cod too, your call, but snapper is traditional with this. You need enough for about 6 people . Try to buy locally and make sure your fish is fresh if you can get it. Coastal states will have no problem with that.

2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.
1 pound of tomatoes that you core, seed and chop fine. It should be about 3 cups worth of chopped tomato.
1 1/2 cups of finely chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 tablespoon of snipped parsley
1 tablespoon of fresh snipped mint (dry if you have to)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 small jar of jalapeno peppers rinsed, seeded and chopped fine . If you dont like hot pepper use green chilies.
1/4 cup of pimento stuffed green olives
1 tablespoon of capers
1 large bay leaf
1 tablespoon of snipped fresh thyme.

Take your fish, fresh of thawed and sprinkle with a bit of salt and then drizzle on the olive oil and set the filets aside.
In a 12 inch skillet you will cook the tomatoes, onion, garlic, mint, parsley in some olive oil til the onion is tender but not browned.
Now add your jalapeno or chilies, the capers , bay leaf and thyme and your olives (sliced olives are nicer I think)
Cover and heat til it boils.
Now add your fish , lower the heat and simmer covered for about 10 to 15 minutes til the fish is flakey.
When done place the fish on a plate and arrange the vegetables on top of it in a pleasing manner.Throw out your bay leaf.
Take the liquid from the cooking and bring back to boil after removing veggies and fish and reduce it . Takes about 3 minutes. You can use this to pour over the fish .
Garnish with parsley , capers and more olives.
It will serve 6 to 8 people nicely

A good side dish with this is always rice and a cheesy rice goes very nicely. A crispy lettuce and tomato salad are excellant alongside this.

Add some lime or lemon wedges to the plate for extra flavor if you like.

Patriotic Pound Cake

2008-07-02T12:12:00.000-07:00

This is a repeat of a wonderful recipe from last year.
Lemon Patriotic Pound Cake... Delicious
Try this to celebrate the Independance we all love .

1 pound unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for pans
4 cups cake flour, plus additional for dusting pans
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 teaspoons baking powder
10 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
2-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups granulated sugar, plus 4 tablespoons
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from 3 large lemons)
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups assorted berries
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups heavy cream
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degree F. Butter two 9- by-5-inch loaf pans. Line bottoms of pans with waxed paper, then butter paper and flour pans, tapping out excess flour. Whisk flour, seeds, and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, milk, and 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla together in another bowl.
2. Beat butter, 2 cups granulated sugar, the zest, and salt together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, about 6 minutes. With mixer on low, alternately add flour and egg mixtures in batches, scraping bowl as needed, until combined.
3. Divide batter between prepared pans, smoothing tops. Bake in middle of oven until tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges and invert cakes onto a rack to cool.
4. Meanwhile, toss berries in a bowl with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and the juice. Let stand, stirring occasionally, 15 to 25 minutes.
5. Beat heavy cream with remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed to soft peaks.
6. Cut each cake into 3 horizontal layers. Divide and spread 3/4 berry mixture and all of whipped cream between layers to form 2 layered cakes. Top each with remaining berries and dust with confectioners' sugar. Makes 12 servings (2 cakes).

It's wonderful!

Bourbon Baked Beans

2008-07-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

A bit of Bourbon adds a classy touch to this lucious recipe. Strong coffee adds flavor and depth. Everyone loves this dish.

5 cans (16 ounces each)Heinz Vegetarian Kosher baked beans
1/2 cup chili sauce or ketchup
1/2 cup bourbon
1 tablespoon molasses
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/3 cup strong coffee
1 can (15 ounces) crushed pineapple, well drained
1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix together the beans, molasses, mustard, chili sauce, bourbon, and coffee. Let then stand for 3 hours to allow the flavors to grow and mix. Preheat your oven to 300° degrees F, and bake for 30 minutes. Now add in the pineapple and brown sugar and bake for another 30 minutes.
Warm in the tummy on a cold winter day. Serve with hot dogs , hamburgers or roast beef if you like. They are good alone with crispy hot bread as well.

Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Pie

2008-06-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

This is an elegant pie for company. It isnt difficult to make and tastes wonderful. Give it a try.

I piecrust

1-1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels

1 cup dark corn syrup

1/2 cup granulated brown sugar

1/4 cup bourbon or water4 large eggs

1/4 cup butter, melted2 teaspoons cornmeal

2 tsp vanilla extract1/2 tsp salt
Fit piecrust into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and fold edges under, and crimp.
Sprinkle pecans and chocolate morsels evenly onto bottom of piecrust; set aside.Combine corn syrup and next 3 ingredients in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Whisk together eggs and next 4 ingredients.

Gradually whisk about 1/4 hot mixture into egg mixture; add to remaining hot mixture, whisking constantly.
Pour filling into prepared piecrust.
Bake at 325 for 55 minutes or until set; cool on wire rack.

Sephardic Red Lentil Soup

2008-06-19T00:15:00.000-07:00

Lentil Soup is traditional for some Sefardim during the 9 days of Tisha B'Av (usually served with cheese bourekas) and since it is fast approaching I thought I would post my recipe for Lentil soup.

It is good any time of year. Lentils are a truly healthy and nourishing food. If you cannot afford much, believe me, lentils will keep you alive when all else is gone. Rich is protein and calories it is an amazing food . It is rich in folic acid, B vitamins , magnesium and heart healthy fiber. You can't go wrong with this wonderful food.

You will need the following:
1 1/2 cups of red lentils

1/4 cup of olive oil

3 or 4 large carrots cleaned and chopped well.

1 Bay leaf

3 Sweet Yellow Onions chopped nicely

1 cup of chopped parsley.. use Italian style.

4 stalks of celery chopped well.

2 heaping Tablespoons of tomato paste

About 8 cups of water.

lemon juice, cayenne red pepper(to your taste and it's optional) and cumin (about 1 or 2 teaspoons)

Salt and black Pepper to taste

Wash and select your lentils carefully. Watch out for tiny pebbles!

Let them soak in water for a couple hours while you do other things.

Saute the onion and celery in the olive oil til the onion is transparent.

Now add in the lentils, carrot and bay leaf and parsley and tomato paste and the water.

Bring to a good rolling boil then reduce to low and simmer it covered.

Simmer for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When the lentils are tender add the cumin and cayenne if you like things spicy and hot.

Add a splash of lemon juice to wake up all the flavors.

Taste and see how it is.. and adjust seasoning as you like them.

Serve hot with fresh hot bread, salad .

Hope you enjoy.

Our Marinated Grilled Steak

2008-06-11T14:28:00.001-07:00

This is one of our biggest hits and we know you will love it also. It is wonderful on a hot summer night when "thin" meals just won't cut it. You are hungry and you need filling food and steak is one of the best fillers there is!

We serve more of this in the summer than any other dish.

You will need the following ingredients:[ change to fit your crowd, this feeds 4 very hungry or 8 partially hungry people.. or 2 serious steak lovers]

Ingredients:

2-1/2 pounds steak.. you select the cuts you love. Make sure they are tender , however.
2 tablespoons minced garlic
5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
7 cups assorted lettuces
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup capers

Combine garlic, 3 tablespoons vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil in a resealable plastic bag, season it with salt and pepper. Put in the beef and seal bag. Shake and rub bag to distribute marinade evenly. Let stand at room temperature for around 20 minutes.

Fire up the Grill at this point so its ready for your meat when things are done.

Whisk together mustard and remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar in a small bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Add your remaining 5 tablespoons oil in a slow stream, whisking until thickened and emulsified.

Now in another bowl, combine lettuce, tomatoes, and capers. YUM!

Cook steaks on a lightly oiled rack over high heat, turning once, until medium rare, about 5 minutes, depending on thickness. Transfer your cooked steak to a plate and let stand for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, drizzle vinaigrette over salad, tossing to combine.

Place some salad on each plate. Arrange extra tomatoes around the side, or maybe some tiny carrots.. whatever you like.

Now slice up the steak on the bias making attractive small pieces and layer them onto the top of the salad.

This dish is wonderful served with grilled garlic bread and freshly brewed Iced Tea garnished with mint and lemon. Or our famous violet Iced Tea

Just add a few violet blossoms or.. non sprayed rose petals to your hot tea for a wonderful difference!Add your ice after the violets or roses 'steep' a bit.

Eat Hearty!

Easy Saucy Beef Stew

2008-05-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

This is perfect for shabbat or anytime during the week.
Start out with a nice cut of beef. This is a kosher angus beef cut, very lean and nice. Since you will be cooking all day it isn't important what kind of meat you use, it will fall apart in the pot. If you prefer, you can also use stew cubes.This is about 2 1/2 lbs of meat.
Now cut up a large sweet onion and add that along with a large hand full of small sweet carrots, peeled potatoes, chunks of turnip or rutabega. Sweet potato chunks also can add a nice flavor. You determine what you like. I have rutabega here as it lends a delicious flavor.
Add a healthy 4 Tablespoons of ketchup and a few teaspoons of A1 steak sauce. Also added are a few leaves of fresh Rosemary for seasoning. A bit of chopped garlic is tasty as well.
Now add about 4 cups of broth. You can use beef, chicken or vegetable broth it does not matter. The taste will be a bit different with each of course. Beef will give you the most intense flavor but chicken has its own delicacy.
Now I add a few tablespoons of flour to thicken the sauce as it cooks. I usually have no problem with lumps but if you are worried about this you can beat the flour into the broth before you add it.
You can add a cup of beans to the pot now . Small dry Lima Beans add the best flavor.
Set on high and cook for about 8 to 10 hours. This automatic crock pot sets for 10 hours and then automatically goes to "warm".

The meat has fallen apart and there is a rich gravy surrounding the vegetables. If you added beans there will not be as much sauce but it will still be delicious.

This recipe is great during the week served over egg noodles and with a nice tossed salad and crusty bread.

Dinner is Served

2008-05-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

It is easy to make a quick dinner from just a bit.
Saute one medium sized onion in some oil olive. When it is well on its way to being transparent, add some garlic chopped fine , some oregano and a couple of leaves of fresh basil if you have it.
Cook just a minute or so over a medium flame.

Now open and add one or two cans of crushed tomatoes to the mixture and grate in one carrot for extra flavor.
You can add a large teaspoon or so of brown sugar if you find it too sharp tasting.
Simmer for about half and hour on low heat til the flavors mix nicely.
Cook up some left over pasta varities.. whatever you have. Boil according to package directions.
Serve the hot sauce over the spaghetti and if you like add a bit of grated cheese. This makes a fast, simple, cheap but nourishing meal when you are in a hurry. Serve with a side salad and some crusty bread.

Butterfly Cupcakes

2008-05-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

This recipe is fun to make. Which is important in teaching kids how to cook I think. I have been teaching a little one how to cook lately and this is one of the recipes we used. So far we have learned to make soft Philadelphia pretzels(recipe coming up soon), cake and cupcakes, and a simple dinner and pizza. Making things fun and cute goes a long way to helping children learn how to do things. It is especially good if they get to try them out afterward!

Here is a list of ingredients for these cupcakes. !

1 package (18.25 oz.) plain yellow cake mix ( or your own recipe if you have one you like)
1 package (3.4 oz.) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Vanilla or Cream Cheese Frosting
Nontoxic food coloring to tint frosting
Jellied fruit slices, mini candied licorice sticks, and Gummi Worms for decoration .
Of course you can make any decoration you wish on top.

Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 350º F and line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners.
2. Blend cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and extracts in a large bowl with an electric mixer set on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again, if needed. Spoon or scoop batter into each cup, filling it almost to the top.
3. Bake in middle of oven until cupcakes are golden and spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cupcakes cool in pans on racks, 15 minutes. Remove from pans.
4. Meanwhile, divide frosting between two bowls. Tint frosting in one bowl with food coloring, if desired; keep frosting in remaining bowl white.
5. Place a heaping tablespoon frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread it smoothly with a short metal spatula or spoon, covering the top completely. Decorate with candy. Makes 22 to 24 cupcakes.

Honey-Rosemary Chicken Crock Pot Recipe

2008-05-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

A Ladies Home Journal recipe that is lovely and this can be made in a crock pot!

Ingredients
12 skinless bone-in chicken thighs (about 5 pounds)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound baby Yukon Gold potatoes
2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary, plus sprigs for garnish
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions
1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes.
2. Place the potatoes, onion and garlic in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker; top with chicken.
3. Stir together honey, juice, cornstarch, rosemary, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook, 6 to 8 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high. Serve garnished with rosemary sprigs, if desired.

Roasted Eggplant Dip

2008-05-11T13:38:00.000-07:00

Absolutely no cholesterol in this dish and only 40 calories a serving . It is tasty on potato chips, crackers or even crispy bread.

You can serve it any season and its delicious and good for you too.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds of eggplant
1/4 cup olive oil
1 plum tomato, cored, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced red onion, chop it fine !
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flatleaf parsley, plus more for garnish. Wash thoroughly !
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

Char the eggplant about 6 inches from the flame in your broiler. When outside is fully charred, let cool, then skin and place insides into blender and mix to a nice puree.

If charring it doenst suit you, just roast the eggplant, It gives it a nice flavor. Cook til outside is discolored and inside is soft . Again, puree.

Put it in a bowl and add rest of the ingredients and stir to mix nicely.

Serve garnished with extra parsley in a pretty dish surrounded with crackers or breads.

It will keep for a day in the refrigerator.

Cranberry Drop Scones

2008-05-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

These are quick, light and easy . Perfect for a quick brunch or if company drop by and you need a fast snack.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut up (no substitutes)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation: Preheat your oven to 425ºF and grease a cookie sheet lightly.

Mix flour, the 1/3 cup sugar, the baking powder, salt, and butter and mix with fork until the texture of fine meal.

Beat the egg with the milk and add to dry ingredients.

Stir to moisten uniformly. You can add a drop of milk if you need... not much though.

Drop by spoonfuls onto the greased sheet and sprinkle with remaining sugar for a sweet topping.

pop in the oven til golden on top.... about 12 minutes or so.

It will make about a dozen scones.

Crystallized Violets and Violet Jam

2008-04-30T02:05:00.000-07:00

Spring is the time for violets. So here are some lovely recipes for sweet violets that you will enjoy. I will post a violet syrup recipe in the future also.Its wonderful on pancakes!

Crystallized violets are lovely , delicious and good. They are simple to make and look lovely on a cake or cupcakes. They are edible too!

You can do this with rose petals too. Again just be sure they are not treated with insecticides.
You will need to gather:

about 36 violets with stems ....make sure they have not been sprayed with weed killer etc.
4 oz of frozen egg substitute, thawed
(or 1 egg white plus 1/2 tsp. water) but be safe and use the substitute
1/4 c. superfine sugar (the kind they make for iced tea )

Wash the flowers well, but very gently and pat dry very gently also.
Very carefully paint each petal on both sides with the egg white substitute. You can use a small painting brush for this.
Now sprinkle on both sides with the fine sugar and place on in a cool dry area til they are all dried.
Now snip off the stems (they just allow you to hold them better while painting them)
You can store them carefully in an air tight container in your refrigerator. Layer gently.
Some people use waxed paper between. Make sure the jar is very dry and air tight.

You can use them to decorate wedding cakes, cup cakes .. anything you wish. They taste lovely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Violet Jam

Ingredients:
2 c Fresh violets
2 cups of boiling water
4 Tablespoons of lemon juice
1 pkg of powdered pectin
4 cups of sugar

How to make the jelly:
Place boiling water into a heat resistant glass jar.
Place your cleaned violet blossoms in the jar, cover and let steep for 24 hours.
You will end up with a murky infusion that is bluish green in color. Its ok even if it looks funny. This is your violet infusion.

Strain out violets and add the lemon juice. The infusion will lighten up now to light lavendar.

Put your violet/lemon mixture into a clean sauce pan and stir in the pectin and bring the whole thing to a boil for a minute or so.

Now add the 4 cups of sugar and bring back up to a good boil for another minute.This will melt in the sugar.

Skim the top if there is scum on it.

Pour the violet jelly into sterile jars and seal tightly. ( for safety sake, be sure to learn how to sterilize and seal jars properly before making any canned or bottled goods.There is lots of information on the web and there are people who know how and can be a valuable resource. )

Recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups of violet jelly.

Stawberry Lemonade

2008-04-29T12:31:00.000-07:00

Ingredients you will need:

1 container (1 pound) strawberries, washed thoroughly and hulled
3 tablespoons sugar
1 can (12 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate
2 cups ice

Directions
1. Using a potato masher or pastry blender, mash together strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl until strawberries are cut into small pieces and mixture becomes juicy, about 1 minute; let stand 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Combine strawberry mixture, concentrate and 6-1/2 cups water in a large pitcher. Add ice and serve.

A sprig of mint on the side looks lovely when presenting this beverage as does a colorful straw or umbrella in the drink!

Mediterranean Burgers

2008-04-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

Ingredients (adapted from Ladies Home Journal recipe)
4 hamburger buns or rolls, split
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 small garlic clove, finely minced
2 teaspoons jarred capers, rinsed, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound of very lean ground beef. (use kosher buffalo if you are adventurous)
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped roasted red bell pepper (from a 12-ounce jar)
3 tablespoons plain bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional for grill
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red wine or sherry vinegar
3/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
5 artichoke hearts (from a 14-oz. can), drained and thinly sliced
1 cup (1 ounce) arugula
(or lettuce for the rest of us who can't afford arugula!)

Preheat grill to gill pan to moderate heat. Grill rolls, cut side down, until just golden, about 1 minute; set aside.
Combine mayonnaise, garlic, capers, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Cover and set aside.
Using hands, gently mix meat, onion, roasted pepper, bread crumbs, oil, basil, oregano, vinegar, rosemary, salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl until just combined. Shape into 4 (1 inch thick) patties.
Lightly oil grill rack or pan. Grill burgers, turning once, about 8 minutes for medium well.
Spread a heaping tablespoon mayonnaise mixture on bottom half of each bun. Layer with artichoke slices, burger and arugula(or lettuce); cover with top half of bun. Serve immediately.

Matzo Ball Soup (with Chicken Feet and Shmaltz)

2008-04-15T23:43:00.000-07:00

The Matzo Balls

Prepare these first and leave in the refrigerator until you are ready for them.

4 eggs

2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons chicken broth

4 tablespoons schmaltz (or vegetable oil if you are a sissy)

1 cup matzo meal

1 tablespoon finely minced parsley if you wish.

Beat the eggs , schmaltz and broth with a bit of salt using a whisk or fork until blended and then stir in the matzo meal and the parsley if you use it. Now you might wish to place this in the fridge for a half hour to firm up the dough.
Now you will shape them into small...... Emphasis on small... balls and drop them into either salted boiling water too cook or into boiling soup to cook.
If you make them large beware because they will end up huge!!

Now for the soup:

1 whole chicken( now the real secret to good chicken soup is to use about 8 chicken feet. yes you heard right, thats the real old fashioned way and where most of the flavor is. You just have to scrub them thoroughly but its how your great great grandparents made soup! no jokes about the flavor please. But they are optional of course)
3 or 4 carrots chopped
3 stalks of celery chopped and you can add a chopped up zucchini if you wish
2 large onions chopped
2 chopped cloves of garlic
3 parsnips peeled and sliced
A quart or more of chicken stock ( you can purchase kosher chicken broth if you wish)
Water to make sure the stock covers the chicken for boiling if the stock is not enough
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste and pinches of sage or marjoram and thyme can be added .
You may also like a bit of dill in it.. but I do not.

Place your chicken in a large pot of water and/or stock ( I use a mixture) along with all your spices and vegetables and cook at a boil til the chicken is done. Lower the heat and cook more til the chicken is falling off the bones, about 2 hours total start to finish really.
Skim fat along the way.
Now if you wish, you can cook the chicken a little then bone it and return to the pot or you can just strain them out after the soup is done.

You add the matzo balls about half an hour before the soup is completely done . It will take about that long for them to cook through.

Another option is to cook the matzo balls in salted boiling water first while soup is preparing and then add them.

Eat To Help Health!

2008-02-15T11:02:00.001-08:00

NJ veggies, Best in World!

If you suffer from arthritis or fibromyalgia a new look at your diet might be in order says Andrew Weil, M.D. Inflammation can cause not only severe pain but heart disease as well and foods you eat might be causing inflammation in your body, including the brain!
The diet is all about eliminating foods that cause inflammation that destroys joints and tissue.

The author recommends:
NO REFINED, PROCESSED OR MANUFACTURED
FOODS
These contain omega-6 fatty acids &
high-fructose corn syrup which you do not want.
Secondly you must:
INCREASE OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS
Eat more fish and add a fish oil
supplement.
Next :
REDUCE YOUR GLYCEMIC LOAD
Blood sugar spikes increase inflammation.
Learn more about controlling that here:
ALSO YOU MUST:
REDUCE MEAT, INCREASE FRUITS & VEGETABLES
Pass the veggies please

2008-01-28T00:48:00.001-08:00

Macaroni and cheese is one of the all time favorite comfort foods. Rich, creamy with a crispy top, its rich in calcium and protein and makes a wonderful hot meal anytime of year. In the winter time it is a substantial meal that kids adore.

Children need their calcium and one way to provide it for them is with dairy meals rich in milk and cheese. Serve it piping hot in a pretty baking dish, with a hot vegetable or fresh salad and some hot crusty bread dripping with creamy rich butter for a satisfying meal for lunch or supper anytime.

This recipe is one of the best around and the results are popular and beloved.

Grate the sharpest cheddar cheese you can find. You will need about 2 or 3 cups of it. You can find cheese already grated if you look around. Set this aside.

While your oven is preheating to 450°F , you can bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and then add your macaroni. You can use any kind you wish, elbow , Ziti, shells, wagon wheels, its your recipe now and you know what you and your family like so go ahead and experiment .

Follow directions on the package to cook the macaroni, but make sure it is very al dente and not soft. It will continue to cook in the oven.

You can begin your sauce while the macaroni is cooking a bit.

Assemble you goods which will include:
4 cups of warm milk, or warm evaporated milk. The evaporated makes for a richer recipe.

Now melt about 5 tablespoons of butter and shake in 1/2 cup of flour and using a whisk or a fork, whip it smooth. Then add this to the warmed milk and whisk again while heating a bit til it thickens up.

Remove from the heat. You can add a bit of salt.. a pinch and some pepper if you wish. Red pepper wil give a kick.. be careful though, not too much here. Now add in as much of the cheese as you wish for the taste you want. Do a taste test as you whisk in the cheese to melt in the sauce base. When you like the cheddary taste, then stop adding cheese and reserve the rest for topping. If you feel its not seasoned enough, add a small bit of salt and pepper and if you like a kick, you can also add a drop or two of hot pepper sauce. For kids though, plain cheese does the trick.

Once your macaroni is par boiled ..very al dente.. you can drain it and add to the cheese sauce and toss til every piece is coated well.

Place into a lightly buttered casserole baking dish . Sprinkle the top with the rest of the cheese, and now pop into the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes or til the top is a lovely golden brown.

If you like extra crisp on the top, you can take some bread crumbs, about 1/3 cup and toss lightly with melted butter, then sprinkle them on the top of the cheese topping. This will give a nice crispy coating.

I hope you enjoy this!

Chicken Marsala

2008-01-02T23:39:00.000-08:00

Chicken Marsala is a beautiful dish, slightly sweet, succulent and outrageous for a dinner party.

You will get rave reviews with this recipe and your friends and family will wonder why you do not serve it more often!

You will need :
Ingredients: 8 pieces of skinned, boneless chicken ..
pound lightly into medallions..don't bludgeon them too much!!!

Salt and pepper to taste.

1 cup unbleached flour

1/3 cup vegetable oi

l 1 stick butter (NOTE: use pareve butter substitute. Soy works you know!)

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 cups mushrooms , cleaned and sliced up

1/2 cup dry marsala wine

2 tbs. chopped parsley

2 tbs. shallots, finely chopped.

Directions: Lightly salt and pepper your chicken pieces and then dredge them in the flour.

Sauté them til golden in a pan of vegetable oil. Don't let them get too dark..just golden and then remove to a warm plate.

In the same skillet, which is now drained off of oil.. add half of the butter and melt on low heat.

Then add your shallots and cook for a few minutes just til they wilt a bit and now you will add the mushrooms and season them with salt and pepper. Sauté them til lightly browned and til their water is evaporated. (Mushrooms lose water when heated).

Now add in your Marsala wine and cook for about 6 mintues til all the alchohol is burned off, then add your chicken stock and bring it to a rolling good boil. You may season with salt and pepper again but taste it to be sure.

You will boil this down til you have half of the mixture left and then you will remove from the fire and place your chicken in the liquid.

Garnish with parsley, even some sliced mushrooms if you like.

Serve with Rice or Pasta, or even egg noodles on the side and a nice plate of Broccoli rabe sautéed in olive oil with garlic. Delicious! The play between the bitter rabes and the sweet Marsala is lovely.

This will serve 4 people or 2 very hungry ones. Buon Appetito!

Tomato Cake

2007-12-20T15:44:00.001-08:00

This recipe is a hit here at the Cafe and we when we fail to make it, we find unhappy customers demanding we not make the same mistake twice! But, we have and have heard about it each time.
Tomatoes are not just for salads and sandwiches. They are a fruit, since they contain seeds inside and are not a veggie. They make a delicious jam and sweetened are so lovely you will wonder why you never tried them that way before.
Here is a lovely recipe for Tomato Cake that your family will love. Don't bother to tell them its made with tomato, their only business is to enjoy what you have made! wink!

Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar, dark1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 large eggs3 cups all purpose flour2 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg1 teaspoon salt2 cups ripe, peeled and chopped up tomatoes1/2 cup chopped nuts1/2 cup chopped dates1/2 cup raisins
Directions
Mix cream sugar and shortening.
Add eggs.
Add sifted dry ingredients, mixing well.
Stir in tomatoes, nuts, dates, and raisins.(i prefer without the raisins and dates)
Put into greased and floured 9x inch baking pan.
Bake in preheated 350′F oven for 35 minutes or until cake testsdone.
Frost with cream cheese frosting.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup butter, softened 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions: In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.

Cater Your Own Wedding

2007-11-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

A wedding is a wonderful thing but when it crushes families financially it is not such a good thing after all and many wonder if it was worth it.
Doing the catering yourself with the help of friends and family can cut the cost of a wedding down considerably! A tent set up in the backyard under the stars or, in a park where permission is granted, can save you a ton of money. The more you can do yourself, the better the money situation will look.
Many towns have lovely gazebos which they will allow you to use for your wedding. This leaves you with chair rental which , in the scheme of things is not that terribly expensive. You can decorate the gazebo with flowers, a chupah, curtains on the side for wind protection,etc and the result is beautiful!
Renting a hall for the evening does not mean it must be top of the money chain either. Bringing in your own food, already prepared will save you a lot.
If you opt for a large tent in someones nice backyard or even on public property (you must get township permission for this) you can host the reception inside the tent and a buffet is the best way to go. Tents come in all sizes and with dance floors and set up for electricity too. The are quite elegant really.

When the cake is the centerpiece of the buffet, when stars and fairy lights are your illumination, food seems to take on a different quality altogether and what might seem common place becomes a gourmet feast.
Tiny sandwiches, dips, fresh fruits, ices, punch, appetizers of all kinds and sizes take the place of a sit down meal that can cost thousands. Large trays of hot baked ziti are easy and fast to make in large quantity. They taste wonderful and are filling and loved by most. In a lovely atmosphere disposable plates and utensils are not a problem for most people who prefer to mingle anyway.
A wedding I attended was just such a one. A large white tent housed about 200 people easily on a grassy lawn in a public park under the stars at night.
Lined with fairy lights it took on an otherworldly quality. Food made by friends and family was placed on buffet tables that groaned with the bounty. Pleasing arrangements and lovely serving pieces made it look great.
There was Baked Ziti, and other pasta dishes,Spanikopita, Baked Eggplant Casserole,Potato salads, Pasta salads, Candied Yams, Bowls of hot Vegetables of every description, Platters of cheeses and crackers and dips of all sorts. There were salads of every description and warm rolls and melting butter. There were myriad appetizers that had mouths watering.
Lovely puddings in huge deep bowls! Ice creams and toppings, and punches galore that were so pretty it was almost a shame to dip into them! Frosted brownies and cookies and cakes and Death by Chocolate! Fruits frosted with sugar twinkled under the lights and I dare say at evening's end there was not a totally stuffed person in the place.
It was the nicest wedding I have ever attended and it was done on what by some standards might be a shoestring. I will never forget that wedding because it was so lovely.

One of the punches served was especially refreshing and I would like to give you the recipe here. It is a punch you will not fail to serve once you taste it!

Ice Cream Champagne Punch ( make with or without Champagne)

2 quart bottles of iced cold ginger ale
2 quart bottles of iced cold Raspberry Soda
1/2 gallon of raspberry ice cream.
1 bottle of champagne or sparkling white wine, be sure it is also cold.
Mix the liquids together in a large punch bowl.
Unpack the ice cream and float the whole half gallon of it in one piece in the punch.
It acts as a giant ice cube to keep the punch cold, but as it melts it adds taste and sparkle to the punch as well. It froths up a bit as it melts down into the punch making it a pretty concoction.
Delicious! Leave out the alcohol to serve for children or those who do not wish alcohol.
If you hire someone for the night to serve, have them dish it up in clear glasses to your guests.

Salsa Meat Dip ..Reuben Appetizers

2007-11-08T12:44:00.000-08:00

Most people love Mexican food. It is spicy and the flavors are interesting. If you are having a get together or event, this is a wonderfully easy dip you can make for tortilla chips, cracker, or as a spread on bread. You can make it as spicy as you wish depending on the level of hotness of the salsa you decide to use.
Also, served over a bed of rice or potatoes, or over salad or in a warm tortilla wrap, this salsa meat dish makes a great main dish.

Crumble and brown a pound of ground beef . Add some cumin to it , you decide how much and stir well. Next, stir in some mild, medium or hot salsa as you wish..how much? Well, just enough to moisten the mixture and give flavor. You don't want this soupy, but you do want the tomato and peppers to show and add to the mix.
If you can't find a salsa you like, you can make your own quickly by adding a can of chopped tomatoes, a can of mild chilies, some diced onion and some diced green or red sweet peppers. Cook this through in the meat. Season with ready made taco spice or with cumin or chili powder.
Of course adding from a jar of ready made salsa is the simplest way.
Place the meat mixture in a serving bowl and top with dollops of pareve sour cream, and some chopped up green or red onion and maybe come chopped tomato. Place on a large platter and surround with chips, crispy bread wedges, crackers or whatever you prefer.

If you want to make a meal of it, serve it over salad greens and surround with crackers or tortilla chips. Or, serve over rice for a hot hearty meal.

Reuben Appetizer
These are wonderful for guests and family.
Use good Rye bread. Put a good coating of Thousand Island Or creamy Russian dressing on each slice of bread. Top with slices of lean corned beef and rinsed, drained and heated saurkraut. Make them as small or as large as you wish.
Serve! They will disappear quickly!

How to Feed a Crowd

2007-11-06T11:19:00.000-08:00

It can be a problem to know how much food you need for a large gathering. It is always a worry as to whether you will have enough and usually most end up with far too much! I thought it would be good to post something that might address that.
Here the good people from the Ladies Home Journal home making services have laid it all out for you.. and here are sizes needed to adequately feed a crowd. With some simple math you can figure out what to buy for less or more.

Beverages
Coffee Servings: 25 Serving Size: 3/4 cup Amount Needed: 1/2 to 3/4 pound, ground

Milk Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1 cup Amount Needed: 1-1/2 gallons

Soft Drinks Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1 cup Amount Needed: 3 2-liter bottles

Tea, hot Servings: 25 Serving Size: 3/4 cup Amount needed: 5 quarts (20-25 tea bags)

Tea, iced Servings: 25 Serving Size: 1 cup Amount Needed: 1-1/2 gallons (24-30 tea bags)

Orange Juice Servings: 32 Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Needed: 1 gallon

Lemonade Servings: 32 Serving Size: 1 cup Amount Needed: 2 gallons

Beer Servings: 24 Serving Size: 12 ounces Amount Needed: 1 case of 24 cans/bottles

Wine Servings: 10 Serving Size: 5 ounces Amount Needed: 1.5 liter bottle

Desserts
Cake Servings: 24 Amount Needed: 2 13x9-inch cakes or 1 15x10x1-inch sheet

Ice Cream Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Needed: 3 quarts

Frozen Yogurt Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Needed: 3 quarts

Pie Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1/8 pie Amount Needed: 3 9-inch pies

Fruit
Canned Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Needed: 1 6-1/2 to 7-1/4-pound can

Fresh, Cut-up Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Needed: 3 quarts

Relishes
Carrot Sticks Servings: 25 Serving Size: 2 to 3 sticks (2-3 inches) Amount Needed: 1 to 1-1/4 pounds

Cauliflower Servings: 25 Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Needed: 4 1-pound heads

Broccoli Florets Servings: 25 Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Needed: 4 1-pound heads

Celery Servings: 25 Serving Size: 2 to 3 pieces (2-3 inches) Amount Needed: 2 to 3 bundles

Olives Servings: 25 Serving Size: 3 to 4 Amount Needed: 1-1/4 quarts (5 cups)

Pickles, sliced Servings: 25 Serving Size: 3 to 4 slices Amount Needed: 1 quart

Pickles, spears Servings: 25 Serving Size: 1 spear Amount Needed: 1 to 1-1/4 quarts

Rice and Pasta
Elbow Macaroni Servings: 25 Serving Size: 1 cup cooked Amount Needed: 2-1/4 pounds, uncooked

Rice, Long-Grain Servings: 24 Serving Size: 3/4 cup cooked Amount Needed: 2-3/4 pounds (6 cups) uncooked

Spaghetti Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1 cup cooked Amount Needed: 3 pounds, uncooked

Salads/Side Dishes
Gelatin Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Needed: 3 6-ounce packages, flavored

Lettuce Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1 cup Amount Needed: 6 quarts, torn (4 heads)

Potato Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Needed: 3 quarts

Pasta Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Needed: 3 quarts

Main Dish Salads Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1-1/2 cup Amount Needed: 9 quarts

Soup
Servings: 25 Serving Size: 1-1/2 cup Amount Needed: 3 50-ounce cans, condensed

Vegetables
Canned Servings: 25 Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Needed: 1 6-1/2 to 7-1/4 pound can

Fresh Potatoes, Mashed Servings: 25 Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Needed: 7 pounds

Fresh Potatoes, Scalloped Servings: 25 Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Needed: 7 pounds

Frozen Beans, Peas, Corn, or Mixed Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1/2 cup Amount Needed: 3 16-ounce packages

Other
Butter or Margarine Servings: 32 Serving Size: 1 pat (1 teaspoon) Amount Needed: 1/2 pound

Pizza Servings: 24 Serving Size: 1/3 of a 12-inch pizza Amount Needed: 8 12-inch pizzas

Potato or Corn Chips Servings: 25 Serving Size: 3/4 to 1 ounce (1-1/2 cups) Amount Needed: 1 to 1-1/2 pounds

Mixed Nuts Servings: 12 Serving Size: 1/4 cup Amount Needed: 12 ounces

Spinach Manicotti

2007-11-05T15:32:00.000-08:00

Special for family or for company, it is a lovely cheese and vegetable dish
that is healthy and looks nice on the table too.

You will need a 15 oz tub of ricotta or some cottage cheese

1 package of frozen chopped spinach. Thaw it and then squeeze dry.
1 and 1/2 cups of shredded part skim mozzarella cheese. Divide this portion
in half.
1 egg beaten lightly
3/4 of a cup of shredded parmesan cheese, divide this into 2 portions
also.
2 teaspoons of minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder
about 56 oz of spagetthi sauce, your own or bottled store bought.
Parboil* the manicotti.. dont let it get too soft, it should still be
somewhat stiff, but pliable since you will finish its cooking in the
oven.

Combine the ricotta or cottage cheese , 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan,
the egg, the spices and the spinach and mix.
Stuff the manicotti with the spinach mix.
Layer the manicotti in a 13x9 inch baking dish into which you have poured
half your sauce.
pour a bit more sauce on top, sprinkle generously with remaining mozzarella
and parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 40 to 50 mins. Check after half an hour to
see how it's going.
Don't let the cheese blacken!
Buon appetito

*parboil:

Parboiling is a technique that is similar to blanching, but takes a
bit longer.
Parboiled food is actually partially cooked. This technique is
especially useful
when you are stir-frying foods that take different amounts
of time to cook.

Portobello Mushroom Meatloaf

2007-10-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

Portobello Mushrooms have a beautiful flavor and add a special exotic touch to anything you make with them. This meat loaf is a wonderful recipe.
Clean the mushrooms well before using, its not hard and takes little time and is well worth the trouble you take.
Ingredients:
4 ounces portobello mushroom caps
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-3/4 pounds ground beef
1 cup soft bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
5 tablespoons tomato paste, divided
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degree F. With a knife or a teaspoon, gently scrape away the gills (the black portion underneath the caps) from mushroom caps.
2. Place mushrooms in a food processor with garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper and salt and process until finely chopped but not pasty. Transfer mushroom mixture to a large bowl; combine with beef, bread crumbs, eggs, Worcestershire sauce and all but 2 tablespoons tomato paste. Gently press the mixture evenly into an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan, forming a rounded loaf. Spread remaining tomato paste over top. (Can be made ahead. Cover and refrigerate overnight.)
3. Bake, uncovered, 1 hour 10 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of loaf registered 180 degrees F. Let meat loaf stand 10 minutes, then carefully unmold onto a cutting board and slice. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
recipe compliments of Ladies Home Journal

Cuban Black Bean Soup

2007-09-25T13:43:00.001-07:00

This is rich and filling and black beans are said to be cancer fighters so all in all it makes a wonderful supper or warming lunch.
You will need:
2 15 oz cans of Black Beans drained and rinsed.
Mash 1/3 of them to thicken the soup. If you choose to use uncooked beans you will need to soak overnight, then increase cooking time by several hours.
Chop up one large sweet onion finely.
You will need 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced fine
A handfull of chopped parsley

1Tablespoon of Oregano
1 or 2 teaspoons of chile powder
2 nice bay leaves
Freshly grated black pepper to taste
1 small can of chopped MILD green chilies
4 cups or so of chicken or vegetable broth
2 limes.

Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil.
If you wish to make this a meat dish, saute some kosher sausage also.
If kosher is not a concern to you, you can use ham or pork sausage. Add about 4 sausages or about 2 cups of cooked ham.
Brown it all nicely .
Add your whole and mashed up beans and the spices and broth and simmer for about an hour or more to mingle the flavors well if the beans are canned. You will need to simmer for about 6 hours if the beans are not cooked. Cooking in a crock pot would work well in that case.
Add more broth, beans, whatever you wish as you think it is needed and more broth if the soap thickens too much. It is your soup, you make it to suit your tastes.

Serve piping hot with a squeeze of fresh lime over each bowl and a wedge of lime on the side.
If you do not add meat, then top with grated fresh cheese of your choice or a hefty dollop of sour cream.
By the way, you might use pareve sour cream with the meat.
Serve with crusty Italian style bread that you have smeared with garlic and olive oil in the following manner:

Cut a loaf of bread down the middle.
roast 2 whole garlic bulbs. you can wrap them in foil or use a clay garlic roaster.
when done you will have a paste inside each of the cloves. Scoop it out carefully.
Combine this with the smallest touch of olive oil and spread on hot bread. Delicious!
The roasted sweetens the garlic .
Enjoy.

Pineapple Vinegar/How to Grow your Own Plant too

2007-09-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

Real Pineapple vinegar is found only in Mexico sadly because it's one of the best vinegars in the world.

Del Monte uses it in their ketchup which is why , if you do a taste test, you will find that Del Monte Vinegar is the best tasting ketchup in the world... Bar None!! No, I don't work for Del Monte, but I do love good ketchup and I have run several taste tests for people and everyone agrees each time, Del Monte Ketchup is the best.

This recipe is for a pineapple flavored vinegar rather than one made from pineapples, but, its nice none the less.

You are going to need
a cup of cut fresh pineapple( you can leave the
cleaned outside peel on too)
Sugar , make sure you use castor sugar or
very
fine refined sugar, the

kind made for iced tea, etc. Jack Frost
makes a nice one.

Use 3 cups of a good Rice wine vinegar (because
it is very mild)

Or use a very mild white vinegar if you can find
it.

Start by putting your pineapple in a sterile glass jar or bottle.
Now add
some sugar to taste, but only if you think it needs it . Pour the
vinegar over
the pineapple . Store it covered in a dark place for 6 to 14
days. You can make
sure at 6 days if its strong like you wish it , or let it
go longer for more
flavor.
Then you can filter it through a paper coffee
filter or cheese cloth and
refrigerate .

Its nice with salads believe me.

Instructions for how to grow your own pineapple plant indoors.

Apple Glazed Brisket

2007-09-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

This is a really nice change of pace from the usual brisket and has a great taste also.

You need the following ingredients:
a medium onion quartered
2 cut up cloves of garlic
10 whole cloves
10 ounce jar of apple jelly
3 tablespoons full of good brown mustard
minced green onion (scallion) about 3-4 tablespoons
3/4 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp curry powder and salt to taste.

Put the brisket in a large heavy stew pot and add water to cover it up half way only and put in the cloves and the quartered onion.
Simmer this for 2 1/2 hours approx til the beef is nice and tender.
Now drain off the water and preheat the oven to 325°F.
Meanwhile mix the apple jelly, mustard, green onions and curry powder, salt and pepper in a small saucepan and bring to a boil . You are making a glaze with this.
Put the beef into a shallow baking dish and glaze over with the sauce and bake now in the heated oven for about 45 minutes.
Baste often to keep the glaze on the beef and to allow its flavor deep inside.

This recipe takes some time but you will agree its worth it.
Serve with parsleyed new potatoes and green beans.

Make Your Own Herbal Vinegar

2007-08-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

This is the simplest and most homemaker friendly way to make fine herbal vinegars you can use in salads and dressing recipes. You will enjoy them.
Find some lovely bottles to store them in and decorate your kitchen with them. They make beautiful gifts too.

Clean the bottles with soap and hot water then rinse in hot water thoroughly. Let dry.

Now pick the herbs you wish to use for your vinegar. Tarragon, basil, Dill, whatever you wish and pack about a cup of the checked, washed and rinsed herbs into the bottles. Poke them down with a long straw if you need.
Heat your vinegar just til it will boil ....
Pour the vinegar of your choice, apple cidar or white over the herbs and close the bottle.
Now let them sit in a cool dark place for 3 weeks.

If you are in for a more organic recipe .. just pour the vinegar on without boiling and set the bottles out in the warm sunshine for a few weeks to a month.

For the adventurous, use chilies or peppers instead of herbs. Hold onto your hat when trying these.
Bon Appetite.

Mac and Cheese a la 1951

2007-08-23T22:30:00.001-07:00

This is an oldy but goody that is delicious in the winter especially. Pure comfort food and I think comfort foods are best on cold winter nights.

Baked Macaroni and cheese
2 c dry macaroni (I like to use rotini pasta instead)
2 Tbsp. margerine
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
2 C milk
1/2 lb. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

crumb topping:1 1/2 Tbsp. margerine
1/2 C bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. paprika

Boil your macaroni in salted water until just tender, drain & set aside.
In medium saucepan melt margerine over low heat, stir in flour & cook for one minute. slowly wisk in milk, cook & stir over medium heat until it gets thick.

Stir in salt, pepper & cheese, cook until cheese is melted. Mix cheese sauce into cooked macaroni & pour into a 9"x9" square baking dish. Melt margerine, stir in bread crumbs & paprika. Top macaroni & cheese with crumbs.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, until casserole is bubbly. If you wish, you can but it under the broiler for a few seconds to brown the crumbs.

If you like spicy.. add a dash or two of red hot sauce when cooking. Yum.

Bread and Wine Dessert

2007-08-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

This dessert will vary depending on the kind of wine you use. Whatever you choose, its a rich, classy dessert.

You will need:
2 beaten eggs
1/4 cup of red wine (Burgundy or Chianti make for a mellow flavor while a sweet red like Marsala will make a delicate sweet flavor)
6 1/4 inch pieces of French bread.
1/2 cup of raisins
1/3 cup red wine( yes more)
1/4 cup of good honey
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
Sifted Powdered (Confectioner's)Sugar.

In a shallow dish combine the eggs and 1/4 cup of wine. Dip the bread slices in the mix.
In a 10 inch skillet cook the bread in hot butter on both sides til its golden.(You can use pareve margarine )
After all bread is golden and done through, remove to a warm plate.. keep warm.
Now put your raisins, the rest of the wine, honey and cloves into the same skillet.. no need to clean between.
Cover this and cook on low for around 15 minutes, checking to be sure its ok.
Put each slice of bread in its own serving bowl, pour on a little bit of the sauce you have made and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serves 6 with one slice each.. or 3 with 2 slices each.
Bon Appetite!

Pavlova

2007-08-05T14:14:00.000-07:00

Light as a Feather and sinfully delicious.......and looks dreamy. This will impress guests no end.

Gather up:
3 egg whites
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons of vinegar
1 cup of whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla (yes a 2nd amount)
4 cups of fresh fruit..kiwi, strawberries, bananas, peaches,etc.

Bring the egg whites to room temp.
Line a baking sheet with tin foil.
Using an 8X 11 inch cake pan as a guide, draw a circle on the foil.
Now, in a large mixer bowl, comgine the egg whites, 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 1/2 teas of vanilla, vinegar and 1/4 cup of boiling water.
Beat for 12 minutes! yes a long time but this is necessary , til stiff peaks form and the mixture holds its shape well.
Spread the egg white mix over the circle you formed on the sheet and shape it into a shell with the back of a spoon. The bottom should be about 1/2 inch thick while the sides are 2 to 3 inches thick.
Bake in a preheated oven of 450°F . Turn oven off immediately and just let the pavlova sit in there for about 4 or 5 hours.
DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR OR IT WILL COLLAPSE.

combine the whipping cream with the 2nd amoung of sugar and vanilla and beat til its fluffy and soft peaks form.

After alloted time, remove the meringue shell from the oven and the foil and place on a lovely serving plate.
Fill the center with the whipped cream and garnish with all your fruit.
Serve in wedge shapes.
This will serve about 8 people, or 2 very hungry sweet lovers.

Ice Cold Cucumber Soup for Hot Days

2007-07-20T11:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a cool recipe you will not be able to get enough of. Most people adore it.
We serve it in summertime to hungry crowds who come back again and again for more.

3 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 hard-cooked egg, minced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and minced
1/4 cup minced scallions
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 teaspoon fresh dill
Beat yogurt and cream together, now you can add other ingredients and blend in a food processor or blender until rich and creamy. Chill it overnight or up to 24 hours. Beat again just before serving, and garnish with additional fresh chopped parsley or dill for a festive look.

Serve with lovely crackers or toasted and buttered thick slices of fluffy bread.

Raspberry Salad... Cool, Luscious

2007-07-18T14:17:00.001-07:00

Looks lovely, tastes light and delicious and you will enjoy it .

you will need to have :
1 1/4cup of raspberries
1/4 c. of walnut oil or olive oil
the grated rind of one orange
1 teaspoon of honey
3 Tablespoons of raspberry vinegar(if you cant find kosher, just flavor vinegar with raspberries for a couple days ..works well)
fresh ground pepper
a cup of walnuts that are chopped well and lightly toasted at 350°F for about 5 minutes
Watercress with stems removed ( you can use any green you wish)
lightly cooked asparagus
thin sliced red onion.

You must put the raspberries through a seive and then into a jar to make the dressing.
Now add the oil, the orange rind, the flavored vinegar, honey and pepper and shake up very well.

Place your greens into a serving bowl and toss with the dressing.
Arrange the sliced asparagus in a pleasing manner , and garnish with extra whole raspberries, walnut pieces and sliced red onion.

This is lovely alone, or served with grilled chicken, beef or even a pasta dish.

Raspberry Vinegar:

2 cups white wine vinegar
1 lb. raspberries
2 Tablespoons super fine sugar
Bring the vinegar to a boil.
Crush the raspberries and pour a little of the boiling vinegar on them to thin. Put the crushed raspberries in a wide mouth, sterilized jar.
Add the sugar and the rest of the vinegar.
Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, then seal and place in a cool place for 10 days. Filter the vinegar through a cheesecloth or paper coffee filter into decorative jars.
Slide 2 or 3 whole raspberries into the bottles. Keep stored in a cool, dark place.

Tutti a tavola ! buon appetito!

Buon Appetito!

Lemon Penne.. MMM, Delicious

2007-07-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

Get your white wine and fresh lemons ready for a refreshing summer meal that will please the whole crowd.
First put on some nice Italian opera or some Boccelli music... your apron.. have a glass of wine available for your nerves.. and voila.. you are ready to begin!!

Cook a pound or so of your favorite style pasta. Penne looks nice, but you choose whatever you like.
Put a bit of olive oil into the boiling water to keep it from sticking. Drain when al dente. Now drizzle it with a bit more olive oil and toss lightly. Set aside.

Take a sip of your wine.. breathe deeply....

Now , lets make the sauce.
take another sip of the wine to prepare yourself!

You will need a several thin chicken cutlets ( amount depends on how many you will serve).. about 3 fresh lemons, a few capers, a splash of white wine,and some good extra virgin olive oil.
Dredge your chicken in flour til it is well coated.
Place a little of the olive oil in the bottom of a frying fan and add your thin chicken strips or cutlets. If you have thick pieces pound them a bit to flatten them out. Take out your frustrations on them! Sing in Italian as you do this.
Saute them til they are cooked through and no pink remains.
Now, remove the chicken and keep it warm to the side and into your frying pan that still retains the remnants of the chicken and flour add the juice of 2 or 3 lemons,then a good splash.. maybe a 1/4 cup or so of good white wine, a few capers if you wish and some nice Italian parsley.
Cook this down til it thickens up nicely and drizzle in a bit more olive oil.
If it needs help don't be afraid to add a wee bit of flour to help it along, but, it should thicken down on its own. it will never be really thick and its flavorful enough not to need to be.
Taste it to see how it's going. Add more lemon, wine as you see fit. Don't overdo though.

Toss the pasta into the pan with the lemon sauce and toss til its well coated.
Serve the chicken on top garnished with lemon slices and more parsley.

You can serve with Italian bread heated in the oven and a big tossed salad for a delicious summer meal.

Buon Appetito!!!

Egg Cream Recipe!!!

2007-06-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

<--I am rather proud of this!
The Egg Cream first appeared in NYC and Brooklyn in the 1800's and has been one of the most refreshing drinks you can imagine!! And tasty? You Bet!! No eggs and no cream in them though.

Here.. make one for yourself and you will see how wonderful they are:
About 1/2 cup cold whole milk
1 cup bottled seltzer
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

Fox's U-Bet Chocolate Syrup is the one to use if you can!

Pour about half an inch of cold milk into a tall chilled soda glass. Add seltzer or club soda to within 1 inch of the top of the glass; stir briskly with a long spoon to make it frothy..really frothy.

Pour in some chocolate syrup, approx 2 heaping Tablespoons. Let it drizzle down the inside of the glass then give some more brisk stirring action.
Serve cold with a straw.
Ok.. ok.. if you really have to break tradition, you could add a couple spoonfulls of vanilla icecream and I wont't tell .

Edible Salad Bowls

2007-06-18T16:25:00.001-07:00

You know if you just make an edible salad bowl, its easier to clean up the kitchen after you serve the salads.

Here is the Rock and Roll Cafe's way of making an Edible Salad Bowl!

We use flour tortillas. But you can also make tiny ones with egg roll skins.

Put about 3 1/2 to 4 inches of oil in a pot and heat to about 375°F .

Now when that oil is hot, lay one of the torillas on the surface and then gently submerge it with a ladle to create a basket shape. The edges should curl up around the sides of the ladle back.

As the picture shows, the indentation is made by the pressure of the ladle as you hold the tortilla under the hot oil.

Do it til its golden and crispy and remove carefully with slotted spatula to a paper towel. Let it drain up-side down to remove most oil.

What can you fill it with?
Oh, here is the good part!

Mix together crumbled hot ground beef, sauteed peppers, sauteed onion, kidney or black or Pink beans, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, and top with Salsa of your choice and some non dairy sour cream.

Black beans help fight cancer they say so try to get used to using them in your salads. They are delicious.

I will post our Cuban Black Bean soup recipe to prove it to you!

Cucumber Dill Dressing

2007-06-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

Salad Dressing

Cucumber Dill is refreshing and tasty on any salad for summer, or really, anytime!
Here is my recipe:

1 1/3 cup of peeled, seeded, and finely chopped cucumbers.
1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons of minced red onion
1 1/4 cup of mayonnaise ( we love Gefen)
1 tsp of dill weed.
Mix these together and refrigerate it in a covered container.
Enjoy it on salads of cucumbers and red onion, in a sandwich, or as a sauce on fish.
Makes a great dip for veggies also.

Minestrone Soup To Warm Your Heart

2007-06-13T00:56:00.000-07:00

Delicious, good for you and looks great on the table.. an almost perfect meal.
Serve it with hot fresh rolls and butter, a salad on the side. Yum!

Gather up these ingredients:

1/2 c. olive oil
1 c. thinly sliced yellow onion
1 c. diced celery
1 1/2 c. fresh white beans
1 c. diced green beans
2 c. canned beef broth
2/3 c. canned Italian tomatoes, with their juice
1/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Crust for a 1-2 lb. piece or Parmesan cheese (optional)
3 tbsp. butter
1 c. diced carrots
2 c. peeled diced potatoes
2 c. diced zucchini
3 c. shredded cabbage
4 c. water

Place the oil, butter, and sliced onion and cook over medium low heat until the onion wilts and is pale gold in color but not browned. Add the diced carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring a couple times. Repeat with your celery, potatoes, white beans (can substitute 1 1/2 cups canned cannellini beans or Great Northern beans rather than fresh and this saves cooking time , believe me!But if canned.. add at the end not now.), zucchini, and green beans, cooking each one a few minutes and stirring. Then add the shredded cabbage and cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Now it is time for the broth, water, cheese crust, tomatoes, and their juice, and a little bit of salt. Cover and cook at a very slow boil for at least 3 hours. If necessary, you can stop the cooking at any time and resume it later on.
Minestrone should be thick, never watery.
You can always add more water if its too thick..but thick is good.
Before you are done, add the canned beans to heat them throught and then serve the soup hot.
It will serve 6 to 8 people and keeps in the fridge for a week.
Enjoy.

The Best Egg Salad Ever!

2007-06-07T17:44:00.000-07:00

Great Egg Salad makes a lovely lunch any day of the week but for Shabbat it can be very special and refreshing on a hot summer day. It is loaded with protein, low in calories and contains many of the essential nutrients needed for strong bodies.

Here at the Cafe, our egg salad is quite popular and we make it by the gallon.. literally.
I thought you might like to try our recipe since it is very popular.

8 hard boiled eggs shelled and chopped fine.
Mayonnaise to your liking.. 1 to 3 Tablespoons full depending on the consistency you like.
2 Tablespoons of good Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon of dried dill
1 teaspoon of sweet hungarian Paprika 1/2
small red onion finely minced. salt and pepper to taste.
Mix up the above ingredients. Serve chilled on lettuce and tomato bed or on thick slices of Challah. Toast the challah for a nice treat.
Serve with a big barrel Kosher dill pickle and some chips and you have a great afternoon meal.

Chicken Salad with Grapes

2007-06-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

On a hot summer day chicken salad can be refreshing with a cold glass of frosty iced tea or lemonaide!
Here is the Rock and Roll Cafe's recipe for Chicken salad just as we serve it here.

Ingredients: Mandarin Orange sections
Seedless Green Grapes or red /purple if you prefer
chopped celery
Almonds, pecans or walnuts chopped
bite sized chunks of fresh cooked white meat chicken

We use Gefen Mayo and love it here but, Hellmans or Goodfoods is great too!

Prepare the mayo this way: Sprinkle with a bit of sugar and add the juice of about half a lemon. taste the results and adjust as you see fit.

Some people like to use a creamy type cucumber salad dressing, Green Goddess , or a sweet creamy dressing of their choice. Its entirely up to you. But we doctor up the mayo with a bit of lemon juice and sugar. Go slow adding!! And taste as you go for perfect results. That's the secret of good cooking.

Mix the above ingredients with the mayonnaise or dressing and serve chilled on a plate of lovely lettuce or on a roll as a sandwich.

This looks very pretty served up in lettuce lined plates and garnished with a cherry on top.

MeatLoaf!

2007-05-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

Get out the sweet bell pepper and the spagetthi sauce for this one.....

Meat loaf is the all time American fav for dinner. Its easy, quick and delicious and this recipe never lets you down.

Take 1 1/2 pound to 2 pounds of good quality ground beef.
You will need some Italian seasoned bread crumbs (you decide how much.. I use a lot!)
you will need 2 eggs,
some good Italian Spagetthi sauce..your own or bottled that you like.
Finely Chopped Onion and green bell pepper.. again, your call as to how much.

Mix the meat, eggs, bread crumbs , onion and peppers together with your hands (wash those little puppies first now!)

Now add just enough of your sauce to make it all stick together nicely but don't make it too mushy.
Meat loaf has to be just the right consistancy ..not too sloppy wet and not too dry ..to be good.
You will learn this by experience.
But, a good mixture stays together .
Form into a loaf and pop in a 375 F oven for about 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, pour the rest of the sauce over the top and bake another 10 minutes or so.
This will serve a hungry family of 4 or 5..unless you have boys then it might serve one if you are lucky.

Serve this with Basmati Rice like we do.. or baked potatoes that you put in the oven alongside the meatloaf pan.

If you like something a bit different and if you love surprises.. make 2 loaves from this.

Put on loaf down as a base and layer with sliced tomatoes. Now take the rest of the meat and top off the loaf to cover the slices and hide them inside. Bake as above.

happy eating!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2007-05-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

delicioius and good for you too! We serve them in the cafe and people love them!

Try a couple with a cuppa hot java or tea. You will not be sorry you did.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Cream together butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, peanut butter and vanilla.
Add flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Stir in chocolate chips.
Roll into balls about 1 1/2 teaspoonfuls (or use cookie scoop) and place onto ungreased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly because they do not flatten much while cooking.
Bake for 10 minutes.

Coca Cola Beef Dinner.. Mmmm, Good!

2007-04-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a meal you should try at least once in your life if you enjoy eating good food.

You will need a good cut of Roast Beef, it is your call as to which kind you prefer.
One nice roasting pan to accomodate it....
A package of kosher dry onion soup mix , and a can of Original Recipe Coca Cola.
If you can get the kosher for passover kind..so much the better as it is the REAL Original recipe made with real cane sugar and not fructose syrup.

Now place the roast in the pan, sprinkle the pack of onion mix over the top and pour the Coca Cola over it all.

Roast at about 300° F for 3 hours or so.. well until done. You can use a meat thermometer if you like.
Beef is well done when the juice runs out clear if you press down with a fork a bit. Less done if still a bit pink and if its red.. well it will Moo.

I think you will like this beef recipe served with mashed potatoes and lovely asparagus served as we do here in the cafe , over a nice pureed onion sauce.

To make the sauce for the asparagus, simply cook down a super large sweet onion , a clove of garlic , add a sprinkle of kosher salt and put in some pareve margarine if you are Jewish, butter if you are not.. you can lay on the butter thickly too. Cook gently.
When the mixture is mushy, you can whip it into a puree to serve over or under the asparagus as a base. Season to taste as you like.

Remember to not overcook your potatoes before you mash them. Nothing worse than that.
Mayonnaise in place of milk or any nice creamy salad dressing you enjoy make very tasty mashed potatoes.

Return to 1960

2007-04-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

The Harvey Schmidt/Tom Jones' musical "Fantasticks," premiered in 1960 New York City and it's back again at the Snapple Theatre located at 50th Street and Broadway in Manhattan.
It is the longest running play in history!
If you have never seen the "Fantasticks" you have never seen a musical at its finest. The music is some of the best and the story line is sweet .. you will not be sorry .
The Snapple Theatre is small and upstairs in this building and the players are right there in front of you..not up on stage. Its a wonderful venue for a play such as "Fantasticks" I loved it.. and the audience was blown away by the whole experience. (by the way, even if you see the understudies, you will be blown away..the entire cast is sensational!!!)
Get yourself to NYC to see it. Tell them Annie sent you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ben Hur won the Academy Award in 1960 and John F. Kennedy announced his run for the presidency.
A man named John Reynolds sets age of solar system at 4,950,000,000 years ! Imagine that? And don't you wonder how he arrived at that?
Egypt began building the Aswan Dam which was a controversial thing at the time due to the potential loss of many ancient objects.
Two colossal statutes were moved.. sliced with special saws to preserve them and they were then moved to a new location . Otherwise they would have been completely submerged. It was a giant feat at the time. National Geographic ran an entire series on the moving alone!

The Bathosphere reached the bottom of the Pacific Ocean at 10,500 m.

High-school basketball sensation Danny Heater scores 135 points in a game.

March 3, 1960 New York City had 14.5 inches of snow!!! Amazing for that time of year.

You know, when you look back over history its amazing all that happened. Placing it inside a *year* somehow crystalizes it for me. I don't know if its the same for you. I would be curious to know , though.

500 people died in Southern Persia that year from a massive earthquake.

Payola rocked the music and radio industries and a House Investigative committee was formed to look into it.

On May 6 President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act and America was at the beginning of a new era.

History is in the making even right now.....Looking back puts that into perspective. Well, maybe.

Annie's Sloppy Joes Recipe

2007-01-17T01:17:00.000-08:00

How about Annie's Famous Sloppy Joe Recipe?
I am willing to part with it ... its simple, fast, easy, sloppy as can be and delicious!

You will need a pound of lean ground beef,
a medium onion, well chopped
a stalk or two of celery, chopped
a can of condensed tomato soup
and some cooked rice if you have any leftover.

Saute the celery to soften it a bit, then the onion, then add the meat and cook crumbling it up finely as you go.
When the meat is browned, add your can of tomato soup and heat through.
If you have some left over rice, add that too.
Spoon over warmed hamburger buns and top with sliced tomato , pickle or raw onion if you like.
For a Mexican flavor, you can add some chili powder to taste when you add the tomato soup!
If you are into Italian style, add some sauted sweet red pepper slices or green peppers too and more onion.
You might like to add some hot sauce if you are adventurous!
Saute some mushrooms or some fried pototoes for a satisfying meal...Yup, put them right into the sandwich. The sloppier the better.
It makes a hot , hearty and quick dinner and kids will love it !

If you like Sloppy Joe foods, you might like this sandwich for a nice lunch:

Its the Turkey Joe!
You will need some delicious sliced turkey meat,
Some Challah or thick bread is best and you need 3 slices!
Some sliced tomato , some cole slaw and some Russian or Thousand Island dressing.
Layer the meat, tomatoes and cole slaw between the 3 layers of bread adding a bit of the dressing on top of each layer as you go.
Slice into sections to eat more easily and serve with a big kosher dill pickle on the side.
This combo is also good on a submarine roll piled thickly with the turkey meat!

Bon appetite!

For a Special Customer: Happy Birthday

2007-01-11T17:00:00.000-08:00

Recalling A Special Year: 1960

Top 10 Hits of the 60's:
Hey Jude, The Beatles
1968 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (9 weeks)
2 (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones
1965 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (4 weeks)
3 Light My Fire, The Doors
1967 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (3 weeks)
4 Good Vibrations, The Beach Boys
1966 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
5 Yesterday, The Beatles
1965 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (4 weeks)
6 The Twist, Chubby Checker
1960 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)
7 I Want To Hold Your Hand, The Beatles
1964 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (7 weeks)
8 The House Of The Rising Sun, The Animals
1964 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (3 weeks)
9 The Sounds Of Silence, Simon & Garfunkel
1966 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (2 weeks)
10 Suspicious Minds, Elvis Presley
1969 Billboard Hot 100 Peak: #1 (1 week)

Top Headlines of 1960:

Capt. Gary Powers U-2 Spy Plane Shot Down Over Russia

Israelis Kidnap Adolf Eichman from Argentina to Jerusalem

Khrushchev at U.N . Pounds Shoe In Anger.

John F. Kennedy Wins Democratic Nomination, Nixon wins GOP

Kennedy Wins Presidency, Democrats Sweep Congress

Two White Public Schools in New Orleans Are The First To Integrate.

House Committee Looks Into "Payola" American Bandstand DJ Dick Clark Involved

Alan Freedman Eight Arrested In Taking Radio Payola
Soldiers stop riots at Newport Jazz Festival

Enovil 10, first contraceptive pill sold for .50 cents each.

Two airliners collide over Staten Island, 134 die.

Howdy Doody show ends after 13 years

Negro Sit-ins Integrate Lunch Counter In Greensboro North Carolina

Floyd Patterson is first fighter to regain title by beating Ingemar Johanson

Castro Nationalizes all American property.

Movies
Movies:
Dolce vita, La
The Alamo
G.I. Blues
Butterfield 8
Elmer Gantry
Exodus
Inherit the Wind
Never on Sunday
Spartacus
The Apartment
Books of 1960
Advise and Consent - Allen Drury
Hawaii - James Michener
The Leopard - Giuseppe Di Lampedusa
The Chapman Report - Irving Wallace
Ourselves to Know - John O'Hara
The Constant Image - Marcia Davenport
Sermons and Soda-Water - John O'Hara

It is the year of:
Advise and Consent by Allen Drury is a best seller

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer is another best seller

Harper Lee wins a Pulitzer Prize for To Kill a Mockingbird

Nick Holonayk invents the digital display for the pocket calculator and electronic watches

Eco One is launched, the worlds first communication satellite

The worlds first weather satellite, Tiros is launched

Pete Rozell becomes NFL commissioner

Rafer Johnson wins gold in the decathlon

Cassius Clay wins Olympic gold in boxing

Mrs. Kennedy becomes the fashion to follow

Women's "knickers" are in

Men's sports coats are plaids, bold prints, strips and checks

Berry Gordy borrows $800 and starts Motown Records

Estimated 850,000 "war babies" enter college, overcrowding dorms

JF. Kennedy Jr. is born on Nov. 25 , by Cesarean delivery

Fads, talkathons, folk singing in coffee houses

Deiz Arnaz and Lucille Ball file for divorce

New York court rules "Lady Chaterleys Lover " is not obscene

Earnest Evans changes his name to Chubby Checker

New words, Anchorman, sit-in, cosmonaut, bluegrass, laser, compact car

First appearances: Astroturf, Librium, felt-tip pen, Rayon, OPEC meeting

Formula For Coca Cola... Oh What Fun

2007-01-07T16:16:00.000-08:00

Oh, how we love Coca Cola!

Refreshing, delicious and great for healing migraine headaches. If you haven't become a fan, may I suggest you think this over seriously?

Formula for Coca Cola:

Ingredients1 oz. Citrate Caffein 3 oz. Citric Acid 1 oz. Ext. Vanilla 1 Qt. Lime Juice 2 1/2 oz. Flavoring 30 lbs. Sugar 4 oz. F.E. Coco Caramel sufficient 2 1/2 gal. Water Flavoring80 Oil Orange 40 Oil Cinnamon 120 Oil Lemon 20 Oil Coriander 40 Oil Nutmeg 40 Oil Neroli 1 Qt. Alcohol

DirectionsMix Caffeine Acid and Lime Juice 1 Qt. Boiling water add vanilla and flavoring when cool. Let stand for 24 hours.

Some Notes on Preparing The Coca-Cola FormulaIt takes 1 oz. of syrup mixed with carbonated water to make a 6.5 oz. serving of Coca-Cola. "F.E. Coco" means fluid extract of coca (the plant that produces cocaine), however the recipe does not go into details as to how this extract was prepared.

Another old Coca-Cola formula in the possession of Frank Robinson's great-grandson1, indicates that 10 pounds of coca leaf are required to flavor 36 gallons of syrup. It is also believed that the coca plant with lower cocaine levels was used to produce the extract. This is based on some of Pemberton's writings that indicate some coca plants were too bitter (that was because of cocaine).

The cola in Coca-Cola comes from the kola nut, yet kola nuts are not mentioned in the above Coca-Cola formula. This was because the reason for using kola nuts was for their caffeine content, and Pemberton almost positively bought his "Citrate Caffein" from a company that derived their caffeine from kola nuts. (Pemberton had previously praised the German firm Merck of producing a superior form of the stimulant from kola nuts)

TOP HITS OF 1965

2006-07-26T23:55:00.000-07:00

1. Wooly Bully, Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs
2. I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch), Four Tops
3. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Rolling Stones
4. You Were On My Mind, We Five
5. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', Righteous Brothers
6. Downtown, Petula Clark
7. Help!, Beatles
8. Can't You Hear My Heartbeat, Herman's Hermits
9. Crying In The Chapel, Elvis Presley
10. My Girl, Temptations
11. Help Me, Rhonda, Beach Boys
12. King Of The Road, Roger Miller
13. The Birds And The Bees, Jewel Aikens
14. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Mel Carter
15. Shotgun, Jr. Walker & The All Stars
16. I Got You Babe, Sonny & Cher
17. This Diamond Ring, Gary Lewis & The Playboys
18. The "In" Crowd, Ramsey Lewis Trio
19. Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter, Herman's Hermits
20. Stop! In The Name Of Love, Supremes
21. Unchained Melody, Righteous Brothers

NOW PLAYING

2006-07-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) is a film that sympathetically views rebellious, American, restless, misunderstood, middle-class youth. The tale of youthful defiance, which could have been exploitative - but wasn't, provides a rich, but stylized (and partly out-dated) look at the world of the conformist mid-1950s from the perspective of the main adolescent male character - a troubled teen with ineffectual parents, who faces a new school environment.

The screenplay (by Stewart Stern from an adaptation by Irving Shulman of an original storyline synopsis by director Nicholas Ray) was based on an actual case study (contained in Dr. Robert Lindner's 1944 factual book titled Rebel Without a Cause: The Story of a Criminal Psychopath) of a delinquent, imprisoned teenage psychopath in the post-war years. The film was originally titled The Blind Run - the same as the title of the series of vignettes, both violent and strangely erotic, that Ray had penned. The actual film's title, Rebel Without a Cause, was the same as the title of Lindner's psychological study - signifying the rebellious and idealistic protagonist's search for a 'cause' - honesty and decency in a hypocritical world.

The colorful wide-screen Cinemascope feature is most remembered for being the film that best presented the talent of young charismatic cult star James Dean, shortly before his premature death in 1955. It opened at the Astor Theatre in New York on October 29th, 1955, about a month after the death of its star (on September 30, 1955) on a highway in his sports car.

It also served as a springboard for the acting careers of its two other stars Natalie Wood (in her first non-child 'adult' role) and unknown 16 year-old actor Sal Mineo. It affords a classic, semi-glamorized portrait of three troubled, frustrated, anguished, and identity-seeking teenagers - all outsiders, alienated and outcast from the world and values of parents and adults, who attain maturity through rebellion and tragic circumstances. In the film, Dean formed a friendly bond with the other two characters: Wood as confused teenaged Judy, and Mineo as a strange, adoring boy named Plato - the film's sacrificial lamb by film's end.

The reactionary film is considered Hollywood's best 50's film of rebellious and restless youth (and sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll) that spawned many other lesser teen exploitation films in its wake. [Other films that caused the same sensation included the earlier 50s film The Wild One (1953) with Marlon Brando, Blackboard Jungle (1955), and High School Confidential (1958).] It has been surmised that Sal Mineo's teen-aged character in the film was obviously gay and troubled by typical problems of in-the-closet homosexuals in the 50s - the film disguises his problems, but hints at the possibility that he is seeking out Dean's character because he rejects fake machismo.
[All three leading stars, who experienced troubled lives of their own, suffered premature deaths under unusual and tragic circumstances - a car crash at age 24 in 1955, a mysterious drowning at age 43 in 1981, and a stabbing-murder at age 37 in 1976.]
The film received only three Academy Awards nominations (without wins): Best Supporting Actor (Sal Mineo with the first of two unsuccessful career nominations), Best Supporting Actress (Natalie Wood with the first of three unsuccessful career nominations), and Best Motion Picture Story (Nicholas Ray). It wasn't nominated for either Best Picture (won by the short, unassuming romantic drama Marty (1955)) or Best Director for Nicholas Ray. Ironically, Dean was not nominated for his role in this film (although it eventually became his iconic career role), but was nominated instead for his Best Actor performance as insecure, tortured, neurotic loner and unappreciated son Caleb "Cal" Trask in his first major film role, East of Eden (1955). He was also nominated as Best Actor in the next year for his performance as Jett Rink in his third and final film, Giant (1956), filmed in the summer and early fall of 1955 and released in 1956 - a year after his death.

1959

2006-07-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

1959 ......were you around when....

President Dwight D Eisenhauer and his vice pres. Richard Nixon are in office.

Nikita Krushchev tours the US.

Barbie doll made her debut! she was a smash hit too.

The new institution of the supermarket now accounted for 69% of all food purchased. Small grocers took a hit here.

Four Seasons Restaurant in NYC opened in the Seagram Building.

Iran and US become friendly and sign treaty for economics.
Israel signs deal to sell arms to West Germany.

There are now 3,287 AM radio stations across the nation.

Lady Chatterleys Lover banned by the US postal system!!

Switzerland votes down the vote for Women yet again.... and its 1959!!!

Fidel Castro makes his debut in Cuba.

The Guggenheim opens in NYC

On TV you can now watch BONANZA or the TWILIGHT ZONE, 2 brand new shows.

The microchip is invented.

Average American pay is $91.00 per week. But homes were affordable and so was food and utilities.

Last Civil War Vet dies.. Walter Williams of the Confederacy.

Alaska and Hawaii become states.

Opening of the St Lawrence Seaway .

Slang of the 1950's

2006-04-01T20:09:00.000-08:00

Here are some oldies but goodies for you to remember.

Agitate the Gravel ....... > To leave (hot-rodders)
Ankle-biter..........>A child
to go Ape........> - to explode or be really mad
Are you writing a book?.........>.You're asking too many questions

Back seat bingo.................Necking in a car
Bad news......................Depressing person
Bash...........Great party
Bent eight..............a V-8 engine (hot-rodders)
Big Daddy.......................An older person
Big tickle......................Really funny
Bit.....................An act
Blast.......................A good time
Blow off..................To defeat in a race (hot-rodders)
Bobbed.......................Shortened

Boss........Great
Bread.............Money
Bug.................."You bug me" - to bother
Burn rubber............To accelerate hard and fast (hot-rodders)
Classy Chassis.... a girl with a great figure
Cook, cookin".... really great as in "Man, that really cooks!"
Cool it...simmer down
Cool... well, cool still today
Cranked...turned up and excited
Crazy man.... like thats so totally awesome dude.
Drag---care race , boring person or thing
Epistle.....letter
Flat out.... completely, as in "he is so flat out stupid/gorgeous" "he is a flat out liar" Also a car term meaning to put the pedal to the metal.
Flat top........... crew cut hairstyle which along with the DA was popular in the 50's and 60's
Frosted..... upset, angry. Flat out angry too.

Remember the tv show 77 Sunset Strip?
Kookie parked the cars.. here are some of his beat generation hip talk:

Antsville.............A place full of people
Chick in skins...............Woman in a fur coat
Front burner....................Current crisis
Germsville .................An illness - Buzzed by germsville means put in the hospital
Ginchiest............Coolest
Heels on fire.................In a hurry
International intrigue dodge...............Private eye business
Lighting up the tilt sign...................Lying
Long green................Money

Mushroom people....................People who come out at night to play.
Smog in the noggin'..............Memory loss
Stable the horses.................Park the cars
Washington..................dollar.

NOW HIRING

2006-01-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

The Rock and Roll Cafe here on Internet St and Web Way is hiring!!
We need about 8 waitresses willing to work all shifts as we are open 24 hours.. and each girl must have her own roller skates for our curb service feature which will be opening in the spring.
Classical roller skates only please, no roller blades.
Must be an expert on rock and roll and hamburger preparation, must know all level of CocaCola-ology.
Fountain help needed also: a soda jerk who has at least 25 years experience in making ice cream sodas and malts. Needs to work well under pressure and make mean banana splits and Sundaes.
Applications available in our office which is open 9-4 daily.

To be or not to be..........

2006-01-05T13:23:00.000-08:00

I am not sure how to get music working. I think I have to find a free site to host the midi, then put it on here.
Hmmm... thats why God made Google . (hears thunder in distance)

I love my blog!

2006-01-05T03:41:00.000-08:00

I even installed a ceiling fan for keeping things nice and cool, how's that for nifty huh?
I think this blog needs a bit of background music to make it nicer.
Ahh, tomorrow is another day yes?
Yes, the Coke sign means we do serve refreshments here.
Just wait til our waitress comes in for the day.
Smile!

2006-01-05T01:31:00.000-08:00

work in progress

2006-01-05T00:19:00.000-08:00

Posting away here we go..posting yes posting yes..indeedy poo.