Cranberry Tea Bread

Written Sunday, May 30th, 2010 by Theresa H Hall

This is one of the recipes we prepared in culinary school. Quick and easy it is, to combine the ingredients and put it into to bake. By the time your dinner is on the table, the bread will be ready to eat, hot out of the oven, as dessert. Add some ice cream on the side or top it with freshly whipped cream. Either way, it will be a huge and delicious hit.

Quick Breads/ Cranberry Tea Bread

Batter:

6 1/2 oz butter

5 oz sugar

2 large eggs

2 T orange zest

1 t almond extract

1 T orange juice

7 oz A. P. flour

1/2 t baking soda

3 oz buttermilk

1/2 c dried cranberries

1/2 c raw almonds chopped

10 X glaze with flavoring if desired

Instructions:

1) Cream butter and sugar.

2) Add eggs one at a time.

3) Add the juice and then the zest and almond extract.  Blend together.

4) in a separate bowl sift the flour and baking soda.  Add 1/3 to the batter.

5) Add 1/3 buttermilk, mix. More flour, more milk, until blended.

6) Fold in fruit and nuts.

Pour into greased loaf pans; 1 large or 3 small pans.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes for large and 25 minutes for smaller loaves. Make sure cake tester comes out clean. You may glaze if you wish.  Cool on rack.

Freeze a couple of weeks wrapped in plastic wrap.  Shelf life is only a few days.

Cold Drink for a Hot Day- Eskimo Cups

Written Thursday, May 27th, 2010 by Penny Hawkins

Hot weather has arrived just in time  for the Memorial Day holiday, and I bet you're thinking about a cold drink right about now aren't you? I know I am!

In my quest for cool refreshment, I decided I wanted something different than tea or lemonade, so I started looking though my many cookbooks for inspiration. After an hour of looking, I still hadn't found what I wanted...something unique and different....and then an idea hit me. I collect antique cookbooks, and many of them are from the days when not all households had an electric refrigerator, most people had their ice delivered, and nobody had even thought of air conditioning. I figured that if anyone would have great hot weather beverage ideas, it would be the cookbook authors from the "good ole' days".

Within a few minutes, I found the perfect recipe in a cookbook from the Prohibition days of the 1920's. The recipe is called "Eskimo Cups".  Sounds cool and refreshing doesn't it? I fell in love with it right away! So if you want to beat the heat this holiday weekend, try this alcohol-free drink (remember this is from the days of Prohibition)....you can always add some Vodka to zip it up if you want.

Eskimo Cups

An Apple a Day

Written Sunday, May 23rd, 2010 by Anne Coleman

Though Ben Franklin may have written the term, 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away.' in Poor Richard's Almanack, it certainly wasn't the origin of the saying. No one is 100% sure where it was first spoken, but there's a lot of truth to the statement.

With over 7,500 varieties grown, the apple is the most commonly eaten fruit on the planet. Add to that the fact that it's good for you, and you have a sure-fire winner. Packed with fiber and rich in potassium and vitamin C, it's a health-kick in a small and portable form.

But, let's talk recipes. The apple is used in everything from sweet to savory dishes and eaten as a snack, a side, a dessert and even a main dish. I know my favorite is apple pie and I bet the rest of my family feels the same. Even so, with Father's Day coming up, I wanted something a little different.

Every dad I know loves grilling and consuming grilled food. This recipe starts dad's day off with a breakfast cooked on the grill. You can also serve this one up when camping. It's easy, quick and sure to please.

Grilled Apples and Sausage with Pancakes
Serves 4

1 pound bulk pork sausage shaped into patties or 1 pound pre-made sausage patties
2 large apples - we like Granny Smith - the tart blends well with maple syrup

Heat grill to medium.
Core apples and slice into 1/4-inch slices.
Form sausage into patties.
Grill sausage for 4 to 5 minutes per side. When turning sausages, add apple slices and cook until sausages are done and apples are tender.
Serve with pancakes and syrup.

Hooked On Pasta!

Written Thursday, May 20th, 2010 by Theresa H Hall

"Pasta Cookbook" I know I talked about this book before but please allow me to recommend it once again. These wonderful photographs are printed on glossy pages with almost every conceivable recipe, to tempt even the most finicky eater, the most discriminating palate. The authors offer such diverse choices of recipes, that it could be a perfect gift for you or someone you really like. It is a quality cookbook.

I really never knew there were so many distinct types of pasta, and the step-by-step, easy instructions are written so even a novice cook would be able to follow along, to fix a fast delicious meal. There's

100% potential to impress their family or dinner guests.

It makes me hungry just looking through this book!

They really took their time putting this compilation of dishes together, and the best part is, that they are part of an entire series of books, at your local Borders Bookstore. Each edition is under $5 so you can stock up on a library of cookbooks without breaking the bank. I urge you to thumb through a few of the topics. Desserts, Seafood, Pasta, Asian, German, and many more.

I am giving some thought about a Borders visit this weekend just to pick out a few more to try. Who knows maybe we'll bump into each other in the cookbook aisle. These are straightforward cookbooks just like my Grandmother would have used.

Retro Recipe: Tuna Chow Mein Casserole

Written Saturday, May 15th, 2010 by Penny Hawkins

 As promised, here's another peek into my 1970's time capsule...my mother-in-law's Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library. Today's recipe will be familiar to those of a certain age (you know who you are) and it's another favorite from my childhood- Tuna Chow Mein Casserole.  This tasty recipe has all the elements that I look for in a casserole: simplicity, good flavor, and it's made from ingredients you probably already have on-hand.

Tuna Chow Mein Casserole(adapted from The Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library, copyright 1971, General Mills, Inc.)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a large skillet; cook and stir celery, onion and green pepper in butter until onion is tender and translucent. Stir in tuna and next 5 ingredients. Add 1/4 cup chow mein noodles and stir to combine. Pour into ungreased 1-1/2 qt. casserole. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup chow mein noodles. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until casserole is hot and bubbling. 4 to 6 servings.

Featured Community Member: SweetsFoods

Written Friday, May 14th, 2010 by Theresa H Hall

I have been visiting you and your blog for quite some time now. You always seem to provide fresh food ideas, healthy recipes, and lately, I have even seen guest bloggers on your website. Hailing from Uruguay, South America, it makes me think about the romance of the country, the allure of the cuisine and Gera. He offers our members a peek into his country’s lifestyle, cuisine, culture and traditions, and I am so glad he is a contributing member of Half Hour Meals.

Theresa: Tell me Gera how long have you been writing about food? When did you start your food blog, SweetsFoods?

Gera: I've been writing about food since I learned to write at school, because I'm always fascinated about this vital and yummy element. Specifically about my blog, I can say that it was started with my first post in October of 2008, but I had already been reading and exploring blogger themes for many years.

Theresa: I saw in your profile that you are a businessman who is also interested in engineering. Including your food blog, you also write about social networking. How do you manage it all?

Gera: I'm an engineer who is also interested in business themes and social networking. If you blog, then that automatically makes you a blogger in the first place and later, if you're a foodie, then you're also a food blogger. Why this precision? All bloggers, no matter the niche, need to do good social networking and this is the reason why food and social networking are tied. For me, it's a natural combination to reflect on my blog site.

Theresa: What made you decide to invite guest writers to contribute to your website?

Gera: I've decided to allow guest writers, because I like to show new points of view, different styles of writing and explore new different themes. If one week I'm too involved in other matters to write, the guest post can fill the vacuum that week.

Theresa: Allowing for all of the diversity of your parents’ cultural backgrounds and the foods they grew up eating, plus the worldwide migratory influences in your Country’s cuisines, which three foods are your favorites to prepare?

Gera: For traditional dishes, I enjoy preparing pastas like Cappelletti with Caruso Sauce (milk cream, mushrooms and ham). Also, two typical dishes from Uruguay: Milanesa a la Napolitana and Chivito Uruguayo. Of course, I can also mention others like Couscous, Falafel, as well as desserts. The list is endless!

Theresa: Are you married or have you a partner? Any children? How has your blogging fit in with your home life? Do you all cook in the kitchen together?

Gera: I have a beautiful partner and a wonderful toddler. She is the life of our home. Blogging is like any other task in my daily life, sometimes the issue is to photograph a dish before eating and this can be problematic when everybody is hungry! She is the cook of the family, thus my presence in the kitchen is much less than hers and my cooking skills could be improved.

Theresa: So we can have some fun here, Gera what would you serve to a friend visiting from the USA? Would it be native to your country or something else that you like to fix?

Gera: The emblematic dishes that should be tasted, for people who comes from USA, are Beef Parrilladas (Beef BBQ), and for dessert, Flan with Dulce de Leche. These were some of the principal foods on the menu that several US Presidents enjoyed while they were visiting my country.

Theresa: Please name some foods that are indigenous to Uruguay.

Gera: El Asado and the Chivito Uruguayo. Certainly there is a huge quantity of dishes but they can be found also in other countries.

Theresa: I know in Argentina they dance the tango. Is there a national dance or dress for your country?

Gera: Uruguay and Argentina share their passion with Tango, and Carlos Gardel, The Master of the Tango, was born in Uruguay, so he says. But most of his career was spent in Argentina. This point is a controversial one, always!

Theresa: You write about being fit and healthy. Please tell us some of the things you do to stay in such great shape?

Gera: There isn’t a magical recipe, but some ingredients are very often present: eat healthy with fruits, vegetables, nuts, few red meats, more fish, avoid big quantities of sugary things (so difficult!), and eat fewer fries, drink little alcohol and zero smoking. Stay active, walk, and include workouts several times per week. You can check out my post, “How to Stay Healthy and Fit in a Snap of Your Day”.

Theresa: Which ten ingredients must you have in your kitchen?

Gera: Garlic, Paprika, Onion, Bell Peppers, Soy Sauce, Olive Oil, Mustard and Cheese, Parmesan & Mozzarella. Sweet ingredients would be: Dulce de Leche and Chocolate.

Theresa: How did you hear about Half Hour Meals and why did you signup?

Gera: I found it via BlogCatalog and love visiting yummy sites to find gorgeous recipes.

Theresa: Have you tried any of our member recipes yet? If so, which ones?

Gera: I've tried the Mediterranean Hummus and it quickly vanished.

Theresa: You mentioned you like to travel, which countries have you visited that have influenced your cooking?

Gera: Really my influence at this moment is worldwide. Despite the fact that my country Uruguay is small, it is huge on flavors. The cuisines are so diverse here, that in a radius of a few kilometers from your home (in the capital), you find delicious dishes from all over the world. We are all immigrants and the culinary traditions came here with us.

Theresa: What would you say to your friends about our food site?

Gera: Half Hour Meals is a luscious food site with a full collection of mouthwatering recipes, an excellent layout that deserves a visit whenever you need delicious and easy recipes. Like right now!

Theresa: Gera I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with me. I love your food site and I hope many of our members will visit SweetsFoods and try your wonderful cuisine.

Amazing Taste

Written Monday, May 10th, 2010 by Anne Coleman

Let me share a word or two about a product I really love - Amazing Taste Seasoning Packets. Big flavor, little package, even smaller price. In these times when stretching your food dollar is a big deal, this is a product that will help you do just that without sacrificing flavor.

There is NO OTHER seasoning product I know of that does what Amazing Taste accomplishes. Not only are meats, poultry and seafood perfectly seasoned, but the tenderizing effect makes it possible to use cheaper cuts of meat and still get a quality meal on the table.

But wait, there's MORE! Really. This stuff is lower in sodium than the 'other guys' and also contains absolutely NO MSG. On top of that, there's no guess work about nutrition facts or ingredients here. While all the nutrition facts are available on-site, you don't have to go there to find them, they're on the back of each and every packet of Amazing Taste. Did I mention these packets sell for a mere 99 cents each and that each packet seasons from 2 to 4 pounds of protein? Does it get any better than that?

The Amazing Taste Seasoning Packets come in nine fabulous flavors:

Beef Seasoning
Burger Seasoning
Chili Seasoning
Fajita Seasoning
Malibu Seasoning
Pork Seasoning
Poultry Seasoning
Seafood Seasoning
Steak House Seasoning

Dr. Ghazi Taki and Adam Taki are the father-son team that developed and founded Amazing Taste. I spoke with Adam Taki the other day and I was able to tell him how much I love this product. Not only am I sure of what we're eating, but I'm also able to stretch the food budget in a truly delicious way. There's no hidden fluff in these packets, just real ingredients without extra salt or MSG and it's a product I fully trust.

Where do you get Amazing Taste? Check out the store locator at the Amazing Taste website, and while you're there, have a look at the recipes, read about the company and how it all started, and even order a packet or two (or all 9 flavors!) to try out for yourself. You can even find a link to my original post about Amazing Taste at Cooking with Anne.

I'm looking forward to any and everything the Amazing Taste label can dish up!

Recipe: Almond Tuiles

Written Saturday, May 8th, 2010 by Theresa H Hall

Here is a quick and easy recipe to make almost paper thin adornment cookies to garnish your desserts. Tuiles (pronounced Twee 'heels) is very popular in the culinary world and the batter lasts for days in the refrigerator. Take it out and bake them off as you need them. They can be sweet or savory and there are so many recipes to try that it is an exciting and adventuresome cookie.

Petit Fours Cookies

Almond Tuiles

These cookies are baked and then shaped, while warm over anything with a curve. The real test is to drop the cookie from 3" onto a countertop.  It should shatter. They are curved, thin and have a crunch. Keep them in a dry box.

4 oz sugar

4 oz sliced almonds

2 large eggs

1 t vanilla

1 1/4 oz AP flour

1/2 oz melted butter

1) Toss nuts and sugar by hand.

2) Add to (slightly mixed) eggs and blend together with a spatula.

3) Sift in a little bit of flour, mix gently and more until all incorporated.

4) Add vanilla and sometimes almond extract.

5) Add melted butter and jiggle into mixture.

6) Using 2 teaspoons, spoon the batter or drop by hand.  Dip the spoons into a cup of water or milk.

2 1/2 " diameter cookie = 1 t batter.  Use a sil pat on sheet pan.  9 cookies per sheet. or parchment.  They will spread…take back of spoon and pat it around into a circle.  They don't have to be a perfect circle.  They may even look a little lacy.

Bake 350º to 375º for 8 minutes.  Shape over a curve.

Retro Recipe: Porcupine Meatballs

Written Thursday, May 6th, 2010 by Penny Hawkins

Recently I have been in Spring cleaning mode, sprucing up and organizing our big ole' barn of a house from top to bottom. It's a lot of work, and not something I look forward to, but my efforts have resulted in some unexpected benefits as well. Not only do I now have clean closets and drawers, but I've also uncovered some long-forgotten treasures like the notebook from my 9th grade Home Economics class that I wrote about the other day.

During my recent Spring cleaning frenzy, I was cleaning the home office my husband and I share, and came across another treasure- the Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library that used to belong to his mother. It was given to me by D's brother after our sister-in-law Kitty passed away, and it's exactly like the one my mother used to have. This yellow plastic box with recipe cards is vintage 1970's and chock-full of recipes that are truly a blast from the past.

I started flipping through the slightly-faded cards, and came across so many recipes I remember from my childhood...dishes my mom used to make on a regular basis like Tuna Chow Mein Casserole, Pizza Potatoes, and Foil-Wrapped Dinners. These oldies but goodies are still as delicious today as they were 30+ years ago, and I will be sharing them with you from time-to-time because retro is cool again, and good food never goes out of style!

Today's recipe is probably my favorite from childhood, mostly because the name appealed to my 10-year-old self more than the actual dish. The Betty Crocker recipe card calls it "Oven Porcupines", but my mom always called it "Porcupine Meatballs", a name that never failed to amuse me and my brother. This recipe is 70's comfort food at its' best, and tastes just as good now as it did when my mom made it.

Oven Porcupines aka Porcupine Meatballs(adapted from The Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library, copyright 1971, General Mills, Inc.)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine meat, rice, 1/2 cup water, onion, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls into balls. Place meatballs into ungreased 8x8x2 baking dish. Stir together tomato sauce, water, and Worcestershire sauce; pour over meatballs. Cover with aluminum foil; bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Serves 4-6.

Note: This recipe can also be prepared in a skillet on the stove. Prepare meatballs as directed. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet; brown meatballs. Drain off fat.  Stir together tomato sauce, water, and Worcestershire sauce; pour over meatballs. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 45 minutes. If necessary, add small amount of water during cooking.

Nice Surprise - Chess Pie

Written Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 by Theresa H Hall

I was searching for a retro dessert, a Chess Pie Recipe, on the Internet today, because my sister and I had been discussing how nice it would be to make one. The only time I have ever made this dessert was about twelve years ago, when my Mother talked about how Mama used to bake her exceptional chess pie. Our Grandmother had a wonderful touch whenever she baked. Seeing that whimsical look on Mother's face made me do a search for this delectable pie. I can still remember the surprised look when I announced that I was to bake her this beloved dessert. This expression quickly turned to anticipation and even a few licks of her rosy lips. She promised me that is was almost as good as her Mother had made.

Today when I saw this photograph of Chess Pie, taken by Michael Stern, I knew just by looking that it was what I was looking for. This will certainly please my sister, who lives on the west coast. Perhaps her son will make one for her this Sunday.

After a few minutes of searching, I was on the phone speaking with Donna King @ Bon Ton Mini-Mart, in Henderson, KY. When I asked her about the recipe she said it was her own. I explained my Grandmother used to make this and I was looking for a recipe. She didn't wait a second before asking me if I had a paper and pen. I grabbed one and she patiently recited the ingredients and added a few tips, too. Thank you Donna King for your sweetness and generosity. For anyone who might like to make this for Mother's Day, here you go.

Donna King's Famous Chess Pie

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted)

3 Tbsp cornmeal

1 tsp vanilla

1 9" unbaked pie shell

1)  Preheat Oven to 425º

2)  Blend all ingredients while melting the butter.

3)  Add melted butter and combine thoroughly

4)  Pour into unbaked pie shell

5) Turn heat down to 350º, as soon as you place the pie into the oven. I recommend placing the pie onto a cookie sheet.

6) Bake about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the center is firm. Remove and cool completely before serving.

Note: *Variation: I have seen recipes where buttermilk is substituted for the milk.