it’s fall … make a great chicken recipe!

this week i’m heading to beautiful new york state and i get the opportunity to pop in to spend some QT (quality time) with some of my very favorite people in the world.  that would be the prendevilles!  

in honor of that, i’m going to repost susan’s awesome chicken recipe from last year.  you must know that it was and still is my #1 most looked-at post!

so looking forward to seeing you this week!

hi, my name is susan

and i am lucky enough to be “the appreciator’s” sister in law and ROF’s sister. she asked me to share a recipe and since i would do anything for her, i agreed. leave it to the appreciator to invite guest bloggers – always the includer.

dear trish – my sister in law on my husband’s side – made this dish when we visited years ago and it has become a family favorite. i selected this recipe because i wanted the opportunity to tell you about (appreciate) trish.

trish & my mother-in-law eileen

she is a gentle soul and one of the best listeners i know. one of the things i like best about her is the way she shows me things. trish tells the story and holds the thing in her cupped hands in a way that conveys her treasure of it. i can always feel her feelings… when she shows and tells.

trish has given me:

swiss fondue recipe, wintry landscapes and the importance of drinking water

i’m alex harland

and i have my husband mark to thank for introducing me to the fabulous appreciator!

before i launch into an account of why i chose my recipe, i feel i must come clean: i am about the furthest thing from a gourmet chef there is. back in the day when i had only myself to feed, dinner would usually consist of cereal,  soups from cartons or packages of pasta i could drop in boiling water for 5 minutes. to this day, cooking for me is about ease and simplicity. if a recipe calls for more ingredients than i have fingers, i won’t go anywhere near it. ditto for tons of slicing and dicing.

ok, so clearly i’m no ina garten-

though how awesome would that be!  but over the last decade my gastronomical confidence  has increased exponentially. it helps that the aforementioned husband has always been an enthusiastic guinea pig with my experiments in the kitchen (he never was very keen on cereal dinners). i really started cooking when i took a leap of faith and left my job, flat and life in london to move in with mark in zurich, switzerland.  and my all time favourite recipe from our sojourn in zurich has to be the one we proudly inherited from our swiss friends for fondue. it brings back so many great memories of beautiful wintry landscapes, days shusshing down the slopes of the alps and lazy evenings of long dinners with good friends by the warm glow of a chalet fire.

a quick lesson in geography:

there are 26 different swiss cantons (basically their equivalent of states). each canton has its own take on the making of perfect fondue. for instance, in the canton of vaud, fondue is prepared with gruyere cheese only but at varying degrees of ripeness. in the canton of jura, on the other hand, fondue is made up with half jura cheese and enhanced with shallots. and in geneva, 3 kinds of cheese are used: gruyere, emmentaler and a vaudois cheese. then, sautéed morels (fresh or dried and pre-soaked) or diced tomatoes are added. for the sake of swiss neutrality, i’ve opted for a non-canton specific basic recipe.

fondue ingredients (for 8 people)

2 ½ lbs shredded cheese (about 5.3 oz per person)- half gruyere cheese and half emmentaler

2 cloves of garlic

2 ½ cups dry white wine

6 tsp cornstarch

6 small glasses cherry kirsch

ground pepper

nutmeg

couple loaves of crusty bread

rub a heavy saucepan or heat proof clay fondue pot with the split garlic cloves. dissolve the cornstarch in the kirsch. put the cheese and wine into the pan and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly. when the cheese is completely melted, add the cheese and cornstarch mixture, stirring vigorously. continue to cook. season with pepper and nutmeg, to taste. serve over a fondue alcohol lamp and the cooking should continue on low heat. stir constantly with small pieces of bread speared on a fondue fork. try not to boil the cheese!

with that, i have several tips i feel i must share:

1.       if you are lactose intolerant or pregnant, please abstain from this recipe.
2.       fondue is usually eaten with bite-sized pieces of bread speared on a fondue fork. however if bread is not your carb of choice, small boiled potatoes may be used instead.
3.       under no circumstances, i cannot stress this enough, drink water while eating your fondue!!!!!! we have a scottish friend who told a hysterically embarrassing story of the severe case of constipation that resulted from the breaking of this cardinal rule of fondue eating. fondue is best enjoyed with dry white wine or shots of kirsch.
4.       fondue aficionados dunk their bread in kirsch before dipping it into the cheese. not for the faint of heart!
5.       also a little fondue game- whoever loses his bread stirring in the cheese pot must pay for a round of beer or bottle of wine. if it happens to a woman, she must kiss the man sitting next to her.
6.       by far the best part of the fondue is the final crusty bit of almost charred cheese at the very bottom of the pot. make it a fondue fork fight to the finish if you must to claim that last bite of heaven!
7.       lastly, fondue is best served on a cold, wintry evening. we don’t get many of those here in texas so when they do come,  make sure to take advantage. also, best enjoyed in the company of fun, close friends and family.

as the swiss say, en guete!

how an irish lass came to make a mean rice ball!

hi.  i’m jeanie hornung.  friends with “the appreciator”. 

when i met my husband it was pretty much love at first sight…i mean he was just smitten with me (hehe)!  not long after that, we went to his home town of gloversville, ny to meet the fam.

well, i’m about as irish as the day is long but was delighted to meet his family which is SO italian! 

and when i say italian…I mean ITALIAN…

i met them all….uncle charlie, uncle mimi, uncle fonzie, cousin mario, cousin chuckie and of course grandma and grandpa franco.  they were (and still are) loud, loving and full of life! 

they also love to eat

they pride themselves and argue about who makes the best puttanesca, pizza rustica, potato gateau and stroffoli.  rice balls happen to be a particular franco family favorite and it is accepted  that grandma franco made the best rice balls.   her rice balls were on every holiday table and made frequent appearances for weekly sunday dinners.  grandma franco passed away a couple of years ago and we miss her a lot.  grandpa still carries on her tradition and makes rice balls every time we’re home to visit.

we make grandma’s rice balls on occasion 

and i can’t think of a better way to honor her memory than to pass on not only her recipe but love of family to my children.  try as i might to perfect them, they still let me know that while my efforts may be acceptable, they are still not grandma franco’s rice balls!

this is a picture of the Our Lady of Mt Carmel Church cookbook that grandma gave to me with her rice ball recipe included among some other gems. 

rice balls recipe

1 lb of river rice (or long grain rice)

3 eggs

parsley ( no measurement…so just guess)

1 stick of butter

salt and pepper to taste

1 handful of grated cheese (no specifics here either, but we’re Italian so go with Parm)

Breadcrumbs  ( use what you need to bring mixture together)

boil rice until almost cooked.  drain and put in bowl.

add eggs, butter, parsley and remaining ingredients including enough breadcrumbs to firm up the mix.  

mix well with hands until nice and firm. 

roll into balls  – a little bit bigger than golf balls.  roll into breadcrumbs.

deep fry in the fat of your choice ( this sentence make me laugh).   make sure the fat is piping hot.

cook until brown. this is what they look like before you put them into the fat of your choice:

you can serve with or without red sauce,

but always with a big loud dose of italian love!

pesto cheesecake, chili, pumpkin somethin’ & sal

let’s put the cart before the horse, and begin with not one…but three recipes…….

pesto cheesecake……the beginning

1 tablespoon butter-
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs-
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese,
16 oz. softened cream cheese,
1 cup ricotta cheese,
1 tablespoon salt,
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper,
3 eggs,
1/2 cup prepared pesto sauce,
1/4 cup pine nuts

1. rub butter on bottom and sides of 9 inch spring-foam pan.  mix bread crumbs with 2  tablespoons grated parmesan cheese. coat pan with mixture.
2. blend cream cheese, ricotta, salt, cayenne and 1/2 cup parmesan in large bowl until light.  add eggs one at a time.  beat well.  set aside 1/2 of the mixture.
3. blend the other 1/2 with the prepared pesto sauce.  pour into the prepared spring-foam pan, smooth the top.  carefully spoon the plain mix over the top, smooth.  top with pine nuts.

bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.  loosen sides, release spring, transfer to platter.  garnish with fresh basil sprig.  serve warm with crackers.  yield 16-18 servings.

chili….the middle

5 pounds ground beef,
3 teaspoons cumin,
1 large package frozen onions,
6 one pound cans of chopped tomatoes,
6 one pound cans of chili beans,
4 cans tomato soup,
3 tablespoons salt,
1 teaspoon pepper,
2 tablespoons chili powder (do not drain the liquid from the beans and tomatoes)

saute beef and onions. add seasonings.  add rest of ingredients. simmer 4 hours. do not add water.
serves 20-25

NOTE: the truth of how you do this is make it a few days ahead, open your spice drawer and keep adding spices. add lots more cumin, chili powder, and a ton of lawry’s salt and pepper.

pumpkin somethin……the end

1 cup milk,
3 eggs,
1 cup sugar,
1 teaspoon cinnamon,
1/4 teaspoon ginger,
1/8 teaspoon cloves,
1/2 teaspoon salt,
1 large can of pumpkin,
1 package yellow cake mix,
3/4 cup nuts,
1 and 1/2 stick of margarine.

mix well the milk, eggs, sugar, spices, pumpkin and salt.  pour in a 13 x 9 inch pan.  sprinkle dry cake mix over the top of mixture. drizzle melted margarine over top.  sprinkle nuts on top.  bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees, or until browned.

my name….sally nilsen….i’m “the appreciator’s” aunt (joan is my sister)

the story…..how does a tradition begin?  i know exactly how this one began.  my husband and i  have lived in california for forty four years.  sisters, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents on both sides all lived in other states.  with no “blood” relatives nearby, our friends became very important, especially during the holidays.  we had spent our first five thanksgivings in california with two friends who were transferred to boston.  they vowed to always return for the thanksgiving celebration.  they kept their promise, and to kick off the weekend together, i decided to have a chili party….easy….could make it ahead, and enjoy our “company.”

about forty years ago we started with about 10 people.  now the group has swelled to 75 +.  i triple and half the chili recipe.  lots of oyster crackers, grated cheese, chopped onions and sliced jalapenos are available.

i throw together some large bags of marie callendar’s prepared corn bread mix (add water, bake, it’s done), buy about $100.00 worth of colonel saunders cole slaw, put it in my own glass bowl..nobody knows (expensive, i know, but easy and goes nicely with the chili) and enjoy my guests.  my husband tends the bar, people get their chili dinner whenever they want, some stay a long time, others drop by to have a quick dinner, and say hello.  if there are any leftovers we enjoy them the rest of the weekend, along with turkey sandwiches.

i really have to admit that this is my favorite party to give.

it opens up the holiday season and brings good friends together.  now the event has trickled into other generations.  if a grandparent is in town they come and our children’s friends come with their children. i hear people ask, “are you going to wednesday night before thanksgiving at the nilsens?”  and i sit back, relax, and think about how “the tradition” began.

oh….if you’re in long beach over thanksgiving….give us a call.

shrimp, potatoes, beer & karen

low country boil recipe

by karen krause, aka “the appreciator’s”  stepmom

having lived in south carolina for a few years, this recipe represents traditional low country cooking.  it was my quick and easy solution for a casual dinner party, not much fuss, prepare in a big pot, add cole slaw and piping hot bread and finish with peach cobbler.

fill a large stock pot 2/3 full of water

add 3-4 tablespoons old bay seasoning

16 small red new potatoes

8 ears fresh corn (i break in half)

2 1/2 pounds kielbasa sausage, slice into one inch pieces

2 pounds xl fresh shrimp, unpeeled

bring water and seasoning to a rolling boil in large stockpot
add potatoes, return to a boil and cook uncovered, 10 minutes
add sausage and corn and return again to a boil and cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender
add shrimp to pot, cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are pink, careful not to overcook
drain off stock, toss with butter and serve on a huge platter over newspapers spread atop your table

tip from me to you-often times rather than buying shrimp by the pound, i calculated approximately how many shrimp servings per person, perhaps 6-8 xl depending on the appetites of your guests

best spaghetti, buttery breadsticks & mom

today’s guest recipe blogger is my mom. 

if you don’t know her already, you can read about her here.  Or click the “wednesday story” to the right!

i’m joan krause, mom of “the appreciator”.  she invited me to supply a favorite recipe and story.  my absolutely favorite thing to make and to eat is spaghetti.  who knows, maybe it’s because of the lycopene in the tomatoes. 

 according to wikipedia:

 “lycopene is not an essential nutrient for humans, but is commonly found in the diet, mainly from dishes prepared from tomatoes. When absorbed from the stomach, lycopene is transported in the blood by various lipoproteins and accumulates in the liver, adrenal glands, and testes.”

hello?  testes? well, i’ll tell you one thing, they have never found lycopene in my testes and that’s a fact!

i truly think i’m a spaghetti-a-holic.

when I turned 16, my mother gave me a surprise birthday party.  i’ll never forget it.  she told me that i had to babysit my cousin on my birthday and i just couldn’t understand how a mother could ask her daughter, on the most important birthday ever, to babysit.  when i got home, mom asked me to go in the basement and get something out of the old chest freezer. i went downstairs, there were all my friends and i was surprised!  i, obviously, forgave my mom.  plus, she fixed spaghetti for us all.

then, on our mom and dad’s 25^th anniversary, i was around 22 and my sister sally was 18 or 19.  we decided to give them a party (much to my mother’s dismay).  our mom was quite the entertainer, so losing this control was not easy for her.

side view of our house in cincinnati - wish i could find the front view - darn!

what did we decide to cook? 

spaghetti of course – not necessarily my parents favorite dish, but it was mine.  my parents were out on our beautiful long front porch having drinks with four other couples.  meanwhile, sal and i were busy in the kitchen and i’m carrying the spaghetti pot from the old chambers stove to drain the water.  sally said, “don’t drop it!” which i promptly did.  spaghetti was everywhere.  we were literally skating on the starch and sally was laughing so hard.  i shouted, we’ll laugh later, these people have to eat now!

my mother

walked through the closed swinging door from the dining room – had her hand over her mouth and not saying anything, turned around and went out to the porch.  needless to say, the cocktail hour was extended, more spaghetti was made, and the guests were finally able to come to the table.  we heard that it was the best party ever.  hmmmmmm …could it have been the extended cocktail hour?

mom, sally & me (mom is turned around and Sal to her right)

oK, i’ve changed my mind – everyone has their own favorite spaghetti recipe.  i’m going to give you something you can make that is so easy and always goes with my spaghetti and everything else.

hot dog breadsticks

i have passed this recipe on so many times and i feel it’s a real winner.  this was my mom’s recipe.

take a package of hot dog buns – cut the buns lengthwise, so that each bun makes 4 breadsticks.

take 2 sticks of BUTTER – not margarine – and melt in a frying pan.

get a cookie sheet lined with foil ready.  dip one of the sticks in the butter till coated and put on foil lined cookie sheet.  put them close to one another.  after all have been dipped and warm from the butter,

take parmesan cheese, out of the shaker container, and heavily coat the sticks. 

then sprinkle lots of poppy seeds on top – you can shake a little garlic salt on top if you want. (I don’t do this – but you can).  now, if you’re making a lot, you might have to melt more butter.

i have cooked these several different ways – fast oven and a slow oven.  The main thing is that you have to watch them.  They brown fast.

400 degrees for 15-20 minutes and watch – could take longer

325 degrees for 30-40 minutes and watch – could take longer

a couple of variations are that you substitute cinnamon and sugar for the parmesan cheese.  douse them in the butter and shake the combined cinnamon and sugar heavily over the top.  or douse in butter and put any kind of finely grated cheese on top.  so good!

you can do ahead and freeze then warm in the microwave. Great for large parties – everyone always asks about them!

stuffed brie, paradise & vino

by m. decker

“if you’re alone, i’ll be your shadow. if you want to cry, i’ll be your shoulder. if you want a hug, i’ll be your pillow. if you need to be happy, i’ll be your smile… but anytime you need a friend, i’ll just be me.” – anon

the above quote pretty much sums up my love and adoration of “the appreciator.”  so, when she asked if i wanted to post a recipe on her blog, i instantly said yes! as the best female friend always obliges.

the “appreciator” and i met many light years ago at a dog park in uptown dallas (yes, very romantic..)  our dogs instantly clicked, which left us with little choice but to go out for an alcoholic beverage at our favorite pooch patio (for the sake of the dogs, of course!).  luckily for all of us, the booze never ran out, the laughter never stopped and the friendship blossomed.  i feel blessed to have you in my life.

the below mushroom stuffed brie was recently created on vacation in Seaside, FL.  30A, is the 20-mile scenic shore tucked neatly between destin and panama city beach, florida, or as my son called it, “paradise mommy.”

mushroom stuffed brie a la “30A”

ingredients

• sancerre sauvignon blanc – in a glass, straight up
• chopped mushrooms – (2 hands full)  cos that’s how I roll
• chopped fresh garlic –  (1 clove) yes, the real stuff you have to peel
• chopped crabmeat – (1 generous hand full) preferably not from Fiesta
• one egg  — (1) beaten not stirred
• defrosted phyllo pastry sheet – (2 sheets) “fee-lo” for all you Southern Folk
• round of brie -- (the bigger the better) – “that’s what she said..”

 

what next?

• set your oven to 350 degrees on bake.
• in a pan, fry with butter the mushrooms, garlic and splosh of wine.  sprinkle salt and pepper to season.
• slice the brie in half (like a bread roll) and stuff the cooked fried pan mix from above in the middle of the brie.

• place the crabmeat on top of the fried pan mix.  cover this with the brie top – sandwich style. drizzle salt, pepper and EVOO on top of brie.
• swaddle the whole brie with the phyllo pastry sheets, like an itty bitty baby.
• baste the egg over the fillo before putting in the oven :
  
• place itty bitty baby brie in the oven for 20mins or so.
• remove from oven and eat with a spoon or crackers of your choice.

to quote woody allen (the “appreciator’s” favorite movie icon), “i am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.”

enjoy!

pretzel jello salad

hello. 

my name is katie krause.  ” the appreciator” is my favorite older sister.

ok, she is my only sister.

but she is still my favorite.  other than my parents, she has taught me what unconditional love means.  i’m very appreciative of her.

let me first start off by saying that this is very hard to write all in lower case.  you see, i’m a compulsive capitalizer.  i’m known for capitalizing words that should not Be capitalized. (side note: i’m grateful for the appreciator for pointing this out.) this is a great lesson in self control.

the recipe I chose is the jell-o pretzel desert.

i chose this because it’s been a staple at our thanksgivings and Christmas’ for as long as I can remember.  we all LOVE this dish.  When things were upside down for the holidays and we didn’t make a big dinner, my brother jim would always say, “can we at least make the jell-o?” and so we would.  This dish signifies HOME for me.  one year, one of the children (who will remain nameless because this is her blog and I wouldn’t want to embarrass her) tried to make it and the jell-o never set.  you would think that the world was ending.  it ruined Christmas! (j/k)

where this recipe differs from the other similar recipes on the internet, is that instead of using 2 cups of boiling water, use 2 cups of boiling pineapple juice.   i also used 1/3 less fat cream cheese and lite cool whip.   OOHH sooo good!

the recipe:

2 c. crushed pretzels (katie side note: don’t use fancy choppers, pound your stress away with a baggie and a can!)
3/4 c. butter, melted
3 tbsp. sugar
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 c. sugar
1 (9 oz.) carton cool whip
1 (6 oz.) pkg. strawberry Jell-O
2 c. pineapple Juice
2 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen strawberries in juice

mix crushed pretzels, melted butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar together. press into a 9×13 inch pan. katie note: use a clear pan so you can see all the layers!

bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. cool.

combine cream cheese, cool whip, and 1 cup sugar. mix well and spread onto the cooled crust.

mix jell-o with pineapple juice, then add frozen strawberries. stir until berries soften and jell-o starts to thicken. gently pour or spread mixture over cream. refrigerate.

thanks for letting me share my memories and my favorite dish with you.  enjoy!

waffles, peanut butter & healthy oh my!

by sarah voet

healthy yummy waffles

“the appreciator” is one of the first friends i made in dallas, we met through our hubbys – rof and joe

i really enjoy nutri grain brand low fat waffles, nice and crispy topped with my favorite topping: all natural peanut butter.

however…there was a waffle shortage

a year or so ago due to the eggo plant losing power! i was so distraught, what in the world will i have for breakfast?

my recipe is just as good and cheaper. they freeze great between pieces of wax paper, just pop them in the toaster oven.

2 eggs beaten
1 3/4 cups skim milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup flax seed
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup wheat flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tbs sugar
1/4 tsp salt

mix together and pour into waffle iron.

enjoy!

xxoo

swimming pools, southern belles and peach cobbler

the fuzzy truth

by suzanne holzwanger,

who has the rare pleasure of actually liking her boss “the appreciator” and considers her a dear friend.

ah texas.

gorgeous sunsets, hot summers and swimming pools. and nestled snugly in the backyard of our far north dallas home, peach trees. thanks to my dad who filled the backyard with peach trees instead of a pool.

while the entire neighborhood was cooling off in their refreshing, glistening pools, my siblings and i were picking peaches. from the trees. from the ground. every peach went into the basket. everybody else (and in a young mind means everyone on earth) had a pool. they swam in their pools, ate by their pools, slept in their pools. not us though-we had peach trees and someone had to pick them. i was convinced my parents had the 4 of us only for this purpose.

and we didn’t just pick, we sorted.

it was usually punishment for chores not done or fights we got into. a far worse punishment though was hearing the sounds of “marco polo!” and “cannonball!” from our friends while we were stuck separating good and bad peaches in the heat (what? she invited her??)

i remember my great aunt Viola, who happens to turn 99 this month, driving down from sherman to visit. I thought she was coming to see us but it was really for the peaches. she and my mom would sit and peel, jar and bake with a kitchen full. boxes and bowls and all fruit ev-er-y-where. i loved the end result of their cobblers, pies, and jams though. such a bitter sweet relationship.

flashing forward a few years,