Recipe Wednesday

Recipe #21 - Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Just in time for Haloween a seasonal recipe of unknown origin. What can you do with those seeds you scrape out of the pumpkin for your Jack-o-Lantern? Usually they get thrown out with the next trash. Some people may save them for planting to grow next years pumpkins. Here is a tasty and nutritious alternative. Make a batch of:

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Seeds of a pumpkin

Salt (to taste)

2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil

Rinse the seeds to remove strings and pulp and pat dry with a paper towel. Spread the seeds on a baking pan and let stand for several hours to dry. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the seeds with the oil and salt to taste. Toast the seeds in the oven stirring every 5 minutes or so, until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let them cool completely. Taste and add more salt if needed. Serve the pumpkin seeds as a snack or use as a garnish.

I found this recipe in a flyer I picked up at a local Fall Festival Pumpkin Patch sponsored by the Clear Lake U.M.C. in 2008. Here are a few pictures to chronicle that event and our Grand-daughter's visits to the Pumpkin Patch in search of the "Great Pumpkin".

We didn't find the "Great Pumpkin" here, but we did get a few good pictures of Kira.

P.S.  Be sure to follow the link for the Great Pumpkin!

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Recipe Wednesday

Recipe #20

My wife found this chimichurri sauce recipe in the newspaper one fine summer day.  I don't remember exactly why she keeps searching for a Chimichurri Sauce recipe, but she mentioned this to me when she saw it.  I determined then that we should try the recipe and I could post it to my blog.  You may want to follow the link to see the original article in the Recipes column of the Flavor section of the Houston Chronicle Chron.com .

Summer Herb Chimichurri

3 cloves garlic, peeled
½ large shallot, peeled
1½ cups packed parsley leaves
1½ cups packed basil leaves
¾ cup packed mint leaves
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ small red onion, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper



Using the blade attachment of a food processor, chop the garlic, shallot, herbs, vinegar and lemon juice until well combined and slightly chunky. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil through the tube in a steady stream until the sauce is well blended and the herbs are finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the red onion, and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Serve immediately, or transfer to a covered container and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the sauce. Cover and refrigerate up to 1 week.



This recipe was printed in the Houston Chronicle of Wednesday, September 8, 2010 along with suggestions to try it on grilled and sliced flank or skirt steak.  Mixing with mayonnaise to spread on sandwiches or burgers was also offered as a suggestion.  Salmon might be rubbed and slow roasted in the oven.  It could also be whisked with a little extra olive oil and tossed with seasonal greens for a herb tinged salad.

Please try it.  You will like it!

Recipe Wednesday #19 (A Day Late on Thursday)

Sorry I missed my Wednesday deadline for my recipe. This week I chose not to give a specific recipe. Instead I will refer you to one of the ways I like get new recipes. I simply go to the computer and go to the "World Wide Web". One of my favorite sites is:
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You can view a number of recipes here. If you like you can even sign up for an e-mail service to have recipes and other information concerning their products and related recipes sent directly to your Inbox. Check it out and find your own recipes. Please comment if this information and the link is useful to you for finding your own recipes.

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Recipe Wednesday #17

This week I am taking another recipe from Creative Cooking. Follow this link for the whole story concerning this Recipe Booklet:

First Recipe Wednesday for Wednesday, April 30, 2008

You may also find this page by going into the Blog Archives for 2008. Look for the Wednesday, April 30th Blog post.

Now for this weeks recipe:

Guacamole

Bobbie Horst

2 medium very ripe avocados
2 medium ripe tomatoes
1 small onion, finely grated
2 small Serrano or any hot chiles, chopped, or 2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. lime juice
2 tsp. lemon juice
Dash paprika
2 tsp. salt (more or less)
Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. coriander

Mash avocados with fork. Add the other ingredients and stir into paste that is not too smooth. Note: This dish is best if made immediately before serving, but if made ahead of time put avocado seed in the spread and cover tightly to prevent darkening.

This recipe was submitted to the recipe book by my mother, Bobbie Horst. Please see the Archive post for Wednesday April 30, 2008 for the story behind the cook book.

Recipe Wednesday #16

I found this recipe in one of those coupon inserts for the Sunday newspaper, you know, one of those things with all the coupons printed up. This recipe was printed with a popular, name brand steak sauce. As usual I do take some liberties with most of my recipes. In this one I don't necessarily use the name brand steak sauce. So here follows the recipe for this week . . .

Sauce Glazed Steak & Chicken

1 bottle(10 oz.) of your favorite steak sauce
1/4 cup honey
4 boneless beef strip steaks approximately 1 inch thickness
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

In a medium sized bowl mix thoroughly the sauce and honey

Grill steaks and chicken over medium heat for 4 - 6 minutes. Brush steaks and chicken on both sides with the sauce. be sure to be liberal with the sauce! Turn over and grill for 4 - 6 more minutes or until cooked to the doneness you require.

6 - 8 servings / 3 minutes preparation time / 8 - 12 minutes cooking time

This recipe is great for a family and friends get together or for a summertime grill fest. Enjoy!

Recipe Wednesday #15

I was looking through Pam's recipes for this week. I found an old loose leaf type notebook with pages for copying recipes, tabs for separating the meal types, and envelopes for cutting and inserting recipes from magazines or newspapers. Here follows one of the recipes I found copied in Pam's handwriting onto one of the loose leaf pages in the recipe book:


Cool Tuna Noodle Salad


Ingredients:

1 Can Cream of Celery Soup
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp. chopped pimento stuffed olives
2 Tbsp. grated onion
8 Oz. corkscrew macaroni, cooked
1 Can tuna (6 oz.)
1 Pkg. frozen mixed vegetables (10 oz.)

Directions:

Mix first 5 ingredients
Add macaroni
Add tuna and vegetables
Mix, cover, and refrigerate


She confirms that it is written in her handwriting, but she does not remember where she got the recipe. Try it out and enjoy! This sounds like a great spring or summer time salad or perhaps even a light dinner or supper meal.

Recipe Wednesday: # 14

Pam's Favorite Breakfast

This is the recipe for French Toast which I believe may be Pam's favorite breakfast. I'm not really sure why! She is not French and as far as I know her primary heritage is Italian and American Indian. We have never been to France and she has never really expressed much interest in going there. I found a possible clue as I was researching a possible recipe for this week. I was looking through the Recipe Book she had as a child, Betty Crocker's Cook Book for Boys and Girls, and I found the following recipe for:


French Toast

With beater blend -----------2 eggs, beaten, 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cut in half -------------------6 slices stale bread

Heat frying pan or griddle moderately hot. Grease with butter or bacon fat.

Pick up bread on fork, by half-slices. Dip both sides into egg mixture and put on hot frying pan or griddle.

Brown on both sides, turning with pancake turner.

Serve hot with syrup or jelly.



I believe I have used this little Recipe Book on previous posts as it was the Cook Book my wife had when she was very young. I don't have any publication information like date and publishing house for the book since it is missing the first few pages. I would surely give that gredit to the original publisher if I knew. I suspect the book was printed some time in the early or mid 1950's. Pam may have had the French Toast from the Cook Book and it is now one of those "fond childhood memories". I do know that she uses a variation of this recipe and no longer uses the butter or bacon fat and now uses olive oil (that shows her Italian heritage) for greasing the pan. She doesn't use the salt in the egg and now substitutes cinamon instead. She usually uses the whole piece of bread without cutting it in half and I don't believe she is likely to use "stale" bread. She is more likely to throw that away and get the fresh stuff. I'm not so sure about the "stale" part either. I'm not sure if that would be advisable today. What if someone got sick from your French Toast. I don't suppose we could just blame it on France. That might not be politically correct. Oh well, that could be another whole story.

I hope you enjoy the French Toast!

Recipe ......day # 13

Oops! I missed the normal Wednesday Recipe again. Maybe there is something about that #13 thing. Well I'm not normally superstitious about these things, so I will proceed with the Recipe after this brief disclaimer. We were very busy on Wednesday with a trip to the airport. Kari will be participating in the wedding of one of her best friends who lives in Sweden. I'm sure she will take the opportunity for some vacation activities with her friends and family as well. Here we are at the airport just before boarding the flight to Sweden.

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When the rest of us left the airport we went back into Houston for a visit to the Farmer's Market on Airline Drive, to eat lunch at The Spaghetti Warehouse in downtown Houston, and to take a brief shopping trip before our return home. Some of the produce items we bought at the farmer's market included fresh green beans, new potatoes, and onions. I cooked the green beans, thus we get the following recipe:

Farmer's Market Green Beans

2 -3 "handfuls" of fresh green beans, snip ends and peel strings if any

8 - 10 new red potatoes, whole or cut in half

1/2 onion, sliced or coarsely chopped

4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced or minced

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

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Prepare first 3 ingredients as described or as you prefer and set aside. Combine the remaining ingredients with the onions in a large pot and heat on medium high on your cook top. Cook these ingredients until the bacon is done and the onions are translucent (5 - 10 minutes). Add the remaining ingredients to the pot with enough water to completely cover the ingredients in the pot. Raise the heat as needed to bring the water to a boil and continue to boil until the beans are done and the potatoes are soft (20 - 40 minutes).

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This recipe is original and was not copied from any particular cook book. I did refer to several different cook books for suggested recipes and cooking ideas for fresh green beans. These are the books which I have previously cited for some of the recipes I have already shared with you in this blog. Feel free to follow this recipe or change it as you desire according to your own tastes or preferences. You may copy, edit, and share this recipe with you family and friends as you desire. Please enjoy your Farmer's Market Green Beans and reply or comment with any changes or additions you might suggest to the recipe.

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Recipe Wednesday #12

This week I found a recipe in one of those advertising inserts from the Sunday newspaper. It was one of those inserts with all the grocery and other coupons and other advertising for most national name brand products. This recipe looked like a quick and easy recipe and something which might be good to prepare and cook out on the grill for great weekend or family event. It was found in the insert with an ad and a Manufacturer's Coupon for Owens Fresh Roll Sausage. You may follow the link for more information about the Owens company, their products, and more of their recipes. Here follows a recipe for:

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Owens Backyard Burgers

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1 lb. Owens Original Roll Sausage

1 lb. ground beef

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. ground pepper

8 hamburger buns

Lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced onion (suggested toppings)

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In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients. Form into 8 patties. Over medium heat on grill, cook burgers on each side until done (no longer pink), about 10-15 minutes. Serve with buns and favorite toppings.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

Yields: 8 burgers

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I hope you have an opportinity to try this or any of my other recipes and have a pleasant eating experience with your family and friends. Enjoy!

Recipe Wednesday #11

The Unknown Recipe

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While looking for a recipe this week, I came across a handwritten recipe on a sheet of paper taken from a tablet or pad of paper. At the bottom of the recipe there was a brief note written "For Pam". I did not recognize the writing and it did not seem to be a recipe familiar to me. I asked my wife, Pam, to whom the recipe seemed to have been directed. She was not familiar with the recipe and she did not recognize the handwriting either. We are not sure where the recipe came from or who may have given it to Pam. So this week we will have the The Unkown Recipe "For Pam":

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Corn Casserole

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1 Tbs Sugar

1 Can cream style corn

1 Can whole Kernel corn, drained

1 Can Rotel, chopped & drained

1 1/4 cup cracker crumbs

1 egg

1/4 C to 1/2 C chopped onion

1/2 C chopped green pepper

1 small can evaporated milk

1 large cheese whiz or 1 lb. velveeta, cubed

1 stick butter melted

Mix well, pour into greased baking dish. Bake forty minutes at 350 degrees. (Knife inserted should come out clean.) If not done, turn off oven and leave casserole in for awhile.

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For Pam

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Well, there it is, The Unknown Recipe "For Pam", Corn Casserole. I hope that you have an opportunity to try this recipe and that you find it pleasing for yourself and your family.

Recipe Wednesday #9

Well let’s try to get back into a routine. This is Wednesday and I did miss a recipe day last week. More about how busy I’ve been and why I missed last week’s recipe at a later time. Let’s get right to the recipe.
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This week I have taken the recipe from Creative Cooking, you may remember that was the cookbook inspired by and dedicated to my sister, Michal. (Refer to my previous Recipe with the Creative Cooking link. [Mouse Hint (no not the mice in your attic): When you put your cursor over the link, right click and choose "Open in New Window" or "New Tab" and you will not have to keep using the 'Back Arrow' in your Browser.] The recipe this week is another one of her recipes and is entitled Five Can Stew. I don’t remember if she ever made this when I was visiting with her. She did not do a lot of cooking when I was around. I do remember her cooking once and inviting me over for a special recipe she wanted to try. As I recall that recipe was Swedish Meatballs. I can’t seem to find that particular recipe and there is an interesting story that goes along with that recipe but, that will have to be at a later time. For now, the Five Can Stew seemed to be a proper substitute. Please try this recipe and enjoy Five Can Stew with your family and friends.
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Five Can Stew
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2 lb. ground meat
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (No. 303*) can mixed vegetables
1 (No. 303) can tomatoes
2 (No. 303) can whole new potatoes, diced
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce (such as Hunt’s new tomato sauce special with tomato bits, onion, celery, and green peppers)
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Brown Meat and onion. Drain excess grease. Add vegetables, tomatoes, diced new potatoes and tomato sauce including all juices from cans. Bring to boil; simmer 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serves 4-6 generously.
Easy and the perfect solution to what to fix quickly after work for super.

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*Please note: A No. 303 can is a measurement of 2 cups or 16 oz.

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Disclaimer: Please remember that I type these things in just as they are printed from the original source in order to retain the original flavor (more than obvious reference to recipes and food) of the recipe as printed. Please note super at the end of the recipe. I guess this is supposed to be supper. I guess it could be a reference to a super supper or perhaps a super husband for whom you are preparing this supper. When I type these recipes the ‘spell checker’ and ‘grammar checker’ go wild. Recipes seem to be filled with phrases, incomplete sentences, and run-on sentences. I guess I need a ‘Recipe’ setting in the word processor which will allow these kinds of phrases which appear to be numerous in older recipes. At any rate, I hope you will try this recipe from my sister Michal. I’m sure she would hope that it will bring you and your friends and family a bit of enjoyment and fellowship at your next meal whether it is super or supper!

Recipe Wednesday #8

This is Wednesday and it's on schedule for this recipe. This is a recipe which I found in a small, brown ring binder with 4x6 inch pages. Some recipes are handwritten and some are newspaper or magazine cut-outs of recipes which have been pasted onto the pages. This notebook of recipes is another one of those items found when we cleaned up the house after my mother-in-law passed away. The recipe this week is obviously a yellowed newspaper clipping. I have no idea where or when it was originally printed. Please try the recipe. I'm sure your family will enjoy:

Lemon Chess Pie

6 eggs

2 cups sugar

4 tablespoons butter

juice of 2 lemons

pinch of salt

Put eggs in blender and let whirl for a few rounds. Add 1 cup of sugar and turn blender on and off. Add 2 cup sugar and to the same. Add melted butter, salt and juice and whizz it a bit more. Pour into an unbaked 8 inch pie shell and bake in a 350 oven for 35 minutes.

Please note! The word choice and all spelling is exactly as printed on the original clipping. I'm not sure about the technical or official cooking definitions for "whirl" and "whizz". I'm not real sure but, I think you should "do" something with the sugar not "to" the sugar. I guess this newspaper article was probably done without a spelling or grammar checker. Maybe the Food Editor was having a bad day. At any rate, I hope you will enjoy the Lemon Chess Pie!

Recipe Wednesday #7 - Oops, It's already Friday!

I guess this will have to be 'Recipe Friday #1' or maybe 'Late Recipe Wednesday #1' or perhaps it should just be 'Recipe Wednesday #7 - Oops, It's already Friday!'

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I apologize for the late Recipe posting. I was extremely busy with close out procedures and other duties at my place of work. Some of you may know that I work in the field of education. For those who do not know, I work at a large public high school as a counselor and some of my duties include such things as preparing student schedules for next school year as well as grade and credit verifications for all grade level of my high school students, especially for those senior students who are graduating from school. This does include the unhappy task of helping those students with the upset of failing grades and incomplete credits. These students will either not promoting in grade level or will not graduate. They must plan for summer school or some other means of recovering the grade and credits required. As you can imagine the end of the school year can be one of the busiest times of our year. For another perspective and for a look at a different level of education and how busy the school year can be for educators you might be interested in my brothers Blog post "It's Always a Learning Experience" or "The End of an Era-Sort Of". These give his "perception of the world" as another educator. He is a kindergarten teacher at his current school assignment in Central Texas.

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Well, whatever the reason for the tardiness (more than obvious reference to the classroom and education) and whichever title you prefer, here is the Recipe for today:

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Aunt Dora's Pulled Mints

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2 cups sugar, 1/2 stick butter, 1 cup water, 1/8 tsp. oil of peppermint.

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If color is used, add at the first and cook in coloring. Combine ingredients. Put on stove and boil to 264 degrees F (hard ball). Pour out on marble. Cool 2 or 3 minutes. Make a fingerprint in the center of the candy and put in it 1/8 tsp. of peppermint. Fold all edges over. Pull until stiff, with little ridges. Stretch out on the edges of marble, away from the hot-spot. Cut with scissors. Leave on marble and cover with wax paper for the night. Store in airtight box. Might need to put a little butter on hands for pulling.

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Now, for the story behind this recipe. No, I don't have an Aunt Dora and neither does my wife! I was looking through one of our family recipe books for this weeks recipe. I found a piece of paper with a recipe printed on each side of it. This is not a hand written recipe. It was printed for public distribution by some individual or group. There is no other identification or reference to anyone or anything other than the two recipes. Neither my wife nor I are familiar with the recipe or the paper and where it might have come from. The cook book in which I found the paper is entitled "The Family Cookbook". I have not used this book for any recipe yet. The paper looks like it might have been cut or torn from another part of some kind of circular or advertisement. I simply thought the recipe looked good and it seemed like it might be easy to try. Please enjoy "Aunt Dora's Pulled Mints".

Recipe Wednesday #6

This week I’m going to give a recipe for another one of my all time favorites, a Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Rather than give the simple and quick version of this all time favorite, I decided to look at some of my recipe books and see what kind of recipes might be suggested for the plain and simple Grilled Cheese Sandwich. This recipe is taken from the following source: The Modern Family Cook Book, by Meta Given. The copyright date is 1953 and it was previously published in 1942. The recipe is for ‘Cheese Toasties’ on page 175. I believe we got this book from my wife’s mother after she passed away. As you can see by the date it is no longer so “modern” but I’m sure it was for my mother-in-law when she first got the cook book. I found the recipe to be an interesting variation on one of my own personal favorites, the grilled cheese. Here follows the recipe for “Cheese Toasties” which you may share with your family and friends for a delightful summer snack.

Cheese Toasties

½ pound American cheese, grated
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 to 4 tablespoons milk
Dash salt
6 hamburger buns
Butter

Mix grated cheese with mustard, milk and salt. Split buns in half, toast or not as desired, and spread cut surfaces with butter and cheese mixture. Place under the broiler and toast until cheese is puffy and golden brown. Serve hot. 5 or 6 servings.

Recipe Wednesday #5

This week I would like to share one of my favorite recipes with you. This recipe is found in one of my recipe books. The recipe book is America's Best Recipes: A 1994 Hometown Collection, published by Oxmoor House, Inc. Book Division of Southern Progress Corporation.

These recipes are submitted by different clubs, groups, and organization from across the country. This recipe is found in a section of the book entitled 'Quick and Easy Recipes' on page 13. I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Here is one of my favorite recipes for:

Breakfast

1 pound mild bulk pork sausage

1 (8-ounce) can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese
4 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper


Brown sausage in a skillet, stirring until it crumbles; drain. Place crescent roll dough in bottom of a greased 13- x 9- x 2-inch baking dish; press perforations and pinch seams to seal. Sprinkle reserved sausage and cheese over dough. Combine eggs and remaining ingredients; pour over mixture in dish. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

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