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Friday, September 7, 2012

What Should I Give The Prince and Princess

Well just home from seeing my adorable two little grandbabies. My prince and princess can always put a smile on my face. Since I live so far away from them I always bring special treats to them. I am all ready starting to think about what I could bring them to celebrate fall / halloween. So I am asking this easy question as my Aloha Friday question. If you are not aware Aloha Friday is hosted by An Island Life and you can join in the fun as well

my question
What treat or gift would you bring children under age of 4 to share with them fall / fall holidays

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Pecan Crunch Cookies



1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup crushed potato chips (Lay’s or similar)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter sugar and vanilla. Add crushed potato chips and pecans. Stir in flour. Batter will be dry.
Form dough into small balls, using about 1 tsp. dough for each. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press balls flat with bottom of a tumbler dipped in sugar. Bake 16-18 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Makes 3.5 dozen.

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Ratatouille

Ratatouille (pronounced rat-tat-too-e) is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice. The full name of the dish is ratatouille Niçoise.
The French “touiller” means to toss food. Ratatouille is usually served as a side dish, but also may be served as a meal on its own or accompanied by pasta, rice or bread. Tomatoes are a key ingredient, with garlic, onions, courgettes (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant), poivron (bell peppers), carrot, and bouquet garni or herbs like herbes de Provence. There is much debate on how to make a traditional ratatouille. My method is to simply sauté all of the vegetables together. Some cooks, including Julia Child, insist on a layering approach, where the aubergine and the courgettes are sautéed separately, while the tomatoes, onion, garlic and bell peppers are made into a sauce. The ratatouille is then layered in a casserole – aubergine, courgettes, tomato/pepper mixture – then baked in an oven.
When ratatouille is used as a filling for savory crêpes or to fill an omelette, (last week’s recipe) the pieces are sometimes cut smaller. Also, unnecessary moisture is reduced by straining the liquid with a colander into a bowl, reducing it in a hot pan, then adding one or two tablespoons of reduced liquid back into the vegetables.
INGREDIENTS –
- 2 big onions, diced
- 1/2 cup olive oil
– 6 cloves garlic, finely sliced
– Salt and freshly ground pepper
- a bouquet garni or Herbs de Provence
– 1 large eggplant, diced coarsely
- zucchini, diced coarsely
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
- yellow bell peppers, seeded and diced
– 5 or 6 big tomatoes, diced
Heat a heavy assed sauce pan with some olive oil. Brown the onions & garlic, and then add the eggplant and brown. Add the peppers, the zucchinis, and the tomatoes with the bouquet garni let them cook for at least 35 minutes…. Stir often.
You can eat it hot or cold. You are the chef. If you eat it with a roasted leg of lamb, and a Rose wine from Provence, you won’t be far from smelling the fragrances of the old flower market in Nice.
Jean Doherty is the Chef and Owner of Le Patio Restaurant in Wilton Manors (954) 530-4641

source florida agenda

Monday, September 3, 2012

Monterey Chicken



MONTEREY CHICKEN
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. bar-b-que sauce ( I use Bull's Eye)
1/4 c. real bacon bits
1 c. colby and jack cheese, shredded
1 14 oz. can Rotel tomatoes, drained (canned with green chilies added)
sliced green onions
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pound out chicken breasts to flatten. Season with pepper. Grill chicken until no long pink (we used our George Foreman grill) and place on baking sheet covered with foil. Top each chicken breast with one tablespoon bar-b-que sauce, 1/4 c. cheese, 1/4 c. tomatoes, green onions and one tablespoon of bacon bits. Place in oven and bake until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes).

***This is the first time we marinated the chicken breasts before cooking and they were great. You don't have to though. Marinade: 1/4 c. olive oil, 2 T. soy sauce, 2 tsp. McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning. (We only marinade about a half hour or the meat gets too salty for us.)

recipe source here

Easy Banana Bread

Yellow Cake Mix
2 Eggs
3-4 Overripe Bananas
1/2-1 cup chocolate chips, nuts, etc.
 
 

Smash bananas in a large bowl (I just mixed them in my KitchenAid), then add remaining ingredients and mix well. Batter will fill 2 small loaf pans (GREAT for gifts!!) or one large loaf pan. Make sure to spray pans well with nonstick cooking spray and a little bit of flour.

Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes (bake longer if using larger loaf pan)

Power Ranger Giveaway

Power Rangers have been around for quite some time now. They are still a favorite of my son, maybe he does not morph (imagination) in his room any more but still loves everything about the Power Rangers. I just entered a giveaway that could keep him very happy. The blog an island life is hosting a giveaway to win a Power Rangers dvd. Giveaway ends 9/15/12