Easy Party treats for the New Year :Onion Herb Focaccia

Directions


On a floured surface, roll out 1 pound refrigerated pizza dough into a 10-by-15-inch rectangle; press into an oiled rimmed baking sheet. Mix 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary and/or oregano, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and a big pinch of sea salt. Brush half of the herb oil over the dough, then set aside until puffy, about 1 hour. Make dimples in the dough with your fingers and top with thin onion slices and shaved parmesan. Bake at 400 until golden, about 20 minutes. Brush with the remaining herb oil.
Total Time: 1 hr 40 min. Prep 20 min. Inactive 1 hr 0 min. Cook 20 min.
Yield:4 servings .Level:Easy.

Hamburger Soup

Prep Time:
30 Min
Cook Time:
30
MinReady In:
1 Hr
Servings 10
Original Recipe Yield 10 servings
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 cups diced onion (optional)
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup stick margarine
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Directions
1.In a large saucepan or soup kettle, cook the beef, onions, carrots, celery and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Stir in broth, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
2.In another saucepan, melt margarine over medium-low heat. Stir in flour until smooth. cook and stir for 6-8 minutes or until mixture turns golden brown. Carefully stir into soup. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally

Sausage soup

Ingredients
1 pound Italian sausage
2 onions, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
6 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 cups bow tie pasta
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
Directions
1.In a soup pot, cook sausage over medium heat until no pink remains.
2.Add onions, celery, and carrots. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, or until onions are soft.
3.Add tomatoes, chicken broth, cabbage, and basil. Bring to a boil. Stir in macaroni, and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until pasta is tender. Season with garlic salt. Serve.

Giddy up Chili

This Chili can have multiple items subbed in or out to your liking or to what you have around the house. Great thing is chili is never really wrong.(per serving)

Calories 400
Total Fat 11.1g
Saturated Fat --
Cholesterol 76.3mg
Sodium 489mg
Total Carbohydrate --
Dietary Fiber 11.40g
Sugars --
Protein 37.7g
Calcium --

Serves: 6 Yields: 6 cups
Ingredients
1 tablespoon(s) vegetable oil 1 pound(s) boneless chuck or rump roast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes1 large (about 2 cups) onion, chopped 6 clove(s) garlic, minced 2 can(s) (14 1/2-ounce) low-sodium beef broth 1 tablespoon(s) chili powder 1 teaspoon(s) cumin 1 can(s) (14 1/2-ounce) diced low-sodium tomatoes 2 dried ancho chiles 1 tablespoon(s) masa harina de maiz( sub item) 1 cup(s) water2 can(s) (15 1/2-ounce) pinto beans( sub item), rinsed and drained1/2 teaspoon(s) salt1 tablespoon(s) cider vinegar( sub item)
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Directions

1.Brown the meat: In a large Dutch oven, stove or crock pot, add oil and heat over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot but not smoking, add beef and cook until browned -- about 5 minutes. Remove beef, set aside, and reduce heat to medium.
2.Make the chili: Add onion to the Dutch oven and sauté until translucent -- 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute. Return the meat to the Dutch oven. Gradually add 1 can beef broth and deglaze by scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Add chili powder, cumin, and tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
3.Puree the chiles: In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the remaining can of beef broth to a boil. Add ancho chiles and let stand 15 minutes to hydrate. Remove and discard stems. Place chili mixture and liquid in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth -- 2 to 3 minutes.
4.Finish the chili: In a small bowl, whisk the masa and water together. Stir masa mixture into the chili. Add ancho chili mixture, pinto beans, salt, and vinegar. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Hot Pastrami Game Day food

Nutritional Information
(per serving)

Calories 234
Total Fat 17.2g
Saturated Fat --
Cholesterol 61mg
Sodium 1,465mg
Total Carbohydrate 1.7g
Dietary Fiber 0.7g
Sugars --
Protein 17g
Calcium --

Serves: 14 Total Time: 4 hr 5 min

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 3 hr 30 min
Ingredients
U.S. Metric Conversion chart
1 tablespoon(s) whole coriander seeds, toasted2 teaspoon(s) whole allspice2 bay leaves1/4 teaspoon(s) caraway seed1 tablespoon(s) yellow mustard seeds2 tablespoon(s) cracked black pepper1/2 teaspoon(s) ground ginger1 teaspoon(s) garlic powder1/2 teaspoon(s) salt3 1/2 pound(s) whole corned beef, rinsed and patted dry
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Directions

1.Fill a large stockpot, fitted with a steam basket, with water to about 1 inch below the level of the steam basket. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Coarsely grind the coriander seed, allspice, bay leaves, caraway, and mustard seeds using an electric spice grinder or a mortar and pestle, and mix with the cracked black pepper, ginger, garlic powder, and salt. Press onto the entire surface of the corned beef. Set the beef in the steam basket, cover, and steam over medium-low heat until fork tender -- 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Carefully add water as needed to maintain level. Transfer the pastrami from the pot to a cutting board. Let the meat rest for 30 minutes before slicing thinly. Serve in sandwiches or alone with vegetables.

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Game Day Fries

Fries

For simple fries: Cut 2 large potatoes into strips and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake at 425 degrees F for about 30 minutes.
Youca n use as many Potatoes as you like. Or for something WOW use different types of potatoes and mix them in.

Tuna Italian pasta

2 (2.6 oz.) Chunk Light Tuna, Low Sodium

⅔ cup small whole grain pasta

2 tsp. olive oil

½ cup chopped onion

2 tsp. minced garlic

½ cup sliced mushrooms

1 can (14.5 oz.) Diced Tomatoes with Italian Seasonings, No Salt Added

¼ cup mozzarella cheese, part skim (plus additional 1 – 2 tbsp. for topping)

Red pepper flakes to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cook pasta according to package directions, until just tender.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in small skillet. Sauté onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add mushrooms and sauté an additional 3 – 4 minutes until softened.
Mix in tuna, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, pasta and cheese.
Spoon into two single serving casserole dishes and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with additional cheese and bake another 5 minutes to melt cheese.
....

Colder month cheer Fall and Winter Scents

things that make you go hmnnnnn, and yum, and ahhhhh.


Fill a small saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Add the ingredients from the recipe of your choice, let them boil for a couple minutes, and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Add water as needed (about every 30 minutes or so).



Recipe #1:

Cinnamon sticks

Apple peels

Orange rinds

Whole cloves



Recipe #2:

Peel from one lemon

Peel from one orange

2 bay leaves

3 cinnamon sticks

2 tablespoons whole cloves



Recipe #3

A few drops vanilla

Orange peels



Recipe #4

1 cup dried lavender

1 teaspoon anise

1 tablespoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick



Recipe #5

5 bay leaves

1 tablespoon whole cloves

2 sticks cinnamon

amazing chicken, lamb, or beef

Slow-Roasted Lamb
Buy a leg or shoulder of lamb (the latter of which will be more fall-apart tender, like pork barbecue). Chop 4 cloves of garlic with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. Generously rub the meat with salt and cracked fresh pepper. Brown it on all sides in a large pan with some olive oil over medium heat. Let cool, then rub with the garlic-and-rosemary mixture.
Place the meat on a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil set in a roasting pan. Enclose it loosely in the foil, then add 1 to 2 cups of dry white wine and seal it up tight. Stick the pan in an oven preheated to 250 degrees. Roast for 5 to 7 hours, basting occasionally, till super tender and fragrant. You basically can't cook it too long. Remove it just before serving, let it rest on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes, slice, and plate. Top with the jus and a healthy drizzle of salsa verde.

Read More http://www.gq.com/how-to/eat-and-drink/201003/gq-hosts-how-to-entertain-at-home-dinner-party#slide=10#ixzz0zATJ4ksj

8 ! Yes 8 ! Perfect Breakfast Tips.

Follow these tips for a easier smoother breakfast with less mess and more time to enjoy the actual food, instead of watching others enjoy it for you..


1. Omelet
Want a perfect omelet? Getting the egg out of the pan is the challenge. Here are some helpful hints chefs already know:
•Heat the pan hot! When you pour in the egg, it should sizzle and bubble. The pan should be hot enough to cook in just moments, without browning.
•Use a heavyweight nonstick pan, and make sure it is spotlessly clean.
•Use a heatproof rubber scraper. These flexible tools, once used merely to scrape batter out of pans, have become major cooking tools with the advent of heatproof silicone blades.

2. Hash Browns
Boil the potatoes in advance and — this is the key — refrigerate them overnight before grating them, resulting in picture-perfect hash browns that are golden-edged and crisp. That's because cooking and chilling will crystallize the potato starch, allowing them to cook up dry and crisp, not gooey.



3. Frittata
For an extra crispy, perfectly browned frittata top, drizzle with a light splash of extra-virgin olive oil before popping into the oven.

4. French Toast
Ever wonder how restaurants get their French toast so brown and sweet without overcooking the middle? Here's the trick: When you melt the butter, add a pinch of brown sugar, a pinch of ground cinnamon, and a pinch of salt to the pan at the same time. When the butter begins to foam, put the bread in the pan, but do not move it around until it's time to flip!



5. Muffins and Scones
Are your breakfast baked goods a little tough? Here's a secret weapon that just might help: sugar. Stir a few tablespoons of sugar in when combining the dry ingredients. Sugar helps weaken the gluten in the flour so it can't form such tough bonds. When it comes to baking, sugar is a natural tenderizer.

6. Pancakes
The best and lightest pancakes are made from buttermilk and baking soda, which together create air bubbles that are trapped by the gluten in the flour. This simple chemical reaction happens and subsides quickly, so don't wait around. Mix the pancake batter quickly (and minimally — overbeating makes them tough and flat) and cook them immediately. Discard any leftover batter.



7. Bacon
To avoid splatter, and for even cooking, cook bacon in the microwave. For 1 sandwich, place 1 or 2 slices of bacon on a folded paper towel and lay it in the microwave. Cook on high for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and sizzling. For more than 2 slices of bacon, lay the paper towel on a plate and increase the cooking time as needed.

8. Oatmeal
The key to perfect oatmeal every time is to not add milk until the end; otherwise, it will curdle and throw off the texture of the cereal (not to mention its flavor).

Rattatoolie crock pot style

Ingredients:Servings:
8Servings Size
Servings

2 large onions, cut in half and sliced
1 large eggplants, sliced, cut in 2 inch pieces
4 small zucchini, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large green bell peppers, de-seeded and cut into thin strips
2 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch wedges
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
red pepper flakes, to spice it up
Change Measurements: US | Metric

Directions:Prep Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 1/2 day
1 Layer half the vegetables in a large crock pot in the following order: onion, eggplant, zucchini, garlic, green peppers, tomatoes. 2 Next sprinkle half the basil, oregano, sugar, parsley, salt and pepper on the veggies. 3 Dot with half of the tomato paste. 4 Repeat layering process with remaining vegetables, spices and tomato paste. 5 Drizzle with olive oil. 6 Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours. 7 Place in serving bowl and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 8 Refrigerate to store. 9 May freeze up to 6 weeks.