Asparagus on Toast

By Robert G Dickens  

Photo:  d37xeixy3leayx.cloudfront.net

I'm crazy about asparagus. When the spears start popping in spring, there is a local market with 10 lb. bags for a great price.
The Steal-head start their spring run here in South Western Lower Michigan and with some good bread, what a wonderful meal. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner it's fantastic.
The city of Hart, Michigan celebrates complete with a parade and asparagus queen. Fun time and good eats.
Picking Asparagus
Get It Fresh While You Can Growers have a short window to harvest the tasty spikes. The plant pops up out of the ground and is snipped off. as more pops up they keep picking till the spears become fat and Woodie. Not as tasty and tender then.
The plant will start to become bushy and go to seed.
If you plan to add Asparagus to your garden it can take up to two years before you are able to pick and consume. Very well worth the wait.
White Sauce
There are many theories on white sauces. I say it's just a fancy word to us down home people for gravy. I always add the rue element to any gravy of sauce. Browning the flour always gives it a nutty flavor rather than just having that raw flour taste.
No matter if your using butter, olive oil, or some of the fat from browning meat, I always cook my flour till it becomes a light golden brown. Even brick red. I f you have every made Jambalaya or Gumbo you know what I'm talking about.
Easy
This is easy and doesn't take any time at all. What ever fat you choose, brown the flour. Salt and pepper to taste and add milk or cream. How ever rich you want it to be.
You can poach, broil, or fry the fish some to bring out the flavor. At the end just add it to your sauce. Shrimp or Scallops or both are wonderful too.
I like my Asparagus when it still has a little crunch to it. Boil, microwave, broil, how ever you like to prepare it. Some good whole wheat toast ( choose your favorite). Lay a few spears on the toast and pour on the sauce. Oh Ya!
Any white fish will work. I choose tilapia or cod when I have had little luck catching the steal head.
Breakfast, lunch, or dinner this is a wonderful meal. I hardly ever have left overs and that's to bad. As with many dishes it gets better when warmed up the second time.

Robert Dickens
Owner Find Shop And Buy Here Com Ltd. An Online shopping Mall.
Home base is Mishawaka, In.
We can be reached by e mail at contact@findshopandbuyhere.com
Organic, top brand garden care, lawn care, and pest control: http://www.findshopandbuyhere.com/thesaferbrand.html

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Clams As Food

 By Ted Demopoulos 

Photo: foodrepublik.com

Clams have been around for 100s of millions of years and humans have been eating them for nearly 200,000 years according to anthropologists. Now personally I believe that is because they taste great, and although most people agree, opinions do vary. Some types of clams do not taste good, for example cockles, and some may even be borderline inedible, but many are commonly consumed. These include soft shell clams, often called steamers, quahogs and ocean quahogs, two totally different yet very similar species, geoducks, and surf clams. Technically a clam is a bivalve that burrows in sediment as opposed to swimming bivalves like scallops or bivalves that attach themselves to substrate like oysters. Clams are filter feeders, and some species are commonly enjoyed raw as well as cooked a variety of ways. We explore several below.
Steamers are northeastern Americans soft shell clams that are steamed until the shells open, which normally only takes 3 or 4 minutes maximum. I often eat them as is, but it is traditional to dip them in the water they were steamed in first to remove any sediment and then in melted butter. Other types of clams can be served steamed as well, but to many clam aficionados they are not true "steamers." Steamers are accompanied very well by cold beer.
Clams can also be served deep fried, and these are simply called fried clams. They are dipped in bread crumbs before frying, although in some places a choice of batter or crumbs may be offered. Most people prefer crumbs and in fact most places only after crumbs. These may be eaten as is or dipped in tartar sauce or less commonly cocktail sauce. The best for frying are soft shelled clams, the same type as used for steamers, and may be called "whole clams" to distinguish them from deep fried strips of surf clams, a larger hard shelled species.
Quahogs are the variety most often served raw. They are open, half the shell removed, and served with lemon and cocktail sauce on the side. Although there are potential health issues many people eat them every year with only positive effects. Smaller quahogs are usually the ones eaten raw, and are traditionally called littlenecks for the smallest ones and cherrystones for larger ones.
Other methods of preparing them include baked stuffed, which involves chopping up the meat and mixing it with breadcrumbs and seasonings before placing back in half a shell and baking, clamcakes which are similar to baked stuffed but formed into a patty, and various types of clam sauces for pasta dishes, and much more.

For a lot more on eating clams, please visit Clams and Steamed Clams.

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Ways With Chicken: Balsamic Chicken Over Rice and Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Casserole

 By Linda Carol Wilson 

Photo: inlinethumb28.webshots.com

Most families love chicken and most cooks use a lot of it. After all, chicken can be easily stretched to feed a family economically. If you are looking for some new recipes to prepare chicken, these recipes are for you, and your family will love them! You will notice I use brown rice. If you aren't already doing so, you should switch your family to brown rice. They probably won't notice the difference and it is a healthier alternative to white rice. If you start your children eating healthier while they are young, it will become a way of life for them. Don't have brown rice? Go ahead and use your white. It won't make any difference to the recipe. In the second recipe, you could use the low-fat cream of mushroom soup and no yolk noodles if you want to make the recipe a little healthier. You could also use low-fat cheese. Your dish will taste the same but you will have made a little healthier dish. These dishes are quick and easy to prepare. Add a bagged salad and you have a meal!
BALSAMIC CHICKEN OVER RICE
1 tbsp olive or canola oil
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, sliced
4 (1 lb) skinless boneless chicken breasts halves
1 1/2 large bell peppers, sliced
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
2 cans (14 1/2-oz each) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups hot cooked brown rice
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes. Add the chicken and cook 4 minutes per side or until browned. Add the bell peppers, balsamic vinegar, fresh mushrooms, Italian seasoning and tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes or until chicken is done through. Serve over the hot rice.
Yield: 4 servings
QUICK AND EASY CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE
1 can (10 3/4-oz) cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables or California blend
2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken
2 cups curly egg noodles, cooked and drained
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish, stir together the mushroom soup, milk, pepper, Parmesan cheese, mixed vegetables, chicken, and noodles. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the top.
Enjoy!

You can find more of Linda's quick and easy recipes at http://grandmasquickfixrecipes.blogspot.com
She shares slow cooker/crockpot recipes at http://grandmasslowcookerrecipes.blogspot.com

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Moroccan Chicken Pie

By Cecilia R. Miranda  

Photo:  cdn.taste.com.au

Don't let the simple title fool you. Moroccan bastillas are a time consuming affair. They are not difficult to put together but their preparation can take upwards of up to 2 hours to prepare and put together because of their numerous steps. This recipe took a total of 2 hours from start to finish, so if you have the time and are up to the task it is well worth the time and effort because the results are worth it.
Yield:6 Servings
Ingredients:
1/2 large onion, peeled, finely chopped
1 handful cilantro, leaved removed from stems, finely chopped
1 handful parsley, leaves removed from stem, finely chopped
4 oz. almonds, slivered
1/3 c butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ras al hanout
2 Tbsp. orange blossom water
7 Tbsp. water
2 eggs, beaten
8 sheets filo pastry
1. Toast the almonds in a dry pan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes till they become slightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter and the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the chicken breast on both sides with salt and add to the pan. Cook until both sides are browned well. Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside.Lower the heat a little.
3. Add the onion to the skillet and brown them.Add the cinnamon and ras al hanout and stir together till evenly combined. Add the orange water, water and bring to a boil.
4. Return the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook for an additional 10 minutes over low heat.
5. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. Turn off the heat and remove the onion/spice mixture to a separate bowl.Cut the chicken into small pieces.
6. Add the beaten eggs to the onion/spice mixture then add cilantro and parsley and mix well.
7. In a 9 in. pie dish, stack 4 filo pastry sheets overlapping each other and brush with melted butter. Pour the onion/spice mixture into the pie dish and cover with the filo pastry.
8. Repeat with the remainder sheets. Add the almond pieces and evenly distribute the chicken pieces on top. Fold the pastry sheets on top covering the chicken completely and tucking the edges that are loose. Brush top of bastilla with olive oil.
9. Bake for 10-15 minutes until top is lightly browned. Remove from heat, wait for it to cool and serve warm.

For this and more North African,Middle Eastern and Gulf Arab recipes check out http://www.pomegranatesandzaatar.blogspot.com

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Delicious Old Fashion Recipes for Preparing Beef

 By Linda Carol Wilson 

Photo: farm3.static.flickr.com

Often the best recipes are the older ones. Do you fondly remember meals served by your grandmothers and/or mother? I have wonderful memories of eating at both my grandmothers houses. My paternal grandmother cooked on a big old cast iron wood powered cook stove and I remember it fondly. I grew up next door to my maternal grandmother and would always find a reason to be walking past her kitchen windows at dinner time. I rode a school bus several miles over the Indiana hillside to school and back. I loved walking into the house and being greeted by delicious aromas coming from the kitchen. Try these old fashioned recipes for preparing some very tasty beef dishes and maybe they will bring you some fond memories, too. Our filet mignon was made with ground beef!
MOCK FILET MIGNON
This family recipe is from the early 50s.
8 to 10 slices bacon
2 lbs ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup American cheese (grated)
2 tbsp catsup
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Place bacon on a board with strips side by side. Combine the remaining ingredients together and mix well. Roll meat mixture into a 10-inch roll. Draw the bacon strips around the meat and hold in place with toothpicks. Slice into 1-inch rounds so that bacon surrounds each slice. Broil on each side until browned and done to your taste.
ONION-MUSHROOM CHUCK ROAST
This is a recipe from my childhood in Southern Indiana during the 1940s and 50s. This is still one of my favorite ways to prepare a chuck roast.
3 lb chuck roast
salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
Sprinkle the chuck roast with salt and pepper to suit your taste. Rub the dry onion soup mix onto the top of the roast and top with the sliced mushrooms. Wrap the roast in foil, seal, and put into a 350 degree oven. Bake for 2 hours. (I make this recipe in my slowcooker now!)
EASY BEEF SHORT RIBS
3 lb beef short ribs
3 tbsp lard
salt to suit taste
pepper to taste
1 onion, quartered
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 bay leaf
2 cup water
Melt lard in large saucepan or Dutch oven. Brown meat and drain off excess drippings. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Mix remaining ingredients, except flour, together and pour over ribs; heat to boiling. Cover and simmer for two hours. Remove ribs and thicken sauce with the flour.
NOTE: Today I replace the lard with canola oil!
Enjoy!

For more of Linda's old-fashion recipe collection visit her blog at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com
For more of her recipes and diabetic information visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com

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Pizza Around The World

 By Sylvia Rieman 

Photo: gadgets-weblog.com

Pizza has become an international phenomenon in that wherever you go in the world there will be pizza. Pizza has been adapted to more cultures and cuisines than most other dishes around the world. When some local school children were asked where pizza originally came from, they thought it was from the area in which they lived. And rightly so, because pizza has been adapted to whatever region in the world you live. Barring that thought, pizza does have an interesting history and that begins in Greece, contrary to what most people probably think and that would be Italy.
There are conflicting stories revolving around the origin of pizza; one story is that the word 'Pizza' is derived from the Greek word Picea. Picea is an adjective that describes the black coating left on the bottom of dough by the burning ashes which were used in ancient ovens. The first pizzas were probably baked in wood burning stoves and may well have been black on the bottom from the ashes. Another story is that the Greek Flatbread was baked on an earthenware platter and was called piada. Whichever is true, pizza did originate in Greece although not in the form that we know it today. The Italians are responsible for the modern creation of pizza and that would be the flatbread with a tomato topping, cheese and of course whatever else you would like to put on it.
When we were in Venice, Italy, the pizza that was served to us was a personal size and was very thin. It was not sliced as it was meant to be rolled up like a burrito and eaten that way. The reverse was true of pizza sold on the street carts and was not really pizza but foccacia that had pizza toppings on it. These were sold in small portions that could be eaten out of hand.
In Holland, we ordered an everything pizza and contrary to the way it is made in the United States, each section had a different topping. We were used to the 'everything' pizza that had everything scattered throughout so that everyone could have a taste of everything. In this case, you could only have the toppings that were on the slices you chose.
When we were In Japan, Pizza Hut sold a California Pizza that was a baked pizza shell topped with shredded lettuce and tomato. From what I understand, the California Pizza that is sold today has a variety of fish and seafood such as tuna, squid and shrimp and seaweed! If you go online and search pizza in Japan you will see all kinds of interesting combinations!
Pizza in the United States has taken on all forms and is tasty on all counts. At one time, the thick crusted pizza that took half an hour to bake was very popular. Thin crusted pizzas have taken their place and sport all types of toppings. Let's start with the basic pizza and that would be just with a tomato topping, cheese and probably pepperoni if you are so inclined. I like my pizza with lots of vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and olives.
Popular styles of pizza are: Hawaiian, Mexican, Southwest Barbecued Chicken and one of my favorites, Chinese Barbecued Duck Pizza. The Hawaiian Pizza as featured in most restaurants is made with Canadian bacon (Portuguese Sausage would be more like it) and Pineapple along with the tomato and cheese. Southwest BBQ Chicken Pizza has a topping much like BBQ Sauce along with the chicken, red bell peppers and red onions and maybe cilantro and of course cheese. Chinese BBQ Duck Pizza uses Hoisin sauce instead of tomatoes and does have cheese, which is not a common item in the Chinese diet.
Along with flat pizzas there is calzone which got its name from the shape of the bottom of men's pants in Naples, Italy during another century. Today you can find pizza bagels, pizza dogs, stuffed pizza and on and on and on. Pizza is a close competitor of the All-American Hamburger and may have even surpassed the burger as everybody's favorite. Whichever you like your pizza, just enjoy it and if you are in the mood, try different styles, just for the fun of it.

I have been a children's cooking teacher and educator for over 35 years. I teach monthly classes in Westlake Village, California for children, teens and their parents. I love to share my ideas to help kids be safe, learn and have fun in the kitchen. I hold a MS in Nutrition Education and Food Sciences from California State University.
Please check out my website at http://www.sylveeeskitchen.com

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How to Make a Sundal - A Popular Indian Chickpea (Garbonzo Bean) Salad

 fromatovegan.com

This is a recipe from Tamil Nadu in southern India. Chickpeas are more often associated with north Indian cuisine but this tasty chickpea salad is bursting with the amazing flavours of the south. Be careful, it's addictive!
Sundal is eaten all day long in Tamil Nadu including breakfast. It is often eaten as a snack but is also a very popular and nice side dish. I really love the flavour of the roasted coconut and chickpeas together.
Chickpea salad is a favourite around my house at barbecues. If you like hummus, you are going to love this. It's so similar yet has a flavour all its own. The addition of raw urad dhal (white lentils) is popular in south Indian cooking. The urad dhal adds a crunchyness to the salad that is really nice but can be left out if you can not find white urad dhal lentils in your area.
Sundal can be eaten hot or at room temperature. Served hot, it can also accompany rice as a vegetarian curry. Add a tin of tomatoes if you like more sauce. I prefer to eating Sundal at room temperature as a finger snack which is the way it is most often served in Tamil Nadu.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
 
INGREDIENTS
 
800g (24 oz) canned chickpeas
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 fresh red chillies sliced down the middle
3 curry leaves
1 Tablespoon brown mustard seeds
1 Tablespoon urad dhal
4 Tablespoon freshly grated coconut
2 red chillies finely chopped
Juice of two lemons
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
In a small frying pan, lightly brown the coconut over medium heat. Set aside to cool.
Pour the oil into a saucepan and heat over medium heat.
Throw in the mustard seeds, curry leaves, urad dhal and red chillies. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the chopped green chillies and stir around for about 30 seconds.
Now add the chickpeas with about a tablespoon of water and cook for about 5 minutes. throw in the roasted coconut and mix well.
Remove from the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot or at room temperature.
Sundal is easy to make, tastes great and looks appetising. If you are looking for something different to serve at your next barbecue, give this a try. It is sure to go down well.

You will find many more easy and authentic Indian recipes like this one on my great curry recipes website.
The site is packed with Indian food and curry recipes that have been specially tested and written for the home chef.
I hope you enjoy reading and cooking the Indian food recipes at http://www.greatcurryrecipes.net
Dan M Toombs
The Curry Guy

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