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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Recipes for Your Choice of Chicken Rolls: Italian or Apricot

 By Linda Carol Wilson

Photo: 3.bp.blogspot.com

Whether for a dinner party or a family meal, chicken rolls make an impressive entree. This article gives you recipes for two different options to suit your taste and needs. Apricot Chicken Rolls offer a fruit-style filling while the Italian Chicken Rolls have a cheese and prosciutto filling. Either one is sure to impress your family and/or friends.

APRICOT CHICKEN ROLLS

1 1/3 cups dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp butter
2 eggs
6 medium sized boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a bowl combine the apricots, cranberries, honey, and ginger; set aside.

Stir together bread crumbs, parsley, flour, cheese, paprika, sugar, salt, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Transfer to a shallow dish. Place eggs in a pie plate and beat lightly with a fork.

ITALIAN CHICKEN ROLLS

This recipe takes a little longer than some but you can still be eating less than an hour after you start preparation. It is also a good recipe to make ahead, wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate and serve the next day cold, sliced with your favorite creamy salad dressing.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
4 thin slices Provolone cheese
2 thin slices prosciutto or very lean ham
1 tsp paprika
6 tbsp panko crumbs*
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
3 tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pound each chicken breast half to a thickness of approximately 1/4-inch. Cut Prosciutto slices in half.

Layer a slice of cheese, then a half slice of prosciutto on each pounded out chicken piece. Roll up and secure with wooden toothpicks (or cooking string).

Mix the paprika, panko, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, oregano, and basil together in a shallow dish. Dip chicken rolls in the butter, using tongs. Roll butter dipped chicken in the panko crumb mixture to coat evenly.

Place the dipped and breaded chicken rolls, seam sides down, in a baking dish that has been lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly and is golden brown.

Place each piece of chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and hit with a mallet or the end of a saucer until pounded to no more than 1/4-inch thick. Remove the plastic wrap and discard. Place half the apricot mixture into the center of each chicken piece. Fold in the bottom and sides; roll up and secure with wooden toothpicks. Dip the chicken rolls into the egg mixture, wetting all over, then dip in the crumb mixture, covering all. Place chicken in the prepared baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until done.

Yield: 6 servings

Enjoy!

For 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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How to Prepare Deliciously Seasoned Chicken Drumsticks

 By Shawn Drewry

Photo: khanapakana.com

Preparing delicious chicken drumsticks that are well-seasoned is as easy as one, two three. First, what you'll need to do is clear out and clean your sink thoroughly. Then, once your sink is clean as a whistle, simply fill it half way with fresh water. After your sink is thoroughly filled half way with water, you'll need to pull out your favorite spices from your kitchen cabinet. Some of the best spices you can use for seasoning chicken is low-sodium meat tenderizer, terryaki sauce, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, light salt, Italian seasoning, and a few other creative and low sodium seasonings to marinate your chicken drumsticks in.

You'll need to let your chicken drumsticks soak in the sink so that it'll deplete chicken grease and any blood it had inside the packaging, and you can get the chicken clean. After the first set of water soaks up the blood and extra chicken grease from the drumsticks, simply drain the 1st set of water from the sink, and remove the drumsticks from the water. After the chicken is removed from the sink after the water has been drained and the chicken drumsticks have been cleaned thoroughly, simply get a pot, or large bowl, in prepping for the 2nd phase of marination.

When your drumsticks are drained and ready to be seasoned, place them in the pot or large bowl. By the time the chicken has been placed in there, the pot or bowl that the drumsticks will sit in should have a little bit of fresh water in it, accompanied by the seasonings you plan on using to season the chicken meat. After all the chicken drumsticks have been paced in the pot or bowl of choice, simply place the pot-top or a large plastic food covering over the food bowl, to cover up the meat. After the chicken has been covered in seasoning with a tid bit of water and either a pot top of food wrap, place the covered drumsticks in your refrigerator and let them marinate thoroughly for a few hours, or a day.

After you feel the marinated chicken drumsticks have been completely marinated and are ready for cooking, you can place them in a large steaming pot to steam them, or place on the grill to cook. If you decide to place them in a large steaming pot to cook, this ensures that you are bleeding extra sodium, and hidden fat that is in the drumsticks, thus, helping to reduce calories and fat in the chicken, so that you'll be eating virtually pure protein, without consuming extra sodium, calories and fat.

When cooking drumsticks by steaming or on the grill, it's also a healthy practice to remove the chicken skin from the drumsticks. This is another healthy approach in reducing fat consumption from food, and staying lean and healthy, in your fitness transformation efforts. Eat healthy for daily vitality and for the beat healthcare insurance in yourself!

DNN is a social news submission portal, where journalists, article marketers, bloggers, content creators, media organization, video content publishers, car dealerships, car companies, oil and gas companies, and others can submit their news, articles, weblinks to useful information, submit your YouTube or other online video, Twitter and Facebook pages, upon creating a free user account profile. DrewryNewsNetwork concentrates on serving others on the world wide web with helpful information to keep you in the know of things, free of charge. DrewryNewsNetwork "dubbed DNN" was started by Drewry in early 2010, and strives daily in making the site a better user experience for all.

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Garden Fresh Tomato and Pepper Salsa

 By Annette Welsford

Photo: easygourmetdinners.com

Tomatoes and peppers are amongst the easiest vegetables to grow successfully in any garden. So if you plant them at the same time, there's a good chance that you will get a good crop.

Having said this, tomatoes and peppers (both capsicums and chillies) are from the same solanaceous family, and may suffer from similar problems. Most horticulturists recommend that they should be rotated as crops. In fact, the ideal is that they should not be grown within three years of each other. That's a tricky one for people like me who simply adore tomatoes and the full range of peppers and chillies.

If you have the space, you can plant in distinctly different areas of your garden, and rotate the plants this way. But not everyone has lots of space. The good news is that tomatoes, capsicums and a variety of chilli types grow extremely well in pots. Then all you need to do is renew the potting soil and carry on growing regardless.

All tomatoes and peppers may be eaten raw, cooked, or used with other foods in a wide variety of recipes. Salsa is a favourite with many people, and there are many recipes, some of which involve cooking the ingredients - even though some purists will say that it should not be cooked.

Whichever way it is created, salsa claims Mexican origins, and so it often eaten with tortilla chips, Mexican tacos or fajitas. This salsa is great served this way, or you can use it instead of tomato sauce, over potato chips, fried or scrambled egg, or on plain grilled chicken or meat. You can also use it for cooking.

The ingredients you will need to make approximately 2 litres or half a gallon of garden fresh tomato and pepper salsa are:

• 8 raw juicy tasty tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 2 cans of tomatoes or tomato and onion mix(400 g or 14 oz)
• 4 small or 2 large onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
• about half a head of garlic (5 large cloves), peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
• 3 fresh red chillies, coarsely chopped
• seasoning

You may adjust the seasoning according to taste, but as a guideline, use:

• about a teaspoonful each of black peppercorns and ground paprika (which of course is a mild seasoning made from red peppers)
• at least two teaspoons of mixed dried herbs
• between a pinch and half a teaspoon each of salt and white pepper

The number of chillies you use will depend on the type you have grown, and how hot they are. If you want to reduce the "hotness" of the salsa, remove the pips before blending. If you aren't using home-grown tomatoes, chances are the tomato skin will be quite tough. If so, blanch and peel before chopping.

The quantities here will require about three or four blender batches, so mix the ingredients in each batch. Then mix them all together in a large bowl before decanting into bottles.

This salsa is relatively smooth. If you prefer chunky salsa, don't blend for very long. The texture will be completely different, but the taste will be the same - well not quite, but still delicious.

This yummy salsa will last for several weeks if stored in the fridge - although if you and your family like salsa it certainly won't last that long!

Annette Welsford and Lucia Grimmer are the authors of best selling books How to Grow Juicy Tasty Tomatoes and How to Grow Great Potatoes.

Lucia Grimmer is a world renowned expert in plant disease and nutrition who trains horticulturists, agronomists and professional growers. She has won awards for her technical papers and regularly conducts trials on a range of crops with the objective of improving yield and reducing disease.

Annette Welsford also has a horticultural background, however her true skills like with taking complex technical information and representing it so that even novice gardeners find it easy to understand.

Their books are considered to be the authoritative "bibles" on Growing Tomatoes and Growing Potatoes and have sold to thousands of novice and professional gardeners in 82 countries, and have been featured on TV, radio and leading gardening publications in 4 continents.

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Chinese Pepper Dish Recipes Made Easy

By Terry Retter

Photo: 0.tqn.com

Vegetables play a very important part in Chinese family meals that often come in combination with a fairly small amount of meat or fish. Chinese traditional meals consist of two, four to six courses served "buffet" on the dining table to which guests help themselves.

The food is presented in serving dishes in multiples of even numbers as Chinese consider this to be lucky. Soup is often included and is served at the end of the meal. Depending on the region, rice, noodles or steamed bread may be served as accompaniments. Rice wine or tea, are drunk throughout the meal. In Western homes, dessert spoons and forks may be used instead of chopsticks. Try the following traditional Chinese pepper vegetable dishes in tangy sauce.

Hot and Sour Cabbage-Pepper Salad

Ingredients

    * 2 pounds of white cabbage
    * 1 large red bell pepper, cut into narrow strips
    * 3 scallions, cut into 8 lengthwise
    * 2 dried red chilies, cut in very thin rings
    * 2 fresh ginger root, thinly sliced
    * 3 tablespoons sesame oil
    * Salt to taste
    * 2/3 cup hot water
    * 3 tablespoons superfine sugar
    * 3 tablespoons white vinegar

Procedure

Remove tough outer leaves from cabbage and carefully peel off remaining leaves. Cut out coarse part of stalk from base of each. Boil water in a large saucepan and blanch the cabbage for 3 minutes, or until leaves are flexible. Blanch the red peppers in the same boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain well. Drain cabbage and pepper well.

Make marinade. Heat oil in a wok or skillet until sizzling, add the chilies and quickly fry until golden brown. Sit in scallions, add salt to taste then add the ginger. Briskly stir-fry for 1 minute. Pour in hot water then add sugar and vinegar. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and leave to stand. Put a strip of pepper at the base of each leaf, then roll each leaf to form a "cigar". Arrange in a dish in single layer. Pour marinade generously coating the rolled cabbage leaves. Cover tightly. Allow salad to stand at room temperature, covered for 4 hours before serving.

Peppers and Pork

Ingredients

    * 1 pound of mixed green, red and yellow bell peppers, cut into diamond shape
    * 2 scallions, cut into thin slices
    * 5 ounces well-chilled pork tenderloin, cut into narrow strips
    * 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
    * 1 tablespoon rice wine
    * 1 teaspoon cornstarch
    * 3 tablespoons water
    * 2 fresh ginger root, thinly sliced
    * Salt to taste
    * 2 tablespoons corn oil

Procedure

Put pork into a medium-sized bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce along with the rice wine. Add ½ teaspoon of the cornstarch. Stir well. In a small bowl, mix remaining cornstarch smoothly with the 3 tablespoons water, then stir in the remaining soy sauce, scallions, ginger and salt. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet until hot, add the pork mixture and stir-fry until almost cooked. Mix in peppers and continue to stir-fry for 2 minutes more. Pour in cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for 1 minute, or until the sauce thickens just enough.

Browse a wide selection of skillets at Your Smart Kitchen.
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Terry Retter Managing Editor, Chefwannabee.com

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