Aunt Karen's Chocolate Pie

I haven't gotten a chance to make the pie yet, but here's the recipe so that it is safe and easy to find. I have eaten the pie on several occasions & have helped to make them for a previous Thanksgiving.

~Beat 2 egg yolks and set aside.

Combine in saucepan:

3 tbls. corn starch

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbls. cocoa

1/2 tsp. salt

~ Mix together.

~ Gradually stir in 2 cups cold milk

~ Turn on burner - moderate heat.

~ Stir constantly until thick.

~ Simmer one more minute.

~ Stir small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks.

~ Stir egg yolks into hot mixture.

~ Cook one more minute stirring constantly.

~ Turn off heat.

~ Stir in 3 1/2 tbls. butter.

~ Add 1 tsp. vanilla.

~ Stir.

~ Sit entire pan in cold water.

~ Stir.

~ Change water as necessary.

~ Once cool, pour into already pre-pared/baked pie shell.

Ta da - PIE!

Cornbread

This recipe turned out pretty well, so before I lose it:

Preheat oven - 375 degrees.

Melt one stick of butter [1/2 cup] in your baking pan.

Swish around, coat the sides of the pan, and dump butter into mixing bowl...reserving a small amount in baking dish [tbls.]

Now add the rest of the ingredients in order - stirring/whisking before adding the next item.

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups self-rising cornmeal

[or 1 cup cornmeal, 1cup flour, and 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda]

1/2 tsp. salt

Pour into pan and cook 30-40 minutes or until top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the middle.

The cornbread turned out moist, slightly sweet, and savory.

Mac & Cheese

The recipe comes from a restaurant back in Louisville, Lynn's Paradise Cafe, and was featured in an episode of Oprah as one of the host's most favorite mac & cheese. It has since evolved with each new batch. I've made it with a variety of cheeses. The recipe calls for sharp cheddar [Vermont white, to be specific] but I've tried smoked gouda, salsa jack, pepper jack, and various cheddars all to good results. The best seems to be a blend of sharp cheddar, velveeta, and then a little something with more flavor...not enough to overpower, just enough to add a little something extra.

Another change that I have made from the original recipe is exchanging half & half for the evaporated milk. First of all, the recipe calls for a quart and it was impossible to buy evaporated milk at the grocery store and come up with an even 32 oz. I was always a little short or had too much. When I was short, I would use half & half to make up the difference. Lately, I haven't been happy with the flavor of the evapo milk and had started to use less and less with more cream instead. This last batch I made with half & half ONLY and it was the best yet. I assume you could even use the fat free half & half if you were so inclined.

Now, I do not like baked mac & cheese when the pasta is complete mush. Yuck. One pasta that I have found that holds up well and stays el dente is Barrilla's pasta plus. It's multi-grain and has an extra amount of protein and healthy stuff in it yet doesn't taste like cardboard. It comes in elbows, rotini, penne, and bow-ties, any of which would be suitable for this dish. And, if you convince yourself that the pasta is GOOD FOR YOU, you won't feel so bad about eating this decadently delicious dish. It is still important to undercook the pasta by several minutes. I used rotini this time and cooked it for 6 minutes of the recommended 10-11. When adding the noodles to the boiling water, make sure to add a generous amount of salt as this is the only time you'll get a chance to season the pasta. Strain the noodles and give them a cold water rinse to stop the cooking process and then set them aside.

As for the butter in the recipe...in one place it says you should melt 2 oz [half a stick] plus a little for the pan and then another 2 tbls. for the topping. I make it simple: melt a stick of butter in your baking dish. Just throw it into your oven as it's preheating. Small chunks will melt better and quicker...just don't overdo it. We want the butter creamy melted not oily. Swish it around in the dish to butter the edges then pour half in a small bowl for the topping and half can go into your mixing bowl.

Next, add the eggs [recipe says 4 - I used 3] and give them a whisk. If your eggs are cold out of the fridge, this may make the butter congeal. But that's OK...just whisk until you've got small bits throughout. This could be avoided by adding the butter last and if you want to dirty up another bowl, that's fine with me. Now, mix in the half & half...not all of it, but start with about 3/4 of the quart and whisk. To season the mix, I always add several dashes of worcestershire, a good squirt of yellow mustard, a dash of season salt [less salt if you are using a salty cheese such as smoked gouda], and then several cracks of fresh ground pepper. Whisk and set aside.

Now it's time to prep the cheese. If you have grated cheese, you are ready to move on to the next step. If not, we have to get the cheese into tiny bits. Velveeta is impossible to grate, so you'll have to cut it into small chunks unless you can find velveeta crumbles [with the refrigerated bags of cheese] in your grocery. I use about 1/2 of a 1 lb. block. I also had an 8 oz block of salsa jack cheese that was too crumbly to eat with crackers, so I crumbled it up and mixed with the velveeta. To this I added about 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar for a total of 3 cups of cheese...give or take.

Time to assemble. Layer approximately 1/3 of your pasta in the bottom of your buttered baking dish. [Lynn recommends a 9" X 13". I used a deep 10" round.] Now add approximately 1/3 of your cheese. Repeat. Repeat again ending with cheese as your top layer. Using your hands, give the top layer a little push to get everything all settled in your pan. Now pour the egg and cream mixture over your layers. The cream should come just about all the way to the top with just enough room for you to get it to the oven without slopping it over the sides. If it doesn't, add more half & half straight out of the carton until it does. Cover with foil and pop into a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.

Once it's in the oven, put the topping together. Remember that bowl of butter we set aside earlier? Add enough panko bread crumbs to it to soak it all up...about a cup, add a little more if you need to to absorb all the butter after giving it a good stir. Panko are japanese breadcrumbs and it's another place where the original recipe and I differ. I prefer panko in most recipes and they have become widely available even in mainstream grocery stores. To that, add aprx. a 1/2 a cup of parmesan cheese. I salt this mixture with a little season salt but that is optional. Add a few cracks of black pepper and stir and set aside until the 40 minutes is up.

Carefully remove the foil [dish will be very hot, and remember how heavy it was?] and evenly distribute the topping. I have to remove the entire dish from the oven to do this, but I suppose not everyone will have to do so...just be careful. Cook uncovered for an additional 20-25 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Yum.

If you are fortunate enough to have left-overs, reheat cold mac & cheese by cutting it into squares. Then dip the sides in a bit of panko and fry in a bit of butter or oil.

Decadent.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Barrilla Pasta Plus - elbows, rotini, penne, bow-ties

3 cups [+] of your favorite cheeses

Velveeta [part of the above mentioned 3 cups]

3 eggs

1 qt. half & half

1 stick butter

panko or other bread crumbs

parmesan cheese

salt, pepper, mustard [optional], worcestershire [optional]

CheeseSteaks

Yum...

These sandwiches were quick and easy to throw together and were delicious.

1 pkg (almost a pound) of thin sliced top sirloin

2 Arnold Italian Rolls [These come in a package of 4 which is perfect for us & also make good garlic bread]

Slices of Smoked Provolone Cheese

Celery, onion, & garlic

First, chop the veggies nice and fine and then prepare the sofrito [fry until soft in a tiny bit of butter] adding a couple of cracks of fresh ground pepper & a sprinkle of sea salt. Then remove from skillet and set aside.

Next, I ran the knife through the thinly sliced beef cutting it into strips and then the other way shortening the pieces. Get the skillet good and hot and add a little oil or butter if necessary...I still had oil from my sofrito and didn't need more. Add beef and let sear lightly. Add veggies back in to skillet and stir. Once the beef was cooked to my liking, I lowered the heat and then I divided it into two roll-sized rows and topped with 2 pieces of cheese each & a sprinkle of parmesan. I added a little oregano to mine, but none on Jeff's. Now, open the rolls and place over the top of each row and let the cheese melt for a minute or 2. The only trick now is getting the first sandwich flipped over and out of the pan...a large spatula and my fingers did the trick. The second sandwich was easier...just place a plate over it and turn the whole skillet over. I guess with a big enough plate, I could have removed both sandwiches using this method.

Tada...yummy CheeseSteak Sandwiches!

Chili

I made a really good batch of chili [since the weather got chilly] and would like to remember how I did it. I didn't want to have left-overs for days, but I did want enough for dinner, Jeff's lunch the next day, and chili dogs for a couple of lunches for me. The amount seems to have worked out perfectly and the chili turned out thick and meaty.

Ingredients:

1 can beef broth ***NOTE - WILL ADD CAN OZ's LATER

1 lg. can diced tomatoes

1 small can tomato sauce

2 cans of kidney beans

3-4 stalks of celery

1 med. onion

4-5 cloves of garlic

2 (+) lbs of ground beef

Various spices:

cumin

chili powder

seasoned salt

onion powder

garlic powder

oregano

black pepper

chili powder blend

First dice the onions, celery, and garlic. Then sauté in a good sized pan in a bit of oil with salt and pepper. I used bacon grease because I had it, but any oil will do. Add beef and partially brown, but do not cook all of it all the way through. Add chili powder and cumin in gracious amounts while cooking the meat. Now add liquids and tomatoes. Rinse beans and add. Stir and let simmer.

By not cooking the meat all the way through, the meat broke up and cooked in the liquid with excellent flavor and texture results.

I wanted the chili to slow cook for several hours, but I didn't want to leave the propane on the entire time so I would simmer and stir for about half an hour and then cover the mix and let it sit for up to 2 hours. Then turn the heat back on and simmer and stir. After the first rest period, I added more seasoning - garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, black pepper, season salt, and oregano.

After the second rest period I added several dashes of balsamic vinegar. Stir and simmer. Turn off and cover.

Before reheating for the final time, Jeff and I both tasted it and I added more cumin and a touch of salt. I also added just a touch of water.

We ate the chili topped with some shredded cheese and Premium mini saltines.

Lo-Mien

This weeks veggies came with baby bok choy, shitake mushrooms, ginger, and green onions which I thought would make a perfect stir fry. Instead of serving it with rice, I opted to turn it into a lo-mien instead.

The most time consuming part is prepping all the vegetables so, I poured myself a cocktail and got started.

Because I was serving the dish with noodles, I wanted the cut on the vegetables to imitate the shape and length of the noodle...so, everything [bok choy, green onions, carrots, mushrooms] got cut into long thin strips and then set aside. I had already purchased top sirloin that was already cut into long thin strips for stir fry.

I also very finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic and set aside separately.

Next, I pulled a small nub off the fresh ginger, peeled it, and finely diced it as well.

Now time for the sauce. The great thing about stir-fry/lo-mien sauces is that you mix them up cold in a separate bowl. This allows you to experiment add add seasoning to your taste. I started with a beef bouillon cube [crumbled] and about a 2 cups of water. Next, I added several dashes of soy sauce, several dashes of balsamic vinegar, a generous splash of sesame oil, and a great Hoisin Garlic [Soy Vay]sauce I found at the grocery. I had looked at recipes on the internet before going to the store and they all seem to variations of similar ingredients: soy sauce, some sort of vinegar, sesame oil, and then something sweet such as plum sauce or hoisin. Some had wine or sherri as well. So, use what you have available...our grocery had no plum sauce or hoisin so I considered myself fortunate when I found the Hoisin Garlic sauce oddly located over the frozen chicken.

Next, I added half my minced garlic and the ginger and gave it a big stir.

Now, you can taste and add whatever you want but remember to keep the sauce LIGHT because it is going to flavor your entire dish. A heavy sauce now may taste good on your finger, but will totally overpower the delicate flavor of the veggies. If you over do it now, just add some water. Once you've achieved the flavor you were looking for, add a generous tablespoon of corn starch and give it a whisk.

***NOTE: In hind sight, I should have mixed the sauce first so that it would have had more time to let the flavors meld and for the ginger to infuse it's flavor.

The last thing that needs to be prepared is the noodles, so go ahead and get them ready according to package directions erring on the side of under cooked in order to keep them al dente.

Now, you are ready to put everything together. First heat up a heavy skillet or a wok on medium high heat. Once hot, add a small amount of sesame oil and give that just a second to heat. Now add the beef and the remaining minced garlic. After a few seconds, give everything a stir. Cook for just a minute longer, and then remove meat from skillet and return skillet to the flame to re-heat. Add a touch of oil. Give it a second. Now add the veggies. Give them a minute and then a stir. Vegetables should remain some-what crisp. Now, add your sauce and bring to a quick bubble...it's that bubbling that thickens the sauce. Reduce heat & add the noodles. Give it a good stir and you're ready to serve.

Ingredients: Various veggies, soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin, garlic, sesame oil, corn starch, meat of choice, noodles [lo-mien noodles, linguine, or spaghetti] - I used Tinkyada white rice spaghetti - see Boat Noodles.

MMMmmmm....

We had the yummiest dinner last night: fried chicken livers, mashed potatoes and gravy, & kale seasoned with carrots, purple onion, and bacon.

Jeff fried the livers because a.) I don't like to touch them or get egg and flour on my fingers, and b.) because frying is one of the things he does best. You've heard of KFC [Kentucky Fried Chicken], but have you been fortunate enough to have JFC [Jeff Fried Chicken]?