Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Smoked Ham for the Holidays!!!



Smoked Ham Recipes
Ingredients

* 1 large onion, quartered, root end intact
* 1 (5 to 7-pound) smoked ham (shank end)
* 3/4 cup apricot jelly
* 1/4 cup water * 8 sprigs fresh thyme, stripped
* 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
* 4 tablespoons cider vinegar

* 2 teaspoons molasses
* 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
* Pinch ground cloves
* 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
* 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Score the ham with a cross hatch pattern through the thick layer of skin and fat. Arrange the onions in the center of a foil lined sheet pan large roasting pan and set the ham on top of them. Bake for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, stir together the apricot jelly, water, thyme leaves, mustard, 3 tablespoons of the vinegar, the molasses, Worcestershire, allspice, and cloves in a saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until the jelly has dissolved and sauce is smooth, about 4 minutes. After the ham has been baked for 1 hour, brush with the apricot mixture every 15 minutes for another 45 minutes or until nicely glazed.
Transfer the ham to a serving platter, tent with foil and set aside while making the sauce.


Discard the onions, remove foil and pour the sauce into a skillet. Add the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. In a small bowl, mix the butter and flour together until you form a paste. Whisk into the pan juices and let sauce simmer until thickened like gravy. Finish with the remaining tablespoon of vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Thinly slice the ham and serve with the sauce.

Copyright (c) 2004 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

The Perfect Pot Roast!! A Great Dinner!


The Perfect Pot Roast!

Ingredients

* 1 2-1/2- to 3-lb. boneless beef chuck pot roast

* Salt and ground black pepper

* 2 Tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil

* 1 14-oz. can beef broth

* 1 large onion, chopped

* 2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch lengths

* 5 cups cups assorted vegetables such as peeled Yukon gold or sweet potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks; parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks; whole shallots or garlic bulbs, halved horizontally; medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces.

* 1/4 cup cold water

* 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Trim fat from meat. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. In a roasting pan or large Dutch oven brown roast on all sides in hot oil over medium heat. Carefully drain fat from pan; discard. Add beef broth, onion, and celery to pan.

2. Roast, covered, for 1-1/4 hours. Remove celery with slotted spoon; discard. Add desired vegetables around roast. Roast, uncovered, for 50 to 60 minutes more or until meat and vegetables are tender, spooning juices twice during roasting.

3. Using a slotted spoon, remove meat and vegetables to platter. For gravy, measure pan juices; skim off any fat. Discard enough pan juice or add enough water to equal 1-1/2 cups. In a saucepan whisk together the cold water and flour until well combined; add the 1-1/2 cups pan juices. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; cook and stir for 1 minute more. Season with salt and pepper. Pass gravy with meat and vegetables. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

4. Slow Cooker instructions: Place vegetables in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Trim fat from meat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut roast to fit, if necessary; place on top of vegetables. Omit cooking oil. Add beef broth to cooker. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 9 to 11 hours or on high-heat setting for 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours. Remove meat and vegetables from cooker; cover to keep warm. Using 1-1/2 cups of the cooking juices, prepare gravy as directed in Step 3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pass gravy!

Recipe source

BHG

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Oxtail Soup is GOOD for the stomach....Tasty!!



Oxtail Soup!

2 pounds ox tails, disjointed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 cups water
1 onion - medium size, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 celery stalk, chopped
14 ounces whole tomatoes, drained
2 carrots, peeled & chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
4 peppercorns

* In a 4 quart pan, brown the ox tail thoroughly in hot oil.
* Add water, onion, garlic, celery, tomatoes, carrots, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, salt and peppercorns.
* Cover and simmer for 3 hours.
* Remove bay leaf, and cool slightly. Remove ox tails and trim fat off, remove meat from bones, discard bones, add meat back to soup. Skim any excess from the soup as it cools.
* Reheat and serve.

Serving Size: cup
Servings: 6
Container: 4 quart soup pot
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours

Sunday, October 17, 2010

For a nice change!! Chutney Glazed Pork Chops!!


Chutney Glazed Pork Chops!!

A simple jelly-and-mustard glaze coats pork chops that are topped with a sweet-tart chutney. Serve with rice or couscous to soak up the sauce.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and 1/2 cup chutney)

Ingredients

* Chutney:

* 1/2 cup sugar

* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

* 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

* 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

* 2 cups coarsely chopped rhubarb (about 1/2 pound)

* 1/3 cup dried cranberries

* 1/4 cup chopped green onions

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

* Pork:

* 1/3 cup red currant jelly

* 1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

* 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

* 4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops (about 1/4 inch thick)

* Cooking spray

* Thinly sliced green onions (optional)

Preparation

To prepare chutney, combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add rhubarb and the next 4 ingredients (rhubarb through ground red pepper); reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until rhubarb is tender. Spoon into a bowl; cover and chill at least 2 hours. Discard cinnamon stick.

Prepare grill.

To prepare pork, combine jelly and mustard in a small bowl; set aside.

Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and cumin; rub evenly over pork. Place pork on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness, basting occasionally with jelly mixture. Serve pork with chutney; sprinkle with green onions, if desired.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Southern Fried Chicken for Dinner!! Easy Recipe..YUMMY!



Southern Fried Chicken!!
Ingredients

Serves: Update

o 4 teaspoons salt divided
o 1 whole chicken (4 pounds) backbone removed chicken cut into 8 pieces
o 3 cups buttermilk
o 6 cups grapeseed oil or canola oil for deep frying
o 2 cups all-purpose flour
o 1 1/2 tablespoons dry mustard
o 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
o 1 tablespoon garlic powder
o 1 tablespoon onion powder
o 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
o 3 large eggs
o 2 tablespoons water

Directions

Massage 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt into the chicken pieces.

Combine the chicken pieces and buttermilk in a large bowl or large shallow dish and turn the chicken pieces to ensure they are completely coated with the buttermilk.

Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Add enough oil to fill a large wok about halfway. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it registers 350°F to 375°F on a deep-fry thermometer.

Stir the flour dry mustard paprika garlic powder onion powder pepper and 2 teaspoons of salt in a shallow dish to blend.

Whisk the eggs and water in a medium bowl to blend.

Working with one chicken piece at a time lift the chicken from the marinade allowing any excess marinade to drip back into the dish then dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture to coat completely.

Dredge the flour-coated chicken pieces in the egg wash.

Dredge the coated chicken in the flour mixture again to coat completely.

To Fry the Chicken:

Working in 2 to 3 batches carefully place the coated chicken pieces into the hot oil and cook for about 12 minutes turning as needed until they are golden and almost cooked through.

Using a skimmer transfer the chicken pieces to a rack set on a baking sheet to drain any excess oil.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until the chicken pieces are cooked through but still moist and juicy. Sprinkle with the remaining salt and serve.

Friday, October 15, 2010

A plump tasty juicy Thanksgiving Bird! Check out this recipe!



Ingredients

* 1 12- to 14-lb. turkey (Diestel Organic)

* Kosher salt or salt

* Freshly ground pepper

* 4 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

* 1 small onion, peeled and cut into wedges

* 1 medium baking apple, cored and cut into wedges

* 2 tablespoons butter, melted

* 6 medium or 8 small baking apples, cored and cut into eighths (such as Golden Delicious, Gravenstein, Granny Smith, Winesap, Rhode Island Greening, Braeburn, Russet, Lady (use 2 lady apples for each medium apple; leave whole)

* 2 tablespoons lemon juice

* 2 cups fresh apple cider

* 5 about 3-inch sticks cinnamon, broken

* 1/3 cup butter

* 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

* 1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed

* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

* Chicken broth

* Kosher salt and black pepper


Directions

1. Rinse turkey well and pat dry with paper towels. Season inside cavity generously with salt and pepper. Rub one of the cut garlic cloves on inside cavity. Place garlic cloves, onion, and the first apple in cavity.

2. Pull turkey skin to back; fasten with skewer. If a band of skin crosses the tail, tuck drumsticks under band. If no band, tie drumsticks securely to tail. Twist wing tips under back. Brush turkey with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Place bird, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into center of one of inside thigh muscles, but not touching bone. Cover bird loosely with foil. Roast in a 325 degree oven about 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours or until thermometer registers 160 degrees F. (Cut band of skin or string between drumsticks after 2-1/2 hours.)

4. Toss apple wedges with lemon juice. Place apples around turkey. Continue to roast, covered with foil, for 30 minutes more.

5. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan bring apple cider and cinnamon sticks to boiling. Reduce heat and boil steadily about 30 minutes or until cider is reduced to 2/3 cup. Add 1/3 cup butter, brown sugar, and thyme. Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove and discard cinnamon sticks.

6. Remove foil from turkey; brush turkey and drizzle apples with the cider mixture. Continue roasting, uncovered, until meat thermometer registers 180 degrees F, brushing bird and drizzling cider mixture over fruit every 10 minutes. Remove turkey from oven; discard cavity ingredients. Transfer roasted bird to a large serving platter. Surround with apples. Cover with foil; let stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving turkey.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Order Your Holiday Turkey's Now! Organic and Natural!!



Can you believe that the Holidays are right around the corner? We are ready
to put together your Holiday meal orders! Our turkey's are from Diestel
Family Turkey Ranch! They are organic and committed to sustainability!

A Message from them:
"Our family began range-growing turkeys in 1949 on our ranch nestled in the Sierra Foothills. At Thanksgiving we sold our turkeys to the local folks who enjoyed a trip to our ranch each year.

Today we produce our turkeys and turkey products year around but, really, not much has changed... same ranch, same firm belief that our family secrets consistently produce a better tender and juicy turkey that has real old-fashioned turkey flavor and same great quality.

Most importantly, we guarantee each Diestel turkey to be raised, processed and delivered by us directly to you.
After all, this has been our family tradition since 1949.

We invite you to taste the difference!"

http://www.diestelturkey.com/home.htm

Come into the store:
7625 S. Rainbow Blvd.
Las Vegas NV 89139
702-558-6328

Monday, October 11, 2010

Steak Pinwheels for dinner...just bake and serve!!



Very easy and a meal that everyone will love! Pinwheels!

Bake uncovered for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the internal temperature of the roll is at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees F) in the center. Let stand for 5 minutes to set, then slice into 1 inch slices to serve!

Now in the store!

Friday, October 8, 2010

An interesting recipe!! Seafood Packets...



Seafood Packets

32 Shell Clams (littlenecks or cherrystones)
32 Uncooked medium shrimp in shells (about 1 1/4 lb), thawed if frozen
32 Sea Scallops (about 2 1/2 lb)
4 Ears fresh sweet corn, husks removed, cleaned, cut into fourths
32 Large cherry tomatoes

Lemon-Chive Butter
1/3 Cup butter or margarine, melted
2 Teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 Teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon freeze-dried chives
Fresh chive stems or chopped fresh chives, if desired


1. Heat gas or charcoal grill. Cut 8 (18x12-inch) sheets of heavy-duty foil; spray with cooking spray.
2. Place 4 clams, shrimp and scallops in center of each sheet; top each with 2 pieces of corn and 4 tomatoes. In small bowl, mix butter ingredients. Drizzle about 2 teaspoons butter over seafood and vegetables in each packet.
3. Bring up 2 sides of foil so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; fold again, allowing space for heat circulation and expansion. Fold other sides to seal.
4. Place packets on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 15 to 20 minutes, rotating packets 1/2 turn after 10 minutes, or until clam shells have opened, shrimp are pink, and scallops are white and opaque. (Cooking time may vary depending on ingredients selected) Discard any clams that don't open.
5. To serve, cut large X across top of each packet; carefully fold back foil to allow steam to escape. Top with chives.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Recipe! Chicken Fajitas are tasty and easy to make!



Chicken Fajitas with Crunchy Lime Cabbage and Avocado (serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves,

cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1 large red bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch-thick strips

1 large red onion, halved, sliced lengthwise

3 cups thinly sliced cabbage

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons finely grated lime peel

6 to 8 fajita-size flour tortillas

1 avocado, halved, pitted, sliced

sour cream, optional

1. Whisk 3 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, and chili powder in large bowl. Add chicken, bell pepper, and onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature or chill up to 4 hours.

2. Toss cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, lime peel, and 3 tablespoons olive oil in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven until heated through, about 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, heat large pan over medium-high heat. Put chicken and vegetables in pan and cook until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are browned, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes.

5. Divide chicken among warm tortillas; top with cabbage mixture and avocado slices, and sour cream, if desired.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Short ribs for dinner?? YOU BET!! Use your crockpot!



Short ribs are wonderful cuts of meats that will make a great meal!


Short ribs are simply braised in the slow cooker with apple juice, beef broth, and seasonings. Serve the tender short ribs with potatoes and a tossed salad for a delicious family meal.
Cook Time: 9 hours
Total Time: 9 hours


Ingredients:

* 4 to 6 beef short ribs
* 1/2 cup flour
* 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 cups apple juice
* 1 cup beef broth
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 to 1 1/2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed

Preparation:
Toss short ribs in a food storage bag or paper bag with the flour, paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Sear the ribs on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer ribs to the slow cooker. In the same skillet, heat the apple juice and beef broth; pour over the ribs and add chopped onion. Cover and cook on LOW heat for 6 hours. Add the pearl onions and continue cooking for 3 to 5 hours longer.

Serves 4.