Category: 2012_Posts

Daily is difficult for me, and weekly can be too slow. “Whenever” seems to be the way I post.

Main Dishes

~ JodiLea

Future Cookbook

The Cookbook Saga continues….

I did not realize the vast collection of recipes crammed into my Main Dish file. I was getting tired of this section, when to my delight I came across recipes that I had originated in the early 90’s. I used to be so creative in the kitchen! Creativity can work against you with some dishes. For example, if you modify a crock pot recipe it can go very, very wrong.

Usually I get new recipes from Taste of Home magazine, or the food section of the local newspaper.  Friends and relatives are a good source, and I am not too shy to ask a waitress for “take out” recipes. I proudly have in my possession the Cheddar Bay Biscuit recipe from Red Lobster Logo

Just because I have a recipe for a wonderful dish, doesn’t mean I won’t tamper with it.  I can’t help myself. A little of this, some of that, disregard those things, etc.  Always looking for the Perfect Meal.

However, lately I am looking for the Easy Meal. I have spent over 1/2 my life in the kitchen and I want to explore the other rooms now. Most “easy” meals seem to have common ingredients. Condensed Cream of Something and Bisquick. Oh well. An example of:  You Can’t Have Your Easy and Like it Too.

I will share with you one of the tastiest “easy” entreés I conjured up.

Pasta with Asparagus & Mushrooms
1 small package of Vermicelli or Spaghetti
1 bunch of fresh Asparagus
6-10 fresh large white Mushrooms
1-2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Tbls Butter
2 Tbls Olive Oil

Break pasta in half and cook according to package directions. Rinse in warm water and drain.
Clean veggies. Cut asparagus into 2 inch pieces, slice mushrooms.
In a large non-stick pan, sauté the garlic in butter & oil for a minute on medium heat. Add the asparagus and mushrooms. Cook on medium-low heat until asparagus is tender. Add pasta and toss until evenly coated. Salt and Pepper to taste. (May need to sprinkle more olive oil if pasta not coated well.)  Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

That’s All Folks. To make it a complete meal toss in some cooked chicken, fish, ham or steak.

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Attack of the Chicken Livers

~ JodiLea

 

 

 

 

Only because I dearly love my mom, would I ever buy chicken livers, let alone cook them.  This is my mom’s recipe for cooking chicken livers (the West Virginian mountain people way):

Open the package and rinse livers with cold water. (Do NOT try to cut them apart like I did – they bleed when you do that and look even more gross.)

Soak the livers in a shallow bowl of buttermilk for a little while.  (If you can get past touching the slimy livers, and the smell of spoiled milk, you are doing great!)

Next, get a little bowl of beaten egg and a larger bowl of flour + a scoop of cornmeal ready for dipping the livers in.

Heat an inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet (preferably an iron one).

Dip the livers into the egg, and roll them into the flour mixture.

When oil is good and hot, add livers to skillet. Fry until crispy on both sides.

~ ~ ~

Perhaps nauseating, but not a difficult recipe to follow. That is until the livers attack. Hey! Do NOT laugh – it is NOT funny.

As the livers began sizzling, I attempted to clean up after my mess. Suddenly, and as loud as a gunshot, a chunk of hot frying liver flew out from the skillet and across the kitchen. This was followed by popping hot oil flying everywhere. The livers were out-gassing or they were really pissed off. Large rain drops of HOT oil spattered the stove top, oven door and kitchen counters.

I received burns to my arms and legs while turning the burner down to medium high heat. (The temperature did not seem to make any difference whatsoever regarding the level of violence.)

I was terrified to go into the kitchen, so who was going to turn the livers over? With all their jumping about, only small ones would flip over a bit. One exploded in half – the shrapnel ending up on the opposite counters, and the front of the refrigerator (6 feet from the stove).

I finally was able to gather up courage and enter the DMZ armed only with tongs and determination. There was much screaming. There was also cursing (while screaming), when hot oil hit my right eye.

It was the most horrifying 10 minutes of my life.

Mom looked like she was in heaven when she took the first bite. She said they were done perfect. Which is a shame, because I have to modify her recipe.

NO oil.