Dugas Recipes

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Salmon Hash

2009-10-25T21:15:00.006-06:00

The refrigerator was packed full of raw ingredients that remained from recently prepared meals. But what looked good for breakfast? Red potatoes, bell peppers and salmon - this sounded like a great opportunity to make some down-home style hash.

Ingredients (per serving)

3-4 oz. fresh salmon, diced

1 medium red potato, diced

1/4 c. bell peppers, diced

salt

black pepper

extra-virgin olive oil

seasoning (optional)

Method

Boil diced potatoes 10-12 minutes, until almost tender, then drain. In a skillet, add a bit of oil and bring to medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, cook for 2-3 minute, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes, cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add diced salmon, and season with salt, black pepper, and other optional seasoning - cook until salmon is fully done and potatoes begin to brown. Serve with an egg prepared any style.

A bit of extra seasoning of your choice can any hash more unique - this batch included a dash of spicy cumin-based seasoning.

Thin Crust Personal Pizza

2009-06-15T21:34:00.004-06:00

This delight is so tasty that I make it the exact same way each time. Of course, you can vary toppings to your liking, I just happen to have this combination on hand often enough.

Ingredients (per pizza)
1 8" flour tortilla
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 c. marinara sauce
1/2 tomato, seeded & diced
1/2 an Italian sausage, cooked (I used MorningStar's Pre-cooked Italian Sausage)
36 grams (2% milk) shredded mozzarella cheese (err, a heaping 1/4 cup)
salt (optional)

Method
This recipe requires either an oven baking stone or a pan on bottom of oven that can withstand 500 degree F temperatures (such as a broiling pan).

Start pre-heating the oven to 500 degrees F.

Spread a very thin layer of sauce over the tortilla, leaving 1/2" dry around the circumference.

Using a brush, apply olive oil to the uncovered 1/2" tortilla lightly. Optionally salt to the crust. Kosher salt seems to have the best consistency.

Evenly sprinkle the mozzarella over the sauce, then add the tomatoes and sausage. If desired, shred a small amount of cheddar for marbled presentation.

At 500 degrees F, cook the pizza for 2 minutes 15 seconds or until desired done-ness. Watch the pizza, it cooks quickly.

Notes
This pizza goes really well with a salad to round off the meal.

S.O.S.

2009-03-21T11:10:00.007-06:00

Some call it S.O.S. (sh*t on shingles), and to others it is creamed beef on toast. This dish is completely inspired from the old Navy cook at a small local diner in Bucksport, Maine.

Lately I've been creating breakfast dishes that I grew up with in Maine. This is just one installment in the Maine Breakfast series. This plate represents the goodness from a savory, warm, hearty homestyle meal.

Ingredients
1 cup milk
1 1/2 tbsp. wondra (or flour)
2 slices toast - "well done"
salt - to taste - quite a bit
pepper - to taste - quite a bit
2 pinches thyme

dash nutmeg

dash ginger

1/4 C. frozen Quorn grounds (meatless grounds)

(Optional)

1 super egg (1 egg + 1 egg white)

Method

If you opt in for the super egg, crack one whole egg (omega-3 if you got 'em) and one egg white into a dish. Prepare it fried-style as you prepare the gravy.

Slice prepared toast diagonally and tile the slices on your plate. A crunchy, light wheat toast is perfect for this meal. Prepare the gravy by mixing the milk, Wondra, salt, pepper, thyme, nutmeg, and ginger in a sauce pan, continuously stirring over medium heat until it just starts to thicken then boil. Lower the heat and add the grounds, stir until heated and to desired consistency.

Pour immediately over toast and serve hot (*never wait, the toast will absorb the moisture and cool down quickly). Serve with a glass of water and hot cup of coffee.

Notes

This might be the first recipe I've mentioned Quorn grounds - they are unbeatable. I use them exclusively in any recipe that benefits from ground meat (taco salads, burritos, SOS, spaghetti, nachos, etc.). This is one item that if my local grocer did not carry them, I would probably request that they do.

Enjoy,

Craig Dugas

Hard-Boiled Egg

2009-02-01T21:16:00.007-07:00

It seems like everywhere you look on the Web, people make hard-boiled eggs out to be an amazingly difficult food to prepare. What's up with that? I even read a method that suggests sacrificing one of the eggs to test for done-ness. Here's the method I use that's both quick and efficient.

Pick 3-12 eggs to fit in the bottom of your saucepan. Pour cold water over the eggs, covering by 1/2" to 1". Bring the water to a rolling boil and immediately remove the pan from heat. Set a timer for 13 minutes (large eggs). At 13 minutes, pour out the hot water while running the coldest water from the faucet into the pan to replace the hot water.

If your faucet does not provide cold (cold!) water, you might need to prepare a large bowl with water and ice, to cool the eggs rapidly. This helps to avoid any greening of the yolks.

This should provide many, many tasty hard-boiled eggs for your enjoyment.

Best Fried Rice Recipe

2008-12-07T20:37:00.007-07:00

I've been trying to make a decent fried rice for 10 years, and like many people's at-home creations it usually just comes out "eh." Well tonight's creation was super tasty, so I thought I'd post my method and a trick or two that make all the difference.

I made this on-the-fly, so my sauce measurements are purely educated guesses. Add more or less to your taste.

Ingredients

1 cup dry rice, prepared (should make a couple cups)

Soy sauce

Teriyaki sauce (I use Tabasco Spicy, which is not spicy but quite flavorful)

Salt

Pepper

1/2 cup diced yellow onion

1/2 cup sliced carrot

2 stalks celery, sliced

6 green onions, sliced

Oil (extra-light olive or vegetable or peanut)

Honey

Brown sugar

1 1/2 cup raw beef tips

Method

Take your beef tips (or chicken, tofu, pork, etc) and place them in a marinade-worthy dish. Add a few shakes of soy sauce, a few shakes of teriyaki sauce, about 2 tbsp. honey, about 1 tbsp. brown sugar, 1/2 tbsp. oil, and half the green onions. Set aside to let the flavors develop. I'll say right now that this was put together on a whim, and you could easily get by with just marinating in a bit of oil and soy + teriyaki sauces.

Heat up a small amount of oil in a large skillet on high heat. Once it's hot, add the rice and stir it around. Allow the rice to sit and cook for a few minutes, stirring just a few times. Push the rice to the outskirts of the pan, leaving a crater hole in the center. Add the meat in the center (make sure not to add any excess liquid, as this will likely ruin the recipe), spread it out and do not stir it. You want the seared flavor. If excess liquid gets in, it'll basically boil the meat, which sucks. Let the meat sear for 2-3 minutes, then give it a good stir. Repeat this until it looks pretty well cooked.

Now, toss on the load of veggies (everything else) and stir it all up. Stirring just a few times, give the veggies a time to cook and get better acquainted with the other ingredients. Now's a good time to add salt and pepper. I used a shaker of kosher salt, shaking liberally all around the pan, and the same with black pepper. With fried rice, my new rule of thumb is add as much as you think is necessary, then a bit more.

Now for my patented trick. Give everything a good stir and spread it evenly around the pan. Take your soy sauce and shake it about 8 to 12 times over the mixture, soon you'll hear a searing sizzle sound. Let it sear for at least 45 seconds, up to a couple minutes (depending on how hot your range gets). This really "fries" in the flavor. After it has been untouched for 45+ seconds, give it a stir then repeat the same process with teriyaki sauce. Let it sit, really cook into the rice, veggies and meat, sear sear sear. After you've waited an uncomfortable amount of time, stir it up again and you should see some tasty looking fried rice.

That's about it. Practice makes perfect, but I've had such great success with this method that I hope you do too.

Live well, eat well.

Craig Dugas

Twitter Recipes

2008-09-25T00:47:00.003-06:00

I started an extension of the recipes here at http://twitter.com/tinyrecipes. This attempt at minimizing recipes comes from my distaste (no pun intended) of long-winded recipes that you run across which contain ingredients that you either never have on hand or are hard to find. With only 140 characters of typing space, most tiny recipes should be quick to make and contain minimal ingredients. Here's a sneak preview:

craig sandwich - layer: bread, lettuce, cheese, shrooms, avocado, bread, cukes, pepper, tomato, salt, sprouts, onion, lettuce, mayo, bread.

Check out the rest as we post 'em: http://twitter.com/tinyrecipes

Taco Seasoning

2008-08-23T21:18:00.003-06:00

You know what grinds my gears? Buying pre-made seasoning. Sure, it's usually decent, but I'd rather know which spices create known flavors (General Tso's, taco seasoning, cajun seasoning, etc). Here's a taco / Mexican seasoning mix that I like better than the packets at the store (and is made from spices I keep on hand). Also, no es caliente (it's not spicy).

Mix the following:
1 T chili powder
1 1/2 t cumin
1 t black pepper
1/2 t salt (sea salt preferred)
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/4 t oregano

We use this in the following:
Taco meat (beef or turkey or tvp)
Chicken or Chick'n

Hawaiian Delight Smoothie

2008-04-20T14:00:00.005-06:00

This delight is inspired by Walh's Dairy Port, the happenin place in b-town during the occasionally warm coastal summer.

Ingredients
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 cup pineapple (fresh or canned)
1/2 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup water or milk (it's all about consistency, baby!)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp. chocolate fudge fat-free, sugar-free instant pudding mix.
1 tbsp. chopped walnuts (optional)
1 tbsp. flaked coconut (optional)

It appears to be a lot of stuff to be jamming into a smoothie, but honestly, the first 5/6 things are put into pretty much every smoothie I make, so no special grocery trips necessary. Mixing is done in a personal-sized Magic Bullet blender. Super quick and easy cleanup. This just happens to be the first of many recipes we plan to add that use infotastic devices first featured on tv. You can definitely use a regular blender, but like the GTXpress, the Magic Bullet has proven to be one of the most useful kitchen time-savers for around $50.

Method

Add the following to your blending container

banana
pineapple
ice
water
protein powder
puddin mix

Blend, 30 - 60 seconds until well mixed
Give a quick rinse to the blender blade for next use
Stir in coconut and walnuts
Depending on consistency (more/less ice, milk), you can either eat this with a spoon or sip it. Despite the stirring spoon in the photo above, I sipped this and crunched up the coconut and walnuts during the process.

Nacho Mac & Cheese

2008-04-05T22:53:00.004-06:00

I'm having a blast with the 300 calorie meals lately. My energy levels are back up, and I can wake up ready to rock n roll in the mornings and still have energy to do cardio and some horsing around in the evenings. Among other things, I've become more adventurous in cooking creations. This meal may take some tweaking in the future, but it served its purpose tonight.. a healthier version of mac n cheese.

[I'll inject a photo the next time I prepare this meal.]

Ingredients
63 grams Ronzoni Smart Pasta - Elbow Macaroni
1/2 cup milk (I use 1% organic)
1 tbsp. Wondra
1 tbsp. nacho cheese popcorn seasoning
Pepper
Paprika (optional)

Method

Bring a small pot of water to a boil
Toss in the macaroni, then move on to the sauce
In a saucepan, mix milk and Wondra
Heat saucepan on medium setting, stirring sauce very frequently
After a few minutes, sauce will show thickening, add a few shakes of pepper
Super optional - add a few shakes of paprika (this actually makes it a little spicy in the end)
Continue stirring sauce and preparing macaroni
Once sauce reaches the consistency of thick ketchup, mix in the cheese seasoning
Drain finished macaroni, stir in sauce

A few notes

Smart pasta rocks. I personally like the taste as much as traditional pasta and it has a good amount of calcium and a bit of fiber as well. I recommend replacing any current pasta dishes with Smart Pasta for the nutritious benefit.
The nacho cheese popcorn seasoning I have is very low sodium and 1 tbsp. has 24 calories. I picked it up at wally world.
If you're used to adding salt or just have an average American salt diet (i.e. high sodium diet), this meal will not provide you with that salty taste each bite. I've put a decent amount of effort in reducing my personal sodium intake, and after a while, adding additional salt is rarely part of my culinary ways. If you're not concerned, add a few shakes of kosher salt to the sauce and you'll likely have a greater appreciation for this meal.
I have no idea what 63 grams of pasta comes out to in cup fractions, but I'll take a measurement next time. The amount was chosen since it comes out to about 200 calories of pasta. You can wing it pretty easily since a serving is 180 cals and tossing in a few more elbows. If you have a small food scale, that serves this purpose.

Chicken & Rice

2008-03-23T19:45:00.003-06:00

This meal has it all, and rolls in under 400 calories! It's a healthy and nutritious version of an old Dugas classic. Another bonus -- this meal exhibits ultimate parallelism in preparation, that is, each part can be made nearly simultaneously.

Ingredients
4 oz chicken breast tender
2/3 cup prepared brown rice
2/3 to 1 cup Normandy vegetable mix (any decent veggie or mix is great)

Ingredients (sauce)
1 cup milk
2 tbsp. Wondra (or flour)
Chef Paul's poultry magic seasoning
2-3 scallions, diced
butter buds sprinkles
s&p

Method

Start preparing the chicken breast (I use the GTXpress, 12 minutes total)
Start preparing the brown rice
Start preparing the vegetables
Prepare the roux

Combine milk, butter sprinkles, Wondra in a non-stick skillet, mix well, crank heat up to medium
Stirring often, the roux should thicken after a few minutes, at that point, add the scallions and 1-2 tsp Chef Paul's seasoning
Once the roux has thickened to your desired consistency, start plating

Plating

Make a bed of brown rice
Slice chicken (optional) and lay on rice
Pour roux over chicken,
Optional

Sprinkle a bit more Chef Paul's seasoning on the roux
Garnish with a couple spring onions (optional)

Accompany with vegetables, sprinkling on butter and other desired seasonings (I used Spike seasoning, another decent one would be Old Bay)

That's it. For a home-cooked meal, it doesn't take too long, and I've made a double batch so I can enjoy some leftovers later.

Nutrition Info
Brown Rice 150 calories, 1.5g fat, 3g protein
Chicken 100 calories, 1g fat, 24g protein
Sauce 100 calories, 1g fat, 6g protein
Vegetables 35 calories, 0.5g fat, 2g protein

Nutrition Totals
385 calories, 4g fat, 35g protein

Turkey Meatballs in Crema de Eneldo

2008-03-16T11:30:00.002-06:00

The plan was to make Swedish meatballs, but our kitchen lacked the necessities for those, so we did some at-home Iron Chef, with the secret ingredient: TURKEY-SON (that's my Japanese chairman impersonation).

Ingredients (turkey meatballs)

2 slices whole wheat bread
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs (eggbeaters)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp dry dill
1 large clove pressed garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
1 - 1.25 lbs. ultra lean ground turkey

Method (turkey meatballs)

Preheat oven to 475 deg. F
In a mixing bowl, add turkey, cheese, dill, garlic, salt
Tearing bread into small pieces, add to bowl
Add remaining liquid, mix with hands
Line jelly roll pan with foil, spray with non-stick spray
Roll meat mixture into balls 1-2" in diameter, spread out on tray
Bake 8 minutes, remove from oven, flip each meatball
Bake 5-8 more minutes, depending on size.

Ingredients (crema de eneldo)

3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp wondra or flour
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp dry dill weed
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp cayenne

Method (crema de eneldo)

Melt butter in pan over medium heat
Off the heat, slowly wisk in flour, until paste-like consistency is achieved
Return to heat, add beef stock, stir until consistency is smooth
Turn the heat to low, stir in sour cream, 1 tbsp at a time
Once a desired consistency is reached, stir in dill, salt, lemon juice and cayenne

Finally, add a handful of meatballs to bowl and pour sauce on them. If desired, you could serve this over rice, noodles or pasta.

Note: these meatballs are versatile, and should be included in other recipes that need some added healthy protein.

Sunday Breakfast

2008-02-24T17:51:00.004-07:00

Sunday mornings, I enjoy waking up, taking it easy and making some decent breakfast. Lately, it's been some combination of low-fat, high-protein foods with a bit of spice. Behold, the breakfast of Feb. 24.

Ingredients
non-stick spray
3/4 cup egg beaters
1 slice fat-free sharp cheddar cheese
salt & pepper

1/2 cup breakfast mix

1 fresh jalapeno

1 slice Franz 40 cal. bread
1/2 tbsp. whipped butter

1 Morning Star egg scrambler

Method

Spray skillet with non-stick spray, heat to med-high
Prepare breakfast mix in the skillet
Scramble eggs, add cheese just before removing them from skillet
Toast bread, butter
Slice jalapeno into chips
Microwave egg scrambler for ~50 seconds.

Nutrition
1 Morning Star Egg Scrambler: 60 cal, 2.5g fat, 3.5g protein
3/4 cup Egg Beaters: 90 cal, 0g fat, 18g protein
1 slice fat-free cheese: 30 cal, 0g fat, 4g protein
1 slice Franz bread: 40 cal, 0.5g fat, 3g protein
1/2 tbsp. whipped butter: 25 cal, 3g fat, 0g protein
1 jalapeno: 4 cal, 0g fat, 0g protein
1/2 cup breakfast mix: 70 cal, 1g fat, 3g protein

Nutrition total
319 cal, 7g fat, 31.5g protein

Breakfast Base

2008-02-24T11:49:00.004-07:00

The green peppers were becoming too overpowering in my previously posted skillet mix, so I did some refactoring ("mixed it up," if you will), and have come up with what I believe to be a tasty, easy, 3-part breakfast base.

1/2 cup diced onions (from frozen section)
3 veggie sausage patties (Morning Star), cubed
4-5 small white potatoes, baked w/ skin, cubed

That's it. This mix lends itself to omelet filling, scrambled egg stir-in and a side (basically home-fries with sausage). It keeps in large freezer bag very well for months.

Grilled Cheese (nutrition-remix)

2008-02-16T10:17:00.004-07:00

Grilled cheese is grilled cheese. No matter how you approach it – there's bread and there's cheese. The thing that makes this version unique is that health+nutrition are high and it dishes out 2 sandwiches (8 squares) per person. I started making this when I was eating 6 meals a day (~300 cal/meal) and wanted to mix in an old favorite. Full nutrition info is located at the end of the post, but it's good to know that each sandwich has 110 cals (10g protein, 1g fat). Make one for a snack, 2 for a meal, or 3 for a craving!

Ingredients
4 slices 40 calorie bread by Franz
2 slices fat-free cheese
non-stick spray or 1 tbsp. light butter

Method

Prepare your non-stick skillet on medium heat
Spray or lightly butter one side of each bread slice
Assemble each sandwich on the skillet

bread slice, butter-side down
slice of cheese
bread slice, butter-side up

Cook each side until golden-brown, about 1-2 minutes
Remove cooked sandwich, cut as desired

Nutrition info
4 slices bread = 160 cal, 12g protein, 2g fat
2 slices fat-free cheese = 60 cal, 8g protein, 0g fat

Total nutrition
220 cal, 20g protein, 2g fat

I took in a glass of milk to crank it up to 310 cals and 29g protein, but using double-cheese works just as well.

High Protein, Low Fat Breakfast

2007-12-02T22:17:00.000-07:00

I've been loading up on protein, cutting down on fat & carbs lately and have come up with a pretty good quick breakfast that I make pretty much every weekday. This is prepared in my GTXpress101 cooking device, but can be made in a skillet. Unfortunately, I don't find the skillet version to be as good as the GTXpress version, but it's still pretty good.

Take a couple slices of some healthy bread, I use the Franz brand 40 calorie per slice whole wheat bread (yes, that's the name) that has loads of fiber, a bit of protein and only half a gram of fat per slice. Sometimes I lightly toast it, sometimes I do not. The bread doesn't make or break this breakfast, just use something low-cal if possible.

An aside about the skillet mix used... I've started mixing my own skillet mix, but it's easier to start with a nice pre-made mix. For that, I suggest Morning Star's Vegetarian Breakfast Starters. It's a hundred times healthier than the Jimmy Dean skillet mix I used to use. The nutritional part of the skillet mix isn't too important, since very little of it is added to the recipe, much less than one actual serving. Making your own mix is not difficult, just get a bunch of the same ingredients that are in these mixes ("cooked sausage/veggie sausage," diced green peppers, diced red peppers, diced onions, home-fry sized mostly cooked potatoes.

Ingredients
1/4 cup skillet mix
3-4 egg whites (how much protein do you want?)
1/4 cup Egg Beaters (0g fat, 30 cals, 6g protein)
2 slices healthy bread
1 slice fat-free american or cheddar cheese

Method

Spray GTXpress with non-stick spray
Split skillet mix between the two cooking chambers
Turn it on, skillet mix will be cooked in just 2 minutes (or less)
Mix 3-4 egg whites (6g protein each, 0g fat, 17 cal) with 1/4 cup Egg Beaters
After the skillet mix has been in the unit for 2 minutes, split the egg mixture between both chambers
Cook for 7 minutes exactly, works every time
Place both bread slices apart on a plate
Put 1 "omelette" on each bread slice
Tear cheese slice in half, lay half on each omelette
Pepper to taste
Let dish sit for about a minute so the cheese melts

This breakfast is surprisingly tasty and healthy, and with a GTXpress it's super easy.

You can do the same thing with a traditional skillet, just prepare it as if it were scrambled eggs.

Nutrition info:
4 egg whites = 68 cals, 24g protein, 0g fat
1/4 cup Egg Beaters == 30 cal, 6g protein, 0g fat
Skillet mix = 30 cal, 3g protein, 0g fat (if vegetarian)
2 slices bread = 80 cal, 6g protein, 1g fat
1 slice fat-free cheese = 30 cal, 4g protein, 0g fat

Total nutrition:
253 calories, 39g protein, 1g fat

The Egg Beaters are a recent addition to this meal. Egg whites alone are very plain, and the consistency and color are greatly improved by adding the 1/4 cup of beaters. I've also found that Egg Beater brand egg substitute has a gram of fat, however the similar product at Costco has no fat. The costco version is also much, much cheaper than the name brand.

I purchased my GTXpress unit new at the local thrift store for 4 bucks, but for this use alone, I would've paid $40. It's that useful.

Jewish Coffee Cake

2007-12-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

One of Craig's requested birthday cakes (2005).

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan. Combine the flour, baking soda and baking powder; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar, butter and eggs until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth. Finally, stir in the sour cream and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the nuts, confectioners' sugar and cinnamon.
Spread half of the batter into the 9x9 inch pan. Sprinkle a layer of the nut mixture, then spread the remaining batter and top with the rest of the nut mixture. Spread the melted butter over the top.
Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, until cake springs back to the touch.

Luscious Layer Bars

2007-12-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

Jessie in all of her sweettoothedness prepared this dish one day and Craig's lack of such a sweet tooth was skeptical. However it was good.. really good. I recommend cutting this into small squares when it's finally cooled, because the amount of sweetness is ridiculous! Definitely a treat.

Ingredients
1 bag Betty Crocker choc. chip cookie dry mix (in cake aisle, near brownies)
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup flaked coconuts
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Method

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Fah.
Spray 13x9" glass dish with non-stick spray
Mix cookie mix, butter & egg
Press dough into pan
Bake 15 minutes
Take out of oven
Sprinkle w/

Butterscotch chips
Chocolate chips
Coconut
Walnuts

Drizzle evenly w/ condensed milk
Return to oven, bake 30-35 minutes longer (until light brown)
Cool completely, about 2 hours, before serving

Chocolate Roll

2007-12-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

This is a classic household dessert, served at every Thanksgiving. It isn't too much work and is great for kids to make. There are two varieties, one with walnuts and another with coconut. I enjoy both but some people don't like walnuts and others are opposed to coconut, so if you have a crowd, make both. The method below describes a chocolate roll created with both walnuts and coconut, change as desired. If you're in charge of dessert for party, this is a good one that many people haven't yet had the pleasure to try.

Ingredients
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 beaten egg
10 oz. package mini marshmallows
1 tbsp butter
1 pkg German sweet chocolate
Salt
1 capful (tsp) Vanilla
Walnuts
or Coconut

Method

Mix together sugar and egg in a mixing bowl
Melt butter and chocolate together and mix into sugar mixture
Stir in a pinch of salt
Add marshmallows and a handful of chopped walnuts
Wash up and mix together with your hands

You could try it with a spoon, but hands will give you the best mixing

Mix well
Line wax paper with coconut (or walnuts if you desire no coconut) and pour the mixture in a log on the paper
Roll the log until it is covered with coconut (this is where you could be rolling it in walnuts instead)
Wrap with the wax paper like a giant Tootsie Roll, twist off ends, store in a cool place (fridge is okay) until ready to serve
Serve in slices, about 1/4" or a little thicker in width

Cincinnati Chili

2007-12-02T21:02:00.001-07:00

I hadn't heard of "Cincinnati Chili" until visiting my mom in Cinci for Christmas in 2001, but it was clear that I had to try this local favorite while there. It's nothing like Texas chili, but I recommend you try it at least once because it is pretty unique. This is great as a crock pot recipe. I haven't tried it with vegetarian ground "beef," but I'd expect it to be pretty good (as I've been using more vegetarian meats in my cooking and many are the same or better than real meats).

Ingredients
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 can (29 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) peeled whole tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 clove garlic (whole)
3 bay leaves
Prepared spaghetti
A heap of small shredded mild cheddar cheese (mild is important, as is small)

Method

Brown beef, cook onions with it and drain
Add beef & onions to crock pot
Add rest of ingredients to crock pot (this recipe is so easy!)
Cook on low, 4-5 hours
Remove bay leaves and garlic
Serve on a bed of spaghetti

Options - 3-way, 4-way, 5-way

3-way

Add a heap of shredded mild cheddar on top of chili

4-way

Add a heap of shredded mild cheddar on top of chili
Add fresh chopped onion on top of cheese

5-way

Add a heap of shredded mild cheddar on top of chili
Add fresh chopped onion on top of cheese
Add kidney beans on top

Coneys (little hot dogs)

Place a prepared hot dog in a bun, top with chili, serve as is or 3- 4- or 5-way
If desired add mustard to hot dog before topping

Baked Linguine with Cheese

2007-12-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

Pasta with sauce is terribly easy and terribly boring. Baked linguine with cheese takes only a bit more effort and tastes great!

Ingredients
12 oz. linguine
4-6 oz. Colby-Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 jar preferred spaghetti sauce
Pam non-stick spray
Parmesan+Romano (+Asiago) "shaker cheese"

Method

Prepare linguine as you would any other pasta
Spray a 9" square glass dish with non-stick spray
Cover the bottom of glass dish with 1/2 sauce (1/4 jar)
Very lightly add shaker cheese to sauce in dish
Drain linguine, allow to dry for a few minutes
Lay linguine on top of sauce
Add remaining sauce by tablespoon-fulls to top of linguine, do not spread
Add another light dusting of shaker cheese atop of sauce
Spread Colby-Jack shredded cheese evenly on top
Cover with tin foil, bake at 350 deg. Fah. for 20-25 min.

Quesadilla

2007-10-16T23:45:00.000-06:00

Quesadillas are quick and easy to make, but I've seen many people mess up the process. Too much cheese, folding too early, using a tortilla for both top and bottom... these are just some of the more common mistakes. Quesadillas were the most popular appetizer at the restaurant I worked at, so making the perfect one had to be a seamless series of steps, executed at just the right times. The following steps are quite verbose, but for no extra charge you get my memory's step-by-step process of making a great quesadilla.

With that said, the process of making a quesadilla fantástica is as follows:

Ingredients
1 flour tortilla
Soft or melted butter, enough to lightly coat one side of the tortilla
Colby-Jack cheese, shredded
Seasoned chicken (optional)

Method

Preheat a skillet on the range at medium setting.
Lightly butter one side of a tortilla.
Place tortilla, butter-side down on skillet.
Sprinkle shredded Colby-Jack cheese on half the tortilla, but make sure you can still see some white tortilla through the cheese. If you cannot see any tortilla, you've over-cheesed.
Optional -- add seasoned chicken on top of the cheese. Make sure you use much less chicken than cheese.
Cook for about 1 minute, then lift the tortilla slightly to check if it is at a nice toasty, light, golden-brown color.
When tortilla reaches a light-golden color, fold empty half over cheesy half, press down lightly so it stays put.
Allow quesadilla to cook for another 30-45 seconds, the cheese should be melted by now.
If the cheese is not completely melted, flip tortilla and allow it to cook for another 30-45 seconds. Flipping will assure even toastyness of the outer shell.
Remove cooked quesadilla and place on a cutting board.

Cutting technique
Quesadillas could be cut any way using any knife, but here's my preferred way with my preferred knife.

Place the tip of your favorite sharp Chef's Knife on the cutting board at the center of the flat side of the quesadilla, so the blade and handle are above the rest of the quesadilla at a 45 degree angle. One hand is holding the handle, and the other is resting on the top, dull side of the blade. In a rocking motion (keeping the front of the blade touching the cutting board), smoothly cut through the center, creating two equal triangles. Reverse the motion you just made until the blade is back at the 45 degree angle position. Push your handle hand forward to cut the far triangle in half, cut, then pull back to cut the final triangle, resulting in 4 total triangles. Four is the ideal count for a 10-inch tortilla, 6- to 8-inch tortillas may only require 3 triangles.

Serving Suggestions
Serve with a side of one or more of the following:

Sour cream
Guacamole
Salsa (keep in mind that it is difficult to scoop chunky salsa with a quesadilla triangle)
Pico de Gallo (may be difficult to scoop)
A zesty ranch-based sauce

If you're looking to make a full circle tortilla, it is highly recommended that you make two half-circles, independently. Flipping a quesadilla that uses two tortillas at once (so no folding would be required) can result in cheese falling out the sides and is generally difficult to manage.

Craig Sandwich (veggie)

2007-10-16T22:02:00.000-06:00

Only Jessie could enlighten us as to why this is named as such, but don't let the name fool you... this is one of my favorite things. The idea behind this is to get the most flavor out of healthy vegetables as possible. There are countless possible variations, just adapt it to your personal taste.

There is just one basic rule to assembling your own masterpiece: alternate layers of slippery veggies with layers of veggies that have more friction. If you fail, and you will know if you did, you end up with a huge mess during the devouring process. I've failed more than once! Remember, avocado is a slippery mistress, so use extra caution near it (it never hurts to put a few sprouts on that layer for non-slip insurance).

This does not have to be a triple-bread-slice sandwich, but that's Craig's preference. Jessie is more of a double-slice (traditional) girl.

Note on the ingredients: size does matter. It all depends on the size of your bread slice. The list here is for a rather large slice of bread, so adjust accordingly.

Ingredients (per sandwich)
2 leaves Romaine lettuce, patted dry
1 mushroom, fresh, sliced
1/2 medium avocado, sliced
1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts
9 slices cucumber
4 slices tomato
1 slice American or Cheddar cheese
1 thin section of a yellow or white onion
salt (recommended)
pepper (recommended)
mayo

Method

Toast bread lightly, if you desire or if you have pathetic, weak bread on hand.
Layer the following

1 slice bread
1 leaf lettuce
1 slice cheese
mushroom slices
avocado slices
1 slice bread
cucumber slices
pepper
tomato slices
salt
sprouts
onion slices
1 leaf lettuce
layer the bottom of the top bread layer with mayo
last slice bread

Holding the sandwich firmly, use a bread knife or other sharp serrated knife to slice in half.

My guess is that this sandwich would be awesome on rye, but we never have rye around. Just food for thought.

Frenchy Cake (Pudding Chomeur)

2007-10-16T21:40:00.000-06:00

Jessie went on a French-Canadian cooking spree and this is one of the delights that came of it. Probably one of the most unhealthy thing's you'll ever eat, but very satisfying to say the least. We used some pure northeastern maple syrup and suggest you do the same.

the recipe has been misplaced.. i'll add it once i find it!

Panini

2007-10-16T20:23:00.000-06:00

Before traveling to Italy, I never created a panini at home, and that's probably for the best. I'm sure I would have winged it and it wouldn't be nearly as good as this one that my brother introduced to me. These are very rich in taste and salty, which often irritates the top of my mouth, but it is so worth it! We've tried variations using local, inexpensive cured meats (even Carl Buddig's 50 cent packages) and have never been disappointed.

Ingredients (for each Panini)
1 Ciabatta roll
1 tsp pesto sauce
1 tsp mayo or olive oil
1 slice pancetta
1 slice prosciutto
2-3 slices of tomato
2 oz. fresh Mozarella, peeled (FRESH)

Method

Preheat panini griddle to medium heat.
Slice Ciabatta bread in half
Spread pesto on bottom half
Lay cheese on the pesto layer
Order the meats on the cheese layer
Add optional tomato slices above the meat layer
Spread mayo or olive oil on top half
Place uncooked sandwich on griddle, lower griddle top, and press firmly on sandwich for 10 seconds.
Allow to cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until desired consistency.

Serve with Panini sliced in half to allow center to cool. Other meats we have tried with success include Armour Dried Beef Slices, cooked bacon, Carl Buddig Meats (Pastrami, Beef).