Cooking with KP

Kay's Broccoli Slaw

Do you need a great side dish for a gathering or pot luck? This one is always a winner.

2 bags (12 ounces) of pre-grated broccoli slaw
(I get the kind that has broccoli, carrots, and red/purple cabbage mix)
1 4 ounce package of real bacon bits
3/4 cup golden raisins or dried cranberries
3/4 cup salted sunflower kernels
1 medium red onion, diced
1 apple, diced
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. black pepper

In large bowl, mix broccoli slaw, bacon bits, apple, raisins/cranberries, sunflower kernels, and onion. In small bowl, whisk together mayo, vinegar, sugar and pepper until smooth. Pour over vegetables and toss. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour prior to serving. It gets better overnight. I have also added almond slices and pineapple tidbits (drained) to mine at different times.

Praline Crusted Cheese Ball

Here is a recipe I found online and tweaked a bit. Great for holiday parties.

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1-2 green onions, finely diced

1 tsp Cajun seasoning

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Combine cream cheese, onions, garlic, 1 tsp Worcestershire and Cajun seasoning in a bowl. Mix well and shape into a 4-inch circle, about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate for one hour.

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, Worcestershire, mustard and pecans. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, until sugar is dissolved.

Remove cheese ball from refrigerate and place on serving platter. Pour pecan mixture over cheese ball. As praline mixture cools, press into cheese to complete cover

Cheese ball can be refrigerated until ready to serve. Remove cheese ball one hour before serving to come to room temperature. Serve with crackers.

Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Danish

This is wonderful with coffee for breakfast or just for enjoying throughout the day.

1 tube Pillsbury Crescent Creations (not crescent rolls--it is a whole pastry sheet)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 can Lucky Leaf Caramel Apple Pie Filling

Icing:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream or evaporated milk/canned cream
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet and roll crescent sheet on top.

In a small bowl mix cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and flour. Spread on top of pastry.

Spread apple pie filling on top of cream cheese.

Fold edges in and pinch to meet in middle.

Bake 20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.

Let cool 10 minutes and then drizzle icing on top.

Enjoy!

Baked Apples with Cranberries and Walnuts

Looking for an easy and delicious side dish for this holiday season? Here is a great one. I use cranberries, but you could substitute golden raisins or dried cherries if you prefer.

4 Granny Smith Green Apples

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

4 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice off top of apples and scoop out cores, leaving a well in the center. In a bowl mix brown sugar, cinnamon, cranberries and walnut until blended. Stuff each apple with 1/4 of the brown sugar mixture. Place apples in a deep baking dish, topping each with 1 tablespoon of butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Fill bottom of pan with 3/4 cup water and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until apples are tender.

Butter Pecan Cookies

Here is an easy recipe that I found on about.com. It is perfect for a cookie exchange. Enjoy!

1-3/4 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 cups whole pecan halves

1 cup butter (no substitutes)

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine flour and 1 cup brown sugar and mix with fingers. Stir in 1/2 cup melted butter until the mixture looks like cornmeal. Pat evenly into a 13" x 9" baking pan.

Sprinkle pecans over crust. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup butter and 3/4 cup brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils for 1 minute, combines, and looks syrupy. Drizzle evenly over the pecans. Bake bars 17-22 minutes until bubbly over entire surface. Remove from oven.

Sprinkle immediately with milk chocolate chips and cover with foil to trap heat. Let the chocolate melt for a few minutes, then remove foil and swirl a knife through some of the chips to marble. Don't try to spread the chips over the whole pan. Let cool and cut into squares.

Kay's Hearty Italian Beef Tips and Pasta

I needed a crock pot dinner with some beef tips and this is the results. With fall approaching, it is one of those comfort meals and there is enough for two nights.

2-3 pounds of beef tips or stew meat
1 large onion diced
1 jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce
1 can Italian stewed diced tomatoes
1 small can of mushrooms
2 T Worchesire Sauce
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. black pepper
1 T garlic powder
3 T parsley flakes
1 16 oz box Penne Pasta or elbow macaroni

Spray crock pot. Add ingredients but pasta; cover with lid and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Stir in pasta, cook for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Taco Stuffed Shells

I found this recipe on Pinterest, tweeked a little, and it is delicious.

1 lb ground beef

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning (can use low-sodium)

1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese

14 -16 large pasta shells

1 cup salsa

1 cup taco sauce or enchilada sauce

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded

3 green onions, chopped

1 cup sour cream

1 small can sliced black olives (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a frying pan cook ground beef with onions, add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and cool completely.

While the ground beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain. Set shells out individually on baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.

Pour salsa on bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Stuff each shell with the meat mixture placing shells in dish open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add shredded cheeses and bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed. Top with green onions and black olives and serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.

Cheaper Cuts of Beef Don't Have To Be Tough

Most people avoid the cheaper cuts of beef because they tend to be tough. With 8 children and three adults in our home, my mother had to find ways to tenderize the cheaper cuts of beef. One way to cook "down", as my mother used to say, a tough cut of beef steak is to season both sides of the steak with garlic powder, seasoned salt and pepper. Lightly brown the steak in a large skillet and on top add a diced green bell pepper, medium onion, a bay leaf, parsley flakes, a few dashes of Worchestershire sauce, and a can of diced tomatoes. Cover with lid. Let the steak simmer for 30-50 minutes. Remove lid and thicken juices by cooking 5-10 more minutes. You can also do the same with a cheap beef roast in a crock pot. Add all the ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. The flavor is simple, amazing and great with mashed potatoes.

Fall Vegetables for a Healthy You

As the fall approaches, we will all start to stay indoors more hours. This will lessen our vitamins, such as vitamin A, D, and K, which are enhanced by sunlight. Below are a few vegetables you might want to increase in your diet as the fall and later winter days approach. Besides, they are very tasty. In fact, in the next few weeks, I will be posting recipes that incorporate many of these delicious veggies.

Sweet potatoes and yams are very rich in carotenoids, vitamins A, B6, C, potassium, iron and fiber and are delicious when baked and eaten plain (without butter) or used in soups, casseroles or stir-fries.

Bell peppers are great sources of potassium, manganese, fiber and vitamins A, B, C and K. These sweet peppers are flavorful additions to salads and healthy stir-fries. You can choose from a rainbow of colors, including: green peppers,yellow peppers, orange peppers,and red peppers.

Summer and winter squash are rich in carotenoids, vitamins A and C, potassium, magnesium and fiber and can be served alone or added to many dishes.

Just a few tips for you...

Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato- based sauces. No more stains!

Use lifesavers candy to hold candles in place on your next birthday cake! Kids love them.

Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugarcone to prevent ice cream drips!

Zap garlic cloves in the microwave for 15 seconds and the skins slip right off!

If your celery begins to wilt in the fridge, fill a large cup half full of water and place celery in the cup. Put back in the fridge for two hours--it will be crisp. (Learned this from my mother).

Cooking Myth Busted

A Potato Can Save a Salty Soup or Stew. True or False? False. "This is an attractive idea, but it doesn't work because potatoes are not particularly absorbent," says Wolke, who conducted his own soup-and-potato experiment for his Cooking Myth Busters book. "There is no reason they would attract salt." If you remove the raw potato from the soup, the potato will taste salty, but so would a sponge — it has simply soaked up some of the salty liquid. Still, there is hope for salty stews: Adding a bit of vinegar or sugar can "cancel out" the saltiness by giving your taste buds competing flavors.

Super Moist Turkey

If you are looking for a way to get a moist turkey, you might try one of these family hints:

1--bake the turkey upside down--breast down for the first half of the cooking time. It will help the darker meat cook more thoroughly and the fatty juices of the darker meat will drip down to the breast and add moistness. Use a deep roasting pan for this.

2--bake the turkey with the breast up, but rub it with butter, garlic powder and pepper only. Do not salt the skin. Instead, mix salt in a cup of warm water and pour that cup of salted warm-not hot-water inside the cavity of the turkey. The salt water will steam up into the turkey, making it very moist.

3. bake the turkey with the breast up and slice two lemons and one orange in halves. Place the halves inside the seasoned turkey and the juices will steam into the meat, adding moisture and flavor.

Hint of the Week

Here is something I learned from my wonderful Mother, the greatest cook I have ever known. When you have just a small serving of cooked vegetables leftover from dinner, don't throw them away. Keep a large plastic container in the freezer and put the vegetables in the container. Mix them--carrots, corn, green beans, broccoli, etc. When the container is full make a pot of soup or stew. Also, if a recipe calls for 1/2 a chopped onion, chop the whole onion and add the half to the freezer container. My mother made the best vegetable soups from this idea.

Hint for the Week

With Fourth of July quickly approaching, you might be thinking of making Deviled Eggs. If you want perfectly boiled eggs, place eggs in a large pot and completely cover with cold water. Do not layer eggs on top of one another. Bring water to a rapid boil for 2 minutes, reduce to simmer and let eggs simmer 8 minutes, return to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and empty hot water and fill pot with cold water. Let sit for 5 minutes. To peel easily, slightly crush shell in your fist and roll on counter with a firm grip. Of course, you don't want to push through the egg, but by making the shell crack in many small pieces, it is easier to peel. My father saw this on a cooking show years ago and taught me this. It truly works.