Trout with Red Onion and Orange Relish

1 − 1 1/3−pound trout, boned, cut in half lengthwise
yellow cornmeal
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium orange
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Grate 1 teaspoon peel from orange Cut off remaining peel and discard

Cut orange into 1/2−inch pieces Mix orange pieces, peel and mint in small bowl Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat Add onion, then vinegar Toss until just heated through, about 1 minute Add onion mixture to orange mixture (do not clean skillet)

Season relish with salt and pepper

Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper Sprinkle on all sides with cornmeal.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in same skillet over medium high heat Add fish and sauté until crisp outside and just opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side Transfer fish to plates; top with relish.

Roasted Chicken with Pear Glaze

1 roasting chicken, about 5 to 6 pounds
1 onion, quartered
2 to 3 ribs celery, cut in chunks
herb and garlic seasoning mixture
salt and pepper
1/2 cup pear preserves (or peach preserves)
1/4 cup dry white wine (or a fruit juice such as apple juice or orange juice)

PREPARATION:
Wash chicken and pat dry. Season all over with the herb and garlic seasoning mixture and salt and pepper. Put celery chunks and onion quarters in the chicken cavity. Place on a rack in a roasting pan and insert a meat thermometer into the middle of the thigh meat, not touching bone.

Roast at 375° for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Combine pear preserves or peach preserves with white wine or fruit juice. Spoon over the chicken. Roast for about 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until meat thermometer registers 170°.

Penne Spring Pea Salad

Makes 6 servings
Serving Size 1 cup
• 1/2 pound penna rigate or medium pasta shells, cooked and cooled
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen green peas, cooked
• 1 large yellow or red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions and tops
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup fat-free mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup minced parsley
• 2 teaspoons drained green peppercorns, crushed (optional)
• 1 3/4 teaspoons Equal measure or 6 packets EQUAL Sweetener or 1/4 cup EQUAL
• 1 dash pepper

1. Combine pasta, peas, bell pepper, and green onions in salad bowl. Blend milk and mayonnaise in medium bowl until smooth. Stir in vinegar, parsley, peppercorns, and Equal.
2. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat; season to taste with pepper.

Apple Pancakes With Cinnamon Nonfat Yogurt

1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons nonfat egg substitute
1 1/2 cups nonfat plain yogurt
1/2 tes baking powder
3 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons maple syrup
4 granny smith apples
or other tart apples
peeled/cored/sliced
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
mint leaves

Combine the flour, egg substitute, 1 cup yogurt, baking powder, orange juice, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup into a batter. If you like thinner pancakes, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water at this point. Let rest for 1/2 hour. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, saute the sliced apples with 1 tablespoon water until the slices are tender and caramelized. Combine the remaining yogurt and maple syrup with the cinnamon. Using a nonstick omelette pan, make thin crepes by pouring 3 tablespoons of the batter into the preheated pan and rolling it around to uniformly cover the surface of the pan.

Cook over medium heat about 1 minute, flip with a spatula and cook the other side for about 10 seconds. Continue until all the batter has been used. For each serving, roll each of two crepes around 2 tablespoons of the apples. Garnish with a dollop of flavored yogurt and a mint leaf. 278 calories, 1.2 grams fat per 3 (4- to 5-inch) pancakes with filling.

Dream Cookware Set Review

What a cool Cookware set! In my opinion this set gets 5 stars! *****

What do you think? I'd love your comments on this set. It is definatly the set I am purchasing next.

Stainless Pot and Pan Set - 19 Pc *18/10 Stainless Steel Cookware *19-Piece Set *Tempered Glass Lids *Includes Non-stick Fryer *See Full Text for Details Exquisitely designed to complement your cooking and your kitchen! Beautiful stainless cookware crafted of heavy gauge 18/10 stainless steel with tempered clear glass lids for easy viewing while cooking. Heavy gauge stainless steel knobs and permanently welded, heavy gauge handles for durability and long life. Bottoms have an aluminum inner core for even heating with no "hot spots". All of these stainless steel pots and pans are oven proof, dishwasher safe and easy to clean! Comes with a 25 year warranty. The incredibly tough non-stick coating on the chicken fryer is guaranteed not to wear off, peel off or scrape off for 25 years! So tough, you can use metal utensils!This 18/10 stainless steel cookware set includes a 1 qt., 2 qt., and a 3 qt. covered saucepan, 5.5 qt. covered dutch oven, an 8" and a 10" open fry pan, a 2 qt. steamer insert, a 6 piece tool set, and a non-stick chicken fryer with a lid. Lids are interchangeable. *This item ships directly from the manufacturer. Product usually arrives in 8-15 business days, depending on destination, including order processing and shipping. *Express delivery not available.

Exotic Chicken Salad

Makes 10 Servings



• 1 honeydew melon

• 6 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat

• 2 cups chopped celery

• 2 cups seedless grapes

• 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts

• 1/2 cup sour cream

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

• salt and pepper to taste



DIRECTIONS

Cut melon in half, and remove seeds. Cut into bite-size pieces.

Add chicken, celery, grapes and water chestnuts.

Wisk together sour cream, yogurt, and curry powder in a small bowl. Gently stir into salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Fun Stuff for Kids ~ Finger Paint & Play Dough

Finger Paint



3 T sugar

1/2 c cornstarch

2 cups cold water

food coloring



Mix sugar and cornstarch and add water. cook over low heat, stirring constantly until well blended. divide into 4 - 5 portions and color as desired.





Play Dough



1 c flour

1/2 c salt

1 T vegetable oil

2 T alum

1 c boiling water

food coloring



Mix flour and salt. Then add oil and alum. Add water and knead thoroughly. Color as desired. Store in airtight baggies between use.

Baked Scrambled Egg Casserole

2 tablespoons margarine
1 1/2 cups cooked ham -- chopped
1/2 cup green onions -- sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
12 eggs
4 ounces cheddar cheese -- shredded
1/2 cup half & half

Heat oven to 250~. Grease 2-qt casserole. In large skillet, melt margarine. Saute onions until crisp tender. In large bowl, beat eggs; stir in half & half and ham. Pour egg mixture into skillet with onions; mix well. Cook over medium heat. As mixture begins to set, gently lift cooked portions with spatula so that thin uncooked portions can flow to bottom. Avoid constant stirring.

Cook until eggs are thickened throughout; spoon into prepared casserole dish. Pour soup evenly over top. Bake at 250~ for 30 minutes; sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake 10-15 minutes longer.

Rachael Ray 3.5-qt. Enameled Cast Iron Round Covered Casserole, Green In fewer than five years, Rachael Ray has radically changed the way America cooks dinner. Her perky-girl-next-door swagger, her catchphrases for techniques, and her dinner ideology of simpler, less expensive and just in time have sold billions of books and placed her at the top of the talent heap of food television personalities. Designed to perform on the stove or in the oven, this covered casserole features a large cooking surface to brown meats with room to add ingredients for a one-dish meal. The lid fits snugly to lock in moisture and flavors, making this pan perfect for the long, slow braising of a tender pot roast. Large handles make it easy to transfer dinner from the stovetop or oven to the table. Cast iron construction provides even heating and excellent heat retention. The enamel finish means you don't have to pre-season (or re-season) your cookware

Basic Pot Roast

4 to 5 pounds beef roast
1 tablespoon shortening
salt
1/4 cup water
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup diced rutabaga or turnip
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced potatoes
1/4 cup sliced celery with leaves
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
salt and pepper to taste

In Dutch Oven or heavy kettle, brown meat on all sides in hot shortening. Sprinkle with salt. Add water and sliced onion. Cover and simmer for 3 to 4 hours. Add remaining ingredients; simmer for 30 minutes more, or until vegetables are done.

Remove meat and thicken liquid with flour and water paste To thicken: Stir a few tablespoons of water into a few tablespoons of flour and stir until smooth. Stir hot liquid while adding small amounts of flour paste until thickened as desired. Taste and season pot roast with salt and pepper to taste.

Hand Made Chocolate Confections

Nothing is better than hand made chocolate confections! Yummm. I found a site that has the most scruptious looking edibles!


Corina's Confections

Here you will find Cookies, Brownies, Chocolate Covered Pretzels, Favors for that special occassion, Theme Tins, Cookie Club and you can even purchase Gift Cards!

How 'bout a Spot of Blooming Tea?

I came across this awesome product I have to tell you about! Full Bloom Tea!

To quote the website, "Our hand tied Artisan teas "bloom" before your eyes into amazing drinkable floral bouquets. We use rare Silver Needle White Tea and premium flowers rich in antioxidants."

Each of these unique tea blooms are hand tied and wrapped in protective packaging that helps to keep moisture, light and air out, and locks in freshness, taste and aroma.

When you steep the ‘bloom’ in boiling water, the tea bloom twists, turns, moves and appears to “bloom” right before your eyes into a floral bouquet! Talk about a unique way to make tea!
According to the site they contain the finest rare Silver Needle White Tea leaves rich in antioxidants and are infused with beautiful dehydrated flowers such as Jasmine, Globe Amaranth and Marigold just to name a few which give additional flavors and health benefits.
These are mild teas and each tea bloom can be re-steeped up to 3 times each. And once you are done steeping and drinking, you can put the used bloom in a clear glass bowl with clean water and enjoy it as a centerpiece for an extra day or two.

They offer a really cool unique gift idea as well as a wholesale option for those with retail establishments.

I can hardly wait to order my own bloom!

Adapting Standard Recipe's to a Crock Pot

Here are some suggestions for best results when taking a standard recipe and using it in a crock pot.

• Remember that liquids do not cook away like they would if on the cook top. Use half the amount of liquids called for in the standard recipe. Also, add liquids last, after meat or vegetables have been placed in the cooker.
• It is not necessary to brown larger pieces of meat unless you need to cook off some of the grease before adding the remaining ingredients. For example, browning ground beef, sausage or bacon first and draining the fat is recommended.
• Milk, cream and sour cream should be added during the last hour of cooking to prevent curdling.
• Do not remove the lid except to add ingredients. It takes up to 20 minutes for the heat to build back up to the proper temperature.
• Spices intensify during long cooking times so use half the amount and add during the last hour of cooking.
• To thicken sauces after cooking the meat, you can add quick-cooking tapioca or a paste made of flour or cornstarch and water and cook on HIGH an additional uncovered 10 minutes.
• Most vegetables should be thinly sliced or placed near the sides or bottom of the cooker. They cook slower than meats.
• Cut whole chickens and any meats in half that are over 2 lbs to be sure they cook thoroughly.
• For safety, always cook meat and poultry dishes on HIGH the first hour to speed up the time it gets to get to a safe cooking temperature for meats. Then reduce to LOW for the remainder of the cooking time.