Our Beautiful Little Boy

Hi Everyone. We've just been blessed with a healthy baby boy.
His name is Solomon Thanapat Roberts. He is in Thailand with a foster family.
We will be able to go to Thailand sometime this summer and bring our baby home.

Mousakka

Moussaka

6-30-08 – Celebrating Ben being recognized as a raw, wild talent. Summer time. This recipe took a while, but i'm sure it will be delicious. Its one of those special treat kind of dinners. The potatoes are heavenly just by themselves.
8 oz Parmesean
2 Eggplants sliced ¼ in thick
1 lb Potatoes sliced ¼ in thick
1 1b ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 C. raisins
1 can tomato paste
Fill tomato paste can with water 2-3 times as needed
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 teas sugar
1 teas salt
1 teas oregano
½ teas cinnamon
¼ teas nutmeg
Cavenders Seasoning
2 T garlic powder or fresh garlic
¾ C red wine
2 C. milk
1 T butter
2 T cornstarch
1 T flour
1 T garlic powder
Cavenders
Salt, Pepper
1 egg

Preheat Broiler.
Broil Eggplant sliced on sprayed pan. Spray tops of eggplant as well. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Cavenders seasoning. Turn once. Broil til lightly browned. Watch them because the skins burn easily.

Boil sliced potatoes in water to cover with salt, garlic powder, 4 bay leaves, pepper, oregano, rosemary, Cavenders seasoning. Boil til tender. Drain. Squeeze the juice from 1 lemon over potatoes in pan. Stir.

For Beef mixture, Fry grond beef with onion til done. Drain on lots of paper towels. Wipe pan with paper towel. Return beef to pan. Simmer with everything on the ingredients list from raisins to wine. Simmer till liquid is absorbed.

For white sauce: (I used same pan as the beef after layering the moussaka in the casserole.) Heat 2 C milk, ! T butter, 2 T cornstarch, 1 T flour, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and Cavenders. Heat just a minute or two stirring constantly til thick. Remove from heat. Whisk in 1 egg.

Layer Eggplant, Potatoes, Beef, and Parmesan twice in sprayed 13X9 pan. Pushing down with the spatula to mash things down a bit. Top with white sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes til set.

Grilled Salmon and Potato Tacos

5/9/08

Grilled Salmon and Potato Tacos with Spicy Sour Cream Sauce

Choose some fresh Salmon filets. Spray with oil. Place skin side down on the grill. Drizzle a few drops of Tapitio hot sauce on the fish, sprinkle with cajun or taco seasoning, pepper and a pinch of cumin. Cut a lime in half. squeeze some juice on the fish, then set the lime half to rest on each filet while it's grilling. When you turn it, squeeze the lime again and set it on top of the fish again. Grill on low, turning once or twice, till done, maybe 15 -20 minutes.

Wash 5 or 6 potatoes, slice them in half lengthwise, and boil them till halfway done, about 10 minutes. Drain the water from the pan and pour in 1T olive oil, shake the potatoes around in the oil to coat them and throw them out onto the grill. (be careful about flame ups from the oil.) Grill on low till done, about another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, Cajun or taco seasoning, and cavenders greek seasoning or garlic powder. Turn the potatoes now and then, watching them carefully.

Cut a red onion in half and grill on low, with the fish and potatoes.

Mix about 1 C. fat free sour cream with half a packet of taco seasoning (2T.). Add some Tapatio hot sauce and/or some juice from the can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I put one of the peppers in whole and stirred it around, (not to eat the pepper, but just to flavor the sauce). You can cover the can of chipotle peppers and save it in the fridge.
You could also add lime juice or 1 or 2 T. ranch dressing if you like.

To serve, spoon sauce on warm tortilla, flake the fish up with your fingers and put on the tortilla. Add crumbled potatoes and chopped onion. Sprinkle with fresh lime juice and fresh chopped cilantro.

Today we're celebrating. The Friday Dance video came together perfectly and it's warm enough to eat out on the deck. Perhaps summer will come afterall.

Cream Cheese Stuffed, Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Sweet Potato Casserole

Cream cheese stuffed, Bacon wrapped Chicken
With Sweet Potato Casserole

Grease large casserole dish.
Large boneless ck breast cut a v on inside for a pocket. Trim Fat.
Stuff with slice of cream cheese (tomato and red onion, is also good).
Fold in half wrap with 2 slices bacon (attach with toothpicks).
Spice with salt n pepper and cavenders greek seasoning.
Bake at 350 degree for 45-55 minutes.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Skin 3 large yams and cut into chunks. Boil until soft (20-30 min.). Add 4 tablespoons butter, ½ pint whipping cream or half and half , 4 shakes of salt (to taste), 1 cup of brown sugar.
Whip it. Whip it good.
Add one shot of whiskey. Blend. Squeeze juice from ½ large orange. Blend. Spread into greased casserole dish.

Mix 4 oz. pkg of pecans and half cup of brown sugar in food processor.
Spread over the top of sweet potatoes. Add at least 6 pads of butter around dish (on top of taters) and put into oven 350 degree for about 20 minutes.

Chicken Souvlaki with Greek Salad

Delicious.
2 breasts of chicken cut into 1 in. cubes (for 8 skewers or about two hungry people; double this for larger crowds)
1 yellow squash (narrow part cut into ¾ in. rings, thicker part cut in half first and then cut into ¾ in. slices)
1 green pepper (cut into 1 in. pieces)
½ red onion (cut into about 1 in. wedges)
Marinade in a bowl for 30 min. to 1 hour with:
Juice from 1 ½ to 2 lemons
3-4 cloves garlic minced with garlic crusher
1 teas garlic powder (don’t worry – it tastes fabulous)
1 teas Cavenders Seasonings

Rinse wooden skewers in water for minute to soak. Make skewers. Grill on low, turning every 4 min. or so, until evenly and thoroughly cooked.

Greek Salad
Romaine lettuce
red onion chopped fine
peppadews (sweet little red pepper pickles found in the olive cart at Smith's) chopped small
feta
Greek Dressing or vinaigrette

Chicken Pad Thai with Peanut Sauce

Hey Good Lookin! What you got cooking?

Heat 2 Tbsp. sesame oil in large frying pan- med-high heat.

Add 1 lb. Chicken breast sliced lengthwise into thin pieces.
Fry in pan, stirring frequently.

Add spice to chicken-
If you can find Lobo brand Satay Seasoning Mix, add Part A. If not, you can season the chicken with ½ teas. ground ginger and cayenne pepper
(The Asian market on 12th & Wall sells this Satay Seasoning Mix as well as many other fabulous things.)

Add 2 Sliced red bell peppers
2 C. Snow peas. (or zuchinni)
1can shaken coconut milk
Packet B of Satay Seasoning Mix
and/or peanut butter- couple large spoonfuls
2-4 T Soy Sauce

Add spiciness with 2 squirts of Rooster sauce, the real name is actually Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce.

Simmer down a little. Stirring frequently.
If you need more sauce add ½C. to 1C. milk).

Untie bundles of rice noodles noodles and put 2 bundles in boiling water. Reduce heat to low. Watch closely. Check it every minute with spoon to test for doneness. It took us 3-4 minutes, but each brand is probably different. When I think its done, I taste it to make sure.
Drain and cover with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain again.

Rinse bean sprouts. Chop up a bundle of cilantro.

Put noodles in bowl. Add delicious stir fry. Top with sprouts, cilantro and peanuts.


And……Enjoy!!!!

Steak, Peach, and Red Onion Kabobs with Mojo Sauce

Hey Good Looking, What you got cooking?

Cooking Club 5/28/08 – Summertime

Beef, Peach, and Red Onion Kabobs with Mojo Sauce & Carmelized Carrots
with Mango Salsa & Chips

Cut 4 top sirloin steaks into small chunks. Put in Ziploc bag with these seasonings to marinate.
Marinade:
1 T red wine vinegar, 1 T brown sugar, 1 t hot paprika, salt, pepper, ½ t Cumin, ½ t turmeric, cayenne pepper, 1-2 teas garlic powder or fresh garlic, ½ t ground ginger, juice from two limes.
Mix ingredients for Mojo Sauce in a mini food processor or blender til smooth. Spoon over the kabobs on the grill. Be careful because the olive oil may catch fire.

Mojo Sauce:
1/2 cup cilantro leaves 1/2 cup mint leaves 3 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 3-6 garlic cloves
Slice red onions and peaches
Use wet wooden skewer. Put the skewers under the running water for a minute or you could soak it. Skewer meat, onion, and peaches.
Grill on low turning once or twice for 12 -15 min total. Watch carefully.

Cous Cous
Mix 1C. boiling water, 1C. Cous Cous, 1 T butter, and salt in covered bowl. Wait 5 minutes.

Carmelized Carrots
Cut mini carrots lengthwise into quarters. (Slice in half and then each half again.) You’ll need about four cups of carrots. Put 2 T sesame oil and 1 T butter in pan. Add carrots. Add 1 T brown sugar. Fry the carrots on med low heat, stirring frequently til carrots are tender and the sugar is carmelized.

Mango Salsa
In food processor, mix:
Handful Cilantro, Half an onion to whole onion, 2 cans sliced mango (Pour half of each can of mango juice out and include the rest.), 2 pickled jalapeños (pinch stems off), 3-5 roma tomatoes, 3 limes.
If you like it spicy, add more jalapeños, some juice from the jalapeno jar, or hot sauce.
Blend in food processor briefly.
Serve with chips.
Enjoy.