Blueberry Muffin--Really Big

Found some interesting sites about food this weekend. One is from Emeril and the other is about a very large blueberry muffin.
Emeril is offering some of his recipes available for download here. (This is a .pdf file so you will need Adobe to read it.) It seems he has allowed us to view some of his recipes from his fabulous New Orleans restaurants from appetizers to desserts. It is well worth downloading.
The realllly large blueberry muffin is being touted from a segment on the Simpsons. Check out the article here about what the chef at a famous resort put on his menu. I can't imagine ordering a four pound blueberry muffin for $25 except for the fun of it. First of all you need alot of fresh blueberries and also need to have many people to share helping to eat it. Fun, fun!
Enjoy your weekend

ANNUAL EASTER POUND CAKE

Today is a good day to make a "lemon pound cake" using the recipe I posted a year ago on my old recipe blog at Granny's Tasties @ http://grannycbb.blogspot.com/. This has become an annual recipe at Easter time. Here is the recipe
if you might be interested in making a loaf pound cake.
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I just finished baking a 'lemon pound cake' in a loaf pan from "Taste of Home". Strawberries are available again, so I planned the baking in time.
Ingredients: Loaf Lemon Pound Cake·
2/3 cup butter-flavored shortening
· 1-1/4 cups sugar
· 2 tablespoons lemon juice
· 1 teaspoon lemon extract
· 2/3 cup milk or 1/2 c yogurt
· 2-1/4 cups cake flour *
· 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
· 1 teaspoon baking powder
· 3 eggs
· Confectioners' sugar
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar
until light and fluffy.
Beat in lemon juice and extract.
Add milk; beat for 30 seconds.
Sift cake flour, salt and baking powder;
gradually add to creamed mixture.
Beat on low speed for 2 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Pour into a greased wax paper-lined 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pan.
Bake at 300° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove waxed paper. Dust with confectioners' sugar.
* I used 1 3/4 c regular flour + 1/4 c corn starch**
Have all your ingredients measured and at room temperature.

If you are interested in looking at recipes from my old blog, please go to this addresshttp://grannycbb.blogspot.com/ and look in the left column for "recipes on this blog" title. Here is listed all the recipes and the date to search for the item.
Happy Easter to everyone and happy baking.

St. Patrick's Day is Wednesday

HOW-TO CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE DINNER

Every year I look forward to this day to celebrate St. Paddy's which means making my corned beef and cabbage meal. You can find recipes all over the web that for this meal but a recipe is really not necessary for many people. By this I mean all you have to do is buy a slab of corned beef which includes the spices and a nice head of cabbage(big or small.) Get your slow cooker out and place the corned beef in it covered with water. Add the spices to the water. Turn it on low and go about your business for the day as it will take 8 to 10 hours to get tender enough to eat. Remove the corned beef and let it rest for a half hour before cutting. Cut cabbage into quarters and place in enough water to cover or even use the juices from the corned beef which has the spices in it. Cook cabbage until tender. If you wish potatoes as well, add them to the cabbage water. Once cabbage and potatoes are tender, slice the corned beef and set up your plate for eating.

If you wish to find out more how to make this meal, check out Epicurious.com and About.com for the how-to. There are many recipes for this meal where you can start from scrach and even add your own spices. These two sites are my favorites cuz they have variations for you to try. My suggestion as stated above is the simple way to go.

There are other ideas for celebrating the day such as Irish Soda Bread, green cheesecakes, and a grasshopper drink. Have fun and enjoy your day.

IF YOU LIKE CASSEROLES

These recipes really applie to folks who like to make casseroles. I do and did alot of this when I was feeding four very hungry children and I had to stretch the meals. Maybe they were not too fond of them but it certainly filled their stomachs and noone went away hungry. One of the boys used to make sure he had a good helping left on his plate so he could take it back to college. I assume he had a microwave cuz it just would taste better heated.
Anyway I just found two great casseroles by the same Chef John. One is with chicken and asparagus and soups. The other is with tuna and noodles and soups. Either one could easily be doubled if you would like to take it to a covered dish gathering. I doubled the chicken recipe because the kids liked it so much and sometimes changed out the asparagus for some other vegetable. Asparagus was not really their favorite.
Even now I make these and other casseroles but not in such quantity. The whole idea for me is to have something easy to reheat from left-overs that still tastes as good or better. Another idea is to make potato casseroles(no meat) that will go with most meat entrees. Like chicken, pork or beef. Sometime when you go out to Cracker Barrel try their potato side which is great. I will look for the recipe and post it another day.
Have a good weekend and enjoy your cooking time. Make enough for next day reheats.

'Sweet-Chili-Thai-Sauce'

If you have been watching the Olympics you may have caught the ads for the dipping sauce at McD for their nuggets. I decided to do some searching for the ingredients and how-to make my own. I have a great recipe for chili sauce from my grandmother that I think is great. We make it when the time is right for fresh tomatoes, etc. Seems this is a similar sauce to what I found at many different sources but it is known as 'Sweet-Chili-Thai-Sauce' and somewhat different ingredients. Lots of chilis, naturally, rice vinegar(never used it).
Anyway I made a list of sites to get a different view of how to make it. So far I have not picked any particular recipe to start with. Maybe I need to get over to McD to taste it to see if I like it.
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Sweet chilli sauce is a popular condiment in Western and Malaysian cuisine. It is commonly made with chillis and some sweetening ingredient such as fruit or a refined sugar.

chinesefood.about.com/od/fusionrecipes/r/chillisauce.htm
allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sweet-Chili-Thai-Sauce/Detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sweet-Chili-Thai-Sauce/Detail.aspx
www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,sweet_chilli_sauce,FF.html
www.recipezaar.com/Thai-Sweet-Chili-Sauce-120670
www.recipezaar.com/Thai-Sweet-Chilli-Sauce-81949
www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sweet-Chili-Sauce-10443
This recipe is really different from a blogger in Denmark. Decided to go back and read the blog for whatever else might be there.
foodandthoughts.blogspot.com/2005/03/best-sweet-chili-sauce-evah.html
sweetsunshine.com
www.thenibble.com/zine/archives/sweet-sunshine-chili-sauce.asp
www.shesimmers.com/2009/02/how-to-make-thai-sweet-chili-dipping.html
www.grouprecipes.com/s/sweet-chili-sauce/recipe/1/relevancy
Links to the best recipe sites on the net for hot sauces, chilli sauce and spicy food recipes. Looking for Mexican or Thai recipes then you will find them here.
www.chillisauce.com/sweetchillisauce.html

Lent has arrived!

Just skimming along at all the foodie blogs for something to make with Lent upon us. Being part of the Catholic Church all my life, the regulations continue to change. When I was younger it mainly consisted of fasting everyday and definitely fish foods on Friday. Now that I am older the fasting part is done with but I still need to have no meat on Fridays. Sooo, I went with the tuna casserole on Ash Wednesday. I made enough to freeze portions for another meal or two. Last night I made the bestest Salmon Filet. Soooo simple yet filling.

I feel sure my favorite sites will offer some ideas. Today I found a great recipe for Clam Chowder @ Gooseberry Patch on Facebook. True, I need some else to go with it, like dessert. Lo and behold, GP also had a recipe submitted for Mint-Chocolate Brownies. Looks like a did well for next Friday's meal. Meanwhile I shall be looking for other seafood meals. Being as I live on the coast of Mississippi where seafood is plentiful, I should be able to find some delectable fresh fish. Desserts-- I usually do not have a hard time with finding something in the freezer or just fruit cocktail and cookies.

Maybe someone out there might post their favorite seafood recipe for me to use.

Girl Scouts are on the march!

Girl Scout Cookies are arriving all over my town in MS. Last year I got the word at Wal-Mart, Blockbuster, the bank and many other places. One place they were not was at church. I figure my church community needed the charity more. It is a great organization for girls to belong and need our support.
With the change in weather here in the south, I started my own baking on Friday and kept the house warm as well with the oven on. I started out making Buttermilk Biscuits from SOUTHERN PLATE and moved on to Chocolate Chip Cookies from Martha Stewart. Then it was time to think about what to have for family dinner. I pulled the traditional pot roast from the freezer and got that started on the stove top. Once that was going, I needed a break to sit down at the computer and check out some of my favorite foodies being as it is Mardi Gras time. Here in Biloxi the parades started on Sunday and will go on thru Tuesday. I was looking for a recipe for King Cake and found it was easier to buy one that would take alot less time. Forget the King Cake for this year.
With Lent starting on Ash Wednesday I looked thru my recipes for meatless recipes. Found a Tuna Noodle Casserole that will do for one of the meals @ CD Kitchen but I have many more weeks ahead to prepare. One of my favorites is cheese pizza which is a given from Domino's. I bring it home, unbaked, and doctor it up with black olives and mushrooms. No point in paying for the extras when all I have to do is open a few cans. Right!
There you have it. Girl Scout Cookies are here. Mardi Gras is beginning and finishing on Ash Wednesday. Enjoy!