Sunniebgi's Recipe Blog

Kingfish Pate

2011-06-14T19:50:00.000-04:00

it's been 2 and 1/2 years since I wrote on this blog. thought I'd start again. when I do something great in the Kitchen.. I'm going to Blog it down.. so I will not forget it.

So Today I had an AWC meeting and needed to take something for lunch. Thinking that the other person who signed up for Fish was going to bring fried.. I decided to do a baked fish of some sort. As we have a fishing boat (commercial), I thought I could just pull the right fish out of my freezer.. but.. instead.. I ended up with Kingfish.. Scrap the original recipe (Dijon Crusted Fish).. and had to make shift lunch.

So.. I cleaned the Kingfish, put it in some Lime and Salt (Barbadian way of "taking the rawness" out of the fish), let it sit for 15min or so, then washed that off.. and dried with a paper towel. I cut the fish into small thin rounds. My hubby says that Kingfish can be dry, so I smeared Garlic Butter on the bottom of a glass dish and laid the pieces out. I finished the first layer.. dotted the fish with more butter and added the second layer. dotted even more Garlic Butter and added a little olive oil (remember dry fish.). Seasoned with a Vegetable OXO Cube and seasoned with some pepper (no salt as it already had a salt bath earlier, with the lime). and added some onions to the top. covered with foil popped it into a 350degree oven for about 30 - 40 min. Took the foil off and let it bake a few more minutes.

Lovely lunch.. All the ladies enjoyed the fish..

in looking for something to have for dinner this evening, I pulled the fish out of the fridge and did the following.

1 small purple onion - chopped up

a few pieces of the kingfish - maybe or 3 cups once it's finally chopped.

3/4 cup mayo approx

little black pepper

pinch of salt.

Cut up the fish and onion finely with a sharp knife.. Kingfish can be a little tough, but doing this makes it much better to eat. mixed all the ingredients. .. Served spread on a nice Rosemary Triscut.. Lovely.

Baking for the American Women's Club of Barbados Pie and Goodie Stall at the Holetown Festival on Saturday 21 Feb 09

2009-02-19T14:26:00.013-04:00

Here are some photo's and recipes of the items I'm making for the AWC Pie & Goodie Stall at the Holetown Festival in Barbados on Saturday 21 Feb 2009.

Annie Lauries Cold Oven Pound Cake. The recipe is in a much earlier blog (.http://sunniefood.blogspot.com/2007/09/annie-lauries-cold-oven-pound-cake.html )
Turned out way better than the first time I tried making it. Can't wait to have a taste.

Someone in my family used to make these next two pies for family gatherings.. Can't remember who, but I decided to make them and they taste really really good

Lemon Chess Pie

Ingredients:
9-inch unbaked pie shell
Rind of 2 lemons
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 Tablespoon flour
2 Tablespoons cornmeal
1/4 cup melted margarine or butter

Note: When using the food processor to grind the peel, you get more lemon flavor because the lemon oil is released into the sugar.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Peel two lemons thinly, cutting very little of the white pith just under the rind. Fit the food processor with the steel blade. Turn the machine on. Drop the lemon rind in and 1/2 cup sugar. Continue to grind until it makes a paste.

Stop the machine. Add the remaining ingredients; pulse until well mixed.
Pour into an unbaked pie shell. Bake in the preheated oven on the lower rack for 35 to 45 minutes until knife inserted between the center and the outer edge comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack.

Without a food processor: grate lemon peel. Combine lemon peel, sugar and eggs. Beat well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into an unbaked pie shell and continue as above.

Note: You can get 9 slices by making cuts at "12 o'clock, 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock." Then slice each segment into 3 wedges

Chocolate Chess Pie
1 1/2 c. sugar
3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 (5 oz.) can evaporated milk
1/4 c. melted butter (1/2 stick)
1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix sugar and cocoa together. Beat the eggs then add the cocoa mixture. Beat in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Pour mixture into a 9-inch unbaked pie shell (I use Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts) and bake for 45 minutes or until set.

You may want to coverthe pie's edges with foil or a pie guard after the first 20 minutes, or when edges attain a good brown color... so they don't burn.) Let cool before slicing.

BakeSpace - The Social network for Foodies

2009-02-14T10:33:00.002-04:00

Come on over and enjoy BakeSpace. It's a great place to get new recipe ideas and swap and trade with new foodie friends.

Join up and enjoy.

Chocolate Chip - Peppermint Scones

2008-12-21T07:01:00.002-04:00

This recipe is from my daughter, Madelines', Pink Princess Cookbook by Barbara Berry. We made these a few years ago only once (not sure why). Then decided it was Christmas and would be a good gift (or just a good thing to eat). We actually quadrupled the recipe. (had to make a lot as the whipping creme only came in 34oz container - I'm pretty sure we could have made the scone recipe with a substitution for the creme, as it was darn expensive.. but..)

Variation - we made one batch as it says in the recipe, then we pulverized the StarBrite peppermints we had and added the "peppermint powder" to the dough (not to much). We also still sprinkled a few on the top. We used Christmas Tree and Christmas bell cookie cutters to cut them out. Made 50 plus cookies..

Makes 12 scones

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups All purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup whipping cream plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined.

3. Add 1 cup whipping cream to the mixture, stirring just until ingredients are moistened. Turn mixture out onto lightly floured surface. Knead gently until soft dough forms (about 2 minutes). Pat dough out to about 1 inch thickness. Cut out into assorted shapes.

4. Place scones 1 inch apart on foil-lined baking sheets that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

5. Brush each scone with the remaining 2 tablespoons whipping cream and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candy.

6. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until very lightly browned. Really good served warm.. Try dusting with powdered sugar.

Camp Kaizen Maple Granola

2008-10-12T15:06:00.003-04:00

May daughter went to Camp Kaisen this summer, in Lyndonville, Vermont. had a great time, lost some weight, got some great excersize and did really well.. and.. came home with some great recipes.. Here is one.

Ingredients:

7 cups rolled oats, uncooked
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup almonds, sliced or broken up
1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped or broken up
1 cup sunflower seads, raw or toasted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup maple syrup (real not the fake stuff)
t tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 250F

In a very large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, wheat germ, nuts and seeds. Mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, salt, maple syrup and vanilla. Pour over the dry mixture in the bowl, stiring and tossing till everything is very well combined.

Spread granola on a couple of large, lightly greased baking sheets (this makes two 1/2 sheet pans). Bake for about 90 minutes, stirring the mixture with a heatproof spatula every 15min or so. You want to bring the granola at the edge in towards the middle, so it all browns evenly. And reverse the baking sheets in the oven (top to bottom, bottom to top) each time you stir. When the granola is light to medium golden brown, remove it from the oven and cool completely on the pans. Transfer the granola to a large bowl and mix in the dried fruit.
Store in a tightly closed container at room temperature: Freeze for extended storage

Yield: about 18 cups.
takes time but well worth it. I put some in a bowl with vanilla yogurt and it's great. My daughter takes it in small bags to school.

The Annual St. Gabriel's School Fair 2008

2008-10-07T22:09:00.001-04:00

Lavender Bath Salts

2008-06-23T17:44:00.002-04:00

For my children, it is only now the end of the school year. While all the parents usually get together and give a class give, I like to give something a little more personal Over the years it's been things like cookies, picture frames, homemade earrings, and Bath Salts. My favorite (and one a friend of mine likes as well) is the Lavender Bath Salts. You have to figure the teachers have worked hard for your child all year, you could at least give them something to relax. So here is it..

Lavender Bath Salts

2 Cups Epsom Salts
1 Cup Baking Soda
4-5 drops Lavender Oil

combine the salts and soda. Put in the drops of oil and mix.

Add a 2 or 3 table spoons of the mix to your hot/warm bath water and relax.

Quantities above will depend on how much you want to make. I usually make several medium sized jars at a time, so my quantities are in multiples of usually 4 or 5.

To Give as gifts, get some fancy (or not so fancy) jars to put them in. preferably ones that have good lids. I also decorate the jars with fake lavender berries, or pretty leaves made in a lavender colour. I also put tags on the jars that tell how to use the salts.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut and Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

2008-04-12T14:50:00.003-04:00

I found this on a website (which I have directed you to in the title) as I was looking for Lunch Box Ideas for my 3 children. I read the ingrediants list, realized I had everything on it, got it all together and took less than about 20min to do it all. Now we wait. The Mixture tastes good warm, and they are now sitting in the oven to cool down (I know, sounds strange, but I have little sparrows that like to come into my house, so the safest place is the oven). I'll report back when they are cooled and ready to eat.

I will say this.. My husband, who doesn't have a sweet tooth at all, came upstairs from watching golf and said "what are you doing?" I said, found these on the net and am trying them out. He too a finger full of the mix.. then brought me a small bowl and asked if he could have some in the bowl, just like that, not cooled or nothing.. So I'm guessing they are really good.

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3-1/2 cups uncooked oats
1 cup shredded coconut

1. In a large saucepan combine sugar, butter, cocoa and milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Add oats and coconut; mix well.

3. Drop by tablespoonfulls onto wax paper. Allow to cool and set.

Yield: about 3 dozen cookies.

Steph's Country Kitchen Goodness (thanks Steph)

Good Morning Cocktail - Ti' Punch

2008-04-03T20:02:00.002-04:00

Decided we need a little cocktail with all this food. I think this works better as more a morning, sipping in the sunshine after a good feeling (and filling) brunch kind of drink. Enjoy.

Ti Punch (sounds like Tea Pounch) it's French.

2 oz white rum (Martiniquan white rum is the best for this)
1 oz sugar syrup (or you can use regular brown sugar)
1 fresh lime

Wash a lime, remove top and bottom, and thinly slice into half rings. Add lime pieces to glass and crush with the flat end of a barspoon. Add rum and sugar syrup, top with broken ice, and muddle together. Add a short straw, and serve.

You don't have to be that fancy.. just add some cracked ice to a class, add some spoonfuls of brown sugar, and fill with rum to cover the ice. Squeeze some lime and stir.

Ti in french means petite.. so it's a little punch.

You drink it in the morning .. sip it. the water will dilute a little.. when done you say "décollage" as in to take off or get your morning started.

Sunnie's salsa

2008-03-30T09:55:00.003-04:00

OK.. this is my own recipe.. well sort of.. borrowed from pieces and parts of other recipes. We got a call Saturday from my hubby's brother. "I'm doing steaks on the grill. Come for lunch". My hubby said.. "What should be take". So.. brain goes 50mph and spinning trying to think of what we had. Nothing heavy, appetizer type item. I remembers a black bean salsa that a friend had made once.. But I didn't have a can of Black Beans. (not something I keep around everyday). So here is my non bean version (sort of). No set measurements.. use your judgement and make how you want.

Onion - large (I used a red and a white medium to give it colour and taste
Tomato _ 3/4 med/large
1 can Medium size Pitted Olives (drained)
1 small can Corn - used about half of that can)
Cilantro - couple of small handfuls (use to taste) - I grow it in a front door garden.
Garlic - used about 3 tsp of the minced in olive oil kind, but you can use fresh
Lime - squeezed a half small lime
Salt - not much but to taste
chips for dipping

In my small food processor I minced up, but not to fine, the onions, then tomatoes, then olives and cilantro and garlic. Combined in a bowl. Added the corn. mixed together gently. added the lime juice and salt. Served with Tortilla White Corn Chips. Hit was a hit including with my oldest daughter who doesn't normally eat stuff like this.

Suggestions - decrease the amount of olives and increase the tomato if you want.

The mix and match of items is entirely up to you.

Enjoy.

The Best Jumbo Chocolate Chip (with Walnuts) Cookies on the planet.. Really!!!

2008-03-17T19:20:00.003-04:00

I found this recipe in my 2006 Christmas Edition of Good Housekeeping Magazine. I keep magazines longer than I should, but when I throw them out, I'm selective about what I keep. Christmas Magazine's top the list. So I pulled this out in December (happened to find it in a stack) and started reading.. Got to the Cookie recipe part, and before I knew it, my oldest daughter (who was 11yrs old at the time), said.. let's make those. She thinks she is a chef (which she may be one of these years), and she dug right into the baking process. Boy were they good. We have made them several times after that. Most batches turn out pretty good, some have left a little to be desired. It has to do with the type of Brown Sugar we use. These cookies are huge all the way around. But I can tell you, we have just made, what I think is the perfect Batch. So here is tonights recipe. We give total credit to Good Housekeeping.. and our sinceriest of thanks.. Enjoy...

Chocolate Chip Jumbos
From Good Housekeeping
triple-tested at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute
Just remember that one of these jumbos is equivalent to six regular-size cookies, so be sure you share! - Sharon Franke, kitchen appliances and technology director

INGREDIENTS
3 large eggs
1 pound(s) (4 sticks) butter or margerine, softened
1 package(s) (16-ounce) brown sugar (light brown, soft - not packed)
1 1/2 cup(s) granulated sugar (white sugar)
2 tablespoon(s) vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
6 cup(s) all-purpose flour
2 package(s) (12-ounce) semisweet chocolate chips
1 bag(s) (16-ounce) chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In very large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat eggs 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in butter, sugars, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and walnuts (mixture will be very stiff).
2. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough by level 1/3 cups (or use 21/2-inch ice cream scoop), 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake cookies 23 to 26 minutes or until golden around the edges, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.
4. Repeat with remaining dough, reusing the same parchment. Store your cookies in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 3 months.
Serving size = 1 cookie

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (per serving) (just for fun)
Calories 425
Total Fat 25g
Saturated Fat 11 g
Cholesterol 45 mg
Sodium 265mg
Total Carbohydrate 50 g
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Sugars --
Protein 6 g
Calcium -

Kentucky Pecan Pie

2007-11-13T21:37:00.001-04:00

I have no clue why this pie has this name, but I've been baking it for close to 30years.. I'll be telling my age, almost, if I tell you as a teenager I won blue ribbons in our county fair for these pies. I make them this time of year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. One of my daughters asked me why I only made them around this time of year.. I said I wasn't sure, but I guess they are soo special I keep them for special occasions.

Kentucky Pecan Pie

1 cup White Corn Syrup
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar (packed is best)
1/2 tsp Salt (slightly less if you are using salted butter)
1 tsp Vanilla (the good stuff if possible)
3 Whole Eggs, Slightly Beaten
1/3 Cup Melted Butter
1 heaping cup Pecan Pieces
handful Pecan Halves

COMBINE - Syrup, Sugar, Salt, Butter and Vanilla. Mix Well

ADD - Slightly Beaten Eggs. Mix Well

STIR IN - Pecan Pieces. Mix Well

Pour into 9 Inch Deep Dish unbaked Pie Shell

Place firm becan halves on to in a pattern

Bake at 350F for approx 45min (until firm but not too brown on the top)

Cool Well (Filling will firm up more as it cools)

Variations on that theme - .. Over the years I've done different things.. but only with the Pecans. Currently I've been chopping the pecan pieces a little more and just putting them into the pie shell and pouring the mixture over top of those and letting things settle as it will.

Usually I make a nice ring patter around the whole pie from outside in. I've made 4 in the last 2 days and only 1 had the full ring. The others I either just added more pieces onto the top, or made an outer ring with pieces in the middle.

Also. I usually make 2 pies at once. It's easier to use the whole 16oz countainer of Syrup than to store the other 8oz. Same goes for a 16 oz box of Brown Sugar. So for many years now I've never made just one pie at a time. You just have to be carefull, mix well and alternate between shells to that it's even in both. The baking time takes a little longer, but at 45 minutes I usually place a square piece of foil over top of the pie's so the pecans to burn.

One of my brothers added chocolate chips to his recipe mix and said it came out great, but I haven't tried that yet. It's already sweet and tasty enough.

Enjoy.

Red Lobster copycat Chedder Bay Biscuits - My Version

2007-11-13T21:22:00.000-04:00

Really Really Great. We go to Red Lobster several times during our trips to NC and always leave with a big bag of these biscuits. I've found several recipes on the net and have come up with this one on my own.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Like Red Lobster's®Garlic and cheddar make a flavorful addition to basic drop biscuits.

Serves: 8 Prep. Time: 0:15min or less

2 cups Bisquick baking mix (or any other brand)
2/3 cup milk - low fat is what I use
1/2 cup shredded sharp chedder cheese (I used the Cabot white sharp)
1/4 cup butter OR margarine - melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
parsley flakes - optional

Combine Bisquick, milk, and cheddar and beat with a wooden spoon for about 30 seconds.

Spoon onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake in 450 degree oven for 8 - 10 minutes.

Combine butter and garlic powder and pour over hot biscuits; sprinkle with parsley.

I've learned that Red Lobster uses special backing mixes and other items which make there version taste so good.. but these are pretty darn close.

Smoked Fish

2007-11-06T21:40:00.000-04:00

Ok.. now I didn't actually do this one. My brother in laws did this at a Pig Roast the family had last Sunday.

Here is the picture of the pig

Pig was started around 8am Sunday Morning.. no clue what they marinated this thing in.. but the outcome was good.

and here's the picture of the fish After the pig came off the spit, my brother in laws (who had cut this king fish into steaks) then wove this wore or string through the back bone pieces and hung this fish up to smoke.. I don't think they put any seasonings on it, just the smoke from the wood in the pit.

Turned out very good, but took a while to do. Can't even begin to tell you how to do this.

Good luck if you try it at home.

What a last 2 weeks

2007-11-02T18:25:00.000-04:00

ok, so I haven't written in a while. Been Very busy with the St. Gabriel's School Fair.. and mostly dinner over the last 2 weeks has been Chefette (our version of fast food.. it's chicken mainly.. and better than KFC)

When I actually start cooking again, I'll add more things.. in the meantime, you can contact me via these posts and tell me what you would like me to add..

Garlic Parmesan Olives

2007-10-22T20:51:00.000-04:00

The recipe below is a great Olive Recipe. I made this one day before a PTA Board Meeting and WOWOWOW'd those in attendence.. even the lady who owns a really great restaurant.. said she was going to make if for a dinner party a few weeks ago. Haven't asked the out come but I really like these.

also, I've tweak the recipe.. this is the original

Garlic Parmesan Olives
Submitted by: Jake Bryan - AllRecipes.com
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour 5 Minutes
Yields: 7 servings

"Marinated olives--with a decidedly Italian flavor--are chilled for one hour prior to serving."

INGREDIENTS:
1 (6 ounce) can black olives, drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (the real stuff, not the green bottle shaky stuff) I used the bagged already shredded up cheese and then chopped it even more)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small bowl, combine olives, garlic, basil, and black pepper. Stir in the olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Stir well and chill, covered for at least one hour before serving.

I usually double or triple this recipe.. and I usually add less cheese and a little more basil and black peppter.. Do this several time and add or subtract the seasonings as needed..

Total wonderful.

White Bread Recipe

2007-10-22T20:40:00.000-04:00

Ok.. My adoring fans want the recipe.. sorry for the delay..

White Bread
2 fl oz (65 ml) lukewarm water
1 tbsp active dried yeast
2 tbsp sugar
16 fl oz (450 ml) lukewarm milk
1 oz (30 g) butter or margarine, at room temp.(I used real butter from New Zealand)
1 lb 14oz - 2 lbs (850-900 g) strong flour (not sure what strong flour is, but I used regular all purpose flour - strong flour might be bread flour)

1. Combine the water, yeast and 1 tbsp of sugar in a measuring jug and let stand for 15 minutes until the mixture is frothy.

2. Pour the milk into a large bowl. Add the remaining sugar, the butter or margarine, and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture.

3. Stir in the flour, 5 oz (140 g) at a time, until a stiff dough is obtained. Alternatively, use a food processor.

4. Transfer the dough to a floured surface. To knead, push the dough away from you with the palm of your hand, then fold it towards you, and push it away again. Repeat until the dough is smooth and elastic.

5. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover with a plastic bag, and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 2-3 hours.

6. Grease 2 9 x 5 inch (23 x 13 cm) tins.

7. Punch down the risen dough with your fist and divide in half. Form into a loaf shape and place in the tins, seam-side down. Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in volumne, about 45 minutes.

8. Preheat a 375F /190C/gas 5 oven

9. Bake until firm and brown, 45-50 minutes. Turn out and tap the bottom of a loaf: if it sounds hollow the loaf is done. If necessary, return to the oven and bake a few minutes more. Let cool on a rack.

Recipe from Flipcook Baking - Carole Clements.

White Bread - Done

2007-10-06T14:58:00.000-04:00

Well if I may say so myself.. it turned out pretty darn good. When I got home, Marva, my handy dandy trusty housekeeper, baby sitter, all around wonderful person had tasted an end to one of the loafs.. I had to call and see what she thought. "Real Good" she said "now just waiting to see how mine turn out". "What!!" I said.. " you wrote down the recipe". "Nope!. Got it all in my head".

This morning she told me she ended up with 3 loaves (not sure how she did that, unless it was 3 small loaf pans, and she was down to 1 loaf already. We had a good laugh and now we have to decide what we will be cooking this week.

I'll type out the recipe shortly..

White Bread

2007-10-05T10:13:00.000-04:00

Well I was always told that white bread was bad for you.. put a little water on it and it made paste.. so can you imagine what it does in your stomach??

Anyway.. I'm experimeting.. (Like I have tons of time do to that). And Today I'm making a white bread loaf. (out of the same cookbook from which I got the French Bread recipe). I will check back in once it's done and let you know how it went. Right now I'm into 45min of it's raising.. with at least another hour and 15 to go (at least) sooo we shall see...

Annie Laurie's Cold Oven Pound Cake

2007-09-29T12:45:00.000-04:00

Here is my mother's signature pound cake. All who knew and loved her can tell you that this was the ultimate in pound cake, and let me tell you, when you got one as a gift, you recieved the tops in gift giving.

My best memory of one of these cakes was when my 2 sisters and my best friend traveled to Maine (where I was living at the time) one early October, and carried a pound cake with them on the plane so that my twin sister and I could celebrate our birthday. As mom couldn't be there, she sent the next best thing. It, as always, was wonderful.

Enjoy

Annie Laurie's Cold Oven Pound Cake

3 sticks (1.5 cups) butter
3 cups sugar
6 eggs (Cold)
3 cups sifted cake flour
1 cup whole milk (VERY Cold)
1 teaspoon vanila extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

*eggs & milk should be cold right out of the refrigerator (not room temperature)

1. Prepare large tube pan by either spraying with bakers spray (and wiping gently with a paper towel to remove excess) or greasing with soft butter & dusting with flour. Set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar together.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
4. Beat in flour, one cup at a time, alternating with milk.
5. Add vanilla extract and almond extract.
6. Beat on medium-high to high speed of hand mixer for two minutes, scrapping down sides of bowl.
7. Carefully pour batter evenly into tube pan – use all that is in the bowl (a rubber spatula will help).
8. Place on middle rack in COLD oven and bake at 275F. for 2 hours.
9. Check it towards the end in case your oven cooks fast or slow.
10. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a cake rack on the counter for about four minutes.
11. Run a dinner knife around the middle and edges.
12. Turn cake out onto dinner plate and then upright onto a cake plate.
13. Let the cake cool before cutting – best to use a serrated knife, at least while cake is somewhat warm.

Serving Suggestions:
Annie Laurie’s Cold Oven Pound Cake is great just as it is or with chocolate ice cream on top or with strawberries & whipped cream or with fudge icing dripping down the sides… Try it with warm cooked apples, a bit of cinnamon & apple syrup. It can be frozen & thawed to serve later and is perfect to give as a gift for a job well done!

French Bread

2007-09-27T07:57:00.000-04:00

I haven't made bread in many years. But I was flipping through this cookbook I have on Sunday evening and saw this really easy French Bread Recipe. So, in between doing dishes and cleaning the house on Monday, I decided to try it and see what happens..

Well I'm here to tell you.. very easy, tasted great. I hope I can reproduce the same results again in the near future..

Here is the Recipe.

Makes 2 loaves

1 tbsp Active Dry Yeast (I used 1 package)

16 fl oz lukewarm water

1 tbsp salt

1 lb 14oz - 2 lb 8oz plain flour

semolina (corn meal) or flour for sprinkling.

1. Combine the yeast and water, stir, and leave for 15minutes to dissolve. Stir in Salt

2. Add the flour, 5 oz at a time. Beat in with a wooden spoon, adding just enough flour to obtain a smooth dough. Alternateively, use an electric mixer with a dough hook. ( I started out beating it by hand, but ended up using my electric mixer, worked much better)

3. Tranfer to a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

4. Shape into a ball, place in a greased bowl and cover with a plastic bag. Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in volumn (2-4 hours). (well I had to go out and ended up leaving mine for about 5 hours in total time)

5. Transfer to a lighlty floured board and shape into 2 long loaves. Place on a baking sheet sprinkled with semolina or flour and let rise for 5 minutes.

6. Score the tops in several places with a very sharp knife. Brush with water and place in a cold oven. Set a pan of boailing water on the bottom of the oven and set the oven to 400F. Bake until crusty and golden, about 40min. Cool on a rack.

Those Zucchini Fritters

2007-09-23T22:18:00.000-04:00

Well I tried the fritters at lunch today.. Too much Zucchini (but I was making it for more than 2 people) and I didn't do my measurements correctly. (which is a problem I have when cooking .. I don't always use the exact measurements, except in Baking).

They turned at good, but I think I used too much cheese, and made to many of them.. Also, didn't have Self Rising flour, so used the substitue version (added Baking powder and salt to regular flour).

The hubby and oldest daughter enjoyed them, as did I.. I'll try them again, but with a better what on my measurements.

LunchBox Recipes - HELP!!!

2007-09-22T22:32:00.000-04:00

My big thing is that I have 3 children all who need lunchboxes for school. I need recipes for lunchboxes.. and the thing is, my children aren't big veggie eaters, or fruit eaters.. Ok an apple here and there, Broccoli done a certain way with dinner, no problem, but not in the lunch box.

So.. please send me info via the comments section to suggestion possible lunchbox recipes. I'll post them for the world to see (if you want me to).

Really looking forward to it. By the way.. We live on a hot island, many items not available (most, but not some), so be resonable when posting.

Thanks for the help

Courgette Fritters - BBCGoodFood.com

2007-09-22T22:14:00.000-04:00

Saw this recipe in a friends Magazine and thought that it looked really good and really easy.. so I'll report back when I've made it to go with lunch tomorrow.

INGREDIENTS
2 medium courgettes, grated
2 tbsp self-raising flour
25g parmesan, finely grated
1 tbsp olive oil
170g tub roasted red pepper houmous, to serve

In a bowl, combine the grated courgette, flour and parmesan. Shape into walnut-size balls, then flatten.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add the oil. Fry the fritters for 2-3 mins on each side until golden brown. Serve straight away with red pepper houmous.

It starts with just one post.

2007-09-22T22:06:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here this evening having seen a friends cooking magazine this morning and I decided I need a place, not just my computer, to put all those great recipes that I like into one place. My own little on the web cookbook. Well I'm not the first and I'm sure I'm not the last. I hope I don't get into trouble reposting some of this info, but I'm sure if I do, someone will let me know.

Feel free to chime in with other great recipes you would like me to add, or suggestions on how we can make this better.