I've been watching the ABC Evening News the last few weeks. They have had stories on "Buying American" several times and I thought I would pass it along.
Their claim is that Americans average around $700 in holiday spending on gifts per person. Now remember that is an average. However, someone has calculated that if everyone would just spend $64 of that $700 figure on products made in America, we would create 200,000 NEW jobs.
That's not a bad start for a nation that needs to lower the unemployment rate quite a bit.
I'm going to try and do my part. But it is not easy. If you want to help, please check carefully where the products are made. Most seem to be made in places other than America.
As Holidays are approaching quickly and if you are still looking for a item, let me suggest my cookbook. It does make a great gift. Guess what, it is made in America too!
We are going to talk about planning our holiday meal and snacks tomorrow. On Thursday and Friday, it will be more recipes for the holidays. Enjoy trying some of them. Also, I'm on KQ2 TV this Monday (19th) between 6:30 and 7:00 AM. Please tune in if you get that station.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
My Chicken Alfredo
My Chicken Alfredo
(4 – 6 servings)
Ingredients:
8 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 cup Heavy Cream
To Taste Salt and Black Pepper
12 oz. Cooked Chicken, cut in strips 2 in. long
12 oz. Pasta, cooked (your choice on pasta)
Directions:
In a large sauté pan, cut butter into small pieces and begin melting of medium-high heat. Add the cheese and oil and cook until smooth (melted & combined) reducing heat to medium. Now add the cream, a little at a time, while you whisk the mixture. Continue to whisk until mixture thickens a little and season with the salt and pepper. The chicken and pasta can now be added and cooked until heated through. Serve with my “Garlic Bread” from the blog, Cabana Boy Cooks.
Note: If your budget can afford it, use Parmigiano-Reggiano for the
cheese because it really improves the taste.
Note: Remember 4 quarts of water, 1 tbsp. salt to up to 1 pound of
pasta when cooking it.
Ideas for Future Efforts
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Thursday, December 8, 2011
Pasta is good with just butter and cheese.
Before we start with more about pasta, I have to attach this link. The St. Joseph News-Press did an article on me in yesterday's paper. I hope you enjoy it. St. Joseph News-Press.
Now let's get back to pasta. Your standard pasta shapes that are found in the United States are: Angel Hair, Spaghetti, Linguine, Fettuccine, Ziti, Rotini and Penne. These are great to use but can get a little boring. I have mentioned trying to find Ethnic Stores in both the cookbook and this blog. I'm just reminding everyone that my favorite one is in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It is called Tenuta's. They do have an on-line store but the pasta choices are limited. They have a great selection of imported Italian pastas in the store. When we are in Kenosha, I will stock up on my favorites which include Gemelli and Orecchiette. They both hold the sauce very well and are a little heavier than American made pasta. The first one is about 2 1/2 inches long and looks like two pieces twisted together. The other one kind of reminds you of ears. Also remember that in Yesterday's blog I gave you a link to a company that make organic pasta. Please check them out too. I have a link here that has various posters of pasta shapes and their names. Check it out at Pasta Shapes.
One of the neat things about pasta is that it can go well with something as simple as melted butter tossed with the pasta and sprinkled with some Parmesan cheese to a sauce that took six hours to make. My children were sometimes picky eaters and I always know that spaghetti with butter and cheese would satisfy them. It is really a comfort food.
If you don't have great choices of pasta types and shapes, then travel a little and find some. In this modern day, I guess you could just order them on the internet. Look for easy sauce recipes too. Yesterday's link had those as well. Be adventurous and shake up your boring pasta & sauce life. Remember, you're only limited by your imagination and taste-buds.
Tomorrow is a recipe for "My Chicken Alfredo" which won't make my dietitian happy. It is full of butter, cheese and heavy cream. Enjoy!
Now let's get back to pasta. Your standard pasta shapes that are found in the United States are: Angel Hair, Spaghetti, Linguine, Fettuccine, Ziti, Rotini and Penne. These are great to use but can get a little boring. I have mentioned trying to find Ethnic Stores in both the cookbook and this blog. I'm just reminding everyone that my favorite one is in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It is called Tenuta's. They do have an on-line store but the pasta choices are limited. They have a great selection of imported Italian pastas in the store. When we are in Kenosha, I will stock up on my favorites which include Gemelli and Orecchiette. They both hold the sauce very well and are a little heavier than American made pasta. The first one is about 2 1/2 inches long and looks like two pieces twisted together. The other one kind of reminds you of ears. Also remember that in Yesterday's blog I gave you a link to a company that make organic pasta. Please check them out too. I have a link here that has various posters of pasta shapes and their names. Check it out at Pasta Shapes.
One of the neat things about pasta is that it can go well with something as simple as melted butter tossed with the pasta and sprinkled with some Parmesan cheese to a sauce that took six hours to make. My children were sometimes picky eaters and I always know that spaghetti with butter and cheese would satisfy them. It is really a comfort food.
If you don't have great choices of pasta types and shapes, then travel a little and find some. In this modern day, I guess you could just order them on the internet. Look for easy sauce recipes too. Yesterday's link had those as well. Be adventurous and shake up your boring pasta & sauce life. Remember, you're only limited by your imagination and taste-buds.
Tomorrow is a recipe for "My Chicken Alfredo" which won't make my dietitian happy. It is full of butter, cheese and heavy cream. Enjoy!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
What kind of Pasta should I use when cooking?
I always get asked "Should I use fresh or dry pasta when I cook?" The answer depends on you and your market.
The "you" part has several factors that come into play. First is your budget because fresh pasta is more expensive than dry pasta. So maybe your budget is a dry pasta one, but that doesn't mean you can't up your game for "Special" occasions and buy fresh. Second is how comfortable you are with pasta. I believe this is really silly, but some people are afraid of "fresh" pasta because it sounds more difficult than the dry. There really isn't any reason for this because they are both easy to cook and use. Now making fresh pasta is a whole different subject but that just takes a little practice and the right equipment.
Now comes "your market" part. It depends on where you live (small town, big city, etc.) and what the stores in your area offer for product. Many small markets may not have the volume to stock fresh pasta. Then there may be someone/vendor that makes fresh pasta in your area. If so, take advantage of them.
You can order pasta from various websites too. I know of one that makes, sells and ships "Organic Pasta" in many different flavors. Their website also offers a wide variety of pasta sauce recipes to use with the organic pasta. Check them out at their website here Artisan Italian by Dakota Earth. I have met Dan, but Elizabeth is really the person behind the pasta making. I suggest you give them a chance. For those of you in the Sioux City and Sioux Falls area, they do the "Farmer's Market" in those towns from July to October on Saturdays.
There are now whole wheat and other healthy styles of dry pasta. Be sure to look into them when shopping.
Alright, you have picked your pasta. Now a few helpful hints on cooking and using it in your meal.
You should have at least a 6 to 8 quart pot for cooking pasta as it takes a lot of water. You want to use 4 quarts or more of water when cooking up to a pound of pasta. You want to get the water to a hard boil before adding a tablespoon of salt and then the pasta. Stir it once it has been added and start timing from when the water returns to a boil. Remember to occasionally stir the pasta (carefully) and cook without a lid. Cook according to the package directions for time. It differs on time between fresh and dry pasta. Below are some average cooking times for both.
Dry Pasta: 8 to 12 minutes (long thin is quicker than long fat pasta)
The whole wheat and healthier pasta takes a little longer to cook.
Fresh Pasta: 1 to 3 minutes ( same here for thin and fat)
With both types of pasta, you need to taste it to check for doneness. The pasta, when tasted, should feel tender with a little resistance. However, stuffed pasta (ravioli, tortellini, etc.) will usually float when they are done.
Depending on how it is going to be served or used, you want to cook the pasta al dente. Over cooking pasta gives it a mushy texture. If you are going to add it to a pan of sauce and continue cooking, you want it a little under al dente because it will continue to cook in the pan. If you are going to serve it separate from the sauce, just drain and serve. If it will be a few minutes before service, add a little olive oil or butter to the pasta and toss in the pot. Be sure to cover with a lid to help keep it warm.
Remember not to rinse the pasta when it is drain unless you are making it for a cold dish. Then rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and drain well. You may need a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together before refrigerating it.
This is not everything you need to know about pasta but I hope it helps you get more adventurous with using it.
The "you" part has several factors that come into play. First is your budget because fresh pasta is more expensive than dry pasta. So maybe your budget is a dry pasta one, but that doesn't mean you can't up your game for "Special" occasions and buy fresh. Second is how comfortable you are with pasta. I believe this is really silly, but some people are afraid of "fresh" pasta because it sounds more difficult than the dry. There really isn't any reason for this because they are both easy to cook and use. Now making fresh pasta is a whole different subject but that just takes a little practice and the right equipment.
Now comes "your market" part. It depends on where you live (small town, big city, etc.) and what the stores in your area offer for product. Many small markets may not have the volume to stock fresh pasta. Then there may be someone/vendor that makes fresh pasta in your area. If so, take advantage of them.
You can order pasta from various websites too. I know of one that makes, sells and ships "Organic Pasta" in many different flavors. Their website also offers a wide variety of pasta sauce recipes to use with the organic pasta. Check them out at their website here Artisan Italian by Dakota Earth. I have met Dan, but Elizabeth is really the person behind the pasta making. I suggest you give them a chance. For those of you in the Sioux City and Sioux Falls area, they do the "Farmer's Market" in those towns from July to October on Saturdays.
There are now whole wheat and other healthy styles of dry pasta. Be sure to look into them when shopping.
Alright, you have picked your pasta. Now a few helpful hints on cooking and using it in your meal.
You should have at least a 6 to 8 quart pot for cooking pasta as it takes a lot of water. You want to use 4 quarts or more of water when cooking up to a pound of pasta. You want to get the water to a hard boil before adding a tablespoon of salt and then the pasta. Stir it once it has been added and start timing from when the water returns to a boil. Remember to occasionally stir the pasta (carefully) and cook without a lid. Cook according to the package directions for time. It differs on time between fresh and dry pasta. Below are some average cooking times for both.
Dry Pasta: 8 to 12 minutes (long thin is quicker than long fat pasta)
The whole wheat and healthier pasta takes a little longer to cook.
Fresh Pasta: 1 to 3 minutes ( same here for thin and fat)
With both types of pasta, you need to taste it to check for doneness. The pasta, when tasted, should feel tender with a little resistance. However, stuffed pasta (ravioli, tortellini, etc.) will usually float when they are done.
Depending on how it is going to be served or used, you want to cook the pasta al dente. Over cooking pasta gives it a mushy texture. If you are going to add it to a pan of sauce and continue cooking, you want it a little under al dente because it will continue to cook in the pan. If you are going to serve it separate from the sauce, just drain and serve. If it will be a few minutes before service, add a little olive oil or butter to the pasta and toss in the pot. Be sure to cover with a lid to help keep it warm.
Remember not to rinse the pasta when it is drain unless you are making it for a cold dish. Then rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and drain well. You may need a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together before refrigerating it.
This is not everything you need to know about pasta but I hope it helps you get more adventurous with using it.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Updating what's going on in my cookbook world
It was a busy weekend for me. I did two book signings in Sioux City, Iowa. One was on Friday at the Hy_Vee on Hamilton Blvd. and there was a lot of traffic. Passed out a lot of business cards with my website and blog site addresses. I had good interest and did about what I figured. On Saturday I had fun as it snowed all day and the crowd of shoppers was down. I did well under the circumstances as I signed the same number of books as the day before.
I had to drive back home on Sunday to get ready for the "Hometown This Morning" show on KQ2 early Monday morning. That means getting up at 4:30 a.m. and driving 90 miles round trip in the dark now that winter is here.
Did I mention that I had to do my first snow shoveling on Saturday at my mother's house? Thank God there is NO snow in Maryville. I can wait for Christmas Eve to see just a little of the white stuff. Back to the show.
I made the Garlic Bread recipe from this blog on the show. It most have been a big hit because it didn't last very long. They are supposed to put the clip on the recipe at KQ2's website. It is not there the last I looked but I'll make sure to put the link on the blog when it comes up.
For anyone in the North Kansas City area, I'm doing a book signing this Saturday (10th) at the Hy-Vee just off of Barry Rd. from 11:00 to 2:00 p.m. The store is just a few blocks east of I-29 and Barry Rd. interchange and is on the south side of the street.
I also have a good and/or bad problem in regards to the cookbook. Barnes & Noble and the Family Christian Bookstore are both out of my cookbook at the moment. This is their websites for ordering that are out and it is because their supplier ran out. They have more on the way but I don't know how long it will be before they have them back in stock. Amazon still has some but are down to 5 copies according to their site on Monday. Remember you can always order them through the blog here. Just click on the link up above this blog.
I hope everyone saw the new piece above on the right about remembering this cookbook for gifts. It really does make a great Christmas, Wedding, Graduation and Birthday gift. Several of the books signed in Sioux City were going for those very reasons. In fact, one friend told me she is going to use the cookbook as her go-to gift for all the weddings she goes to each year.
I don't know if any of you have been watching ABC Nightly News, but they have been doing some stories on "Buy American" recently. They say if everyone would spend just $64 on American made products for the holidays, it would create 200,000 new jobs. I'm doing my part in two ways. First, I'm looking for and buying American goods. Second, I'm an American author with an American publisher printing my cookbook in America. So people who buy my cookbook are helping create more jobs in America. Thank you!
This week, we are going to talk about pasta, sauces and then on Friday I will have my recipe for Alfredo Sauce. Please have a good week and get in the kitchen and cook something (a favorite or something new). Enjoy!
I had to drive back home on Sunday to get ready for the "Hometown This Morning" show on KQ2 early Monday morning. That means getting up at 4:30 a.m. and driving 90 miles round trip in the dark now that winter is here.
Did I mention that I had to do my first snow shoveling on Saturday at my mother's house? Thank God there is NO snow in Maryville. I can wait for Christmas Eve to see just a little of the white stuff. Back to the show.
I made the Garlic Bread recipe from this blog on the show. It most have been a big hit because it didn't last very long. They are supposed to put the clip on the recipe at KQ2's website. It is not there the last I looked but I'll make sure to put the link on the blog when it comes up.
For anyone in the North Kansas City area, I'm doing a book signing this Saturday (10th) at the Hy-Vee just off of Barry Rd. from 11:00 to 2:00 p.m. The store is just a few blocks east of I-29 and Barry Rd. interchange and is on the south side of the street.
I also have a good and/or bad problem in regards to the cookbook. Barnes & Noble and the Family Christian Bookstore are both out of my cookbook at the moment. This is their websites for ordering that are out and it is because their supplier ran out. They have more on the way but I don't know how long it will be before they have them back in stock. Amazon still has some but are down to 5 copies according to their site on Monday. Remember you can always order them through the blog here. Just click on the link up above this blog.
I hope everyone saw the new piece above on the right about remembering this cookbook for gifts. It really does make a great Christmas, Wedding, Graduation and Birthday gift. Several of the books signed in Sioux City were going for those very reasons. In fact, one friend told me she is going to use the cookbook as her go-to gift for all the weddings she goes to each year.
I don't know if any of you have been watching ABC Nightly News, but they have been doing some stories on "Buy American" recently. They say if everyone would spend just $64 on American made products for the holidays, it would create 200,000 new jobs. I'm doing my part in two ways. First, I'm looking for and buying American goods. Second, I'm an American author with an American publisher printing my cookbook in America. So people who buy my cookbook are helping create more jobs in America. Thank you!
This week, we are going to talk about pasta, sauces and then on Friday I will have my recipe for Alfredo Sauce. Please have a good week and get in the kitchen and cook something (a favorite or something new). Enjoy!
Friday, December 2, 2011
My Favorite Thumb Print Cookie
My Favorite Thumb Print Cookie
(2 dozen)
Ingredients:
1 cup Unsalted Butter (2 sticks), room temperature
½ cup Light Brown Sugar
2 Egg Yolks
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 cups All Purpose Flour
½ tsp. Salt
2 Egg Whites, lightly beaten
1 cup Pecans, finely chopped
Directions:
Cream (blend) the first 4 ingredients together in a large bowl with a hand mixer until smooth.. Combine the flour and salt and mix well together and slowly add to the butter mixture a fourth at a time. Once you have incorporated all the flour mixture, use a small scoop (#50 in size) to make balls about one inch in diameter. Before making the balls, have the whites and nuts ready (each in a small bowl). Dip the dough ball into the egg whites and then roll in the nuts to coat before placing on the cookie sheet. Leave about 2 inches between the balls and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until nicely browned. Remember to pull the cookies after 5 minutes and press your thumb into the centers of each to make an indentation. Return to oven and continue baking until done. Let the cookies cool completely before filling the centers with the frosting or jam of your choice.
Note: I will also use walnuts in place of pecans depending on cost.
Note: I prefer red or green powdered sugar frosting in my thumb prints.
Ideas for Future Efforts
Thursday, December 1, 2011
WeightWatcher Points - Odds & Ends
More Than Your First Cookbook
Odds & Ends Chapter
My calculations for WeightWatchers Points
Be sure to check portions on these items as they range from 1 piece up to a quart for a portion.
Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp - 1 pts.
Basic White Sauce - 10 pts.
Candee's Canned Salsa - 2 pts.
Dry Rub for BBQ - 7 pts.
Hot Crab Dip - 4 pts.
Italian Meatballs - 3 pts.
Mexican Hot Dip - 3 pts.
Nadine's Corn & Black Bean Salsa - 2 pts.
Spaghetti Sauce (Marinara) 14 pts.
Spinach & Artichoke Dip - 3 pts.
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