Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown

This recipe is so simple it doesn’t seem real. My hubby and I love crab legs (complimenting a nice steak, especially!) and were dumbfounded when we watch an episode of Good Eats and saw this recipe. We were both thinking "not the microwave…it’s king crab legs!" It really does work!

Ingredients

6 Alaskan king crab claws, thawed
2 sprigs dill

Instructions

If necessary in order to fit in microwave, cut claws at joints. Wrap 3 claws at a time in a damp paper towel, along with 1 sprig of dill, and then wrap in plastic wrap. Place wrapped claws in microwave 1 package at a time and cook on high for 2 minutes. Remove and unwrap carefully. Serve immediately.

See? Simple, isn’t it? And yummy….it steams the crab legs since they are wrapped in the dampt towel and the plastic wrap. We like to eat ours with some melted butter. We melt some butter on a pan slowly and put some crushed garlic and lemon juice in so the butter is infused with those flavors. We strain and put into a bowl for the table.

Enjoy!

Okay, this isn’t your "normal" chicken noodle soup recipe. I LOVE homemade chicken noodle soup - the thick noodles, the tasty veggies and tender chicken. I love it, but usually don’t have the time to spend in the kitchen. So a few years ago, I got a copy of Taste of Home’s Quick Cooking magazine and came across this great recipe. It is simple, but also very good. I like to serve it with a nice crusty, warm bread.
In large pot, bring water and bouillon to a boil. Add noodles; cook, uncovered until tender, about 10 minutes. Do not drain. Add soup and chicken, heath through. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream. Sprinkle with parsley and pepper to taste.

My 2 cents: I’ve grown to detest bouillon cubes - mostly because I need to beat the hell out of them to get them to "melt" into the water at the speed I would like it. there’s also something very unnatural about food squished into hard little cubes like that. I found something better. In the same area of your grocery store that you buy the cubes, you can find chicken base. I use the brand called "Better Than Bouillon." They make both beef and chicken base (and perhaps others, but I’ve used the beef and chicken regularly). Their chicken base is made from roasted chicken and concentrated chicken stock. It has a better flavor and "melts" very easily as it is in more of a paste form. It is easy to measure and is easy to substitute for the cubes. I would definitely recommend it!

Recipe Courtesy of Taste of Home’s Quick Cooking

Ingredients

2 quarts water
8 chicken bouillon cubes (see my note below about bouillon cubes!)
6-1/2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles (I use No Yolks and they work great!)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (Campbells, please! The low-fat works, too!)
3 cups cubed cooked chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken I get at the grocery store)
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
fresh parsley (dried works in a pinch)
fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

I was thinking today about which recipe I wanted to post, but was having a hard time trying to decide - mostly because my mom had to make a very hard decision today. My mom has cancer. She’s been battling lung cancer for quite some time now. They first discovered it when she went in for her double-bypass. They thought they got it all, but during a follow-up visit to see if her heart was okay, they saw that her lung was not. They took a third of her lung after that. We thought we were in the clear. Mom got pretty healthy after that - healthy for a woman in her 70s, that is.

Well, about 13-14 months ago we got bad news. Mom’s lung cancer was back and it was back with a vengance. Not only was it in her lung, but it had moved on to her liver. Inoperable was what we heard. Let’s try chemotherapy. Let’s see if we can lengthen her life by reducing the tumors. Here we are, today, and Mom made the decision to agree to Hospice care. I can’t imagine making that kind of decision - it was hard enough being there to support her while she made that decision herself. Now it’s all about treating pain and the person - not the disease. All about gaining closure on the things that happen at the end of a person’s life.

My mom. She’s endured so much - many failed rounds of chemo, runs to the hospital, doctor appointments, meds. I see a woman who has been so strong the majority of my life now a mere shadow of what she had been. Walking is challenging - shoot, standing up is. She can’t eat - she’s down to 94 pounds. I know she’s in a lot of pain. Hospice will be good for both her and Dad. If Mom makes it to April 2, they will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

I think back to growing up as the baby of the family. As is the case in most families, celebrations always centered around food. My parents had the opportunity to see so many things while my dad served in the Air Force - their tours took them to multiple bases in the US as well as bases in Germany and Spain. Mom has some of the best recipes from both Spain and Germany. Dad also brought back recipes from his tours in Thailand. I grew up in a house where cooking and meals were important. We always sat down to dinner together, no matter what was going on. Mom has shared stories of me, barely old enough to walk by myself wanting to help in the kitchen. Okay, maybe it was the batter on the spatula that called me, but I was in there, learning what Mom knows.

Without my mom’s influence, I would not have learned the "art" of cooking. She has taught me about how to make gravy, how to can tomatoes, how to make pasties, the importance of garlic and the clear impression that Jasmine rice is the best rice in the world. There are recipes that have been in our family for years that I will be able to pass down to my girl - and she’ll know that they came from her Nannie. These are the things I think I’ve taken for granted. Now that I know her time with us is limited, all of a sudden they are so important to me. I also think about the things I need to learn from my dad - like his secret Thai pepper steak sauce and that recipe for Carne Asada.

I want Mom to be comfortable, and to spend this time with our children, her grandkids, and reflect on the amazing life she has lived. Not too many people now can say that they lived through the Depression, multiple wars, life with no electricity to computers and convection ovens. I treasure the time I’ve had with her and only hope I can teach my daughter half of what she has taught me.

Recipe Concept Courtesy of Rachael Ray

I love Rachael Ray’s show "30 Minute Meals." I have found a number of recipes that are now "regulars" with my family. There are times, however, that some of the ingredients she uses don’t really "fit" with the food combinations my family enjoys. The following recipe for stuffed pork chops is no exception. I love the recipe idea - pork chops that you can make quickly on the stove with a stuffing you place between 2 thin chops. You can see the original recipe here. I don’t care for celery, though, and I’ve never been fond of apples in my stuffing, so here is my version of "stuffed" pork chops:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil, plus some for drizzling
2 slices bacon, chopped
10-12 small mushrooms, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons freshly chopped sage leaves, or 1 teaspoon ground dried sage
2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried leaves
Freshly ground black pepper & kosher salt
2 store bought corn muffins
8 thin boneless center cut pork loin chops

Instructions

Preheat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and bacon to the skillet and cook 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and onion and season the mixture with herbs, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium. Cook vegetables 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Crumble the corn muffins into the pan and combine stuffing. If you find the stuffing a little dry, you can drizzle some chicken broth, skim milk or even water into the pan until it is moist to your liking. I like mine on the moist side, so I’ve found a need to have some chicken broth on hand as well (but I’ve used milk and water and both are equally good).

Preheat a large skillet or grill pan over medium high heat. Drizzle chops with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook chops 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Do not over cook. The chops should be firm but still giving off juices.

To assemble stuffed chops, set a thin chop on dinner plate or serving plate. Mound the pork chop with stuffing, allowing some to spill onto the plate, then top with a second chop. Repeat with 3 remaining servings.

What I serve this with: The meat and the stuffing are pretty filling. I will usually pair this with a salad, or a nice veggie dish such as asparagus or green beans. On Rachael’s show, she makes some smashed potatoes, and at times I will include those as well, along with a nice pan gravy made from the pork chop drippings (yum!).

This is a pretty tasty sandwich that can be made fast!

Merri’s Not So "French Dip" Sandwiches

These are so simple. Sometimes, we need to eat quick, but we don’t want the standard fast food fare. This almost seems faster than fast food!

Ingredients

1 jug of concentrated "Au Jus" sauce (we use one called "Johnny’s" - it is AWESOME), 8 0z
16 oz water
1 lb high quality cooked roast beef, sliced about twice as thick as sandwich sliced (from the deli)
fresh ground black pepper
Steak seasoning to taste (we use McCormick’s Montreal Steak seasoning…yum!)
slices of swiss or provolone cheese
hoagie buns, sliced lengthwise and slightly toasted

Instructions

Place the au jus sauce, water, steak seasoning and pepper in a larger sauce pan, and bring to a simmer. Simmer approximately 5 minutes. Add the roast beef and continue simmering until heated through (approximately 5 minutes…you don’t want to overcook the roast beef or it will get tough). Remove from heat.

Using tongs, pile meat on top of a hoagie and add cheese slices to your liking (sometimes at this point I will place the sandwich half with the cheese on it under the broiler until it is melted…yum!). Ladle out some au jus sauce into a shallow bowl for dipping.

You can make quite a number of variations - different spices or other ingredients will change the flavor of your au jus. Let your creative jus’s flow (alright - I know it was a bad pun…you don’t have to tell me!)!

Recipe Courtesy of Rachael Ray

…this one is for Emma out in the Blogosphere (oh, and it’s tasty, too!)!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil, 1 turn of the pan in a slow stream
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups whole or 2 percent milk
3 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground or freshly grated
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, a couple pinches Salt (kosher, of course!)
1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked 8 minutes or to al dente, with a little bite to it

Instructions

Heat a medium, deep skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When butter melts into the oil, add flour and combine. Gently cook, whisking flour and butter together, until smooth and flour has had a chance to cook, about 3 minutes. Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk. Gently bring milk to a bubble while stirring frequently. Allow the milk to thicken a bit, then stir in 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese a handful at a time. Season sauce with nutmeg and cayenne. Taste and add a little salt, if you like. Add cooked pasta to sauce and coat completely by turning over and over in the cheese sauce. Transfer to a baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Place baking dish under a hot broiler and brown the cheddar cheese on top.

My 2 Cents: I love this recipe, but in true Merri form, I tend to alter things a bit. I can’t always get white cheddar locally, so I’ve substituted other types of cheddar with success. I imagine that other cheeses can be substituted easily, too. One other thing - it is a *must* to put ground black pepper with my macaroni and cheese - can’t seem to get over that. So….I usually add ground black pepper at the same time I’m adding the cayenne and nutmeg.

Thanks for the idea to post this recipe, Emma! …and thanks, Rachael!

This time of year, I really like stuff you can throw into the oven - it warms the house in the dead of winter, and is easy. I also love potatoes (you won’t see *me* on any low carb diet!). About 9 years ago, I got this recipe from my hubby’s Aunt Roxanne (a really cool aunt, by the way!). It is yummy!

Ingredients

1 stick butter, melted
1 small jar of Cheez Wiz (I use the spicy version, but both are good) - melt in the microwave
8 oz sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup (Campbells, of course!)
2 pounds frozen hashbrowns (cubed, not the shreds)
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
3 tbsp butter, melted (this is for the topping)
Corn flakes, crushed (enough to cover the top of the dish to your liking)

Instructions

Mix the stick of melted butter, Cheez Wiz, sour cream and cream of mushroom soup together until blended. Fold in the hashbrowns, salt and pepper until the hashbrowns are well coated. Place in a baking pan (9×13). Spread the crushed corn flakes over the top and drizzle the remaining melted butter across the cornflakes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

Enjoy!

Okay, so my hubby will tell you I’m obsessed with Rachael Ray and "30 Minute Meals." Okay, so I am. Isn’t admitting it the first step in the recovery process? Alright…seriously now…

Basil. Basil rocks. I love Italian food and basil is an amazing ingredient for Italian cooking. Need I say more? Bay Leaves. It is rare that I find fresh bay leaves here in the Midwest (not sure why?). The dried ones work just fine - just don’t forget to take them out at the end of preparation - they are not edible.

Sage. This year was the first year I used fresh sage in my turkey stuffing for Thanksgiving (I have always used dried, ground sage). Now, don’t get me wrong. The dried sage isn’t bad, but the fresh sage is just that much better. I chopped it up very fine and added it to my stuffing - the flavor of the sage didn’t overpower the stuffing, but added so much depth to the flavor. I’m hooked!

One thing I’ve learned from Rachael is the importance of using herbs in recipes - in particular, fresh herbs. In my cooking adventures, I’ve discovered a few that I really like and wanted to share some ideas and tips:

Flat Leaf Parsley. Prior to watching "30 Minute Meals" I didn’t know there was more than one kind of parsley. I thought parsley was for decoration on plates of food you got in a restaurant. Flat Leaf, or Italian Parsley, is amazing. Granted, the flavor isn’t intense, but it really makes food taste "fresh." Flat Leaf Parsley looks a lot like cilantro, but cilantro has a strong scent, so you should be able to tell them apart in the grocery store.

Cilantro. Cilantro is a great addition to fresh salsas, or some soups/dishes that have a Mexican flair. It is very strong, and a little goes a long way.

Rosemary. Rosemary rocks. It is really, really good on roasts and is a GREAT addition to oven fries (a Rachael Ray recipe). Rosemary pairs amazingly with garlic. Rosemary has an excellent flavor and scent - woodsy in a way. As a matter of fact, fresh rosemary reminds me of a very young pine tree branch.

Thyme. Thyme is a GREAT addition to a lot of soups and stews. Thyme leaves will easily fall off of the stem, and many cooks will put the whole thing into the dish they are making, and pluck out the stem at the end. I’ve paired thyme with virtually any meat I use (primarily with chicken and beef, but I think it would taste great with any poultry, veal or pork - probably even fish). It is also great in red spaghetti sauces. YUM!

Chives. Chives work great in salads (they add a nice subtle "onion-y" flavor). They, of course, are superb on a baked potato with sour cream. Chives are also great with steamed or broiled fish. YUM!

Dill Weed. Dill is pretty strong - and for a long time I didn’t think I liked it (although I LOVE dill pickles!). I came across a recipe for crab legs on Alton Brown’s show. Crab legs. Cooked in the microwave. My first thought was "no way" but hubby got all the ingredients and we tried it. WOW! The dill added the most amazing flavor to the crab legs. I think a future post will be that crab leg recipe. Talk about amazing - especially for us Midwesterners who don’t have access to ocean-fresh seafood.

I took another tip from Rachael Ray. When I buy my herbs, I wash them right away (and use my small salad spinner to get them as dry as possible) and put them into a food storage bag with the herbs wrapped in a paper towel. Makes it much easier access when you are cooking, and increases the length of time they remain fresh.

Give fresh herbs a try - your guinea pigs, er, family will appreciate it!

Recipe Courtesy of Taste of Home-Quick Cooking

Growing up, my mom and dad could make a mean potato soup. They would mix it up sometimes by including a little bit of sausage (such as little smokies cut up), or would spice it up with some red pepper flakes. I LOVED this soup. At least until I found the following recipe. The Loaded Baked Potato Soup is a blissful marriage of potato soup and a loaded baked potato from the Outback…I don’t know any other way to describe it. It is hearty and thick and so tasty! In the middle of winter (yes, we are expecting upwards of 12-15" of snow by the end of the day tomorrow here in the middle of the good ole U.S.A.), this soup will warm you up!

Ingredients:

6 bacon strips, diced (remember your meat guy - he makes the best bacon!)
3 cups of cubed, peeled potatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 small carrot, grated
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp each celery seed, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper (or to taste)
3 tbsp flour
3 cups milk (I’ve tried this with skim, and it is still creamy and hearty)
8 oz process american Cheese, cubed into very small pieces
2 green onions, very thinly sliced

Instructions:

In a larger pot, cook bacon until crisp, drain on a paper towel. Add potatoes, broth, carrot, onion, parsley, celery seed, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes).

Combine flour and milk until smooth, add to soup. Bring to a boil; boil and stir 2 minutes. Add cheese, stir until cheese melts and soup is hot. Garnish with green onions if desired.

My 2 cents: There really isn’t an ingredient that I would skip in this recipe - each ingredient provides a nice layer of flavor in this soup. I have substituted celery salt in place of the celery seed with no problem. One HUGE recommendation is on the American cheese. I recommend only using Kraft American Cheese Product (it is a cheese located by the Velveeta, and is in a blue box). I’ve bought American cheese from the deli, thinking it would be more flavorful, but the Kraft product melts so much better, resulting in a smoother soup. The deli stuff tastes good, but doesn’t always melt completely.

Enjoy - if you like potato soup and like baked potatoes with all the fixin’s, you will LOVE this recipe!

Today was a pretty bad weather day - sleet causing very icy conditions - and we’ve got more coming - they are predicting more sleet tomorrow and then 6-12" of snow on Wednesday - UGH! How do I warm up my hubby, the mail carrier, after a long day of carrying mail in this crud? I know what you may be thinking, but let’s stick with food….hehehe. Honestly, chili is one of his favorite meals on a day like today. Here’s my "quick to put together" recipe that tastes absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), two turns around a frying pan
1 medium yellow onion, chopped into small pieces
3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 pound of lean ground beef or chuck (or venison, for those of you who have a hunter hubby)
Kosher salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
A couple of glugs of beer (optional)
2 cans of Bush’s Best Chili Beans
1 can of Bush’s "Chili Magic" (I use "Traditional" but any flavor will do)
1 can of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon (or to taste) of dark chili powder

Instructions:

Place a frying pan over high heat, coat with two turns of EVOO and toss in the onion and garlic, stirring and cooking until they are slighly opaque and tender. Break up the ground meat into the frying pan and add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Throw in a couple of glugs of beer, if you like (the alcohol cooks out, leaving a nice concentrated flavor). Drain the fat off of the meat and veggie combination.

In a larger pot, put the chili beans, Chili Magic and tomato sauce, gently mixing. Add the meat and onions, as well as the chili powder (at this point I also add more red pepper flake and any additional salt/pepper if needed). Heat through on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

ENJOY - and I hope the weather is treating you better where you are!

I’m not the best at talking about myself, but readers have asked the all important question “who the hell *are* you and why do you have a blog, anyway?!?!?” While this entry will likely keep morphing, here’s some fast facts about me and my musings.

1. I’m 39. I was, and still am, a child of the 80s. Chances are, I can tell you who sang a song in the 80s, sing you most of the words, and tell you what fashion item was in style when that song was in the top 40.

2. I was born and raised in a small town outside of Omaha, Nebraska and have never left this part of the country, although moved to the “big city” of Omaha some time ago. How did we get here? My dad was in the Air Force 21 years and had been stationed here a number of times. They decided to retire here as it was half way between Mom’s roots in New Mexico and Dad’s in Michigan.

3. I’m happily married for 10 years to Vinnie at Vince Aut Morire. We met on America Online, but ours is a story purely of fate. Through our happenstance meeting on AOL, we discovered we lived in the same city, same apartment complex, two doors down from one another. He’s the guy I had also flipped off because he almost creamed my car in the parking lot. …and yes, he remembered!

4. We have two wonderful children…a son who will be 11 in September and a daughter who will was 7 on May Day. Our lives have never been the same, thank God! Our first-born was a preemie, but we were extraordinarily blessed to bring him home after only 11 days in the NICU. Our daughter was quite timely, born exactly on her due date! Both of them are amazing - I can’t get over how smart our son is and how entertaining our daughter is. I predict, however, if there are broken bones to be had, our daughter will be at the finish line first. They are the center of my life!

5. We also have a house full of pets. Three dogs, two African Grey Parrots and a ball python snake. Well, the snake really belongs to “the boys.” They don’t scare me…it’s kind of like the Discovery Channel around here.

6. We like to go boating, tubing, jetskiing, etc. We have a boat and several tubes. I think we enjoy boating…it seems the boat costs us money but we don’t use it much. I recommended selling it, but hubby tells me we’ll use it again. Someday???

7. We also like to take yearly vacations. We’ve recently (in the past few summers) been to Orlando, Vegas (hubby and I for our delayed honeymoon) Lake of the Ozarks (in Missouri), Sarasota and the Black Hills of South Dakota. This year we are meandering around the Midwest - Chicago, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Let’s just hope gas isn’t $5.00 a gallon by July!

8. I lost my mom to lung cancer a few years ago. She had been sick a very long time between cancer and heart disease. I miss Mom terribly. Dad, while he still misses Mom, is doing great and has even found some companionship! A lot of lives changed the day she left us for Heaven!

9. I work for a major internet company as an outsourcing manager. I’ve been there quite a while. I love what I do and love the company! It will be interesting to see what the next 5-10 years bring. The internet is an amazing thing!

10. The internet. Why do I blog? Interesting story! I worked an alternate shift for quite a while so my kids could stay home versus daycare while they were very young. When I got a day shift, I missed my hubby as he was always reading, typing, and laughing in front of his computer. He was blogging and had met some interesting folks out in the ’sphere. In order to see what this was all about, thought I’d give it a try. I didn’t think I had much to say, but really liked Rachael Ray and thought it would be fun to have a website about Rachael Ray and then I could post recipes of my own or hers with my own spin on them as needed. My first site was called Rachael Ray Redux.

11. Why the change to Merri Musings? Well, let’s just say I found out that I had more to say than I thought. While I continue to talk about Rachael Ray, I continue to post recipes on occasion, there are other topics of interest that just didn’t fit with a Rachael Ray themed site. Merri Musings was inspired from that. A little play on my name, Merri, and musings to represent all of the things I wanted to say.

12. What, exactly, am I passionate about? Let’s see….

13. I’m Republican, although I first registered as an Independent (one step away from my Democratic parents. Heh.

14. I’m pro-life, whether you speak about abortion or right-to-life cases that we’ve seen within the last year. I also think the father of a child should have a say in what happens to his child. I don’t think it is only a woman who should choose whether they should get an abortion or not - she wasn’t the only one involved in creating life.

15. Except if you kill someone. Then I’m pro-death. While I believe in due process and a fair trial, I do think it’s a waste of space to house someone who will 1) never come back into society again 2) caused another person or people to die and was found guilty (and/or admitted guilt) and 3) should be an example in an effort to deter such crimes in others.

16. I cannot stand the ACLU. The founding principle was sound, but anyone who supports NAMbLA, hates the Boy Scouts, hates Christians and comes to the defense of sex offenders and other similar heathens has lost all credibility to me.

17. Sex offenders…rapists, child molesters. Those who end up back in society should be no where near our kids. In most cases they end up back in prison because they’ve harmed another person or another child. I agree with the registries, but more needs to be done. Or the penalties for the crimes should be stiffened. These people shouldn’t be walking the streets.

18. Child murderers, especially those who murder their own children, should all be put to death immediately and in a fashion similar to their victims if I had my way. They do not deserve to breathe the air they chose to take from innocent kids. I personally do not care if the words “mental illness” come up. They are still dangerous and should not be given a break. You cannot tell me that a person who chooses to murder another human being is completely sane, anyway.

19. People. I’m passionate about people. I love people and at the same time many drive me crazy. Us human beings can do amazing things (cures for disease, medications to slow down cancer, take care of hurricane victims or victims of other disasters such as 9/11) but at the same time some do stupid stuff (Cindy Sheehan, Hillary Clinton, Michael Moore, Paris Hilton, Obamatard) and earn lots of money doing it. This all fascinates me.

20. I’m proud to be American. I stand behind our troops during war and think the war on terror is the one choice we were forced to make in order to keep our country free ultimately. Is it an easy choice? Hell no. But neither was any other war. 9/11 will be burned into my mind forever. When you have a 4-year-old wondering who Osama Bin Laden is and whether he was going to send a bomb to kill us, it makes you solid in your resolve to purge such filth from existence.

21. Yes, I’ve been passionate about Rachael Ray, and cooking in general. I found her when I worked nights. I didn’t have a lot of time to watch TV during the day, and there really wasn’t much on, so I got hooked on the Food Network. I really like Alton Brown and Tyler Florence as well, but there were a lot of concepts I learned from Rachael Ray in order to speed up my cooking. I’ve cooked all of my life and she just “fit in.” Yes, there was a lot of luck and fate involved in her being discovered. But look what she has accomplished! I know some hate her, but I find it hard to understand why other than sheer jealousy. I own her knives (although her original Wusthofs are my favorite), I subscribe to her magazine, I still TIVO her shows, I own almost all of her cookbooks and I use EVOO, and some of her cookware. I get the most hits on my site by men looking for her photo spread in FHM. I think it’s funny that some think *I’M* Rachael Ray. Boy - if only for a day…how fun would *that* be?

22. On a side note, as Rachael Ray’s talk show is in its second year, I’m discovering more and more that she’s a screaming liberal. I’m getting a bit disappointed in that. Vegan meals, partnering with Bill Clinton with charity work, her constant barrage of “living green” is all getting a little old.

Anyway…that’s enough for now. I may add more later. If there’s anything you want to know about me, don’t be afraid to ask. I may just add it here!

One of my favorite holidays is New Year’s - more specifically New Year’s Eve. With two children in the house, we are fortunate to know other couples with younger kids so we can all gather together to celebrate and not have to get a sitter. We traditionally get together in a hotel, and the kids can swim and play while we play cards, etc. Everyone (okay, not the kids) has their beverage of choice and we don’t have to worry about driving. Oh, and there’s lots of food - typically finger food. This year will be no different - no posts for me New Year’s Eve for sure, and it’s a little fuzzy for New Year’s Day (also known as the day of recovery…hehehehe).

I thought it would be fitting to post a couple of fun appetizers and a drink recipe in the spirit of New Year’s Eve. Enjoy!

The Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
recipe courtesy of Alton Brown

Ingredients:
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup prepared chili sauce
4 tbsp prepared horseradish
1 tsp sugar
few grinds fresh black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
32+ tiger (jumbo sized) shrimp, fully cooked with tails on

Place all ingredients, except the shrimp, into a food processor and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (hint: the day or the morning before, I put the can of diced tomatoes into the fridge - as long as the other ingredients are chilled as well, you will have ready to eat, chilled shrimp cocktail sauce the minute you pour it out of the processor!).

I typically buy my shrimp frozen, ready to eat. Another hint, from Alton, is how to thaw the shrimp. Place them in a strainer inside another bowl and run cool water over them. This thaws them quicker than any other method. Once they are thawed, be sure to drain well.

No matter where I bring this shrimp cocktail - it’s one of the first things to go. YUM!

Mini Pizza Bites

2 Boxes Mini Fillo Shells (something I discovered last year!)
small can of pizza sauce
20 or so pepperoni slices, chopped fine
bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
garlic powder

The ingredient list is a ballpark - depending on how much you use in each bite, you may use more or less. I basically layer the ingredients into the shells as I would layer onto a pizza, then I bake in a 350 degree oven for about 5-8 minutes (until cheese is melted). This would be perfect for a toaster oven as well. My kids love these things hot or cold (just like regular pizza!). You can vary the ingredients to suit your own tastes, too. If you don’t have access to these little fillo shells, you can certainly take regular fillo dough and cut into small squares that will line mini-sized muffin tins. The shells really save on time, which is at a premium this time of year.

Merri’s Amaretto Sours

My favorite drink is an amaretto sour - and I’m particular about how they taste. I fill a cocktail glass about 1/2 to 3/4 full of ice, then pour on a shot of Di Saronno Amaretto (Sure, you can use other brands, but I won’t use anything else!). Then take sour mix and pour a couple of glugs in (you will probably use less of the sour mix than the amaretto). Following this, pour enough diet 7-Up or Diet Sprite to top it off. Put a couple of maraschino cherries into the glass, and splash in just a bit of the juice from the maraschino cherry jar, mixing in with one of the cherries. I LOVE this drink! YUM!

Best wishes to you and yours for a prosperous, safe, and joyous new year. May 2005 bring you the best!

Introduction:

I can’t remember when I didn’t make egg sandwiches. They are so simple for breakfast and sooo tasty! When I got married and made them for my hubby, he shared in my love for this simple little sandwich and it has become somewhat of a routine to have egg sandwiches for breakfast on our days off.

Ingredients:

1-2 tbsp butter (depends on the size of your skillet - you want a nice layer with no dry spots)
1 large egg
kosher salt, pepper to taste
1 slice of American Cheese (real and processed are both good!)
2 slices of wheat bread (or bread of your choice), toasted
spray butter, or soft butter to spread on toast

Instructions:

Place butter in cool skillet on stove, melting butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted, and pan is hot, start toasting your bread in the toaster. Crack open your egg into the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Once the egg has cooked to a consistency that allows you to flip it, turn the egg over, lightly sprinkling the other side with salt and pepper. Place the cheese slice on the egg, and turn the burner off. The egg will continue to cook and the cheese will melt. Once the toast is done, place it on a plate and either generously spray with spray butter, or lightly spread soft butter on both slices of bread. Place the egg/cheese on once slice of bread and put the other slice of bread on top. Lastly, enjoy this sandwich as the yolk runs down over your hand!

What I serve this with: In a previous post, I mentioned my love for cast iron skillets. They are GREAT to cook bacon in! Bacon is a great side for this sandwich, and you can even throw the bacon on top of the sandwich. YUM!

Introduction:pan seared steak in my previous post. It goes with most anything. I would recommend cooking with a main dish that also includes garlic, so the theme of garlic carries through more than one of your dishes.

This is a recipe that was passed to me by my mom. I’ve used it for a long time. It is so easy and flavorful and goes with most any main dish, my favorites being a nice steak or pork chops.

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter (you can substitute margarine, but why?)
2 cans of whole new potatoes, drained well
garlic powder or garlic salt (my preference is powder, but both will work)
dried parsley

Instructions:

Place a large skillet over medium heat. Put the stick of butter into the skillet, melting slowly. Once melted, pour both cans of new potatoes into the pan, turning to coat in the butter. Sprinkle an even, light coat of garlic powder over the potatoes, and do the same with the parsley. Turn the potatoes over, repeating the garlic powder and parsley coating. Cook over medium heat until a nice, crisp and brown coating develops on the outside of the potatoes. Turn over and cook on the other side until done. This whole process should take approximately 20-30 minutes at a maximum.

What I serve this with: A nice pairing would be with the

Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown

Introduction:

Coming from the Midwest, steak is virtually a staple in our household (we’re in "beef country!"). While this recipe of Alton Brown’s calls for Rib Eye steaks, we have used different cuts such as New York Strip or Filet.

Ingredients:

1-2 boneless rib eye steaks, 1-1/2 inch thick (I typically stick with an inch in thickness)
Canola oil to coat
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Instructions:

Place 10 to 12 inch cast iron skillet in oven and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring steak(s) to room temperature (this is very important!).

When oven reaches temperature, remove pan and place on range over high heat. Coat steak lightly with oil and season both sides with a generous pinch of salt. Grind on black pepper to taste.

Immediately place steak in the middle of hot, dry pan. Cook 30-45 seconds without moving. Turn with tongs and cook another 30-45 seconds, then put the pan straight into the oven for 2 minutes (the thicker the steak, the longer this time may need to be). Flip steak and cook for another 2 minutes (This time is for medium rare steak. If you prefer medium, add a minute to both of the oven turns).

Remove steak from pan, cover losely with foil, and rest for 2 minutes (this allows juices to redistribute so they don’t all flow out with the first cut of your steak).

What I serve this with: Of course this would work with a nice baked potato and a salad or other veggie (corn on the cob…yum!). I also like to serve it with garlic parsley new potatoes, whose recipe I will post in my next blog.

My 2 Cents: I love Alton Brown, mostly because of this recipe! He helped me appreciate the finer side of cast iron! I can’t describe the difference between this steak preparation versus others, other than to say it is a step up from most! I will say that we’ve never been able to get a medium rare steak by cooking 2 minutes on each side, as the recipe calls for. We are typically cooking closer to 3-4 minutes per side, and for thicker steaks, closer to 5-6 minutes. This could be due to a variance in our oven temperature, or my impatience while bringing the steak up to room temperature. You will want to experiment to get the right "doneness" for you. It comes highly recommended, though!