"Dear Chip"

Here's another one from the family cookbook...You'll have to forgive me if this one is a little hard to follow - I'm transposing the text and my mother's notes to try and make it a little more coherent....Bear with me, this is terrific!

I believe my mother originally got this out of a milk calendar, it's since been heavily modified. She notes that they originally suggested it as an appetizer, but I believe that when I was growing up we ate it exclusively as a main course with salad and bread. It works very well in the spring, when asparagus is less expensive. Serves 6

'Asparagus Rolls'

Ingredients:

- 2lbs fresh asparagus (As thin and slender stalks as possible)
- 1 cup water
- Salt
- 8 oz Maple Leaf black forest ham, shaved (You can use any shaved ham you like...)
-3 green onions, finely chopped
- Bechamel Sauce
-3 cups milk
-6 tbsp butter
-4 & 1/2 tbsp flour
-2 tbsp mayonnaise
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 & 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese (Freshly grated is best, of course)
-1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

- Fresh lasagna noodles - sufficient to provide 2-3 rolls per person ( 12-18 for the quantities listed above)


Method:

1 - Preheat the oven to 350F
2 - Trim the asparagus, (optionally reserving enough whole ones to allow one for each roll), and cut the remainder into 2 inch lengths
3 - Cook in 1 cup of water until tender-crisp
4 - Chop ham and asparagus coarsely in a food processor and set aside
5 - Next make the sauce. Melt the butter over low heat, add the flour and stir well. Heat the milk to almost boiling in a separate container and then slowly add it, off the heat to the flour mixture, whisking/stirring constantly. Heat slowly until thickened, add the mayonnaise and the nutmeg.
6 - Divide the bechamel sauce in half, and add half to the ham mixture, along with 2/3 cup parmesan cheese and mix well
7 - If using fresh lasagna noodles, cut into 6 inch strips and cook until al dente.
8 - Drain and add a small amount of oil to keep the noodles from sticking.
9 - Oil a rectangular baking dish and pour 1/4 cup of bechamel sauce on the bottom.
10 - Spread a few tbsps of ham filling on a strip of pasta* and roll up. Place the roll seam side down in the baking dish and continue, until all of the rolls are on the baking dish. Pour the remaining bechamel sauce over the rolls and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
11 - Bake for 30 minutes, let sit for 5 before serving.


My mother notes at the bottom of the page: 'Unbelievably good & freezes well' and also

*If you saved some whole asparagus, you roll them up so that they are at the center of the log.

Enjoy!

Since I posted the curried fruit I might as well post a quick baked ham!

Another one from the family cookbook, my mother notes at the top

Best done in a slow cooker, then glaze in the oven for the last 1/2 an hour

This recipe can be done with any kind of pre-cooked ham section or ham slice. I've never done it with slices, only sections.

Ingredients:

-Ham
-1 can ginger ale (regular, not aspartame sweetened)
-Whole gloves - enough to do the ham every 2 inches
-Apricot jam - 1/4 cup
-1 tbsp candied ginger or 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
-1/2 tsp ground gloves
-1/4 cup brown sugar
-1 tsp dry mustard
-1 small can pineapple juice

Method:

1 - Decorate the ham with the whole cloves
2 - Heat the ham, ginger ale and pineapple juice in the oven at 300F until warmed through in a covered pan - how ling this takes depends on the size of the ham - a slice takes about 15 minutes, several lbs of ham should be baked slowly (275-300F) for about 2 1/2 - 3 hours.
3 - Combine and heat the remaining ingredients in a microwavable bowl or pot on the stove.
4 - Brush over the top surface of the ham and bake, uncovered for 5 minutes for a slice, or 1/2 an hour for a larger piece of ham at 350F.

...this thread is awesome!

soapbox said:

...this thread is awesome!

Click to expand...

So that's what Chip has been doing lately!

WAKE UP CHIP! B&B NEEDS YOU!

Caramel Corn

7 quarts plain popped popcorn
2 cups dry roasted peanuts or other nuts of choice (optional)
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. salt
1 cup margarine
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Place the popped popcorn into two shallow greased baking pans. You may use roasting pans, jelly roll pans, or disposable roasting pans. Add the peanuts to the popped corn if using. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 250` F (120`C) Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes while stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will be light and foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pans, and stir to coat. Don't worry to much at this point about getting all of the popcorn coated.

Bake for 1 hour, removing the pans, and giving them each a good stir every 15 minutes. Line the counter top with wax paper. Dump the corn out onto the wax paper and separate the pieces. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight containers or resealable bags.


This is the best recipe for caramel corn I've ever made.

And when I make it I use the release foil (or use regular foil and spray with pam) and line my disposable roasting pans. This makes clean up much easier, and you can reuse your foil roasting pans!!!

I had been hankering after some Souvlaki. My people are not Greek, so, I did some 'Net cruising a cobbled together my own version. I had beef on hand.

One pound of steak (sirloin, petit filet, what have you) cut into chunks
One tablespoon olive oil
One tablespoon (or so) minced garlic
Two tablespoons of frsh chopped rosemary

Put ingredients together into a large zipper bag, let marinate for at least one hour.

I also use wood skewers (be sure to soak them in water for at least a half hour), and a range top grill pan. Skewer meat chunks, heat grill pan on high for 2-3 mins, drizzle with olive oil and swirl to coat pan, lower heat to med-hi, then apply skewers to pan and cook on all sides. I then removed the meat from the skewers into a serving or storage dish.

I made some homemade tzatziki beforehand too.

One cup greek yogurt
One tablespoon minced garlic
One medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped fine, and squeezed out in a tea towel to remove water.
Salt to taste
Mix all ingredients together, and try to let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour for the flavors to marry.

I served it with sliced red onion and chopped cucumber pieces on pita.


MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

This is my grandmothers recipe that has been handed down. It's a family favorite and is made for no reason at all, and made for every family holiday and get together. We traditionally use it to make buns, but it can also be used to make loaves of bread. And no batch is ever made without some of it being turned into cinnamon rolls as well. Least to say they never last long enough to get remotely close to stale. (they are that good)

Welsh Rolls

This recipe has been handed down for generations in my family. And they are simply the best. So light and fluffy and melt in your mouth good. Like my mother I've been blessed with the magic tough to make these just right. They certainly don't last long in my house when I bake.

They can be made into rolls but I also like to take some of the dough, and make into cinnamon rolls. To do this just follow any basic directions for making cinnamon rolls, using this dough for the bread dough. Very simple and Ohhhhhh so good.


1 pkg. yeast
2 cups warm milk
2 cups flour
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 cups flour. Whisk together making the sponge, and let rise until double in size.

Then add:
1/2 cup canola oil
4 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4-5 cups flour

Add oil, 1/4 cup sugar, eggs, salt and flour. Adding enough flour to stiffen dough. Dough should be slightly tacky.

Knead about 8 minutes.

Place in a greased bowl and let rise about 1 hour in a warm place. Punch down and make into buns or cinnamon rolls.

Let rise until double in bulk.

Bake 350`
13 minutes for buns
20 minutes for cinnamon rolls

Super Simple Lasagna

1 carton (20 ounces) cottage cheese)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1/3 cup parsley
1 tsp. minced onion
1/2 tsp. basil
1/8 tsp. pepper

• Mix all ingredients until well blended. Set aside.

1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
1 jar (1 lb. 10 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup water (I put the water back into the spaghetti sauce jar and shake to get the last bit of sauce out before dumping it into the pan, why waste)

• Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

9 uncooked lasagna noodles

In a 9x13x2 inch baking pan begin layering,
starting with meat sauce,
3-4 uncooked noodles,
then cheese mixture.
Continue layering, ending with meat sauce on top.

Cover tightly with foil. Bake 375` for 45 minutes.

Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer, or until noodles are done.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.


Don't forget to line your pan with foil to make clean up even easier.
OR use a disposable foil pan.

This freezes well. Makes a great gift. I give this often to friends who are new parents in a disposable foil pan, along with frozen garlic bread and packaged salad and a bottle of salad dressing. (Well it's actually my gift to the Dad. Simple directions he can follow for making dinner, along with a few other recipes that are super simple to make.)

Broccoli Wild Rice Soup


1 pkg. (6 oz) Chicken and wild rice mix (uncle bens)
5 cups water
1 onion, chopped
1 pkg. (10 oz) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1-5 medium carrots, shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese,
cooked cubed chicken (optional)

In a large saucepan, combine rice, contents of seasoning packet, onion and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stirring once.

Stir in the broccoli, and carrots. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in cream of chicken soup, cream cheese and optional chicken if desired. Cook and stir until cream cheese is melted.

Serve with garlic or cheesy toast. (homemade or those found in the frozen food section)

tried the lasagna last night.

It's a verra nice.

Curried Coconut Chicken

This recipe has become a favorite at our house. My son who is a very finicky eater, does in fact like this dish. So it's a winner in our house. Maybe it will be in yours as well. This is an excellent recipe with lots of flavor. It's simple to make as well.

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 tsp. Salt and pepper, or to taste
1 1/2 tbs. Cooking oil of choice
2 tbs. Curry powder
1/2 -1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed, diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
3 tbs. Sugar
Hot cooked Rice *
Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.

Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 2-5 minutes.

Stir in onions and garlic, and cook another minute or two. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear.

Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce and sugar into the pan. Stir to combined. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for approximately 30-40 minutes.

Serve over hot rice.

I prefer to use basmati rice because it has more flavor but I do also often use instant rice just because it's quicker and faster. But my kids love this dish and often request it.

Lots of flavor without being spicy.

Bannock (called apparently a "damper" in Australia)

Get peeled sticks, same length and twice as thick as marshmallow sticks.

Get your campfire down to flaring coals stage.

5 cups of flour
4 teaspoons of sugar
Pinch of salt
2 Tablespoons of baking soda
Half a pint of water
Raisins, currants, whatever

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl
Punch a hole in the dry ingredients and slowly mix/knead in the water
Consistency should be stiff enough to wrap a glob around a stick.

Wrap medium thin glob around stick and turn over the fire, far enough from the coals that the inside has a chance to cook. When it's light brown on the outside and slides EASILY off the stick, it's done.

Use the convenient stick hole to drop in butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, molasses, fruit jams, whatever you like.

Goes very well with apple slices lightly dusted with cinnamon and sugar, washed down with cold apple cider.

- John

PS: If you actually measure your ingredients, you're not really camping

Any chance this thread could move to The Mess Hall?

Can't be bothered dinner salad

Ten minutes to make

Mixed Baby Greens
Cooked sliced chicken breast
Walnut Pieces
Green Apple slices
Celery slices
Mandarin Orange slices
Mushroom pieces

Shredded cheese to top with and a piece of favourite toasted bread on the side.

found some nice "japanese ginger" salad dressing to splash on

Ephemere Apple Beer to drink

Max Cat got his chicken cooked plain in a bowl, the way he likes it.

*burp*

The idea for this thread came about from another, well loved thread:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=85742

The SigFem is off doing something female tonight, so with many thanks to MurchMB for the original recipe and to MrGuy for the vinegar hash browns recipe, I fixed myself a St Louis Slinger:

Two sirloin patties, with aged cheddar on top.
Andy's Vinegar Hash Browns (page one of this thread)
Two eggs sunny side up on top
Covered with chili (Hormel makes a fine canned chili when you're lazy)
Topped with mixed cheddar and mozza.

If someone will wake me up in about, oh, April should do it, I am going to go digest . . .



- John

[youtube]gO8EiScBEjA[/youtube]

A great recipe and a great video from the director of Sin City and Once Upon A Time In Mexico. It's a delicious dish; I've made it for guests and then watched the movie.

Friday night coming down . . .

Salad to start . . .

Wannabe Waldorf:
Lettuce mix
Green onion slices
Pecan pieces
Apple slices

Protein blast . . .

Chicken Flocking Chili

Can of small diced tomatoes
Can of mushrooms
Can of mixed beans
Chop a pepper of your colour choice into coarse pieces.
Chop a red onion up pretty fine.

Get a big pot and put some olive oil in the bottom. No, it doesn't matter a bit how virgin it is. Mix in some garlic powder. No, it doesn't make a bit of difference if it's powder or paste or smashed ripe cloves. I've been cooking for close to half a century and there is zip difference. Stir, stir, stir over medium heat until the garlic smells sweet. Dump in the onion and cook it over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns a bit translucent. Add some black pepper and cook a couple more minutes.

Dump everything else in. Add some chili powder, cayenne pepper, whatever else you like as you bring it back to a fast simmer. Now, toss in about a teaspoon of cinnamon. Trust me.

Now, add enough large chopped, cooked chicken breast to double the volume of whatever is there already. Bring it back to a fast simmer, stirring it pretty often for about five minutes and then knock it down to a slow simmer. Longer the better but it really only needs about fifteen minutes.

You're going to want some really starchy bread to break the heat. I recommend nice big crunchy kaisers. I personally like garlic butter on mine but suit yourself.

Slice up some aged cheddar to put on top of the chili in the bowl and of course, you need to wash it down. Tonight, I used Howe Sound Rail Ale.

The finish . . .

Simple fruit salad was what was in the fridge tonight, so a nice splash of orange brandy on top made it dessert.

I'm finishing the litre of Rail Ale as I type this. That might explain the long rambling text above

You ought to be grateful that it all pretty much came out legible.

Best Regards,

- John

Chopping up some back bacon (Canadian bacon, peameal bacon, whatever else you call it) this morning, I realized that I had already started the toast, without thinking. I desperation, I wrapped the bacon in paper towel on a dish and tossed it in the microwave.

Final result? Gawdawful. The texture was like . . . like . . . well, never mind. I wound up doing it again from scatch, properly. What a waste.

How do YOU cook your bacon?

Regards,

- John