FOOD CENTRAL: Rejuvenating Diet . . . for when you need a break REALLY quick!

 

 

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HOT COCOA

 

Dutch-type cocoa has the richest flavor.

 

Mix in a sauce pan

     1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa

     2 tablespoons sugar

     Few grains salt

Add

     1/2 cup boiling water

Boil 3 minutes.  Add

     4 cups milk

Heat slowly to just below the boiling point. 

Beat well with an egg beater or wire whisk. 

Flavor with few drops vanilla

Makes 6 cups.

 

Mexican Chocolate.  Add 2 teaspoons instant coffee.  Flavor with vanilla or cinnamon to taste.

 

HOT CHOCOLATE

 

Put in a saucepan

     4 cups milk

     2 ounces sweet chocolate or

          1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

          and 1/4 cup sugar

     Few grains salt

Heat until the chocolate melts.

Beat until smooth and foamy.

Add

     1 teaspoon vanilla

Serve with

     Whipped cream

Makes 6 cups.

 

Iced Chocolate.  Chill.  Pour over crushed ice, stir well, and sweeten to taste.  Serve with whipped cream.

 

FRENCH CHOCOLATE

 

Put in a saucepan:

     2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

     1/2 cup cold water

Stir over low heat until the chocolate melts. 

Add:

     3/4 cup sugar

     Few grains salt

Cook until thick (about 10 minutes). 

Cool. 

When cold, fold in1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped.

When ready to serve, heat 1 quart milk.

Pour hot milk into each cup, and top with a spoonful of the chocolate cream. 

Serves 6.

 

Aw, heck!!   Maven may as well add this recipe from page 38! . . .

 

COFFEE PUNCH

 

Put in a large bowl:

     1 ½ pints ice cream (vanilla or chocolate), frozen hard.

Pour over the ice cream

     4 cups hot coffee

Beat lightly with a wire whisk until the ice cream is partially melted. 

Pour into punch glasses and sprinkle with grated nutmeg.

Serves 8.

 

*These recipes are from The All New Fannie Farmer Cookbook; Bantam Books; Tenth Edition, 34th printing March, 1972; page 35 and 38.

 

 

 

Italian Sausage Soup (6 Servings)

 

Ingredients:

1 pound Italian sausage

1 clove garlic, minced

2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth or 32 oz. carton

1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes

1 cup sliced carrots

1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, undrained

2 small zucchini, sliced and cut in half

2 cups spinach - packed, rinsed and torn

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

Directions:

In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.

 

Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.

 

Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves.

 

Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.

 

      And if that's not enough to keep your strength up, here's another Chan fan and great friend of Maven's, Hounder:

 

BROCCOLI SALAD*

 

4 CUP COPPPED FRESH BROCCOLI  

1 CUP EACH RED AND GREEN GRAPES   

1 CUP CHOPPED CELERY   

¾ CUP CHOPPED GREEN ONION   

8 SLICES BACON COOKED AND CRUMBLED   

½ CUP SLIVERDED ALMONDS TOASTED

 

TOSS ALL IN LARGE BOWL.

ADD DRESSING AND TOSS.

 

DRESSING IS:

1 CUP OF MAYO

½  CUP SUGAR  

1 TABLESPOON VINEGAR

 

 

     One look at this recipe and you might want to confine it to the "Are You NUTZ?" section of your cookbook.  Fine to bring out from time to time but you're waiting for SOMEBODY ELSE to make it first!

 

 

MONSTERS GONE WILD

 

            Get your favorite brands of hot dogs.

          The basic monster is made by slicing the bottom third of the hot dog in two . . . these are the legs.

          Slice slits into the middle third of the hot dog to make arms.

          The top third?  Use the tip of the knife to make two holes . . . or eyes . . . and another for the nose.  Cut a  cross slit below them for the mouth.

          Want a Frankenstein’s Monster out of the hot dog?

          Cut off the top end of the hot dog and make two slivers from the cut-off piece.  Make two more holes below the mouth, one per side, and insert the slivers.

          Viola!

          Dracula?

          Make two slight slivers below the nose . . . like you did for the arms only much smaller.

          The Wolf Man?

          Make several slices in the top end of the hot dog . . . Curly Top’s hair!

          The Mummy?

          Make the eyes, nose and mouth but cover the rest of the hot dog in criss-crossing cuts for the Mummy’s wrappings.

          The Invisible Man?

          Just the hot dog bun, my friend, just the hot dog bun!

         

       AND FOR THE PARENTS:

 

ERNEST LITMAR’S BRANDY CUP

 

            This recipe is from Peter Lorre’s Mysterious Mr. Moto  with Harold Huber as Ernest Litmar).  The scene that features Ernest Litmar’s Brandy Cup has Litmar telling Lorre (as Mr. Moto) how much of what fruit to get for the recipe.

            Ernest Litmar mentions one (1) dozen peaches, one half dozen (6) tangerines, and one (1) pound black grapes.

            He doesn’t even mention brandy so it’s implied that they already have enough on hand. 

            *How much brandy?  You can either add to your taste or do what Maven's grandfather did with his Rum Punch (to quote Maven’s Mother):  You put in more rum than you need!

Now comes the fun part: 

 

How do you assemble it?! 

This is where you can have fun if you grew up with Southern/creative cooks who never CAN use a recipe straight except the few times when the cook HAS to!!  And then you’ll probably get an argument!

            You can slice up some or all of the peaches and tangerines and mix them up with the black grapes. 

You can use all/part of them to purée with the brandy* to pour on the sliced up fruit.

            Or you could put the peaches, tangerines and grapes in a bowl and pour however much brandy (with or without the fruit juice) over the fruit.  You could put the now drunken (!) fruit either in or on home-made ice cream, on or next to a slice of pound cake, in individual compotes or ramekins . . .  and pour what’s left of the fruit juice/brandy “juice” on top. . . .  Maybe whipped cream on top . . . or not!  By the time you get to this point, YOU may be soaked enough in the brandy to care!

            You could also leave everything in the bowl and [VERY CAREFULLY WITH A LONG MATCH!!] light it when you serve it.

            Sounds great for New Year's, Fourth of July, or when you've just paid your fire insurance premium!

 

 

Breakfast Cookies[1]

 

From:  www.Thesneakychef.com

 

2 Cups whole grain cereal   (Wheaties or Total)

3/4 Cup all purpose whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

 

Preheat oven 375 degrees.

Line pan with parchment paper.

Use a rolling pin to gently crush cereal in a plastic bag or in food processor.

In a mixing bowl wisk together flour, crushed cereal, baking powder, and dry ingredients.

 

Mix together (separate from dry ingredients)

1/4 Cup of Country Crock Spread with Calcium

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 Cup Ricotta cheese

 

Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients.

Take a fork and press round cookie dough into parchment covered pan.

Use a little mixture of cinnamon and raw sugar to a light covering on top of cookie dough.

Bake in over 375 degrees until golden brown.

What you don't eat you can freeze.

 

Maven is posting four recipes from a fellow veteran from Rush's chat room, Joanne.  Joanne, Husband Bill and children have LOTS of other goodies as well  at their own website at www.kmetwalsh.com!

 

 

MOVIE STAR LEMON BARS

The best Lemon Bars—great for calming cranky crooks!

Crust:

1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup butter, softened

For large cake pan or two smaller 8 x 8 pans. Mix dry ingredients and cut

in butter. Press into cake pan and bake 15 minutes at 350°.

Filling:

2 cups white sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 eggs, slightly beaten

4 TBSP lemon juice

1 TBSP lemon rind

Mix ingredients, pour into pan. Bake 20 minutes at 350°.

Glaze:

4 TBSP lemon juice

1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

2 TBSP butter

Vanilla extract --1/2 tsp or to taste

(SLEUTHING TIP: You can use milk instead of lemon juice, adding a little bit at

a time.)

Mix ingredients and spread on cooled lemon squares. These can be

frozen.

(Compiled by Nancy Drew Consultant, Jennifer Fisher, www.nancydrewsleuth.com)

 

 

The Brown Derby’s Cobb Salad*

(So named after Mr. Robert Cobb took over ownership of the Derby in 1934).

 

1/2 head of iceberg lettuce
1/2 bunch of watercress
1 small bunch of chicory
1/2 head romaine
2 medium tomatoes, peeled
2 breasts of boiled roasting chicken
6 strips crisp bacon
1 avocado
3 hard-boiled eggs
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1/2 cup crumbled imported Roquefort Cheese
1 cup Brown Derby Old-Fashioned French Dressing

(Dressing recipe found below.)

Cut finely lettuce, watercress, chicory and romaine and arrange in salad bowl. Cut tomatoes in half, remove seeds, dice finely aand arrange over top of chopped greens. Dice breasts of chicken and arrange over top of chopped greens. Chop bacon finely and sprinkle over salad. Cut avocado in small pieces and arrange around the edge of the salad. Decorate the salad by sprinkling over the top the chopped eggs, chopped chives and grated cheese. Just before serving, mix salad thoroughly with Brown Derby french dressing. Serves 4 to 6.

[Note: you can also skip the chicken for some portobello mushrooms.]

*http://kittypackard.wordpress.com/2009/06/

 

Brown Derby Old-Fashioned French Dressing*

1 cup water
1 cup red wine vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon English mustard
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup olive oil
3 cups salad (vegetable) oil

Blend together all ingredients except oils. Then add olive and salad oils and mix well again. Chill. Shake before serving. Makes about 1 1/2 quarts. This dressing keeps well in the refrigerator. Can be made and stored in a 2 quart Mason jar.

*http://kittypackard.wordpress.com/2009/06/

 

A BREAD DIP*

          Get a plate or shallow bowl, virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

        Oh . . . and some bread.

        Pour some olive oil and the vinegar to taste in whatever amount you want or will make your guests happy!

        The bread can be whatever you want (Italian, French, pita, pizza) and slice it up however you want . . . and provide enough toothpicks, etc., and napkins to keep everybody nice and fresh!

 

*Maven and her mother got this at a local Italian restaurant.  She never asked for the recipe. . . .  Who would when you can take the basic ingredients and have your own way with it?!