202 always mind Recipes

frozen french fries, olive oil, oregano (to taste), salt (to taste), pepper (to taste) or paprika (to taste), yogurt (i use strained greek when i can or just strain my own in cheese cloth overnight), lemons , juice of or 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice, seedless cucumber, finely chopped, garlic cloves, minced, fresh mint (can use dry but fresh is always better) or 2 tbsp fresh dill (can use dry but fresh is always better), salt

butter or 1/2 cup margarine, cocoa (you can use 1 more if you want them really chocolatey), sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla (i always use , butter and nut for a better flavor)

softened cream cheese, frozen spinach, thawed and drained, milk, garlic & onion powder, to taste, salt and pepper, to taste, parmesean or romano cheese, to taste, bacon bits, optional, egg, tubes refrigerated crescent rolls, kicked up version, i always buy bags of frozen chopped spinach. you can saute it with the seasonings , and have very little, if any liquid to drain. i like to saute with some onion and red pepper, both chopped fine, as well as a heaping tbsp of minced or chopped garlic. i like this better than the onion and garlic powder, however, those are good options that are quicker. i almost always add a squeeze of fresh lemon and a dash of worcestershire to anything using spinach. i usually add chopped fresh fried bacon instead of bacon bits. just wanted to post the original recipe as given to me by a friend for foodies who prefer the easier methods.

how to estimate food quantities, source : catering handbook by edith weiss, all good quantity cook books will indicate the size of the portions, and all packaged food items indicate the total weight of the package. ultimately, it is for the caterer to determine if the portions indicated are what he wishes to serve, if not, then he must make the necessary adjustments. the size of the portion should be determined by, occasion, time of service, age and sex of guests (young, old , all men, etc.), appearance of the portion on the plate (or in the package)., teenagers eat more than any other age group. they eat practically anything and everything, and the spicier the better., people from their mid-twenties to mid-fifties have sophisticated tastes. they are apt to eat in moderation and good taste., people past sixty eat much the same as the middle group , except for a lessening of the sharp and spicy foods., when hors d oeuvres are to be served, the following outline suggests a suitable number, all of which are considered generous servings, at a four-hour reception , regardless of the starting time - 12 per guest., cocktail hour , to be followed by dinner - four per guest., wedding reception , from 2:30 to 5:30 - eight per guest., cocktail reception , from 3:00 to 6:00 - eight to ten per guest., all other occasions , estimate four per guest per hour for the first two hours, and two per hour after that., these figures include both hot and cold hors d oeuvres and canapes., do not include relishes and dips., self-service vs. served, sometimes when guests serve themselves they tend to be very generous; at other times they may be very timid. for a self-service buffet allow slightly more than if the same buffet is to be served by waiters. guests do not al ways take more themselves, but since they do not always know how to serve properly, more food is wasted., hors d oeuvres, when calculating quantities for an hors d oeuvres only cocktail party, figure approximately 12 pieces per person for the first hour (8 hot, 4 cold) and 6 pieces per person every hour past the first hour., hors d oeuvre only cocktail party : number of people x 12 hdv for first hour number of people x 6 hdv for every hour there after., example, hour cocktail party for 25 guests you will need approximately 450 pieces of hors d oeuvres, guests x 12 hors d oeuvres = 300 pieces hors d oeuvres for the first hour, guests x 6 hors d oeuvres = 150 pieces hors d oeuvres for the second hour, hors d oeuvre before dinner : number of people x 6 hdv for 1 to 1 and a half hour service, example, hour cocktail service before dinner for 25 guests you will need approximately 150 pieces, salads and side dishes, when calculating quantities for salads and side dishes, please figure approximately 5 oz per person if you are serving multiple salads and / or side dishes. if you are serving only 1 salad or side dish, please figure approximately 1/2 a lb per person. use the following chart to figure out quantities., side dish or salad, number of guests x .50 = number of lb needed, example : 10 guests x .50 = 5 lb needed, multiple side dishes or salads: number of guests x .30 = number of lb needed, example : 10 guests x .30 = 3 lb needed, entrees and first courses, when calculating quantities for a first course, please estimate 2-4 oz of protein per person., example : you are serving 10 guests salmon for an entree., x 1/2 lb = 5 lb salmon needed, example : you are serving 10 guests salmon for a first course., x 1/4 lb = 2.5 lb salmon needed, source : cook s fresh market

i use a 3 1/2 to 4 lb chuck roast, well marbelized with fat, and if you can find a bone-in roast, that s better yet (but it s almost always boneless chuck that you find at the grocer). i like to quickly rinse the roast in cold water just before i lay it on the cutting board to coat it with seasoned flour. place the following ingredients in a small baggie and shake the closed bag to mix it up, flour, salt, garlic salt, crazy mixed-up salt (if you can tsp get this seasoning, use seasoned salt instead, but jane s is by far the best), pepper, use your hands to generously pat the seasoned flour into the roast, on both sides, flipping the roast a couple times and repeating the process., in a dutch oven or roasting pan large enough to hold the roast, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat - you want your pan and oil to be hot enough to sear the roast well when you put it in the pan. when the oil is just about to the smoking point, put the roast in and cover the pan. let the meat sear until nicely browned on the bottom, then flip the roast. let it sear for a minute or two on the second side, then add, beef stock (i much prefer the boxed stock to the canned broth - it just seems to give the gravy a much richer taste in the end), cover the roasting pan and place it in a pre-heated 300 degree oven. roast for 4 to 5 hours, until the meat is fork tender and falls apart easily. i check the roast each hour, quickly opening the lid, just to make sure the stock has not evaporated. as long as your pan has a good seal on it, this shouldn tsp happen. but if necessary, add more stock to the pan., an hour before the roast is done , prepare the mashed potatoes. peel 6 large red potatoes (these work better - at least for me - because they are much moister than the russets, so the mashed potatoes are creamier); cut into 1/4th, and place them in a large saucepan - rinse the cut potatoes 2 times in cold water, then cover them in fresh cold water and place the pan over medium high heat; boil until tender. this is usually about 30 minutes, but it depends on the size of your cuts, so just cook them until you can easily insert a fork into a potato. drain potatoes well, reserving 1 cup of the water for the gravy. add the following to the hot potatoes, butter, sour cream, milk, salt, crazy mixed up salt (use regular salt or garlic salt if jane s salt is not available), pepper, i use a hand masher , but you can use an electric mixer or however you chose to mash the potatoes into a creamy yet firm texture. add more milk if potatoes are too stiff. place the mashed potatoes in a buttered casserole dish, cover with foil, and place in the oven to keep warm while you make the gravy., prepare the gravy, melt 2 tbsp butter, stir in 1/4 cup flour to make a paste, stir in enough beef stock to thin the paste enough to pour., finished roast from the pan and place it on a plate; cover meat with foil to keep warm., place the roasting pan over a medium flame and bring the liquid to a gentle boil (i usually seem to have about 1 1/2 to 2 cups liquid in the pan when the roast is done - if you have less, just use the beef stock to increase your liquid)., use a whisk to gradually whisk in the butter/flour/stock liquid., add 2 tbsp beef base - i use tone s (i prefer beef base to buillon - has a richer flavor and is really worth having on hand, but if you can tsp find this, try knorr s beef buillon extra large cubes), add the 1 cup of reserved potato water, add 1/2 cup beef stock, taste the gravy and see if you want more seasoning. i usually find i don tsp need to add anything at this point, since i have the seasoning from the flour coating and the stock and the beef base. if you think you need more seasoning, add salt and pepper to your taste. beef base will also give you more saltiness., keep the gravy warm while you uncover the meat and use 2 forks to pull the meat apart into small to medium chunks., you are now ready to assemble...

pasta shells (i always make the full lb and reserve 1/2 for a cold pasta salad for lunch the next day), fresh tomatoes - chopped, lemon - squeezed, red onion - finely sliced, shallot - minced, fresh garlic - pressed, leaves of basil - julienned, reserve pasta water -1/4 cup or so, olive oil, butter, salt and pepper to taste, fresh shaves of parmigiano-reggiano, variations - can roast tomatoes and garlic, saute onions , shallot and garlic

your favorite diced tomatoes (add another can if feeding more than 4 people), frozen fish such as red snapper , cod, etc. or fresh fish of your choice., water (for four people), yellow or white onion, vegetables, chopped (see below ), chopped fresh parsley or italian flat leaf parsley, tb chopped garlic, season with salt and pepper before serving based on your personal taste., you can add as many or as few chopped vegetables as you like. you can also use more or less fish depending on how thick you like your chowder to be.), this recipe can also be made with leftover fish and leftover vegetables. i do not suggest using leftover fish sticks or any other fried fish unless you remove the breaded topping first. if you do use fish that has been cooked, just add it to the chowder about two minutes before serving to heat it to the temperature of the other ingredients in the pot., if you prefer a mexican flavor , add 1 tsp. cumin and 1/2 tsp oregano with a dash of cayenne pepper (or more for a hotter flavor), if you prefer an italian flavor , add 1/2 tsp of italian seasonings or 1 tsp oregano, vegetables to be added are based on your favorites and what you may or may not have in your pantry at the time. here are some of my favorite additions for your review, diced potatoes , celery, carrots, zucchini, leeks, mushrooms, cabbage, mild chile peppers, red onions, artichoke hearts, and green or red bell peppers. you can add a handful of fresh spinach or 1/4 cup of frozen spinach. you can always add a can of mixed vegetables and of course, you can use frozen vegetables. i do not suggest using broccoli. corn is also a good addition. you can add a can of drained corn, black beans and a few tbsp of salsa for a great mexican fish soup., use canned tomatoes that have additional vegs in them such as mexican-style with chilies and onions, italian-style with peppers or anything other blend you prefer.)

spiced rum, irish cream liqueur, coffee flavored liqueur, amaretto liqueur, half-and-half or vanilla ice cream

eagle brand condensed milk, cold water, instant banana pudding mix, heavy whipping cream, sliced banana, vanilla wafer

peaches, skinned and pitted and cut in wedges, apple, cored, peeled and cut in wedges, apricot nectar, orange juice, vanilla, sugar, all-purpose flour, nutmeg, ground, ginger, cinnamon, pecans, finely chopped, rolled oats or 2/3 cup quick-cooking oats, all-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, unsalted butter, melted

dates, pitted, soaked for 2 hours, raw cacao powder, olive oil, frozen cherries, water , as needed to blend

pure water, tea leaves (or to your taste, your favorite , i love darjeeling), chamomile flowers (to sooth you), lemon verbena, leaf (for love), rose petals (to help with headaches), lavender flowers (for peace of mind), cinnamon sticks (coming from my fire for your healing and personal protection), honey (to taste, for your sweet heart)

apple tartin, quick cooked tart it is called an apple tartin and is very simple and beautiful. my daughter has made this for school and she never brings any back, plus she always has a large number of requests for the recipe. this depends on the size of the saute pan you use. i start with about a 10 pan well coated with no stick pam and i use about 2 sliced apples, about a 1/2 to 1/4 thick (i like granny smith, but use what you like). i then melt unsalted butter and enough brown sugar to cover bottom of the pan and make a thick syrup after it cooks. i thin put the apples into the syrup and cook a few minutes so they get coated good with the syrup., i over lay the apples or shingle them is the tech term in a round circle like a huge sun flower design or something that works for you, be creative! i then use bought flake pastry dough and put on top of the apples enough to cover completely and make an edge on the outside of the tart. you can roll the dough at the edge make a little design in it to close the edge or just leave the edge open but in a round shape no rough edges.then i put in the oven and brown the pastry dough. when it is done (doesn tsp take long to cook) i have a large plate that i put over the saute pan and invert so the whole thing comes out with the, apples on top and the crust on bottom. i then coat with my simple water and sugar syrup ( recipe above) for a shiny coat and then i serve with cool whip or ice cream. 1 thing i forgot . you will have a center hole the apples you can cut a round shape ot of the apple or fill with cool whip, but if you can cut the top of the apple with the stem intact it looks nice in the hole. i have used cookie dough for this recipe and it works , but the pastry works best for me.

lean ground beef, sliced tomatoes, frozen chopped broccoli, thawed & drained, shredded monterey jack cheese, sour cream (i always use light), creamy prepared ranch dressing (i always use light), milk (i always use skim), egg, buttermilk baking mix (bisquick light is my choice!) or 2 cups bisquick (bisquick light is my choice!)

eggs, granulated sugar, canola oil (this is my fav. oil to use), almond extract, vanilla extract, unbleached all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt (optional), special k cereal, sliced almonds (toasted is always nice) or 1 cup slivered almonds (toasted is always nice)

yucca root , i use goya frozen yucca, yautia, green bananas, plantains, sazon goya, use all 3 packet, salt, ground beef or 1/2 lb turkey, sazon goya , use the entire packet, sofrito seasoning , i use both frozen and bottled, instant minced garlic (i always use more), tomato sauce, dried oregano, spanish olives, diced (i always use more), green pepper, diced, capers, vegetable oil

all-purpose flour, dry mustard, salt (i leave this out ), beef boneless round steak, tip (i always use round) or 1 1/2 lbs chuck steaks, about 3/4 in thick. (i always use round), vegetable oil, whole tomatoes, undrained, minced garlic, water, onion, sliced, green bell pepper, sliced, worcestershire sauce

fruitcakes get an awful lot of bad press , especially the mass produced varieties, but a rich homemade version can be incredibly delicious., fruitcake is a mixture of fruits and nuts with just enough batter to hold them together. when wrapped in cloth and foil, saturated with alcoholic liquors regularly, and kept in in tightly closed tins, a fruitcake may be kept for months or even years, have it your way ..., if there are certain fruits you don tsp like , you can always include more of another, or some of your own favorites. dried fruits cooked in juice can take the place of candied fruits, and seeds can replace nuts. to convert a favorite dark fruitcake recipe to a light fruitcake, leave out the dark spices, use light colored fruits (golden raisins, dried apricots, etc.), and replace dark corn syrup or molasses with light corn syrup