Doodling in the kitchen

Master Indy is waiting for a transatlantic flight and slave is sitting here bored! So it was time for some “doodling” in the kitchen. Just rummaging through what is available and what strikes the fancy.

Son of a gun if some interesting things didn't come out of it. Try these as finger food for your next card party or guys night out.

Ingredients:

1 lbs ground beef

½ lbs sausage (Used pork & bacon – fantastic!)

1 large yellow onion

1 egg yolk

3 tbs soy sauce

S & P to taste

6 slices American cheese

Hawaiian rolls for slider buns.

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

In large bowl mix 1 lbs grounded beef with ½ lbs sausage. Stir in the egg yolk with salt and pepper.

Finely chop the yellow onion up with chopper. Spread this in a 9 x 14 baking dish.

Spread the meat out on some wax paper the shape of the dish.

Invert this in an even layer over the onions and press down.

Use the tines of a fork to poke holes throughout the meat. Bake for 30 minutes.

As it bakes, the meat will shrink away from the sides and liquid will accumulate around the edges of pan.

When fully cooked, remove the pan from oven.

Carefully lift this out of the pan and place on a cutting board and cover with cheese.

The cheese will melt while you cut open the rolls for the buns.

This makes about 8 to 10 mini-hamburgers.

Easy pinwheel Roll-ups

Ingredients:

Shaves deli turkey

shaved deli ham

Cream cheese spreads:

chive & onion

Pineapple

small tortillas – warmed

½ cup water with 1 tbs cornstarch dissolved in.

These wrap so very fast and make a great finger food.

Directions:

Lay out some wax paper on the counter.

Open the tortillas.

Alternate spreading some cream cheese spread on the lower half of the tortilla. Half with the chive & onion, half with the pineapple.

Lay our 3 shaved pieces of turkey on the chive & onion and the same of ham on the pineapple. Roll them up tightly and seal with a pastry brush dipped in the cornstarch water.

Wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours to blend and set.

Before serving, carefully slice these rolls into 1 inch thick pinwheel disks. Hold with toothpicks if necessary. Makes great finger food with little effort.

Here's an idea for some music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRC16gBAwck Fats Waller!

These treats are so easy with just what is on hand in your pantry.

Slave is so lucky to have a Master like Master Indy.

Socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

Great Guacamole

On a recent trip Master Indy was treated to a great Mexican 

dinner where they made the guacamole right at the tables. So He 

challenged me to come up with a recipe! It is an easy crowd 

pleaser. Just remember to keep it simple and keep it fresh.

 

The trick to perfect guacamole is using ripe avocados. Check by  

gently pressing the skin. If there is no give, the avocado is not 

ripe yet. A little give is OK. If it starts to feel mushy, it may be 

passed its prime and the insides be a gray-brown mess.

 

All you really need for guacamole is ripe avocados, salt, and a 

little lime juice. Then the fun begins with varying amounts of 

chopped cilantro, chiles, onion, and even tomato. Start with this 

recipe as a basic, then latter you can play around with more or 

less heat, sweetness,even try bacon bits if you wish.

Ingredients

4 ripe Haas avocados - Use large ones, about 8oz each

Juice of one lime and a bit of its zest.

½ cup small -diced red onion

1 large garlic clove, either mashed or minced

½ jalapeño minced without seeds

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon white (ghost) pepper

2 medium Roma tomatoes, seeded, and diced

Directions:

Start with your cutting. Chop the red onion, cut up the tomato and cover for latter, remember the seeds will tend to make the dip “soupy”.

Be careful with the pepper; wash your hands thoroughly after 

handling and do not touch your eyes for hours! Use a spoon to 

scoop out the seeds!

Cut the lime in half.

Now cut the avocados in half and remove the pit. Scoop out the 

yellow-green flesh into a large bowl. 

When it is all in there, squeeze the lime halves over to cover. This 

also keeps the avocados from turning brown with oxygen. 

Before throwing out the lime, zest some of the dark green skin into 

the bowl.

Smooch the garlic through a garlic press or add the minced pieces 

along with the onion, jalapeño, salt, white pepper and cilantro.

Please do not mush this together. It is NOT mashed potatoes! 

Instead use two table knives to “cut” it together, like you would a 

pastry. Just keep running them through the mix until it is chunky 

and blended. Save the tomatoes back until latter.

Place plastic wrap down onto the surface of the guacamole and up 

the insides of the bowl. This will help keep it from turning brown. 

Let it sit on the counter (not in refrigerator) for about an hour to 

meld the flavors!

When ready to serve, remove the plastic and arrange the tomatoes 

around the outside edge. The colors will be reminiscent of the 

Mexican Flag.

Trust me the invading chips will soon turn everything into a big 

wonderful mess!

Now that you have heard the reviews and how this is the best tasting guacamole EVER made, then you can try playing with the recipe. Raise or lower the heat with more or different kinds of peppers, add sweetness with perhaps some pineapple or mango, even try adding some bacon bits!

Just remember: keep it simple, keep it fresh, keep it fun!

For our music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PQOavfrvWM

Having fun serving my Master for four years! Happy Anniversary Master Indy!

Socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

Carolines's Quinoa Turkey Peppers

This dish was named to honor First Lady Caroline Harrison, the wife of our 23^rd president. While it is doubtful she would have ever

 overseen the cooking of anything with quinoa (KEEN-wah), it is a 

fitting and proper way of honoring a true political pioneer who

 has gone relatively unnoticed today. Please be sure to read our 

little write up about her.

This healthy take on an old classic gives a citrusy touch to 

enhance the use of turkey instead of making it try to taste like 

beef.

Ingredients:

1 cup of un-cooked quinoa (rinsed well)

2½ cups chicken broth divided

Sauce:

2 cups orange juice

1 medium red onion

½ cup balsamic vinegar

1 sprig rosemary

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 lb lean ground turkey

½ cup celery (diced)

3 garlic cloves (minced)

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

4 Green peppers (large, washed)

¼ cup 2% fat Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

Note the sauce and the quinoa (KEEN-wah) can be cooked the 

night before to ease the amount of time and effort to fix this meal.

Start with the orange-onion sauce.

Put orange juice in a sauce pan with sprig of rosemary over low 

heat to simmer for 8 minutes, Not a boil, just sleight bubbles.

Add 1 cup of quinoa into 2 cups of chicken stock in another 

saucepan, and bring to a boil. (reserve the last ½ cup of broth) 

Cover the pan and lower the heat to simmer. It takes about 20 

minutes to cook until tender.

While that comes to a boil: cut up the red onion, mince the 2 cloves garlic, and chop the celery. 

(seal up the garlic and celery until ready to brown the ground turkey)

Scoop out all the rosemary from the juice; add the cut up onion and vinegar.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced and thickened,  

30 to 40 minutes. Stir in brown sugar and salt to taste and cook 

mixture over low heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved.

At this point you might want to give it a few quick blasts in a food 

processor. This will help thicken it up and make for a better sauce. 

Set aside!

This delicious sauce will keep for about a week in the refrigerator 

and can be used on many things!

While you are waiting for things to cook, lets talk!

Quinoa (KEEN-wah – you will use it more often if you can pronounce it right) is often considered to be a whole grain but it is actually a seed.

It provides 9 essential amino acids. Quinoa is gluten-free and cholesterol-free. This is good stuff to eat and to cook with. You can flavor it like you would rice. In fact it cooks just great in a rice cooker and is free from any health scare that the internet comes up with about eating too much rice.

Unless the box you buy says this has been rinsed: remember it must be washed in a strainer before cooking because it is covered with a layer of saponin. This natural coating has a slightly bitter flavor. When you rinse quinoa, it looks a bit frothy in the water.

You can choose to replace the quinoa by some brown rice but it is no anywhere near as healthy for you.

Day of dinner:

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees, spray a 9 x 14 baking dish.

While that warms: heat water to par-boil the peppers. Cut the green peppers down the center lengthwise, and remove the seeds and 

white flesh and stem.

You can chop the celery now if you haven't done that the night 

before.

When water boils, drop in the pepper halves for 3 minutes and 

remove. Let drain on paper towels.

Heat 2 tbs oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Break apart the 

turkey and stir as you brown the meat like you would hamburger 

(about 7 minutes) Of course it will not get as brown as beef. Add 

the minced garlic and celery. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Place pepper halves in a baking dish, lined up like little boats.

Heat up the sauce.

In a large bowl spoon in the cooked quinoa. 

 Mix the turkey – celery mixture and mix into the quinoa. 

Now pour in the sauce and combine.

Spoon this mixture into each pepper half.

Carefully pour ½ cup chicken broth on the bottom of the pan. 

Cover tight with aluminum foil and bake at 350F for 35-40 

minutes.

Uncover and spoon just a bit of cheese on each then return to oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Now enjoy this fine old classic with a healthy twist that celebrates the leaner choices.

For our music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AJmKkU5POA

So happy to be serving my Master Indy

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

=============================
It's time we learned about Caroline Harrison, the wife of our 23rd President, Benjamin Harrison. This dish was named in her honor.

As the First Lady in 1889, Caroline decided she could accomplish many things and set about creating the activist role we have come to expect today.

Caroline was the first to manage her own project and even held a press briefing. She lobbied Congress to completely remodel and expand the White House. (they gave her money to clean the house). In her diary, Caroline noted that rats had infested the residence: "The rats have nearly taken the building so it has become necessary to get a man with ferrets.”

Caroline rescued many pieces of White House china and inventoried the collection. A special display of the newly organized china was made and later expanded by Jacqueline Kennedy.

She served as the chairman of the Washington Committee of the Women's Fund for Johns Hopkins Medical School. She noted in her diary: “The Johns Hopkins people are willing to admit ladies to the Medical School, if they get.. $150,000.00 from the ladies interested”

In 1890, the newly formed National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) asked her to become their first President General. Caroline gave the first speech ever by a sitting First Lady at this occasion.

First Lady Caroline Harrison appeared at the closing session of the National Council of Women's triennial meeting in Washington.

Being this political was unheard of at the time for the wife of a President. Yet she accomplished this in less than three years. It took tuberculosis to stop her. The First Lady passed away in the White House in October of 1892. A true political pioneer who deserves to be remembered in her own right.

Pricilla Pasta with Sausage and Corn

It was an uncharacteristic cool rainy day for Saint Louis. On the way home all slave could think of was what is already in the pantry to fix tonight?

It is truly amazing what can come from not wanting to stop and walk through a store on the way home. This blend just seemed to fit the day and the mood.

 

 

Ingredients

½ lbs pasta

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

12 ounces breakfast sausages, cut

½ cup red onion

1 tbs sweet paprika

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

8oz. sauteed mushrooms

½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus for the pasta water

8 ounces ,cream cheese room temperature

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Directions

Cut up the red onion

Cut up the sausage into 1 – 2 inch pieces.

Wash & drain the mushrooms and drain

Drain the corn

Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onion. Sprinkle paprika over and stir it well. 

 

Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the sliced mushrooms and stir as that cooks down and starts to brown. Another 5 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta cook until al dente. Drain well, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.

While pasta is cooking add in the sausage pieces to the mushroom/onion mix. 

Let that cook for 4 minutes, then add corn for 2 more minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the cream cheese, the hot pasta and pasta water. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes.

Add the Mozzarella directly over the un-tossed hot pasta. Using a large serving spoon, toss everything together well.

Serve with a simple green vegetable and maybe a small plate of sliced tomatoes for great color!

For our music tonight:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsL9UL9qbv8&list=PLD2252B0F279CF1AF&index=66

So happy to be able to pull together something this hearty and good for my Master Indy.

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon