Bourbon Glazed Pecans

• 6 oz. pecan halves
• ½ cup sugar
  2  tablespoons butter
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons bourbon

1. In an omelette sized skillet, cook the first six ingredients on medium high heat, constantly stirring for 7 minutes. Medium high heat is setting 8 on the small burner of my induction cooktop.
2. Spread them on a silicone cake pan.
3. Allow to cool.
4. Enjoy.

Magic Cookie Bars

½		cup butter, melted
1 ½		cups graham cracker crumbs
1		6 oz. Package semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1		14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
3/4		cup coconut
1		Cup chopped nuts

1.	Melt butter and mix in the graham cracker crumbs.
2.	Press the mixture into the bottom of an 11x13 pan.
3.	Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top.
4.	Sprinkle with the chocolate and chopped nuts.
5.	Sprinkle with the coconut.
6.	Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees F (325 for glass dish).
7.	Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes before cutting.
8.	I think these are best the second day.

Holiday Spicy Crackers

• 1 stick melted butter
• 3 tablespoons or one envelope of Ranch Dressing Mix
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 box of whole wheat Ritz crackers

1. Put all the ingredients in a big plastic bag.
2. Shake well so that the crackers are covered.
3. Place on cookie sheets.
4. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes.
5. Cool and remove.
6. Serve and enjoy.  

Quiche Lorraine

• 1 pie shell (I used Pillsbury)
• 8 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 6 ounces of ham (chopped)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 eggs
• 8 oz. Evaporated milk (2/3 of a 12 ounce can)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven at 375 degrees.
2. Place pie shell in glass pie plate and flute edges or use frozen deep dish pie shell in aluminum pan.  (I used Aldi's.)
3. Dock pie shell.  Place a pie weight string of beads in pie shell, including over the sides, and blind bake for 10 minutes.  
4. Stir the 4 tablespoons flour into the shredded cheese.
5. Place cheese and flour mixture in the bottom of the of shell.
6. Saute chopped ham and chopped onions.
7. Spread the chopped ham and sauteed onions on top of cheese.
8. In the blender, mix the eggs, evaporated milk, mustard, and salt. You may also use a whisk, but be sure to whisk these items for 5 minutes. 
9. Pour the blended mixture evenly over the bottom layers.
10. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
11. Bake 75 minutes on the center over rack.  Do the knife test in the center to make sure that it is done.  If necessary, add a few more minutes to the baking time.
12. Serve and enjoy.

Nancy's Homemade Pizza Journey – October 2014 Version

My pizza quest has been a challenge to me. To be able to make pizza as good as our local restaurants of Tobin's, Grady's and Beningo's. I do believe that I might have moved away from my town, at least in the winter time, if I could find pizzas as good as these. Almost everyone that I know who have moved away from here say that these are among the things that they miss most. So first I will focus on the crust. I confess, I am using canned pizza sauce for this, but the rest is all not prepared. So please forgive my cheating in this instance. I am a beginner and I have to learn to crawl before I can walk. And believe me, if any of the above places would give me their recipes for such mouth watering masterpieces, I would crawl to them and beg. Of course, that won't happen because they have so closely guarded their recipes. So here goes:

Two days in advance, make the crust and refrigerate it covered.  It will still work a few hours in advance, but will taste a little different.

Crust Ingredients
1 small pizza	2 small or 1 large pizzas	2 large pizzas
½ cup warm (not hot) water	1 cup warm (not hot) water	2 cups warm (not hot) water
1 1/8 teaspoons or 1/8 oz.	1 pkg. of yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons) or 1/4 oz.	2 pkgs. of yeast (4 ½ teaspoons) or ½ oz.
3/4 teaspoon sugar	1 1/2 teaspoons sugar	3 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt	1 1/2 teaspoons salt	3 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon oil	2 tablespoons oil	4 tablespoons oil
1 ¾ scant cups all purpose flour	3 ¼ cups all purpose flour	6 ½ cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon anise seed	½ teaspoon anise seed	1 teaspoon anise seed

In a tall bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water.  Wait 15 minutes for the yeast to develop.  Then add the salt, oil, and anise seed and stir.  Do not add the salt in the beginning. I've heard that it will prevent the yeast from developing.  Add the flour a little at a time, working it in as you go.  By the time that it is all worked in, you probably won't be able to stir it.  It will have to be kneaded in.  About 5 minutes is sufficient.  If you don't need it, the dough will be difficult to roll because it won't have developed the elastic quality that forms from kneading.  When finished, place the dough in a ball back in the bowl, wet a paper towel and place over the dough, and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.  Let it rise on the counter for at least two hours.  At this point, it should have risen.  Punch dough down and let it rise again if in a hurry.  Otherwise return it to the bowl, cover with the wet paper towel and cover the bowl with the aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for two days.  

Rest of Ingredients
1 small pizza	2 small or 1 large pizza	2 large pizzas
½ package center cut bacon	1 package center cut bacon	2 packages center cut bacon
½ large vidalia onion, chopped	1 large vidalia onion, chopped	2 large vidalia onions, chopped
1/3 can Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee pizza sauce	2/3 can Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee pizza sauce	1 can Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee pizza sauce
½ of a mozzarella ball	1 ball of mozzarella	2 balls of mozzarella
4 shakes of parmesan cheese	8 shakes of parmesan cheese	16 shakes of parmesan cheese

When ready to make the pizza:

 At this time also start heating the baking stone on the middle rack of the oven at 450 degrees.  Remove the upper rack to make placing the pizza and taking it out easier. It is important to let it heat for at least 30 minutes.

After the two days, or the second rise (if in a hurry), flour your pastry sheet using a shaker full of flour. 

Also, flour the rolling pin to control sticking.

Pat dough into a disk. 

Roll dough lengthwise first.

 Roll the other direction working towards a circle. Keep working it into a shape that is acceptable to you.  Remember that real pizza is a rustic shape.  Perfectly round pizzas, scream "frozen."  If the dough gets a hole in it, just pinch it together and roll the place again.  It is very forgiving, but you don't want holes that the sauce will leak though. 

Shake flour on your paddle.  Use the rolling pin to help you pick the dough up and transfer to the paddle. I did not do this before putting toppings on the first pizza, but next time I will.   

This is my paddle.  I bought mine off amazon (you're welcome, amazon).  .I did not see one in any cooking stores in my town and I have looked for them for a while.  

  

Dock the dough with a fork to help keep the dough flat.  But if you want the dough to bubble up, don't dock it so much. Some docking will also help to allow moisture to escape and promote even browning

.

Fry a whole package of center cut bacon for two pizzas. 

In the bacon grease, fry a chopped vidalia onion.

Drain the onions and bacon on paper plates.  Crumble the bacon.  Blot the tops of both with paper towels to absorb grease.

Spread with pizza sauce.  I used Chef-Boy-Ar-Dee for this one.  One can will make two large pizzas.  I only used a third of a can on this medium sized pizza.

Distribute the sauteed onion and bacon on the pizza.

Use mozzarella that comes in a ball.  Use a food processor to crumble it up.  Be careful not to process it too long or it will become a cream cheese texture.

Shake the parmesan cheese on it.

Slide the pizza onto the heated stone, starting at the back of the stone, and pull the paddle forward slowly, allowing it to gently fall on the stone.

Bake 11 minutes at 450 degrees on the stone.  

Check to see if the crust is done by inserting the paddle underneath the pizza.  If it is still floppy, the pizza is not done.  Keep on the stone a little longer, checking each minute.  When the pizza is the done, insert the paddle under the pizza and remove from the oven.  Set the whole pizza and paddle on the counter.  Let sit for 3 minutes.  Then cut with a rolling wheel pizza cutter.

This is what the crust side resembles.  See how nicely browned it is.

Serve and enjoy.  

Carla's Spicy French Dressing

My friend Carla was generous enough to give me a jar of her French dressing that she makes.   It is delicious and she said I could share the recipe with you.  

• 1 – 10.75 oz. can of tomato soup
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ cup salad oil
• ½ cup vinegar
• 1 small onion, chopped
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard

Place all ingredients in a quart canning jar and tighten the lid. Shake. Refrigerate. It will keep quite a while.  

Glazed Ham

• I large ham
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 6 oz. Pepsi

1. Bake ham in oven appropriate time at 350 degrees for its size.
2. Mix ingredients in a bowl.
3. Brush ham with the glaze in the last 30 minutes of baking.
4. Slice and enjoy.  

Sauteed Morels

• ½ gallon water
• ¼ cup salt
• 8 large morels
• 3 tablespoons salted butter (do not use margarine)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ¼ teaspoon white wine
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Clean morels by filling a large bowl ½ gallon tap water. Add ¼ cup salt. Stir. Plunge morels into water for 4 minutes only. If you leave them longer, they will absorb too much salt. This should remove any kill any bugs and remove them and any debris.
2. Rinse each morel in as slow running stream of cold water as possible.
3. Blot them dry with paper towels on both the bottom and top
4. Slice the morels in quarters.
5. Heat butter in a skillet on medium heat (This would be a 6 setting on my induction cooktop.)
6. When the butter is bubbling, add the minced garlic.
7. Cook for 30 seconds.
8. Add the morels.
9. Add the wine and reduce, flipping them once.
10. When sauce is reduced, remove and serve.
11. Taste test and add salt and pepper as desired.  (I didn't have to add any salt because I used salted butter.)
12. Enjoy.  

Crunchy Fried Morels

1. 1/2 gallon of hot tap water
2. 1/4 cup salt
3. 8 large morels
4. 1 egg, beaten
5. 1/2 cup flour
6. 1/2 cup Panko crumbs (Italian flavor)
7. 2 sticks butter (don't try to substitute margarine)
8. salt and pepper to taste
9. Fill approximately 1/2 gallon of the hottest tap water that you can make in a large bowl.
10. Dissolve 1/4 cup salt into it and stir.
11. Place the morels into the mixture for  only 4 minutes. Soaking longer than 4 minutes will make the morels too salty. This salt water should kill any bugs and remove any debris.  
12. With a very slow stream of cold water, gently rinse the morels one at a time and place on a paper towel.  
13. Pat dry with a paper towel.
14. With a knife, quarter the morels.
15. Heat the butter in a skillet on medium heat.  (On my induction cooktop, the setting should be six.)  If the temperature is too high, the butter will burn.  
16. Beat the egg, slightly in a bowl for dipping.
17. In a paper bag, place the flour and Panko crumbs. Close the bag and shake to mix.
18. One by one, dip each piece of morel into the egg mixture, then toss in the bag.  When you get 4 pieces in the bag, close the bag and shake to coat well.  
19. When the butter is bubbling well, place each piece in the frying pan.
20. Repeat the dipping and coating process for all the remaining pieces of morel are coated. 
21. Salt and pepper very lightly.  (If you are using salted butter, you probably won't need to salt at all.)
22. Fry about 5 minutes or until the coating is a golden color.  This is a very gentle fry.
23. With tongs turn the pieces of morel and fry until golden on the other side of the morels.  
24. Remove the morels and place them on a paper plate to absorb the excess butter.
25. Serve and enjoy.   

Corned Beef and Veggies Dinner

• 1 package corned beef (including seasoning packet)
• water to cover
• 1 onion, cut into quarters
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 6 potatoes, peeled and quartered
• ¾ lb. baby carrots
• 1 head cabbage, cored and cut into sixths

Glaze:

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup Gulden's Spicy Mustard

• Loaf of soda bread (optional)

Directions:

1. In a crockpot, place the corned beef, seasoning packet, onion, and bay leaves. Cover with water. Cook on low for 11 hours (For me, that means starting at 5:00 a.m.).
2. Remove meat and cool in refrigerator about an hour to make it easier to slice.
3. Continue to keep the liquid hot in the crockpot.
4. Remove fat blanket, then slice the meat and put it in a baking dish.
5. Mix glaze ingredients and brush over the meat.
6. Bake the meat uncovered in the oven about 30 minutes at 325 degrees. Keep checking to make sure the glaze doesn't get too brown.
7. Meanwhile, put the hot liquid in a Dutch oven and bring to a boil.
8. Add potatoes and cook for 20 minutes.
9. Add carrots and cook for 5 minutes.
10. Add cabbage wedges, cover and cook additional 20 minutes.
11. Remove the bay leaves. Serve with the meat with the vegetables and purchased soda bread (optional).

Nancy's Navy Bean Soup

• 1/3 cup baking soda
• 1 pound dried navy beans
• 8 ounces sliced ham, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 ribs of celery, including the leaves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 quarts water

1. Place the navy beans in a colander.
2. Pour the baking soda on top.
3. Rinse well with water, examining for defective beans and removing them.
4. Place the beans and all the rest of the ingredients in a crockpot.
5. Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.
6. Serve and enjoy.

Canadian Vegetable Soup in Sourdough Bread Bowls

• 2 tbsp. Butter
• 1 onion (finely diced)
• ¾ pound of boiled ham, finely diced
• ½ pound carrots (finely diced)
• 3 ribs celery (finely diced)
• 6 cubes of chicken bouillon
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups water
• ¾ cup Bisquick
• 4 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces beer
• 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
• Olive oil spray

1. Sour dough bread bowls, purchased from the bakery (optional)
2. In a Dutch oven, saute the onions and celery in butter.
3. Add the ham and brown it a bit.
4. Add the carrots and, paprika, and pepper.
5. Add the chicken bouillon cubes and 4 cups of water.
6. Cook 15 minutes until the carrots are done on medium, stirring often to keep from burning.
7. Add the paprika and black pepper.
8. Stir a cold water into the Bisquick and make a paste of it.
9. Stir the Bisquick mixture into the vegetables.
10. Add the milk and stir in under low heat to prevent from burning.
11. Add 1 teaspoon salt.
12. Add 4 ounces of beer. (You know what to do with the rest of the bottle.)
13. Add 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese.
14. Stir frequently to keep from sticking.
15. Heat for 10 minutes.
16. While soup is cooking, hollow out the sourdough bread bowls. Spray with olive oil, and toast in the oven at 400 degrees.
17. Serve in bowls or bread bowls and enjoy.

Cheeseburger in Paradise (Healthier Version)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ teaspoon garlic salt
• ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

• ¾ cup shredded reduced fat (2 % milk) cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup shredded part skim shredded mozzarella

• 1 cup 2% milk
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup Bisquick

Directions:

1. In a skillet, brown ground beef along with the chopped onion, until all the beef is browned. Pat with paper towels to remove any extra fat on it. Add salts and Worcestershire sauce and stir.
2. Mix the two cheeses to distribute evenly.
3. In a blender, mix eggs, Bisquick, and milk.
4. In a lightly greased pie dish, layer the meat mixture, then top with the cheese mixture.
5. Pour the liquid mixture over the two layers.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

Makes 4 generous servings.

Enjoy.  

Nancy's English Toffee

The most difficult part of this recipe is finding the Golden Syrup. It is an amber colored thick syrup. I used Lyle's brand and I got it at at import store. I think it is popular in the UK, but can be purchased over the internet if you can't find it in your local store. I am giving the directions to use specifically for an induction cooktop, as this is what I have. I have found that an induction cooktop had a bit of a learning curve, but I love it. (No burner crevices for stuff to go down into and get trapped.) But if you are using another type stove, use the cold water test and cook until a little bit dropped in it forms a hard ball. It is much easier to use silicone baking pans because it will not stick, and that is all I will ever use for similar projects any more. One recipe of this makes one 20 count tarltet pan full of candies.

Equipment:

• 1 wooden spoon
• 2 quart saucepan
• timer
• silicone tartlet pan

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 stick salted butter
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/8 cup golden syrup
• 1/8 cup water

Instructions:

1. Measure ingredients and place into saucepan.
2. Set timer for 13:30.
3. Turn the large burner control to halfway between 6 and 7.
4. Constantly stir with wooden spoon until melted.
5. Stir occasionally (about once a minute), until timer goes off.
6. When timer goes off, remove from the heat and pour into the silicone molds.
7. Let cool for an hour and invert on a clean surface.
8. Enjoy.