Borscht

2 cups peeled, shredded beets

1 cup peeled shredded carrots

1 cup chopped onion

1 Tablespoon butter

2 cups beef stock or consomme

1 cup shredded cabbage

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 cup thick sour cream

Cook beets, carrots, and onion in boiling salted water (enough to cover) for 20 minutes. Add butter, stock, and cabbage. Cook 15 minutes longer. Add the lemon juice. Pour soup into bowls. Top with spoonful of sour cream.

TIM'S NOTES: My Grandma and I used to make this for lunch when we made fruitcakes the Saturday after Thanksgiving. She used to add a few chunks of leftover cooked meat (like beef pot roast) if she had some. Sometimes I add small chunks of a tender cut of beef. I brown it in the pot first, then proceed with the vegetables and water as directed. If you have a food processor with a shredder blade it helps immensely. If you like your vegetable soup a little chunkier, you can just dice up the carrot and beets instead of shredding them. I have done this. I always shred the cabbage. I also like to add a little caraway seed, and dill weed (or dill seeds) to this soup. Dill and caraway were native to Germany as well as beets, carrots, and cabbage, This is German Borscht which uses lemon juice and is milder than Russian Borscht which often uses vinegar. This is a good soup to make in the fall and early winter when root vegetables are plentiful. Much of the time, the beet greens are still attatched. Do not throw them out! Cut off the stems and wash. They can be chiffonaded (cut into ribbons) and made into a creative salad (usuallly with a vinegar based dressing) or stir fried in a hot pan for a few seconds and eaten like most other greens (also with a little salt and vinegar, possibly a little sugar if you find the vinegar a little acidic. The solution to that is use a little balsamic vinegar which has a sweeter taste.) I like to enjoy this soup while listening to the Liebeslieder Waltzes by Brahms! Makes me feel Germanic!

Festive Black Bean Chili

2 cups chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, minced or presses

1/2 cup water

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

1 Tablespoon ground coriander

1 cup prepared Mexican-style red salsa

2 red and/or green bell peppers, chopped

3 cups cooked black beans (two 15 ounce cans, drained and rinsed)

3 cups canned whole tomatoes, with juice (28 ounce can) 2 cups fresh or

frozen corn kernels (11 ounce package)

salt to taste

Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro. or to taste

In a covered soup pot, cook the onions and garlic in the water on high heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander and stir on high heat for about a minute. Stir in the salsa and bell peppers, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the black beans and tomatoes, simmer for 10 minutes. Add the corn and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Add the salt and Tabasco to taste. Stir in the cilantro.

TIM"S NOTES: I like red bell peppers, but it occurs to me there is too much of the same color in this chili. Orange or yellow peppers might be used as well for some color variation. As always, I don't like the big chunks of tomato in my finished product, so I puree them. You may not want to go this far, but I would at least buy diced tomatoes instead of whole. In the short amount of cooking time, I just don't think the tomatoes have a chance to break up. Again, in place of the Tabasco, I added a little chipotle puree, which can be found elsewhere in this blog. The recipe also says this chili can be served over rice or polenta. I like it plain.

Cream of Tomato Soup

5 Tablespoons butter

1 carrot, peeled and chopped very fine

1/4 medium onion, chopped fine

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk
1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill weed

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Tabasco sauce (optional)

Melt butter in large, heavy saucepan and add carrot and onion. Saute until soft. Stir in flour. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes more. Gradually add milk and stir until soup is smooth. Blend in tomato paste, stirring until smooth. Stir in tomatoes, salt, pepper, dill weed, basil, Worcestershire sauce, and baking soda. Stir in lemon juice and add Tabasco to taste. Keep stirring until soup is piping hot.

Note: Adding the tomato paste and tomatoes after the milk makes the soup less likely to curdle. The soda counteracts some of the acidity, also reducing the likelihood of curdling. However, if you add too much soda, the soup will have a bland flavor. If this happens, add a little more lemon juice and taste for seasoning.

TIM'S NOTES: I have a simpler tomato soup recipe that is also good (which I may post later) but I like this one because the flavor is slightly more complex. Since I don't particularly care for big chunks of tomato in my soups and sauces, I pureed the soup in the blender so it would be smooth. I chopped the carrot and onion really fine in the food processor; so if you didn't want to puree the finished soup, you might then puree the tomatoes before adding. This would also make the finished soup smoother, and would save that final step of pureeing the whole soup. I found this soup needed a couple more pinches of salt, but you be the judge. You can either add a little more salt to the soup, or let people season their own individual portions as they like.

Beef Stock

2 1/2 pounds beef and veal bones

1 pound lean beef (top round steak or beef shank) cut into three pieces

3 quarts water

1 large onion quartered

1 large carrot, cut into 4 pieces

1 large rib celery with leaves, cut into 4 pieces

1 plum tomato, cut in half

3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste (optional)

1. Place the bones in a large soup pot with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat. Discard the water, reserve the bones, and rinse the pot. Return the bones to the clean pot.
2. Add the meat pieces and the 3 quarts water. Bring to a bopil over high heat. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil again, then reduce the heat to a vedry slow but steady simmer, and simmer, partially covered, 3 hours. It is important to keep the broth at a simmer; if it boils, it will become cloudy.
3. Strain the broth through a fine sieve, lined if desired with several layers of dampened cheesecloth. Discard all but the broth, unless you want to try my mother's way of cheering up the meat. Cool the broth and refrigerate. covered overnight. The next day, remove and discard the congealed fat on top. Use immediately or refrigerate up to 3 days, or freeze up to 6 months. If you refrigerate for a few days, be sure to bring the broth to a boil before using. Makes about 2 quarts.

TIM'S NOTES: I am not sure this is the best beef stock recipe, but it is tasty enough, and one of the easiest around. The author's mother "cheers up" the boiled meat by shredding it, and serving it with a dressing of oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. If your finished soup (using this stock) has salt in it, I would recommend omitting the salt in the stock making stage. If you think your finished soup needs more salt, you can always add more later.

Witch's Brew

1 1/2 pounds hamburger, browned

1 green pepper, diced

2 large onions, chopped

5 stalks celery, diced

1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes

1 (15 ounce ) can kidney beans

1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms

1/4 pound bacon, fried and cut into pieces

4 cups cooked noodles, drained

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2/3 cup grated cheese

Stir together browned hamburger, green pepper, onions, celery, tomatoes, kidney beans and mushrooms. Add bacon and drained noodles. Add salt and pepper and pour into greased casserole dish. Top with grated cheese. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Cranberry Chicken

1 Tablespoon butter

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

3 pound chicken thighs, skinned

2/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, rinse

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a 10x 15 inch baking pan, combine butter and onion. Roast uncovered until onion is pale gold, stirring occasionally. Push onion to one side of pan. Place chicken thighs side by side in pan (not on top of onion). Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.
3. In a bowl, combine ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard and cranberries. Scoop browned onions out of pan and stir into mixture. Space chicken evenly in pan and spoon cranberry mixture over chicken.
4. Bake about 20 minutes more, until cranberry mixture is slightly caramelized and chicken is no longer pink at the bone in the thickest part. (Cut with a small sharp knife to test).

TIM'S NOTES: This is another recipe that can be seasonal. Cranberries are usually only found around the Holiday season. So if you want this recipe at other times of the year, snap up some cranberries around the Holidays, and put them in your freezer.

I also don't use bone-in chicken thighs. I like to use the boneless skinless thighs. They might be a little more expensive, but they are worth every penny. One of the things that I have found is that after step #2, there may be a lot of juice in the pan. It is a wise idea to remove some of this juice or your sauce may be too runny. You will see what I mean!

Chipotle Chili Puree

Chipotle peppers are actually dried smoked jalapenos. Canned in adobo, a flavorful red sauce, they are packed with heat and smoky flavor and add a quick spark to a dish. You can find small cans (three ounces) with brand names such as herdez or Embasa in the Latino foods aisle of most grocery stores or in Latino markets.

If you can't use an entire can within a week, just put the puree in a zippered plastic bag or in ice cube trays. Store it in the refrigerator for up to three weeks, or freeze it.

1 (3 ounce) can chipotle chilies in adobo.

Put the entire contents of the can in a food processor or blender, and puree. refrigerate in a covered container topped with a thin layer of oil to prevent a crust from forming on top.

TIM'S NOTES: Put a little dab of this puree in anything that you want to have a little heat

Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf

TURKEY AND QUINOA MEATLOAF

1/4 cup quinoa

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 (20 ounce) package cround turkey

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1 Tablespoon hot pepper sauce

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon water

1. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat and cool.
4. Stir the turkey, cooked quinoa, onions, tomato paste, hot sauce, 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. The mixture will be very moist. Shape into a loaf on a foil lined baking sheet. Combine the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Rub this paste over the top of the meatloaf.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes. An instant read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 16o degrees. Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

TIM'S NOTES: Instead of making this meatloaf free-form, I used a greased loaf pan. Rub the top of the meatloaf with the brown sugar/Worcestershire paste as directed and bake for about 50 minutes as directed and let stand 10 minutes before slicing. And instead of hot pepper sauce (which usually means Tabasco) I used 1 Tablespoon of Chipotle Chili Puree, which I will make a separate post for. I liked the flavor of the chipotle chili puree better.

Tuscan Beans with Sage

I am completely enthralled with sage at the moment because it will be going to sleep for the winter soon, so must use it up!

TUSCAN BEANS WITH SAGE

1 to 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh sage

6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 1/2 cups chopped fresh or canned tomatoes (28 ounce can, drained)

1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 cups cooked cannelini beans (two 15 ounce cans)

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Combine the sage, garlic, and oil in a large saucepan and saute on medium-low heat for several minutes, until the garlic is golden. Add the tomatoes, lemon juice, and cannelini and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, until everything is hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or chill to serve later.

TIM'S NOTES: Do not use dried sage in this recipe! MUST be fresh. Cannelini are just white kidney beans. You can make your own by soaking 1 1/3 cups of dried cannelini beans over night in water with a sprig of sage to enhance the flavor. Cook until done. I suggest using the canned beans just because they are more readily available, easier, and less time consuming. This, coming from a man who makes his own candied orange peel! Shortcuts are good.

Ide Hill Gingerbread

I received this recipe from a British friend a few years back. Ide Hill is a village in the Seven Oaks District in Kent, England.

IDE HILL GINGERBREAD

2 cup sifted all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon allspice

1 Tablespoon ground ginger

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup molasses or golden syrup

1 cup sour milk or buttermilk

1/2 cup shortening, melted

3 ounce can candied orange peel

crystallized ginger (optional)

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine eggs, molasses, sour milk, and shortening. Gradually add to the dry ingredients, beating thoroughly. Stir in orange peel. Pour into 8 inch square pan. Arrange crystallized ginger in pattern on top. Bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) for 40-50 minutes.

TIM'S NOTES: As always, I have some notes on this subject. Real English gingerbread uses golden syrup and candied orange peel, so if you can find it, I suggest using Lyle's Golden Syrup instead of the molasses. It makes more of a blond gingerbread. I use buttermilk in this recipe, but if you choose to use sour milk, here is how to make it. Add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make one cup. Let stand 5-10 minutes.

Now about the candied orange peel. Candied peels (orange, lemon, and citron) can only be found in the supermarkets from Thanksgiving to about New Year's Day. So buy some them, and keep it in a cool dry place. It is an Armageddon food. It will last until Doomsday! You might even want to stock up because sometimes they put it on sale at the end of the season. Anyway, I don't know how much 3 ounces is. It usually comes in a little plastic tub, and the weight is on there, so guesstimate 3 ounces. If you don't have any candied peel and just can't live without gingerbread, you can make your own. A little bit of work, but easily done. Make a simple syrup of equal parts water and sugar. For this recipe, I suggest 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. With a small sharp knife, peel an orange vertically in about 1/2 inch wide strips. You just want the orange part and not the white pithy part, so if you get some of the white pith, try to shave off as much of it as you can. Bring the simple syrup to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the orange peel strips, lower the heat slightly (just enough to keep it at a nice simmer) and cook until the orange strips start to become clear looking. Remove them from the syrup and cool on wax paper. Then mince them up for the gingerbread. I like to add the orange peel to the dry ingredients because each piece becomes coated with flour and they don't stick together

For the melted shortening, I use butter. Make sure to cool it slightly before adding it to the liquid mixture.

As for the crystallized ginger, I don't make a pattern on top. I usually just take a couple of large pieces, mince it up and sprinkle it across the top of the gingerbread as a garnish. I suggest using it, but it is quite expensive, and if you can't find it, you may omit the crystallized ginger. If you do use it, it is usually better to buy it in the bulk foods section of the grocery store because you can buy just as much as you need.

Basil Pesto

Well, my friends...That time of year has come....the weather has turned cooler and my pot of basil has stopped growing. It still looks well, but you can tell that it is not going to grow much more. I usually do this the first week in September, but we were having such lovely weather that I though I'd let the basil alone for a few days. When the weather turns cooler and the basil stops growing, I whack it all off and make basil pesto. I do this because it's no use trying to winter the basil over, and I also need the pot to plant spring bulbs. When the spring bulbs are done, it is time to plant basil again. I have done this for many years now. I have always made pesto out of the basil, but in the last few years, I have started a tradition of having pasta with basil pesto on Christmas Day. It's a lovely tradition, and eating the pesto brings back the memory of warm September days. This pesto can be used for many things. It can be used on pasta, on garlic bread, on toasted bagels, in soups, on fish...use your imagination!

Basil Pesto

3/4 cup olive oil

2 cups fresh bail leaves, stems removed

1/2 cup fresh parsley

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 Tablespoons pine nuts (see Note)

1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper

1 to 2 teaspoons hot water (as needed)

Place all ingredients except hot water in a food processor and process with metal blade for about 45 seconds. If desired, thin with hot water. Cover and refrigerate, or freeze in ice cube trays. After freezing, pop out cubes and store in the freezer in a plastic bag. Makes 1 1/2 cups sauce.

NOTE: If desired, use toasted pine nuts. Place pine nuts in a shallow pan, and bake 3 to 5 minutes at 350 degrees. Watch carefully!

TIM'S NOTES: I usually pack the measuring cup when measuring the basil leaves, and the parsley. I try to use plain old Italian Basil, and I like to use Italian Parsley if I can get it. If not, the curly leaf parsley will do. I also toast the pine nuts. I don't freeze this in the ice cube trays, but just in a heavy plastic container. The ice cube tray thing is a nice idea, I've just never done it. It would be easy just to add a couple of cubes to a pot of soup.

Mushroom Soup a la Marie Louise

MUSHROOM SOUP A LA MARIE LOUISE

8 Tablespoons oil

1 large onion

2 carrots

2 stalks celery, including leaves

5 cups water (more if needed)

1 bay leaf

1 bouillon cube

1 teaspoon dried thyme

salt and pepper to tasste

1. Cut the celery, carrots, mushrooms, and onion into thin slices. Mince the onion.

2. Pour the oil into a soup pot and heat. Add the onion. Saute the onion for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the celery and carrots and continue to stir for another 2 minutes.

3. Pour the water into the pot. Add the mushrooms, bay leaf, bouillon cube, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring the soup to a boil and then let it cook over low heat, covered, for about 40 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and serve the soup hot.

TIM"S NOTES: This recipe is from a cookbook called 12 months of Monastic Soups and for this reason, these soups tend to be a little ...well...monastic and simple. They are very economical to prepare, but use the finest ingredients to get the best results. There may seem to be a lot of oil in this soup, and there is, but it is necessary to the flavor of the soup, so I suggest using a good quality olive oil. Also, use a good quality bouillon, like Knorr. My preference for this recipe is chicken bouillon, but you could probably use vegetable bouillon as well. Here again, the recipe says one bouillon cube. My Knorr bouillon is one cube per two cups of water, so I have added two cubes to this recipe, and left out the salt until checking the saltiness at the end of cooking. Also, be generous with the thyme. I think this soup is good when you are not feeling well because mushrooms and thyme supposedly have curative properties.

Virginia Folk Medicine

Today, I woke up with a sore throat and I was reminded of this neat little recipe from Virginia Folk medicine. I suggest it to a lot of people, but I suspect they never try it, though it works like a charm. Use it when you throat gets a little ticklish, when you are feeling a little puny, or when you have a full blown cold. It will still help. My friend's mother drank this every day and wasn't ever sick. Not sure I'd want to drink it every day...

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (must be apple cider vinegar)

1 Tablespoon honey

8 ounces (1 cup) boiling water

Place vinegar and honey in a small mug. Add the boiling water to the mug, and stir until honey is dissolved. Sip carefully!

Honey Crisp Apples

For all of you in the know about Honey Crisp apples: It's that time of year, so get them while they are here!

Hamburger Soup

So many recipes to share and so little time in which to do it! I apologize for not getting anything posted last week. I will try to post a few extra recipes this week, but in the meantime, here's a little peace offering...

Hamburger Stew

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

2 Tablespoons cooking oil

3 Tablespoons flour

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed

3 cups vegetable juice cocktail (like V-8, or tomato juice will work also)

1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube)

few dashes bottled hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cups sliced celery

1 1/2 cups sliced carrots

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

Heat oil in large soup pot. Cook ground beef until browned and drain of fat. Add flour, garlic, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix well. Stir in vegetable juice, boullion, hot pepper ssauce and 1 cup water. Add onion, celery, carrots and potato. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Cover; simmer about an hour. Depending on how much liquid you like with your soup, you may want to add a little more beef bouillon/water, or vegetable juice. The rule is to add i teaspoon bouillon granule (or 1 cube) to one cup of liquid. The liquid sometimes cooks down after an hour. That's why you might need to add a little more.

TIM'S NOTES: This is such a basic recipe, that much can be done to it. For instance, you don't have to add any spicy ingredient at all, but if you choose to, instead of the tabasco you might try a pinch of cayenne pepper, chili powder, a little fresh chopped jalapeno, chipotle puree,Chinese chili paste, salsa or taco sauce, red pepper flakes, anything that might give it a kick. Another thing that gives this soup a nice spiciness without adding an extra ingredient is using the Hot and Spicy V-8 Juice.

Seasonings--I add a little more thyme than this recipe calls for. You could add dried basil and/or oregano in place of the thyme. Add another clove of garlic if that's your thing. One general caveat--go easy on the salt. This soup can get salty really fast. You may want to hold off on the 1 teaspoon of salt until you taste the finished product. Depending on the saltiness of your vegetable cocktail or tomato juice, the sodium in the celery, the saltiness of the bouillon, how much the soup cooks down, you may even want to delete the salt altogether and just add it to individual servings at the table according to taste.

Vegetables--Sometimes I like to add sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. Don't confuse sweet potatoes with yams. Yams are the orange fleshed ones. We often call those sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving, but they are not. I also like to leave the skins on my potatoes. Just be sure to give then a good scrubbing. Yams, or a combination of sweet potatoes, and yams just might work as well.

Meat--I am wondering if ground turkey might be used instead of the ground beef. In that case, you might try using chicken or vegetable bouillon. And maybe you can make this vegetarian by not adding any meat at all, but using a vegetable bouillon. And with the poultry, I would probably use the basil/oregano combination, though thyme would still work.

JUST HAVE FUN PLAYING WITH THIS RECIPE! ENJOY!!!

Sun-dried Tomato Spread with Fresh Basil

I suppose you could make this little spread anytime during the year, but I think of this when I have fresh basil in my patio garden. It has three ingredients, it is easy to assemble and is great for impromptu entertaining. It would be good with crackers, spread thin on a sandwich, or my favorite thing to do with it is to pipe it into celery sticks. Makes a good alternative to celery and peanut butter. Whatever you decide to do with it, this is just a nice, fun recipe.

1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

8 ounces cream cheese

Place sun-dried tomatoes in the work bowl of a food processor; pulse until coarsely ground. Add basil; pulse until finely ground. Add cream cheese; process until well mixed. Transfer to a serving bowl or storage container.

Tim's Notes: I don't use the oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, simply because they are expensive, and sometimes hard to find. I buy the dry sun-dried tomatoes in the bulk foods section of my grocery store because they are cheaper, but I believe you can buy them already prepackaged as well. I chop up the dry tomatoes a little, put them in a small bowl, and cover them with boiling water for about 15 minutes. Drain and squeeze out most of the water. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

California Chicken

Here's a simple recipe to make when you don't feel like cooking or the weather is hot. It does take about 30 minutes to make, but it's easy, and it gives you time to prepare the rest of the meal or wash up some of the dishes.

CALIFORNIA CHICKEN

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 pinch salt

1 pinch ground black pepper

2 avacados, peeled, pitted and sliced

2 ripe tomatoes, sliced

1 (8 ounce) package Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 10 slices

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Warm oil in skillet and add chicken and onion. Cook 15 minutes or until chicken is browned and just about done. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Place chicken on cookie sheet and top each breast with 1 to 2 slices of tomato and 2 to 3 slices of cheese. Place in oven for 10-15 minutews, until cheese melts. remove from oven, add 2 to 3 slices of avacado on top of each breast, and serve immediately.

Tim's Notes: You can do this to order very easily. I make one breast at a time for my dinner, or you could do two three, or six. How many you need. Just sprinkle each breast with salt, pepper and onion powder. Cook 7 1/2 minutes, flip over and add a little more salt, pepper and onion powder. Cook for another 7 1/2 minutes. Top with tomato, cheese, and bake for about 8 minutes for the cheese to melt. I figure half of a small avacado for each breast, and one tomato per two breasts. I also like to sprinkle the chicken with a little smoked Spanish paprika.

Slushies

Here is a little recipe I've been using on these hot end of summer days. It's kind of an inauspicious little recipe, very simple really, and one I hadn't bothered to look at very much in the last few years. But, I think it is worth taking a look at it. Seems like we don't make these kinds of recipes, anymore. It is easier to buy our beverages. Well, since I recently bought a new blender, the beverage genre has become of interest to me, thus have I rediscovered this recipe. You are going to need a good strong blender, not one that is feint of heart! This recipe makes two good sized slushies, but if you had kids, you could divide those portions in half and still have four nice sized slushies. In fact, this is the kind of recipe to make on a hot day if you had a group of teenagers. Probably cheaper than going to the local convenience store. They can be made ahead and stored in the freezer. I recommend a few minutes in the freezer after making anyway. If it freezes solid, you might want to take the slushies out of the freezer to sit five minutes. I got this recipe from my friend, Becky Campbell, whom I worked with for about 13 years at the Old Spaghetti Factory. She was crazy about slushies. Once you try them, I am sure you will be, too! So without further adieu...


SLUSHIES

1 cup sugar
1 package Kool Aid (any flavor. Be creative and use your imagination!)
About 16 ice cubes
1 cup milk

Put ice cubes in the blender first. Grind a little bit before you add the rest of the ingredients. Add the rest of the ingredients and grind until well mixed and the ice is chopped very small. Freeze for a few minutes after you make so it will get a little thicker. Becky says she likes cherry or grape Kool Aid best, but as I said, there are many, many other flavors, so GO FOR IT!!!!

7/12/2022 EDIT: If you are concerned about dairy, or are lactose intolerant, I have found these work well with unsweetened almond milk.  If they are too sweet for your taste, dial back the sugar.

New Recipe Blog

Just a short note about the remodeling of my blog...I created this blog about a year ago, thinking I might like to do a bit of writing here, but it seems it never caught on, and I didn't get any writing done. Recently, however, many of my friends and family said I should share my recipes through a Facebook page. I have been sharing many recipes lately with friends, and rather than send them over and over through e-mail, it makes sense to share them through this blog, so any of my friends and family might be able to access them. So here it is!

You know I love to eat, and I love to cook. And I am not one of those people who won't share their recipes because I want others to experience the joy I do from the process of cooking and eating good food. So my idea is to share a few recipes here each week, probably on, but not limited to, Mondays. If any of you have any questions about recipes, or types of recipes you might like to see here, let me know, otherwise I will just "do my thing"!