Baked Bruschetta

Here's what you'll need:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
A Sheet Pan lined with Foil.

15 Roma Tomatoes, diced well.
12 Fresh Basil Leaves, cut into Julienned Strips.
2 Garlic Cloves, minced.
1 TBS Onion Powder
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Black Pepper
Half of 1 French Baguette, thinly sliced at an angle.

In a Mixing Bowl:
Tomato
Basil
Garlic
Onion Powder
Olive Oil
Soy Sauce
Pepper
Mix well.

Place the Bread slices on the Sheet Pan in a single layer.
Top with some of the mixture.
Bake 8 - 10 minutes, until the edge of the Bread is Golden Brown.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen

Happy New Year / 2014

I hope everyone has a great year in 2014. We plan on returning to Europe and Colorado so I'll have new stories, new photographs of food and new recipes to write about. I know there will be a lot of parties and celebrations to bring in the New Year. I'm not very big on New Year's celebrations. We stay home and it's pretty calm around our house. I may post some appetizer recipes that would be great at a party. I've been pretty laid back recently about posting recipes. I think Thanksgiving is a time for sharing recipes and of course Christmas is a great time to bake so I was very busy posting new recipes.
Now, it's pretty slow and I need to come up with a new subject or topic to blog about and new recipes to post.
I'm busy researching and reading so I can get back to blogging. I received a book for Christmas , Provence 1970. It's about the food scene in Provence in 1970, inspired by some of the best French and American Chefs of that time. I have such a passion for France and I am a fan of all of the Chefs during that period. There was Julia Child, author of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, James Beard, M.F.K. Fisher, Simone Beck, and Richard Olney, author of The French Menu Cookbook. They all hung around The South of France. "They cooked and ate and talked late into the night about the future of food in America, the meaning of taste and the limits of snobbery." They had not all met prior to this venture in Provence. They had their differences and they had their similarities in their beliefs and in their cooking methods.
I was living in Geneva, Switzerland at that time and I wish I had been involved in the food scene. I may have made an effort to learn more about what was happening there. I was certainly influenced by many of the new foods that I experienced while I was living in Europe. I wrote about the food and beverages that I experienced in a blog I wrote last week.
In conclusion, I hope to write more about the book and I will continue researching recipes from the archives of my Aunt Faye, the woman that inspired me to start blogging about food.
Until then, keep reading and enjoying the recipes I have previously posted and enjoy reading some of my stories on the blog.
And as always.......

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Eggnog Rum Glaze for Christmas Pudding or Coffee Cake

1 TBS Dark Rum
1 TBS Egg Nog
1/2 C Confectioner's Sugar

Whisk together all ingredients until smooth and creamy.
Before serving a Christmas Pudding, Coffee Cake or Pound Cake, drizzle the glaze over the cakes or serve as a side with each slice.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Texas Blue Cheese with Pears and food around the world!

There's no recipe here, just a story and some pictures.
I have been traveling to Europe for 44 years. I learned to enjoy many different foods and beverages that I had never experienced before. I drank my first coffee and ate my first baguette in Paris, my first great cheese in France, my first beer in Germany. I've become a food snob about all of those products. In France, I learned that the stinky cheese is the best cheese, I learned that nothing compares to a baguette with fresh country butter. In Germany I learned that a big hot pretzel is best when served with mustard and a good lager beer. I learned in Switzerland that Raclette is not only a great cheese, but a great social dining experience with friends and family. In Italy and Sicily, I learned that a big greasy slice of pizza is best served from a street vendor  wrapped in a piece of parchment paper. There's nothing that compares to an English Breakfast and Belgium has the best Chocolate! My wife and I are still planning trips to Europe and look forward to discovering new foods and beverages!
I've also learned that the world is getting smaller and we have the opportunity to experience all of the items above, in the States.
A great example is the Texas Blue Cheese that we recently purchased. We served it with slices of Pear and it was equal to any Blue or Roquefort Cheese that we have eaten in France. I was surprised and pleased at the same time.
Expand your taste level, experience new foods and beverages. If you never travel out of your small community, you can experience the world at your back door.

Texas Blue Cheese and Pears

English Breakfast at Borough Market in London

French Macarons

Raclette

Blue Cheese in London

French Cornichons

The experience of Raclette

A plate of Raclette with potatoes, bread and cornichons

Our favorite Cheese Shop in Paris

Enjoy!
The World of Food!

Texas Mac & Cheese

This needs no introduction.

Texas Mac & Cheese

1 pound of Elbow Macaroni
1 pound of Bulk Sausage, I use Vegetarian Gimme Lean Sausage.
1 C Diced Onion
16 oz of your favorite Salsa
2 - 8 oz packages of Shredded Queso Quesadilla Cheese
Pickled Jalapeno Nacho Slices, from a jar or can.

Garnish:
Tomato Wedges
Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Additional Salsa

Heavily butter a 3 quart casserole.
Cook Pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.

In a large skillet:
Heat 2 TBS of Vegetable Oil.  Sauté the Sausage and Onion, just until browned.
Add the Salsa.

Layer the ingredients into the casserole dish:
1/2 of the Macaroni
1/2 of the Sausage/Onion Sauce
1/2 of the Cheese
Repeat.

Bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, for 30 - 40 minutes.
Serve in individual bowls topped with Tomato Wedges, Jalapeño Slices and Chopped Cilantro.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Chocolate Chip Bars

As we were baking goodies for Christmas, my wife came across this recipe card from her recipe file box.
My wife grew up on a Mennonite Farm in the Heartland. Everyday her mother ( Irene Thiessen) would take lunch to her father and brothers working in the field. She would prepare a lunch, pack the pick up truck and spread it out on the tailgate when she arrived.
This was their favorite dessert. My wife made it for our kids and we are making it for our grand children. It's quick, easy, simple. delicious........ It's a great recipe to teach kids to bake.
I've adapted it a bit to update it. I have not changed the integrity of the original recipe.
This was made by hand, a mixer is not necessary.

1 stick of butter, melted
1 1/2 C well packed brown sugar
1/2 C white sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 TBS vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder  (my wife eliminated the baking powder to make the dough more dense)
1 (10 - 12 oz) bag of chocolate chips (for Christmas she uses a bag of red, green and brown chips)

In a bowl, mix together:
butter
brown sugar
white sugar
until well combined

Add:
eggs (one at a time)
vanilla

In a small bowl, sift together:
flour
salt
baking powder
Add to the wet ingredients
Stir until combined
(my wife folds some of the chocolate chips into the batter)

Spray a jelly roll pan with a cooking spray
Spread out the dough evenly and top with remaining chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes. The edges will be slightly browned
Do not over bake!
Cool completely and cut into squares

This is Irene Thiessen's original hand written recipe card.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

BBQ Sauce / Homemade for BBQ Meatballs or Sausage

To make BBQ Meatballs:

Saute baked Meatballs in Olive Oil until browned,

Make the following Sauce :

In a small bowl:

Mix well,

1 C Ketchup

2 TBS granulated Sugar

2 TBS Worcestershire  Sauce (I use vegetarian Worcestershire Sauce )

2 TBS White Vinegar

3 TBS finely minced Onion

Hot Sauce, (Tabasco) to taste ,(I use about 6 dashes)

Pour over browned meatballs in a skillet and re heat.

Enjoy!

Peace in the Kitchen!