1 15 13 Recipes from Mineral County Assessor Rose Ann Maine

Here are a couple recipes Mineral County Assessor Rose Ann Maine.

She says these cakes are easy to make and delicious.

Soda pop cake

Take a box of cake mix, your choice, 1 can of soda pop

Spray 1 large, microwave approved, bowl — spray well

Mix the soda and box of cake mix together.

DO NOT add anything to the cake mix, use as is.

Put a microwavable plate over bowl and bake for 9 minutes.

Serve with ice cream or whipped topping.

White or yellow cake mix and orange soda works well.

Happy cake baking!

Angels cake

Here we go:  Spray 9×13 cake pan

1 box of angel food cake mix as is

1 can lemon pie filling (canned)

Mix dry cake mix and lemon together, mix, mix and mix till both are into one batter.

Pour in pan and bake at 350 degrees until done.

Check oven after 25 minutes.

When done dust with 10X  sugar.

This is really good when it is warm.

Any pie filling can be used, apple, peach, cherry …….

Good eats.

12 13 12 SKEWERD SHRIMP WITH CARIBBIEN STYLE FRUIT SALSA

 

By Chef Vieli

  SKEWERD SHRIMP WITH CARRIBIEN STYLE SALSA.

INGREDIENTS:

 

Salsa:

 

2 oz Red onion small diced

2 oz Tomatoes small diced

2 oz Red peppers small diced

2 oz Green peppers small diced

2 oz Pineapple small diced

2 oz Mangoes small diced

Gingerroot fresh minced

Lime juice freshly squeezed

Oil and vinegar as needed

Seasoning salt and pepper mill

 

Method:

 

Mix all ingredient an a bowl and refrigerate

Adjust seasoning

 

 

Shrimp:

 

As needed P & D Shrimp 21 / 25 count raw skewered

As needed Fresh chopped cilantro

As needed Fresh Lime juice

 

Method:

 

1. In a bowl combine Lime juice and cilantro

2. Pour over skewered shrimp

3. Grill shrimp skewers until nice and pink

 

Serving suggestion:

 

1. 2 ea Plantain sliced into roundels dust in flour and pan-fry until golden brown
2. Place onto a paper towel
3. In separate bowl  Combine salt and cinnamon
4. Roll Plantain in salt cinnamon mixture
5. Display on plate to serve

 

 

 

Its Cranberry Picking Time!

Lindy Point Black Water Falls 2012

Hello Everyone! Chef Elizabeth here!

I am very happy right now because I have just had the most beautiful week in West Virginia at my home in Canaan Valley where I offered eight guests from San Diego CA a tour of my West Virginia.

This was a culinary tour that offered three cooking classes in my well equipped kitchen and opportunities to go hiking where the leaf peeping and photo taking  was unsurpassed.

The trees are just fading after a fantastic week of brilliant oranges and stunning crimsons!   However, today, Oct 8^th, it is snowing which has made for a wonderful contrast as the white snow rests on the crisp deep orange leaves.

I can only stay at my home in Canaan a few weeks at a time as my work allows but my home is a vacation rental and available through an agency called Mountaintop Realty in Canaan Valley.  You can find out more about renting my home by going to my website  www.theOPERASINGINGCHEF.com   Click just below the photo of the Coire Taigh, pronounced: Cory Tay.   This is a Celtic word that means “Kettle House” or meadow surrounded by a quarry.

While I was at the Coire Taigh, with my Appalachian Culinary tour  of eight guests from San Diego, we were offered the opportunity to “forage for our own food.”

We were invited by local, Sarah Fletcher, of Bens Old Loom Barn in Canaan, to go Cranberry Picking!   She drove up highway 32 then down a gravel road where we surrounded by tall pines on each side opening up to large meadows.

Sarah Fletcher

Cotton Grass

I was thrilled as I had never even seen a cranberry bog.  These were natural bogs that were easily identified by great stands of cotton grass.  As you scanned the meadow, you’d see a reddish grass with a white cotton top that would bob and sway in the wind.  Often, just below these grasses would lie the deep red cranberries amongst a tangle of thin and brittle brush like limbs that intertwine low to the ground.Picking these ruby like berries is hard work as the bending gets to be tiresome, however, we were a group of 4 women with one goal.. enough cranberries for two tarts.

Within an hour we each had picked two cups a piece, avoiding the plentiful near- white  berries that  grew at the tops of the brambles.  While these were easier to pick, they had already once been frozen and wouldn’t have any flavor.  We were told to pick only the darkest firmest berries which we did.

Cranberries are low to the ground

While we picked, Sarah mentioned that during the summer when she would come to a nearby place and pick blueberries, she would chew gum to avoid eating the blueberries she had picked..”That way your bucket would fill faster.” Sarah would say.

I thought this was a useful saying and even though the cranberries were to tart to nibble on, good advice for future berry picking.

Once back at the Coire Taigh kitchen we held a taste comparison of the berries with my tour group making one tart with the “just picked berries” and the other the “store bought”

Picking cranberries

We started by each person tasting one of each type of cranberry in its raw state.  I thought the fresh picked berry tasted less tart, most of the other ladies, could not determine a difference in flavor and the same results were made for the tarts.  Both were quite delicious and little if any difference was detected between the two tarts as they were enjoyed with great ceremony.

Old World Cranberry Tart

I was able to save a couple of pieces of the Old World Cranberry Tart from that evening and am eating them now as I write this blog.   The pastry is flakey and sweet with body as it contains an egg and is brushed with a beaten egg just before baking.  The tangy sweet and sour cranberry filling really makes me think of how a tart would have tasted 200 years ago.  I always put in a splash of whisky or Grand Marnier to my tart just before it bakes.  This brings a warmth to the flavor of this tart that makes it perfect for the Autumn.  Serve this tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and hot tea or coffee, however, red wine or port would be wonderful as well.

Old World Cranberry Raisin Tart

From the Opera Singing Chef  http://www.theOPERASINGINGCHEF.com

3/4     cup  light brown sugar — firmly packed

1           tablespoon  tapioca

1            teaspoon  orange zest

1/2      cup  fresh orange juice

2           cups  cranberries — fresh or frozen

1            cup  golden raisins

1/8       cup  whiskey

1/4      teaspoon  salt

INGREDIENTS FOR DOUGH

1 1/4     cups  all-purpose flour

3        tablespoons  sugar

1/4      teaspoon  double-acting baking powder

1/8      teaspoon  salt

3/4      stick  unsalted butter — cut into bits

1          large  egg

1         tablespoon  cold water

Make the filling:  In a saucepan stir together the brown sugar, the

tapioca, the zest, and the juice and add the cranberries, the raisins,

and the salt.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring, and simmer it,

stirring for 5 minutes, or until the berries have just started to burst.

Add the whiskey, stir and shut off heat. Transfer the filling to a bowl and chill it covered until cold. Can be made two days in advance.

Make the dough:

In a bowl stir together the flour, the sugar, the baking powder, and the salt, add the butter, and blend the mixture until it resembles meal.  In a small bowl whisk together the egg and the water add the mixture to the flour mixture, stirring with a fork until the mixture forms a dough.  Dust with flour and chill it wrapped in wax paper for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Roll out the dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface and transfer it to a baking sheet.  Spoon the filling onto the center of the dough, spreading it into an 8-inch circle, and fold the edges of the dough over it leaving the center of the filling uncovered.   Brush dough with the egg wash and bake the tart in the middle of the oven, covering the exposed filling loosely with foil after 10 minutes, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until pastry is golden.   I always serve hot so that the frozen yogurt or vanilla ice cream will melt over the tart.

I hope you will be inspired enough to make this tart and if you want a real feeling of Thanksgiving, head up to Canaan and gather your own cranberries before it gets too cold.

Till next time,

Enjoy!  And bye for now, – Chef Elizabeth Podsiadlo

I have a thing for bottles and jars

By Chef Elizabeth Podsiadlo ©2012

I think Obsession is too strong a word for how I feel about bottles and jars, but that word is as good as any.  Ever since I was little, I’ve loved bottles.  Especially the pretty  blue ones that lined my mother’s kitchen window, along with bundles of drying  dill.

Old bottles capture my attention most these days, especially when they turn a delicate tint of purple, which is a telltale sign of very old glass.  I only use the very old glass bottles as a display.  I’d hate to stress the glass.   Besides, you don’t always know what was held in the bottle before.

The  practical side of bottle collecting is the many uses and re-uses for your bottles and jars.  It is said, that food stored in glass is much healthier than when stored in plastic or tin, and glass doesn’t impart any metallic or plastic flavors to what ever’s being stored inside.

When I make my own soup stocks, I store the stocks in one quart canning jars and freeze them.  Mind you, I never fill them to the top, or the jar would crack. I leave a  two-inch space between the top of the soup  and the lid to allow for expansion while it freezes solid.   Then when I need some stock,  I can simply pull jar from freezer remove lid and place in microwave to thaw. Be careful when removing frozen jars from freezer as they are slick.  Also, be sure if you are thawing soup in microwave that you reheat at 50% power.

As a personal chef, folks sometimes purchase a “soup service” from me.  I have found  two-quart Mason Jars at my local craft store.  Large enough for an entire batch of soup and they’re affordably priced, worth their weight in gold and can be used in place of a canister as it has a good fitting lid to keep the critters out.  So, excellent for flour, cereals, sugar ect.

I grow a lot of my own herbs which I dry and use for cooking, such as Rosemary, Bay leave, Oregano, Sage, marjoram and Thyme.  Once they are good and dry, I’ll store them in small jars that I’ve saved and sometimes I give them as gifts to friends.  I remove any old labeling and place one of my own labels onto the bottle, sometimes with a recipe.   I store left over walnuts or almonds in smaller pint jars and the same with sesame seeds.  All my seeds and nuts are stored in glass jars and stored  in the same location in my pantry.  Easy to find and easy to identify.

Here is a wonderful recipe for Herbes du Provence.   A mixture of several dried herbs that is French in origin.  Excellent over chicken, in soups on pork roasts, sautéed zucchini or on bread sticks.   I make enough to fill several little jars and give them as gifts.  Here below is the recipe and further below a great easy appetizer for Spring, Herbed Chicken Wings.

Herbes de Provence

1 cup  dried basil
3/4 cup  dried thyme
1/2 cup  dried savory
1/3 cup  dried oregano
1/4 cup  dried sage
1/8 cup  ground fennel seeds
1/8 cup  dried lavender blossoms

Measure out all ingredients and mix well in a large bowl.  Package in a glass jar with a good sealing lid, or in small envelopes tobe given out as gifts.

Serving Ideas : Excellent for baked chicken, boiled potatoes and bread sticks

 

Herbed Chicken Wings
12 chicken wings.  (washed and patted dry)
1 ½ tablespoons Herbes de Provence
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Teaspoon salt  ½ teaspoon of pepper.

You will need a large metal baking pan that will allow room for all the wings without touching.  Preheat oven to 325.  Add a teaspoon of oil to your baking pan and coat entire bottom and sides of pan.

Place chicken in baking pan, but do not crowd.  Brush olive oil onto chicken wings and sprinkle with Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper.

Cover pan lightly with foil and place in oven and bake for 45 minutes.  Turn wings over, remove foil and return to oven for 30 minutes, turn and bake 14 minutes more.  Serve hot.

Hope this helps to inspire you to re-use your jars.

Here is one final photo of what I do with the smallest and most delicate of jars that I find.  Bye for now, and have a beautiful Spring  -Chef Elizabeth Podsiadlo

P.S. I’ll be visiting Romney this July and will be offering a cooking class and book signing.  Hope to see you there. Contact The Hampshire Review or Anderson’s Corner for details. 

Hawaiian Grilled Coconut Shrimp Skewers

By Chef Thomas Vieli

INGREDIENTS:

Marinade

1 can cup coconut milk (reserve 3 Tbsp for later)

¼ cup Pineapple juice

1 Tbsp Olive oil

1 tsp finely chopped garlic

Shrimp

24 jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined (tails can be left on)

¼ cup unsalted butter

3 Tbsp coconut milk

2 Tbsp sweet shredded coconut

1 tsp dark rum, optional

Fresh Pineapple cubes

 

METHOD:

Mix marinade ingredients together and marinate shrimp for about 4 to 6 hours prior to cooking

After marinating shrimp, soften butter and mix with the coconut milk, shredded coconut, and dark rum blend well

Skewer shrimp, adding pineapple cubes between every other shrimp

Grill on high temperature for 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink do not over cook

During grilling brush shrimp with the butter mixture

Serve immediately

Chard Tart

Hello everyone, Chef Elizabeth here.

 A couple of weeks ago, I taught my bi-annual, Italian Cooking class.  I do one in the Spring and one in the Fall.  I wanted to share with you one of the recipes from this last class as it is perfect for this time of year.  It is called:   Torta Di Bietole or Swiss Chard Pie.   This deliciously-satisfying pie presents you with another wonderful way to use Swiss chard and benefit from it, as it is a great source of nutrition. 

 This beautiful, leafy green packs a whollop of minerals, as most dark green vegetables do.  However, lots of folks only know one way to cook them.  Typically, sautéed with olive oil, then garlic added then drizzled with vinegar and usually with bacon.  This is quite good, but one needs to “branch out”.. oh man…. did I really just say that?

First off, you’ll need about  1, ½ Pounds of Swiss Chard. Silverbeet is a good variety, pretty red stems and thick leaves.  Wash the Chard in a large bowl of water to rinse off any of the sand that accumulates.  Store bought should be washed too as they never get all the dirt off.    Pull the leaves off the woodie stems , tossing the stems and reserving the leaves. 

Bring a large pot of filtered water to a boil add salt.  Once water is boiling, place all the chard into the pot and allow to cook for three minutes, or, until chard is wilted.  Remove chard from water and drain.  Reserve chard water for a refreshing cold tea…  (see more on tea, at end of blog.)

While chard is draining, you will need to make your crust.

2 cups flour, ½ cup salted butter, 2 to 3 tlbs. water or more if needed.

I typically make my pie crusts using a food processor.  Placing the flour and the butter in the bowl of the processor then pulsing until pea sized balls form.  I then drizzle the water as the machine is running until it forms a ball.  Once this is done, pull ball from processor and wrap  in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.   (Note) Sometimes, I just make the crust right away without refrigeration and it comes out fine.   However, the experts like the dough to sit and chill for better consistency.   

Once chilled, roll dough out onto flour-covered counter, then, place into either a tart pan, or a pie dish.  I did both.  The tart I made in the pie dish had a more rustic look as I did not play with the crust.  I simply folded over edges, coated with an egg wash and baked. 

Be sure to butter which ever pan you use, using one of the tlbs. of butter called for in the recipe.

 If using a tart pan: Press dough into pan and up against walls, so it takes on shape of pan.  Then using the rolling pin, roll over top edge of tart pan.  This will cut overlapping dough off.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

For Filling:   You will need:  1/4 pound of ham (sliced into matchsticks) 1/4 pound Emmenthaler Cheese (this is a swiss cheese) you can use a domestic variety.  (Slice into matchsticks)  3Tlbs salted butter, 2 eggs, one pinch of nutmeg, pinch of salt and pepper and 1/8 cup pine nuts. 

 Squeeze all remaining water from chard.  Rough chop.  Place two tlbs. butter into non-stick skillet.  Add the chard and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes to take on some flavor.  Add the pine nuts to the chard and stir.  Meanwhile, add two eggs to a large mixing bowl and whisk.  Add the ham, cheese and nutmeg.  Mix well.  Add the chard and pine nuts  and mix well.  Pour all of this into the tart or pie pan. 

Remember if using the pie pan and going for that “rustic” look to fold extra dough over pie, then make an egg wash and brush onto of pastry.  This makes a beautiful pie.

Bake for 40 minutes, checking at 30 minutes for doneness, as all ovens are different.   If top of tart starts to brown too fast, cover lightly with foil. 

Once done, allow to cool on rack slightly.  If using a tart pan, remove from tart pan and onto a serving plate.  Makes a wonderful brunch, or even a wonderful appetizer with a good cold Pinot Grigio wine or a tall glass of cold water.

Chard Ice Tea:  The water you saved from when you cooked your chard is pink, if you used the Silverbeet.  This water contains lots of minerals and would be a shame to waste.  So here’s what I did:     I added 3 Cinnamon-apple tea bags to the hot chard water.  Plus, 5 cloves, a cinnamon stick and a couple of tablespoons of honey and the peel to from an orange.  This is best done while water is hot to dissolve and allow for the flavors to meld together.  Stir well and allow to sit for a couple of hours, strain and place into a pitcher and refrigerate. Serve cold and folks won’t notice the chard flavor.. however,  they will get lots of added nutrition.  I call this a “tonic” more than a tea and something we should all drink more of.  

I hope you will give this a try.  If you have questions you can always reach me by going to my website: www.theOPERASINGINGCHEF.com  Click on “contact us” at the top of the page.  I’d love to see photos and receive comments on how it went for you.  Don’t forget to check out my on-line gourmet kitchen store while you’re there.  The 25-year old imported Italian vinegars are amazing and excellent with Swiss Chard.

BAKED HAM COOK WITH YOUR CHILDREN AND LET YOUR IMAGINATION FLY

By Chef Thomas Vieli

INGREDIENTS:

1 10 to 12 lb bone-in Ham

½ cup whole cloves

1 20 oz can of sliced pineapple in heavy syrup

½ cup brown sugar

1 12 fluid oz can or bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated water

1  4 oz jar whole maraschino cherries

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 325F
2. Place ham in roasting pan, scored the rind of the ham crosswise
3. Press the cloves into the scored parts of the ham
4. Drain juice of pineapple can into a bowl, and stir in the brown sugar and lemon-lime carbonated water, stir until sugar is nearly dissolved, then coat the ham with the mixture.
5. Arrange the pineapple rings with the maraschino cherries over the outside of the ham, and secure them with toothpick  let your children create funny designs of their choice (like in the picture)
6. Bake ham for 4 to 5 hours preferably on a rack so you can gather the juices to baste the ham frequently until 160 F internal degrees is reached, do not touch bone with the thermometer because your reading could be wrong
7. Make sure toothpicks are removed before serving