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Lois has sent a bunch of goodies in the past few months so it seemed only natural to set up her own corner here.
She is (in her own words) a "recovering gourmet cook" struggling to overcome the guilt associated with an "unfortunate" culinary past (10 years of cooking lessons!). Happily, common sense and lack of time have helped her realize that there is a life outside the kitchen. She burned her apron and now spends her spare time traveling (as far and as often as possible) and learning about the Internet.
Lois lives in Virginia with her most understanding ("What is this stuff, anyway? Did it come out of a can?") husband and a dear little white dog they rescued from a local shelter who is loving life now that she has enough to eat and no one can hurt her.
Coco is Lib's new "little sis" - she's a pound puppy too so it just could be. See what you think.
Look-alike Contest
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I am not sure why you want a Chicken A La King recipe - it doesn't sound like an "alt.martha" item - but, I checked a couple of cookbooks (yes, I do have some) and the ones that had it were very similar. This one is from "Joy of Cooking" (the unhealthy old edition).
Cut into dice:
1 cup cooked chicken breasts
1/2 cup sautéed mushrooms (Slice the mushrooms, melt about 1 tablespoon butter and dump them in - heat till warm.)
1/4 cup canned pimiento
Melt:
3 Tablespoons butter
Stir in and blend:
3 Tablespoons flour
Add slowly:
1 1/2 cups chicken stock (It comes in a can these days - JOC suggests you make it - Ha.)
When the sauce is smooth and boiling, add the chicken, mushrooms and pimiento. Reduce the heat and simmer till thickened.
Add salt and pepper to taste
Stir in 1 TBLS dry sherry (By this time you will be drinking the stuff!)
Serve over puff pastry shells (Peppridge Farm makes them - they come frozen.)
That's it ... one recipe said you could add blanched slivered almonds - I've never had it that way. They also suggested you add an egg yolk after you add the chicken, etc. - no way! I think the whole shebang would curdle in a New York minute - yuck.
Tip for measuring "gunky" things like peanut butter or Crisco - first spray the measuring cup with Pam lightly - then spoon in the stuff - you will find that it pops right out with no scraping.
And a few one-liners ...
A Messy Kitchen Is A Happy Kitchen And This Kitchen Is Delirious
No Husband Has Ever Been Shot While Doing The Dishes
A Husband Is Someone Who Takes Out The Trash And Gives The Impression He Just Cleaned The Whole House
If we are what we eat, then I'm easy, fast, and cheap.
A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
Thou shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator.
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused.
A Clean House Is A Sign Of A Misspent Life
Help Keep the Kitchen Clean - Eat Out
Housework Done Properly Can Kill You
Countless Number Of People Have Eaten In This Kitchen and Gone On To Lead Normal Lives
My next house will have no kitchen - just vending machines.
As promised, here's another goodie ...
This one's a no-brainer ... I am not a morning person, but brunch is an easy way to entertain - IF you do as much as possible the night before.
I've had this recipe for years - it can be doubled or tripled ... just be sure to increase the cooking time a little for a really big casserole and check before serving to make sure it is cooked in the middle.
Add some miniature French Pastries (they sell them at our local grocery store and they really impress people) and some sliced fruit (if you are really pressed for time buy the stuff sliced) and you are good to go.
Brunch Fondue
1. Remove crusts from 6 slices of day old bread.
2. Butter the bread.
3. Cut bread slices into quarters.
4. Cut 1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese into 1/4" slices.
5. Take one package of Buddig's dried smoked beef, smooth out slices and cut into quarters.*
6. Grease 2 qt casserole dish (one with high sides is better) with butter or cooking oil spray.
7. Layer bread/cheese/meat and make cheese your last layer.**
8. Combine 2 cups milk, 3 eggs, 1/4 tsp. dry mustard.
9. Pour mixture into casserole leaving the top layer of cheese uncovered. Refrigerate overnight.
Remove from refrigerator and bake @ 325 for 60 minutes.***
*IMHO Buddig is the only brand that isn't too salty - it is with the bologna in the grocery store - do NOT get that icky stuff in jars. Some folks I know use sliced ham which is O.K. too.
**Don't worry if you run out of anything - go ahead and add more - I usually wind up using more bread.
***It will puff up during baking ... so, if the dish is almost full, be sure to put it on a cookie sheet or foil so you don't wind up with burning cheese all over your oven.
Curried Fruit Bake
When it isn't too hot, this is
what I serve with my Brunch Fondue.
1 1lb. 1oz. can pear halves
1 1lb. 1oz. can peach halves
1 1lb. 1oz. can apricot halves
1 1lb. 1oz. pineapple chunks
Toss the fruit into a colander and drain thoroughly (approximately 1 - 1 1/2 hours).
Melt in saucepan:
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. curry powder
Layer fruit and sauce in a 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 casserole with high sides. Dot the top with maraschino cherries for color. Bake at 325 for one hour UNCOVERED. Serve warm. Can be done ahead of time. Just put in the oven one hour before you need it.
My recipe for home made Boursin - yes, you can buy it in the grocery store already made, but it's expensive. This is almost as good - kind of a poor man's Boursin:
Boursin Cheese with Black Pepper
3 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed (or minced if your don't have a garlic press--more work tho)
1/2 Tsp. salt
1 8 oz. package cream cheese (room temperature)
1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
2 TBLS finely snipped parsley (Easy to do if use scissors--just bunch the "leaf" part up and snip.)
2 TBLS coarsely ground black pepper (I like McCormick's the best.)
In a small bowl, make a paste with the pressed garlic and the salt. Add the cream cheese, butter, parsley and pepper and mix until smooth (hand mixer is good--or food processor ... whatever you have). Cover and store in refrigerator for up to two weeks
To serve, bring to room temperature ... or; even better, transfer into a 2 cup ovenproof bowl and heat in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until warm.
Serve with crackers and veggies (if you feel like being healthy). Some have suggested I could fill those tiny hors d'oeuvre puffs with this stuff, but it sounds like a lot of work to me
Makes about 1 and 1/3 cups
And while I'm at it---here's another brunch recipe:
Baked French Toast
1 loaf Italian bread sliced thick (About 3/4" or so - If the loaf is large, cut the slices in half.)
2 TBLS light corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
Mix all but bread in small saucepan and simmer till syrupy. Pour into 9" x 13" pan and arrange bread over syrup in single layer - if you don't use all the bread, make a sandwich for later. (NOTE: spray dish with PAM or something like it for easy cleanup.)
MIX TOGETHER:
5 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 Tsp. vanilla
1/4 Tsp. salt
Pour mixture over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 350. Bake UNCOVERED for 45 minutes and serve hot. Makes about 6 - 8 servings depending on how hungry people are. This is another standby of mine and never fails to get rave reviews. I like it because you can do it ahead.
Watch for more from Lois. (I'll pass along any comments.)
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Lois' Corner part 2
(See the easy way to print individual recipes at top of page.)