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A to Z Recipes Newsletter
May 22, 2005
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Publisher's Desk
Ramblings
Did You Know?
Monthly Theme
Reader Support
Birthday Babies
Discussion Forum
Crazy Corner
Angelique's Favorites
Heart Healthy
For Two
Publisher's Choice
Good morning to all. You hear me say regularly that we are family here at A to Z Recipes. Families come in all shapes and sizes and this one is getting bigger every year. When you signed up for the newsletters, you received an "instant" family. You got brothers and sisters from all over the world. I have been blessed to meet so many of you, and even if we've never met, there is a familial relationship that you may not find elsewhere. One of my a2z blessings is knowing Angelique, from Texas. Angelique and I share a lot (we even share May 9th as a birthday!) and she is a true gem. She has agreed to become a "Guest Publisher" and today is her first gift to the family. Join me in welcoming her to the Publisher's Desk!
All Things Southern
Hi everyone. I am from the Texas Gulf Coast (Palacios), and my daddy was a shrimper. In later years he managed a fish market, so we always had seafood. So the recipes today are going to be about (what else) seafood and other things "Southern". Now get comfy and enjoy :)
Angelique
(Make sure you stop by the QT Discussion Forum and say thanks to Angelique!)
Of special interest to a2z family members in Florida...
Today the A to Z Recipes Florida Bunch is meeting in Leesburg at the Red Lobster restaurant. If you need information about attending this great gathering (Pam from Ohio will be there!!!) please visit our QT Discussion Forum for particulars from Rusty. OMG how I wish I could be there!!!
Cookbooks, Recipes, Gourmet Cooking from Amazon
"Groups"
by: Dick Evans
Galatians 6:3
If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself.
When I went to school the kids fell into a couple of categories. You were either in one group or the other. The simplest way to explain is to have you think of the movie Grease. Now you know the types I am speaking of. No matter which group you were in, you stuck with it. Helping someone from the other side was just not done. Whereever you live today, there are good parts of town and bad. There are places you avoid driving through without locking your car doors. Then there those are parts of town where the very rich live. Few attempt to go outside of their own areas; they stay in their comfort zone.
God calls us go; to go into the world and preach the Good News. He doesn't call us to our little part of town or to the group we are comfortable with. He calls us to reach all His children wherever they come from. None of us are too good to reach out and touch someone for Him. Our hand stretched out to them, may be all they need to allow them to hear about Jesus.
Cooking with Texas' Own Dr Pepper
by Patricia Mitchell
When the Texas Cooking newsletter included a recipe for Coca-Cola Cake several months ago, I could not help wondering if there was a classic recipe using Dr Pepper. After all, Dr Pepper is an original Texas product, having been invented at a Waco drug store in 1885. A casual internet search turned up an incredible amount of information and gave me everything I needed to know, and more, about Texas' own soft drink. The people at Dr Pepper publish a little cookbook entitled "Cooking with Dr Pepper and 7UP". They'll send it to you free if you call them at 1-800-527-7096 and speak to Consumer Affairs. That's what I did and, within just a few days, I received my copy, together with a nice letter thanking me for my interest.
Now, it's only fair to say that the majority of the book's 146 recipes call for 7UP, not Dr Pepper. Even so, there are a goodly number of Dr Pepper recipes in each of the book's sections: Beverages (remember Hot Dr Pepper?), Breads, Desserts, Salads, Vegetables, Meats and Miscellaneous. In my quest for the classic Dr Pepper dish, I noticed that some of the recipes called for a comparatively small amount of Dr Pepper. Cherry Nut Surprises, for instance, a really good-sounding cookie containing maraschino cherries, flake coconut and chopped almonds, contains a mere 1/4 cup of Dr Pepper -- not enough, I'm afraid, to make it a classic Dr Pepper recipe. And while Dixie Jelly, which is essentially Dr Pepper-flavored jelly, has plenty of Dr Pepper in it, jelly isn't my idea of what a classic recipe
should be.I finally settled upon Moist Supper Cake as my candidate for the classic Dr Pepper recipe. While it does not taste just like a drink of Dr Pepper, itl;s flavor is quite unique -- something like caramel, but more. It is good, and the cake is indeed moist. The Broiled Frosting is an excellent topper for this unusual cake. Here's the recipe:
DR PEPPER MOIST SUPPER CAKE
1-1/4 cups boiling Dr Pepper
1 cup quick-cooking oats (regular oatmeal is fine)
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Broiled Frosting
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup light cream (half-and-half)
1 cup grated coconut
Pour the Dr Pepper over the oats, stir and let stand 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cream shortening, add the sugars gradually and cream well. Add eggs, beating until mixture is fluffy. Sift flour with salt, soda and nutmeg. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, mixing well. Add oatmeal mixture and mix thoroughly.
Pour into a 9x9x2-inch pan, greased and floured. Bake at 375F for 40 to 45 minutes or until cake tests done. Remove from oven. Spread topping over hot cake and place under the broiler. Broil until bubbly and lightly brown. Serve warm.
Since I don't have a 9-x9-inch pan, I baked this cake in a 9x13-inch pan, and it turned out fine. I did, however, decrease the baking time to 25 minutes, at which point it tested done. Even with the increased size of the cake, the Broiled Frosting recipe was large enough to accommodate.
Mexican Recipe Favorites
Here's the scoop on the current theme:
There is one type of food that usually gets grandioso reviews: Mexican. During the month of May, we are searching high and low for the best Mexican Recipe Favorites. Send us those family keepers and restaurant taste-likes for all to share here at A to Z Recipes. Make sure to try out my sampler and drop by the rules section to ensure your submissions are acceptable.
Here's a sampler for you:
TEX-MEX QUICHE
Southwest Flavors make this quiche come alive !!
Ingredients:
2 'Ready to Bake' pie crusts
5 large eggs
1 1/2 cups Half & Half
8 oz. Cheddar/Monterey Jack Cheese (shredded fine)
12 oz. bacon (fried crisp)
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced green onion tops
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1 large pickled jalapeno (seeded & vein removed) chopped fine
4 oz. button mushrooms (sliced)
2 Tablespoons fresh garlic, chopped fine
1/2 stick butter or margarine
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
1 Tablespoon Gebhardt's Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Fiesta Fajita Seasoning
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Coarse ground Black Pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pie crusts according to directions for 'pre-baked' pie crust and bake for 8-10 minutes or until ridge just starts to turn light brown. Remove from oven and set on a cookie cooling rack.
Fry the bacon until crisp, remove and drain on paper towel. When cool and crisp, chop until fine (1/8").
In a small frying pan, heat the olive oil and 1/2 of the butter or margarine. Add the mushrooms, bell peppers, yellow onions and garlic. Saut?© until mushrooms change to a light tan color. (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and cool in a bowl. At this time, take the remaining 1/2 of butter or margarine and put in the freezer section.
In a large bowl, break eggs and beat by hand like making scrambled eggs. Add the 1/2 & 1/2 and mix well. Add the green onion tops, the diced jalapeno, the shredded cheese, and all the spices listed. Add the chopped bacon and mix again. Add the saut?©ed mushrooms, bell peppers, garlic, and yellow onions using a slotted spoon to remove any excess liquid. Mix again until egg mixture is combined with all other ingredients.
With a large ladle, fill each cooled, pre-cooked pie crust until 1/4 inch from the top ridge. Take the 'frozen' butter or margarine and cut into 1/4 inch pieces. At random, put about 10 pieces of the 'butter chunks' on top of the egg mixture.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until top (egg mixture) just starts to turn a golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Let sit 1 hour.
Slice into 8 equal portions and serve with a fresh Caesar salad. Cover any leftovers with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated. Best served when slightly warmed or at room temperature.
Yield: Two 9" quiche pies
Source: www.texmex.net
Please use this link for theme recipes: Mexican Recipe Favorites
A to Z Recipes continues with its popular Theme Issues. We will share theme recipes and post them on the first Sunday of each month. Send your recipes no later than the last Friday of each month to have them posted in the next monthly theme issue. You may send in your favorite theme recipes in ONE email. If the number of recipes submitted by readers exceeds those needed in the issue, the publisher will post as many from every submitter as possible and save the remaining recipes for the following Sundays of that month. The rules for recipe submissions for the monthly theme issues are the same as ALL recipes submitted for posting.
The rules are:
As a service to your fellow readers, please send only recipes that are in a form that others could easily copy and save for their own use. Recipes that would require a lot of editing or cleaning up (ALL caps or NO caps) or use non-standard measurements should not be submitted. Recipes without a name and location of sender may NOT be posted or posted without any credit given. There will be NO recipes posted that are from other recipe-zines. A to Z Recipes protects the privacy of its readers and does NOT publish email addresses. There will be no exceptions.
See the A to Z Recipes Theme Issues collection here:
A to Z Recipes Theme Issues
The theme issue for Mexican Recipe Favorites has a deadline of May 27, 2005, and will be posted on June 5, 2005.
Please use this link for theme recipes: Mexican Recipe Favorites
As usual, only recipes are to be sent to: A to Z Recipes Inbox.
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Family Photos!
You may view the
June 2004 A to Z Family Reunion. Check out Leslie and Rusty's pics from the
December 2004 A to Z Family Reunion.
First Date
This is probably the funniest date story ever, first date or not!!! This was on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Jay went into the audience to find the most embarrassing first date that a woman ever had. The winner described her worst first date experience. There's absolutely no question as to why her tale took the prize!
She said it was midwinter... snowing and quite cold... and the guy had taken her skiing to Lake Arrowhead. It was a day trip (no overnight). They were strangers, after all, and truly had never met before. The outing was fun but relatively uneventful until they were headed home late that afternoon. They were driving back down the mountain, when she gradually began to realize that she should not have had that extra latte. They were about an hour away from anywhere with a rest room and in the middle of nowhere! Her companion suggested she try to hold it, which she did for awhile. Unfortunately, because of the heavy snow and slow going, there came a point where she told him that he had better stop and let her pee beside the road, or it would be the front seat of his car. They stopped and she quickly
crawled out beside the car, yanked her pants down and started. Unfortunately, in the deep snow she didn't have good footing, so leaned her butt to rest against the rear fender to steady herself. Her companion stood on the side of the car watching for traffic and indeed was a real gentleman and refrained from peeking. All she could think about was the relief she felt despite the rather embarrassing nature of the situation. Upon finishing however, she soon became aware of another sensation. As she bent to pull up her pants, the young lady discovered her buttocks were firmly glued against the car's fender. Thoughts of tongues frozen to pump handles immediately came to mind as she attempted to disengage her flesh from the icy metal. It was quickly apparent that she had a brand new problem due to
the
extreme cold. Horrified by her plight and yet aware of the humor she answered her date's concerns about what is taking so long with a reply that indeed, she was freezing her butt off and in need of some assistance. He came around the car as she tried to cover herself with her sweater and then, as she looked imploringly
into his eyes, he burst out laughing. She too, got the giggles and when they finally managed to compose themselves, they assessed her dilemma. Obviously, as hysterical as the situation was, they also were faced with a real problem. Both agreed it would take something hot to free her chilly cheeks from the grip of the
icy metal. Thinking about what had gotten her into the predicament in the first place, both quickly realized that there was only one way to get her free. So, as she looked the other way, her first-time date proceeded to unzip his pants and pee her butt off the fender.
As for the Tonight Show... she took the prize hands down... or perhaps that should be pants down. LOL.
Looking for a particular recipe, ingredient or submitter?
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Kitchen Bestsellers from Amazon
ACADIAN PEPPERED SHRIMP
Yield: 4 Servings
1 lb Butter
1/2 c Lemon juice
2 ts Fresh basil, chopped
2 ts Cayenne pepper
2 ts Fresh oregano, chopped
5 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Bay leaf, crumbled
1/2 c Black pepper, finely ground
Salt
4 lb Large raw shrimp in shells
The shrimp should be of a size to number 30-35 per pound. Melt the butter in a large deep-sided frying pan or iron skillet over low heat. When melted, raise the heat, and add the remaining ingredients except the shrimp. Cook, stirring often, until browned to a rich mahogany color, about 10 minutes. Add the shrimp, stirring and turning to coat well with the seasoned butter. Cook until the shrimp have turned a rich deep pink, about 10 minutes. Serve the shrimp in their shells, peeling them at the table.
Source: New Southern Cooking by Nathalie Dupree
CAJUN CRAWFISH CASSEROLE
This Cajun Crawfish Casserole Dish Is One Of The Best I have Ever Tried.
2 c Crawfish tails -- chop Coarse
4 Hard-cooked eggs -- chop Coarse
1/2 c Celery -- chop fine
1/2 c Bell pepper -- chopped
1 c Toasted bread crumbs
1/2 Stick butter -- melted
1 c Yellow squash; boil -- Drain
1/4 c Half-and-half
4 tb Shallots -- chop fine
1 tb Garlic -- chop fine
1 ts Salt
1/2 ts White pepper
1/4 ts Red pepper
1 c Cracker crumbs -- crumble Coarsely
1/4 c Parsley -- chop fine
Combine everything in a large bowl, except cracker crumbs and parsley. Mix well. Butter insides of a 1-1/2-qt casserole and spoon the mix into it. Sprinkle the cracker crumbs over the top and garnish the surface with the parsley. Bake the dish for about 20-25 minutes in a 400F oven. Serve hot.
Source: CajunCooking.com
CAJUN CATFISH REMOULADE
8 Servings
parsley
1 c Nonfat Mayonnaise
1 head Lettuce; bite sized pieces
1 qt water
1 tb Lemon Juice
1 tb Onion; grated
1 tb Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 ts Cayenne Pepper
1/3 c Creole Mustard
1/3 c Fresh Horseradish
2 ts Old Bay Seasoning
2 Bay Leaves
2 Beefsteak Tomatoes; in wedges
4 dr Tabasco
8 Catfish Fillets
Mix first seven ingredients in a glass jar; cover and refrigerate overnight.
Cut catfish fillets into bite-sized pieces.
Bring water, Old Bay Seasoning, bay leaves, and cayenne pepper to a gentle simmer and add catfish fillets. Cook until the meat flakes, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let the fish cool in the cooking liquid. Refrigerate until serving time.
To serve, drain the catfish fillets and place them on a bowl and nestle it in the center of the serving platter filled with lettuce and serve. Garnish with tomato wedges and parsley.
Source: Medford Mail Tribune, 10 January 1995
CAJUN SHRIMP TACOS WITH TOMATILLO SALSA
Yield: 8 Servings
CHILI SOUR CREAM:
2 c Sour cream
2 ts Chili powder
1/2 ts Cayenne pepper
SALSA:
3/4 lb Tomatillos,* husks removed, -rinsed, quartered (about 3 -cups)
1/2 c Coarsely chopped unpeeled -green apple (such as Granny -Smith)
2 tb Coarsely chopped fresh basil
2 tb Coarsely chopped fresh mint
SHRIMP:
1 1/2 ts Chili powder
1 1/2 ts Paprika
2 lb Uncooked medium shrimp, -peeled, deveined
2 tb Olive oil
1 tb Minced garlic
16 Purchased taco shells
1 lg Bunch watercress, trimmed
2 Avocados, peeled, pitted, -cubed
*A green tomato-like vegetable with a paper-thin husk. Available at Latin American markets and some supermarkets.
For Sour Cream: Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Season with salt. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill.)
For Salsa: Finely chop tomatillos, apple, basil and mint in food processor. Transfer to small bowl. Season to taste with salt. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
For Shrimp: Combine chili powder and paprika in large bowl. Add shrimp; toss to coat. Let stand 5 minutes. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and saut?© until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add shrimp; saut?© until opaque in center, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl.
Preheat oven to 350F. Arrange taco shells on heavy large baking sheet. Bake until hot, about 8 minutes. Place shells in napkin-lined basket. Arrange half of watercress on platter. Top with shrimp. Chop remaining watercress. Place in small bowl. Place sour cream, salsa, avocados and chopped watercress in separate bowls.
Cajun shrimp tacos with tamatillo salsa is a great way to make tacos with a little extra zest.
Source: CajunCooking.com
CRAB AND EGGPLANT DRESSING
4 large eggplants
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 Tbsp. bacon fat 2 lb. (lump) crab meat or
2 large onions fresh shrimp
1/2 cup FRESHLY grated Salt and red pepper to taste
Romano cheese
2 large onions
1 large bell pepper
Seasoned bread crumbs
Peel and cube eggplants. Soak in cold salted water. Drain and cook in large Dutch oven in bacon fat for 1 hour over medium heat; then add salt, red pepper, onions, bell pepper and celery. Continue cooking until thoroughly done. We use a potato masher to break up eggplant while cooking. If using fresh shrimp, cook additional 10 minutes. If lump crabmeat (or ham) is used, stir in without cooking. Add enough seasoned bread crumbs to absorb liquid. Stir in 1/2 cup Romano cheese (Grated cheese refrigerates well in jar). Place in 2 quart casserole and top lightly with more crumbs and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Source: CajunCooking.com
Let's do Dessert...
POUR LA FRANCE'S FUDGE CARAMEL CAKE
2 9-inch layers of chocolate Cake
1 Caramel Sauce (Recipe)
2 c Heavy Cream
1/3 c Light Corn Syrup
2 ts Butter
1/3 c Heavy Cream
1 Fudge Icing (Recipe)
1 1/2 c Cashews, roasted, unsalted
2 1/2 lb Semisweet Chocolate
1 c Brown Sugar, firmly packed
1/8 ts Salt
FOR CAKE:
Slice round cake layers horizontally in half to make 4 round cake layers. Place 1 layer on plate and top with Fudge Icing, Caramel Sauce and Cashews. Repeat with next 2 cake layers. Place final cake layer on top, frost top and sides of cake with Fudge Icing and cover sides of cake with chopped cashews.
FUDGE ICING: Bring cream to boil. Stir in chocolate until melted and smooth. This will be very soft but will harden when cooled. Refrigerate until workable consistency.
NOTE: The time it takes to get to a workable consistency depends on the weather. This is much like making fudge candy. The author, (Arlene Lightsey), made this sauce on a cool, clear day and had no problem.
CARAMEL SAUCE: Bring first 4 ingredients to boil and reduce to thick syrup. Very carefully, (because it will splatter), add cream. Refrigerate until cool.
Source: Pastry Chef Jenny Mattingsley, of Pour la France, 7959 Broadway, San Antonio, Texas
PAN-SEARED TUNA WITH MANDARIN ORANGE PICO DE GALLO
Serves 4
Vegetable oil spray
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar, firmly packed
1 11-ounce can mandarin orange sections, canned in light syrup, drained
1/3 cup chopped tomato
1/3 cup chopped avocado
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tuna steaks (about 1 pound total)
Spray a medium saucepan with vegetable oil. Place over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, brown sugar and pepper flakes. Cook and stir until sugar dissolves, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients except tuna. Set aside. Rinse fish and pat dry. Set aside. Spray a large skillet with vegetable oil. Place over medium-high heat. Add fish to hot skillet and cook about 5 minutes per side, or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Cut each steak in half to make 4 portions. Serve fish with mandarin orange mixture.
Calories: 205 kcal
Protein: 24 g
Carbohydrates: 13 g
Total Fat: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g
Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 58 mg
Sodium: 73 mg
Source: The American Heart Association Quick And Easy Cookbook
HOT CRAB DIP
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (12 ounce) can crab meat
1 small onion, chopped
several dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 or 3 teaspoons horseradish
Combine all ingredients in bowl; mix well. Spoon into small casserole. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with crackers.
CREOLE CANDIED YAMS
4 Servings
This is a wonderful Creole dish.
juice from one lemon
1 cn Whole yams (30 oz.)
1 ts Cinnamon
1 Apple, cored and sliced
1/2 c Dark brown sugar
1/2 c White sugar
1/4 c Seedless raisins
2 tb Pareve margarine
2 Peaches, peeled and sliced
Remove yams and place in casserole dish.
Pour liquid from yams into bowl. Add white sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and mix until dissolved. Pour over yams.
Mix fruit together; add to yams and liquid. Dot with margarine.
Bake in 400 F. oven for abt. 45 min. or until syrup has thickened slightly and yams look glazed and candied.
Variation: Substitute oranges for peaches.
Source: CajunCooking.com
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