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Chinese Egg Rolls
4 Tablespoons = 1/4 cup t = teaspoon c = cup
Milanesa Breaded Steak
Grilled Onions
If you're like me you love grilled
onions. They're easy to make and enhance any meat. I put them over
rib-eye steaks, pork chops and boneless chicken breast.
To make grilled onions, simply slice
up an onion or two and cook slowly in a frying pan under
medium heat. I usually cook onions in 2 T of extra virgin olive oil
(the oil has a robust fruity smell). Grill the onions until they
turn golden brown.
Balsamic Vinegar
is a popular ingredient used by restaurants. Just add 1 T per onion
to your grilled onions WHEN THEIR DONE (not before or the onions won't
cook). Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper (just a dash of each). A
dash is 1/8 teaspoon. Stir well and pour over meat.
You can also add a
dash or two of sugar if you'd like some sweetness. If you're using
sweet onions then they're already sweet. I just use yellow or white
onions.
I don't add anything
to the grilled onions if they're going on top of Kosher hotdogs
(emmm). For chicken, pork or steak I add either balsamic vinegar.
Another recipe is to mix 1 T of white
vinegar, 1 T of soy sauce, and 1 t of brown sugar into the grilled
onions WHEN THEIR DONE (not before or they won't cook).
I suggest sprinkling a
little rosemary over your meat and onions for flavor if you use
Balsamic Vinegar. Rosemary is a great spice for chicken and beef.
Thyme is also a popular spice to add. Try them both.
Swedish Bread
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Try sliced bananas fried in butter with some brown sugar and a
teaspoon of vanilla extract. Serve over French vanilla ice cream!
Em, em good! World's Tenderest Chicken One of my favorite recipes is to fry some chicken thighs (4) in a hot large pot (with enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot). Brown both sides on high heat. Dice up a medium sized yellow onion and 5-6 cloves of garlic. Let it all sauté and brown nicely. Season your chicken (both sides) with salt, pepper (I sometimes use tarragon and all spice). Choosing spices is simple, if it tastes good use it. Albeit, my favorite is just good ole salt and pepper. When browned, turn heat to low. Add a cube of chicken bullion. Add one cup of water. Let simmer for about 2-hours or until chicken becomes tender. Then add carrots, potatoes and celery in desired amounts. I usually buy a bag of frozen vegetables called “Stew vegetables,” which comes with carrots, pearl onions, carrots and celery. You don't want to add the veggies too early or they'll cook to mush. Cook everything until the chicken falls apart by pressing down on it. The meat will fall off the bone and it's awesome with some mashed potatoes from the box (yes, I love boxed mashed potatoes). Pour some juices from the pot over the potatoes. You'll love this meal. I like to sprinkle “Smoked Paprika” in a bottle on my potatoes. I add some real butter to my potatoes also. Sometimes I'll make this chicken recipe and then break it all apart off the bone. Then I make chicken fried rice with it. The secret to making delicious and tender meat is to cook it for a couple hours at low heat in a small amount of water. Never let the pot go dry or your meat will burn. You can use beef or pork instead of chicken for the above recipe. If using beef I use a beef bullion cube. If chicken or pork, then I use a chicken bullion cube. I add plenty of salt and pepper to both sides of my chicken when frying at the beginning. That's the only time I add salt and pepper. I add a little Accent (MSG), but some people get headaches from it. I don't and it tastes good, so I use it.
Tips On Losing Weight Fried foods are always fattening, so we should limit them. Dill pickles contain NO calories (or very few, depending on the brand) and are great for dieting. To lose weight, I eat 1,000 calories per day. The body burns about 3,000 to 4,000 per day, depending on one's activities. A pound of weight equals 3,500 calories. So you can safely lose 8 pounds per month and still eat 1,000 calories a day. Buy a wide digital scale and watch it daily to monitor your weight. It's normal for weight to fluctuate up and down by 5 pounds while losing weight, so don't panic if it jumps up or down. One gallon of liquid equals 8 pounds!
A Wendy's hot-n-spicy chicken sandwich
is 530 calories. Wendy's small chili is 220, and their BLT cobb
salad is 600 calories. 1/2 cup of old-fashioned oatmeal is 150
calories. Progresso Light
soups are 140 calories per 18.5 ounce can. Drink lots of water of
Japanese Green Tea (no calories). Avoid rice, pastries and pasta
(carbohydrates which turn into sugar in your body). Sweet potatoes
are okay (which contain only 114 calories each). Glucose sugar is energy
which the body stores in excess amounts. To lose weight, reduce
carbohydrate intake. Make sure to eat a variety of foods to get
protein, fats, fiber and good carbohydrates daily).
Avoid processed foods.
Fried Fish Is Great!
Fresh Tilapia fish is great with salt
and lemon-pepper seasoning on both sides, fried in a couple
Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil or butter. Bottled Cilantro
also goes well sprinkled over the fish. Fish is low in
calories, but watch the oil. Just one Tablespoon of oil is 120
calories!
Having said that, you need to reward yourself
for healthy eating once in a while. I loved these as a teenager in
Chicago...
(I deep fry them in sunflower oil) |
Some Of My Favorite Recipes Uno's Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza
Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! Chicago's Pizzeria Uno is the best deep-pan pizza in the world in my opinion. After years of effort, my recipe comes real close. I make a lot of comments, because I've learned a lot through trial and error. Em good stuff! The secret is to freeze the dough and then thaw it overnight! Drain your tomatoes in a strainer to prevent soggy crust after baking for 45 minutes. After many years of eating 'Tombstone' brand pizza's from Wisconsin, I've come to the conclusion that one of their primary secret ingredients in their pizza sauce is Chinese 'FIVE SPICE' seasoning. Smell the ingredient and then taste their pizza again and you'll see for yourself. Albeit, I never use five spice on my deep-pan pizzas.
Measurement Equivalents
1 dash = 1/8 tsp
The Secret is No Soy Sauce!
If you're like me, you stay busy. It's
easy to burn food in a boiling pot that you forgot about. But a
kitchen timer, or find a free
digital timer online. I use a timer
for my pizzas.
Tasty Meals & Treats
Learning How
To Cook
Catabolic Foods That Burn Fat
Fast! The next time you barbeque, add an egg to each pound of fresh ground beef. This will prevent your burgers from falling apart on the grill. You can also add some finely diced onions, carrots or celery to add to the mix. Here's a great recipe, which also adds a little garlic, salt and pepper to flavor the mix. Salt & Boiling Water
Contrary to traditional rumor, salt
does NOT lower the boiling point of water. The opposite is true. Water normally boils at
212º Fahrenheit. If you add
salt, the boiling point raises to 216º.
The difference is unnoticeable for practical cooking purposes. But
salt is great for flavor!
Put A Lid On
It! For a
tasty and healthy meal, I often cook frozen vegetables as a
side dish to go
along with some meat. By putting a lid over the pot,
it contains the heat and brings the water to a boil quicker.
Add 1/4
teaspoon of salt for flavor. I usually
add 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil or butter for flavor. If
I have bacon bits, I sometimes add 1/2 teaspoon.
When cooked, I dump the
veggies into a strainer over the sink to drain the water. The flavor
of the salt, olive oil and bacon bits remain (so don't use too much
salt).
I usually boil green beans, carrots,
broccoli or black-eyed peas (my favorite). But I like
frying my Brussels sprouts.
Basted w/Chinese BBQ 'Char Sui Sauce'
No
Rubber Shrimp
If you overcook shrimp, they will have a
rubbery texture. It ruins a meal. The rule is simple: When shrimp
turns pink, it's cooked. That's it! I add my uncooked shrimp to a
pot of boiling water for 30 seconds until it turns pink, then dump
them into a strainer. Place them into a bowl for use (or to eat as
is with shrimp sauce).
When I cook a rice stir-fry, I make the
stir-fry in my wok and then when I turn the heat off at the end I
add the bowl of cooked shrimp. This prevents the shrimp from
shrinking tiny and turning like rubber.
I do the same thing with red meat for meals
like beef pepper steak. I fry the meat for 30 seconds (medium rare)
and then set to the side. When the pepper steak is done, I add the
meat. This prevents tough and chewy beef.
Spinach With Cheese
I like frozen spinach, which comes in
a square package. When done boiling I lay a slice of cheddar cheese
in the middle of the spinach and cover it with some hot spinach,
which melts the cheese quickly. It's a great meal that's high in
nutrients. The whole box of spinach is only 105 calories, and then
then slice of cheese is another 90 calories. Your body needs
vegetables.
Did you know that canned and frozen vegetables are actually more
healthy for you than fresh vegetables! Verify what I say online with
dieticians, who will tell you that harvested vegetables are
immediately canned or frozen, locking in nutrients and freshness;
whereas, depending on where you live and seasonal changes, fresh
vegetables may not be so fresh after sitting for weeks. Most canned
vegetables contain only water and sea salt. It's a good deal.
I love McCormick's seasonings and they
have a great section on
their website which explains how to use the different spices.
This is very important if you really want to learn how to cook.
Spices to a chef are as available materials to a carpenter.
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Cook that bird upside down for the most tender turkey meat you've ever tasted!
Ladies, to cook a Turkey that your family will love, cook it UPSIDE DOWN! The juices will drain through the turkey meat, making it very tender. There's nothing worse than a turkey that requires gravy because it's so dry. —RECIPE Helpful Frozen Vegetables Vegetables are important to have in one's diet. I buy frozen vegetables and store them once opened in freezer bags. When I cook, I just pour a cup of frozen vegetables into a pot of water and boil it for 15 minutes with the lid on. I add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and perhaps a T of unsalted butter to the pot. I usually combine black-eyed peas with mixed vegetables, or I'll boil broccoli alone. When I make fried rice, I just remove the bag from the freezer and add a little mixed veggies to the wok. The same if I cook a stir-fry. Add a pinch of bottle bacon bits to the water and it'll give your peas green beans or carrots a nice bacon essence. Dump veggies in strainer to drain water and serve. I also freeze my bag of peeled garlic, so I always have fresh garlic and it never spoils after a week. Just run a few cloves under water for 10 seconds when I want to use them. They cut easily after 30-seconds under water. If you use a hand garlic press, use the frozen garlic right away, because once thawed, the garlic will become soft. I also chop up a few
bundles of fresh green onions and then freeze them in a gallon-sized
freezer bag. Freezer bags are double thick to prevent freezer-burn.
When I need green onions, I just grab a handful and toss them in the
recipe. I also freeze fresh bean sprouts. I got tired of fresh
vegetables spoiling after a couple days, and running to the store to
buy more, so by freezing them, I always have fresh frozen
vegetables!!! You can freeze almost any food.
You definitely want a George Foreman grill in your kitchen. I have a small unit, model GR10WSP1 (pictured above). It's great for small meals. By grilling your meats, fat drains into a little tray placed in front of the unit. It grills lines into burgers and steaks... great flavor! Red and yellow peppers are a favorite to grill (and chicken breast). Excellent for your kitchen! READ MORE... Counting Calories I've learned the secret to losing weight (which is really no secret). You have to care enough about yourself to have the determination to COUNT YOUR CALORIES. It's the only way. By counting your calories and becoming FAMILIAR with the calorie content of various foods, it will help you choose lower calorie foods to assist you in losing or keeping your weight at bay. For example: Did you know that you can eat an ENTIRE jar of garlic dill pickles (in the refrigerated section of your supermarket) and it all totals only 110 calories? That's for the whole jar! You can eat all the pickles you want on a diet! Did you also know that just two 'Chips Ahoy' chocolate-chip cookies have the same amount of calories? Just 2! Did you know that an 11 ounce bag of 'Doritos' chips contains 1650 calories!!! Danger Will Robinson!
You can drink a 12 ounce can of V8
vegetable juice and it's only 70- calories. Not bad. This is how to
lose weight... know your foods and change what you eat. Over time,
you'll lose weight properly and be able to stick with your healthier
diet.
Splattering Water
I often run packages of frozen meat under warm
water in the sink to thaw it out. But I used to get frustrated when
the water splattered all over the place. I learned a trick. Take
your strainer and turn it round side facing up over the meat and the
water will flow through it without splattering all over the place.
No more slippery floor!
Fried Boneless Beef
Shortribs One of My Favorite Meals This is a VERY easy recipe to make, but I want to explain how to make it in detail. I love fresh beef. Ladies, your husband will love this! Here's one of my favorite meals, which takes only 10-15 minutes to make. What I do is buy a big pack of Flap Steak (Carne Asada) or Rib-eye, and then use scissors to cut it into personal portions. I use quart-sized plastic freezer bags. I usually get about 6-bags from one big steak. Then I freeze them. I plan my meals a day or two before. I'll remove the frozen beef the day before and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. This is a great way to always have beef on hand for a meal, without having to thaw the whole pack. If you need more beef for more than one person, then you can thaw multiple packs. Rib-eye and Flap Steak are tender, which is why I use them. Cheaper cuts of meat WILL be tough. The only way to make tougher cuts of meat tender is to cook them for 3-4-hours! Ok, here's the heavenly recipe for one person (double the ingredients for more people). I combine the following ingredients in a little bowl and set aside: In a separate little bowl, add 1 Teaspoon of corn starch to about 1/4 cup of water. Don't use more cornstarch, or your gravy will become thick like pudding. Stir and let the corn starch dissolve in the water. You're making a gravy here to pour over your beef. It's awesome!!! I love onions, but you can make this without onions if you'd like. You can cook the onions separate, or just push them to the side when you cook the beef. Using a knife, cut up 1/2 of a medium yellow onion (or the whole onion if you like a lot of onions). Put about 1 Tablespoon of corn oil in the pan. Sauté the onions until your preference. I like them to cook them for about 5-7 minutes, just until they start to shrink and turn dark. Cut the raw beef (about 1/4 pound) into bite-sized pieces (I always use sharp scissors - it's much easier, quicker and I think safer). I always cut my meat with scissors. Dump the beef into the hot pan. After about 20 seconds, I use tongs to turn the beef over piece-by-piece to let the other side cook. DO NOT OVERCOOK the beef unless you want it tough. I like my beef medium-RARE! So as soon as the outer red is gone, it's done! This takes about 45-60 seconds total in a hot pan. You can taste one piece of beef if you'd like to check it for doneness. Immediately remove the beef, so it won't keep cooking. Now, in the same empty pan, under LOW heat, add your mixture of flavorings that we made earlier (stir the bowl to make sure you get all the spices into the pan). Let it warm for about 30-45 seconds. Now stir the other bowl with the corn starch and water mixture. The corn starch is a thickening agent. Anytime that you want to make something thicker, use a teaspoon of cornstarch. ALWAYS dissolve the corn starch in a little water first, otherwise IT WILL CLUMP into white chunks and ruin your meal. Stir the dissolved corn starch/water mixture and add to the pan, stirring it around until it thickens (which happens almost right away). I usually turn the heat off when I add the cornstarch. Pour the gravy over your beef and onions. I usually have some frozen vegetables on the side with this meal. I like the frozen 5-minute quick-cook vegetables available at any supermarket. They're microwavable. There's buttered-corn, Brussels sprouts, peas and carrots, spinach and many more. I love eating a whole small box of leaf spinach. You just boil 1/2 cup of water and the spinach for 8 minutes in a covered pot. I add 1/4 teaspoon of each of these four spices: salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Very delicious! |
