Christmas Recipe!!!

"Your friends will say 'WOW!' when they see this terrific tree made from brownies baked in individual foil cups, and trimmed with holiday colored kisses. This makes a festive addition to any holiday gathering."  Original recipe yield: 38 brownie cups.

10:01 AM - Dec. 6, 2005

Blue Cheese Fettucine

Ingredients:

Directions:

10:15 AM - Aug. 30, 2005

Orange Cheesecake

A refreshing orange-flavored chilled cheesecake!!

Estimated Time Needed: Est. Preperation: 50 mins Est. Refrigating: 3hrs, 45 m

Ingredients: 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 1/3 cup Butter, melted 1/4 cup sugar 1 cup orange juice 1/4 cup water 2 (.25-oz.) envelope unflavored gelatin 1 1/2 cups sugar 5 eggs, slightly beaten 1 tablespoon grated orange peel 1/2 cup Butter, softened 2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions: Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and ¼ cup sugar in medium bowl. Press onto bottom of ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Set aside. Combine orange juice and water in 2-quart saucepan; sprinkle with gelatin. Let stand 5 minutes to soften. Add sugar, eggs and orange peel. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture just comes to a boil (7 to 8 minutes). (DO NOT BOIL.) Set aside. Combine 1/2 cup butter and cream cheese in large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed, gradually adding hot orange mixture and scraping bowl often, until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes). Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until cool (about 45 minutes). Beat 1/2 cup chilled whipping cream in chilled small mixer bowl at high speed, scraping bowl often, until stiff peaks form (3 to 4 minutes). Gently stir into orange mixture. Pour into prepared crust. Cover; refrigerate until firm (3 to 4 hours). Loosen sides of cheesecake from pan by running knife around inside of pan. Garnish top of cheesecake with whipped cream, orange slices and mint leaves, if desired. Store refrigerated.

8:34 AM - Aug. 12, 2005

Homemade Ice Cream

Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks (beaten), 1/2 (250ml) pint milk, 1 pint (500ml) double/heavy cream, 4 oz (100g) sugar, 2 cups of strawberries, 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence, 1/4 teaspoon salt

Take the strawberries and mash them in with half the sugar (ie. 2oz or 50g). Place to one side. In a separate saucepan, mix the egg yolks with the milk, salt and the remaining sugar. Place over a medium heat just to boiling point (stirring all the time).
Do NOT let it boil.

Transfer the mixture into a chilled bowl to cool - refrigerate for up to 3 hours, remembering to stir the mixture from time to time. When cool, stir in to the mixture the cream and vanilla essence and then add to this the strawberry/sugar mixture.

9:09 AM - Jul. 10, 2005

Banana Cream Pie

"Very Easy Banana Cream Pie." 

INGREDIENTS:

5:45 PM - Jun. 24, 2005

Twice Baked Potatoes with Mushrooms

Potatoes are baked, stuffed, then baked again to brown.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 large baking potatoes
• 1/4 cup milk
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 ounces chopped mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon butter for brushing
• chopped chives for topping

PREPARATION:

Scrub potatoes; arrange in a pie pan or on baking sheet or on oven rack. Prick with a fork in a few places and bake at 450° for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tender. Cut a thin slice from the top of each potato; scoop out potato into a bowl, leaving shell intact.

10:23 AM - May. 30, 2005

Smoked Salmon Sushi Roll

"A very basic and easy way to make sushi rolls."

Ingredients:
2 cups Japanese sushi rice
6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
6 sheets nori (dry seaweed)
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
8 ounces smoked salmon, cut into long strips
2 tablespoons wasabi paste

Directions:

1. Soak rice for 4 hours. Drain rice and cook in a rice cooker with 2 cups of water. Rice must be slightly dry as vinegar will be added later.
2. Immediately after rice is cooked, mix in 6 tablespoons rice vinegar to the hot rice. Spread rice on a plate until completely cool.
3. Place 1 sheet of seaweed on bamboo mat, press a thin layer of cool rice on the seaweed. Leave at least 1/2 inch top and bottom edge of the seaweed uncovered. This is for easier sealing later. Dot some wasabi on the rice. Arrange cucumber, avocado and smoked salmon to the rice. Position them about 1 inch away from the bottom edge of the seaweed.
4. Slightly wet the top edge of the seaweed. Roll from bottom to the top edge with the help of the bamboo mat tightly. Cut roll into 8 equal pieces and serve. Repeat for other rolls.

4:30 AM - May. 3, 2005

Chicken Noodle Soup

"This soup is delicious, and very easy to make. It is a wonderful soup to prepare for friends or neighbors that you would like to cook for."

Ingredients:
4 cups chopped, cooked chicken meat
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
8 ounces egg noodles
12 cups water
9 cubes chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon dried parsley

Directions:
- In a large stock pot, saute celery and onion in butter or margarine.
- Add chicken, carrots, water, bouillon cubes, marjoram, black pepper, bay leaf, and parsley. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add noodles, and simmer for 10 more minutes.

4:18 AM - Apr. 28, 2005

Pot Roast in Foil

"The best, no fail way to cook a roast. I give this recipe to all new brides, and they and their new husbands love it!! You can add cubed potatoes and sliced carrots to the roast before sealing it in foil, but I like to serve it over mashed potatoes and gravy. Also, you could substitute using a four pound bone-in roast."
 
Ingredients:
3 pounds bottom round
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 packet dry onion soup mix
2 tablespoons water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Place a piece of foil, about 30 inches long, into the bottom of a 9x13 inch roasting pan. Place the roast on the foil in the pan.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine the mushroom soup with the onion soup mix. Mix well and pour over the roast. Sprinkle with the water. Fold foil over and seal all edges.
4. Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 4 hours.

3:58 AM - Apr. 25, 2005

Strawberry Chocolate Mousse Cake

"Fresh strawberries and chocolate mousse are particularly appealing as a summer treat."

Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 pints fresh strawberries, halved
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon white sugar

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix crumbs and butter to blend thoroughly. Press evenly onto bottom of 9 inch springform pan. Stand strawberry halves about pan, touching, side-by-side, pointed ends up, with cut sides against the side of pan; set aside.
2. Place chocolate chips in blender container. In small saucepan over medium heat, mix water and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute. Immediately pour over chocolate chips and blend until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
3. While chocolate cools, in a large mixer bowl, beat 1 1/2 c of the cream to form stiff peaks. With a rubber spatula, fold cooled chocolate into whipped cream to blend thoroughly. Pour into prepared pan. Level top. Points of strawberries might extend about the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.
4. Up to 2 hours before serving, in a medium mixing bowl, beat remaining 1 c cream to form soft peaks. Add sugar. Beat to form stiff peaks. Remove side of pan. Place cake on serving plate. Pipe or dollop whipped cream onto top of cake. Arrange remaining halved strawberries on whipped cream. To serve, cut into wedges with thin knife, wiping blade between cuts.

3:52 AM - Apr. 22, 2005

Brown Sugar-Rum Pound Cakes

"Two toothsome, rum-flavored Bundt cakes, excellent for any occasion."

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups butter, softened and divided
1 (16 ounce) package light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar, divided
4 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup dark rum
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons light rum
2 tablespoons water
Sweetened whipped cream (optional)

Directions:
GREASE and flour 2 (6-cup) Bundt pans or 2 (9- x 5-inch) loaf pans, and sprinkle evenly with pecans.
BEAT 11/4 cups butter at medium speed with an electric mixer about 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add brown sugar and 1/4 cup sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.
COMBINE milk, dark rum, and vanilla.
COMBINE flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.
BAKE at 325 degrees F for 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes; remove from pans.
BRING remaining 1/2 cup sugar, remaining 1/4 cup butter, light rum, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil in a saucepan, and boil, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Drizzle over warm cakes, and cool completely on wire racks.

3:46 AM - Apr. 20, 2005

Caramel Popcorn

"Great caramel popcorn for any holiday or occasion. If you like chewy popcorn, bake less."

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 quarts popped popcorn

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn in a very large bowl.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

3:44 AM - Apr. 17, 2005

White Chocolate Devils

1     cup              all-purpose flour

1     tablespoon    unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder

3/4  teaspoon       baking powder

1/8  teaspoon       salt

4     tablespoons   unsalted butter, softened

3/4  can               granulated sugar

1     large             egg

1     teaspoon       vanilla extract

2     ounces          unsweetened chocolate, melted

1     cup               buttermilk

White chocolate filling

2     ounces          white chocolate, chopped

1/2  cup               heavy cream

Dark Chocolate Glaze

6     ounces         semisweet chocolate -- coarsely chopped

3/4  cup               heavy cream

2     teaspoons     light corn syrup

White Chocolate Decoration

2     ounces         white chocolate -- coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 deg. place baking rack in center of oven, line 12 muffin cups with cupcake papers.  Into medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Gently wisk the dry ingredients together until blended; set aside.

In a heavy-duty electric mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until thoroughly blended, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla; scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and beat for 1 minute, until well blended. Beat in the chocolate. At low speed, beat in the buttermilk one-third at a time, alternating it with the dry ingredients. Mix just until blended, scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups and bake the cupcakes for 25 -30 minutes, until they spring back when lightly touched. Cool cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

Making the white chocolate filling:

Place the white chocolate in a stainless steel bowl, in a saucepan; bring the heavy cream to a gentle boil. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the hot cream over the white chocolate. Let the mixture stand for 30 minutes to melt the chocolate: whisk until completely smooth. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the filling for at least 4 hours, until well chilled. Using a hand-held electric mixer, whip the chilled white chocolate mixture until it reaches the consistency of sour cream.

With a small knife, cut a cone shaped peice, 3/4 inch in diameter, from the centre of each cupcake. Remove the cone shaped piece of cupcake, and cut off the bottom of each cone, leaving a round cap for each cupcake. Discard or eat(VBG) the cone bottoms and retain the caps.  Fill pastry bag fitted with a medium plain tip with the white chocolate filling. Pipe the filling into the hole in each cupcake. Cover the filling with the reserved caps. Place the filled cupcakes in a airtight container and place in the refrigerator while making the glaze.

Dark Chocolate Glaze

Place the chocolate in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blades. Process the chocolate until finely ground, 20 to-30 seconds.  In a small saucepan, bring the cream and the corn syrup to a gentle boil. With the motor running, poor the hot cream through the feed tube onto the chocolate. Process until smooth, about 10 seconds.  Pour the glaze into a medium bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Remove the cupcakes from the refrigerator. Dip the top of each cupcake into the glaze and allow the excess glaze to drip off.  Place the cupcakes in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, to set the glaze. Remove the cupcakes from the refrigerator and re-dip the top of each cupcake in the glaze. Set the glazed cupcakes aside at room temperature. Melt the white chocolate according to the directions: In microwave. Place chopped chocolate in microwave-safe container and microwave at Medium for 1 ½ to 4 minutes, until chocolate turns shiny. Remove from microwave and stir until completely melted. stir about 1 1/2 minutes.  Fill a small pastry bag or parchment cone fitted with a small plain tip with the white chocolate. Drizzle a the chocolate in a zigzag pattern over the top of the glazed cupcakes. Chill before serving...

Sorry, I just shredded the white chocolate for garnish.....

These are very good, very rich but wonderful when you want to impress the crowd.

8:56 AM - Apr. 15, 2005

Scrambled Eggs with Fresh Salsa

I saw this recipe on a website and I decided to cook it at home, it´s delicious!

Scrambled Eggs with Fresh SalsaScrambled Eggs with Fresh Salsa

INGREDIENTS
	Scrambled Eggs 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms 1/2 cup sliced green onions or scallions 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper 1/2 cup chopped yellow or green bell pepper 6 whole eggs or 6 egg whites 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup skim milk Salsa 1 bunch cilantro (1/2 cup cilantro leaves) 1 cup chopped tomatoes 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper 1/4 cup diced red onion 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice Garnish 6 slices whole grain bread 6 slices honeydew melon
	Make the salsa: Hold the cilantro under running water to wash off the dirt. Pinch the leaves off the stems, coarsely chop the leaves, and put them in a small bowl with the remaining salsa ingredients. Toss thoroughly until everything is blended together. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Make the eggs: Smear a nonstick medium sauté pan with 1/4 teaspoon of the oil and set it over medium heat. Sauté the mushrooms, onions and peppers in the pan, tossing them occasionally, until limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Whisk the eggs, salt and milk together in a small bowl. Coat the bottom of a separate pan with the remaining olive oil, set it over low heat, pour in the eggs, and partially cook them for 3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon until they are no longer runny. Transfer the partially cooked eggs to the pan with the vegetables and cook everything together for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm. Cut each bread slice diagonally, put them on a cookie sheet, and toast them under the broiler on the lower rack for less than 30 seconds on each side. Serve the eggs with toast, a slice of honeydew melon, and a small ramekin of salsa.

3:01 AM - Apr. 5, 2005

Caesar Salad - My favorite!!

It's origin and recipes

This recipe is very close to the original version created in 1924 by Caesar Cardini, an Italian restaurateur in Tijuana, Mexico. That's right, the salad is named after it's creator, a Chef, not Julius Caesar of the famed Roman empire.

Serving Size: 4
Preparation Time: 0:20

Ingredients
1 large head romaine lettuce
1 cup olive oil
3 cups French bread
2 large cloves garlic
8 anchovy filets
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh is best)
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon coarse ground salt
2 egg yolks for large eggs -- at room temperature*
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese -- shredded or shaved

Preparation:
Trim the romaine lettuce of bruised or browned leaves, then cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Wash and drain the lettuce, pat it dry and refrigerate for 30 minutes to crisp the leaves.
To make the croutons, cut the bread into cubes, heat the 1/2 cup olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Fry the bread cubes in the oil, tossing frequently, until they're crisp and golden. Drain the croutons on a paper towel until ready to use.
Peel the garlic cloves then put in a large wooden salad bowl. Mash the cloves against the sides of the bowl with the back of a wooden spoon. Rub the pieces against the bowl until they begin to disintegrate. Remove most of the mashed garlic from the bowl and discard (oil from the garlic will remain in the bowl and flavor the salad). Add the anchovies and repeat the procedure you used with the garlic, but leave the anchovy pieces in the bowl. Now add the dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, black pepper, and egg yolks and blend well. Slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil mixing with a wire whisk until a creamy mayonnaise type dressing forms. Add the lettuce, croutons, Parmesan cheese and salt. Toss everything together and serve directly from the salad bowl!

2:16 PM - Mar. 16, 2005

1st post

Welcome to Ali Johnson's Blog. Here everyday will have a new recipe for you...

Hope you enjoy it!!

9:12 AM - Mar. 15, 2005