Pecan Pie

I was digging around my cupboard this afternoon and discovered I still have a bag of pecans from Christmas in there!  Being that Pecan is probably my husbands most favorite pie I thought I would go ahead and make one.  He is partial to the the one I make with chocolate (posted 09/19/08), but I don't have a single bit of chocolate around here,  so I made this one instead.  I Wonder if he will go for this one...

Pecan Pie - with a tad of Brandy because that's what I have, but Jim Beam would be nice too : )

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup broken pecans

3 eggs slightly beaten

1-2 teaspoons Brandy

Melt butter in a small saucepan add sugar and corn syrup.  Cook until the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat.  Whisk in eggs, brandy and stir in pecans.  Pour into unbaked pie shell.

Bake at 350 F. for 50-60 minutes or until set

Robert's Stuffed Cabbage on the Grill

When I met my husband, we lived in Minnesota. We joined up with a few friends of his for an afternoon Braai, that's what they call a BBQ in South Africa. Mind you this wasn't your typical fun in the sun on a Sat. or Sun. afternoon in July or August... it was February and it was cold, really cold... like -20 F degrees cold... on a frozen lake!!! Geez and I thought I had seen everything! Well turns out it was great fun; what the heck else can you do when it's that cold on a frozen lake in the dead of winter? Ice Fish? Yep they were doing that too : ) They had the Weber grill out there with lots of great food cooking over the hot coals, and passed around a tot or two to warm the innards. The pictures below are of one of those Braai's. I think this one was on Lake Minnetonka.








OK back to Stuffed Cabbage on the Grill.... everyone would bring something to throw on the grill. Sometimes my husband would wrap one of these up and toss it on the grill, it was always a big hit. Last night we had a Braai here at our now Texas home; we cooked up some lamb chops, green beans & onions wrapped in foil and a stuffed cabbage! Give it a whirl it's fantastic!

1 small cabbage
1 onion, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
1/2 stick butter, slightly softened
salt and pepper

Cut 4 equal cuts through cabbage close to the core, being careful not to cut all the way through. Rub butter into each cut, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place slices of onion and tomato in each cut. Take a large piece of aluminum foil and butter one side and sprinkle with salt and pepper, wrap the cabbage tightly with the foil. Wrap the cabbage with another piece or two of foil. Place on a med-high grill and forget about it for about 3 hrs. No turning!

This can be tossed into a camp fire too, just be sure to wrap it well, and the cooking time will be less, depending on the fire.

Unwrap and enjoy!

Perfect Super Easy Oven Barbeque Ribs

1 rack pork loin ribs
Salt and pepper

Place Ribs in a large roasting pan.
Season with Salt and Pepper
Tightly Cover
Bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours.

Uncover and brush with *BBQ sauce, bake for another 20-30 minutes brushing with sauce every 8-10 minutes or so.

BBQ Sauce:

This sauce is more tangy than sweet (my husband likes it that way) but if you like your sauce more on the sweet side just add more brown sugar.

3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 Cup minced onion
1 Cup White Vinegar
1 Cup tomato sauce
1/4 Cup Worcestershire sauce
2 Teaspoons brown sugar
1 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash Tabasco sauce

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 6-8 minutes, or until the onions begin to turn golden. Stir in the remaining ingredients, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the mixture thickens, approximately 20 minutes, Stir frequently.

Use the Sauce warm. It keeps, refrigerated, for a couple of weeks.

*We use the bottled stuff now and then too, Stubb's spicy is our favorite!

Bean Salad

Well another salad here.... I love bean salad! It is easy to make and you can adjust it to fit. Normally I make it very simple and plain 3 beans, vinegar, sugar, oil and salt and pepper. Today I felt like changing that up just a little.

1 can green beans
1 can wax beans
1 can chick peas
1 can dark red kidney beans
1/2 small onion sliced very thin
1/2 small green pepper, chopped
1 jar pimento
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

In a small bowl whisk sugar, vinegar, oil, garlic, salt, pepper and celery seed together

Drain all beans, chick peas and pimento. In a large bowl mix the beans, onion, green pepper and pimento together. Pour liquid over the salad and toss to coat. Chill for at least an hour and toss before serving.

Broccoli Salad

This is a great tasting salad and if you use Splenda instead of the sugar, it's low carb friendly if your into that kind of thing. The bacon is a must, it really makes the salad.

8 slices bacon, fried very crisp, drained and crumbled
2 heads fresh broccoli cut into bite size pieces
1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

In a large bowl combine broccoli, cheese, onion and bacon.

In a small bowl whisk together vinegar, sugar, pepper, salt, mayonnaise, and lemon juice, pour over salad ingredients and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours and toss before serving.

French Bread or Baguettes

Bread:
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 teaspoon rapid rise yeast
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 375 F.
In a mixing bowl ( I used my Kitchen-aid mixer bowl) dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit for 5-10 minutes until it begins to foam.

Add sugar, salt and flour. knead on a lightly floured surface, or using a mixer with dough hook attachment. Knead dough for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes with a mixer.

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 30-60 minutes. Dough is ready if indentation stays after being touched lightly with your finger.

Punch down, place on a lightly flour dusted surface, flatten to about 16X 12 rectangle, cut in half so you have two approx. 8 X 12 inch rectangles. Roll up each half tightly starting with the 12 inch side. pinch seam closed on the bottom and gently turn ends under and pinch closed. If you prefer a larger french bread loaf don't cut in half. Place on baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise for approx. 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Brush lightly with egg wash. With a sharp knife cut slits diagonally across loaves every 2 inches or so.

Bake for 20 - 30 minutes until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
cool on rack for 1 hour before cutting.