All blog post will now be at http://justthefoodpeople.wordpress.com/

I’ve started moving recipes and will add new ones to the Wordpress blog as well over time.

There have been no blog posts because I’m in a cooking rut of sorts.

So, readers, share some of your favorite foods or request a recipe!

I’ve been on hiatus from the blog, fancy word for taking a break,.

First Tumblr ticked me off because they auto published everything in my queue. I had worked hard at compiling 2 weeks of posts and bam they put it all out there in one day.

Second, I got busy with another endeavor and it required a bit of attention. One of my goals for 2011 is doing One Thing a day to get rid of possessions be they usable or broken. Visit my page if you don’t already and let me know what you think. http://www.facebook.com/pages/One-Thing/158506310863810

Resident Teen gave me a Julia Child cookbook, she is the favorite kid now, and I’m going to try my hand at a few recipes. I’m leaning towards Coq au Vin for next week because I snagged up a pack of chicken for 50% off and it’s hogging my freezer.

I also have a new stuffed chicken recipe and a salad idea so stay tuned.

Will be back tomorrow with the Swedish Chef and a new start on Monday.

Enjoy!

Chicken with mozerella and ham

• 4 chicken filets
• 4 ounces mozerella, cut in 4 slices
• 8 slices prosciutto ham
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste

• Cut chicken filets in half but not all the way,
• salt and peper
• layer with mozzerella
• roll and wrap ham around.
• cook on both sides for 3 minutes on each side.
• transfer to oven proof dish
• add rosemary sprigs and cook in 350 oven for 15-20 minutes

Enjoy!

I’ve just returned from a trip to the Netherlands and am filled with ideas for food and recipes.
There are a few things needing mulling over but I’m excited!

I’m planning to be as gluten free as possible during the week but will offer whole carb suggestions.

Food should be more than just nutrition, it should be a little party every time even if it is just a simple meal.

Hope you stick around for 2011 and feel free to pass my blog along.

Enjoy!

Before we left on our trip to the Netherlands I had neatly queued a recipe every other day as well as my Swedish Chef videos.Alas, tumblr did not keep my queue and I lost all my work.So here is a new recipe, perfect for the weather we are having here. A white Christmas so far.

• 3 shallots
• 1 medium to large cauliflower, about 4 cups.
• 2 tbs butter
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• pinch of nutmeg
• 8 slices bacon
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• cook shallots in butter, add pre-cooked cauliflower and saute
• puree mix with broth
• add heavy cream 
• offer crumbled bacon on the side.

Enjoy!

Can’t take credit for this one, it’s an Alton Brown recipe. I have made it and it is pretty good.

• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 2 cups chopped onion 
• 1 cup chopped tart apple 
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves 
• 1 pound chicken livers, cleaned 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 cup brandy 
• 1 cup heavy cream 

•  In a large saute pan over low heat, melt the butter and cook onion, apple, and thyme, covered, until apples soften. 
• Remove lid and increase heat to medium add the livers and cook until firm and still pink inside. 
• Add Brandy and allow to burn off a little
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Add the pepper, salt, and puree in a food processor; then chill, covered. 
• Meanwhile whip the heavy cream to medium peaks.
•  Fold into cooled, pureed liver mixture. Serve chilled.

Enjoy!

 Instructions for Microsoft’s New TV Dinner Product:

 You must first remove the plastic cover. By doing so you agree to 
 accept and honor Microsoft rights to all TV dinners. You may not 
 give anyone else a bite of your dinner (which would constitute an 
 infringement of Microsoft’s rights). You may, however, let others 
 smell and look at your dinner and are encouraged to tell them how 
 good it is.

 If you have a PC microwave oven, insert the dinner into the oven. 
 Set the oven using these keystrokes:

                mstv.dinn.//08.5min@50%heat

 Then enter:

    ms//start.cook_dindin/yummy\|/yum~yum:-)gohot#cookme.

 If you have a Macintosh microwave oven, insert the dinner and 
 press start. The oven will set itself and cook the dinner.

 If you have a Unix microwave oven, insert the dinner, enter the 
 ingredients of the dinner found on the package label, the weight 
 of the dinner, and the desired level of cooking and press start. 
 The oven will calculate the time and heat and cook the dinner 
 exactly to your specification.

 Be forewarned that Microsoft dinners may crash, in which case 
 your oven must be restarted. This is a simple procedure. Remove 
 the dinner from the oven and enter:

          ms.nodamn.good/tryagain\again/again.crap

 This process may have to be repeated. Try unplugging the 
 microwave and then doing a cold reboot. If this doesn’t work, 
 contact your oven vendor. The oven itself is obviously on the blink.

 Many users have reported that the dinner tray is far too big, larger 
 than the dinner itself, having many useless compartments, most of 
 which are empty. These are for future menu items. If the tray is too 
 large to fit in your oven, you will need to upgrade your equipment.

 Dinners are only available from registered outlets, and only the 
 chicken variety is currently produced. If you want another variety, 
 call Microsoft Help and they will explain that you really don’t want 
 another variety. Microsoft Chicken is all you really need. Microsoft 
 has disclosed plans to discontinue all smaller versions of their 
 chicken dinners. Future releases will only be in the larger family 
 size. Excess chicken may be stored for future use, but must be 
 saved only in Microsoft approved packaging.

 Microsoft promises a dessert with every dinner after ‘98. 
 However, that version has yet to be released. Users have 
 permission to get thrilled in advance.

 Microsoft dinners may be incompatible with other dinners in the 
 freezer, causing your freezer to self-defrost. This is a feature, not 
 a bug. Your freezer probably should have been defrosted anyway

Our Top Ten Rejected Cookbook Titles:

 10. Getting Even: Hillary’s High-Fat Cookbook 
  9. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches for Dummies 
  8. Bob Vila’s Sawdust Cuisine 
  7. Granny Clampett’s “Yer Throwin’ Away the Best Parts!” Entrees 
  6. Mud, Sticks, and Leaves: Cooking with a Four Year Old 
  5. Cooking with Condiments - An Apartment Dweller’s Guide to 
     Making Something Out of Nothing 
  4. 101 Ways to Wok Your Dog 
  3. Everything’s Yogurt… Eventually! 
  2. Lions and Tigers and Beets, Oh My! 
    … and the Number 1 Rejected Cookbook Title: 
  1. Newman’s Stone: Cooking for Older Gall Bladders

Rules for the Christmas Diet: 

1. If you eat something and no-one sees you eating it, it cancels out the calories.
2. When you eat with someone else, calories don’t count if you do not eat more than they do. 
3. Food used for medicinal purposes NEVER count, such as hot chocolate,brandy, toast and Sara Lee Cheesecake. 
4. If you fatten up everyone else around you, then you look thinner. 
5. Things licked off knives and spoons have no calories if you are in the process of preparing something. 
6.  Anything consumed while standing has no calories. This is due to gravity and the density of the caloric mass. 
7. Anything consumed from someone else’s plate has no calories since the calories rightfully belong to the other person and will cling to his/her plate.

 REMEMBER: STRESSED SPELLED BACKWARDS IS DESSERTS.

Years ago my husband and I would watch Emeril Lagasse on the Food Network together. He has some real good recipes and this Sweet potato Flan is to die for.

It’s a bit more work but I think for a special dinner spending the time on in is worth it.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/sweet-potato-flan-with-chocolate-spiders-web-recipe/index.html

Enjoy!

Growing up in the Netherlands we did not eat or have sweet potatoes or yams. Here in the US this pretty orange tuber has stolen my heart.

I love to cook it in the oven. It eliminates the need for a binding agent when used in soups.

Curried Sweet Potato soup with crab.

• 4 sweet potatoes
• 4 tbs butter
• 4 cups broth
• 1tsp salt
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1tsp curry powder
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 3-4 ounces crab or cooked shrimp per person

• Cut sweet potatoes in half and lay on roasting dish with the cut sides down
• Add a little water and butter to the pan, about 1 tbs butter and 3 tbs water.
• On 225 f in the oven cook the sweet potatoes until a fork can pierce them
• Let cool and spoon ‘meat’ out of the shell
• In a blender or food processor mix sweet potatoes with 2 cups broth, all the spices, butter and blend until smooth.
• Soup should have the consistency of a chowder 
• Add crab and heavy cream on low heat and let it get warm enough for the crab to be heated.
• Taste again and add salt, pepper or a little curry to the soup

This soup does get better when it’s a left over, but sure to store it no more than 2 days in a good closed container.

Enjoy!