Cucumbers, The Bumper Crop

Cucumbers – The Bumper Crop                                   with Lou Worden

 

I planted four cucumber vines this year.  Not only has it begun to produce abundantly, but it has grown way more than I ever expected it to.  This posed a question of what to do with them and how to enjoy the flavor as long as possible.  Well of course, you can make one of a number of salads you find on line.   I find a lot of my recipes on Cooks.com.  I have taken the liberty to try a few of these and make a blog on what I found about each dish.

Also, for those of us who don’t want to cook our pickles, I have also found an easy recipe for bread and butter pickles made in the fridge; and if you prefer dill, well then I have one of those too.   

First, though, a little history on this blog and what inspired me to write it.

It all started a few days ago.  I went out to tend to the garden as usual.  I started to find cucumbers ready to pick.  I started picking and by the time I was done, I had a full dozen cucumbers.  This led to the decision to make pickles in the fridge and find some new salads to make.  This dozen was just a harbinger of what was to come as the steady supply I have been getting is necessitating I do something with them.

First, I found the quick fixes, the salads.  There are many, but I have selected two from the list that I will try and give my opinion on.  Finding recipes on line is as easy to search as you can get.  There are many recipe sites out there and my advice is to try what looks good to you.   

TOMATO CUCUMBER SALAD   

2 cucumbers
2-3 medium sized tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

1 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil (or to taste)
2-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (or whatever vinegar to taste)

 

Cut the tomatoes and cucumbers into small pieces; place in bowl, add all remaining ingredients and stir.

Refrigerate for an hour while all flavors come together. Add more of above ingredients to suit your taste.

Cooks Note: 2 fresh garlic cloves may be substituted for garlic powder; crush or finely mince (or use a blender) the garlic into the balsamic vinegar and allow to sit for 15 minutes to take the "edge" off. Fresh, chopped basil is a wonderful enhancement to this salad!

Critique: This one is very good.  Nice and tangy.  Vinegar is variable to whatever taste you like.  I used Pomegranate balsamic and it was delicious.  I also used fresh herbs; parsley and chives, and it was very good.  This also helped to use tomatoes in a delicious way.  This recipe is basic and you can go from there.  The next time I make It I am thinking real bacon bits to add some protein and savory flavor.  I ate the leftovers the next day and found it to be still delicious and tangy…..:)

I wanted something different so I found this one and I found you can also throw in some tomatoes and whatever suites your fancy and it will be delicious.

MARINATED CUCUMBER SALAD 

2 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced paper thin
1/4 teaspoon dill weed 

1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Combine cucumbers with other ingredients and chill for 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

CRITIQUE: I added bacon bits for a great flavor.  Can you tell I like bacon?  J This salad is delicious.  I used a little more mayonnaise to make it creamier and it has a very nice sweet and sour flavor accentuated by the dill.  Very fast and easy to make. 

I give it a thumbs up!  I will keep this one in mind for a potluck or bring a dish to pass event as it is very simple and tastes great!

The next recipes I haven’t tried yet, I plan to acquire the remaining ingredients to make them this week.

PICKLES:

Now let’s talk pickles. 

I found this recipe ala Cooks.com and it looks like as simple as it gets for Bread and Butter pickles.  Whether you can your pickles or refrigerate them, it’s all about choices and what you want to do.  I prefer the ease of refrigerator pickles and love the crispness of them.

AUNT SYBLE'S REFRIGERATED PICKLES 

7 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
2 cups sugar
1 cup sliced onions
1 cup red vinegar
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoon of canning salt

Combine all ingredients together in a gallon jar, Place in Refrigerator, will keep until gone!

Can add more slices to mixture. They're Good!

And for a dill taste I found this one also which really looks simple. 

12 HOUR (1 GALLON) REFRIGERATOR DILL
PICKLES 

In a one gallon jar, put:

1 onion sliced or coarsely chopped
2 c. white vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. salt (not iodized)
Several sprigs of dill or
1 tbsp. dill seed (herb)

Slice cucumbers lengthwise and put into gallon jar with above ingredients. Fill jar with cold water to the top. Shake to dissolve sugar and salt.  Ready to eat in 12 hours. Keep in refrigerator. 

In Summary:

 

 

I think I would be tempted to leave the sugar out and try them sour also.  I can’t wait to try these pickle recipes.  Whatever you chose to have on your table, when the cucumber from the garden is served, the flavor is spectacular!  Happy gardening and pickle eating to all of you foodies!

Make it yourself: Sausage

Melissa here!

I thought I'd share with you tips on stretching your food budget! With me being an unemployed student, we have a pretty tight grocery budget in our house. I rarely buy things like sausage or cookies or muffins at the store - instead, I purchase the ingredients and make them myself. Sometimes this is more time-consuming and can be a pain, but not always.

I recently got a hankering to make myself a breakfast bake, but didn't have any sausage in my freezer. I had plenty of other ground meats, though, so I felt it wasteful to go to the store and buy something that I could easily make at home. I opened up my trusty friend, Google, and found a recipe for making sausage out of ground beef or ground turkey.

I don't keep much ground beef or pork in the house, mostly because we love making hamburgers on the grill so it disappears within a couple of days after coming home from the store. I do, however, have a large stock of ground turkey and ground venison. Ground venison is one of those things that are best seasoned and cooked to death, really, so I decided that it would make a great addition to my breakfast bake!

Now, I did modify the recipe to meet my own needs based on what I had on-hand. It calls for:

• 1 pound of ground turkey or very lean ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of sage
• 1/4 teaspoon of basil
• 1/4 teaspoon of oregano

What I actually used:

• 1 pound of ground venison
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of Pampered Chef Italian Seasoning Mix

The reason I substituted the sage, basil, and oregano with the seasoning mix is mostly because I didn't have the sage on-hand and I figured that the mix (which also has basil and oregano in it) would be a welcome substitute, though if you don't have sage on-hand, you could also substitute rosemary or marjoram in its place.

All of the ingredients were mixed together in a bowl (and I didn't take photos because... ahem... raw meat looks gross no matter how good your lighting and camera), and then I threw it in a pan and browned and chopped it for my bake.

I kind of used the same idea as the bake recipe on the same page that the sausage recipe gave, but I don't buy canned biscuits or crescent rolls and didn't feel like spending the time to mix that dough up. I dug through my freezer to find either hash brown potato shreds or something similar, and settled on some tater tots, mostly because I was out of hash brown potatoes and had no raw potatoes on-hand either! 

So my recipe went something like this:

• Tater tots (enough to put a single layer on the bottom of your 9x13 baking dish... it took 71 Schwan's Tater Rounds - which is apparently a discontinued product they no longer offer in their catalog)
• Browned ground sausage from recipe above
• 4 raw whole eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the tater tots along the bottom of the pan, enough to create a single layer. Create a second layer with the browned sausage. Mix the eggs and milk together in a bowl and then pour over the top of the sausage-potato layers. Layer the shredded mozzarella cheese over the top. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

It turned out to be pretty delicious! I was a bit skeptical about using the mozzarella cheese because I typically use shredded cheddar on breakfast bakes because of the stronger flavor, but the mozzarella still added something to the dish while still being mild enough to let the sausage be the star. 

So, there you have it. When you're in a breakfast (or dinner, in our case) pinch, and don't have any sausage on-hand, you can make your own in just a few minutes. Not only does it save money, it also cuts the sodium down completely, avoids nitrates and other chemical preservatives, and gives you more control over how strong the seasonings in your sausage are!

Until next time!

Stuff being reviewed and other fun stuff!

Dear foodies, I am so sorry for the delay in my entry. As you may or may not know, I have been spending a lot of time pounding the pavement with hopes of obtaining a job. Hopefully, that will yield something soon. In the meantime, I must catch up with you…

Contents:

1. Discussion Recaps
2. User Submissions
3. Product Review
4. Restaurant Review

School Menu Recap

I remember back when I was a kid, and the thought of school lunch was scary. I mean, I loved their pizza day, and there were a few other things that were awesome… But it was one of those things that nobody I knew seemed to get excited about. For instance, I so hated when they served spaghetti. It always tasted like they dumped it from a can, the sauce was always bitter to me, and the noodles mushy. I also would never eat their hot dogs because I never really liked them. My favorites included Walking Tacos, pizza, and I absolutely loved it when they had sliced oranges.

I asked foodies:  If you could pick a food that was a frequent listing on the (school) menu and you hated seeing it, what would you do to give it a make-over and why?

A lot of the answers that were given were about the pizza that schools served, and the mixed reactions. Some people considered how greasy and fattening the school pizzas were, others raved about how awesome they were. Most of the replies were about health and taste, which I have to give kudos to. You know what? A lot of school lunches are pretty fattening if they have not changed in the years since I was a kid.

Salad is very important in my opinion, but I have to agree that this (above the rest) should be changed. Kids need to eat a variety of veggies. It is hard enough to get them to even try some. My suggestion: Schools should have their very own garden and have the kids help tend it. I believe that this hands on approach would be a great way to teach several lessons: Math, science, and nutrition, which are all very important lessons to be taught…

Oh no! I forgot to defrost something.

There have been days where defrosting something has been overlooked… Either we were working all day, or we simply forgot. So what do you do? Do you slap together a sandwich and call it good, or do you take risks? I know that when I make this common mistake, I wish that I hadn’t, but it isn’t the end of the world!

When I asked foodies what they would do in this situation, I got some interesting responses. I have screen captured most of the conversation. Some things were added since I started to work on the blog, so please do go check out this conversation and any others in the group (http://www.facebook.com/groups/foodiezoo)

In Celebration of a growing community, we have some…

User Submitted Recipes and photos

TOMATO CUCUMBER SALAD 

2 cucumbers

2-3 medium sized Roma tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

1 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste))

2 tablespoons olive oil (or to taste)

2-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (or to taste)

Cut the tomatoes and cucumbers into small pieces; place in bowl, add all remaining ingredients and stir.

Refrigerate for an hour while all flavors come together. Add more of above ingredients to suit your taste.

Cooks Note: 2 fresh garlic cloves may be substituted for garlic powder; crush or finely mince (or use a blender) the garlic into the balsamic vinegar and allow to sit for 15 minutes to take the "edge" off. Fresh, chopped basil is a wonderful enhancement to this salad!

(Picture and Recipe submitted by Lou)

Stuffed Shells with home made spaghetti sauce, submitted by Milissa

Potato Salad, submitted by Lou

Mandarin Orange Chicken with Fruit, submitted by Alicia

Lasagna, submitted by Gayle

Tarragon Chicken with Tomatoes and CousCous, submitted by Emily Z

Grillin with Kathy

Pistachio and raw honey Baklava, submitted by Emily D

Spiked Raspberry Lemonade, submitted by Melissa

Reviews

Handy Can Opener

Product Info/Ad

http://youtu.be/KcE7PTPibSc

Open ANY can practially hands-free in seconds! Small, medium, or large size can, The Handy Can Opener opens it easily and safely... no more sharp edges.

It's so EASY to use... just place The Handy Can Opener on the can, push and hold the button until it starts to move... let go and it will open shortly... That easy!

Review

The Handy Can Opener is a nifty little gadget that reduces the amount of space taken up on your counter because you don’t have to keep it there. It’s really useful for times when you don’t have power, and it really does eliminate the sharp edges that other can openers leave behind. I like using this product a lot, but the one complaint I have is that sometimes it will keep going after it’s finished cutting the can open. That is my only complaint, because they have a dial on the side that is supposed to be used when the can stops in mid cut (like, if the battery dies.) Whenever it keeps going, I clamp down on the dial and pull the top of the can away. It does not start working until you put it onto the can, and it runs on two double A batteries.

Rating (Up to five points each category)

·                     Ease of use:  ***** (5)

·                     Function: **** (4)

·                     Practicality: ***** (5)

·                     Cost: ***** (5)

Overall:  19/20 - 4 1/2 Gold Whisks

Olivio Coconut Spread

Product Info/Ad

http://www.olivioproducts.com/ourproducts/spreadablebutter.aspx#

Review

The first time I heard about this product, I wrinkled my nose. I like real butter because of the flavor. I also dislike things that are more like margarine. So I pretty much stayed far away. I kept making excuses about it, “It probably costs too much…” “It’s not real butter.” But then I was convinced to try it. Why, oh why did I fight it so hard? This spread is so delicious! The ONLY thing that I didn’t like about it was that it does not work with eggs.  I recommend it for stuff like waffles and pancakes.

Rating (Up to five points each category)

·                     Cost:  ***** (5)

·                     Function: **** (4)

·                     Taste: ***** (5)

·                     Health Factor: ***** (5)

Overall:  19/20 - 4 1/2 Gold Whisks

Bunz Burgerz

969 ½ Baxter Ave

Louisville KY 40204

(502) 632 – 1132

Ahem… YUM!

http://www.bunzburgerz.com/

Bunz is a quaint little burger joint nestled in the Highlands of Louisville. I had passed them by a few times and wondered what they were all about. My boyfriend took me there as a surprise, which was cool. We went inside, and the atmosphere was laid back. I personally loved how they decorated the place, the lighting, etc. The staff is very friendly and helpful. If you have questions, they will answer, they don’t hurry you along. The menu is simple to read, pretty straight forward, and offers six signatures, and several combinations for custom orders. If you want a specialty, all you have to do is ask.

The best thing about this establishment is the food, in my opinion. When you order your food, they don’t just rush through cooking it, they make it fresh and they make it right. I ordered a custom build my own burger, and my guy had the Lexington Roadhouse Burger. I forgot to tell them I like mine pink in the middle, but I didn’t have to. It took them about 15 minutes to cook the food, which is great because they do it right when you order and right in front of you. When we got our food, it was piping hot, and the chef offered a Creole aioli sauce. We took the offer, and then we ate.

The first bite of burger was delicious and had me hooked. The burger was tender and juicy, and slightly pink in the middle just the way I liked it. It tasted fresh, and the bun was perfectly toasted, and the cheese was bubbly, yum. I was impressed by the fries, and loved the sauce. They were nice and crispy, and they weren’t as greasy as some places would offer… I could taste the potato instead of oil. It was filling, delicious, and well worth the price.

This is not fast food. These are gourmet burgers offered for $8 or less. I can go to some bars and pay a few dollars extra for a burger that isn’t gourmet, and they aren’t always cooked they way they should be. This place SPECIALizes in burgers, they give you what you want and you get a good portion (1/4 lb, baby), and you can get the cheesy bacon basket for less than five bucks and share with your date, and be full. The prices are great.

Overall, I liked this place and would go back again!

Product Review:Viva La Orgeenic Revolution??

Orgreenic Kitchenware is a company that brings ceramic coated sauté pans with the promise of eating healthier. The pan is nonstick, but not made with Teflon, and it is supposed to be all natural stuff casing the outside of each unit. It’s also supposed to be heavy duty and durable… This is an “As Seen On TV” thing, though it is newer than some stuff I have seen.

I first saw the product on tv about a month or so ago, about 5 in the morning while staying the night at my guy’s parents’ house. His mother actually came out into the living room while it was airing, and we were both kind of fascinated by what we saw… We discussed it later on, me being intrigued and incredulous at the same time. I don’t think I need to get into the whole thing about infomercials. I wasn’t aware that the infomercial stuck with her, but she apparently bought it between then and now.

She was getting ready to head for her vacation, and I was just about to get dinner started. I am helping to house sit right now, so she was listing off a bunch of stuff at the time, telling me what foodstuff was in the freezer and the pantry, what kind of stuff was in the fridge, and then told me I could use certain cookwares if I wanted. She showed me a few products she owned, three of which were things I have seen on infomercials. I had wanted to do a review on all three, but I will come to the other two with time.

So my first impression of the pan when I used it was that I liked it. I mean, it really is heavy duty. I picked it up and I was struck with how well balanced it was. It did not weigh my hand down like most pans of weight, but nor was it like picking up a cheap, aluminum thing that you find at any department store for about the same price. As far as the function, there was definitely some non-stick action. Once it was time to clean, though, it took a little bit of scrubbing, though not so much as to turn me off of the product. Overall, I like it and wish to own one. The price of one of these babies is less than $20. That, my friends and fellow foodies, is way worth it. For a pan with a celebrity label, you are paying at least twice, if not triple if you want the same kind of quality.

Rating (Up to five points each category)

·                     Ease of use:  **** (5)

·                     Function: *** (5)

·                     Practicality: *** (4)

·                     Cost: **** (5)

Overall:  19/20 – 4 3/4 Gold Whisks

Product Review: Magic Bullet

Like many Americans, I have found myself awake at an ungodly hour, staring off into the abyss that is the boob tube with a bored vigil from the couch, and nothing is on... Except infomercials, that is. Let's be honest, who hasn't seen or heard about the Magic Bullet? The infomercial brings us Nick and Mimi, and they are showing us how you can make things happen in less than 10 seconds with the Magic Bullet blender... While I watched it, I was incredulous but intrigued at the same time. I mean, yeah, I could use a blender, I cook and I am out on my own (sorta). Of course I am interested! I wasn't amused by some of the acting jobs, it didn't sell the product so much as caused me to wrinkle my nose.

Infomercials tend to suck people in with some key words like, "Now only" and "Three easy payments" or "Wait, there's more!" -- Friends and fellow foodies, if you see it on TV, chances are great that some of you fall for those words and pay for the product. I, myself, was duped a couple of times even though I never bought anything. Yeah, I wanted one of those tong/whisk things, cause I was like, "Dude, I can pick up a penny." (Yeah, no they couldn't.) But it wasn't nearly as interesting as the Magic Bullet.

So they show us on the infomercial that it can do several things in a short amount of time. I mean, I get that people want to save time and junk, but they show all of their ingredients at the ready, so please do not be fooled by them saying that you can make your dips in 10 seconds. What they really mean is that you can make it in 10 seconds if you have everything prepped already. "What can you do in 10 seconds? *Start* chopping an onion... (etc.)" Yes, keep in mind that you need to prep your food ahead of time in order to keep up with the people on the TV.

Upon inspection, I liked how little room it took. It is a practical size, as promised. I liked that it didn't take much room up on the counter at all. It is very user friendly, you don't really need to read the instructions to figure it out, though it is good to keep them on hand just in case. I stuck some pickles in the cup to make relish, and it wasn't really that impressive as far as the consistency of the pieces in the finished product. There were some chunks that just didn't want to break up, and I really didn't want to make pickle sauce. It is also just like any other dish that you dirty. You still have to wash it, and though it is dishwasher safe, I am not sure it would be alright to stick the product in there without at least rinsing the pieces parts off. Now, I can't speak for the fact that it is microwave safe... I will test that out and add my opinion on later (I do not have a working microwave.) It probably won't affect my rating much.

Rating (Up to five points each category)

• Ease of use:  **** (4)
• Function: *** (3)
• Practicality: *** (3)
• Cost: **** (4)

Overall:  14/20 - 3 1/2 Gold Whisks

What came first, the chicken, or the egg?

That is an age old question, for sure, that nobody really knows the answer to. The chicken, or the egg? I have often pondered about this, myself. Then I thought about this from a culinary student's perspective, and the one answer I can give from experience is that eggs come first... Breakfast!

Omelet with Marinara

Not only are eggs one of the easiest things to work with when you are just starting out (though in some instances, are not), they are versatile, they are healthy (in moderation), and they are tasty. Eggs are complex, yet simple, oxymorons indeed.

There are quite a few egg recipes out there, or recipes that require eggs (such as cakes), and six basic methods to cook them.

• Shired (Baked)
• Scrambled
• Boiled (Hard and soft)
• Fried
• Poached
• Steamed

I haven't tried shired eggs, but I have heard wonderful things. As far as the rest, the most difficult method up there is a poached egg. I happen to prefer scrambled because I don't have to worry about the yolks breaking, and I often make those into omelets because I love cheese and broccoli or spinach with my eggs. I don't like poaching very much, but I now know how to do it without making a mess.

To be honest, though, there was a time I hated eggs. I mean, I didn't hate eating them, but I hated making them because my first eight weeks of culinary school centered around mostly the chicken and the egg. I understand why this is, eggs are cheap and whole chickens are too. I dreaded my final exam because I had to flip an egg right in the pan, and that was always a disaster! I cannot begin to tell you how much egg goop I had to clean up off of the range. The other thing I dreaded was Hollandaise sauce because it wasn't easy to get it to turn out how it was supposed to. I hated having to stand there over a double boiler and trying to make sure my sauce didn't get scramble lumps! I never understood how something so simple became so complicated... But over the years since my culinary schooling, I have grown to appreciate that hard work and it has taught me patience... Don't rush goodness, nurture it.

For those of you who love to cook, but don't have an in depth understanding about cooking, I suggest you forget about the chicken and start with the egg. Pick it up, crack it into a dish, and really look at it. What does it look like? Is it large? Small? Think about what you can do with it, think about what it is going to taste like when you use it. And then cook it.

The reason I bring up this topic today is that I want to challenge you, the reader and group member. I want you to come up with a recipe, cook it, taste it, tweak it until you have it perfect... Then I want you to cook it again, take a picture, submit with a story and a recipe. I am going to take the submissions and create an entire post featuring everyone. When you write your story, I want to know what you feel about your creation, why you came up with it besides this challenge, how it tastes and smells, and of course, the recipe, and the picture. I would like for you to be creative.

If you don't want to participate in the challenge, that is ok. I am not requiring any participation, I merely wanted to present an opportunity for you to have a hand in the creation of this blog, and to give you an opportunity to demonstrate your talent.

The Egg Came First Challenge

Requirements

1. Of course, the required ingredient is the egg.
2. You do not have to make it as a breakfast food, but you must treat it as the star of the dish.
3. You may use any method, basic or advanced, to cook your eggs.
4. You must have a picture, a recipe, and a story with the minimum of 50 words.
5. Please submit your entries via email or private message because I want it to be fresh for the blog (kimworden28@hotmail.com).
6. Deadline for this challenge is June 6, 2012

If you have any questions, you can send me a note and I will answer them if I can.

Good Luck!

Happy Eating,

Kimmie

Welcome to Foodie-zoo

I had promised to start this blog awhile ago, especially to showcase the winners of the first couple of contests in the facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/foodiezoo/ - but because life got in the way, it never happened. But I don't like to leave promises hanging in the air and not keep them ever, so now I begin.

This group was made because I like food and making it too, and I know there are other people who do as well. After attending culinary school, it opened my eyes to a whole new level of epicure. I gained an appreciation for those who cook professionally, it is damn hard work! It doesn't take just hard work to make good food, it takes passion and heart. You don't need to be a professional to make food, though, you can be anyone.

And now for fulfilling promises made at the end of last year:

Our Picture Winner for the Christmas Challenge

Taken by Lou Worden

Pan seared Roast Beef 

It is an easy dish that looks complicated, but really isn't. I have taken this dish from my mom and made it mine, and the best that can happen is my daughters take it and make it theirs too. That is the best in family traditions. Seasonings included Fresh Thyme, white pepper, parsley, and onion. Simple dish, simple ingredients. Everyone makes this dish their own way, that's why it is perfect for all.

I can honestly say that I look forward to eating the roast my mom (the winner by vote) makes. It's so flavorful and great for those really cold days. I can't ever seem to make mine just like hers, but I think I learned well when she taught me how to cook roast beef. I did teach her a few tricks since I have gone to culinary school. When she was making it before hand, she didn't pan sear it. Then I taught her that trick and she has been using it ever since, and I am happy to say that I contributed to her recipe some. I hope that if I have kids, I will be able to pass this tradition along.

_____________________________

And our only two entries for the New Years Recipe contest was a toss up, but I decided since there were only two people entering, they will both be featured, and they both had really yummy recipes. Required ingredient was Bubbly/Sparkling Juice.

Emily's Limogranate Cocktail

A new drink I created last night with what I had on hand! Love them both so thought I'd put em together to see how it tasted - and it was yummy! Caravella Limoncello and Trader Joe Pomegranate Sparkling Juice over ice makes for one delicious Pomecello... or is it a Limongranate?

Emily created a lovely sounding drink that would be a hit at any party!

Rebecca's Corned Beef Roast

This is an awesome new year's day recipe that takes the uber saltiness out of the traditional corned beef roast.


1 whole corned beef brisket (3-5lbs)


1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp yellow mustard * 

2 cups sparkling grape juice or cider **

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp salt

2 cloves fresh chopped garlic (or 1 tsp minced from a jar)

1/4 tsp chopped parsley (fresh or dried)

*If you prefer brown mustard, increase sparkling juice to 2 1/2 cups

**If you aren't a fan of sparkling juices or cider, you CAN substitute your favorite sugared soda. Even cola will work in this recipe but it must be regular and not diet.

Score the fat of your brisket, but do not remove it.

Tenderize the brisket using a mallet or by wrapping in plastic and pounding with a heavy instrument - cast iron egg skillets work well for this.

Stir together 1/2 c mustard and sparkling juice with a wire whisk slowly.

Fold in salt, garlic and parsley.

Marinate brisket 4 to 8 hours in a refrigerator, turning every 2 hours.

Reserve marinade, stirring in additional 2 tbsp of mustard.

Sprinkle cracked black pepper over brisket and bake - preferrably covered - at 350F for 2-2 1/2 hours.

Pour remaining marinade over brisket and bake an additional 15-20 minutes.

Awesome way to start the new year, I would think. I love the innovation, her use of the required ingredient(s).
___________________________

And now that it is spring, soon to be summer, our current picture contest is going. We have three contestants so far in the running and hopefully more before the June 1 deadline.

Finally, I was able to put this blog up and I apologize for the uber lateness. I want to take the time to thank everyone for their patience, and also to welcome those who just joined. You are all wonderful and I am glad to see that there are as many foodies in Foodie-zoo as there are.

Happy Eating,
Kimmie

** If you would like to be a blogger for Foodie-zoo, please drop me a line via Facebook and we'll talk turkey. :) **