Thursday, July 2, 2009

WHAT'S COOKIN' POTATO SALAD

Here is my favorite recipe for potato salad. I vary
this recipe from time to time based upon my mood and what I have in the refrigerator. I encourage you to do the same.


Potato Salad


Ingredients:

10 - 12 whole russet potatoes
4 to 6 hard boiled eggs chopped
1 bunch green onions chopped
½ bunch celery chopped
¼ cup pickle relish
1 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 cup yellow mustard
2 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and pepper to tasted
paprika

Preparation:

1. Boil potatoes with skin on for 30 - 45 minutes. When fork can be easily inserted. Potatoes are done.
2. Pour hot water out and run cold water over potatoes to cool them off for 5 minutes.
3. When potatoes are cool, peel off skin and cut into bite sized pieces. If you overcook them, they don't really hurt
the recipe since the extra potatoes just mixes in with
the creamy portion of the mixture.
4. Stir all ingredients gently except for the paprika.
After all ingredients are well mixed, pour into a bowl.
Add the paprika across the top.
5. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve
serve 16-20

Try 1/2 cup of slice black olives or 1/4 cup of sheered carrots or 1/2 cup of chopped green or red bell pepper or dell pickles chopped in place of sweet relish.

PARTY BEANS

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound sliced bacon
1 1/2 pounds ground round
1 (15.5 ounce) can pork and beans
1 (15 ounce) bake beans, drained
1 (15.5 ounce) can white beans, drained
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup barbeque sauce
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, crumble, and set aside. In the same skillet, cook and crumble the ground round until evenly browned. Drain.
In a large deep casserole dish or Dutch oven, combine the bacon, beef, baked beans, pork and beans, and white beans. Stir in the brown sugar, barbeque sauce, and onion soup mix until well blended.
Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour in the preheated oven.

THE PREFECT HAMBURGER

HOW TO MAKE THE PREFECT HAMBURGER
Burgers may be the basic of all picnic menus, but they needn't be boring. Jazzed up with spices and seasonings or topped with your favorite condiments, a good burger is hard to beat. From basic lettuce, tomato, and pickle to sautéed onions or bacon, the possibilities are endless. Burgers just taste better when cooked on the grill and enjoyed outdoors.

Building a better burger is easy when you follow these suggestions:
Make sure the grill is the appropriate temperature too hot, and the burgers will burn on the outside before getting done on the inside. Medium-low to medium heat is best.
Keep the lid closed while cooking. A closed lid retains heat, shortening the cooking time and thus keeping the burgers moist.
Use beef that is no leaner than 85% Fat is needed for the burgers to be moist and flavorful.
If using ground turkey or chicken, add a little broth or olive oil to keep them moist.
Use a gentle touch overworking the mixture will produce a tough burger. Mix ingredients just until combined.
Don't form patties too thick or too thin A ¾-inch thick patty is ideal for even cooking. To keep patties from swelling in the middle, make small indention in the center.
Always clean and oil the grill grate This prevents burgers from sticking, extends the life of your grate and helps put those beautiful grill-marks on your patties.
Turn burgers only once and never, ever, press burgers with the back of a spatula: the sizzling sound may be fun to make, but the pressure releases all of the flavorful juices.
Cook burgers properly for safety's sake; cook ground beef to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (170 degrees F for poultry).
To check the temperature, insert the thermometer into the patty horizontally for an accurate reading.

What cookin' for the fourth of July

What’s the Fourth of July with out a barbecue? You’ll love this star-spangled menu. It includes our best-ever burgers, creamy potato salad, baked beans and an eye-catching cake decorated like Old Glory - all designed to feed a gathering of 10-12

LET'S CELEBRATE THE 4TH

The 4th of July is a time for the Red white and Blue. A time for Picnics, Parades and Marching Bands. A time for Beaches, BBQs and "Bombs Bursting in Air." So pour yourself a cold one, put another "shrimp on the barbie and celebrate Independence Day the birthday of the United States of America. Founded July 4th 1776, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this year we are celebrating it's 233rd birthday.