Needless to say, I was not surprised. He’s so unique – that’s why I think so many people voted for him. He makes weird/unusual food. In one clip, I saw him making an octopus! It’ll be interesting to see his show. I’m still kinda confused as to when his show airs. I went to the Food Network website and couldn’t find an air date.
Are you surprised that Justin won?
~Cecelia Dowdy~
Who do you think will be The Next Food Network Star: Martie, Yvan, Michele or Justin? Did you go online and vote?
I’ve been watching this show from the very first episode. After seeing all four test pilots last Sunday, it’s hard for me to decide who would win. Out of all of the food that was fixed last Sunday, I liked Michele’s dish the best. I’m not a big mac and cheese fan, which is why I wasn’t too crazy about Yvan’s dish. Although I do love shrimp, I didn’t like the way Martie tossed her shrimp with all of that stuff for her dish. I did think it was interesting that she’d baked her shrimp – gives me another option for making shrimp. Justin made an aspic? This is something that I’d never heard of or seen until I’d seen Justin use it? Any of you ever use/make an aspic(?sp) before?
I wish that Leekie (sp?) had not been voted off! I loved that she made desserts and I enjoyed hearing her South African accent! I’d love to see another dessert maker have a show on the Food Network because desserts are my most favorite food to make.
Speaking of food, I’ve been using this cookbook a lot! Somebody on Facebook told me about it and I was hooked! I’ve been using this book for months and it makes baking bread SO EASY!! You make the dough and keep it in the refrigerator and use it whenever you need it. I’ve made sticky buns a few times and I’ve also made the pizza dough countless times.
I’m trying to watch my salt intake, as explained in this blog post. I still eat fast food and we still eat takeout pizza, but, I’ve found a somewhat low-sodium way to make pizza! I make the pizza dough recipe in this book, but, I don’t put any salt in the dough. I also make my own sauce using no-salt-added tomato sauce (I add onions and garlic to the sauce and let it simmer on the stove). When I make my pizza, I roll out my pizza dough, put the sauce on top, then mozzarella cheese, and then on top of that, I place pre-cooked crumbled sausage, pepperoni, and fresh mushrooms.
Granted, the sausage and pepperoni are full of sodium, but, since the other parts of the pizza (sauce and crust) have no salt, there’s not as much salt in this pizza as in the takeout/pizza parlor pizzas. When you eat my version, you don’t really miss the salt, you get enough salt when you taste that pepperoni and sausage! Yum!
Do you have any low-sodium recipes to share? Leave a comment!
~Cecelia Dowdy~
Do you think there are typos in the recipe below? Leave a comment!
ULTIMATE SOUTHERN LIVING COOKBOOK – ISBN: 0-8487-1816-X
Publisher: Oxmoor House
Page 241 – Beef Stroganoff – I think this recipe has a typo in it! Usually I don’t use this blog to vent, but, this has been on my mind for awhile! Since this is food-related, I feel comfortable blogging about my experience with this recipe since I do talk about food and recipes occasionally.
I tried the Beef Stroganoff recipe on Sunday (12-4-11). I even got an expensive cut of meat because I didn’t want the meat to be tough. When I started making the recipe, I got kind of suspicious. You’re supposed to coat the two pounds of cut-up meat in flour – one and a half cups of flour! Also, before cooking the meat, you have to melt ONE AND A HALF CUPS OF BUTTER – THAT’S THE EQUIVALENT OF THREE STICKS OF BUTTER!!
I stopped when I saw that amount. Before starting the recipe, I’d just skimmed it and looked at the ingredients. I stopped and asked my husband if I should make the recipe – it didn’t sound right. He said to go ahead and make it and we could alter it later once it was done. So, I agreed, took his advice and made the recipe.
So, I melted the butter. That was the first time I can remember EVER melting 3 sticks of butter in a pan. The smell made me ill. Don’t get me wrong, I love butter, but, that was the first time I’d used so much for a main course. The only time I’ve used that much butter was when I make my yummy lemon pound cake. When I was melting the butter, both my husband and my son said, “What’s that smell?” The scent filled the air, and it wasn’t pleasant.
Anyway, after I melted the butter, I ended up dumping the floured meat into the butter. The butter and the flour together made this yucky brown sludge – the smell made me ill, seriously. My stomach curdled while I was cooking. I couldn’t stand the scent. I finished making the recipe and when I tried it, it was awful! The smell and the taste just made me sick because of all that butter. I took the entire pan of hot stroganoff and dumped it into the trash! 🙁 I think that’s why this bothers me so much! I wasted so much butter and meat – we didn’t even get one meal out of it! Butter is expensive! I rarely use margarine because butter is much healthier for you! We ended up eating sandwiches for dinner that evening.
I think the recipe was supposed to call for one and a half TABLESPOONS OF BUTTER AND ONE AND A HALF TABLESPOONS OF FLOUR. Don’t get me wrong. I like this cookbook and I’ve used several of the recipes in it. I’ve even blogged about a few of them, but, this recipe was just all wrong.
Here’s the recipe – DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME!! 🙁
Do you think there are typos in this recipe? Have you ever tried a recipe and thought that it was a mistake? Leave a comment!
Beef Stroganoff
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour – I THINK THAT’S TOO MUCH FLOUR – I THINK THIS IS A TYPO!
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds of sirloin steak cut into one-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups of butter or margarine melted – THAT’S 3 STICKS OF BUTTER!! I THINK THAT’S TOO MUCH BUTTER – I THINK THIS IS A TYPO!
3 cups of sliced fresh mushrooms
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 1/2 cups sour cream
7 1/2 cups hot cooked noodles
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-lock plastic bag; add steak. Seal bag and shake until meat is coated.
Brown meat in butter in a large skillet, stirring occasionally. Remove meat from skillet; cover and keep warm. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic to drippings in skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until tender. Remove from pan, keep warm.
Add wine to skillet; cook over high heat, deglazing skillet by scraping particles that cling to bottom. Cook until wine is reduced by half.
Add beef broth and tomato paste, stirring until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add meat and mushroom mixture; cook until thorougly heated. Stir in sour cream; cook just until mixture is hot, stirring constantly. Serve over noodles. Yield: 10 servings.
The first time I’d ever heard of panna cotta was last Saturday (November 5, 2011). I attended a Michael Hauge workshop hosted by my local writers’ group. After the Italian luncheon, there was dessert – Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta. When I tasted it, the texture reminded me of the Mexican Flan. However, I thought the flavor was much better than flan. I could tell right away that the dessert contained gelatin because of the unique texture. The vanilla bean really gives this dessert an excellent flavor. If you try this recipe, let me know if you liked it.
Ingredients
1/3 cup whole milk
1 (.25 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
2 1/2 cups half and half
1/2 cup white sugar
One whole vanilla bean (if you don’t have a vanilla bean, then you can substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract for the vanilla bean)
Directions
Pour milk into a small bowl, and stir in the gelatin powder. Set aside.
In a saucepan, stir together the half and half and sugar, and set over medium heat. Split vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds into the half and half and sugar mixture. Place the vanilla bean halves into the mixture. Bring to a full boil, watching carefully. Pour the gelatin and milk into the half and half mixture, stirring until completely dissolved. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, if you’re NOT using the vanilla bean, then stir in the vanilla extract now. Pour into six individual ramekin dishes.
Cool the ramekins uncovered at room temperature. When cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before serving. Serve with fresh berries, if desired.
You’re supposed to invert the ramekin onto a serving plate, releasing the panna cotta from the container before serving. I didn’t do this. I just simply ate it out of the bowl!
When I made this, I didn’t have to let it cool in refrigerator for four hours. I was able to eat it in about an hour or so. So GOOD. I recommend using the vanilla bean. I prefer the texture of vanilla pudding over the texture of this dessert, however, the wonderful taste makes this a close second, in my book, to homemade vanilla pudding! This dessert is extremely easy to make and you can make it MUCH FASTER than vanilla pudding. Why? Because you don’t have to cook it as long to get it to thicken. The gelatin solidifies much faster than the cornstarch or flour that’s used to thicken vanilla pudding. I know when I make vanilla pudding, I’m standing at the hot stove for awhile, stirring, waiting for the pudding to thicken. This recipe doesn’t take much cooking or stirring and the taste is great!
Have you ever tried panna cotta? If so, did you like it?
I’m taking a break from my regular blog topics today to talk about the Next Food Network Star TV show.
I must say that I was a bit disappointed that Jeff won! 🙁
I was kinda rooting for Susie. I thought she was more warm and personable than Jeff. Anyway, he won, so congrats to Jeff!
Have you been watching the Next Food Network Star competition? If so, who were you rooting for?
I’m blogging over at Writers’ Rest Blog about food in the church. Stop by and leave a comment!
When people mention “The South” what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?
When I think of the south, I think of sweet Georgia peaches…
Photo courtesy of Suat Eman – Free Digital Photos
I also think about a nice cold pitcher of iced tea, served in frosted glasses with slices of juicy, bright yellow lemons…
When I think of the south, the first thing I think about is southern hospitality. When I was in Durham last weekend, I went to the drugstore to get my son some cold and allergy medicine. As soon as I walked into the store, the clerk approached me at the door, wanting to know if I needed help finding anything. We don’t get that kind of treatment over here in Maryland. If I go to the drug store and need help, it might take me awhile to find somebody to help me, and, sometimes the workers don’t care and may tell you the wrong information – like saying an item is on row 5 when it’s really on row 12.
When we went to The Waffle House in Durham for breakfast, as soon as we walked in the door, the hostess, as well as the entire staff behind the counter greeted, “Good morning.” It’s treatment that I’m not used to in Maryland.
I recall visiting Atlanta several years ago for a business trip. When we went out to lunch and we walked to the restaurant, everybody that saw us on the sidewalk said hello – we didn’t even know these people. Over here in Maryland, we don’t really speak to one another unless we have a personal relationship with that person. It’s just a way of behavior that I’m not exposed to in Maryland.
So, what do you think about The South? Are people friendlier over there?
BTW, several people have told me over the years that Maryland is considered The South, but, I don’t consider Maryland the South….but, I guess it’s all a matter of opinion.
Well, it’s Sunday, May, 22, 2011 and there was NO RAPTURE YESTERDAY Camping needs to re-evaluate his Bible and stop making false prophesies!
I also wanted to announce that the winner of the Stephen Bly Book Giveaway is: JOY ISLEY – MESA, AZ
I’m still experimenting with the Amish Friendship Bread. I don’t have any friends who are bakers, so I don’t have anybody who’s interested in taking the extra starter from me. However, I developed a workaround for myself. When I split the first batch of starter, I merely placed the extra starters in the refrigerator and used them to bake – I did not feed them – I just used them as is – with the exception of the one I used yesterday. I fed that one but I didn’t feed it again on the tenth day nor did I split it. I used the entire 2 cups to make pancakes. I still have one bag of starter left from my original batch. Since I only have one left, I will feed this one on days six and ten, split on day ten and then I’ll have some to place in my refrigerator. So far, out of the recipes that I’ve tried, my favorites are the Amish Friendship Bread and the Banana Nut Amish Friendship Bread. I made the biscuits, but they didn’t turn out like I wanted. Also, I made the pancakes yesterday, but they were just “okay”. They were a bit too sour and you have to really watch the batter when you cook it on a griddle, it gets done very quickly and can burn. I believe it’s because of the sugar content in the Friendship Bread starter.
Any of you ever make Amish Friendship Bread, or a variation of it? If so, did you like it?
Will you be watching The Royal Wedding tomorrow?
Call me weird, but, I took a vacation day tomorrow just to watch The Royal Wedding! I plan on having scones slathered with Kerrygold butter and preserves! I’m also having coffee (Sorry, no tea. I’ve never been much of a hot tea fan. I only drink tea when I’m sick with a cold.)
The only problem is, I went to both grocery stores nearby and neither sold scones. I’m going to have to make the scones this evening so that I can enjoy them tomorrow morning! If you have a favorite scone recipe to share, I’d be appreciative if you told me about it. I made scones just one time, a gazillion years ago, and I thought the recipe that I used tasted okay.
I recall when Prince William’s parents got married back in the eighties! I was still living at home and I remember getting up at the crack of dawn just to watch the wedding! Also, I recall that I’d never heard much about Prince Charles in the media until he got engaged to Lady Diana! I also remember getting up early in the morning to watch Lady Diana’s funeral! 🙁
I’m NOT a Royal or British enthusiast! I haven’t been following the wedding coverage very much, but, I did take some interest when I first heard William was getting married – I forgot about it a short time later. I don’t watch TV much and I get most of my news from online and via AOL. A high-school friend of mine said she was taking a personal day to watch the wedding and I love a good wedding, being a romance author and all, so I decided to do the same thing. I’ve only started following the wedding coverage over the last few days, but, I’m a bit excited about seeing the wedding and I also want to see her dress!
I’ll be getting up early tomorrow morning, probably around three or four, which is why I need to make my scones today! I’d also thought about making crumpets, but, I’ve never had those before…not sure if I’d like them! I’ve had scones and they remind me of fancy biscuits!
So, will you be watching The Royal Wedding? If so, what time are you planning to wake up?
~Cecelia Dowdy~
No, I’m not going to be posting pictures each day for my Amish Friendship Bread Starter. However, I will post this one so that you can see what it looks like. I did this last night. Now I need to put it in a Ziplock bag and squeeze it each day and add stuff to it. I then need to make some Amish Friendship Bread on day 10!
Contrary to popular belief, the origin of this bread cannot be traced back to the Amish. This recipe is several decades old. I did look up Amish Friendship Bread on Wikipedia and it said that to the Amish, Friendship Bread is merely sourdough bread that they give to the sick and needy. I can’t really tell where this Amish Friendship Bread recipe started.
