Top Six Contest Day Four: Good Food
All Posts, Contests · Tags: cooking, foodie bliss, red rock pass, sanctuary's price, Top Six Contest
One of the things to consider before moving to the middle of nowhere is that there isn’t much in the way of fast food, and even less in the way of yummy restaurants that will deliver to your isolated ass.
People in Red Rock have to cook for just this reason. (Except for Cindy,who works the country doctor thing hardcore. Her patients pay her with food all the time.) The first step, if you don’t know how to cook, is to find yourself someone to do it for you…or a cookbook.
- The Pioneer Woman Cooks
I recommend The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond. Some of you may be familiar with her website, where she discusses the trials and travails of living in the middle of nowhere with a cowboy, a bunch of kids, and various and sundry animals, including a butt-ton of cattle.
Or you could be familiar with her recipes. My own husband has learned to spot a Pioneer Woman dish before it even hits the table. He hovers, waiting for his opportunity to sneak a taste or five. And then he’s in heaven.
Why? Because her food is simple, and it’s damn good. Which is why I went into a bit of a foodie ecstasy when I found out she had a cookbook coming out on October 27th. I preordered my copy immediately, and now I’ve done the same for you.
Comment below, and you’ll be entered to win a new copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks, available next Tuesday to tantalize your taste buds. What I want to know is… What’s your favorite recipe of all time?
Other Contests: Top Six Day One: Ebooks, Top Six Day Two: Movies, Top Six Day Three: Weapons, Big Bad Maine Extravaganza, Red Rock Madness
I admit this much: I am not much of a cook. I can prepare very simple things if told exactly how, and I can invent small recipes from canned or boxed or bagged ingredients. For example, last night I combined awesome Osem Israeli Toasted Couscous with canned corn and peas, and then some lima beans. Then I added in some chopped up red bell pepper. Cook thoroughly and eat. (I added a Boca Chick’n Patty on the side; full-time carnivores may substitute some other cut of meat. I was just feeling like fake fried chicken that day. I imagine fish might go well with couscous.)
It’s not a fancy recipe, but it provides grain and veggies and protein, and it doesn’t take more than 20 minutes out of my busy college schedule, and that’s the way I like it.
My true love is baking, however. That is where I take risks and be adventurous and try new things. See, I have a dairy issue, and most baked goods in stores contain dairy. So I learned to make my own dairy-free goods so that I could still enjoy baked goods. The absolute most bestest recipe ever is one I got from The Joy of Vegan Baking. It’s simply called “Drop Biscuits” and it’s the easiest baked good ever. Just a few basic ingredients, stir, drop on cookie sheet, bake 8 minutes, and BAM! Breakfast biscuits.
They’re good for breakfast (warmed up, sliced up, and covered in either vegan or dairy butter- for a sweet touch, either add honey or replace butter entirely with honey). They’re also good with gravy. I admit to eating them throughout the course of the day with butter and honey, even at like midnight. So I vote that these beautiful drop biscuits are my favorite recipe. What’s awesome is that if you just change it a tiny bit, it works as a scone recipe. So it can be real dessert too.
Sorry, I think I rambled there. But seriously, breakfast drop biscuits. Best thing ever. In fact, instead of cereal, I’m gonna go bake some!
I absolutely love tuna croquettes…however, I tend to make it without a proper recipe…I just do what my Mum taught me…BUT I did find a recipe quite similar to the one I use…so here it is..(the only thing that I don’t use from the list below is the milk)
Ingredients
850g desiree, spunta or golden delight potatoes, peeled, chopped
2 tablespoons warmed milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
425g can tuna in brine, drained
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup dried breadcrumbs
extra-light olive oil, for shallow frying
rocket leaves, to serve
Method
Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain. Return to saucepan. Add milk. Mash until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.
Heat olive oil in a small, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add onion. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and paprika. Cook for 1 minute. Add onion mixture, tuna and parsley to potato. Mix well.
Place egg and breadcrumbs in separate shallow dishes. Using 1/4 cup mixture at a time, shape mixture into small sausage shapes. Dip croquettes, 1 at a time, in egg then roll in breadcrumbs to coat.
One-third fill a frying pan with oil and heat over medium heat. Cook croquettes, in batches, turning, for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden
Hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do.
Happy Reading!!!
Anna Shah Hoque
s7anna@yahoo.ca
The Indian home delivery menu
Do I have to post the recipe? Because seriously, no can do. I’m a no measure, wing it type of cook. I make a mean spaghetti sauce but I couldn’t tell you how I do it. I just do it LOL.
Mind you that was supposed to be “The Indian Restaurants” crawling back into the unskilled cook corner
@Edie
LOL! Hey, I love to cook, but I’d be lying if I said my home hadn’t boasted a lot of take-out menus before we moved to the middle of nowhere. Now it’s 15 minutes to the closest one!
My fave recipe of all time is probably my aunt’s cornbread dressing recipe starting with homemade cornbread.
My other fave is Pioneer Woman’s crash hot potatoes
I should have skipped this. Y’all are making me hungry!
Well, its a toss up really. “MY” favorite is a plum cake with a cookie like crust I make with those little purple Stanley plums. My family’s favorite is “Harvest Pumpkin cake” which is made in a loaf pan and has chocolate chips in it. Both recipes are courtesy of my mother.
hugs
molli
I love cooking. I love discovering new things. Favourite recipe though…hmmm (btw, is this open to international?) Now, I have this stew recipe in her cookbook, and it is done in the crockpot. It only uses stew beef instead of good quality meet. http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=6126
I am going to have to take a look at The Pioneer Woman’s website. I love simple foods. OH I also discovered this lady’s blog. So far, I haven’t disliked anything I have made http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
I must say, my favorite recipe is a rum cake.. made with Bacardi 151! 1/2 cup is in the batter and another 1/2 cup is in the glaze which is poured over the baked cake. Believe, one slice will rock ya!
Thanks!
You are an absolute angel to offer a cookbook. Such a good one, too! I’m a back to basics, whole-grain, local food, CSA kind of girl. This cookbook is my kind of cooking!
Alas, being completely in love with food and cooking, I don’t know if I can name just ONE favorite recipe. Can it be my Dad’s spaghetti sauce? Which was actually his mother’s sauce, but I never met her. I learned it from my dad. There are no real measurements; I’m winging it here.
1/2 lb stew beef or beef bones
As much garlic as you want
1/2 onion
1 tbsp olive oil
About 20 roma tomatoes or 2 large cans diced tomatoes
3 small cans tomato paste
Herbs, fresh or dried: basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme
Mushrooms
Other options are sliced green olives or bell pepper
Meatballs (recipe below)
Brown the meat and onions in the oil, add the minced garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes (not the paste), cover, and let simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the paste until it’s the thickness you want.
Cover and simmer until the meat is tender, about 4 hours, stirring occasionally. The last hour of cooking, add the meatballs and mushrooms. Also add dried herbs if using. If using fresh herbs, add them the last half hour.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over fresh, hot pasta with lots of Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.
Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 tbsp salt
pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg
Mix it up and form into meatballs. If you want, bake them first in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes. Add them to the sauce with a slotted spoon, so you keep most of the fat out. Or, live dangerously and deliciously, and cook the raw meatballs int the sauce!
while its not a recipe my family enjoys what they call in a pot. I start out with boiled potatoes add chunked up chicken a bag of steamed broccoli add cheese bacon bits or fried onions to taste stir and serve
My mom’s lasagna or enchiladas.
Recipe… umm, I usually just get take-out or whatever my step-mother’s made, lol. My own mother never had any patience to teach me to cook, bleh.
I love to bake, though, and my favorite is my home made German Chocolate Cake. I think one reason is the icing. I love making and tasting it *yummy*
Oh, so hard to choose one, but I pick mom’s carrot casserole. Not that I’ve actually ever cooked it myself. Yet.
I love Pioneer Woman’s site. Just thinking about it makes me hungry. lol
I have to admit I know my way around the kitchen, but my all time favorite recipe is so ridiculously easy that I am embarrassed to share since it isn’t a slave all day recipe….which I do plenty of.
My all time favorite is Cheesy Crunch Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup sour cream (can do light it you want to conserve calories)
1 pkg of taco seasoning mix (I make my own)
1 gallon ziplock bag filled half full with crushed cheezits (I use the tabasco flavored ones and my 4 yr old even eats it)
Rinse and pat dry chicken breast. Mix sour cream with the package of taco seasoning (some use less depending on how strong you want the flavoring). Roll the chicken breast in sour cream mixture and place in the ziplock bag with crumbs. Shake to coat the chicken breast well and then place in a casserole dish. Bake chicken, covered, at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, depending on how dark you want the coating. I serve this with pan fried corn and scalloped potatoes. My kids beg for it weekly.
Good luck all.
Chicken spaghetti, I love it.
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lb. Angel hair pasta
1 can Cambell’s Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 lb. Mexican or regular Velveeta Cheese
1 can Rotel tomatoes (tomatoes with green chiles)
Preparation:
Boil chicken breasts in large pan adding a pinch of salt to water. Remove chicken when completely done. Boil noodles in remaining broth, drain after done. Cut chicken into small, bite-sized pieces. Cut cheese into small chunks and melt in sauce pan. Combine in large pan: chicken, noodles, cheese, soups, and Rotel. Mix well and serve.
Oooo, my little brother’s Tangy Flank Steak! Yummm. With Ree’s broasted potatoes in the pouch!!
I am always looking for good recipes that are simple. I love our chicken casserole. So easy to make and very tasty. Would love to have more easy to make recipes that are delicious.
My favourite recipe would have to be for my homemade sweet and sour sauce. To put on top of meatballs cooked in a slow cooker and rice!! Yummy!! absolutely love it! passed down from my grandma to my mom and now to me.
My favorite would have to be my pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin pie but only if it is made like my MaMa used to make.
Debby Creager
creagers@windstream.net
My favorite would be home made chili sauce, served over meatloaf, but it is one of those just do it recipes, no actual measuring.
wow, I love cookbooks of all kinds; some very interesting reading there. The pictures are so intising.
My dh loves simple cooking as he doesn’t go for much spices/sauces so this would be great to win.
My favorite recipe, many times used, is Chili; I got the recipe from Mom years ago. My dh and I eat it on/with French Fries, mashed potatoes, rice, cook potatoes, bread, macaroni. It is so versatile.
My fav recipe has got to be homemade pizza! We make it every Friday night at my house and friends know it is an open invitation. Hubby makes the sauce, I make the crust in the bread maker and friendly conversation makes pies!
My favorite would have to be my mother-in-law’s Aspargus and Eggs…yum I have tried to make it, but (after 30 years) it still isn’t as good as Moms. What can I say, she gave me the receipe but she’s the one that makes it great!
Paula Deen’s son Bobby’s Caramel Cake…….absolutely heaven on earth!
Deidre
My favorite is a $100 Cake. My mother always mad it. It won $100 in a state fair, thus the name. It is a no egg recipe and you use mayonnaise or Miricle Whip instead of eggs. It makes a great chocolate cake.
That would have to be my honey’s pot roast recipe…which is a family secret. So, under penalty of death, I cannot reveal it…but it rocks!!!
fav recipe of all time
bakes zitti
2lbs of beef
2lbs of zities
4lbs of cheeses
2 containers of rigatta cheese
Spegetti Sauce
brown the beef and make the spegetti sauce to your taste preferances
boil the noodles tillthey r half cooked
then start layering the noodles sauce cheese and ragotta then repete
last layer add sauce and some cheese
bake at 350 till the cheese is melted and golden brown
let stand for about 10 minutes then serve