TaraCooks has Moved

If you are reading this then you probably have bookmarked this page and returned to it.  Or maybe you clicked a link from another site.  The new site is at www.taracooks.com.  Now that’s the same address you typed in previously.  However, it was redirected to taracooks.wordpress.com.  So if you have an old link or bookmark please update it with www.taracooks.com.   We now have some flexibility to add some new features.

And visit often…we’ll keep posting great recipes.  -Richard

TaraCooks Gets a New Look

Hey food lovers, we’ve had a blast cooking  and photographing some great recipes for the TaraCooks.com web site.  I have found WordPress.com a great way to publish this type of web page.  But we want to go beyond what we can do here and I will be moving the web site to another web hosting company on Saturday.  I’ll be using WordPress.org this time and will have more flexibility and will be able to add more features.  There may be some ups and downs on Saturday but check back to see the new look.  If you like what you see here, please tell your friends.

Black Eyed Pea Salad

Black Eyed Pea Salad

Here’s a delightfully different salad recipe I got from Pioneer Woman.  However, as with most anything I set out to do, I don’t follow the rules and do it MY WAY.  I’ve never really been a fan of black eyed peas, but this salad is incredible.  Before passing judgement – be brave, be bold, and try it! 

I served this as a salad, but you could also serve it as a salsa/dip along with corn chips.  Either way, you can’t go wrong.

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon fine ground black pepper

Salad:

• 1 sweet red pepper, cored, sliced, and diced
• 1 sweet green pepper, cored, sliced, and diced
• 1-2 fresh jalepeno peppers, cored, seeded, sliced, and diced (if you love HOT, leave some seeds)
• 1 peeled, cored, diced cucumber
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2-3 stalks celery, chopped and diced
• 2 cans drained black eyed peas

 Prepare dressing, set aside.  Chop fresh veggies.  Place chopped veggies in a large salad bowl.  Add peas and stir.  Pour dressing over veggies and peas. Toss to coat veggies with dressing.  Cover and refrigerate a couple of hours before serving. 

Variation:

I’ve already made this salad twice this week.  The second time, I used black beans instead of the black eyed peas.  When I make this again, I plan to add a chopped avacodo and a little fresh garlic in the mix.  I believe we have a new favorite at our house for the new year.

Pineapple Cheese Ball

Pineapple Cheese Ball

• 2- 8oz packages cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1- 8oz can crushed pineapple, drained
• ½ cup chopped green pepper
• 2 Tablespoons finely grated onion
• 1 teaspoon Lowry’s seasoned salt
• 1 ½ cups chopped pecans

In a large mixing bowl whip cream cheese until smooth.

Add the drained pineapple, chopped green pepper, grated onion.  Mix until blended.  Then add the seasoned salt.

Form 1 large, or 2 smaller balls with this mixture. (I like to wrap the mixture in wax paper to form a ball). Then roll the cream cheese ball in the chopped pecans to evenly coat.  Wrap completed cheese ball(s) in wax paper and refrigerate until firm (2-4 hours).  Serve with Wheat Thins.  We rarely have any of this cheese ball left over.  However, it is best when consumed within a day or two.

Sherried Cream of Tomato Soup

Once you try this soup – you’ll never go back to Campbell’s again.  I keep the ingredients on hand at all times during the winter.  If we ever do get snowed in,  we’re ready!   Make this soup, put on your comfy pants, curl up by the fire, and read a book.  It’s just too easy to make and it tastes so good. 

Sherried Cream of Tomato Soup

• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 46-ounce bottle or can tomato juice or V-8 juice
• 2 14 ounce cans petite diced tomatoes
• 2-3 chicken bullion cubes (I use NO CHICK’N)
• Pinch of salt
• Black Pepper
• 1 cup cooking sherry
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream – yes heavy cream
• chopped fresh parsley (optional)
• chopped fresh basil (optional)

In soup pot, sauté diced onions in butter until translucent. Add canned tomatoes. Add tomato juice, NO CHICK’N bullion cubes, pinch of salt and black pepper then stir to dissolve bullion cubes. Bring to a near boil, and then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Garnish with chopped herbs if desired. Serve warm with French bread.

Black Eyed Peas-N-Pork

Black Eyed Peas- N- Pork  
 

Our gang here at TaraCooks.com would like to wish all of you a very Happy New Year.  May God bless your lives with health, happiness, and His spirit today and throughout 2009! 

Here’s how to get all the New Year’s traditions in one main dish.  It contains those “lucky” black eyed peas.  Pork and cabbage go in the mix that so many folks here in the south serve with the peas.  This recipe is a complete experiment for me, and one I created after consulting with my life long friend Amanda.   

Brown 1 pound ground pork in large iron skillet over medium heat. (There was practically NO grease that cooked out of the pork. I was surprised). 

Add:

• 1 chopped green pepper
• 1 chopped medium sweet onion
• ½ cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped cabbage (I used slaw mix, without the dressing) 

Cook chopped veggies with ground pork until onions are translucent. 

Then add:

• ½ cup Minute Rice
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 can drained black eyed peas
• Salt and Pepper to taste 

Simmer until rice is done and liquid chicken broth is absorbed. 

Serve in large cabbage leaves. 

Although I served this dish in the cabbage leaves, you could simply serve from the iron skillet for simplicity’s sake.  Amanda made a similar dish with potatoes and carrots in place of the slaw mix and rice.  She was able to roll spoonfuls of her mix into cabbage leaves, secure with a toothpick, and bake with some canned tomatoes as topping.  We both could imagine some country ham pieces accenting this dish too!  Any how, I had fun creating a new dish, and consulting with an old friend.  I was also pleased with the taste.  And I’m no longer a virgin ground pork chef!

Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Ganache

• 3/4 cup real whipping cream
• 8 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

In a medium saucepan, bring whipping cream to a boil.  Remove from heat and add chocolate. Stir until blended. 

Serve chocolate ganache with an assortment of dippers, such as fresh strawberries, pretzel sticks, pound cake chunks, marshmallows, apple slices, or other fresh fruit.  Great for parties!  Leftover ganache can be stored in an airtight container, then zapped in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.

Seven Layer Salad

Seven Layer Salad 

In a 9 x 13 dish place the following: 

• 1 head chopped iceberg lettuce (1st layer) 

Combine:

• ½ cup chopped celery (2nd layer)
• ½ cup chopped green pepper (2nd layer)
• ½ cup chopped green onion (2nd layer) 
• 1 package frozen green peas, thawed (3th layer) 
• ¾ cup sour cream mixed with ¾ cup mayonnaise (4th layer) 
• 1 Tablespoon sugar (5th layer) 
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (6th layer) 
• 8 slices crumbled bacon – optional (7th layer) 

In the photo of my salad, I tired to get all fancy and place the salad in my trifle dish.  It turned out pretty, but I think the ingredients are more evenly placed in the 9 x 13 dish the original recipe instructs.   

Fried Chicken Tenders and Jezebel Sauce

Fried Chicken Tenders

You will need:

• 2 pounds fresh chicken tenders
• Salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 ½ cups plain flour
• 1 ½ cups Ritz cracker crumbs
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 2 teaspoons Lowry’s seasoned salt
• 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons Cajun spice
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• Vegetable Oil for frying

Fried chicken is better when made from fresh, not frozen chicken. Remove fresh chicken tenders from package (I’ve also used the chicken breast and cut my own tenders). Rinse chicken and place in a bowl of water along with 2-3 Tablespoons salt. Soak chicken 30-60 minutes. Pour water off chicken and rinse again. Return chicken to bowl and cover with buttermilk. Let chicken soak in buttermilk at least 30 minutes. Place chicken in refrigerator while soaking in salt water and buttermilk.

While chicken soaks, prepare the breading. Crush the crackers, and then add the flour, all the seasonings, mixing well. Sometimes, I will place the breading in a zip-lock bag to coat the chicken. Sometimes I simply toss chicken with the breading in a large bowl. Either way, the some of the buttermilk needs to be drained off the chicken before the breading takes place. Also, place only 4-6 tenders at a time in the breading. Too many tenders at once are harder to coat. I like to lay the breaded tenders on paper towels as I continue breading and begin frying.

I use a fryer that has a metal basket, along with a thermostat. I fill the fryer up to the maximum oil line. Then I preheat the fryer to 400 degrees. When oil is hot, I add 4-6 tenders to the basket and fry for about 6 minutes, or until the breading is golden brown, but not overdone. If the tenders are very thick, I like to cut into the thickest ones to test for doneness. Sometimes the tenders must be fried a little longer. Remember, pink chicken is not very healthy.

Remove cooked tenders from fryer basket and drain/cool them on clean paper towels. Transfer to your favorite platter when all tenders are ready to serve. See this platter – it belonged to my husband’s grandmother. My mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas this year. This was the first meal served on it in our home.

Our children love all types of dipping sauces. These tenders are excellent served with Jezebel sauce. Other favorites are honey mustard dressing, ranch dressing, and barbeque sauce.

You will make many friends when you serve these tenders.

Jezebel Sauce

What in the world is Jezebel sauce? Well- its zippy, its zesty, and its zingy! And it peps up a lot of fried meats and boring dried beans.

Mix together and store in Rubbermaid or Tupperware bowl:

• 1 pint apple jelly
• 1 pint pineapple or peach preserves
• ¼ cup horseradish
• ½ cup mustard
• 1 Tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard

Mix well, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. Serve as a dipping sauce for fried chicken, shrimp, or fish. This sauce is also tasty served with pinto beans, navy beans, crowder peas, or black eyed peas. Keeps up to 4 weeks in refrigerator.

Stromboli

Stromboli

It’s almost time to ring in a new year. I don’t know about you, but we’ve all had our fill of the traditional dishes like turkey and dressing, ham, rolls, heavy casseroles, and numerous desserts that now hang on our hips and thighs. We will be hosting a New Year’s Eve party at our home for our oldest son and his friends this year. This week, I will be sharing some recipes for our New Year’s Eve menu. Today, I give you the Stromboli.

This is so quick and easy and yet it’s one of those dishes your guests will think you spent a lot of time preparing. The first time I had this dish was at our church life group meeting. I still refer to it as Gina’s Stromboli, since this was her treat for our group to enjoy.

What you will need:

• 1 tube Pillsbury French Loaf dough
• 2 cups of shredded Italian or Mozzarella cheese
• ¼ pound thin sliced deli pepperoni or salami
• ½ pound thin sliced deli smoked turkey
• ½ pound thin sliced deli ham
• 1-2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
• Fresh grated Parmesan Cheese for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly grease a cookie sheet or baking pan.

Open tube and remove dough, handling carefully. Find seam in dough and gently unroll the loaf of French dough on the greased pan. The dough should cover about a 12×8 area once it is unrolled.

Take slices of turkey and cover the entire surface of the dough. Repeat with the ham slices. Place pepperoni mainly in the middle area of the rectangle. If you really love pepperoni cover the entire rectangle.

Cover meats with the shredded Italian cheese.

Sprinkle 1-2 Tablespoons of Italian Seasoning (Oregano/Basil blend)

Starting on the long edge of dough, carefully begin rolling the dough toward opposite long edge. Pinch ends of dough together. Cut 3-4 slits on top of the Stromboli roll with a sharp knife.  (In the photo below, I formed a circle with the rolled up Stromboli to resemble a wreath for Christmas).

Place Stromboli in preheated oven. Cook until crust is golden brown, but not over done. This takes about 20 minutes in my oven, but ovens do vary a bit.

When Stromboli is brown, remove from oven and garnish top with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Let cool slightly. Transfer to your favorite serving platter. Cut into 1” slices to serve.

Variations:

Use other combinations of meats and cheese. My sons like double ham with cheddar cheese. We’ve also used Boar’s Head Salsalita Chicken with Montery Jack cheese and a dash of chili powder. This could easily become a vegetarian dish made with cheeses and veggies like spinach, mushrooms, onions, red and green peppers, black olives, or even zucchini