It's Christmas Day and Santa has been here for a visit. I wish everyone a joyous day and hope all family and friends are doing well.
Today, we have two books being reviewed. From collectible to inexpensive. First up is a book written by my friend Barbara Harris. "Let's Cook Microwave!". Barbara had one of the original cookbooks on microwaving published in the 1970's. In the 70's, if you sold 35,000 books, you were placed on the New York Times Best Sellers List. Over a course of 27 printings and 15 years, Barbara has sold over 800, 000 copies of this cookbook.
I was impressed and like many others, rarely use my microwave for anything other than re-heating. So I put her book to the test. I made Almond Noodles (Pasta) and Magic Velvet Fudge (made in less than 10 minutes). The Fudge was then shipped over to my son in Afghanistan and loved by all he shared it with. The recipes were quick, easy and delicious and made actually using the high heat, that I use to re-heat almost everything.
Barbara's book is selling on my Amazon storefront "One of A Kind Cookbooks" as a collectible. Brand-new, expensive and autographed. Her book as a collectible, sells for up to $900.00 on Amazon. My price is $199.00. Though a generic autograph is included, we can also have it personalized for an individual.
Now for the recipes:
Magic Velvet Fudge
3 (6oz) packages chocolate chips
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
In 1 1/2 qt glass casserole, microwave (high) chips, 2 minutes, rotating 1/4 turn halfway through cooking. (note most microwaves now do their own rotating). Stir until smooth. Blend in milk, vanilla, powdered sugar and salt. Add nuts, blending well. Pour into a 12 x 8 inch dish lined with wax paper. Chill until firm. Makes 1 1/2 lbs.
Among the 100's of recipes in this book, Barbara also shows you how to make homemade sweetened condensed milk-I took the easy way out and bought the can from the store already made.
Almond Noodles
8 oz Fettuccine noodles
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
Pepper
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup toasted silvered almonds
1/2 cup Romano cheese
Prepare noodles-Barbara teaches you how to do these in the microwave. I did it the old-fashioned way, boiling them on the stove. The microwave takes a little longer. Meanwhile, while the pasta is cooking, microwave (high) butter, oil, garlic and parsley. Blend with noodles. Pepper to taste. Add sesame seeds, almonds and cheese. Toss well to blend. Serves 4
Serve this with a nice salad, and then fudge for dessert!
"Steaks, Ribs, Chops and all the fixing's that make 'em great" by Better Homes and Gardens for $12.99-New.
I made a couple of recipes from this book last week and I want to share them with you. This book is for the meat lover in your family. I made Whisky Steak (not misspelled), a nice salad and Banana Streusel Pie for dessert. The Steak recipe comes from the Hereford House in Kansas City, serving folks since 1957.
Whisky Steak
8 (3oz) beef tenderloin medallions
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp clarified butter or cooking oil
2 tbsp finely chopped shallot or yellow onions
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup bourbon
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
Lightly sprinkle medallions with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat butter or oil, add medallions and cook to desired doneness, turning once (allow 7 to 9 minutes for medium doneness). Remove medallions from skillet. Keep warm
For sauce, reserve 1 tablespoon of the drippings in the skillet, discard remaining drippings. Add shallot or onions. Cook and stir until sort and lightly browned. Carefully add beef broth, then bourbon. Bring to boiling. Boil rapidly uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 3/4 cup. Stir in cream and mustard. Return to boiling. Boil rapidly, uncovered for 2 to 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1 cup. (Sauce will thicken enough to coat a spoon).
Transfer medallions to 4 serving plates. Pour some of the sauce over medallions; pass remaining sauce. Makes 4 servings
My mouth is watering for some more of these medallions.
Next Up: Banana Streusel Pie
1 Single Crust Pie
4 cups sliced banana (about 5)
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts or almonds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
Line your un-baked pie crust with a double thickness of foil. Bake pie crust in a 400 F oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 4 to 6 minutes more or until pastry is golden. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375 F.
Meanwhile in a bowl, gently toss together the bananas, pineapple juice and lemon juice. Drain, reserving juices. Gently toss bananas with the lemon peel, sugar and the 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Spoon mixture into pastry shell. In a saucepan, combine the reserved juices and the cornstarch. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Pour over banana mixture in shell.
For streusel, combine the flour, brown sugar, nuts or almonds and the 1 tsp cinnamon. With a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over banana mixture. Cover the edge of pie with foil. Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until topping is golden brown and edge is bubbly. Cool on wire rack. Makes 8 servings.
I have almost 1000 cookbooks for sale on my Amazon storefront "One of a Kind Cookbooks". I ship from Las Vegas, NV in 2 business days. Prices range from $.99 to hundreds of dollars. Something for everyone. Christmas may be over, but eating continues every day. So come look for your favorite cookbook. Happy Cooking!
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