Recipes For Life

I'd have a longer attention span, if there weren't so many shiny things.

Yesterday, I had lunch at the French Market Buffet at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas. It was free, free is free. The brisket was tough, and the homemade pistachio ice cream was not homemade, nor did it have any pistachios in it. But free is free.

For happy hour I met 3 of my girlfriends at Sedona IV in Las Vegas. Finally we have found a bar/restaurant that wants middle-aged women and their money. We have had many experiences (my girlfriends and I) at happy hours that don't mind 3 or 4 middle aged women in their bar, but never a dozen. We change the tone of the bar/restaurant. They become no longer young and hip-specifically Rhythm Kitchen of Las Vegas, owned by Scott Ghormley. He made it very clear to us that our business was not welcome. Onto happier things, Sedona IV at Flamingo and 215, welcomed us with open arms. We had a pleasant happy hour with drinks and food. A limited menu for happy hour, but they invited us to join their Loyalty Rewards program and next time we come, we each have $20 to spend on food and drink.

I'm in Milwaukee tonight, getting ready for my trip tomorrow. For dinner tonight I had homemade chicken salad with tortilla chips. Originally this recipe came from Susan Hinton, but once you change it, the recipe becomes yours.

Homemade Chicken Salad: 2 chicken breasts, de-boned and ground up with my handy dandy food chopper, 1/4 cup chopped finely onions (I like them really ground up, so again my food chopper, 1 teaspoon yellow mustard, 2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. I use whatever is handy-this time colby/monterey jack. Blend this all together and serve with tortilla chips. I have never baked this, but I bet you it would be good.

Did you know: "Seedless" in the citrus trade, doesn't mean there are no seeds, but that there are five seeds or fewer per lemon, orange or grapefruit.

May 4, 2010

Yes, it's been a long time since my last blog. Between work, vacation and life in Las Vegas, I have been very busy. I just got back from a week in Cancun, where we stayed at the Mayan Palace in Rivieria Maya. Beautiful facility, great pools. We did a driving tour of Cozumel, saw the Pyramids at Chitzen Itza, & went shopping in Cancun.

I'm off on a work trip tomorrow and won't be back until late Sunday night. Hard flight trip, so I won't be on the computer much.

For all of you who have bought cookbooks from me on my Ebay website-Valerie2901-thanks again. But let me vent for a moment. I don't see what the big deal is about the feedback. People get all upset with me if I don't leave feedback. I list about 300 books per week, ship out another 40-100 and this is just a part-time hobby. You buy a cookbook from me, you like it-great, you don't-you complain. What does the feedback really do for you-a pat on the back for buying something on EBay? Do you contact every store you shop at and leave feedback? No, of course you don't. I read an email yesterday that said I was a terrible seller on EBay, because I didn't leave feedback. Now, if someone specifically asks me to leave feedback, I will. And once in a while (very infrequently), if I have some spare time I will leave some feedback until I get bored. So I'm through venting and if you want feedback, remind me to do it for you.

New in Las Vegas-at least new to me-I went to Changs Hong Kong Restaurant on Decatur for Dim Sum. They brought out so many dishes (there were 9 of us), we all thought the bill would be $100 per person. Actually, it was only $16 with gratuity-not bad and very good food. I even ate duck-that is until I knew it was duck-it was very good, but I won't eat duck knowingly. Just a phobia I have.

Went with a friend today and saw the "Back-Up Plan" with Jennifer Lopez. She doesn't have much luck with movies does she. It was okay, just not great and not really funny-I was in the mood for a comedy.

I have about 200 books still to list, it never seems to end. So many great cookbooks, so little time. My personal favorite these days is the "Mr. Food" series-I'm saving all of his, so unless I get duplicates, you won't see any for sale.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

Tonight Pasta Shells with Mascarpone Cheese and Walnuts

I listed a book by Suzanne Somers today on EBay, under Valerie2901 called "The Sexy Years". Women, look for this book. It explains so much about menopause, whether you are in it or not and the menopause that men go through. I have read almost every book Suzanne has written and you have to take some of what she says with a grain of salt. But in every book she does do her homework and the research. This has nothing to do with cooking, but it is a book I recommend.

Again not cooking, but at least something to do with food. Soften your feet with a lime and sea salt scrub. Sea salts smooth out tough calluses, the vitamin C in the lime brightens your skin tone and Epsom salts reduce excess swelling.

Dampen feet. Dip half a lime in sea salts and scrub over calluses. Fill a basin with warm water and 1-2 cups Epsom salts. Soak for 10 minutes. Dry and moisturize with a foot cream.

My chef for today is Brian Boitano. Not that well known, but he is on Food Network. Brian is a Former Olympic Figure Skater. His website is www.brianboitano.com , which will link you to the Food Network and his recipes. He has alot of fun with his cooking and the recipes are easy to produce and very tasteful. This is a chef worth knowing more about.

Last night I made chicken wings again, but I think this is the last time, I will be deep-frying them. Set off the smoke alarm many times-I'm sure my neighbors loved that whiny sound of the smoke detector. This time, I took the time and made my favorite wing sauce.

My wing sauce: 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 bottle Louisiana hot sauce, celery sticks, blue cheese dressing.

Melt butter in a small sauce pan. Add the hot sauce; stir until well-blended. If you like your wings hotter, add the rest of the hot sauce bottle.

After chicken wings are fried & drained, place in a serving bowl. Pour sauce over wings, mix well. Serve with celery and blue cheese dressing on the side.

Does it get any easier than this!!!

Tonight I will be cooking Pasta Shells with Mascarpone cheese and Walnuts. Why don't you make some too and we'll compare notes:

4 tbsp butter, 6 oz mascarpone cheese or double-creme, 1/2 lb pasta shells, cooked and drained, 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 2 oz shelled walnuts, chopped coarse, salt, freshly ground black pepper.

In a heatproof serving dish, melt the butter and cheese. It must gently heat, not boil.

To this mixture, add the cooked pasta. Turn it round and round adding half the Parmesan cheese. Add the walnuts and and add salt to taste. Sprinkle liberally with pepper. Serve remaining Parmesan cheese separately.

Start planning now for the Whoopie Pie Festival, September 18, 2010 at the Hershey Farm Restaurant & Inn in Lancaster, PA. There will be a Whoopie Pie Treasure Hunt, Whoopie Pie Race, & so much more. www.whoopiepiefestival.com

And last but not least, more trivia on Las Vegas & Elvis Presley:

Many people assume that Elvis lived in Las Vegas between 1969 and 1976. In fact, he performed her just eight weeks (often spilt between January and August).

Elvis helped design the Imperial Suite on the 30th floor of the Hilton, where he stayed during his engagements. The suite no longer exists (it does really, but now it's the Barry Manilow suite).

In 1964's Viva Las Vegas, Elvis marries Ann-Margaret at Little Church of the West. The church, in operation for almost 70 years is the oldest structure still standing on the Strip.

More to come.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

Pasta to die for!

You all know I love Pasta. Well, I have the best Alfredo sauce ever for you to try. It came from the book The Joy of Pasta, which is available for sale on my EBay listing-Valerie2901. This book has incredible recipes, that are rich and creamy and oh sooo... easy to make.

Alfredo Sauce

1/4 pound butter, 1 cup heavy cream, salt, 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, fresh ground black pepper, pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, 1 pound fettuccine pasta

In a heavy heatproof casserole, combine the butter and 1/2 cup of the cream. Simmer over low heat until the butter has melted; this should take less than 1 minute. Turn off heat.

Prepare pasta, drain, then transfer to the casserole with the butter and cream. Turn the heat on under the casserole and with 2 wooden spoons or forks, lift the pasta and toss well, coating it completely with the sauce. Add the remaining 1/2 cup cream, Parmesan cheese, some salt and pepper to taste,l and nutmeg. Toss briefly for another minute, correct the seasoning and serve immediately with more Parmesan cheese on the side.

Don't take any shortcuts with this recipe. It changes the flavor alot. This is a very simple, but delicious recipe and will only add about 5 minutes to your cooking time.

Last night I went with a friend to the House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay. They had the best happy hour special. Ever heard of the 1-2-3 deal. $1-beers, $2-well drinks & $3-house wines. Plus all the appetizers were half off. Lots of people, no one famous, but food was good, and there was plenty of music to listen too.

Make your whole body velvety with an oatmeal and shea butter treatment! Oatmeal gently lifts away rough dry skin and rich shea butter makes skin feel extra-supple!

Mix 1 cup ground oatmeal, 1 cup olive oil and 1 tbsp honey. In the shower, massage scrub onto skin. Rinse and pat dry. Massage in a rich shea butter cream or lotion.

Chef of the Day: Rachael Ray-visit her website and blog on www.rachaelray.com. In 2006, Rachael launched a non-profit organization that empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids and funding cooking education and scholarships.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

Pomegranates-what are they?

Today I discovered pomegranates at the 99 America store, that I go here to in Las Vegas. The Mexican produce guy called it Granada (maybe the spelling is wrong), but this is how it sounded. I wasn't sure what to do with pomegranates or much about them at all. I have had pomegranate juice, but that is my total knowledge of the fruit. I have learned that each pomegranate provides about a half cup of juice, but it's the seeds that are the best thing. You don't rinse them or dry them-you just eat the seeds as they come of the pomegranate. They can be frozen, whole as they are for future use. The health benefits seem to be that the juice provides 16% of your daily Vitamin C requirement and is a good source of B5 (pantothenic acid), potassium and antioxidant polyphenols. In addition to that, studies show that pomegranate juice is effective in reducing heart disease, reducing blood pressure and dental plaque. I have found some recipes to try-Sticky Red Wings with pomegranate juice and seeds and a pomegranate yogurt dip, to be served with vegetables. I will let you know how they turn out, after being made.

Have super-silky hair with a mint and lemongrass treatment! Mint boosts circulation so hair grows faster and lemongrass oil leaves hair soft and shiny!

Steep 4-6 mint tea bags for 10 minutes. Let cool, and pour over dry hair and scalp. Blend 1-3 drops of lemongrass oil into a cup of olive or sunflower oil and massage into scalp. Apply shampoo directly to oiled hair (do not rinse first). Lather well, thoroughly rinse and condition as usual.

My recipe of the day is for Blackberry Pie. I used frozen, which worked out wonderful and I would highly recommend vanilla ice cream to be served with this.

3 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen, 1 cup sugar, 3 tbsp flour 1 tbsp grated lemon rind, 4 tbsp butter.

Combine flour, sugar and lemon rind. Add to the berries. Using your favorite crust, line the pie tin. Dot with 2 tbsp butter. Pour in berries. Dot with with remaining 2 tbsp butter. Cover, with a lattice crust. Bake in a hot oven (400F) for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325F and bake for 20-30 minutes more. Hmm delicious.

The cookbooks on EBay are starting to sell again. Thank you! I have a bunch of really good ones that I'm going to be listing over the next few days, so keep your eyes out for them under my EBay listing of Valerie2901.

Chefs of the day are Mary Sue Milliken & Susan Feniger. They own two restaurants in Los Angeles-Borders Grill Santa Monica & Ciudad and one restaurant in Las Vegas-Border Grill Las Vegas at the Mandalay Hotel. I'm not familiar with these restaurants, but they must be doing something right. So I'm going to give them a try in the next week or so. Keep up with Chef Jeremy Tummel news at www.marysueandsusan.com/newsletter.htm.

New York was lots of fun and I have those Tiffany knock-off necklaces for great Christmas gifts.

More Las Vegas trivia: Valley of Fire is Nevada's oldest and largest state park. The valley derives its name from the red sandstone formations and stark beauty of the Mojave Desert. Ancient remnants of early man can be found throughout the park in 3,000-year-old petroglyphs. The park is located 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

That's all for now.

Cookbook Val

The Martini

I don't really drink Martinis, too strong for me. One time, I had a severe head cold, was out with friends and they convinced me to have 3 martinis-the next time my head cold was gone. The alcohol was so...strong, it killed all the cold germs in me.

There is something about a Martini,
A tingle remarkably pleasant;
A yellow, a mellow Martini;
I wish that I had one at present.
There is something about a Martini,
Ere the dining and dancing begin,
And to tell you the truth,
It is not the vermouth-
I think that perhaps it's the gin--Collected Verse From 1929 On, Ogden Nash

Last night, after my blog, I think I had the best "box" pizza I have ever had! All Natural French Pastry Pizza Singles-goat cheese & onion. Vegetarian, no trans fats. It is put out by Alex & Liz, founders of Olive Street Table LLC in Santa Barbara, CA or www.tfppc.com. The pastry was actually a light fluffy pie crust. Honestly, it was the best pie crust (or pizza crust), I have ever had, so rich, buttery-perfect.

Today, I spent some time and money at the Palazzo in Las Vegas. It is beautiful, but I'm trying to figure out what the big deal is about it. Very understated, in an elegant way. The marble tiles in the bathroom were good. And unfortunately, I don't have the monetary budget for their shopping arcade. By the looks of the lack of traffic in the stores, neither does anyone else. I did win and lose hundreds of dollars for a couple of hours and ended up breaking even-thank goodness.

I got my bi-monthly pedicure and then went on to the shop next door to get my hair layered. The hair-raisers shop is at Jones & Flamingos in the Smith shopping Center. My hair dresser, Debbie, a former showgirl, now in her 40's, proceeded to give me a teased, big bouffant hair from somewhere in the 1960's. Is she kidding me or what! Plus the sign, said haircuts, $13.99. My bill came to $35.00, plus tip-needless to say, her tip may been bigger, but not when she charges me more than double the price, plus an out-of-date hairdo, shes lucky she got any tip at all. Being the nice person I am, I left without saying anything, went to my car and flattened out my hair. Luckily, I have good hair, that responds to just about anything.

Tonight, I made this great easy chicken recipe that you need to follow exactly:

Burnt Mushroom Chicken

1 to 2 tbsp. lemon juice, 2 to 3 tbsp. butter or margarine, 4 oz. can sliced mushrooms, 4 to 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Melt butter and lemon juice. Saute' chicken breasts and mushrooms on medium heat. Remove chicken when done (3 to 4 minutes per side, or until no longer pink inside). Continuing saute'ing mushrooms until crispy (burnt). Serve with mushrooms on side or top of chicken.

I used no salt or pepper, and this was wonderful. I will definetly use this in the future.

Now, a plug for my ebay cookbooks website-Valerie2901. 3 books that have not sold in a long time and they should have. "Quick from Scratch-PASTA" by Food & Wine Books. Easy pasta, tasty menus, little time. Another Pasta book-"Great Meals in Minutes-Pasta Menus". Pasta is just not in these days and I don't know why not. The third book is "Classic Recipes For Everyday Cooking" by Better Homes & Gardens-a great starter book for the new cook in your family. All have great, easy recipes, some simple, some elegant-all wonderful. Pasta does not sell easily. I love cooking pasta, in fact I have made many pasta recipes from the Food Network with Giada-great cook, easy recipes. My thing with pasta is easy, a few ingredients, not too greasy, even light if possible.

Tonight, I also went to a show at the Southpoint Htl & Casino to see Ronn Lucas, a ventroliquist. I have seen him many times on cruise ships and always enjoy his show. He will be playing there for the next 5-6 weeks on Thursday night at 7:30pm, well worth the small fee of $20 per person. Maybe the best and least expensive show in town right now.

Cookbook Val

My niche in life

I think I have found my niche in life-filling you with useless and not-so-useless information. As well as recipes to keep you cooking and your stomach filled. I think that's it. That's what this blog is for, my unrequited need to teach people about food and the flavors, tastes, scents and seasonings.

My Wine Tribute: SHERRY: A self-willed wine!

Sherry is a self-willed wine which gives a good deal of trouble to its guardians during its early years; it must have its own way, but like many a difficult child, when Sherry reaches the age of sweet reasonableness, it is the most amenable of all wines, the only one that will not let its nose be put out by being left overnight and even for some days in a decanter; the only one to put up cheerfully with cigarette smoke and over-scented women-A Wine Primer, Andre Simon 1986.

This next book up, I would love to own, but I'm afraid if I did, I would use it all the time. Look for the next 2 books under cookbooks on EBay or Valerie2901. "Mini-Fryer Cookery" by Barbara Melhven. 211 tested recipes from hot appetizers to main dishes, beef fondue to desserts-all deep-fried. Just the way I like it. I had chicken wings about 2 months ago and felt so guilty. I still have french fries once in awhile, that is my comfort food, when I'm not feeling good-so I save it for that time. I think my writing my chicken wings cookbook is the way I can warrant eating chicken wings once in awhile, because I have to test the recipes.

The other book I can recommend is: "Grilling With The Perfect Flame Cookbook". The author is the Grill Company published in 1995. It is not a big book by any means (only 36 pages), but good easy grilling recipes, great marinades, sauces and ideas.

An example: Key Lime Shrimp

1 lb. large raw shrimp, 1/4 cup- lime juice, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, 1 tsp. garlic, minced.

Peel shrimp, leaving tails intact and thread shrimp on skewers. Mix remaining ingredients in bowl. Grill skewers for about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Brush on sauce while grilling. Arrange on platter and serve immediately.

I don't even have to make this recipe, to know it will work and taste good.

I spent the day scouring thrift stores for cookbooks and hit the mother lode at the Outreach Community Center on Lake Mead Blvd in North Las Vegas. Overall today, I bought approximately 70 new and used cookbooks.

I also hit the Poker Palace for bingo-me and all the old people. Of course, I didn't win, I never do, but I was throughly entertained.

Cookbook Val

Turkish Cookery by Inci Kut

Turkish Cookery is my cookbook to talk about today. Listed on my EBay website-Valerie2901 under the general headings of cookbooks. I have been to Turkey a couple of times, so I'm really enjoying reading this. The culinary art in Turkey is made of a great variety of delicious dishes which are a mixture of various delicacies inherited from different regions of the vast Ottoman Empire. Among different parts of Turkish Cookery, the most notable are hors d'oeuvres (meze), pastries (borek) filled with meat, cheese, vegetables or any other filling, stuffed vegetables and vine leaves (dolma) of two different kinds with meat or rice, broiled or roasted meat dishes (kebab and kofte), different kinds of rice dishes (pilav) and finally vegetables cooked in oil (zeytinyagli). There is so much more in this book to learn about the food and culture. One of my exotic books.

I thought of another cookbook that sells really well: George Foreman cookbooks! I love my George Foreman Grill-use it all the time. The books are well worth getting.

One of my favrite places to eat in Las Vegas is at Ellis Island Casino-one of the best deals in town-for $6.99, you get a 16 ounce beer from their micro brewery on site, a large salad, a baked potatoe and a 10 ounce top sirloin (and the steak is really good). What a deal!

Also, yesterday, besides picking up the fabulous rasberries, I picked up a bag of 6 pears and a bag filled with a dozen plums, for $.99 each.

That,s all for n0w.
Cookbook Val

Spicy Avocado Dressing?

I love the chicken at El Loco Pollo or is it El Pollo Loco (translates-The Crazy Chicken) & one of their salsas/sauces they serve is a spicy avocado dressing-which they won't divulge the ingredients. I thought maybe it was really just a jalapeno dressing, but that isn't it. My wish list also is to have their marinade that they put on their chicken, prior to grilling. The best grilled chicken in town. They have fast food stores (but all grilled chicken) in most major cities.

I'm in Charlotte, NC, sitting in a hotel on a Sunday afternoon with no TV reception, due to the pouring rain outside. I'm surprised the internet has held up with all the thunder and lightening outside. My flight will be delayed tonight, I can see it already.

I'm amazed how many people are obessed with weather. Did you know that there are 3 hurricanes in the Atlantic right now. My co-workers are constantly huddled over their Blackberry, tracking the progress. Like maybe it will fly off its path and maybe hit Charlotte, as we lounge in our hoel rooms.

Back to my thrift store shopping in Las Vegas. No, I'm not obessed with it, but I do enjoy the buys, I sometimes find. The Oppotunity Village on Main St. Not the best of areas. It seems to be a fledgling art/antique district. The store is located next to a Bail Bonds office. Inside the store it is kept neat and clean, with 3-4 supervisors on duty and approximately 15 mentally retarded young men & women. The staff is amazingly so patient with their workers-while teaching them basic skills in a retail environment. This store has some local connection with Pier One Imports and donations. Lots of new Pier One stuff sold here all the time for $.99 and up. I have bought some future good Christmas presents here. They also recently got a huge brand new wedding dresses donation-in every size from $20 & up. Every time I visit, there is at least one future bride trying on a wedding dress that she can actually afford to buy. It is so sweet to see!

I know some people are reading this now. It feels good to be interactive (is this a correct statement) on the internet.