Snowed in Hartford

This is my second try. Hate it when I get it all written and the computer zaps it out.  I know it is probably something I have done. But I would rather blame it on the computer.

Anyway here I am in snowy Hartford at the Sheraton in the airport,   Doing my other job-as a flight attendant.  Waiting for the runways to be cleared and the planes to be de-iced.

We have one book up today, all about appetizers.  "In the beginning--- a collection of hors d'oeuvres". The following recipes were big hits at a recent cocktail party.
First up: Old Time Eggplant
1 1/2 pounds  eggplant
1/2 cup chopped frozen onion  3/8 tsp oil
Salt and pepper

This is an old Roumanian recipe.

Boil eggplant in covered pot, until it is quite soft when pierced with fork. Peel off outer skin.  Chop in wooden bowl until the texture is fine.  Add onion and oil.  stir and cool.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

It can be prepared 2 days in advance.  Serve as a spread with crackers at room temperature. Or cold.  This can also be used as a cold summer salad or side dish vegetable.

"Appetizer Ranch Ribs"

2/3tbsp Karo all-purpose syrup
2 tbsp corn starch
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp ginger
1/4 cup vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
Dash of Tabasco sauce

Cook above ingredients for five minutes.  Have butcher crack 4 pounds spare ribs I to 2 long pieces.  Prior to cooking, cut apart and separate intoribs.  (My grocery actually does all the work and already has them cracked and cut into 2 inch pieces- ready to buy).  Simmer ribs in pot of water to cover.  The add one onion and cook until tender, but meat still clings to the bone.  Drain ribs and chill.  Can be made as long as two days before and kept in refrigerator.  When ready. To bake, place ribs on rack in large pan, and brush with the sauce.  Pour sauce over ribs inland.  Place in a 325 F oven.  Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until tender and glazed, basting often.

 Serve with prepared horseradish to dip in.

This book sells new for $7.99.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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!

Christmas/Cocktail Party

Last night I went to my friend VernaLisa's home for a Christmas Cookie Exchange/Cocktail Party.  It was a wonderful party with 55 of my oldest and new friends.  VernaLisa lives on a beautiful estate on the eastside of Las Vegas.  Her home was decorated to the nines for Christmas with Bill Rozak, a talented local musician, who performed for hours non-stop on his organ.  Bill performs at almost all of Vernalisa's parties and we love him and his music.

I decided not to participate in the Cookie Exchange this year, because the last thing I need is 4 dozen delicious cookies in my home waiting to be eaten.  So instead, I brought an appetizer "One-Dish Cajun Shrimp Delish".  This recipe is by Art Ginsberg, "Mr. Food" from the cookbook: "The Best of Mr. Food Cookin' Quickies".  Look for this cookbook on my 'One of a Kind Cookbooks'  storefront on Amazon.  The ISBN is 0848725239.  The price is $22.99.  This is a collectible book-out of print and in brand new condition and there is only one of these.  Now enjoy the recipe from this cookbook-I sure did.

One-Dish Cajun Shrimp Delish
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
2 pounds unpeeled, large fresh shrimp (about 25 per pound)

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Place butter in an ungreased 9"x13" baking dish; place in oven until butter melts, about 4 minutes.

Stir wine, Cajun seasoning and shrimp into butter in dish.  Bake, uncovered at 400F for 15 minutes or until shrimp turns pink, stirring occasionally.  Serve in shallow bowls.

Name Change

The name on this Blog before was Cookbook Val.  Now it is One of a Kind Cookbooks.  That is my store name with Amazon.  One of a Kind means literally I have one only cookbook by that title.  Some cookbooks are collectible-I have been to many estate sales in Las Vegas lately.  Many are written by celebrity chefs.  And most of them are just good old-fashioned cookbooks with great recipes.  You will still see a few bargains under my Amazon storefront for $1 and up.  But for the most part, my prices now start at $3.99 and up.

My new goal with this blog is to create a recipe from one or two of cookbooks that I am selling each week.  Report on the goodness of it-give you the recipe too and then maybe that will convince you to buy this book.  Or another book.  Plus, look forward to seeing videos of me cooking these recipes in the future on You Tube.

So look at Amazon for the storefront "One of a Kind Cookbooks"-that's me, Valerie Brown

Recipes For Life

Some cause happiness wherever they go; whenever they go. -Oscar Wilde

Since my work base is Milwaukee and I spend so much time there, I thought I would give you the tourism overview of things to see and do.
The The Milwaukee Food Tour: a 2.5 hours progressive food meal with a taste of history-all foods & drinks included. 800-979-3370. www.milwaukeefoodtours.com
The Wisconsin Cheese Bar Cheesemart, established in 1938.  Cheese Store during the day, Cheese Bar at night! 1048 N. Old World St, Milwaukee, WI 53203. 414-272-3544. www.wisconsincheesemart.com
Harley Davidson-experience the anatomy of an engine with a motorcycle tour of their factory.  www.harley-davidson.com/experiencew or 877-883-1450
Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion-represents the epitome of America's Gilded Age splendor in Milwaukee For a museum-2000 W. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53233 or 414-931-0808

More to come on Milwaukee

Appetizers for the Party Season:
Slow-Cooker Spinach Dip (my favorite from the Food Network)
Mix 1 cup grated smoked mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 box thawed frozen spinach, 1 jar artichoke hearts, and salt and pepper in a slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high for 2 hours.

Recipes for Life

Abandon the search for Truth, settle for a good fantasy.

Clos Montmartre-There's a vineyard that still exists in the middle of Paris, in Montmartre, the last survivor of the many, mostly abbey-owned, that were in the city when it had walls, few bridges and a great iron cauldron near the river in which counterfeiters were boiled alive in oil.  The vineyard is at the corner of rue des Sai;es amd rie Saomt Vomcemt, a few streets from Sacre'-Coeur.  It is small, producing only five hundred bottles of wine a year that are sold on in the mairie of the 18th arrondissement and also at auction.  The wine is not expensive and not great, but from the heart of France.

I saw an advertisement for Chey Boyardee canned pasta recently and I knew I had to try it. Chef Hector Boiardi(real name) was the original "Chef Boyardee", and he catered the wedding of President Wilson in 1915-with Ravioli Lasagna.

Ravioli Lasagna

Pam No-Stick Cooking Spray; 1 cup frozen loose cut leaf spinach; 2 cans (15oz each) Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli; 1 can (14.5oz) Hunt's Diced Tomatoes, drained well; 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning; 1 cup 1 % low-fat cottage cheese; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

Preheat oven to 375*F.  Spray 8x8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Place spinach in microwave-safe bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH 2 minutes; squeeze spinach dry.  Combine ravioli, tomatoes and Italian seasoning in microwave-safe bowl.  Cover in plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture is hot. Combine cottage cheese, spinach and black pepper in bowl.  Place half of ravioli mixture in bottom of baking dish.  Top with half of cottage cheese mixture and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.  Repeat layers.  Bake 15 minutes or until is  bubbly.

Now of course this is the updated version-you didn't have Pam Spray, you would have buttered the dish and we all know there weren't microwaves that early and of course you would have had to shred your own cheeses.  But what a great recipe to use that canned pasta that your kids love into a new dish!

Recipes For Life

My mind works like lightening, one flash and it's gone.

Peaches have been around for more than four thousand years. Originally from China, where it was considered both a symbol of immortality and of female genitalia. To reach maximum sweetness, peaches must ripen on the tree. Those sold at supermarkets have often been picked too early and then shipped. A ripe peach will yield slightly to finger pressure. Those much softer will spoil quickly. Both yellow and white peaches are good for eating fresh. Yellow are better in pies and can be bought a bit harder for easier slicing, since they'll soften during baking. Size doesn't matter.

Recently on one my overnights, I ate at the O'Malley Pub in the Holiday Inn in Arlington, VA (Crystal City). We went for Happy Hour, which offered the typical fried Happy Hour foods. Instead, my friend and I took advantage of the regular menu, priced as bar menu's are. The food was excellent, hot and flavorful. I had a huge steak quesadilla, that was made with Philly Cheesesteak and my friend had a wonderful Angus Burger. Worth stopping by and having a meal.

The next day, I went to the Crowne Plaza Rooftop Restaurant in Dayton, Ohio. The food is average, the service was excellent and the view was spectacular. 365* degree view of all of Dayton. The place was packed with locals, who come for the view and the excellent Happy Hour prices with wines offered by Sycamore (truly memorable).

Can you fight Cancer With A Cookie? It's not too early to start planning your next bake sale. Launched in 2008, Cookies for Kid's Cancer, helps people organize bake sales to raise money for pediatric-cancer research. Founded by Gretchen Holt-Witt, whose son died of pediatric cancer this past January, she has helped to raise over 4 million dollars in the past 3 years by asking others to host bake sales nationwide. For bake sale kits, logos, signs, tips and recipes, go to www.cookiesforkidscancer.org