Only One More Day

In all corners of the USA families are in the midst of holiday celebrations and those last minute details put off until the last possible minute. This post has little to do with cooking, cookbooks, or kitchen duty, and everything to do with life, love, and remembrance.

Tonight my perception of life, to this point, was altered simply by reading a book. Sounds simple doesn't it? Something having such a profound impact is merely the result of a library book recommended by Oprah and my Mother.

Have you read it? Only One More Day author Mitch Albom was recently a guest on television with Oprah in preparation for the movie Sunday night. Several days ago when my Mother mentioned this very moving segment on Oprah and the title of the book I found Only One More Day at the library. I have always preferred reading the book over watching the movie and was really hoping to finish the short book before the movie came on at 9 pm. As it was, the book was not quite finished when I turned on the television for the movie. It was impossible for me to switch from the written word of this story and watch people with a script.

You will learn, as I did, about love, life, disappointment, and those shades of grey which happen while we are living our lives. Please make a point of finding this book. The tiny village of Kaleva has it at the library and I'm sure you can find it too. The name again is Only One More Day and the author is Mitch Albom.

Don't Panic!

Maybe you've been thinking about creating a delicious cheesecake as holiday gifts for friends or family, but then get stuck on timing? Don't panic! Your splendid cheesecake gift can be frozen for up to thirty days without losing a single iota of taste or texture. Just line your spring form pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray before baking. Refrigerate overnight and remove the spring form pan - place the cheesecake on a flat platter and freeze completely. Wrap with aluminum foil and return to the freezer until you're ready! How simple.

Now that you know how - don't miss the holiday gift available for the taking CHEESECAKE VOL1, wonderful assortment of cheesecake recipes just begging to be shared.

CHEESECAKE 1, My Gift to You

In the spirit of the holiday season I am giving my blog readers Free download of CHEESECAKE VOL1 which includes over fifty delicious cheesecake recipes - even no-bake.

Gift giving to my family and friends is always something from my kitchen and has included jams & jellies, pickles & chutney, cookies & cakes, but the gift they most enjoyed was CHEESECAKE. Cheesecake is perfect to have available for last minute company, unplanned gifting, or just to enjoy yourself.

Entertaining?

This is a simple recipe for a last minute dinner guest or elegant dinner party because the ingredients are easy to come by.

Apple-Hazelnut Stuffed Chicken

Stuffing:
Mix 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts,
1 medium apple, chopped (1 cup), and
one 3 oz package cream cheese softened.
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons butter or stick margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat over to 375. Grease square pan, 9x9x2.
Prepare stuffing (as above)
Loosen skin from chicken by inserting fingers between skin and meat; gently separate in center, but leave skin attached at sides.
Spread 1/4 of the stuffing evenly between meat and skin of each chicken breast. Smooth skin back over breasts, tucking under loose areas.
Place chicken skin side up in the greased pan and brush with butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.Bake uncovered 45-55 minutes or until juice of chicken is no longer pink.

Venison Recipes

This delicious venison chili recipe is just one of many in VENISON RECIPES so, if your family is like mine - you can never have too many venison recipes on hand. Right now, deer hunter in my neck of the Michigan woods are in the tail-end of archery season and the start of rifle on the 15th. The general Kaleva consensus is that there are more deer to choose from this year. Maybe it's something to do with global warming?

VENISON CHILI
1 lb. ground venison, crumbled
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup diced celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 cans stewed tomatoes, undrained (14.5 oz. each)
2 cans red kidney beans, drained (14.5 oz. each)
2 cans tomato soup (10 oz. each)
2 cups water
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
salt and pepper to taste

In Dutch oven over medium heat cook the ground venison in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for 4 to 5 minutes until browned. Add celery and chopped onion. Cook for additional 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, kidney beans, soup, water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to boil stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 1 hour, stir every so often, add more water if needed. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Cooking Phobia? Tips for the Timid

Lora Brody, author of Slow Cooker Cooking, offers these tips for those of you who are new to using a slow cooker or crock pot. There is no magic involved! If the family is starving and time is always short, using your slow cooker is guaranteed to make mealtime a snap. Once you adjust your kitchen attitude - plan ahead for tomorrow's dinner or all week long - you will be Amazed by the transformation!

1. My team of testers used various slow cookers, from the smallest, which holds about 3 cups, to the 5 1/2-quart oval, which quickly became my favorite. Although it's not necessary to own more than two sizes, you might consider having a smaller model (3- to 4-quart) for chutneys, sauces and recipes that will feed about four people and a large machine, such as the 5 1/2-quart, for entertaining.
2. Once you've placed ingredients in the slow cooker and turned it on, it is neither necessary nor advisable to lift the lid to stir the mixture. The steam generated in the cooking creates a vacuum that seals the lid. Every time you open the lid some steam and heat dissipate, which can prolong the cooking time. Some recipes do instruct you to stir halfway through the cooking time or toward the end, but otherwise it's best to leave the lid in place.
3. Take care not to fill the insert so much that the lid doesn't fit tightly. Without a tight fit a vacuum will not form, and that can dramatically affect cooking time.
4. It's very important to clean the insert completely between uses. Built-up food stains are impossible to remove. I often put the inserts in the dishwasher (check your slow cooker's instructions to be sure it's dishwasher-safe).
5. Avoid placing the hot insert directly onto a very cold surface. The shock could make it crack.
6. When cooking at high altitude, be sure to allow an additional 30 minutes for each hour of cooking time specified in the recipe. Legumes typically take twice as long to cook at high altitude as at sea level.
7. Cooking on the low heat setting generally -- but not always -- takes about twice the time of high heat.
8. Because there is no evaporation during cooking, there may be excess liquid in the insert at the end of the cooking time. If so, drain it into in a small saucepan and simmer until it has reduced to an appropriate amount. It's important to add seasonings after this reduction takes place, since reducing the liquid will intensify the taste.
9. Condensation will form in the lid. To avoid dripping the condensation onto the food, always lift the lid gently, straight up, without tilting it, until it is away from the insert.
10. Browning meat and some cuts of poultry before placing them in the slow cooker adds immensely to the finished flavor. Dredging them in flour before browning thickens the cooking liquid into a sauce that needs only to be skimmed of fat and seasoned before serving. While some foods will brown during the cooking process (particularly if they are not submerged in liquid), they will not develop the same color and flavor that they get when browned first on the stove top. If you can find the time for this step, the results are worth the effort.

Meatball & Vegetable Slow Cooker Stew

From the experts at H&G


1 16-18 ounce package frozen cooked meatballs
½ of a 16 ounce package (about 2 cups) loose-pack frozen broccoli, corn, and red sweet peppers, or other mixed vegetables
1 14-1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes with onion and garlic, or stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 12 ounce jar mushroom gravy
1/3 cup water
1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil, crushed

In a 3-1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker place meatballs and mixed vegetables. In a bowl stir together undrained tomatoes, gravy, water, and basil; pour over meatballs and vegetables in cooker.
Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6-8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3-4 hours. Makes 4 servings.
For a 5-6 quart slow cooker double all ingredients. Make 8 servings.

Do you ever get a yearning for that certain creamy luscious smooth sweetness of cheesecake? I know it happens to me almost weekly and when that feeling hits it is almost like my brain is possessed! There is no stopping until at least one sinfully delicious cheesecake is sitting on the counter.
Here you can find over fifty CHEESECAKE recipes in Vol 1. From simple no-bake to more exotic flavors, textures, and fillings. Try it today. Wouldn't this make a perfect gift for the holidays? Get your - CLICK HERE

CHEESECAKE, Vol 1

Do you ever get a yearning for that certain creamy luscious smooth sweetness of cheesecake? I know it happens to me almost weekly and when that feeling hits it is almost like my brain is possessed! There is no stopping until at least one sinfully delicious cheesecake is sitting on the counter.

Here you can find over fifty CHEESECAKE recipes in Vol 1. From simple no-bake to more exotic flavors, textures, and fillings. Try it today. Wouldn't this make a perfect gift for the holidays?

SUPERBOWL FAVORITES FROM EBAY!

TAILGATING season is gearing up and now is the time to try some new recipes for that tailgate bash! eBay is a universe unto its own covering all corners of the globe, but members of the eBay community put their heads together and published SUPERBOWL FAVORITES FROM EBAY recipe collection. Each contributing eBay member has their link on the recipe they contributed.

Some of the recipes featured include:

Cowboy Beans, Cocktail Franks & Meatballs, Red Pepper & Black Bean Salsa, Super Bowl Hot Wings, Quarterback Quesadillas, and MORE.

Get your own copy of SUPERBOWL FAVORITES FROM EBAY!

JUST A TASTE!