Pumpkin Pie

This was voted by some pie aficionados as the best freaking pumpkin pie ever... I'd love to tell you about the years of recipe development that went into the dish but to be honest the recipe came from the back of the pumpkin can... I'm not a pie kinda guy but I have to admit it was fantastic!

3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt - use table salt not kosher
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
2 eggs, beaten well
1 can pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
1 9" pie shell

In a large mixing bowl add the sugar and all the spices. Whisk these together well then add the remaining ingredients (ok not all of them hold out the pie shell). Mix everything together well then pour into a 9" pie shell. Bake at 425 for 25 min then reduce to 350 cook for 40-50 min

Happy Cooking & Eating!

~Nikko

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Creamed Corn Cornbread

Please visit our new site at www.CookingMyWay.com

This is a tried and trued recipe that I've been using for years now. Most people will balk at the use of the Jiffy cornbread mix but I tell ya when you want to make a quick and delicious cornbread you just can't beat the ease of use. My x-wife was so much a southerner she wouldn't even let me bring the box into the house... Anyway if you want to have a nice plate of cornbread in under 30 minutes this is the way to go!

2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix
1 can creamed corn - will only need about 3/4 of the can
2 eggs
pepper - I used white pepper just to keep it clean looking
cayenne pepper - just a pinch

Start by dumping the cornbread mix into a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to break up any big lumps. Make a well in the middle of the mixture and crack in two eggs. Whisk the eggs until they are broken down. Add about a quarter teaspoon of white pepper (you can use black pepper if you want), a pinch of cayenne, the creamed corn and mix everything together well. Pour mixture into a baking dish and bake at 400 for 15 to 20 min...

You can dress this up as you wish. In the past I've added some sweated red onion and celery - have made it with blanched broccoli and cheddar cheese (that was a good one recipe coming soon) - feel free to add your own flair...

Happy cornbreadding!

~Nikko

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Green Bean Casserole

The Green Bean Casserole

I don't think a holiday has ever passed that this dish wasn't on the table. Prep time is about 2 minutes - if you take you time it couldn't take you more than 5 minutes...

2 Cans Green Beans drained
1 Can Mushrooms drained
1 Can Progresso Mushroom Soup
1 Can Frenches Fried Onions

Mix all but the onions in a oven save casserole dish, top with the onions, bake for 20-30 minutes at 400 - Eat & Enjoy - how hard is that?

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko



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Version 2

Foodie Thoughts

Red meat is not bad for you. Now blue-green meat, that’s bad for you! ~Tommy Smothers

I am fluent in French Toast...

My favorite toast comes from France... French toast is such an easy breakfast to put together. Eggs, bread, butter, syrup (if that's your thing), cinnamon, nutmeg and you're ready to go...

4 Eggs, beaten to within an inch of their lives
2 Tbsp water
1 tsp Cinnamon
pinch Nutmeg, fresh ground if you can
4 slices bread - I personally think sour dough is the best here but any will do
butter
syrup

I think the key to really good french toast is breaking down the eggs as much as possible. You really want to whisk them so that they are totally separated. Doing this lets the bread get a nice even coat of the eggs. With that said, add the eggs, water, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a bowl and beat the heck out of them.

Add the bread and give it a minute on each side to soak up a bit of the eggs (you can do this in batches).

Heat a large saute pan to a medium heat and add a bit of butter and let it melt. Make sure the pan is coated with the butter and add your slices of bread. Cook on each side until you see a bit of color start to form. If you want, and I do, you can sprinkle a bit more cinnamon and nutmeg over the bread while it's in the pan for a bit of extra flavor. If you decide to add a bit more don't go too crazy with the spices. I like to serve my french toast (and pancakes) on a heated plate. I feel it makes everything work better for some reason. So warm up your plates, remove the bread from the pan and top with syrup or butter - or both if that's your thing - Eat & Enjoy...

Happy Cooking & Eating!

~Nikko

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Grilled Pastrami & Corned Beef on Rye

I love the sandwich... The possibilities are almost endless. I've been known to go into a deli and just ask for a sandwich and give them free reign on what they make. It usually throws the person into a tailspin when I do - unless they are a true sammy master... Anyhoo, the pastrami and corned beef on rye is one of my favs. I always start with some nice fresh rye and a good quality pastrami, corned beef, and Swiss cheese.

Rye Bread
Pastrami - I like Boars Head the best
Corned Beef
Swiss Cheese
Red Onion, sliced thin
Brown or Dijon Mustard
butter
olive oil

Start by heating a medium saute pan to a mediumish heat (not quite medium but not quite medium/low). Take the pastrami and corned beef and warm it up in the pan for a minute or two then move it to a plate or cutting board. Butter one side of each of the pieces of bread then add the bread butter side down to the pan and let it warm up for a minute or so. Top the brad with the Swiss cheese and you can put on some nice brown or Dijon mustard at this point too. Add the onion and meats on top of the cheese. Put the two slices together and cook until the outside of the bread is browned to your liking and everything inside is nice and warm. Plate, eat & enjoy!

Happy Cooking & Eating...

~Nikko

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Foodie Thoughts

The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook. ~Julia Child

Roasted Butternut Squash

Until the other day I had never cooked with butternut squash. I've seen recipes for all types of things to do with it, but I went off the reservation and created my own! This recipe is really simple and it turned out really good...

1 Butternut Squash
2 Tbsp Oil
3 Tbsp Butter
2 tsp cinnamon
.25 tsp nutmeg
.25 tsp cayenne pepper
.25 Cup brown sugar

The amount of the spices and sugar you use will really depend on the size of the squash you have, and how sweet or spicy you want it. Start by breaking down the squash - cut off about an inch from the top and the bottom of the squash. Cut the squash in half long ways, and using a spoon scoop out the membrane and seeds. Use a peeler to remove the rind from the outside of the squash. Cut the squash into consistent sized pieces - make them about an inch by inch or so. If you cut them too small they will turn to mush when they roast in the oven. Place cubed squash in a baking dish. Drizzle with oil, the brown sugar, and all the spices - mix well so that everyone get's happy. Dot the top with butter then bake in a 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.

Happy Cooking & Eating!

~Nikko

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On This Day...

It's National Indian Pudding Day here in the US. I have to admit I've never had Indian Pudding before but I believe I'm going to try out this recipe tonight...

1 quart milk
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup cornmeal
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons ginger
1 tsp salt
1 cup molasses

Bring milk and butter to a boil. Add cornmeal and stir constantly until smooth, well blended, and slightly thickened. Remove from stove, add eggs, sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and molasses. Mix well together and put into a baking dish about 2" deep. Cover with wax paper. Bake approximately one hour at 400°F in a pan of water or until wax paper can be lifted without pudding sticking to it. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream on top. Cooking time: 45 minutes.

On this day...

Well foodie fans it's National Vanilla Cupcake Day... I'm not a big baker - I've never made a cupcake even with a mix. I did however make myself into a cupcake for a joke once...




Happy Cooking & Eating!

~Nikko

The Greek Appetizer Plate...

This can be a nice appetizer plate, a party plate, or I like to call it lunch (breakfast, or dinner) sometimes... All this but the Penzeys' Greek spice can be found at your local Mediterranean store. In Jacksonville we have a place called Hala that has everything, and I'm sure your city probably has someplace you can find it all. I get my hummus at Costco. The brand Costco has is really dang good and is about the same cost as if I made it myself... On the Feta - I love a good Greek feta but the French and the Danish make good varieties too - I've yet to find one made in the US that was worth it - but in a pinch...

Kalamata Olives
Ajavar (a roasted red pepper mixture)
Hummus
Feta
Baked Pita Strips

The trick here is just to make everything look pretty. The hardest thing you have to do is to cut the pita into strips, butter it, sprinkle it with a bit of Penzeys Greek Seasoning and bake it at 400 for a few minutes until it gets crisp.

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

Foodie Thoughts

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. ~ Harriet Van Horne

I need your help!

I'm in a Tailgating food competition on www.Food2.com and I need your votes!

http://www.food2.com/challenges/tailgate-tastedown-challenge/black-bean-corn-salsa

I submitted my Black Bean & Corn Salsa (along with a few others) to the competition. I would really appreciate your vote!



Thanks and Happy Eating!

~Nikko

French Salsa - I won the Jalapeno Madness Most Unique/Weirdest Salsa contest

www.JalapenoMadness.com

The contest:

Salsa Cookbook Giveaway: Quick Contest ending at noon November 5th. One Free Salsa eCookbook (or more?) to the most creative response(s) to this question: What is the most unique/weirdest salsa you can think of?

My submission:

The French Salsa -

Pâté de Campagne, diced
Dried sausage, diced
Stilton blue cheese, crumbled
Smoked guda, diced
Chev, crumbled
Tomato, diced
Cucumbers, diced
Radish, diced
French olives, chopped
Peppadew, chopped
Avocado, diced
Jalapeno, minced
Arugula, chopped
pine nuts, toasted
Dijon mustard vinaigrette
Toasted Tumaro's Pesto & Garlic Wraps to eat it with....

In a strange way it was really good. You can use as much or as little of each ingredient as you would like. Try and make all your dices and cubes uniform.

Happy Eating!

~Nikko

Foodie Thoughts

“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.” -- W. C. Fields

Twisted Tzatziki

Tzatziki goes well with a myriad of food stuffs. Lamb, beef, chicken, veg, even some fish benefit from it's wonderful flavor. The twist in this version comes in from the feta cheese that I added. It really added a nice zing! It's not something I do with it every time but every once and a while it's a nice change.

1 Cucumber, peeled seeded and diced
1/4 Cup onion, diced
1.5 Cups Greek yogurt
.25 Lb Greek Feta
Mint - 4-5 sprigs will do, minced
Fennel - if you have it, if not no biggie

Start off by peeling your cucumber. You're going to want to take out the seeds as well - you can use a spoon or a knife. Dice the cucumber into small pieces and put them in a good sized bowl (you're going to be mixing stuff in there so use one that will accommodate that). Dice up half of a small onion and add it to the bowl. Mince up some mint and fennel (if you have it - it's not really part of the recipe but it looked good in the garden so I used it and it worked)... Add the herbs, yogurt, feta, a shot of pepper, and mix everything well. It's best to let it sit for a bit so everyone gets happy. Eat & Enjoy...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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To All Who Read My Blog...

First - Thanks. I really appreciate you taking the time to read my crappy writing. I can cook well, but I'll be the first to admit that my writing style is lacking. I hope that you find some of the recipes good enough to try yourself. If you do, please take a minute and leave me a comment - I'd love to know how it worked out for you!

Thanks again,

Nikko

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

I've taken this dish to a few parties now and it is always quickly gobbled up. It's a nice light dish that can be used as a salsa, or even a relish on top of fish or chicken...

2 cans Black beans, rinsed well
1.5 cup Tomatoes, diced
2 cups Corn, off the cob
1/2 cup Red onion, diced
1 Jalapeno, minced
.25 Cup Cilantro, chopped
2 Limes, juiced
2 tsp Cumin
Salt
Pepper
Baked Tortillas or corn chips for serving

Start with a bowl large enough to mix everything in. Add everything, mix well, put in the fridge for an hour so everything can get happy happy - done - Eat & Enjoy... It really is that easy. The hardest part of the dish is prepping all the ingredients. You can serve it with baked tortillas or regular corn chips...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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Thanks

Lord for food in a world where many walk in hunger
For faith in a world where many walk in fear
And for friends in a world where many walk alone
I give you thanks…

Chicken Finger Wraps

Wraps... They are one flexible food group. I've used a wrap to make simple sandwich, hold salads, baked for desserts, breakfast, lasagna, and I've even made a really good chicken wellington. When they are available I always use Tumaro's Tortillas - they're simply the best I've ever had. If your market doesn't have them - ask them to order some in. I did at my local store and they now carry them all the time. Anyhoo, here is a video with two different ways to do a chicken finger wrap.

2 Tumaro's wraps
4 Chicken Fingers
.25 Cup Cilantro
.25 Cup Tomato
.25 Cup Red onion
.25 Cup Lettuce
.25 Cup Cheese
Sour Cream, to taste

You can use as little or as much of the ingredients as you want.

The first part of the video shows putting it all inside the wrap and the second is an outside version - the outside looks better but it's a knife and fork deal...

Bon Appetit...

~Nikko

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