Marlene

Your library lets you check out 43 books at a time?!

There are days!

576 with 2 on order

I keep most of my very favourite recipes on my computer using the DVO cooking software. I have shelves of three ring binders with recipes in plastic sleeves. Each binder is dedicated to one area. I have one for appetizers, one for beef, one for pork, one for desserts. Are you getting the idea of how many recipes I have?! These binders are of course, in addition to my 5 shelves of cookbooks.

Reif continues to impress my husband with it's reislings and vidals. Reif is better at whites than reds. I agree Stoney Ridge is selective. I've had some great and not so great wines from there. Stoney Ridge's strength seems to be in their reds, rather than their whites. I'm on their advance reserve list so I get notifications of new wines coming out and offerings of older wines. In fact, last night I opened a 1991 Stoney Ridge Merlot Reserve wine that was outstanding. The ice wines from this region are incredible and have won several golds in international competition. We usually do a "wine run" to this region twice a year, and have also been impressed with Cave Springs, again, their strength is whites, and Hildebrand which does both red and white equally well.

I tend to do this a lot too. I'll decide on say, pork and look at every cookbook I have for recipes. Then I have to look up recipes for the side dishes I decide I want to go with it! I do a lot of cooking by recipe, but I am now at the point where I can take a recipe and make changes to it to realize what it is I truly want my dish to taste like

The Joy of Cooking was my first cookbook, and I still use it occassionally.

What about a mustard sauce?

Spareribs and Saurkraut 2 lb pork side ribs 2 jars saurkraut garlic powder 4 T lard In roasting pan, melt lard. Cut ribs into serving size pieces and sprinkle with garlic powder. Brown spareribs on both sides. In the same roasting pan, (without draining off fat), layer saurkraut and ribs, beginning and ending with saurkraut. Cover and bake at 350 for 1/2-2 hours. Keywords: Main Dish, Pork, Dinner ( RG201 )

Maple Glaze for Ham 1/4 c maple syrup 1 T dijon or honey mustard 1 T cider vinegar Combine all ingredients and brush over ham steaks or roast. Keywords: Easy, Sauce ( RG200 )

Steak Marinade 4 lg. shallots 1/2 c vegetable oil 1/4 c dry red wine 1/2 tsp pepper 1 tsp dijon mustard Finely chop shallots. Place in glass dish, just large enough to hold steak. Add oil, wine, dijon and mustard whisk together. Place steak into marinade, turn several times until meat is well coated. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Before cooking, brush shallots from steak. Discard marinade Keywords: Easy, Cheese ( RG199 )

Honey Garlic Meatballs Meatballs 2 l lean ground beef, or sirloin 4 fresh bread slices, processed into bread crumbs 2 large eggs 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper Sauce 1 T butter 8 garlic cloves, minced 14 oz canned stewed tomatoes, with juice, pureed 2 tsp cornstarch 1/4 c soy sauce 3/4 liquid honey Combine the meatball ingredients, mix well. Form into 48 1 1/2 inch balls. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet in a 400 oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove the meatballs to an ungreased 2 qt casserole dish. Melt butter in medium saucepan. Saute the garlic until soft, but not browned. Add the tomato and honey. Mix the cornstarch with the soy sauce, then stir into the tomato mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, for 10 minutes stirring frequently. Pour the thickened sauce over meatballs. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20 minutes or until the meatballs are glazed. Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Easy, Beef ( RG198 )

Sweet Sausage Rolls 1 pkg puff pastry or, 1 tube, crescent roll dough 24 miniature smoked sausage links 1/2 c butter, melted 1/2 c chopped nuts 3 T honey 3 T brown sugar Separate crescent rolls into triangles. Cut each length-wise into 3 triangles. If using puff pastry do the same with it. Place a sausage on the long end and roll up tightly. Set aside. Combine the remaining ingredients in an 11x7x2 in baking dish. Arrange sausage rolls, seam side down in butter mixture. Bake uncovered, at 400, for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Easy ( RG197 )

Dijon Chicken for Two Serves 2 as Main Dish. 1/3 c ranch dressing 1 T dijon mustard 2 boneless chicken breasts 2 T butter 3 T white wine or chicken broth pasta or long grained rice In a small bowl, combine ranch dressing and mustard, set aside. In a skillet, cook chicken in butter over medium heat, 8-10 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm. Add wine or broth to skillet, stirring to loosen brown bits on bottom of skillet. Whisk in mustard mixture. Cook and stir until blended and heated through. Serve over hot pasta, or rice. Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Chicken ( RG196 )

Marinated Beef Fondue 3/4 c soy sauce 1/4 c worchestershire sauce 2 garlic cloves, minced 2-1/2 lb beef tenderloin, cut into 1 in. cubes 2-1/2 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1 in cubes Horseradish Sauce 1 c sour cream 3 T prepared horseradish 1 T chopped onion 1 tsp vinegar 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper BBQ Sauce 1 can, 8 oz, tomato sauce 1/3 c steak sauce 2 T brown sugar Cooking 6 c peanut or vegetable oil In large resealable plastic bag, combine soy sauce, worchestershire sauce and garlic. Add meat. Seal and turn to coat. Chill for 4 hours. Make Horseradish and BBQ sauces, chill. Drain and discard marinade. Pat meat dry. Heat oil in fondue pot. Enjoy Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Beef ( RG195 )

BBQ Beef Chili Serves 8 as Main Dish. Uses a brisket instead of the traditional ground beef 7 tsp chili powder 1 T garlic powder 2 tsp celery seed 1 tsp coarsely ground pepper 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1 fresh beef brisket, 3-4 lbs 1 medium green pepper, chopped 1 small onion, chopped 1 bottle, (12 oz) chili sauce 1 c ketchup 1/2 c barbeque sauce 1/3 c packed brown sugar 1/4 c cider vinegar 1/4 c worchestershire sauce 1 tsp ground mustard 1 can, 15 oz hot chili beans 1 can 15 oz, kidney beans, or other beans Combine the first five ingredients, rub over brisket. Cut brisket into eight pieces, place in slow cooker. Combine the rest of the ingredients, except for the beans, and pour over brisket. Cover and cook on high, for 5-6 hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat, cool slightly. Skim fat from cooking juices. Shred meat with two forks, return to slow cooker. Reduce heat to low, add beans. Cover and cook 1 hour longer. Keywords: Main Dish, Beef, Duck, Crock Pot ( RG194 )

Our kitchen reno is underway, and we are having a lazy suzan cupboard installed in one of the corners. Plastic containers and will go on the top, and on the bottom are slots to fit in the lids etc. I also like the pyrex containers because they stack nicely with the lids inside.

French Onion Soup 4 T butter 3 lg onions, quartered 1 tsp sugar 1 T flour 20 fl oz beef broth 1/2 c dry red wine 2-1/2 c water 2 T sherry 1 tsp beef demi glace favourite cheese croutons or toast rounds Melt butter over medium heat. Cook quartered onions and sugar together until carmelized. Stir in flour until well blended. Add water, wine and beef broth and demi glace. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer on very low heat for 2-3 hours. Spoon soup into oven proof bowls. Add toast rounds or croutons to bowl. Cover with favourite cheese, mozzarella, gruyere or swiss. Broil until cheese has melted. Keywords: Soup, Appetizer, Easy ( RG190 )

Brandied Chicken Breasts Serves 6 as Main Dish. The trick to this is not to curdle the sauce! (adapted from the Joy of Cooking) 6 boneless chicken breasts Brandy, enough to rub chicken with salt and pepper lightly 1/2 tsp majoriam 6 T butter Sauce 1/2 c dry sherry 1-1/2 c cream 3 egg yolks Topping 1/4 c butter 1/2 c shredded mozzarella 1/4 c bread crumbs Rub boneless chicken breasts with brandy, let stand 10 minutees. Season lightly with salt, pepper and majoriam. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a dutch oven. Saute chicken 8 minutes each side. Remove to platter and keep warm. Add 1/2 cup of Sherry and simmer until liquid is reduced to half. Add, stirring constantly, 1 1/2 cups cream mixed with the egg yolks. Add a dash of pepper and nutmeg. Stir until slightly thickened. Place chicken in an ovenproof dish and pour sauce over chicken. Combine topping ingredients, sprinkle over chicken and broil just a few minutes until slightly browned. Keywords: Main Dish, Intermediate, Chicken, Dinner ( RG189 )

Alfredo Sauce This is a different twist on the classic sauce. The cream cheese gives it a thicker texture. Be sure to use unsalted butter in this, or it will be too salty. 1 250 gr. pkg cream cheese 1/2 c unsalted butter 1/2 c milk 3/4 c parmesan In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except parmesan. Stir until smooth and then add parmesan, stirring until melted. Pour over pasta, sprinkle with extra parmesan if desired. Keywords: Easy, Cheese, American, Italian, Sauce, Vegetarian ( RG188 )

Tupperware does sell something that you can hang on a cupboard door to store your lids in. Also, you could get something similar to a pot lid rack and hang that on a cupboard door to keep everything in. (rats, I couldn't get the Tupperware link to work). go to www.tupperware.com and look under storage. It's called, The Place for seals +++ It's here... Tupperware - The Place For Seals

Cheddar Fondue 1/4 c butter 1/4 c flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp ground mustard 1/4 tsp worchestershire sauce 1-1/2 c milk 2 c shredded cheddar cheese In saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard and worchestershire sauce. Stir until smooth. Add cheese, stir until melted. Transfer to fondue dish. Serve with bread cubes, ham cubes, bite size sausages, or broccoli florets. Keywords: Main Dish, Easy ( RG179 )

Maple BBQ Ribs 3 lb pork side ribs 1 c maple syrup 1 small onion, chopped 1 T sesame seeds 1 T white vinegar 1 T worchestershire sauce 1 T chili sauce 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/4 tsp ground mustard 1/8 tsp pepper Place ribs, meat side down on a rack in a shallow baking dish. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. Combine remaining ingredients in saucepan; cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Cut ribs into serving size pieces, return to pan (with rack removed), meat side up. Pour sauce over ribs. Bake uncovered at 350 for 1 hour or until tender, basting occassionally. Keywords: Main Dish, Intermediate, Pork, Dinner, American ( RG178 )

Spicy Mustard Spread Spice up your hot dogs and hamburgers with this zesty spread 1/4 c butter, softened 2 T ground mustard 2 T white vinegar 1/4 tsp garlic salt 4 drops hot pepper sauce Combine all ingredients. Beat until smooth. Chill. Serve with hotdogs, hamburgers, steaks or pork chops. Keywords: Easy, Condiment ( RG174 )

Mustard Sauce for Pork 1 T flour 3/4 c milk 1/2 tsp dried mint 3 T dijon mustard 2 T chicken broth 1/4 c sour cream 1/8 tsp pepper Combine flour, milk and mint in small saucepan until blended, over low heat. Bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in mustard and broth. Remove from heat. Whisk in sour cream and pepper. Serve warm. Keywords: Easy, Condiment ( RG173 )