By Audrey Okaneko

I still remember when my workmate told me she’d be bringing me a crab bisque soup the next day. She had gotten the recipe from her mother in law and it was one of her favorites. Once I tried the soup, I knew I wanted to take that recipe and alter it to my families taste.

In a saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. While the recipe says you can use either butter or margarine, there is a taste difference and I prefer the butter taste. Once melted, stir in two cups of milk and two cups of whipping cream. Add salt, white pepper and mace (a seasoning found in most grocery stores) to taste. Continue heating on medium heat until almost boiling. Stir as the soup heats. Next, add in 1/4 cup of finely chopped celery, one can of corn, drained and 1/4 cup of cracker crumbs. Reduce heat and simmer for about ten minutes. Add in one pound of imitation crab meat and two tablespoons of sherry. Heat through and serve.

I’d like to share one more variation of this soup using chicken broth:

4 cups chicken broth
1 pound imitation crab meat
2 cans creamed corn
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped onion
½ cup chopped carrots
2 cups heavy cream
Salt, pepper and Tabasco to taste

Pour the chicken broth into a soup pot. Add in the vegetables and allow to cook until vegetables are soft. Allow soup to cool and puree in a blender. Strain back into the soup pot. Puree the corn and strain into the soup pot. Add in the cream, salt, pepper and Tabasco. Simmer until heated through. Add in crab and allow crab to warm. Spoon into bowls.

If you like the taste of potatoes, add in one can of potato soup and remove one can of the chicken broth.

Crab Bisque can also be made with a tomato based broth. I have a very simple crock-pot recipe for crab bisque.

Place one pound of imitation crab meat, one can of condensed tomato soup and one can of cream of asparagus soup in your crock-pot. Cook on high three hours. Uncover and add 1 cup of half and half. Re-cover and cook on high one more hour.

If you want vegetables in the soup, consider adding in carrots, celery and onions. Strain before serving to remove these vegetables.

I love serving this soup with homemade garlic bread. I use a French bread loaf. I melt the butter with garlic and onion and then brush onto the bread and toast under the broiler.

Audrey’s mom always entertained when she was growing up. Audrey learned to prepare for large groups and has often entertained 15-30 people in her home at a time. You can find more great recipes at http://www.recipe-barn.com.

These chicken recipes will make you feel like a gourmet cook in front of your family and friends! No one would guess you prepared this dish in minutes. But that is okay; we won’t tell! This dish cooks on top of the stove in a matter of minutes. Add some minute brown rice and steamed broccoli for a quick, easy, and complete meal that is quick and easy. If you want to serve dessert, that can be quick and easy, too. Serve vanilla ice cream topped with fresh berries.

Quick and Easy Chicken with Wine Sauce

4 (1 lb) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup butter
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup whipping cream

Pound each chicken breast to about 1/4-inch thickness. On waxed paper or in a pie plate, mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. Coat the chicken with the flour mixture and shake off excess flour. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook over medium-high heat about 3 to 4 minutes per side or until browned and cooked through. Remove from the skillet and cover with foil to keep warm. Add the mushrooms and wine to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly for a couple of minutes. Add the parsley and whipping cream to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, a couple of minutes or until the sauce thickens. Serve the sauce over the chicken.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda’s quick and easy recipes visit her blog at http://grandmasquickfixrecipes.blogspot.com

For more of her recipes and diabetic information visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com

By Linda Carol Wilson

With our busy lifestyles, preparing a quick meal that is healthy and tasty does not have to be impossible. Next time you need a quick, easy, and tasty meal try these recipes for Pork Chops with an easy Curried Orange Sauce and a yummy Broccoli Salad. The coolness of the broccoli salad goes great with the curry in the pork chops sauce. The salad can be made ahead and refrigerated for serving later to save you time in the evening.

Sunny Broccoli Salad

1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar, depending on your taste
2 tbsp white vinegar
7 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
8 slices bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled

In a large bowl, mix the mayonnaise, onion, raisins, sugar, and vinegar together. Add the broccoli and mix well to coat. Refrigerate until serving time. Before serving add the sunflower seeds and bacon; toss.

Yield: 12 to 16 servings

Pork Chops with Curried Orange Sauce

4 (1 lb total) boneless center-cut loin pork chops
3/4 tsp curry powder, divided
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1 1/2 tsp prepared horseradish
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
nonstick cooking oil spray

In a small bowl, combine the paprika, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the curry powder. Sprinkle the mixture over the pork chops.

In another small bowl, combine the remaining curry powder, orange marmalade, horseradish, vinegar, and red pepper.

Heat a skillet that is coated with nonstick cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the pork to the skillet and cook three to five minutes on each side or until the pork loses its pink color. Remove from pan and set aside to keep warm.

Add the marmalade mixture to the pan and cook for a few seconds while scraping pan to loosen the browned bits. Spoon sauce over the pork chops.

Note: You can turn this into a diabetic friendly meal by substituting Splenda or Equal for the sugar in the broccoli salad and using a low-sugar or sugar-free marmalade in the pork chops sauce.

Enjoy!

By Christine Szalay Kudra

Louisiana Creole cuisine is a cooking style, which originated in Louisiana. This wonderful cuisine blends many culinary influences including French, Spanish, Indian, Portuguese, African, and German, to name a few. Creole cuisine is similar to Cajun cuisine but Cajun cooking is based on provincial French cooking and is more rustic. Creole cuisine is based more on classical European cooking. Both of these cooking styles adapted to locally available Louisiana ingredients.

The Spanish influence on Creole cuisine can be identified in the use of citrus juice marinades, spicy peppers, beans, and rice. The use of tomatoes in Creole dishes is linked to popular Italian and Spanish dishes at the time, there are also subtle British, Irish, Dutch, Greek, and Caribbean influences in this tasty cuisine.

The first Creole cookbook in English was published in 1885. This cuisine was already recognizable by then as a regional cuisine and Creole dishes were being served outside of the region in which they were best known.

Rising Popularity of Cajun and Creole Dishes

Cajun influences because important in the 1980s and a lot of tourists became interested in trying Cajun dishes, being unaware that Creole recipes were also widely available in the Louisiana region. Restaurants merged Creole and Cajun dishes and adapted their menus and recipes to suit the demands of the new wave of tourists. Cajun and Creole cooking techniques do overlap but these two cooking styles are also quite different.

A new Creole strain of cooking began to emerge in the late 1980s, focusing on lighter preparations and using fresh ingredients where possible. The Cajun food craze died down but Louisiana Creole cuisine is still a strong force in nearly all major restaurants in New Orleans.

Recipe for Eggs Sardou

This is a classic Louisiana Creole dish and it contains artichokes, poaches eggs, hollandaise sauce, and spinach. You will find eggs sardou on many New Orleans restaurant menus and the following recipe serves six people.

What you will need:

• 10 oz package thawed spinach, well drained
• 2 chopped green onions
• 8 oz sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 12 warm poached eggs
• 2 teaspoons melted butter
• 2 chopped cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan
• 1 drained can artichoke hearts
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• Hollandaise sauce (packaged or homemade)

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Saute the garlic and green onions in the melted butter in a skillet until fragrant, then stir in the spinach, whipping cream, sour cream, cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Cook this mixture over a low heat for a minute. Do not let it boil. Arrange the artichoke hearts on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, bottoms down, and bake for about ten minutes or until they are hot. Cover them and keep them warm.

Divide the spinach mixture between six serving plates, and then top it with the artichoke hearts. Arrange the eggs on top, and then add the hollandaise sauce. Finally sprinkle the paprika over the top and serve right away.

Perhaps reading about Creole cuisine on a food blog or website has stirred your interest. This wonderful cooking style is not difficult to master and you can even do a recipe search by ingredient to match up your preferred ingredients with the perfect Creole recipe.

RecipeDirectory.org Where the Web Searches for Recipe Sites

By Linda Carol Wilson

Soon our gardens, Farmer’s Markets, grocery stores and roadside stands will be flush with delicious home-grown tomatoes. This Hamburger-Tomato Pie recipe is another good tomato recipe to add to your files. With a tender delicious crust, crumbled ground beef, tomato, and onion seasoned with a little salt and garlic this pie only needs a simple salad and you have a great lunch or light dinner.

Hamburger Tomato Pie

Dough:
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp water
1/8 tsp salt
dash of vinegar
1 1/2 cups flour

Mix butter, milk, and water together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the salt and vinegar; stir to mix. Add enough flour to make the consistency of biscuit dough. Do NOT work too much. Roll out, reserving enough for the top crust. Line a deep dish pie pan with the dough. Let it overlap sides of pie pan. Make filling, fill crust and add the top crust. Cut a few slits for air to escape during baking.

Filling:
2 tbsp butter
1 large tomato, chopped
1 lb hamburger meat
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 small yellow onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet. Add the onion and saute until tender. Add the meat to the onion and cook until no longer red. Add the tomato, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir to blend well. Simmer for 5 minutes. Pour filling into the prepared crust. Top with top crust. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes then lower temperature to 375 and bake until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbling.

Enjoy!

For more of Linda’s old-fashion recipe collection visit her blog at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com. For more of her recipes and diabetic information visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com

By R Snyder

This is, hands down, the most amazing cookie I have ever tasted! The name is a mouth full, but don’t worry, you won’t be able to say it anyway because your mouth will be full of the cookies! It’s got everything you need for the perfect cookie, and it’s still wheat free! It is full of antioxidants, protein, and good fats. I never thought I would find a cookie that tastes as good as these that is still very healthy. Enjoy!

What you need:

1/2 cup of Dark Chocolate Dreams All Natural Peanut Butter from The Peanut Butter Co. (available at Kroger)

1/2 cup of Kroger blended Raspberry yogurt

1/2 cup of packed Kroger Light Brown sugar

1/2 cup of egg whites

1 cup of oat flour (ground from whole oats in food processor)

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

2 cups of quick cooking whole oats

1 cup of sweetened, dried cranberries

How to make them:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Add dark chocolate peanut butter, yogurt, brown sugar, egg whites and vanilla to blender and mix until everything looks creamy. I use the whip setting on my blender. This should only take about a minute, if that. Mix flour and baking soda together in a bowl and then add the mixture from the blender. Mix well. Add whole oats and cranberries to the bowl and mix well. Scoop out rounded teaspoonfuls of batter and place on ungreased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake about 15 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for a minute or two and then finish cooling on a baking rack. Make several batches and freeze the left overs (if there are any!) for a great healthy snack.

http://www.blenderbreads.blogspot.com

By Linda Carol Wilson

Add a little spice to your life with these recipes that add a dash of spicy flavor but are not too hot to enjoy. The Spicy Rubbed Pork Loin gets a touch of flavor and heat from chili powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Not too much, just a touch. To go with your pork loin try this recipe for Spicy Bean Salsa.

Spicy Rubbed Pork Loin

• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp Splenda granular
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 3 lb boneless pork loin

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, Splenda, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the pork loin and place it in a small roasting pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until a meat thermometer reaches at least 150 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest on cutting board 15 minutes before slicing.

Spicy Bean Salsa

• 1 can black-eyed peas, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped purple onion
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 bottle (8-oz) Italian salad dressing
• Tortilla chips for dipping, optional
• chopped jalapeno peppers, optional*

In a large glass bowl, combine all ingredients except the chips. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavors to blend.

*Jalapeno peppers are hot so do not use unless you want the added heat. If using, handle with gloves; do not touch eyes or face while working with jalapenos!

Enjoy!

For more of Linda’s recipes and diabetic information visit http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com

For her old fashion recipe collection visit her at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com

Onion rings are crunchy and delicious. They can be enjoyed with a steak or alongside your favorite southern fried chicken recipe. You can buy frozen onion rings and deep fry them but you might prefer to make your own onion rings once you realize how easy it is to do so.

You can make baked onion rings if you like but for an authentic flavor and a good crispiness, it is best to fry them like in restaurants and fast food outlets. Use yellow onions for delicious rings.

The easiest way to make the rings is to thinly slice an onion crosswise and then separate the slices into rings. You can keep the very small bits for another use.

Onion rings can be battered or covered with breadcrumbs, depending on personal preference, but a lot of people like to use breadcrumbs. Beer batter is another way to make very crispy onion rings because beer makes batter light and airy without giving it a beer flavor. Some people like to soak the onion rings in buttermilk before dipping them into a batter or flour mixture.

You can add herbs or spices to the batter if you want to. Spicy rings are nice to make and you can serve these with a steak or fried chicken recipe, as well as French fries, if you want to make some real comfort food. There are lots of different recipes so you can experiment and see which you and your family prefer.

Tasty Dips for Onions

Serve your favorite dip alongside your homemade onions recipe. This might be barbecue sauce, sweet and sour sauce, ketchup, mustard, or mayonnaise.

You can make your own tasty dip by stirring some curry powder or mustard into mayonnaise. You might like to add a few drops of Tabasco sauce or hot sauce to liven it up even more.

Recipe for Old Fashioned Onion Rings

You will need:

• 1 onion, in 1/4 inch slices
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Seasoned salt, to taste
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 quart oil for deep frying

How to make them:Stir the baking powder and salt into the flour. Separate the onion slices into rings and dip them into the flour mixture to coat them. Stir the egg and milk into the flour with a fork, and then dip the onion rings into this batter.

Drain them on a wire rack until they stop dripping. You can put an aluminum foil-covered cookie sheet under the wire rack if you like, since this makes less mess.

Spread the breadcrumbs over a shallow dish and dip the onion into them. Turn them over to cover the other side too. The coating should stick well. Heat the oil to 365 degrees F in a deep fryer and fry the rings until they are golden brown. This will take a couple of minutes. Drain them on paper towels, season them with seasoned salt, and serve hot.

Onion rings are a great accompaniment to homemade fried chicken and you can choose from a classic southern fried chicken recipe, a healthy oven-fried chicken recipe or one of many other easy chicken recipes.

SouthernFriedChickenRecipe.com When it has to be Real Fried Chicken

By Lorelie Carvey

You are forced to become really creative when you have to. So as I made my way to professional cake decorating, I used easy cake decorating techniques to get through. Here are some simple ways to look like an expert if you are still in the midst of honing your skills.

• I utilized fresh flowers from the garden or even from a nearby field or roadside. You can find tiny little wild flowers that can be placed on the cake. Or can be sugared with a little egg white and fine sugar. (which will preserve them) ferns and tiny greens are awesome on a cake.

First get one egg white and whip the white a little with a fork until it starts to get frothy. Have a small artist brush ready.Put some super fine sugar in a bowl or on a plate and have a spoon ready. Next get a piece of waxed paper and spread that out next to your egg and sugar.

Now gather up your flowers and leaves. Do not wash them because they will wilt. Brush the egg white onto the petals and poor the sugar over the flower or leaf. Place on a piece of waxed paper to dry for a few hours. Arrange them on the cake.

Fresh fruit is another winner. Again you can sugar small fruits in the same way as the flowers.

• Toasted nuts chopped finely and coconut toasted is a really great way to cover the sides. If you need help covering a messy frosting job this is the way to go.You can also use untoasted coconut.
• Textured icing like the fluffy white waves you make while swirling the icing around in circles is fun and easy and looks great? (This is if you are not skilled yet at icing a cake smoothly.)
• If you want to wow people with your skills basket weaving is a basic cake decorating technique. It is the first thing I teach to my students after they learn how to frost a cake. I have directions on my web site with cake decorating videos and tutorials.
• Ribbons are fabulous.

Make little loops and attach them to wire. Stick the wires into the cake without the ribbon actually touching the cake. This way the material will not absorb the grease from the frosting. These look best when added to a small bouqeut of flowers on your cake.

• Fondant, which can be purchased at Michaels or other craft stores is fun to play with.

Roll out and cut into shapes. If you get the gum paste cutter set it includes directions for cutting and shaping.

• Always work with frozen or very cold cakes. This makes it so much easier to frost and decorate. The cake will thaw inside the icing which will help to keep it moist.

Only attempt butter cream roses after you practice working with butter cream and piping bags.

• Simple borders in the beginning would be dots and rosettes, using a round tip or shell tip.

It is not easy to make it look really nice in the beginning. So practice a lot. Use different angle and pressure until you get the hang of it. Or cover mistakes by adding a piece of sugared fruit, flowers nuts or bits of chocolate on each rosette.

• Chocolate is another great medium to work with. Here are a couple of easy but impressive techniques.

Melt the chocolate either carefully in the microwave or over a double boiler. Using a fork swirl the chocolate over your cake randomly.Or try this Place a piece of waxed paper on a tray and swirl the melted chocolate over the paper. Put it in the fridge for a few minutes until it hardens. Now remove carefully the pieces of the swirled chocolate and arrange in the center of the cake. You can make it three dimensional by propping them up against eah other or sticking them straight into the buttercream.

Practice enough and you are on your way to professional cake decorating. It just hapens!!! But until then try these simple “decorating a cake” ideas…

Lorelie Carvey’s website http://www.wedding-cakes-for-you.com, shares her expertise with aspiring cake decorators how to make a wedding cake. Bridesmaids and brides get free resources to help plan your unique wedding and shower celebration. Lorelie invites you to submit your best cake decorating ideas and sweet stories. Go to http://www.wedding-cakes-for-you.com/cakedecoratingcontest.html

By KC Kudra

One of the best things about marinated steak recipes is that you can choose from literally hundreds of different recipes and even adapt those to your taste. Also, you can mix and match your steaks with the marinades. There are some marinades that are better for certain cuts of steak though.

If you are using a cheap, tough cut of steak you might want to use a marinade with plenty of citrus juice in it, or similar, because this will tenderize the steak. If you are using such a marinade on a more tender cut of steak you will need to be careful not to leave the marinade on for too long because it can make the meat mushy.

Types of Marinated Steak Recipes

There are various types of marinated steak recipes you can choose from. What about a smoky barbecue flavored marinade, a spicy international marinade with chilies or a tangy citrus based one?

The best way to choose which marinade recipe to use is to compare a few different ones. Think about what you are going to be serving alongside the steak. If you are serving plain rice, you might want to make something that can be boiled after marinating and used as a sauce, so you can ladle some of the hot marinade on to the rice as well. If you are serving a tasty side dish with the beef, a simpler marinade recipe might be more suitable so you do not have a flavor clash.

Marinating Ribeye Steak

You might like to use a ribeye steak marinade recipe if you have some ribeye steaks for dinner. Ribeye steak is really juicy and delicious and using a marinade on it can make it really mouthwatering, extra tender and extremely flavorful.

This cut is from the beef rib and the meat is fattier, or more marbled, than a lot of other cuts of beef. This marbling adds to the natural flavor and juiciness. You can get bone-in ribeye steaks and boneless ones, although technically bone-in ribeye steak is a rib steak not a ribeye.

Because this type of steak is naturally juicy, it is suited to dry cooking methods and does not need to be basted as it cooks. The marbling melts as the meat cooks and juices are released, keeping it succulent and stopping it from drying out on the grill. A marinade for ribeye steak is about giving gentle flavor rather than being necessary to tenderize the meat or overpowering the flavor of the beef.

Ribeye is really tasty as it is so a marinade for ribeye steak should give a hint of flavor rather than anything too strong. Save the strong flavored, tenderizing marinades for cheaper beef cuts.

The best way to cook a ribeye steak is on the grill but you could fry or broil it if you wanted to. Marinate the meat for a couple of hours. That is enough to give it a good flavor without having a negative impact on the meat texture.

Marinated steak recipes range from simple to complex and there are marinades for every cut of meat and every occasion. A good ribeye steak marinade recipe should add a hint of flavor to the steak without being overpowering. Ribeye steak is a real treat for dinnertime and an easy steak marinade can make it even more delicious.

Easy Steak Marinades Help Make a Truly Mouthwatering Meal – EasySteakMarinades.net

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