Chicken in Balsamic Vinegar and Raspberry Sauce June 10, 2008

Filed under: Uncategorized — jb @ 9:12 pm

12 oz Balsamic vinegar
12 oz Raspberries at room temperature
2 tblsp brown sugar
12 Chicken tenderloins
1/2 - 3/4 stick butter melted and heated for pan frying

Combine vinegar, raspberries and brown sugar then blend or puree.
Heat to a simmer and allow to cook down
Meanwhile sautee chicken in butter.
Add about 1/4 cup of raspberry sauce in with chicken after turning
To serve place chicken on a plate and spoon raspberry sauce over the top

 

Beer Battered Fish June 10, 2008

Filed under: Uncategorized — jb @ 9:03 pm

1 cup flour
2 eggs
6 oz beer
2-4 fish portions
salt as needed
Oil for frying

Combine flour eggs and beer well
Dredge fish in batter
Fry until golden brown

 

Easy Alfredo Sauce June 10, 2008

Filed under: Uncategorized — jb @ 9:02 pm

1 cup butter
6 cloves minced garlic
1 8oz package cream cheese
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
one 5-8oz packaged shredded parmesan cheese

Sautee garlic in melted butter
Add cream cheese and whisk until smooth
Slowly whisk in milk and cream
Add parmesan cheese and melt
Cook until thickened slightly
If desired add one 10oz package frozen spinach (thawed and drained) after parmesan cheese
Serve over hot pasta immediately
Sauce will thicken as it cools.

 

Mexican pizzas January 29, 2008

Filed under: main dish, mexican — K @ 7:14 pm

I worked at Taco hell for a few years as a teenager and young adult, so this is a pretty similar recipe.

10 corn tortillas
canola oil (for frying)
1 lb ground meat (we used a mixture of turkey and lean beef)
1 can refried beans
8 oz salsa
1 cup extra sharp chedder cheese
1 package taco seasoning

Preheat oven to 350° F. Heat the oil in a skillet tell it’s ready to fry (my husband has an instinct on this, I don’t know how he tells) add the tortillas one at a time and cook for approximately 2.5 minutes on each side then transfer to a paper towel. Do this for all 10 tortillas. While they are frying, stir together beans and 8 oz salsa and heat till warmed through. In a seperate pan, brown ground meat and then drain. Add taco seasoning and about 1/4 cup water to ground meat. Cook ground meat until water is evaporated and meat is spiced. Assemble pizzas. Take one fried tortilla, get a spoonfull of beans and layer it on the tortilla, then do a layer of meat, then a layer of cheese. Add another tortilla on top of the cheese and repeat. You should end up with a pizza of two tortillas with layers of meat cheese and beans. Pop it in the oven till all the cheese melts, took ours about 5 minutes. You can also leave them under the broiler for a second if you like the cheese nice and browned. Delicious and easy.

 

Pork Chops with Raspberry Sauce January 25, 2008

Filed under: main dish — jb @ 2:52 pm

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 4 (4 ounce) boneless pork loin chops
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup raspberry jam
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine crushed thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Rub evenly over pork chops.
  2. Melt butter and olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Cook pork chops for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, turning once. Remove from skillet and keep warm in preheated oven.
  3. In the skillet, combine raspberry jam, orange juice, vinegar, and wine. Bring to a boil, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until sauce is reduced to desired consistency (sauce will thicken as it cools). Spoon sauce onto pork chops.
 

Restaurant Review Olive Garden January 14, 2008

Filed under: restaurant review — jb @ 3:58 pm

Olive Garden 1176 Mt. Zion Rd.  Morrow Ga 30260 and I recommend you stay away.  Dining there was a mistake and it would have been better if we had stayed away.  After not having their health inspection posted anywhere where anyone could see it and having to ask I was disappointed to find that the service was poor with having to wait over fifteen minutes for the only refill of the meal when I was completely empty when it was even seen by the manager and still having to wait.  To top it off the food was bad.  After having to send the appetizer back because of overcooked calamari and sending it back again because of hair in the mushrooms we decided to scrap that and eat our regular meal.  Turns out Kat’s was great except for being slightly undercooked around the edges.  Mine on the other hand left much to be desired.  Mine was completely in edible thanks to steak that was raw in the middle.  After sending mine back and still not having it fixed I decided to cancel the order.  The only advantage was we got one free meal out of it.

 

Valerian December 12, 2007

Filed under: healthy herbs — K @ 6:28 pm

From American Academy of Family Pediatrics

Valerian is a safe herbal choice for the treatment of mild insomnia and has good tolerability. Most studies suggest that it is more effective when used continuously rather than as an acute sleep aid; more rigorous studies are needed to confirm these results. A potential advantage of valerian over benzodiazepines is the lack of sleepiness on awakening when used at the recommended dosages. Valerian also may be helpful in weaning patients with insomnia from benzodiazepines. The use of valerian as an anxiolytic requires further study. Long-term safety studies are lacking.

Dosage

Based on the reviewed studies, the effective dosage of valerian root extract for treatment of insomnia ranges from 300 to 600 mg. An equivalent dose of dried herbal valerian root is 2 to 3 g, soaked in one cup of hot water for 10 to 15 minutes.25 The product should be ingested 30 minutes to two hours before bedtime.

from wikipedia

Oral forms
Oral forms are available in both standardized and unstandardized forms. Standardized products may be preferable considering the wide variation of the chemicals in the dried root, as noted above. When standardized it is done so as a percentage of valerenic acid or valeric acid. Physician Formulas makes a 300 mg capsule standardized to 0.8% valerenic acid (2.4mg).  Nature’s Sunshine Time-Release Valerian tablet contains 500 mg of valerian root extract standardized to 0.8% valerenic acid (4mg).  Nature Made makes a 400mg capsule standardized to only 0.07% valerenic acid (0.28mg).  Nutraceutical makes two 50mg capsules under the names Solaray and Thompson standardized to 0.8% valeric acid (0.4mg).

Dosage is difficult to determine due to the lack of standardization and variability in available forms. Typical dosages of the crude herb vary from 1-10 grams per day. Valerian root is non-toxic but may cause side effects in excessive doses.

 

 

Chocolate Creme Brulee December 11, 2007

Filed under: dessert — jb @ 2:44 pm

1 Pint Heavy Cream

1/4 Cup Sugar

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1 Splash Ameretto Licquor (optional)

1 Tablespoon unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1-2 Ounces extra dark chocolate (60-72%)

3 Egg Yolks

Heat cream in saucer over medium-high heat

Add vanilla, sugar and licqour and bring to a light simmer

Add cocoa power and chocolate and combine and mix well

Lightly whisk egg yolks in a bowl

Strain chocolate mixture and whisk into egg yolks

Pour into individual ramekins and place ramekins in a baking dish filled with enough water to go half way up the ramekins

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes

Remove and cool thoroughly and refrigerate for 2 hours

Remove from refrigerator and spread 1 tablespoon of sugar over the top of the creme brulee and apply a blowtorch until caramelized.

 

Flaxseed December 11, 2007

Filed under: healthy herbs — K @ 2:35 pm

I’m not a doctor! This is just information I’ve collected for my families use only )

 

From herbalist.com

Flaxseed derives from the Flax plant, which has been around since the beginning of the world. From the beginning of time the usefulness of Flaxseed for healing has been noted and well used by many civilizations. Flaxseed is one of the oldest and original of all healthy foods. The botanical name for Flaxseed is Linum usitatissimum and it was first used by the ancient Egyptians for both nutritional as well as medicinal reasons. Employed as a healing method during the days of the Roman Empire, Hippocrates used it frequently in treating his patients. In particular Flaxseed was once used as a mild laxative as it was found to be high in fiber and a gummy material called mucilage.

The Flax plant is blue in color and is readily to be found growing in the Western Canadian Prairies. Both the seeds and the oil are essential elements of the Flax plant. Flaxseed oil is very high in an essential fatty Acid called alpha-linolenic Acid (ALA) which is beneficial to those who suffer from circulatory problems and a variety of heart conditions. ALA is a member of the all-important substances known as omega-3 fatty acids.

(more…)

 

Primrose December 11, 2007

Filed under: healthy herbs — K @ 2:17 pm

I’m not a doctor! This is just information I’ve collected for my families use only :)

From herbalist.com

Primrose is a short-stemmed plant that comes from the genus Primula and sports tufted basal leaves that are somewhat egg-shaped in appearance and look more oblong once the plant has reached maturity. The Primrose plant has showy attractive looking flowers that bloom on different stalks. The Primrose plant is a wildflower that grows in North America, New Zealand, Europe and various places throughout Asia.
The importance of the Primrose plant or evening Primrose plant as it is sometimes referred to is that the seeds are full of a fatty oil that is beneficial for healing. The seeds of the plant are used to make evening Primrose oil which is especially beneficial for female problems such as premenstrual syndrome, uncomfortable Menstruation and endometriosis. Consuming evening Primrose oil on a regular basis can bring about a decrease in menstrual cramps, and breast tenderness. This special oil can also help to curb cravings for carbohydrates, decrease the incidence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) flare-ups and control the inflammation that accompanies endometriosis. Research studies have shown that many women who suffer from PMS have very low levels of GLA in their bodies. (more…)