Welcome to Tasty Tuesday!

Well, I don’t know about the “Tasty” part, but it is Tuesday.

This week I wanted to go on and on about my love of strawberries and share some recipes with you. I did run into a little problem as I started making my pound cake. I’ll tell you a little more about that later.

Growing up in Florida and going strawberry picking almost every year of my life, I’ve learned a thing or two about these wonderful treats.  We always end up filling the whole trunk of the car with quarts of strawberries fresh from the fields.

We have a hard time knowing when to stop ourselves from the fun of finding the biggest (they get really big) and best strawberry out there. Having a little friendly competition never hurt anyone, right? Even though you really shouldn’t…you have to test a few to make sure they’re alright. Just wipe them on your shirt a little and quickly pop it in your mouth!

Visiting the Florida Strawberry Festival and making the biggest possible Strawberry Shortcake you can fit in the bowl would have to be a highlight of Strawberry Season. If you’re in Florida, theFlorida Strawberry Festival is coming up!

Making fresh Strawberry Jam and feeling like you are “Ms. Homemaker” or something is part of the fun.

Strawberry Jam

• 2 quarts fully ripe strawberries
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 7 cups sugar
• 3 ounces liquid fruit pectin

1. Wash and hull the strawberries, and place them in a medium bowl. Using a potato masher, crush the berries. You should have 4 cups of crushed berries.

2. In a heavy saucepan combine the crushed berries, lemon juice, and sugar. Over high heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly; boil, stirring, for 1 minute.

3. Add the liquid pectin; boil and stir for 1 minute longer. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, skim off and discard any foam that rises to the surface.

4. Spoon the hot jam into 8 widemouthed, warm sterilized 1/2 pint jars, leaving a 1/4 inch space between the top of the jam and the rim of the jar. Wipe the rims, cover, and process for 10 minutes in boiling water. You might want to look up canning instructions for this part. I don’t feel qualified to tell you. This is usually where I call my mom asking if I’m doing it right or not!

What NOT to do!

Now, back to the story about the “What-Not-To-Do” photo at the top of the post…

It all started when I thought I would like to make pound cake to use for my Strawberry Shortcake instead of buying those cute little round ones at the grocery store. Let me just say that I’ve never, ever, ever made a pound cake before.

I found a recipe in a great cookbook labeled “NEVER-FAIL POUND CAKE!” This seemed like the obvious choice for someone like me. But, maybe it should be a warning sign when something starts out with “NEVER-FAIL!”

I had a few setbacks on my road to a wonderful Strawberry Shortcake! I’ll quickly list them so we can move on and you can appreciate all that I went through to give you an interesting Tasty Tuesday Post!

• I decided to “SOFTEN” the butter a little faster (I could have a patience problem.) by setting the stick of butter in the microwave for “just a few seconds” while talking on the phone. It melted all over the freshly cleaned microwave, and I had to scrape it out.
• I pulled my favorite, antique mixing bowl out of the cabinet to find it cracked. I threw it away after trying to decide if a giant crack caused a problem for a mixing bowl or not.
• Then Jacob, my youngest son, sweetly helped me mix everything together. It was all happy, happy in the kitchen for a few minutes.
• I popped the cake pan in the oven and began the baking. I decided to peek through the window after 30 or 40 minutes to find the first photo. It was overflowing everywhere!
• I pretty calmly cleaned out the oven and threw everything else in the sink to deal with later. Then I decided to start over.
• I had all my ingredients on the table and I decided to tweet about my fun in the kitchen. (Follow me on Twitter for exciting tweets – Ha!) I turned back around to only four eggs. Where’s number five? On the floor. It rolled off the counter.
• I was still being very calm (as usual) and started putting some stuff up in the kitchen and when I turned around with paper towel in hand, the dog was licking up the egg. She was done. It grossed me out!
• The second attempt went fine, but my sink is still full of dishes and an oven rack!

Here’s the recipe you’ve been waiting for…

From Uncle Bubba’s Savannah Seafood Cookbook (Paula Dean’s brother)

Never-Fail Pound Cake

Serves 10 to 12

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 3 cups sugar
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons lemon extract

Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

In a large bowl, using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Stir in the lemon extract. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Place in oven and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Increase the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes more. Do not open the oven door while baking. After 30 minutes, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake to see if it comes out clean. If it doesn’t, continue baking at 350 degrees until the toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

While this was baking I sliced up about two pounds of fresh strawberries and mixed them with about one cup of sugar. Covered it and put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour. It makes a wonderful topping!

Tip:  Do not accidentally grab “self-rising” flour out of your cabinet.  Only use “all purpose” flour.  Trust me!

Ta-Da, I give you Strawberry Shortcake!!!

Enjoy, and thanks for joining us for Tasty Tuesday this week!

Please remember to include a link in your post back here to Tasty Tuesday. Also, be sure to link directly to your post rather than your homepage. Thanks!

Welcome to Tasty Tuesday ya’ll!  We had some fun last week with so many great recipes!  I hope you’ll be able to join us this week with a recipe, restaurant review, food tip…whatever.  The more the merrier, right?

It’s been soooo cold all across the country, even in Florida, and I’ve been craving some good, hot soup to warm us up!

Today I’m making Southwestern Soup and the smell alone is enough to make everyone hungry as they walk in the door!  I love soup simmering on the stove!  And it’s much easier than it looks!

Southwestern Soup

• 1 1b ground beef
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (16-oz.) cans light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5-oz.) can petite diced tomatoes and jalapenos, undrained
• 1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes and mild green chilies, undrained
• 1 (14-oz.) can beef broth
• 2 cups frozen yellow and white whole kernel corn
• 1 (1-oz.) envelope taco seasoning mix
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Toppings: sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro

1. Brown ground beef, onion, and garlic in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring often, 10 to 12 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink and onion is softened; drain.
2. Stir in kidney beans, next 8 ingredients, and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in cilantro just before serving. Serve with desired toppings.

I added less of the canned tomatoes and peppers so it wouldn’t be too hot for us! Hey…we like stuff a little on the mild side!

I baked up some cornbread to go along with it…YUM!

I thought about making cornbread from scratch…and then I came to my senses. I found this wonderful mix and it’s a new favorite! Our youngest son wanted to know if I would make it for him everyday!  The flavors of the cornbread and the soup made for a great combination!

This whole meal was really simple to make. Brown the meat, onions, and garlic, throw everything else in, and move on to painting your nails (don’t you wish?) until it’s time to eat! That’s just the kind of recipe I need during the week.  I think it would be yummy with chicken or maybe even some tortilla chips as a topping!  

Tim saw me taking photos of the soup and he had to give it a try right then! He gives it “two thumbs up!”

I did try a couple recipes from last week’s party, and they both turned out great!  When I saw the recipe for Nonnie Bear’s Bacon Bow Tie Pasta I realized I already had most of the ingredients…it was a big hit! Then we needed dessert, so I tried TidyMom’s Chocolate Crescents recipe, and I’ll just say that they were fighting over who would get the last one!

I think all my boys are pretty happy about this new food bloggin’ party stuff!  

Now let’s see what everyone else brought to our Tasty Tuesday blog party this week!

Now don’t forget to put a link back to us in your post so the party will be more fun for everyone!  You can use the button over in our sidebar if you would like.  Or, if you want to go huge, you can grab the image at the top of this post!  Of course, if orange just isn’t your color…you can do a simple text link!

Welcome, one and all, to the soon to be famous ForeverWherever.com’s Tasty Tuesday Parade of Food!  While it may be new to you today, there will come a day when you will have Tasty Tuesday zipped to you every week wherever you shall roam!  Recipes and food ideas from all of the world’s greatest kitchens will grace our pages week-in and week-out.  No one will ever be without a great meal idea again!

Right?  That’s how this whole blog thing works isn’t it?  Just have an idea…think it’s great…put it on your blog and voila! Right? 

That’s what I was thinking when I started this idea anyway… but now it’s almost time for the party to start, and I’m starting to worry!  What if nobody comes?  I wish my mom knew how to work the computer a little better!

When we came up with the idea for Tasty Tuesday I thought…perfect!  I love to cook and my boys love to eat.  I knew that if I was ever drawing a blank on what to do for the big blog party, all I would need to do is ask for suggestions.  No shortage of food suggestions around here!

So I asked for a suggestion “Hey Tim, what do you think I should make for the Tasty Tuesday food?  It’s gotta be good!”  I wasn’t surprised when he came up with a long string of options, (read on to find out how he totally messes me up later) the winner is: 

Bangers & Mash!

We’re making Bangers and Mash!  Have you ever tried it?  It’s a great winter food and the taste is out of this world!  Using this recipe the taste is totally authentic!  It’s just like being in a good ole English Public House!

The first time we tried it we were in London!  We love to try local food (usually…not everywhere!!), and this one was so much better than I thought it would be! 

I later found this great cookbook at Williams-Sonoma and Bangers and Mash has been a regular meal in our house ever since!  The photos of London and all it’s great food are just beautiful!

Bangers and Mash with Red Onion and Wine Gravy                                                

• 2 lb good-quality pork sausages
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil

For the Gravy

•  2 tablespoons unsalted butter
•  1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 red onions, halved and finely sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour (plain)
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 cup red wine, such as Shiraz
• 1 cup homemade chicken or beef stock
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place the sausages in a roasting pan, drizzle with the oil, toss to coat, and spread out in a single layer.  Bake, turning them after 15 minutes, until evenly colored, about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make your mashed potatoes.
3. To make the gravy, in a wide, shallow nonreactive saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter with the olive oil.  Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until collapsed, about 4 minutes.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook the onions for about 20 minutes until soft.  Raise the heat to medium-low.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook until evaporated.  Stir in the red wine and stock, raise the heat to medium, bring to a boil, and simmer until a luscious sauce forms, about 10 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Divide the sausages and mash among warmed individual plates.  Spoon gravy over the sausages and serve at once.

My tips:  Stir frequently.  Add extra flour for thicker gravy.  Put gravy on those mashed potatoes –Yum!

I love tons of gravy, so I might even make extra next time!

Here is where you should see all my pictures, right…the ones where the girl throwing the PARADE OF FOODS BLOG PARTY!!! shows all the hard work she put into the meal… you know, for the invited guests!…

Well that’s where my brilliant Tim comes in.  Picture this…we’re out on Sunday afternoon enjoying a beautiful sunny day.  Our plan is to bounce around town a little getting some pictures for his (also soon to be famous!) greeting cards (see the first few on the right).  Then it’s to the grocery store for all the fresh ingredients. Then home to make it all up good!

So it’s going fine when Tim says “Hey, let’s just go over to the Celtic Ray and get the Bangers and Mash there! They’re not as good as yours, but…”  Did I fall for that?  I did!  So that’s what we did! 

Now I’m totally mortified that I’m about to have a party with all store bought food!  But hey…the idea  for Tasty Tuesday is that it’s any food, homemade or not.  We were hoping for some restaurant reviews! And I can make this stuff and I promise it looks even better when I do!  Tastes better too…but the Celtic Ray does a great job of it.  I guess the fish and chips will fall as they may…it’s too late now.  It’s all Tim’s fault!

Here’s a local Punta Gorda pub that makes Bangers and Mash!    

The Celtic Ray

145 E. Marion Ave.

Punta Gorda, FL  33950

They also have great Fish and Chips!  

One of the things that always gets me back to this place is these cool swinging tables they have outside.  They sit right on the sidewalk and it’s a really nice place to sit when the sun is shining bright in the winter, or a cool night in the summer.

So…Bangers and Mash is my contribution and I’m sticking to it!

Now it’s time to see what you’re bringing to our Tasty Tuesday Parade of Food!  If you don’t have anything, just run out to McDonald’s and do a post on Cheeseburgers… I won’t throw any stones!

In any case, thanks for coming, and I’m not going to give up…next week, Lord willing, I will make something wonderful in my own kitchen!

Don’t forget to kindly mention ForeverWherever in your post and link back to us.  Also, when you do the Mr. Linky thing, be sure to put a link to your post itself, rather than your homepage so, years from now, when culinary historians are scouring the links of Tasty Tuesday looking for some great inspiration, they get to your original post!

Join in and let’s have some fun!

 Do you need something easy to make for the bowl game?  Having a party doesn’t need to be a ton of work when you keep the snacks simple.

These easy meatballs are sure to be gone by half-time!

Ingredients:

• 3-5 lbs frozen cooked meatballs
• 32 oz grape jelly
• 24 oz chili sauce ( I use 2 – 12 oz jars of Heinz Chili Sauce)
• Season with salt, pepper, or hot pepper

Throw it all in a large pot or crock pot and simmer for 2 hours.

That’s it!  Stick some little toothpicks in them and your finished!

There is another version of these meatballs that substitutes BBQ sauce in place of the chili sauce.  Then add 1 teaspoon of Liquid Smoke and you have BBQ Meatballs.

I’m all about easy cooking around here, but if you love to make meatballs you can make them from scratch.

My boys like to make meatball sandwiches out of them!

Enjoy!

Check out all the great ideas over at Works-For-Me-Wednesday hosted by Rocks In My Dryer!

Sign up for our giveaway….Calgon, Take Me Away!

Easy Reindeer Cookies

Looking for a short break from the holiday rush?  Maybe a little family time in the kitchen will do the trick.

In the past, I’ve made tins and tins full of cookies for family and friends, but this year I’m going to take it a little easier! (Hey, I’m not Superwoman!)  Today I made ONE (not4, not 5) kind of cookie with my boys.  Even though they are a little older (14 and 10) I was able to tempt (bribe) them with food to help me out in the kitchen.

Easy Reindeer Cookies are awesome for kids of all ages!  Admit it, you’ve gotta like the idea of a cookie that looks like a reindeer!  This won’t take long and the kids will have fun memories of making them with you.  Oh, and it makes the house smell wonderful!!

Easy Reindeer Cookies

• 1 (20 oz.) package of refrigerated scliceable peanut butter cookie dough. (OK, so these are semi-homemade cookies)
• 60 (2-inch) tiny pretzel twists
• 60 semisweet chocolate chips
• 30 red M&M’s (Oh my, what will we do with all these other colors?)

1. Freeze the dough for 15 minutes. (Don’t skip this part or let the kids eat half the cookie dough!)
2. Cut dough into 30 (1/4-inch thick) slices.
3. Place 4 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
4. Using thumb and forefinger, pinch in each slice about two-thirds of the way down to shape the face.

5. Press a pretzel on each side of the larger end to make the antlers.  Press in chocolate chips for the eyes, but don’t put that nose on yet!

6.  Bake at 350 for 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned.

7. Remove from the oven, and press in a red M&M for his nose! (I LOVE that part but the kids fought me for it!)  Cool on the cookie sheets 2 minutes and transfer to wire racks to cool.

Nose so Bright!

This recipe is SUPPOSED to yield 30 cookies, but I never end up with more than 15 or so.  I guess I make fat reindeer!  This recipe is from the Christmas with Southern Living cookbook.

Well, everything turned out great!  We had one kitchen towel fight break out, but no one was injured!  Our reindeer are a little on the chubby side, but they’re cute and yummy!  I hope you enjoy making these cookies with your kids, and let me know how they turn out!  – Kim

The Staff