Beef Stroganoff

1 1/2 pounds lean beef (top sirloin or similar) (can also use sliced pork instead)
4 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion (quartered and sliced)
1/2 lb brown mushrooms thickly sliced
1 garlic cloves minced
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Garnish: 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley


Melt butter in frying pan and start sauteeing the onions, mushrooms, garlic and meat.

Sprinkle the flour on top and gradually start adding the beef broth, blending it with the flour using a rubber spatula. Once blended and simmering hot get a a separate bowl to temper the sour cream.

Stir a few tablespoons of the sauce into 1/4 cup of sour cream so that it doesn’t curdle then add it to the pan while stirring constantly.  Once the sour cream is tempered, add it to the sauce in pan.  Season with dijon mustard, salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce.

Serve with flat egg noodles.

Peach Cobbler, Old Fashioned

1 stick butter

1 1/2  cup of all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups of sugar, divided in half
1 1/2 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cup of milk

6 c. sliced peaches, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoon of lemon juice

Oven @ 375°F
If using fresh peaches, scald them for 1 minute in boiling water, and cool in cold water.  Peel the skins off.  Slice up the peaches and mix the peaches with 3/4 c. sugar and the lemon juice. 

Put the stick of butter in a 9x13 glass baking pan and put in the oven to start melting. 

Put peaches and sugar mixture in a medium sauce pot and begin cooking on medium heat.  Stir frequently.  This gets the peaches to exude peach juice which will flavor the cobbler crust.

While the butter melts, and peaches cook, mix the batter.  Mix all dry ingredients first.

When the butter is melted, remove from oven.  The peaches should be cooked well enough to produce a lot of juice.  Mix the milk into the dry batter ingredients.  It should be the consistency of pancake batter. 

Pour the batter into the baking pan and melted butter.  As the batter drizzles into the pan, move it around so the butter is displaced and runs in and around the batter.  Lastly, gradually pour or spoon into the batter the peaches and juice.  Try to distribute the juice and peaches evenly.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Rib Rub

2 tsp smoked salt
4 tsp kosher salt
8 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp espresso-chili powder (or regular chili powder + 1/2 tsp espresso powder)
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper

makes enough for roughly 12 lbs of pork ribs.  Typical rack of ribs sold in stores as about 6 lbs.
I use Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, but many could be good.

If making 6 lbs of ribs, use half the recipe.  Either make half or store the other portion afterward.
Using a knife, cut the ribs apart.  Generously cover the ribs with the rib rub.  Roll them around together to evenly coat in the spice mix.

In a large pot or dutch oven, put 2 tbsp oil and 1 c. water.  Set the stove burner to medium.  Put all the ribs in the pot, cover and cook for about 90 minutes, or until the meat is pulling away from the bones.

When done, brush the ribs generously with barbecue sauce and bake in the oven for 10 minutes on a large baking sheet.  This dries out the sauce a bit.  Remove from oven, coat once more with barbecue sauce and serve.

Cream of Potato and Chicken Soup

4 chicken thighs
2 quarts water
8 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into
2 tsp minced garlic
1 large onion, diced
1 tsp salt or more to taste
1 1/2 c. half & half
1 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. mashed potato flakes
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Boil the chicken, onion and garlic in the water and salt for ~2 hours.  After the chicken's boiled, remove it and let the pieces cool.  While cooling, put the chopped potatoes, spices, in the broth and cook on medium for 10 minutes.

While the potatoes cook, heat the half & half in the microwave until hot.  In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed potato flakes and flour.  Mix in the half & half, gradually adding in soup broth and stirring until the mashed potatoes are loose and soupy.  They should be slightly lumpy. 

Remove chicken meat from the bones, chop up the meat, discard bones and cartilage.  Add meat to soup.  Stir the mashed potatoes into the soup, add the cheese and the milk.  Adjust salt levels to taste.

Banana Fritters

1 c. chopped, packed ripe bananas (approximately 2 medium)
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. cornstarch or potato starch
1/4 c. sweetened shredded coconut (or up to 1/2 cup, if desired)
2 tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup buttermilk, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients. 
Deep fry in peanut or corn oil.  Heat oil to 375°.  Fry for 2 minutes, turn in oil, fry another 1 minute.

These are good by themselves, or could be dusted with sugar and cinnamon.

Stabilized Whipped Cream and Cheese Frosting

An amazing frosting that goes great on many cakes.  I developed it for the Strawberry milk cake.  The gelatin helps hold it together.

Frosting
1 package cream cheese
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 package gelatin

Frosting Preparation
This frosting uses the gelatin as a stabilizer.  It will set sort of like jell-o and needs to be sculpted onto the cake relatively soon after mixing.  Once it sets, you can't really un-set it and re-sculpt.

Begin beating the cream cheese with the sugar, almond extract and vanilla until it's loose and whipped.  Pour in the cream and beat on high until stiff peaks start forming.  In a separate bowl, put 2 tbsp of water and gently sprinkle the contents of the gelatin pouch into it.  Let it sit for a minute or two and 'bloom'.  Mix it around, add another tsp of water if needed to get it into a semi-paste like consistency.  Microwave for 8-10 seconds to liquefy it.  Do NOT get this too hot!

Mix the liquified gelatin into the whipped cream frosting mix and continue beating on high until it starts stiffening up and not running.  It's now ready to frost the cake.

Strawberry Milk Cake

4th iteration
Cake
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 c. cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

2/3 c. scalded milk
1/4 c. butter

3 c. fresh strawberry puree
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp pink food dye powder

Frosting
1 package cream cheese
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 package gelatin

Oven at 350°
Butter and grease 2 9-inch round cake pans.
Wash and hull the strawberries.  Use a blender or food processor to puree them until you have 3 c. of puree.  From that take 1/3 c. and set aside. This will be mixed into the milk for the liquid part of the cake.
Cream the eggs, sugar and vanilla.
In separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, pink food dye powder.
Measure a half cup of milk and combine with the half cup of strawberry puree.  In a small pot, heat until it's nearly boiling, then remove from heat.  Cut in the butter and let it melt.

Beat the flour mix into the egg mix.  Add in the milk and strawberry mixture.  Blend well until it's a thick batter.  Pour evenly between the two pans.

Bake for 35 minutes or until firm

Remove from heat and pans, let the cakes cool completely before preparing the frosting.

Frosting Preparation
This frosting uses the gelatin as a stabilizer.  It will set sort of like jell-o and needs to be sculpted onto the cake relatively soon after mixing.  Once it sets, you can't really un-set it and re-sculpt.

Begin beating the cream cheese with the sugar, almond extract and vanilla until it's loose and whipped.  Pour in the cream and beat on high until stiff peaks start forming.  In a separate bowl, put 2 tbsp of water and gently sprinkle the contents of the gelatin pouch into it.  Let it sit for a minute or two and 'bloom'.  Mix it around, add another tsp of water if needed to get it into a semi-paste like consistency.  Microwave for 8-10 seconds to liquefy it.  Do NOT get this too hot!

Mix the liquified gelatin into the whipped cream frosting mix and continue beating on high until it starts stiffening up and not running.  It's now ready to frost the cake.

Assembly
Using a long bread knife, carefully slice the two cakes in half length-wise.  This will give you 4 thin layers of cake.  Place the first layer on the serving platter and then pour half of the remaining strawberry puree over it.  spread it evenly.  Place another layer of cake.

Put a generous layer of frosting on top of the second layer of cake.  I make it about 1/2 an inch thick.  spread evenly.  Place another layer of cake (the third).  On top of that spread the remaining strawberry puree.  Add the last layer of cake.  Dollop-out the rest of the frosting.  It should be light and easily spreadable, but hold its shape thanks to the gelatin.  Spread evenly over the top and coat the sides. 

Slice up whole strawberries and decorate the top of the cake with them.  Serve after chilling for an hour.  

This cake freezes exceptionally well.  Slice it up into pieces and it can be stored for several months with pieces of wax paper separating the pieces.

3rd iteration

Cake
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c. scalded milk
1/4 c. butter

3 c. fresh strawberry puree (minus 1/2 c. to be mixed w/ milk)
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp pink food dye powder

Frosting
1 package cream cheese
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 package gelatin

2nd iteration

Cake
2 eggs
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 c. scalded strawberry milk
1/4 c. butter

3 c. fresh strawberry puree
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp pink food dye powder

Frosting
1 package cream cheese
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
2 c. heavy whipping cream