Martha A. Cheves's Blog, page 155

Add Butter Flavor when Sauteing

When I saute vegetables like mushrooms or veggies such as zucchini over high heat, I do this using just a little olive oil. But I like the buttery flavor and sauteing with butter usually burns before my dish is done and I really don't usually have time to clarify my butter so here is the perfect solution. Saute with oil and add butter at the end of the cooking. This will give you the flavor you want without the hassle.

Orange Cycle Salad

As a kid I couldn't get enough of those ice creams on a stick called Dream Cycles/Orange Cycles. The vanilla ice cream inside with the orange on the outside were so refreshing. This salad reminds me of those ice cream truck treats. The only thing I would change might be the nuts but even a change that small will can change this salad's flavor. To view the full recipe click on Martha's Kitchen Korner in the sidebar.

Cooking Forum

Got cooking questions or remarks? Do you have a favorite dish? Ever eaten something really bad? Do you have a favorite chef? Do you like or dislike the food shows offered on TV?

Go to the Think with Your Taste Buds Forum and ask your questions, answer a few or just voice your own opinion.

Dirt Cake & Kids

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On my last visit to see and cook with my grandkids I decided that we would make a "Dirt Cake." I've heard of these kiddie cakes but have never made one nor actually even seen one. So I decided to guess. I bought a chocolate cake, a container of chocolate icing and some gummy worms. The kids gathered around the counter. To the cake mix one kid added the water, one the water and one the oil. They took turns mixing and we had our cake ready to go into the oven. After baking I put it into...

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

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These chops are so tender, moist and tasty. Changes can be made with the seasoning. You might want to use Italian blends or even Mexican blends of seasonings. This dish can also be made with chicken instead of chops.

Chuck Roast with Mashed Potatoes

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Saturday night I made a chuck roast with mashed potatoes but I cooked my potatoes in with my roast so they could soak up the flavors from the roast and seasonings. They were wonderful and simple. I cut them into chunks and put them in for about the last hour of cooking the roast. I take them out, add my usual butter, cream and mash them. Give this a try. It's so good and you also end up with one less pan to wash.

Getting Ready for Thanksgiving #10

My favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal is not the turkey but the dressing and gravy and I make plenty of both. One year my kids asked that I bring the dressing and gravy but they would provide the turkey. Well... I can't make "real" gravy without the drippings from the turkey so I actually bought a turkey and cooked it just so I could make my gravy.

When I make Thanksgiving gravy I don't use the little packet of hidden inside the neck. I don't like liver and don't want it in anything th...

Mistakes While Cooking

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At some point in time, if you cook enough, you will make mistakes. I want to share one of my most recent mistakes with you.

I was in Walmart a few weeks ago and spotted some pretzels that had been dipped in caramel and rolled in nuts. Great idea! I bought my pretzels, not the really large ones that they had used but not the really small ones either. Sort of in-between. I picked up a bag of caramel chips, which I didn't know were even on the market, and knew that I had chopped pecans and a...

Cheese Straws

Just in time for the holidays!
These cheese straws are simple to make and so delicious. You can change the flavor by using blends of cheese. These are really good made with the seasoned Mexican cheese blend found in your grocery store.

To view the full recipe click on Martha's Kitchen Korner in the right sidebar.

Simple Alfredo Sauce

1 pt. heavy cream 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 stick butter 1 Tbl. parsley 1 cup parmesan cheese pepper to taste Melt butter in a sauce pan with garlic, parsley and black pepper. Add cream (keep at low-medium heat - do not boil). Stir in parmesan cheese. Stir constantly until thickened. If it doesn't thicken, add 1 tsp. cornstarch. This goes great over any pasta. I like to use it over chicken or a white sauce for spinach pizza.