Martha A. Cheves's Blog, page 77

Doggie Cookies

1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup margarine or butter
1 cup boiling beef broth
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. white sugar
2 tsp. beef bouillon granules
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg, beaten (or 2 to make treats softer for older dogs)
3 cups whole wheat flour

Combine oats and margarine/butter, and boiling beef broth in a large bowl.  Let stand and soften for 10 minutes.  Thoroughly stir in cornmeal, sugar, bouillon, milk, peanut butter and eggs.  Mix in flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough comes together.  You can roll this out and cut with a cookie cutter or you can do as I did and roll into 1" balls and press flat.  Place on a baking dish lined with parchment paper.  Bake in a 325 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.  Makes 60 cookies. 

I've been giving my dog what is supposed to be one of the best doggie treats on the market.  I especially liked giving him the 'chicken jerky' treat this company made.  Then I received an email that even though the company is American the chicken comes from China and several thousand dogs have become sick and some even died.  I threw them away and went searching for some homegrown, natural treats.  I found some but their prices were a bit pricey.  I found the recipe above and decided to try making my own, hoping Jesse would like them.  He, as well as 5 of his friends LOVE them!  And they aren't that expensive to make.  Don't have the whole wheat flour and rolled oats?  Do like I did and hit the health food store where you can buy as much or as little as you want.

Mrs. Paul's Parchment Bake

I'm always a bit leary of frozen fish.  More often than not the fish is soft and mushy.  I've learned the hard way that buying frozen fish just isn't worth it.  But when Foodbuzz's Tastemakers offered to send me some free coupons just to try Mrs. Paul's newest fish Parchment Bake I decided what the heck. 

The fish is enclosed in a sealed parchment bag.  It bakes in the oven for a total of about 25 minutes.  I will admit that when I saw this wasn't a dish I could microwave I almost lost interest but then I realized this was all I had taken with me for lunch giving me no choice but to wait the 25 minutes.  So I sat down and read while my fish cooked - in the oven. 

You won't believe this!  It has to be some of the best frozen fish I've ever eaten!  It's flaky yet firm.  The one I chose to try 1st was the Classic Grilled Tilapia which I expected to be sweet and not really appealing.  Again I was wrong.  It had just a slight taste of sauce, not sweet but with a touch of heat - but not too much.  The one flavor that I really picked up on was the taste of grilling.  This fish is the best!  And to top it all off - It has 80 calories and .5 g of fat!  Can't beat that.  Now I can't wait to try the other flavors.  Next will be Garlic Butter Tilapia, and then the Roasted Garlic and then I get Lemon Pepper.  Yum!

How Long Can You Keep It? - Beef, Pork, Lamb

Fresh:
   Chops - refrigerate 3 - 5 days - freeze 4 - 6 months
   Ground or Stew Meat - refrigerate 1 - 2 days - freeze 3 - 4 mnths
   Roasts - refrigerate 3 - 5 days - freeze 4 - 12 months
   Sausage, Fresh - refrigerate 1 - 2 days - freeze 1 - 2 months
   Steaks - refrigerate 3 - 5 days - freeze 6 - 12 months
   Leftover Cooked Meats/Casseroles - refrigerate 1 - 4 days - freeze 2 - 3 months
Processed Meats:
   Bacon - refrigerate 7 days - freeze 1 month
   Ham - refrigerate 3 - 5 days - freeze 1 - 2 months
   Luncheon Meats - refrigerate 3 - 5 days - freeze 1 - 2 months

Refrigerator - 34 to 40 degrees
Freezer - 0 degrees

Tilly's Tale Rescue Shelter's Newest Member

This is Chudleigh (right).  He is a 10 week old Staffie that has been rescued and is now living with Tilly and the Pack at her rescue shelter.  Chudleigh is living up to his name as he cuddles with Bobby.

I wanted you to meet Chudleigh and to also tell everyone that I've sold 65 copies of A Book and A Dish and have sent the profits to Tilly's Tale Rescue Shelter.  It wasn't much but it was enough to pay for a 17 kilogram bag of the food used to feed the dogs. From what I'm told they go through 1 1/2 to two bags per week, so even one bag is a big help.

But we can do better!  When you order your copy of A Book and A Dish you are receiving 45 book reviews (you just might find your next book to read), you're getting 45 recipes (so you have a cookbook) and you're helping the furry babies, all for only .99 cents.  Don't have a Kindle?  Amazon allows you to download Kindle books to your computer and the program to do this is free. 

Now, you have a computer so there is no reason not to help these babies have a loving, healthy life. 

Philly Steak and Cheese Casserole

I've just added a new recipe to the manuscript file for  Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef.  When given to 4 of my food testers to sample, all 4 wanted more!  This is a simple dish that really turned out great!  Watch for Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef in the near future but for now check out Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts.

How Long Can You Keep It? - Fish and Seafood

Lean Fish - Fillets/Steaks:
  Cod, Sole, Halibut, Orange Roughy, Flounder - refrigerate 1 - 2 days - freeze 6 months
Fatty Fish - Fillets/Steaks:
  Catfish, Perch, Salmon, Whitefish - refrigerate 1 - 2 days - freeze 2 - 3 months
Crab, Cooked - refrigerate 1 - 2 days - freeze 3 months
Scallops/Shrimp:
  Uncooked - refrigerate 1 - 2 days - freeze 3 - 6 months
  Cooked - refrigerate 3 - 4 days - freeze 3 months
Leftover, Cooked Seafood - refrigerate 3 - 4 days - freeze 3 - 6 months

Refrigerator - 34 - 40 degrees
Freezer - 0 degrees

Beef Stew - Crock Pot Style - Pulled

I've just pulled my recipe for Beef Stew Crock Pot Style with Caraway Seed.  This recipe has gone into the manuscript file for the upcoming Think With Your Taste Buds - Beef.  This will be the 2nd book in the series joining Think With Your Taste Buds - Desserts. 

How Long Can You Keep It? - Poultry

Chicken/Turkey:
  Whole - refrigerate 1 - 2 days - freeze 1 year
  Parts - refrigerate 1 - 2 days - freeze 9 months
  Leftover, cooked - refrigerate 1 - 4 days - freeze 1 - 2 months

Eggs:
  Whole, In the Shell - refrigerate - 5 weeks - freeze not recommended
  Whites or Yolks, Uncooked - refrigerate 2 - 4 days - freeze 12 months

Refrigerator - 34 to 40 degrees
Freezer - 0 degrees

How Long Can You Keep It? - Dairy

Open Dairy Foods:
  Butter - refrigerate 1 - 3 months - freezer 6 - 9 months
  Cheese:
    Brie - refrigerate 1 week - freeze 6 months
    Cottage/Ricotta - refrigerate 1 week - freeze not recommended
    Cream Cheese - refrigerate 2 weeks - freeze not recommended
    Cheddar, Brick, Swiss, Monterey Jack - refrigerate 3 - 4 weeks - freeze 6 months
    Mozzarella - refrigerate 1 week - freeze 6 months
    Parmesan/Romano, grated - refrigerate 2 months - freeze 6 months
  Cream:
    Ultrapasteurized - refrigerate 1 month - freeze not recommended
    Heavy Whipped or Half and Half - refrigerate 3 days - freeze 2 - 4 months
  Milk:
    Milk - refrigerate 7 days - freeze 3 months
    Buttermilk - refrigerate 7 - 14 days - freeze 3 months
    Evaporated or Sweetened Condensed - refrigerate 4 - 5 days - freeze not recommended
  Margarine - refrigerate 4 - 5 months - freeze 12 months
  Sour Cream - refrigerate 7 - 21 days - freeze not recommended
  Yogurt - refrigerate 7 - 14 days - freeze 1 - 2 months

Refrigerate 34 to 40 degrees
Freezer 0 degrees

Biscuit Tidbits

Reheating refrigerated bread
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in
a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.