Cooking - Brantley Life Online

Monthly foods that are good and easy to make, well at least fun to try.. 2007-2010

10 December - Christmas Tree Cake
10 November - Crab Legs seem to be going on sale frequently these days. It makes for some fun, at-home boils.
Dressings vs. Stuffing. The Final Termination (everyone knows dressing is better, cooked in a big pan and not inside the turkey)
10 October - Pumpkin Treats (Ihop leave our buttermilk pancakes alone)
10 September - Parsnips
10 August - BBQ a battle in the Fresh Air with a Blind Pig, Don't think FA saw them coming...
10 July - You Pick em cherries jubilee
10 June - Blue Cheese, Bacon and homemade potato chips
10 May - Strawberry Pound cake, you-pick-em
10 April - Fast Grilling with pan sear start
10 March - Cupcake Rabbits
10 Feb - Cupcake Hearts
10 January - Shrimp Creole - Chop into tiny pieces the onion, garlic, bell pepper and microwave until translucent, add a can of tomato sauce and a can of whole or tomato pieces. Season with salt, pepper, Old Bay(TM), bay leaves to taste. Add shrimp, pealed and de-veined, about five minutes before you are ready to eat. Yum, expect no left-overs serve with white rice. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

09 December - No Bake, Peanut butter balls. Susanna is going into business with this one.
09 November - Water in Scrambled Eggs. Yes you heard right. After advice from our friends at the Food Network, we have tested and the addition of a bit of water, rather than good old fashion milk, seems to add to the volume and fluffiness of the scramble. While is is not one our classic receipies, it is a great cooking tip! The second tip is the All Saints turkey test. While the frozen birds are already discounted it is a good time to buy a sample to test the time/weight theories in your current over, BEFORE, the critical Thanksgiving bird is placed at risk on the great day of timing, AND it is early enough to still be ready for more in three plus weeks.
09 October - Luke and Susanna's grilled Salmon
09 September - The Lassiter/MayHugh BEST POUND CAKE IN THE WORLD
09 August - Shepherd's Pie
09 July - Cherries Fitzgerald
09 June - Tortilia Pizza's
09 May - Butter Fat Iced Cream
09 April - Chocolate Glazed Cream Cheese Pound Cake
09 March - St Patty's Party Squares
09 February - Red Velvet Valentine's Cake
09 January = Stir Fry Peanut Sauce. Ih the addition of a large cook top this Christmas, we have begun to practice the art of table-top cooking flare. Cooking fillets, shrimp, lobster, scallops and chicken. A special sauce of peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, and olive oil seasoned with a dash of 5 spice, garlic, and sea salt. Blend them together and cook with your favorites. It can be a dipping sauce as well.

08 December - Marshmellow Crispy Treats with Holly Leaf and Berries.A bag of large marsh mellows, half a stick of butter, and six cups of rice crispies, melted the first two and add the cereal a little at a time, folding in until completely blended. Spread into a buttered rectangle and cool. Use some of the marsh mellow and butter goo on the side adding green coloring and corn flakes for holly leaves and red coloring and corn puffs for holly berries. Cut rice crispy block into small squares, top with greenry and berries and you're in the Christmas-cookie mood. Better yet us the "Boston Baked Beans: candy covered peanuts for more traditional berries.
08 November - Sweet potatoes and roasted bananas and love One stick of butter, generous amount of brown sugar, cinimonn-sugar, blended well in larger mixer. 6 roasted/baked sweet potatoes and two roasted banannas, pealed and added to creamed mixture. Blend until VERY creamy. DO NOT add marsh mellows. Transfer to baking dish and bake at 350 for 15-30 min. Watch that it does not burn.
08 October - Liquid Diet Treats With Mikey under the weather and "not eating just anything" we have learn to be creative with veggie-fruit smoothies and high protein drinks abound. The flavoring of rice and pasta has become an experimenters dream come true. Boost High Protein drinks come in chocolate and vanilla flavor. Add ice into the Magic Bullet or blender of your choice and add favorite flavors of choice. Try juicing carrots, celary, and spinich with Mercier's apple juice or low acid orange juice by Tropicanna, blend and even on cool evenings it's a hot treat! Try it, you'll like it.
08 September - Labor Day BBQ Take 1500 pounds of chicken halves start coals Sunday night and begin seasoning chicken on grilling racks with salt, pepper and special sause; baisting and turning only once until leg bone twisits easily. Yummy eats.
08 August - BRAT Diet Mashed Potatos While the butter, sour cream, and salt may not be good health additions, the simple and smooth BRAT diet is good for those who suffer from diverticulius. Therefore, peel your Russuts, wash and cube small, boil until tender, use the big of wedding blender with a whisk attachment until creamy, add sour cream, butter, salt, pepper , garlic pouder, and a bit of half&half, all to taste. Then bake in a 250 degrees oven until the rest of dinner is ready.
08 July - "High Country" Boil As our subdivision indicate we are glad to be in the mountains. Wendy gives her twist to the New Orleans classic. Mikey likes to have lots of 'kill-bossy" and John worries that there is not enought shrimp. But we are delighted to share this meal with Alington's most hospitable family.
08 Jun - Frances' Herb Sause
08 May - Home Made Caramel, Yum
08 April - WOW! It's Baked Pork Chops with Apple Slices Slice and bake with cinimon, Sugar Baby(TM) seasonings, and enjoy!
08 March - Out of the Blue - Su-Chef Brantley' Pistatio ice cream. Richest vanila ice cream receipies welcome, freeze to soft serve and add more cream, green pistatios, and.... then refreeze and serve with crepes.
08 February - Oscar's Hordourves Grape tomatoes, filled with tiny ball of 'fresh' motzerella toped with fresh Basil. Broil until the cheese begins to brown but is soft in the middle.
08 January - Chicken Corden Brantley Thin chicken brest slices, lightly pounded with parchment paper, thin honey maple ham with baby swiss and just a sample of berry jam in the center, roll, and back to perfection.

07 December - Christmas Cookies Check out the foodnetwork food.tv for thousands of options, just skip the roll in the freezer section this year.
07 November - Yellow Vegestable Casserole, (Vicky/Aunt Fannie Style) Squash, onion, butter, ritz, salt, pepper, and just enough secret ingredient (brown sugar)
07 October - Grilled Corn Chilli We had planned to take a large croc of creamed corn to the church dinner but the sugar (and butter salt and pepper) began to brown at the bottom before the corn fully cooked, thankful I caught it before it truly burned. It tasted very good but unattractive. So we added colorful bell pepper, onion, black beans, and chillie seasonings. Oh my it was actually delicious. We have not repeated it as a trial, but it was yummy.
07 September - Wendy's Secret Chicken Fetachini (no receipe printed as it would cost me my life, but a family favorite)
07 August - Tomatos, Squash, and Cucumbers On-My! Sliced thinly, placed in the largest shallow pan or crock, line pan in diaganol rows, butter, salt and paper, (not Paula Dean quanitities) bake until crisp. Some parm chz if desired at the end.
07 July - Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon - better soak that untreated plank over night if your going to cook it directly on the coals
07 June - Beef Wellington
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sause: Puree one pound of mushrooms, saute adding diced onion, salt, pepper, flour, butter, and olive oil, add tiny diced ham and fresh parsley at the last. Prepare enough for two table spoons per serving. Sear clean clear cuts of beef on all sides in EVOO/Butter with S&P to taste. Set beef aside to slightly cool. Use prepared cresent roll dough or pastry dough. Place seared beef on pastry with about an inch of pastry on edges, cover with generous amount of sauce on top of beef-but not on pastry. Seal with egg wash, cover with equal pastry, brush tops with egg wash bake 6-12 minutes depending on desired degree of doneness. Very Yummy