The Essentials: Mustard

I love mustard. It comes in a wide variety of types. Enough so that you can eat it with just about anything. It's pretty much the perfect condiment. You should always have at least one kind of mustard (probably plain yellow), but expanding out into some different kinds is a great idea. Here are some of the basic types that I like to keep in the fridge:

Plain Yellow American Mustard- It's mild and bright yellow in color. Perfect for hot dogs and hamburgers. You can put a lot on things and not be overwhelmed. My personal favorite kind is Plochman's, but the most popular is French's.

Dijon Mustard- This is more of a yellow/brown color and has a tangier taste than the plain yellow. It's the classic French way of preparing mustard, with a little wine mixed in there. It's great with roast beef and on sandwiches. My personal preference (at least as far as those commonly available) is a French brand Maille, which is still sold in most grocery stores. The same company also makes the american line, Grey Poupon, so that's pretty good too.

Honey/Honey Dijon Mustard- This is pretty much dijon mustard with the addition of some honey to make it sweeter. Perfect on sandwiches or with chicken. I particularly like it on a turkey sandwich. My favorite here is the Grey Poupon brand.

English Mustard- It's bright yellow, but it's pretty hot so you only use it sparingly. This is the perfect roast beef mustard. Perfect in small amounts. The standard is Colman's.

Whole Ground Mustard- This has the whole mustard seeds in it. More of a grainy texture with a stronger vinegar taste. I like to just put in on crackers with cheese. But it's good with most anything. Right now I'm going through a bottle of French stuff from Sur La Table, but most makers have this type.

Chinese Mustard- It's pretty mild in taste with a very light brown color. It's really easy to prepare (being just the ground mustard and water) so you can actually make this at home using just the powder. It's usually a dipping sauce for various fried or stir fried items. I haven't found a particular brand that I prefer yet. They seem to be fairly similar. There are also pre-prepared kinds.

Those are just some of the basics. There are hundreds of other varietys and variations. With different igredients added, or ground to different textures. Experiment and try them out. You'll probably find something you like.

Broccoli Macaroni Salad

I had this salad at my 5 year high school reunion. I have to say, it was the best part of the whole event! It's good because it's a great combintation of crunchy and soft, salty and sweet. Enjoy!

Macaroni Salad

Ingredients
Salad: mix the following in a big bowl
Small macaroni salad pasta (8 - 10 ounces), cooked and drained
About 2 cups broccoli
4 green onions, chopped
8 strips bacon, cooked and diced
1 cup shredded swiss or mozzarella cheese
1 - 2 cups red grapes, sliced in half

Dressing: mix the following items well
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tb. red wine vinegar

Cook macaroni and bacon (let cool) and then combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Top with dressing and stir well. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving to let the flavors combine.
If you use a large package of macaroni, double the dressing. If the dressing goes sugary, it’s okay. It will dissolve in the salad.

Oatmeal Cookies

This is a recipe I got from one of my co-workers. He said that he used to eat them for lunch every day when he lived in California. He talked the cook into giving him the recipe, so here it is. It's kind of weird measurements since he had to cut the recipe down from a huge batch to a smaller batch but it's worth it.

Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

5 Tb. Shortening

5 Tb. Butter

1/2 C. + 1 Tb. Brown Sugar

1/2 C. + 1 Tb. White Sugar

1 Egg

1 tsp. Salt

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 2/3 C. Oatmeal

1 C. + 2 Tb. Flour

1/4 tsp. Vanilla

1. Cream together shortening, butter, and sugars. Add egg and vanilla and mix until smooth. Slowly add the rest of the ingredients and mix. If desired, add butterscotch and chocolate chips if desired.

2. Roll dough into small balls and place on ungreased baking sheet. Flatten cookies with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. Sprinkle a little extra sugar on top of the cookies.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes.

Molten Chocolate Cakes

I've been drooling over these cakes for a very long time. I finally bought some ramekins so I can make them. They are absolutely delicious! I wish you could see the yummy molten center better in this picture, but trust me, it's amazing! (Recipe courtesy of kraftfoods.com)

Molten Chocolate Cakes

4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

1. PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Butter four 3/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes/ramekins. Place on baking sheet.
2. MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until butter is melted. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk. Stir in flour. Divide batter among prepared custard cups.
3. BAKE 13 to 14 min. or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 min. Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately, topped with whipped topping.

Rana's Chicken

This is a recipe from my sister-in-law Rana. It's pretty much my favorite chicken recipe ever. All you do is combine the ingredients and brush over chicken (or steak or potatoes or veggies, anything really) while you are cooking it, and it turns out fantastic! It's especially good on grilled chicken.

Ingredients
2 T Lawrys Garlic Salt or 2 tsp. garlic powder if you want it a little less salty
2 T Lawrys Seasoned Salt
2 T Lawrys Seasoned Pepper
3/4 C. Olive Oil

FYI: the mixture will be very thick!

Tres Leches

Corey had this at work and got the recipe for me because it was so good. I've made it several times already and it is absolutely delicious!

Tres Leches

INGREDIENTS
5 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups whole milk
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.
3. Cream butter or margarine and 1 cup of the sugar together until fluffy.
4. Add eggs and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla extract, beat well.
5. Add the flour mixture to the butter or margarine mixture 2 tablespoons at a time, mix until well blended.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
7. Pierce cake several times with a fork.
8. Combine the whole milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake.
9. Whip whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup of the sugar together until thick. Spread over the top of cake.

Be sure and keep cake refrigerated. Enjoy, and don't think about how much it will certainly kill you with all that sugar and milk!

chicken tomatillo stew

I made this for my family one night. Matt and Krista and I liked it. Howard does not like tamale's or limes so it wasn't for him.

Fry a large onion & garlic clove with some olive oil. Add salt, pepper, cumin and ground coriander.

Char broil about 7 tomatillos, onion, jalapeno pepper with some olive oil. When they are nice and brown chop them up discard the seeds from the pepper (unless you like it really hot). Add to other vegetables in a large pot.

Add 2 quarts chicken stock, one shredded chicken just before serving add 1 large can of hominy( I'm going to use fresh corn next time) and a bag of crushed tortilla chips.

Cook until thick, garnish with a large handful of cilantro, lime and cheese.

I got this recipe from Rachel Ray with a few modifications