Frannie's Fixin's & Cookin' Tips

Tip of the Day
Want Streak Free Windows? Try this ...
Aftering washing them, dry one side from right to left, and then on the other side, dry with strokes going up and down. Then check the window, and if there's a streak, you'll more easily be able to see it.


Zesty Lime Chicken


What you need:
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon Mexican paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1 small onion chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms sliced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced – or you can use the frozen chicken tenders from Costco.

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
½ cup lime juice or 1 cup Baja Bob's Original Margarita Mix (to taste)
4-6 limes sliced

What you do:
In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, and all spices. Sprinkle spice mixture generously over chicken breasts.

Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion and mushrooms until tender. Add chicken until golden brown (approx 7-10 minutes). Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons garlic powder and lime juice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly.
Add 1-2 sliced limes and leave on low heat for approximately 10 minutes.

In my house we serve this over warmed corn tortillas, adding rice and cheese as desired and then squeeze fresh lime juice over them.

This is a great summer dish, as the chicken can be served warm or cold. The limes give it a zing … add your favorite Margarita and make it a Fiesta!

You can also throw it all in a crock pot and let it cook for the day, just add more lime juice or Margarita mix for moisture.



Here's to great eats and a great week ...
Frannie




Let’s not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God. -Henri Nouwen

It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.- John Steinbeck, author

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
Romans 10:14

Frannie's Fixin's & Cookin' Tips

An excellent tip from Heloise

Make Your Own Teriyaki Sauce

Mix together:
5 ounces soy sauce
2 ounces sesame oil
3 cloves of crushed garlic
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon molasses.
Put into a bowl and serve on your favorite food.

Eggs Au Gratin

Whatcha need:

1 teaspoon butter
3/4 pound Prosciutto, chopped
8 eggs, beaten
8 ounces Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, grated
1 large tomato, chopped
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
Salt and pepper

Whatcha do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease 9x9 baking dish.

In a sauté pan, melt butter and sauté Prosciutto until lightly browned. Drain.

In a large mixing bowl, combine Prosciutto, eggs, cheese, tomato, milk, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until set.



What great thing would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?-Robert Schuller

You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers... 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7

Frannie's Fixin's & Cookin' Tips

Do your kids bring home Stinky Lunch Boxes?
Let me just say -- the Farmer children grow things in their lunch boxes ... by the time Frannie gets them, they are a full on science experiment.

Here's what you do ...

Grab that left over Vinegar jug from Easter - dampen a paper towel with as much as you can stand, throw it in the lunch box for the night and wipe it clean in the mornin'.

I have also used orange or lemon peels ... but the vinegar does the trick best.

So speaking of vinegar ... have any of you tried the Apple Cider Vinegar Diet? I have heard that it really works ... just not sure I could handle heart burn. What do you think?

Frannie will be cooking up some good food for about 25 this weekend - here is the main dish ...

PORK TENDERLOIN A LA CREME *

1 sm. pork tenderloin, sliced in 1/2" thick slices
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tbsp. heavy cream
3/4-1 c. bread crumbs
1 ½ cup fresh chopped mushrooms, any kind
1 small onion chopped
2 tbsp. fresh minced parsley
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cracked pepper
5 tbsp. butter
1 (10 1/2 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup heavy cream
1 c. sour cream or plain yogurt
1/4 c. dry sherry
8 oz. med. egg noodles or fettuccini, cooked
About 6 to 9 slices.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Slightly flatten slices of pork tenderloin; set aside.

Combine egg and heavy cream. Dip each slice of tenderloin in egg mixture and then in crumbs which have been mixed with salt and pepper. Melt butter in sauté pan or skillet; brown tenderloin until golden. Drain slices and place in bottom of a 2 quart glass baking dish. Combine all remaining ingredients into sauce pan, except noodles and parsley; simmer until onions are thoroughly cooked – salt and pepper to taste. Pour ¾ of sauce over pork, reserve the rest to add to dish. Bake, covered for 1 hour. Serve tenderloin and crème sauce over egg noodles or fettuccini. Sprinkle with parsley. Serves 4 to 6

Excellent with steamed spinach, asparagus or broccoli.

NOTE: Can be prepared early in the day and baked when ready to serve.

* Not a Pork eater - or on a tighter budget? Use chicken breasts, skip the cream, use cracker crumbs instead up fancier bread crumbs, cheap white wine (or apple cider) rather than Sherry, and dry herbs instead of fresh -- it is still pretty darned good.

Frannie's Fixin's & Cookin' Tips

Fried foods ... who likes the smell? The mess ...
Here's what you do:

Put a small bowl of white household vinegar next to the stove to prevent that horrid *there some fat a burnin'* smell. Trust me .. really, this does the trick!

Here are some good eats ... with a twist ...

Spicy Chicken & Pistachio Enchiladas

Here's what ya need:

1 lb fresh tomatillos; (you can use canned tomatillos, fresh is better)
2 garlic cloves; peeled
2 jalapeno peppers; seeded
2 tb fresh cilantro leaves
2 tb chopped onion
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 ts salt
1/3 cup canned diced green chilies
6 corn tortillas
2 cup cooked shredded chicken
2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 cup chopped pistachio’s

Here's what ya do:

If using fresh tomatillos, prepare by washing and removing husks.
Place in saucepan, cover with water and simmer until tender, about 5
to 7 minutes; drain.
If using canned tomatillos, drain and discard liquid.
For sauce, mince garlic, jalapenos, cilantro and onions in blender.
Add drained tomatillos, sour cream, yogurt, and salt; puree.
Mix in green chilies and set aside.
Soften tortillas either by frying on both sides in a small amount of
olive or corn oil. In the center of each tortilla, put aprox. 2 tbs each of chicken, sauce and cheese. Add about 2 tbs chopped pistachio.
Pour 1/4 of the sauce in the bottom of a greased 9x12-inch baking dish.
Place filled enchiladas in dish and pour remaining sauce over top.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese and then with pistachio’s.
Bake at 375 oven until heated through (cheese should bubble) maybe 20 minutes or so.


So you don't like Pistachio's ... add any other kind of nut -- or don't add any at ... its still good!

Monday, Monday ... so glad Monday is D.O.N.E!

Frannie


Prayer--secret, fervent, believing prayer--lies at the root of all personal godliness. -William Carey


Wisdom is the quality that keeps you from getting into situations where you need it. -Doug Larson

He [Jesus] is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17

Frannie's Fixin's & Cookin' Tips

So this is something that I intended to do once a week. Then I got behind ... and then I wasn't sure if people were really interested ... and well, then I just didn't do it.

But I miss it - so here ya are ...

So your Butcher Block is stinky?
Here is a sure-fire wayt to deodorize a wooden butcher block.

First, sprinkle baking soda onto a wet sponge and scrub over the butcher block.
Be sure you rinse it well.
Then re-season the wood by lightly oiling the surface with mineral oil (NOT vegetable or olive oil).
Wipe excess liquids with a paper towel.



Baked Halibut with Tomato Sauce

2 lbs. Halibut
1/2 tablespoon sugar
2 cups tomatoes
1 tablespoon capers
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup water
3 tablespoons flour
1 slice onion
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cloves
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Mix together; tomatoes, capers, water, onion, cloves, and sugar and cook over low-medium heat for twenty minutes.

Melt butter, add flour, and stir into hot mixture. Add salt and pepper, cook ten minutes, and strain.

Clean fish, put in baking-pan, pour around half the sauce, and bake thirty-five minutes, basting often. Remove to hot platter, pour around remaining sauce. Serve over whole wheat pasta and garnish with parsley.


Enjoy ...

Frannie



The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.-Edmund Burke

Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of.- Charles Richards

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 107:1