••••SEA SALT VS TABLE SALT🍚🍶!!••••

(Source: Pinterest.com & Google+ photos & step intomygreenworld.com & actualorganics.com & curiouscribbles.com & eatingwell.com & amp organics)

****SEA SALT VS TABLE SALT!!

 

••••SPLIT PEA AND HAM SOUP🐷🥕🌶🍵🍋🍚!!••••

(Source: seriouseats.com & photos also)

****SPLIT PEA AND HAM SOUP!!

****I LOVE ❤️ IT!!

http://seriouseats.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 6 ounces ham steak (or thickly cut ham), cut into 1/2 inch pieces 
• 1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 2 small smoked ham hocks (about 3/4 pound total)
• 1 pound green split peas, rinsed and picked over
• 2 quarts (8 cups) water or low-sodium store-bought or homemade chicken broth
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon juice, to taste
• Sour cream or plain yogurt for serving
  

DIRECTIONS

1. 1.

   Melt butter in a large saucepot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add chopped ham and cook, stirring occasionally, until ham begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Remove ham from pot with a slotted spoon, then return pot to heat and add leek and onion, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add carrot, celery, bay leaves, and thyme, and continue to stir until ingredients are well combined. Place ham hocks, pinch of red pepper flakes,and green split peas in the pot and cover with 8 cups of water (or broth, if using). Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour.

2. 2.

   Remove hocks from the pot and allow to rest until cool enough to handle. Shred meat from bones. Add shredded meat and reserved ham back to the soup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Season with lemon juice to taste. Serve hot with sour cream or yogurt, as desired.

   

    

••••PIZZA JOES🍔🍅🍕🧀!!••••

(Source: bettycrocker.com & photos also & courtesy of Evana & Jim)

****PIZZA JOES!!

http://bettycrocker.com

Prep Time

25 MIN

Total Time

25 MIN

8 Servings 

Ingredients

1

lb extra-lean (at least 90%) ground beef

1

large onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)

1

medium green bell pepper, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup) 

2

cups pizza sauce (from two 15-oz jars or cans)

8

burger buns, split, toasted

1

cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

Directions

• 1 Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and bell pepper; cook 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked.
• 2 Stir in pizza sauce. Reduce heat to medium; simmer uncovered about 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
• 3 Fill buns with beef mixture and cheese.
  

••••CLASSIC BEEF STEW🐄🥕🥔🌶!!••••

(Source: bettycrocker.com photos & courtesy of Evana & Jim)

****CLASSIC BEEF STEW!! ONE OF

****MY FAVORITES!!

http://bettycrocker.com

3 HOURS 45 MINUTES TOTAL TIME

25 MINUTES 

PREP TIME

4 SERVINGS 

Ingredients

1

tablespoon vegetable oil or shortening

1

lb boneless beef chuck, tip or round roast, cut into 1-inch cubes

3

cups water

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/8

teaspoon pepper

2

medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

1

large unpeeled potato, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1

medium green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1

medium stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces

1

small onion, chopped (1/4 cup) 

1

teaspoon salt

1

dried bay leaf

1/2

cup cold water 

2

tablespoons Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

Directions 

• 1 In 12-inch skillet or 4-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes. Add beef; cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown on all sides.
• 2 Add water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes or until beef is almost tender.
• 3 Stir in remaining ingredients except cold water and flour. Cover; cook about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf.
• 4 In tightly covered jar or container, shake cold water and flour; gradually stir into beef mixture. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute until thickened.
  

••••ORANGE ZESTED CHICKEN BREASTS🍗🐔🌰🍊🥘!!••••

(Source: bettycrocker.com & photos also & courtesy of Evana & Jim)

****ORANGE🍊 ZESTED CHICKEN 

****BREASTS!!

http://bettycrocker.com

Prep Time

20 MIN

Total Time

20 MIN

4 Servings

Ingredients

1/2

teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4

teaspoon garlic powder

2

tablespoons butter or margarine 

1

teaspoon grated orange peel 

4

boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb)

Directions 

• 1 In small bowl, mix seasoned salt and garlic powder.
• 2 In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat butter and orange peel over medium heat until butter is melted. Add chicken; sprinkle with salt mixture. Cook about 15 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F).
  
  
  

••••HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017🍾🥂🗽🎉🎊🎈!!••••

(Source: chatunugachoochoo & equa.tk photos & quotespik.net photos & dreamstime.com)

****HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017!!

••••ULTIMATE FUDGE CAKE🎂🍫🍰🥚🍮🍶🍳!!••••

(Source: tinascookings.blogspot.com & photos also)

****ULTIMATE FUDGE CAKE!! WOW!!

 

http://tinascookings.blogspot.com

Ingredients
For the chocolate fudge cake layers
200 grams dark chocolate
250 grams butter
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
200 grams granulated sugar
120 grams plain flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
For the chocolate fudge frosting
200 grams butter
100 grams high quality unsweetened cocoa powder
200 grams granulated sugar
100 grams dark chocolate, chopped
120 ml heavy cream
For the chocolate shards
100 grams milk chocolate
lustre dust (optional)
For the golden chocolate drip effect
150 grams white chocolate
75 ml heavy cream
¼ teaspoon golden yellow gel food colouring
1 teaspoon gold lustre dust
1 teaspoon Vodka

Preparation

Start by making the cake layers. Take a large bowl, add in the chopped chocolate, along with the diced butter, and melt everything on low heat, until completely smooth and blended. Once melted, remove it from the heat, and add in the coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar, and whisk vigorously until well-combined. Let this mixture stand for a minute or two, just so it could cool down slightly. Add in the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each egg. Finally, sift in the cocoa powder, and the plain flour, and fold them through gently. Do not overmix the batter. Take two round cake pans (23 cm, 9"), grease them lightly and line them with baking paper. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth it out as much as possible, and bake them in the preheated oven, at 180°C (350°F), for about 20 minutes. Check them with a toothpick for doneness, then let them cool completely in the pans.

While they are cooling, make the fudge frosting. Take another heavy-bottomed saucepan, and add in the diced butter, granulated sugar, and sifted cocoa powder. Place the saucepan on low heat, and mix until everything is blended. At one point it will seem dry, but just stir it gently, and keep melting. Heat up the cream slightly in a separate bowl; it does not need to come to a boil, just warm is fine. Once everything is melted, add in the milk chocolate, and stir until melted. Once that melts, start adding in the heavy cream, a little bit at a time, mixing as you pour in. Do not pour the heavy cream in large batches, because the filling will separate. Pour it in really slowly. When you blend everything together, remove it from the heat, and let the frosting cool down almost completely.

Once the cake layers and the frosting are ready, remove the layers from the pans, and place one of them on the serving platter. Place the frosting in a large piping bag and pipe a swirl of frosting on the first cake layer. I recommend piping on the frosting instead of spreading it on, because it makes the smoothing easier. Smooth the frosting, and place another cake layer on top. Place the cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes, just to set it up quickly. Remove from the freezer, and decorate with the rest of the fudge frosting as you like. Place the decorated cake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

To make the chocolate shards, take a clean piece of acetate or a piece of baking paper, and lay it flat on a cold surface (marble countertop works really well). Melt the chocolate slowly over low heat or in the microwave, and let it cool down for only a minute, then pour it onto the acetate, and spread it in an even layer, using an offset spatula. Do not spread it too thinly, because it can and will break later on. Let the chocolate set up, then break (or cut) it into shards. Paint golden lustre dust on some of the shards, if you wish.

To make the golden drip decoration on the cake, melt together the white chocolate with the heavy cream, remove it from the heat, and add the food colouring. This will help with the decorating further on. Mix it well until the colour distributes evenly, then let it cool down slightly. Take the chilled cake out of the refrigerator and create the drip effect either by gently drizzling the glaze, or pouring it into a squeeze bottle and glazing the top and sides.

Take the previously made chocolate shards, and position them on the cake as you wish, then let the glaze set up completely at the room temperature. This is much easier than cutting the set up glaze to position the shards. Place the cake into the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Make the golden paint by mixing together the golden lustre dust with the Vodka. You may need to add a tad more or less Vodka, depending on the lustre dust you are using, but you are aiming for a thick paste, because it will leave less streaks. Take the chilled cake, and carefully paint along the drips, then let it set up in the refrigerator. Yields 20 servings.