STRAWBERRY CAKE

Posted inDesserts
I LOVE strawberries. This cake is an excellent application of its full flavor, and it goes great with brisket. Here is one of my favorite recipes: Strawberry filling 3 lbs. strawberries, halved (8 cups) ½ cup sugar 2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice 2 ½ tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 ½ tbsp. of water 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped. Preheat oven to 350F. Toss strawberries with sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and vanilla seeds and…

SHRIMP CREOLE

Posted inEntrees
Who doesn’t like Creole cuisine?  I so enjoy the French foundations kicked up a notch with fresh spices.  Here is one of my favorite recipes: Tomato Sauce 1 large onion, chopped 2 tbsp. olive oil 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 large can of whole tomatoes with juice 1 cup red wine 1 tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. dried hot pepper flakes 2 tsp. dried oregano 1 bay leaf Sauté onion in oil over moderate heat until softened.  Add garlic…

CHUCKWAGON STEW

Posted inEntrees
Years ago, I came upon a chuck-wagon cookbook. Actually, it was a cookbooklet. The book was full of pictures of old cowboys cooking in the great outdoors and some pretty fantastic food. Below is our favorite recipe from the booklet. It's so good on cold wintery nights, not to mention warm summer evenings.  Ingredients 2 ½ lbs. beef cubes (5 cups) 2 tbsp. flour 1 tbsp paprika 1 tsp chili powder 2 tsp salt 2…