Marinades You Can Use

Marinades add flavor and moisture to meat which has had the skin removed. Try these wonderful but simple marinades with any poultry. Simple marinate at least 1 hour, then grill or broil for 5 to 7 minutes per side.

(All recipes from the St. Louis Herb Society Cookbook)

Garlic Marinade
½ c. dry white wine
¼ c. vegetable oil
1 clove of garlic
½ tsp. herbs of choice

Basic Herb and Mustard Marinade
½ c. Dijon mustard
¼ c. vegetable oil
¼ c. lemon juice
½ tsp. dried dill weed

Orange Marinade
1 c. Dijon mustard
1 c. orange marmalade
1/3 c. honey
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. curry powder

Bread & Butter Pickles

My grandmother used to make the best bread and butter pickles ever….straight from her garden to the table. I used to eat so many of these as a kid. My mother is now the canner in the family. I can occasionally produce from my garden, but working full-time makes it a little hard. Plus, my mother cans enough for our entire family, so I still get quite a few canned items from her.

If you want to make canned pickles here is an excellent recipe to start you off:

Bread and Butter Pickles
4 quarts pickling cucumbers
1 1/2 cups onions, sliced
2 large garlic cloves
1/3 cup pickling salt
2 quarts chopped ice
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 1/2 tsp. celery seed
2 T. mustard seed
3 cups white vinegar

In large bowl, add sliced cucumbers and onions, garlic cloves and pickling salt; mix well. Cover with chopped ice, place towel over, and let stand 3 hours. Prepare brine by combining sugar, turmeric, celery seed, mustard seed and vinegar in large pot; bring to a boil.

Drain water and ice from cucumber slices and remove garlic cloves.

Add cucumbers to brine; simmer 5 minutes. Pack in sterile jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Seal. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Allow to stand two weeks before opening.

Congrats Charlie

This isn't a normal post of my cooking blog, but I have to congratulate my husband. He took 1st place in a recent Heartland Pro-Am Bass Fishing Tournament at Grand Lake. I'm VERY proud of him.

McConnell Wins Amateur Title With Big Limit

The final event of the 2006-07 Heartland Pro-Am season sponsored by Tracker Marine/Nitro Boats came down to which anglers found the best shallow water pattern. Several days of clouds and drenching rain soaked Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. This blast of refreshment after a month of brutal heat had the bass on the move and hungry. Over half of the Pros brought in a four fish limit, even after the front passed through and the sun broke out.

This event had two focal points. Not only was this the final tournament of the season to “make or break” at trip to the Pro-Am Championship, crucial points were on the line for final Angler-of-the-Year standings. Add the unique obstacle of only a four fish limit resulting in tight tournament standings and you had a nail biting finish to a great season.

Sacking a three fish limit that would have pushed him into the top 10 of the Pro Division was Amateur winner Charlie McConnell. Charlie’s 10.40 lb sack included the 2nd Big Bass of his division to net a total winning of $817. A Super Spook did the damage from shallow gravel flats and casting the bait as close to shore as possible. A couple twitches of the bait resulted in strikes near the bank. The key to his bite was the presence of baitfish on the flats.

Is a Crepe a Pancake

Yes! Crepes are one of my favorite breakfast treats. You can fill them with some many different fillings including fruit, whipped cream, chocolate…

If you are wondering exactly what a crepe is: Crepes are thin pancakes, which originated in France.

Crepes also make a wonderful dessert treat after dinner…give them a try this weekend…I promise you’ll be truly satisfied!

Homemade Crepes

1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
A pinch of salt
2/3 cups flour
¼ tsp. of vanilla
1 ½ cups oil

Make the batter at least 30 minutes before you plan to cook.

In a blender combine all ingredients and blend until combined. Place batter in your refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Cooking Crepes:
In a very shallow pan, heat a small amount of oil. Ladle in some of the batter into the pan and begin to tilt around the pan so that the batter evenly coats the entire bottom of the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes, then flip. You want the crepes to be a golden brown, like a pancake.
Fill your crepes with whatever you choose. I like to fill crepes with whipped cream and strawberries.

Recipes from AgriMissouri

If you are like me and like to incorporate Missouri products within your cooking you need to log on to the AgriMissouri site. The site is full of recipes, Missouri made products and the locations of restaurants using local foods across the state.

This is a recipe I tried recently and really enjoyed. (You can purchase Grandma's Cool & Zesty Dressing in many grocery stores.)

Jennifer’s “Scandalous” Baked Shrimp
4-5 pounds raw, large shrimp (16-20 count)
2 cups real butter
1 tablespoon of fresh, cracked pepper
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 14 oz bottle of Grandma’s Cool & Zesty Dressing
1-2 loaves of crusty French bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place shrimp in a large roasting pan. Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in pepper, garlic, lemon juice and Grandma’s Cool & Zesty Original Dressing. Pour this mixture over the shrimp and bake, covered for 30-45 minutes.Stir every 15-20 minutes. To serve, ladle shrimp and sauce into large, individual bowls. Serve with French bread to dip into “zesty” sauce.This recipe serves approximately eight people.

To serve four, simply use half of the ingredients.

For more recipes, visit the Cool & Zesty Web site at www.cool-zesty.com.