A wonderful cookie recipe at Lauralea Cooks.

I got this recipe from a friend about 20 years ago.  Renata played the flute and we met when we attended Brandon University.  I enjoyed her many pithy comments and relaxed view of life.  I lost track of her years ago but the cinnamon bun recipe still rocks.

• 1 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups regular milk scalded
• 3 cups water
• 2 eggs beaten
• 2 packages of yeast (1 pkg is 2 1/4 teaspoons) dissolve for 10 minutes in 1 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 11 cups of flour

Method:  beat oil and sugar, add milk, water, eggs, and dissolved yeast mixture.  Mix very well with mix master.  put flour and salt in large bowl and make a well, pour in liquid and stir very well.  knead dough in bowl until it is stuck together well.  (you may find that you need to add 3 or 4 more cups of flour)  Knead for 8 minutes on floured counter, when elastic you’ll know it’s done.  Let dough rise for 2 hours. punch down. 

Ordinary buns:  get several cookie sheets, form buns from dough in desired size (make allowance for expansion), place on greased cookie sheet.  let rise for 1 1/2 hours. bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cinnamon buns:  melt butter to cover the bottom of the pans you will use, sprinkle with brown sugar to cover butter.  Roll out dough on table or counter (you will need a fair amount of room), spread with butter like you are buttering bread, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Roll dough up like jelly roll, use dental floss to cut dough in desired thickness.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

This is for Jordon who loves Papa John’s garlic dipping sauce with his pizza.

• 1/2 cup margarine or butter
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Melt the butter, stir in the garlic powder and enjoy.

BTW, the reason we switched pizza loyalties is that Papa John’s in Saskatoon made regular and free deliveries to the Salvation Army Community Services and the men who stay there.  Jordon was so impressed that we started to order from them as a way of saying thanks and we were blown away by how good the pizza was.  Now Papa John’s pizza is a fun part of a lot great days around here.  I guess one never knows what will generate a company a loyal customer.

Over at Jordon Cooper Outfitters, Jordon has put together a great Father’s Day Gift Guide.  If you are looking for something for your father or are just looking for some cool ideas for yourself, check it out.

• 1 lg. onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1 c. beer
• 1/2 c. lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• Sirloin steak

Cook onion and garlic in 1/4 cup oil until tender. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients except meat. Place meat in shallow baking dish, pour marinade over. Cover, refrigerate 6 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Grill, basting with marinade.

Levels of doneness

• Very rare: Hot on the outside, raw on the inside and the meat will be sort of wobbly. Final temperature reading should be 100°F.
• Rare: Red, cool to warm center and the meat will be soft and spongy. Final temperature reading should be 120°F.
  Medium rare: Red, warm center and the meat will have a springy firmness. Final temperature reading should be 126°F.
• Medium: Hot, pink center and the meat will have a less springy firmness than medium rare. Final temperature reading should be 135°F.
• Medium well: Slight color, cooked throughout and the meat will feel firm. Final temperature reading should be 145°F.
• Well done: The meat is gray-brown throughout and very firm and unyielding. Final temperature reading should be 160°

From About.com

Grilling Times by Thickness

These times are total cooking times. Divide in half for each side. Times are approximate and will vary depending on the type of grill, fuel, weather conditions, etc..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Let your steak reach room temperature before grilling. Some people might tell you that this isn't necessary, however I feel that this helps grill your steak more evenly and faster.
2. Trim the steak of excess fat. Any strips of fat should be about 1/4" thick. Also cut through the fat strip about every 1 1/2". When grilling fat shrinks fast than the meat and it can cause your steaks to curl.
3. Season. I light brushing of olive oil, maybe some fresh cracked pepper is all you want. Seasoning is entirely up to you. Preheat the grill. Hot as it will go for a gas grill or a single layer of ashy white coals for a charcoal grill.
4. Oil the grate. An easy way to do this is to take a piece of trimmed fat, hold in tightly in a pair of tongs and rub it on the hot grate.
5. Grill. Place each steak on the grill for one minute. Turn and grill on the second side for an additional minute. Turn and rotate 45 degrees and grill for half the remaining cooking time. Turn again. If you do this right you will get a nice diamond pattern of grill marks.
6. Remove when done. I use the pressure test to check my steaks. When you are getting close to having a done steak press it with your index finger or the flat side of a grilling fork to get a feel for it. A rare steak will be soft. A medium steak will be firm but yielding. A well steak will be firm. Once you get the hang of this trick you will be able to remove steaks from the grill at just the right second.
7. Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes before serving. This will let the juices flow out from the center so the whole steak is nice and juicy.

From the Chef Depot

Ingredients

• For 4 servings of beef Tenderloin Steaks
• 2 pc. Garlic Cloves, smashed
• 1 T. Worsteshire Sauce
• Salt & Pepper, as needed
• 1 T. Parsley, Chopped
• 1 tsp. Basil, Chopped
• 2 tsp. Oregano
• 3 oz. Red Wine

Method :

1. Toss together all items in a bowl, add the steaks, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours!

Check out this post at Serious Eats.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Italian, garlic, or your favourite spicy Ontario Pork sausage
• 1 medium green, red or yellow pepper cut into squares
• 1 small zucchini thickly sliced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp each dried oregano, basil, rosemary
• 1/2 tsp each red hot chili flakes, crushed dried mint leaves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 16 mushroom caps (vegetables like onions or tomatoes can also be added)

Instructions:

• Cut sausage into 1" pieces and place in a large plastic bag with pepper and zucchini pieces.
• Combine remaining ingredients except mushrooms; pour into the bag. Seal bag and refrigerate 4 hours to overnight, turning bag over occasionally.
• Drain marinade into a small saucepan; bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Alternately thread pieces of marinated sausage and vegetables and mushrooms on long metal skewers.
• Barbecue kebabs over low heat until the sausage is cooked through and well browned, about 15 minutes (or in oven on broil for 12-15 minutes), basting frequently with the marinade to prevent the vegetables from burning.
• Serve over a mixture of wild and brown rice or wrap a generous slice of Italian bread around the kebab; slide out the skewer and eat as a hot sandwich.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 cup cooked ham, chopped
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Canadian cheese such as Monterey Jack, cheddar or Gouda

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, green pepper, ham and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes or until mixture is lightly browned. Spread evenly in a greased 11" x 7" baking dish.
3. Mix eggs, milk, flour, salt and pepper. Pour over ham mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm and golden. Cut into 4-6 pieces and serve hot.

You can find the entire list on his blog.  What is on your list of essential kitchen tools?