Cooking with Karen

2 2/3 cups sugar

1 cup unsalted butter or margarine

6 large eggs

2 3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp orange extract

1 tbsp orange zest

1 cup sour cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a bundt pan (*see note) with nonstick cooking spray.

In an electric mixer, beat together the sugar, butter and eggs until pale and fluffy.  Add flour, salt and baking soda on low speed to blend.  Add vanilla, orange extract and zest, and sour cream, mix until smooth.  Pour into prepared pan and bake 65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

 Note:  Another great baking pan for this cake is the mini silicone bundt pans or any other creative shape you may have.  For smaller pans reduce the cooking time.  This is a great cake for those of you who love to give baked goods for the holidays.  It is a sturdy cake that will not fall apart easily.  If you need a glaze for it take 1 lb powdered sugar, 2 tbsp softened butter and 1/4 cup orange juice.  Mix together until smooth and glaze the cooled cake.

1/2 cup red onion, diced

1 small red pepper, diced

1 jalapeno pepper diced(optional, this is the firey part) 

1 tbsp olive oil 

1 can refried black beans

1 can whole cooked black beans, drained

 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 can diced green chilies

1/4 cup hot salsa, or mild if you prefer

1 cup Velveeta cheese, cubed

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Begin by sauteeing the red pepper, onion and jalapeno over medium heat with the olive oil until soft about 5 minutes.  Turn the heat to low and stir in the refried and whole beans.  At this point the beans could scorch very easily on the bottom making your whole dish taste like an ashtray, so stir constantly until warm.  Then stir in the cilantro, diced green chilies, salsa and Velveeta.  Stir until melted and combined.  Transfer to your serving dish and top with shredded cheese and allow it to melt slightly.  Serve warm along side tortilla chips for dipping.  Corn chips taste great as do carrots.

This is great appetizer to serve out of a crock pot with the setting on low or warm. 

For your Halloween themed party try this great idea.  Using store bought corn tortillas, take a halloween shaped cookie cutter and cut shapes from the tortillas as you would sugar cookie dough.  Lay the shapes flat on baking sheet and cook at 350 degrees until firm and toasted, about 10 minutes.  Make a few for garnish or get the kids in on it and make enough for the whole party.  Amazon.com has a great selection of Halloween cookie cutters that will make it to your door before your spooky party

1 lb fresh or thawed tilapia fillets

1/2 cup prepared Sesame Dressing (Costco has a great one)

1 cup cherry tomatoes or sweet 100 tomatoes

1/4 of a red onion shaved very thin

Juice of 1 fresh lemon

1/2 tsp dry thyme or 1 tsp fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Foil pouch or a long sheet of aluminum foil to wrap fish

 Directions:

If time allows, let the fish marinate in the sesame dressing for 30 minutes to absorb some flavors.  Marinating for over 30 minutes does not make the fish better.  Because of the vinegar in the dressing it will only begin to “cook” the fish and make it mealy.  If you prefer another flavor of dressing feel free to try it in this recipe.  A zesty Italian or balsamic dressing would work just fine.  There are so many choices these days your possibilities are endless. 

If you do not have time to marinate the fish do not worry, tilapia is so thin it will be delicious with the following cooking method alone.

This recipe comes together so quickly you will amaze your friends and family. 

 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Take a long enough sheet of aluminum foil that when folded over the fish fits inside the pouch nicely.  Place the fish in a single layer on half of the foil sheet.  Support the foil on the bottom with a cookie sheet that has a lip so if any juices leak out during cooking it will catch them.  Next, pour the dressing evenly over the fish.  Top with tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, thyme and season the whole thing with salt and pepper.  Seal the foil baking bag or fold over the sheet of foil, sealing tightly on all edges.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.  If desired open the pouch and broil for an additional 5 minutes to lightly brown the top.  The idea is to quickly cook this thin and flaky fish in a sealed moist packet so it does not dry out.  You can also add other vegetables to the cooking packet as well such as a cup of thinly sliced napa cabbage, grated carrots or snow peas.

Enjoy!

Grilled Citrus Lamb Kebabs

2 lbs lamb shoulder, 1 inch cubes, or lamb leg

1 large sweet onion cubed

6 metal or bamboo skewers

Marinade:

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp rosemary

1 lemon zested and juiced

1 orange zested and juiced

2 tbsp fresh mint chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

fresh ground black pepper

Skewer the meat alternating with the onion on 6 metal skewers and pour the marinade over the meat and refrigerate. Allow the meat to marinate for up to 2 hours. If the meat sits to long in the marinade it will become mushy from the acid in the citrus fruits.

Grill or broil 6-8 minutes on each side. Serve warm with the sauce.

Chile Yogurt Sauce

1 cup plain yogurt

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp cumin, ground

1 tsp ancho chili powder

salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients by had or in a food processor and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Italian Smothered Pork Chops

4 thick, center cut pork chops with the bone

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp oil

1 small onion sliced

2 cloves garlic chopped

1 can diced tomatoes

2 tsp dry oregano

1 cup white wine or chicken stock

2 tbsp capers, optional

1/4 cup sliced green olives, optional

Begin by seasoning the meat with salt and pepper, very important. Then in a large saut頰an brown the pork chops over medium high heat until they are golden brown on both sided. This adds flavor, texture and a golden brown color to the pork chops. Remove the meat when it is brown and in the same pan cook the onions and garlic for about 6 minutes until wilted. Add the tomatoes, juice and all, oregano and wine or stock. Bring to a simmer and return the meat to the sauce in the pan. Simmer the meat until it reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees. That should take about 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle with capers and green olives if you like.

Sometimes thick cut pork chops with the bone are not easy to find, however if you do find them it is well worth the extra work in finding them. When you cook a piece of meat with the bone attached it adds moisture and tons of extra flavor.

The stock or wine gives this dish a richness that water does not which is very comforting and delicious when you eat it. Using canned stocks in your dishes instead of water will make your dishes stand out from the others.