Poppy Seed Cookies

½ cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup milk

¼ cup poppy seeds

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 375.  In a large bowl, mix oil and sugar.  Add eggs, vanilla, and milk.  Add poppy seeds.

In another bowl, mix flour and baking powder together.  Add flour mixture to batter and mix until smooth.  Roll a portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼” thick.  Cut into desired shapes.  Bake for 12 minutes or until golden on edges.

Yields 4-5 dozen.

Katie's Cashew Carmel Corn

6 quarts of popped popcorn

1 8 oz. can cashew halves and pieces

3 cups packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups butter

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons soda

Heat oven to 250.

Mix popcorn and nuts together in a large roasting pan. Heat sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt in a large sauce pan.  Stir occassionally until bubbly around edges.  Continue cooking over medium hear for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in soda until foamy.  Pour on popcorn and nuts and mix well to coat.  Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on three parchment lined cookie sheets and cool.

French Dip Sandwiches

3-4 lbs. pot roast

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 14.5-oz. can beef broth

1 can water

1 package dry onion soup mix

1 bottle Guinness

Salt and pepper

6 French rolls

Season the roast with salt and pepper.  In a large pot, sear meat in olive oil until brown on both sides.  Add broth, water, soup mix, and Guinness.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, and simmer for 3 hours or place pot in oven at 350 for 2-3 hours, until meat is tender.  Pour broth into a fat separator. Serve sliced meat on French rolls and use the broth for dipping.  Great with French fries.

Serves 6

Ribs in 3

All you need to make mouth-watering baby back ribs are the ribs, of course, a bottle of purchased BBQ sauce and 3 hours at 300--so easy.  Slather the ribs with the sauce and put in the oven, covered.  Check each hour, turning and adding more sauce.  I served them with cornbread that I baked with a small can of chopped green chiles and about 1/2 cup corn.

Easy Peasy Roasted Lamb Chops

Combine 1 tablespoon each of chopped fresh marjoram, rosemary and thyme with 2 cloves of minced garlic.  Rub chops with olive oil, and herb/garlic mixture.  Cover and refrigerate 3-4 hours. Preheat oven to 425, and remove chops from refrigerator.   Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat.  Place chops in pan and cook until brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side.  If you have an oven proof pan, place the chops in the oven, if not, put them on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes.

Chicken and Spinach Soup

3 carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 quarts chicken broth

1-2 cooked chicken breasts, chopped

¾ bunch spinach, washed, stems removed

2 Bay leaves

1 T. Herbs de Provence

6 oz. small pasta

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Sauté vegetables in olive oil and butter.  Add remaining ingredients except pasta.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add pasta and cook until al dente.  Serve with parmesan cheese if desired.

Pork Chop and Spinach Dinner for One

Last night I was cooking just for myself, which means I was experimenting with what was on hand.   I had a single pork chop in the fridge, some spinach, and a wonderfully fresh tomato that I bought at the Farmer’s Market.  I also had a nice chunk of parmesan cheese.  So this is what I did for myself (it could easily be multiplied for two or more):

Drizzled olive oil in a small skillet and set on medium-high heat.

Sprinkled pork chop with garlic salt, pepper, and dried thyme leaves.

Cooked chop in heated pan until brown on each side.

Reduced heat and covered until done, about 5-8 minutes.

While the chop cooked, put two cups of spinach in a sauce pan and added about

one tablespoon of water.

Cooked spinach over medium-high heat until the leaves begin to wilt. Removed

            from heat and covered.

Chopped a tomato into medium dice.

Grated a generous helping of parmesan cheese.

Plated chop and spinach.  Topped spinach with cheese and tomato.

Served with baguette slices and a glass of wine.

Didn’t even think about taking a picture for Transcendental Kitchen.