Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Tuna Fritters Recipe

Tuna fritters are simple to make, so if you're pressed for time, you can whip these up in 30 minutes or less. They are delish served either cold or hot and make great snacks for after school, parties, or picnics.

You can make a double batch, serve half for dinner, put the other half in the fridge for a quick anytime-snack the next day.


Ingredients:

  • 12oz can chunk light tuna, drained (You can also use a can of Salmon )
  • 1 small sweet onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley (You can also use dried)
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 
  • 1 cup Panko (japanese bread crumbs)
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
  • 2-3 potatoes (about 2 cups), peeled and grated
  • 1/2 tsp dried dill 
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt, 
  • dash of pepper
  • ½ cup of canola oil 
Combine the tuna (or salmon), onion, parsley, eggs, grated carrot and flour in a medium bowl.
Peel potatoes, grate them into the mixture.
Add remaining ingredients, stir until well blended.
Heat oil in a frying pan, make patties out of about 1/4 cup of tuna mixture and fry fritters in batches of a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides and firm. Drain on a wire rack, or paper towels.
Serve the tuna fritters with tarter sauce and lemon wedges, if desired.

Tarter Sauce:

1 cup Mayonnaise (or Miracle Whip)
1/4 cup dill relish
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Mix and serve.

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookies have always been one of my favorite types of cookie. I have tried many different recipes, and this one is my favorite.

This recipe is very versatile, you can use creamy or crunchy peanut butter, you can use butter, shortening, oil, or a combination of these.

As for the sugar, you can substitute that as well. You can use Agave or maple syrup instead of sugar. It's all up to you!


  Ingredients
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (or shortening, or canola oil)
  • 1 cup crunchy or creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Put in refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
Roll into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake. Let cool 5 minutes before removing cookies from baking sheet.

NOTE: For a more crunchy cookie, flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern before baking.





Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Homemade Milk Bones (wheat-free)

Today I'm going to show you how to make some milk bones for your pampered pooch.

I started making homemade dog treats when I discovered that my German Shepherd "Etta Velvet" was allergic to wheat. She gets big hives all over her face and head when she eats any amount of wheat.

Wheat-free dog treats are not always easy to find, and when you do find them, they can be pretty expensive.

I have many recipes for wheat-free dog treats to share with you, but I'll start off with the easiest, most inexpensive recipe first.

If your dog doesn't have a wheat sensitivity, you don't have to use any special flour, 4 cups of whole wheat flour will do just fine. If you plan to use whole wheat flour, you do not have to add the baking powder.


Ingredients:
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup powdered milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 4tsp baking powder
  • 2 cups oat flour
  • 2 cups rice flour
  • 1/4 cup corn starch

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

In large bowl pour hot water over the butter. Stir in powdered milk, salt, and egg. Add flour, one cup at a time. Knead for a few minutes to form stiff dough. If dough is too sticky, sprinkle with corn starch while kneading. Sprinkle some corn starch on the counter top as well. Pat or roll to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into bone shapes, or whatever shape you desire. Bake for 50 minutes for wheat flour, 60-65 minutes for oat/rice flour. Let cool. They will dry out quite hard. 

You can store them in an air-tight jar or can for about two weeks, but your dog will probably gobble them up before that. 

Note: The oat/rice flour biscuits will be a bit more fragile than wheat biscuits, they tend to crumble a bit, so it's best to make smaller cookies.




Sunday, May 20, 2012

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

If you're like me and you love chocolate and peanut butter, then there is almost nothing better to cure your cravings than these Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies.

Let's get started! Shall we?






Brownie Ingredients:
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
  • 1 cup butter, margarine, or shortening, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Swirl Topping:


  • 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy/chunky, I prefer chunky)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with parchment paper, grease the sides of the pan with shortening, so the brownies won't stick. Be sure to leave enough parchment on the two longest sides of the pan, so your will be able to lift the brownies out with the parchment, once they're cooled.

In a small bowl, blend flour and cocoa powder, set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together until smooth, add eggs, beat until blended, then stir in vanilla and chocolate chips. Slowly stir flour mixture into butter mixture, just until blended. You don't want to over-stir, or your brownies will be more like cake.

Pour the batter into your parchment-lined 9 x 13 baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix all of your peanut butter swirl ingredients together, and spoon blobs of it on top of your brownie batter. Run a knife back and forth through the batter repeatedly, until you have a nice swirl pattern.

Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out slightly damp, but without raw batter on it. Let the brownies cool for about 20-30 minutes, then lift them out of the pan, and cut them into squares.

Makes about 16-20 brownies, depending on how you cut them. Enjoy!


Saturday, May 19, 2012

Corned Beef Hash Pinwheels

Today I'm cooking something called Corned Beef Hash Pinwheels. I adapted the recipe from one that my Grandmother taught me when I was little. It's basically a can of corned beef hash rolled into some biscuit dough. These little rolls make a great snack, picnic food, or quick dinner. Kids love them, and you can pop one in their lunch box for school. They taste good hot or cold.


Ingredients:

  • 3 cups Bisquick Mix
  • 1 cup milk (you may need a little extra)
  • 4 Tbsp butter - softened
  • 1 large can (or two small cans) corned beef hash
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • garlic powder
  • dried minced onions (or onion powder)
  • ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine Bisquick mix and milk until a soft dough forms. If it is too dry, add a little more milk, and if you get it too wet, you can always add a little more Bisquick to dry it up.

Roll out your dough to a 1/4 inch thickness, about 26 inches long, and 6-8 inches wide.

Spread a thin layer of the softened butter over the dough, then spoon the corned beef hash on top. Be sure to spread both evenly to cover the entire surface of the biscuit dough. After that, sprinkle on the cheddar cheese in a thin, even layer.

Sprinkle a little of each of the remaining ingredients over the cheese, it's really up to you how much you use. I would say not to use more than a 1/4 teaspoon of garlic and pepper.

If you're using dried minced onions, you can probably use a good teaspoon of those, if you're using onion powder, a 1/4 teaspoon should be enough.

Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 inch slices, making about 25 pinwheels.

Place them on a greased cookie sheet about an inch apart, and bake them for 8-10 minutes, or until they are lightly browned.


Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Hello everyone, and welcome to my recipe blog! I'm a landscape photographer that also enjoys cooking and baking, so I'm here to share some of my favorite recipes with you.

I will be posting those recipes as soon as my new lighting arrives, so be patient, and go have a look at my online photo gallery .You can view my work at any time by clicking the links on the tabs above. You may also follow me on Pinterest, or become my fan on Facebook.