Tick Cooks

Because of our love for New Orleans food -- and the wonderful Creole seasoning -- I made these Creole scrambled eggs for Christmas morning breakfast. (Next time I would dice the green pepper smaller and perhaps use less.) It was truly excellent! CREOLE SCRAMBLE olive oil 1/2 lb sausage chopped garlic 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ½ cup sliced green onions (Frühlingszwiebel) ½ cup diced green Bell pepper (grüne Paprika) 1/3 cup cold water 1/8 tsp black pepper 6 eggs, lightly beaten Creole seasoning Heat oil in skillet. Sauté sausage, garlic, cayenne and onion. Can also season now with Creole seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, until Mett is browned. Add bell pepper, water and black pepper. Cook until most of liquid is evaporated but bell pepper still crisp. Lightly beat eggs and season well with Creole seasoning. Add eggs to pan and cook and stir over low heat until soft and creamy.

I have no idea why I waited so long to try this. Excellent, but needs a lot more pepper than the dash the original recipe calls for. I made a big pot and froze half, and I swear it was even better the second time around! (And yes, it is heart healthy, with all that low-no fat and low-no salt stuff, and lots of veggies!) BEEF BARLEY SOUP (Heart Healthy) 2 tsp canola oil 1 lb. Stew meat, cut into bize-size pieces 1 medium onion, chopped 4 cups fat-fee no-salt-added beef broth 4 cups water ½ cup uncooked pearl barley 1 bay leaf ½ tsp salt pepper 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced 3 medium carrots, sliced 2 medium celery ribs, thickly sliced on the diagonal 2 tsp dried thyme ½ tsp salt In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Cook the beef for 10 minutes or until brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in the onion. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the broth, water, barley, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Increase heat to high ...

I always love recipes that are basically "throw everything into a bowl and mix." These cookies have a great flavour and are nicely moist. Candy Cane Cookies 1 cup butter 1 cup sifted confectioners sugar 1 egg 1 ½ tsp almond extract 1 tsp vanilla 2 ½ cups flour 1 tsp salt ½ tsp red food coloring Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Mix together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla. Mix flour and salt together and add to previous mixture. Mix well. Divide dough in half. Blend red food coloring into one half of dough. Roll 1 tsp of each dough into a 4 inch strip on a lightly floured surface. Lay the strips next to each other and twist together like a rope and shape into a cane shape. Bake 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Warning, these are very fragile once they are baked.

I baked Christmas cookies for the first time in years, and had to include this one. The almond extract really makes a difference. Warning though, they are extremely fragile and not really suitable for mailing. Candy Cane Cookies 1 cup butter 1 cup sifted confectioners sugar 1 egg 1 ½ tsp almond extract 1 tsp vanilla 2 ½ cups flour 1 tsp salt ½ tsp red food coloring Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C. Mix together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla. Mix flour and salt together and add to previous mixture. Mix well. Divide dough in half. Blend red food coloring into one half of dough. Roll 1 tsp of each dough into a 4 inch strip on a lightly floured surface. Lay the strips next to each other and twist together like a rope and shape into a cane shape. Bake 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Warning, these are very fragile once they are baked.

True Confession time: I made these last week. I had finished them up when I realized I hadn't added the vanilla, so I mixed it in. Then I wondered why they were so pale when they were supposed to be chocolate. Yup, I had forgotten to add the cocoa! But that went in too and they turned out as great as usual. Chocolate Cupcakes (from a Better Homes and Gardens Cupcakes magazine) Makes about 30 ¾ cups butter 3 eggs 2 cups flour ¼ cup cocoa powder 1 tsp baking soda ¾ tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 2 cups sugar 2 tsp vanilla 1 ½ cups milk Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375° F / 175°C. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about ¼ cup at a time, beating on medium speed until combined. Scrape sides of bowl; beat about 2 minutes more or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each a...

Why this is called Basque, I have no idea. I found it years ago in a cookbook. I have seen a similar recipe called Broth Potatoes, but this goes further than just cooking the potatoes in broth. Also good the next day for lunch, if there are any left over! BASQUE POTATOES ½ cup chopped onion 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 cups chicken broth pepper 4 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed In a large skillet, sauté the onions and garlic Add the chicken broth, pepper and potatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes, covered. Remove cover and simmer 20 minutes or more, until both thickens and potatoes are done. Stir occasionally.

Actually from my great-grandmother! And still excellent! ½ cup peanut butter 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup white sugar 1 egg 1 ¼ cup four ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp vanilla Mix all ingredients. Roll into balls. Place on baking sheet 2” apart. Press with back of fork to flatten and make pattern. Bake at 375°/190° for 11-12 minutes.

We love New Orleans food and make it ourselves as often as we can. After trying out various recipes, this one for Chicken Creole is absolutely the best! It may not look like much in the photo, but believe me, we wiped the bowls out with bread to get every last drop. CHICKEN CREOLE (New Orleans School of Cooking Cookbook) 1 ½ lbs boned skinless chicken, chopped 4 TBS butter 4 TBS flour 1 cup chopped onion ½ cup chopped celery ½ cup chopped green pepper ½ TBS chopped garlic 3 cups chicken stock 8 oz tomato sauce ½ tsp basil 2 bay leaves ½ TBS brown sugar Creole seasoning (I used 2-3 TBS) chopped parsley Sauté the chicken in the butter for 2-3 minutes and remove. Add the flour and stir over medium heat until lightly browned. Add onions, celery, green pepper ,and garlic, and sauté until they begin to turn transparent. Add remaining ingredients except parsley. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add parsley and chicken during the last five minutes...

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (Betty Crocker) 1 ¼ cups sugar 1 ¼ cups brown sugar 1 ½ cups butter or margarine, softened 2 tsp vanilla 3 eggs 4 ¼ cups flour 2 tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 2 to 4 cups chocolate chips Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Beat in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in chips. Put 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet (I use parchment paper). Bake 8-11 minutes. Allow to cool 1 minute and then let cool on baking rack. This makes a LOT of cookies.