I recently served as emcee for Carroll Academy’s beauty pageants. Thanks to all of you at the school who invite me to come back and serve in that capacity every year. Seeing old friends and acquaintances, and especially the students, is such a great time for me.
Several people told me that they enjoy reading my article and I really appreciate the kind words. Many of them tell me they like the recipes, but that they don’t cook. I have heard that a lot and it is an intriguing statement to me. How can you not cook? I guess most of the time it is because you don’t like to cook. I can relate that to exercise. I choose not to.
Many people tell me that if a recipe has too many ingredients or too many steps, they won’t give it a try. I try to keep that in mind when I choose recipes for my column, but sometimes they just have a lot of ingredients or a few steps too many for some people.
Food is very trendy. I am always reading, researching and cooking in preparation for my weekly newspaper and monthly magazine articles. I remember when I realized a few years ago that cupcakes were the latest trend in food. Cupcakes were everywhere you looked. There were even bakeries opened that just served cupcakes. Before that ,it was pies. I am always on alert to see what the next food trend will be.
Well, today I can reveal to you the latest food trend — it is toast! Yes, I said toast. For those of you who say that just about all you can make is toast — well, your time has arrived!
At first I thought it was a joke. Then, I realized that toast is everywhere. Using different types of bread, different ways to prepare toast and different toppings for your toast is a hot item in the food world.
I don’t have any toast recipes for you today. I’m just not that creative. I do have some others that I hope you will give a try. Not too many ingredients, but delicious.
Thanks for reading.
HOT PIMIENTO CHEESE DIP
1 (8 ounces) block extra sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (8 ounces) block Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 (7 ounces) jar diced pimiento, drained
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon ground red pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients; stirring well. Spoon into a baking dish; bake for 20 minutes. Serve with pita chips or crackers.
SLOW COOKER SWISS STEAK
1 ½ pounds round steak, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 (8 ounces) package sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup sliced onion
1 cup sliced celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 (15 ounces) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 (8 ounces) can tomato sauce
½ cup water
1 package brown gravy mix
1 teaspoon salt
1 spoon pepper
Combine steak, mushrooms, onion, celery and garlic in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, gravy mix, salt and pepper. Pour over steak mixture. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.
TRIPLE FUDGE BROWNIES
1 (3.9 ounces) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 regular size chocolate cake mix
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Powdered sugar
Prepare pudding according to package directions. Whisk in dry cake mix. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into a greased 15-x-10-x-1-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Dust with powdered sugar.
• Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
