Red Stick Farmers Market

If you have never been to the farmers market, it's a must.  The fresh food is amazing!

A Must Try Carrot Salad

Raisin and Carrot Salad Moroccan Style

Flag of Moracco

This first recipe that I’m sharing with you, I came across about a month ago watching the food network. I tried it exactly how it was on made on TV, but I thought it was a little bitter. So, of course, I changed it just up a bit. It’s an awesome salad, that I think the rest of the family will enjoy.

 

Ingredients:

2 bags pre-shredded carrots, or one bunch of carrots shredded

4 lemons

2 small boxes of raisins

1 package slivered almonds, or other nuts of your choosing

3 cloves of garlic

¼ cup chopped parsley

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon natural honey

Bottled lemon juice (if lemons are not very juicy)

Salt and pepper

Directions:

In a dry pan, toast the almonds, or the nuts of your choice, until they begin to give off a nutty aroma, and start to glisten with their oils. Remove from pan and set aside.

Slice the lemon into very thin circles. Place circles into a cold pan set on low heat. Add just enough olive oil to cover the lemons. Allow to cook, on low, until the rinds begin to turn brown. This usually takes around 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, cayenne, the juice of the 3 remaining lemons and honey. Hint: If you spray the measuring spoon with non-stick cooking spray, the honey will come out easier.

In a large mixing bowl, combine shredded carrots, raisins and toasted nuts. Fish out the lemon pieces from the oil in pan and combine with the rest of the ingredients in the bowl.

Spoon, now, lemon infused oil into the small bowl with the lemon juice and dry I ingredients until you have reach the consistency of a vinaigrette. Taste the dressing. If it's to bitter, add a touch more honey. If it's taste to oily, add a little more lemon juice. As a reminder, always add in small doses. You can always add more, but you just can't take it out.

Pour dressing over the shredded carrots, and taste. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4.

P.S.:  I'm trying to remember to take pictures of the finished dishes, but just chalk it up to old age when I forget.

Pots Everywhere!

I know that everyone has different preferences as to what they use in the kitchen. Some people love to cook in cast iron pots, stainless steel pots, or non-stick pots. Then they are the knives. There are so many different types of knives out there. It can be kind of confusing, but I’m going to tell you that you don’t need to buy the highest priced items to be a good cook. Now there are a few things that I will spend a few extra dollars on, but those things will last a life time if I take care of them.

And that’s what this series of posts are all about. Just letting you know what I have in my kitchen, and maybe it’ll help you fill your own.

Without pots, what would a kitchen be? We all need some kind of pots to cook with. I don’t need a cabinet full of the most expensive pots to make a delicious and healthy meal. Alton Brown, of the Food Network, says it best when he tells us to buy items that can be used for multiple things. That’s just what I do. Buy generic pots that I can use to cook many different types of dishes in.

Here's a list of pots that I think every cook should have:

1. medium and large sauce pans, preferably non-stick, it just makes clean up a little easier
2. 12” heavy duty aluminum skillet,
3. 5 quart heavy aluminum stockpot w/ steamer basket
4. 4 quart non-stick stock pot. I use this one for making pasta.
5. 8 “ cast iron skillet
6. 12” cast iron skillet
7. 4 quart cast iron dutch oven

That's pretty much every pot that I have in my kitchen. Yes, sometimes I have to wash a pot and re-use it while making a meal, but I have never had a problem with doing that.

What are some of your favorite pots and pans?

Introduction

Welcome to Chef Jeff’s Crazy Cooking Corner!!  

I’m so glad that you have decided to stop by and take a gander at my recipes. My hope is that you will find some that you can truly enjoy, and take from me my love for good food, and good friends.  

Why did I decide to share my love of food with you?  It’s simple.  When I cook, the greatest feeling I get, is watching someone dig into the food that I make and keep going back for more.  That look on their faces when they take that first bite of something new is awesome.  That’s why I do it.

Cooking for me is about creating something from a pile of separate ingredients, and making something that is delicious.  Are all my recipes Chef Jeff originals?  I can honestly say no that they are not.  However, if I find something that sounds like it would be good, I adjust this and that to make it something that is completely different.  So, I guess you can say that they are mine.  No matter what, I will always tell you where the idea came from.  That’s what cooking is all about.  Sharing.

Chef Jeff