Here’s how to prepare “Gourmet Tuna Sandwich”

Ingredients:

* 2 Large Cans of Tuna in Water
* 2 Braeburn apples or Gala Apples
* 3 Stalks of Celery
* 1 Small Red Onion
* 1 Cup Golden Seedless Raisins
* 1/2 Cup Mayo
* 1/2 Cup Sweet Pickle Relish
* 1/2 Cup Crackers (I used Ritz Chips)

Directions:

* Wash and chop the apples and celery coarsely, and mince the onion. If your apples start turning brown, you cut too slow.
* Add the raisins to the bowl and mix.
* Open a can of tuna and strain.
* Strained tuna.
* Stir the tuna loosely with the other ingredients in bowl.
* Add mayo and relish to taste.
* Take the crackers and crumble them into the tuna. You can crumble them by putting them into a zip loc bag and smashing them or use a food processor like I did.
* Mixing the cracker crumbs into the tuna:Serve tuna mixture on pita bread, crackers or my favorite: dark rye. Add sunflower seeds or sprouts if you are brave. Enjoy!

Now that you have learned how to make gourmet tuna sandwich, please be sure to view the other sandwich recipes and the seafood recipes.

Here’s how to make “Blueberry Oat Muffins”

Ingredients:

* 1 cup flour – I use whole wheat flour
* 1 cup quick oats
* 1 cup milk
* 1 tbsp lemon juice
* 3/4 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 cup melted butter
* 1 egg
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 cup frozen bluberries or carnberries
* muffin cups
* non-stick cooking spray or shortening
* muffin pan

Directions:

* Mix 1 cup of milk with 1 tbsp of lemon juice, and let it sit for a few minutes. You can probably get away with using the pre-bottled stuff, but you’re using fresh-squeezed juice because you’re awesome, right? Right. Of course you are. That’s why you spend your Saturday evenings making muffins.
* Add 1 cup of quick oats to the milk + lemon juice mixture. Stir. You will be rewarded with this:
* Beat 1 large egg lightly, and melt 1/4 cup of margarine or butter. Add the butter and egg to the milk + lemon juice + oats mixture.
* Stir it until it looks like this: Cover your goopy oatmeal mixture and set it aside.
* Mix 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and 1/2 tsp. salt together in a large mixing bowl.
* Stir it up. Work out as many of the brown sugar clumps as you can. Use the underside of a spoon to press the clumps against the side of the bowl. Mine still has some small clumps, but that’s okay.
* This would be a good time to pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Now you get to mix the liquid ingredients with the dry ingredients. Take your oatmeal mixture and dump it into the flour mixture, stirring as you go.
* Keep mixing the dry stuff with the wet stuff until you’re left with nothing but wet stuff. It’ll get thick and hard to mix toward the end, but just muscle through it.
* Gently fold about 1 cup of frozen blueberries into the mixture. Try not to crush all the berries as you fold them in. I used a little more than a cup because I like blueberries.
* Line a muffin pan with paper cups. Alternately, you can spray it down with non-stick cooking spray or lightly grease it with shortening. Doesn’t matter. Then, fill each cup about 3/4 of the way with the muffin batter. If you haven’t done so already, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and slide the muffins in. Go do something productive for 20 minutes while they bake.
* Once the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, take them out of the oven.

Now that you have learned how to make blueberry oat muffins, please be sure to view the other recipes.

Here’s how to make “Bacon Caramel”

Ingredients:

* a little over half a pound of bacon
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup corn syrup
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* 3-4 oz bourbon or maple syrup

Directions:

* Once the bacon’s finished cooking, blot it well and remove any stubborn fatty bits that refuse to become crispy. Then trim it down into large-ish bacon bits that’d work nicely in a Caesar salad. Reserve in paper towel to promote further fat drainage. Add to a deep saucepan the following: 1 cup sugar 1 cup corn syrup 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup heavy cream 3-4 oz bourbon or maple syrup.
* Over low to medium heat, dissolve everything while stirring constantly. Get your candy thermometer ready and then turn up the heat until reaches 240 degrees Fahrenheit. Don’t forget to keep stirring!
* At that point, you’ll be at the firm-ball stage and things should look a lot like this:
* Remove your pot from heat and then slowly stir in another 1/2 cup of heavy cream.
* Once the bacon’s finished cooking, blot it well and remove any stubborn fatty bits that refuse to become crispy. Then trim it down into large-ish bacon bits that’d work nicely in a Caesar salad. Reserve in paper towel to promote further fat drainage. Add to a deep saucepan the following: 1 cup sugar 1 cup corn syrup 1/2 cup butter 1/2 cup heavy cream 3-4 oz bourbon or maple syrup. Over low to medium heat, dissolve everything while stirring constantly. Get your candy thermometer ready and then turn up the heat until reaches 240 degrees Fahrenheit. Don’t forget to keep stirring!At that point, you’ll be at the firm-ball stage and things should look a lot like this:Remove your pot from heat and then slowly stir in another 1/2 cup of heavy cream.Then, put the pot back on the stove and heat it back up to 245 degrees Fahrenheit while stirring still. Then, pour the mixture into a buttered Pyrex dish or deep cookie sheet.
* Immediately afterward, add the bacon. Be sure to make it an even application!
* And hey! I had some toasted almonds left over from dinner the night before, so I added those as well.
* Then, let everything cool for at least 3 hours before cutting the bacon caramel into squares. Serve it up to those without pancreatic issues and watch their eyes light up before they they begin to bounce off the walls!

Now that you have learned how to make bacon caramel, please be sure to view the other recipes.

Here’s how to make “Almond Biscotti”

Ingredients:

* 3 cups All-pupose flour
* 1 heaping teaspoon Baking powder
* 3 Eggs, large
* 1 cup Granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) Unsalted butter, melted and cooled
* 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
* 1 cup Whole almonds, toasted

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray or butter.
* Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a large bowl; set aside.
* Use an electric mixer to beat the eggs and sugar in another bowl on medium speed. .
* Add the melted butter and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until combined..
* Gradually add the flour mixture in three batches. Blend well after each addition..
* Use a rubber spatula or mixing spoon to gently stir in the toasted almonds. The dough should be stiff enough to hold in your hands without being too sticky. If it is too sticky, add a small amount of extra flour until it is workable..
* Turn the dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. Divide the dough into two equal portions..
* With lightly floured hands, shape each portion into a flat rectangle about 5-inches wide and 12-inches long. Space the “loaves” at least 2-inches apart..
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown. Allow them to cool on the pan for 5 minutes..
* Gently transfer the loaves to a cutting board and use a serrated knife to slice them into 1/2-inch slices..
* Place the sliced almond biscotti cookies back on the cookie sheet; placing them cut-side down. Be careful, they will be fragile and could break in half. Bake the almond biscotti cookies for 10 minutes or until golden brown..
* Remove the pan from the oven and turn the almond biscotti cookies over so the other cut side is now facing up. Bake for 10 more minutes or until golden brown. Place finished almond biscotti cookies on a rack to cool..

Now that you have learned how to make almond biscotti, please be sure to view the other recipes.

Here’s how to prepare “Red Eye Beans and Rice”

Ingredients:

* 4 strips of bacon
* 3 stalks of celery
* 3-4 cloves garlic
* 1 medium onion
* 1 bell pepper
* 1 can kidney beans
* 1 can red beans
* 1.5 cups brown rice
* freshly-brewed coffee

Directions:

* Chop bacon into roughly 1-cm strips and fry over medium heat in a deep frying pan or medium saucepan.
* While the bacon starts to heat up, finely dice the celery.
* Give the onion a medium-fine chop and the garlic a crush/fine chop.
* When the bacon is just starting to release all its wonderful, glorious pig grease into the pan
* Chop bacon into roughly 1-cm strips and fry over medium heat in a deep frying pan or medium saucepan.While the bacon starts to heat up, finely dice the celery.Give the onion a medium-fine chop and the garlic a crush/fine chop. When the bacon is just starting to release all its wonderful, glorious pig grease into the panAt that point you should add the diced vegetables and a few generous grinds of black pepper.
* Some may note a slight visual resemblance to the British classic Bubble and Squeak. Indeed, this preparation, if properly compacted, will itself bubble and squeak to a degree. Much like the British dish, you want to get some bits and pieces of this vegetable/bacon mixture to brown very dark, perhaps even begin to burn. When the vegetables have lost a significant amount of their volume and some have attained a crispy texture and dark color, add enough freshly-brewed coffee to cover the lot. Stir briefly, then cover and simmer at least one hour. Add more coffee as necessary to keep everything covered. The vegetables should break down somewhat, though not completely.
* When they have reached appropriate doneness, open the cans of beans.
* Pour the beans and their liquid into the pan with the coffee/vegetable mixture.
* Simmer, covered, for at least 20 minutes. This would be a good time to start the brown rice which I somehow completely neglected to photograph.
* About 20 minutes before serving, take your favorite mashing implement and smash about a quarter of the beans. This will both thicken the broth and give a wonderful creamy texture to the finished dish.
* Leave the pan uncovered after doing this, and let the beans reduce slightly.
* Put one serving (whatever that is for you) of brown rice into a bowl, then spoon the beans over the rice. Top with bits of raw bell pepper.

Now that you have learned how to make red eye beans and rice, please be sure to view the other pork recipes.

Here’s how to make “Easy Meatballs”

Ingredients:

* 2 lbs ground beef or turkey
* 1 c. bread crumbs
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 c. milk
* 1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
* 2 tbs. garlic powder
* 2 tbs. onion powder
* 2 tbs. basil

Directions:

* Combine all ingredients in large bowl.
* Mix thoroughly by hand.
* Shape into 1 – 2 inch balls on baking sheet or pan – notice that I used aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
* Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes (or until done).
* Plate your easy meatballs and serve.
* Or freeze for future use.

Now that you have learned how to make easy meatballs, please be sure to view the other beef recipes.

Here’s how to make “Banana Bread”

Ingredients:

# -3 large ripe bananas
# 1/3 cup melted butter (I didn’t have enough butter today, so I used light tasting olive oil as a substitute – the bread turned out nicely)
# 3/4 – 1 cup sugar
# 1 egg ,beaten
# 1 teaspoon vanilla
# 1 teaspoon baking soda
# pinch of salt
# 1/2 – 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
# 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

* Combine all ingredients in a bowl – I know, I know…one is “supposed” to combine like ingredients first…but this way has always worked for me
* Beat with mixer.
* Grease and flour a bread pan (or muffin tin). .
* Pour batter into pan..
* Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean..

Now that you have learned how to make banana bread, please be sure to view the other bread recipes.

Here’s how to make “Potato Skin Chips”

Ingredients:

* 3 or 4 baking Potatoes
* seasoning of choice
* 1 1/2 cup cooking oil

Directions:

* Slice potatoes, paper thin, Dry chips with a paper towel and chill in the freezer for a bit. (just to keep cool)
* Get oil nice and hot med-high (5/6) Test with a small piece of potato, should start to brown in less than a minute. If it does…you are ready make chips.
* Drop 5-6 chilled chips in the oil, till golden brown. get a plate and line it paper towels for drainage. Repeat till you have a nice portion of chips, top with seasoning of choice. (I like the popcorn cheese, but you can use whatever you want.)

Now that you have learned how to make “Potato Skin Chips”, please be sure to view the other recipes.

Here’s how to make “Noypi Potato Salad”

Ingredients:

* 5-6 Potatoes
* 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
* 2 tablespoons mayo
* 1 teaspoon Rosemary
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* salt to taste
* pepper to taste

Directions:

* Rinse and cut potatoes into chunks. I like potatoes with the skin on. But, if you don’t, you’re more than welcome to peel them first.
* Boil potatoes until tender (for me, it took about 10 minutes).
* While your potatoes are boiling, chop the red onion into fine pieces. .
* Combine onion with olive oil, vinegar, mayo, and spices..
* By this time, your potatoes might be done. If so, drain and rinse them..
* Gently toss or mix potatoes with mayo mixture..
* Enjoy…either warm, or cold!.

Now that you have learned how to make “Noypi Potato Salad”, please be sure to view the other recipes and salad recipes.

Here’s how to make “Healthy Fruit Smoothie”

Ingredients:

* 1 Cup of yogurt (i used strawberry fruit on the bottom)
* 1 Small container of fruit juice (I used 100% juice Mango Passion)
* 1 Banana
* 1 Cup Strawberries
* 1 Cup Raspberries
* 1 Cup Blueberries

Directions:

* Other than that all you need is a blender and a crude measuring system…i just used a glass out of my cabinet that i know is roughly a cup. You can use fresh or frozen fruit. I am using frozen because a) Its what I have and b) it makes for a slightly thicker smoothie without the need of ice cubes The steps are very straightforward: Peel the banana, break it in half, and put into the blender facing up ideally.
* Measure out roughly 1 Cup of one of your fruit selections and dump them in. Thats what one cup of blueberries looks like…I know there’s lots of residual frost which isnt ideal but it will work out fine.
* Repeat this with the other two berries. Dump in the yogurt and between some and all of the juice depending on how you like the consistency of your smoothie. I used 3/4 of the bottle I had which is like 6 ounces or something. Blend. Make sure its good and mixed. I like to rock my blender back and forth as it goes to ensure a healthy mixture. Then pour into a glass and enjoy.
* For my money this drink can’t be beat for good taste and good-for-you-ness. I would recommend against anything citrus not because its bad, but it changes the nature of the drink drastically and, well, i’m a bit of a purist. Enjoy!

Now that you have learned how to make healthy fruit smoothie, please be sure to view the other recipes.