Low fat carrot cake

I love the spicy flavors of carrot cake!  Especially around the holidays.  However with all of the other sweets and treats I like to find ways of cutting back on some of the excess.  Here's a recipe that is lower in fat but gives up none of the goodness.

INGREDIENTS:

(for a 9 x 13 cake)

• 6 egg whites
• 1-1/3 cups white sugar
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 8 ounces canned crushed pineapple with juice
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup raisins

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-fat cooking spray. Beat egg whites in large mixing bowl, slowly adding in sugar, then applesauce, skim milk and vanilla.  Stir in cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda and flour.  Stir in crushed pineapple with juice, then carrots followed by walnuts and raisins.  Pour into baking pan.

Bake 35 - 40 minutes.

HINT:

To test "doneness" of a cake insert a toothpick into the center.  The cake is done when the toothpick comes out clean.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

"All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much"

- George Harrison


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Chef Oh Boy Are Deez Good

I love ravioli. It's the universal food that no matter where you are in the world there is some regional variation stuffed with goodness.

But somewhere along the way I've lost my taste for traditional red spaghetti sauces from Ragu and Prego and all the others. Too salty, too bland (even those that promise a kick).

So I experiment. These are some of the easiest and best tasting I've had, at home or anywhere else for that matter.

INGREDIENTS:

• One package of frozen ravioli, cheese or beef or spinach or whatever else you find locally
• Fresh sweet Maui onion
• Fresh mushrooms
• Olive Oil
• Powdered or ground garlic
• Fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

PREPARATION:

Cook ravioli according to package directions, usually about 8 minutes.  Drain.  In same pot, reduce heat to medium-low and pour about 1/4 cup olive oil and sauté two thin onion slices (quartered) for 2-3 minutes.  Then add sliced mushrooms for only about a minute while adding garlic.  Put the cooked ravioli back into the pot and stir gently until warm over very low heat.  Plate and sprinkle with freshly ground hard cheese like Parmesan or Romano.  Serve with garlic bread and a side salad.

WHY NOT JUST COOK WITH RAGU?

Tomato sauce covers up much of the delicate flavors that are found in many ravioli and are high in sodium while this method is rich in two of the most desired foods for good nutrition ... olive oil and garlic. Not only does it make for a gourmet presentation but there are is far more taste than simply soaking the ravioli in spaghetti sauce.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY:

"Italian food is all about ingredients and it's not fussy and it's not fancy"

- Wolfgang Puck


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Turkey Tacos?

First off, the picture is not how I actually make my Turkey Tacos (of course not ... the stuffing would fall right out and it would be too hard to get to the wishbone).
 
And this isn't a recipe for how I make them.  In a taco shell my recipe is "Make tacos, substituting ground turkey for ground beef".

Chili Gone Carne

 

As winter approaches everyone’s thoughts turn to a hot bowl of chili to warm those frosty nights.  Chili is so easy to make it’s a shame to buy the high sodium canned chili that bears little resemblance to the real thing.  There are chili cookoff contests in which the namesake food is a very big deal for serious chili eaters.  Most of those people don’t like to share their recipes, but here at The Old Cooker, sharing is what’s it’s all about.

Berber Black Bean Couscous

This is a meal impressive enough to serve to your gourmand friends who will believe you slaved for hours preparing it.  I “invented” it one evening from a few things I had in the pantry when it was too late in the evening to start a from-scratch meal and didn’t want to resort to the usual suspect quickie meals.  The total prep time was about 10 minutes and as you can see from the photo this looks like anything but a fast-food meal.  After the jump I’ll share some ideas for putting just a little more energy into it to take it to the next level.

Time for thanks

Food is the glue that socially binds us together. In today’s busy world there is little as satisfying as sharing a great meal with friends and family. As you read the various recipes and ideas presented here won’t you please take a moment to give us your feedback by clicking one of the buttons below, leaving a personal comment or by sharing the post to your social media page?

We’ve provided one-click links to Facebook , Twitter and Google+ in the box below, just hover over the one want to share to and click. If you are using our mobile site please note that you must first click on the word “share” then choose your site. Thanks so much for helping The Old Cooker site to grow and share the fun and satisfaction of good food throughout the world.

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Bourbon Apple Bacon Bits

Photo Credit Michael Simon

Wait, stop, they had me at “bourbon”!  And bacon too?  This was shared with me by my friend Mike S. and I had to pass it forward with his preparation tips and photo of the ready-to-be-baked bites.  He took a basic idea and made it Mike’s way so further down are some additional ideas for slightly optional ways to prepare them.

Caramel Apple Cocktail

Credit: Margaritaville Cargo

Here's a seasonal drink that you can enjoy with your guests for get-togethers during the Halloween through Thanksgiving season, or for that matter, anytime.  It can be prepared for those who do or don't drink alcoholic beverages. Plus it's got yogurt in it so it qualifies as a health food :-)

A foil for sticking

To keep cleanup at a minimum I always line the baking tray with aluminum foil when cooking in the oven.  However many breaded frozen foods tend to stick to the foil, pulling the breading off or leaving shreds of foil stuck to the food.  Spraying the foil with non-stick spray or coating it with cooking oil helps but changes the texture of the breading, and of course can add calories.

Homemade macaroni salad

My opinion on buying macaroni salad from the supermarket is the same as buying potato salad from the supermarket.  Why?  It’s so much easier and better tasting to make yourself.  Macaroni salad is easy to prepare at home and to me the macaroni salad that is delivered to the stores in 20 gallon tubs and artfully spooned out in the deli section to look “fresh” tastes more like chemicals than anything else.

Oktoberfest secrets

 If asked what my favorite Oktoberfest foods are I wouldn’t be able to stop talking for at least a few hours.  One of the most memorable times of my life concerning food was when I lived just a few blocks from Chicago’s Germantown and would regularly join friends for a hearty German beer on tap and a lunch or dinner served in one of the many authentic old restaurants.

Sloppy Joey

There are times I barely drag in the door until late, it’s already dark and I have no interest in going into the kitchen.  I came up with a tasty variation on the simple-to-make macaroni & beef with spaghetti sauce that has been an old standby.  It adds a slightly tangier flavor than you get with spaghetti sauce.

Too much of a good thing

Like so many other people I am always looking for a bargain. So it is tempting to buy the large food service sizes at Costco because the cost-per-ounce may be less, or it may be more convenient.

Sometimes that's not always the best idea.

Weber's mustard

In my home town the #1 selling mustard for over 50 years is Weber’s Brand, a product that has been made in a tiny local location on Buffalo’s south side since 1922.  It has a unique taste unlike any other in the world, and that taste hasn’t changed one bit since I was a child. Growing up, in fact, I never knew there was any other brand.  A bottle of Weber’s was always in our refrigerator.  In those days, and until very recently, the product was sold in an unusual multi-faceted glass bottle with a twist-off metal top.  Nowadays it comes in a plastic container with a bright red plastic screw top.

Some thoughts about liking to cook

Okay, there are times when I feel the same way.  I walk in the kitchen, look around, and have no idea where to go from there.  I've learned to live with that.  So I start putting a bunch of stuff on the counter and almost with my eyes closed things start coming together.  Sometimes I don't even have a name for it but if the pets don't pass out from the odor I feel brave enough to eat it.

Moral of the story?  If you don't own a recipe book, maybe you don't need to bother getting one.  I have several that I got when I was very young and the kitchen scared me.  I used them a few times, now they just sit and look pretty in my bookshelf.

Cooking should reflect life ... be an impulsive leap into the unknown, savoring everything along the way and arriving at one moment of ecstasy after another until you reach the last supper, after which people say "he sure knew how to cook".

QUOTE FOR THE DAY:

"Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all"

- Harriet Van Horne

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KFC coleslaw

Thanks to hillbilly recipes

If you came here looking for gourmet recipes, sorry, this isn't exactly the place.  In fact this one is about trying to recreate that somehow irresistible flavor of KFC's coleslaw.  I know, I know the next thing I'll be doing is sharing how to make a Big Mac, right?  Well, maybe I will.  But for now, if you like coleslaw, here's one to try:

Magical vinegar

 

Growing up I was always hearing that vinegar had more uses than for salad dressing.  It seems the list grows daily of what incredible things vinegar can do. I have a several friends who have shared so many ways they use it I should have started writing it down.

Reuben sandwiches

There are certain foods that I would walk barefoot across the Sahara for.  Barbecue almost anything (except lima beans … don’t like lima beans) and I’m drooling.  Anything with bacon gets my interest.  And a good Reuben sandwich is up there in the top five.

Notice anything in common?  Yep, they are all firmly on the healthy foods no-no list as well, so when I have them it better be good because I consider it a special treat.

Pizza Napoletana

There are as many kinds of pizza as there are as many subtle shades of color in the rainbow.  And I’m talking about only what would be called classic Italian pizza.  Beyond that the list gets endless as restaurants who mean well add more and more non-traditional items to their “gourmet” pizzas and charge $20, $30 and more for a pie.

How healthy is ramen?

There’s no question that a package of ramen for lunch is fast, easy and dirt cheap.  At about 18-20 cents a package there are few meals that can fill you up for less money.  But how “good” is it for your body?  I fix a package of ramen occasionally for a quick mid-afternoon snack and have been under the same belief that I think many people have, that other than a dangerously high level of sodium, the rest of the ingredients have to be pretty neutral.  Right?

It's like buttah

Like many people trying to lower cholesterol I try to avoid butter.  Unfortunately that raises the persistent dilemma of whether I want to ingest more chemically processed foods or natural foods with higher levels of less healthy things.

Mostest cupcakes

Here’s a variation of the familiar cream-filled cupcake that adds a twist that will have people begging for smore.  I’m not a bake-from-scratch kind of person and these are a bit labor intensive but they will definitely get attention if you’re elected to bring dessert to the next gathering of family and friends.

Pea Soup de La Mancha

In central California the words pea soup either defined San Francisco fog or a small restaurant chain further down the coast called Pea Soup Anderson’s which was notable in that their restaurants were housed inside giant old-world windmills.  One of those restaurants survives in Buellton, California and still serves up a hearty bowl of the soup that warms the coldest day.

How much is a pinch?

HOW MUCH IS A PINCH?

One of the two most terrifying things to people who are new to cooking is getting the measurement of ingredients right (the other is fear of undercooking or overcooking).

Food is very forgiving and unless you substitute a cup of salt for a teaspoon the difference in the final product will be negligible.  Just adjust it a little next time you make the same dish.

Most measurements are pretty easy to figure out, although I have known people who have gone through life never quite knowing which is a teaspoon and which is a tablespoon, compounded by the abbreviations of tsp for the former and tbs for the latter.  Where it really gets complicated is exactly how much is a pinch or a dash?

Rosół z kurczaka (homemade chicken soup)

Of all the meals my grandmother made when I was growing up, the one I looked forward to the most was her chicken soup invariably served as Sunday dinner.  While the variety of ways chicken soup can be made is nearly endless, the hot clear broth filled with chicken, simple veggies and served over thick noodles or dumplings is a favorite that has warmed the people of Central Europe for generations.  I can’t wait for the first cold rainy day each year to duplicate as well I can my grandmother’s recipe (although I have been known to make a large pot on the hottest days of summer).  There are numerous variations on the Polish translation, but the one I have seen most often is rosół z kurczaka,  although my grandma’s word for soup was zupa rather than rosół.

Non-gourmet grilled cheese sandwich

I am not, and I repeat NOT, a fan of trying to make certain comfort foods into expensive "gourmet delicacies".  Case in point, pizza, or hamburgers, or Mac & Cheese or especially grilled cheese sammies.
 
My take on grilled cheese is a slice or two of American or Cheddar cheese (depending on your arteries) on two slices of Wonder bread.  Slather some butter on the two outside slices if your heart can stand it and a little mustard inside and grill.  That's it.  Eat and enjoy, preferably with a hot bowl of Campbell's Tomato Soup.
 
If you MUST mess it up, here is an idea for a safe way that is still cheap to make but tastes like a grilled cheese should:
 
1.  Try adding a thin slice of fresh tomato
2. Adding a little fresh avocado won't hurt.  Together with a tomato slice it works very well.
3. As a bacon lover I can attest to the fact that adding a couple of slices of bacon is good, good, good.
4. Add a slice of ham to your grilled cheese sammie and you can still be regarded as a traditionalist.
 
But, here's a slightly different take that can tend to move your grilled cheese sammie forward a bit into the morning hours:
 
Try constructing the whole thing between two waffle slices (adding bacon helps) and smothering the whole thing with maple syrup.  Yeah, I thought you couldn't resist it!

Thought for the day:

“Mmm … bacon”

- Homer simpson 

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Rokerij Crab Louie

There is a restaurant in Phoenix, AZ unlike what you would normally find in this desert outpost, and unique in most towns anywhere.  It is called Rokerij, which is defined in Dutch as a small house where smoke is used to cure meat or fish.  And that definition doesn’t disappoint at Phoenix’s Rokerij. 

Your first impression upon entering is the air being thick with the numerous pecan grill smokers used to prepare various cuts of the most amazing steaks in existence.  The place is indeed small and the wait
during any business hours 7 days a week can stretch to several hours.  There are few tables for two so unless you have a group six or are willing to sit at the bar, you may never be seated despite having a reservation (accepted for parties of 4 or more only). 

Kitty litter cake



Before you continue reading please be sure that:

1. You have a very good sense of humor

2. Your friends have a very good sense of humor

3. You promise not to hold me responsible if either #1 or #2 is not true

That being said, here's something for that special group of friends who you love because of (or maybe in spite of) their wacky sense of humor:

INGREDIENTS:

 

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 tub of frosting your choice
1-12-oz pack of Pecan Sandies cookies
1 green colored sugar
6-8 Tootsie Rolls®
1 new (unused) litter box
1 new (unused) kitty litter pooper scooper

Bake cake as directed on box

Invert 13 x 9 chocolate cake into a new (unused) litter box. The cake and litter box create the base for the kitty litter cake.

Frost cake. Place Pecan Sandies cookies in a large resealable plastic bag and pound cookies with a mallet or by hand until the cookies are broken into small pieces. Sprinkle the crumbled cookies on top of the chocolate cake.

Generously sprinkle cookie crumbs with green colored sugar or green sprinkles. The green color creates the look of those "freshener pellets" in real kitty litter. 6-8 unwrapped Tootsie Rolls roll by hand to shape umm, you know....

Bury some Tootsie Rolls and place more on the surface of the cookie crumb mixture put some powdered sugar on some to achieve maximum gross-out.

Place new (unused) kitty litter pooper scooper in the kitty litter cake. To serve on a table, place the kitty litter cake on top of newspaper adorned with a few sprinkles of cookies "kitty litter". Or, walk around your party offering guests a scoop of your kitty litter cake.

Thought for the Day:

"One measure of friendship consists not in the number of things friends can discuss, but in the number of things they need no longer mention"

- Clifton Fadiman

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Khleb da sol

Several years ago when I was in Russia doing music videos for an American theme park we were warmly entertained by our official hosts, well-known entertainers and sometimes just people we met.

I'm happy to say that even in modern times the tradition continues of welcoming a new friend by the words Хлеб-соль (pronounced Khleb da sol) which literally translates to "bread and salt". Following the greeting we were immediately served a nicely

Sliders

 

I doubt there are very many great places to get good sliders west of the Mississippi.  After I recent trip to the Eastern U.S. I decided to try to make some as authentic as possible. Please keep in mind, sliders are NOT just a tiny burger on a dinner roll.

Zuchinni relish burgers

Mmmm, zesty zucchini relish burgers!

I doubt if anyone needs a recipe for making hamburgers.  Prepare them the way you like them best then continue on with these ideas.

This idea works best if you butter and toast your buns (okay, HAMBURGER buns).  I used onion buns made with corn meal.  Toast only the bottom half as you will be toasting the top half with the completed sandwich.

Pita Po Boys

 
 
Something light for hot summer days... Pita Po Boys. Combine equal parts mayo & seafood sauce with some banana pepper rings and mix in the fried shrimp. Add lettuce, some cuke slices and whatever else you like into the warm pita.

Yep, it's as good as it sounds.

Taco pie

Here is an alternative to handheld tacos, the taco pie.  Same ingredients but intended to be eaten with a fork.  And easy to make.  The mashed potato shell works well with the ground beef and other components.

BLT Lite

Here's a simple light meal that is a variation on the favorite BLT.  The only difference is substituting a whole grain pita for the less healthy white bread.  It actually makes a surprising difference in the taste as the stuff inside isn't overpowered as much but the bread.  Not that there's much that can overpower the taste of bacon.

Zeberka Wieprzowe w Kapuscie

Zeberka Wieprzowe w Kapuscie  translates to country style pork ribs and sauerkraut, a simple to make and hearty traditional Middle European/Polish/Bavarian holiday meal that is reputed to bring good fortune in the New Year.  My grandmother lived in an area hit hard by heavy winter storms with blankets of deep snow.  One of my favorite memories growing up was when we visited her for Sunday dinner on a freezing winter morning and she had already been up since 4 AM cooking.  She never read a cookbook, everything she made was based on recipes that had been passed down for generations and based on her excellent instincts of what would taste best together.

My secrets to making real NY pizza

I'm from New York.  I feel I have a right to say I know what a great pizza should taste like.  But I don't believe in those so-called reviews that pit one type of pizza against another and declare a winner.

The beauty of pizza is there are endless ways it can be prepared and to limit yourself to only one of them limits your enjoyment of life.

Beef Stroganoff

I have been making Beef Stroganoff since soon after I got my own apartment after college.  It has never been made exactly the same, nor tasted exactly the same, and to me that's a good thing.  It has always been my "go to" meal to make and serve to good friends, in fact Dr. Jim has been reminding me for 40 years how he remembers the first time I served it to him when we were young guys living in Chicago.
This recipe does not require the most tender cuts of beef, but I suggest treating this as a “steak meal” and using a lean, tender cut of aged beef.

The Joy of Homemade Potato Salad

Have you had a phobia about making home-made potato salad?  Do you dutifully get that junk from the store deli that looks like they made it an hour ago but was actually scooped out of a huge cardboard container and made about 6 months ago in a mystery factory in Cleveland?

Did you know you can make enough potato salad to feed your entire family for about 50 cents and after you taste it you’ll know why I call the store stuff garbage?

Pork shanks and cabbage

This is more like Irish corned beef and cabbage than it is traditional Middle-European pork with sauerkraut.  It is my own creation.  Actually most of what I do is based on hearty ethnic foods that I mess around with until it comes close to tasting like what my grandmother used to make.

Kick Butt Gumbo

This is something that sounded good on a cold rainy night. Except living in Phoenix there is no such thing as a cold rainy night so we pretend by cranking up the AC and letting a lawn sprinkler hit the patio door. Since we don't have lawns here there's not a lot else we can do with the lawn sprinklers anyway.

It was pretty easy to make and had enough "kick" to make sure my Mylanta supply didn't go to waste.

I call it my Kick Butt Gumbo: