Strawberry Siciliano

The Olive Garden restaurant has a great dessert/drink that is not listed on their menu, but is worth ordering at least once to give it a try. Since I enjoyed it so much, I attempted to duplicate the recipe. If it's not right, it's extremely close. Give it a try!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup strawberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup vanilla ice cream
• 1 1/2 cups ice
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions:

• Blend all ingredients together.
• If it is too thick, add more milk.
• Top with whipped cream, if desired.
  

Cinnamon Rolls

My wife asked me to make some cinnamon rolls for a meeting that she was in charge of, so I proceeded to make a double batch. After all, I couldn't make a bunch of cinnamon rolls that I couldn't eat.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups scalded milk
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• 2 tablespoons yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 eggs, slightly beatedn
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 7 cups flour

Directions:

Pour milk over shortening and allow to cool to lukewarm. Soften years in 1/2 cup warm water. Add milk mixture with eggs, sugar, salt, and mashed potatoes. Mix thoroughly. Add the flour in increments. Knead dough until soft and smooth. Transfer to a larger bowl and cover. Allow to rise until double. Divide dough in half, roll into rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Spread with butter or water so that the cinnamon sugar will stick. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll up and cut into 10-12 slices. Dental floss works well to cut the dough. Place the floss under the roll and bring the floss up on both sides and cross them across the top, then pull out to slice the dough cleanly. Spray cooking spray on a baking sheet and place the rolls on the sheet. Allow to rise until roughly double in size. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Ice with your favorite icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Garlic Butter Tilapia

Sometimes a nice simple recipe is all you need. What I love about this recipe (besides the fish!) is the reminder that we have a lot of basic flavorings in our kitchens and it is easy to create something with a savory taste. We don't need "Marie Calendar" for that special flavor. We can make it ourselves, with a little experimenting. =)

I made this tonight while listening to two of the IT staff on the phone. They were troubleshooting some upgrade complications and I was being supportive by offering suggestions, but mainly listening in case there was something I could help with. At the end of the phone call I offered them some garlic butter tilapia. Too bad they did not live closer to try it!

Ingredients:

• Uncooked tilapia fillet(s)
• Butter/margarine
• Garlic, chopped
  
• Salt
• Pepper
• Paprika

Directions:

• Saute the garlic in the butter.
• Add the tilapia fillet(s) and salt and pepper lightly. I suggest cooking the "top" of the fillet first (top down) so that when you flip the fillet to finish the other side, you are looking at the finished product.
  
• While cooking the last side, dash some paprika on top.
  

Deviled Eggs

I love eggs, and it's nice to have a way to have eggs differently than the traditional breakfast preparation: fried, scrambled, etc. Deviled eggs are one of those foods that are simple to make yet satisfy my appetite for a while (thanks, protein!).

Ingredients:

• A few eggs
• Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
• Sugar
• Paprika

Directions:

• Hard boil the eggs. It's not necessary for the water to boil, but it needs to be hot. Cooking the eggs may take 10 - 15 minutes after the water is brought up to full heat.
• Cool the eggs by draining the hot water and adding cold water. Top the water with ice. Boiled eggs are best served cold, and I think this helps the insides set up.
• Slice the eggs in half length-wise.
  
• Remove the yolks to a bowl.
• Mix the above ingredients with the egg yolks. Using a fork to break and mix the yolks is an effective approach.
• Start with a small amount of Mayo/Miracle Whip and add more if you want it more creamy.
• A pinch of sugar is usually enough.
• Refill the egg white halves with your mixture.
• Shake a small amount of Paprika on each piece.
  

Guacamole Dip

Each time I watch a television show, view a magazine, or walk through the produce department of a store and see avocados, I have a hard time resisting them. Over the last few years I've developed a taste for these wonderful fruits. As a child, I saw guacamole dip and wondered why anyone would want to put something green on their tortilla chip. Now, I savor that "green dip" and found a good and simple recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 avocados
• 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 1/4 cup diced green chiles (canned chiles are the easiest!)
• 1/4 cup diced tomatoes (I prefer regular tomatoes, not Romas or another variety)
  
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• salt
  

Directions:

• Cut avocadoes, remove pit, and mash with a fork.
• Add all other ingredients. Salt to taste.
• Eat with your favorite tortilla chip.
  

Cookies + Ice Cream

One of my favorite desserts is this cookie and ice cream duo. Some people call them a Fa'zookie, others call it a Skookie or some other trademarked name, but it's delicious no matter what you call it.

I've tried placing a freshly-baked cookie in a bowl and topping it with ice cream, but the ice cream froze the cookie, which wasn't what I wanted. The benefit of the cast-iron mini-griddle is it keeps the cookie warm and soft. You just have to eat it soon after adding the ice cream because it also has the effect of melting the ice cream.

Here is our chocolate chip cookie recipe:

Ingredients
2/3 cup margarine
2/3 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups regular flour
Chocolate chips

Directions
Mix everything but the chocolate chips, then add the chips at the end. Bake at 350 for approximately 10 minutes. I get better results baking these cookies on a stone instead of a metal sheet.

Golden Fat Fries

A few years ago I bought a french fry slicer, but for the first time today I tried out the larger size blade. It was a nice to have a meatier fry. A friend of mine affectionately calls these "fat fries". I'm not sure if he's describing the fries or the people who eat them in excess. =)

It's not difficult to make french fries, but there are a few techniques that help them turn out nicer.

• Soak/rinse in water: this helps wash away some of the starch. If you don't do this, your french fries are more likely to stick together in the fryer.

• Follow this two-stage cooking process:

Step 1: Blanch the fries in the cooking oil at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes (for fat fries). This softens the whole potato.

Step 2: Remove the french fries and let your oil heat up to 375 degrees. Put the fries back in and cook for another 5 minutes. This allows your fries to get crispy on the outside instead of crisping the entire fry.