Baked Potato Soup, USA

next is something which could come in well during these winter days (as much as I had enjoyed the sun this Saturday, the weather has gone crazy again here...)

so here is your ultimate guide on how to prepare an Idaho baked potato soup.

what you need for this are:
- ⅔ cup butter or margarine
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 7 cups milk
- 4 large baking potatoes, baked, peeled and cubed (about 4 cups)
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
- 1¼ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper

Basic cooking instructions: In large soup kettle or Dutch oven, melt the butter. Stir in flour; heat and stir until smooth. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Add potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil; stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; stir until cheese is melted. Serve immediately. Yield: 8-10 servings.

Bon Appétit!
thanks a lot to Tina for this angel card that she sent on behalf of one of the cards in this RR that never arrived. Tina always sends great cards. This one from The Subway is just a proof of that.

and the stamps...with the new postage rate....the Monarch butterfly is a definitive issued in 2010. Next to it is a stamp issued in a set of 4 in 2003 from the Third American Treasures Series, featuring works by Mary Cassatt, an American painter and printmaker. The third, 4c stamp featuring a stagecoach from 1890s, was issued in 1982.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

A card from back in 2009, showing the Old San Juan...or as it is said on the back of the card, a panoramic view of Condado at night from bridge over lagoon

And instead of some more details about San Juan, the back of the card also contains a recipe, so I have to share it with you as well :)
It is an easy one, saying how to make Sweet Potato Chips....id love to try these as well!

-These eye-catching chips rank high on the nutritional scale - lots of vitamin A. Why not serve choice sweet potato chips instead of corn chips at your next cocktail party?

4 pounds sweet potatoes, well scrubbed. Sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
1 quart canola oil for frying.

Slice the potatoes as thinly as possible. Heat oil to 400 degrees. Drop slices of potatoes, a few at a time, into the hot oil and fry about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels. Season and serve.

Told you it's piece of cake....and you dont really need to wait for a cocktail party as an excuse to make them, right?

Jamaica

One of the popular dishes ad delicacies coming from Jamaica....

Curry Goat

Cut up into small cube, 2lbs goat or mutton. Place in a large bowl. Add 1 crushed clove of garlic, 2 tomatoes, 2 onions, 1 stalk of escallion, 1 hot pepper chopped, then 3 tablespoons curry, salt and pepper to taste. Mix all together. Allow to rest for 1/2 hour. Separate meat from seasoning. Fry meat in 2 tablespoons butter, 2 fluid ozs. oil until brown. Add seasoning and 2-3 cups of water. Cover and simmer until tender. Serve with rice.

It may be really interesting to learn about such traditional dishes, but this is so much something i would NEVER try...im not a vegetarian, but apart from chicken and fish, i can hardly digest other sorts of unprocessed meat....and fish actually aint meat...it's fish....

the stamp is from a set of 8 definitives issued in 2006. its part III of this subject regarding Classical architecture, where here you can see Devon House St. Andrew

well, ive already posted about it, so this was more just a copy-paste job :)

Keys Spicey Beer Shrimp

Im not very fond of shrimps...actually never tried them and i dont have some urge to do so in any near future...but for those who are into such food, here is something you may try out.

Ingredients:
1 pounds large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined.
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, finely chopped
3 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons natural brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon Caribbean hot sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 egg whites
1 bottle premium beer
Sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook shrimp in salted boiling water and beer for 1 minute. Drain and allow to cool. Mix garlic, green onions, soy sauce, brown sugar, Caribbean hot sauce and olive oil in bowl. Whisk until blended well. Dip cooled shrimp into egg white, then into seasoned olive oil. Place shrimp onto two wooden skewers to make turning easier. Place on grill. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of shrimp. Salt and pepper to taste. Grill for 1-2 minutes, turning frequently. Serves 2.

I like the sesame idea...I love sesame on whatever it can be used on...but still, ill pass this time. If you have ever tried this or intend to do so, do let me know how it was :)

the famous Simpsons' stamps, Homer and Maggie in particular, and the clock one...

Dutch Sticky Buns

A card which perfectly reflects me at the moment...my constant appetite and my huge crave for sweet stuff even though for a looong loong time i had no need for chocolate/cakes and stuff...right now i developed a big desire for it..and for food in general....i blame it on my way of life in the past month and a half...which still i must say, i totally love it!

So lets see what does it take to prepare these Dutch Sticky Buns....mhhmm mhhmm mhmm...

2 cakes yeast
2 cups lukewarm milk
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2/3 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
8 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1/2 lemon grated ring and juice
1/4 teaspoons nutmeg

and here how the process goes:

Break and soak yeast in water until soft. Scald and then cool milk. Cream together butter, sugar and salt. Add well-beaten eggs, lemon and spice. Add lukewarm milk to yeast and mix with half the flour. Work in butter and sugar mixture and enough flour to knead into a smooth dough. Keep it as soft as can be handled readily. Let rise overnight at about 80 degrees. As soon as dough is fully doubled in bulk, knead down and let rise again for an hour. Makes three dozen.
Roll 1/3 of the sweet dough into an oblong sheet, 1/4'' thick. Brush with butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up and cut off 1 inch slices. Place cut side down in greased pan. Brush tops with butter. Let rise until double. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon and chopped pecans or pour com syrup in the bottom of the pan. Bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

i dont know if its me, or there is something uncompromisable in the syntax/semantic here....

 

two very well known stamps....

Florida Orange Meringue Pie

Well, its my mum's birthday today...and since i didnt manage to make her a real cake, ill give her one in this way. I did buy her a present though :)

Im not very fond of fruit cakes and pies, though i think they are much more suitable than the chocolate cakes for these hot hot days...and its awfully hot here...over 30 degrees...its tough..

so, what do you need for this Orange Pie:
-1 1/2 cup orange juice; -1 1/4 cup sugar; -6 Tbsp. cornstarch; -Dash salt; -4 eggs, separated; -1 Tbsp. lemon juice; -3 Tbsp. grated orange rind; -1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind; -1 1/2 cup orange sections; -1 9-inch pie shell, baked;- Meringue

Eating Well in Florida:

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in 11/2 qt. saucepan. Stir in orange and lemon juices gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and bubbles. Stir in orange sections and boil for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Mix 1/4 of hot orange with slightly beaten egg yolks then blend all back into orange mixture in saucepan. Continue to boil and stir for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange and lemon rind. Pour into hot, baked pie shell. Spoon meringue on hot filling, sealing to edge of crust. Bake at 375 degrees until delicate brown - about 7-10 minutes. Cool away from draft.  Meringue: Beat 4 egg whites and 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar until foamy. Beat in 1/2 cup sugar 1 Tbsp. at a time. Beat until stiff and glossy. Beat in 1/2 tsp. vanilla.

ENJOY!

I like it when people use stamps other than the infamous 94c. of the US Virgin Islands.
There are 3 different stamps on this card, a 10c one from 2006, and two stamps of 42c, from 2008 and 2009 respectively.
The 2009 stamps is from the commemorative issue, dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). There are 4 stamps in the set, where the one here shows Lincoln in his function of a president,conferring with generals Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman toward the end of the Civil War. The depiction is based on“The Peacemakers” (1868), a painting by George P. A. Healy.
The 2008 stamp shows the to all of you very well known Pongo from the 101 Dalmatians (I simply love that cartoon!). Its a commemorative "The Art of Disney" stamp, Imagination Release.
The smallest stamp (the one on the left...i dont know how i ended up doing the stamps backwards) is called "American Clock" is actually a reissue of the 2003 definitive stamp featuring an artistic rendering of the dial, or face of a banjo clock.

Key Lime Pie

In case you didnt know....recipe cards have taken a firm place on my wish list...this one in particular...is mouthwatering...i got it thanks to dear Katie :)

I may not be addicted to chocolate/cakes and such....but i actually cant resist a piece like this...to be honest, i am capable to finish this whole cake by myself...and later, of course wonder how come my jeans dont fit me anymore....
I just LOOOOVE such creamy/crunchy stuff....the ones that just melt into your mouth...Katie says that this one has a sweet and sour taste at the same time...oh my...sounds just sooo perfect to me! I would attempt to make one like this at home, but i doubt the outcome would be anything close to whats on the picture....but thats just an excuse more not to show it in public and eat it by myself :)))) yeah, im selfish and mean sometimes :D
This cake is actually Florida's state pie....soo, in US, each state has its flag, song, bird, motto...and a pie...and im sure im missing something as well.....in order to spare you the zooming, ill write down the recipe here as well:

4 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice (Key Limes if possible) - im not sure if we have this here at all
6 tbsp. of sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, beat 4 egg yolks, add condensed milk and lime juice, beat until thick, pour into baked pie shell.
For topping, beat 4 egg whites, blend in sugar and cream of tartar, beat until stiff and forms peaks, bake in moderate oven until egg whites are golden brown.

mmhmm mhhmm mhhmm....all i have at home is something thats supposed to be sacher cake...if you are asking me, its not even close to what a real sacher cake should be like...but thats how the bakery  called it...i should assume they got the recipe wrong :)

btw...today is my grandmother's birthday...and i would love to dedicate this post to her...and this cake to commemorate her birthday. At this very moment thats the least i could do...when i go to see her, ill do more...she deserves it more than a lot....i love my grandmother more than anything in the world...its just a pity i cant and dont see her more often...Happy Birthday dearest Grandma!!!!!!

Ocean Park, Puerto Rico

mmmm, Ocean Park....makes me think of this place as, Disneyland....on water....


Well, i wont "brag" again with my story about Puerto Rico and Vaya con Dios, once is enough and it aint fun to actually repeat what you already know :)
And i wont give you statistics and history (though i hope you are not UTTERLY bored when i do that :P)

There is something on the back of the card, and couldnt be more perfect than put it here...just promise you'll head straight to the kitchen afterwards :)))

Caribbean Recipe - West Indian Curried Shark

2lb. shark, 4 cups water, 1/4 cup vinegar, 4 cloves minced garlic, 2 onions sliced, 2 tsp. ginger, 2 tsp. powered mustard, 2 tsp. curry powder, 3 tbsp. oil, 4 chili (habanero) peppers chopped, 1/2 tsp. pepper, pinch salt.
Chop shark into bite sized cubes. In large pot, add shark, water and vinegar and boil 20 minutes. Make curry sauce by grinding up garlic, ginger, mustard, curry, pepper and salt with 2 tbsp water. Coat cooked shark with curry sauce. In large pan add oil and fry onions and chili peppers. Add coated shark to onions and chili peppers. Cook for 20 minutes, flipping shark so as to cook each side. Enjoy!



Bon appetit! :)