BEEF LIVER & ONIONS WITH BACON

I was raised in my maternal grandparents home where three meals a day was served each and everyday. Beef liver was one of my Mama Joe's best loved recipes by not only herself but both of her daughters and son, so it showed up quite often on the dinner table. None of us grandchildren would ever partake of it. We thought it to be a 'foul' thing that only adults could possibly stomach.

Moving forward through the years I worked in different Country Clubs and restaurants and Beef Liver & Onions was a highly popular dish. An Army chef by the name of Glen Hicks was leading the kitchen staff at Grandfather Golf & Country Club in Linville, NC and I was one of his front line cooks. Liver & Onions was a frequent dinner item that he liked to serve. Of course I rolled my nose up at him when he presented me a plate of the lowly liver. He coerced me to at least try one bite, I did, and the rest is history. I fell in love with it, pure and simply.

My husband and myself have a freezer full of grass-fed beef and beef liver is among the many other items. We love the grass-fed beef's sweet and savory flavor and the beef liver did not disappoint. Topped off with good bacon and sliced sweet onions, it's a beef liver lovers delight.

1 lb. grass-fed beef liver
fried bacon strips
sliced sweet onions
butter and olive oil
flour for coating
 Wash and dry the liver slices with a paper towel. Fry out the bacon strips. Place the butter and olive oil in a frying pan. When the butter has melted and the oil is hot dredge the liver in the flour and allow it fry until nicely browned on each side. Slice the onions and saute them out in another pan until they start to turn golden. Place the cooked liver on serving plates and top with the bacon and onions. Savor every bite.

"I believe that the older you get the more that your taste buds become refined...least way that is how it has always been for me."~Adele Forbes

CANDIED BACON PIMIENTO CHEESE EGG SALAD

I had bought the ingredients for Pimiento Cheese Salad and Egg Salad as I try my best to follow a low-carb diet. Then I had this ah moment when I thought well why don't I just mix it all together, which I did. Upon searching for such a recipe, I found one that I liked that I knew I could make my own, so I set about doing just that and this is what I came up with.

1 block of Extra-Sharp Pepperidge Farm Cheddar Cheese, grated
4 oz. jar of sliced pimientos, well drained
1 cup Duke's mayonnaise (is there any other kind) or more if needed
4 hard-boiled eggs, mashed with a potato masher
salt & pepper to taste
2 strips of Candied Bacon, well crumbled (the Candied Bacon recipe is the first one up on my blog)

Mix together the grated cheddar and pimientos.

Mix together the mayonnaise, mashed hard-boiled eggs. Salt & pepper to taste. 

Now mix together the grated cheddar and pimiento mix with the mayonnaise mix. Add the crumbled Candied Bacon...you'll be so glad you did. Store in the refrigerator. 

"I never met a pimiento cheese or an egg salad that I didn't like."~Adele Forbes

CANDIED BACON JERKY

Oh Baby...Oh Baby...Oh Baby...this is my latest addiction. CANDIED BACON JERKY! There is nothing else out there that can compare to it. Not that I've ever had anyway.

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
8 to 10 strips of OSCAR MAYER bacon (no other will compare...just trust me on this matter). I could only fit 8 slices on my rack.

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees. Place a rack on rimmed baking sheet, line with foil and spray the rack generously with cooking spray. Not an olive oil or a butter spray...just a plain old spray. In a shallow bowl, such as a pie plate which I used here, combine the brown sugar and cayenne pepper. Dip/pat each slice of bacon on both sides in the brown sugar mixture, shaking off excess (I kind of sort of brushed the extra off), and placed it on the rack.

Bake bacon for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Mine went the entire 3 hours. Flip the strips every hour. I set my kitchen timer for each hour. When it is done it will be a deep mahogany color (like the brown on Max-A-Million-Mahogany Forbes-now that's what I'm talking about!). Allow it to cool a minute or two then move it around so that it doesn't stick to the pan. It will firm up for sure as it cools.

From www.kitchenhealssoul.blogspot.com   who said these very words.... "I won't judge you if you eat it all in one setting"....

APPLE SALSA & MY POOR PITIFUL BRAIN

I don't know if it's my age or my habits, BUT, I can tell each and everyone of you that a brain is most surely a terrible thing to waste! The only thing that I can tell you that I know for sure is my name...ADELE...the rest of it is a muddle of sorts as in I can't remember a DAMN thing....things for instance like my dentist appointment, my pocket book, my phone, my friends birthdays, telephone numbers, where I parked my car, some body's name that I know as well as my own, my car keys, why I walked into the kitchen, my grocery list, where I left that illusive glass of water, the Apple Salsa recipe....

2 large crisp apples (such as Gala or Pink :Lady)~chopped
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers (a mix of red, green, yellow)
2 limes~juiced
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup cilantro~chopped
1/3 cup red onion~diced
1/2 of a jalapeno~seeded, minced
sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Combine apples, bell peppers, cilantro, red onion, and jalapeno. Drizzle with lime juice and honey. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. You'll be so glad you did!

Remember that ADELE loves you...

GHIRARDELLI CHOCOLATE HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM POUND CAKE

It's SINFUL I tell you SINFUL as in BAD to the BONE...BaBaBaBaaaaad...I've made other chocolate pound cake recipes in my time and they were all of course delicious but this one here, so to speak, is by far the best like ever!

It is moist and chocolaty and rich as R. Stuart Dickson (that's my boss man). So you know it's got to be good...no not just good...it's GREAT in a real big way. The only way you are going to know it is to make one for yourself.
2 sticks real butter-room temp
3 cups sugar
6 big eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (use a whisk to get it mixed up good)
1/2 cup Ghirardelli Natural Unsweetened Cocoa powder
1 cup heavy whipping cream (heavy is an important step here)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
 Beat the butter at medium speed in a stand electric mixer until mixture is creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition just until the yellow disappears. Combine flour and cocoa; add to butter mixture alternately with the heavy whipping cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch bundt or tube pan at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow it to rest on top of the stove for 10 minutes then remove to a plate. Allow to cool completely (unless my husband is hanging around).

"I never met a chocolate pound cake that I didn't love!"~Adele Forbes

BROWN SUGAR BUTTER PECAN TOFFEE POUND CAKE with a CARAMEL GLAZE

Pound cakes are God's gift to those who love butter and sugar. I personally never met a pound cake that I did not love. The varieties are unending which means you can always come up with a new pound cake recipe to try. Some of my favorite ones are Black Walnut, Butter-Nut, Buttered Rum, Chocolate, Coconut, Cream Cheese, Eggnog, German Chocolate, Ginger, Lemon, Orange, Peach, Pineapple, Praline, Pumpkin, Sour Cream, Sundrop, Sweet Potato and Whipping Cream.

Then I happened to run upon this delectable pound cake recipe on Pinterest by www.keyingredient.com and just knew I had to try it and boy howdy am I ever glad I did. It's one of the best pound cakes I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. I took it to a 'Renewal of Wedding Vowels' of our best friends recently and there was not a crumb of it left in a matter of only a few minutes. Here's the recipe, I hope you like it as good as myself and all the others did.

3 sticks butter-softened
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1 8 oz. bag toffee bits
1 cup chopped pecans
 Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with nonstick baking spray with flour. Set aside. Beat the butter until creamy. Add sugars beating until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture in thirds, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until combined. Stir in toffee bits and pecans. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake 75 to 85 minutes. Allow to cool in pan 10 minutes then remove from pan. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Spoon Caramel Glaze over cooled cake.
CARAMEL GLAZE:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
 In a saucepan combine milk and brown sugar; bring to a boil over medium high heat, whisking frequently. Reduce heat, simmer 8 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove from heat, whisk in butter and vanilla. Let cool 5 minutes before using.

"A slice of pound cake hot out of the oven is like a slice of heaven."~Adele Forbes

QUICHE LORRAINE

Being a Personal Cook to a well to do family has it's perks. I get to try new recipes from all  over the world as they are world travelers. When the lady of the house asked me to make her husband's favorite quiche for his Father's Day lunch I eagerly took to the task ahead. 

The recipe itself came straight from the Cordon Bleu School of Cooking located in Paris, France.

It's really a simple recipe consisting of ham, Swiss cheese, eggs, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell-baked
1/2 lb. sliced ham
1/2 lb. sliced Swiss cheese
2 whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 cup scalded milk (I used evaporated milk)
1 Tbsp. heavy cream
salt, pepper, nutmeg

Heat oven to 350. Beat 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk together. Add pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add 1 tablespoon heavy cream. Scald 1 cup milk then temper the eggs by pouring the hot milk just a little at a time into the eggs. This makes up the custard. Place ham slices over the bottom of the pie crust. Top ham with the slices of Swiss cheese. Pour the custard mixture over the ham and cheese. Cook 20 minutes or just until the custard is set. The top of the quiche should only be tanned in spots. Allow it to stand for 6 to 8 minutes to give it time to set up. Cut into wedges to serve.

Serve with French-style green beans and a lovely red tomato which has been peeled and sliced. You can get 6 large servings out of it or 12 hors d'-oeuvres servings. You can also use cooked bacon and cheddar or any other cheese you like with this recipe. Enjoy!

"I am convinced that I am the one who introduced quiche to America."~James Beard