Morrison’s Cafeteria Beef Stew

I was recently asked by a reader if I could share some more Morrison’s Cafeteria recipes. There is actually a pretty good website for Morrison’s recipes at this link http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/mpmorrisons.htm but I’m going to pull one from the archives that I shared with the food editor of the Fort Myers News-Press (Florida) back around 1986. Below is the newspaper article and recipe for their beef stew…

The recipe is actually a little vague, (and the weather around here is certainly not cool around here right now), but the stew meat should be cut from chuck rather than inside round for a much more tender bite. Also, fresh or frozen pearl onions are fine to use instead of the canned ones.

Enjoy!

Note to my readers / followers: This time of year I spend a lot of time on gardening, yard work, our grandchildren, etc. and don’t spend as much time as I used to with my blog as I did during the winter months. And although I cook everyday, I have already shared a lot of my favorite recipes that I prepare over and over again during the summer months, so I am in need of suggestions and ideas from you! Please leave ideas or suggestions in the comments below. Do you want to see more gardening, recipe or photography posts? I have a copy of Thomas Keller’s French Laundry cookbook – should I try to replicate some recipes from that? What would you like to see? Please let me hear from you. Thanks!

Suggested songs to listen to while preparing the beef stew…..

Since Chris Isaak joined the exclusive 63 year old club (of which I am a member) this week, here are a couple of my favorite songs from the Roy Orbison of the nineties…

“Wicked Game” from his 1989 album “Heart Shaped World”

“Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing” from his 1995 “Forever Blue” album that was also featured in the film “Eyes Wide Shut”

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Air Fried Herbed Cream Cheese Stuffed Squash Blossoms

We had a spaghetti squash plant come up in our garden this year even though it was not planted. We compost all year and then use the compost in our garden every spring. I guess one of the seeds from our compost sprouted and now we have about a dozen spaghetti squashes growing.

We have more than we need, (especially since I don’t eat them) so I have been picking the blossoms off every morning to stop the plant from producing anymore. I had heard that the blossoms, when they were stuffed, were a delicacy so I decided to give them a try….

Since I made these for my wife Susan, who is on the Weight Watcher’s plan, I used fat free cream cheese and gluten free panko but you could also use regular cream cheese and panko.

Servings – 1-2

Prep time – about an hour

Ingredients

• 8 squash blossoms
• 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1 small shallot
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped herbs (I used parsley, chives, basil and oregano)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp olive oil
• olive oil pan coating
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

Peel and clean the shallot and garlic. Mince them and place them in a skillet with the teaspoon of olive oil and cook them on medium heat until they turn translucent. Set them aside and let them cool. Chop the herbs and place them in a bowl with the cream cheese. Add the salt and pepper.Add the cooled shallots and garlic, Whisk one of the eggs and mix it into the cream cheese mixture.

Lightly wash the squash blossoms and pull of the stamens. Using a small spoon or piping bag, (you could also cut the corner of a sandwich bag and use that) fill the blossoms with a couple of teaspoons of the filling and twist the top to lock in the filling. The size of the blossoms mar vary, so fill with as much filling that will fit.

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Whisk the other egg into a bowl. Mix the panko and Parmesan cheese together and pour them on a plate. One at a time, dip the stuffed blossoms in the egg and then roll in the panko mixture and set them on a parchment lined air fryer tray, Spray them with olive oil and place them in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove and serve.

Note – you can use a regular oven, just preheat to 400 degrees and double the baking time. Keep an eye on them because all ovens vary.

Enjoy!

Suggested songs for your listening pleasure while preparing these squash blossoms…

Since today is Ray Davies (from the Kinks) birthday, here are a few of my favorite Kinks tunes that can all be found on their album “The Best of the Kinks 1964-1971”

“You Really Got Me”

“All the Day and All of the Night”

“Tired of Waiting For You”

Well Respected Man”

“Lola”

The Colors of San Antonio

At San Antonio’s Riverwalk

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers out there! I have tried to make at least one blog post a week, so since we have been on a road trip this week, this one will not be a food post, but a photography post. This post is about the colors of San Antonio. We saw so many colors that caught my eye that I decided to put them all together as an album.

Most of the photos are from San Antonio’s Riverwalk or Historic Market Square areas.

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Thanks for following!

Honey Glazed Baby Baby Carrots

These fresh, tender little morsels are a delicacy and they have a natural sweetness to them that pops in your mouth!

When most people think of baby carrots, they think about a bag like this….

Those things in the bag may or may not be baby carrots. Yes, they are small carrots, but in many instances, the bagged carrots are bits and pieces of larger carrots that were broken or didn’t make the grade and were placed in a sandpaper like electric potato peeler and peeled until they got to the desired size. They even say “cut and peeled” on the bag! If you have tasted true fresh baby carrots like these I pulled out of my garden, there is no comparison.

Because I was craving some fresh grown carrots, I pulled a row maybe a little prematurely and thats why I call these baby baby carrots. They could have stayed in the ground a few more weeks but like most fresh vegetables, the younger and smaller they are, they tend to be even more sweet and tender so after preparing and tasting these, I had absolutely no regrets!

Notice the green tops on the carrots that I harvested. Those are edible and delicious, too. When you buy fresh carrots in the store, you normally have to cut the green tops off because it is impossible to get the dirt out of the cracks and crevices. I was able to wash and scrub these clean.

(I also like to pull beets and potatoes in the baby stage….)

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Ingredients

• 6-8 ounces fresh baby carrots
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh chopped parsley
• salt
• pepper

Wash and scrub the carrots, leaving part of the green tops on. Place them in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of water. Add the carrots, cover the pan and bring to a boil for a few minutes until tender. Drain the water from the pan and add the butter, honey and salt and pepper and cook on low until the butter melts. Top with the fresh chopped parsley. That’s it!

Enjoy!

Suggested music for your listening pleasure while preparing the carrots…

“Baby Baby” by Amy Grant from her album “Heart in Motion” released in January 1991.

Since Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas turns 75 today, lets go with the classic “California Dreamin” released as a single in 1965 from their album “If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears” and another of my favorites by the late Papa John Phillips, Michelle’s former husband, “Mississippi” from his solo album “John, the Wolf King of L.A.” released in 1970.