Due to the lack of tripe at some stores.......

We're having this tonight instead.
Great news is when we lived in Anchorage my husband and I picked large quantities of currants and made really large quantities of very tasty currant jelly. I now still have approximately 4 jars of it so this recipe allows me to use some of that up.

Brandy Cornish Hens
CDKitchen
http://www.cdkitchen.com
Category: Cornish Game Hen
Serves/Makes: 2 Difficulty Level: 3 Ready In: 1-2 hrs
Ingredients:
2 Cornish hens
1/3 cup Fresh parsley -- finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Salt Pepper -- to taste
1/2 cup Butter
1/2 cup Red currant jelly
1/2 cup Brandy
Directions:
Rinse hens in cold water and pat dry. Combine parsley, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup butter. Mix well. Stuff cavity of hens with parsley mixture and secure well. Place hens in a 9x9 pan breast side up. Rub hens with 1/4 cup butter. Bake for 30 minutes at 375F. In a small saucepan, combine jelly and brandy. Cook over low heat until jelly melts. Pour over hens and cook an additional 30 minutes. Baste frequently

I figure I'm going to change this somewhat and also stuff the cavity full of wild rice. We'll see how it turns out.

Something I've wanted to try

Beef Haggis (from Jack Poulter, jpoulter@islandnet.com)
1 lb beef heart
1 lb boneless beef brisket
1 lb boneless lamb shoulder
1/4 c onions (dried) or 1 large, chopped
water or beef stock, as required
1 lb beef liver
3 cups pinhead oatmeal or rolled oats
1 cup beef suet
2 tbs. salt
1 tbs. black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
cow's bladder, sheep's stomach or pudding basin (bowl)
Chop coarsely heart, brisket, lamb and onion. Put in large saucepan, cover with water/stock. Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes. Add coarsely chopped liver and simmer a further 30 minutes. Pout off cooking liquid and reserve. Chop cooked meat finely and in a bowl mix in, one at a lime, oatmeal, suet, salt, pepper and cayenne. Pour in reserved liquid until firm and moist. Spoon mixture into bladder and secure ends with string. Place in top half of a steamer and steam over simmering water for 1 1/2 hours. (If no bladder/stomach is available put into a ovenproof bowl, cover with foil or waxed paper (tied on) and steam as above.)
To reheat for serving, wrap in foil to protect skin, place in a saucepan, cover with water and simmer for 1/2 hour per pound. (If bowl was used to steam it, put it back into a pan of water and simmer for same time.) To serve, cut skin and spoon out. May also be served battered and fried.
This is traditionally served as an accompaniment to other meats on a festive occasion, e.g., Robby Burn's Birthday. It may also be eaten as a dessert by pouring a few ounces of Drambuie over it. I have done this and enjoyed it.

Tonights dinner

Well tonight I've decided to make something rather than use up leftovers as we have little to no leftovers left.

I usually prefer to use up my frozen casseroles for weekdays when I have less time to cook so that left me wondering what to make.
After watching another episode of Anthony Bourdain No Reservation on Youtube last night I decided to go with one of my current favs. Beef tongue.

BEEF TONGUE WITH RAISIN SAUCE
Printed from COOKS.COM
1 fresh Kosher Beef Tongue
3 sm. onions
2 sm. carrots
4 stalks celery & leaves
6 sprigs parsley
8 peppercorns
Salt & pepper
1/2 c. almonds, blanched & split
2/3 c. seedless raisins
6 tbsp. cooking fat
3 tbsp. flour
1/4 c. crushed gingersnaps
1 lemon, cut into sm. cubes
Place tongue in a large kettle with onions, carrots, celery and parsley. Add water to cover. Add peppercorns and salt. Simmer gently until tender, 3 to 5 hours. Drain. Reserve liquid. Melt fat and add flour and stir until blended. Gradually stir in reserved raisin and almond liquid and enough tongue liquid to make 3 cups in all. Add gingersnaps, almonds, raisins and lemon cubes. Season with salt and paprika. Pour over sliced tongue.
Serve hot.

Menu Plan for 1/19 to 1/25

Monday
Chicken - Avocado Enchiladas
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of chopped, cooked chicken breast (great for leftovers from a roasted chicken or boil some breasts)
1 1/4 cup of your favorite salsa
1 tsp ground cumin or TANDOORI seasoning
3 oz lowfat cream cheese
2 oz lowfat cheese (cheddar or jack), shredded
4 Tbsp sliced black olives
1 Hass Avocado, sliced into 12 pieces
12 white corn tortillias

Nutritional Info
Fat: 10.8g
Carbohydrates: 29.6g
Calories:294.8
Protein: 20.4g

This makes 6 servings (2 enchiladas each)
Combine chicken , 1/2 cup of salsa, and cumin or tandoori seasoning in saucepan. Simmer & stir for 5 min. Add cream cheese. Stir until melted. Place one avocado slice down the center of each tortilla, top with a heaping of chicken mixture. Roll up & place seam side down on a greased 8x11 baking dish ~ spray of your choice~ I use olive oil in a pump spray. After all tortillas are filled, top with remaining salsa. Sprinkle with shredded cheese & sliced olives. Cover tightly with foil & bake 350 degrees for 25-30 min, or until hot.Additional toppings (not included in nutritionals) Light or FF sour creamDiced tomatoesAdditional grated cheese(FYI ~ Black beans make a great side to this dish)ENJOY!
Number of Servings: 6


Tuesday
I'm going to try something that I did a long, long time ago. The 3 day diet.
Day 1
Breakfast
Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal
1/2 grapefruit or juice
1 piece toast with 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Lunch
1/2 cup tuna
1 piece toast
Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal
Dinner
3 ounces any lean meat or chicken
1 cup green beans
1 cup carrots
1 apple
1 cup regular vanilla ice cream

Wednesday
Day 2
Breakfast
Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal
1 egg
1/2 banana
1 piece toast
Lunch
1 cup cottage cheese or tuna
8 regular saltine crackers
Dinner
2 beef franks
1 cup broccoli or cabbage
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 banana
1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream

Thursday
Day 3
Breakfast
Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal
5 regular saltine crackers
1 ounce cheddar cheese
1 apple
Lunch
Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal
1 boiled egg
1 piece toast
Dinner
1 cup tuna
1 cup carrots
1 cup cauliflower
1 cup melon
1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream

Friday
Tostada Chicken Salad
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
2 tbsp cilantro
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 tsp Old El Paso taco seasoning mix
1 tbsp chopped green onion
2 tostada shells
3 cups shredded lettuce
¼ cup Old El Paso Thick n Chunky Salsa
½ medium avocado sliced

Saturday
Balsamic Glazed Cracked Pepper Salmon
1 tbsp olive oil
4 wild caught salmon fillets
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
Serve with brown rice and steamed veggies

Sunday
Virginia Beef Tongue
Ingredients for Virginia Beef Tongue Recipe
1 beef tongue, fresh
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup stewed cranberries
¼ cup butter or fat
1 tablespoon whole cloves
½ lemon
Instructions
1. Scrub the tongue and simmer it until tender, in water to cover.
2. Remove the skin and trim the root end.
3. Take one cup of the liquor in which the tongue was cooked and add the brown sugar, stewed cranberries, butter or other fat, cloves and lemon, sliced.
4. Simmer the tongue in this mixture for one-fourth hour.
5. Place on a dish with the sauce, garnish with slices of lemon and sprigs of parsley and serve.
6. Tongue may be jellied and served cold
Serve with rutabagas and carrots

Menu Plan for 1/12-1/18

This is yet another leftover week as I just did an inventory of my deep freezer and realized I have a lot more premade meals than I thought I had.
Yuck. By the end of this week I'm going to be so tired or leftovers.

MONDAY 12 JANUARY

Use up leftover slow cooked chicken cacciatore. Serve over pasta along with steamed veggies.

TUESDAY 13 JANUARY

Albondigas soup with toasted tortillas on side. *need some sour cream for Nick to dip his tortillas

WEDNESDAY 14 JANUARY
Grilled Maple-soy Salmon
Ingredients
4 salmon fillets or steaks (about 4 oz. each)

1 Tbsp pure maple syrup

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Nutritional Info
Fat: 9.2g
Carbohydrates: 3.7g
Calories:221.4
Protein: 29.1g
Place salmon in a large, shallow glass continer. In a small bowl, stir together maple syrup and soy sauce, and brush on both sides of salmon (or on skinless side only, if salmon has skini.), using entire amount. Let sit for 15 minutes.Place salmon directly on grate over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip with tongs or a spatula and grill for 2 to 3 more minutes, or until salmon is no longer shiny or translucent in the middle. The flesh should be firm and just slightly flaky. Serve immediately.Number of Servings: 4

Serve along with steamed veggies and leftover pasta from night before.

THURSDAY 15 JANUARY

Chicken - Avocado Enchiladas
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of chopped, cooked chicken breast

1 1/4 cup of your favorite salsa

1 tsp ground cumin or TANDOORI seasoning

3 oz lowfat cream cheese

2 oz lowfat cheese (cheddar or jack), shredded

4 Tbsp sliced black olives

1 Hass Avocado, sliced into 12 pieces

12 white corn tortillias

Nutritional Info
Fat: 10.8g
Carbohydrates: 29.6g
Calories:294.8
Protein: 20.4g
This makes 6 servings (2 enchiladas each)

Combine chicken , 1/2 cup of salsa, and cumin or tandoori seasoning in saucepan. Simmer & stir for 5 min. Add cream cheese. Stir until melted. Place one avocado slice down the center of each tortillia, top with a heaping of chicken mixture. Roll up & place seam side down on a greased 8x11 baking dish ~ spray of your choice~ I use olive oil in a pump spray. After all tortillas are filled, top with remaining salsa. Sprinkle with shredded cheese & sliced olives. Cover tightly with foil & bake 350 degrees for 25-30 min, or until hot.

Additional toppings (not included in nutritionals) Light or FF sourcream; Diced tomatoes;

Additional grated cheese

(FYI ~ Blackbeans make a great side to this dish)

REDUCE, REDUCE, REDUCE!

FRIDAY 16 JANUARY

Leftover creamy pesto with pasta. Serve with veggies and toasted bread.

SATURDAY 17 JANUARY
Lemon & Honey Marinated Mahi-Mahi W/ Glaze

35 min 25 min prep
SERVES 2
2 (4 ounce) mahi mahi fillets
1 1/2 tablespoons honey, warm (preferably raw, but pasteurized is fine)
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon hoisin sauce
3/4-1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/8 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
Butterfly cut the mahi-mahi fillets so that they are no more than 1/3 to 1/2 inches (80 to 125 mm) thick.
In a small bowl combine the red wine vinegar, honey, garlic, and hoisin sauce. Stir until uniform.
Place both the fish and sauce in a large bag and marinate in the fridge for no more than 20 minutes, making sure to coat the fillets evenly. *Marinating for longer than 20 minutes will start to break down the proteins in the fish. Trust me, you want to avoid that.
When the fillets are done marinating remove them from the bag and set them aside for now. Reserve the marinade in the bag or a small bowl, you'll use it later.
Heat a medium sized skillet or wok on medium-high heat for 30 seconds (or until a drop of water will instantly boil when added to the pan).
Add the olive oil and coat the pan evenly.
As soon as the pan's hot and coated add the fillets. Then sprinkle half of the salt, black pepper, and ginger powder onto the fillets, making sure to cover as much of the meat as possible.
Let the fillets cook undisturbed for about 30 seconds or until you notice the edges of the meat beginning to whiten.
Cook the fillets until their bottom sides start to caramelize and turn a light golden color (1-2 minutes); flip.
Sprinkle the remaining salt, black pepper, and ginger powder onto the fillets and continue cooking until each side is golden and each fillet flakes (2-4 minutes, depending on thickness).
Remove the fillets to a serving plate and cover.
Add the reserved marinade to the pan and simmer on low heat until the resulting glaze turns a light golden-brown (1-3 minutes). *Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to add the fillet drippings to the glaze.
Spoon the glaze over each fillet and serve.

Aloha Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients :
1/2 med sweet potatoes, (4 to 5)
1/16 cup butter
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/16 cup water
1/32 cup shredded coconut

Method :
Boil sweet potatoes in their jackets until tender, about 25 minutes. Let cool, then peel and cut intoslices 1 1/2-inch thick. In a large skillet melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and water and cook onmedium heat about 5 minutes. Reduce heat and add sweet potatoes to skillet.
Cook gently; tossinglightly until sweet potatoes are glazed. Sprinkle with coconut before serving.
Note: Canned yams can be used in place of sweet potatoes.
Cuisine:"Hawaiian"

Serve with steamed veggies

SUNDAY 18 JANUARY

Use up leftovers.