Tim's Famous Fondue

This one comes in from my best friend's hubby, Tim Rebstock....who is AN AMAZING cook. I'm so proud of my BFF for being able to eat his food and STILL lose 62+ lbs!!! Anyway..... this is a great party idea or for something like New Years Eve..


Swiss cheese fondue, should serve 4 for a main course, or 6 to 8 as an appetizer.

You will want 4 to 6 oz of cheese per person, at least half of this should be Gruyere (an especially strong and somewhat expensive Swiss cheese)

Ingredients8 oz Gruyere8 oz Swiss or Baby Swiss or Elemental or even Gouda1 Garlic clove1 cup white wine (I recommend something dry, Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Gris would be good. It does not have to be the most expensive you can find.)2 to 3 Table spoons Kirsch or Kirschwasser, a type of cherry brandy, it is not sweet. This is not required, but it does make it authentic and give it an extra kick. It can be hard to find.1 tsp. Corn starch2 tsp flourPepper and nutmeg (optional)

For dunking in fondue:1 Baguette, cut into one inch cubesVegetables (broccoli, carrots, etc) cut into bite size chunksFruit (Apples, pears, etc.) cut into bite size chunksHam (medium size cubes)

Pro Tip: for oil or broth fondue, a metal fondue pot works well so that it conducts a lot of heat to the oil. A metal pot does not work well for cheese fondue because it will scorch the cheese in the bottom of the pan. A ceramic pot works better for cheese fondue, or a metal pot with a ceramic coating if that is all you have.

Pro Tip: You will want to serve the fondue as soon as it is ready, so it is best to have all the bread, vegetables, and stuff ready to go before cooking the cheese.

Shred all the cheese with a grater into a bowl.Toss the cheese with the flour and cornstarch.
Cut the garlic clove in half, rub the inside of the pot with the garlic clove. Leave halves of the clove in the pot and add the wine.
Bring the wine to a simmer over medium low heat on the stove. Remove the garlic clove, and add the Kirsch.
While stirring, slowly add about half of the cheese, one small hand full at a time.
Add a small amount of fresh ground pepper and nutmeg (I suggest the pepper, leave out the nutmeg if you wish)
Continue stirring and adding the rest of the cheese, a hand full at a time.
The mixture should come together in a nice thick sauce, as soon as it looks good, serve and eat.

An alternate recipe would be to use cheddar cheese instead of Swiss, and beer instead of the wine. I would also leave out the Kirsch.

Lastly, NEVER EVER put the fork that you use to dip in the cheese in your mouth. It is considered rude, unsanitary and a really good way to burn the heck out of your mouth.

Bon appitite
Tim

Special requests?

Ok...I posted what I had saved at work...will post more soon. Any special requests??? Just send me a comment.....

The best potatoes ever

This recipe comes to me from my good friend Cassandra Garrabrant. We used to have a pot luck a minute in my old department and these were always a HUGE hit (and the reason I gained 20 lbs while working in that dept)

Crock Pot Potatoes (AKA..."Crack Potatoes"..because they are like a drug)

2 2lbs bag hashbrowns
1 16 oz sour cream
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 can of either cream of mushroom or chicken soup
1 stick butter
16 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 8oz block of cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
I also put in a tablespoon of dried parsley and 1 teaspoon garlic salt but that is just me
Mix it all together and call it done.

Add a spoon & enjoy :)

Drunken Turkey

I cooked my first turkey last year for the first annual Derda Thanksgiving. Thanks to suggestions from several friends (thanks Tracy & Karen!) - I combined a few ideas and came up with this....

Turkey
Reynolds cooking bag
4-7 cloves of garlic
bunches of fresh herbs - rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage (meijer has a poultry packet in their fresh herb section that is perfect)
One Beer (i used light beer, like Bud Light)
olive oil
salt & pepper

Let the Turkey thaw completely. Remove the "innards" from the turkey. cut the ends of several cloves of garlic & place inside turkey. Take a bundle of the fresh herbs & stuff inside turkey. Lightly coat outside of turkey with olive oil & sprinkle with salt & pepper - place turkey inside bag - BREAST SIDE DOWN. Dump beer in turkey cavity - tie up bag & cook as directed on cooking bag instructions. Remove from oven after specified time & let sit for 30 minutes before carving.

I promise...this will be the MOST TENDER & juicy turkey you have ever had!!!!

Aunt Mary McLeish's Noodles

My Aunt Mary has been making these noodles for family functions for years. They are SO good...and SO bad for you :) I'm seeing a trend with my recipes...

Mary’s CHICKEN & NOODLES

cook 4 chicken breasts save the broth, remove the chicken
cook 8 oz of INN MAID KLUSKI NOODLES in leftover broth
--once noodles are almost done add: the chicken strips
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup add some chopped onion, peas, or whatever**i then transfer everything into a crockpot and let it cook all day on low. you can always add more water or broth if they seem dry.

if you cook in the oven --cook at 350* for about an hour.

Makes a great addition to thanksgiving!

Road Kill Dip

Recipe came from an old friend from my Facilites days. His wife made it every year for our Xmas party.

1 lb ground beef
1 lb Bob Evans Zesty Italian (roll) sausage
1 lb mexican velveeta
1 16 oz jar salsa
Tortilla Chips or Fritos Scoops (for dipping)

Brown meats together in skillet - drain off grease. Cube cheese mix with meat in crock pot. Add salsa. Cover on high for an hour until cheese is melted, turn down to low. Serve and enjoy!

Goes best with beer. :)

Red Skinned Garlic Smashed Potatoes

I loooooove this recipe! I found this on Allrecipes.com years ago. Just don't spend too much time on the nutritional facts..(not good).


1 1/4 pounds red skinned potatoes, washed and quartered
2 1/2 cups water
3 cubes HERB-OX® Chicken Flavored Bouillon
7 cloves roasted garlic
1/4 cup cream cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley


Place potatoes in a large saucepan. Add water and bouillon. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain; reserving the cooking liquid. Mash potatoes with a potato masher or beat with an electric mixer. Add roasted garlic and cream cheese to potatoes. Gradually beat in enough reserved cooking liquid to make potatoes light and fluffy. Stir in parsley and serve immediately.

Goes great with the 5 Soup Roast....or just in a giant bowl with a spoon :)

Nutritional Information
Red-Skinned Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 68
Total Fat: 3.4g
Cholesterol: 11mg
Sodium: 588mg
Total Carbs: 7.1g
Dietary Fiber: 2.8g
Protein: 2.7g

5 Soup Roast

Unfortuntaly I can't take full credit for this one...this came from my ex-mother in law. One of the ONLY things I ever appreciated about her :)

English Roast (2 or 3 lb)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can french onion soup
Salt & pepper to taste

mix soups in a bowl - pour half in crock pot. Add roast - salt & pepper top of roast. Pour remaining soup on top of roast. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours per lb of meat.

Reserve soup to use for "gravy" if desired (gravy makes me gag....)

serves 4
goes great with Red Skinned Garlic Mashed Potato Recipe (coming soon!)

New Recipe Blog

Lots of friends who have enjoyed my cooking over the years frequently ask me for recipes. So I decided....why not start a blog WITH my recipes & then be able to add new ones as I find or create them. I can also post friends recipes here as well (and will of course give credit where credit is due!)

Check back often....i'm always finding something new to whip up!