S'cold.....Brrrrr..... Great day fer a great Gourmet French Onion Soup....

Well Sir....I don't be a knowin bout the rest a this here Country but, with "Wind-Chill" factors below Zero here in upstate NY., it's a great day fer a great Gourmet French Onion Soup....

So here's what this here Cookie is plannin on makin t'day.....notice BTW that this soup is light in color...not a dark broth.

Gourmet French Onion Soup by Cookie...

5 Tablespoons Butter
2-3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
4 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
8 Cups of thinly sliced Onions (about 2 lbs)
2 Quarts of Stock ( 1 Quart Chicken stock, 1 Quart Beef)

**NOTE** I prefer an equal mixture of Beef stock to Chicken
stock…but you can use more of one than the other
if’n y’all like…AND…canned stock is OK.

Grated Swiss Cheese
______________________________________

Croute's

1 Loaf of French or Italian Bread, sliced in one inch slices.
Olive Oil
3-4 Garlics, peeled and cut in half.
_______________________________________

OK...Let's get to makin the Soup....

Over MODERATE heat, melt the Butter with the vegetable oil in a 5 Quart Soup kettle or saucepan. Stir in the sliced onions and salt and cook uncovered over LOW heat until the onions are a nice golden brown (about 30 minutes or so).

Sprinkle in the flour over the onions and, while stirring, cook for another 3 minutes or so (until flour is cooked). Remove from heat.

Now…in another saucepan…heat the combined stocks to a simmer, and then slowly pour the hot stock into the cooked onions. Return soup to a low simmer, partially covered, for another 40 minutes or so. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Now…for the taste SECRET of the soup…the Croute’s…

As the soup slowly simmers…preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Place all the bread slices on a baking sheet(s) in a SINGLE layer and bake for about 15 minutes or so (until only VERY slightly brown).

Remove from oven and using a small pastry brush…brush each side of the bread slices with Olive oil, turning the slices to the opposite that was just in the oven. Return to oven and bake until they are a light golden brown and remove from oven.

Now Sir…while the slices are still hot, using an oven mitt to hold the hot slices…rub each side of each slice with the garlic clove(s) to your taste. Voila!

To Serve: Place one Croute’ into a bowl and slowly ladle the soup over the Croute’…Sprinkle with the Grated Swiss cheese is desired…and ENJOY!

American Idol...The Lost Audition.... ROFLMAO

Well Sir....this about sums it up don't it???? I saw this over at Blowing San #1 and just had t'steal it.....

Paella....a Great Spanish/Basque dish....

Well Sir...yesterday I posted a recipe fer a real great "Hopin John"...and after my friend "Bothe" over at A Geezers Corner read it...he informed me that he had posted one a his Paella recipe's fer the folks...another good starchy meal... especially with the cold weather we're all a havin....

Well mam... after I read his comment..it got me t'thinkin bout one of the Paella recipe's that this here Cookie got frum a Basque gentleman (Chef) in Winnemucka, Nevada many years back, who cooked fer the Winnemucka Hotel (a place where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid once stayed...then robbed)...

so...I thought I'd post mine as well so y'all can have a choice of recipe's.... so here t'is mates.....

Seafood Paella With Scallops

25 large cooked shrimp (about 1 1/2lbs)
1 lb Bay Scallops
8-10 clams, rinsed
¼ to ½ lb of Chorizo sausage, sliced ( Chorizo is best, but you may substitute a good Keilbasa sausage)
2 tbsp. olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups finely chopped onions
2 cups uncooked short grain white rice
2 cups clam juice
1 ½ cups dry white wine
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp. saffron or 4 envelopes pure ground saffron
1/4 cup boiling water
1 cup of peeled, diced plum tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
2 roasted red peppers drained, thinly sliced, divided
¼ lb fresh or frozen peas

Heat oil in large paella pan (or a good sized large skillet) until hot.

Add garlic and cook about 1-2 minutes. Add onions, chorizo and rice, cook and stir for about 8 to10 minutes, or until onions are soft.

Stir in clam juice, wine, lemon juice, and paprika; mix well.

Combine saffron and boiling water in small bowl; stir until saffron is dissolved.

Stir into onion mixture. Stir in tomatoes, parsley, and half the red pepper. Bring to a boil then lower heat to low.

Stir in scallops and peas, clams, shrimp. Cook until rice is done. Garnish with remaining red peppers….Serve. Makes about 10 servings.

More proof of Global Warmin.....

Well Sir....Looks like good ol Al Gore has located somemore proof of Global Warmin....

It's a great day fer "Hopin John"....

Well Sir....now that the cold weather done set in here un upstate NY, I decided I'd make up a big batch of Hopin John fer the wife and myself......

It's a spicey southern dish (Soul Food) with good ol Black-eyed Pea's, rice and various meats...so here tis....

Hoppin John Recipee

Ingredients:
• 1/2 pound bacon, sliced into small bits, cooked and well-drained
• 1 pound Andouille sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices, cooked and well drained (or substitute hot Cajun sausage, or mild Polish sausage)
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 2 cups chopped red & green bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 pound black eyed peas
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked brown or white rice
• 2 quarts+2 cups stock or water (add more water if needed)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper (more if you like it hot)
• 3 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon savory
• 1 teaspoon filé or parsley
• 3 bay leaves

Cook and drain the meats, reserving 3-4 Tablespoons of Bacon grease for Saute'n....

Mix all the spices into one bowl.

In a Dutch oven (Cast Iron if'n ya got one), add three or 4 tablespoons of bacon grease or vegetable oil. Add the onion, pepper, celery, garlic, black eyed peas and half of the spice mixture and fry for about 10 minutes.

Stir and scrape the bottom of the pot frequently. Add the meats, the rest of the spice mixture and 2 quarts of stock or water. Cover and simmer over low heat for one hour or until peas are done.

Add the rice and 2 cups stock or water and simmer for 20-30 minutes. The liquid should be absorbed so the dish is not watery.

A few more "Sign's of the Times"......

Well Sir....just a little sumthin t'pass the time fer ya.....

The Ubiquitous Redneck... and some signs of the times...

Well Sir....havin been in Uncle Sam's Yacht Club (US NAVY)in both Submarines, and later in the Famous Seabee's...I was known to have had the occasion frum time t'time to maybe patronize a saloon or two both in and out of the good old US of A.

Now mam... one a the thing I noticed is that yur gonna find Rednecks all over the place...and they don't seem to change much no matter where ya are. Now...I'm sure that at some time or another, y'all either heard these here Redneck pickup lines being used..or were unfortunate enuff to have been the recipient of one...here they be...

Redneck pick up lines

1) Did you fart?
cuz you shore blew me away.

2) Are yer parents retarded?
cuz ya sure are special.

3) My Love fer you is like diarrhea .
I can't hold it in.

4) Do you have a library card?
cuz I'd like to sign you out.

5) Is there a mirror in yer pants?
cuz I can see myself in em.

7) You might not be the best lookin girl here, but beauty's only a light
switch away.

8) Man - "Fat Penguin!"
Woman - "WHAT?"
Man - "I just wanted to say something that would break the ice."

9) I know I'm not no Fred Flintstone,
but I bet I can make yer bed-rock.

10) I can't find my puppy, can you help me find him?
I think he went inta this cheap motel room.

11) Yer eyes are as blue as winder cleaner.

12) If yer gunna regret this in the mornin, we kin sleep til afternoon.

and.... the best for last!

13) Yer face reminds me of a wrench,
ever time I think about it my nuts tighten up.













A good old Cookshack Hat-Tip to Missy Sue frum Eagle Lake, Texas fer sending me these....Thank Ya mam...

Now these here Women-Folk really know their place.....

To All You Women Out Here:


Subject: Fwd: Women who know their place??

Ladies............take note:
Women who know their place, but the moral of the story doesn't change!


Barbara Walters of Television's 20/20 did a story on gender roles in Kabul,
Afghanistan, several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted that women
customarily walked 5 paces behind their husbands. She recently returned to
Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands.


From Ms. Walter's vantage point, despite the overthrow of the oppressive
Taliban regime, the women now seem to walk even further back behind their
husbands and are happy to maintain the old custom.


Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, "Why do you now
seem happy with the old custom that you once tried so desperately to
change?"

The woman looked Ms. Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation
said...... "Land mines."

MORAL OF THE STORY: BEHIND EVERY MAN IS A SMART WOMAN!!

Huh huh...betcha mosta you female types out there thought it was gonna be somethin sexist....didn'tcha...??? Come on...be honest!!

Cookie......

The Dogmatic Digit.....

Well Sir....fer some reason I found that these here photygraphs kinda matched my mood today bout certain things....especially the post afore this one....

Must be the time a year...or Seasonal Affect Disorder.... who knows...but as my Bio says..."as cantakerous as a Grizzly Bear with a toothache".....

Just some musings...

Well Sir...I watched TV this weekend regarding certain law-makers in, where else, California, who want to make it illegal to spank a child under the age of 4 years old.

Now Sir...aside from the fact that certain area's of the country are becoming "Nanny States", the thought hit this Cookie that it is OK to brutally destroy an unborn baby in the womb, but you can't reasonably discipline that child by spanking once it's born.....

Hmmm....what am I missing here...????

As Y'all know....I try to keep my blog free of certain policy and political opinions and just post good old humorous materials....but some things need to be said...and if'n my opinion in this matter offends ya...or you disagree...well so be it, that's what this great Country is all about. There's plenty of other blogs fer ya t'read....

A Good Answer.....and one a life's truths...

LEGITIMATE QUESTION

A US Air Force C-130 was scheduled to leave Thule Air Base,
Greenland at midnight. During the pilot's preflight check, he discovers that the latrine holding tank is still full from the last flight. So a message is sent to the base ops and an airman who was off duty is called out to take care of it.

The young man finally gets to the flight line and makes his way to the aircraft only to find that the latrine pump truck has been left outdoors and is frozen solid, so he must find another one in the hangar, which takes even more time. He returns to the aircraft and is less than enthusiastic about what he has to do.

Nevertheless, he goes about the pumping job deliberately and carefully (and slowly) so as not to risk criticism. As he's leaving the plane, the pilot stops him and says, "Son, your attitude and performance has caused this flight to be late and I'm going to personally see to it that you are not just reprimanded but punished."

Shivering in the cold, his task finished, he takes a deep breath, stands up tall and says,

"Sir, with all due respect, I'm not your son; I'm an Airman in the United States Air Force. I've been in Thule, Greenland, for 11 months without any leave, and reindeer's asses are beginning to look pretty good to me. I have one stripe; it's two-thirty in the morning, the temperature is 40 degrees below zero, and my job here is to pump shit out of an aircraft.

Now, just exactly what form of punishment did you have in mind?"