" It's The Little Things" Let's make"German Potato Balls"

Hello to all you foodies out there in webland, I hope all is well.  Its me again, madjon.  You know as we go though life and we get older and you have been married for alot of years you sometimes start wonderful does he love me like he used too or anymore.  Well you know what is love and marriage any who?  Is it I can't live without you kind of love or is it the kind where you know your loved by the little things that he does for you.  Now let's face it my hubby is no big romantic!!!  He never has been.  The only cards I get from him is on my birthdays and it usually is one that says am sorry for not saying this or doing this for you.  Not saying I love you enough. That's just the kind of guy he is.  His from Texas and I guess his just made that way.  Any who, this morning on his way to work he came over and covered me with a blanket, not because he had to but because he wanted to make sure I wasn't cold.  I hope you all get what am trying to say here.  I guess love isn't in the saying "I love you", all the time its easy to say those words but its in the little things that we do everyday that go unnoticed to us till its to late or your sitting around wondering if he still loves you.  Any who I think its something to think about.  Let's make some German Potato Balls that I made for the TV show at yesterday's filming.  By the way now all you have to do is go to http://www.aikenstandard.com/ and hit ASTV on the bar and "Cooking With MadJon and Friends" is easy to find along with my cooking blog and recipes.

German Potato Balls

4 Cups Cold Mashed Potato's
3/4 Cup Sour Cream
2 Green Onions, chopped fine
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Cup Cheese, your choice
4 Slices Crisp cooked Bacon
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
Panko Bread Crumbs
2 Eggs beaten
Oil for frying

Mix all ingredients and roll into balls  Then coat with egg and Panko, fry balls in hot oil until nicely browned on both sides, about 350 degrees. 

These are really a nice side for your dinner.  Nice texture.  I hope you think about the little things in our married or unmarried lives for each other.  I want to wish you Happy Trial to you until we meet again.  Try the recipes and let me know how you like them.  Eileen Hutson, madjon.  FYI:  Am going to Charleston to film on Saturday and I will let you all know how it turned out.

Let's have some "Chocolate Cream Pie" and "Raisin Bran Muffins" mummum

Hello to all you foodies out there in webland.  Am sorry its been awhile since my last post but I've been a very busy lady this month.  I went to Canton as you all know and cooked with 24 wonderful men.  Then I also finished catering for the dignataires that came into Aiken.  There was about 40 of them plus some Aiken and S.C.  representatives.  I made some Low Country Boil, Chicken and Dumps, Collard Greens, Creddar Cheese Biscuits, home made Banana Pudding, Peach Pie, Pecan Carmel Pie with Chocolate Sauce, and home made Ice Cream.  It was all a BIG hit and there was hardly any left overs.  I also made Chicken Salad, Egg Salad with Red Caviar, and fresh Pimientos Cheese, all madjon's recipes.  Love it, Love it.  A good time was had by all.  I was honored to be asked to be a part of it all.  I also catered the one they had last year as well.  Then I left about 10:30 to go catch a train to Washington D.C. where I met my hubby and daughter to celebrate our Son's Birthday, Chris Hutson.  We arrived for the train at about 2:00 am and off we went.  By the way I was told by my children that when I got there I could have a drink and something to eat, well they were wrong, wrong, wrong!  We had not eatten because we were to busy feeding everyone else.  I wanted something to drink in the worst way.  The young man heard me say that I had not eatten and I was starving, let alone thirsty!  He offered me his food and I thought you are so sweet but I told him I wasn't going ot eat his food. I thanked him anyway. Then we get settled into our sits and this is the first time I've ever traveled on a train and I had to get my water out of the wall and I didn't like the flavor.  Any who I can't sleep and in front of me on the other side of the sit was a young man watching his computer with movies and the sound was off.  So I watched 3 movies while I was waiting for the cafe to open.  Remember there was no sound on the movies and ever time I'd go to close my eyes we were stopping and the wheels were making all kind of noises.  So after three movies,  the young man finally shuts down his computer and goes to sleep.  So my buddy who woke up with a little help from me says its 6:00 o'clock and I said yea, let's go.  We get there and its a little cafe where you get coffee and bagged food that they heat. Well beggers can't be choosers.  We both order coffee and get a bagged hamburger and after it was heated the bread was like rubber and the only thing we had to put on it was mayo, mustard that kind of thing.  Well, anywho, we get done to almost the last bite and this lady comes walking though and says to me, " Do you know where the dining car is?"  I said your in it are't you?  She looked at me and says, I don't think so.  So she waddles on back to another car and I looked at my buddy and said you are in so much trouble if there is a dining car on this train!  So, I walked back to the other car and would you believe they were frying bacon, eggs, etc. etc.  I went back to my buddy and said they are cooking real FOOD on this train and I want some!  So we went back there and halfed a breakfast and let me tell you it was very good!   I didn't want to leave there until we got off.  So we arrived at 10:30 am and went to my friends Ann's house and took a bath,  then ate brunch, you know that my son made us some home made sausage with his spice rub and it was wonderful, full of flavor and then we went to the capital for a tour.  Then went back to  get dressed for a Birthday Ball for our son and I wore a powder wig which everyone kept playing with it and by the end of the night it was bent over like a wet noodle.  It was alot of fun and we finally got o bed about 2:00 am in the morning and then we left D.C. on Sunday about 12:00 after we ate at the market down town in the hill area.   I must say I didn't think that we'd be able to stay awake at my age but I was having to much fun to waste time on falling asleep.   Now let's talk about pie and muffins.  I made both these recipes up for "Cooking With Madjon and Friends". show  The recipes are a follows:

Chocolate Cream Pie With Meringue

1 2/3 to 2 Cups Cream
3 T. Corn Starch
5 T. Cocoa
1 14 oz. can Eagle Brand Milk
4 Egg Yolks, beaten
3 T. Butter
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 9 inch Baked Pie Shell

Meringue

4 Egg Whites
4 T. Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla

Place and Mix corn starch and cocoa together.   Then stir in eagle brand, milk and egg yolks.  Cook until thick, add butter, vanilla, and cool  before pouring mixture into pie shell.  Meringue:  Beat egg whites and slowly add sugar and when they are stiff and foam peaks, add vanilla beat and it should take about 6 minutes.  Then place in a pre-heated oven on about 400 for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Raisin Brad Muffins

1 1/2 Cups Raisin Bran Cereal
1 Cup Wheat Flour
1 Cup Buttermilk
1/3 Cup Oil
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Large Apple cubed and peeled
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

Mix all ingredients and pour into greased muffins pans.  Bake at 375 for about 15 to 20 minutes or until done.

Ok then, I hope you try these recipes for your family and enjoy them as much as we do.  Please e-mail me with any recipes that you have that I can use on the TV show.  It is madjon51@aol.com and watch the TV show on http://www.aikenstandard.com/ ASTV 95, "Cooking with Madjon and Friends".  Happy trail to you and yours until we met again and I hope your train ride was as fun as ours!  See Ya, Eileen Hutson, madjon.

Happy Saint Patty's Day Let's Eat "Corn Beef and Cabbage"

Well hello to all you foodies out there in webland I hope all is well.  Are you ready for some great Corn Beef and Cabbage?  How about some green beer?  Well I've been busy getting ready for a catering job tomorrow with some Cheese and Chicken Enchiladas with some home made sauce.  Am catering at a chruch for my Red Hat ladies.  They are always alot of fun to be with.  Today we were suppose to film at a grill but they reset filming for sometime in April.  So I had to make up some recipes for the show at the last minute with whatever I had at the house to make.  I made Cheese Enchiladas, a latin chicken dish, Coconut Cream Pie, and some Breakfast Burritos.  We needed 45 minutes and it took all of it to cook the recipes I made up.  Any who it all worked out.  Now let's talk about some Corn Beef which I cooked this a couple of weeks ago to be aired today, on Monday on ASTV 95.  Recipe follows:

Corn Beef and Cabbage

4 pounds of Corn Beef
1 Small package Carrots, peeled
1 Onion, chopped
3 gloves Garlic, smashed
Pepper to taste
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 Cup Orange Juice
3 T. Dijon Mustard
1 Packet from Roast
1 tsp. Fennel Seed
1 Small Head Cabbage
4 Potatos, peeled and wedged
1 Beer
Take Corn Beef and rub it with the mustard, pepper it, and place in pan.  Add the garlic, onion, orange juice,
Packet from roast, fennel seed, Garlic and onion powder.  Add Beer.  Cover and cook on about 350 degrees for about 3 hours.  Then add the cabbage, carrots and potatos and cook about another 45 minutes or until done.

I hope you try this recipe it turned out really good.  Have a Happy Saint Patty's day and try not to drink to much green beer but have loads of fun!  Write me at madjon51@aol.com and forward some recipes for me to try on the TV show "Cooking with Madjon and Friends".  Happy trails to you and yours until we meet again.  Eileen Hutson, madjon.

The Spice Of Life Let's Make Risotto Italian Style

Well hello again to all you foodies out there in web land, I hope all is well.  Are you ready for spring?  I just got back from a show called "Welcome to Spring With 20 Guys" and we were in Canton, Ga. with the most wonderful men whom are the spice to my life and I say a great big thanks to you all.  The wonderful men with the Les Marmitons cooking club.  A special thanks to my host Pete Peterson and Bill Jordon, they were wonderful and they made my job so much easier then it could have been.  Hugs and kisses to the both of them and to all the wonderful cooks at Les Marmitons located in Canton, Ga.  They were the BEST!!!!  Any who we made alot of tasty wonderful Food like Beef Wellington, with a Goose Liver Pate', and a puff pastry, Ron Lairds choice, however we'll leave this story for another time.  I can't wait to tell you that story.  It made the show!  We also made Leeks and Kale in a White Wine Sauce, Risotto Italian Style, Vegetable Salad Rolls with a Balsamic Vinegar Dipping Sauce, and a Vanilla Bean Pound Cake with White Chocolate Pudding and Strawberries with a Chocolate Sauce, it was the BOMB as they call it.  Just ask anyone who was there.  The men are GREAT Chefs and alot of fun to work with.  I can't wait to go back!  Any who this recipe is one we did at this dinner and I hope you find it as delightful as we did.

Risotto Italian Style

1 Cup uncooked Arborio Rice
2 TBSP. Olive Oil
2 TBSP. Butter
3 Cups Beef Broth
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 cup Chopped Onion
1/2 pound White Mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (clean with a wet cloth or paper towel)
1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Half and Half
1/2 cup White Wine
3 Cloves Garlic, smashed and minced
1 tsp. Onion and Garlic Powder

Preparation:
Place oil and butter in a large pan, heat on low until butter is melted.  Add onions, garlic, and saute for about 3 minutes, then add the rice cooking for another 2 minutes, stirring.  Add the mushrooms and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes.  Now add 1 cup of the broth, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and simmer for about 5 minutes stirring like crazy.  Heat the rest of the broth on medium to high heat in another large pan.  After the mushroom mixture is cooked, add it together into the large pan of broth and reduce the heat to simmer and cook for about 20 to 30 minutes stirring continuously.  When it is cooked you will add the half and half and the Parmesan cheese.  Cook another 5 minutes on simmer and then remove from heat until ready to serve.  This serves about 8 servings.

You know being with these guys cooking over the last few days helps to remind me of how much fun a group can have just cooking one of your favorite dishes.  It helps to build memories and make new friends.  We should all try to do this at least once a month.   Have a ball cooking and have fun making up recipes and building your own memories.  When I have more time I will tell you about some of the memories I have built up with Les Marmitons Cooking Club and I hope to build some more.  Please try this recipe and let me know how you like it.  Email me at madjon51@aol.com and visit the show on http://www.aikenstandard.com/, "Cooking With Madjon and Friends" on ASTV 95.  Happy Trails to you and yours until we meet again. God Bless, Eileen Hutson, madjon.