Valentines is just around the corner my loves, Auntie Stella loves diamonds, chocolate and red heads, not necessarily in that order, LOL.  Hope you have picked out your valentine and that it is going to be the best.  And let's not forget that a month later it's St. Patrick's day,  Auntie has a recipe for you in my older posts for an Irish Meal.  This has been tested by me and many of you as well, guaranteed to get your Irish in order.  And should you come across any of those Leprechauns, don't believe a word they say against me, I would never kick or pick on anyone that small no matter how much green beer and Irish whiskey I drank.

 Now for today's recipe and I know many of you are going to cringe, but don't give up on me yet, fried Chicken Livers, not just for the cat anymore.  Get a container of them at your favorite store and bring them home with you.  No fair forgetting them and leaving them at the store, and I grant you they are a bloody mess when you open them but never fear.  Take two lunch bags and put one inside of the other.  Next add a cup of flour (more or less), a tablespoon of sugar and about three or four shakes of the Italian Seasoning that is usually only reserved for spaghetti sauce, put all of this in the doubled brown bag and shake the shit out of it.  Salt and pepper if you please and I like to add about a tablespoon of chives in mine.  Pour half of the livers into the bag and shake again, hard this time.  It coats the livers and they are not so scary looking and try not to think of it as a chicken abortion because that's not what it is.

Ready your skillet with your favorite cooking oil, bacon grease is wonderful or lard if you can find it.  Pick the coated livers out of the bag when the grease is hot (a drop of cold water will tell you it's ready).  Then just start putting the little bastards in there and cook over medium heat.  I serve with applesauce, Lima beans and pickled beets.

It does tickle the hell out of me that many of my close friends wouldn't touch chicken livers, however, they love the hell out of the pate I make, LOL..Boil a container of chicken livers, let them cool.  Have an 8oz package of cream cheese brought to room temperature and and the spices and chives from above.  Put the mixture in the fridge till it sets, form a log from the mixture and roll it in pecan or walnut pieces and serve to your guest.  Some orange extract added makes it memorable or Gran Mariner if you have it, but it doesn't last long at my house.  Thanks for stopping by, Stella

NUTELLA????

Who the hell forgot to tell me about this stuff?? We are talking about an orgasm in a jar, with or without a spoon. Really, chocolate and ground hazel nuts, OMG. I saw an ad on television, (I usually speed through them but I caught this one), where a mother is actually giving this stuff to their kids on bread. WTF, I believe that you must be at least 21 to eat this wonderful concoction, I'm saying you have to appreciate life to truly understand this blend. This has set an awfully high bar for their little lives to achieve. I don't remember how much I paid for it but I would sell one of my best tiaras for another jar. It says it's 200 calories per serving (two tablespoons) and contains 10 servings per container. Right. If you are on a 2,000 calorie a day routine, you could eat the whole jar. Okay, not a good idea at all, but I assure you that you are going to want to do that very thing and I promise to do the right thing on the next jar! What's going on with all of you??
Auntie Stella

WHAT DOES YOUR WATER LOOK LIKE?

I had a conversation with a worker at Walmart over the weekend and we talked about drinking water. She was happy with the taste of her tap water but I pressed further. She hand washes her dishes so I asked her if she rinsed them before stacking them up in the drainboard and she said yes. Then I asked what was causing the discoloration under the rack? A light bulb in brain moment ensued and then a sick look went over her face. Bottled water is fine for on the go but if Oprah finds out you are using non-recyclable bottles you have had it. Plus it gets costly and one could get a hernia trying to carry the cases into the house. There are several brands of water purifiers on the market and one refill should provide up to 100 gallons of purified and better tasting water. I use mine for ice cubes, iced tea, coffee and reconstituting canned juices and Kool-Aid, (some of the new flavors are too fab). If you have a problem with colds, flu or your immune system is compromised for any reason, maybe you should check it out. Initial out lay is about $25 and around $15 for refills and one lasts me for about 1-2 months. The taste alone is worth checking it out (and I do use Kool-Aid to make my own diet flavored waters!)
Be good to yourself, your families and visitors.
Auntie Stella

QUICKIE STUFF FOR EATING WHILE WATCHING THE GAMES

I recently introduced an artist friend of mine, Mark, to the world of Nachos and now he is lost and they are so easy to make. Even Cathy could make these, that's just how easy they are to make.

What you need: 1 bag of tortilla chips, several cans of chopped chilies (because you will want to make these a lot), and a bag of shredded cheddar cheese.

Lay the chips out on a paper plate, sprinkle the chilies around then add the cheese. Pop in the microwave for about a minute and you're ready to eat, one plate per person or you might loose a finger. Other things you can add are sliced black olives, very thinly sliced onion, bacon bits. Let your mind go wild, but the plain nachos are delicious just as they are.

Back to the games,
Stella

AUNTIE STELLA ON TELEVISION? WOULD THAT BE FUN OR WHAT

A friend, a dear friend actually, came to me with an idea. At first I thought it was just a ploy to get some free cookies and milk but this guy is serious. He wants to get in touch with the LOGO channel and get them to read my blog and see if there is a possibility of getting me my own show. I can just picture it now, a large ranch style kitchen so that I would have lots of storage space and room to move around in. And every good show has a side kick but I'm thinking of a new one every week, some cute little dressed in nothing but an apron so that I can chase him around the kitchen with a spatula while the food is cooking. And then what a guest list I could have! Ellen, Sir Ian, Kevin, and that adorable Neil Patrick Harris and the list just goes on. I'm hoping that he really does have friends over there but just in case, feel free to write, email or call LOGO (the LGBT Channel) and tell them that you think that I would should have my own show and that they can check out my blogs at their leisure, or better still, right now.
Stella

ON THE ROAD AGAIN !!!

Dear Friends of the Stella, Sorry, I’ve been out of touch for awhile but I have been touring the south performing my job as a judge for all of the local Miss Gay America pageants. Every town, county or city that has a gay bar seems to be having these and I can use the bucks. The rules, of course, are somewhat different for these contests like sleeping with the judges is not only permitted but also encouraged. And although some of the contestants are truly pigs they are of the two-legged variety. Hog calling and chicken plucking are by themselves worthy attributes but can not be used during the talent portion of the contest. The rest of the rules seem to vary from bar to bar and local to local. The most interesting one was “The Miss Gay America Semi-Driver” competition. You just have to admire a truck driver walking in a pair of stilettos and who knew that latex girdles could be made that size. As always, any contestant caught grazing on the grass during the pageant will automatically be disqualified, except in Texas.

But in keeping with my reputation as The Kitchen Bitch, I will share a recipe that I have never before shared with anyone, my world famous chocolate chip cookies. You know I love short cuts and everyone will be sworn to secrecy on this one. I use the recipe on the back of the bag of Nestle’s Chocolate Chips with the following variation. To the batter add 1 tablespoon of instant coffee, 1 teaspoon of ground clove (not just for hams anymore), 1/2 cup of walnut pieces and a handful of flaked coconut (this keeps the cookies nice and moist for a longer period of time, like they're going to sit around). Then just finish with the rest of their directions except I like to make larger cookies (for when my diet says I can only have one cookie). Sometimes I like to add one additional ingredient and that would be 1 teaspoon of raspberry extract. I dare you.
Auntie Stella

A FINE IRISH MEAL

Dear Fans of the Stella; Sorry, got a bit distracted. Went to the corner Irish bar to order a bottle of their best Irish Whiskey they carry (McRotgut sells for $1.99 gallon) and ran into a pack of little men and started drinking with them. They claimed to be Leprechauns but I never did see a pot of gold and I do believe that they may be actually be Snow White's cast offs because one of them was really Dopey. And watch out if you drink Irish coffee! The coffee wires you up while the whiskey brings you down and the whipped cream gives you a rush, your poor body doesn't know what to do and mine did it all.

I have a recipe that I make every year on St. Patty's Day and at least one other time during the year. The meat takes about three hours to cook while the vegetables only need about 45 minutes or so which give you plenty of time to get the raw vegetables ready at your leisure.

Shopping: 1 corned beef brisket 3-5 pounds, 1 quart of beer, 1 shot of whiskey (tenders the roast even more), 1 tablespoon of caraway seeds, 3 tablespoons of Italian seasoning, 3 large bay leaves, 1 large sweet red onion sliced, 8 carrots skinned but left whole, 1 stalk of celery, 1 very large head of cabbage, 8-10 medium red potatoes.

In a lobster type pot, put the roast in the pot and cover with the whiskey and beer and add all seasonings and bring to a hard boil for 5 minutes uncovered then turn down to simmer. Add the onion to the pot. Cut the butt (or bottom if you prefer) of the celery off, cut into 4 pieces and rinse and add to the pot along with all of the leaves off of the stalk (what else are you going to use them for?) Now get lost for 2 hours. When you come back, rinse the potatoes and cut out any big eyes or bad spots, trim off about 8 more large trimmed pieces of celery and add all of these to the pot and re-cover the pot. Peel the outside leaves off the cabbage and cut into 8 wedges and add to the top of the pot. If your liquid has boiled down you can add water or more beer. The alcohol all cooks off so not to worry about serving to children or people in AA. (Lots of people don't consider it a meal if there is no bread, I make Jiffy cornbread with an extra tablespoon of sugar per box or you could make biscuits or just bread and butter.)
Dig to the bottom of the pot and pull the roast out and re-cover the veggies. Let the meat cool down for about 15 minutes and then slice thin slices and then serve the meal on plates or deep bowls with mustard on the side or right on the beef and cabbage. The meal will be colorful and delicious and leftover meat can be used for sandwiches (if there is any). Next day, cut up any leftover veggies and add a can of corned beef and make it soup. Waste not.
Stella