Sunday, January 30, 2011

Lychee Ice Cream

recipe from lycheesonline.com
1½ cups canned seedless lychees, drained & diced
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
¾ cup sugar ( i used a little less)
2 egg yolks, beaten
¼ cup fresh lemon juice (i used a little less)

1. Combine the cream, milk and sugar in a saucepan or double boiler; heat until warm and the sugar is completely dissolved. Add 1 cup of the cream mixture to the yolks while whisking lightly. Gradually pour the egg mixture back into the cream mixture while continuing to whisk lightly.

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the back of your spoon is thinly coated, about 8 minutes. Do not allow to boil or the ice cream custard mixture will curdle.

3. Add the lychee and lemon juice and let it cool in the refrigerator overnight.

4. Freeze in an electric or manual ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you don't have an ice cream maker you can put the ice cream custard in a bowl and put it in your freezer until frozen.

4 Servings

Almond Cookies

from allrecipes.com

Ingredients
• 1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 teaspoon water
Directions
1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and extract. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a fork. Sprinkle with almonds.
2. In a small bowl, beat egg white and water. Brush over cookies. Bake at 325 degrees F for 14-16 minutes or until edges and bottoms are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Egg Rolls

Egg Rolls:
• 3 - 14 ounce bags of coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)
• 1 can of bean sprouts
• 1 celery stalk, diced or sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1-2 cups of shrimp, if larger cut up
• Chile Sauce to taste - I used Sriracha
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• Fresh Ginger to taste (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• black pepper to taste
• 1 egg, beaten
• cornstarch
• 20 egg roll wrappers - I would get 40 to double wrap
• vegetable oil for frying
Directions
1. In a large bowl, mix together cabbage, carrots, sprouts, celery, and onion. Stir in shrimp, soy sauce, chili sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper.
2. Pour beaten egg into a skillet placed over medium heat; cook flat and thin, flipping once, until done. Remove from skillet, cool, and chop finely. Stir egg into cabbage mixture. Sprinkle top with cornstarch, mix, and allow to sit 10 minutes.
3. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water. Set aside. (I would add in the step of using cheese cloth to remove any remaining liquid from the mixture)
4. Place 2 or 3 tablespoons of the shrimp mixture into the center of an egg roll skin. Dip a spoon into the water and cornstarch mixture, and moisten all corners but the bottom corner. Fold the egg roll skin from the bottom over the mixture, making a tight tube of the shrimp mixture. Fold corners in from the sides, and press to stick against folded roll. Then roll the rest of the way. Use another wrapper to wrap each one a 2nd time. Repeat with remaining egg roll wrappers.
5. Pour vegetable oil into a deep frying pan to a depth of 3 or 4 inches, and heat oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Carefully place egg rolls into hot oil, and fry until golden brown. Remove to paper towels. (If not crispy enough, we double fried them for cooking club)

how and sweet dipping sauce

from allrecipes.com
Ingredients

* 1/2 cup rice vinegar
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Bring the vinegar to a boil in a small, non-reactive pot, and mix in sugar until dissolved. Reduce heat to low, simmer 5 minutes, and remove from heat. Mash the garlic and salt into a smooth paste, and mix into the pot. Stir in the red pepper flakes. Cool to room temperature before using, or store up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

sweet and sour sauce

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 cup white sugar (can reduce a 2-3 tablespoons for a less sweeter taste)
• 3/4 cup cold water (or can use unsweetened pineapple juice or half each, I prefer the pineapple juice)
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch (for a thinner sauce reduce to 2 tablespoons, if you want an very thick sauce use 4 tablespoons)
• ginger


• -To make the sweet and sour sauce sauce; in a saucepan combine the first 5 ingredients until combined.
• -In a cup or bowl whisk the cold water or pineapple juice with cornstarch until smooth and well blended, then whisk vigorously into the ketchup mixture; bring to a boil stirring or whisking constantly over medium-high heat until bubbly.
• -Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue simmering and mixing until thickened (be patient the sauce takes a few minutes to thicken up) remove from heat and allow to sit at room temperature while making the chicken balls or you may cool to room temperature then refrigerate until ready to use (I prefer the sauce at room temperature).

shrimp fried rice

inspired from
http://www.ricerecipes.net/shrimp-fried-rice.html

Ingredients:
Bag of frozen shrimp (without tails), thawed
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 medium onion, diced
1 bag of peas
4 cups cold cooked rice


1 bunch of green onions, sliced
La Choy crunchy noodles

Marinade:
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoon soy sauce
Directions:
1. Prepare marinade: in a medium bowl, whisk ingredients together until combined. Add shrimp and marinade 15 minutes.

2. Heat oil in a large wok over high heat. When hot, add rice, green onion, and diced onion. Cook until some of the rice is browned. Push rice to the side of the wok, and scramble 2 eggs in it. Combine the egg with the rice.

3. Add the shrimp and peas. Cook until heated.

4. Season with soy sauce and garlic powder.

6. Remove from heat and serve topped with green onions or La Choy crunchy noodles.
Notes: This is great if you have a bunch of leftover veggies sitting around. I sometimes add carrots and celery. (Bulks it up and sneaks in the healthy stuff.) I also do this recipe with chicken breast at least once every two weeks at home. J To make it an even healthier option, this works with brown rice, too. (Fills you up—quick!)

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

Recipe from allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
1 pound flank steak, cut into bite-size
pieces
1/4 cup cornstarch

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced garlic

3 large green onions, sliced diagonally
into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
Directions:
1. Place flank steak and cornstarch into a resealable plastic bag. Shake the bag to evenly coat the flank steak with the cornstarch. Allow to steak rest for 10 minutes.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir steak until evenly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Place onion, garlic, flank steak, green onions, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, ginger, and hoisin sauce in a slow cooker. Cook on Low setting for about 4 hours.

i modified it slightly -

• i doubled the amount of meat, but used 1.5 amount of sauce
• i used half the brown sugar requested
• i diced the onion

General Tso's Chicken

recipe from food.com
Ingredients
o 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
o 2 cups green onions, sliced
o 8 small dried chilies, seeds removed ( bird pepper or thai chilies are good)
Cornstarch slurry
o 1/4 cup soy sauce, low sodium preferred
o 1 eggs, beaten
o 1 cup cornstarch
Sauce
o 1/2 cup cornstarch
o 1/4 cup water
o 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
o 3/4 cup sugar
o 1/2 cup soy sauce
o 1/4 cup white vinegar
o 1/4 cup sherry wine or 1/4 cup white wine
o 14 1/2 ounces chicken broth ( a can)


Directions
1. Place sauce ingredients in a quart jar with a lid and shake to mix. If you make this ahead of time just refrigerate until needed, shaking it again when you are ready to use it. This also keeps your dirty dishes down.
2. Mix cornstarch slurry in a large bowl- the mixture will be strange but trust me it works. It will be VERY thick almost paste like. Add chicken pieces to coat. Using a fork remove ONE chicken piece at a time and let the excess mixture drip off. YES even though the mixture has a weird consistency it will not stick like paste and the excess will drip off. Add chicken to the hot (350 degree) oil and fry until crispy. Only cook 7 or 8 chicken pieces at a time. You do not want to raise the temp of the oil by cooking too many at a time. You can use a simple cooking or candy thermometer to judge the temp of the oil.
3. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm- I just put them in the oven with the oven off. Repeating until all chicken is fried.
4. In a separate wok or large skillet add a small amount of oil and heat to 400 degrees. Again, a candy thermometer works great. You can fry all the chicken, drain the oil to the desired amount and use the same pan if you like.
5. Add green onions and hot peppers and stir fry about 30 seconds.
6. Stir sauce mixture, and then add to pan with onions and peppers, cook until thick. If it gets too thick, add a little water. The thickness of the sauce should be similar to what you get when ordering this at a restaurant.
7. Add chicken to sauce in wok, and cook until all is hot and bubbly. The quicker this is done the crispier the chicken stays.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Kolacky

1 small cake household yeast
4 Tablespoons sour cream
2 cups flour
1 egg yolk
½ lb butter
Powdereded sugar
Pastry filling (Solo brand)

Soften yeast in sour cream; add butter, egg yolk, and flour. Mix well.
Divide dough in half. Roll out each portion on floured surface to 1/8” –3/16” thick. Cut with biscuit cutter or juice glass. Press center down. Fill with pastry filling.
Bake at 425° for 10 minutes just to light brown.
Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar 2 -3 times.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Figs and Toasted Almonds Brie Recipe

Ingredients
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
6 fresh figs, stemmed and quartered
1 (14 ounce) round 4 1/4-inch diameter round Brie cheese
1/2 cup toasted almonds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 C).
Heat brown sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Add figs and vanilla, and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in almonds and vanilla. Place brie wheel in a baking dish, and pour fig mixture over the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until softened but not melted. Serve with water crackers.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies

Ritz Crackers
Peanut Butter
Ambrosia Chocolate - But I used Herseheys Special Dark Morsels

Make sandwiches with Ritz Crackers and Peanut Butter and using a double boiler, melt the chocolate and then dip sandwiches in the chocolate until fully covered. Lay them on a piece of wax paper to set, I also put them in the freezer or the refridgerator to help them set up. Then Enjoy!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

* 1 egg, beaten
* 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
* 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1 pound ground turkey
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
* 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of chili pepper
hot sauce ( i used thai hot sauce)



* SAUCE:
* 1 cup honey
* 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
dash of hot sauce to taste



Directions

1. In a bowl, combine all then, Add turkey; mix well. Form into 1 in. balls. Place in a greased 13-in.x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in a small saucepan; cook and stir until heated through. Brush meatballs with 1/4 cup sauce; return to the oven for 10 minutes. Serve remaining sauce with meatballs for dipping.

Turtles

- original recipe from Gale Gand
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup butter
2 cups evaporated milk, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups pecan halves
8-12 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
Combine the sugars, syrup, butter and 1 cup of the evaporated milk, and bring to a boil. Add the other cup of evaporated milk slowly, stirring constantly, and cook until it reaches 245 - 255 degrees on a candy thermometer.*** Add the vanilla and pecans and mix well. Pour into a 9 by 11-inch greased pan and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature, cut into squares then dip in chocolate. If you'd like to make a turtle, spoon dollops of the caramel pecan mixture onto a greased sheet pan, with 5 pecans in each mound (4 legs and head). Refrigerate to set, then dip in chocolate.

*** bring the caramel to “soft ball” stage – I like to use a bowl of ice water to help test the pliability of the caramel

cardamom cookies

1 cup butter
3/4 c sugar
1 yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cardamon
2 c flour
1 c powder sugar


melt butter stirring constantly until it just begins to brown. remove and put in the fridge until cool 30 mins
combine butter and sugar beat until well mixed
add yolk vanilla and cardamom and mix
reduce speed and add flour slowly until crumbly ball forms
make into 1 inch balls
bake on ungreased sheet 10-12 mints 350 degrees
remove from sheet immediately cool 1 min roll in powdered sugar while warm and again when cool

onion bulgur salad

• 3/4 cup bulgur*
• 2 cups boiling water
• 3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup seeded, diced cucumber
• 1 cup diced seeded tomato
• 1/2 cup minced fresh basil
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup minced fresh mint
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
Directions
1. Place bulgur in a bowl; stir in the boiling water. Stir in the boiling water. Cover and let stand for 1 hour or until liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the onion, salt and allspice; let stand for 30 minutes.
2. Drain bulgur and squeeze dry; add bulgur and remaining ingredients to onion mixture. Toss gently to combine. Serve or refrigerate.

Honey Glazed Ham

Ingredients:
1 (5lb) ready to eat ham
1/4 cup whole cloves
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
2 cups honey
2/3 cups butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Score ham, and stud with whole cloves. Place ham in foil lined pan.
3. In top half of double boiler, head corn syrup, honey and butter. Keep glaze warm while baking ham.
4. Brush glaze over ham and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Baste ham every 10-15 minutes with honey glaze. During the last 4-5 minutes of baking, turn on broiler to caramelize glaze. Remove from oven and let sit a few minutes before serving.

MINT PESTO STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS

Mint and parsley take the place of traditional basil in the spring time pesto that’s stuffed inside these chicken breasts. Don’t be concerned if a little of the pesto leaks out; it will flavor the braised vegetables and broth in the pan, which are served with the chicken.
Recipe from http://www.jesrestaurantequipment.com/chefphilonline/


Serves:8 Difficulty Level: 3 (of 5) Prep Time: 20 minutes Ready In: < 1 hour

INGREDIENTS (Pesto):
• 6 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher (coarse) salt
• 1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh Italian parsley
• 3/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup (2 oz.) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

INGREDIENTS (Chicken):
• 8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 3 cups sliced leeks (1/2 inch)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 lb. thin carrots (about 6), peeled, sliced (1/4 inch)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher (coarse) salt, divided
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
PROCEDURE:
• Place almonds, garlic and 3/4 teaspoon salt in food processor; process until ground. Add parsley and mint; process until finely chopped. With processor running, pour in oil; process until almost smooth. Add cheese; pulse until blended.
• Make horizontal slit in chicken breasts to create pockets, being careful not to cut through the other side. Stuff each pocket with pesto.
• Heat oven to 375°F. Place leeks, broth, carrots, butter and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in deep large ovenproof skillet; bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Simmer 15 minutes or until vegetables are soft and liquid is reduced by about half. Stir in marjoram.
• Arrange chicken over vegetables; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Spoon some of the vegetables over chicken.
• Cover and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

Harvest Apple Soup

(Serves 5-6)
2 T Vegetable Oil
1 T margarine
1 large onion, chopped
3 sweet apples, peeled and chopped
3 cups chopped squash
1 cup apple juice
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 t curry powder
1/4 t pepper
1 cup milk
thin apple slices for garnish

Heat the oil and margarine in a large saucepan until the margarine melts. Add the onion and chopped apples. Saute over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until soft. Add the squash, apple juice, stock, curry powder and pepper. Simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Puree in a food processor. Return the puree to the saucepan. Stir in the milk. Bring to a boil. Ladle into serving bowls. Garnish with apple slices.

Spinach Salad

North Shore Spinach Dressing
(Makes 2 cups)
2/3 C sugar, pinch of salt
1 small chopped onion or shallots
1/2 C cider vinegar
1/3 C Ketchup
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
1 C vegetable oil

Combine in a blender until smooth (i use the magic bullet).


Spinach
Dried Cranberries
Thinly sliced red onions
Candied Pecans
Apple slices
North Shore Spinach Dressing

Christmas Bark

1 sleeve of saltine crackers
1 cup butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
12 ox semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
sprinkles (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper, folding the edges up so the sides are covered as well. Lay the saltines in a single layer on the parchment paper.
3. Melt butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan over medium to medium high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Adjust temperature as necessary. Pour butter-brown sugar mixture over saltine crackers. Spread the mixture evenly, working quickly as it will begin to cool. Put jelly roll pan in oven and bake for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from oven and immediately sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Put back into oven for 3-4 minutes for chocolate chips to soften. When the chips are soft enough, spread them evenly over the entire layer of sugar covered crackers. Immediately sprinkle chopped pecans and sprinkles on top. Press the pecans slightly with a spoon so they are firmly in the chocolate and will be less likely to fall off when the bark cools.
5. Put the pan into the refrigerator and refrigerate for one hour. When the bark has finished cooling, remove the pan from fridge. Using your hands or pizza cutter, break or cut the bard into pieces.
6. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Barbeque Baked Beans

Inspired by The Neelys
Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 red bell pepper, chopped
* 1/2 onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 2 (28-ounce) cans baked beans
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/3 cup Neelys BBQ seasoning, recipe follows
* 1/4 cup molasses
* 1 cup Neelys BBQ sauce, recipe follows
* 3/4 cup chopped pork or beef brisket

Directions

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Saute the red pepper, onion and garlic until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the baked beans and remaining ingredients and bring to a low simmer. Cover the beans and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 45 minutes.

Neelys BBQ Seasoning:

* 1 1/2 cups paprika
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 3 3/4 tablespoons onion powder

Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir until combined. Keep in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Neelys BBQ Sauce

* 2 cups ketchup
* 1 cup water
* 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
* 5 tablespoons light brown sugar
* 5 tablespoons sugar
* 1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
* 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
* 1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Yield: 3 1/2 cups

Sand Tarts

from Paula Dean
ngredients

* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
* 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for coating cookies
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting hands
* 1 cup chopped pecans, (very small pieces)

Directions

Preheat oven to 270 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer at low speed, cream the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. At low speed gradually add the flour. Mix in the pecans with a spatula.

With floured hands, take out about 1-tablespoon of dough and shape it into crescent. Place the cookies 1-inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Cook's Note: Continue to dust your hands with flour as you make more cookies.

Bake for 40 minutes. Dust with additional confectioners' sugar while still warm. Cool completely on wire racks and store in airtight containers.