Kitchen Lackey

Strawberry Pork Loin

2011-06-10T09:58:00.003-04:00

2 pints overripe strawberries
4 leaves of fresh mint
1 splash of key lime juice
4 glugs of muscato wine
1 medium sized pork loin

blend together berries, mint, juice, and wine. Marinade the pork in this mixture for 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400F. Then in a dutch oven, sear the loin alone on the stovetop. Add the marinade mixture to the dutch oven and braise the meet for 50 minutes.

Curried Oxtail Stew

2009-11-18T13:22:00.002-05:00

2lbs Oxtail (make sure that you get as few end parts and as many base parts as possible)
2 cans beef broth
2 cups baby carrots
1 bunch celery, washed and chopped
1 lb small potatos, halved (we used a mix of red, yellow, and blue)
1 1/2 large onions, chopped
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
3 tablespoons garlic
2 tablespoons curry (we used a sweet, red. it's up to you)
3 tablespoons olive oil

In a large, cast-iron dutch oven, pour the olive oil and heat on stovetop on HIGH setting. When oil is hot, sear the oxtail parts. Add in onions and garlic till onions are translucent. Add in everything else. once the broth is boiling, reduce to low, cover, and let simmer for 2 hours.

Enjoy!

Dog Food

2009-09-02T16:00:00.002-04:00

Ingrediants

1lb ground turkey
1 cup chicken livers
1 cup chopped carrots
3 small yellow potatoes, diced
4 sheets Nori, torn up
1/4 cup soybean powder
Water

In a slow cooker, put all the ingrediants and enough water to cover the ingrediants. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours.

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

2009-09-02T15:49:00.002-04:00

Ingrediants:

1 large eggplant, cubed
1 cup chopped shitaki mushrooms
1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
1 can Manwich (Bold was pretty good)
1/2 can (the empty Manwhich can) of red wine
4 cups water
1 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix the eggplant, mushrooms, brown rice, Manwich, and red wine. Coat the bottom of a large, glass baking dish with the olive oil. Spread in eggplant mixture. Pour the water over the top (it should cover the mix) and cover with aluminum foil.
Cook for 1 hour (otherwise the rice won't cook thru)
Take off the foil, sprinkle cheese on the top, and put in for another 15 min.
Serve with buns like you would for normal sloppy joes

Lambalymbo

2009-01-21T11:19:00.001-05:00

4 lamb chops
1 cup brown rice
1 cup white wine
2 cups water
Tony Cachere’s seasoning (to taste)
2 cups beef stock
1 package frozen “gumbo veggies” (okra, corn, etc.)
2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 325F and place 2 burners on HIGH. On one burner, put a saucepan with 2 cups of water to boil. When boiling, add rice. Place dutch oven on burner an heat up the olive oil. Season lamb chops with Tony Cachere’s and brown both sides (while rice cooks).

When meat is browned, deglaze the pot with the white wine. Then add the gumbo veggies first, then the rice (even if it’s not cooked thru, it’s fine. It’ll steam more). Cover the pot and place it in the oven to braise.

Last night, w/in about 20 minutes the dish was cooked thru. Pull of meat and place the pot back on the stovetop. Add stock and heat mixing it all together.

This is good without making into a soup too…

Serves 4

Mini Mushroom Cheese Sandwiches

2009-01-21T11:03:00.002-05:00

2 tubes of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1 can Cambells Condensed Cream of Mushroom soup
1 8oz package of shredded mozzerella cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Pop open both tubes, and separate all the little triangles. Arrange them on a silicone mat on a backing pan/in a backing dish. With a teaspoon, spread a spoonful of still condensed soup inside each triangle (be sure to leave the tip clear so it will close). Sprinkle with cheese. Roll closed.

Cook for 11-13 minutes--just like it says on the package. Makes 16.

The baby LOVES them as part of a meal. No crusts. Buttery bread. And he doesn't get his hands "yucky" because the filling doesn't fall out.

"It Tastes Like Christmas" cake

2008-08-06T13:55:00.003-04:00

This recipe takes a few days, but it's WONDERFUL

It got it's name because when my sister took her first bite, she declared that it, indeed, tasted like Christmas.

Cake:
2 boxes chocolate fudge cake mix, perpared per box directions (you have
to, scratch recipes don't come out right)
Icecream:
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup sugar
5-6 drops cinnamon oil
1 bag redhots, crushed
Red food coloring
Frosting:
1 bottle Magic Shell fudge
Special equipment:
Ice cream maker
Betty Crocker Bake n Fill pans
Pour prepared cake batter into Bake-n-Fill top and bottom and add
matching "insert" to create cavity in the top and bake per directions in
the pan booklet. (the dome and tall cake are cooked at different
times/temperatures).
When the cake has come out of the pans, clean the pans (being sure to
dry them completely) and line them with cling film. Then put the cooled
cake halves back in and place them in the freezer. Freeze till frozen
solid.
Normally, at this time I place the container to my icecream maker in the
freezer too and just leave them overnight.
Then make the icecream, combining all the ingreadiants in the ice cream
freezer till done. Scoop the still runny icecream into the frozen cake
cavity. While still inverted, place the bottom on, cover with
clingfilm, and freeze for several more hours till icecream has set and
top and bottom have joined (I usually do another overnight).
Now it's ready for serving. Remove from pan top and place on serving
platter. Drizzle Magic Shell over top, cut, and plate.
Serves 12

Fish Cakes

2008-05-22T09:02:00.002-04:00

3 cooked fish filets

2 jars of peas

rice cereal

2 egg yolks

Mix with a fork. When it was a moist paste roll little balls in
crushed zweiback, cracker crumbs, or whatever is similar, flatten them a bit and
baked them at 375 till they were done. It makes 25, each about the size
of a chicken mcnugget.

Appliscious Chewie

2008-05-01T11:52:00.004-04:00

1 apple
1/4 cup canned dogfood or ground meat

Core and wash 1 apple. Place wrap in foil and place in oven at 350F. Wait 35 minutes. Remove apple. It should be soft. Pack meat or canned food in hole. Re-wrap in foil. Freeze overnight.

Acts like a Kong, but completely edible. Dogs love it.

Rustic AppleTart

2008-05-01T11:45:00.003-04:00

Yet another in my "uses for apples" series.

1 apple, sliced
3 sheets phyllo, thawed
Honey
Cinnamon
Sugar
1 tbsp chopped nuts (I prefer pecans)
3 tbsp butter, melted

On cookie sheet, one at a time messily form the phyllo slices into a "nest", layering one sheet upon another and painting lightly with butter between the sheets.
lightly coat the apple slices with the remainder and place ontop of your "crust". Sprinkle liberally with sugar, cinnamon, and chopped nuts. Drizzle with honey.
In 350F preheated oven, place your tart and cook for 15-20 minutes or until phyllo has turned golden brown.
Enjoy!

Serves 1-2

Apple Pie Ice Cream

2008-05-01T11:43:00.002-04:00

Yet another in my "uses for apples" series.

Mix-in

4 apples, peeled and diced.

1 stick butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

1 pie crust

Ice cream

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 400F. Place refrigerated piecrust flat on cookie sheet and heat for 12-15 min till toasted golden. Cool and break up. Set aside.

In ceramic dish, place remaining mix-in increadiants. Cover and bake for 15-20 min. Cool and set aside.

On medium heat, in saucepan combine the "ice cream" ingrediants untill the sugar has completely melted and been assimilated. Cool in fridge for an hour.

In electric ice cream freezer (after the containers been allowed to freeze overnight), add the "ice cream" and turn on. In 10-15 minutes the ice cream should begin setting up. While still mixing, add the "mix-ins" (both apple cinnamon slurry and broken pie crust). Allow to blend.

Either freeze further in freezer or serve soft.

Harvest Pie

2008-05-01T11:42:00.002-04:00

Yet another in my "uses for apples" series.

3 pie crusts
2 stick butter, diced
1 cup flour
2 cups sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
6 large apples, peeled and sliced thinly
1 cup raisins (rehydrated)
1/2 cup cranberries, chopped
1 tbsp orange peel
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In large bowl, mix fuit, nuts, cinnamon, sugar, and flour till evenly coated/distributed. This will be your filling.

For the crust, combine 2 crusts into 1 large crust and place in bottom of deep-dish pan. Pile filling high (will probably overflow) and add additional crust for the top, cutting slits for steam. Cover crust edges with foil (to prevent burning).

In 400F oven back for about 45 min.

Applesauce

2008-05-01T11:41:00.003-04:00

Another part of my "uses for apples" series. Nothing is better than homemade applesauce!

1 lb of apples (Macintosh taste best for this), peeled and quartered
1/2 stick of butter
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 cup sugar

On stovetop in skillet, melt butter. Add appleslices and turn to low and cover. Allow the fruit to reduce and become very soft, stirring occasionally. Add in sugar and cinnamon and stir. The fruit juices will thicken slightly. Serve warm.

ETA: I found that it actually tastes just as good, if not better, without the butter and with half the sugar and triple the apples. I also add a dash of nutmeg, allspice, and clove.

Plum Pork Ribs

2008-04-09T15:15:00.002-04:00

1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6 peeled, sliced, black plums
7 whole allspice
2/3 bottle of Japanese Plum Wine
2 lbs of pork ribs

in slow cooker on high, melt butter and sugar together. Add allspice, plums, and just enough wine to cover the fruit. Stir, cover, and turn to low for 1 hr. Used stick blender to break up the fruit and marry all the ingrediants together into a sauce.

Turn back on high and add the pork. Stir it around a bit, coating the meat with the fruit sauce and lightly browning the pork. Then add the remaining wine and, once simmering, turn back to low and cook for 3 more hours, uncovered (to allow the alcohol to evaporate).

Makes an extremely soft, lightly spiced, fruity meat.

Serves 6-7

Spanish Rice

2008-04-02T11:18:00.002-04:00

1 cup uncooked white rice
1 small jar salsa--any flavor
2 cups water

Boil water on hi on stove. Add rice and turn to Med. Cook for 10 min. Rice should be mostly cooked, but still have some water in the pot. Add salsa and evenly coat rice. Cook another 10 min on med-low (to keep from burning tomatos).

Serves a whole lot.

Chicken Enchiladas

2008-04-01T10:09:00.002-04:00

4 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
1 large red onion, minced
1 package Goya Sazon
2 cans enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar
10 large flour tortillas
2 tbsp oil
1/4 cup lime juice

Preheat oven to 375F

In skillet on stove, heat oil to med-hi. Add onion. Cook till
transluscent. Add chicken, lime juice & sazon and brown chicken, evenly
coating it and the onions with the seasoning.

In large glass baking dish, roll tortillas filled with chicken mix and
lay side by side in dish. Pour enchilada sauce over top. Sprinkle with
cheese.

You can top further with jalapenos, olives, whatever suits your fancy

Cook in oven for 15 minutes and serve.

Serves 5.

Exotic Ingrediants

2008-03-24T14:49:00.003-04:00

I realize that I often have game meats, strange vegetables, and other ingrediants you might not be able to find in your normal, local supermarket.

The best place to find things, in my experiance, is to seek out the grocery stores where the sign is not in english.

For seafood, odd cuts of meat, and produce my favorite place is the Korean market. I can regularly find blood oranges, key limes, donut peaches, and every other type of produce any foodie could hope to find for his or her exotic recipes. And it's actually cheaper for me to find blood oranges there, than to go to the HighlySuburbanizedWhitePeople Store and by boring navel oranges.

Really.

Plus, the seafood section has fish I've never even heard of and is the only place I've ever been able to buy live blue crabs for under $2/lb. And they aren't even gravid females.

And the meat department....there is an in-house butcher who will sell you ANY part cut any way. I mean any. I've gone in to see a package marked "PORK BUNGS". No joke.

I won't even get into the spices, the noodles, the various flours, or the alcohol section. It's worth a peek if you can find yours. You may just need to search inside random storefronts with Asian characters in the signage.

Wheat Flour Substitutions

2008-03-24T14:31:00.004-04:00

For those with gluten issues or food allergies, Here is a list of substitutions. I plan to use them to get some mileage out of a dog treat cookbook that Hubby bought me. Our kerry blue terrier is severely allergic to wheat, as well as several other grains making the book, as is, completely useless.

How To Substitute For Wheat Flour

To make a standard recipe free of white flour, substitute one of the follow:
for 1 cup white flour
1 cup corn flour
1- 3/8 cups barley flour
7/8 cup corn meal
5/8 cup potato flour
7/8 cup rice flour
1 cup rye meal
1-1/2 cups ground rolled oats
1 cup oat flour
1 cup whole wheat flour.

1 cup of wheat flour equals...
7/8 cup amaranth
7/8 cup garbanzo bean/chickpea
3/4 cup corn flour
1 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup millet flour
3/4 cup oat flour
5/8 cup potato flour
3/4 cup potato starch
7/8 cup rice flour
3/4 cup soy flour

Fido's Peanut Butter Balls

2008-03-24T14:28:00.002-04:00

1 Egg
1 cup of peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)

Mix together roll into balls squish with fork, bake at 350 on a parchment covered cookie sheet for 12-14 mins

TO Make Palatable to Humans: Add 1 cup sugar to the dough. Follow everything else the same

K9 Omlette

2008-03-24T14:26:00.000-04:00

1/2 cup kibble
1 egg

break egg over kibble in microwave safe dog dish. Whisk briskly with fork. Microwave for 1 min.

Cool and serve to pups!

Conejo con Cebolla (rabbit with onion)

2008-03-24T12:22:00.003-04:00

I've had something by this same name in a tapas restaurant and this is my effort to copy it. I'm really really close tastewise. I think it may be wine, rather than beer, but I tried this before I found bottles of wine on sale for ten cents (I bought several dollars worth...looked like a whino, but I use it for cooking. Not drinking.) Meanwhile, we seem to always have beer, despite never actually buying any. And since neither my husband nor myself are beer drinkers...I use it to cook!

1 rabbit
1 large sweet onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 beer
1 6oz can tomato paste
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Put crockpot on high with olive oil. When ready to be sizzling, add garlic and onion. When translucent, add beer and tomato paste. When boiling, add rabbit. after a few min, turn to low. Cook till meat is falling off the bone.

Savory Turkey legs

2008-03-24T12:17:00.003-04:00

1 pack turkey drumsticks (usually holds 3)
1 beer (Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale from bought 2 years ago)
1 habanero, minced
1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp chili powder
2 cloves minced garlic

Marinate defrosted turkey legs in the mixture above overnight.
Preheat oven to 375F
Wrap the bony section in aluminum foil to keep from getting way too dry and place in glass baking dish.
Cook legs for till skin begins to brown. Then re-add the marinade to the dish and flip legs over. Cook till smells good...I really have zero idea how long these were in.

Tandoori Chicken

2008-02-25T14:52:00.001-05:00

Good, but not mine. Just linking for future reference:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_102176,00.html

Hubby's Favorite Nut Candy

2008-02-22T13:50:00.002-05:00

This is a tweaked version of a candy recipe I've found in a Hershey's cookbook. I've made some improvements.

1 stick unsalted butter
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
16 oz mixed nuts (the Planters Macademia nut/walnut/etc works best and comes in 8oz cans)
1/2 "tube" marzipan
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper (sides as well as bottom). Spread out marzipan paste to evenly coat bottom of pan. Then pour chocolate chips on top.

In saucepan, melt together butter, corn syrup, and sugar on low; stirring constantly. Add nuts. Stir to coat. Increase heat to medium. Continue stirring mixture till sugar syrup begins to turn to a foamy light brown color and nuts are sticking together in clumps.

Take off heat and pour/spread into pan on top of chocolate chips. Cool and then refrigerate for about 3 hours to allow candy to set up completely.

Cut/break into smaller peices and enjoy!

Stuffed Meatloaf

2008-02-13T13:04:00.000-05:00

1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb pork sausage
1 large eggs
1/4 cup chili sauce
3 Tbsp Worstecheshire sauce
1 cup oatmeal
1 lb frozen chopped spinach (defrosted and squeezed out)
1 small onion diced
5 strong flavored mushrooms chopped shitake, cremini, etc.)
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese shredded
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Adobo (con pimiento)

Preheat oven to 450F
In frying pan, heat oil to med. Saute spinach, onion, and mushrooms. Set aside to cool
In large bowl mix beef, sausage, eggs, chili & Wors. sauces, oatmeal, and adobo. In large pan, place foil (preferrably Reynolds Release). Smear out meat mixture to a flat sheet. Then place spinach mixture on 2/3 and sprinkle with cheese. Roll up the meat, spinach end first, like a jelly roll (this is why the type of foil is very helpful!). Cook in oven covered for 45 min.
Uncover and increase heat to 475F. Cook for 15 min.
Remove and let rest before slicing and serving.

Stuffed Quail with Squash Ragout

2007-12-27T11:04:00.000-05:00

4 quail
2 cups stuffing mix
handful of dried cranberries
1 cup chicken stock
1 chicken apple sausage link (precooked)
1 sprig sage
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig thyme
1/4 cup white wine
4 Tbsp butter
1lb baby sunburst squash
1/2 shallot, minced
4 slices of thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 zucchini, sliced
2 cups cherry-type heirloom tomatos
1/4 cup white wine
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375F.

Prepare stuffing by dicing sausage and combining it with cranberries, stuffing mix, and stock. Carefully clean the birds, making sure all feathers and organs are removed. Place stuffing and pats of butter inside the birds and place in 8x8 baking pan, breast up. Lightly butter the breasts as well. Place wine, remaining butter, herbs, and remaining stuffin in the pan around the birds. Cover with foil and bake for 15 min. Birds should be cooked thru but look as if boiled or steamed. Remove foil and place under broiler for 5min to brown.

In frying pan, fry on med the bacon and shallots. When bacon has begun to crisp, add the sunburst squash. Lightly brown the baby squash and add the remaining ingrediants, cover, and let simmer. When the baby squash has softened and the zuchini and tomatoes have almost become a lumpy sauce it is done and ready to serve.

Serves 2 very large portions or 4 moderate ones

Alien autopsy

2007-12-10T13:37:00.000-05:00

1 part Malibu Coconut Rum
1 part Midori Melon
3 parts pineapple juice

Serve cold

Tzatziki

2007-12-10T12:19:00.002-05:00

2 containers plain, unflavored yogurt
1 cucumber, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp olive oil
Mix all and serve chilled. Good with pita, spanekopita, or as a gravy substitute for meat. Is better the second day.

Spanekopita

2007-12-10T12:19:00.001-05:00

2 packages frozen, chopped spinach
3 cloves garlic, minced1 brick feta cheese1 large onion, minced1 egg
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 package Phyllo 1 cup olive oil Defrost Phyllo overnight (possibly even 2) in fridge. Defrost spinach. Press out liquid.
Preheat oven to 400F. In large bowl, mix spinach, onion, garlic, egg, 2 tbsp olive oil, and crumble in the brick of feta. Open up phyllo and take about 4 sheets. Fill sheets with spinach filling and wrap like a burrito. Paint with a little olive oil and wrap in 4 more sheets. Paint with olive oil again and place the pastry on a cookie sheet on top of parchment paper. Make a 2nd. Put in oven for 20-30 min or until golden. Serve warm in slices.Serves 6-8

Easy Pork Chop Casserole

2007-12-10T09:37:00.003-05:00

6 oz Stove Top

1/12 cup water

4 thick boneless loin chops

2 Tbsp Butter

1 can Apple Pie Filling

Preheat oven to 375F
In baking dish layer the following: Stove top, water, butter, porkchops, pie filling.
Cover and bake for 40 min

You can also substitute for canned pie filling, homemade pie filling or excess ice-cream mix in.

Jambalaya

2007-12-10T09:35:00.001-05:00

3 cups water
2 cans diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups uncooked white rice
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 lb uncooked bacon (chopped)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 keilbasa sausage sliced
2 tsp Tabasco
2 carrots diced
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup White wine
In large pot on med-high heat place oil, bacon, and sausage. Crisp bacon and brown the sausage. Add onions, garlic, celery, and carrot. Cook over med heat till tender. Deglaze pan with white wine. Add water, tabasco, chicken stock, and tomatoes (with juice), return to med-high and bring to boil. Add rice. Cook over medium heat till rice is tender and water has cooked down. Serve.

Chocolate peanut butter pie

2007-12-10T09:01:00.000-05:00

2 pre-made oreo crusts
2 pack vanilla instant pudding
2 pack chocolate instant pudding
4 envelopes Dream Whip
5 1/2 cup milk
1 package peanut butter morsels
2 tsp vanilla extract

In microwave or double boiler soften morsels and combine with 1 cup milk. Chill
BEAT whipped topping mix and 1 cup of the milk/peanut butter and 1tsp vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed 6 minutes or until topping thickens and forms soft peaks. ADD 1-3/4 cups milk and vanilla pudding mixes. Beat on low speed until well blended. Beat on high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Spoon into pie crusts.
BEAT whipped topping mix and 1 cup of the milk and 1 tsp vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed 6 minutes or until topping thickens and forms soft peaks. ADD 1-3/4 cups milk and chocolate pudding mixes. Beat on low speed until well blended. Beat on high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. layer into pie crusts on top of peanut butter layer.
REFRIGERATE at least 4 hours. Garnish as desired.

Makes 2 8 inch pies

Salt & Pepper stir fry

2007-12-10T08:45:00.001-05:00

4 thai eggplants
1 pkg enoki mushrooms
1 tin bamboo shoots (drained)
1 tin water chestnuts (drained)
1 shallot, minced
Salt (only to prepare eggplant)
Pepper
1 Tbsp sesame oil

Slice eggplants into rounds and salt both sides. Place on cooling rack for 30 min. Salt will draw out bitter liquid. Rinse off rounds throughly. In wok on high heat heat up sesame oil. Grind black pepper into hot oil, being careful not to burn it. Add eggplants and brown. Add all other ingrediants stiring briskly till tender and heated thru.

Serves 4-6

Meme's Potato Candy

2007-12-10T08:31:00.003-05:00

1/2 Medium Sized Potato
1 Box Confectioners Sugar
Peanut Butter
Boil medium sized potato. Put in fridge to get cold.
Remove potato skin and use a fork to mash. Potato should be watery.
Add the entire box of confectioners sugar.
Once thoroughly mixed and very stiff, roll out mixture on a piece of waxed paper that has been dusted with confectioners sugar. Spread with peanut butter and roll as a jelly roll.
Roll should be no wider than quarter-sized. Cut pieces as desired.

Meme's Gooey Cake

2007-12-10T08:31:00.001-05:00

1 Betty Crocker Pound Cake Mix
1 Stick Margarine - melted
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 Eggs

Mix the top ingredients until stiff.
Spread evenly across a 9 x 12 cake pan. (Greased & Floured)
Mix Well -
1 Box Confectioners Sugar (hold back a small amount)
1 Stick Margarine - melted
1 Large Cream Cheese
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Vanilla
Pour this mixture over the cake batter in the pan.
Bake at 325-350 for 30-35 mins.

My Friend's Bien me Sabe (Tastes Good to Me)

2007-12-10T08:26:00.000-05:00

2½ cup sugar

1 cup water
2 cans cream of coconut
8 egg yolks

24 lady fingers
3 egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
¼ cup water

Arrange lady fingers in the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish. Boil 2½ cup sugar and 1 cup water over high heat without stirring until it makes a light syrup. Allow to cool. Gradually add the cream of coconut and stir. Add egg yolks and blend in.
Cook mixture over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Reduce to medium heat and stir until it boils. Immediately pour over lady fingers. Boil 3/4 cup sugar and ¼ cup water in a saucepan until the soft ball stage (240ºF).
Meanwhile beat egg whites until stiff. Slowly add syrup and beat until foamy.
top with the meringue toast in oven at 350. Cool

chill until serving. Serves 8-10.

Meme's Cocoa Fudge Cake

2007-12-10T08:25:00.001-05:00

Heat Until Melted:
2 Sticks margarine
1 Cup Water
4 Tablespoons Cocoa (or 1.5 squares of bakers' chocolate)
Mix:
2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Sour Milk*
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
1 Tsp. Cinnamon

Add Liquid Mixture. Batter will be soupy. Pour into Tube Cake Pan.
Bake approx 50 minutes @ 350 degrees.
*sour milk = milk + 1 -1/5 tsp vinegar. Mix until lumpy.

Meme's pound cake

2007-12-10T08:24:00.001-05:00

Cream Together:
1 cup Shortening (do not use butter)
2 Cups Sugar
Add:
4 Eggs
2 Cups Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
3/4 Cup Milk
1 Tsp Vanilla
Batter will be stiff.
Bake in Tube Cake Pan 60-70 Minutes @ 350 degrees

Grandma's sugar cookies

2007-12-10T08:23:00.001-05:00

1/2 cup margarine ( better than butter, helps cookies hold shape during baking)
1/4 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup sugar ( do not use sugar substitute)
2 eggs
1 teas. lemon extract ( or any other flavoring)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teas. baking powder
1 teas. salt

Mix thoroughly shortening, margarine, eggs and flavoring. Blend in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and chill at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll flour out to desired thickness. Thin dough will be a crisper cookie, thick will result in a cakier, softer cookie. Keep unused dough chilled until ready to use. Cut out shapes. Place on cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or nonstick foil. Bake 8 mins till set but not browned.
Cool on rack.
decorate if desired. Freezes beautifully.

Makes approximately 4 doz.

Fried Rice

2007-12-07T15:15:00.000-05:00

4 cups cooked, cold white rice
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 carrot, diced
3 Tbsp chopped green onion
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce (reduced sodium)
1 cup snow peas
1 egg

Add sesame oil to wok and heat up oil on high heat. Add egg and scramble. Add shallot, ginger, carrots, green onion, and peas and lower heat to med. Cook till tender. Add rice, return heat to high. Mix thoroughly while slowly adding soy sauce. Stop adding sauce when rice is evenly brown. Cook till well heated thru.
Serves 6

Orange Sesame Ginger Seabass

2007-12-07T15:09:00.000-05:00

1 Chilean Sea Bass steak
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp Sesame seeds
1 tsp finely chopped cilantro
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 cups orange juice

Combine cilantro, ginger, and sesame oil. Paint onto steak. Marinate in orange juice for at least 2 hours. Cover with sesame seeds. Grill over hot coals or in grill pan on high heat to crisp skin. Lower to medium heat and let cook for 30 min.

Cook Marinade as a reduction and serve on side as a sauce.

Serves 2

Imam Biyaldi (the Cleric Swooned)

2007-12-07T15:01:00.000-05:00

1 large eggplant
Salt
3 cloves of garlic
1 large diced onion
2 cans diced stewed tomatoes (drained)
¼ cup red wine
3 tbsp olive oil
½ cup olive oil

Wash and slice eggplant in half. Salt heavily and set on cooling racks for 1 hr to drain. Rinse eggplant and scoop out seeded center. Cube center pieces. Be certain to leave enough eggplant meat in the skin to make 2 eggplant ‘boats’. Preheat oven to 400F. Brush olive oil (from ½ cup measure) lightly on the eggplant ‘boats’ and place in large baking dish with remaining oil from the half cup measure. Cover with foil and heat in oven for ½ hour. In frying pan, heat 3 tbsp olive oil and garlic on medium high. Sautee cubed eggplant till softened. Add onions and cook till translucent. Add red wine and canned tomato. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Scoop mixture into eggplant boats and return to oven covered for 15-20 minutes.

Serves 6-8.

Acorn Squash Soup

2007-12-07T14:59:00.000-05:00

2 acorn squash
1 pt heavy cream
1 stick unsalted sweet cream butter
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
Pecan halves (for decoration)

Heat oven to 400F. Wash squash and place whole in oven. Remove after 30 min or when softened. Cut open and remove meat. Place in large bowl while still piping hot. Puree with stick blender and add other ingrediants. Serve warm (can be reheated if necessary). Tastes a lot like pumpkin pie as a soup.
Serves six

Babaganoush

2007-12-07T14:58:00.000-05:00

1 large eggplant
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
2 bell peppers
½ tbsp cumin
1 ½ tbsp tahini
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste
¼ cup olives, chopped (optional)

Under broiler in pan, char eggplant and bell peppers. Remove only about ½ the charred skin (the char adds a nice smokey taste to the dip). Cut up all ingredients and place them in the food processor. Blend till only slightly lumpy. Serve warm with pita chips.
Serves 4-6

Sushi-inspired Salad

2007-12-07T14:55:00.000-05:00

1 bag baby spinach (washed)
2 cups cooked sushi rice
1 pouch crabmeat
¼ lb steamed shrimp
2 carrots, julliened
1 cucumber, sliced
1 tomato, diced
1 baby daikon radish, jullienned
4 tsp black sesame seeds

Wasabi Dressing:
1 tbsp sesame oil
½ cup rice wine vinager
¼ cup soy sauce

Form sushi rice into 4 balls. Plate rice balls in center of each of 4 plates. Mix spinach, carrot, cucumber, radish, and tomato. Plate vegetables in ring around rice ball. Portion equally shrimps and dollops of crab meat on the salad mixture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Dollop wasabi on the edge of the plate. Serve with dressing on the side.
Serves 4