3 cups water
2/3 cup long-grain rice
1 envelope noodle soup mix
1 (4 oz) can undrained mushrooms
bring water to a boil in a 2 qt saucepan. stir in other ingredients. cover pan and simmer very gently, about 25 minutes. stir occasionally. remove from heat. let stand 10 minutes, covered, before serving.
serves 4
1 cup fine unseasoned dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1 1/2 lbs flounder OR sole fillets
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp celery seed
pinch of ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbs vegetable oil
place the bread crumbs and flour in separate shallow bowls or pie plates. break the eggs into another shallow bowl and beat with a fork. one at a time, dip the fillets in the flour, coating both sides. gently shake off the excess and dip into the egg. let the excess drain off and dip the fillet in the bread crumbs, coating both sides. place the fish on a plate, cover, and chill until ready to proceed.
in a medium bowl, beat 1 stick of the butter until well softened. add the lemon juice, celery seed, cloves, salt, and pepper, and beat until blended. transfer the sauce to a small serving bowl.
in a large nonstick skillet, warm the oil with 2 tbs of the butter over medium-high heat. when the butter and oil begin to foam, add the fillets and reduce the heat to medium. cook until the fillets are golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. add the remaining 2 tbs butter as necessary. transfer the fillets to paper towels to drain.
arrange the fillets on a serving platter. serve hot with the lemon butter on the side.
serves 4
4 lg bell peppers
2 1/2 cups cooked white OR brown rice
1 (15 1/2 oz) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup tomato salsa
3 scallions, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sugar
cut the tops off the bell peppers, save them for later use, and remove and discard the seeds and membranes. arrange the peppers upright in a 5 1/2-6 qt slow cooker.
in a medium mixing bowl, combine the rice, beans, salsa, and scallions and season with salt and pepper to taste. mix well. fill the pepper cavities evenly with the rice mixture, packing it lightly. replace the pepper tops.
in the same bowl, combine the tomatoes, cumin, oregano, and sugar and season with salt and pepper. pour over and around the peppers in the slow cooker. cover and cook on LOW for 4 hour, until the peppers are fork-tender but still hold their shape. serve hot.
serves 4
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted buttter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 eggs
1 cup crushed fresh strawberries OR 1 (10 oz) pkg frozen strawberries, thawed and drained on a double thickness of paper towels
1/3 cup sliced almonds
preheat the oven to 325 degrees. spray or grease a 9″x5″ loaf pan.
in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. set aside.
in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and almond extract until light, about 2 minutes. beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. mix in the flour mixture alternately with the crushed strawberries.
spoon the batter into the prepared pan. sprinkle the top with the almonds. bake in the center of the oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
cool the bread in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and turn right side up to cool completely.
makes 1 (9″x5″) loaf
SYRUP MIXTURE:
2 lg eggs
2 2/3 cups ole barrel syrup*
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups boiling water
in a small mixing bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer until thick. beat in syrup. stir in baking soda. gradually add boiling water, stirring continually until mixed. set aside until completely cool. if in a hurry, set bowl in cold water and stir gently until cool.
*ole barrel syrup will produce the best results. however, if it is unavailable in your area, a thick corn syrup may be substituted.
CRUMBS:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbs shortening
pastry for two 9 1/2″ single crust pies
in a large bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, and salt. cut shortening into flour mixture with a pastry blender. set 1 1/3 cups crumb mixture aside in a small bowl. pour approximately 1 cup syrup mixture into remaining crumb mixture; mix by hand to make a thick, smooth paste. add remaining syrup mixture approximately 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition to keep mixture as smooth as possible.
pour syrup and crumb mixture into pie crusts; sprinkle half of reserved crumbs evenly on each pie. bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30 more minutes.if center of pie is not set at the end of this time, turn oven off and leave pies in the oven for 5-15 minutes more.
make 2 (9 1/2″) pies
CRUST:
1/3 cup plus 1 tbs warm water (105-115 degrees)
3/4 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbs olive oil
OR
commercial pizza dough OR dough mix
OR
1 (10″) unbaked commercial crust
TOPPING:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half
1/2 cup bullseye original barbecue sauce
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated gouda cheese (smoked, if you can find it)
1/2 cup sliced red onion
2 tsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
if you are makig a homemade crust,start the dough one day before you plan to serve the pizza. in a small bowl or measuring cup, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. let it sit for 5 minutes until the surface of the mixture turns foamy. (If it doesn’t foam, either the yeast was to old – i.e., dead – or the water was too hot – i.e., you killed it. try again.) sift together the flour and salt in a medium bowl. make a depression in the flour and pour in the olive oil and yeast mixture. use a fork to stir the liquid, gradually drawing in more flour as you stir, until all the ingredients are combined. when you can no longer stir with a fork, use your hands to form the dough into a ball. knead the dough with the heels of your hands on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes, or until the texture of the dough is smooth. form the dough back into a ball, coat it lightly with oil, and place it into a clean bowl covered with plastic wrap. keep the bowl in a warm place for about 2 hours to allow the dough to double in size. punch down the dough and put it back into the covered bowl and into your refrigerator overnight. take the dough from the refrigerator 1-2 hours before you plan to build the pizza so that the dough can warm up to room temperature.
if you are using a commercial dough or dough mix, follow the instructions on your package to prepare it. you may have to set some of the dough aside to make a smaller, 10″ crust.
cut the chicken breast into bite-size cubes and marinate it in 1/4 cup of the barbecue sauce in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
when the chicken has marinated, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. heat a small frying pan on your stove with about 1 1/2 tsp of olive oil in it. saute the chicken in the pan for about 3-4 minutes or until done.
form the dough into a ball and roll out on a floured surface until very thin and 10″ in diameter. put your pizza crust onto a baking sheet or pizza pan, and spread the remaining 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce evenly over the pizza crust.
sprinkle 1/2 cup of the mozzarella and all of the gouda cheese over the sauce.
add the chicken next.
the red onion goes next.
sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella around the center of the pizza.
cilantro goes on top of the mozzarella.
bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is light brown.
when the pizza is done, remove it from the oven and make 4 even cuts across the pie. this will give you 8 slices.
serves 2 as an entree
USE FROZEN BERRIES IN BAKED GOODS – Frozen berries can taste just as good as fresh when used in baked goods. Look for whole berries without syrup. You don’t even have to bother thawing them before adding them to your batter. You may need to add a few minutes to your cooking time however because they will make the batter cold.
REDUCE THE STICKINESS OF PASTA AND RICE – The starch in pastas and rices often cause them to stick together. Avoid this by adding a splash of vinegar when boiling them. The result will be perfect, stick-free pasta and rice every time.
RIPEN TOMATOES OVERNIGHT – Putting green tomatoes in a brown paper bag with an overripe banana can quickly ripen them. By the morning your green tomatoes will be red and ready to eat.
GET CRISPIER FRIED CHICKEN – For crispier fried chicken, add a teaspoon of baking powder to your coating mix then coat and fry as you normally would. Remember to make sure that the oil is very hot before adding the chicken to avoid an overpowering greasy taste.
