Monthly Archives: June 2012

CONGEE ANYTIME

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1 cup arborio OR other rice
1 small yellow onion minced
1 cup finely shredded napa cabbage
1 tbs peeled & minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
6 cups vegetabls stock
1 tbs tamari OR other soy sauce, plus more to serve
chopped scallions for garnish
chopped dry-roasted peanuts for garnish

in a 3 1/2-4 qt slow cooker, combine the rice, onion, cabbage, ginger, and garlic. stir in the stock and tamari. cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, until the texture is thick and creamy.

to serve, ladle the congee into soup bowls and garnish with scalions and peanuts. put extra tamari on the table for people to add according to taste.

6 servings

POPCORN BALLS

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20 cups popped popcorn (discard any unpopped kernels)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp distilled white vinegar1 1/4 tsp vanilla
2 cups mini semisweet OR white chocolate chips

preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

put the popped corn in a large heatproof bowl and place in the oven to keep crisp.

in a small heavy sacuepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, salt, and vinegar and cook over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. stir, and continue cooking until the mixture reaches 250 degrees (firm ball stage) on a candy thermometer. stir in the vanilla.

pour the hot syrup over the hot popped corn in a slow steady stream. mix well, stirring and tossing with a wooden spoon, until all the corn is coated with the syrup, then mix in the chocolate chips. with clean hands, shape the popcorn mixture into balls about 3″ in diameter (the size of a baseball). set on a platter or sheet of waxed paper to firm up.

makes 18-20 balls

HOOTERS BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS

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vegetable oil for frying
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup crystal louisiana hot sauce OR frank’s red hot cayenne sauce
dash ground pepper
dash garlic powder
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
10 chicken wing pieces

ON THE SIDE:

bleu cheese dressing
celery sticks

heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees. you want just enough oil to cover the wings entirely – an inch or so deep at least.

combine the butter, hot sauce, ground pepepr, and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. heat until the butter is melted and the ingredients are well blended.

combine the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt in a small bowl.

if the wings are frozen, be sure to defrost and dry them. put the wings into a large bowl and sprinkle the flour mixture over them, coating each wing evenly. put the wings in the refrigerator for 60-90 minutes. (this will help the breading to stick to the wings when fried.)

put all the wings into the hot oil and fry them for 10-15 minutes or until some parts of the wings begin to turn dark brown.

remove the wings from the oil to a paper towel to drain. don’t let them sit too long because you want to serve the wings hot.

quickly put the wings into a large bowl. add the hot sauce and stir, coating all of the wings evenly. you could also use a large plastic container with a lid for this. put all the wings inside the container, add the sauce, put on the lid, then shake. serve with bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks.

serves 3-5 as an appetizer

WISE WOMAN’S SOUP

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5-6 lg potatoes, peeled & diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 (10 oz) can chicken broth
3 bay leaves
1 can chicken and rice soup
1 tbs oregano
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp celery seed
3/4 cup whole milk
2 cups corn (frozen OR canned)
1 cup green beans
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 medium onion, diced
salt and pepper

fill a large kettle two-thirds full of water, add potatoes, and bring to a rolling boil. add remaining ingredients. let boil 10 minutes more. simmer 2-3 hours. salt and pepper to taste.

BOGGLES

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2 cups (4 sticks) melted butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 cups flour
3 cups sweetened dried cranberries (craisins OR another brand)*
3 cups rolled oats (uncooked)

*IF YOU CAN’T FIND DRIED CRANBERRIES WHERE YOU LIVE, YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE ANY CHOPPED DRIED FRUIT SUCH AS DATES, APRICOTS, PEACHES, ETC.

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. add sugars and let cool a bit. add eggs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla. add flour and mix. then add the cranberries and oats and mix everything up. the dough will be quite stiff.

drop by teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a sheet.

bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. cool on the cookie sheet for 2 mnutes. remove to a rack until cool.

makes 10-12 dozen, depending on the cookie size.

APPLESAUCE MUFFINS

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3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
4 tsp double-acting baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups applesauce
6 tbs melted margarine OR butter
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

prepare 24 muffin pan papers (2 1/2″ size). preheat oven to 400 degrees. combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, mixing with a fork. in another bowl, mix applesauce, melted margarine, milk and egg unti blended. stir applesauce mixture into flour mixture until the flour mixture is moistened. (the mixture will be a bit lumpy.) stir in nuts. spoon batter into muffin pan papers. bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. remove muffins from pans immediately.

to reheat, simply wrap muffins in aluminum foil and place in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.

MACARONI TUNA CASSEROLE

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1 (7 1/4 oz) pkg macaroni & cheese
1 can cream of celery soup
1 (6 oz) can tuna, drained and flaked
1/2 cup milk
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
minced fresh parsley, optional

prepare mac & cheese according to package directions. stir in soup, tuna and milk. pour into a greased 2 qt casserole. sprinkle with cheese & parsley, if desired. bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

4 servings

MARGARITA CUPCAKES

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CUPCAKES:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
zest and juice of 1 1/2 limes
2 tbs tequila
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk

TO BRUSH THE CUPCAKES:

1-2 tbs tequila

TEQUILA-LIME FROSTING:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 3/4 cups 10x sugar
1 tbs lime juice
2 tbs tequila
pinch of coarse salt

preheat the oven to 325 degrees. line a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.

in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla and tequila. mix until combined. (the mixture may start to look curdled at this point, but don’t worry. it will all come back together.)

reduce the mixer speed to low. add the dry ingredients in three batches, alernating with the buttermilk in two batches. mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand.

divide the batter between the muffin cups. bake for approximately 25 minutes or until just slightly golden and a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pan at the halfway point.

allow cupcakes to cool for 5-10 mnutes, and then remove to a cooling rack. brush the tops of the cupcakes with the 1-2 tbs of tequila. set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting them.

to make the frosting: whip the butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed using the whisk attachment for 5 minutes. reduce the speed to medium-low, and gradually add the 10x sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated. give it a mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. add the lime juice, tequila and salt and mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and fluffy. if the frosting appears a bit too soft, add some additional sugar one spoonful at a time until desired consistency is reached. frost cupcakes and garnish, if desired, with lime zest, an additional sprinkling of salt and a lime wedge.

makes 12 cupcakes

FRUIT-GLAZED CORNISH HENS

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2 (1 1/4 lb) cornish hens, split
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup fruit jam OR jelly

preheat the broiler. line a broiler pan wih foil.

if the hens are not already split, with a heavy knife, cut through the hens at the backbone. turn the hens, skin-side down, and cut through the white membrane on either side of the breastbone. bend the breast backward until the breatbone breaks, then pull out the breastbone and the attached cartilage. cut the hen in half.

in a small bowl, combine the oil, salt, and pepper. rub the hen halves all over wth the seasoned oil and place them, skin-side up, on the prepared broiler pan. broil the hens 4″ from the heat for 15 minutes.

meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, warm the jam (or jelly), stirring frequently, until melted, about 4 minutes.

brush the hens with the jam and broil for 3-5 minutes longer, or until the hens are glazed and cooked through. watch carefully to keep the jam from charring. serve hot.

serves 4

PEACH-BLUEBERRY TUMBLE…IN THE CROCKPOT!

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4 lg ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 cup fresh blueberries, picked over for stems
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar OR a natural sweetener
3/4 cup rolled (old-fashioned) oats
1/3 cup nonhydrogeneated margarine, softened
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

place the peaches in a 3 1/2-4 qt slow cooker. add the blueberries and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar and stir to combine.

in a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, the oats, margarine, cinnamon, and salt. mix well and sprinkle on top of the fruit.

put the lid on the slow cooker slightly askew to let the steam escape. cook on HIGH for about 2 hours. if too much liquid remains, remove the lid and cook 30 minutes longer. serve hot.

4 servings