AN EASY WAY TO PEEL GINGER ROOT – to easily peel ginger root, place it in the freezer for an hour before use & then remove the skin with a sharp knife. or try using the edge of a spoon when peeling room temperature ginger root.
APRICOT FILLING:
2 cups water
2 cups dried apricots
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
CRUST:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup old-fashioned OR quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup 10x sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
prepare the filling. in a medium saucepan, heat the water and apricots to a boil. reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. the apricots will be soft. drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid; discard the remaining liquid.
using a food processor, puree the apricots. return the apricots to the saucepan and add the sugar, cornstarch, and the reserved cooking liquid. cook over medium-low heat, stirring for 1 minute, or until the filling thickens. cool.
while the filling cools, prepare the crust. in a lg bowl, combine the flour, oats, and sugar with an electric mixer. beat in the melted butter, cinnamon, and baking soda, then continue until the mixture forms crumbs, about 1 minute. reserve 1 cup of the crumbs for the topping. press the remaining crumbs evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 8″ baking pan.
spread the apricot filling over the crust. sprinkle with the reserved topping. bake in the center of the oven fdor 30-40 minutes, or until the fillng is set and the crust is firm. cool completely on a wire rack.
using a small sharp knife, cut into bars.
makes 30 bars
1 cup sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbs margarine
1/3 cup milk
preheat oven to 400 degrees. sift together dry ingredients. add margarine and milk; mix quickly. knead on a floured board and roll out 1/2″ thick; cut into rounds or squares. bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 20 minutes.
1 1/2 cups (old-fashioned) rolled oats
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup chocolate chips
preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle position.
measure out the oatmeal in a medium-sized bowl. melt the butter and pour it over the oatmeal. stir until it’s thoroughly mixed.
in a small bowl, combine the sugar, baking powder, flour, and salt. mix well.
add the sugar mixture to the oatmeal mixture and blend thoroughly.
mix in the vanilla and the beaten egg. stir well.
add the chocolate chips and stir the mixture until it is well combined.
line cookie sheets with foil, shiny side up. spray the foil lightly with pam or another nonstick cooking spray.
drop the cookie dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the foil, leaving space for spreading. don’t crowd these cookies together, no more than 6 or 8 per sheet.
bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. remove them from the oven and cool them on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. pull the foil off of the sheet and over to a waiting wire rack. let the cookies cool completely.
when the cookies are cool, peel them carefully from the foil and store them in a cool, dry place.
makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies
2 cups pecan halves
1 egg white
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs ground cinnamon
preheat the oven to 300 degrees. stir pecans into egg white until all sides are moist & sticky. sprinkle cinnamon & sugar over nuts, then stir until well coated. spread evenly onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. cool and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
makes approx 2 cups
1 (1/2 oz) pkg butter buds
3/4 cup tomato juice
2 tbs cider OR red wine vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 (3 lb) broiler-fryer chicken, cut up & skin removed
prepare butter grandules according to pkg directions. stir in tomato juice, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic & oregano. place chicken in a resealable plastic bag. add marinade; seal & refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. place chicken and marinade in a 13″x9″x2″ baking pan coated with pam. bake,uncovered, at 375 degrees for 1 hours or until juices run clear, spooning marinade over chicken several times.
6 servings
24 new potatoes, red OR white
2-3 tsp coarse sea salt, or to taste
pepper to taste
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
6 tbs unsalted butter, cut into 6 slices
put the potatoes in a lg saucepan, cover with cold water, cover, & bring to a boil over high heat. reduce the heat & simmer until the potatoes are only just fork-tender, 15-20 minutes. drain & return the potatoes to the pot. shake the pot until the moisture is completely, then salt the potatoes while you shake them around in the pot. when salt begins to adhere to the potatoes, stop; don’t overdo the salt. scatter the pepper & parsley over the potatoes & serve each portion accompanied by a pat of butter.
serves 4-6
6 cups small brussels sprouts
2 tsp walnut oil
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup grated fontina cheese
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
3/4 cup light cream OR whole milk
1 tbs minced fresh parsley, for garnish
preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
steam the sprouts 20 minutes over boiling water, until just tender. oil a casserole dish and arrange a layer of sprouts in it. season with salt and pepper. combine the cheeses and sprinkle over the sprouts. repeat the layers. pour over the cream or milk, then bake until the top begins to brown, about 10 minutes. garnish with minced parsley. serve hot.
2 tbs olive oil
6 lg boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3 lg head garlic (about 40 cloves), unpeeled and broken apart
2 tbs fresh thyme leaves OR 1 tbs dried
2 cups dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil in an ovenproof casserole, and saute the chicken on both sides until golden, about 5 minutes total. turn off the heat. remove the chicken. spread the garlic cloves over the bottom of the casserole, sprinkle with thyme, and arrange the chicken on top. pour in the wine and broth, and season with salt and pepper. bake for 30 minutes. place the chicken into 6 soup plates. mash the garlic cloves in the broth and ladle over the chicken. serve hot with chunks of a baguette or italian bread for dipping.
serves 4-6
2 tbs cornstarch
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lbs total)
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 med onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (8 oz) can juice-packed crushed pineapple
1/4 tsp sugar
3-5 drops hot pepper sauce, to taste
1 med green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 med red OR yellow bell pepper, slivered
2 tbs fresh lime juice
4 tsp grated orange zesst
1 1/2 tsp grated lime zest
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbs chopped cilantro
in a shallow bowl, combine the cornstarch & black pepper. lightly dredge the chicken breasts in the seasoned cornstarch.
in a lg skillet, warm 1 tbs of the oil over medium-high heat. add the chicken adn brown all over, about 5 minutes per side. transfer the chicken to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
add the remaining 1 tbs of the oil to the skillet. add the onion, garlic, pineapple, sugar, and hot pepper sauce. bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
return the pineapple mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. stir in the bell peppers lime juice, orange zest, lime zest, and salt. return the chicken (and any juices that have collected on the plate) to the skillet. heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 3 minutes.
stir in the cilantro. divide the chicken and sauce among 4 plates and serve hot.
serves 4
