Category Archives: MISCELLANEOUS

MOLDED CRANBERRY FRUIT SALAD

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2 packages (6 oz ea) cherry jello
2 cups boiling water
1 bag (12 oz) fresh OR frozen cranberries
1 large apple, peeled and chopped
1 large orange, peeled, chopped and seeded
1 piece of orange peel (1″)
1 can (20 oz) crushed unsweetened pineapple, undrained

in a bowl, dissolve jello in water. stir in all remaining ingredients. process in small batches in a blender or food processor until coarsely chopped. pour into a 13″x9″x2″ dish or a 3 qt serving bowl. chill until set, about 2-3 hours.

16 servings

CHOCOLATE-COVERED STRAWBERRIES #2

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6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 pound (about 20) strawberries with stems, washed and dried very well

put the semisweet and white chocolates into 2 separate heat proof medium bowls. bring 2medium saucepans with a couple inches of water to a simmer over medium heat. turn off the heat; set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. stir until smooth. (alternately, melt the chocolates in a microwave at half power for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute or until melted.)

oncd the chocolates are melted and smooth, remove from the heat. line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the fruit into the dark chocolate, lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. set strawberries on the parchment paper. repeat with the rest of the strawberries. dip a fork in the white chocolate and drizzle the white chocolate over the dipped strawberries.

set the strawberries aside until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.

CORNED BEEF & CABBAGE

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1 corned beef brisket with spice packet (4-6 lbs)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2-3 bay leaves
18-24 small potatoes, peeled
8-12 medium carrots, halved
1 large head cabbage, cut into wedges

HORSERADISH SAUCE:
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1-1 1/2 cooking liquid (from brisket)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup horseradish

place brisket in a large dutch oven. cover with water. add brown sugar and bay leaves. (if spice packet is enclosed with brisket and add it also.) bring to a boil. reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours.

add potatoes and carrots. return to boiling. reduce heat; cover and simmer 30-40 minutes or until meat and veggies are just tender. if your dutch oven is not big enough for cabbage to fit, remove potatoes and carrots and keep warm (they can br returned to cooking liquid and heated through before serving.)

add cabbage; cover and cook about 15 minutes or until tender. discard bay leaves. remove cabbage and meat. strain and remove about 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid. let meat stand a few minutes. slice meat across the grain. serve with horseradish sauce. garnish with parsley if desired.

for horseradish sauce: in a small saucepan, melt butter. blend in flour. add 1 cup cooking liquid. stir until smooth. add vinegar, sugar and horseradish. cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. adjust seasoning with additional vinegar, sugar or horseradish if needed. thin sauce if necessary with the remaining cooking liquid.

RISOTTO STUFFED PEPPERS

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4 large red bell peppers
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

RISOTTO FILLING:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely minced
4 slices bacon, chopped
1/3 cup sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup long grain rice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound chicken livers, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

to make risotto filling, heat the oil in a saucepan. add onion and bacon and cook over moderate heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. add rice, reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. add broth and tomato paste to the pan. stir well. bring to a boil, stirring. cover the pan tightly and turn heat to lowest setting. cook gently for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the broth is absorbed. meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. slice off tops of peppers and remove seeds. cut a thin slice from base of each pepper, if necessary, so it will stand upright. carefully lower the peppers into the boiling water. return to a boil and boil gently for 3 minutes. drain the peppers well and stand them upright in a heat-proof dish. melt the butter in a small saucepan. add the chicken livers and cook over moderate heat for 4 minutes, stirring, until just cooked ( the livers should the browned outside, but still pink inside). when is the rice is cooked, stir in chicken livers together with butter in which they were cooked. season to taste and spoon into the peppers. top each pepper with grated cheddar cheese. bake for 30 minutes.

MARINATED GRILLED MUSHROOMS

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20 fresh button mushrooms
20 fresh crimini mushrooms
10 fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

trim and clean mushrooms and place into a large bowl. season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, and olive oil. toss well. allow to marinate 30 minutes (or longer).

place one of each mushroom on a skewer with 1/2 sage leaf between the two mushrooms. place on a preheated grill and cover with a pan to smoke the mushrooms. cook until the mushrooms have become brown with grill marks, if possible.

CORN FRITTERS

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1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
2 well-beaten eggs
1 can cream-style corn

sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. blend eggs and corn. gradually stir into dry ingredients, mixing well. in a deep skillet or deep fat fryer, slowly heat oil, at least 2″ deep, to 365 degrees. carefully lower spoonfuls of mixture into hot oil, a few at a time. fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.

PIZZA DIVINO

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DOUGH:
1 package dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (approx) flour

SAUCE:
2 cups pizza sauce (unseasoned OR basil only), OR 1 cup tomato puree and 1 cup ground whole tomatoes
1 1/2-2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons parmesan cheese
3 teaspoons olive oil

for sauce: mix all ingredients together until well combined.

for dough: in a mixing bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water and let stand 5 minutes to soften. add sugar and salt and mix well. add 1 1/2 cups flour and mix until smooth. add just enough more flour to make a dough just barely firm enough to handle. knead until smooth. divide the dough in half. knead each piece into a ball. let rise 30 minutes.

form each ball into pizza shape. cover with sauce, cheese, and other toppings of your choice, if desired. bake at 425 degrees until done.