My Thanksgiving Meal – 2009

November 22, 2009 by

Here’s what we’ll be having for our Thanksgiving meal. No soup this year, and the desserts will be simple. But what never changes is the turkey recipe, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving in the DVD player and the Christmas music – gotta have it. Good cheer to all!

Divorce Court Turkey – (See Poultry Category)
Gravy
Mashed potatoes- (See Vegetables Category)
All American Bread Stuffing – (See Holidays & Special Occasions Category)
Corn and broccoli
Cranberry Sauce – (See Sauce Category or use the canned)
Rolls – (Fresh from the bakery section of our local grocer)

Desserts
Taste of Heaven – (See Desserts Category)
Best Apple Pie – (See Pies Category)

Filed Under: A Few Tid Bits, Frontpage, Holidays & Special Occasions, Turkey Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Spicy Beef Satay

November 14, 2009 by

Even on a rainy day you can make this curried beef dish on skewers, or just lay them on a rimmed baking sheet without the skewers. Just marinade a few hours ahead of time for the ultimate flavors.

1-2 lbs. thinly, sliced pepper steak strips
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper (less cayenne = less “kick”)

Place the meat in a zip lock type resealable bag. In a small bowl, whisk all the other ingredients together then pour into the bag and turn to coat. Set on a plate in your fridge for a few hours.

Take out 2 large jelly roll type pans and grease them. Drain then toss out the rest of the marinade. Thread the beef onto metal skewers or make sure you soak the wooden ones. Broil 3-4 inches from the heat for about 4 minutes on each side, or until your desired doneness.

Tastes really good with a Thai peanut sauce served alongside for dipping.

Filed Under: Beef, Frontpage

Rice Porridge

October 25, 2009 by

Very comforting nursery food.  When I wanna curl up on the couch and pamper myself, this is what I eat while watching a romantic comedy or (gasp!) a horror flick!

1/2 cup long-grain white rice
1 tsp. kosher salt

Place rice in a sieve to rinse under cold water then let drain. Place the drained rice, 6 cups cold water, and the salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover partially, then turn to medium-low to simmer for about 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.  It is done when it has the consistency of porridge. Place in bowls with topping of your choice (butter, ground pepper, syrup, etc.) This makes about 4 servings.

Filed Under: Breakfast / Brunch, Something Different Tagged With: , , , ,

Chipotle Chicken

October 25, 2009 by

Spicy, smokey, chipotles mixed with tomato sauce then rubbed on chicken for your backyard grilling pleasure. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over them right before serving.

1 (approx. 7 oz.) can chipotles in adobo sauce
1/2 cup tomato sauce
8-12 pieces chicken (bone-in, skin-on)
2 lemons, quartered and seeded

Get out a large, glass pan and set rinsed/patted dry chicken pieces into it. Combine the chipotles and sauce then spread all over chicken pieces. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight is even better.

Prepare your grill and cook until done. Sprinkle the lemon juice over and serve. Don’t forget the napkins!

Filed Under: Chicken, Frontpage

Tangy Beef

September 27, 2009 by

Use either stewing beef or beef ribs – either way you go it will turn out divine. Possible side dish would be some buttered egg noodles, or rice, or even mashed potatoes.

3 lbs. stewing beef OR 5-6 lbs. beef ribs
15 oz. can tomato sauce
6 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. hot red pepper flakes

In a large pan or dutch oven, mix together the sauce and lemonade – heat till hot, then stir in all ingredients except beef. Mix well, add beef, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer then cover and simmer for 3 full hours. Stir occasionally.

Filed Under: Beef, Frontpage, Soups & Stews Tagged With: , ,

Roasted Chicken with Veggies

September 23, 2009 by

Delicious, easy, and you can use just about any vegetable you want.

8 pieces of chicken – bone in, skin on
1/2 bag of baby carrots
2 large potatoes, peeled and chunked
1/2 green, red, yellow or orange pepper, seeded and chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. tarragon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Heaping Tbsp. minced garlic
Sprinklings of hot pepper flakes – optional

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place all the ingredients, up to the oil into a roasting pan. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, broth and spices; drizzle over the pan and with your hands mix well and place chicken skin side down.

Cook for 1 hour, or until chicken is done.

Filed Under: Chicken, Frontpage

Bread Pudding

September 9, 2009 by

This needs to be made the night before and left to set in the fridge overnight.

1 loaf of French bread or 6 croissants
3 cups milk
6 large eggs
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. cold butter, diced

Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Trim ends of bread loaf and cut diagonally into 1 inch thick slices. If using croissants, just arrange. Arrange the bread slices in a single layer in the dish, squeezing the slices to fit if that’s necessary.

In a large bowl whisk the milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until blended. Pour this slowly and evenly over the bread. Press down lightly with the back of a large spoon, or a spatula to make sure each piece is covered. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the top. cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.

Next morning, take dish out of fridge and set on counter. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wait 30 minutes.

Uncover dish, dot it with butter and bake for 45 minutes or until set and light golden brown.

Filed Under: Breakfast / Brunch, Frontpage

In Memory

September 1, 2009 by

Sheila Lukins passed away on August 30th of brain cancer.  Sheila was co-owner of The Silver Palate food store in Manhattan and was one of my all-time favorite cookbook authors. She will be missed but I thank her for introducing me to brie cheese and adding prunes and black olives to many dishes. Please, do yourself a favor and get one of her cookbooks for your collection. She was a genius!

Filed Under: Frontpage Tagged With:

Rasgullas (Squeaky Cheese Balls)

August 20, 2009 by

Strange name but delicious little treats. Basically, it’s homemade cheese simmered in sugar water then cooled. This is an Indian recipe that came from friends of mine from Upstate New York. It’s simple, different, and tasty. Plan on making these a day ahead; they need setting time.

3 pints milk
3-4 Tbsp. lemon juice – room temperature
2 tsp. cornmeal
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 cups water
Few squares/pieces of cheesecloth (Can be purchased in the dishcloth section of grocery store)

Line a colander with the cheesecloth and place in the sink.

Pour the milk into a large saucepan and bring to the almost boiling point – keep an eye on this as the milk will begin to rise in the pan and it rises fast. As it begins to rise, remove it from the heat and add the room temp lemon juice and stir only once. Allow this to stand for 5 minutes; the curds will form during this time. Pour milk mixture into the lined colander and drain for about 4 hours.

Turn the curds out onto your counter and knead a full 5 minutes, using the heel of your hand. Add the cornmeal and knead again until the cream cheese is smooth. You will know when you are done kneading because your palm will become greasy.Shape cheese into walnut-sized balls and place on a plate; set aside.

In a large saucepan heat sugar and water together until sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour about half (you don’t have to be exact) of the syrup into another container such as a large, glass Pyrex measuring cup.

Put Rasgullas into the syrup in the pan and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered on very low heat until the Rasgullas swell and become spongy – approximately 1 hour. You will need to occasionally add a little of the reserved sugar syrup to the pan to keep it from getting too thick. After 1 hour remove from heat and cool until lukewarm. Serve warm or at room temperature by placing 1 -2 Rasgullas on individuals plates per serving.

Filed Under: Something Different

Pepper Steak II

August 20, 2009 by

img_0259.jpgEveryone needs more than just one of these recipes, and this is for a larger crowd. Serve with coleslaw, rice or egg noodles, and a bread – you’ll knock their socks off!

2 lbs. flank steak sliced thin (ask the butcher)
6 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil or canola oil – Divided
3 medium onions, peeled & coarsely chopped
2 big green bell peppers, seeded & coarsely chopped
Heaping Tbsp. of minced garlic
24 oz. canned (or homemade) chicken stock/broth
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
Fresh ground pepper
1 Tbsp. corn starch – added at the end for a thickener, if needed

Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in large pan or dutch oven then brown the steak on all sides – about 10 minutes; remove steak from pan, set aside on plate and drain pan. Add the other 3 Tbsp. oil, heat, then add the onions, green peppers and garlic. Saute for 10 minutes. Add the reserved steak to the pan along with all the over ingredients except the corn starch. Cook for 30 minutes on simmer.

Place the corn starch in a small bowl and add about a teaspoon of cold water, whisk well and add to the pot while stirring the whole time – this will thicken up the gravy. Serve.

Filed Under: Beef, Frontpage
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