Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Chicken Stir-Fry over Rice by Ophelia Dunk

Chicken Stir-Fry over Rice

Canola oil

2 head of green onion, cut into 2-3-in. pieces

3 carrots, cut diagonally into think pieces (then, cut pieces in half if carrots are large)

4 stalks of celery, cut diagonally into 1/4-in pieces

4-5 white mushrooms, sliced into small pieces

Salt

Black pepper

1 tsp white pepper

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 family pack of chicken tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces.

2 T cornstarch

1 c water, at room temperature

Rice, cooked per instructions on package

1. Heat large skillet/pan over medium heat. Heat oil. When hot, add carrots. Cook until it starts to soften.

2. Add celery. Cook until it starts to soften.

3. Add mushrooms and white pepper. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until vegetables are almost completely cooked.

4. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside.

5. Add more oil if needed to the pan. When heated again, add garlic.

6. When garlic scent arises, add chicken pieces.

7. Meanwhile, in a measuring cup, add cornstarch. Pour 1 c of water over cornstarch. Stir well.

8. When chicken is almost done, mix vegetables back into the pan.

9. Re-stir cornstarch mixture and pour over chicken and vegetables. Continually stir until sauce thickens and chicken completely cooks.

10. Serve over cooked rice.

Layered Hot Artichoke & Feta Dip by Autumn Golden

Layered Hot Artichoke & Feta Dip

1 pkg (8oz) Neufchatel cheese, softened

1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained, chopped

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small red pepper, chopped

1 pkg (3.5 oz) crumbled, reduced fat Feta cheese

1 Tbsp sliced black olives

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix first 4 ingredients until blended.

Spread into 3 c ovenproof dish; top with peppers and feta.

Bake 20 min or until heated through; top with olives. Serve with chips.

Chocolate Pot de Crème by Autumn Golden

Chocolate Pot de Crème
from Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book

Prep: 10 min, Cook: 10 min, Chill: 4hr, Makes: 8 servings

2 c whipping cream
6 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 c sugar
4 beaten egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

1. In medium heavy sauce pan combine the whipping cream, chocolate, and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat about 10 minutes or until mixture comes to full boil and thickens (If chocolate flecks remain, use a rotary beater or wire whisk to beat mixture until blended).

2. Gradually stir all of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks; stir in vanilla. Divide evenly into 8 sake cups, small cups, pot de crème cups, or 3 oz ramekins. Cover and chill for 4-24 hours before serving. Garnish with white chocolate curls or whipped cream.

*Mocha Pot de creme: Prepare as above, except add 1 Tbsp instant espresso coffee powder or 2 Tbsp instant coffee crystals to whipping cream before heating.

French Macarons by Cassie DuBois

French Macarons

Original recipe makes about 30 cookies

4 extra large egg whites
1 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/3 cups almond flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup superfine (castor) sugar
Flavoring
Filling

Directions

Place egg whites into a metal mixing bowl and refrigerate overnight. The next day, bring egg whites to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 280 degrees F (138 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a bowl. Beat the egg whites with salt in metal bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute; increase speed to high and gradually beat in superfine sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until the egg whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks, 3 to 5 more minutes.
Gently fold almond flour mixture into whipped egg whites until thoroughly incorporated; spoon meringue into a pastry big fitted with a 3/8-inch tip.
Pipe 1-inch disks of meringue onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between cookies. The batter will spread. Lift the baking sheets a few inches above the work surface and hit them lightly on the work surface several times to remove any air bubbles from the cookies. Let the cookies stand at room temperature until the shiny surfaces become dull and a thin skin forms, about 15 minutes.
Place the baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake with the oven door open slightly until the macarons' surfaces are completely dry, about 15 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on a baking sheet before peeling parchment paper from the cookies.
Spread half the cookies with any desired filling, top with remaining cookies to make sandwiches, and refrigerate at least 2 hours to overnight to let the cookies soften.

Party Punch by Cassie DuBois

Party Punch

- 1 cup white sugar

- 6 cups water

- 2 (3 ounce) packages strawberry (raspberry works really well too) flavored Jell-O® mix

- 1 (46 fluid ounce) can pineapple juice

- 2/3 cup lemon juice

- 1 quart orange juice

- 2 (2 liter) bottles lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage (Sprite, 7 UP, or Gingerale, etc)

Directions

1. Bring the sugar, water, and strawberry flavored gelatin to a boil in a large saucepan; boil for 3 minutes. Stir in the pineapple juice, lemon juice, and orange juice. Divide mixture into 2 separate containers (I use 8 smaller plastic containers, 4 for on batch and 4 for the second batch) and freeze. I usually freeze overnight then leave it out the day I plan to use it so it “softens” a little bit.

2. Combine the contents of 1 container (or half the containers) with 1 bottle of the lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage in a punch bowl; stir until slushy (it doesn’t HAVE to be slushy). Repeat with remaining portions as needed.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes by Suzanne Teke

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 extra-large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 cups grated carrots (less than 1 pound)
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
For the frosting:
3/4 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat the sugar, oil, and vanilla together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs, 1 at a time. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add 1/2 of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add the grated carrots, raisins, and walnuts to the remaining flour, mix well, and add to the batter. Mix until just combined.

Line muffin pans with paper liners. Scoop the batter into 22 muffin cups until each is 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and cook for a further 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

For the frosting, cream the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the sugar and beat until smooth.

When the cupcakes are cool, frost them generously and serve.

Friday, February 7, 2014