Bread Stuffing

December 27, 2023 in Side Dish | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

  • Ingredients for 9 cups (12 lb. turkey)
  • 3/4 cup minced onion
  • 1-1/2 cups chopped celery
  • 1 cup butter
  • 9 cups soft bread cubes
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1-1/2 tsp. crushed sage leaves
  • 1 tsp. thyme
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper

In a large skillet, cook and stir onion and celery in butter until onion is tender. Stir in about 1/3 of the bread cubes. Turn into a deep bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss. Stuff turkey just before roasting.

NOTES: Recipe from Betty Crocker’s Cookbook (1969 General Mills, Inc., Minneapolis, MN). It says to “allow 3/4 cup stuffing per pound of ready-to-cook chicken or turkey. A 1 to 1-1/4 Rock Cornish Game hen requires about a cup of stuffing. Allow 1/4 to 1/3 cup stuffing for each rib pork chop and about 1/2 cup per pound of dressed fish.”

I am not a big fan of stuffing so I don’t make this often. People who are fans of stuffing have given this rave reviews. It’s all that butter, Folks. Today (23 Nov 2023) I am using Onion Bread, so I’m not going to use as much onion as called for in the recipe. The onion bread turned out FABulous! I used about 3/4 of the loaf in the stuffing. Just enough of the loaf leftover for 2 Turkey Salad Sandwiches. Delish!

Divinity

December 22, 2023 in Dessert | Tags: , | Leave a comment

  • Ingredients
  • 2-2/3 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional)

NOTE AND WARNING: You will need a stand mixer and a candy thermometer for ease, and it’s still going to make a mess. This recipe is from Betty Crocker and I’ve never had a problem making it, but there are warnings all over the place about making this candy on humid days. Just sayin’. Go to their website and check it out if you think it may be an issue where you are. If this stuff didn’t taste so blasted good, I would never make it. But it’s easy once you’ve done it a few times, and the clean-up isn’t bad using a LOT of very hot water.

Cook sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking, without stirring, until the mixture reaches the hardball stage (260 degrees F).

While that’s going on, in your stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Switch to the beater attachment.

Beating constantly on medium speed, pour the hot sugar mixture into the mixer bowl in a thin stream. Then mix in the vanilla. Keep beating the mixture until it holds its shape. It will get thicker and duller the longer it mixes. Stir in the nuts, if using them. Using a buttered spoon, quickly scoop spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Work quickly. Let stand at room temperature for 12 hours. Store in covered container. The yield is about 40 candies. I used a heaping teaspoon and got 36 of them. Betty Crocker says 48.

NOTES: I toasted chopped pecans in my oven and used those, but any kind of nuts will do. My mother would use raw walnuts, but I think it would have been better to toast the nuts first. I had everything ready to go before I started cooking the sugar mix. My egg whites were whipped, my pecans were chopped and toasted, my vanilla extract was sitting where I could grab it. I used a ladle to scoop spoonfuls of hot sugar mixture from the saucepan into the mixer bowl. Like I said, it was a mess, but they taste SO, SO good!

Cashew Honey Bars

November 27, 2023 in Dessert | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

  • Base Layer Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2-2/3 cup flour
  • Top Layer Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 2 Tbsp. whipping cream
  • 2 cups roasted cashews, chopped

Prepare a 9×13″ baking dish by lining with parchment paper. Let a little paper overhang on all sides to make it easier to pull the bars out. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Base Layer: In a mixer, mix together butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Stir in flour. Press into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Top Layer: While that is happening, but wait a little while, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together butter, brown sugar, honey, and whipping cream. Bring to a boil and let boil for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in cashews.

Remove base layer from oven. Pour cashew mixture over top. Spread cashew mix to cover evenly. Place back into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Pull out the bars. Slice. Serve. Oh, so, so good.

NOTES: I had only raw unsalted cashews, so I had to roast them. It was okay. I set the oven temp at 350 degrees F and lined a baking sheet with parchment paper. I sprinkled 2 cups of raw cashews on top of the parchment paper and roasted for 5 minutes, then stirred and added a couple more minutes in the oven. Then stirred and another minute, etc. until they were browned. Then I removed from heat and cooled. Then I dumped them onto my cutting board and chopped them. Voila! Finally done! Ready to stir into the brown sugar syrup. Do not overcook the brown sugar syrup or you will have a rock-hard top on your bars. Baking in the oven is going to create the chewy caramel that you desire.

The recipe originates with Barry at rockrecipes.com. Barry hails from St. John, Newfoundland. Barry says you can drizzle chocolate over these to great effect. Maybe next time. Also, Barry says you can freeze these, so that’s what I’m doing in preparation for creating Christmas cookie trays. I cut the bars and laid them in a single layer in a Ziploc bag and popped them into the freezer.

White-Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Cookies

November 24, 2023 in Dessert | Tags: , , , , | 1 comment

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup (8 oz.) butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup lightly salted, shelled, roasted pistachio nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, a silpat, non-stick spray, or whatever you use to keep stuff from sticking.

In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla. By hand, stir in flour, baking soda, and salt until just mixed. Stir in chips, cranberries, and pistachios until well distributed. The batter will be quite stiff. Drop heaping teaspoons of batter onto the baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. When the cookies are set and light brown, remove from oven. Let them sit for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Makes 3 dozen.

NOTES: The recipe originated for me at daringgourmet.com. If using a full-salt roasted pistachio, omit the salt in the batter. If using a no-salt pistachio, add another 1/4 tsp. salt into the batter. I gave up shaping these with the teaspoons, the dough was too stiff, so instead I rolled these into balls by hand and that worked. In one of the batches I pressed the balls down a little and that also worked and took less time to bake. Either way was fine. I was trying to achieve a cookie that would show the green of the pistachios, but I think my nuts were simply too brown to begin with. No matter. These are tasty and easy to make.

Gluten-Free Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls

November 16, 2023 in Bread | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup warm water, divided
  • 2 tsp. yeast
  • 1/4 cup sugar, divided
  • 2 Tbsp. melted butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. cider vinegar
  • 11.5 oz gluten-free baking blend with xanthan gum (2.75 cups)
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. melted butter (for brushing on the top)

In a stand mixer, place 1/4 cup warm water, yeast, and a couple tablespoons of sugar. Let stand until the yeast is dissolved and the mixture is frothy. In a separate bowl, whisk together gluten-free flour, remaining sugar, and salt. Set aside.

Into the stand mixer, add remaining 3/4 cup warm water, melted butter, egg, and cider vinegar. Mix in flour mixture. Let the mixer run for 3 minutes on medium.

Spray an 8″ or 9″ cake pan with non-stick spray. Using a 1/4 measuring cup, dollop the batter into the cake pan, to get 9 mounds of batter. It’s best to start in the center.

Dip your fingertip in warm water and smooth out the tops of the mounds. Cover the pan with a dry towel. Let rise for an hour or so.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake rolls 25-28 minutes at 400 degrees F. The tops should be golden brown. Remove from oven and brush the tops with melted butter. Serve.

NOTES: I was amazed that this worked so well. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour. I weighed my flour as that is the most accurate way to measure flour. The recipe is from mygluten-freekitchen.com and I would recommend that you visit her site for more detailed instructions. She offers a lot of options regarding types of gluten-free flour, xanthan gum, yeast, and dairy. I’m just telling you here how I did it.

I learned that since there is no gluten to build, it doesn’t hurt anything to mix it for awhile. Mixing helps the flour to absorb the moisture. I learned that the pan provides the structure. If I had used an 8″ pan, instead of a 9″ pan, my rolls would not have been so flat. I learned that 1/3 cup dollops, as stated in the recipe, was too much so I ended up only with 7 rolls, as pictured. Next time I will use a 1/4 cup measurer. When I started, I used 1/4 cup warm water to activate the yeast. Then I measured 3/4 cup more warm water when it was time, so that it didn’t cool in the interim. Again, visit mygluten-freekitchen.com for more options. All in all, these turned out great and everyone liked them. They were soft and fluffy and went really well with the Beef Bourguignon.

Mediterranean Salmon Salad

November 11, 2023 in Salad | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

  • Dressing ingredients
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp. honey
  • 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. dill weed
  • Salt and pepper
  • Salad ingredients
  • 1-1/2 cups cooked couscous, cooled
  • 2/3 cup chopped cucumber
  • 1/3 cup minced red onion
  • 2 portions of salmon, cooked, cooled and flaked
  • 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 2 tsp. parsley flakes

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients and set aside.

In a bowl, stir together couscous, cucumber and onion. Stir in the dressing and mix well. Gently stir in the salmon, feta, and parsley. Serve. Yield: 2 servings if that is all you’re eating.

NOTE: This recipe started at dishingouthealth.com. I adjusted it to what I had on-hand. I have salmon, lots and lots of salmon. I had leftover couscous from dinner two nights ago during the Snowpocalypse power outage that lasted 24 hours (8pm Wednesday to 8pm Thursday). We got 30+ inches of snow from 3pm Wednesday to 3pm Friday. The nice thing about having a gas range is all you need is a match and you can eat a simple dinner like leftover African Salmon Peanut Soup over couscous. But then I discovered I had made too much couscous in the dark. So, rather than throwing it away, I shoved it into the refrigerator when the power came back on. And then I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest and voila here we are. This Mediterranean Salmon Salad is really tasty and we had a nice lunch today while staring at the white winter wonderland around us.

Pumpkin Cauliflower Gratin

November 8, 2023 in Side Dish | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

  • Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 1/2 onion, sliced
  • 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tsp. sage
  • 2 cups Gruyere cheese, shredded
  • 1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Melt butter in oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft. Stir in olive oil and flour. Continue heating and stirring until the onion and flour mixture has formed a paste. Stir in the milk. Continue stirring until the mixture is bubbling. Stir in pumpkin and spices until evenly mixed. Stir in the cheese a handful at a time until it is melted and you have a smooth sauce. Remove from heat and stir in the cauliflower florets until all are well coated with sauce. Bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes. If you would like the top to brown more, pop the dish under a broiler for a few minutes. Serve!

NOTE: It’s funny how one thing leads to another. My cousin texted me that she had made my Pumpkin Apple Muffins. I thought that sounded really good, so I made them, too. But then I had a cup of leftover pumpkin. What to do, what to do. This recipe from wellandfull.com sounded like just the ticket to use the leftover pumpkin. And since I’ve been perfecting my Mac and Cheese recipe, I happened to have Gruyere on hand as well. Amazing! This Pumpkin Cauliflower Gratin is rich and really delicious. I liked that I didn’t have to cook the cauliflower ahead of time.

Mac and Cheese

November 1, 2023 in Side Dish | Tags: , , , , | 1 comment

  • Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 cups Gruyere, shredded
  • 1-1/2 cups sharp white cheddar, shredded (or sharp yellow cheddar as pictured)
  • 8 oz. macaroni pasta
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1-1/4 cups half n half
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • Pepper
  • Dash of paprika

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare an 8″ square baking dish by spraying with non-stick spray.

Mix the cheeses together. Set aside.

Cook macaroni pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Rinse lightly. Drain. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, make a roux by melting the butter and mixing in the flour. Stir over heat until bubbly. Stir in milk and half n half. Heat while stirring until the mixture is thick. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper to taste, and paprika. Stir in 1/2 cup mixed cheese. Stir in another 1/2 cup of cheese. At this point, withdraw approximately 1-1/2 cups of sauce from the saucepan and set it aside.

Stir the pasta into the sauce that remains in the saucepan. Pour half the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup mixed cheese. Add the other half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes at 325 degrees F until cheese is melty and bubbly.

Reheat the sauce you set aside and ladle some over the top of the individual servings of Mac and Cheese as you serve them.

This is simply awesome with my Barbecue-Style Pulled Pork. One half the bowl pulled pork and the other half mac and cheese with extra sauce. You’re welcome.

Note: on October 11, 2022 I stood in line for what seemed like forever (probably an hour) at Hash Smash in London’s Borough Market. All I knew was that I wanted to eat local cheese for my first time in England and we were in the cheese section of the market. We couldn’t get through to the front of the line to see what we were getting, we just took a spots at the end of the queue and waited to see what was being served. It did not disappoint. Mac and Cheese with Barbecue Pulled Pork sounds so American, but I have never had such deliciously cheesy pasta as that day on the sidewalk, eating out of paper baskets with plastic forks. I’ve been trying to recreate the dish for the past year and this is close. Very, very close. The recipe begins at the chunky chef. Lastly, I apologize for the poor photo. I keep forgetting to take a picture before we dive into it.

Chicken Adobo and Pancit Canton

August 6, 2023 in Main Dish | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

These are two separate dishes that I typically serve together. I’ll tell you how to make the Chicken Adobo first, then scroll down to see the Pancit Canton recipe. [Just so you know, this is NOT traditional Chicken Adobo. This is a tasty, vinegary, fast way to serve boneless, skinless chicken breast that goes well with Pancit Canton.]

  • Chicken Adobo Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 1-1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1″ pieces

In a medium skillet mix all the ingredients together very well. Cover and bring to simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and continue simmering until all the liquid is absorbed. Voila, done.

  • Pancit Canton Ingredients
  • 2 cups broth (any kind — I’ve used both vegetable and chicken)
  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped scallion, or onion, sliced crosswise
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 cups thinly sliced, or julienned, vegetables (cabbage, green beans, carrots, mushrooms, celery, bell pepper, tomato, peas, snow peas — anything you like)
  • 8 oz. package Pancit Canton (flour stick) wheat noodles
  • 2 sliced scallions, sliced crosswise

In a small bowl, mix together the broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and brown sugar. Set aside.

In a VERY large skillet, heat oil and stir fry the 1/2 cup scallion and the garlic until soft, just a minute or so. Stir in the 2 cups of vegetables that you’ve selected. Let that cook a few minutes, or more, to soften. [I like my vegetables really soft. I cover the skillet for awhile so the vegetables steam.] Stir in the sauce that was set aside. Bring to a boil. Place the noodles into the skillet. Press and fold them, turning over and over, until they have mostly absorbed the liquid. It may be easiest to cover for a minute or so. Once the liquid has been fully absorbed, it’s finished! Sprinkle the top with the two sliced scallions and serve warm.

I like to sprinkle the Chicken Adobo over the Pancit Canton in my bowl. Yummy!

NOTES: If you’d like a more saucy Chicken Adobo, remove from heat after the chicken has cooked through (it won’t take long), but before all the sauce evaporates. I started with the Chicken Adobo recipe from lowcarbyum.com and the Pancit Canton recipe at manilaspoon.com.

Puff Tartlets

July 14, 2023 in Dessert, Miscellaneous | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

  • Smoked Salmon Puffs Ingredients
  • 2/3 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 beaten egg (first one)
  • Dash salt
  • 1 tsp. minced fresh dill
  • 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
  • 1/2 cup smoked salmon chunks, set aside a small amount for top garnish
  • 1/2 package (1 roll) puff pastry
  • 1/2 beaten egg (second one)
  • Rhubarb Puffs Ingredients
  • 2/3 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 beaten egg (first one)
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. orange zest
  • 1/2 package (1 roll) puff pastry
  • 2/3 cup rhubarb sauce (thick) or jam
  • 1/2 beaten egg (second one)

For either type of puffs . . .

Mix together the first five ingredients. Do not overbeat. (For the salmon puffs, also lightly stir in the smoked salmon chunks.) Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. For each recipe, spray nine muffin cups with non-stick spray.

Unroll a puff pastry sheet on a floured board and, using a floured rolling pin, smooth the surface of the pastry. Cut the pastry sheet into nine identical pieces. Place each piece into a prepared muffin cup, pressing lightly so it sits fully into the bottom of the cup. Spread any overhang out flat.

Divide the ricotta mixture evenly into the pastry lined cups and lightly smooth it out.

Using a pastry brush, brush the dough of each pastry cup with beaten egg.

For the salmon puffs, place a small piece of smoked salmon decoratively atop each cup’s ricotta mixture.

For the rhubarb puffs, spoon about a tablespoon of rhubarb sauce or jam on top of each cup’s ricotta mixture.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 10-12 minutes. Watch that they do not burn nor are still raw on the bottom. Let them bake until very well browned. Each batch yields 9 puffs.

NOTES: Ricotta filling ingredients should be at room temperature. I’ve been wanting to try this for quite awhile. I have used puff pastry only once before, so I’m really pleased at how these turned out. I didn’t want 18 desserts or 18 salmon appetizers, so splitting this into two different types of tartlets was the way to go. I used home made ricotta and home smoked salmon. Also home made rhubarb sauce. One could use any variety of foods: cream cheese or even pastry cream instead of ricotta, shrimp instead of salmon, strawberry instead of rhubarb . . . the possibilities are endless. These were very easy to make and the preparation was quite fast. As long as you had everything you needed, it would probably take half an hour from start to finish. They don’t save well. You will want to eat them the same day. Perhaps they could be reheated and crisped up from refrigeration, but I do not know. There weren’t enough left to try it. Always a good thing!

What kind?