- Big Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

BIG CHEWY OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES

Yield: 16 to 20 large cookies

½ lb butter, softened but still firm
1 c light brown sugar
1 c white sugar
2 eggs
1½ c all purpose flour
½ tsp table salt
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
3 c rolled oats
1 1/2 c raisins or dates

Preheat oven to 350º.

In bowl of electric mixer or by hand, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time.

Mix flour, salt, baking powder and nutmeg together, then stir them into butter-sugar mixture with wooden spoon or large rubber spatula. Stir in oats and optional raisins.

Form dough into 2 inch balls, placing each dough round onto cookie sheets. Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes. Cool on rack at least 30 minutes.

Notes:

(i) Do not overbake these cookies The edges should be brown but the rest of the cookie should still be very light in color.

- Singapore Noodles

SINGAPORE NOODLES

¼ c oil (half sesame and half vegetable) plus 1 T vegetable oil
4 – 6 garlic cloves, minced
2 T slivered ginger root strips
Water (enough to boil pasta)
2 tsp salt
4 – 6 vermicelli nests or your favorite oriental noodles
2 c cooked beef, pork, chicken or seafood
1/3 c slivered green onions
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or omit if you don’t like spice)
¼ c oyster sauce
1½ T curry powder
2 tsp soy sauce

Heat 1/4 c oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add garlic and ginger. Cook until tender.

Cook noodles according to package directions. If using nests make sure that they are covered with water; turn off heat and let stand.

Add beef, pork, chicken or seafood, green onion and red pepper to the wok. Stir-fry until hot.

Add oyster sauce, curry power and soy sauce. Stir and toss well to mix thoroughly.

Drain noodles. Add noodles, toss and serve.

Notes:

(i) I use Mandarin Shanghai noodles and cook them according to the package directions.
(ii) I also add slivered green or red peppers and sliced onion.
(iii) I like to sprinkle sesame seeds on top before serving.

- Mu Shu-Style Pork

MU SHU-STYLE PORK

1 T vegetable oil
2 tsp minced ginger root
1 large clove of garlic, minced
12 ozs lean boneless pork loin cut into thin strips
¼ c water
1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into thin diagonal slices
2 c small broccoli florets
1 sweet red pepper cut into thin strips
2 T soy sauce
Hot pepper sauce to taste
2 tsp cornstarch
2 to 4 T hoisin sauce (approximate)
8 warm flour tortillas (8 inch size)

In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat oil over high heat. Add ginger root and garlic; cook, stirring, for 15 seconds, or until fragrant. Add pork; cook stirring for 3 minutes or until no longer pink. Transfer to a plate.

Add water and carrots to skillet; cover and cook 1 minute. Add broccoli and red pepper; cover and cook 2 minutes more or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

In bowl, blend soy sauce, cornstarch and hot pepper sauce until smooth. Return pork to skillet; pour in soya sauce mixture. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until sauce thickens.

Spread each tortilla with 1 to 2 tsp. hoisin sauce; add about ½ c pork mixture. Fold 1 inch of the tortilla along one side over filling, roll up starting at side closest to you to enclose filling. Serve immediately.

Notes:

(i) I serve extra hoisin on the side.

- Cheddar Cheese Pan Biscuits

CHEDDAR CHEESE PAN BISCUITS

1/3 c butter
2¼ c all purpose flour
1½ c shredded cheddar cheese
1 T sugar
1 T baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 c milk

Heat oven to 400º.

In a 9 inch square baking pan melt butter in over (3 to 5 minutes). Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine all ingredients except milk. Stir in milk just until moistened. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead 10 times or until smooth. Pat or roll dough into a 12 x 6 inch rectangle. Cut into 12 (1 inch) strips. Dip each strip into melted butter in pan. Fold strip in half. Place folded strips in 2 rows in same pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 1 dozen.

- Italian Wedding Soup

ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

Meatballs:

¾ lb ground chicken
½ lb chicken sausage, casings removed
2/3 c fresh white bread crumbs
2 cloves minced garlic
3 T copped fresh parsley
¼ c freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
¼ c freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)
3 T milk
1 extra large egg, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Soup:

2 T olive oil
1 c minced yellow onion
1 c carrots in ¼ inch dice
¾ c celery in ¼ inch dice
10 c chicken stock
1/2 c dry white wine
1 c small pastas such as tubetini or stars
¼ c minced fresh dill
12 ozs baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Preheat oven to 350º.

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Romano, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 – 1½ inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper (you should have about 40 meatballs and they won’t be perfectly round). Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium low heat in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan cheese.

Notes:

(i) I have made this soup twice now and it was a hit both times.
(ii) I use store bought chicken stock and its works just fine. If you have homemade all the better
(iii) These meatballs freeze really well.

- Ziploc Omelet

ZIPLOC OMELET


Quart size Ziploc freezer bag
2 extra large eggs (no more than 2 per bag)
Your favorite omelet ingredients (eg. onion, peppers, mushrooms, ham, cheese)


Crack eggs (never more than 2) into the bag and shake to combine.
Add other ingredients.
Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.
Place the bag into a pot of rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes.
Remove bag from pot, open the bag and the omelet will roll out easily onto a plate.

Notes:

This is no joke. I didn’t believe it at first but I tried it camping and it works like a charm. The omelet is really fluffy. The original recipe suggests that you make these as a “serve yourself” item for a group. If you are using a large pot you can cook 6-8 bags at a time.

- Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

PUMPKIN CHIFFON PIE

Crust:

1¼ c graham crumbs
¼ c melted butter
1 T sugar
½ tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325º. Combine crust ingredients, press into a 9 inch pie plate and bake (on middle rack, of course) for 8 minutes. Allow to cool.

Filling:

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
¾ cup sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¾ c milk
2 extra large eggs, separated, yolks beaten
1 c canned pumpkin
½ c heavy cream, whipped

Topping:

2 c whipping cream, whipped.

Combine gelatin, ½ cup of sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg in a saucepan. Stir in milk, egg yolks and pumpkin. Cook over medium heat until thick. Chill saucepan in refrigerator until partially set—about 1 hour.

In a bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add ¼ cup of sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold in ½ cup of whipped cream. Fold egg white mixture into filling. Pour filling into prepared pie crust and chill for 1 hour.

Just before serving, top with remaining whipped (you can cover the pie or just pipe around the edge of the pie).

Notes:

(i) This is a recipe that I used this year for Christmas supper. We always have 2 desserts, Tiramisu and one other. While I think that the flavors of pumpkin pie go well with turkey, I find that pie is a bit too filing after the turkey feast. I think this is a great alternative.

(ii) You can easily make this the day before you are going to serve it - just cover it with plastic wrap once it has cooled and leave it in the fridge.

(iii) I used a shortcut for the ½ cup of whipping cream in the filling. Even though I had specifically bought fresh whipping cream, I remembered that I had an aerosol container of (real) whipping cream (that I use for “special” coffees) and quickly made the decision to use the quick stuff – it worked just fine.

(iv) This pie also tastes great without the whipping cream on top – I know because in the flurry of activity between turkey and dessert I forgot to put the whipping cream on the pie!

- Roasted Chicken with Wild Rice Soup

ROASTED CHICKEN WITH WILD RICE SOUP


1 (6 oz.) box long grain & wild rice mix (such as Uncle Ben's)
1 T olive oil
1½ c chopped red onion
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped carrot
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ lb mushrooms, halved
¼ c all purpose flour
½ tsp dried tarragon
¼ tsp dried thyme
2 c water
2 T dry sherry
900 ml chicken broth (or homemade if you have it)
1 (12 oz) can fat-free evaporated milk
3 c shredded roasted skinless chicken (I use 1 whole store roasted chicken)

Prepare wild rice mix according to package directions, set aside.
Heat oil in stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and next 4 ingredients and sauté for 6 minutes or until onion is tender. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Stir flour, tarragon and thyme into onion mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add water, sherry, chicken broth and evaporated milk. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until slightly thick. Stir in cooked rice and chicken; cook 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

- Meatball Chowder

MEATBALL CHOWDER
(because it is cold, there's a lot of snow and everyone is thinking about soups)

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef
¼ tsp each salt, pepper and garlic powder
¼ c crushed cracker crumbs
1 T milk
1 egg
1/8 c parsley

Combine these 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; mix until well blended. Form into small balls about 1½ inch in diameter.

2 - 3 T flour (see meatball options)
2 T vegetable oil
2 onions cut 1/8ths
3 c water
2 beef bullion cubes
3 c carrots, peeled and sliced
2 c diced celery
3 c tomato juice
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1½ tsp sugar
2 bay leaves
2 T rice
½ tsp marjoram
1 10 oz can corn

Meatball Option 1:
Roll meatballs in 3 T of flour. In a large stockpot fry meatballs in 2 T vegetable oil until browned. Drain and set aside.

Meatball Option 2:
Bake meatballs on a rack on top of a sheet pan at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven, drain and set aside. In a large stockpot, heat 2 T vegetable oil, add 2 T of flour and cook over medium heat for about 1 minute.

For both options:
Place remaining ingredients, except for corn, in the stockpot. Carefully stir in meatballs. Heat on medium-high until mixture begins to boil. Reduce to low and simmer for 30 mins. Add corn, simmer 5 minutes more.

Notes:

This soup is even better when reheated or made early in the day and left to sit.

Thanks Sue!

- Stir-Fried Szechwan Green Beans

STIR-FRIED SZECHWAN GREEN BEANS


2 T soya sauce
1 T dry sherry
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp cornstarch
¼ tsp ground white pepper
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ tsp dry mustard
2 T water
2 T vegetable oil
1 lb green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 2 inch pieces
¼ lb. ground pork
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 T)
1 T minced fresh ginger
3 green onions, white and light green parts, sliced thin
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

In small bowl, stir together soy sauce, sherry, sugar, cornstarch, white pepper, pepper flakes, mustard and water until sugar dissolves; set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in 12 inch nonstick skillet or wok over high heat until just smoking. Add beans and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender and skins are shriveled and blackened in spots, 5 to 8 minutes (reduce heat to medium-high if beans darken too quickly). Transfer beans to large plate.

Reduce heat to medium-high and add pork to now-empty skillet. Cook, breaking pork into small pieces, until no pink remains, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Stir sauce to recombine and return beans to pan with sauce. Toss and cook until sauce is thickened, 5 to 10 seconds. Remove pan from heat and stir in green onions and sesame oil. Serve immediately with steamed white rice.

Vegetarian version:

Substitute 4ozs. of shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and minced, for the pork. If using mushrooms, you will need to add a tsp. of oil to the pan in step 3 before adding the mushrooms.

- Pappa Al Pomodoro

PAPPA AL POMODORO

Soup:

½ c olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 c medium-diced carrots (3 carrots)
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and medium-diced (1½ c)
4 cloves garlic minced
3 c ciabatta or calabrese bread, crusts removed and cut (or torn) into small pieces
2 (28 ozs) cans good Italian plum tomatoes
4 c chicken stock
½ c dry red wine
1 c chopped fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ c freshly grated Parmesan cheese (not the kind in the green container)

Topping:

3 c ciabatta or calabrese bread, crusts removed and cut (or torn) into small pieces
2 ozs thinly slicked pancetta, chopped
24 – 30 basil leaves
3 T olive oil, plus more for serving

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, fennel and garlic and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until tender. Add the bread and cook for 5 more minutes. Place the tomatoes in the bowl or a food processor and process just until coarsely chopped (or by hand works too). Add the tomatoes to the pot along with the chicken stock, red wine, basil, 1 T salt and 1½ tsp pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and allow to simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375º.

For the topping, place the bread, pancetta and basil on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss well. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 – 25 minutes, until all the ingredients are crisp. The basil leaves will turn dark and crisp which is perfectly fine. Reheat the soup, if necessary and beat with a wire whisk until the bread is broken up. Stir in the parmesan and taste for seasoning. Serve hot sprinkled with the topping and drizzles with additional olive oil.


Notes:

(i) I was a bit skeptical about the topping but it is great so don’t skip this step;
(ii) I used Save-On Calabrese bread and it took about 1½ loaves;
(iii) This is a really tasty peasant type soup and it got the thumbs up tonight!

- Spinach and Orzo Salad

SPINACH AND ORZO SALAD

8 ozs orzo pasta
Salt
¼ c pine nuts
6 ozs feta cheese, roughly crumbled
2 ozs Kalamata Greek olives pitted, roughly chopped (about ½ c or 20 olives)
4 ozs baby spinach
½ cup chopped red onion
3 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried tarragon
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Using a large pot with lots of salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions (around 9 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water, shaking off the excess water.

Toast the pine nuts by heating in a small skillet on medium heat (I used a small dash of olive oil). Add the pine nuts and stir constantly (they will burn easily so don’t take your eyes off them – they’re too expensive to burn) until the pine nuts are lightly browned.

Take half of the spinach and purée it in a food processor or blender, adding 1 T of the olive oil. Roughly chop the other half of the spinach. In a large serving bowl mix the spinach purée/olive oil mixture in with the cooked pasta until the pasta is well coated with the purée. Then gently mix in the remaining spinach, red onion, feta cheese, pine nuts and the olives.

In a small bowl combine the remaining 2 T olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, mustard, dried basil and dried tarragon. Whisk until emulsified and pour over the pasta mixture. Gently mix to combine.

Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes:

This is my new favorite salad.

Thanks Nicole!

- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CAKE

Cake:

6 T cocoa
½ c boiling water
1 c sour milk
2 tsp baking soda
1 c vegetable oil
2 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tsp vanilla

Blend ingredients, mixing after each addition.

Generously spray Pam in each of two 8 inch cake pans. Divide cake batter between the pans, tap the pans to get rid of bubbles and bake (middle rack) at 350° for 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove pans from the oven and allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing the cakes. Remove the cakes from the pans and place on the rack until completely cooled. Slice each cake in half so that you end up with 4 layers.

Peanut Butter Icing:

10 ozs cream cheese (not the soft spread)
½ c unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups icing sugar
2/3 c smooth peanut butter

In stand mixer beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended. Ice cake and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze

8 ozs semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or chocolate chips if you don’t have any baking squares)
3 T smooth peanut butter
2 T light corn syrup
½ c half and half

In the top of a double boiler or in a bowl set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter and corn syrup. Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth (if the chocolate seems thick don’t worry, the cream will smooth it out).

Remove from heat and whisk in the half and half, beating until smooth. Use while still warm. Pour the glaze over the cake and use an offset spatula to spread the glaze over the top of the cake, allowing the glaze to drip over the sides of the cake. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and remove the cake from the fridge at least 1 hour before serving.


Notes:

The chocolate cake portion of this recipe is my all-time favorite chocolate cake recipe that I got from a friend about 30 years ago. I use it all the time and it is also great for cupcakes. I use a stand mixer so I just add each ingredient in the order listed before pouring it into the pans. It has never failed me.

If you make this cake (with icings) be prepared, this has been described as intense and it is that!

- Apricot Orange Scones

APRICOT ORANGE SCONES

4½ c flour
¼ c sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 T baking powder
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp grated orange zest (2 oranges)
1½ c cold unsalted butter, diced
4 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
1 c whipping cream
1 c dried apricots, cut into small pieces
1 egg beaten with 2 T water, for egg wash
½ c plus 2 T icing sugar
4 tsp orange juice

Preheat oven to 400º. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix 4 c of flour, ¼ c sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the eggs and whipping cream and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly add to the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. The dough will look lumpy. Combine the dried apricots with ¼ c of flour, add to the dough and mix on low speed until blended.

Dump the flour onto a well-floured board and knead it into a ball. Flour your hands and a rolling pin and roll the dough just under 1 inch thick. You should see small bits of butter in the dough. Keep moving the dough on the floured board so it doesn’t stick. Flour a 3 inch round plain or fluted cutter and cut circles of dough. Place the scones on the prepared sheet pan. Collect the scraps neatly, roll them out, and cut more circles.

Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash, sprinkle with the sugar and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are browned and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to the touch. Allow the sc ones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the icing sugar and orange juice and drizzle over the scones.

Notes:

Be prepared if you make these to eat more than you thought possible - they are impressive!

- Banana Crunch Muffins

BANANA CRUNCH MUFFINS

3 c flour
2 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ lb unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 extra large eggs
¾ c milk (don’t use skim)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c mashed bananas (2 bananas)
1 c medium diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
1 c small diced pecans
1 c granola
1 c sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350º.

Liberally spray a 12 muffin tin with Pam.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend, Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour and butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well but don’t overmix.

Fold the diced bananas, pecans, granola and coconut into the batter. Divide the mixture in the pan into 12 muffins.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan and serve.


Notes:

(i) These are fabulous;
(ii) When my bananas become overripe (brown) I throw them in the freezer for future baking and I microwave them as I need them;
(iii) For the granola I use Rogers 9 Grain for cereal and baking (simply because I use it for bread so I always have it on hand);
(v) You can substitute walnuts for the pecans. I hate walnuts so I never use them for anything. I always roast my pecans and then put them in the freezer so they are ready for use.
(vi) Do not let the muffins cool for more than 5 minutes before removing them or you will have a heck of a time getting them out of the muffin tin.