Chicken Curry (notes: i used curry powder, omitted the jalepenos, and added diced potatoes and carrots)
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium red onions, cut into thin wedges
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 2 inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp kosher salt
2 ripe yellow peaches, roughly chopped
1/2 canned unsweetened coconut milk
cooked white rice
1/4 cup plain yogurt
Note; If you don't have all the spices on hand, it's ok to use curry powder instead (2 tsp)
DIrections:
Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for five minutes. Add the jalapenos, garlic, ginger, and lemon juice and cook for five minutes. Transfer to a plate. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and increase heat to medium high. Add the chicken and cook until browned but not cooked through, about four minutes. Add the cayenne, coriander, cumin, mustard seeds, and salt and stir fry for two minutes. Add the onion mixture, 1/2 cup water, and the peaches and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the coconut milk, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes. Spoon the curry into individual bowls. Serve with the rice and yogurt, if you want.
To freeze: Leave out the rice and yogurt. Let cool, then ladle it into resealable freezer bags. To reheat, thaw and warm in a covered saucepan over medium low heat for 20 minutes, and then serve with rice and yogurt.
apple crumb cake - author unknown, but loved
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Ingredients:
- 1 C. + 2 tsp. Flour; divided
- 2 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 3/4 C. Brown Sugar; divided
- 1/2 C. Walnuts or Pecans
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon (I use a heaping tsp., so it's more like 1 1/2)
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 C. Sugar
- 1/2 C. Vegetable Oil
- 2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 2 Lg. Apples; cored/peeled/cut into med chunks
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees; Grease a round 9inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk 1C. flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together 2tsp. flour, 1/2C. brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon.
3. In another bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, and 1/4C. brown sugar until smooth; whisk in oil and vanilla.
4. Combine the egg mixture with the flour/baking soda/salt mixture and stir until just combined. Batter will be sticky.
5. Pour 1/2 the batter into pan and gently spread around until it covers the bottom; top with 1/2 the apples; then top with 1/2 the crumble mixture. Repeat until you have added all the batter/apples/and crumble into the pan.
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
korean-style crockpot ribs (recipe adapted from a crockpot magazine...can't remember which)
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pound or so of beef or pork ribs
1 12 oz can of regular coke
3/4 c soy sauce
3 TBSP minced garlic
1/2 cup honey
red pepper paste or sriracha sauce to taste
combine all of the above ingredients in a container that won't react (good tupperware works well or glass...avoid foil/metal) and refrigerate at least 8 hours...preferably overnight.
cook on low in the crockpot for 6 to 8 hours. serve with rice and veggies. (optional) pour some of the leftover sauce over the rice and veggies.
beer bread (possibly from allrecipes.com, but i'm no longer sure. i make it so often that i just make it without looking at the recipe)
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3 cups of self-rising flour
1/2 cup of sugar*
12 oz of beer**
preheat the oven to 350 farenheit, mix the dry ingredients until they are fully combined, and then pour in the beer. if the dough is too dry or stiff, add a little more beer. pour into a greased loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes. after 45 minutes, spread butter on the top of the loaf and return to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes. watch the bread carefully at this point to ensure it is not overcooked.
*i have found that brown or other unrefined sugar works best.
**you may need a little more than 12 oz of beer. i have especially enjoyed the flavor of the bread when i use a dark beer like guinness or one of the interesting flavors shiner puts out around the holidays. the first time i made this, i used a pumpkin spice ale...it was amazing.
salisbury steaks
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Salisbury Steaks with Gemelli
Jamie&kids- Taste of Home
· 1 egg
· 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
· 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
· 1/2 teaspoon pepper
· 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
· 1 pound ground beef
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
· 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
· 1 cup chicken broth
· 1 tablespoon ketchup
· 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
· Hot cooked gemelli or spiral pasta
In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, pepper and garlic. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into four patties.
· In a large skillet, cook patties in oil over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160° and juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.
· Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. Saute mushrooms in drippings until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually stir in the broth, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Return patties to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes or until heated through. Serve with gemelli. Yield: 4 servings
spankopita meatballs and yogurt sauce
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this recipe is from http://sweetluvininthekitchen.blogspot.com/2010/02/spanikopita-chicken-meatballs-with.html.
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For the meatballs
1/2 onion, finely chopped (about 1/4-1/2 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
*1 box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 lb. ground chicken
2-3 tsp. grill seasoning (I used McCormick Montreal Seasoning)
For the yogurt sauce
**1 1/2 cups Greek style plain yogurt (try it, it's worth it)
1/3 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh dill (or a couple tsp. dried dill)
1/2 lemon, juiced
Salt
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a bowl combine onion and garlic. Squeeze the water out of the spinach until completely dry (put it in a kitchen towel, but one you don't care if it gets a little stained). Separate the spinach as you add it to garlic and onion. Add feta, chicken and grill seasoning to the bowl. Mix the meat with veggies and feta and form 18 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. I used a small scoop and got exactly 18 meatballs. Place the meatballs on a nonstick cookie sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes until they are golden and juices run clear.
Place yogurt, garlic, cucumber, dill, lemon juice, and a little salt in food processor and process until smooth. Adjust seasonings and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve meatballs alongside sauce.
thai-style peanut chicken and noodles
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for the chicken, i seasoned 8 white-meat tenderloins with adobo seasoning and broiled them along with some sliced onion and minced garlic until cooked through.
for the noodles, i simmered 3 servings of soba noodles in about 1/2 cup of chicken broth until heated through...5 to 7 minutes.
for the veggies, i used a steam in bag medley of broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower.
for the sauce, i sauteed 3 TBSP minced garlic in about 1 TBSP of sesame oil for just a minute or so, and then added 4 heaping TBSP of creamy peanut butter, 2 TBSP of honey, and 3/4 cup of veggie broth. i turned the heat down low, and stirred to combine, and then added the chicken, garlic, and onion along with drippings from the pan and the veggies after draining them. i then added 3 tsp of red pepper paste, and stirred to combine. i heated the mixture for another 2 to 3 minutes to let the flavors meld. i served the chicken and sauce mixture over the rice/soba noodles.
*i have tried another thai peanut chicken recipe that called for soy sauce and a larger amount of chicken stock, and i found the recipe to be sooooo salty that the flavor of the peanut butter was lost. this time, i experimented with the honey and found that it brings out the flavor of the peanut butter and that the sweetness is tempered by the veggie broth and red pepper paste.
cinnamon raisin scookies
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this is an adaptation of a scone recipe i found in the april ladies home journal on page 8.
1 1/4 cup self-rising flour
pinch of salt
3 1/2 TBSP butter
1 egg and enough milk to make a 1/2 cup of milk wash
4 TBSP sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup of raisins
preheat the oven to 400 degrees. mix the flour and salt and set aside. mix the egg and milk, add 1 tsp cinnamon, and 2 TBSP sugar to the milk mixture and stir to combine well . using your hands, mix the butter and flour mixture. once it's combined/crumbly, add 2 TBSP sugar and stir to combine. add the milk mixture and stir to combine...a sticky dough will form. stir in the raisins. drop by heaping spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
banana, nutella, and peanut butter milk shake
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this is an adaptation of a recipe i found here : http://www.bellalimento.com/2010/01/21/frappe-alla-nutella-nutella-milkshake/
1 banana
2 TBSP nutella
2 TBSP peanut butter
6 oz milk
~1/2 cup ice
blend to make two small shakes. double, triple, whatever the recipe to make more or bigger shakes.
