Steve's Awesome Roast Turkey

This recipe comes from our friend Steve Sahlin. Make sure you start with a 14-16 pound turkey that is NOT pre-brined or frozen. You will brine the turkey the day before and then apply a rub before roasting.

Brine 

1 1/2 cups table salt (or 1 cup per 2 gallons of brine)

4 large yellow onions

2 garlic heads (if Russian variety with purple stripes; if white garlic, use 3)

2 navel oranges (use organic, if you can)

1 package poultry herbs (fresh rosemary, thyme, sage)

1 cup honey or maple syrup (grade B is best, if using syrup)

1 1/2 cups sugar (use cane sugar)

14-16 pound turkey (NOT pre-brined and preferably never frozen)

1. Fill a food-grade, 5-gallon plastic bucket (Home Depot orange buckets work) a little less than 2/3 full with water. Add the table salt.
2. Cut onions in half, then in thirds. Cut garlic heads in half and smash (no need to remove skin). Add onions and garlic to water. 
3. Zest the oranges. Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons zest for rub. Cut oranges in quarters and put in the water.
4. Pull the leaves of the herbs off the stems. Chop the herbs, saving 1/2 of the mixture for the rub. Put the rest in the water.
5. Add the maple and sugar to the water. Stir to mix.
6. Remove the neck and giblets, etc. from the turkey and cut into 2" bits for the gravy. Remove the thermometer, if there is one.
7. Add the turkey to the brine bucket and store in fridge or cool place (40 degrees or less) for 9-12 hours (depending on size of turkey).

Rub

1 stick organic unsalted butter (cut into chunks)

2 or 3 pieces thick peppered bacon (raw and cut into chunks)

herbs (use the other half of the herbs you chopped for the brine)

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 teaspoon paprika (Hungarian is best)

salt (optional, 1/4 teaspoon at most)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons orange zest

1. Place all ingredients into a blender (preferably something like a Vitamix) and blend.
2. To apply the rub: starting at neck cavity, loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Rub herb/bacon mixture under loosened skin and into body cavity. Tie ends of legs with cord. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under bird.

Roasting the Bird

I'm guessing a little at cooking times. A Cook's Illustrated recipe for an 18-20 pound bird suggested 3 hours roasting (breast down) at 250, flip breast up for another hour at 250, then at 400 for about an hour. I'm using a 13-14 pound turkey this year, so I've adjusted the times for that.

1. Heat oven to 250 degrees. Bring turkey legs together and perform simple truss; by using the center of a five foot length of cooking twine, tie the legs together at the ankles. Run the twine aound the thighs and under the wings on both sides of the bird, pulling tightly. keeping the twine pulled snug, tie a firm knot around the excess flesh at the neck of the bird. Snip off excess twine.
2. Set heavy-duty V-rack, adjusted to widest setting, in pan. Brush entire breast side of turkey with butter, then place turkey, breast side down, on V-rack. Brush entire back side of turkey with butter.
3. Roast 2 hours, basting back side every hour or so. Remove pan from oven (close oven door); baste with butter. With wad of paper toweling in each hand, turn breast side up. Continue to roast 3/4 hour, basting once or twice. With turkey still in oven, increase oven temperature to 400 degrees; roast until skin has browned and internal temperature of legs and breast registers about 165 degrees, about 1/2 to 3/4 hour longer. Transfer turkey to platter; let rest 20 to 30 minutes.

Bread Stuffing with Bacon and Apples for a Crowd

This recipe comes from Cooks Illustrated, by way of our friend Steve.

SERVES 16

Drying the bread before making the stuffing is crucial for texture and flavor. If you plan ahead, you can simply leave the bread cubes out on the counter for a few days to become stale. Otherwise, spread them out on baking sheets and dry in a 300-degree oven for 30 to 60 minutes. Let the bread cool before using in the stuffing. You can substitute three 14-ounce bags of plain dried bread cubes for the homemade dried bread cubes, but you'll need to increase the amount of chicken broth to 7 cups. This recipe can easily be halved and baked in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish for a smaller crowd.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds bacon, chopped fine
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), plus extra for baking dish
4 medium ribs celery, chopped fine
2 medium onions, minced
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
3 tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves or 2 teaspoons dried
3 tablespoons minced fresh thyme leaves or 2 teapoons dried
1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
3 pounds high-quality sandwich bread (white), cut into 1/2-inch cubes and dried (see note)
5 cups chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
4 large eggs, beaten lightly
2 teaspoons table salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain the fat, and reserve.

2. Either add all the butter to the now empty skillet, or substitute the reserved bacon fat for an equal amount of butter -- you'll need a total 12 of tablespoons of fat. Add the celery, onion, and apples and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in parsley, sage, thyme, and marjoram and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to a very large mixing bowl.

3. Add the bacon, dried, cooled bread, stock or broth, eggs, salt, and pepper to the vegetables and toss gently to distribute dry and wet ingredients evenly. Turn mixture into buttered 15-x 10-inch baking dish.

4. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until golden, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

To Make Ahead: The stuffing can be assembled in the baking dish, then wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking. To bake, let the stuffing stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and proceed to bake as directed in step 3.

Roast Turkey with Giblet Pan Gravy

This recipe comes from Cook's Illustrated.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We wanted a turkey recipe that would give us a perfectly roasted large turkey, with tender and moist, not chewy and dry, meat. We discovered that a large turkey couldn't be roasted at the typical temperature of 350 to 400 degrees because the exterior overcooked by the time the interior was done. We eventually found that roasting these large turkeys at 250 degrees breast side down, then breast side up, produced the most even cooking. To brown the skin for our large roast turkey recipe, we increased the oven temperature to 400 degrees for the final hour of roasting.

SERVES 18 TO 20

INGREDIENTS

1 turkey, large (18-20 pounds gross weight), rinsed thoroughly, giblets, neck and tail piece removed and reserved
1 cup table salt or 2 cups kosher salt
1 bay leaf
3 medium onions, chopped coarse
1 1/2 medium carrots, chopped coarse
1 1/2 medium ribs celery, chopped coarse
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for brushing and basting turkey
3 tablespoons cornstarch

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place turkey in large stockpot or clean bucket. Add 2 gallons water and salt. Refrigerate or set in very cool (40 degrees or less) spot for 8 hours.

2. Remove turkey from salt water and rinse both cavities and skin under cool running water for several minutes until all traces of salt are gone.

3. Meanwhile, reserving liver, put giblets, neck, and tail piece, bay leaf, and one-third each of onions, carrots, celery, and thyme in large saucepan. Add 6 cups water and bring to simmer, skimming foam from surface as necessary. Bring to boil, then simmer, uncovered, to make a flavorful broth, about 1 hour (add reserved liver during last 5 minutes of cooking). Strain broth (setting giblets, neck, and tail aside), cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until ready to use. (You should have about 1 quart of broth.) Remove meat from neck and tail, cut giblets into medium dice, and refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Heat oven to 250 degrees. Toss another third of the onions, carrots, celery, and thyme with 1 tablespoon butter and place in body cavity. Bring turkey legs together and perform simple truss; by using the center of a five foot length of cooking twine, tie the legs together at the ankles. Run the twine aound the thighs and under the wings on both sides of the bird, pulling tightly. keeping the twine pulled snug, tie a firm knot around the excess flesh at the neck of the bird. Snip off excess twine.

5. Scatter remaining vegetables and thyme in roasting pan; pour 1 cup water over vegetables. Set heavy-duty V-rack, adjusted to widest setting, in pan. Brush entire breast side of turkey with butter, then place turkey, breast side down, on V-rack. Brush entire back side of turkey with butter.

6. Roast 3 hours, basting back side every hour or so and adding small quantities of water if vegetables look dry. Remove pan from oven (close oven door); baste with butter. With wad of paper toweling in each hand, turn breast side up. Continue to roast 1 hour, basting once or twice. With turkey still in oven, increase oven temperature to 400 degrees; roast until skin has browned and internal temperature of legs and breast registers about 165 degrees, about 1 hour longer. Transfer turkey to platter; let rest 20 to 30 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, strain pan drippings into large saucepan (discard solids) and skim fat. Return roasting pan to stove and place over two burners set on medium heat. Add reserved broth to roasting pan, and using wooden spoon, stir to loosen brown bits. When juices start to simmer, strain into saucepan containing pan drippings along with reserved giblets; bring to boil. Mix cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water and gradually stir into pan juices. Bring to boil; simmer until sauce thickens slightly. Carve turkey; serve sauce passed separately.

Turkey Gravy

This recipe comes from Steve and Brooke Sahlin. I'll include Steve's notes here. We'll be doubling the recipe.

Use butter in the roux instead of turkey drippings. As for the low sodium Chicken broth, use “Better than Bullion” chicken stock and mix with water (use about 6g per cup of water. For the wine, use a Chardonnay. Do not salt the gravy until the stock is reduced, as the salt taste increases as the stock reduces.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
A high-roast turkey doesn’t yield drippings for a gravy. To develop our gravy recipe for high-roast butterflied turkey, we roasted carrots, onions, celery, and garlic to build flavor. We then simmered the roasted vegetables with white wine and chicken broth to finish the stock. For a rich flavor, make a roux with flour and butter and then added the stock to the roux.

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART

To roast the trimmings and vegetables, it’s best to use a roasting pan that can sit on the stovetop. If you don’t own one, a broiler pan bottom will work; when setting it on the stovetop, however, use medium heat instead of high heat and add only half the amount of chicken broth before scraping up the drippings; add the other half of the chicken broth to the saucepan along with the wine.

INGREDIENTS
Reserved turkey giblets, neck, and backbone, hacked into 2-inch pieces
1 medium carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 rib celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 small onions, chopped coarse
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
3 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth (two 14 1/2-ounce cans)
2 cups dry white wine
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Salt and ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place turkey trimmings, carrot, celery, onions, and garlic in large flameproof roasting pan. Spray lightly with cooking spray and toss to combine. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until well-browned, 40 to 50 minutes.

2. Remove roasting pan from oven, and place over burner(s) set at high heat; add chicken stock and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits on bottom of pan with wooden spoon.

3. Transfer contents of roasting pan to large saucepan. Add wine, 3 cups water, and thyme; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced by half, about 1 1/2 hours. Strain stock into large measuring cup or container. Cool to room temperature; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until fat congeals, at least 1 hour.

4. To finish gravy, skim fat from stock using soup spoon; reserve fat. Pour stock through fine-mesh strainer to remove remaining bits of fat; discard bits in strainer. Bring stock to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. In second medium saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons reserved turkey fat over medium-high heat until bubbling; whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until combined and honey-colored, about 2 minutes. Continuing to whisk constantly, gradually add hot stock; bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with turkey. (Can be refrigerated up to 3 days; reheat in medium saucepan over medium heat until hot, about 8 minutes.)

Mulligatawny Soup

My mother used to make Mulligatawny soup when we were kids, and I loved it. I found this recipe in a novel I was reading this week, and it sent me on a nostalgia trip. I'm not sure how similar it is to Mother's, but it looks yummy.

1 whole boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
diced fruits and vegetables including:
- a whole onion
- a whole apple
- a stick of celery
- a carrot
- a tomato
- a bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala (see below)
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup cream or plain yogurt
cayenne pepper to taste

Season diced chicken with salt and pepper. Warm 2 tablespoons butter over medium high heat in a wide, deep pot. Add chicken and saute until golden; remove the chicken and keep warm. Add the rest of the butter tot he pot and reduce heat to medium. Add diced vegetables and garlic and saute until the mixture starts to brown. Sprinkle in flour and curry powder.

Add the chicken stock and stir to combine, then simmer until vegetables and apple are soft. Puree in batches or with an immersion blender; the soup doesn't need to be perfectly smooth. Add the cream or yogurt and the chicken, and warm through. Season with salt and cayenne. Soup may be thickened with rice and topped with unsweetened coconut.

Homemade Garam Masala

I didn't have cardamom and don't like it, so I didn't use it. The spice blend still tasted really good. I did have coriander from my garden and discovered that freshly ground coriander is positively divine.

1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Chicken Broccoli Lo Mein

Discovered this gem tonight when I needed a quick and tasty dinner. This absolutely hit the spot! It comes from the Fix-It and Enjoy-It Cookbook. Makes 4 servings.

Prep time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 15 minutes.

1/2 pound fettucine or lo mein noodles, cooked and set aside
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup hot water
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons oil
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 medium bunch broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces

1. In a jar with a tight lid, mix peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, hot water and garlic. Shake well until blended.
2. In skillet, stir-fry chicken in oil for 5-6 minutes. Add broccoli. Cook an additional 3-4 minutes.
3. Add sauce to skillet. Stir in noodles. Cook 2 more minutes and then serve.

Peanut & Sweet Potato Soup

This recipe comes from my good friend Sarah Thomas. It's similar to the West African Peanut Stew, but with different flavorings and without the chicken. Very tasty!

1 medium onion chopped

1 large clove of minced garlic

2 medium cooked sweet potatoes (I peel them, cut them into medium size chunks & boil them until soft)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

¾ teaspoon cumin

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

¾ teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)

2 tablespoons ketchup

¼ c peanut butter (I use crunchy)

1 quart chicken broth

2 cans great northern beans (15.5 or 16 oz)

Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil, add onion & garlic and cook until it wilts.  Add all other ingredients and cover and simmer for 35 minutes.  Mash to thicken.

Gluten Free Flour

4 1/2 cups + 1/3 cup white rice flour
1 2/3 cups brown rice flour
1 1/3 cup potato starch
3/4 cup tapioca starch
3 tablespoons

Mix together. Store in the refrigerator. Should last for 3 months.

NOTE: Devin sometimes adds xanthum gum (binding agent) when a recipe calls for it. Some bread recipes will call for powdered psyllium husk.

Zemiakové Placky

These yummy potato pancakes come from our Slovakian friend, Daniela Lečková. Serves 4.

8 potatoes (can use half zucchini)
2 eggs (may need more)
2 teaspoons marjoram
8 cloves of garlic, minced
black pepper (to taste)
salt (to taste)
paprika (to taste, perhaps 1 teaspoon)
4 tablespoons flour

1. Grate the potatoes (and zucchini) into a big mixing bowl. 
2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
3. Heat olive oil in hot skillet. 
4. Spoon potato mixture into skillet and flatten into pancakes. Cook like pancakes (although you need more oil than you do for pancakes).

Eat plain or with the condiment of your choice (sour cream, ketchup, cheese, etc.). You can also mix crumbled bacon into the batter, if you want.

Delicious White Bread

This recipe comes from the Pillsbury Complete Cookbook, by way of my friend Verna. Verna's bread ROCKS! It's moist soft and perfectly delicious. This recipe makes 2 loaves of bread. If you get 18 slices from a loaf (yeah, good luck), then each slice has 90 calories.

5 to 6 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages active dry yeast
2 cups water (Verna uses 1 cup water, 1 cup milk)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter, melted

1. In large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Mix well. In small saucepan, heat water (and milk, if using) and oil until very warm. Add warm liquid to flour mixture, blending at low speed until moistened. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed. By hand, stir in additional 2 1/2 to 3 cups flour until dough pulls cleanly away from sides of bowl.
2. On floured surface, knead in 1/2 to 1 cup flour until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl, cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place (80 to 85 degrees) until light and doubled in size (45 to 60 minutes).
3. Grease two 8x4 or 9x5-inch loaf pans. (Verna uses glass pans.) Punch down dough several times to remove all air bubbles. Divide dough in half; shape into loaves. Place in greased pans. Cover; let rise in warm place until dough fills pans and tops of loaves are 1 inch above pan edges (30-35 minutes).
4. Heat oven to 375. Uncover dough. Bake 40-50 minutes (Verna says it's more like 25 minutes) or until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove from pans and place on wire racks. Brush with melted butter. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled.

Breadsticks

After first rise time, punch down dough and shape into 32 eight inch breadsticks. Place on greased cookie sheets and brush with beaten egg white. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Bake at 400 for 14 minutes. (I haven't tested the time.)

5-Minute Fudge Brownies

This recipe comes from 100 Days of Real Food. (Thanks to my friend Tracie for the tip!) And note that 5 minutes refers just to the mixing time and does not include time spent baking.

Serves: 16 squares

¾ cup sugar
½ cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole-wheat flour)
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I highly prefer the "super dark" variety)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter, plus a little extra for greasing
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life mini chips, see note above)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 8X8 or 9X9 square baking dish with a little melted butter (a pastry brush makes this job super easy).
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder. Make a well (hole) in the center and drop in the butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix together thoroughly and then fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula. (See I told you this would be quick and easy!)
3. Add the brownie batter to the baking dish and use the spatula to flatten out the top into one even layer. Bake for about 30 minutes and let cool before slicing into squares (if you can control yourself enough to wait - ha)! Enjoy.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake

This recipe comes from the blog 100 Days of Real Food. (Thanks to my friend Tracie for the tip!) This version is adapted from the original Williams-Sonoma recipe.

Serves: 14-16 generous servings

1 cup whole-wheat flour, organic pastry or white winter wheat recommended
1 cup all purpose white or cake flour (or can sub whole-wheat flour), organic recommended
½ cup unsweetened "dark" cocoa powder
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 ¼ cups sugar, organic recommended
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups water
2 eggs, organic recommended
⅔ cup oil (I recommend melted butter or coconut oil)
2 tablespoons vanilla
Butter for greasing pan(s)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans or other sized baking dish.
2. In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients including flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sugar and salt.
3. Make a well (hole) in the middle of the dry ingredients and drop in the water, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Mix by hand with whisk until well blended.
4. Distribute batter evenly into the two cake 9-inch pans and bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes clean. Let cool before adding frosting.

Mashed Potato Patties

I made these for dinner the other night, and they were an instant hit. This comes from the Galveston County Junior League's Beachside to Boardwalk cookbook. Makes 8 patties.

4 cups mashed cooked potatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 red bell pepper, minced
1 egg
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (see note below)
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste

NOTE: The flour is for coating the outside of the patties. I can't imagine how they used 1 1/2 cups! I used a combination of whole wheat flour and almond meal and only used about 3/4 cup total. 

GLUTEN FREE NOTE: Use almond meal instead of the flour.

Combine the mashed potatoes, onion, garlic, bell pepper, egg and cheese in a bowl and mix well. Shape into large balls. Roll in the flour (or almond meal) and then flatten into patties 1/2 inch thick. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium to high heat. Add the patties. Cook for 5 minutes on each side or until brown. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Zucchini Lasagna

Don't let the title fool you; this is not a vegetarian dish by any means! But it's really tasty. This comes from the Fix-It and Enjoy-It! cookbook. Makes 6-8 servings. Prep time: 20 minutes. Cooking/baking time: 55 minutes.

6 cups sliced raw zucchini, unpeeled
1 pound ground beef
6 oz. can tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs, plain or herb-flavored
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

GLUTEN FREE NOTE: Replace the bread crumbs with almond meal (unless you have another preferred substitute).

1. Spread slices of zucchini into a long microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons water. Cover and cook on high for 3 1/2 minutes. Stir. Cover, return to microwave and cook on high for an additional 3 1/2 minutes. Stir. Cover, return to microwave and cook on high for 1 1/2 minutes more. Drain zucchini and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in large stockpot, brown ground beef. Drain off drippings.
3. Add tomato paste, basil, oregano, salt, garlic powder, cottage cheese, egg, bread crumbs, cheddar cheese and cooked zucchini to browned beef in stockpot. Stir gently together until well mixed. 
4. Spoon mixture into greased 7x11 baking dish.
5. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 25 minutes.
6. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over lasagna. Return to oven and continue baking 20 more minutes.

Asian Chicken Salad

Most Junior Leagues create and sell cookbooks with recipes from their home region. This comes from the Galveston County Junior League's Beachside to Boardwalk cookbook. It's essentially a cole slaw with chicken on top. The chicken is boiled in fresh ginger (and jalapeno, if you want it) before shredding. And the fresh herbs (which I happened to have growing in my garden this year) are wonderful.

Note: You'll probably want more chicken than it calls for, unless you want just a tiny bit of chicken with a big scoop of slaw. Realistically, I ended up eating the two separately. The slaw is best second day, after the flavors have mixed a bit more. The recipe says this serves 4. Well, the chicken may serve 4, but the slaw serves probably double that.

Chicken

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 jalapeno chile, seeded and sliced (I didn't use, but it would probably be good)
1 (1") piece fresh ginger (I grated it)
2 cups water

Rub the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Bring the jalapeno chile, ginger and water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add the chicken. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and steam for 5 minutes. (NOTE: The chicken may require more simmer time in order to fully cook.) Once the chicken is cooked through, removed it from the saucepan. Shred the chicken when cool enough to handle.

Cole Slaw

3/4 cup chopped fresh mint
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 1/2 pounds shredded green cabbage
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoons salt (recipe called for 2, but 1 is plenty)
3 large carrots, grated
3 radishes, grated (I didn't use)
4 scallions, chopped (I didn't use)
1 Granny Smith apple, grated
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Mix the mint, basil and cilantro in a bowl and set aside. Combine the cabbage, vinegar, fish sauce, lime juice and teaspoon salt in a large glass or stainless steel bowl and mix well. Let stand for 10 minutes. Add the carrots, radishes, scallions, apple and 1 1/2 cups of the herb mixture and mix well. Stir in 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Spoon onto serving plates. Top with the chicken and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup herb mixture.

Loaded Zucchini Carrot Muffins

(Adapted from simplyscratch.com)

YIELD: 8 muffins PREP TIME: 20 minutes COOK TIME: 15-18 minutes, CALORIES: 225

1-1/2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup grated carrot
1 whole egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil (recipe calls for 2 tablespoons, which would probably work)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans (I used walnuts)
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries (I used dried cranberries)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepared your muffin pan.
2. In a small bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. In a large bowl combine the grated zucchini, carrot, one egg and oil.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined. Lastly, add in the chopped pecans and dried cherries. Stir and spoon into the muffin tin. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Lemonade Cookies

This recipe comes from a dangerous little cookbook called Cookies for a Year of Celebrations. The cookbook is published by Crisco, so you can imagine how healthy it is. Jared received the book as a Christmas gift, and this particular recipe is his favorite so far. The cookies spread out quite a bit and cook flat, but they are tasty.

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup Butter Flavor Crisco (Jared uses half butter, half shortening)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 egg
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flaked coconut (optional)

1. Heat oven to 375. Place sheets of foil on countertop for cooling cookies.
2. Place sugar, shortening, lemon juice, lemon peel, vanilla and lemon extract in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Add egg; beat well.
3. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add to shortening mixture; beat at low speed just until blended.
4. Drop dough by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle tops with coconut, if desired.
5. Bake one baking sheet at a time at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are set and edges are lightly browned. (Watch closely; do not allow coconut to burn.) Do not overbake. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to foil to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Mint Lemonade

This is not quick lemonade, but it is delicious! I found it in a wonderful (HUGE) cookbook called The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine, by Chef John D. Folse. The recipe notes say, "This wonderful, intense beverage was created by Robert Whitehurst. His method of extracting essential oils from fresh mint is unique. This recipe requires a gallon jar with a tight-fitting lid."

Prep Time: 12 hours
Yield: 1 gallon (for the record, I made a half-recipe in 2 Mason jars, and it worked just fine)

Ingredients

1 cup fresh mint
juice of 4 lemons
1 lemon peel, thinly sliced
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 gallon water

Directions

1. In a saucepan, bring sugar and 2 cups water to a boil. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves, creating a simple syrup. Allow syrup to cool to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, fill gallon jar with hot tap water (190 degrees). Allow jar to become very hot to touch, then discard water. Immediately put mint into jar and screw lid on tightly. Refrigerate, allowing jar to cool completely. A partial vacuum seal will be created when jar cools, extracting all flavorful oils from mint.
3. Remove lid from jar, then add lemon juice, lemon peel and syrup. Shake vigorously, then fill to top with water. Replace lid and allow to mature overnight.

Pumpkin Donuts

This recipe from my sister, Sylvia, almost makes me ready for Halloween even in early spring.

1/3 cup warm water
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup sour cream (may use light or fat free if desired)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups white flour (approx.)

1. Dissolve the yeast in warm water in a large bowl.  
2. Add the pumpkin, egg, brown sugar, sour cream, butter, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. 
3. Stir in whole wheat flour one cup at a time, beating well.  
4. Add white flour 1/4 cup at  a time till dough is soft and kneadable.  
5. Turn dough out of bowl and knead for 8-10 minutes adding flour as needed, but keeping the dough as soft as possible. 
6. Cover dough with a towel and let rise till almost doubled.  
7. Punch down dough and roll out to about 3/4 inch thick.  Cut with donut cutter and place donuts on greased baking sheets to rise.  
8. When the donuts are nearly double in size, heat oven to 375.  Bake donuts for 20 to 25 minutes or till done.  Use either the glaze recipe below or roll them in melted butter and cinnamon sugar.  

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup (more or less may be needed)

Place sugar in a bowl, add syrup till the glaze is the right consistency to dip the donuts.

Cocoa Brownie Drops

This recipe comes from Cooking Light, by way of my sister. The fact that it comes from Cooking Light would suggest that these are in some way healthy, but blissfully, that is not the case. The comments are Sylvia's.

3/4 cups margarine (it says reduced calorie; I use regular)

2/3 cups sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs (it says egg substitute, but that's silly)

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

3/4 cup chocolate chips (mini are nice, if you have them)

1. Cream softened margarine and sugars, add egg, beat well.  
2. Add combined dry ingredients. Mix and then add chocolate chips.  
3. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. (This varies, so check the first batch carefully and often.)

The recipe says it makes 4 dozen, but the dough is really good so I don't think we've ever really gotten that many. 

Creamy Bean Soup

This is another recipe from my sister, Sylvia. She says, "This recipe is really simple, but we love it.  Between the soaking and cooking in a crock pot, it takes lots of time but very little actual effort." As usual, I've left her comments intact. I've added notes for making the recipe gluten-free.

6 cups water
2 cups dry pinto beans
2 Tbsp. dry onion (you can use fresh as well, I like dried better in this)
4 chicken bouillon cubes (not all bouillon cubes are gluten-free, so check the box, if necessary)
1 tsp. salt
1 cup light cream or milk
1 Tbsp. flour (use 1/2 T cornstarch if you want to go gluten-free)
Bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream for garnish

1. Soak beans in water overnight (I do this in the crock pot so its all ready to go the next morning). Put in crock pot first thing in the morning with onion, bouillon, and salt. 
2. Cook on low till about half an hour before dinner. The actual cooking time is about 12 hours if your crock pot is low, a bit quicker if the crock pot keeps it at a simmer.  
3. Turn crock pot to high. Mix milk/cream and flour, add to soup.  Serve with bacon, cheese and sour cream.  

Sylvia's Favorite Wheat Bread Recipe

My darling sister was kind enough to pass along her go to recipe for whole wheat bread. Here it is, in all its glory. I've left her comments, because they are helpful and because I rather like to hear her voice in my head while I'm baking. She's a pretty awesome sister, after all!

NOTE: I am still experimenting with this recipe. I made it today and ended up using around 15 cups of flour. Also, when I followed the baking instructions, the loaves didn't rise sufficiently and took longer to bake. Taste and consistency were OK, but they really needed to rise more. I think the difference is at least partly that I have a gas oven, while Sylvia cooks with electric. Next time, I'll let the dough rise more in the pans and adjust the baking process a bit.

7 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. yeast
1 cup gluten
10 to 12 cups wheat flour (depends on the day, humidity and the alignment of the planets)
3/4 cup brown sugar or honey (honey is wonderful but brown sugar is so much easier to measure)
1 Tbsp. salt (recipe actually called for 2 which was too much I thought)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is lovely, bottled is fine, a crushed vitamin C tablet works too)
3/4 cup vegetable oil

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water (I add a bit of the sugar with this for the cool bubbles and to make sure the yeast is good).  
2. Add gluten and 6 cups wheat flour. Mix thoroughly. Let sit for a few minutes while you gather everything else (apparently this helps the texture of the bread).  
3. Add sugar or honey, salt, lemon juice and vegetable oil, mix thoroughly.  
4. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time till kneading consistency.  Knead for about 10 minutes, adding flour as needed (but don't overdo, keep the dough from getting too stiff). 
5. Let rest for half an hour (or more if you get side tracked).  Shape into loaves, this makes six 8x4 loaves or four 9x5 loaves.  Let rise for about 30 minutes.  Put in cold oven and turn oven on to 350. Cook for 40 minutes for 9x5 loaves. (You can do the same time for 8x4 loaves or try 35 minutes. For the smallest loaf tins, bake for 25 minutes.) Turn out of pans to cool.  

Pork in Peanut Sauce

The original recipe comes from Allrecipes.com. As usual, I've modified a bit, but not too much this time. Mostly, instead of frozen mixed vegetables, I used fresh vegetables (whatever I had in the fridge, which today happened to be broccoli, bell pepper and a little zucchini). I served the pork over brown rice.

2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger root
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I minced the garlic)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into strips
2 tablespoons peanut oil for frying (I used sesame oil instead of peanut oil)
1 onion, chopped
3/4 cup cashew nuts
2 cups frozen mixed stir-fry vegetables (I used fresh vegetables instead)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, broth, and peanut butter. Stir in pork to coat. Set aside. (Note: I marinated the pork in the fridge for an hour.)
2. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in onions, and cook about 1 minute. Stir in cashews. Cook until unions are soft and translucent. Pour in pork and marinade. Cook until pork pieces are done, about 10 minutes. Stir in mixed vegetables, and cook 5 minutes more.
   
   NOTE: Since I was using fresh vegetables, and they require a little more cooking time than frozen, I removed the pork mixture from the skillet before adding the vegetables. Then I sauteed the vegetables until crisp-tender and added the pork mixture back in.

Chicken Supreme

This recipe comes from an old Friend magazine. It's a yummy, simple curried chicken. I typically serve the chicken over rice or noodles.

1/4 cup butter/margarine, melted
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
*3 pounds (1.4 kg) chicken cut into pieces, or 4-5 chicken breasts

* I usually use boneless chicken breasts or thighs. If using the chicken breasts, I cut them into smaller pieces about the size of chicken tenders. The smaller pieces of chicken soak up the flavor better and cook a little faster (45 minutes should be enough).

1. In a 9" x 13" (23 cm x 33 cm) pan, mix all the ingredients together except the chicken.
2. Add the chicken to the mixture, turning the pieces to coat. Bake uncovered at 375° F (190° C) for 45-60 minutes, basting the chicken frequently and turning it after 30 minutes.

Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

The original recipe came from Allrecipes.com, but I've modified it a fair amount (reducing the sugar and oil, adding in nuts and chocolate chips, substituting oat bran and wheat germ for half of the flour, etc.). I'll just include my modifications, rather than the original ingredients. If you want the original recipe, click here. Makes 12 muffins, 210 calories each.

Ingredients

1 Cup all - purpose flour
1/2 Cup oat bran
1/2 Cup wheat germ
1/2 Cup brown sugar, packed
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 Cups canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
2 eggbeaters (or 2 eggs, if you'd rather)
1/4 Cup oil
1/4 Cup buttermilk (although I just used regular milk)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 Cup dried, sweetened cranberries
1/4 Cup walnuts
1/4 Cup choc chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease or place paper muffin cups in a 12 cup muffin tin.
2. Mix the flour, oat bran, wheat germ, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg together in a mixing bowl.
3. Beat the canned pumpkin, eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla together in another large mixing bowl. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until well blended. Stir in the dried cranberries, walnuts and chocolate chips until evenly blended. Spoon batter into muffin tins about 3/4 full.
4. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean, 20 minutes or so. 

Rosalie's Beans and Rice

My friend Rosalie made us beans and rice tonight, and it was delicious! Even my husband, who normally doesn't like beans and rice, loved them and had several servings.

Ingredients
olive oil
2 onions
2 or 3 cloves garlic
2 small cans tomato sauce
salt, pepper, chili powder
2 cans beans, undrained (we used black beans, but you can experiment)
2 cups dry rice

Directions

1. Slice the onion and chop the garlic. Saute in olive oil until the onion begins to brown and wilt a bit.
2. Add the tomato sauce and two cans of water. Season with salt, pepper and chili powder to taste. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or so. 
3. In another pan, cook the rice as usual.
4. Add the beans (with their juice) to the tomato sauce mixture. Stir and heat through.
5. Serve the bean mixture over the rice.

Lemon-Pineapple Cheese Pie

This recipe comes to me from my friend Rosalie. The walnuts in the crust are my favorite part, I think. It's best eaten second-day, but who can wait that long?

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (probably use more than that)
1 stick margarine (melted--I use butter instead of margarine)
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (softened)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 15 oz. can crushed pineapple (drained)
1 box instant lemon pudding mix

Directions:
Mix 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (measure the finely chopped nuts, and use a little extra), flour, and melted margarine together until moist then spread evenly in baking dish letting some of the crust come up the sides of the dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degree oven. Then set aside to cool.

Take cream cheese, powdered sugar, and egg and mix until well blended. Then fold in the drained pineapple. Add the cream cheese mixture to the crust and bake for another 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Cook until filling is solid but not overly brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

When cream cheese filling is cool, make the instant lemon pudding according to box directions, then add to the top of the dessert. Put in refrigerator to chill about an hour or so then serve.

Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread

I love a good banana bread, and the chocolate makes this one particularly tasty. The bread is moist and freezes well.

Ingredients
2 Cups all - purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup butter, softened
1 1/2 Cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
2 eggs (or 1/2 cup egg substitute) 
1/3 Cup plain low - fat yogurt
1/2 Cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.
3. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add banana, egg substitute, and yogurt; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist.
4. Place chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl, and microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until almost melted, stirring until smooth. Cool slightly. Add 1 cup batter to chocolate, stirring until well combined. Spoon chocolate batter alternately with plain batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Swirl batters together using a knife. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Classic Buttercream Frosting

Because everyone needs a good buttercream frosting recipe! This one comes from savorysweetlife.com.

Serves: 2.5 cups

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or ½ pound), softened (but not melted!) Ideal texture should be like ice cream.
3-4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar, SIFTED
¼ teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
up to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Instructions

Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1 tablespoons at a time.

Wedding Cake Cupcakes

I made these for my daughter's birthday party, and they were yummy. Kristina wanted chocolate cupcakes, so I substituted a chocolate cake mix, and it worked just fine. Topped the cupcakes with buttercream frosting. Yumminess! The original recipe (and tips) comes from recipegirl.com.

1 (18.25 ounce) box white cake mix (I used 15 or 16 oz., and it worked fine)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated white sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups water

2 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

4 large egg whites

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place cupcake liners in cupcake pans (you'll need approx. 36).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together cake mix, flour, sugar and salt. Add remaining ingredients and beat with hand mixer for 2 minutes, or until well blended.
3. Use ice cream scoop to fill prepared cupcake tins- fill about 3/4 full. Bake about 18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Tips (included with the original recipe)

*Recommend: Most companies have downsized the size of their cake mix. Some readers have made this recipe as indicated using the smaller size mix and still had great success. Others bought a 2nd mix and added in the missing ounces to the first box. It's up to you on what you want to try. Reading through some of the comments on the post may help...

*You can use either regular or light sour cream for this recipe, but heck... since it's a wedding cupcake and you want it to be as delicious and moist as possible, I recommend going for the full-fat kind.

*Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract (in addition to the vanilla) if you wish to have a different flavor.

*Using an ice cream scoop is perfect for getting the batter into the cupcake tins without spilling.

*You can also use this mix to make cake. Pour into greased and floured cake pans. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Chocolate Mint Brownie Cookies

Jared received a cookbook for Christmas from Santa, full of sinfully delicious cookie recipes. This one is quickly becoming a family favorite and crowd pleaser. The recipe book is Cookies for a Year of Celebrations (from Crisco). Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup shortening (or butter, if you prefer)
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups (12 oz.) mint chocolate chips (we use Andes Mint chips)

1. Heat oven to 375. Place sheets of foil on countertop for cooling cookies.
2. Place brown sugar, shortening, water, vanilla and peppermint extract in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs; beat well.
3. Combine flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Add to shortening mixture; beat at low speed just until blended. Stir in mint chocolate chips.
4. Drop dough by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.
5. Bake one baking sheet at a time at 375 for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are set. Do not overbake. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to foil to cool completely.

Note: These are rather flat cookies. Never mind that; they taste divine.