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Cold Soba Noodles

4 servings

Ingredients

• 8 ounces soba noodles
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse under cold running water until cool. Transfer to a medium bowl and toss with scallions, oil, soy sauce and sesame seeds.

Steamed Clams with Garlic

Ingredients

3 pounds small hard-shell clams
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 to 8 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
1-1/2 cups dry white wine
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

 

Cooking Instructions

Wash the clams with a stiff brush under running water to remove any sand and dirt from their shells. Place in a colander or bowl and keep in the refrigerator.

 

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the garlic and cook for about one minute, until the garlic is fragrant and tender but not browned. Add the white wine and simmer until the wine has reduced to about half of its original volume.

 

Add the clams, cover the pot, and cook, shaking the pot every so often, until the clams start to open. Add the butter and parsley and continue to cook until most or all of the clams open. Discard any that do not open. Transfer the clams and broth to a large bowl and serve with crusty bread.

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Makes 2 dinner or 4 appietizer servings

Easy and tastey recipe from wendyinchicago

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Ingredients

1 16-ounce package of bacon (regular thickness-not thick cut), cut into thirds
1 8-ounce package of pitted dates **

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Position oven rack in the center of the oven. Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil. Wrap a piece of bacon around a date. Make sure the bacon seam is placed facing downwards on the cookie sheet. Press firmly on the bacon wrapped date, so it is less likely to unravel. Repeat until all of the dates are wrapped in bacon. Bake for 20-25 minutes until crisp. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Makes 25-30 bacon wrapped dates.

** You can also stuff the dates before wrapping them by using: Blue Cheese, Gorgonzola, Almonds, Ricotta, Fontina...they all work well and add to the salty/sweet taste of this appetizer.

From : jimschweizer

Popular in the Med, this was served as an appetizer at a Thanksgiving party in Sonoma County.

Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic
1 cup ripe olives (black)
1 cup stuffed green olives
3/4 cup roasted red pepper
2 tbs capers
1/2 cup parsley (optional)
1 tsp oregano
3 tbs balsamic vinegar
black pepper (to taste)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Direction:
Mix in a food processor till it's done ;-)

Do you like Garlic?  Rouille and Aioli Sauces:

 

Rouille - Red Garlic Sauce

 

In a heavy bowl, using 6 to 8 cloves of peeled garlic puréed *minced to a fine paste*, with 1/4 tsp salt.

Pound in 18 large leaves of fresh Basil chopped; 3/4 cup lightly pressed-down fresh bread crumbs.  3 tbs soup base or milk.  When paste is smooth, pound or beat in 3 egg yolks.  Switch to an electrix mixer and beat in 1/3 cup diced canned red pimiento, and by driblets, as for making mayonnaise, 3/4 to 1 cup fruity olive oil to make a strong, thick sauce.  Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco.

 

Aioli Sauce -

Omit the pimiento here and you have the famous garlic sauce Aioli.

 

*To make garlic paste begin by mincing your garlic:  Smash a whole garlic glove on your work surface, peel off and discard the skin, then mince with your big knife.  Purée into a paste by sprinkling a big pinch of salt on the minced garlic, then press and rub the garlic back and forth on your work surface with the flat of your knife, or pound with a mortar and pestle.

Brandied fruit makes an excellent holiday extra, but it takes at least one month for the fruit to be at its inebriated best (longer is better!) Keep that in mind when making it - start in the summer for Christmas!

• diced fruit of choice (cherries, blueberries, plums and peeled nectarines and peaches)
• granulated sugar
• firmly packed light brown sugar
• good-quality brandy

(hint: 2 cups fruit to 1/2 cup each white and firmly packed brown sugar - just keep adding fruit, brandy and sugar as needed)

Tangier Island Crab Cakes

3 lbs. lump (or claw) crabmeat
5 slices white bread, crust removed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 Tablespoons mayo
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire
3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
3 Tablespoons prepared mustard
3 Tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
Salt to taste
(Vegetable oil, for frying)
(Lemon wedges, for serving)


Put crabmeat in a bowl and pick through for shells. Quickly dip bread into water and squeese with hands to remove excess. Break into pieces and add to crabmeat. To eggs add mayo, Worcestershire, parsley (if using), mustard, Old Bay and stir to combine. Add crabmeat to egg mixture and toss lightly with a wooden spoon (if you mix it too much the crabmeat will break apart). Form into patties, about 1/2-inch thick. Place on a baking sheet and chill about 1 hour. Heat oil in skillet and gently saute crab cakes until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side. Serve with lemon wedges

368,000 recipes shared here: www.recipezaar.com

From Top Secret Recipes

5 min | 5 min prep

SERVES 4 -6 , 1 cup

    * 1 tablespoon white vinegar
    * 4 teaspoons granulated sugar or sugar substitute
    * 1/8 teaspoon salt
    * 1 cup mayonnaise
    * 2 1/2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

   1. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and salt in vinegar until dissolved.
   2. Add mayonnaise, horseradish and vinegar mix into a blender. Set on medium until pureed. (About 10 seconds).
   3. Chill in covered container until smooth and creamy (about 2 to 3 hours).

(I LOVE Arby's!)

I was thinking of making this tonight with rice and stir fried veggies:

Ginger Tofu

- 1 lb of firm tofu
- 1 1/2 ts of fresh, grated ginger
- 1 t of roasted sesame oil
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 2 tb of tamari
- 1 1/4 c of water
- 1 1/2 tb of arrowroot

Slice the tofu into small rectangles of 1/4--1/2-inch thickness and place them in a shallow dish or baking pan.

Mix together the ginger, sesame oil, garlic, tamari and water.
Pour this mixture over the tofu and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.
(If desired, the tofu may be placed in the refrigerator to marinate for several hours or overnight).

Remove the marinated tofu from the liquid, reserving the liquid to make the sauce.
Place the tofu on a well-oiled cookie sheet and bake at 375 deg for 35-40 minutes, or until the desired crispness is reached (the longer the tofu bakes the firmer and crisper it becomes).

To make the sauce, mix the arrowroot with the marinade.
Place the mixture in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Ginger Tofu may be served with or without the sauce.
With the sauce, serve it over a bed of rice, millet, buckwheat, or pasta.
Add your favorite stir-fried veggies and you have a colorful or nutritious meal.
Ginger Tofu may also be added to a vegetable stew.

I backed-up all the recipes.

Plain text: here
MS Word doc: here

From jimschweizer

I think I blogged this before but couldn't find it (making another batch right now

Kahlua

1 Qt Brewed Coffee
2 1/2 cup Vodka
1/2 cup Brandy
3 Tbsp Vanilla
2 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar


Simmer coffee and sugars for 3 hours. Add vodka, brandy and vanilla (after you remove it from heat.)

Bottle as desired.

This is for a really large amount of tri-tip. Adjust as necessary..

10 tbls paprika
4 tbls seasoned pepper
4 tbls salt
4 tbls garlic powder
4 tbls chile powder
6 tbls brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
red pepper flakes to taste

Don't grind it. Leave it course. Rub the tri tip just before you put it on the grill.

This recipe comes with a little story, from wendyinchicago. 

 

Most of my family recipes were taught to me from my Mom and maternal Grandmother.  My paternal Grandmother suffered from Arthritis, and moved to an assisted living facility when I was very young.  She didn't cook when we went to visit her, however, my Mom used to rave  about the Chicken Fricassee that she'd make when she visited us.  This is that recipe.  Originally it was a whole chicken cut into the typical 8 pieces, this has been updated and I now use skinned Chicken breasts.  You can use whatever chicken parts you like to use.

 

Chicken Fricassee - Old Fashioned but GOOD!!!

(4 servings)

 

3 Tbls all-purpose Flour

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Poultry Seasoning

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

4 (6 ounce each) skinned Chicken breast halves

2 tsp Butter or Margarine

1 1/2 cups chopped Onion

1/2 cup chopped Celery

3 Garlic cloves, minced

1 cup Chicken broth

1/4 cup Dry White Wine

2 cups julienne-cut Carrots

1/4 cup chopped fresh Parsley

 

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag.  Add chicken; toss well to coat.  Remove chicken from bag; reserve the flour.  Melt butter in a large nonstick fry pan over medium heat.  Add chicken, top side down; saute 5 minutes or until chicken is browned.  Remove from pan; keep warm.

 

Add celery, onion, and garlic to the pan; saute 5 minutes, stirring so it softens not browns.  Stir in the flour from the mix bag; cook 1 minute.  Add broth and wine, be sure to stir evenly to keep from lumping; bring to boil.  Add carrots.  Return chicken to pan, top side up.  Cover, reduce heat to simmer.  Cook 25 minutes or until checken is done.  Sprinkle with chopped Parsley.

 

Serve 1 breast and 3/4 cup sauce, choose your sides as you like.

On the Holidays I'd make this because I don't like Pumpkin Pie.  Originally it called for Whisky, but it was horrible that way, so now I omit it.  It became such a hit that I had to give it to the "next generation" in our family.  I usually double the recipe so there is one pie to share and one to keep.  wendyinchicago 

 

Auntie's Sweet Potato Pie

2 cups Sweet Potato Mash (about 5 medium potatoes peeled, cooked and mashed)

3 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Nutmeg

4 Tbl Butter

1 Tbl Lemon Juice

1 Tbl Flour

1 cooked Pie shell

 

Follow the instructions for cooking the pie shell, let cool.  Blend all the ingredients together until smooth, pour into the cooled pie shell.  Put in a pre-heated 350 degree oven and let cook for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Serve with main course or as a dessert.  Hint: Any leftover filling can be cooked in a buttered casserole dish.

 

*----*----*----*----*----*----*

 

This next one I've not made, but found on the 'net when the taste for one came up.  I am offering this recipe out there to others that enjoy cranberries as much as I do.  It will be tried soon. 

 

Cranberry Pie

 

Pastry for double crust pie

3 cups halved Cranberries

1/2 cup Water

1 3/4 cups Sugar

5 tablespoons Flour

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Almond extract

2 tablespoons Butter

 

Prepare pastry for pie. In saucepan add cranberries and water and bring to the boiling point. Mix dry ingredients and slowly add to cranberry mixture. Cook on low heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add extract. Cool filling completely. Pour into 9 inch pastry lined pan. Dot with the butter. Add top crust as a lattice crust or as a whole top crust, crimping edges and pricking top in several places. Bake in 425 oven for 35 to 40 minutes or crust light golden. Serve room temperature or cold with ice cream or whipped cream.

I have always liked broccoli, but never had it cooked like this until the other night.  It is simple and very delicious.  The measurments are what I used, but you could vary them to adjust to your own tastes.  I put them in the oven while roasting some chicken, ended up eating all the broccoli and only a small bit of chicken.

 

Roasted Broccoli  from wendyinchicago 

 

12 oz of Broccoli flowerettes, you can use the cleaned up stems too, but be sure to quarter them.

1 Tbls Olive Oil

1 Tbls Sesame Oil

2 tsp Soy Sauce

1 crushed garlic clove

 

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until broccoli is coated with oils.  Place mixed pieces onto a shallow baking dish or cookie sheet in a single layer.  Roast on 375 degrees, until fork tender and beginning to brown.

By jimschweizer

When I was a kid my parents would leave us those little tins of chicken pot pies to warm up and eat in front of the TV when it was their night out. I always liked them, but this recipe blows them away!

Crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 egg yolks
3 tbs ice water
2/3 cup cold butter

Filling:
1 cup sliced carrots (3)
1 cup sliced celery (1)
2 cups frozen peas
1 cup chopped white onion
4 chicken breast (or 1 1/2 pd thighs)
4 tbs butter
5 tbs flour
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
1 egg, beaten

Directions:
1) Crust - sift together flour and salt in a medium bowl - make a depression in the center; put yolks and ice water in the depression; slice butter into tbs sized chunks and add to the depression; using a fork, cut the wet ingredients into the dry; when flour is moistened, hand combine the ingredients; roll the dough into a ball, cover with plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2) Preheat the oven to 425 F.
3) Steam vegetables until almost tender.
4) Poach chicken in lightly salted  water 8 to 10 min.
5) In a large saucepan melt butter remove from heat, add flour and whisk until smooth; add chicken broth and milk - stir over high heat until boiling; cook 1 minute then reduce heat to low.
6) Chunk the poached chicken, add to the sauce w/ salt and pepper.
7) Add steamed vegetables and simmer 4-5 min.
8) Roll out dough on a floured surface and line pan(s).
9) Spoon chicken and veg. filling into pan (s) and cover with dough. Brush beaten eggs on dough.
10) Bake pies on cookie sheet 30-45 min.

(Yes, this is a lot of work... but it's worth it!)

I made this last night but substituted some of the vanilla with Grand Marnier and used dried blueberries instead of raisins - YUM!

By jimschweizer 

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups bread, torn into small pieces (french bread works best)
1/2 cup raisins or berries (optional)

Directions:

1. In medium saucepan, over medium heat, heat milk just until film forms over top. Combine butter and milk, stirring until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm.

2. Combine sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly add milk mixture.

3. Place bread in a lightly greased 1 1/2 quart casserole.

4. Sprinkle with raisins or berries if desired. Pour batter on top of bread.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until set. Serve warm.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 pound dark sweet cherries, pitted and halved
• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1/3 cup toasted and sliced almonds
• 12 leaves of lettuce

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ginger and chicken and saute until cooked through, about 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 1 tablespoon oil, vinegar, teriyaki sauce and honey until mixed together. Add chicken mixture, cherries, carrot, green onion and almonds; toss together.
3. To Serve: Spoon 1/12 of the chicken/cherry mixture onto the center of each lettuce leaf; roll up leaf around filling and serve.
Serves 6

(I haven't made this yet, but I wanted to save the recipe...)

Shanxi is a northern province in China; this is a braised beef dish from that region:

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
3 bunches scallions, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)
1 pound lean boneless beef (such as top sirloin), very thinly sliced
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sesame oil
generous pinch fennel seed
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons rice wine
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce and scallions. Add the beef and mix to coat.

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with the water until dissolved. Add to the beef mixture and stir well. Set aside.

In a wok, heat the oil over high. Add the fennel seeds and cook stirring constantly. until the oil starts to smoke. Add the beef mixture, with the marinade, and stir fry until barely cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the stock and the rice wine. Cover the wok and boil for 1 minute. Add the ginger, stir and serve.

Sounds pretty good!