{SRC} Sprinkle Me with Recipes

So here we are, the first of a new month. May!! Already!! May Flowers! Spring weather. And most importantly – Secret Recipe Club!

This month I met Meghan of Cupcakes with Sprinkles. I know I gained at least 10 pounds just LOOKING at all the goodies on her site.

I love all things sweet. I once had an aunt tell me that you might be dead before dessert so you should always eat dessert before dinner. That is something I love! It doesn’t matter how full I get I always have room for dessert.

This had to be month we gave up sweets. I mean really – gave. up. sweets. So while I drooled over all the sweet treats – which WILL be revisited at a later date – had had find some non-sweet recipes. **SIGH** But I persevered and narrowed it down to 6 (one of which is kinda sweet)and then down to THREE!!

Breakfast: Sunday is about the only day we eat a BIG breakfast. Eggs with bacon and grits, pancakes, or…..

WAFFLES

Some with Blueberries.
Some with Pecans. All good!!

2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 cups Milk
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until blended and smooth. Coat waffle plates with non-stick cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter for 1 square of waffles. Let bake for about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

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Lunch: I needed something quick to go with some left over 5 Spice Chicken for Lunch, Meghan’s Very Quick Fried Rice.

3 cups cooked White Rice
3 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
1 cup cooked Peas and Carrots
1 small Onion, minced
2 teaspoons Garlic, minced
2 Eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup Soy Sauce

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the peas and carrots mix, onion and garlic. Cook until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture to the side of the pan, then pour the eggs on the other side of pan and cook until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and mix together well. Stir until heated through. I added some Five Spice to the rice as well. I thought it brought out the flavor of the sesame.

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Dinner: We had a cool evening the other night. It was a perfect night for stew.

Not just any stew, a stew made in the slow cooker. I usually fix mine using my pressure cooker or dutch oven so using the slow cooker was different for me. Long and slow gives you enhanced flavor for the potatoes, carrots, and meat.Mine was also a little different because I used 1/2 beef and 1/2 venison.

1 lb chuck steak and 1 lb venison steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 medium Yellow Onions, finely chopped
1-6oz can Tomato Paste
2 cups Beef Broth
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Bay Leaves
3 1/2 cups Carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 1/2 cups Red Potatoes, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
2 Tablespoons Minute Tapioca

1. After the meat has been cut into chunks, pat it dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat until the oil is hot. Cook half of the beef until it is well browned on each side, about 4 minutes. Don’t cook it all the way through – just get it brown on all sides. Toss the meat in the slow cooker and follow the same process with the second half of the meat. Remove the meat to the slow cooker, trying to keep as much oil in the pan as possible.

2. Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the onions are translucent and golden, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the broth, soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon thyme and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour it into the slow cooker over the meat.

3. In a large bowl, toss the carrots, potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. On the counter, lay out a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and place the tossed vegetables on one side of the foil. Fold the foil over the vegetables and crimp the edges really well to form a little foil packet that will fit in the top of your slow cooker. >{I put 1/2 of the veggies in the stew and 1/2 in the foil packet to see if there would be a different taste. There wasn’t.}Stir the tapioca into the slow cooker. Place the foil packet of vegetables on top of the stew, cover the slow cooker, and cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 10-11 hours.

4. When the stew is finished cooking, carefully remove the foil packet from the top of the stew. Discard the bay leaves from the stew. Carefully open the foil packet (be careful of steam that will escape as you open it!). Return the vegetables and any juices to the slow cooker and gently mix them into the stew. Serve.

I had never used tapioca as a thickener. I have always made a roux for thickening. The tapioca was a nice surprise. I liked the flavor the tomato paste added (also never used) but not so much for the soy sauce. Definitely a repeat – when the weather is cold/cool again.

Thanks, Meghan, for three keepers. I still have three recipes left over. And when I start using sugar again there will definitely be some Sprinkle treats coming out of the kitchen.

Visit the other members of The Secret Recipe Club by using the blog hop below.

 

Chocolate Caramel Muffins

I like making muffins. They are quick and easy and they don’t need frosting – much to The Hub’s chagrin. If I make muffins I make ones that have some kind of topping even if it isn’t frosting. So this week when he asked for muffins I found some that I liked and then changed the recipe – a little – to fit our tastes. They contained Nutella. And while I am a fan, The Hubs is not.

Chocolate Caramel Muffins

2 cups flour
1/3 cup finely shaved chocolate
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup caramel plus extra for decorating
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt
1 cup chopped pecans (Reserve 1/4 for decorating.)
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your muffin tins (one 12-cup and one 6-cup) by spraying with non-stick spray or lining with muffin papers.
Combine your flour, shaved chocolate, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
In another smaller bowl, whisk together your egg, milk, yogurt, and butter.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stop when it’s still quite dry looking.
Add in the caramel, pecans, coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Stir until just mixed.
Divide your batter between the 18 prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pans and then remove to continue cooling on a wire rack.
Once cool, drizzle the muffins with a small amount of the caramel and decorate with the rest of the pecans.

The Hubs liked these. The caramel was just the perfect topping with a few pecans on top. You could put some coconut on top, too, but we preferred them without.

The recipe was enough for 12 full sized muffins and 12 minis.

I liked the minis best – one little bite of sweetness.

Enjoy!

 

{MKMW} Portugal

This month My Kitchen My World made a quick visit to Portugal….

..a small country on the west coast of Spain. Portugal is known for its culinary diversity. Cooks pair meat with fish, fish with fruit, fruit with eggs, eggs with beans. Vasco de Gama found the water route to the east and introduced the spices of India, Africa, and South America to Europe. Today all those spices are incorporated into native seasons to add robust flavor to the dishes of Portugal – especially the seafood and water fowl, which, being a coastal country, is abundant.

I have been waiting for a recipe to use some ducks I had in the freezer. This one was perfect. So for supper last nite we had….

Arroz de Pato {Braised Duck and Rice}

A duckling weighing 5 to 51/2 pounds, with its giblets {I had 4 wild ducks and no gibliets}
5 cups cold water
1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced thin
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced thin
10 peppercorns
1/4 pound prosciutto, in one piece
1/4 pound slab bacon, in one piece {For both bacon and prosciutto I had slices but it worked just fine.}
1/2 pound chourico, chorizo, or pepperoni, in one piece
2 cups converted rice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 egg yolk beaten with 2 tablespoons cold water

1. Pull all excess fat from the neck and body cavities of the duck and discard; prick the bird well all over with a sharp-pronged fork, then refrigerate until needed. Place the water, duck giblets and neck, onion, carrots, peppercorns, prosciutto, bacon, and chourico in a large heavy kettle, and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Adjust the burner heat so mixture bubbles gently, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
2. With a slotted spoon, lift the duck giblets and neck, the prosciutto, bacon, and chourico from the kettle and reserve. Now place the duck in the kettle, breast-side up, bring the
liquid to a gentle simmer, cover, and simmer 30 minutes; turn the bird breast-side down, re-cover, and sim- mer 30 minutes longer. Remove the duck from the broth and cool until
easy to handle. Strain the broth, discarding the solids. Now skim as much fat as possible from the broth-there will be plenty of it! This is a job requiring patience.
3. Preheat the oven to very hot (450°F). With poultry shears, cut the legs and wings off the duck. Divide the breast in half by cutting down the middle of the breastbone, then cut each half crosswise into three chunks. Remove as much meat as possible from the back of the bird.
Place all pieces of meat, skin-side up, in a shallow 3-quart earthenware casserole. (It should measure about 12 x 9 inches, or 11 to 12 inches in diameter, and be 2 inches deep.) Place the uncovered casserole on the middle shelf of the oven and bake the duck until lightly browned-about 15 minutes. Remove -the casserole from the oven and set aside; reduce oven heat to moderate (350°F).
4. Pour 1 quart of the skimmed duck broth (reserve any extra to use in making a soup, sauce, or stew) into a large heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat; add the rice and pepper, bring to a simmer, adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles gently, then cook un-
covered about 10 minutes until the level of the liquid is below that of the rice. Meanwhile, cut as much meat from the duckling neck as possible and reserve; discard the neck bone. Also, coarsely chop the giblets, and dice the prosciutto. Add all to the rice, cover, and cook 5 to 8 minutes longer until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
5. Meanwhile, dice the bacon and brown in a small heavy skillet over moderately high heat until most of the drippings have cooked out, leaving crisp brown bits-about 5 minutes. You’ll have to stir the bacon frequently to keep it from burning. With a slotted spoon, lift the crisp brown bits to paper toweling to drain; discard the drippings or reserve to use another time. Slice the chourico ‘/4-inch thick; stir into the rice along with the bacon bits.
6. Spoon the rice into the casserole covering the. duck completely. Drizzle the surface first with melted butter, then with the egg yolk mixture. Cover snugly with foil and bake 15 minutes; uncover and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, just until the rice is faintly golden. Spoon rice mixture onto serving dish or serve directly from the casserole.
{Note: Because ofthe saltiness of the ham, bacon, and sausage used, you will not need to add any salt.} Country Living September 1987

This was really good but took about 4 – 4 1/2 hours to make. The flavor of the bacon and prosciutto was all through the rice and the ducks were very flavorful. I am glad I made the full recipe so we could have leftovers.

For dessert we had….

PÃO DE LÓ

…a golden sponge cake layer that appears in its paper wrapper in markets and pastry shops throughout Portugal.

2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/3 cup unsifted all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease 9-inch round cake pan. Cut a 15- by 12-inch piece of parchment paper and fit into pan, allowing edges to extend beyond rim (see
Note). Grease paper on bottom and 2 inches up side of pan.
In medium-size bowl, with electric mixer on high speed, beat eggs with salt until light and lemon colored. Gradually beat in sugar until soft peaks form. Add yolks, 2 at a time, beating 3 minutes after each addition.
Sprinkle flour over egg mixture. With rubber spatula, very gently fold flour into beaten egg mixture until uniformly combined. Spread batter into prepared pan.
Place another piece of parchment over cake, resting on extended edges of the parchment pan liner and being careful to avoid top of batter.
Bake 15 minutes or until center appears set. Remove top piece of parchment. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 15 minutes. Using edges of parchment pan liner, lift cake to serving plate and set aside at least 1 hour before serving.
{Note: The cake may be baked without parchment, but the surface will be darker. To do so, grease 9-inch round baking pan and line bottom with a circle of waxed paper; grease paper and side of pan.}{Country Living June 1997}

This cake was a perfect foil for ice cream or caramel or chocolate but by itself a little bland. I would definitely make it again tho. Very simple and quick.

Sure wish y’all would join us in visiting the cuisine of different countries. Just check

with the website each month to see what country we are visiting.

HINT:: March we are going to Liechtenstein.

 

{IHCC} Rasedar khumbi aloo

If you are cooking an good spicy Indian Curry or other spicy dish what you usually don’t want is a side that competes with the flavors. A nice mild or slightly spiced rice is nice. Or maybe some potatoes. Or maybe some potatoes and mushrooms. All three of these tend to soak up the flavor of whatever they are served with and simply enhance your main dish. This is why this dish of Jaffrey’s is so good with something spicy. It just soaks up the flavor….

mushrooms and potatoes cooked with garlic and ginger

2 medium potatoes
350 g (12 oz) mushrooms
2.5 cm (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
6 large cloves garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons plus 250 ml (11/4 cups) water
About 1 teaspoon salt
About 1/3 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 cardamom pods
3 small tomatoes, peeled (page 30)
and finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon gro.und coriander
About 1J4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon yaram masala (page 21)
Optional garnish: 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

Boil the potatoes in their jackets. Drain and peel them. Cut them into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes. {I baked mine let them cool a tad and then peeled and cubed them.}
Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth. Cut off the lower, woody part of the stems. Now, depending upon their size, halve or quarter the mushrooms, or, if they are small. leave them whole. They should be about the size of the diced potatoes.
Put the ginger and qarlic into the container of a food processor or electric blender along with 3 tablespoons water. Blend until you have a fine puree.
Put the diced potatoes in a bowl. Sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and about l/8 teaspoon of the turmeric over them. Toss to mix and set aside.
Put the oil in a heavy, wide, preferably nonstick, pot and set over medium heat. When hot, put in the potatoes. Stir and fry them until they are lightly browned on all sides. Remove the potato pieces with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
Put the cumin seeds and cardamom pods into the same pot Stir them for 3-4 seconds. Now put in the tomatoes, the ginger-garlic paste, the ground cumin, and the ground coriander. Stir and fry until the paste becomes thick and the oil separates from it. Add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric and the cayenne. Stir once or twice.
Put in 250 ml (1 cup) water, the potatoes, mushrooms, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove the cover and turn heat up slightly. Cook, stirring gently, until you have a thick sauce. Sprinkle in the garam masala and stir to mix. Taste for salt.
Serve garnished with cilantro, if you wish.
{Note: the cardamom pods are not meant to be eaten.}

Jaffrey says,

“This is one of those “home-style” dishes that you rarely find in Indian restaurants. It is a thick, earthy stew…”

And she is completely right. It is a nice ‘homey’ dish that is easy and tasty. The recipe is from Jaffrey’s Indina Cooking on page 149.

The theme this week for I Heart Cooking Clubs was Potluck. I hope you will visit with the other members and see what they made this week. And if you want to join us we are cooking from Madjur Jaffrey’s recipes til th end of March.

 

{SRC} Sustained by Stephanie

Today is the First Monday in February. That means it is time for Secret Recipe Club! Once a month we cook from our ‘assigned’ foodie blog and post out goodies. It is always the first Monday.

This month I was fortunate enough to meet STEPHANIE ofSustainable Cooking For One. She lives in Upstate New York and is gluten free and vegetarian. That made it interesting for me as I am not either and some kind of meat is always on our table. There are a lot of tasty recipes on her site made for gluten free so I picked a couple that I could easily adapt. Lots of good veggies, too.

For Breakfast we had…

…Pumpkin Waffles

{Yes, I know, there is no waffle. I know I took pics but they are not to be found – sorry!!}
Sunday is usually our day for pancakes or waffles so this was a good time to try out these pumpkin waffles. With all the spice in the waffles they were packed with flavor and didn’t need very much else, but we did use a little Maple Syrup on top. I added pecans to mine and loved the extra crunch they added (in addition to the flax seed)

This makes a lot, but they are well worth freezing. Expect 12-14 full sized waffles, fewer Belgian waffles.

1 c pumpkin, mashed or canned
6 eggs, separated
2 T sugar or maple syrup
3 c milk or your fake milk of choice
1/4 c oil (use a light olive oil or canola oil)
1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 c ground flaxseed
2 t baking powder
1 TBL Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 TBL chopped pecans

{RED is my subs}

Stir together the egg yolks, pumpkin, sugar, oil, and milk. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, spices, pecans,and flaxseed. Start whisking the egg whites. Whisk (or beat with a mixer) until they are stiff. Meanwhile, heat the waffles iron.

Stir the dry ingredient into the pumpkin mixture. When the dry ingredients are dampened, fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the batter. When mixed, gently fold the remaining egg white in.

Bake according to the directions of your waffle iron. Don’t try to remove them too soon! One key is to watch the steam coming from the iron. When it decreases significantly, that’s a sign they are close to done.

To freeze, cool completely on cooling racks and pack into freezer bags. Reheat in a hot oven (~400 F) for 5-10 minutes.

Here is Stephanie’s Original Recipe

*****************

Dessert was simple. Simple doesn’t mean something not so good. In this case it was

Maple Crusted Baked Apples.

Stephanie said that baked apples are underappreciated. She’s right. But here they make fairly regular appearances. They are so easy to put together and so good to eat. Hers are ‘stuffed’ with raisins and pecans. I added a dried fruit mix of cranberries, dried cherries, pineapple, raisins, etc.

1 medium apple
Pinch of any or all: cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
4 Tbl Dried Fruit Mix
2 T chopped raw pecans
1 T maple syrup (real, preferably grade B)

Peel one circle around the middle of the apple, and a little off the top of the apple. Remove the core. Peel all or part of the apple.{While Stephanie typically cuts deep circles into the apple from top and bottom with a paring knife I peeled most of the apple.} Place the apple in a small baking dish or oven-safe bowl. Mix together the spices and roll the apple in them. Mix any remaining spices with the raisins, and add about 1/3 of the pecans. Stuff that mixture into the center of the apple. Pour the maple syrup over the apple, and top with the remaining pecans. Bake until soft. Spoon the syrup/juice blend over the apple before serving.

Sorry to say that these two treats were all I had time for this month. It has been crazy around here lately. But I pinned a few other recipes of Stephanie’s I want to try – Corn Gratin, Spinach-Mushroom Quesidilla, not to mention a new recipe on a new post – Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Cookies. And if you visit with Stephanie be sure and read some of her articles which are very informative – like the one on Food Variety. Thanks, Stephanie, for the recipes and the wonderful articles. I will be visiting again!

And visit the other members of SRC

 

{SRC} How I visited with The Vanderbilts.

The other day I was cooking with the Vanderbilts… okay, not THE Vanderbilts, but A Vanderbilt. It was Jessie of Vanderbilt Wife and believe me, her blog is as rich with delicious recipes as the Vanderbilts are with, you know……!! Which of course made it difficult to chose just ONE!! So, I didn’t…!!

Jessie says,

“I started Vanderbilt Wife in 2006 as a way to make myself write more regularly. That is still my primary goal. I also want to support other women who feel more than a little imperfect, like myself.

Her first entries are little snippets of her life: Why I hate Bowling”; “Making Memories’:I don’t think being an introvert is a bad thing.” I loved reading each and every one of those.

But as time went by she started adding recipes. Thank you, Jessie!!!

It wasn’t easy picking the recipes – it never is- but I ended up with:

Crunchy Panko Chicken Fingers

and

Parmesan and Herb Chicken Fingers

Both used different methods to make but I decided to use the same method on both “finger groups” and try the different flavors. I used the milk and egg dip for both which gave me a nice solid coat for the chicken pieces. Then I used the differnt herb/spice mixes. Both were sooo good.

Crunchy Panko Chicken

1 lb. chicken tenders
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. flour
1 c. panko bread crumbs
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper

Set up bowls, pie plates, or fancy-smancy Pampered Chef coating trays that I kind of wish I had. In the first, place flour. In the second, milk egg and milk. In the third, combine panko, paprika, and cumin.

Season tenders with salt and pepper. Dip in flour, then egg wash, then coat well with panko. Place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and coating is slightly brown.

For the Parmesan Herb Fingers:

1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 T Italian seasoning
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 1/2 T minced garlic
3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
generous sprinkling of salt and pepper

Mix all together with a fork.

Follow the recipe for the Crunchy Fingers.

They were both good and made great wraps:

When it turned cold, finally, I wanted something warm and comforting. What better than SOUP!

In this case, Farmer’s Market Soup or what Jessie referred to as “A Take on Ribollita” which is “simply a “next-day” kind of soup, made with leftovers.” While Jessie put beans and fennel in hers I left them out and added in some shredded cabbage. It was the perfect way to warm up on a cold day. And, better, it was nice and light after all the rich holiday food.

3 T olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 celery stalks, finely sliced (I always add some of the inner celery leaves for flavor)
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped (this post from Orangette has a good tutorial for cutting fennel)
2 large zucchini, cut into thin half-moon slices
14 oz crushed tomatoes
10 basil leaves, chiffonaded
4 cups vegetable stock
14 oz can cannellini or Great White Northern beans
salt and pepper
grated Parmesan cheese and Texas toast — optional

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, garlic, celery, and fennel. Saute slowly for 10 minutes. Add zucchini and saute an additional two minutes.
2. Add tomatoes, basil, stock, beans and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, simmer 25-30 min. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Serve with Texas toast and Parmesan cheese sprinkled lightly over the top of the bowls.

Super simple, super delicous, super adaptable.

For more of Jessie’s recipes visit her website.

Jessie was my January Assignment for Secret Recipe Club. Visit below for all the other members.

 

{Di’s Virtual Cookie Swap} Annual Cookie Exchange – something old, something new.

Welcome to…

.

It is a virtual exhcange. All we really exchange are the recipes. But it is fun to see what all the others are making for their Christmas Cookie Trays.

This year I made some of my standbys and added in a couple of new cookies. I am trying very hard NOT to eat all of them. Just a few of each.

There are a couple of cookies I make every year:

These are the Graham Cracker Pralines which I made for Di’s First Exchange. They became so popular with friends and family I now have to make them every year.

And the Spritz cookies are always fun.

My new ones this year included…

Brown Sugar Toffee Rounds

1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 7 1/2-ounce package (1% cups) almond toffee pieces

BEAT butter and shortening in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; beat
till combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, milk, and almond extract till combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in almond toffee pieces and remaining flour with a wooden spoon. SHAPE dough into two l Ovmch-long rolls. Wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper; chill in refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours or till firm enough to slice. CUT rolls into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place slices 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 oven about 9 minutes or till edges are firm. Transfer to wire racks and cool. Makes about 36.

We really liked these. The little toffee pieces add a little crunch to the soft, moist cookies. The recipe came from BHG Christmas Cookies (2000).

AND…

Cranberry Cookies

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon coconut flavoring
3 tablespoons skim milk
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup coarsely chopped cranberries, drained
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Cream sugar, butter and coconut flavoring until fluffy. Add milk, mixing well. Sift
together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to sugar mixture. Fold cranberries into batter. Divide dough in half. Roll each half coconut. Chill 8 hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice cookie logs thin. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 12 to 15 minutes.
Makes 4 1/2 dozen.

The sour cranberries worked really well with the sweet cookie. The only problem was that they were difficult to slice. Don’t slice them too thin or they will crumble. (Home Cooking Cookies, Brownies & Bars Fall 2005)

This is really the only time of the year I make cookies. They are entirely too easy to grab and go. Several times!!!

Di will have a round-up of all the cookies on her site – Di’s Kitchen Notebook real soon.

 

{IHCC} Spiced Rice

Did you know there are 40,000 varieties of rice? Neither did I! I have 5 in my pantry: Basmati, Jasmine, Long Grain White, Brown, and Black. I don’t think I have room for the other 39,995. I use four of those all the time, the Black – not tried that one yet but it looks interesting.

The reason I mention this is because this week’s IHCC theme is RICE!

Rice is nice. Rice is adaptable. Rice is easy. Rice is a foil for lots of deliciousness. Including this…

Spiced Basmati Rice

Note that the title says SPICED rice, not SPICY rice. “This is one of the finest – and most delicate – basmati rice dishes.” says Madjur. This goes with anything.

Basmati rice measured to the 450 ml (2 cups) level in a glass measuring cup
1.2 liters (5 cups) water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 fresh, hot green chili, finely chopped {I used crushed red pepper}
1/2 teaspoon peeled, very finely chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon garam masaia
1 teaspoon salt (a bit more if the stock is unsalted)
600 ml (2 2/3 cups) chicken stock

Pick over the rice if necessary and put in a bowl. Wash in several changes of
water. Drain. Pour 12 liters (5 cups) water over the rice and let it soak for 30
minutes. Leave to drain in a strainer for 20 minutes.
Put the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and set over medium heat. When hot, put in
the onion. Stir and fry until the onion bits have browned lightly Add the rice,
green chili, garlic, garam masala, and salt. Stir gently for 3-4 minutes until all
the grains are coated with oil. If the rice begins to stick to the bottom of the pot,
turn the heat down slightly. Now pour in the chicken stock and bring the rice to a
boil. Cover with a very tight-fitting lid, turn heat to very, very low, and cook for
25 minutes.
If you prefer, you could put the pot in a preheated 170′C/325′F oven for 25
minutes.

This rice is perfect to serve with a spicy dish. We ate it with Chicken with Cream and it just right.

The recipe is from Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking on page 194.

Please visit with the other ‘members’ of and see which of the 40,000 types of rice they used in their RICE dish this week. Better yet – join us for the next few months cooking with Madjur Jaffrey’s recipes.

 

{IHCC} Red Lamb Stew aka Rogan Josh

One of the first dishes I had at an American Indian restaurant was Rogan Josh. I have made it several times over the last few years and it is usually complicated to put together. Fortunately Madjur’s reacipe is NOT complicated. When she says hers is the simplest of all, she isn’t stretching the truth.

Two 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
8 cloves garlic, peeled
350-470 ml (111z-2 cups) water
10 tablespoons vegetable oil
900 g (2 Ib) boned lamb from the shoulder or leg, or stewing beef (chuck), cut into
2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes
10 cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
6 cloves
10 peppercorns
2.5 cm (1 inch) cinnamon stick
2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons bright red paprika mixed with 1/4-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
Freshly ground black pepper

Put the ginger, garlic, and 4 tablespoons water into the container of an electric
blender. Blend well until you have a smooth paste.
Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat cubes
in several batches and set to one side. Put the cardamom pods, bay leaves,
cloves, peppercorns, and cinnamon into the same hot oil. Stir once and wait until
the cloves swell and the bay leaves begin to take on color This just takes a few
seconds. Now put in the onions. Stir and fry for about 5 minutes or until the
onions turn a medium-brown color. Put in the ginger-garlic paste and stir for 30
seconds. Then add the coriander, cumin, paprika-cayenne, and salt. Stir and fry
for another 30 seconds. Add the fried meat cubes and juices. Stir for
30 seconds. Now put in 1 tablespoon of the yogurt. Stir and fry for about
30 seconds or until the yogurt is well blended. Add the remaining yogurt
a tablespoon at a time as before. Stir and fry for 3-4 minutes.
Now add 275 ml (1′/4 cups) water if you are cooking lamb and 425 ml (2 cups)
water if you are cooking beef. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil, scraping in
all browned spices on the sides and bottom of the pot. Cover, turn heat to low
and simmer for about an hour for lamb and 2 hours for beef, or until the meat is
tender. (It could be baked, covered, in a preheated 180°C/350°F oven for the
same length of time or until tender.) Every 10 minutes or so, give the meat a
good stir. When the meat is tender, take off the lid, turn the heat up to medium,
and boil away some of the liquid. You should end up with tender meat in a thick,
reddish brown sauce. Spoon off the fat. Sprinkle garam masala and black pepper
over the meat before you serve and mix them in.

I served this with Basmati rice. It was so good. I would definitely make this again. Madjur says you can make this with beef, but I much prefer lamb for this dish.

This week’s IHCC theme was POTLUCK which means we could choose anything we wanted to make. Check out what everybody else brought to the table this week.

The recipe came from Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking on page 70.

 

{IHCC} Comfortable Curry with Madjur

My mother used to make curry. She would make a chicken or been stew and then add about 3/4 Tbl of yellow Curry Powder. We LOVED it! Now I know it wasn’t really curry, but at that time it was what we had. In the last few years I have been introduced to what curry really is.

…a generic term primarily employed in Western culture to denote a wide variety of dishes originating in Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southern and Southeastern Asian cuisines,…

And Curry Powder: Curry powder, a commercially prepared mixture of spices, is largely a Western notion, dating to the 18th century. Such mixtures are commonly thought to have first been prepared by Indian merchants for sale to members of the British Colonial government and army returning to Britain.Wikipedia

Now that I know about other spice mixtures not all of my curries are the same. {They also are NOT very photogenic!}
Like this one:

Chicken with Cream

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
1 kg 350 g (3 Ib) chicken pieces, skinned {I used boneless thighs}
6-7 cloves garlic. peeled
2.5 cm (1 inch) cube fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
320 ml (1 1/2 cups) water
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
4 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 teaspoon garam masala
6 tablespoons heavy cream

Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. 1 teaspoon of the cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of the coriander, 1/4 teaspoon of the turmeric, V4 teaspoon of the cayenne, and some
black pepper on the chicken pieces. Mix well and set aside for at least 1 hour.
Put the garlic and ginger into the container of an electric blender or food
processor. Add 120 ml (1/2 cup) of the water and blend until fairly smooth.
Put the oil in a wide, preferably nonstick, pot and set over medium-high heat.
When hot, put in as many chicken pieces as the pot will hold easily in a single
layer and brown lightly on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and set
aside in a bowl. Brown all the chicken pieces the same way.
Put the chopped onion into the remaining oil. Stir and fry until the pieces turn
a medium-brown color. Add the garlic-ginger paste. Stir and fry until all the
water from the paste evaporates and you see the oil again. Put in the remaining
1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander, V4 teaspoon turmeric, and 1/4 teaspoon
cayenne. Stir and fry for about 20 seconds. Now put in the chopped tomatoes.
Turn the heat down to medium-low. Stir and cook the spice paste for
3-4 minutes, mashing the tomato pieces with the back of a slotted spoon as you
do so. Add the yogurt. a tablespoon at a time, incorporating it into the sauce
each time before you add any more. Put in the chicken pieces and any
accumulated juices, the remaining 200 ml (1 cup) water, and 1 teaspoon salt.
Bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Take off the
cover. Add the garam masala and cream. Mix gently.
Turn the heat up to medium high and cook, stirring gently every now and then,
until the sauce has reduced somewhat and has turned fairly thick.

I have made this dish from Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking {page 98} many times and it is always delicious. And warm. And spicy. And very comforting.

IHCC is cooking with Madjur Jaffrey for 6 months (October – March). Come join us.