Slow-Cooker Artichoke Chicken

Posted on April 24, 2011 by novemberguest

6-8 skinless chicken pieces (boneless OK)
1 jar artichoke hearts (about 12 oz)
1/2 c. parmesan cheese

Drain artichokes & reserve liquid. Put chicken & artichokes in cooker, stir to mix.  Add about 1/4 c. of the reserved artichoke liquid.  Cook on low (raised insert*) for 6-7 hours.  Remove to a plate, degrease liquid if necessary. You can thicken it by mixing about 1 T. cornstarch or tapioca flour with a little water and stirring it into the sauce while heating over a medium flame.
Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Makes about 6 servings.

*Modern slow cookers tend to overcook meat.  To correct for this, raise the ceramic insert about 1/2″ or more on a heatproof object, like a trivet.  The liquid should NOT simmer visibly while cooking meat (it should not go  much higher than 180 degrees.)

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French toast

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Sara
1. The night before (or an hour or two): place the following ingredients in a pot and bring to a simmer (you should steam, but it doesn’t need to boil):
1 quart of milk
2 cinnamon sticks
Lemon peel from 1 lemon
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
Turn off the heat and allow to steep for at least 30 minutes. Add 2 T sherry, then strain and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Meanwhile, set the bread that you’ll be cooking out on a sheet tray so that it can go stale. If you’re using a whole loaf, cut into slices. (Bread that is fresh will fall apart when soaked in the milk. It has to be dry.) You could leave the bread out all night, if you wanted.
3. In the morning, put the bread in a container at least two inches deep, then pour the milk over it. (A pyrex casserole container works well.) If not completely immersed, flip the bread after ten minutes. The bread should be saturated and squish milk when you touch it.
4. Heat a nonstick skillet up. Add butter. Dip the drained bread in a few beaten eggs. Saute until brown. Serve and enjoy!
Extra milk can be saved for a few days to make future batches, though I recommend straining out any bread crumbs if you do this.
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Turkey Cheese Chowder

Posted on November 28, 2010 by novemberguest

1 cup finely chopped green onions
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup finely chopped celery
5 or 6 big kale leaves, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups turkey or chicken broth
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
1-1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups diced cooked turkey

Sauté onions, carrots, celery, and kale in butter until soft but not brown. Blend in flour. Stir in broth, then milk. Cook while stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Stir in salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cheese and turkey. Heat until cheese melts, but don’t boil.

Serves 4-5 as a dinner soup.

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Spiced Nuts

Posted on November 27, 2010 by novemberguest

These make great holiday gifts for friends, teachers, etc.  The quantity of nuts is flexible – I’ve used as many as 9 cups.

  • 6 c. pecan halves
  • 2 c. whole almonds
  • 2 egg whites
  • 2 T. cold water
  • ½ c. sugar
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. ground cloves
  • ¼ tsp. allspice

Preheat oven to 250.  Line a large cookie sheet with foil greased with butter (don’t use Crisco – you’ll taste it). Have the foil large enough so that it will turn up around the edges (you’ll be grasping it later).

With a fork, beat egg whites and cold water till well-mixed.  Add salt, sugar, and spices, then beat with an electric mixer on low speed till very well blended (a minute or two).   Toss the nuts with this mixture till they are well-coated.

Spread the nuts and any remaining liquid on the cookie sheet and bake for about an hour.  The mixture should look dry; if you see any wet patches between the nuts, put the pan back in the oven for 10-15 min.

Remove from oven and cool slightly.  Then grasp the edges of the foil and flip the whole thing over onto the cookie sheet.  Carefully peel off the foil and check the underside of the nuts.  The coating may be soft (it will crisp up as it cools), but it should be dry to the touch.  If it’s still sticky in places, put the whole thing back in the oven, underside up, for a few minutes.

Cool and break into chunks.  Store in an airtight container.  Makes 8 cups of nuts.

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Momjito

Posted on November 26, 2010 by Joe

1 1/2 measures vodka

3-4 mint leaves

1/4 tsp. superfine sugar

juice from ~1/2 orange

Tear mint leaves and place in a small bowl with sugar, orange juice (maybe a splash of water).  Crush mint in bowl while mixing in sugar.  Put vodka, mint mixture and 3-4 ice cubes in shaker.  Shake until cold; pour into glass and add more ice and small piece of orange

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Sweet Potato Gratin with Ginger and Orange Zest

Posted on November 26, 2010 by Joe

Time: About an hour

  • 1/2 stick butter (4 tablespoons), more for greasing pan
  • 1 cup cream
  • 2 tablespoons grated ginger
  • Zest from one orange
  • 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and grated, about 4 cups
  • 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or walnuts (optional)
  • Salt and black pepper.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 6- to 8-cup gratin dish with butter. In a small pan, gently heat remaining butter with cream, ginger and orange zest, stirring once or twice, until butter has melted and mixture is just steaming. Remove from heat.

2. Spread potatoes and nuts evenly into baking dish and sprinkle with plenty of salt and pepper. Drizzle cream mixture over all and press down on potatoes with a fork to settle them into dish and at least partly submerge them. Bake until potatoes are tender and cream thickens, about 45 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

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Mexican Chocolate Tofu Pudding

Posted on November 26, 2010 by Joe

(I got this recipe from Mark Bittman)

Time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ chilling

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 pound silken tofu
  • 8 ounces high-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
  • Chocolate shavings (optional).

1. In a small pot, combine sugar with 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.

2. Put all ingredients except for chocolate shavings in a blender and purée until completely smooth, stopping machine to scrape down its sides if necessary. Divide among 4 to 6 ramekins and chill for at least 30 minutes. If you like, garnish with chocolate shavings before serving.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

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Apple Pie

Posted on November 26, 2010 by alexk

BASIC APPLE PIE RECIPE

8 servings

This is my mom’s recipe for apple pie (I’ve even successfully made it a few times!)   You can make the crust or you can use a premade one.

 Apple pie

CRUST (recipe makes one double crust):

2 1/2 cups white flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold butter, broken into small pieces
5 tbsp. cold vegetable shortening
8 tbsp. ice water

  • Measure the flour, sugar and salt togetherl.  Stir to combine.
  • Add the chilled butter pieces and shortening to the bowl. Cut them in with a pastry cutter or knife.  Don’t over mix them.
  • Add the ice water. Mix until the dough holds together (add a bit more water, if necessary).
  • Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead it together, then divide in half.
  • Flatten each half into a disk, wrap in saran wrap and chill for at least half an hour.
  • Roll out one of the disks on a lightly floured surface until you have a circle that’s about 12 inches in diameter.
  • Put the circle in a 9″ pie plate, trimming any extra dough from the edges with a sharp knife (parents only). Return it to the refrigerator until you are ready to make the pie.
  • Add filling (see below)
  • Roll out the second ball of dough and cover top.  Use a fork or your fingers to pinch the edges together.  cut a couple slits in the top.

FILLING

1/3 to 2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
8 medium sized apples (a medium apple = about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons margarine

  • Heat oven to 425 degrees.
  • Peel, core and slice the apples.  Try to keep the size of the slices even.
  • Mix sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in large bowl.
  • Stir in apples.
  • Pour into pastry-lined pie plate.
  • Dot with margarine.
  • Cover with top crust and seal the edges. Cut slits in the top.
  • OPTIONAL:  Cover edge with 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent too much browning.
    • Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.
  • Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust.

(recipe from here)

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Oatmeal

Posted on November 26, 2010 by alexk

get Mom to do it.

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