Roast Chicken

I might be the only one left who'd never roasted a chicken...but there you have it. I used a recipe from Serious Eats, which they shared from one of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks. I chose the recipe, over others available, because it was dead simple. Seriously.

Here's my adaptation.

Ingredients:
1 3 1/2 pound -4 pound chicken
1/4 cup salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
2 tsp. seasoning herb rub (I used Williams-Sonoma brand)
Olive oil
2 carrots
4 potatoes
2 onions

1. Preheat your oven to 475. Wash your vegetables well, and chop them into 2" bits. (Except the onions. Just peel and quarter those.) Put your veg in a large bowl, toss with olive oil and a pinch of salt, and spread on the bottom of a roasting pan. Mix your spices in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Remove all the giblets from inside your bird. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Glug on a bit of olive oil and rub your bird all over. Then, start grabbing pinches of your salt rub and massage it into your bird, inside and out. Focus on the thighs and breast. When your bird is nice and salty, set it right on top of your veg. (Next time, I'm going to try using my rack. I'm hoping to get the Crisp to extend further around the bird. Mmmm.)

3. Put your bird in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 400. Set your timer for 1 hour and 20 minutes and walk away. Check it halfway through. Baste the bird, and add a splash of water to the pan if the veg look dry. At the end of your time, take the bird's temperature - it should measure about 170 F. Remove your pan from the oven and let the bird rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes. (During that time, the bird will finish cooking, and should end up at 180F.)

4. When the bird is done resting, carve it up and serve! Remove the veg to a bowl, the chicken in another bowl. Serve a nice green salad and some soft french bread on the side. Delicious!

It should have been delicious...

...instead, it was bland and tasted vaguely of onions.

I attempted to make a breakfast casserole for a church breakfast. I used homemade bread, handfuls of dried cranberries, a few chopped (local) apples and eggnog for the creamy, creamy base. Salt was thrown in for some variety and contrast. I added a few fresh eggs to make it into a lovely custard, and baked it until the top was nice and golden.

I was so proud of my dish. I took it to the party, and placed it on the table. Takers were few, but I assumed that was because they couldn't know that it was an eggnog casserole. Had they known, it would have been devoured on the spot!

When I finally found my way to the table and tasted a bite...I knew I had created a Catastrophic Fail. How could the above mentioned ingredients be combined to create something so completely bland...and reminiscent of onions.

Could it be the onions I chopped on the board a few days prior? Had their evil vapors somehow made their way into the apples? Or the bread that was chopped on the same board as well? Did it simply suffer from a lack of salt?

Dear readers, help me out here. How did a lovely Eggnog Breakfast Casserole turn out tasting like...Bland Onion Catastrophe??

For the record, here's my recipe. Seriously - any idea why this wasn't delicious??! Maybe some lemon juice would have helped...or more eggnog spices, to make it more pronounced.

1 loaf stale bread, cubed (1 lb)
2 apples, chopped
1 cup Craisins
6 eggs
1 1/2 cup eggnog
1 tsp. salt
Bake at 350

Sticky Bones

I don't really know what else to call this. The recipe is based on this one at Recipezaar called Sticky Asian Pork Neck.

I modified it a bit to what I had on hand, and what sounded tasty. Since I definitely plan on repeating this sauce on other types of meat (spareribs!!), I couldn't really call it Pork Neck anymore. So...we're gonna call it Chi Gwat, or Sticky Bones. Sound good?

Sticky Bones

Ingredients:
Meaty bones (I used 5 pork neck bones)
1/4 cup Oyster Sauce
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup (loosely packed) brown sugar
2 T. finely grated Ginger (I used a microplane) (Use about 1 T. of powdered ginger if you don't have fresh)
2 tsp. Minced Garlic
1 tsp. Chili Sauce
1 tsp. Chinese Five Spice Powder

Heat on high until the meat is cooked, about 1 hour, and reduce to low. Turn the meat over once an hour to give it a good glaze.

Serve with rice and vegetables.

(My bones were frozen when I put them in, so I left this on high for about three hours. Next time, I could put it on low in the morning and let the glaze get even stickier.)

*A note on meat - If using Pork Neck bones, go for the absolute meatiest ones you can find. If using something else, like spare ribs, make sure the meat has just a bit of fat on it, otherwise your ribs will come out tough. Alternately, you can boil your ribs first to tenderize them, and then put them in the slow cooker.)

Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate- Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Baking, From My Home To Yours

Makes 12 cupcakes

Preheat your oven to 350 and line your cupcake pan with muffin liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat until light:
1/2 cup vegetable shortening

Add:
3/4 cup sugar

Beat until blended, or about 2 minutes.

Add:
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk.

Beat one minute between the egg and egg yolk.

Add:
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add in half of the dry ingredients, and beat until just combined.

Combine in a bowl, and then add to the large bowl:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
enough soy milk to make 1/2 cup

Add the remainder of the dry ingredients, blending until just combined.

Fold in:
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (chocolate chips) melted and cooled.

Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin cups and bake 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a cupcake comes out clean.

We served these sprinkled with a little powdered sugar, but you could definitely come up with a tasty frosting if you like!

One Way Cookies

This recipe is from a friend, who got it from a friend....so I'm really not sure who to credit for this! These are rather healthy, and rather tasty. Don't expect them to taste like a traditional fruity cookie - without the oil, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment. Rather, think of it as...a healthy bowl of oatmeal, you can hold in the palm of your hand!

(Oh, these are called One Way Cookies because if you take them to a party...they won't be coming home!)

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups unsweetened applesauce (you can substitute pureed pumpkin for part of the applesauce)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups chocolate chips
1/3 cup flax seed
8 egg whites (we used four whole eggs, since "non fat" wasn't our primary objective)
6 cups regular oats

Combine wet ingredients with sugar. Add dry ingredients, ending with oats and chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. We used a mini ice cream scoop to scoop out the cookies, and this made nearly 12 dozen cookies. Luckily, these hold up great in the freezer, and they thaw in a flash.

Curry Pinto Beans with Pork

In a medium sized pot, combine 2 cups of dried pinto beans and water (according to package directions*) and bring to a boil. Boil for three minutes, cover, remove from heat and let sit for 1 hour.

Drain, replace water, and bring back to a simmer. Add 1 lb of pork chops, cut into chunks. (My pork chops were marinated in soy sauce and ginger before being frozen. Otherwise, add a bit of garlic and soy sauce to your beans at this point for the same flavor.) Add 1 can of diced tomatoes, undrained, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon curry powder.

Simmer until the beans are the desired tenderness - I simmered mine about 5 hours. We like our beans very tender around here!

About 15 minutes before serving, add 7 oz. of coconut milk (about half a can). After this, don't let the beans simmer - just warm the beans through.

Serve over rice, or with a side of naan, chapati or paratha.

(This is based very loosely on an African dish, Jaanjare Jo Shaak from Chachi's Kitchen.)

Oreo Pops

These were so simple to make, but they turned out pretty cute!

You'll need:
Oreos (either Double Stuff or twice as many cookies as you want pops)
Lollipop sticks
Chocolate (almond bark, candy coating, or chocolate chips and shortening)
Bling (Jelly Beans, Coconut, sprinkles...whatever!)

(Lollipop sticks, Lollipop bags and candy coating can all be found in a crafts store, such as Michaels or Hobby Lobby.)

If using Double Stuff: carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cookie.

If using normal Oreos: carefully separate each cookie, making sure that all the filling is on one side of the cookie. Set aside the "naked" half to munch on while you work. Lay a lollipop stick on the "cream" half, and top with another "cream" half. Gently push the two sides together to mold the cream around the lollipop stick.

Place your "sticked" cookies on a plate and put them in the refrigerator to chill for 15-20 minutes. (I'm told this helps the chocolate stick to the cookies better. It also helps the cream set up so your sticks won't come sliding out.)

While your cookies cool, melt your chocolate in a tall, narrow mug. If using almond bark or candy coating, melt according to package directions. If, like me, you'd rather use the chocolate chips hanging out in your baking cupboard, in your mug combine:
1 cup chocolate chips
1 T. shortening

(The shortening thins the chocolate out so you don't get such a gloppy chocolate coating.)

Microwave for about 90 seconds, stirring every thirty seconds.

Carefully dunk your cookies down into the chocolate to cover, and tap the stick against the side of the cup to knock the excess chocolate back into the mug.

Lay the coated cookies on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper or a silicone baking mat. Press your desired Bling into the chocolate and leave the cookies to harden. (If using almond bark or candy coating, this will take about 10 minutes. If using chocolate chips, allow at least an hour.)

When hard, carefully remove each cookie pop from the baking sheet. I put my finished Oreo pops inside of small lollipop bags and tied them up with curling ribbon.

Enjoy!

LoLo's Turkey Loaf

I was looking for a lower-fat meatloaf that didn't SCREAM healthfood. I didn't immediately find one that I liked...so I winged it. (Don't I always??) The carrots keep things moist, and that's always a good thing with turkey. I used homemade breadcrumbs, because I happened to have a few stale heels from my recent few loaves of bread. (Why eat a dry heel when there's a fresh loaf on the counter?!)

LoLo's Turkey Loaf
2 medium carrots, sliced

1 cup bread crumbs (2 pieces of stale bread, toasted and torn into chunks)

1 egg

2 T olive oil

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

1 lb ground turkey

Brown Sugar, Kosher salt, Fresh-cracked black pepper

Combine all but the turkey in the food processor, pulse until finely ground. Turn out into a bowl and turn turkey in by hand. Turn into a glass 9x13 pan, shape into a loaf, and sprinkle with brown sugar (about 3 T.), kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Bake at 350 until done. (About an hour and 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 180 Fahrenheit.)

Serve with fresh bread or rice. This makes excellent sandwiches the next day!

Whippercrinkles or Really Fast Cookies

Catchy name, no? When I need treats in a hurry, I turn to this recipe. I've never met a kid who didn't adore these cookies and make their Mom ask me for the recipe. (Thankfully, all the Moms have been really nice about it when I tell them it's just a cake mix. Ha!)

If these were made from scratch, and chocolate, they'd be called Crinkles. If you use a lemon cake mix, they're called Lemon Whippersnappers.

I call 'em...

Whippercrinkles
This is adapted from Betty Crocker's Fudge Crinkles

Preheat the oven to 350 and line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking sheet.

In a bowl, combine:
1 (two layer size) cake mix (any flavor)
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
(If this is too dry, add a bit of water)

Mix thoroughly and scoop out with a small ice cream or cookie scoop, 3" apart on the baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes, or until the edges are set.

(For a prettier cookie, these can be rolled in powdered sugar before baking, but I find that too messy for eating as a Primary treat, which is usually where these end up.)

Chinese Creamed Corn Soup

This is my favorite soup when I'm in a hurry - it comes together in 5-10 minutes, it's always delicious, and it's an interesting way to serve a veggie side. Om nom nom!

Chinese Creamed Corn Soup

Adapted from
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/chinesesouprecipes/r/creamcornsoup.htm

Ingredients:
5 cups homemade chicken stock or storebought chicken broth (I use 5 cups of water and 2 t. chicken base, or to taste. Add the chicken base at the end if you're worried about over-salting the soup.)
1 can creamed corn
1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
Black or white pepper, to taste (I prefer the taste of black pepper, but it's up to you.)
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, or to taste
2 green onions (spring onions), finely chopped for garnish, optional

Preparation:
1. Bring the broth or stock to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the creamed corn and bring back to a boil (about 3 minutes).
2. Stir in the salt, sugar, and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes to bring back to a boil again.
3. Give the cornstarch and water mixture a quick re-stir, and then pour into the boiling soup, stirring to thicken. When the soup has thickened, remove the saucepan from the heat. (You can tell the cornstarch is cooked when the white-ness of it goes away.)
4. Pour the egg whites into the soup in a steady stream while stirring the soup in a clockwise direction until they form thin shreds.
5. Add the sesame oil and the green onions garnish if using.

Ma's Potato & Chicken Curry

Wow - housecleaning. I can't believe I haven't shared this recipe yet! My Sister In Law suggested I put this together after I had my second baby - one afternoon of stove-watching gave us three nights of dinner. Score!

Marinate 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs in 2 T. soy sauce, 2 t. sugar, 1 T. cornstarch and 2 T. julienned ginger.



Prepare:
Potatoes (about 1 lb, peeled and chopped)
Carrots (about 1 lb, peeled and chopped into thick medallions)
Onion (one large, chopped)



In a soup pot, heat 2 T. oil until fragrant, cook chicken with 1 tsp. curry powder for 5 minutes



Remove chicken. Add a little more oil - cook veg with more curry powder and salt until crisp tender.



Fill with water to nearly cover the veg- simmer until vegetables are almost done, then add chicken back in, along with half a can of coconut milk (about 7 oz).



Mix together a slurry of 1/2 cup milk, 1 tsp. soy sauce, 2 tsp. sugar, 2 T. cornstarch, 1 T. oyster sauce and 1 tsp. sesame oil. Stir into curry mixture. Return to a simmer to cook the cornstarch and thicken the curry.

Serve family style, garnished with a sliced green onion. Serve over jasmine rice.

(Can I get an om nom nom?! The milk at the end can be ommitted to make this dairy free.)

Easy Apple Cake

Here's the world's easiest apple cake:

First off, prepare:
1 box (two layer size) yellow cake mix, mixed according to directions.

Put the cake into a greased 9x13 pan. Top with peeled, sliced, cored apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake according to box.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Voila!

Aunt LoLo's Beef Stew

I knew if I didn't write this down, I'd never remember how I did it!

In your stew pot, combine:
A bit o' oil

One large onion, cut in eighths

Four garlic cloves, smashed



Cook for 10 minutes, or until everything is softened up and smells yummy.



Add:
6 cups water

4 teaspoons beef base

1 lb beef stew meat



Simmer for 30 minutes



Add:
4 carrots, peeled, 1" pieces

4 small white potatoes, 1" chunks

2 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled, 1" chunks

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar



Simmer until tender (30-60 minutes). Serve with Aunt LoLo's Bread with butter and honey, and a green salad.



Dessert: Easy Apple Cake

LoLo's Savory Pumpkin Pie

This year, I have pumpkin. A lot of pumpkin. Since canning it is not a recommended option, I am slowly, but surely, preparing all of it for the freezer.

I came across a recipe yesterday in the New York Times for Savory Pumpkin Pie. BBJ commandeered my computer to watch videos of herself while I was making dinner, so my pie was based on that recipe in theory only.

The pie came out tasty! I served it with a fresh loaf of bread, and lots of pepper. It needs that extra...something. It's very good cold, so it makes an excellent take-along lunch. Best of all, it uses nearly 4 cups of pumpkin! Hallelujah! I think next time, I might blend a little milk into the eggs before I add it to the pumpkin. My pie turned out a little more like scrambled eggs or quiche than custard, but it was still very tasty. Next time, I'll also add caramelized onions or at the very least, I'll cook up my garlic before adding it to give it a more "roasty" flavor.

Go crazy with the fillings. I might try another with parmiggiano-regianno and artichoke hearts. Mmmmm....

LoLo’s Savory Pumpkin Pie

Crust: (adapted from Betty Crocker)
Combine in a food processor:
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (5.3 T.) unsalted butter, cut into chunks.

Pulse until it resembles course meal, then slowly drizzle in as much of 2 T. ice water as you need to make the crust clump together. Do not let it form a ball. By that point, you'll have way too much water.
Gather your crust into a ball, flatten it into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate one hour (or freeze 15 minutes). Roll it out and place it in your pie pan.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Filling:
Combine in a food processor:
4 cups pumpkin (steamed, mashed, drained, or just use canned)
3 eggs
1 small zucchini, sliced
7 thin slices ham (deli meat), sliced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon course-ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 oz. pecorino-romano cheese, grated

Mix until thoroughly combined, but try to leave some chunks of veg, meg and cheese visible.

Pour this mixture into your pie crust. This filled a large pie plate just to the top.

Top with another 3-4 ounces of grated pecorino-romano cheese.

Bake for about 90 minutes. The pie is done when the cheese is golden brown. My pie puffed up, starting from the outside and working its way in.

LoLo's Savory Pumpkin Pie

LoLo’s Savory Pumpkin Pie

Betty Crocker Crust
Food Processor:
4 cups pumpkin (steamed, mashed, drained)
3 eggs
1 small zucchini, sliced
7 thin slices ham (deli meat)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon course-ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 oz. (??) cheese

Top with three ounces (???) cheese

375 about 90 minutes. Whole pie will puff up, except center. Cheese golden brown.

Aunt LoLo's Pumpkin Bread

When I was about 17, I had a girlfriend who was crafty/domestic in really quirky ways. She didn't bake, but she made centerpieces out of silk butterflies. She never served cookies at Christmas, but handed out homemade jelly, sealed with paraffin.

One year, for Halloween, we decided that we simply should not throw out our jack o' lanterns after the evening's festivities. Instead, she showed up at my house at 9:30, when it was time to blow the candles out and call it a night. We sliced, diced, steamed, baked, peeled and mashed those jack o' lanterns into about 30 cups of pumpkin puree. We split up the spoils around 2 am, when we finished, put them in our freezers, and continued on our merry Holiday Season Way.

When it came time for Christmas baking, I knew just what to make - Pumpkin Bread! We had a fabulous party, every year, with all of our singing-type friends and would go around my neighborhood, carolling at every door. This year, I decided to give them something more than just a song. Pumpkin Bread for everyone.

Unfortunately, I didn't count before I started baking. I baked and I baked and I baked. All day long, I baked mini loaves, working in an assembly line fashion. At the end of the day, I had over 90 loaves of pumpkin bread...and not nearly that many neighbors. We dragged the loaves around in a red wagon, handing them out to everyone within 5 blocks of my parents' house. The remainder went to a church party that weekend, where we were barely able to hand out the last 20 loaves.

I've only ever used one recipe, and I just don't think I could switch now! Last night, as BBJ and I were preparing and freezing some of the pumpkin left over from Halloween, I knew it was time to make my Pumpkin Bread!

Note - when using pumpkin from a large jack-0-lantern type pumpkin, it is important to drain it before using it. Otherwise, your dough will be much too water-y. I sliced, seeded and peeled my pumpkins, then steamed them. When the pumpkin was nice and soft, I pureed them with an immersion blender and piled the whole mess into a "draining contraption" of my own design - a large bowl fitted with a tea-towel lined colander. I left the pumpkin there for at least 8 hours, to let the water drain away, and then packed it into sandwich-size zip top bags and put those in the freezer.

Aunt LoLo's Pumpkin Bread
(adapted from Joy of Cooking)

Makes 1 large loaf or 3 small loaves or 12 muffins and one small loaf.
(I used to quadruple the recipe and bake in small, disposable loaf pans. I loved the pretty, fluted edges.)

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together:

1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Add 1/3 cup powdered milk. Set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together until light and fluffy:
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
2 eggs

Add 2 cups pureed pumpkin, mix to combine.

Prepare 1 cup of water. Set aside.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet in three installments, alternating with the water. (1/3 dry mixture, 1/3 water, 1/3 dry mixture, 1/3 water, etc.)

Bake in a greased pan, of your choice, until the bread shrinks away from the sides of your pan and a toothpick comes out no more than crumby. The bread should be moist, but not doughy.

A large loaf pan will bake for about an hour. Small loaf pans will bake for about 45 minutes. Muffins bake for about 35 minutes. Check often as the timer nears "O".

This is delicious spread with a little butter for breakfast, or plain, straight off the counter, for afternoon tea!

Nana's Apple Pie Filling

On an Autumn Day in 2006, I was introduced to the wonders of Home Canning. I had never attempted this domestic marathon by myself, but Wonder Woman's mother in law invited me along for a day of Apple Pie Filling. We brought all the jars we had, plus lemon juice and corn starch, and hunkered down for the long haul.

The recipe itself isn't difficult - simmer a syrup for about 20 minutes until it thickens, fill clean jars with peeled and cored apples, cover with syrup and process in a hot water bath for about 25 minutes. If I had to pick the point where our day got "difficult" it was when we decided that we would quadruple the recipe. That makes nearly anything difficult!

Some notes, before the recipe:
A handcrank style apple peeler makes this a much easier process.
I processed my jars in two batches in the largest pasta pot I've got, lined with a tea towel. A standard canning pot, with a rack, would have been much easier to manage!
Canning tongs are, I believe, necessary. I have no idea how I would have removed the finished jars from the boiling water otherwise.

Oh, and you can change the spices to whatever you like in apple pie. Go wild! I have used these apples in both pies and Danishes...both are delicious!

Now, by popular demand (and sweet permission from Nana herself), I give you....


.....Home Canned Apple Pie Filling

Peel, core, and slice about 7 lbs of apples.
Pack in jars.
Mix syrup:
10c. water
4 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. corn starch
3 T. lemon juice
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt

Boil until it is thick and pour over packed apples.

Process in a water bath for 25 minutes.

Makes about 7 quarts.

Lo Gung's Favorite Bread

This recipe is originally from Blue Yonder. The bread went through a lot of changes to get to where it is now for her. She uses whole wheat flour, organic shortening, fancy honey...and she loves it.

I adapted the recipe to what I've got in my cupboards. This only gets better with each tweak, but Lo Gung has declared this to be the best bread I've made thus far in our marriage. (For a man who prefers rice to cinnamon rolls, that's saying something!)

Here's my version, adapted from Blue Yonder's "Like Country Line Bread"

In a small bowl, combine:
2 T. warm water
1 1/2 tsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. sugar

Let this proof for about ten minutes.

Combine, in the large bowl of a mixer:
Yeast Mixture
1 c. warm water
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

That can either knead in the mixer for about 5 minutes, or you can dump this out on the counter and knead it by hand. Either way, knead the dough until it loses its sticky quality and gets stretchy and smooth.

Put the smooth, stretchy dough ball into an oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let it rise until doubled in size.

Punch this down, form it into a loaf, and let it rise again in a greased loaf pan. When it has risen to double its original size, bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped.

My bread always comes out a little on the doughy/moist side...but Lo Gung says that's his favorite part, so I'll just leave it how it is.

Grandma's Festive Fruit Cake

(This is part of a series of Grandma Myrnie's recipes.)
(The Betty Crocker Date Bar Mix is no longer being sold. This is my plea to cyber-space: can anyone come up with a recipe to replicate this one?? Grandma was all about "taking help from the store" and this recipe is from the Date Bar mix box.)

1 pkg Betty Crocker Date Bar Mix
2/3 cup hot water
3 eggs
1/4 cup flour
3/4 t baking powder
2 T light molasses
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmet
1/4 t allspice
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup raisins
1 package (8 oz) candied whole cherries
Glaze (see below)

Heat oven to 325. Grease and flour 6 cup ring mold. In large bowl, stir together date filling from date bar mix and water. Mix in crumbly mix, eggs, flour, baking powder, molasses, and spices thoroughly. Fold in nuts, raisins and cherries. Spoon into mold. Bake about 1 hour or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool thoroughly. Wrap and refrigerate. Before serving, drizzle with Glaze and, if desired, decorate with candied cherries.

Glaze:
Blend 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, 1 T water and 1/2 drops green food colour.

Note: Bake 1 hour 20 minutes if using 9x5x3 loaf pan.

Cha Siu Ribs

(Originally posted on 9/1/08) *Picture added 9/22/08
**This picture is chicken. Yeah, chicken. The ribs, like I said below, weren't that photogenic. Chicken thighs, though...good heavens. These pictures out to be outlawed! The sauce is awesome on just about anything - steamed-on-the-grill fish, ribs, chicken thighs, etc. I boiled these thighs, just like the ribs, but not as long - just until they were done. They were then marinated in the sauce for a little over an hour and cooked on a low, low grill. I basted them and flipped them every 5-10 minutes for about half an hour, or until the sauce is all used up. The skin on the chicken thighs was like BBQ caramel.

***If you MUST have these ribs, but don't have all the crazy Asian ingredients in your pantry - drop me a line. For a few bucks, I'm pretty sure I could figure out how to can this stuff and ship it across the country. ;-) Yeah, it's that good. Or maybe I'm just that prego. Either way - I'm just sayin'.



I've asked Lo Gung, and he said that these were still considered "authentic" Chinese food, even with the few modifications that I made. These were served tonight for our Labor Day BBQ, along with a MULTITUDE of side salads, chips, fruit, veggies, rice...and some yummy homemade ice cream for dessert. (Thanks, Megan!)

(This sauce was inspired by the Cha Siu sauce that Ma makes, plus a little touch of Southern flair, to make it better suited for a BBQ.)

Ingredients:
Pork ribs (I used pork spare ribs)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (See how Southern I am?)
3 T. honey
2 T. hoisin sauce
2 T. Cha Siu sauce (a Chinese BBQ sauce, available in jars in Asian supermarkets)
2 T. minced garlic
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. dark soy sauce (sometimes this is called tamari. It's just soy sauce that's got extra color and tastes like molasses)
1 t. hot chili sauce
1 t. sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground (dried) ginger (it's all I had.)

Submerge the ribs in a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 hour, or until the meat is tender and begins to pull back on the bone (you'll see more of the rib sticking out of the meat than was there when you began boiling). There will be plenty of grey gunk floating in your water, and lots of oil - that's fine. I had to boil my uncovered, so it didn't boil all over my stove.

While the ribs are boiling, mix together the rest of the ingredients, adjusting to taste.

When the ribs are tender, lift them (carefully!) out of the water and put them in a baking dish or a large ziploc bag. (You need something you can cover, and something large enough to hold the juice and sauce you're about to douse the ribs with.)

Spoon on your BBQ sauce and start rubbing! Massage the sauce (it will feel like a sugar scrub) into both sides of the meat. Cover and let it marinate in the refrigerator until an hour before dinner. (The meat ought to marinate at least an hour. I made mine in the morning and let it marinate all day.)

An hour before you want to serve it, remove the ribs from the refrigerator and let them warm up a bit. Half an hour before dinner, heat the grill to low and start grilling! Since your meat is already THOROUGHLY cooked, you just need to crisp up the sauce. Watch it carefully to make sure it doesn't burn! This should take about half an hour. Keep basting with the sauce from the pan, layering it on as the sauce caramelizes on the meat, and turning the meat to keep it from getting to crispy (read: black and nasty) on the corners.

This is delicious with rice and vegetables. Enjoy!

(Sorry there aren't any pictures - boiled ribs just aren't pretty, and the ribs didn't stick around on the table long enough for me to pose them for a beauty shot!)