Thursday, July 30, 2009

Peanut Butter Fingers

Cream together: ½ cup butter or margarine ½ cup sugar ½ cup brown sugar Then blend in to that mixture: 1 egg 1 cup crunchy peanut butter ½ teas baking soda ½ teas vanilla Stir in: 1 cup flour 1 cup oatmeal Spread into a 9x13” pan, bake in a preheated 350 degree oven about 20 minutes, remove from oven immediately and sprinkle with: 6 ozs chocolate chips let that stand until they melt (about 5 mins) and then spread the chocolate over the bars. Next mix together and drizzle with the following: ¼ cup creamy peanut butter ½ cup powdered sugar 2 to 4 tbls evaporated milk Pour over the cookie dough about 3/8” thick cut into bars and share with friends and family. When you eat these remember your Grandma she loved these so much they would come with her to a lot of family get together and church potlucks.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Bacon Buns

This Lithuanian recipe I’m sure is created for the climate of the eastern European weather as Joy's mom would say it sticks to your ribs. Once in a while we have to indulge!! Great for breakfast with easy over eggs - yummy. 1 1/2 lbs slab bacon (Joy use smoked pork jowls same as slab bacon) 1 large onion 2 cups milk ½ lb butter ½ cup sugar 1 tsp salt 1 pkg cake yeast or 2 pkg dry yeast 5 eggs 8 to 10 cups all-purpose flour Cut bacon and onion into very small pieces. Put into frying pan, cover with water. Simmer until water has evaporated at this point you can pour off some of the excess fat cool refrigerated. Read yeast pkg and follow directions to grow yeast (Dissolve yeast in ¼ cup of warm water 110o with a tsp of sugar until it grows twice in volume) Heat butter and milk, add sugar and salt. Beat eggs add to milk mixture add dissolved yeast than sifted flour until forms a ball. Knead adding flour until not sticky and completely mixed and than continue to knead until dough is elastic. Cover and place in a warm spot about at least 85o (not too hot) until dough doubles in size. When risen punch down and let rise again. Cut into 4 sections roll each one by one on a slightly floured board until dough is 3/8” thick. Cut a circle with a cookie cutter or a glass about 3 to 4” in diameter place a teaspoon of cooled bacon mixture in center and fold over pinch to close. Place on a greased cookie sheet and let rise again until double in size. Bake in a 375 degress oven 15 min should be just tanning brush each roll with a mixture of egg yolk and 2 tsps water. Return to oven and bake until golden.

Hickory Smoked salt

Hickory smoked powder 2 parts 1 part kosher salt or sea salt
1/2 part unsweetened cocoa powder
Mix ingredients together and put in a shaker container. Joy bought the powder on line at a spice web. You also use mesquite powder which is just as good!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Apple Dish

Another one of my favorite desserts, I would rather eat this dish than an apple pie! Cut together with a pastry blender until butter is about the size of small peas than press into 9x9” pan. 2 cups sifted flour ¼ cup powdered sugar ½ teas salt ½ cup cold butter or margarine ¼ teas baking powder Prepare 3 lg apples peeled cored and sliced thinly about 5 cups Mix in: 1 teas cinnamon ¼ teas nutmeg ¾ cups sugar Pour apple mixture over crust then:Melt ¼ cup butter and drizzle over apples bake in a preheated 350 degree oven 45 to 50 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream. Bon appetit

Greek Chicken

Joy learned to make this dish from a neighbor growing up in Kearny Mesa when she was about 15 yrs old. I love this awesome dish it’s one of my favorites! 1 whole chicken cut into serving size pieces (or you can use thighs or legs) 1 lg can whole tomatoes 1 ½ cups uncooked rice 1 medium onion diced 3 cloves crushed garlic Water Flour Black olives sliced (I like to use kalamata because they are greek) Olive oil Seasoned salt (essence) Pepper 1 16 oz can of tomato sauce Wash and dry the chicken pieces sprinkle some essence on the chicken and in the flour and dust the chicken and brown in olive oil. Set the browned chicken aside and if the oil isn’t burned brown the onions until translucent and add the rice to toast and add the garlic. Measure the liquid from the tomato juice and tomato sauce and water to equal 2 ½ times the rice about 3 ¾ cups liquid. In a covered dutch oven or casserole dish add rice mixture liquid and olives mix together with fresh or dried oregano lay the browned chicken on top and bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour or until rice is and chicken are cooked. Time consuming but worth it!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Filipino Fruit Salad

A mixer of Ate Soly, Ate Naomi’s recipe with some of Joy’s additions 1/4 can carnation milk 1/2 can condensed milk (or less depending on your sweet tooth) 1 small carton heavy whip cream 1 jar "kaong" fruit 1 jar coconut gel (square) 1/2 jar "macapuno" balls diced in 4’s 1 package fresh frozen (defrosted) young coconut or fresh young coconut sliced thin 1 big can chunk fruit cocktail (big chunk one) 1 can of chunked pineapple or fresh chunked pineapple 1 can of lyches 1 can of jackfruit (langka) mixed with kaong (sugar palm fruit) or a jar of langka rinsed and diced in 1” pieces 1 lb fresh strawberriesWash & drain all jar and canned fruit In mixer, whip the whip cream until thick (but NOT butter) fold in condensed milk and carnation milk until well combined trying to keep nice whipped texture, then carefully add all other ingredients keeping it nice and light.The jarred fruit can be found at most Asian markets.

Chicken Papaya

Joy and I went to Kauai for a two week vacation and stayed with our cousin Ate Naomi. Ate taught Joy how to make this delicious dish, I picked the green papaya from Naomi’s tree. 1 small green papaya – no sign of being ripe (the papayas in our Asian markets are huge) 1lb of chicken thighs which can be halved through the bone (I remove skin) 1 can chicken broth & water or 2 chicken boullions & water (I use boullions)1/2 onion rough chop 2 large cloves of fine diced garlic 1 fine diced jalapeno pepper or a whole yellow chlli 2 chucks of fresh ginger (remove ginger when done) Optional: add "kalamongai", “malangai”, or “chili” leaves; substitue: spinach or arugula Saute onions, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper and jalapeno add the chicken and brown then add the chicken broth and cook covered until 2/3rds done then add green papaya peeled and diced into 2’ pieces and patis. Cook until papaya is fork tender no longer then add the kalamongai leaves. Enjoy! Painting style - all adjustment are done in the camera and by moving the camera around. NOT PHOTOSHOP More photos link: Visiting Kauai II Hawaiian Cruise

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Mexican Casserole

This is a quick fix casserole with lots of flavor and keeps well as a leftover another Grandma White recipe. 1½ ground beef 1 medium onion 1 clove garlic 1 diced jalapeno or small can diced Ortega chili 1 dozen corn tortillas Black olives sliced 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 8oz can Las Palmas red chili sauce 1 cup milk Grated cheese (cheddar or Mexican blend or jack and cheddar) Brown ground beef, diced medium onion, crushed garlic and diced fresh jalapeno stir in mushroom soup, chicken soup, chili sauce and milk. Cut corn tortillas 1 to 2 inch squares and mix in top with grated cheese and bake for about ½ hour or until warmed thoroughly. Bon appetit!

Saedeh’s Persian Meatballs

This ethnic recipe came from an art class Joy's taking, taught by an inspirational Persian woman. 1 lb ground beef 1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley 1 cup chopped cilantro ½ cup chopped basil ¼ cup chopped tarragon 3 lg cloves of minced garlic (Saedeh uses powdered garlic) ½ bunch chopped green onion 2 large eggs (Saedeh doesn’t use eggs but it makes it hard to keep them together) Salt & pepper to taste (at this point I add cayenne pepper also) 1 pitted prune per meatball Olive oil Tomato paste 1 medium onion (I also add ruff chopped jalapeno) Saffron Mix the ground beef, parsley, cilantro, basil (you can add a teaspoon of dried basil with the fresh) tarragon, garlic, green onion, eggs and salt& peppers together microwave a small amount to taste the seasoning. Form nice size meatballs 2 ½” to 3” in diameter then place a pitted prune in the center. Fry a roughly chopped onion in about a ½ cup of olive oil until near translucent then add the meatballs brown them a little and add about 2 cups of water. Cover and cook until meatballs have given up most their fat about 30 mins. (This is my step I remove meatballs strain sauce into a strong plastic bag. Hold the liquid diagonally over the same pan and cut a small hole in the bottom and let the broth drain stopping the flow of fat on top) Put the meatballs back in the broth with a ¼ cup of tomato paste dissolved in a cup of water. Cook another 10 to 15 minutes covered remove cover and add a couple pinches of saffron dissolved in warm water cook 5 mins. Serve over pasta, couscous, or rice. Sour cream or good cream line yogurt is a good accompaniment.

Thai Peanut sauce

This recipe is fantastic over a deep fried fish. We brought this very fish pictured here to my mom's Christmas party and the family loved it!! In a blender combine: 1 tbls patis ½ cup peanut butter ¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar Juice of 1 lg lime ¼ cup brown sugar 2 thai bird chilis if you like it hot or 2 diced, seeded jalapenos ¼ cup chopped cilantro 2 teas sesame oil 2 lg cloves garlic crushed 2 shallots roughly diced ½ cup or more coconut milk(not the syrup kind for mixed drinks) Pluse the blender until all ingredients puree together adding coconut milk as needed. Lightly warm in a sauce pan being careful not to boil. Check for seasoning adding more patis, lime or sugar as needed. Wonderful dish serve with the fish or your choice!!! Bon Appetit!

Ceviche

When Joy and I went on a Mexican cruise with Auntie Michelle and Uncle Larry we took a cab on our own without a tour guide to see a waterfall in the back country in Manzanillo. The cab driver knew the area and we all ate at this nice outdoor restaurant. The ceviche was fantastic so Joy and I came up with this variation. Any kind of sashimi quality fish Lime juice Salt Pepper Shallots or red onion…finely diced 2 seeded finely diced Jalapenos Cilantro Roasted garlic (optional) Roasted ground cumin Roasted ground coriander Yuzu sauce (optional) Roasted sesame oil Finely chop the fish and add lime juice a little salt to help draw the moisture out of the fish. Let sit preferably over night in the refrigerator and drain the next day. Chop the tomatoes draining the excess juice add shallots, chopped cilantro, jalapenos mix in roasted garlic taste and adjust salt add pepper 1 teasp each of cumin and coriander. Add a teasp or more of roasted sesame oil and yuzu sauce. Bon Appetitt! Some of our Mexican Cruise photos

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Adobo

My mom made this easy recipe often and she would use both pork and chicken. Joy likes to use boneless country ribs and chicken thighs. Lisa offered a suggestion which Joy love and that is to give the adobo a sweeter taste without adding sugar use an onion. It is the perfect solution! Boneless country style pork ribs 1 lb 1 lb chicken thighs cut in half 1 cup vinegar (either distilled or apple cider not a sweet one) 1 head of garlic smashed you can leave the peels on 1 teas peppercorns About an eighth cup of soy sauce 1 lg bay leaf 1 small onion ruffly chopped Water Mom cooks the pork first before adding the chicken but if you use the boneless ribs and cut them in lg cubes it doesn’t need to be precooked. Place the onion, garlic, peppercorns, soy sauce, bay leaf, vinegar and water in first then arrange the chicken on top. Cook covered for about 30 minutes or more until the pork is tender on medium heat so as not to burn. Cook uncovered adjusting the seasoning until all broth has evaporated and fry in the remaining fat. Great meal that doesn’t require too much preparation time.

Chicken Divan

This is another easy casserole that the family loves especially Ariana and Joel. 3 lbs cooked broccoli Cooked meat from 1 chicken or boneless skinless thigh meat 1 cup mayonnaise 2 cans cream of chicken soup 1 teasp or more curry powder 1 teasp lemon juice Grated cheese (any good cheese such as cheddar, jack fontina or Mexican blend) Panko bread crumbs In a 9x13 pan layer broccoli than chicken… mix mayo, chicken soup, curry powder and lemon juice…than layer on top of chicken. Sprinkle with cheese than panko bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for about ½ hour. Serve with either mashed potatoes or steamed rice. Enjoy!