Friday, November 20, 2009

Famous Butter Chicken


• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup crushed buttery round cracker crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into pieces

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place eggs and cracker crumbs in two separate shallow bowls. Mix cracker crumbs with garlic salt and pepper. Dip chicken in the eggs, then dredge in the crumb mixture to coat.

• Arrange coated chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Place pieces of butter around the chicken.

• Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Waffles


Basic Recipe (Homestyle)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
4 eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
10 drops yellow food coloring

1. Heat up a waffle iron.

2. Combine flour with baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

3. In a separate medium bowl, combine eggs and sugar with an electric mixer for 1 minute on high speed. Add water, milk and oil and mix until combined.

4. Pour wet mixture into the dry stuff. Add food coloring, and mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds.

5. Spray waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour 1/2 cup of batter onto waffle iron and close. Cook for 1 minute, then carefully remove waffle and cool. Waffle should not have browned. Repeat with remaining waffle batter.

6. When waffles are cool, seal them up in freezer bags and freeze.

7. When preparing waffles to eat, cook as with the original: In a toaster on the lowest setting until browned. You may have to break or cut waffles in half so that they fit all the way into your toaster.

Makes 8 to 9 waffles.

Tidbits: Here are the minor adjustments you can make to the above recipe to create clones of three other Eggo waffle varities:

For Buttermilk Waffles

Use 1/2 cup milk, 3/4 cup buttermilk, and 3/4 cup water.

For Blueberry Waffles

Add 3/4 cup dried and chopped blueberries to the basic recipe batter. Stir in blueberries after combining wet ingredients with dry ingredients.

For Whole Wheat Waffles

Use 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour. Also, increase water to 3/4 cup.


Another Recipe:
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth.

2. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.

**Use whole wheat flour, splenda, and apple sauce in lieu of the oil. I also added about 1 tsp of brown sugar and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon as others have recommended. I followed another users recommendation to seperate the whites from the eggs (beated until fluffy) and folded them into the batter as the final step--turned out nice and fluffy

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Seven Layer Dip


• 3 cups shredded lettuce
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 chopped fresh red chile peppers
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 1 cup chunky salsa
• 1/2 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
• 2/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped black olives, drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

• Layer shredded lettuce on a 12 inch serving platter.

• In a medium bowl, stir together black beans, red chile peppers and green onions. Spoon the mixture on top of the lettuce. Gently spread sour cream over beans. Sprinkle with jalapeno peppers and lime zest.

• Drain excess liquid from salsa. Place salsa in a medium bowl. Stir in avocado. Spoon the mixture over sour cream layer. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. Top with black olives and cilantro. Serve immediately, or chill in the refrigerator.

Green Bean Casserole


• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or Campbell's® Condensed 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 cups cooked cut green beans
• 2 2/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions
Directions
1. Stir soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, beans and 1 1/3 cups onions in 3-qt. casserole.

2. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 min. or until hot. Stir.

3. Top with remaining onions. Bake for 5 min. more.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Vanilla Ice Cream


• 2 quarts half-and-half cream
• 1/2 pint heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt

1. Combine half-and-half, cream, sugar, vanilla and salt in freezer container of ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Eagle Bran Vanilla Ice Cream

4 cups half-and-half or light cream
1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

In large bowl, combine ingredients; mix well. Pour into ice cream freezer container. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Freeze leftovers.


TIP: Refrigerator-Freezer Method: Omit half-and-half. In large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk and vanilla; mix well. Fold in 2 cups whipping cream. Pour into 9x5-inch loaf pan or other 2-quart container; cover. Freeze 6 hours or until firm. Freeze leftovers.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Holiday Peppered Pecans


• 1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground dried thyme
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco®)
• 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring (optional)
• 1 pound pecan halves

Directions
1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a large heavy roasting pan with cooking spray.

2. Mix black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, and dried thyme in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Whisk egg whites in a large bowl until foamy. Add Worcestershire, hot sauce, and liquid smoke flavoring and whisk to mix. Drop in pecans and stir to coat well. Pour coated pecans into a colander to drain off extra egg white mixture; return to bowl and add the pepper mixture. Stir well to coat each pecan with spices.

4. Spread pecans in prepared roasting pan. Roast in preheated oven for 5 minutes and stir pecans; roast an additional 5 minutes and stir again. Turn off heat and roast pecans an additional 5 to 10 minutes until pecans are lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and serve at room temperature.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Peppermint Meringue Cookies

It's easiest to separate the eggs when they are cold. Since you'll want the egg whites to be at room temperature before whipping them (they will get more lift that way), for best results, separate your eggs at least a half hour before starting this recipe, and leave egg whites out to come to room temp.
Make sure that all bowls, hands, and utensils that might touch the eggs are clean and free from oils.
For best results, avoid making on a humid or rainy day.
INGREDIENTS
• 2-3 Tbsp thoroughly crushed peppermint candies*
• 3 egg whites
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup sugar (use superfine if you have it)
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
* Pulverize candies by placing them in sealed, doubled-up freezer bags. Use a meat mallet (smooth side) or hammer to gently pound them into a fine powder.

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 300°F.


2 Put egg whites into a standup mixer, add a pinch of salt. Start the mixer on low, gradually increasing the speed to medium until quite foamy and soft peaks can just begin to form, about 2-3 minutes. Egg white bubbles should be small and uniform.


3 Increase the speed to medium high and slowly add the sugar, a little (1-2 teaspoons) at a time. Continue to whip egg whites and sugar for a few minutes, then add the vinegar. Increase the speed to the highest setting and whip the egg whites until they are glossy and stiff peaks form when the whisk is lifted, about 4 to 5 minutes.


4 Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the crushed peppermints (and the mini chocolate chips, if you are using).

5 Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. If you are using parchment paper, you can put a dollop of the meringue mixture in the corners of the pans before placing the parchment paper on them, to help secure the parchment paper in place (pastry chef's trick, thank you, Shuna). Either use a spoon to drop teaspoonfuls of the meringue mixture onto the cookie sheets (spaced an inch apart) or use a pastry piping bag (can make one with a plastic freezer bag with the corner cut off) to pipe mounds (1 1/2 inches wide) onto the lined cookie sheet.


6 Put the cookie sheets in the 300°F oven, close the door. Wait for one minute only, then turn the oven OFF. Do not open the door for another 3 hours. You can leave them in the oven overnight. The meringues will gently cook in the residual heat of the oven. When done, the meringues will be lightly crisp on the outside and light and airy on the inside. If they are still a little chewy after 3 hours, just let them dry out for a few more hours.

Makes 24 meringue cookies. Store in an airtight container.

Crushed-Peppermint Cheesecake


PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 1/2 hours, plus at least 4 hours to cool and chill

Yield: Makes 12 to 16 servings

Ingredients
• 12 ounces creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, broken into pieces
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup coarsely crushed peppermint candy

Preparation
1. Place cookies in a heavy zip-lock plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Pour into a buttered 9-inch round springform pan and pour melted butter over crumbs; mix to coat, then press evenly over bottom and about 1/2 inch up sides of pan. Bake in a 300° oven until crust is slightly darker and looks a bit dry, about 10 minutes (leave oven on).

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Beat in sour cream. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Beat in flour, vanilla, peppermint extract, and salt until smooth. Pour cream cheese mixture into pan over baked crust.

3. Bake until edges are just golden and center jiggles slightly when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour. Run a knife around edge of pan rim. Place pan on a wire rack and cool cheesecake completely in pan. Cover and chill until cold, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. Run a knife around rim again, then release rim. If any liquid has pooled on surface of cheesecake, blot dry gently with a paper towel.

4. Decorate top of cake with crushed peppermint candy, pressing it in gently with your hands.

Frozen Peppermint Cheesecake



• 2 cups chocolate wafer cookie or sandwich cookie crumbs
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 2 cups whipping cream, whipped
• Red food coloring (optional)
• Smucker's® Chocolate Fudge Spoonable Ice Cream Topping
1. Combine cookie crumbs and sugar. Add butter; mix well. Line 9-inch round cake or springform pan with foil. Press 2 cups crumbs firmly on bottom and part way up sides in prepared pan. Chill.

2. In large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Stir in extract and food coloring, (optional); mix well. Fold in whipped cream. Pour filling into pan. Cover; freeze 6 hours or until firm. Garnish with topping. Store leftovers covered in freezer.

Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies


Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 bar)


Ingredients

• CHEESECAKE BATTER:
• 1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

BROWNIE BATTER:
• 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 large egg
• Cooking spray

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare cheesecake batter, place cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add granulated sugar and peppermint extract; beat well. Add 1 egg and 1 egg white; beat well. Add 1 tablespoon flour; beat mixture just until blended.

3. To prepare brownie batter, weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces (about 1 cup) flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 4.5 ounces flour, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, 2 egg whites, and 1 egg in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until well blended. Add flour mixture to brown sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until blended.

4. Reserve 1/2 cup of brownie batter. Pour remaining batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Carefully pour cheesecake batter over top; spread evenly to edges. Dot cheesecake batter with reserved brownie batter. Swirl top two layers of batters together using the tip of a knife. Bake at 350° for 26 minutes or until top is set. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Peppermint Stick Pie

Ingredients
• 4-1/2 cups crisp rice cereal
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, melted
• 2 quarts peppermint stick ice cream, softened
• Chocolate syrup or chocolate fudge topping
• Crushed peppermint candies

Directions

• Combine cereal and chocolate. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 10-in. pie place. Freeze for 10 minutes. Spoon ice cream into the crust. Freeze until serving. Garnish with chocolate syrup and peppermint candies. Yield: 6-8 servings.



Editor's Note: Pie may be made ahead and frozen. Remove from freezer 15 minutes before serving.

Peppermint Bark


Ingredients

• Crushed candy canes, to yield 1 cup
• 2 pounds white chocolate
• Peppermint flavorings, optional

Directions
Place candy canes in a plastic bag and hammer into 1/4-inch chunks or smaller. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Combine candy cane chunks with chocolate (add peppermint flavoring at this point if desired.) Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces (like peanut brittle.)

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Spooky Witches Fingers


• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup whole almonds
• 1 (.75 ounce) tube red decorating

• Combine the butter, sugar, egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer; gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt, continually beating; refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes.

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease baking sheets.

• Remove dough from refrigerator in small amounts. Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon at a time onto a piece of waxed paper. Use the waxed paper to roll the dough into a thin finger-shaped cookie. Press one almond into one end of each cookie to give the appearance of a long fingernail. Squeeze cookie near the tip and again near the center of each to give the impression of knuckles. You can also cut into the dough with a sharp knife at the same points to help give a more finger-like appearance. Arrange the shaped cookies on the baking sheets.

• Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies are slightly golden in color, 20 to 25 minutes.

• Remove the almond from the end of each cookie; squeeze a small amount of red decorating gel into the cavity; replace the almond to cause the gel to ooze out around the tip of the cookie.

We added green food coloring to the dough and when I took them out of the oven I added a single chocolate chip for a wart. We also added red gel food coloring for the severed end of the finger. The cookies do enlarge when baked (almost double the thickness) so make sure you don't make them to round when you are rolling them out.

Slow Cooker Carnitas


• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (4 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups chicken broth

• Mix together salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, and cinnamon in a bowl. Coat pork with the spice mixture. Place the bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the pork on top. Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pork, being careful not to rinse off the spice mixture.

• Cover and cook on Low until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 10 hours. Turn the meat after it has cooked for 5 hours. When the pork is tender, remove from slow cooker, and shred with two forks. Use cooking liquid as needed to moisten the meat.

Taco Seasoning


• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.  Makes Great Gifts!

Honey Cornbread


• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar and baking powder. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the cream, oil, honey and eggs; stir to combine. Pour batter into prepared baking pan.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of pan comes out clean.

Cilantro Cream Sauce


• 1(8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1 (7 ounce) can tomatillo salsa
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Directions

1. Combine cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, pepper, celery salt, cumin, garlic powder, cilantro and lime juice in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place in a serving bowl.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Marinated Beef Skewers


1 beef top round steak (about 1 lb.)
2 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. dry sherry
1 tsp. dark sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
18 cherry tomatoes
Lettuce

Methods/Steps

Preheat broiler. Cut beef crosswise into 18 (1/8-inch-thick) slices. Place in large resealable food storage bag. Combine soy sauce, sherry, oil and garlic in cup; pour over beef. Seal bag; turn to coat. Marinate in refrigerator at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Soak 18 (6-inch) wooden skewers in water 20 minutes. Preheat broiler. Drain beef; discard marinade. Weave beef accordion-style onto skewers. Place on rack of broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat 2 minutes. Turn skewers over; broil 2 minutes more or until beef is barely pink. Garnish each skewer with 1 cherry tomato. Place skewers on lettuce lined platter. Serve warm.