Korean BBQ Ribs

Mom, please make these. You will love them.

This recipe is originally from Tasty.co

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SAUCE:
3 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
4 tablespoons honey
30 mL bourbon whiskey
15 mL fresh lime juice
4 medium cloves garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 teaspoons corn flour
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

FOR THE RIBS:
1 whole rack of pork ribs

FOR THE RUB:
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.

Mix together the salt, pepper and sugar for the rub and apply liberally over the ribs.

Wrap entirely in foil and bake in the oven for 2 hours at 150 degrees celsius / 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a saucepan, combine all of the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil then immediately reduce the heat until the sauce thickens and then set aside.

Remove the ribs from the oven and unwrap from the foil. Brush a generous amount of the BBQ sauce over both sides of the ribs and place back in the oven for a further 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven, brush more bbq sauce on and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bourbon Chicken

This dish tastes like Chinese takeout!

This recipe is originally from Food.com.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/4 teaspoon of grated ginger

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup apple juice

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/2 cup of water

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons of cornstarch + water

INSTRUCTIONS

In a small ramekin mix cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water until cornstarch dissolves, set aside.

In a medium sized bowl whisk garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, apple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, cider vinegar, water, and soy sauce until well combined and brown sugar is dissolved.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned.

Remove chicken.

Add mixed ingredients in bowl and cornstarch mix and allow sauce to thicken. 

Then add back chicken and bring to a hard boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve over hot rice and enjoy.

Juicy Roasted Chicken

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

INGREDIENTS

1 (5-6 pounds) whole chicken, giblets removed

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 tablespoon onion powder, or to taste

3/4 cup margarine, divided

1 stalk celery, leaves removed

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Place chicken in a roasting pan, using your fingers carefully separate the chicken skin from the body on both sides without piercing skin and place pieces of margarine underneath skin (1/2 cup), using your palm spread margarine under the skin and over the body as much as possible (this will give you a crispy skin). Rub 2 tablespoons of margarine all over outside of chicken.

Season generously inside and out with salt and pepper. Sprinkle inside and out with onion powder. Place 2 tablespoons margarine in the chicken cavity. Cut the celery into 3 or 4 pieces, and place in the chicken cavity.

Bake uncovered 2 hours in the preheated oven, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove from heat, and baste with melted margarine and drippings. Cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest about 30 minutes before serving.

Juicy Steakhouse Burgers

These burgers are worth making at least once! I doubled the garlic, salt, pepper, ketchup and Worcestershire and cooked them on a grill pan medium heat for five minutes on each side, added american cheese and served on brioche buns. We loved them!

Recipe is from Once Upon a Chef with Jenn Segal, www.onceuponachef.com.

INGREDIENTS
2 pieces white sandwich bread, crusts removed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/3 cup milk
2-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
3 pounds 85% lean ground beef
3 scallions, finely sliced (optional)
Non-flammable cooking spray to grease grill
8 hamburger buns

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the grill to high heat.

In a large bowl, mash the bread and milk together with a fork until it forms a chunky paste. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup and mix well.

Add the ground beef and scallions and break the meat up with your hands. Gently mix everything together until just combined. Do not overmix. Divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and form loose balls. Flatten the balls into 3/4-inch patties about 4-1/2 inches across. Form a slight depression in the center of each patty to prevent the burgers from puffing up on the grill.

Grease the grill with non-flammable cooking spray. Grill the burgers, covered, until nicely browned on the first side, 2-4 minutes. Flip burgers and continue cooking for a few minutes more until desired doneness is reached. Before serving, toast the buns on the cooler side of the grill if desired.

Zero Carb Pizza

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/162481499032675788/

Cheesecake waffles

This just in from Kilby. 

Creamy Medi Tuna

Sara Bostrom served this to us 24 years ago and it became a favorite. Thankfully I found the recipe card this evening because we had a hankering for it. Too bad I'm fresh out of the pecans because it really does add a nice flavor and texture. And sorry to say canned tuna is not what it used to be. 

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
2 T lemon juice
1/2 c mayo
1/2 c chopped ripe olives
7 to 10 oz. drained canned tuna
1 c finely chopped pecans

Blend first five ingredients lightly together in a food processor, sitr in pecans. Chill. Serve in sandwiches or dip. Goes especially well on Club Crackers.

Coffee Ice Cream

So this works out to

3 T instant coffee (let me recommend Cafe Bustelo)
2 T water
1 c (or half a can or 7 oz. or 200 ml) condensed milk
2-2/3 c whipping cream

or double it to

1/3 c instant coffee
1/3 water
1 can (396 ml) condensed milk
5 c whipping cream

(Don't miss the end of the video linked above if you want to be calorie conscious...)

Crunchy Creamy Salmon Salad

Call this a meal on its own or a side dish to take to a potluck, I call it a great way to get a plethora of vegetables into my husband.

This experiment of a salad has so much going for it, it would be hard to ruin it by tweaking. So while I used leftover salad dressed with Brianna's poppy seed dressing, you could stick to a simple mayo and lemon combination or make your own poppyseed dressing, or go a different route with your favourite salmon-complementary herb.

But the main thing is to get as many crispy, crunchy veggies in there as possible! I used shredded fresh romaine, a red apple, a chunk of cucumber, a whole red bell pepper, a handful of baby carrots, some chopped up almonds, a few minced rings of red onion, and I would have added jicama if it hadn't gone bad before I got to it. Crunch, crunch, crunch! Feel free to add toasted seeds or celery (if you dare) or raw broccoli or cabbage or pretty much anything to add colour and texture. As always with salads, the amounts are completely up to you, depending on how many you plan to serve.

Then, open up a can (or two, if you're making a huge bowl) of salmon and drain it well. Remove the vertebrae, because that stuff falls in between crunchy and grainy in a pretty off-putting way. Then chunk the salmon up into your salad, and dress with the following:

• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2-4 T poppyseed dressing (Brianna's is great. And while you're at it, make a mental note that Brianna's Asiago Caesar dressing makes an incredible steak marinade!)

Toss the salad together very well, and it should wind up looking like a pasta-less pasta salad bursting with colour.

Adjust as you wish, serve on its own or with flatbread or in a sandwich. And don't tell anybody how many vegetables they're getting in all that yummy mayo and salmon!

Tamale & Hominy Casserole

Several years ago I enjoyed this delicious casserole at Prescott Presbyterian Church while visiting Kilby. Today Mikyoung was wondering what she'd make for her prayer meeting supper tonight, and having remembered this and wanting to make it, I suggested it to her. She's taken the recipe, headed for the grocer, so I've finally copied it over from the handwritten copy I got from its creator.


9 x 13 baking dish
2 - 28 oz cans Hormel Tamales (unwrap tamales; save juice)
2 cans drained white (or yellow) hominy
16 oz. shredded cheese

Place 1 layer of hominy in dish, then layer of tamales, and a layer of cheese.
Another layer of hominy and cheese.
Pour juice from tamales over casserole.
Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Olive Brined Pork

or, The Only Way to Cook Pork EVER

I've done several variations on this idea, but tonight's pork was the best it's been. My suggestion is to get a fatty cut of pork, though any kind of smallish roast or chops will do.

Make a wet rub with equal parts green olive brine and coarse ground dijon mustard, a clove or two of crushed garlic, and as much freshly ground black pepper as your wrist can handle.

Massage the marinade into the meat while heating a heavy skillet or dutch oven on high. When the skillet is smoking, quickly add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and immediately (the oil will burn if you don't act fast) the pork.

Sear all sides of the pork. Depending on your size and cut of meat, this could take up to 10 minutes. So preheat the oven while you're doing this, to 275ºF. When the pork is well browned all over the outside, cover the skillet and remove it to the oven.

Cook for 1 hour or until done. You should own a meat thermometer to tell you when that is. I do.

When the pork is done, there should be enough juices in the pan to make a nice gravy. If you choose to do this, remove the pork to a cutting board and let it rest. Return the skillet to the stove over medium-high heat.

In a small bowl, whisk 1 cup cold water with 1 tablespoon flour until there are no lumps. Then whisk the flour water into the boiling juices, pouring in a steady stream and stirring continuously. Boil until the gravy thickens to your taste, then turn off the heat.

Slice the pork (if you can––it should be falling apart by now) into half-inch thick slices and return to the skillet. Spoon the gravy over the pork and serve hot.

Quick "Baked" Custard

My favorite breakfast in the world is French toast. Ideally, that means stale bread soaked in just eggs and milk and fried on a griddle with butter. Then, of course, smothered in syrup. But today I decided I didn't have time to wrestle with golden syrup, the only stuff I have, so I went the sugary vanilla French toast route.

But that's not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about the cold, smooth, firm custard, dusted with nutmeg, that Miss Craig brought our family every time we were sick. That could easily be my favorite dessert in the whole world. The nostalgia and comfort-food factors rocket it up above more sophisticated cakes and mousses on my list, and I have always regretted not being able to make it just right myself.

Well maybe this isn't "just right," but it's closer than any water-bath has gotten me yet.

After I'd made enough French toast this morning, I had just the right amount of egg mixture leftover to fit into a small oven-/microwave-safe ramekin, the same kind of service Miss Craig used for her custards. A (brilliant) thought occurred to me. I've been microwaving eggs for the last few months as a mid-morning protein snack with minimal cleanup requirement, so why wouldn't I microwave this? The milk would stabilize it, I imagined; my microwaved eggs are very touchy-feely about the amount of time and power they get. (Usually I drastically overcook them.)

So into the ramekin went equal parts beaten eggs and milk, a handful of castor sugar, a dash of vanilla, and a sprinkling of nutmeg. Into the microwave went the ramekin, for 2 minutes and 30 seconds at power level 3. Out came a slightly denser version of Miss Craig's custard, piping hot and still barely jiggling.

Try it! I didn't measure anything (except I used 6 eggs for the French toast) and I had to keep my eye on the microwave while it was cooking. Your microwave is probably different to mine; just make sure not to overcook it. When it puffs up over the rim of the dish, it's done, and when it comes out it should still be wobbly and probably a little runny underneath, but that's okay: just let it sit in it's super-hot bowl or ramekin until it settles down and finishes cooking to perfection in its own heat.

Caramelized Apple and Goat Cheese Tartines

This is a little snack perfect for afternoon tea or a very informal dessert. I concocted it on a cloudy Sunday evening for Paul and me to share. It will have been the first of many times it appears in my snack rotation. I used lavender (which my neighbor grows whole bushes of) and thyme with the apples, and although you could substitute different herbs or spices, I highly recommend this combination. So go get yourself some lavender and goat cheese and make this right now.

• baguette
• soft goat cheese
• 2 large apples
• <1/4 t lavender
• <1/4 t thyme
• 1 T butter
• 2 T sugar
• 1 T apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 450º with the rack in the top third of the oven.

Slice 6 diagonal pieces of the baguette (I used French, but I think whole grain bread would be nicer) and spread each slice with a generous smear of goat cheese. Set aside.

Peel, core, and finely chop the apples. The herbs should be finely chopped as well. Heat the butter in a medium skillet until browning, then add the apples and herbs. Toss over medium-high heat until the apples begin to brown.

At this point, place the bread in the oven, either on a baking sheet or directly on the rack. Keep an eye on it, but it should take about 10 minutes to toast and for the cheese to melt.

Add the sugar and cider vinegar to the apples and turn the heat down to medium-low. Toss occasionally until the vinegar is cooked off, the sugar is melted, and some of the apples have a dark brown edge.

When the toast is done, remove from the oven and top each slice with a spoonful of the apples. Serve warm.

Makes 6 tartines.

Easy Little Bread Recipe

This just in from Susan: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/easy-little-bread-recipe.html

Six Three Three Thirteen Bread

Dinner guest, Cindy Schmatjen shared an amazing recipe with us yesterday. Here's what she does to have bread dough at the ready for pizza or a hot loaf for dinner:

Acquire a large covered bin for the refrigerator.

Mix together

6 c warm water
3 T yeast
3 T rock salt
13 c unbleached flour

in your bin and let it rise in the refrigerator or on your warm porch, depending on when you first want to use it. You need to let it proof for at least two hours before use, but then it, or portions of it, can store in your refrigerator for up to a week or two. Busy mommy that she is, she figured out that 13 c of unbleached flour is one 5# bag MINUS 2.5 cups. So she just opens a new bag, takes out 2.5 cups of flour, and dumps the rest of the bag into her concoction. It is not even necessary to have it fully smoothly mixed before setting to rise, as if it is somewhat mixed, it will continue to do its work before you have to grab a chunk out (with flour-y hands!) to shape for baking. She bakes this on a baking stone at 450 degrees.

Making just one batch of bread? Then divide by three and use:

2 c warm water
1 T yeast
1 T salt
4.333 c flour

We had this bread with Sunday dinner which she threw together at six that morning and the flavor and texture were the best!

Pie Crust

I watched my landlady, "Toofer" (Esther) Kinnaman make this with her bare hands (as in no spoon or fork, which I prefer to use). I have never had a better, flakier, or EASIER pie crust!

2 c FLOUR

1 t SALT

1/2 c OIL

1/4 c MILK

Blend flour and salt together with a fork. Then pour in oil and cut through with fork until the mixture is even and about the size of peas (some are, some aren't). Pour in the milk and blend lightly and quickly. Press half of dough into a flat ball and roll out between two pieces of handi-wrap.

Every fruit pie I've ever made has come from Betty Crocker's Cookbook. And here's Susan serving her rendition of the apple pie to one happy Mike Powell.

English Muffin Bread

This is fast bread that is wonderful toasted. Another nice touch is to replace part of your liquid with water from boiled potatoes: gives it more of an English Muffin flavor. My mother-in-law gave me this recipe in the early days of our marriage and it has been an all time favorite. The first time I made it I made a mistake and used 1 T of sugar instead of 1 t with a nice result.

Heat 2 c MILK and 1/2 c WATER until it is as hot as you can touch (120-130 degrees)

Combine 3 c FLOUR, 2 pkgs (1-1/2 Tablespoons) YEAST, 1 t SUGAR, 2 t SALT, 1/2 t BAKING SODA in a big bowl.

Add hot milk mixture to flour mixture and beat well.

Stir in 2 to 3 more cups of FLOUR to make a stiff batter.

Spoon into 2 greased and sprinkled-with-CORNMEAL loaf pans.

Cover. Let rise in warm place about 45 minutes.

Bake 25 minutes at 400 degrees.

Remove from pans immediately and cool.