OK, you know you are getting old when a simple surgical procedure kicks your keister! And therein lies the reason, or at least half of the reason, why I haven’t been posting new recipes at my normal prodigious publication rate! The other half of my excuse is an almost month-long trailer trip. And when we are vacationing, my writing time is spent on a travel log. (Soon to be published BTW.)
But until that riveting commentary on life in a trailer is published, you will have to make-due with this cookie recipe.
Every trailer trip food plan begins with what cookies to bake for the upcoming adventure. (Proves I still have my priorities straight! Right?!) So, for this just completed trip I made a batch of these delightful cookies and a batch of Strawberry Dream Oatmeal Bars. (Recipe to be published after I finish the travel log.)
Both types of cookies were quite delicious and stayed fresh throughout the entire trip. OK, the dream bars traveled nestled in the trailer freezer between 2 pints of homemade chili and 2 mini meatloaf that I had prepared before we left on our trip. And I must say, the dream bars were really tasty when straight out of the freezer. But more about these bars when I get around to writing up the post and expounding on the wonders of these simple to make bar cookies.
Because I have only been combining peanut butter and chocolate chips together now for approximately 70 years, why is it until I reached the fine old age of 77, did it never occur to me to just put both kind of chips in a simple cookie batter. I realize my question is rhetorical, but I am still amazed at myself for being so dense. I guess I should just be thankful that any kind of new idea can still happen in my addled brain. Anyway – I did eventually think to put the two types of chips together and it did make for a very delicious cookie.
So, if you too like the combination of peanut butter and chocolate in a really delicious vanilla base, make a batch of these cookies at your earliest convenience.
And do read my travel write-up when it comes out in a few days. We are extremely lucky to be able to see our wonderful country first-hand, and it is my pleasure to share our adventures with you all.
I have missed trying out new recipes and sharing the ones that work with you all. So, get ready for more recipes and my random thoughts on subjects that should not be expounded upon by a person who is old enough to know better!
And as always – peace and love to all.
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. brown sugar, packed
2 lg. eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 (10-oz.) pkg. peanut butter chips
Cream the butter and sugars together until soft. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat until fluffy.
In a separate bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Add to the butter mixture and beat just until combined. Add the chocolate chips and peanut butter chips; mix well.
Using a #30 (2 tablespoons) ice cream scoop, plop cookies 2-inches apart on parchment paper lined baking sheets.
Bake in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for approximately 8-10 minutes. Take them out when they are just barely starting to turn brown and let sit on the baking pan for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.
Note: DO NOT OVERBAKE THESE COOKIES. They will not look done when you remove them from the oven. That is exactly how they should look!
When Mr. C. arrived home recently after a day long jaunt up on Mt. Baker, he arrived not only with a smile on his face, but also with a small container of blue huckleberries. Now if you have never been hiking and picked wild huckleberries as you plodded along, then you have missed out on one of life’s most pleasant experiences. Because there is just nothin’ finer than hiking along nibbling on nature’s bounty. (Except of course if nature’s bounty comes to you!) (And nothing better to turn your fingers blue either, I might add!) So, with my gift of fresh huckleberries in hand, I set about thinking of ways to use the berries to full advantage.
Unfortunately, there weren’t enough berries to build a pie. But being the cake lover that I am, I immediately thought about using the berries in a filling. But not a large cake, because it’s just the two of us. (Even though we did end up sharing some of the cake with our neighbors Mark and Vicki.)
So, the result of my plotting and planning is the recipe you find below. And thankfully, the lovely huckleberries with their “blueberries on steroids/sweet and tart at the same time” flavor came through very well in the filling. And the cake part itself was delicious and very simple to make. All in all, a very delectable dessert.
So, I hope you give this recipe a try. You and your family are sure to like it. And if you have never eaten a huckleberry, get yourself up into the mountains. Huckleberries grow best as an under crop in subalpine forests. They are generally found on moist, moderately deep, well-drained soils. But watch out for bears. They love huckleberries too.
As always, have fun dreaming up new and delicious ways to provide great food for not only yourself, but for your entire family. Even if you live alone, you need to treat yourself to special dishes or “fancy food” occasionally too. One easy way to make sure this happens, is to invite a friend or friends over for dinner. Then do it up with style. Fix your favorite dishes, set a beautiful table, offer dessert, and don’t forget a few nibbles set out when your guest or guests first arrive. Sets the tone for the whole evening. And then, you will probably have wonderful leftovers. Yippee-skippy! And you will have had the pleasure of treating your friends to a wonderful evening. And nothing feels better than that!
Peace and love to all.
Huckleberry Filling: (plus flavoring for frosting)
1 c. huckleberries, whole
3 T. granulated sugar
3 T. water, divided
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice (cuts the sweetness & brings out the berry flavor)
2 tsp. cornstarch
Combine the berries, sugar, 2 tablespoons of the water, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Simmer until the berries start to burst. Mash the berries a bit, then add the remaining tablespoon of water mixed with the cornstarch. Simmer until thick and glossy. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before using as filling for cake and flavoring for frosting.
Cake:
½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.
1 c. granulated sugar
2 med. eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. fine sea salt
½ c. sour cream
Preheat the oven to 325-degrees. Grease, flour, and line 2 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour cream, beating batter briefly after each addition. Don’t over-mix. Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
Bake for 23-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Check after 23 minutes to be sure.) Don’t over-bake.
Remove from oven, turn one of the layers onto a cake plate. The other onto a wire rack. Slowly remove the parchment paper and allow to cool completely before assembling the cake.
Huckleberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 oz. (½ lg. pkg.) cream cheese, softened
¼ c. (½ stick unsalted butter, softened
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
pinch kosher salt
1 T. of the huckleberry filling
2 c. powdered sugar, or more to achieve desired thickness
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth and no lumps remain, about 3 full minutes. Add the vanilla, salt, and tablespoon of the huckleberry filling.
Reduce the mixer speed to low, then add the powdered sugar. Once the sugar begins to incorporate, increase the mixer to high speed and beat until soft and creamy. Add additional powdered sugar as needed. Frost the cake as soon as it’s completely cooled.
To Assemble the Cake:
If you haven’t already prepared the frosting using a tablespoon of the filling, reserve 1 tablespoon of the filling to flavor the frosting at this time. Spread all the rest over the layer that is on the cake plate. Then carefully place the top cake layer over the filling. Spread the frosting over the entire cake.
If you are new to my blog, there is something more you should know about me than just what I have confessed to in my introduction – “It’s really just all about me!” I love Chinese food. And not the kind you find in China because I have never been there. Nope, I love the kind of Chinese food you find in good old American Chinese restaurants, especially the ones that can be found in any large-city International District. And I especially love the dishes that have only a superficial resemblance to any dish you might actually find in China. Except for one. Because even though egg fu yung is considered an American Chinese dish, its culinary roots reach back to Shanghai, and the name of this dish is Cantonese, with several accepted spellings including egg foo young, egg fooyung, egg foo yong, egg fu yung, and egg furong. I have chosen to spell this dish egg fu yung, because, well I don’t know why, I just have! For the sake of simplicity, you may think of this dish as basically a fried omelet, with not very much meat, lots of veggies, and topped with a yummy sauce or gravy.
You will notice that I have included 2 recipes for the gravy/sauce. I made them both but couldn’t choose which one I preferred. And neither could Mr. C. or our dear friends Mark and Vicki. So, your choice.
Now after a rudimentary glance at these recipes, you might think they would be anything but easy to prepare. But I’m here to tell you, they are not difficult at all. Just preparing a simple gravy or sauce, then a bit of hacking and slashing of veggies, a bit of playing with the meat, then combining all the egg fu yung ingredients together. (Except the gravy/sauce that is!) And once you’ve ladled the egg mixture into the pan, you are about 3-5 minutes away from sitting down to dine.
So, if you too are a Chinese food fan, then I think you are in for a treat. And even though you may be a true Chinese food aficionado, I’m willing to bet you haven’t ordered egg fu yung in quite some time. Because if you are like me, you consider yourself to be a “foodie”. And how can a true food connoisseur consider a humble and often thought of “secondary” dish now be relighted to the highly sought over position of “entrée”? Well, until recently, I wouldn’t have considered egg fu yung to be the star of the show either. In fact, I hadn’t ordered it in years. OK, decades. But during a recent visit to a Chinese restaurant, I was advised to order it, and I simply flipped over how delicious it was. It was my favorite dish on the table. What had I been waiting for? So, be reminded. Egg Fu Yung is delicious, and when you make it yourself, you can include any old meat or veggies you choose. And regulate the amount of salt, etc. etc. So, take my advise and make this dish at your earliest convenience. It is truly delicious, not too expensive to prepare, and a lot less caloric than many other Chinese dishes that you might enjoy.
As always, have fun in your kitchen. Try new recipes, especially the dishes you enjoy the most when you go out to eat. They may be easier to prepare than you would imagine. And don’t get me started on how much money you will save by fixing your favorite dishes at home. I neither have the time nor the energy to prepare a 60-page dissertation on nutrition, unpronounceable ingredients, marketing, and economics.
Peace and love to all.
Egg Fu Yung “Gravy”
Egg Fu Yung Gravy:
¼ c. vegetable oil
¼ c. finely diced onion
6 med. button mushrooms, chopped well (or the equivalent in chopped shiitake mushrooms)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
¼ c. flour
1 tsp. granulated sugar
pinch white pepper
2 c. water
3 tsp. chicken or vegetable base (I use Better Than Bouillon bases)
2 T. dark soy sauce
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan. Add the onion, mushrooms, and garlic and cook until the garlic starts to brown. Whisk in the flour and cook for at least one minute. As it cooks whisk in the sugar and white pepper.
Slowly whisk in the water and chicken base. Cook until nice large bubbles appear. Then stir in the soy sauce and cook for another minute. Taste and adjust seasoning. Just before serving, whisk in the sesame oil.
Simple Egg Fu Yung “Sauce
Simple Egg Fu Yung Sauce:
4 tsp. cornstarch
1 c. beef broth or 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon beef
2 T. soy sauce
Combine all sauce ingredients in a small pan and heat to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute; serve hot.
SHRIMP Egg Fu Yung:
2 T. vegetable oil, divided
3-4 button mushrooms, chopped
⅓ c. thinly sliced celery
1 sm. garlic clove, finely minced
6 eggs
½ c. bean sprouts
3 green onions, thinly sliced, divided
4 oz. chopped raw shrimp
¼ tsp. kosher salt
pinch white pepper
1 tsp. sesame oil
sesame seeds, opt. garnish
steamed rice
Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a very large, non-stick pan. Cook the mushrooms and celery until just starting to get soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.
Whisk eggs in a bowl. Add the beansprouts, ¾ of the green onions, raw shrimp, salt, and pepper. Add the cooked mushrooms, celery, and garlic.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and sesame oil in the same very large pan and set over medium heat. (Use additional oil if you feel there isn’t enough in the pan. Especially if your pan is quite large.) Ladle in ¼ of the batter for each egg fu yung. Use a spatula to push edges in to form 4 round(ish) shapes. As mixture sets at the edges, with spatula, gently keep the egg mixture together as if you were corralling sheep.
Cook until the undersides are medium golden brown then flip and cook the other sides again until nicely browned. (The raw shrimp will cook during this time.)
Slide omelets onto plates. Dribble on some of the gravy. Then sprinkle with sesame seeds and remaining green onion slices. Serve with a side of rice and the remaining gravy or sauce.
Note: You can use any combination of meat/seafood and veggies. Use a total of 2 to 2½ cups of protein/veggies for 6 eggs.
PORK Egg Fu Yung:
4 oz. ground pork
½ tsp. soy sauce ½ tsp. oyster sauce
¼ tsp. sugar
dash sesame oil
2 T. vegetable oil, divided
3-4 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
⅓ c. thinly sliced celery
1 sm. garlic clove, finely minced
6 eggs
½ c. bean sprouts
3 green onions, thinly sliced, divided
¼ tsp. kosher salt
pinch white pepper
1 tsp. sesame oil
sesame seeds, opt. garnish
steamed rice
Place pork in a bowl. Mix in the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and sesame oil. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a very large, non-stick pan. Cook the mushrooms and celery until just starting to get soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.
Whisk eggs in a bowl. Add the beansprouts, ¾ of the green onions, salt, and pepper. Add the pork mixture crumbled into the egg mixture with your fingers. Add the cooked mushrooms, celery, and garlic.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and sesame oil in the pan and set over medium heat. Ladle in ¼ of the batter for each egg fu yung. Use a spatula to push edges in to form 4 round(ish) shapes. As mixture sets at the edges, with spatula, gently keep the egg mixture together as if you were corralling sheep.
Cook until the undersides are medium golden brown then flip and cook the other sides again until nicely browned. (The raw pork will cook nicely during this time.)
Slide omelets onto plates. Dribble with gravy then sprinkle with sesame seeds and remaining green onion slices. Serve with a side of rice and prepared gravy or sauce.
Note: You can use any combination of meat/seafood and veggies. Use a total of 2 to 2½ cups of protein/veggies for 6 eggs.
On the rare occasions when I consider my kitchen “private enemy number one”, I become fixated on producing the easiest dish possible. And of course, because I know the Gods are probably having a field day watching my conundrum, they seem to take delight in instilling me with a burning desire for a savory meat dish. Which invariably takes a lot of prep time. Well, when this occurred a few days ago, I nixed their fun! I fixed this recipe!
I happened to have all the ingredients on hand. And this dish is super easy to prepare. And you could not ask for a more delicious and savory meat dish. (And I know. It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature or the Gods of “whatever”. And in all truth, I wasn’t trying to be duplicitous. But dang, when an old gal like me doesn’t feel like spending hours in the kitchen, she shouldn’t be needlessly tortured with a hankering for the type of dish that usually takes hours to prepare! That’s simply not fair! Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!) But back to this recipe.
After the few minutes it took me to get the game hen in the oven, it occurred to me that maybe I should serve a little something with the game hen. But again, I wasn’t in the mood to go to any trouble. So, I whipped together a simple salad and baked a sweet potato. Done!
So, the next time you are feeling less than inclined to spend a hunk of time in your kitchen, but still want to give the illusion of having spent quality time slaving away on someone else’s behalf, give this recipe a try. And to make things even easier on myself next time I make this dish, I plan to cut up some regular potatoes and a sweet potato, coat all the pieces with a bit of olive oil, and place the potato chunks right on the pan with the game hen. Then if I still have a tad bit of energy, I might slice up a couple of tomatoes, slather them with olive oil, splatter them with a bit of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, and decorate the whole mess with basil chiffonade. (That will complete the illusion of time and effort spent.) At which point, I will probably go sit down and read my book while the oven does the hard work. And no, you don’t have to wait to make this recipe until you are tired of your kitchen. Do make it any old time you want. You will be glad you did.
As always, live your life to the fullest. And if some days the “fullest” you feel you can tolerate is several hours spent reading a good book or listening to your favorite concertos or binge watching several seasons of Schitt’s Creek, then that is just fine. Everyone gets to define “fullest” their own way.
Peace and love to all.
1 T. unsalted butter, room temp.
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. dried parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ tsp. lemon zest
2 tsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. seasoned salt, plus more for sprinkling
freshly ground black pepper
1 (24-oz.) Cornish game hen
In a small bowl, mix the butter, olive oil, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, seasoned salt, and black pepper together. Place the spatchcocked hen on a small, rimmed baking sheet.
Using your fingers, loosen the skin from the breast and legs/thighs and stuff all but 1 tablespoon of the lemon-herb butter under the skin. Rub the remaining butter over the top of the hen. Lightly sprinkle with seasoned salt.
Bake in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 1 hour or until the skin is golden brown and the internal temperature in the thigh reaches 160-degrees.
Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
To spatchcock a game hen:
Wash and dry the hen and place on a cutting board, breast side down. Using sharp kitchen shears, cut down each side of the backbone, starting from the neck end down to the tail. Remove the backbone, pull open the hen, flip it over, then press down on the breast to open it out flat.
The first thing you might notice after a cursory glance at the ingredients for this recipe, is that there are no potato chunks in this chowder. And I know, many of you don’t consider chowder to be chowder if it doesn’t contain potatoes. And don’t get me wrong, I love potatoes too. But I have eaten far too many chowders (seafood chowders especially) that were half potatoes to the exclusion of other veggies that might actually have given the chowder a lovely flavor base. So, frankly, I’m done with potatoes in my chowders. (That sound you hear is Mr. C. applauding in the background?) In fact, until the other evening when I ordered a cup of crab and corn chowder at the Brown Lantern Ale House in Anacortes, I hadn’t had a taste of chowder in years. But this crab chowder was so delicious, and to my delight, nary a cheap filler like potato in the entire mixture. Just a lovely creamy chowder filled with real crab and corn. So, my faith in chowders renewed, the next day I glommed together a recipe for (you guessed it) crab and corn chowder.
So, why is this recipe for a shrimp chowder you might be asking yourself? Simple answer. I didn’t have any crab on hand. But I did have bacon, shrimp, and 2 ears of corn. So, the crab and corn recipe is pending. In the meantime, you’ll just have to settle for this recipe. Which by-the-way is delectable. Easy to prepare, and a lot lower in fat than many chowder recipes.
As always, be creative in your kitchen. Trust your instincts, especially if you’ve been cooking for a long time. You know what spices go together. You know what to put in a good spaghetti sauce. And what to throw into meat loaf. And that bacon is it’s own food group! So, yes, of course, if you can’t imagine a chowder without potatoes, serve it up! I won’t know, and even if I did, I’d be the one you heard in the background clapping my hands together in celebration of your knowledge of your families preferences. Because, more than anything, I want you to love cooking. And to feel pride when you feed not only yourself but your family and friends with fantastic food. And if that means potatoes in the chowder you serve, good on you! You’re doing it right!
Peace and love to all.
5-6 slices thick-cut lean bacon, cut into small pieces
½ lb. lg. shrimp, peeled, de-veined, tails removed and cut into small pieces
2 T. unsalted butter
½ c. finely chopped onion
⅓ c. shredded carrot
1 c. thinly sliced celery, plus chopped leaves, if possible
½ red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
¼ tsp. seasoned salt
freshly ground black pepper
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
¼ tsp. dried thyme
¼ tsp. paprika
2 T. unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ c. chicken stock or 1½ c. water and 1½ tsp. chicken base
1 c. whole milk
½ c. half and half
cooked kernels from 2 ears of corn (or 1½ cups frozen)
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish
hot sauce, for table
Fry the bacon in a Dutch oven or large, deep saucepan over medium heat until crisp, about 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a small bowl. Set aside.
Add the shrimp and cook just until done. With a slotted spoon, remove to the same bowl with the cooked bacon.
Add the butter to the pot and let it melt. Stir in the onion, carrot, celery, and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes. Next stir in the garlic, seasoned salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, dried thyme, and paprika. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Sprinkle the flour over the top of the onion mixture, then cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly stir in the chicken stock, milk, and half and half until no flour lumps remain. Stir in the corn kernels and bring to a gentle boil. Let bubble until thickened, about 5 minutes. (If the chowder is not as thick as you like, make a beurre manié (paste made with equal partsflour and soft butter mashed together) and stir into the soup. (I would suggest starting with 1 tablespoon each of soft butter and flour. Then if the soup is still not thick enough, repeat the process.) Taste and adjust seasoning.
When ready to serve, stir in the cooked bacon and shrimp and continue cooking just until the shrimp is hot.
Serve the chowder hot, sprinkled with sliced green onions. Pass hot sauce at table. Great served with Soft Sourdough Rolls. (Recipe to follow in the near future.)
And yes, the recipe makes more than the little bit you see at the bottom. Once again, I failed to take a picture until after I had made 2 (count them 2) salads already.
So, while in Brookings, Oregon for my son Sven’s wedding, a few of us had dinner the first night at the Black Trumpet Bistro. Daughter Paula ordered the Cobb salad. And after the first bite, she proclaimed the dressing to be the best balsamic dressing she had ever tasted. She offered me a bite, which of course I gladly accepted. And by golly, she was right. The dressing was amazing. So, the next thing out of her mouth was, “mom, would you please work up a recipe for this dressing”? Well, she’s my daughter, so, how could I refuse! (Plus, of course, I wanted more of that dressing in my life too!) So, what I came up with was my spin on Katy’s recipe from her aforkstale.com. site. Basically, the same ingredients but the proportions a bit different. Plus, I used granulated garlic rather than a clove of garlic because I wanted a softer garlic presence. And kosher salt rather than just “salt”. And extra virgin olive oil, because, well, I always use extra virgin olive oil! I don’t even bother with any other kind. But back to this dressing.
All you really need to know is that 1) The dressing is Paula approved. 2) The dressing is Mr. C. approved. 3) The dressing obviously has my seal of approval, or it wouldn’t be on this site to begin with! 4) The dressing is terribly easy to prepare. 5) The dressing will last several days in your refrigerator. 6) If you can name a better tasting purchased balsamic dressing that doesn’t contain any preservatives, too much salt, or unpronounceable ingredients, I will send you a crisp dollar bill! The ball’s in your court!
As always, keep building your own salad dressings. And I know, it’s just so darned easy to buy salad dressing. But think of the money you’ll save by concocting your own. And how much more room you’ll have in your refrigerator by not filling the shelves with 8 to 10 almost empty bottles of dressing that are never going to get eaten. (I’ve tried not to look when I’m in other people’s kitchens and they open their fridge door. But I’m human, and invariably what catches my eye are the salad dressing bottles with a half-inch of dressing glued to the bottom.) (BTW, I’m not proud of this particular brand of voyeurism, but never-the-less I am cursed with this affliction, and I don’t count on any miraculous recovery happening anytime in the near future!) Of course, I welcome any prayers for my rehabilitation. But frankly, I don’t think your lovely thoughts would make a flying fig bit of difference. I’m pretty set in my ways by now. But if you still feel compelled to offer up prayers, I think the poor Afghanistan citizens and Americans trying to leave Afghanistan could use your help.
Peace and love to all.
6 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 T. balsamic glaze or vinegar (I use Ponti Glassa Gastronomica)
2 T. mayonnaise
1 T. honey
1½ tsp. Dijon mustard
¼ tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp. granulated garlic
In a covered jar, shake all the ingredients together. Store in refrigerator. Shake well before serving.
Perfect tossed with a combination of greens such as romaine, arugula, and baby spinach. For garnishes, any one or combination of the following would be delicious: crumbled bacon, Honey Roasted Walnuts (see recipe below), crumbled bleu or feta cheese, thin slices of apple or pear, dried cranberries, roasted beets, thin slices of red onion. (To name a few. )
Honey Roasted Walnuts
4 c. walnut halves
2 T. granulated sugar
1½ tsp. kosher salt
1½ tsp. brown sugar, packed
1½ tsp. water
1 T. honey
1 T. canola oil
Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. Spread the walnuts out on a rimmed baking pan. Toast in the oven for about 8 minutes or until they begin to smell toasted.
Meanwhile, stir the sugar and salt together in a large bowl; set aside.
When the nuts are toasted, remove them from the oven and make the glaze.
In a large frying pan over high heat, combine the brown sugar, water, honey, and oil. Stir until the mixture is boiling. Reduce heat and immediately stir in the warm, toasted nuts and cook, stirring just until the glaze is stuck to the nuts and the pan is almost dry, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and toss the hot, glazed nuts in the sugar and salt mixture. Gently stir the nuts until every single one is evenly coated. Return them to the baking sheet and spread them out in a single layer. Pop them back in the oven for one minute to set the glaze and the sugar coating.
Remove from oven and allow the nuts to cool completely on the pan before you move them around. (Tossing or packaging them before they are completely cool could cause the coating to come off.) When the nuts are completely cooled, store in an airtight container.
OK, confession time. You see that picture above, that was my attempt at making a lemon Bundt cake with a lemon drizzle. And as experienced as I am at baking Bundt cakes, this one came apart on me.
My first thought was that the cake must have fallen in love with the Bundt pan while they were in the warm, intimate environment of my oven. Because a good 1/8th of the cake was still clinging to the bottom of the pan as the rest of the cake lay topless on my cake dish. And even then, as I went after the recalcitrant bits, I almost destroyed the pan in the process! But I got even. I drowned the remaining bits and sent them down to visit Gritsner (the name I have given to our garbage disposal), and by now they are drowning in (never mind)!
My more reasonable second thought about why my cake refused to cooperate was because I floured the pan with 7 or 8-year-old Wondra flour. I have subsequently learned that instead of using flour of any kind, I should have used finely ground nuts or granulated sugar. (You learn something new every day.) But I’m not taking any chances the next time I build this cake. (And believe me, there will be a lot more times I build this cake.) The batter is going into a 9×13-inch glass pan that I know I can use a heavy spatula if necessary to release pieces from their rectangular enclosure!
So, back to yesterday’s fiasco. You know what they always say about lemons: If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Well, my version now goes like this: If a lemon glaze won’t cover up your Bundt cake disaster, make a thick creamy frosting instead. So, of course, that’s exactly what I did.
But even with all the trials and tribulations, the cake turned out to be very delicious. And with a perfect moist and tender crumb. And oh, so easy to prepare. And the frosting, well, I’d give myself 6 stars for this one.
As always, just when I started feeling a bit over pleased with myself, the God’s decided I needed a lesson in humility. And you know what? They must keep their eyes peeled on me all the time, because I get these lessons frequently. And for that I am extremely thankful. Because the last thing this world needs is another conceited (your word) taking up space. There are far too many (your word) already.
Peace and love to all. And please make this cake. It is really, really tasty.
Lemon Cake:
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.
2 c. granulated sugar
3 lg. eggs
2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour , fluffed
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. fine sea salt
zest of 2 lg. lemons
1 c. sour cream
Preheat the oven to 325-degrees. Grease and flour a 9X13-inch baking pan. (Glass is best.) Set aside.
Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, about 7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest together. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour cream, beating batter briefly after each addition. Don’t over-mix. Scoop batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Check after 23 minutes to be sure.) Don’t over-bake.
Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before frosting.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 oz. (½ 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened
½ stick unsalted butter, softened
1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ – 1 tsp. lemon zest
½ tsp. vanilla extract
pinch kosher salt
2 c. powdered sugar, or more to achieve desired thickness
Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth and no lumps remain, about 3 full minutes. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and salt.
Reduce the mixer speed to low, then add the powdered sugar. Once the sugar begins to incorporate, increase the mixer to high speed and beat until soft and creamy. Add additional powdered sugar as needed. Frost the cake as soon as it’s completely cooled.
Croissants and pain au chocolatCroissantsView of the flaky interior of a croissantUp close look at pain au chocolat
Well, once again I stepped out of my comfort zone and made THE BEST croissants I have ever tasted. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the croissants were still warm when I bit into my first one. (And yes, I had two. OK, three. But in my defense, they were small croissants, by plan, I might add.) So, thanks to Bincy at merryboosters.com, I no longer have any reason to pay excruciating prices for my all-time favorite accompaniment to bacon and eggs. And the best part – the darn things were easy to prepare. Really!
First of all, you don’t need a mixer to make the dough. And no kneading required. But granted, it did take most of the day to prepare these delicacies because there is a lot of time the dough is busy rising. But so what?! I had nothing else planned yesterday. And during the time I wasn’t actively involved in the process, I dusted the house and cleaned the bathrooms, posted a recipe, and did research for another recipe I plan to present in the future. So, basically, no time wasted.
But patience required, I will certainly admit to that! Mainly because I could hardly wait to chomp into the final product. And of course, terribly concerned that the final product would not meet my expectations. Because little old me, unschooled baker that I am, actually trying my hand at building croissants and pain au chocolat (for Mr. C.)! How extraordinarily presumptuous of me! But still game enough to at least give it a try. And not only making croissants but pain au chocolat as well. (Frankly I don’t see what all the fuss is about when it comes to pain au chocolat. But Mr. C. is a devoted fan. And when it comes right down to it, I like making him happy.) So, 4 pain au chocolat were made along with 12 regular croissants. And since you are concerned with the disparity in my 12 to his 4, forget it! He loves regular croissants too.
And another thing we both really love, is that all 12 of the croissants and 4 pain au chocolat I made cost less than 2 croissants from our local French bakery. Because really, the only expensive ingredients are the European butter (which I buy at Grocery Outlet for $1.99 for 8-ounces), and the really good dark chocolate (about a third of a 3.5 oz. dark chocolate bar from Libeert (Belgian Chocolate Creators). (Probably about a dollars-worth of chocolate.) The rest of the ingredients, not appreciable.
So, for those of you who have been afraid of making homemade croissants – let it go! These are so easy to build. And so delicious. Yes, they take time. But boy are they worth the effort.
As always, have fun in your kitchen. Try new recipes because you may never know what amazing new discoveries you might make. And please don’t wait until you’re 77 (like me) to make homemade croissants and pain au chocolat. All I can think right now, is, why in the world did I wait so long? And should I make some more tomorrow, or wait a couple of days?
So, thank you again Bincy for this fabulous recipe. And for helping me keep my reputation as a “well-rounded” cook. (Define well-rounded any way you like!)
Peace and love to all.
1 c. + 1 tsp. slightly warm whole milk, divided
1 tsp. active dry yeast
¼ c. granulated sugar
2½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed
¼ tsp. fine grained sea salt
¾ c. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (European butter* is best for this recipe or any other laminated** pastry for that matter)
1 tsp. vegetable oil (for coating the dough)
1 egg
semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (if making pain au chocolat)
Whisk 1 cup of the warm milk, yeast, and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
Add the salt and flour, and mix by hand until you have a smooth, evenly hydrated dough. Pour the veggie oil on the dough, and using your hands and a stiff rubber spatula, form the dough into a ball thoroughly coated with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough sit and rise for 1½ to 2 hours or until the dough doubles in size. (Mine took 2 hours.)
After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, place it on a lightly floured surface and flatten it into a rectangle. Then roll it into a long log (like you were preparing cinnamon rolls) and divide the dough into 12 equal sized pieces.
Using a rolling pin, shape each piece of dough into a circle approximately 6½ to 7-inches in diameter. Spread the first dough circle liberally with butter, then place on a piece of plastic wrap, butter side up.
Then flatten the next piece of dough and slather with butter and stack, butter side up, directly on top of the first piece. Continue until all the dough circles have been buttered until the last piece. Place dough circle number 12 unbuttered on the top of the pile. Wrap securely with as much plastic wrap as it takes, and place in your freezer for about 35-40 minutes. (The time spent in the freezer will allow the butter to harden a bit, but still be pliable enough to roll the dough into a rectangle, 12×16-inches.)
Place the rectangle with one of the longer sides furthest away from you. Using a pizza cutter*** or knife, cut the long sides into 4 top-to-bottom rectangles, then the short sides into thirds, right to left. This will give you 12 (4×4-inch) equal size squares.
For Regular Croissants:
Cut each square into two triangles. With your hands, shape the triangle into a long pie shaped piece of dough. Cut a small incision into the triangle in the middle of the larger end. (This small incision helps keep the center of the croissant from becoming too thick.) Then starting at the larger end, gently force the cut apart while you roll the dough towards the thin pointed end, making sure you are rolling the croissant tightly, but without squeezing the dough. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet pointed ends down and about 2-inches apart.
Whisk the egg with the remaining 1 teaspoon milk and brush on each croissant. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours or until they puff up a little. (And yes, the plastic wrap will stick a bit to the croissants.) Then, gently but liberally brush each croissant again with a bit of the egg wash being careful not to deflate the dough.
Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375-degress and bake for another 7-8 minutes or until the croissants are a deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 210-degrees. Don’t under-bake the croissants.
Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature. Re-heat in a 350-degree oven for a few minutes.
For Pain Au Chocolate Croissants:
Do not cut the 4-inch squares. Place about 3 teaspoons of the chopped chocolate about half an inch up from one of the sides. Fold the dough up over the chocolate and continue rolling until you have created a cylindrical shape. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, seam side down about 2-inches apart.
Whisk the egg with the remaining 1 teaspoon milk and brush on each croissant. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours or until they puff up a little. Then gently brush each croissant again with the egg wash being careful not to deflate the dough.
Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375-degress and bake for another 7-8 minutes or until the pain au chocolat croissants are a deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 210-degrees. Don’t under-bake.
Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature. Re-heat in a 350-degree oven for a few minutes.
*European-style butter: Excerptfrom an article on thekitchen.com. site “Overall, European-style butters are favored for their rich taste — a direct result of the higher butterfat content. More butterfat also means a softer texture, faster melt, and often, a saturated yellow hue. With less water, European-style butters are often the preferred butter for baking — especially when the flavor of butter is just as important as its function.”
And according to our good friend Keith, who spent many years as a professional baker (and I paraphrase) – “The best butter for the home baker making croissants, or any pastries, is slow-churned European style butter that contains at least 82% butterfat. This type of butter contains less air and water which makes it more pliable and resistant to being absorbed in dough during lamination**.”
**Lamination: Lamination is the process of folding and rolling butter into dough over and over again, or in the case of this recipe, spreading soft butter over layers of thin dough, to create super-thin layers. These layers, which alternate between butter and dough, are what give croissants their signature honeycomb interior structure and their fabulously flaky texture.
***Pizza cutter: My dear friend Vicki explained to me why she preferred using a pizza cutter rather than a knife when cutting dough. Cutting dough with a pizza cutter makes a nice, thin cut. And unlike using a knife, a pizza cutter doesn’t flatten the dough next to the cut. Plus, it doesn’t stretch the dough as it’s being cut. Thanks Vicki for sharing your experience with all of us.
I have this tendency (a holdover from earlier years spent carefully watching my bank account balance), to see a leftover ingredient in my refrigerator and build a new dish around that ingredient. So, after making Baked Crab Rangoon with Sweet and Sour Sauce (recipe on site) a couple days before and having both leftover wonton wrappers and Sweet and Sour Sauce, I decided to try my hand at shrimp wonton cups. And boy am I glad I did!
I started with a recipe for wonton cups I found on the anerdcooks.com site. Then of course, I played with the recipe because I simply can’t help myself. But the result was terrific, so as in many cases, asking for forgiveness is so much easier than asking for permission. But Lauren, I do apologize for the changes I made to your perfectly fine recipe without your permission.
Anyway, the result was much better than expected. And even though there are still unused wonton wrappers in my refrigerator, I have reduced their number by 24. Of course, I have also used a half pound of large shrimp, 4 ounces of cream cheese, a bit of sour cream, and some grated mozzarella in the process. But I already had them in stock, so no visit to the grocery store was required to prepare this treat. (I still have left over Sweet and Sour Sauce too. But I have decided to let it go. There is a line over which even I refuse to cross!)
So, if you too love shrimp wonton cups with a truly delicious sauce, then I recommend these easy to prepare recipes. Perfect as an appetizer or accompaniment to other Chinese dishes.
As always, keep smiling. And keep your family and friends smiling too by preparing great food and serving it in beautiful serving dishes and on lovely dinnerware.
I don’t know about you, but food served on nice plates always seems more appealing. So, don’t save your good dishes for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Use them whenever you get the urge. Sure, a piece could get broken. It happens. But while the pieces are still around, they should be made to earn their keep, not tucked away for your inheritors to dispose of. Because realistically, your kids tastes and yours, when it comes to fine china that is, are probably quite different. So, enjoy them while you can. (That goes for the kids too!)
Peace and love to all.
2 tsp. unsalted butter
½ lb. lg. raw shrimp, shelled, deveined, and tails removed
freshly ground black pepper (just a bit)
24 square wonton wrappers
4 oz. (½ lg. pkg.) cream cheese, room temp.
2 T. sour cream
1 garlic clove, finely minced
½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 green onions, finely chopped
½ c. grated mozzarella cheese
Heat the butter in a small frying pan. Cut the large shrimp into very small pieces. Add the shrimp, lightly sprinkled with black pepper to the frying pan and cook just until done. Remove from heat and set aside. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
Lightly spray mini-muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray. Carefully press wonton wrappers into wells of pan. Lightly spray the wonton wrappers in the pan. Bake 7-8 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown. Remove pan from oven.
Meanwhile, stir the cream cheese, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce together in a mixing bowl until well blended. Stir in the cooked shrimp, green onions, and mozzarella cheese; mix well. Using a #100 (2 teaspoons) ice cream scoop, plop the shrimp mixture into each wonton cup.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until wontons are golden brown and the filling is starting to bubble.
Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Great dunked in Sweet and Sour Sauce.
SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
¼ c. lightly packed brown sugar
¼ tsp. kosher salt
2 T. ketchup
1 T. soy sauce
3 T. plain rice vinegar (not seasoned rice vinegar)
½ c. water
2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
Combine the sugar, salt, ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a near boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Give the cornstarch a stir and then add it to the pan. Continue cooking, stirring, for about 15 seconds, or until the sauce comes to full boil and thickens.
Remove from the heat. Serve warm or at room temperature. Can be made ahead.
The last time I ordered crab Rangoon in a restaurant I was terribly disappointed. (And yes Rangoon should be capitalized because it is from the city Yangon, also called Rangoon, the former capital of Burma, which is now Myanmar.) Anyway, the crab used in the making of the Rangoon at this otherwise fine Chinese cuisine dining establishment, was very sparingly used, to say the least. In fact, if there was any crab in the mix, I would be very surprised. If anything, there might have been a bit of surimi (fake crab) in the filling. And that not only scares me; it makes me madder than a wet hen! I hate fake crab! And everything about it! For interesting facts about imitation crab, skip to the bottom of this post. But back to this recipe.
The other day when I got a hankering for Chinese food, I decided to pull out my old recipe and build me some crab Rangoon with what I consider to contain the requisite amount of crab. And since I abhor deep fat frying anything, even something as delightful as crab Rangoon, my old standby recipe for baking the Rangoon seemed perfect for the occasion.
And there was much rejoicing at table that evening. Not only was the Rangoon terrific; the sauce was over the top delicious. And nary a spattering of hot fat to be seen on either me or the immediate vicinity around the stove!
So, the next time you are looking for just the perfect appetizer, please give this baked Rangoon recipe a try. And don’t even think about serving the Rangoon without the Sweet and Sour Sauce. Not only is this sauce perfect with Rangoon, it’s equally great with the next recipe I am going to post – Shrimp Wonton Cups with Sweet and Sour Sauce. Plus, this sauce is terrific with my recipes for Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork), Easy Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers, baked eggrolls (still working on the recipe), or as a glaze for grilled chicken or seafood. Plus both the recipe for the Rangoon and the sauce are very easy to prepare.
So, as always, have fun in your kitchen. We all must eat to stay alive. And eating can be such a pleasure. As cooks we can make this happen.
And believe me, I know there are times when even the thought of cooking one more meal is overwhelming. But cooking is a lot like exercising. Once you get started, the effort initiates a biological cascade of events that results in the release of endorphins — those chemicals that make you happy! So, stay happy. Keep cooking!
Peace and love to all.
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
1 clove garlic, very finely minced
1 green onion, finely diced
¼ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. sugar
pinch white pepper
8 oz. crabmeat (canned real crab is fine for this recipe)
¼ tsp. kosher salt, if needed
square wonton wrappers
Mix the cream cheese, garlic, green onion, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and pepper together. Taste the crab meat. If it isn’t terribly salty, add the ¼ teaspoon salt to the cream cheese mixture. Then gently stir in the crab.
Grease 12-16 muffin cups with cooking spray. Gently place 1 won ton wrapper in each cup. Fill evenly with crabmeat mixture.
Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges of wonton wrappers are golden brown and the filling is heated through.
Serve warm with Sweet and Sour Sauce.
SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
¼ c. lightly packed brown sugar
¼ tsp. kosher salt
2 T. ketchup
1 T. soy sauce
3 T. plain rice vinegar (not seasoned rice vinegar)
½ c. water
2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
Combine the sugar, salt, ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a near boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Give the cornstarch a stir and then add it to the pan. Continue cooking, stirring, for about 15 seconds, or until the sauce comes to full boil and thickens.
Remove from the heat. Serve warm or at room temperature. Can be made ahead.
Imitation Crab (From webmd.com)
“Imitation crab is made with surimi, a paste made out of finely shredded or pulverized fish. After the fish is minced, it is heated and pressed into shapes that resemble meat from a crab leg. The resulting imitation crab looks similar to the original crab in its coloring and texture.
Binding agents, like egg white, starch, vegetable oil, or sugar, are added to the surimi paste to make the meat stick together. Occasionally, monosodium glutamate (MSG) is added to the surimi. Orange or red coloring is the key ingredient added to make the mixture resemble shellfish meat. For the preservation of the product, the makers vacuum seal and pasteurize the imitation crab meat.
Real crab has significantly higher nutrient levels than imitation crab. For example, imitation crab derives most of its calories from added carbs. The calories in an Alaskan king crab are derived from proteins, not from carbs. If you’re on a keto or low-carb diet and are trying to cut your carb intake, real crab would be the better choice.
Real crab provides a higher amount of vitamins and minerals. It’s a good source of vitamin B12, selenium, and zinc. When making surimi, these nutrients are lost during washing and processing when the fish meat is exposed to heat. Real crab also has a higher amount of omega-3 fatty acids than its mock substitute. Some packages of imitation crab may have added omega-3, but this isn’t always the case.
Imitation crab contains several processed ingredients. The largest component of the imitation crab product is surimi. It contributes 35% to 50% of the product’s weight. The other 50% to 65% that makes up imitation crab contains:
– Starches like wheat, potato, or tapioca starch make the surimi firm and freezable.
– Salt (sodium chloride) adds flavor and helps turn the minced meat into a sturdy gel. Sometimes, potassium chloride is used.
– Vegetable oil enhances texture, shelf life, and white coloring.
– Sugar and sorbitol add some sweetness and help imitation crab to freeze and thaw with ease.
– Egg whites or soy are often added for a boost of protein and to improve texture, color, and glossiness.
– Water takes up the biggest percentage of all the extra ingredients. It helps create the right texture.”
