Sunday, November 30, 2008

BEST Homemade Rolls

Recipe From: Suzanne Orton (via my Aunt Rosie)
These are the best by far. We had them at Thanksgiving...not that I have made them...yeast is hard.
Combine in a bowl & let stand 5 minutes:
1 1/2 cup warm water
5 tsp powdered yeast
1/4 cup sugar

Then add & beat together:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp salt
2 eggs

Then add:
5 cups flour (one at a time...mix & knead)

Dough will be sticky. Raise in a pan for 1 hour...pound down and continue rising until it doubles in size. Add flour when rolling out into a circle. Spread butter across and cut into triangles. Roll small tip to large. Bake at 350-400 for 6-7 minutes.

Thanksgiving Dinner

All Recipes = Ray Morrison OriginalsRoasted Turkey
Soaked overnight in a brine (water, salt, brown sugar)Stuffed with apple, onion, thyme, cinnamon sticks, candied ginger and sageRub under the skin with butter/sage leaves mixture
Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper
Baste with apple juice reductionGlaze with pomegranite/molassesSmoked Turkey Legs
Smoked in BBQ grill with either pomegranite/molasses sauce
or apple juice reduction
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes, roasted garlic, buttermilk, butter, salt
Gravy
Turkey pan drippings, all stuffing ingredients, flour
Cornbread Stuffing
Cornbread crumbled, panchetta, red fresno pepper, whipping cream, chicken stock, carmelized onions.
Sweet Potatoes
Boston Market!
Fresh Grilled Corn
Corn on the cob kernals, sour cream, chili powder and salt
Cranberries
Cranberries, juice from oranges, sugar, water.
Garnish with orange zest
Apples
Granny Smith Apples, brown sugar, butter
Green Beans
Fresh green beans, butter, bacon, kosher salt, almonds
Homemade Rolls
Rolls & Pies from my cousin Suzanne since Ray doesn't bake.
These are SO good...I'll blog the recipe later.
Artichoke DipCheese PlatterTomato-Mozzerella
Grape tomatoes, mozzerella balls drizzled with balsamic vinegar & something else (green)

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Beef & Scallion Rolls

Recipe From: Martha Stewart Website
Really great flavors and easy. I would double the sauce next time.
Ingredients:

1 lb beef sirloin (pounded thin and slice into thin strips)
1 red pepper (ribs & seeds removed, sliced into thin strips)
4 scallions (trimmed & sliced thinly lengthwise)
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp sugar
salt/pepper

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet and add bell pepper. Cook until pepper blisters (2-4 minutes). Add 1 tbsp soy sauce. Transfer to a plate and wipe skillet clean. Place beef slices between plastic wrap and pound lightly until 1/8" thick. Season with salt/pepper. Divide bell pepper and scallions among slices. Roll tightly into bundles and secure with a toothpick. Heat 1 tbsp oil in same skillet and sear rolls until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Wipe skillet clean. Add water, remaining soy sauce, vinegar and sugar to skillet. Cook over medium heat until sauce is reduced and syrupy. Serve over rice (remove toothpicks) and drizzle with sauce.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Orange Beef Stir-Fry

Recipe From: Martha Stewart Website
Kinda Blah. Recipe called for pork, but I didn't have any.

Ingredients:
1 lb beef or pork (cut into bite-sized pieces)
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tsp orange zest
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 garlic cloves (minced)
3 scallions (white & green parts separated & thinly sliced)
1 head of broccoli (cut into bite-sized pieces)
In a medium bowl combine: Orange zest and juice, soy sauce, vinegar and cornstarch...set aside. Cook beef over skillet or in the broil (slightly undercook as it will simmer later). Add oil to a skillet, add garlic and scallion whites. Cook until scallions wilt. Add broccoli and 1/3 cup water. Cover and cook until broccol is crisp and water has evaporated. Add beef (with any juices) and stir-fry sauce to skillet. Cook until sauce has thickened. Serve over rice and top with scallion greens.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Chicken Pad Thai

Recipe From: Amy Griffeth
Almost the same ingredients as my last pad thai attempt. This one uses pasta instead of rice noodles, so it is easy and the consistency was much better. Because Sam and Blake love noodles so much, I doubled Amy's recipe and used chicken instead of shrimp...no leftovers!
Ingredients:
16oz thin spagehetti or vermicelli
1-2 chicken breasts
3 eggs
4 green onions (thinly slice)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
bean sprouts
peanuts (crushed)

Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup fish sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar

Thinly slice chicken, season and cook in the broiler on low...set aside. Scramble eggs until firm...set aside. Combine sauce ingredients...set aside. Heat oil to a skillet and add garlic, cook until fragrant. Add green onions and cook for a minute. Add chicken, then noodles, egg and sauce. Toss to mix and cook until hot. Toss in bean sprouts and mix. Serve with peanuts.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Sweet Chili

Recipe From: http://ourrecipeclub.blogspot.com/
Sweet and Savory. I cut the recipe in half for our little family.
Ingredients:
2 lbs ground meat
2 lbs sausage (I used turkey sausage)
2 15oz cans dark red kidney beans
2 15oz cans chili beans
2 cups spicy V8 juice
2 tbsp butter
1/2 water
4 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup brown sugar
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard

Brown meat and sausage in butter and drain off excess fat. Put into large pot and add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for an hour+. Serve with sour cream and cheese.

Breadsticks

Recipe From: http://deliciousdishesyum.blogspot.com
Why is yeast so hard to work with?!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
3-4 1/2 cups flour

Additional Ingredients:
butter
Parmesan cheese
garlic salt
cinnamon & sugar

In a KitchenAid bowl combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly. Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (I think I used 4 cups) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger. Spray a glass bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter. Twist each strip around a wooden skewer (soak skewers in water for 10 minutes and spray with Pam). Place on baking sheet (spray with Pam) and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly, but it's okay if they're close.Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes. When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks and sprinkle with powdery Parmesan cheese and garlic salt. You could sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Creamed Tuna on Toast

I can't believe someone else has had this! My mom used to always make it for us as kids...it was a favorite of mine! Blake wouldn't even try it...can't really blame him. It's not pretty, or photo worthy.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk (I used 2% and skim)
2 cans tuna (drained)
salt and pepper

Melt butter over medium-heat and mix in the flour. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly so as to prevent lumps. Simmer until it thickens, then add tuna. Serve over toasted, buttered whole wheat bread.

Harvest Pork Chops

Recipe From: Parenting Magazine - September 2006
Ingredients:
4 boneless center-cut pork chops
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup onion (chopped)
1/2 cup celery (chopped)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup almonds (chopped)
1/3 cup craisins (chopped)
With a sharp knife, make a horizontal slit in side of each pork chop, creating a good-sized pocket. Season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Press 1/2 cup stuffing into each pocket, mounding it at opening. Fit pork chops into a foil lined baking pan and cover with foil. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes and then uncovered for 20 minutes.