Monthly Archives: February 2014

Butternut Squash Cupcakes

Updated on

February 27, 2014 by author

Butternut Squash Cupcake

Since I still have some winter squash I decided to use one the the butternut squashes to make a dessert. The cupcakes are moist, sweet and have a nice spice flavor. The orange butter cream complimented them well. I don’t like a lot of frosting so I made just enough for a swirl on each cupcake. You might want to double the frosting recipe if you like more.

Butternut Squash Cupcakes

4 eggs, slightly beaten

3/4 c. oil

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 c. cooked butternut squash, you could use other winter squash or pumpkin

1 3/4 c. flour

1/4 c. cornstarch

3 t. cinnamon

1 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. cloves

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

3/4 t. salt

Blend together in large bowl eggs, sugar, squash and oil and set aside. In another bowl combine dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and beat until well blended. Pour into paper-lined muffin tins, filling about 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until cupcakes spring bake when touched lightly. Cool 30 minutes before frosting. Makes 30-36. Frost with Orange Butter Cream.

Orange Butter Cream

1/3 cup butter

4 1/2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup orange juice concentrate

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a bowl beat butter until fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of the confectioners’ sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the juice and vanilla. Slowly beat in remaining sugar.

Chicken with Romaine Lettuce Sauce

Updated on

February 27, 2014 by author

Judi

Chicken with Romaine Lettuce Sauce

I found myself with some Romaine lettuce and was just not in the mood for a salad. Probably because it was snowing outside and very cold. I added the lettuce to my chicken and created a wonderful dish.

Chicken with Romaine Lettuce Sauce

oil

1 medium onion, sliced

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

flour

salt and pepper

6-8 cups shredded Romaine lettuce

1 c. chicken stock

fresh chopped parsley

hot pepper sauce

Heat oil in a large skillet and cook onion until golden. Meanwhile combine about 1/2 cup of flour in a plastic bag and season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces and shake to coat. Add chicken to the skillet and brown chicken pieces on both sides. Cover and let the chicken cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes longer. Add lettuce and stir in along with the chicken stock, parsley and hot sauce. Cover and allow to cook for 5 -10 more minutes or until chicken in cooked through and sauce has thickened. Serve alone or over pasta or rice. Serves 2-3.

Add lettuce to chicken in the skillet

Ready to serve

Posted in Cooking | Tagged chicken, chicken and lettuce recipe, chicken and romaine lettuce recipe, chicken recipe, chicken with lettuce, chicken with lettuce sauce recipe, lettuce sauce recipe, romaine lettuce, romaine lettuce recipe, romaine recipe, skillet dinner, skillet dinner recipe |

Apple Pie Won Tons

Updated on

February 26, 2014 by author

Judi

Apple Pie Won Tons

With a Chinese New Year dinner tonight with friends I wanted to bring something for dessert. Since I haven’t been going to the grocery store I had to work with what I have already. I am using won ton wrappers to make appetizers and decided to use some of them for dessert, too. I wrapped a small amount of apple pie filling in each wrapper, sealed them up and pan fried in a little oil. Before serving dust with powdered sugar. They taste like little crispy apple pies. Not a traditional Chinese dessert but a nice finish for dinner. These are tiny bites, allow 4-5 per person.

Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of each wrapper

Fold sides in

Roll up- use a little water to seal

Ready for frying

Drain on paper towels, then serve

Posted in Cooking | Tagged apple pie filling, apple pie wonton recipe, apple pie wontons, apple recipe, fried wonton recipe, fried wonton recipes, won ton recipe, wonton dessert, wonton dessert recipe, wonton recipe, wontons |

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Updated on

February 26, 2014 by author

Judi

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I have to admit to loving all things sweet and sour. Sometimes the color of commercial sweet and sour sauce is off putting to me. I like my own better. It’s not hard to make. With Chinese New Year here I seem to be making more Asian meals lately. I made this chicken for dinner the other day and made extra sauce to take to an Asian dinner last night.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 c. vinegar

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. pineapple juice

3 T. ketchup

2 T. soy sauce

2 T. cornstarch

1 t. dried minced garlic

1-t. fresh grated ginger

Hot pepper flakes to taste

In saucepan combine all ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring as mixture gets hot, until sauce begins to bubble. It will also get much clearer. Boil gently 1 minute, stirring constantly before removing from heat. Makes 1 1/2 c. Keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Sweet and Sour Pork or Chicken

1-2 lbs. boneless pork or chicken

1 egg

1 t. cornstarch

1/4 t. salt

1 t. soy sauce

Additional cornstarch for dredging

2 T. oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced thin

1 sweet green pepper, seeded and chopped

1 sweet red or yellow pepper, seeded and chopped

1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained, reserving juice for sauce

1/2 c. almonds, optional

1 recipe sweet and sour sauce (see note)

Cut meat into cubes and place in bowl. Combine egg, 1-t. cornstarch, salt and soy sauce and pour over the meat, stirring to coat. Allow marinating at least 1 hour in fridge.

When ready to cook, heat 1T. oil in large skillet or wok. Sauté onions on high until tender. Add carrots and stir fry 3 minutes. Add peppers and sauté 3 minutes more. Remove to bowl and stir in pineapple. Dredge the meat in additional cornstarch and sauté in remaining oil until browned and when juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Return vegetables to pan with meat and almonds, if adding, and add sauce to desired amount. There is usually extra sauce for a later use. Serve over rice, makes 4-6 servings.

Note: If you make the sweet and sour sauce ahead of time it will get runny when reheated if made with regular cornstarch. Either use modified cornstarch (Clear Gel ) or make sauce just before using. You may also want to use only some of the sauce and save the rest for another use.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Posted in Cooking | Tagged chicken, chicken recipe, sweet and sour chicken, Sweet and sour chicken recipe, sweet and sour recipe, sweet and sour sauce, sweet and sour sauce recipe. |

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

Posted on

February 25, 2014 by author

Judi

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

The cold winter this year has really got me craving comfort foods. Also have a real taste for some childhood favorites. My mother used to make some really good quiches. Always a home made crust. I used what I had on hand the other day to whip up this quiche. Thought of her when I made it.

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

1 unbaked pie crust

1 T. oil

1 small onion, chopped

8 oz. sliced mushrooms

salt and pepper to taste

1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

4 oz. diced Swiss Cheese

2 T. flour

1 c. milk or half and half

3 eggs, beaten

In skillet saute onion in oil until tender. Add mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the spinach and set aside. In 9-inch pie pan place the crust. Toss cheese with the flour and place in crust. Add the spinach mixture. Combine milk with the eggs and pour over the spinach mixture. Place pan on a baking sheet to collect any drips and place in a preheated 400 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes then turn down over to 325 and continue baking until quiche is firm near the middle, about 25-30 minutes more. To test for “doneness” insert a butter knife about an inch from the center of the quiche. If it comes out clean the quiche is done. Serves 4-6.

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

Posted in Cooking | Tagged mushroom, mushroom recipe, quiche, quiche recipe, spinach, spinach and mushroom, spinach and mushroom quiche, spinach and mushroom quiche recipe, spinach and mushroom recipe, spinach recipe |

Lamb Ribs

Updated on

February 25, 2014 by author

Judi

Lamb Ribs

If you haven’t tried these before, lamb ribs are a fun and easy dish to make. They are often a lot less expensive than other cuts of lamb. They are frequently labeled as lamb riblets. A slab of lamb riblets run about 2 pounds and will feed two. You can treat them a lot like other ribs. I marinated these in a little apple cider vinegar for a couple of hours. To cook them I rubbed them all over with Ethiopian seasoning-recipe follows- and I added some pink salt. I started them out at 400 degrees for about an hour and then turned them down to 300 for 30 minutes more. They were juicy and pretty tender.

Ethiopian Seasoning

1 T. paprika

1 t. each cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder and ginger

1/2 t. allspice

1/4 t. cinnamon

You probably won’t need all of the seasoning for 1 rack of ribs. Refrigerate the rest for later use.

Lamb Riblets fresh out of the oven

Posted in Cooking | Tagged Ethiopian seasoning, lamb, lamb riblets, lamb ribs, recipe lamb, recipe lamb riblets, recipe lamb ribs |

Peanut Soup

Posted on

February 24, 2014 by author

Judi

Peanut Soup

I taught a vegetarian cooking class yesterday at the Nature Center for the University of Mount Union. One of the dishes we had was a peanut soup. Rich and flavorful it was a big hit with the students. I think you will like it, too. A different way to eat peanut butter for a lot of us. You could use almond butter or cashew butter instead of the peanut butter, if you like.

Peanut Soup

2 c. chopped onions

1 T. oil

cayenne pepper to taste

1 t. grated fresh ginger

1 c. chopped carrots

1 c. chopped sweet potatoes

1 c. chopped white potatoes

5 c. vegetable stock or water

1 c. tomato sauce

1 c. smooth peanut butter

1 c. chopped green onions

Sauté onions in oil until tender. Add seasonings and carrots and sauté 3 minutes more. Add potatoes and stock and simmer until vegetables are tender. Puree soup in blender in batches until smooth. Return to pot and add tomato sauce and peanut butter. Warm gently and serve with green onions on top. Serves 6-8.

Posted in Cooking | Tagged Mount Union recipe, peanut butter, peanut butter recipe, peanut butter soup, peanut soup recipe, soup recipe, vegan recipe, vegan soup, vegan soup recipe, vegetarian, vegetarian recipe, vegetarian soup recipe |

Pea Sprout Stir Fry

Posted on

February 24, 2014 by author

Judi

Pea Sprout Stir Fry

I’ve been sprouting seeds and loving it. Made a tasty stir fry with some pea pods I had in the freezer, onions, sweet peppers and pea sprouts. It ended up tasting pretty darn good. I find when I stir fry veggies I eat more of them. More than a side dish, I can almost make a meal out of them served over rice or pasta.

Pea Sprout Stir Fry

2 T. oil

1 onion, sliced thin

1 garlic clove, chopped

2 c. pea pods, fresh or frozen

2 c. pea sprouts*

1 c. sliced sweet pepper

1 T. soy sauce, or to taste

1 T. hoisen sauce

1 t. sesame oil

hot pepper sauce to taste

In skillet or wok heat oil and stir fry onion over high heat until wilted. Add garlic and pea pods and stir fry 2 minutes longer. Add pea sprouts and peppers and stir fry a few minutes longer, just until sprouts are tender. Add seasonings and serve. I like this over rice. 3-4 servings.

* If you don’t have fresh pea sprouts, mung bean sprouts would also work in this dish.

Fresh Pea Sprouts

Posted in Cooking | Tagged pea sprout recipe, Pea sprouts, peas, Stir fry, Stir fry recipe, vegan recipes, vegetable stir fry recipe, veggie stir fry, veggies |

Peanut Dipping Sauce

Updated on

February 24, 2014 by author

Judi

Peanut Dipping Sauce

I had a special request for this recipe. We were doing an Asian dinner for Chinese New Year and needed an assortment of dipping sauces. This one is super easy and requires no cooking. I made a single batch but should of made more as it went fast.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

1/3 c. peanut butter

1/3 c. coconut milk

1/2 t. crushed red pepper

1-2 cloves garlic

1 t. fresh grated ginger

1 t. soy sauce

Dash hot red pepper sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Note: If you want to use this sauce on pasta thin it with 1/3 cup of vegetable stock.

Posted in Cooking | Tagged asian recipes, asian sauce, asian sauce recipe, peanut, peanut butter, peanut butter recipe, peanut butter sauce, peanut butter sauce recipe, peanut recipe, peanut sauce, peanut sauce recipe, Sauce, sauce recipes |

Won Ton Appetizers

Updated on

February 24, 2014 by author

Judi

Won Ton Appetizers

For a recent Chinese New Year dinner I was in charge of appetizers. I ended up using won ton wrappers for 3 different dishes. I made Sesame Spinach, Honey-Ginger Chicken and Crab Rangoons. I wrapped each of them up differently so they would look nice on the platter and be easier to identify. Serve with assorted dipping sauces and soy sauce.

Sesame Spinach Triangles

oil

1 small onion, chopped fine

12 oz. fresh spinach, cooked, chopped and drained or 1 (10 oz.) box frozen spinach, thawed, cooked and drained

1/2 c. chopped water chestnuts

2 T. oyster sauce

2 t. sesame oil

1 t. hot sauce

won ton wrappers

Heat oil in skillet and cook onion until tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients, except won ton wrappers. Adjust seasonings, if needed. Allow mixture to cool. Place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of a won ton wrapper. Moisten edges with a little water and fold over to form a triangle. Press to seal edges. Place filled triangles in 375 degree oil and fry for about 2 minutes or until golden.

Honey Ginger Chicken Won Tons

1 c. cooked diced chicken- I used thighs

1/4 c. minced celery

1/4 c. mayo

2 T. honey

2 T. dried minced onion

1 T. hoisen sauce

1 t. fresh grated ginger

salt and hot sauce to taste

won ton wrappers

Combine all ingredients, except the wrappers, and mix well. Place 2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each won ton wrapper. Moisten edges with a little water. Fold in 2 corners to meet in the middle. Starting at one of the remaining corners fold up and over and form into a roll. Press to seal edges. Fry in hot oil ( 375 degrees) for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.

Crab Rangoons

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 (6 ounce) can crab meat, drained and flaked

2 green onions with tops, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce

won ton wrappers

Combine all filling ingredients and chill until ready to use. Place 2 teaspoons of filling onto the center of each wonton skin. Moisten the edges with water and bring 2 corners together. Bring the other 2 corners up and press all together to seal. Press all seams to seal. It should look like a little bundle. Fry in hot oil until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes.

Sesame Spinach Triangles

Honey Ginger Chicken Won Tons

Crab Rangoons

Posted in Cooking | Tagged chicken recipes, chicken wonton recipe, crab, crab rangoons, crab rangoons recipe, crab recipe, fried, fried wonton recipes, fried wontons, snacks, snacks recipe, spinach, spinach recipes, stuffed wontons, won ton, won ton recipe, wonton, wonton recipes |