Ginger Curry Pork Bites
These pork appetizers are sure to please any carnivore at your next party. Cubes of pork are marinated for a day or two, before being sauteed. They are full of flavor and easy to make. You can bake or broil them, if you prefer.
I used cornstarch, soy sauce and sherry to start my marinade. Then I added ginger, garlic and curry powder. You can play around with different spices. Garam Masala would work well, too.
I decided to make a peanut sauce to dip them in.
You can serve them as is, or on small skewers. People always seem to love food on sticks. They can also be cooked ahead of time, then just reheated when ready to serve.
Ginger Curry Pork Bites
1-2 lbs. pork, cubed into 1-inch pieces – I used western ribs
½ c. cornstarch
¼ c. soy sauce
¼ c. dry sherry
1 (2 inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1-2 T. curry powder
2 T. oil
Combine pork cubes with cornstarch, soy sauce, sherry, ginger, garlic and curry powder. Mix well and refrigerate overnight or up to two days. Heat oil in skillet and sauté pork until just cooked through. Serve with peanut sauce on skewers.
Peanut Dipping Sauce
1/3 c. peanut butter
1/3 c. milk or coconut milk
1/3 c. chicken or vegetable broth
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.
Mom’s Oxtail Soup
I always loved when my mom made oxtail soup. It took hours to cook and the house smelled good all day. Oxtails were cheaper back then and we had the soup often. Now, I almost look at oxtails as a splurge. Still, life is too short not to enjoy the things we love.
Oxtails can also be braised and stewed. They hold up well to pressure cooking, too, so they are great cooked in an Instant Pot. They just need the time or proper cooking method to get tender. The stock their long simmering produces is so tasty. Great meal on a stormy, winter day.
As a child, I thought oxtails came off of an ox. Seemed to make sense to me. I pictured a huge, almost feral beast. I was kind of sad to find out they were just another part of a cow.
Wherever they come from, oxtails are one of my favorite meats ever. This recipe is how my mom made the soup. You can tweak which veggies you add, depending on what you have around. Just be patient and let the soup simmer long enough for the oxtails to get tender and the stock to get filled with all that flavor. Enjoy!!
Oxtail Soup
5-7 lbs. Oxtails
6 qts. Water or beef stock* see note
2-3 small onions, peeled and halved
¼ c. chopped parsley, or to taste
handful of celery tops or two celery ribs
1 large tomato, or three small, fresh or canned, cut-up
4 large cabbage leaves
1 lb. carrots, peeled and trimmed, leave whole
3 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt and pepper to taste
Brown oxtails in soup pot in batches until browned. Add remaining ingredients, except carrots, to the pot with the oxtails. Simmer soup an hour, then add the carrots. Cook until meat is tender, about 2-3 hours longer. Remove meat and carrots from soup and strain stock. Return to kettle and skim off as much fat as you can. Adjust seasoning. Serve soup with cooked noodles and pieces of the carrots. You can eat the meat right off the bones, or remove some and dice it up to place in the soup. Makes 5-6 qts. Stock can be frozen and recipe can be halved.
Note: If you are using water, I would use Better Than Bouillon or another paste-type soup base to add extra flavor.
I got my Oxtails at Kocian Meats here in Cleveland. They were so well trimmed, I had very little fat in the stock. Thanks, Joe.
Buckwheat Waffles – Gluten Free
I really love these whole grain waffles. Buckwheat flour adds a different flavor from most waffles. They have a lovely crisp outer texture and are soft inside. They are also gluten-free.
Buckwheat waffles have a savory side that makes them a nice base for sandwiches, in place of bread. Dressed up with butter and syrup, they still work for breakfast or brunch. If I have some leftover, I will cube them up and use as croutons on a salad.
So, if you are looking for something different, why not give buckwheat waffles a try?
Here is the recipe.
Buckwheat Waffles
1 cup of buckwheat flour
1 egg
1 cup of milk
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup of sour cream
3 tablespoons of cooking oil or melted butter
Combine all ingredients. Cook in preheated waffle iron that has been oiled or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Homemade Ghee
Ghee, if you haven’t had it before, is a kind of clarified butter, often used in Indian cooking. You can buy it at stores that carry international foods, but it is easy to make. I had some butter left over from holiday baking, so I used some to make ghee.
Ghee has a wonderful, toasted, nutty flavor and it can be used in all sorts of dishes. You can add it to veggies or spread it on toast. I love to add ghee to rice or pasta.
A wonderful bonus when using ghee, because the milk solids have been removed, you can fry foods in it. It doesn’t burn quickly, like regular butter.
Because the solids have been removed, you can store ghee at room temperature. Although, it is recommended to use up home made ghee in a month or so. For longer storage, you can pop it in the fridge, but you don’t have to.
The difference between ghee and clarified butter is that ghee is cooked longer, to develop a darker color and wonderful toasted flavor. The longer cooking also removes any water in the butter, leaving just the fat behind.
There are several methods for making ghee. Some suggest long, slow cooking. Others a little more heat and less cooking time. I prefer the latter. I am not the most patient person.
Here is how I made my ghee.
Start with a pound of unsalted butter. Place the butter in a heavy bottomed, medium sized saucepan. Melt the butter over low heat. As soon as the butter is melted, turn the heat up a bit- to medium. It will start to form foam on the top at this point. After a few minutes, the foaming will stop. Turn up the heat a little more- not high heat, but a little higher medium, if that makes sense. Watch for the second foam to form on the top. This takes about 7-8 minutes. It will have turned a pretty, golden color. At this point, your ghee is done. You’ll have to strain it, to keep out the solids, which will have settled to the bottom of the pan. I strained my ghee twice, through several layers of cheesecloth. Be sure the container you are straining the ghee into is heat proof- it is pretty hot at this point. I used a stainless steel bowl, then transferred the ghee to a canning jar. You could also use a fine mesh strainer, if you don’t have cheesecloth. Store in a container with a tight fitting lid- you don’t want moisture to get to your ghee. It will get more solid as it cools down.
One last thing. I used a stainless steel pot and the brown bits took a bit of scrubbing to get out of the pot. Small price to pay for your own ghee.
That’s all there is to it. Try to use within a month or store in the fridge. Trust me, it never lasts that long around here!!
first foam
second foam
strained, still warm
All cooled down
Super Seedy Crackers
Super Seedy Crackers
I saw these crackers online and knew I wanted to try them. They are very easy to make and taste wonderful. The ingredients also make them gluten free- see note in recipe.
The ingredients are mixed together and allowed to sit just long enough to hydrate. Then you spread out the batter on baking sheets and bake. Part way through the baking, you pull them from the oven and cut them into squares. For a more rustic look, you can bake them uncut, then break cooled crackers off in pieces.
They are very crisp and flavorful. I could see making them often. We had them with hummus. They would go well with cheeses and other traditional cracker toppers.
Super Seedy Crackers
½ c. ground flax seed
½ c. quick oats*
½ c. sunflower seeds
¼ c. pumpkin seeds
¼ c. sesame seeds
¼ c. chia seeds
1 T. pizza seasoning – recipe follows
¾ t. salt
¼ t. cayenne pepper
1¼ c. water
Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add water and stir until combined. Let mixture sit 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. On two baking sheets, place either a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper. Divide the cracker dough in half. Spread half of the cracker dough on the baking sheet as thin as you can. I tried to keep the dough into a neat rectangle. Make sure you don’t leaves any holes in the dough. Repeat with the rest of the dough on the second baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut the crackers into small squares. Return to the oven, placing the sheets in reverse order of which baking racks they were on at first. Bake 25 minutes more. Remove from oven and allow the crackers to cool enough to handle. Break apart if they need to be separated. Makes about 70 crackers.
*If you want to be sure that these crackers are gluten free, be sure to use oats that are labeled as gluten free. Oats are gluten free, but are often grown near wheat fields. Cross contamination can happen during harvest. Oats labeled as gluten free are grown far away from wheat.
Ready to add the water
Right out of the oven
Pizza Seasoning
3 T. dried basil
2 T. dried oregano
1-T. red pepper flakes
1 T. dried minced onion
1-T. fennel seeds
1 t. garlic powder
Combine all ingredients and store in a cool, dark, dry place.
To use: Add 1-2 teaspoons per cup of tomato sauce to make pizza sauce. Also good sprinkled on bagels with sauce and cheese or added to any tomato or pepper dish. Also makes a great cheese ball. Add 1-2 teaspoons of the seasoning with a little diced sweet red pepper, a diced green onion and a few slices of cooked, crumbled bacon or turkey bacon with 8-oz. cream cheese.
I did tweak the original recipe, but it is close to the original. The original video came from tastythriftytimely. Nice website- check her out.
Carrot Oat Bran Muffins
These muffins are really good for you, but they taste like a treat. I was never a big fan of bran muffins made with wheat bran. I didn’t like the flavor. But I love the way these muffins taste.
I prefer the taste of oat bran over wheat bran. I find it has a natural sweetness. With the addition of carrots and raisins these muffins are moist, light and slightly sweet. They remind me of a cross between a muffin and carrot cake. Vanilla and orange zest makes them fragrant and tasty, too. With plenty of oat bran, they also provide healthy dietary fiber. I make these often, then freeze some for later. They make a great breakfast and an easy snack.
Carrot Oat Bran Muffins
1 c. milk or buttermilk
1 c. oat bran
1 egg
1/3 c. oil
3 T. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 t. orange peel
1 c. shredded carrots
1 c. flour (all purpose or whole wheat pastry flour)
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ c. raisins
In mixing bowl combine oat bran and milk. Add egg, oil, sugar, vanilla, peel and carrots. Beat well. Combine remaining ingredients in small bowl and mix well. Gently fold into bran mixture. Divide batter in 12 muffin cups that are either greased or lined with paper cups. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Makes 12.
Beet “Pink” Soup
Since I had a beautiful bunch of beets, I decided to make this soup. On cooler days, I heat it up. On hot days, I serve it chilled. That is one of the nice things about this recipe. This soup is good, what ever temperature you serve it.
It is also a pretty soup. The color is so beautiful. A friend came over and I offered her a bowl. When I set it down in front of her she said, “Wow, this is really pink soup.” I just called it pink soup after that.
People seem to have strong opinions about beets. They either love them or hate them. I love them and I enjoy them in soups, salads, relishes, casseroles and more. The earthy flavor really appeals to me and the color is a delightful bonus. I added some extra veggies for more flavor and sour cream for a tart, creamy flavor and texture element. The result was a very tasty dish that is also sort of striking to look at.
Beet Pink Soup
6 or 7 small beets – or 3 large beets
2 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
6 cups stock- I used chicken but vegetable stock or beef stock would also work
2 t. dill weed
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. sour cream or Greek yogurt- or a little more if you like
Cut beets off of their stems- leaving about 2 inches attached- this will reduce bleeding and retain more color in the beets. Place beets in a pot of water deep enough to cover them and cook until the beets are just getting tender, about 20 minutes – longer for larger beets. Remove and place in cold water. Once the beets are cool enough to handle trim off the stems and slip off the skins. Cut the beets into chunks and set aside. In soup pot, heat the oil and cook the onion until tender. Add the carrots and beets and cook a few minutes longer. Add the rest of the vegetables, stock, dill and simmer, covered, until vegetables are very tender. This will take at least 30 minutes- but cooking longer is better- around an hour. Puree the soup. To add the sour cream place sour cream in a bowl and add a ladle full of the hot soup to the sour cream, whisking until smooth. Add another ladle or two of the soup and whisk again. Return sour cream mixture to the soup. By warming the sour cream gently you prevent it curdling. Adjust seasonings and serve right away, or refrigerate and serve cold. Serves 6-8. Freezes well.
Oatmeal Date Bars
I wouldn’t go so far as to call these granola bars, but they are pretty similar. The dough is made from oats, flour, nuts, brown sugar and butter. There is also the option of making a vegan version with applesauce and olive oil in place of the butter. Both variations are good. Between the dough you add a layer of dates, although you can use any dried fruit you like or happen to have on hand. I have made these with fig jam, raisins and dried cranberries. Once cooked and cooled, you cut them into squares. They keep for days, but can also be frozen. Great for road trips, picnics, boxed lunches, breakfast or just snacking.
Oatmeal Date Bars
4 c. rolled oats
2 c. flour (you can use whole wheat pastry flour, or spelt flour)
½ c. brown sugar or ¼ c. honey
1 c. pecans, chopped
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
1 ½ c. butter, melted or 1 c. applesauce and ½ c. olive oil
2 t. vanilla
½ c. water
2 c. pitted dates, chopped- or 2 c. any dried fruit
Zest of 1 lemon
1 t. cinnamon
Non-stick cooking spray
Heat oven to 350. Spray a 9×13-inch pan, set aside. Combine oats, flour, sugar, nuts, soda, salt. Pour in butter and vanilla, stir until well mixed and set aside. Heat together water with dates, zest and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Simmer two minutes and remove from heat to cool a little. Press half of the oatmeal mixture in bottom of prepared pan. Spread the date mixture over the oatmeal mix and then top with the remaining oat mix. Press down firmly. Bake until golden on the top, 35-45 minutes. Cut once cool. Makes 24 bars.
Noodles and Eggs
This is a very nostalgic dish for me. My mom made it for us when we were kids. My Busha, her mother made it, too. The recipe is pretty simple. Cooked egg noodles are heated in butter then beaten eggs are added and cooked with the noodles. Salt and pepper finish the dish. You can add extras for fun, like diced ham, cooked, crumbled bacon or a handful of cheese. I often top with chives or green onions.
My guess is the recipe came about when my grandmother was low on eggs and had breakfast to make. You can get by with an egg per person. My mom always said an egg per person and one for the pan.
I just love it, no matter how many eggs I have on hand. You can use almost any kind of cooked noodle. I have used farfalle, shell pasta and spaghetti.
So here is the family recipe you might want to try sometime.
Noodles and Eggs
1 T. butter or oil
8 oz. cooked noodles- any pasta you like is fine
8 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat butter in large skillet and add noodles, cooking until heated through. Beat eggs in bowl and add to hot noodle mixture, stirring until eggs are cooked and dish no longer looks wet. Season to taste and serve. Serves 6-8.
Variations: Add diced cooked ham, bacon or Canadian bacon with the noodles. Other options add 1 c. chopped tomato or chopped up cooked veggies. You can add 1-2 c. shredded cheese just after you add the eggs. Sometimes I top with fresh chives, green onions or herbs.
Homemade Granola
One of the advantages of making stuff from scratch, is that you get to control what goes in it. This is really true for granola. The boxed stuff in the store is often full of way too much sugar for my taste. The base for granola is toasted oats, but after that you can get creative. I use plenty of nuts and seeds, sometimes coconut, and finish it off with an assortment of dried fruits. You can use what ever nuts, seeds and dried fruits you have around.
I prefer my granola less sweet than most commercial brands. By making my own, I get to control what, and how much, sweeteners to add. For my granola, I use honey to sweeten it. You can more or less, to suit your taste. You could add some maple syrup, too.
I know granola is most often thought of as a breakfast food, but it makes a great snack, and sprinkled on yogurt it can also be a tasty choice for lunch. Great to take along when hiking or going to the park. I actually like to sprinkle granola on ice cream, too.
Homemade Granola
3 c. rolled oats
1/4 -1/2 c. each of any of the following to equal 1-2 c. total
Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, wheat germ, peanuts, pecans, almonds, hazel nuts, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, coconut… you get the idea. Don’t forget to chop up any big pieces.
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. orange peel
1/2 t. nutmeg
pinch of salt, optional
1/4 c. oil
1/4 c. honey- or add a little more if you like a sweeter granola
2 t. vanilla
Dried fruit to equal 1 -1 1/2 cups. Some choices could include: raisins, dried cranberries, cherries, pineapple, dates, figs, apricots, bananas, strawberries, blueberries etc. Cut up larger pieces.
In large bowl combine oats with seeds and nuts and toss well with seasonings. Heat together oil, honey and vanilla and pour over oat mixture, tossing to coat evenly. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes. Halfway through the baking time stir mixture so the edges won’t burn. Remove from oven and return to large bowl. Toss with the dried fruit and allow to cool before storing in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Use in 1 month or store in freezer or fridge to keep longer. Makes 5-7 cups.
