Hot Wakame Tea Salad

Hot Wakame Tea Salad 
Albuquerque Weekly Alibi

Cooking with tea goes better with loose-leaf teas rather than the ground-up and powdery tea-bagged versions. It only takes a little tea to brew up a great dish.
Makes about 2 cups of salad

Ingredients:

Wakame salad:
1 tablespoon dry Dragon Well tea leaves
1 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup mirin (cooking rice wine)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 cup loosely packed dry wakame seaweed, broken into 1-inch pieces

Salad dressing:
1 teaspoon mirin
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar (or Chinese black vinegar, or balsamic for a more robust dressing)
2 tablespoons reserved seaweed broth
1 tablespoon reserved tea leaves
Instructions:

1) In a one-quart saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Immediately take off of the heat and immerse the dry tea leaves to steep for 15 to 20 minutes.

2) Strain the leaves thoroughly, pressing them to extract as much liquid as possible, and pour the brewed tea back into the saucepan. Put the leaves between two sheets of paper towels, and set aside.

3) Reheat the liquid to simmer, add ginger, mirin and soy sauce. Take off heat, add the dry seaweed and cover. Let stand until the seaweed is fully reconstituted: It should be tender but not mushy.

4) Strain, reserving the seaweed broth and solids separately. Remove seaweed leaves from tough stems, and discard stems. Julienne seaweed leaves into 1/4-inch wide strips and put in a medium-sized salad bowl.

Blueberry Corn Bread

Blueberry Corn Bread
Detroit News, June 16, 2011

Cornbread is a favorite all year long but the addition of blueberries makes it suitable for dessert or a side to a fruit salad. From "Edible, A Celebration of Local Foods," by Tracey Ryder & Carole Topalian. Since the corn bread is not too sweet, it allows the burst of blueberry goodness to shine through.

a.. 1 cup yellow cornmeal
b.. 1 cup all-purpose flour
c.. 1/2 cup granulated sugar
d.. 3 teaspoons baking powder
e.. 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
f.. 1 cup whole milk
g.. 1 large egg, lightly beaten
h.. 4 tablespoons butter, melted
i.. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
j.. 1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries
k.. Honey Butter, optional
l.. 2 teaspoons melted butter
m.. 1/4 cup liquid honey

Make the corn bread: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake until the corn bread is lightly browned and firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack. Makes 16 servings.

Make the honey butter, if using: Whisk together the butter and honey in a small bowl. Brush all or some of the mixture onto the corn bread about 10 minutes after it is removed from the oven. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Quick and Easy Taco Rice Skillet Meal

Quick and Easy Taco Rice Skillet Meal

Source: T.H., Lufkin via The Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel
*
Servings: 4

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 C. water
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
2 C. Minute Rice
1 C. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp. pepper

Toppings:

coarsely crushed tortilla chips
shredded lettuce
chopped tomato
sour cream

Brown meat in large skillet over medium-high heat.
Drain.
Add water and seasoning mix to skillet.
Stir.
Bring to boil.
Stir in rice.
Sprinkle with cheese, cover.
Cook on low heat for 5 minutes.

Top as desired with the tortilla chips, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.

Grands!® Baked Sugar Doughnuts

Grands!® Baked Sugar Doughnuts
Delicious doughnuts baked from Pillsbury® biscuits!

Prep time 10 min total time 30 min ingredients 4
Servings 8

Ingredients

1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated biscuits

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

Steps

1 Place biscuits on cutting board. With 1 1/4-inch round biscuit cutter,cut hole in center of each.

2 In bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Dip all sides of biscuits and centers into butter; shake off excess butter. Coat with cinnamon-sugar. Place on ungreased large cookie sheet.

3 Bake at 350°F 14 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.

To reheat, place 1 doughnut at a time on microwavable plate. Microwave uncovered on Medium (50%) 10 to 20 seconds or just until warm.

Hawaiian Meatloaf

Hawaiian Meatloaf 


1 1/2 lb. ground hamburger
1 small piece ham
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 tsp. Minute tapioca
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Cut ham into small pieces. Mix all ingredients with ground hamburger. Form a loaf with meat mixture. Wrap meat in foil with opening at the top, place meat in pan and bake one half hour in 350 degrees oven. Unwrap top part of foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Slice meatloaf before serving.

jackie austin

Dark Chocolate Almond Joy Cookies

Dark Chocolate Almond Joy Cookies 

makes about 2 dozen

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set it aside.

In a small bowl, microwave the chopped chocolate and butter for 1 minute at high power. Stir and continue to microwave at 15 second intervals until the mixture has melted. Be careful not to burn your chocolate.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with sugar and vanilla until well blended, about 3 minutes. Stir in melted chocolate mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to mix well. Stir in flour mixture. The dough will be thick. Add chopped almonds and coconut and stir to incorporate.

Cover the dough and refrigerate it for 30 minutes. This will allow it to firm up and rest, for a chewier cookie center.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Shape the dough into balls roughly 2 tablespoons in size. Roll them between your palms and flatten them slightly with your fingertips. Space two inches apart on the baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until they’ve puffed and begun to look dry and cracked on top. Remove to cool on a wire rack.

jackie austin 

Skillet Beef and Potatoes Recipe

Skillet Beef and Potatoes Recipe

Unpeeled potato slices, which are precooked in the microwave, speed up the cooking time for this meal. Fresh rosemary adds a nice flavor to this skillet dish.

Quick

TOTAL TIME: Prep/Total Time: 25 min.
MAKES: 4 servings

Ingredients

3 medium potatoes, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound beef top sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
2 teaspoons garlic pepper blend
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

Directions

Place potatoes, water and salt in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 6-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender; drain.
Season beef with pepper blend. In a large skillet, stir-fry beef and onion in 2 tablespoons oil for 5 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Meanwhile, in another skillet, stir-fry potatoes in remaining oil for 5 minutes or until browned. Stir in beef mixture.

Sprinkle with rosemary. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Facts

1-1/2 cups equals 320 calories, 16 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 63 mg cholesterol, 487 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 23 g protein.

Originally published as Skillet Beef and Potatoes in Weeknight Cooking Made Easy Annual 2005, p58

Beth Layman :)

Macadamia Nut Brittle

Macadamia Nut Brittle

Mrs. Fields Cookie Book

1 1/2 cups (9 oz.) whole macadamia nuts
6 T salted butter
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Lightly grease a 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Equally distribute macadamia nuts over bottom of dish; set aside. In a heavy 2-qt. saucepan, combine butter, sugar and water. Place over medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon until sugar dissolves. Let pan stand covered for 2 minutes. Uncover pan and increase heat to high. Continue cooking without stirring until mixture begins to turn golden brown. Quickly remove from heat; stir in baking soda and vanilla extract. Pour immediately over macadamia nuts in prepared baking dish. Spread with a wooden spoon. Cool to room temperature. Break into irregular-sized pieces.


Store in an airtight container.

MACADAMIA NUT BUTTER TOFFEE

MACADAMIA NUT BUTTER TOFFEE
www.RecipeGirl.com

1 cup unsalted butter (if you use salted, just omit the salt)
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
6 Tbs light corn syrup
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
8 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or use Ghirardelli chips)

1. Line sheet pan with waxed paper. Sprinkle ½ cup of macadamia nuts on pan; spread evenly into a rectangular shape.

2. Melt butter over low heat. Add sugar, salt and corn syrup and stir until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium-high, bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Clip candy thermometer onto the side, and boil until it caramelizes and reaches 300°F.

3. Pour caramelized mixture over nuts on sheet pan, spreading with a spatula as thin as possible. Immediately top with chocolate, spreading with spatula as it melts to cover the entire surface of the toffee. Top with remaining nuts, pressing into chocolate.

4. Chill until cool and chocolate has hardened. Peel toffee from waxed paper, break into bite-sized pieces to serve.

Yield: About 24 pieces (depending how big pieces are)

Cooking Tips
*To toast mac.nuts, heat a nonstick pan and dry fry them. Stir often as they will burn easily.
**You may also sub sliced almonds, pecans, cashews or hazelnuts for the macadamia nuts.

Birthday Cake Pancakes

Birthday Cake Pancakes

Serves 12

Pancake batter made with a cup of cake mix creates a memorable morning
breakfast. Top with sprinkles and warmed canned vanilla frosting.

1 Cup Pancake Mix (any brand)
1 Cup Yellow/Vanilla Cake mix (any brand)
1 1/2 Cups Milk
1 Tsp. Vanilla
2 eggs
1 can vanilla frosting (any brand)
sprinkles
Birthday Candle

1. In a large bowl mix pancake mix, cake mix, milk, eggs and vanilla. You can add more milk if you like your pancakes thin.

2. On a hot griddle laced with butter, prepare your pancakes as you normally would. Add sprinkles to each pancake just before flipping. Once cooked, cool on wire cookie wrack. This keeps them separated and stops them from cooking and getting mushy while you finish cooking the rest of the pancakes.

3. Once all pancakes are cooked, warm a can of frosting with foil liner removed in microwave for 15 seconds. Careful, canned icing warms very quickly and you don't want to over cook it. Stir immediately and pour onto plated pancakes. Sprinkle with more sprinkles and top with birthday candle.

Notes: Use any flavor cake mix or canned frosting you wish.

Impossible Quesadilla Pie

Impossible Quesadilla Pie 

2 cans (4 oz. each) chopped green chilies, drained
4 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
2 c. milk 1 c. Bisquick baking mix
4 eggs


 Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease pie plate, 10 x 1 1/2 inches. Sprinkle chilies and cheese in plate. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth, 15 seconds in blender on high or 1 minute with hand beater. Pour into plate. Bake until knife inserted between center and edge comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream and guacamole if desired.


jackie austin

Avalanche Bars

Avalanche Bars 

1 12-ounce bag of white chocolate chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups crispy rice cereal
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips, plus extra for sprinkling


Line an 8×8-inch square pan with aluminum foil (not necessary, but makes removing the bars and cutting the slab neatly a whole lot easier), and lightly grease the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Into a large microwave-safe bowl, place the white chocolate chips. Melt with 1 minutes bursts of 50% power, stirring well after each interval, until the white chocolate is melted and smooth, and just warm enough to be somewhat fluid–don’t let it get hot. Stir in the peanut butter until well-blended. Stir in the crispy rice cereal. Let the mixture cool for 10-15 minutes.

Stir in the marshmallows, then quickly fold in the mini chocolate chips. Turn the mixture into the prepared pan being careful not to pack the mixture down too tight. Sprinkle on a handful of mini chocolate chips. Let cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes (or refrigerate for 10-15 minutes) before removing the bars and cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.


jackie austin