Fun Recipes to share.

[dr_bates]

PepperSteak

Make your meat taste good!

One easy way is preparing pepper steak.


1 & 1/4 lb flank steak, cut into strips (sirloin or round steak can be used).
1 red bell pepper cut into strips.
1 green bell pepper cut into strips.
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced.
1/4 cup soy sauce.
2 tsp garlic, minced.
1 & 1/2 tbs granulated sugar.
1 & 1/2 tbs corn starch.
1 tbs sesame oil.
1 tsp salt.
1/2 tsp pepper.
1 tsp paprika.

In a bowl whisk together soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup water. Set aside.
In a large pan heat 1 tsp oil over med-high heat.
Add peppers and onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until peppers are just beginning to get tender.
Remove & set aside.
Add remaining oil to pan.
Season steak with salt, pepper, and paprika.
Increase heat to high.
Fry steak steak for 5-6 minutes, until lightly browned.
Add garlic, cook another minute.
Add cooked peppers to pan. Mix.
Pour soy sauce mixture over meat and peppers.
Simmer 2-3 minutes, until sauce begins to thickens.
Serve. If you like, garnish with sesame seeds.

 

[dr_bates]

CranberryRelishCheeseSpread

Humanity has lots of inexplicable things, like pictures of dogs playing poker, living houseplants painted flashy colors, mullets, and their infinity for cranberry relish.

I don't really know if people are actually eating it. If it's the gelatinous canned version, I would hope they found something better.

I know that it's a classic Thanksgiving tradition. Let's give cranberries some dignity and class. People might actually eat it.

8 oz cream cheese softened (or warm brie).
6 oz fresh cranberries.
1 navel orange peeled and cut into small pieces.
1 apple, chopped.
3-4 tbs sugar.
3-4 tbs pecans chopped.
2-3 green onions, chopped as garnish.


Wash cranberries. Remove stems if present. Remove bad berries.
Chop berries.
Blend with sugar, nuts, and other fruit.
Serve over cheese with crackers.
Garnish with green onions.

 

[dr_bates]

Asparagus in Creamy Pasta

This would be especially grand in spring with fresh asparagus from the garden. Morels, too, sprout out in early spring.

Of course these things, including dried morels, can be purchased throughout the year.


14 oz bow-tie pasta (farfalle).
1 lb asparagus, cut into 2" pieces, ends trimmed and discarded.
1/2 cup green peas (fresh or frozen).
1 tbs olive oil.
1 small onion, finely diced.
4 cloves garlic.
1 tbs flour.
1/4 cup chicken broth.
1 cup skim milk.
2 oz cream cheese.
3 tbs Parmesan cheese, grated.
salt and pepper to taste.
optional:
1 cup morel mushrooms. (button or shiitake), cut into slices.

Cook pasta, following package instructions.
When boiling has only 6 minutes remaining, put in asparagus.
When boiling has only 3-4 minutes remaining, put in the peas.
Drain.
In a skillet, heat olive oil.
Add (mushrooms and) onions and garlic, cook for 3 minutes until onions begin to translucent.
In a small bowl whisk together broth and flour, until thoroughly incorporated.
Add broth to onion mixture.
Whisk in milk. Keep whisking. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat. Boil one minute. Should be thickening.
Whisk in cream cheese, stir until melted and incorporated.
Remove from heat, season.
Combine pasta, vegetables, and sauce. Stir until well coated.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over dish.

 

[dr_bates]

Pomegranate Meatballs

This is for all those people that love balls.

You can use your own balls or even, dare I say, buy them premade. A combination of turkey, pork, or lamb would works well.

The main thing here is the sauce, which is pretty easy.

3/4 cup pomegranate molasses.
1/4 cup pomegranate juice.
1/3 cup maple syrup (or honey or brown sugar).
1/2 tsp black pepper.
1 tsp salt.

Mix glaze ingredients together.
Spoon over cooked meatballs.
Bake an additional 5 minutes to infuse flavor.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds and chopped green onion.

 

[dr_bates]

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Pineapple is commonly used for many sweet and sour dishes. That strange acid bromeliad does not own sweet and sour however!

4 tbs ketchup.
4 tbs Thai sweet chili sauce.
2 tsp apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar.
2 tsp soy sauce.
4 tbs water.
1 tsp corn starch.
1/2 onion, quartered.
1 tsp olive oil.

In a skillet heat oil.
Add onion wedges, for one minute.
Add rest of glaze ingredients.
Cook until thickened.
Add cooked meatballs.
Stir to coat.

Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.

 

[dr_bates]

Swedish Meatballs

It's believed Swedish meatballs originated in the Ottoman empire. King Charles XII (of Sweden), returning from exile, brought the recipe back to his homeland. There are, of course, many variations with using various ground meats and spices.

For the balls:
8 oz ground pork.
8 oz ground beef.
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced.
1/4 cup breadcrumbs.
1 large egg.
1/4 tsp allspice.
1/4 tsp nutmeg.
1/4 tsp pepper.
1/4 tsp salt.
2 tbs parsley, chopped.
3 tbs butter.

For the sauce:
1/4 cup heavy cream.
2 cups beef broth.
1/4 cup flour.
4 tbs butter.
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce.
1 tsp soy sauce.
1 tsp Dijon mustard.


Using gloves, combine meats in a large bowl.
Gently mix in egg, onion, breadcrumbs and spices.
Using a small scoop, form 1" round balls.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Warm the butter in a skillet, cook balls in stages.
Brown all sides. Should take about 6 minutes to cook each batch.
Transfer to plate when done, set aside.
Add butter to skillet.
When butter is melted, whisk in flour.
Stir continuously for about a minute.
Continuously whisk while adding in broth slowly.
Then whisk in cream, mustard, and other spices.
Bring to a simmer.
Add meatballs back to skillet.
Allow sauce to thicken and meat to finish cooking.

Serve over noodles or rice. Garnish with parsley.

 

[dr_bates]

Pumpkin Cheesecake with gingersnap crust

The first record of cheesecake being made was in Greece, over 4,000 years ago. These first cakes were made from fresh cheese patties pounded with flour and honey.

Native Americans raised pumpkins and taught settlers how to use them. The first pumpkin pies were stemmed from baking pumpkin with milk, honey, and spices. It was basically a pudding.

Here we combine the two into one glorious concoction.

for the crust:
14 oz crispy gingersnap cookies.
1 tbs brown sugar.
1/2 cup butter, melted.
1/4 tsp salt.

for the cheesecake:
32 oz cream cheese, softened.
1 cup granulated sugar.
1/4 cup brown sugar.
3 large eggs.
1/3 cup heavy cream.
1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree.
2 tsp vanilla.
1 tbs pumpkin pie spice.


Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly grease 9" pie pan.
Crush cookies to fine crumbs.
Mix crumbs, brown sugar, salt, and butter together.
Entire mixture should be moist.
Press mixture into pan, forming uniform layer with some going up side.
Bake crust about 12 minutes, crust will be golden and fragrant.
Remove. Set aside to cool.
Using a larger pan, make a water bath. Water will eventually go in this pan but it cannot go higher than pie pan!
Combine cream cheese and both sugars until fluffy.
Add pumpkin, cream, and eggs.
Mix well.
Add vanilla and spice mix till well combined.
Pour batter into crust.
Place pan in larger pan.
Place in oven.
Pour boiling water into water bath, ensuring inside of pie pan doesn't get watered.
Bake 60 minutes.
Edged will be set. Middle will still be jiggly.
Turn off oven heat. Crack open oven door.
Let it cool there one hour.
Carefully remove pie from water bath.
Let cool completely.
Once cooled completely, refrigerate for 6 hours.

Garnish servings with whipped cream and caramel.

 

[dr_bates]

Tropical Peach Cobbler

European settlers brought fruit based desserts concepts. Lacking ingredients and cooking equipment, colonists learned to cover fruit fillings with biscuits or dumplings. Using traditions from Africa, African Americans combined peaches and flour, helping make cobbler what we know today.

for the crust:
1 & 1/4 cup flour.
3 tbs sugar.
1/2 tsp salt.
1/2 cup shortening.
1/2 egg, whisked.
1/8 cup water, cold.

for the filling:
3 cups peaches (fresh), peeled, pitted, & sliced.
1/4 cup lemon juice.
3/4 cup passion fruit juice.
1/2 cup butter.
3/4 cup granulated sugar.
1/4 cup brown sugar.
1/2 tsp nutmeg.
1/2 tsp cardamom.
1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla.
1 tsp bourbon.
2 tbs cornstarch.

for the topping:
8 oz almond paste.
2 cups sugar.
1 cup shortening.
1 cup butter.
1 tsp almond extract.
2 & 3/4 cups flour.
1/2 cup corn meal.

for the dressing:
1 tbs sugar.
1 tbs butter, melted.

Combine almond paste, sugar, shortening, and butter.
Blend until smooth.
Add almond extract, flour, and corn meal.
Mix until just combined.
Wrap in plastic, refrigerate overnight.
Sift flour with salt.
Add sugar.
Blend in shortening until crumbly.
Whisk egg and water.
Sprinkle over flour mixture.
Work into a ball.
Chill 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Roll dough to 1/8th inch thickness.
Cover bottom and 1/2 of sides of 9x13" baking pan.
Bake 20 minutes or until a golden brown.
In a sauce pan combine peaches, lemon juice, passion fruit juice, bourbon, and butter.
Heat until butter is melted.
In a separate bowl combine white sugar, brown sugar, spices, and cornstarch.
Slowly add sugar mixture to peach mixture.
Remove from heat.
Stir in vanilla.
Pour peach mixture into crust.
Grate topping over peaches.
(You may have extra topping.)
Sprinkle sugar over topping.
Drizzle butter over topping.
Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Serve with ice cream.

 

[dr_bates]

Zucchini Bread

Zucchini bread is believed to have originated in the 19th century, as a way to utilize the plethora of summer squash harvested from home gardens.

The tradition of putting vegetables in bread puddings date bake to the middle ages.


for the bread:
1 & 1/2 cups flour.
1/2 tsp baking soda.
1/2 tsp baking powder.
1/2 tsp salt.
1/2 cup brown sugar.
1/4 cup sugar.
2 tsp vanilla.
2 tsp cinnamon.
1/2 tsp nutmeg.
1/4 cup vegetable oil.
1 egg and an additional yolk.
1/4 cup applesauce.
1 cup zucchini, grated.
3/4 cup carrots, grated.

for the glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar.
2 tbs butter, room temperature.
2 oz cream cheese.
1 tsp vanilla.
Pinch of salt.



Preheat oven to 325°.
Line a 9x5" loaf pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a bowl combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a different bowl add applesauce, egg (and yolk), and oil. Mix.
Whisk in brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla to egg mixture.
Add flour mixture to wet mixture. Do not over stir. Mix only until flour has "disappeared."
Add zucchini and carrot, stir only to combine.
Pour into loaf.
Bake 50-60 minutes.
Fork inserted into center will come out clean.
Cool 15 minutes before trying to remove from loaf pan.
Cool completely.
In a bowl combine cream cheese and butter.
Blend until smooth.
Stir in vanilla, salt and powdered sugar until smooth.
Pour glaze over cooled loaf.
Let set 15 minutes.

 

[dr_bates]

BeetBurger

Studies show the consumption of too much meat isn't healthy.
Here's an option that avoids the complications of meat.


14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed.
1 & 1/2 cups beets, shredded.
1/4 cup carrots, shredded
1 & 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 small onion, diced.
3 garlic cloves, minced.
1 cup balsamic vinegar.
1/4 cup brown sugar.
1 tsp paprika.
1/2 tsp dill.
1/2 tsp salt.
1/2 tsp pepper or to taste.

In a sauce pan combine vinegar and brown sugar.
Place over med heat.
Simmer. Lower heat and cook for about 15 minutes.
Mixture should be as thick as chocolate syrup.
Remove from heat. Set aside.
Process oats into a course powder.
Add beans, beets, carrot, onion, garlic, spices, and 2 tbs the prepared vinegar syrup.
Pulse and blend together.
Form mixture into 6 patties.
Oil a skillet and place on medium heat.
Places patties in skillet. Do not overcrowded.
Cook 4 minutes on each side until lightly browned.
Drizzle 1-2 tsp vinegar syrup over patties.
Flip and drizzle other side, cooking several seconds on each side before removing.
Stuff on a nice bun (not made of from bleached white flour).
Add your favorite toppings.
Extra syrup can be drizzled over patties.

 

[dr_bates]

Crab Rangoon

Though these wonton like goodies are commonly sold at Chinese restaurants, these crispy delights were actually first created in America.

The crispy exterior and creamy in the center are hard to resist. Essentially they are a fried wonton filled with cream cheese and crab meat.

A typical wonton is a fried Chinese dumpling, that are made with savory meats (beef, pork, shrimp, or chicken). Using cream cheese in the filling is distinctly not Chinese.


20-30 wonton wrappers.
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature.
3 scallion stalks, finely chopped.
8 oz crab meat. Imitation works fine. Shred, then chop.
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce.
1 tsp soy sauce.
1 tsp sugar.

Shred and cut up crab meat.
Mix crab with cheese and other ingredients to make a lumpy paste.
Place teaspoon full of filling in center of wonton.
Wet edges of wonton with water and fold.
Folding option one:
Fold opposite corners together and seal edges.
This makes a triangle.
Folding option two:
Fold opposite corners together. Before sealing edges, bring remaining corners together. Seal.
Over medium heat deep fry Rangoon for 1-2 minutes on each side.
They should be golden and crispy.
Drain off excess oil.
Serve warm.
Often served with sweet and sour sauce or sweet plum sauce or even duck sauce.

 

[dr_bates]

Sticky Wings

2.5 lbs chicken wings.
1/3 cup oyster sauce.
1/3 cup ketchup.
2 tbs orange marmalade.
1 tbs Dijon mustard.
1 tbs honey.
1 tbs chili garlic sauce (more or less to taste).
1/2 tsp salt.
1/2 tsp pepper.
1 & 1/2 tbs baking powder.
1 tsp sesame seeds, as garnish.
3 scallions, finely chopped, as garnish.


Preheat oven to 425°.
Spray cooking spray on a wire rack.
Place wire rack on baking sheet that is lined with aluminum foil.
Pat wings dry with paper towels.
In a bowl combine wings, salt, pepper, and baking powder. Try to coat evenly.
Put wings on wire rack (with the baking sheet).
Bake 20 minutes.
Flip wings using tongs.
Bake an additional 20 minutes.
Remove from oven.
In a sauce pan over medium-low heat, add all other ingredients (excluding garnish).
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat.
Simmer for about 3 minutes.
Preheat oven to broil.
Line baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Mix together half the sauce with wings.
Broil on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes, flipping once.
Sauce needs to caramelize on wings.
Add remaining sauce.
Garnish and serve.

Whenever cooking with meat, particularly chicken, it is important to be mindful of cross contamination. Bacteria, like Salmonella, can make people dreadful ill. Sanitize cutting boards, utensils, counters. Wash your hands thoroughly after touching meat. Don't use the same cutting board, platters, or knives on meat and vegetables until after fully sanitized.

 

[dr_bates]

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

With rich creamy sauce and tender shrimp, this is a great comfort food.

In 1908, Alfredo di Lelio created a dish we call fettuccine Alfredo. That year his wife gave birth to his first son but she lost her appetite. He formulated this to encourage her to eat.

May it encourage you!

12 oz fettuccine.
1 lb shrimp, shelled and cleaned.
1 small onion, finely chopped.
1 garlic clove, minced.
1 tbs olive oil.
2 tbs butter.
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese.
2 cups heavy whipping cream.
1/3 cup white wine.*
1/4 tsp paprika.
Salt to taste.
Pepper to taste.

*Chicken broth and lemon juice can be substituted for wine.

Cook noodles according to package instructions.
Drain but don't rinse.
Season shrimp with pepper, salt, and paprika.
Heat skillet on med-high.
Add olive oil.
When oil is hot, add shrimp in a single layer.
Cook 1-2 minutes per side or until flesh is opaque.
Should be golden-pink on the outside, opaque on the inside.
Do not overcook shrimp! Overcooked shrimp gets rubbery.
Remove shrimp. Set aside.
To the same skillet add the butter and onion.
Cook until onions are translucent
Stir in garlic. Cook an additional 30 seconds.
Stir in wine. Reduce by a quarter, scrapping bottom of skillet.
Stir in cream and cook for 2 minutes.
Sprinkle Parmesan on top. Stir in till smooth. Do not allow cream mixture at this stage to boil, else cheese will separate.
Add paprika, salt, and pepper to taste.
Add shrimp and drained pasta.
Stir to cover and serve.

 

[Dj901]

3/4 cup pomegranate molasses.

Which brand do you recommend? I'm familiar with the Lebanese Cortez only.

 

[dr_bates]

Orange Chicken

The concept for orange chicken originated in 1987. The chief of a Panda Express in Hawaii made this deviation from General Tso's chicken.

Originally the chicken wasn't breaded.

I view this as a comfort food.


for the marinade:
1/2 cup orange juice.
1 cup chicken broth.
1/4 cup soy sauce.
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar.
1/2 cup sugar.
2 cloves garlic, minced.
1 tbs orange zest.
1/4 tsp ginger, ground.
1/4 tsp white pepper.
Sriracha to taste.

for the chicken:
1 & 1/2 lb chicken breast, boneless, skinless, and cut into 1" pieces.
1 cup and 2 tbs cornstarch (separate).
2 large eggs.
1 cup vegetable oil.

for garnish:
1 tsp sesame seeds.
1 scallion, chopped.

Whisk marmalade ingredients together.
In a large bowl or Ziploc bag, combine chicken and 2/3 cup of the marinade.
Refrigerate 30 minutes. Turn bag occasionally.
Drain chicken. Discard that portion of the marinade.
In a sauce pan over medium heat, heat remaining marinade.
Bring to a boil.
Combine 2 tbs cornstarch with 2 tbs water.
When smooth, whisk cornstarch into marinade.
Stir frequently until thickened -about 2 minutes.
Keep warm.
One piece at a time, dip chicken into beaten egg, then dredge in the 1 cup cornstarch to fully coat.
In a large pan, heat oil.
Add chicken in small batches and fry until golden brown and cooked through. It will take about 2 minutes per batch.
Rest cooked chicken on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Toss chicken with marinade.
Garnish and serve.

 

[dr_bates]

Which brand do you recommend? I'm familiar with the Lebanese Cortez only.

This is the one I use.
Unless I go online, I can only find this brand.

 

[dr_bates]

Roasted Chicken Breast with Morel Sauce

Morels are more closely related to truffles than common mushrooms. They have a robust meaty flavor. Sometimes the flavor is described as nutty.

This mushroom sprouts in early spring. It's fun to take a walk through the woods, collecting a harvest. There are some avid morel hunters out there!

They are available in groceries stores, though often dried. Dried mushrooms work fine, just be sure to clean and hydrate them properly.


2 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless.
4 oz (or more) morels, cleaned, trimmed, and cut in half.
1/4 cup white wine.
3/4 cup chicken broth.
1 tsp soy sauce.
1 shallot, minced.
2 tbs chives, minced.
1 cloves garlic.
1 & 1/2 butter.
2 tbs olive oil.
2-4 tbs cornstarch.
Salt & Pepper to taste.

Ensure rack is in center of oven.
Preheat oven to 450°.
Pat chicken dry.
Season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tbs oil in oven safe pan on medium-high heat.
Lay chicken carefully on hot pan.
Cook 5-6 minutes.
Flip chicken.
Move pan to oven, roast 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through.
In a bowl whisk broth, wine and cornstarch.
Set broth mixture aside.
Remove chicken from oven.
Transfer chicken to plate and loosely cover.
Set chicken aside.
Add remaining 1 tbs oil to skillet, returning to medium-high heat.
Be careful pan will be hot.
Add morels. Cook until well browned. (about 4 minutes).
Add shallot and garlic. Stir until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
Whisk broth mixture again.
Add to mushrooms.
Cook while scrapping bottom.
Reduce liquid 2/3 (about 8 minutes).
Stir in butter and soy sauce. Cook at a hard boil until emulsified. (about a minute).
Season with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat.
Slice chicken and transfer to serving plates.
Spoon sauce over chicken.
Garnish with chives.

 

[Yowie212]

"Ordering coleslaw can be risky, like playing Russian roulette. While it could really good, all too often it's left for the busboy to clean. The problem probably stems from the broad-spectrum of things considered coleslaw. Apparently , all it needs is shredded cabbage"

This made me laugh and you are not wrong.

 

[Yowie212]

Samsaek/3 colour sandwich.

9 slices of white bread (or any kind of bread you like)

Kewpie mayonnaise or any Korean, Japanese or Asian mayonnaise is more suited for this recipe. But any mayonnaise you prefer will do

The green filling (cucumber):
1-2 english cucumber, chopped (about 4 cups)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

The yellow filling (egg):
4-6 hard-boiled eggs
2 to 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yellow mustard

The red filling (ham):
6-8 slices of cooked ham, pat dried and chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Directions
Make fillings:
For the green filling, chop and mix the cucumber and salt together in a small bowl and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, until they sweat.
Squeeze out any excess water with cotton cloth from the cucumber.
Put the squeezed cucumber back into the bowl, and mix with the pepper and mayonnaise.

For the yellow filling, boil and peel the eggs, place in a bowl and mash them. Then mix in all the ingredients.

For the red filling, chop the ham and mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.

Lay 3 slices of bread on your cutting board, side by side.

Divide the egg mixture into 3 portions and spread a portion on each slice.
Add a slice of bread on top to each.

Divide the cucumber mixture into 3 portions and spread a portion on each slice again. Add three more slices of bread.

Divide the ham mixture into 3 portions and spread a portion on each slice.

Add three more final slices of bread, to make a sandwich stack.

Gently press each stack with your hands and cut off the bread edges. Cut each sandwich in half to make a total of 6 sandwich pieces.Slice Three color sandwich
Serve on a plate or pack it in a lunchbox for later.

 

[Dj901]

View attachment 144128021
This is the one I use.
Unless I go online, I can only find this brand.

Yeah that's the most common brand here. I keep a bottle on hand for vinaigrette style dressings. I think it tastes better than most aged balsamics out there.