Korean Beef and Rice (modified)

An alternative way to use beef:

Korean Beef and Rice

1 lb ground beef
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c soy sauce
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic (or dash of garlic powder)
1-2 cups stir-fry vegetables (sliced carrots, peapods, mushrooms, etc.)
cilantro to taste

Brown the beef, draining the grease.  Add the brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red pepper, and garlic.  Add the vegetables (Cub sells frozen packages of stir fry vegetables), with more sugar and soy sauce as needed.  Serve on rice, top with plenty of cilantro.

Serves 2, with a little left over.  Reminds me of banh mi.

Zucchini Soup

Delicious!

Zucchini Soup

3-4 zucchini
1-2 shallots
1 tsp curry
1 1/2 T butter
1 1/2 T oil
1 1/4 c chicken broth
1/2 c half and half

Saute' the shallots in the butter and oil.  Peel and slice the zucchini (core, too, if you do not like seeds) and saute'.  Add the curry and 1/2 c of chicken broth.  Blend until smooth.  Add the remaining chicken broth, salt and pepper to taste.  Blend until smooth.  Just before serving, add the half and half and blend again.  Serve with big chunks of homemade bread fresh out of the oven.

Crumb Topping (for Apple Pie)

Crumb Topping (for Apple Pie)

3/4 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. flour
1/3 c. butter

Cut butter into brown sugar and flour.  Crumble mixture onto top of pie.  De-lish!

Chicken Mac and Cheese

This recipe is from the Southern Living "Our Best Casseroles" Magazine. I enjoy making it because its great on a cold fall day. Delicious and easy but not everyone's cup of tea!

1/2 (16 oz.) package of cellentani pasta
2 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper,diced
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 (8 oz.) package of velveeta cheese, cubed
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 cups (6oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese
White Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk

1. Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper, sauté 5 minutes or until tender.
2. Add chopped chicken and let cook.
3. Stir in tomatoes and green chiles and velveeta cheese. Stir constantly, 2 minutes or until cheese melts.
4. In another pan, put the butter, flour, and milk together to make a white sauce. Stir constantly on medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble. Keep stirring until the sauce is thick.(You may need to lower the heat, and make sure there is are no clumps)
5. Add the white sauce to the saucepan with the other ingredients.
6. Add sour cream, chili powder, and ground cumin. Stir.
7. Put water in a deep pot and turn the heat on high. Cook the noodles until they are semi-cooked, then drain.
8. Pour the semi-cooked noodles into the sauce pan or vice versa. Mix well.
9. Pour the meal into a cooking pan or pot and sprinkle the shredded Cheddar cheese on top.
10. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Cornbread

From the Joy of Cooking:

Cornbread

1 1/4 c. cornmeal
3/4 c. flour
1-4 T sugar
2 t baking powder
1/2 t soda
2 eggs
2/3 c milk
2/3 c buttermilk
2-3 T melted butter

Combine all ingredients (wet first, then add dry), just mixing.

Bake in a 9"x9" pan for 20-25 min, or in muffin tins for 10-12 min, at 425F.

Makes 10-12 servings.

When doubling, use 1/4 c sugar, 1 stick butter.  Plain yogurt/milk combination can be used as substitute for buttermilk.  Serve with chili!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

An attempt at Chinese, without too much oil and with no soy sauce.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 package of chicken (~1 lb?)
~ 1 cup cornmeal
1 egg
1 onion
salt & pepper
mandarin oranges
cilantro

Sauce:
1/2 c ketchup
1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c brown sugar

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces, roll in beaten egg then in cornmeal (add more cornmeal as necessary).  Fry in olive oil with chopped onion, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Combine the ingredients for the sauce (adjust amounts to taste), add to chicken, cooking on low for a bit.

Before serving, add oranges and chopped cilantro, to taste.

Contemplating adding peapods, but haven't had a chance to try it.

Serve on rice.

"Pad Thai" - Peanut-Lime Chicken Salad

Again, brazenly stolen/adapted from Smitten Kitchen.  I made "adjustments" right and left for ingredients that I simply did not have, such as sesame oil, insufficient lime juice (added a few splashes of lemon to get what seemed a good consistency), no soy sauce, no carrots or cucumbers, no peanuts.  Instead I used the vegetables I had available, a half bag of frozen pea pods and lots of cilantro and green onions.  Also left out the garlic and chiles, substituting instead a couple teaspoons of the red chile sauce I'd picked up in the Asian section of the store, and used perhaps twice as much ginger as was called for.  It seems no matter what you do, it tastes flavorful.

Peanut-Lime Chicken Salad
 (2-4 servings)

Dipping sauce
 3 T Asian fish sauce
 3 T brown sugar
 6 T lime juice
 1 garlic clove, minced
Small Thai or Serrano chiles, thinly sliced, to taste

Peanut dressing
 1 1/2 T Asian fish sauce
 1 1/2 T rice vinegar
 4 1/2 T lime juice
 1 1/2 T soy sauce
1 one-and-a-half inch chunk fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
 3 T peanut butter
1/2 T sesame oil
Pinch of cayenne

Chicken and noodle salad
1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 6)
8 ounces dried rice vermicelli or other rice noodles
2 small cucumbers, cut in 1/4-inch half moons
2 medium carrots, cut in thin julienne
Additional vegetables
Small handful basil or mint or cilantro sprigs, or your favorite of the three (torn or roughly chopped)
4 or more green onions, chopped
1/4 cup crushed or chopped roasted peanuts
Lime wedges (to serve)

Make the dipping sauce: Whisk ingredients in a small serving bowl, making sure to dissolve the sugar. Leave to ripen for 15 minutes. Refrigerate any extra and use within a few days.

Make the peanut dressing: In a blender or small food processor, puree all ingredients to a smooth sauce, about the thickness of heavy cream.

Marinate the chicken: Stir together 1/2 the dipping sauce and 1/3 the peanut dressing (you can eyeball this) in the bottom of a low-sided bowl or dish. Add the chicken to the mixture and toss to coat. Let marinate at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

Cook the noodles: Package should have directions for cooking the noodles.  Mine were to soak the rice noodles for 10 minutes in hot (I used boiled) water.  I strained them out when they were fluffy.

Cook the chicken: Grill the chicken on an outdoor grill, a stove-top grill pan, or run under the broiler until nicely browned, about 3 to 4 minutes a side. Let cool slightly, then chop roughly into 3/4-inch pieces.

To serve: You can serve each item separately, allowing the diners to choose proportions.  Or mix everything together (the noodles, chicken, vegetables, and both sauces) in one big bowl.  Excellent either way.  Can be served hot or cold.