a little of each

A family's cookbook

Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce April 3, 2013

Filed under: Main Dishes — alittlemoreofeach @ 9:50 pm
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From “The Soup Mix Gourmet.” Serves eight.

 

Ingredients

½ cup soy sauce

flavor packets from 2 packages chicken flavor ramen noodles (reserve the noodles for another use)

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbl fresh lime juice

1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated

3 Tbl light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 lb chicken tenders

Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

 

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, ramen flavor packets, garlic, lime, ginger and brown sugar, stirring until the mixture is well combined. Add the chicken tenders and marinate them, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for at lest two hours and for up to six hours. Preheat the broiler or barbeque grill. Thread the chicken onto skewers and broil or grill them until they are cooked through, about three minutes on each side. Remove the skewers from the heat and serve two skewers per person with the dipping sauce on the side.

 

Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce:

1 ½ cups chicken broth

1 cup smooth peanut butter

¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

3 Tbl soy sauce

2 Tbl fresh ginger, peeled and grated

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

 

In a 3-quart saucepan, whisk the chicken broth into the peanut butter. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until the sauce is smooth and thick, six to ten minutes. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to three days. To serve reheat the sauce, thinning it with additional chicken broth as necessary.

 

Ginger Plum Chicken

Filed under: Main Dishes — alittlemoreofeach @ 9:41 pm
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From Harriet Roth’s Deliciously Healthy Jewish Cooking!

 

This sweet and spicy chicken recipe works in the slow cooker and makes wonderful leftovers.

 

Ingredients

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

2 lbs chicken, breasts work well

1 (17 oz) can purple plums, drained, pitted and diced small or pureed

1 (6 oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate

1/3 cup chili sauce (I used a Thai chili-garlic sauce for a little extra spice.)

1 Tbl soy sauce

3 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp Dijon mustard

 

Directions

Wash the chicken and pat dry. Arrange the chicken pieces in a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Coat with the lemon juice, onion and garlic powders. Roast in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes on each side, more or less depending on your chicken choice. While the chicken is roasting, combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. When the chicken is browned and cooked through, brush generously with the ginger plum sauce and roast for 15 minutes more. Serve with steamed white rice. To prepare this dish in the slow cooker, simply brown the chicken in a pan, and add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on High for about 2 to 2 ½ hours. The sauce will thicken when it cools a little. The leftovers of this dish can be prepared by shredding the chicken and combining with the sauce; it is reminiscent of barbeque.

 

Roasted Summery Vegetables March 29, 2013

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:37 pm
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I made this constantly one semester during graduate school. It would be wonderful with warmed goat cheese on crostini.

 

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped into 1-inch pieces

1-2 yellow squash, sliced into circles, then halved

1-2 leeks, rinsed and sliced (white and light green parts only)

4 oz mushrooms, halved

1 Tbl olive oil

2-3 Tbl balsamic vinegar

1 Tbl Italian Seasonings (herb mixture: oregano, thyme, basil, etc.)

salt and pepper

 

Directions

Toss in a casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Toss again and bake for another ten minutes or so. All quanities can be altered according to taste.

 

Other variation:  add fresh halved tomatoes and cilantro with a little cumin sprinkled on top. Omit the Italian Seasonings.

 

Sweet and Sour Cabbage

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:30 pm
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From “Miriam’s Kitchen.”

 

Ingredients

1 red cabbage (~5 lbs)

½ cup margarine or olive oil

salt and pepper

1 tsp nutmeg

3 Tbl white vinegar

3 Tbl brown sugar

½ cup white raisins

½ cup dried currants

2 cups peeled apples, diced small

 

Directions

Cut away the core of the cabbage and shred crudely. Heat the fat in a large saucepan. Add the cabbage. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the vinegar, sugar, raisins, currants and apples. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring a bit. Cook, covered, for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally. If desired, add more nutmeg and brown sugar to taste.

 

Mashed Potatoes with Blue Cheese

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:10 pm
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Ingredients

2 lbs red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 2-inch chunks

2 whole garlic cloves, peeled

1 cup crumbled blue cheese

½ cup 1% milk

2 Tbl chopped parsley

salt and pepper

 

Directions

Boil the potatoes and garlic for 15 minutes. Drain. Combine the remaining ingredients and mash together with the potatoes and garlic, leaving potatoes a bit coarse and chunky. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Two Dressings

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:05 pm
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This is also delicious served on top of a green salad, especially with other roasted and chilled vegetables. A restaurant in Cocoa, Florida, (Osorios) serves something very similar called Katie’s Salad!

 

Ingredients

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 2 ½ lbs)

1 Tbl olive oil

 

Dressing 1:

1 Tbl olive oil

¼ cup honey

3 Tbl white wine vinegar

2 Tbl chopped fresh rosemary

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 garlic cloves

rosemary sprigs, for garnish

 

Dressing 2:

2 Tbl fresh orange juice

1Tbl olive oil

1 Tbl minced fresh ginger

2 tsp Dijon mustard

3 scallions, finely sliced

 

Directions

Coat a large roasting pan with cooking spray; toss together the potatoes and one Tbl oil in the pan. Bake, uncovered, at 450 for 35-45 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes. Whisk together desired dressing. Transfer warm potatoes to a large serving bowl; add dressing and toss gently. Cool. Garnish.

 

Salade Olivier

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:02 pm
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(also known as Salade a la Russe)

The mother of an Iranian friend in college brought prepared dishes up to her daughter frequently. This hearty potato salad was one of my favorites. It is important to dice everything very small and in fairly uniform sizes. This salad was invented in Germany by Tsar Nicholas II’s chef after he escaped the Revolution.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken breast, poached, boned, skinned and cubed (about 2 cups)

1 ¼ lb potatoes, peeled, boiled and cubed

1 large dill pickle, cut into small dice

1 cup fresh or frozen peas, cooked

1 small to medium onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, diced and cooked

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 hard-boiled egg, sliced (reserve)

1 Tbl capers

¾ cup reduced fat mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream

1 Tbl prepared mustard, Dijon preferred

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Salt

¼ tsp pepper or more to taste

½ tsp dried dill, OR 1 tsp snipped fresh dill

parsley sprigs

1 large ripe tomato, cut into small wedges

Boston lettuce leaves, washed and dried, or spun in a salad spinner (optional)

Paprika (optional)

Directions

Drain the chicken and all vegetables well. Combine the cooked chicken breast, potatoes, carrots, peas, chopped onion and dill pickle, hard-boiled eggs and capers. Fold slightly to mix. Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, lemon juice, pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and dill. Pour over the salad and mix gently but thoroughly. Chill well. Serve either mounded on the lettuce leaves on a large platter or simply place the salad in a large serving bowl. Garnish with sliced hard-boiled egg, tomato wedges and parsley sprigs. Sprinkle with a little paprika.

 

French Green Beans Tossed with Fried Garlic

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 9:54 pm
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From “The Dinner Doctor.” Serves four.

 

Ingredients

1 Tbl olive oil

1 Tbl butter

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 (9 oz) package frozen French-cut green beans or fresh beans cut into small segments

salt

1 Tbl fresh parsley, chopped

 

Directions

Heat the olive oil and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until it browns, about three minutes. Turn off the heat and set the pan aside. Heat the green beans in a microwave-safe bowl on high power until the beans are hot, about four minutes. Season the beans with salt and pepper and pour the garlic and oil mixture over them. Stir to combine and garnish with the parsley.

 

Homemade Applesauce

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 2:57 pm
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Using a microwave really speeds this recipe up. Having Peter peel the apples makes it effortless. Once you try this, jarred applesauce just won’t ever do.

 

Ingredients

2 Macintosh apples, cored, peeled, and sliced

2 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, and sliced

1 cup water

½ Tbl lemon juice

½ cup sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

 

Directions

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Set aside. Mix the peeled, sliced apples, water and lemon juice in a bowl. Add the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Microwave for five minutes. Stir. Cook for five more minutes. Continue to cook in five-minute intervals until apples are tender. Use a potato masher on the apples until they reach a desired texture.

 

Sweet Noodle Kugel

Filed under: Pasta and Grains — alittlemoreofeach @ 2:31 pm
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I served this at a “Christmas Luncheon” in 2005 while working in Knoxville, Tennessee. And then again when I started work at Jacobs in Tampa in 2011. The dish gets strange looks, or maybe it’s the name that causes people to raise an eyebrow, but the people who try it love it. I always hope for leftovers. It’s the best kugel I’ve ever had.

 

Ingredients

1 lb wide egg noodles, cooked

¼ cup butter, melted

6 egg yolks

2 cups sour cream

2 cups cottage cheese, small curd is preferred

¾ cup sugar

6 oz. dried apricots, sliced and diced

6 egg whites

2 cups Rice Krispies

½ cup Brown sugar

¼ cup butter, melted

 

Directions

Mix the noodles and melted butter together. Set aside. Mix the egg yolks, sour cream, cottage cheese, sugar and apricots together and then blend it with the noodle mixture. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the noodle mixture. Put the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 dish. Toss together the Rice Krispies, brown sugar, and butter, and spread the topping on top of the noodle mixture. Bake the kugel for 50-60 minutes at 350.