Yummy Rolls

Our family loves these rolls! I think the butter really makes them scrumptious. Here's the recipe for the Yummy Rolls courtesy of my dear mother-in-law:

Boil 1 cup water
Add: 1/4 c. potato flakes
2/3 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 teas. salt

Mix together: 1 cup cool water
1/3 cup instant milk
2 well-beaten eggs

Dissolve: 1 pkg. yeast in 1/2 c. warm water.

Mix them all together with 3 cups flour

Add 2 to 4 more cups flour

Knead ten minutes

Refrigerate

Shape

Let rise about 1 hour

Bake at 400 degrees for 12 -13 minutes

This is a recipe you can fiddle around with. Can decrease both waters to 3/4 cups for serving a few people. If you have a huge crowd, increase both waters to 1 1/2 cups. The rolls turn out great in both cases without changing any of the rest of the ingredients. Also: My mother-in-law made them one time when she didn't have time to refrigerate the dough and they still turned out good, although the dough is much easier to work with if it is cold.

Our Thanksgiving Feast

It's the day before Thanksgiving and I'm thinking about our menu for tomorrow. Our feast is pretty traditional:

Turkey
Stuffing
Rolls
Cranberry Relish
Festive Tossed Salad
Pumpkin Pie
Baked Potatoes
Homemade Gravy
Sparkling Cider

This year, I'm considering adding green beans. We usually have yams as well but I haven't decided how I'm going to cook them yet.

You know what's really fun about cooking Thanksgiving dinner? My husband is a great help so we get to spend all day together in the kitchen. That makes for one HOT kitchen!! ;-)

Carrot Zucchini Muffins

Charlie loves these muffins. I do too! They are yummy and a great way to get kids to eat veggies.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 tsp skim milk
3 Tbs oil
2 egg whites
1 cup finely shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded unpeeled zucchini (1 small)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray, or line muffin cups with paper baking cups and spray paper cups with nonstick cooking spray.

In large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; mix well.

In small bowl, combine milk, oil and egg whites; blend well. Add to dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in carrots and zucchini just until blended. Spoon batter evenly into sprayed muffin cups.

Bake at 400 degrees for 16 to 21 minutes or until muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm.

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup (Tom Kha Gai)

(from Far East Café: The Best of Casual Asian Dining by Joyce Jue, page 70)

This is our favorite soup and very spicy.

8 kaffir lime leaves or the zest of 1 regular lime
2 cans (13 ½ fl oz each) coconut milk
2 cups (16 fl oz) chicken stock
6 fresh or 4 dried galangal slices, each about 1 inch in diameter
4 lemongrass stalks, cut into 2-inch lengths and crushed
4 small green chili peppers, halved
1 Tbs Thai roasted chili paste (nam prik pao)
1 whole chicken breast, boned, skinned and cut into ½ inch cubes
½ cup (2 ½ oz) drained, canned whole straw mushrooms
½ cup (2 ½ oz) drained, canned sliced bamboo shoots
¼ cup (2 fl oz) Thai fish sauce
Juice of 2 limes (about 6 Tbs)
¼ cup fresh cilantro (fresh coriander) leaves

1.Place 4 of the lime leaves or half of the zest in a large saucepan. Add the coconut milk, chicken stock, galangal, lemongrass and chilies. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan. Discard the contents of the sieve.
2.Bring the strained stock to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium so that it boils gently. Add the remaining 4 kaffir lime leaves or the remaining half of the zest, roasted chili paste, chicken, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and fish sauce. Boil gently until the chicken is cooked throughout, about 3 minutes.
3.Sitr in the lime juice and cilantro leaves. Ladle into warmed soup bowls and serve hot.

Serves 6 - 8

Pork and Green Beans with Ginger Sauce

(from The Complete Stir-Fry Cookbook, p. 72)

¾ cup (185 ml/6 fl oz.) soy sauce (I recommend low-sodium soy sauce)
4 tablespoons white or rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch of dried chili flakes
3 teaspoons cornflour
600 g (1 ¼ lb) pork fillet, trimmed and cut into thin slices
2 tablespoons peanut oil
350 g (11 oz) green beans, cut into short lengths
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1.Place the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, chili flakes, cornflour and 1/3 cup water in a bowl and mix well. Add the pork and toss to coat well.
2.Heat a wok over high heat, add half the oil and swirl to coat the side. Drain the pork (reserving the liquid for later) and add to the wok. Stir-fry over high heat for 1-2 minutes, or until brown. Remove the pork from the wok.
3.Heat the remaining oil, add the beans and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Return the pork and any juices to the pan and add the reserved marinade. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Serve with steamed rice.

Jambalaya

(from One-Dish Collection by Publications International, Ltd., p. 58)

This is a favorite whenever we have guests, especially missonaries! It’s a little on the spicy side.

1 tsp vegetable oil
½ lb smoked deli ham, cubed
½ lb smoked sausage, cut into ¼ inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped (about 1.5 cups)
3 ribs celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10.5 oz) chicken broth
1 cup uncooked rice
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground red pepper
1 package (12 oz) frozen ready-to-cook shrimp, thawed
Fresh chives (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add ham and sausage. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned on both sides. Remove from skillet and place in prepared dish. Place onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic in same skillet; cook and stir 3 minutes. Add to sausage mixture.

Combine tomatoes iwht juice, broth, and rice, Worcestershire, thyme, salt and black and red peppers in same skillet; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes. Pour over sausage mixture and stir until combined.

Cover tightly with foil and bake 45 minutes or until rice is almost tender. Remove from oven; place shrimp on top of rice mixture. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes or until shrimp are pink and opaque. Garnish with chives, if desired.

Festive Tossed Salad

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp poppy seed
 
10 cups torn romaine (I use 1 bag of romaine hearts)
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1 apple, cored and cubed
1 pear, cored and cubed
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 to 1 cup chopped cashews
 
In a blender combine the sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, onion and salt.  Cover and process until blended.  With blender running gradually add oil.  Add poppy seed and blend. 

In a salad bowl combine other ingredients, except nuts.  Drizzle with dressing, add cashews, toss to coat.  Serve immediately.  8 to 10 servings..

Chicken Tandoori

(adapted from The Book of Yogurt, page 55)

1 3-lb chicken, quartered (I use skinless, boneless chicken breasts)
1 cup unflavored yogurt
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1-1/2-inch piece ginger root, peeled and grated
1-1/2 tsp ground coriander
¾ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cardamom or aniseed
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
¼ cup freshly squeezed and strained lime or lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbs butter, melted
Paper-thin rings of mild onion (optional)
Thin slices tomato (optional)
Lime or lemon wedges (optional)

Dry the chicken with paper towels. In a large bowl combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, cardamom, cayenne, lime juice, and salt and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat them thoroughly with the mixture. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 12 hours, turning the chicken pieces from time to time.

Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and arrange on a greased racking in a shallow baking pan. Roast in a preheated 400 F oven 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown all over but still tender inside, basting occasionally with the butter. Or broil the chickens over charcoal about 30 minutes or until tender, turning and basting frequently.

Transfer onto a heated serving platter and garnish with the onion rings, tomato slices, and lime wedges. Serve at once.

This is one of our favorite Indian dishes. I usually omit onion, tomato, and lemon. It goes well with curried rice and some steamed vegetables.

Cashew Chicken Casserole

(from Taste of Home’s 2001 Quick Cooking Annual Recipes book, p. 140)

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
3 cups cooked chicken
½ cup cubed process American cheese
1 small onion, chopped
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped green pepper
1 can (8 oz.) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 can (10 ¾ oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can (10 ¾ oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 1/3 cups milk
1 can (14 ½ oz.) chicken broth
l/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2/3 cup crushed saltines (about 20 crackers)
¾ cup cashew halves

In a greased 13-in. x 9-in.x 2-in. baking dish, layer the first seven ingredients in the order listed. In a bowl, combine the soups, milk and broth. Pour over water chestnuts. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Toss butter and cracker crumbs; sprinkle over casserole. Top with cashews. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Yield: 6 servings.

Note: You can prepare and refrigerate this the night before. Save crackers and cashews until ready to bake.

Roasted Green Beans

This is the most yummy way to eat greeen beans!

1 lb. fresh raw green beans
3 to 4 cloves garlic minced
1/4" ginger minced
2 tsp sesame seed oil
2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Mix everything except green beans together. Spread green beans on cookie sheet, sprinkle with 1 TBS olive oil and toss. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cook beans 10 minutes. Spoon mixture over beans, mix it up and put back in oven 10-15 minutes.

Dumplings

From the time I was a child, dumpling making has been a fun activity. Because we often made these in large quantities, the whole family got involved. We took turns rolling out the wraps from dough and wrapping the meat filling. We'd start in the late afternoon and go into the late evening. When enough dumplings were made, we'd cook and eat them. We'd continue to make the dumplings in between bowls of rice and dumplings.

Wraps:
You can make your own wraps or just buy gyoza wraps from your local supermarket.

Filling:
1 lb. ground pork (or chicken)
1 small head napa cabbage
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. peeled and grated ginger
2 green onions thinly sliced
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp. corn starch
1 tsp. salt (as desired)

Dipping sauce:
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. white vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)

Use a food processor to finely chop the washed cabbage leaves. In a medium mixing bowl, mix all the filling ingredients together. Place about 1 tsp. filling in each wrap, moisten half of the outer edge of wrap and fold over to seal. Place in a baking pan and cover with damp dishcloth. Repeat until filling or wraps are used up. Heat 1 -2 Tbs. oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Place dumplings in skillet being careful that dumplings don't touch. You will need to cook the dumplings in batches as they won't all fit in the skillet. Cook until bottoms of dumplings are slightly golden brown. Pour 1 cup water into skillet and cover. Steam for 10 minutes. Serve with rice and dipping sauce.

This makes about 48 dumplings so you can cook up enough for one meal and freeze the rest! To freeze dumplings, place them in a baking sheet and put in the freezer for 2 hours. Transfer frozen dumplings into freezer bags.

(Note: You can vary the amounts of any of the ingredients as desired.)

Welcome to My New Blog on Food!

I love food! I've always enjoyed tasting a wide variety of flavors from every part of the world. I grew up on simple Chinese foods made in our home. The idea of eating out was a foreign concept in my family. Although my mom never let me cook, I would watch her as she bought fresh meats and vegetables from the local Asian food store, bring them home to wash, chop, and cook. I was, however, required to help prepare the ingredients (such as removing the beaks from squid, my least favorite chore). She never used a recipe and just seemed to know what spices and flavors to add.

The most common method of cooking in our home were stir-frying, boiling, steaming, and deep-frying. We never used the oven so it was a place for storing pots and pans. I don't remember baking anything until I went to college and learned to bake cookies and muffins from roommates. We also rarely ate processed prepackaged foods. If we purchased sliced cheese for some reason, it would sit in the refrigerator for months until we forgot when it was bought and why.

After getting married, my husband and I enjoyed making meals together in our kitchen. I started gathering a collection of cookbooks containing dishes from all over the world and found a few recipes we liked from each book. Our favorites are Thai and Indian. It was so fun to try out new dishes to see if they tasted as good as the color photographs suggested. We also enjoyed inviting friends over and sharing a meal with them. A lot of times, our friends would arrive in the middle of our preparations and they would become a part of the cooking process. Everyone seemed to enjoy getting their hands dirty and our friendships were strengthened from working together.

Now that we have two kids, we have much less time and energy to cook elaborate meals. At times we've resorted to frozen dinners or ordering pizza. Once in a while, we find time to make some of our old time favorites like steamed dumplings, chicken tandoori, or tom kha gai.

I'm always on the lookout for a good recipe and willing to share my favorites with others. In this blog, I will be sharing recipes and ideas about food that I've learned so far.