Saturday, June 30, 2012

All-American Potato Salad

Serves 4- 6

Ingredients

4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
3 teaspoons table salt
3 tablespoons dill pickle juice, plus 1/2 cup finely chopped dill pickles
2 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 onion, red (small), chopped fine
2 rib celery, chopped fine
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (optional)

Instructions

Place potatoes in large saucepan with cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil over high heat, add 1 teaspoon salt, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Drain potatoes thoroughly, then spread out on rimmed baking sheet. Mix 2 tablespoons pickle juice and mustard together in small bowl, drizzle pickle juice mixture over potatoes, and toss until evenly coated. Refrigerate until cooled, about 30 minutes.

Mix remaining tablespoon pickle juice, chopped pickles, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, celery seed, mayonnaise, sour cream, red onion, and celery in large bowl.

Toss in cooled potatoes, cover, and refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes. (Salad can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 days.) Gently stir in eggs, if using, just before serving.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Cheesecake

2 1/4 cups sugar
40 ounces cream cheese
6 large eggs
4 tablespoons cornstarch
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 pints sour cream
1 1/2 pints heavy cream

Cream sugar and cream cheese in bowl.

Add 1 egg at a time and beat well.

Add cornstarch and lemon juice.

Add sour cream and heavy cream, mix well.

Place in 350 F. oven.

Pour into a 10 inch spring form pan and bake for 60 minutes, turn oven off and let set in oven for an additional 60 minutes.

This may make an extra SMALL cheese cake, 8”.

Cool in refrigerator 24 hours before removing pan.

General Tao Chicken

Chicken:

Cut up chicken thighs into bite sized chunks, about 2-3 lbs.

Put 1 cup corn starch in a zip lock bag.

Place chicken in bag and toss to coat well.

Heat 1 cup oil in large frying pan.

Place chicken in and fry until crispy.

Remove from pan.

Sauce:

2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1/2 cup ketchup

Optional:

Steam fresh vegetables and toss with sauce then add cooked chicken, tossing to coat and heat thru.

Chinese Stir Fry - Eggplant

Ingredients

Eggplants, about 2 pounds
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 tablespoon oyster sauce (optional)
1 onion, sliced on a diagonal
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

Cut the eggplants in 1/2 lengthwise and then slice crosswise into wedges, no more than 1-inch wide.

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high flame and add the oils; tilt the pan to coat all sides. When you see a slight smoke, add a layer of eggplant, stir-fry until seared and sticky, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the eggplant to a side platter and cook the remaining eggplant in same manner, adding more oil, if needed.

After all the eggplant is out of the pan, add the green onions, ginger, garlic, and chile; stir-fry for a minute until fragrant. Add the broth. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved.

Pour the soy sauce mixture into the wok and cook another minute, until the sauce has thickened. Put the eggplant back in the pan, tossing quickly, until the sauce is absorbed.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes enough to frost one 9-10" 3 tier layer cake.

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese
20 ounces confectioners' sugar ( or more to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Milk, as needed to thin to so it is able to be frosted easily.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until softened and smooth.

Add butter and continue to beat until softened, smooth and well incorporated with the cream cheese.

Beat in the sugar a little at a time, then the vanilla.

If frosting is too thick to spread easily, beat in cold milk a tablespoon or so at a time until of spreading consistency.

Red Velvet Cake

Makes one 9-inch cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons to 1 bottle red food coloring (1 ounce)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 cup milk (fat content not important)

Cream cheese frosting, below

Prepare 3 9-inch pans by greasing lightly then flouring lightly or greasing them then lining the bottoms with waxed paper. (No need to grease the paper)

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa. Set aside.

In another mixing bowl, with a hand-held mixer on low speed, or with a wooden spoon, beat the sugar and oil together until well blended.

Add eggs, one at a time, blending well between additions.

Blend in food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar. Scrape bowl down with a rubber spatula.

Alternately blend in flour and milk , using about a third of each at a time and scraping sides of bowl a couple of times. Make sure not to overbeat or use the electric mixer on high -- this will toughen the cake.

Immediately pour into prepared pans and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

On a wire rack, cool cakes in pans for 5 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and cool completely on rack.

Fill and frost as desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 8-ounce package cream cheese
20 ounces  confectioners' sugar ( or more to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Milk, as needed to thin to so it is able to be frosted easily.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until softened and smooth.

Add butter and continue to beat until softened, smooth and well incorporated with the cream cheese.

Beat in the sugar a little at a time, then the vanilla.

If frosting is too thick to spread easily, beat in cold milk a tablespoon or so at a time until of spreading consistency.

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