Kia's Chicken Teriyaki Thighs

 Kia's Chicken Teriyaki Thighs 

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce 

2 T. light brown sugar 

2 T. sherry ( or dry white wine)

2 T. rice vinegar 

2 minced cloves of garlic 

1 tsp. grated ginger 

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes 

2 lbs. chicken thighs

2 tsp. sesame seeds

Mix everything except the sesame seeds in a sealable bag.

Marinate thighs 1-4 hours in refrigerator. Flipping at least once.

Spray broiler pan.

Heat broiler to high.Broil thighs skin side up 8-10 minutes and turn. Broil for another 8 minutes. Turn again and sprinkle sesame seeds. Back in oven 1-2 minutes, until seeds  are golden.

Served with Cilantro rice.

Stuffed pepper appetizer

1 lbs Bob Evan's sausage (or any breakfast sausage)
2 bags of small bell peppers
16 oz philedelphia chive cream cheese
Cheddar cheese, shredded ( we prefer sharp, but mild is fine)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash peppers then cut peppers in half, lengthwise and remove the seeds and ribs. Set aside.

In a large skillet,  brown sausage, breaking into small bits.

Once sausage is browned, reduce the heat , and stir in the cream cheese. Mix in and once melted turn off the heat. This won't take long. 

Stuff the peppers, be careful not to burn yourself. Lay peppers ona cookie sheet. 

( I recommend a silpat or parchment paper on the tray.) Then sprinkle cheese over stuffed peppers. You can stop and refrigerate at this point.  

Oven at 350 degrees. Bake about 10 min.,  until cheese melts. Serve warm. Caution guests will eat this off the bake sheet if you aren't fast enough.  Always a big hit.

CHICKEN THAI-STYLE WITH CRISP VEGETABLES

 CHICKEN THAI-STYLE WITH CRISP VEGETABLES
1/2 c. sesame seed, 1/4 c. toasted and cooled, 1/4 cup untoasted
4 boneless chicken breasts, sliced into 8 thin breasts
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. rice wine vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 - 1 tsp. sesame seed oil (store in refridgerator)
2 t. scant ginger peeled and minced (or microplaned/grated)
2 tsp.sugar
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1 English cucumber sliced thin
1/2 cup or more chopped cilantro
1 green onion snipped with scissors

 2 c. Panko bread crumbs (Japanese style breadcrumbs)
Toast sesame seeds and set aside to cool. Slice chicken horizontally for thin breasts. Toss soy sauce,lemon juice,rice vinegar,olive oil,sesame seed oil,ginger,sugar and red pepper flakes. Pour 1/4 cup over chicken and set the rest aside for the salad. Marinate for 10 minutes (longer you marinate, the better the flavor!) Combine Panko, untoasted sesame seeds, salt and pepper. (Taste the crumbs, they should be well seasoned). Dredge chicken in crumbs, (patting so it sticks) and place in a large heated skillet of 1/3 cup olive oil. Cook in batches bout 2 minutes each side until brown and crispy. Set aside. Mix spinach, onion, cilantro, cucumber, and 1 T. toasted sesame seeds, toss. Place chicken on greens and drizzle vinaigrette over chicken and greens.

Note: Do ahead: You can marinate over night in fridge, fry and lay on a bake sheet.
Reheat in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

5 c. sugar
1 12 oz. evaporated milk
8 T. unsalted butter, divided (* sometimes I just put whole stick in at beginning and don't divide/add additional 2 T. later)
(7-oz.) jet-puffed marshmallow creme
18 oz. crunchy peanut butter (They have downsized Peanut butter to 16 oz. so just estimate 2 more ounces)
2 T. creamy peanut butter

Grease an 8 x 8 and 9 x 13 pan. Put sugar, milk and 4 T. butter into a pan. Stir until combined, and sugar has dissolved. Boil sugar, milk, and butter over medium heat for about 7 minutes, or until the soft ball stage. ( That means get a coffee cup of ice water and at 7 minutes drizzle hot syrup into the mug. If it forms a nice soft ball, it's done!) Remove from heat, add peanut butter,marshmallow, and  4 T. butter. Stir until blended. Pour into pans and cool.

Note: I have never made this fudge and it didn't turn out. It's really reliable recipe. You don't have to check the weather before you cook! Those recipes scare me. It makes a lot. Makes an 8 x 8 and a 9 x 13. Freezes well. This is a modified version of Verna Woeber's recipe. Verna is a family friend of my parents. 

KEY LIME MOUSSE TARTS IN PHYLLO (Page 62)

KEY LIME MOUSSE TARTS IN
PHYLLO

by Rita Heikenfeld
Key Lime Curd:
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. bottled Key Lime Juice (Nelly and Joes) near juices/lemon juce section
5 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted and kept warm

Phyllo Cups:
1 pack phyllo sheets,thawed in refrigerator overnight* Don't try to quick thaw room temp. It will form a big lump.
Butter flavored cooking spray
1/2 c. finely minced nuts (pecans)
1/2 cup sugar

1 3/4 c. whipped cream

Key Lime Curd/ Mousse: Combine sugar, juice,and eggs in blender. Whirl until mixed. On low speed, add butter in a thin stream. Transfer to saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick enough to mound slightly, about 8minutes. Cool. Store in refrigerator, covered, up to 2 weeks.
 After curd is cooked pour into a measuring cup. To make mousse, use anywhere from half to an equal amount of whipped cream. Fold into the COMPLETELY CHILLED lime curd. This can be done an hour or two before serving.

 Phyllo Cups: You can make phyllo cups 2-3 days ahead of time.Thaw phyllo overnight in refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Assemble everything before the phyllo (or in this package fillo) is opened. Spray the tin pan with the butter spray.

                               Not puff pastry sheets!!  Twice I have forgotten and grabbed them!

Bring to room temp. Unroll on a smooth dry surface. Keep covered with plastic and then a damp towel. Air dries it out.

 Keep covered it will dry in a few minutes. Don't be surprised the 1st few sheets are dry and not usable.

 Spray 1 layer with butter spray or melted butter and sprinkle with sugar, then repeat and sprinkle with nuts, repeat with sugar, then nuts and end with sugar (for a total of 5 layers.)
 Cut phyllo 1inch larger than your tart pan in squares .

Spray tins. Bake 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow them to cool.

Once cooled, fill tarts with mousse just before serving. Don't do in advance for 2 reasons: the bottoms aren't flat and will roll and they can get a tad soggy if not eaten right away.
 Makes 30 servings of  tiny muffin cups. Going with a standard muffin is just too much! Yes, we tried it.

Note: If you have empty tins, place water in them to keep them from burning. You can freeze the curd in a ball mason jar for 2 months.(I'd cover the tops with saran wrap, so that it touches the curd).

To make homemade whip cream: Take a 1/2 pint whipping cream and whip until fluffy.
Slowly add powdered sugar to desired sweetness. I like a splash of vanilla, but it will darken the cream.

Bittersweet Bacon Chutney

Bittersweet Bacon Chutney
1 lb. apple wood smoke bacon
1 cup red wine
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate (60% Ghiradelli)
1/2 cup no-salt cashews, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. salt

Cook bacon until brown& crisy. Cool chop and set aside.
In a 3-4 qt. pan bring vinegar to a boil; add chocolate, cashews, onion,sugar and salt.
Reduce heat &simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add bacon and simmer an additional 40-45 minutes.
Cool completely and spoon into clean jars. Refrigerate and use w/ in 2 weeks.
Serving ideas: can spoon over a pork tenderloin or pork chop.

Lima Bean Stew (Page 17)

LIMA BEAN STEW
(I do not like Lima beans but love this stew!)    Recipe courtesy of Phyllis Taylor
1 lb. white lima beans
2 bay leaves
1 lb. sausage
1 onion, diced
1 can of Campbell’s Golden Mushroom
soup
3 T. ketchup
2 tsp. garlic powder (or more to taste)
1 c. boiled ham, chopped

Soak a 1 lb. bag of large white lima beans overnight in water, then rinse and drain. Cook lima beans in a pot of water with 2 bay leaves, until tender. Do not drain liquid. Set aside. In a large skillet fry 1 lb. (Bob Evan’s)  pork sausage with onion. Cool slightly and add to bean soup. Add mushroom soup and ketchup. Sprinkle in garlic powder. Simmer 1 hour. Remove bay leaves before eating!  Add ham. Yum.

Serve warm. Freezes well.

SAUSAGE, CHEESE, AND ROASTED RED PEPPER CALZONE (Page 46)

1 1/2 c. warm water 105-110 degrees
1 envelope dry yeast
2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 c. flour, divided
1 lb. red onion, sliced thin
1 large red bell pepper
4 sweet Italian sausages, castings removed
12 oz. ricotta cheese, drained 1 hour
3 c. mozzarella cheese, grated
3 tsp. dried oregano
2 T. olive oil
Corn Meal for dusting
Option: 2 cloves crushed garlic in 4 Tbsp. butter, melted
Pour warm water into a large bowl and stir in yeast. Let stand about 5 minutes until
yeast dissolves. Mix in salt and oil. Add 3 3/4 cups flour (do 1/2 cup at a time),
stirring until blended. Transfer to a floured surface and knead dough (you may not
need all of the 1/2 cup reserved flour for this). You want it smooth and elastic, but not
sticky. Rub inside a large bowl with oil and place dough in the bowl. Flip the dough
over (oily side up) and cover with saran wrap in a draft free place for 1 hour, 15 min.
The dose has risen when 2 fingers indentations remain. Filling: Place a red pepper on
a baking sheet and set the oven to broil. Roast the pepper until all of the sides are black. Transfer to a bowl and cover with saran wrap for 10 minutes. The steam will help shed the skin. Peel, seed and slice into thin strips. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat olive oil, over medium high heat. Cook red onions until brown (25 minutes.) Remove onions to a bowl and cook sausage, breaking it into small bits, until done. Set aside. In a bowl, mix together the mozzarella, ricotta and oregano. Season to taste
with salt and pepper. Place oven racks in the top 1/3 and bottom 1/3 of the oven.
Preheat to 400 degrees. Brush 2 cookie sheets with olive oil and dust with cornmeal.
Punch down the dough. Knead on a floured surface for 1 minute. Divide dough into 4
equal portions,shaping each into a ball. Roll each into a 9 inch round. I transfer it to
the bake sheet before assembly.) Spread 1/3 cup of the cheese mixture over half of
each round, leaving a 3/4 inch border. Place 1/4 of the onions, another 1/3 cup cheese
mixture, 1/4 of the sausage, 1/3 cup of the cheese mixture, and 1/4 of the peppers.
Fold dough over forming a half circle and seal edges firmly, so nothing leaks out.
Pierce top of calzone a few times with a sharp knife so steam can escape while
baking. Repeat with 3 other calzones, 2 per bake sheet. Bake 15 minutes, reverse
sheets and bake 15 more minutes, until golden brown. Makes 4 HUGE calzones.
Note: You can be creative with the fillings. I recommend making sure everything is
cooked going into the calzones. 4 calzones can easily feed 8 people. I'd also consider
adding garlic flavored melted butter to brush on as it comes out of the oven.
Note #2: I doubled the dough and the cheese filling. I made 4 circles of dough, wrapped them up and divided the cheese mixture by 4 and put it in baggies. Then a freezer bag. Now when my son wants a calzone in college, he just needs to buy a jar of roasted red peppers and fry up sausage/ onion. Stuff and bake.

ASIAN PORK TENDERLOIN (Page 32)

ASIAN PORK TENDERLOIN

1 pork tenderloin, about 3/4 lbs. tied with
string
1 tsp. dried mustard
1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
1/4 c. soy sauce
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. brown sugar
2 T. cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. cumin, ground
Mix all of the ingredients, except pork, in a large zip-lock bag. Add pork and seal well, squeezing out the air. Refrigerate 1-2 hours. (You could freeze for 2 months,just bring to room temp. before continuing). Grill, basting with marinade, until pink in center. Remove pork and allow to rest 5 minutes. We serve it with goat cheese for amazing sandwiches and cilantro rice as the side dish.

Note: A family favorite.We love this meal, but last year we walked away from the grill with the lid down, and set the grill ablaze. We learned and I hope you don't do what we did! Just stay nearby and keep the lid up as you grill.

Low Fat Taco Salad (Page 20)

This is a quick and easy recipe which is low fat, but a little high in sodium. I make the beef and the cottage cheese mixture the day before then assemble the day of the party. We think it's best served with Tostido's scoops. It makes a 9x13 dish.

This is a photo of my Dad and Jim swinging outside the ship in Cozumel Mexico- OLE!

Taco Salad
1 lb. lean ground beef (we use a little more)
1 packet dry taco seasoning, like Ortega/El Paso
1 cup of water
1 lg. container of SMALL curd cottage cheese
1 packet of dry Hidden Valley ranch seasoning
1/2 head of lettuce, chopped
1-2 tomatoes (I like plum and get rid of all the seeds/messy stuff) , dice
1-2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Tortilla chips (We like scoops)

Brown the hamburger, add taco seasoning and water. Cook until water is reduced. Spread in a 9x 13 dish and set aside to cool. (Or in a container for a day before prep- reheat beef the next day)
Place the cottage cheese in a bowl and mix until creamy. Add the dressing mix and whip some more.
(You can stop here for a day before and place back in the cottage cheese container)
Or layer the cottage cheese mixture over the slt. cooled beef.
 Sprinkle with lettuce cheese and then tomatoes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Cranberry Almond Cake

Cranberry Almond Cake
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
8 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature
7 oz. almond paste (found in the baking aisle- not marzipan)
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs , room temp.
1 tsp. vanilla extract (never imitation!)
1/4 cup milk at room temp.
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries (you can buy these around the holidays and freeze them)- picked through & coarsely chopped
Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350.
You can do this in a buttered & floured bundt pan (recommended), loaf pans or even cupcakes
Sift together flour, salt & baking powder. Set aside. Beat together butter & almond paste. Add the sugar & beat until light & fluffy ~ 2 min. longer.Beat the eggs in 1 at a time, scraping down between each addition. Beat in vanilla.With mixer on low speed alt. flour mixture with milk, Stop and scrape down as needed.Fold in cranberries.
Transfer to pan and smooth with a spatula. Bake 45-50 min. (less for cupcakes) Consider checking at 42 min. with a wooden skewer to test doneness- should come out clean. Cool for 15 min. in pan, then invert on a wire rack. Once cool, dust with confectioner's sugar.
Do Ahead: I bake this and then slice, freezing the slices.

Baked Penne a la Carbonara- Diane Phillips

I've been enjoying Diane Phillips books lately. This is 1 I've made twice in 2 weeks (per family request!)

Serves 10 as a side dish or 6 as a main dish
(Or 4 if you have teen boys!)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup flour
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth (Keep some extra handy in case you need to thin out the sauce)
1-1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan (okay do 2 cups- you're welcome)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt (optional) to taste....since when was salt an option?
1 pound penne pasta, cooked according to package directions until al dente and drained
12 strips bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, coked until crisp, and drained on paper towels (app. 3/4 pound)
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Step 1
In a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, add the shallots and thyme, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour is cooked, but hasn't turned color, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the cream and broth and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Stir in 1 cup of the Parmesan and season with pepper and with salt if desired.

Step 2
Coat a 13x9-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle 1/4 cup of the remaining Parmesan over the bottom. In a large bowl, toss the hot penne with the olive oil. (This parmesan makes a nice crust on the bottom.)

Step 3
Stir the sauce into the penne, then stir in the bacon and mozzarella. Transfer to the prepared pan and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 - 1/2 cup of Parmesan.

Diva Do-Ahead: At this point, you can cover and refrigerate overnight OR freeze freeze for up to 6 weeks. Bring to room temperature before continuing.(Thaw 1 day in fridge)

Step 4
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the penne until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Now I was lazy and copied the recipe from here. It looks like a nice blog. Her recipe had olive oil, mine doesn't (I went to Diane's class,where this recipe came from her book) I think the olive oil is why the sauce separated.
Diane's book is called "Perfect Party Food" by Diane Phillips.

Cincinnati Sauerkraut Balls Page 2

I brown the sausage a little first, then add the onions.Chop the sausage up, with the spatula, into tiny bits, so each ball has a bit of sausage.

I like to mix in all the smaller ingredients into the cream cheese first.

Make sure the sauerkraut has been squeezed very dry. I use a colander and the base of my hand. Don't rinse the sauerkraut, either!

I like to add the warmed sausage and onions as it sort of melts the cream cheese and allows for a thorough mixture.

Refrigerate for a few hours so you can form the balls easier.

It goes flour, water/egg (I only used 2T. water & 2 eggs for 35 balls!)Place on cookie sheet.

Be ready to go with very hot oil! Paper towel on cooling racks. Be careful! We did 4-5 balls at a time until they were browned and crunchy.


Outside is hot and crunchy and the inside is warm and creamy. You can cool them and freeze at this point.


CINCINNATI SAUERKRAUT
BALLS
Karen
1 (32-oz.) jar sauerkraut, drained and pressed
2 T. sweet hot mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 1-lb. breakfast sausage (Like Bob Evan's)
1/2 c. chopped onion
4 T. fine dry bread crumbs (in the mix)
1 (8-oz.) cream cheese at room temperature
4 T. chopped flat leaf parsley
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 c. all purpose flour
4 eggs
4 T. water
1 c. fine bread crumbs (for rolling) 1 bottle Cooking oil for deep fat frying
In a large skillet cook sausage and onion until sausage is brown. Drain.
Drain sauerkraut, pressing out as much liquid as you can. In a large mixing bowl add sauerkraut, sausage mixture, 4 T. bread crumbs, cream cheese, parsley, mustard,
garlic salt and pepper. Cover and chill several hours or overnight. (You can freeze it at this stage, but I freeze after frying) Put flour in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, beat eggs with water until combined. Put 1 cup bread crumbs in a third
container. Using about 2 T. of sauerkraut mixture, form into balls. (It’s easier to do all at once). Roll the balls into the flour, then the egg mixture, and then the bread crumbs.
Fry a few at a time in deep hot fat (365 degrees) for about 2 minutes or until brown.
Remove from fat with a slotted spoon. Drain on a paper towel. Transfer to a baking
sheet. You can keep these warm in an oven at 275 degrees. I freeze mine at this stage
and reheat in an oven 350 degrees until warmed with no problems. This recipe yields
50-60 balls. That is a "2 bite ball" we made a 1 inch scoop and it yielded 35 "3 bite balls".

From Rita Heikenfeld ~ Freezing Food

To freeze - or not to freeze? Foods that freeze well & those that don't
Posted by RitaHeikenfeld at 9/7/2009 12:55 PM EDT on Cincinnati.com
Here's the deal:
Foods that freeze well:
Red meat - 4-12 months
Poultry - 9 to 12 months
Seafood - 3 to 6 months
Raw bacon - 1 to 2 months
Some casseroles - 1 to 4 months
Soups, stews & stocks - 2 to 4 months
Cooked legumes 4-6 months
Whole berries - 8 to 12 months
Peeled ripe bananas - 2 to 4 weeks
Blanched veggies - 2 to 12 months, depending on the veggie
Bread - 6 to 8 months (wrap well!)
Pie dough - 6 to 8 weeks
Nuts - 6 to 12 months
Butter - 6 to 9 months
Egg whites - 12 months
Flour (like whole grains, all purpose, etc.) - 6 to 12 months (check whole grains after 6 months)
Foods that don't freeze well:
High moisture veggies like lettuce, celery & cabbage get watery.
Cream and custard fillings separate.
Meringue toughens.
Milk undergoes flavor changes
Sour cream and yogurt separate (i've had luck whisking them a bit before using)
Heavy cream usually won't whip after it's been frozen, but it's OK to use.

Pesto and Pesto Chicken (Pg. 39)

Pesto and Chicken with Pesto:
2 c. firmly packed basil leaves 1/2 c. olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic 1/4 to 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese(the good stuff)
3 T. Pine nuts salt and pepper to taste
If making Pesto chicken add 3-4 T. lemon juice and 2 lbs thawed boneless skinless chicken breast.
Season chicken with salt and pepper place in a gallon size freezer bag or 9 x 13 dish. Cover and refrigerate. Wash up!
Pesto sauce:
In a food processor place garlic and pulse, then the basil and pulse.





Add the pine nuts and pulse.

Slowly add olive oil while processing, then pulse in the cheese.


You can pour into a small Ball Mason jar, cover the top with olive oil and freeze. You can use right away on bruschetta or in a pasta dish.

If making pesto chicken, add lemon juice to the mixture and mix well. Pour over the chicken and marinate for 30 min. to a few hours (refrigerate), but NOT over night. I like a freezer bag to flip the mixture.

Grill chicken, turning only once until cooked, but not until dry! Place on a platter and cover with foil so juices redistribute. Can be served over pasta or a bed of greens. Yum!