Recipes

[GenXmuse]

Slow Cooker Asian Sweet Chili Sesame Chicken

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds chicken breasts (thawed)*
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
sriracha to taste (optional)

Sweet Chili Sesame Sauce
2-4 tablespoons Asian sweet chili sauce 
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons quality hoisin sauce (like Lee Kum Kee or Kikkkoman)***
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder or 3-4 garlic cloves minced
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder or 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Garnishes
toasted sesame seeds
chopped green onions

INSTRUCTIONS

Add chicken to the bottom of your crockpot.

Whisk the Sweet Chili Sesame Sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl. Pour over chicken.

Cook on low for 5-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Shred chicken and add 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water to the crockpot. Stir contents around. Cook on high for 20-30 minutes until sauce thickens. Taste and add Sriracha for spicier, brown sugar for sweeter if desired.

Serve with rice and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

Next Ingredient: PRETZELS

[VaBelle35]

---

@Coquille wrote:

Sopie's Chopped Salad (Courtesy of Bobby Flay)

1 head of romaine lettuce, finely chopped, 1/2 cup cooked red beans, 1 cucumber, peeled and diced, 2 tomatoes diced, 1/2 cup fried blue corn tortillas, diced, 1/2 cup diced Monterey Jack cheese, 1/2 cup diced cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp Dillon mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper.

Toss all salad ingredients together in a medium bowl. MIx together the vinegar and the mustard. SLowly whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Dress the salad with the vinaigrette and serve.

We go to Mesa Grill often, just to get this salad and a burger. I have made it with regular tortilla chips and have even used canned beans on occasion.

---

I've made this many times.  It's a great salad.

[VaBelle35]

White Chocolate Monster Munch Chex Mix

I made this for a Bunco party last Halloween.  It was great.  It makes a TON, so you may want to cut it in half if you're serving a lot of food.

You can also swap out the "Halloween" stuff and make it for other holidays.

Ingredients Ingredients:

1/2 (10 oz) package pretzels

2 1/2 cups Honey Nut Cheerios

2 1/2 cups Corn Chex

1 cup peanuts (or mixed nuts)

1 (12 oz) package candy corn M & Ms

2 cups candy corn

1 (12 oz) package white chocolate chips

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions

In a VERY large bowl (or two medium bowls), combine the first 6 ingredients. Set aside. In a microwave safe bowl, heat white chips and oil on high for 60 seconds (you could also melt chocolate and oil in a double boiler pan). Stir and microwave for another 30 seconds and stir until completely melted and smooth (you may need to microwave for a couple more seconds). Pour melted chocolate over cereal mix and stir until all the cereal is evenly covered with white chocolate. Spread cereal mix on 2 large baking sheets (I used cookie sheets) lined with wax paper. Let cool and then break apart into chunks. Store in an airtight container.

Serves about 12 people (LOL - more like 112).

NEXT INGREDIENT:  Shrimp

[Firemans Wife 2001]

Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients:

• 50 medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 T. finely minced garlic
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 lemons sliced thin—into circles (remove seeds)
• Old Bay Seasoning
• Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Line sliced lemons in bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish.

Place shrimp in single layer over top of lemons.

Melt butter; add garlic, lemon juice and wine. Mix well and pour over shrimp, coating evenly.

Lightly sprinkle shrimp with a Old Bay Seasoning and Parmesan Cheese.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until shrimp are opaque.

Serve with rice or mixed with angel hair pasta.   Serves 4

NEXT INGREDIENT:    LOBSTER

[VaBelle35]

This is my standard holiday meal. I've apparently been making it since it was published in Bon Appetit in 2007.

STEAMED LOBSTER WITH CHARMOULA BUTTER

BON APPÉTIT

JULY 2007

Charmoula is a North African mixture of herbs, oil, lemon, and cumin.

YIELD

Makes 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 (2-pound) live lobsters (I use frozen lobster cooked lobster meat)

6 tablespoons butter

1 small garlic clove, pressed

2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon (scant) ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika

PREPARATION

Add enough water to very large pot to reach depth of 2 inches. Cover; bring to boil. Add lobsters head first, cover, and steam until shells are pink and lobsters are cooked through, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Stir in remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt. Divide between 2 small bowls. Serve lobsters with charmoula butter.

NEXT INGREDIENT:  Almond Extract

[GenXmuse]

Almond Joy Cookies

I absolutely love these though no one else in my family is crazy about coconut. More for me!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons coconut extract
1 to 2 teaspoons almond extract (I use 2 and love almond extract, but if you don’t use 1)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cornstach
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars, egg, extracts, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes.

Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.

Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the coconut, almonds, chocolate chips, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.

Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form approximately 13 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly. Tip – Strategically chocolate chips on top of each mound by taking chips from the underside and adding them on top.

Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.

Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet) and bake for about 10 to 11 minutes (I baked for just under 11 minutes), or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Coconut is prone to burning and undersides of cookies can easily become too dark so watch them closely. Cookies will be pale and look un-done, but firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.

Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Next Ingredient: Gochujang Sauce (Korean red chili paste)

[VaBelle35]

I had to do a little googling on that ingredient.  Very interesting.  I found a slow cooker recipe that might be good to try this winter.

It says it was adapted slighted from Bon Appetit, which gives me some confidence that it's a decent recipe.

Easy Slow Cooker Korean Pork Bulgogi

INGREDIENTS

1 apple (diced)

7-8 Garlic Cloves

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons gochujang (or Sriracha)

1 teaspoon Red Chilli Flakes

1 inch piece ginger (peeled)

1 tablespoon honey

2 Onions (sliced)

500 grams pork (thinly sliced)

Salt to taste

1 cup sliced Bell Peppers ((red, green and/or yellow))

toasted Sesame Seeds for topping

1/4 cup chopped Spring Onions

INSTRUCTIONS

Marinade: To make the marinade, add apple, garlic, soy sauce, gochujang, chilli flakes and ginger to a food processor. Pulse till a smooth paste forms.

Slow Cooker Recipe: In the slow cooker, add onions, pork, honey, salt and the marinade from the food processor. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Once the pork is cooked through, skim the fat from the top of the pork and discard. Add the bell peppers and cook on high for 15-20 minutes. Top with sesame seeds and chopping spring onions. Serve over rice with a 6 minute egg. Stove Top Recipe: Marinate the pork in the paste for at least 2 hours or overnight. Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (not mentioned in the recipe ingredients) in a wok and add onions. Stir fry on high for a minute or two and add the marinated pork with all the liquid. Cook on medium high heat for 10-15 minutes till the meat is cooked through and caramelized. Add bell peppers and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes. Top with sesame seeds and chopping spring onions. Serve over rice with a 6 minute egg.

NOTES Adapted slightly from Bon Appetit

NEXT INGREDIENT:  Black Eyed Peas!

Happy New Year!

[kitty4me]

These I need to make.