Saturday, January 19, 2008

stir fry

choose any meat and combinations of veggies from this list (or add any favorites of your own) to create your stir fry dish. all ingredients should be bite size and thinly sliced.

chicken breast pieces
sliced beef or pork
shrimp
broccoli
cauliflower
onion
celery
zucchini
carrots
green peppers
red peppers
mushrooms

coat the bottom or a large frying pan or wok with either vegetable oil or peanut oil. heat oil. add meat. season lightly with salt. cook and stir until tender, but not brown. add veggies and continue stirring and cooking on medium high heat until veggies are tender crisp. a bottled stir fry or teriyaki sauce may be added at this point, if desired. heat through. serve with rice and pass the soy sauce.

pasta con broccoli

1 8oz box cavatelli pasta (or whatever your favorite noodle is)
4 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 cup butter
1 pint heavy cream
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
2 bunches broccoli, cut into pieces and cooked until tender crisp
salt and pepper to taste

saute the mushrooms and the garlic in 2 tbsp of the butter. set aside. melt the remaining 6 tbsp of the butter in a saucepan. slowly add the cream and the cheese. stir until the cheese is melted. add broccoli and mushrooms. prepare pasta according to box directions. after draining, add sauce and toss, serve immediately. 6-8 servings

baked potato topping

our family loves this

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tbsp green onion, chopped
3 slices crispy bacon, crumbled

mix butter and sour cream. fold in cheese, onion and bacon. serve at room temperature on baked potatoes. 4-6 servings

drag it through the garden potato soup

this is my favorite soup!

1 yellow onion, peeled and diced (sometimes i only use a half)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
8 potatoes, peeled and diced
enough water to cover potatoes in the pot
3 tbsp chicken bouillon
1/2 cup flour
4 cups half and half or milk
1 tbsp dried parsley or 3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
10 oz frozen peas
add, if desired 1 cup of any or all of the following:
sauteed mushrooms
shredded carrots
shredded zucchini
green beans
3 or 4 strips crispy bacon
salt and pepper to taste

saute onion in the butter until clear. add potatoes and cover with water. add bouillon and cook over medium high heat until potatoes are tender. reduce heat. combine flour and half of the half and half (or milk) in a jar and shake well to blend. no flour clumps! add to the potatoes and stir for 3-4 minutes or until visibly thickened. gradually add remaining milk, stirring constantly to avoid scorching. add remaining vegetables and seasonings. gently heat through. garnish with crumbled bacon and shredded cheese, if desired. serves 6-8.

oatmeal muffins

2 cups quick cooking oatmeal
2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
2/3 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups flour (i did one cup white and one cup wheat, tasted great)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
2 tsp baking powder

mix the oats and buttermilk well and let stand 45-60 minutes. then add eggs and oil to oatmeal mixture. mix remaining ingredients together in a separate bowl. add liquid ingredients, mixing well. pour into muffin tins. makes about 24. bake in a 400 oven for 15-20 minutes of until golden brown.

banana nut muffins

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups mashed, ripe bananas
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

sift together flour, baking powder and salt. set aside. cream together butter and sugar. beat in eggs, one at a time. stir in bananas. add dry ingredients all at once, stirring just enough to moisten. gently stir in nuts. spoon into muffin tin, filling 2/3 full. bake in 350 oven for 18-20 minutes or until golden. makes 15-18 muffins

crab rangoons


oh so delectable. for non-seafood lovers, omit the crab and have yourself a cream cheese rangoon.

8 oz crabmeat (imitation or real)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
16 oz pkg wonton wrappers
vegetable oil for frying
water for moistening wonton wrappers
sweet and sour sauce or hot mustard sauce for dipping

combine crabmeat, cream cheese, and seasonings. put 1/2 tsp of the mixture in the middle of each wonton wrapper. fold points of skin to make a packet, sealing the last point with a touch of water on your fingertip. deep fry until light golden brown. serve hot with dipping sauce of your choice. makes approx 4 dozen