Post by nybirder on Sept 30, 2016 10:17:15 GMT -5
Cooking for Two
2012 October Recipes
1. Chocolate French Toast
2. Pumpkin & Sausage Penne
3. Beema's Oriental Fried Rice
4. Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy for Two
5. Shredded Chicken Sandwiches
6. 4 Grain Bread
Chocolate French Toast
BobbiJoAZ
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 Tbs. +2 tsp. white sugar
4 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch teaspoon baking powder
1/16 teaspoon salt
2 slices bread
Directions
1.Beat together milk, eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
2.Heat a lightly buttered skillet or griddle over medium heat.
3.Dip each slice of bread into egg mixture until well soaked, about 20 seconds per side. Place in pan, and cook on both sides until they are no longer gooey or shiny in the middle when cut in half, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Pumpkin & Sausage Penne
www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Pumpkin---Sausage-Penne
This dish for two is brimming with flavor, yet it's so easy to make. I once made it for my father-in-law, who swears he'll only eat pasta with red sauce. He loved it and asked for seconds! —Karen Cambiotti, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
2 Servings Prep/Total Time: 30 min.
Ingredients
3/4 cup uncooked penne pasta
2 Italian sausage links, casings removed
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
3 teaspoons minced fresh sage, divided
1/8 teaspoon each salt, pepper and ground cinnamon
Dash ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons half-and-half cream
2 tablespoons shredded Romano cheese
Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard drippings, reserving 1 teaspoon.
Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil and reserved drippings over medium-high heat until tender. Add wine and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the broth, pumpkin, 1-1/2 teaspoons sage and remaining seasonings; cook 1 minute longer. Add the cream and sausage; heat through. Remove bay leaf.
Drain pasta; transfer to a large bowl. Add sausage mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining sage. Yield: 2 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 1-1/3 cups (prepared with reduced-sodium broth) equals 490 calories, 23 g fat (9 g saturated fat), 61 mg cholesterol, 950 mg sodium, 42 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 21 g protein.
Beema's Oriental Fried Rice
Beema
I have been told that the origins of fried rice came about as a result of combining a bunch of leftovers into a palatable dish... So, that tells me that, like stews and soups, just about anything goes. And, there is no right or wrong way, no traditional recipe, per se, so this is where your own creative cooking skills come into play.
*You can add cooked chicken, pork, beef or shrimp (about 1 1/4 cup) or leave the meat totally out to make it a vegetarian. * You can add 1/2 cup of a variety of finely chopped veggies: carrots, broccoli, cabbage, sugar snap peas. * You can add a small can of tiny new green peas. * You can even add finely chopped peanuts.
The oils that you use can determine the taste: you can use canola oil, olive oil or, my personal favorite is peanut oil with a few drops of sesame oil. I don't recommend the olive oil because this recipe needs high temps, but I mention it only because I have seen some recipes using olive oil, and also margarine... use the peanut oil mixed with a few drops of sesame... that's the best.
Because the rice is going to be fried after it is cooked, I use the very simple Success white rice. Using anything better is a waste of money. Cook the rice early in the day, and let it get COLD in the fridge. When you add it to the cooking process you will break it apart with your hands. Using warm rice turns out a gummy dish.
In a glass pie plate (or other large, rimmed plate) marinate the veggies and any meats (cut into small cubes) in a mixture of ground ginger, a few dribbles of sesame oil some shakes of soy sauce - just enough to cover - for two hours in the fridge. I have never measured ... I just sprinkle the ginger and then add the soy sauce, according to my Beema-meter. Then I take it out of the fidge to get it to room temp... do not drain.
Then I wisk 4 to 6 eggs. Heat a large skillet until it is hot enough for a few drops of water to dance. Add one tablespoon of canola or peanut oil, tilt to coat. Heat until very hot. Add the eggs all at once, and as they bubble at the sides, push them toward the center, tilting the skillet to cook eggs evenly. Using a cooking fork, mash down on the eggs until you hear them squeak, releasing all the air bubbles, and continue cooking, turning, and stitrting until the eggs are very brown, remove to a separate plate and break up into small pieces if needed.
Next, reheat the same skillet, add 2 tablespoons oil, and using your hands, break apart the cold cooked rice, adding it to the skillet as you do so. Stir and cook the rice continuously for three to four minutes, and then add the cooked eggs, continuing to stir. To maintain the heat, slowly add the marintated veggies and meat mixture, with the juices, and continue to stir until fully heated through.
Re: BEEMA'S ORIENTAL FRIED RICE
NYBirder
Beema--I've been told that fried rice is one of those things that the Chinese only serve at home, not in restaurants. It's a comfort-food kind of thing. It's definitely leftovers' velcro--a great way to stretch odds and ends into a good, filling meal.
Thanks for the marination idea. I will have to try that. I usually sprinkle and mix in soy sauce after the rice and add-ins have been finished until is the right color. The marinade sounds like it would add much more flavor. A must-have for me in fried rice is chopped onions sauteed until slightly browned around the edges--I always add them.
I second the peanut/sesame oil combination--definitely adds the right flavors. I can't imagine using olive oil or butter--it just doesn't seem natural.
One more version to pass on. A college student told me his favorite way to make fried rice is to brown rough-cut bacon until crisp, remove it, pour off most of the fat, add some oil, and proceed making the rice with egg (and maybe veggies if he was in the mood), sprinkling the rice and eggs with the bacon bits to serve. A cardiologist's nightmare, although I bet it's pretty darned tasty, not to mention inexpensive--I don't think I could eat it more than once or twice a year!
Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy for Two
NYBirder
I have been making this recipe for at least 30 years, adapting it for the slow cooker along the way. The vegetables are cooked separately so that they keep their identity—it’s really worth the effort. Although this has a number of steps, they’re done at separate times and don’t take much work.
You don’t have to use the whole little frozen onions if you don’t want to. Instead, just cut wedges of a regular onion and sautee them slowly until they are a little brown and cooked. This excellent the second day—it just gets better as it sits. It also freezes very well.
Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy for Two
3-4 servings
1 slice of thick-cut bacon, optional
1 pound lean stew beef, cut in 1-inch cubes
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup dry red wine (I’m in the habit of buying the little 1-serving bottles—no leftover wine)
1 tsp. tomato paste (from a tube)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
2/3 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/3 teaspoon salt
6-18 small white onions, thawed if frozen
4 to 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced or quartered
Extra wine and flour for thickening sauce, if desired
If using bacon, cut slice into squares and fry slowly in a sautee pan until it is rendered. Remove bacon bits and reserve. Add oil. Saute beef in oil until brown. Toss beef with the flour and lightly brown flour. Stir in wine, tomato, garlic and herbs and optional bacon. Pour into a 1 1/2 quart slow cooker. Cook on low overnight or for 7-8 hours.
While the meat is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms and set them aside till needed, refrigerating if necessary.
For the onions:
6-18 small white onions, thawed if frozen
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup beef stock
Salt & fresh ground pepper
If using frozen, make sure they are defrosted and drained. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and add the onions to the skillet.
Saute over medium heat for about ten minutes, rolling the onions about so they brown as evenly as possible, without breaking apart. Add beef stock and simmer until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape and the liquid has mostly evaporated. Set aside.
For the mushrooms:
Heat 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and oil over high heat in a large skillet. As soon as the foam begins to subside add the mushrooms and toss and shake the pan for about five minutes. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.
When the beef is cooked, either chill it and remove any accumulated fat or transfer directly to a saucepan. Add prepared vegetables to beef and cook for 15-20 min. Thicken with a slurry of wine and flour if necessary.
Serve with noodles or mashed potatoes.
For years, all I ever knew existed were the common white mushrooms and they work fine in this. These days, I have been using criminis (baby bellas) sometimes. In fact, when I'm cutting calories, I often put in twice as many of the crimini's and less meat and cut the oil and butter, too. They have a hearty texture that's a good substitute for meat.
You might have to adjust the sauce at the end--it isn't always necessary to add additional thickening and sometimes you might even have to thin it a bit. I guess it depends on the weather. Also, I've been buying the single-serving bottles of merlot to cook with--it works well in this recipe and I don't have part of a bottle left over afterward.
Shredded Chicken Sandwich
c3clark
My daughter told me about the shredded chicken sandwich she makes, so I tried it a couple of weeks ago. I know a lot of you don't like to use the cream soup, but I don't mind. You just mix one small bottle of bbq sauce and a can of cream of chicken soup and pour it over chicken breasts in the crock pot. I used four really big chicken breasts and we had it two days and I froze 3 small containers.
After the chicken is done, maybe 4-5 hours, shred it and return it to the crock pot and cook it a while longer. I had to add a little corn starch slurry cause it was a bit too liquidy. When I tasted it out of the pot I wasn't sure I liked it. I was expecting it to taste like pulled chicken, but with the chicken soup mixed in it didn't have as strong a bbq taste. But when I put it on a bun with mustard and some jarred jalapeno's, it was really good. I liked it because it WAS different from regular pulled chicken.
4 Grain Bread
tastycook1
I have this recipe marked as a TOH recipe but could not find it on the site this morning. I have had it for years but never made it until yesterday and then I adapted it for the breadmaker and only made half the recipe but it turned out very well. Made one loaf and a couple of buns (wanted them for supper last night). I also increased the whole wheat flour and decreased the bread flour accordingly.
4 Grain Bread
TOH recipes
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons salt
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour--I always use bread flour
Additional butter, melted
In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, boiling water and butter; cool to 110°-115°, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add to oat mixture. Add the cornmeal, whole wheat flour, honey, salt and 3 cups all-purpose flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each portion into a loaf. Place in two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Brush with melted butter. Cool. Yield: 2 loaves.
Nutrition Facts:
1 serving (1 slice) equals 118 calories, 1 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 2 mg cholesterol, 156 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein
2012 October Recipes
1. Chocolate French Toast
2. Pumpkin & Sausage Penne
3. Beema's Oriental Fried Rice
4. Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy for Two
5. Shredded Chicken Sandwiches
6. 4 Grain Bread
Chocolate French Toast
BobbiJoAZ
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 Tbs. +2 tsp. white sugar
4 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch teaspoon baking powder
1/16 teaspoon salt
2 slices bread
Directions
1.Beat together milk, eggs, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
2.Heat a lightly buttered skillet or griddle over medium heat.
3.Dip each slice of bread into egg mixture until well soaked, about 20 seconds per side. Place in pan, and cook on both sides until they are no longer gooey or shiny in the middle when cut in half, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Pumpkin & Sausage Penne
www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Pumpkin---Sausage-Penne
This dish for two is brimming with flavor, yet it's so easy to make. I once made it for my father-in-law, who swears he'll only eat pasta with red sauce. He loved it and asked for seconds! —Karen Cambiotti, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
2 Servings Prep/Total Time: 30 min.
Ingredients
3/4 cup uncooked penne pasta
2 Italian sausage links, casings removed
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth
1 bay leaf
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
3 teaspoons minced fresh sage, divided
1/8 teaspoon each salt, pepper and ground cinnamon
Dash ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons half-and-half cream
2 tablespoons shredded Romano cheese
Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard drippings, reserving 1 teaspoon.
Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil and reserved drippings over medium-high heat until tender. Add wine and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the broth, pumpkin, 1-1/2 teaspoons sage and remaining seasonings; cook 1 minute longer. Add the cream and sausage; heat through. Remove bay leaf.
Drain pasta; transfer to a large bowl. Add sausage mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining sage. Yield: 2 servings.
Nutrition Facts: 1-1/3 cups (prepared with reduced-sodium broth) equals 490 calories, 23 g fat (9 g saturated fat), 61 mg cholesterol, 950 mg sodium, 42 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 21 g protein.
Beema's Oriental Fried Rice
Beema
I have been told that the origins of fried rice came about as a result of combining a bunch of leftovers into a palatable dish... So, that tells me that, like stews and soups, just about anything goes. And, there is no right or wrong way, no traditional recipe, per se, so this is where your own creative cooking skills come into play.
*You can add cooked chicken, pork, beef or shrimp (about 1 1/4 cup) or leave the meat totally out to make it a vegetarian. * You can add 1/2 cup of a variety of finely chopped veggies: carrots, broccoli, cabbage, sugar snap peas. * You can add a small can of tiny new green peas. * You can even add finely chopped peanuts.
The oils that you use can determine the taste: you can use canola oil, olive oil or, my personal favorite is peanut oil with a few drops of sesame oil. I don't recommend the olive oil because this recipe needs high temps, but I mention it only because I have seen some recipes using olive oil, and also margarine... use the peanut oil mixed with a few drops of sesame... that's the best.
Because the rice is going to be fried after it is cooked, I use the very simple Success white rice. Using anything better is a waste of money. Cook the rice early in the day, and let it get COLD in the fridge. When you add it to the cooking process you will break it apart with your hands. Using warm rice turns out a gummy dish.
In a glass pie plate (or other large, rimmed plate) marinate the veggies and any meats (cut into small cubes) in a mixture of ground ginger, a few dribbles of sesame oil some shakes of soy sauce - just enough to cover - for two hours in the fridge. I have never measured ... I just sprinkle the ginger and then add the soy sauce, according to my Beema-meter. Then I take it out of the fidge to get it to room temp... do not drain.
Then I wisk 4 to 6 eggs. Heat a large skillet until it is hot enough for a few drops of water to dance. Add one tablespoon of canola or peanut oil, tilt to coat. Heat until very hot. Add the eggs all at once, and as they bubble at the sides, push them toward the center, tilting the skillet to cook eggs evenly. Using a cooking fork, mash down on the eggs until you hear them squeak, releasing all the air bubbles, and continue cooking, turning, and stitrting until the eggs are very brown, remove to a separate plate and break up into small pieces if needed.
Next, reheat the same skillet, add 2 tablespoons oil, and using your hands, break apart the cold cooked rice, adding it to the skillet as you do so. Stir and cook the rice continuously for three to four minutes, and then add the cooked eggs, continuing to stir. To maintain the heat, slowly add the marintated veggies and meat mixture, with the juices, and continue to stir until fully heated through.
Re: BEEMA'S ORIENTAL FRIED RICE
NYBirder
Beema--I've been told that fried rice is one of those things that the Chinese only serve at home, not in restaurants. It's a comfort-food kind of thing. It's definitely leftovers' velcro--a great way to stretch odds and ends into a good, filling meal.
Thanks for the marination idea. I will have to try that. I usually sprinkle and mix in soy sauce after the rice and add-ins have been finished until is the right color. The marinade sounds like it would add much more flavor. A must-have for me in fried rice is chopped onions sauteed until slightly browned around the edges--I always add them.
I second the peanut/sesame oil combination--definitely adds the right flavors. I can't imagine using olive oil or butter--it just doesn't seem natural.
One more version to pass on. A college student told me his favorite way to make fried rice is to brown rough-cut bacon until crisp, remove it, pour off most of the fat, add some oil, and proceed making the rice with egg (and maybe veggies if he was in the mood), sprinkling the rice and eggs with the bacon bits to serve. A cardiologist's nightmare, although I bet it's pretty darned tasty, not to mention inexpensive--I don't think I could eat it more than once or twice a year!
Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy for Two
NYBirder
I have been making this recipe for at least 30 years, adapting it for the slow cooker along the way. The vegetables are cooked separately so that they keep their identity—it’s really worth the effort. Although this has a number of steps, they’re done at separate times and don’t take much work.
You don’t have to use the whole little frozen onions if you don’t want to. Instead, just cut wedges of a regular onion and sautee them slowly until they are a little brown and cooked. This excellent the second day—it just gets better as it sits. It also freezes very well.
Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy for Two
3-4 servings
1 slice of thick-cut bacon, optional
1 pound lean stew beef, cut in 1-inch cubes
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup dry red wine (I’m in the habit of buying the little 1-serving bottles—no leftover wine)
1 tsp. tomato paste (from a tube)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
2/3 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/3 teaspoon salt
6-18 small white onions, thawed if frozen
4 to 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced or quartered
Extra wine and flour for thickening sauce, if desired
If using bacon, cut slice into squares and fry slowly in a sautee pan until it is rendered. Remove bacon bits and reserve. Add oil. Saute beef in oil until brown. Toss beef with the flour and lightly brown flour. Stir in wine, tomato, garlic and herbs and optional bacon. Pour into a 1 1/2 quart slow cooker. Cook on low overnight or for 7-8 hours.
While the meat is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms and set them aside till needed, refrigerating if necessary.
For the onions:
6-18 small white onions, thawed if frozen
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup beef stock
Salt & fresh ground pepper
If using frozen, make sure they are defrosted and drained. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and add the onions to the skillet.
Saute over medium heat for about ten minutes, rolling the onions about so they brown as evenly as possible, without breaking apart. Add beef stock and simmer until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape and the liquid has mostly evaporated. Set aside.
For the mushrooms:
Heat 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter and 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and oil over high heat in a large skillet. As soon as the foam begins to subside add the mushrooms and toss and shake the pan for about five minutes. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.
When the beef is cooked, either chill it and remove any accumulated fat or transfer directly to a saucepan. Add prepared vegetables to beef and cook for 15-20 min. Thicken with a slurry of wine and flour if necessary.
Serve with noodles or mashed potatoes.
For years, all I ever knew existed were the common white mushrooms and they work fine in this. These days, I have been using criminis (baby bellas) sometimes. In fact, when I'm cutting calories, I often put in twice as many of the crimini's and less meat and cut the oil and butter, too. They have a hearty texture that's a good substitute for meat.
You might have to adjust the sauce at the end--it isn't always necessary to add additional thickening and sometimes you might even have to thin it a bit. I guess it depends on the weather. Also, I've been buying the single-serving bottles of merlot to cook with--it works well in this recipe and I don't have part of a bottle left over afterward.
Shredded Chicken Sandwich
c3clark
My daughter told me about the shredded chicken sandwich she makes, so I tried it a couple of weeks ago. I know a lot of you don't like to use the cream soup, but I don't mind. You just mix one small bottle of bbq sauce and a can of cream of chicken soup and pour it over chicken breasts in the crock pot. I used four really big chicken breasts and we had it two days and I froze 3 small containers.
After the chicken is done, maybe 4-5 hours, shred it and return it to the crock pot and cook it a while longer. I had to add a little corn starch slurry cause it was a bit too liquidy. When I tasted it out of the pot I wasn't sure I liked it. I was expecting it to taste like pulled chicken, but with the chicken soup mixed in it didn't have as strong a bbq taste. But when I put it on a bun with mustard and some jarred jalapeno's, it was really good. I liked it because it WAS different from regular pulled chicken.
4 Grain Bread
tastycook1
I have this recipe marked as a TOH recipe but could not find it on the site this morning. I have had it for years but never made it until yesterday and then I adapted it for the breadmaker and only made half the recipe but it turned out very well. Made one loaf and a couple of buns (wanted them for supper last night). I also increased the whole wheat flour and decreased the bread flour accordingly.
4 Grain Bread
TOH recipes
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons salt
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour--I always use bread flour
Additional butter, melted
In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, boiling water and butter; cool to 110°-115°, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add to oat mixture. Add the cornmeal, whole wheat flour, honey, salt and 3 cups all-purpose flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining all-purpose flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Shape each portion into a loaf. Place in two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks. Brush with melted butter. Cool. Yield: 2 loaves.
Nutrition Facts:
1 serving (1 slice) equals 118 calories, 1 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 2 mg cholesterol, 156 mg sodium, 24 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein