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Good food is wise medicine. ~Alison Levitt M.D.~

National Chili Week (1st week of October)

October 1 - World Vegetarian Day

October 2 - National French Fried Scallops Day

October 3 - National Carmel Custard Day

October 4 - National Taco Day

October 5 - National Apple Betty Day

October 6 - National Noodle Day

October 7 - National Frappe Day

***Weekly Cooking Thread Ping List***

Recap of recipes from last week’s thread (Sept 24th)

Bread* 23 Dutch oven Bread
Breakfast* 4 Buttermilk Pancakes
Drink* 24 Mocha
Meal* 6 SOUTHERN STYLE SLOPPY JOES
Meal* 8 Spicy-Sweet Steak and Onions
Meal* 9 Beef Tips and gravy
Meal* 13 Beef Braised in Rosemary Wine Sauce
Meal* 15 Asian Style Boneless Ribs
Meal* 25 Braised Beef Short Ribs
Meal* 26 Chicken Cacciatore
Meal* 27 Oktoberfest Pork Chops
Meal* 28 Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Meal* 35 Crock Pot Stuffed Acorn Squash with Sausage, Rice and Veggies
Side* 10 Spicy Pinto Beans
Soup* 3 2 Noodle Soup

Sept 24th link:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2783081/posts?page=38#38

I am going to celebrate World Vegetarian Day by cooking up some Braised Beef Short Ribs today. Since the only Short Ribs around this small town are very skimpy and hard to find and what they sell is called a ladder of short ribs (no true butcher shop around for a hundred miles) my wife let me splurge on some Prime Kobe Beef Short Ribs from Lobel's of New York. I got 2 pounds. Very expensive and a true splurge for us. Below is a picture of most of the ingredients except for the wine and beef stock I will be using and sea salt and black pepper.

In the Back from left to right is Smoked Spanish Paprika, clarified butter, 1/3 cup of Jack Daniels, Bacon drippings, and an onion. Up front from left to right is the local short rib Ladder, then the beautiful thick Kobe Beef Short Ribs a couple of stalks of celery and a carrot.

I will only use the butter if the bacon drippings is not enough to brown the Ribs and then saute the veggies.

I will be using the recipe from here Braised Beef Short Ribs

I am adding the Jack Daniels because I like the flavor it adds and will use a zinfandel for the wine. And adjust the recipe to 6 short ribs instead of the 12 called for.

Let's Eat!

Made a wicked good spicy sesame pork stir fry last night.

Sliced very cold pork tenderloin into 1-1½" thick strips (chilled meat slices more easily)

Marinated for 1 hour in:

-soy sauce
-garlic
-scallions
-sesame seeds
-2Tb corn starch
-Worcestershire
-3 dried chili peppers

Vegetables (personal preference):

-fresh baby brussel sprouts cleaned & sliced in half (snow peas are great too)
-canned baby corn, rinsed
-fresh sliced mushrooms

Heat peanut oil & chili sesame oil (spice to suit taste) in wok. Cook pork until all pink is gone (about 5 min.)

Remove meat from wok, set aside in a bowl

Cook vegetables until mushrooms are reduced and brussel sprouts are lightly browned (carmelized).

Add meat back into mixture to heat.

Serve over rice.

I came up with this recipe for my family by combing a few of my favorite recipes together. They absolutely love it, and it is a great recipe for vegetarians or meat lovers! I had a small amount of leftover Stir Fry and Fajita mixtures from dinner’s earlier in the week and threw that in with the rice mixture this week, and it was delicious and a great one pot meal.

Brown and Wild Rice Pilaf with Bulgar Wheat

1 cup Wild Rice
1 cup Brown Rice
1 cup Bulgur Wheat
Oil or bacon drippings for sautéing vegetables
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 cup carrot, finely chopped
1 cup, mushrooms, sliced or one or two small cans of sliced mushrooms
1 cup cabbage or spinach, finely chopped (optional)
6 cups of chicken, beef, or vegetable broth or stock
2 tablespoons Fajita Seasoning or your Favorite Seasoning Blend

Sauté vegetables in oil in a large Dutch oven. Add seasonings and stir over low heat to develop the flavor of the spices. Add all the rice and bulgur wheat and the broth. Cook covered in a 375-degree oven for 1-1 ½ hours until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.

For a one-pot meal, add leftover chicken, beef or pork along with the rice.

For added flavor, this recipe is also good with a handful of dried fruit added to it such as Craisins, raisins, or even chopped dried apricots.

Tip: This is a great way to use up leftover fajita or stir-fry by simply throwing it in along with the rice and broth. Any leftover meat or vegegables would be good in this, just make sure anything you add to it is bite size.

Here is a quick easy way to come up with breakfast muffins for mornings on the go, for a Sunday Brunch, or if you realize you don’t have enough bread left for morning toast because the guys in your house made themselves too many sandwiches for their midnight snacks.

My oldest daughter actually came up with this idea when she was about 10 years old for a Mother’s Day morning breakfast treat for me several years ago and we have been making them ever since, whenever we want a sweet muffin.

This is more of a method than an actual recipe. It can be a great way to introduce children to cooking, since cake mixes are relatively easy to prepare and are often the first thing we cook with our little ones. Your children may also come up with some ideas for variations all on their own just like mine did.

Quick and Easy Lemon Poppy seed muffins

One lemon cake mix
Poppy seeds to taste

Prepare batter according to the package directions. When batter is fully mixed fold in Poppy seeds. Using an ice cream scoop, put the batter into muffin tins lined with paper muffin cups.

Cook muffins according to the time and temperature for cupcakes.

If you want a glaze on the muffins, you can combine a bit of lemon juice with confectioner’s sugar, but they are good plain too.

We also came up with several variations on this recipe for using this same method, so here are a few of those.

For Banana muffins we substitute a white or yellow cake mix for the lemon one and 1-2 mashed bannanas instead of the Poppy seeds.

For Double chocolate muffins we substitute a chocolate cake mix and add chocolate chips to taste.

For Apple Cinnamon muffins we use a spice cake mix and add about a cup of diced apples. We sprinkle the tops of these with a cinnamon and sugar mixture. (This is a great way to use up apples that are starting to get soft.)

For Pumpkin Spice Muffins we use a spice cake mix and add 1 c of pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin.

I made this recipe and changed a few things. I baked it at 300 for an hour and then turned off the oven and left it in for an hour. The texture is perfect. I also skipped the topping.. Pumpkin Cheesecake Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) melted butter 1/4 cup sugar 1 1/2 lbs. cream cheese, softened 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk 1 14-oz. can pumpkin puree 4 eggs 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 1/2 cups whipping cream 1/4 cup confectioner's ("powdered") sugar Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350º F. Add the 4 tablespoons of butter to a 10-inch or 12-inch springform pan and place it in the oven to melt. Add the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan and 1/2 way up the sides. Bake at 350º F. for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. Beat at medium-high speed until well combined. Add the pumpkin puree, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat again until the mixture is completely smooth. This may take 1-2 minutes. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan. Bake at 350º F. for 60 minutes. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. Run a knife blade along the rim of the springform pan to release the edge of the cake; but do not remove the outer ring of the springform pan just yet. Leave the cheesecake on the wire rack until it is completely cooled. Remove the outer ring of the springform pan and place the cheesecake in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight. Shortly before serving, prepare the whipped cream. Simply beat the whipping cream and confectioner's sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream over the cheesecake. This will hide any "cracks" in the cake's surface, too! Chill again until you're ready to serve. I took a picture before cutting it to share:

Cheese Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 package sliced Swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
¼ c white wine or apple juice
1 package stovetop chicken stuffing mix (can use herb instead)
1 stick melted butter

In a small bowl, mix soup and wine. Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Lay chicken in pan. Add one slice of cheese to the top of each breast. Pour soup mixture on top of cheese. Cover all with dry stuffing mix. Drizzle top with melted butter.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 more minutes.

Easy Marinated Chicken Shish Kabobs

Rather than mixing up my own marinade, I just use Zesty Italian salad dressing for this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3 breast pieces) pounded flat and cut into ~1 inch chunks
One red (or yellow or other ripe) bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1" square(ish) pieces.
One green bell pepper,cored, seeded and cut into 1" square(ish) pieces.
One medium onion, peeled, diced
One small package (a dozen or so mushrooms), remove stems and vanes leaving just the cap
1 cup Zesty Italian salad dressing.

Cut and prepare all ingredients through the mushrooms. Combine in a bowl, add the Zesty Italian salad dressing and toss to coat everything. Let it marinate for at least a half hour (one to two hours in the refrigerator is even better). Stir and toss occasionally to mix the marinade with the ingredients.

Start preheating oven to 375°.

Skewer the ingredients on bamboo skewers. Start with a vegetable piece. I generally use 2 to 3 vegetable pieces for each piece of meat. You want the meat evenly distributed throughout the vegetables. You should have 3 or 4 full skewers. Place the skewers in a large rectangular baking dish. Pour the marinade over the skewers.

Bake for about 25 minutes. Brush marinade over the kabobs periodically (2 or 3 times as it bakes).

Remove from oven, turn it up to Broil. Place skewers on broiler pan and baste with some of the marinade. Cook for an additional 7 to 10 minutes under the broiler, turning occasionally and basting with remaining marinade to brown all sides.

This is excellent when served with a side dish of steamed rice.

This is good and a nice change from regular meat loaf:

Reuben Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, crumbled
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
filling: Ingredients:
1 can sauerkraut, 8 oz, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped corned beef
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Instructions:

Spray a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with nonstick foil.

Combine all meat mixture ingredients in medium bowl. Press 1/2 of mixture in bottom of loaf pan. Make slight indentation down the center of the meatloaf. Combine all filling mixture and put in indentation. Top with remaining meat mixture, pressing to enclose filling and sealing edges.

Bake at 350° for about 1 hour, or until done. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
Serves 4 to 6.

Note- I serve with extra Thousand Island on the side. You can also use 1/2 beef, half pork.

Chicken Paprikash

Traditionally this dish is made with sweet Hungarian paprika (or sometimes a mix of sweet and hot paprika). Using smoked paprika adds a smoky element of flavor — be sure to look for the highest quality paprika you can find.

8 chicken leg quarters
1½ tsp. Kosher salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 large or 3 medium onions, sliced (about 4 cups)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. flour
½ cup white wine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season chicken with ¾ tsp. salt and a good sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch Oven or large oven-proof pot over medium-high heat. Brown chicken quarters, about 2-3 minutes per side, turning once. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.

Add onions, garlic, and bell pepper to the pot. Sauté until onions are translucent and softened, about 6-8 minutes. Season with remaining salt, more black pepper and paprika. Stir to blend and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle in flour. Stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add wine and stir to blend. Return chicken to the pot. Spoon liquid over chicken quarters, cover and transfer to preheated oven.

Bake covered, for 1¼ -1½ hours. Serve hot over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Wishing you and easy and meaningful fast, Naomi Ross and the Park East Kosher family