Cook's Catylist - Chapter 21 - Pudding in a Pot instead of a Box?

Chapter Twenty-One Pudding In a Pot Instead of a Box? As you know, pie crusts can be filled with sweetness, too! An easy pie filling can be made from your favorite boxed pudding mix. Again the cost plus the trip to the store can be avoided if only you knew how to make it from scratch! Chocolate Pudding or Pie Filling 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 2/3 cup cocoa powder 4 tablespoons cornstarch 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon salt, optional 4 cups milk 4 tablespoons butter or margarine 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Using a whisk, thoroughly combine the dry ingredients in a large pot. Blend in four egg yolks and one cup of milk, mixing it until smooth. Gradually stir in three more cups of milk. Keeping a constant eye on the mixture and stirring constantly, bring it all to a boil. Keep on stirring until thickened. At that point, remove the pot from the heat and mix in the butter and vanilla. Spoon into dessert dishes, refrigerate and there you have homemade pudding at half the cost. You mastered chocolate pudding in ten minutes. Give yourself another five and turn it into pie filling. Reduce the milk by one cup, proceed as above and pour the finished product into a baked crust. Refrigerate until firm. When you need a baked pie shell, just put your prepared pastry-line pan in a preheated, 375 degree oven. Bake approximately ten to twelve minutes or until golden. Keep a close eye on it! Although most people love chocolate, sometimes you yearn for something more vanilla and, perhaps, different. When I first heard about rice pudding, it sounded like something I would never eat! Once I made it myself, it started appearing for dessert very regularly! The children love it and it is pretty good for them, too. And, as with all homemade food, you know what went into it. Stove-Top Rice Pudding 1 cup uncooked rice, not the quick-cooking variety ½ cup granulated sugar 3 cups milk 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 teaspoons cinnamon Dash cloves Combine the uncooked rice, sugar and milk in heavy-gauge cooking pan. Cook over a medium to high heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Immediately reduce heat, cover and simmer very gently (approximately 30 minutes) or until milk is just about all absorbed. It doesn’t hurt to lift the lid and check frequently, especially if this is your first time out! Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and spices. Can be served hot, warm or cold. If you double the recipe, you may have some left over for breakfast! If you are looking for a more substantial pudding with a fruity flavor, you can add a cup of coarsely chopped apples. Mix chopped apples with a dash of brandy and a sprinkling of sugar before stirring into pudding after it has been cooked. A family that likes raisins would probably welcome a quarter cup of rum-soaked raisins dumped in when the pudding is set to cool down.

Potato Meal in a Pan

Potato Meal in a Pan About four cups of peeled and cubed potatoes (Any kind of white potato is fine.) 5 strips of bacon, diced 1/2 cup chopped onion 4 cloves of garlic, smashed and diced 1/2 cup diced bell pepper (using red, yellow, or green peppers is nice) 1/4 cup butter 4 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup grated sharp cheddar 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano 1 teaspoon caraway seed Salt and pepper to taste Bring your peeled and cubed potatoes to a boil and simmer in salted water until almost tender. Drain. In a large frying pan, add the bacon, onion, and garlic. Fry, stirring frequently, until the bacon starts to crisp and the onion and garlic are tender. Add the bell pepper and cook another minute or so. Add the butter and when it is melted and bubbling, put in the potatoes and cook until the potatoes start to take on a bit of brown around the edges. When the potatoes are a bit crisp, add the eggs and gently stir to coat the potatoes. Add the cheeses, caraway seed, salt, and pepper. Keep stirring until the cheese melts and the eggs are firming up. Serve with a green salad or steamed carrots. This is a cheesy/egg dish that is great on a cold evening. It is definitely not a pretty dish but it is popular around our house. You can use sausage instead of the bacon. If you have some other vegetables you like, you can add them, just parboil them to insure they cook through in the dish. You can even toss in some chili flakes or use fresh chili peppers in the cooking of the onions and garlic. And there is no rule that you have to use cheddar! In fact, a sprinkling of Feta is good. Swiss cheese makes a whole different dish.

Potato Pancakes

An easy recipe to supplement a meal and make it a bit more special. If you don't have fresh onions on hand, I have found that mixing dried onions into the egg mixture (to soften) works almost as well and produces a good, onion taste.

Potato Pancakes 2 large eggs 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt or to taste ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon ground caraway seed (use whole seed if you can’t find ground) 1/4 cup grated onion 2 ½ cups grated potatoes Combine and beat together the flour, salt, pepper and caraway seed in a large bowl. Grate the onion and potato together as the juice from the lemon will help keep the potatoes from turning color. You don’t have to be precise with the onion and potatoes. Stir the potato/onion mixture into the egg/spice mixture. In a preheated frying pan or griddle, add a bit of oil or butter and drop generous spoonfuls of the potato pancake mixture onto it. Cook until golden on one side, turn over and complete cooking. Serve as a side to a meat dish or just with a dish of chunky applesauce. It is a very versatile recipe and goes with a lot of meals.

Cereal Muffins

Whether you are a student or a harried mother trying to get ten things done at once, here is an easy recipe that can see you through a week of frantic mornings. Cereal Muffins 2 1/2 cups dry cereal (think bran cereal or even some fun cereals here) 1 quart buttermilk 2 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup butter (that's two sticks) 4 eggs 5 cups all-purpose flour 5 teaspoons baking soda Raisins, nuts . . . optional Cream sugar, butter, eggs and 1/4th of the buttermilk in a large mixing bowl. Add flour, baking soda, the rest of the buttermilk and the cereal and mix to just combine. Fill paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15-20 minutes. Mixure will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a week. Ideas to change/improve recipe. Vanilla extract has yet to hurt most any muffin recipe. Cinnamon takes muffins to a whole, new level. Soaking the raisins in juice or brandy does a muffin good. Grating some lemon or orange zest into the batter puts you on superior baker level.

Contenders for the title?

Okay, 'best' is always in the mind of the beholder or something to that effect! This is a favorite cookie at our house because it has everything in it, doesn't require icing, and doesn't take long to make. I like relatively fast recipes in the summer months as I can get them in and out of the oven before the heat can outdistance the air conditioning and still provide the family with a homemade treat. WORLD'S BEST COOKIE 1 cup butter (do not substitute) 1 cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 egg 1 cup salad oil 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 31/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup regular oatmeal ½ cup coconut ½ cup chopped pecans 1 cup cornflakes, crushed Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter, sugars and vanilla with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and salad oil, mixing well. Add baking soda, salt and flour and mix well. Add oatmeal, coconut, pecans and cornflakes and stir well. Form into balls the size of walnuts. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with fork. Bake for 12 minutes. Makes around 4 dozen.

Easy Mushroom Pork Chops

Mushroom Pork Chops 4-6 boneless pork chops 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions 3 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed, and chopped 1 can of cream of mushroom soup 1 cup sliced, fresh mushrooms 1 teaspoon dry mustard Salt and pepper to taste Marinade: Early on the day you want to prepare this for dinner, place the pork chops in a sealable, plastic bag. Add 1/2 cup soy sauce and 1/4 cup white wine. Shake up to coat the chops and refrigerate until dinner preparation. You might turn the bag over a few times in the course of the day to insure even marinating. Dinner Preparation: Remove the pork chops from the marinade and pat dry. In a large frying pan coated with some vegetable oil, brown the chops. Remove from the pan and set aside. Now add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions start to brown and caramelize a bit. Stir in the mushrooms and continue cooking and stirring until they are tender. Stir in the soup, mustard, salt, and pepper. Place the pork chops back in the pan, turn to cover with the soup mixture, cover the pan, and simmer for approximately twenty minutes or until the pork chops are cooked through. The hard part will deciding on whether to serve them over rice or noodles. They also go well with mashed potatoes.

Spicy Almonds

While the weather is still cool, put your oven to good use and make up a reasonably healthy snack for almost guilt-free munching! This is how I like to make them but, as you can see, there is plenty of room to create your own flavor palette. I prefer almonds but can’t see how you could go wrong using any other kind that is a favorite. Spicy Almonds1 pound shelled almonds (don’t need to be blanched.) 1 egg white 1 tablespoon water 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons salt (I substitute 1 teaspoon for smoked salt) 1 teaspoon chili flakes 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon black pepper Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place almonds in a large mixing bowl. Whip the egg white, water, and vanilla together. It should be frothy not like making meringue. Pour the mixture over the nut and add the rest of the ingredients and mix well to coat and distribute the spices/pepper, etc. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes. Check every few minutes to prevent burning and to stir around the nuts for even toasting. Remove from oven and cool thoroughly. They keep well at room temperature in a seal container.

Cook's Catalyst - Chapter 20 - Easy As Pie

Chapter Twenty Easy As Pie Whether you realized it or not, making the pastry crust for the Butter-Apple Tart just got you started on learning about and successfully making pie crust. All crusts need a maximum of attention and a minimum of handling. Knowledge of a basic pie crust will open up many recipe ideas for you. Easy Oil Pie Pastry 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup cold milk ½ cup vegetable oil Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Make a small well in the middle and pour in milk and oil. Stir lightly with a fork until well-mixed. If the pastry is too wet, add minute amounts of flour. If it is a dry day, you may have to add dabs of milk and oil. You can chill the dough at this point for later or go ahead and line a pie pan. This recipe makes one double crust or two single pie crusts. As long as you already have ideas of pastry crusts in mind, think about an elegant main course that uses few ingredients but collects rave notices from hungry families. Cheese-Onion Quiche One un-baked, pie crust 1 cup finely chopped onions 2 tablespoons butter or margarine One cup grated cheddar cheese 3 eggs, slightly beaten 1 ½ tablespoons flour 2 teaspoons dried mustard One can cream of mushroom soup ½ cup milk Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line pie pan with pastry. Saute onions in butter until tender and slightly golden. Spread over pastry. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Mix together eggs, flour, and mustard. Stir in undiluted cream of mushroom soup and milk. Pour over onions and cheese. Bake for approximately 45 minutes. Let stand ten minutes before serving. Although I used cheddar for the above recipe, don't let that limit you! Swiss cheese is good and Monterey Jack cheese goes well with the addition of some chilies of choice. This crust works with sweet pies, too, and is good with either pumpkin or pecan pie.