Beef Satay Fried Rice

Quite frequently I like to try new dishes. It seems like they are either Asian or Mexican in flavor when that happens. This dish comes from the latest Pampered Chef Catalog. We enjoyed this dish and I was surprised that my kids ate it so well. They especially loved the peanuts in it. Red bell peppers not so much, but I am proud of them for at least trying my cooking and not complaining. Jack said he liked this dish. It doesn't make our "Wow we need to have this again in the near future!" but is was one we wouldn't mind serving up again when we get the itch for something different.

2 teaspoon (10 mL) vegetable oil, divided
1 lb (450 g) boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 1/2 in. (1 cm) thick
2 medium carrots, peeled
1 medium red bell pepper
4 green onions with tops
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) Thai red curry paste (* I used 1/4 teaspoon and it was plenty hot for us-Whimps I know!!)
3 pouches (8.8 oz/250 g each) cooked white rice or 6 cups (1.5 L) cold cooked white rice
3/4 cup (175 mL) peanut sauce
1/2 cup (125 mL) dry roasted peanuts
1 teaspoon (5 mL) salt
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) coarsely ground black pepper

1. Prepare and cook steak.

Add 1 tsp (5 mL) of the oil to (12-in./30-cm) Skillet; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Cut steak crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick (6-mm) strips. Add steak to Skillet, cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until outside surfaces of steak are no longer pink. Remove from Skillet; set aside and keep warm.
2. Prepare vegetables and cook rice and vegetables.

Meanwhile, cut carrots into julienne strips using Julienne Peeler. Thinly slice bell pepper and green onions with Santoku Knife. To same Skillet, add remaining 1 tsp (5 mL) oil and curry paste; cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Separate rice according to package directions. Add rice and vegetables to Skillet; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until rice is coated with oil and vegetables are tender.
3. Finish and serve.

Add steak, sauce, peanuts, salt and black pepper to Skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes or until heated through, stirring constantly.
Yield: 6 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 370, Total Fat 12 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 25 mg, Carbohydrate 46 g, Protein 21 g, Sodium 540 mg, Fiber 4 g

U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 3 starch, 1 1/2 low-fat meat, 1 fat (3 carb)

Cook’s Tips: Cutting the steak into thin strips before cooking helps it to cook more quickly. Slice it into an even thickness to ensure even cooking.

This recipe is a great way to use leftover rice. Using cold cooked rice will allow the oil to coat the individual grains, preventing them from sticking together.

Peanut sauce is typically made of roasted peanuts, coconut milk and a variety of herbs and spices. It can be found in the Asian section of major grocery stores. Be sure to choose peanut sauce instead of a peanut dip, which tends to be thinner in consistency.

Spinach Salad with Strawberries (Lion House)

This recipe comes form my newest cookbook addition "Lion House Entertaining" I have loved everything I have cooked out of it so far! This was also a recipe that helped me use up a few wontons. I will definitely be making this salad again! It was awesome!


Dressing
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
3 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup strawberry jam (I used homemade jam)

To make dressing, mix together vinegar. sugar. oil, mustard, salt, and strawberry jam. Mix until all ingredients are well blended. Set aside.

SALAD
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup cashew pieces
15 wontons cut into thin strips
1 large head red leaf lettuce, washed and broken into pieces
1 pkg. Fresh Spinach, with stems trimmed (I prefer Baby Spinach)
1/3 cup bacon pieces, cooked and well drained
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 purple onion, sliced ( I like the flavor of onion, but this was an overwhelming amount to me so I used 1/4 cup finely minced)
1 cup strawberries, sliced

Heat a medium frying pan and add sugar and nuts. Stir constanly over medium heat until nuts are coated and slightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

Fry wontons in hot cooking oil and drain onto paper towels. ( I tried cutting the wontons in to 4ths and they didn't fry as well as when I divided it by 5 or 6 slices per sheet,)

When ready to serve salad, put lettuce, spinach, bacon, red pepper, onion and strawberries into a large bowl and toss. Add salad dressing and toss. Add sugared nuts and wontons last. Makes 10 servings

I divided up everything in half except the strawberries and I didn't put the dressing on the entire salad. Half a salad was a great side addition to our Sunday dinner when we combine with my in-laws. Half a salad fed 4 adults and small servings to the 5 kids.

Variations: Use fresh raspberries and raspberry jam instead of strawberries and strawberry jam. Substitute almonds for cashews. When fresh berries aren't available, substitute dried cranberries.


This is a personal preference, but ever since I made a spinach salad by Giada De Laurentiis (Food Network chef) I fell in love with the way she cut the spinach into ribbons like this picture shows. I think it makes it so much nicer and easier to eat a salad when the pieces are small.

Nepolean Cannoli Stacks

Wow! Okay these take a little bit of time to prepare, but not to bad. I got this recipe from www.meals.com (one of my favorites) I was searching for a recipe to help me use up some leftover Won Tons (after making Won Ton soup-simple and good recipe if anyone is interested. I didn't get pictures for the blog, but we'll make it again.) I thought the Raspberry preparation was a little much! I love raspberries so I tried it anyway. I really think you get get by with a seedless raspberry jam or preserve. They also go to all that work to use it to decorate the plates. I personally think it needs to be right in the stack. After decorating it I added a generous amount to the top of the cheese mixture before adding the top. For me it isn't great without the extra raspberry! I also included the nurtitional facts! YEAH I can hear you gasping for air! I did the same thing!!! Dessert is one of those fun treats we must have self-control over and with this one you definetly have to practive moderation!

1 container (15 oz.) ricotta cheese
1 pkg. (3 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature (I used 5 oz because I like the taste of Cream Cheese more than Ricotta)
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels, divided
2 cups vegetable oil
16 wonton wrappers
Sifted powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vegetable shortening
2 cups fresh red raspberries
3 tablespoons sifted powdered sugar

COMBINE ricotta cheese, cream cheese and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in medium bowl. Stir in 1 1/4 cups morsels. Cover; refrigerate until ready to serve. (I also added 1 teaspoon of Vanilla)

HEAT oil in deep skillet over medium heat to 350° F. Fry wonton wrappers, 2 or 3 at a time, until golden brown and crisp, about 30 seconds each side. Drain on paper towels. Dust fried wonton wrappers with some of the powdered sugar. Spread wonton wrappers on waxed paper.

PLACE remaining 3/4 cup morsels and shortening in small, heavy-duty plastic bag. Microwave on MEDIUM (70%) power for 20 seconds, knead bag to mix. Microwave at additional 10- second intervals, kneading until smooth. Cut a small hole in corner of bag; squeeze to drizzle over wonton wrappers.

PLACE raspberries in a food processor or blender. Cover; process or blend until smooth. Strain raspberry puree through a fine sieve. Add 3 tablespoons powdered sugar and stir until dissolved.

TO SERVE, spoon 2 tablespoons of the raspberry sauce on each of 8 dessert plates. Top each with a wonton wrapper, chocolate side up. Top each with about 1/3 cup of the ricotta mixture. Top with remaining wonton wrappers.

Calories: 550 Calories from Fat: 290 Total Fat: 32 g
Saturated Fat: 16 g Cholesterol: 35 mg Sodium: 200 mg
Carbohydrates: 63 g Dietary Fiber: 5 g Sugars: 45 g
Protein: 12 g

Magic in the Middle Cookies

from King Arthur Flour Blog

This cookies are one I have wanted this recipe forever. A sister in my ward made these for a baptism we had in our ward. Long story short I never got it from her, but The Sisters Cafe blog (my sister Sherri shared with me) posted it. THANK YOU Sister Cafe! This is copied from their blog (her picture is much nicer than mine--I have got to learn how to photograph food better!) These are SINFUL for me because I can eat more than one or two! They are rich and it is a good thing it only makes about 3 dozen. Pay attention to the note not to over bake! I found storing my extras in a cookie tin or other airtight container is the best way to keep them from going hard quickly.

Chocolate Dough
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar (plus extra for dredging)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

Peanut butter filling
3/4 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth, your choice
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar


1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. To make the dough: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg, beating to combine, then stir in the dry ingredients, blending well.

2. To make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and confectioners sugar until smooth. With floured hands or a teaspoon scoop, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls.

3. To shape the cookies: Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough (a lump about the size of a walnut), make an indentation in the center with your finger and place one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation. (I thought it was easiest to just separate the dough into 26 pieces like the filling so I didn't run out or have lots of leftovers.) Bring the cookie dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together cover the center; roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

4. Roll each rounded cookie in granulated sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Use the bottom of a drinking glassto flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick.

5. Bake the cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, or until they're set and you can smell chocolate. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Basic Pizza Dough-Authentic Neapolitan Dough

I tried this AUTHENTIC NEAPOLITAN PIZZA DOUGH this past week and it was very good. If you like a good rustic and chewy thick pizza crust you might give this one a try. I got this recipe from a Cuisine at Home magazine. I have yet to try a recipe out of it that hasn't gotten rave reviews from my family and extended family (Chicken Piccata's and Japanese style Pork Cutlets). I didn't get a picture of it because it was during time Jack was gone for two weeks to Ecuador and dinners even though I had it planned ahead of time seemed to sneak up on me and the kids. 

Makes three 10-14" Pizzas
Total Time 2 hours

Combine:
1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

Mix:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup bread flour
1 Tablespoon Kosher or sea salt

Add to Yeast mixture:
3 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Pour yeast/oil mixture into flour and knead.


Combine water, sugar and yeast. Poof until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Mix flours and salt in bowl of heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with dough hook.
Add oil to yeast mixture.
Pour yeast mixture into flour mixture and knead on low speed for 10 minutes (or the same amount of time by hand). Dough will be elastic ad slightly sticky.
Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl (I spray mine with PAM), turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1 hour.
Punch dough down and divide into three pieces; shape into balls and place on a floured work surface. Lightly brush dough with oil, cover completely with plastic wrap and let rise another 45 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 550 degrees (mine only goes to 500 degrees) with stone on lowest rack. *Stone should be preheated for at least 30 minutes
Shaping the dough: The dough should remain undisturbed until you're ready to shape it. With that said, take a ball of dough and using your fingers, pat it out from the center to the edge. Leave the edge a bit think so it puffs when baked. Stretch it further , lifting it by the edge and working your way around the circle. For thinner, crisp crust, use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a larger circle. Once shaped transfer dough to a flour dusted peel (I huge wooden looking spatula- I don't have so I use a flexible cutting board), assemble your pizza, and move to the oven. Bake until edges are golden brown and your cheeses are melted.

Chicken Pot Pie w/ Spring Vegetables (Asparagus and Peas)

This picture was an after thought (because I recently blogged a CHKN Pot Pie). What you see in this picture is all that was left of a 9 x 13 pan shortly after placing it on the table. This recipe was a huge hit with the kids. I served this comfort food classic for Sunday dinner tonight and the kids and adults alike kept coming back for more! One of my nieces doesn't care for celery much so when she found out that I had replaced it with Asparagus she loved it right away. It really hit the spot. The Asparagus was a great find super cheap at Wal-mart. I am usually to frugal to buy it because I think it is to expensive, but not this time!

This recipe comes from my "The New Best Recipe" book (p.351). I think that it gets way to wordy and involved so I have simplified it and posted it as such. You can make the filling and the topping of choice before hand. You just need to warm the filling be for adding your top to it. (I think that it helps cook the bottom layer of the doughs).

1 recipe of the Savory Pie Dough Topping or Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuit Topping (recipes below)
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast and/or thighs (cut into small bite size pieces)
2 cups (1 can) low-sodium chicken broth
1 medium-large onion, chopped finely
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick (I added 6-8 carrots)
2 small celery ribs (or 18 thin asparagus spears cut into 1-inch pieces replaces it if you go that option)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 Tablespoons dry sherry (I just used Sherry Cooking wine)
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed (Increase to 1 cup if using the asparagus)
3 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves (optional- I didn't have any on hand so I left it out)

1. Make the pie dough or biscuit topping and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. In a small amount of oil in a large skillet saute the onions and chicken pieces; cook until chicken is no longer pink. Then add the carrots, asparagus, and peas. cooking until tender about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile you can cook the sauce in a separate pan. (This really speeds up the process!) Melt the butter over med-high heat, then add the flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken broth, the milk, and any accumulated juices from your chicken and vegetable pan, sherry, and the thyme. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce fully thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture and stir to combine. Add the parsley. (The mixture can be covered and refrigerated overnight; reheat before topping with the pastry.) Pour mixture into 9 x 13 baking dish or six small 12-oz ovenproof dishes. Top with desired pastry. Bake until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 30 minutes for larger pies and 20 to 25 minutes for the smaller pies. Serve Hot.


I think you could use any of your favorite pastries here and it would work nicely.
FLUFFY BUTTERMILK BISCUIT TOPPING-enough for 1 recipe of Chicken Pot Pie
1 cup (5 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (4oz) plain cake flour (I used all-purpose here. The book says to use cake flour when you want your pastry to be light and fluffy. I don't even think I can get cake flour in little Lovell, WY)
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup cold buttermilk, plus 1 to 2 Tablespoons if needed.

Pulse the dry ingredients in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the butter pieces and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few slightly larger butter lumps.
Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and add the buttermilk. Stir with a fork until dough gathers into moist clumps. (If the clumps are still dry, add more buttermilk, a Tablespoon at a time, up to 2 Tablespoons in all). Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and form in to a rough ball. Roll out the dough until it is 1/2-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-3-inch pastry cutter, stamp out 8 rounds of dough. IF making individual pies, cut the dough slightly smaller than the circumference of each dish. (Dough rounds can be refrigerated on a lightly floured baking sheet covered with plastic wrap for up to 2 hours.)
Arrange dough rounds over the warm filling and proceed with the recipe for Chicken Pot Pie.

*Okay so I made my biscuits and refrigerated them for a lot longer than two hours and they turned out fine. I did however not rewarmed my filling as suggested and I wish I had done so. The bottoms of my biscuits were a tad bit doughy and I think had the filling been warmer they would have steamed all the way through.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

I have many a recipe for Black Bean Salsa's. This one taste great and it doesn't have a lot of vinegars or spices so it makes it easier to throw together quickly. I will have to post some of my other well loved Black Bean Salsa's as summer gets closer--seems to be the time we eat it more often with our ripe tomatoes out of the garden.

1 (15 oz) can Black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (11oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 teaspoon minced fresh Jalapeno pepper (optional)
1 avocado, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 Red bell pepper, chopped (my mother-in-law added some green bells too and it tasted great)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or substitute 1 teaspoon dried)
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes, squeezed)
1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients except avocado and chips. Cover and chill for at least two hours. Add avocado just before serving. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.