Sausage & Bread Stuffing

Sorry, we ate it all.

A Thanksgiving staple in the Webster house.

4 pound version:
4 c bread cubes (dried the day before)
1/3 c butter
1/2 c minced onion
1/2 c chopped celery
1 tsp salt
1/6 tsp pepper
1 tsp each sage and thyme
breakfast sausage
1 egg

12 pound version:
12 c bread cubes (dried the day before)
1 c butter
1.5 c minced onion
1.5 c chopped celery
1 tbls salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbls each sage and thyme
breakfast sausage
1 egg (Must be wrong number for this amount.  I haven't ever made this quantity, but I'd increase the eggs proportionately.)

Brown onions and celery in the butter.  Add sausage and brown.  Mix egg with 1/4 cup water.  Mix everything well.  Bake.

Okay, I have a bunch of notes to this:

• I typically make the smaller batch using a package of purchased, seasoned bread cubes.
• Because I used seasoned cubes, I would not add extra salt.  (Maybe add pepper, and definitely added more sage and thyme, but Grandma also had a note to add poultry seasoning to taste and I don't bother.)
• I don't know what the deal is with the 1/4 cup of water, but that seems very inadequate to me.  I just dump in a can of chicken broth, mixed with the egg.  It may be relevant that I never actually use stuffing to stuff the turkey though.  It seems like way too much trouble to get in and out so I just bake it as a side dish.
• I don't know how much sausage Grandma used, but I use one pound of either breakfast sausage, or sometimes you can get sausage seasoned for stuffing.  Either is good.
• I probably also use more celery than recommended.

Cowboy Quiche

Ingredients

• 1 whole Unbaked Pie Crust (enough For A Deep Dish Pan)
• 2 whole Yellow Onions, Sliced
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 8 slices Bacon
• 8 whole Large Eggs
• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream Or Half-and-Half
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• READ THE NOTES, SUE, AND MAKE 3/4 BATCH LIKE IT SAYS

Preparation

Fry the onions in the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat for at least 15 to 20 minutes (maybe longer), stirring occasionally, until the onions are deep golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Fry the bacon until chewy. Chop into large bite-sized pieces and set aside to cool. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the pie crust and press it into a large fluted deep tart pan (or a deep dish pie pan). 

Whip the eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a large bowl, then mix in the onions, bacon, and cheese. Pour the mixture into the pie crust.

Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet, cover lightly with aluminum foil, and bake it for about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the quiche is set and the crust is golden brown. (The quiche will still seem slightly loose, but will continue to set once remove from the oven.)

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. If using a tart pan, remove the quiche from the pan, cut into slices with a sharp serrated knife, and serve!

Thanks to Pioneer Woman

NOTES:

• Adding salt is unnecessary.
• I made 3/4 batch and made it pie-sized instead of in a tart pan.
• I used Costco bacon bits instead of starting with raw bacon
• Frozen pie crust, baby.  Easy, cheap and delish!

Strawberry Yogurt Bundt Cake

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
• 12 ounces fresh strawberries, diced
• 1 cup powdered sugar

(Source)

Preheat oven to 325°. Grease and flour a 10 cup Bundt pan. Sift together 2¼ cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tb. lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.

Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.
Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 Tb. of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

Notes: Very dense and moist. This would be difficult to overbake. This exactly filled my cathedral bundt pan to the top, and released well with lots of baking spray.

Moo Shu Pork (or Beef, or Chicken...)

Pancake recipe source

Filling recipe adapted from The Chinese Takeout Cookbook (highly recommended!)

PANCAKES

1½ cups (7 ½ ounces) all-purpose flour

¾ cup boiling water

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil (or other oil)

½ teaspoon vegetable oil

FILLING

Marinade

1 1/2 tsp. soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp. rice wine or dry cherry

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 lb. boneless pork loin or pork chop, sliced into thin strips

OR Leftover grilled meat (skip marinade and cooking steps if using already-cooked meat)

Sauce

2 T. rice wine

1 T. soy sauce

1 T. hoisin sauce

1 T. sesame oil

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 T. oyster sauce

1/4 tsp. five-spice

2 T. peanut or vegetable oil

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. minced fresh ginger (or 1/4 tsp. dried)

2 green onions, chopped

6 fresh shittake mushrooms, sliced into thin strips

6 napa cabbage leaves, sliced into thin strips

2 medium carrots, shredded or sliced thinly

1 c. bean sprouts (or substitute extra cabbage)

To Make Pancakes (Can be done ahead of time)

1. Using wooden spoon, mix flour and boiling water in bowl to form rough dough. When cool, transfer dough to lightly floured surface and knead until it forms ball that is tacky but no longer sticky, about 4 minutes (dough will not be perfectly smooth). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

2. Roll dough into 12-inch-long log on lightly floured surface and cut into 12 equal pieces. Turn each piece cut side up and pat into rough 3-inch disk. Brush 1 side of 6 disks with sesame oil (I don't own a brush, so I used nonstick spray.  Classy but effective); top each oiled side with unoiled disk and press lightly to form 6 pairs. Roll disks into 7-inch rounds, lightly flouring work surface as needed.

3. Heat vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Using paper towels, carefully wipe out oil. Place pancake in skillet and cook without moving it until air pockets begin to form between layers and underside is dry, 40 to 60 seconds. Flip pancake and cook until few light brown spots appear on second side, 40 to 60 seconds. Transfer to plate and, when cool enough to handle, peel apart into 2 pancakes. Stack pancakes moist side up and cover loosely with plastic. Repeat with remaining pancakes. Cover pancakes tightly and keep warm. Wipe out skillet with paper towel. (Pancakes can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw wrapped pancakes at room temperature. Unwrap and place on plate. Invert second plate over pancakes and microwave until warm and soft, 60 to 90 seconds.)

To Make Filling

1. If using raw meat: In a medium bowl, stir together the marinade ingredients and add the pork.  Stir to coat and let stand for at least 20 minutes.  Heat a large skillet over high heat until hot.  Add the pork and stir-fry until the outside is no longer pink, 2-3 minutes.  Transfer pork to a plate and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the sauce ingredients and set aside.

3. Add 1 T. oil to the skillet.  Add the garlic, ginger, and scallion and stir fry until aromatic, about 30 seconds (don't let it burn!).  Add the mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts (and pre-cooked meat, if using).  Stir-fry until the vegetables begin to wilt, about 4-5 minutes.  Pour the sauce into the skillet and stir to combine.  Add the meat, if you haven't yet.  When vegetables are cooked, remove from heat.

4. To serve, put pancake on your plate, add filling, and roll like a burrito.

Serves 4 polite people or 2 delighted adults.

Corn Salsa

(Found in my search for a Trader Joe's copycat recipe)

4 ears of sweet corn (kernels removed and reserved, husks discarded)
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 cup distilled white vinegar
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 and ½ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp. cumin seeds
1 red onion, minced
1 and ½ tsp. ground red pepper (add an extra tsp. ground red pepper if you like your salsa more spicy)

1. Toss the sweet corn kernels and chopped red pepper together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, water, mustard seeds, and cumin seeds. Pace the pan over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Reduce the liquid to a simmer. Add the chopped onion and ground red pepper. Simmer until the onion becomes translucent, about 10 minutes. To the simmering liquid, add the sweet corn and chopped red pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the corn salsa to a non-reactive container, pressing down lightly to pack the corn. Gently pour the remaining cooking liquid from the saucepan over the packed salsa just until it is covered. Refrigerate for a day before serving (to allow the flavors to develop).
4. Serve with chips for dipping.

Gin and Tonic Sorbet

310g sugar 
310g water 
8 tbsp gin 
375 ml tonic water 
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 egg white

Put the sugar and water into a saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved, remove from heat and allow it to cool completely.

Add the gin, tonic, the lime juice and the zest. Stir and taste and add more lime juice if you think it needs it. Chill in the fridge.

Then either churn it for 15 minutes or still-freeze it by pouring it into a food-safe plastic box and putting it in the coldest part of your freezer for an hour to an hour and a half until it forms a slush when you beat it.

At this point, beat the egg white with a fork to loosen it and combine it with the sorbet mix. Then either churn for another 10 minutes until it’s slushy, or if using the still-freeze method, repeat the freeze-and-beat step twice more at 30-60 minute intervals.

Pour into a container and freeze.

Thai Curry Soup

• 2 ounces, weight rice noodles
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass (if you can't find it just add an extra tablespoon of lime juice)
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons red curry paste
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 can reduced fat coconut milk, 14 ounce can
• 1 cup peeled and deveined shrimp (or shredded cooked chicken)
• 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• ¼ cups chopped cilantro
• ½ cups fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1 bag baby spinach, 6 ounce bag

Heat oil in saucepan, add onions and cook over medium heat until softened. Stir in garlic, lemon grass and ginger until aromatic — about 1 minute. Add the curry paste and stir. Pour in 1/2 of the chicken broth and stir until curry paste is dissolved, add the rest of the broth along with soy sauce and sugar. Let it simmer for 20 minutes, covered.

Stir in the noodles, coconut milk, shrimp(or chicken), and lime juice. Cook until shrimp is pink and done. Stir in cilantro, mushrooms and spinach until softened. 

Makes 4-6 servings

Beer Chicken Marinade

• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped onion(reconstituted from dried works)
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1½ cups beer(we used Dos Equis, anything light would work well)
• 4 pounds of raw chicken

Combine everything except for the beer and chicken in a large measuring cup, slowly add the beer.  Put the chicken into a zip top bag and slowly pour in the marinade.  Seal the bag and let rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but overnight is better.

Note:  This marinade also freezes well with chicken, if you don't need 4 pounds at a time, just omit the parsley until you thaw the chicken.

Blackberry Cream Cheese Crumb Cake

yield: SERVES 10

 

prep time: 35 MINUTES

 

total time: 4 HOURS, 35 MINUTES

Source: Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, divided
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (120ml) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 and 1/3 cups (166g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 heaping cup (125g) fresh or frozen blackberries (do not thaw)
• one 8-ounce block cream cheese, softened to room temperature

Crumb Topping

• 1/3 cup (67g) packed dark or light brown sugar
• 1/2 (62g) cup all-purpose flour
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour a 9 or 10-inch springform pan.
2. Make the cake: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar together on high speed until creamy and combined, about 2 minutes. On medium-high speed, add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and sour cream. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Turn the mixer on low speed and beat until completely combined. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the blackberries.
3. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Set aside.
4. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar together until combined. Spoon and spread over cake batter. It's a thick cream cheese topping, so do your best to spread around. Set aside.
5. Make the crumb topping: Combine the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender or two forks (or even with your hands) until the mixture resembles pea sized crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over cream cheese layer.
6. Bake the cake for 60-65 minutes or until it no longer jiggles in the center. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out *mostly* clean. A few moist crumbs are ok. I like to loosely cover the top of the cake with aluminum foil at the 30 minute mark to prevent over-browning.
7. Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing and serving. I like to place it in the refrigerator after 30 minutes of cooling at room temperature. This speeds things up.
8. Slice and serve. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
9. 
   
10. Notes: 

• We used a pint of fresh blueberries, which was good.
• It took at least 15 minutes longer in the oven than the directions said.
• A toothpick wasn't a great indication of doneness.  Bake it until the center no longer jiggles.
• We ate it cold (refrigerated) the next day and that was really good.

Foolproof Cooked Buttercream Frosting

Less sweet than regular buttercream, but without the endless beating of the Pioneer Woman recipe.

[original source]

Yield: Enough to cover an 8" cake as pictured

• 6 3/4 tablespoons (2.1 ounces) all-purpose flour

• 1.5 cups granulated sugar

• 1.5 cups whole milk

• 1.5 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed and softened at room temperature

• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Pinch of salt

1. 1.
   Whisk together flour and sugar in a medium saucepan. Whisk in milk. Place saucepan over low heat and bring to a boil, whisking continuously, then cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Pour the pudding onto a clean heatproof plate or shallow container. Immediately cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap directly against the pudding's surface.  Cool.
2. 2.
   In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk or paddle, or in a mixing bowl if using a handheld mixer, beat the butter until smooth and fluffy and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Add the cooled pudding one tablespoon (or so...) at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and salt and beat until buttercream looks thick, smooth, and creamy, about 3 minutes.
3. 3.
   Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container or a zipper-lock bag for up to one week. To use buttercream that has been refrigerated, first allow to come to room temperature then beat until smooth and spreadable again. Cakes or cupcakes decorated with buttercream generally keep up to 3 days, stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Serve buttercream at room temperature.

Tater Tot Hotdish

Serves 6 to 8

Be sure to buy the cylinder-shaped frozen tater tots (not crispy crowns or coins). Do not thaw the tots or the vegetables; they go into the hotdish frozen. For the best browned and crunchy tater tots, bake in a 13 by 9-inch Pyrex dish (deeper dishes inhibit browning). Don’t be tempted to turn on your broiler; Pyrex cannot withstand the broiler’s direct heat. Depending on the dish, you may have about 1 cup of tater tots leftover. Serve with ketchup.


1½ pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups whole milk
1½ cups chicken broth
3 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (1½ cups)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
1 (2-pound) bag frozen tater tots

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Cook beef, mushrooms, onion, garlic, thyme, 1½ teaspoons salt, and 1½ teaspoons pepper in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until nearly all liquid has evaporated, 25 to 28 minutes, breaking up beef with spoon.

2. Stir in flour until no dry spots remain and cook for 1 minute. Stir in milk and broth, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer. Cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan. Transfer to 13 by 9-inch baking dish.

3. Sprinkle peas and corn evenly over beef mixture. Lightly place tater tots in even layer over top, but do not press into mixture (you may have extra). Bake until tater tots are deep golden brown and filling is bubbling, 35 to 38 minutes, rotating dish halfway through baking. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

To Make Ahead

Hotdish can be prepared through step 2: Let cool completely, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready to cook, cover with aluminum foil and bake until hot in center, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove foil, stir, sprinkle evenly with peas and corn, place tater tots on top, and bake as directed in step 3.

NOTES: This is a test recipe.

• I made a half batch with a pound of hamburger.
• Used dried thyme instead of fresh
• Missed the direction to layer the veggies (and I mixed them into the meat mixture).
• We all liked it a lot!  The sauce is much better than canned soup and there are none of those nasty little carrot cubes.  I'd make it again.

Chewy Italian Rolls

BIGA
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup water
1/8 teaspoon instant yeast

DOUGH
biga (from above)
2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

Instructions

• To make the biga: Mix all of the ingredients until well blended. Cover the bowl, and let rest at room temperature for 12 to 20 hours, until the mixture is very bubbly.
• To make the dough: Mix the biga with the remaining ingredients for 2 to 4 minutes, using an electric mixer set on slow speed. Increase the mixer speed to medium, and mix for about 4 minutes; the dough will be soft and slightly sticky. Add additional water or flour if necessary.
• Let the dough rise in a greased bowl, covered, for 1 to 2 hours, until very puffy.
• Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and shape it into a 6" x 12" rectangle. Using a bench knife or pizza wheel, cut out eight 3" square rolls. Place the rolls, floured side up, onto parchment paper. Let them rise for about 45 minutes, lightly covered, until they're puffy.
• Place a baking stone in the top third of your oven, and preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Bake the rolls for 13 to 15 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.
• Yield: 8 rolls.

Source.

Notes

• Outstanding texture!  Well worth the wait.
• I'd cut into 12 instead of 8 next time.  They're big enough that we're cutting them in half for a reasonable serving anyway.

Tikka Masala

Excellent sauce at a great Aldi price!  Just combine with cooked chunks of chicken and sweet peppers and serve over rice.  (They sell jasmine rice at Aldi now too!)

Rice. Just plain rice.

Great texture, no scorching, dump into the pot and move on to the stir fry and potstickers.

Equal proportions of white rice and water. (Maybe just a bit of extra water.
Salt
Rinse the rice and put it in the water.
Lock the lid in place and push the Rice button.

I used this very wordy post to begin.
http://instantpot.com/how-to-cook-perfect-rice-in-an-electric-pressure-cooker/

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

70s Comfort Food :-)

INGREDIENTS:

• 7 slices canned unsweetened pineapple (20-ounce can)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (more below)
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• 19 maraschino cherries
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk  (more below)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 6 tablespoons buttermilk

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Have ready a 9x2-inch round cake pan. Drain pineapple and place in one layer on paper towels to absorb the excess juice.

2. Place the 3 tablespoons unsalted butter in the cake pan. Place the pan in the oven until the butter is melted. Tilt to coat all sides with butter. The extra butter will settle in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the bottom of the pan.

3. Place one pineapple ring in the center of the pan and arrange six more around it. Place the maraschino cherries in the center of each ring and in the spaces between them.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, 2 tablespoons of buttermilk and vanilla with a fork.

5. In a mixer bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter and 6 tablespoons of buttermilk. Beat on low speed just until the flour is moistened, then increase the speed to medium, or high if using a handheld mixer, and beat for exactly 1½ minutes. The batter will be stiff. Add one-third of the egg mixture at a time, beating for exactly 20 seconds and scraping the bowl after each addition. Scrape the batter over the fruit in the pan and spread evenly.

6. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and tilt the pan in all directions to detach it from the sides of the pan. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before unmolding.

7. Invert a serving platter on top of the pan. Cover your hands with oven mitts and turn the cake onto the platter. Lift off the pan. If any fruit or cherry pieces are askew, use a fork to push them back into place. If any brown sugar is left in the pan, scrape it up and spoon it over the cake. Serve warm or cool.

YIELD:
makes one 9-inch cake
PREP:
30 minutes
COOK:
35 to 40 minutes

NOTES: Buttery and a manageable size for my smaller family.  I'd make it again!
SOURCE: Brown-Eyed Baker