Since fall harvest means good things to go into pies, I thought I'd re-run this wonderful pie crust recipe.
This makes a dough that is elastic - easy to roll out thin, so with just 4 cups of flour you have enough dough for 4 pies. If you have extra you can freeze it, but be sure to wrap it tightly.
Here it is...
4 cups flour
1 3/4 cups shortening
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup VERY COLD water
2 Tablespoons vinegar
1 egg
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Cooking Your First Holiday Turkey? Here's how...
Stuffed Roasted Herb Turkey and Gravy
Turkey
1 (8 to 12-lb.) whole turkey, thawed if frozen
1/2 teaspoon salt
Stuffing of choice:
The recipe that comes on the bag of stuffing
bread at the grocery store is really quite good. It includes a bag of
spices, but I add salt. I like to chop
celery and partially cook it in a can of chicken broth - then use
that as part of the liquid in the stuffing.
Our family doesn't care for giblets, but I do add a good sized handful of
chopped onions.
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Gravy
Turkey pan drippings
1 3/4 cups Progresso® chicken broth (from 32-oz. carton)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Water
Turkey Directions: Heat oven to 325°F. Remove and discard neck and giblets from turkey. Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle cavity of turkey with salt.
Spoon stuffing loosely into neck and body cavities of turkey. Place any remaining stuffing in lightly buttered casserole; cover and refrigerate to bake as side dish. Turn wings back and tuck tips over shoulder joints. Refasten drumsticks with metal piece or tuck under skin at tail. Fasten neck skin to back with skewers.
Place turkey, breast side up, in roasting pan. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so bulb reaches center of thickest part of thigh, but does not rest on bone. Do not add water or cover.
In small bowl, combine butter, sage and thyme; mix well. Brush half of mixture over turkey. Cover turkey loosely with tent of foil.
5. Bake at 325°F. until internal temperature reaches 180 to 185°F. and leg joint moves easily, using "Timetable for Roasting Turkey" below. To brown turkey, remove foil for last hour of baking; brush turkey with remaining butter mixture.
Remove turkey from roasting pan. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Remove skewers. Remove stuffing; place in serving bowl.
Gravy Directions: Pour drippings from roasting pan into strainer over bowl. Spoon off fat that rises to top, reserving 1/4 cup. Pour drippings into measuring cup. Add broth and enough water to make 3 1/2 cups liquid.
In large saucepan, combine reserved 1/4 cup fat and flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wire whisk until mixture turns golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Gradually stir drippings mixture into flour mixture. Cook over low heat until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly.
Turkey
1 (8 to 12-lb.) whole turkey, thawed if frozen
1/2 teaspoon salt
Stuffing of choice:
The recipe that comes on the bag of stuffing
bread at the grocery store is really quite good. It includes a bag of
spices, but I add salt. I like to chop
celery and partially cook it in a can of chicken broth - then use
that as part of the liquid in the stuffing.
Our family doesn't care for giblets, but I do add a good sized handful of
chopped onions.
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Gravy
Turkey pan drippings
1 3/4 cups Progresso® chicken broth (from 32-oz. carton)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Water
Turkey Directions: Heat oven to 325°F. Remove and discard neck and giblets from turkey. Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle cavity of turkey with salt.
Spoon stuffing loosely into neck and body cavities of turkey. Place any remaining stuffing in lightly buttered casserole; cover and refrigerate to bake as side dish. Turn wings back and tuck tips over shoulder joints. Refasten drumsticks with metal piece or tuck under skin at tail. Fasten neck skin to back with skewers.
Place turkey, breast side up, in roasting pan. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so bulb reaches center of thickest part of thigh, but does not rest on bone. Do not add water or cover.
In small bowl, combine butter, sage and thyme; mix well. Brush half of mixture over turkey. Cover turkey loosely with tent of foil.
5. Bake at 325°F. until internal temperature reaches 180 to 185°F. and leg joint moves easily, using "Timetable for Roasting Turkey" below. To brown turkey, remove foil for last hour of baking; brush turkey with remaining butter mixture.
Remove turkey from roasting pan. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Remove skewers. Remove stuffing; place in serving bowl.
Gravy Directions: Pour drippings from roasting pan into strainer over bowl. Spoon off fat that rises to top, reserving 1/4 cup. Pour drippings into measuring cup. Add broth and enough water to make 3 1/2 cups liquid.
In large saucepan, combine reserved 1/4 cup fat and flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wire whisk until mixture turns golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Gradually stir drippings mixture into flour mixture. Cook over low heat until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Pre-prep for Holiday Baking
The Holidays will be here before you know it. Time to test some recipes so the ones you serve at Christmas will be perfect!
Christmas Bars
Ingredients:
3/4 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs, well beaten
1 c. chopped dates
1 c. broken walnuts
Confectioners' sugar
Directions:
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir into eggs and nuts.
Grease and flour 13x9-inch pan. Spread mixture well. Bake at 350 degrees for
15 minutes. Cut while still warm. Sprinkle on confectioners' sugar.
Christmas Bars
Ingredients:
3/4 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs, well beaten
1 c. chopped dates
1 c. broken walnuts
Confectioners' sugar
Directions:
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir into eggs and nuts.
Grease and flour 13x9-inch pan. Spread mixture well. Bake at 350 degrees for
15 minutes. Cut while still warm. Sprinkle on confectioners' sugar.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Perfect Onion Rings
Not long ago I had a yen for onion rings - but my husband reminded me that the last time we made them, they didn't turn out very well.
I started wondering why - we used a commercial tempura batter that tastes good on other things, so should have made good onion rings.
So... I did some searching and found the answer.
Before you batter the onion rings, boil them for a few minutes!
I probably let mine boil for about 10 minutes. Then took them out and drained them and let them dry before going into the batter. Interestingly, we made a mistake with the batter - but it turned out fine.
I didn't have a full cup of mix left, but my husband didn't realize that there wasn't enough in the bowl, so added enough water for a full cup. So the batter was on the thin side. I'm thinking that next time, I'll add a little extra water on purpose.
Using good hot oil - deep enough to cover both sides at once - we cooked them until the batter was golden brown.
My only regret about the whole thing was that I hadn't bought more onions.
I started wondering why - we used a commercial tempura batter that tastes good on other things, so should have made good onion rings.
So... I did some searching and found the answer.
Before you batter the onion rings, boil them for a few minutes!
I probably let mine boil for about 10 minutes. Then took them out and drained them and let them dry before going into the batter. Interestingly, we made a mistake with the batter - but it turned out fine.
I didn't have a full cup of mix left, but my husband didn't realize that there wasn't enough in the bowl, so added enough water for a full cup. So the batter was on the thin side. I'm thinking that next time, I'll add a little extra water on purpose.
Using good hot oil - deep enough to cover both sides at once - we cooked them until the batter was golden brown.
My only regret about the whole thing was that I hadn't bought more onions.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
What to do with a tough steak?
Recently our supermarket had a sale on Cross rib steak. So of course I had to try it. Some of it was pretty good, but one package was TOUGH.
Since we had eaten only part of the package, I debated about what to do with the rest. Finally, I decided to cut it into pieces about 2" across and put it in the crock pot with a can of tomatoes and some chopped onions.
I left it on low for most of the day, and dinner was a huge success!
That tough meat was SO tender that you'd have thought it was the most expensive cut on the counter.
Served with green beans and some salad, this is a meal that could even be fit for company...
Since we had eaten only part of the package, I debated about what to do with the rest. Finally, I decided to cut it into pieces about 2" across and put it in the crock pot with a can of tomatoes and some chopped onions.
I left it on low for most of the day, and dinner was a huge success!
That tough meat was SO tender that you'd have thought it was the most expensive cut on the counter.
Served with green beans and some salad, this is a meal that could even be fit for company...
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Perfect Barbecued Chicken
Barbecue season is fast approaching!
I love cooking on the barbecue in summer - to be outside, and to avoid making such a big mess in the kitchen. But chicken has always been a problem. It seems like by the time it's cooked on the inside, it's burned on the outside.
Well, I found the solution!
This involves being in the kitchen a little bit, but the mess is minimal.
Simply get out a big baking sheet - one with a rim - and cover it with aluminum foil. Then lay out your chicken pieces in a single layer. Salt and pepper them to suit your taste.
Now, while you're getting things ready and the barbecue is heating, put them in the oven at 375 degrees for a half hour. This will par-cook the chicken so it doesn't need to stay so long on the grill in order to get done.
When you take it out of the oven, apply your favorite barbecue sauce and finish cooking it on the grill.
I love cooking on the barbecue in summer - to be outside, and to avoid making such a big mess in the kitchen. But chicken has always been a problem. It seems like by the time it's cooked on the inside, it's burned on the outside.
Well, I found the solution!
This involves being in the kitchen a little bit, but the mess is minimal.
Simply get out a big baking sheet - one with a rim - and cover it with aluminum foil. Then lay out your chicken pieces in a single layer. Salt and pepper them to suit your taste.
Now, while you're getting things ready and the barbecue is heating, put them in the oven at 375 degrees for a half hour. This will par-cook the chicken so it doesn't need to stay so long on the grill in order to get done.
When you take it out of the oven, apply your favorite barbecue sauce and finish cooking it on the grill.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Easy noodles & chicken
What to do with a leftover chicken breast or two? Make chicken and noodles for an easy meal.
Start with cutting the chicken up into bite sized chunks - if you have turkey instead of chicken, that works just as well.
Then dump a can of chicken broth and a cup of water into a sauce pan, add the chunks, bring it to a boil first, then turn it down to simmer while you cook the noodles. If you have a lot of chicken, you might need 2 cans of broth.
Cook the noodles as usual - boiling them until they're at the stage of tender that you like best. I use salted water - you may not.
Once the noodles are cooked, drain them and put them in a casserole dish. Then, using a slotted spoon, remove the meat chunks from the chicken broth and add them to the noodles.
Your broth will have cooked down, so add water until you have about a cup and a half of liquid. Next, put about 2 tablespoons of corn starch in a cup, and add about an ounce or two of cold water. Stir it until it's smooth.
Add the cornstarch a little at a time to the broth, stirring constantly to keep it mixed well. Keep adding until your "sauce" has thickened almost to the consistency of gravy. Then take it off the stove and pour it over the noodles and meat.
To add variety, you can toss in some leftover vegetables, or a handful of frozen vegetables. I particularly like peas with noodles - you may prefer carrots, broccoli, or even green beans.
If you decide to use frozen vegetables, heat them in the sauce for a few minutes before you combine the ingredients.
If it isn't quite time for dinner, put a lid on your casserole and put the whole thing in the oven, turned on the lowest setting.
Since I love pasta in any form and ignore everything else on the table when it's there, this is enough for me. But if your family likes a "full meal" a good green salad makes a fine accompaniment.
Start with cutting the chicken up into bite sized chunks - if you have turkey instead of chicken, that works just as well.
Then dump a can of chicken broth and a cup of water into a sauce pan, add the chunks, bring it to a boil first, then turn it down to simmer while you cook the noodles. If you have a lot of chicken, you might need 2 cans of broth.
Cook the noodles as usual - boiling them until they're at the stage of tender that you like best. I use salted water - you may not.
Once the noodles are cooked, drain them and put them in a casserole dish. Then, using a slotted spoon, remove the meat chunks from the chicken broth and add them to the noodles.
Your broth will have cooked down, so add water until you have about a cup and a half of liquid. Next, put about 2 tablespoons of corn starch in a cup, and add about an ounce or two of cold water. Stir it until it's smooth.
Add the cornstarch a little at a time to the broth, stirring constantly to keep it mixed well. Keep adding until your "sauce" has thickened almost to the consistency of gravy. Then take it off the stove and pour it over the noodles and meat.
To add variety, you can toss in some leftover vegetables, or a handful of frozen vegetables. I particularly like peas with noodles - you may prefer carrots, broccoli, or even green beans.
If you decide to use frozen vegetables, heat them in the sauce for a few minutes before you combine the ingredients.
If it isn't quite time for dinner, put a lid on your casserole and put the whole thing in the oven, turned on the lowest setting.
Since I love pasta in any form and ignore everything else on the table when it's there, this is enough for me. But if your family likes a "full meal" a good green salad makes a fine accompaniment.
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