Sweet Chicken Bacon Bites

Ingredients

Directions

1. Pick a Turkey

2. Thaw

3. Brine

4. Make a Butter

5. Roast the Bird

Ingredients

Directions

Ingredients 

Directions

~Cold Vegetable Pizza~ 

 Topped with crisp veggies, this fresh-tasting pizza makes a cool appetizer on a warm summer day!

Ingredients

• 1 tube (4 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon dill weed
• 3/4 cup assorted chopped fresh vegetables (cucumber, radishes, red onion, green pepper and/or mushrooms)
• 2 tablespoons sliced ripe olives
• 3 tablespoons finely shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons finely shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 

Directions

• Unroll crescent rolls and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Flatten dough into an 8-in. x 5-in. rectangle. Seal seams and perforations. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
• In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cream cheese and dill until blended; spread over crust. Top with vegetables of your choice. Sprinkle with olives and cheeses. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Cut into slices.

March:  Corned Beef and Cabbage Pizza

While you are digging through your closet to find green attire to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th), Corned Beef and Cabbage is likely next on the list of ways to celebrate. And here is a great little fact of cultural and culinary history that truly demonstrates the greatness of diversity:  When Irish Immigrants in New York City were trying to get around the cost of traditional Irish bacon, Jewish residents in the area taught them about substituting with corned beef. Since the month of March is Irish-American Heritage Month we thought it would be fitting to share a way to extend St. Patrick’s Day grub and use up left-over corned beef.  

Corned Beef and Cabbage Pizza (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/corned-beef-and-cabbage-pizza-recipe/index.html)

 Ingredients

For the dough

2 teaspoons sugar

1 package active dry yeast

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the bowl

3 cups all-purpose flour, or 2 3/4 cups plus 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon fine salt

For the toppings

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan

3 cups sliced green cabbage

Kosher salt

1 teaspoon pickling spices, tied securely in cheesecloth

1 large potato, peeled and thinly sliced

Freshly ground pepper

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

6 ounces sliced corned beef

Directions

1.     Make the dough: Whisk 1 cup warm water (105 degrees) with the sugar in a bowl; scatter the yeast over the top and set aside until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the olive oil.

2.     Whisk the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients to make a rough, shaggy dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. (Add more flour to prevent sticking, if necessary.) Form the dough into a ball; place in a large oiled bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size, about 90 minutes.

3.     Meanwhile, prepare the toppings: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, season with salt and cook until just soft, about 5 minutes. Add the pickling spices and just enough water to cover. Simmer over low heat, covered, until the cabbage is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the cabbage and set aside (discard spices).

4.     Place a pizza stone in the oven, if you have one, and preheat to 500 degrees. Toss the potato with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a single layer on a baking sheet until golden, about 15 minutes.

5.     Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll one into a 14-inch round (keep the remaining dough covered). Place the round on a floured pizza peel (if baking on a stone) or a large oiled pizza pan; drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Scatter half of each of the cheeses, corned beef, cabbage and potatoes on top. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully slip the pizza onto the hot stone, if using, or place the pan in the oven. Cook until golden and crispy, 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings.

If you’re feeling up to it- curing brisket on your own (vs. buying a package at the sore) really does make all the difference. Here is a great link to that process (http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/home_cured_corned_beef/ )

Diversity means so many things… And this month, as a celebration of the diversity of life here on earth-- and all of the amazingly unique and varied creatures, great and small, that inhabit our precious planet-- we would like to give a shout out to World Penguin Day (April 25th) and provide a recipe for Cream Cheese Penguins to create and enjoy while watching “March of the Penguins”. Of course this creation would also make an adorable feature appetizer at your next get together.
Source: Allrecipes( http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cream-cheese-penguins/ )

Ingredients

• 18 jumbo black olives, pitted
• 1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 18 small black olives
• 1 carrot

Directions

1. Cut a slit from top to bottom, lengthwise, into the side of each jumbo olive. Carefully insert about 1 tsp. of cream cheese into each olive. Slice the carrot into 18, ¼ inch think rounds; cut a small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet. Save the cut out piece and press into center of small over to form the beak.
2. Set a big olive, large hole side down, onto a carrot slice. Then set a small over onto the large olive, adjusting so that the beak, cream cheese chest and notch in the carrot slice line up. Secure with a toothpick.

The month of May is dedicated to Asian-Pacific American Heritage to celebrate the Asians and Pacific Americans who are enriching the United States in numerous ways. Celebrate by making homemade Chicken Pho (Pho Ga):

Chicken Pho (http://www.pinkbaketress.wordpress.com)

Broth Ingredients

• 2 whole organic chickens
• 1 whole onion, cut in half
• 3-inch chunk of ginger 

Broth Spice

• 2 Tbs Whole Coriander Seeds
• 4 Whole Cloves
• 2 Whole Star Anise
• 2 Cardamom pods
• 2 Tbs Fish sauce  

Side ingredients (to be added as desired): Rice noodles, fresh bean sprouts, cilantro, lime cut in wedges, green onion, thinly sliced white onion, thai basil, jalapeno, Sriracha hot sauce, Hoisin sauce 

Directions

1. Place ginger and onion on a small baking sheet. The top of the onion should be about 4″ from the oven’s heating element. Set to broil on high for 15 minutes. Turn the onion and ginger occasionally, to get an even char. The skin should get dark and the onion/ginger should get soft. After cooling, rub to get the charred skin off the onion and use a butter knife to scrape the skin off the ginger. Slice ginger into thick slices and slice onion into chunks.
2. In a large stockpot, fill with water and boil. Cut the chicken breast meat off the chicken and reserve. With the rest of chicken whacking hard through the bones to get sections about 3″ big. The more bone that is exposed, the more marrow that gets in the broth making it more flavorful. When the water boils, add chicken sections (not breast) and boil on high for 5 minutes. Foam should rise to the top. Drain and rinse your chicken of the scum and wash your pot thoroughly. Refill with about 4 quarts of clean, cold water.
3. Add chicken, chicken breast meat, onion, ginger and all of the spices (tied in a cheesecloth or use refillable tea pouches- I also like to roast the spices in a dry pan for a couple minutes to bring out the flavor) in the pot and cover. Turn heat to high – let it come to boil, then immediately turn heat to low. Prop lid up so that steam can escape. After 15 minutes, remove the chicken breasts, shred with your fingers when cooled and set aside (you’ll serve shredded chicken breast with the finished soup). With a large spoon, skim the surface of any impurities in the broth. Skimming every 20 minutes ensures a clear broth. Simmer a total of 1-1/2 hours. Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce or spices.
4. Strain the broth, discard solids. Prepare noodles as per directions on package. Ladle broth, add shredded chicken breast and soft noodles in each bowl. Have side ingredients set at table for each person to add to their bowl.

Swedish Meatballs

By Catherine Sleipnes

This was my grandmother’s recipe, but I changed a few things. Originally it called for pork instead of lamb but I felt the lamb would have less fat. I added the lingonberries to the gravy because I saw a recipe on the internet that used that and I thought it would punch it up a little, and it did. This version of the recipe makes at least 4 dozen meatballs. I usually double the recipe and freeze them for later.

½ pound ground lamb
1 egg
½ pound lean ground beef (7% fat)
½ cup cream or milk
½ pound ground veal
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup chopped onion - sauted until softened

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Make into 1 to 1 ½ inch balls. Heat a frying pan over medium, add a small amount of oil and place the meatballs in the pan. Brown on all sides until no pink is visible. Remove from pan.

Make Gravy:

1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1-2 tablespoons lingonberry preserves

In the same pan, make your gravy. Brown some flour with some butter scraping up the bits left in the pan. Slowly add milk. The gravy should be very thick. Add salt and pepper to taste then stir in the lingonberry preserves until melted. Place the meatballs back into the pan and coat them with the gravy.

Hints: Instead of cream I use non-fat dry milk. I mix equal parts dry milk powder to water to get a creamier taste without all the fat . Also, if you can’t find lingonberries, you can substitute raspberry, blackberry, etc. If you object to veal, just use more beef. Sometimes the meat mixture is sticky. I make the meatballs using two spoons and place them on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and freeze them for about 20 minutes before cooking to make them easier to handle. This also helps them keep their shape while browning. If you want to make them up in advance and cook them at a later date, freeze them for about 30 minutes and then stick them into a ziplock bag for storage. Then you can pull them out as you need them.

Additional use: I also use the meat mixture for a meatloaf. Put mixture in a loaf pan and bake about an hour at 350°. For an added treat, cut some cheese into small chunks and mix in before cooking.

Dave's Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Wings

by David Wright

Ingredients:

• Big fat chicken wings
• Any bold, rich barbeque sauce
• Dave's Insanity Sauce (a hot sauce found at the supermarket)
• Italian herb mix

Directions:

• Pre-heat barbecue to highest temperature setting
• Prepare barbecue sauce
  • Pour a generous portion of any bold, rich barbeque sauce into a large bowl
  • Plop a dab or two of Dave’s Insanity Sauce into bowl
  • Mix thoroughly and taste for the right heat level
• Toss wings (frozen is fine) onto barbecue
• Add a generous sprinkling of Italian herbs onto the wings
• Sear skin for some color, turning often
• After searing, turn the heat down to the lowest temperature, keep lid covered, check and turn often
• Remove chicken when evenly browned (don’t overcook, meat should remain moist)
• Slop cooked wings into bowl of pre-mixed barbecue sauce covering wings thoroughly
• Lovingly plate wings in a decorative serving dish
• Garnish with parsley
• Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 ea (12 oz) package Bot Banh Xeo mix (rice flour with tumeric)
3 c Water (divided use)
1 t Sugar
1 ea (116 oz) package Orients -Delight coconut milk -(heavy cream can be Substituted) frozen, not -canned coconut milk
4 ea Green onions
1 lb medium shrimp (36 - 48 size)
1/2 lb Lean pork, thinly sliced
2 ea Yellow onions
1 tsp oil
16 ea Handfuls fresh bean sprouts -(put in microwave for a -little while to Soften)
1 ea Head red leaf lettuce
1 bn Cilantro, basil or mint
Fish Garlic Sauce

Directions:
Prepare crepe batter the night before serving. Thinly slice green onions. Place one cup water in small pan on high heat. Thoroughly blend the 12 ounce package of Bot Banh Xeo mix with the two remaining cups water until completely moistened. Dissolve sugar in boiling cup of water and add to batter. Add coconut milk and green onions and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate overnight.
The next day, peel and devein shrimp. Cut in half lengthwise. Cut pork in 2" slivers. Cut yellow onion into quarters, then in thin slices. Heat a few drops of oil on medium-high heat in a 10" heavy frying pan. Add 3 slices yellow onion and two slices pork. Cook for a few seconds until onion is slightly translucent and pork is white. Add 5 shrimp halves and cook for 10 seconds.

Pour in 1/2 cup batter and quickly tilt pan to form a 10" circle. Cover one half crepe with one cup bean sprouts. Reduce heat to medium. Cook until batter looks solid. Cover partially (if you cover completely, water will condense on crepe) and cook one minute. Uncover and flip crepe using a spatula. Cook until slightly crisp (approximately 1 minute). Serve immediately to keep warm.

Serve with fresh cilantro, mint or basil leaves (optional) and large leaves of red lettuce. To eat, tear off a piece of crepe, fill with cilantro and wrap in lettuce leaf. Dip in sauce and eat. Serves 4.

Finnish Blueberry Pie (Mustikkapiirakka)

Submitted by Heidi Schwab, Financial Accounting

From:  MIdwest Living Magazine

Ingredients
1/2 cup  butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup  half-and-half or light cream
1-1/4 cups  all-purpose flour
4 cups  fresh blueberries
1/4 cup  granulated sugar
1 Tbsp.  fine dry bread crumbs
Powdered sugar (optional)
Whipped cream (optional)

Directions

1. For pastry: In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 secods. Add the egg. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in half-and-half. Stir in flour until well-combined. Remove dough from bowl; gently shape into a ball. Flatten dough into a 6-inch disc. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle. On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry to a 13-inch circle. To transfer pastry, wrap it around the rolling pin; unroll onto a large baking sheet.

2. For filling: In a large bowl, combine blueberries, granulated sugar and bread crumbs. Gently toss until coated. Carefully mound blueberry mixture in center of crust, leaving a 2-inch border. Using your fingers, carefully fold the pastry border up and over blueberries, pleating the pastry as necessary to fit.

3. Bake in a 325 degree F oven about 50 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Cool for 30 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer pie to serving platter; cool completely before serving. If you like, dust edges with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream. Makes 8 servings.

Set the pie pastry on a baking sheet and gently fold it over the edges of the filling to make the terrific presentation for this traditional pie. Guests love the favorite flavor combined with the new look.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 254, Total Fat 13 g, Saturated Fat 8 g, Cholesterol 60 mg, Sodium 117 mg, Carbohydrate 31 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 4 g. Daily Values: Vitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 12%, Calcium 2%, Iron 7%.  Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Pork Adobo 

by Rosemaria Valencia 

Ingredients:                                                      
2 lbs pork cut in cubes cut into pieces
1 head garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, diced                                                  
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup vinegar
2 cups of water
1 teaspoon paprika
5 laurel leaves (bay leaves)
4 tablespoons of cooking oil or olive oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons water
You may use chicken instead of pork or combine both

Cooking Instruction:
*In a big sauce pan or wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil then sauté the minced garlic and onions.
*Add the pork to the pan. Add 2 cups of water, 1/4 cup of soy sauce, vinegar, paprika and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or when meat is tender.
*Remove the pork from the sauce pan and on another pan, heat cooking oil and brown the pork for a few minutes.
*Mix the browned pork back to the sauce and add cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken.
*Add salt and/or pepper if desired
*Bring to a boil then simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
*Serve hot with the adobo gravy and plain rice.

Delicious Lumpia Shanghai

• 2lbs of ground pork or beef
• 1 package of lumpia (eggroll) wraps
• 2 minced cloves of garlic
• ¼ cup minced onions
• ½ teaspoon of salt.
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• ¼ cup of soy sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, ¼ cup of warm water

Prep work

Mix ground meat, minced garlic, minced onions, salt, pepper, soy sauce and egg together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch in a ¼ cup of warm water.  This will serve as the glue for the lumpia and prevent them from falling apart.

Cut lumpia wraps in half to double amount. To prevent lumpia wraps from drying out, do not take them out of the package until you are ready to wrap.

Place the lumpia wrap on flat surface for rolling.

You want to place the meat in the shape of a snake at one end of the wrap.  Put as much meat as you want into the wrap to achieve desired thickness.

Begin rolling lumpia and leave about 1cm on the end to apply the cornstarch/water mixture.  Apply the cornstarch/water mixture to the end that’s left and the close the lumpia completely.  Make sure the wrap is very tight.

Repeat process until ingredients are finished. 

Cooking

Cook lumpia in a deep fryer or a frying pan.  Use enough oil to cover lumpia while cooking.  Fry lumpia until they golden brown.  You can either use vegetable or peanut oil.

Lumpia Shanghai is a great appetizer and is easy to make.  It can be served plain or served with any sauce you like.

Recipe by Randy Abaya and photo courtesy of edelalon.com 
 

Mango Lassi (Sweet or Savory)

• 1 cup plain yogurt

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup mango (Available in Asian markets)
• 4 teaspoons sugar, to taste
• A dash of ground cardamom (optional)

Put mango, yogurt, milk, sugar and cardamom into a blender and blend for 2 minutes, then pour into individual glasses. Serve chilled. Can sprinkle with a little cardamom. The lassi can be kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Makes about 2 cups.

Lassi (pronounced lah-see) is a popular and traditional yogurt-based drink which originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It can also be made by blending yogurt with water, salt, pepper, ice and Indian spices.

The sweetened version of Lassi can be prepared simply with yogurt and sugar, or with fruits. Lassis are enjoyed chilled as a hot-weather refreshment, mostly taken with lunch.

 Grace Wong

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup cold butter, cubed
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 orange, zested

Orange Citrus Glaze:

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 orange, zested

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Crust: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, and confectioners' sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan. Bake 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, and juice until well mixed. Add 1/4 cup flour and baking powder, stirring to combine. Sprinkle in some orange zest.

Pour into hot baked crust, and bake 25 minutes, or until set. Cool the bars, so you may top with orange citrus glaze.

For the Orange-Citrus Glaze:
Add 4 cups of powdered sugar and 1/2 cup orange juice together, so that it combines to make a nice creamy glaze sauce consistency. Add orange zest. When all ingredients are mixed well, pour onto the citrus bars.