Friday, September 30, 2011

Cooking : Baby Carrots And Brussels Sprouts Glazed With Brown Sugar and Pepper

Ingredients
2 pounds baby carrots
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and scored
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground black pepper

Directions
Blanch carrots in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer carrots to bowl of ice water using slotted spoon. Return water to boil. Add sprouts and blanch until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to another bowl of ice water. Drain vegetables, and refrigerate if making ahead.
Bring stock, butter or margarine, and brown sugar to a boil in a heavy large skillet. Stir until sugar dissolves. Boil until reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Can be prepared 6 hours ahead; return to boil before continuing. Add carrots. Cook until almost tender and sauce begins to coat, shaking pan occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts and pepper. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.

Cooking : Butternut Squash Rolls

Ingredients
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105 degrees to 115 degrees)
1 teaspoon sugar
2/3 cup warm fat free milk (110 to 115 degrees F)
1 cup mashed, cooked butternut squash
1/3 cup butter or stick margarine, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions
In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar; let stand for 5 minutes Stir in the milk, squash, butter, brown sugar and salt. Add whole wheat flour. beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in enough all-purpose flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with nonstick cooking spray, turning once to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down and turn onto a floured surface; divide into 20 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Place 2 in. apart on baking sheets coated with nonstick cooking spray. With a sharp knife, make shallow slashes on top of rolls. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees F for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Cooking : Authentic Huevos Rancheros

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 (6 inch) corn tortillas
1 cup refried beans with green chilies
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup salsa (optional)

Directions
Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas one at a time until firm, but not crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain grease.
Meanwhile, combine the refried beans and butter in a microwave-safe dish. Cover, and cook in the microwave until heated through. When tortillas are done, fry eggs over easy in the skillet. Add more oil if the tortillas have absorbed it all.
Place tortillas onto plates, and spread a layer of beans on them. Top with cheese, a fried egg, crumbled bacon and if desired, salsa.

Cooking : Best Egg Rolls

Ingredients
1 pound ground pork
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 quart peanut oil for frying
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 ounces shredded carrots
8 (7 inch square) egg roll wrappers
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

Directions
Season pork with ginger and garlic powder and mix thoroughly. Heat mixture in a medium skillet, stirring, until pork is cooked through and no longer pink. Set aside.
In another large skillet heat oil to about 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) or medium high heat. While oil is heating, combine flour and water in a bowl until they form a paste. In a separate bowl combine the cabbage, carrots and reserved pork mixture. Mix all together.
Lay out one egg roll skin with a corner pointed toward you. Place about a 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the cabbage, carrot and pork mixture on egg roll paper and fold corner up over the mixture. Fold left and right corners toward the center and continue to roll. Brush a bit of the flour paste on the final corner to help seal the egg roll.
Place egg rolls into heated oil and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels or rack. Put on serving plate and top with sesame seeds if desired.

Cooking : Better Butter Cookies

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Sift together the flour, and baking soda, set aside. In a medium bowl, cream the white sugar and brown sugar with the butter. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla and peanut butter. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Finally, stir in the nuts.
Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool on wire racks.