Basice Stir-Fry Sauce

2/3 c. soy sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons rice wine or 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

¼ - ½ teaspoon dried basil (optional; add to dish just before serving )

1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon dry ginger or 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

Heat a pan over high heat; add the cooking oil, swirling to coat; add the garlic and ginger; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds.

Add the soy sauce mixture; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 minute.

Cool before using as marinade.

I use about ½ of this mixture to marinate meat for stir fry.

To thicken sauce:

• 1- 2 tablespoons cornstarch ( 1 T. if you hve used 1/2 the stir fry sauce for marinade)
• ¼ cup pineapple juice or water

Dissolve cornstarch in cold liquid.

Add the cornstarch solution to stir fry and cook, stirring, until the sauce boils and thickens.

Pour thickened sauce over lightly stir fried meat and vegetables. Simmer till vegetables reach desired doneness.

This can be used with a variety of vegetables and meats. Stir fry is an excellent way to be creative with leftovers. You can vary the flavors by using more pineapple juce or orange jucie in place of chicken broth, add some spice with red pepper flakes, or add and subtract ingredients to suit your family's preference.

Gingersnaps

These are my favorite cookie... Caleb's too!

From the Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook circa 1979

Oven Temp: 375°

• ¾ cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup molasses
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon salt

granulated sugar

When measuring spices for this recipe I use generous measurements for a spicier cookie.

Cream butter, brown sugar, egg and molasses. Add spices, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Add flour and blend well. Chill dough 1 hour. Roll about 1-2 teaspoons dough in a ball and roll in granulated sugar or gourmet sugar (large sugar crystals.) and place on ungreased baking tray or parchment lined trays. Bake at 375° for8-10 minutes. Remove from trays immediately and cool on wire racks.

Cinnamon Rolls

Christmas morning always means cinnamon rolls at our house. I once suggested that we don't have them and choose another sweet treat for Christmas and you might have thought I suggested that the world stop spinning. So every year I make cinnamon buns and they are a rich, buttery, cinnamon-y treat just right for the late morning breakfast we enjoy as parents of adult children... they were just right when the kids were small too!

When my kids were little I was often up late baking and making a terrible mess in the kitchen on Christmas eve so we could have fresh-from the oven cinnamon buns. Now I make them in advance and freeze them so I can enjoy the morning more. I am glad Kelly is carrying on the tradition at her house now and thank her for sharing her picture. I am posting this here so we can both remember how many cinnamon buns this recipe is supposed to make. I can never remember!

Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from LLL’s “Whole Foods for Whole Families”

Makes 48 cinnamon rolls.

Oven Temp: 350°

• 2 cups warm water
• 1-2 cups dry milk (optional)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• up to 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons yeast
• 1 cup wheat germ (optional)
  
• 6-7 cups flour
• additional butter, sugar and cinnamon for inside the rolls.
  

Topping for one 13x9 pan

Recipe makes 4 13x9 pans

• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• about ½-3/4 cup brown sugar
• about ¼ cup light Karo syrup.

Place brown sugar evenly in 13x9 pan. Drizzle with melted butter and Karo Syrup.

Mix all ingredients, except for 3 cups flour until batter is smooth. Add remaining flour and knead with dough hook for about 8 minutes. Use the larger amount of flour if you use four eggs.

Let rise about one hour. Divide dough into fourths. Roll each portion of dough into a rectangle. Spread about 2 tablespoons of melted butter over dough. Sprinkle with sugar (I use a handfulor two. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Add raisins if desired. Roll from long side. Slice rolled dough into twelve 1 inch sections. Place in prepared pans. Let rise about 20 minutes. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes. Rolls will be golden brown and you will se the brown sugar bubbling around the edges.

Immediately turn rolls out onto a foil or parchment lined tray. Wait a minute or two before removing the the pan from the rolls so all the sugary goodness can melt down onto them.

Snickerdoodles and Variations

The dough for Snickerdoodles (really WHO thought of that name?!) is very versatile. Here is the recipe and three variations. The final one, is made with a specialty flavoring called Fiori Di Sicilia which is available from It tastes like a Creamsicle cookie! I was very pleased with the experiment!

Snickerdoodles and Variations
Recipe from Orange Betty Crocker Cookbook circa 1979
Oven Temp: 375°
5 doz. Cookies.

• 1 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 ¾ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ c sugar + 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla, salt, baking soda and cream tartar.Beat well. Blend in flour until well mixed.

For traditional snickerdoodles
Mix ¼ cup of sugar and tablespoon of cinnamon together in a shallow bowl.
Roll 1 inch balls of dough into mixture and place on cookie sheet about 2” apart.

Bake 9-11 minutes until cookies are lightly browned.

For sugar cookies add

• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract along with vanilla.

Roll dough in gourmet sugar or sanding sugar and bake 9-11 minutes.


For Citrus sugar cookies add:

• 2 teaspoons lemon extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• ½ teaspoon lime zest

Roll in gourmet sugar or sanding sugar.
Bake 9-11 minutes until cookies are lightly browned.


For Fiori Di Sicilia Cookies, replace vanilla with ½ teaspoon Fiori Di Sicicilia flavoring (available from King Arthur Flour Co. )
Roll in gourmet sugar or sanding sugar.
Bake 9-11 minutes until cookies are lightly browned.

Pumpkin Waffles

Kelly recently shared a recipe for pumpkin waffles, which we tried and everyone loved. However, I found the waffles a little difficult to get thoroughly done without being burnt on my waffle iron, so I adapted my favorite waffle recipe. The recipe below is doubled from the original so some waffles can go in the freezer, but the way the pumpkin ones disappear I have not yet frozen ANY!

Yeast Raised Waffles

• 3 ½ c. warm water or milk
• 1/3 c. oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup toasted wheat germ
• 4cups flour
• ½ c. brown sugar
• 6 eggs
• 2 tablespoons instant yeast

For Pumpkin waffles add:

• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  2 teaspoon nutmeg
  2 teaspoon ground ginger
  
  
• 2 cup canned pumpkin

Beat all ingredients until blended well. Raise at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator. Stir down. Bake in waffle iron for about 4 minutes.

Carrot Broccoli Soup

A family favorite...

• 2 tablespoons finely minced onion
• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 2 cups milk
• 4 cups canned chicken broth (broth made with bullion cubes makes it too salty)
• 10 oz package chopped broccoli (or 2 cups fresh chopped broccoli)
• 2 cups grated carrots

Cook broccoli and carrots in chicken broth until just tender. Set aside. Saute onion in butter. Add flour and salt. Mix to smooth past. Gradually add milk and just bring to a boil to thicken. When ready to serve blend broth mixture with milk mixture and reheat if needed. Be careful not to boil as soup will separate and not look as attractive. It will still taste good though.

The above is the original recipe. Below is how I actually make it now so it is gluten-free

• 2 tablespoons finely minced onion
• 1 tablespoon  butter or margarine
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 cups canned chicken broth (broth made with bullion cubes makes it too salty)
• 3-4 cups chopped broccoli  
• 4 cups grated carrots
•  Saute onion in butter. Add chicken broth, carrots, broccoli and salt. Cook broccoli and carrots in chicken broth until just tender. Add milk and cream. Be careful not to boil as soup will separate and not look as attractive. It will still taste good though.

The Joys of Multi-generational Living

The late summer brought a lot of changes to our household as we mourned the loss of my father-in-law, welcomed my mother-in-law, as well as our son, Scott, his wife Meg and their son, Timothy into our home and brought Elisa home from a summer at Delanco. Scott and his family will be staying with us until they go to Uganda, East Africa, as missionaries with World Gospel Mission in about a year. My mother-in-law is with us indefinitely. and Elisa is home until another camp season or until she leaves for college, whichever comes first!

One of the joys of lots of people in the house is sharing the cooking. It's nice after nearly 30 years of marriage to have someone take a turn as head chef. Meg served will in that role at a recent dinner party for 10. She made a great Chicken Florentine recipe from "Simple and Delicious", a Reiman publication. Served with bread hot from the oven and a salad brought by a guest, the meal was just right! The recipe, with Meg's adaptations is below. You can get the original recipe at Taste of Home

SERVINGS: 6

CATEGORY: Main Dish

METHOD: Other stovetop

TIME: Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon sherry or chicken broth+ up to 1 cup additional chicken broth
  
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Flatten chicken to 1/2-in. thickness. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the Parmesan cheese, basil and oregano. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in 2 tablespoons butter for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Remove and keep warm.
In the same skillet, saute onions and garlic in remaining butter for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Gradually add flour and salt; stir in milk and sherry or broth until blended. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in spinach and cheese and sour cream, thinning the sauce as needed with additional chicken broth; heat through.
Remove from the heat. Pour sauce over cooked pasta and serve. Yield: 6 servings.

Peach Muffins II

Some time ago I developed an allergy to cinnamon, which is kind of sad since many of the best recipes include this fragrant spice. I've adapted one of our favorites, Peach Muffins, so that I can still enjoy them with the family.
Makes 12 muffins
Oven temp: 400 °

• ½ cup milk
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup finely diced peaches
  

Preheat oven to 400 °. Grease bottoms of 12 standard muffin cups (2 ¾ inches in diameter), spray with cooking spray or use foil or silicone muffin cups. Fruit muffins stick to paper muffin cups.

Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl.In a mixing bowl, beat egg well. Stir in milk and oil, Mix in dry ingredients just until flour is moistened. Gently stir in peaches. Batter should be lumpy.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. I use the largets cookie scoop for evenly sized muffins. Bake 20-25 mminutes or until golden brown. Let stand in pan 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.

Garlic Grilled Shrimp

This is one of my favorites to order in a restaurant. Today I thought that I would try and imitate it so I made a simple vinaigrette and went from there. It was every bit as good as the restaurant and I fed three people shrimp, fresh Jersey corn on the cob and French bread for less than the price of one restaurant meal!

Garlic Grilled Shrimp
Marinate 6-8 jumbo shrimp per person (16-21 shrimp per pound) in a vinaigrette made from:
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon crushed or minced garlic.

Marinate at least one hour. While they are marinating, soak wooden skewers in warm water.

Thread shrimp on soaked skewers. Grill 3-5 minutes per side. Serve immediately.

Our Daily Bread

There is nothing lovelier than walking into a kitchen that is rich with the aroma of fresh bread. I bake bread often, but not every day. At our house we prefer a bread rich in wheat germ, but based on white flour. This is my favorite recipe... I dump everything in the kitchen aid and mix it up. (basic dough for loaves or rolls) Adapted from LLL’s “Whole Foods for Whole Families” Makes 2 loaves of bread or 48 rolls. Oven Temp: 350°

• 2 cups warm water
• 1-2 cups dry milk (optional)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 to 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons yeast
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 6-7 cups flour

Mix all ingredients, except for 3 cups flour until batter is smooth. Add remaining flour and knead with dough hook for about 8 minutes. Use the larger amount of flour if you use four eggs. Let rise about one hour. Shape into loaves or rolls. Place in baking pans. This recipe makes 2 loaves of bread or 48 rolls. Let rise about 1 hour ( a little less for rolls. Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes for bread; 30 minutes for rolls.

Cooking for Two

Before our house fills up again in September Dave and I will experience a season practicing for an empty nest. Jack has his own apartment, Elisa, Scott, Meg and Tim will all be at camp and we will be home alone! It has its good points as well as the bad.

One drawback I have discovered is that after feeding a family for 28 years I don't know how to cook for two. Nor do I have any casseroles or baking dishes that are right for two portions. I tried to make a casserole today and it looks like we will be having wild rice and chicken at lunch for a while! I was wanting something warm and creamy for dinner since here on the 4th of June it is 62 degrees F! So with the ingredients I had on hand, this is what I came up with.


Wild Rice and Chicken Casserole

• 1 package of wild rice mix
• 1/2 cup long grain rice
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1-2 cups cooked chicken
• 1 package steamer vegetables
• 1 8 oz. package grated Swiss cheese
• 1/4 tsp. dill

Microwave rice mix, seasoning and rice 12 minutes on high power, then 20 minutes on 50% power.

Microwave one package of Steamer veggies of your choice. I used a broccoli, carrot, edamame mix.

Mix the hot rice and vegetables with some cooked chicken, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup chicken broth, dill and 8 oz. grated Swiss cheese. Top with buttered bread crumbs if you like them. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes until the sauce us bubbly.

This makes enough food for 4-6 people... definitely overestimated on that one! But it is a filling dish that stretches a little bit of chicken.

Allspice Muffins

Kelly shared this recipe with me a while ago. I m not sure where it came from, but here is is with my modifications. These are very sweet dessert type muffins, not everyday breakfast fare, but absolutely delicious!

For the streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
5 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

For the muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 lemon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Center a rack in the oven. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

To make the streusel topping, put the flour, brown sugar and allspice in a small bowl. Sift together with a fork. Add the bits of cold butter and toss to coat, then use your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until you’ve got irregularly shaped crumbs. (I would do this in the mixer or food processor.) Set aside in the refrigerator.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, allspice and salt. Stir in the brown sugar, making certain there are no lumps. Stir in the lemon zest.

In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla together until well combined.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently but quickly stir to blend with the whisk or a rubber spatula; the batter will be somewhat lumpy.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle some streusel over each muffin, then use your fingertips to gently press the crumbs into the batter.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins to the wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are always a favorite any time for any crowd. This is a double recipe and makes about 10 dozen cookies. They freeze very nicely so I just make the mess once and freeze the rest.
To me, the key to the success of this recipe is real butter, real vanilla and chocolate chips that have real vanilla (not vanillin). It just makes them taste better. They can be made with or without toffee bits (which I get at a local candy supply place).

Preheat oven 375° small cookies/ 350° for very large cookies
10-12 minutes/13-15 minutes


2 cups butter
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 ½ cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon vanilla
4 2/3 cups flour
1 cop toffee bits

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Blend in baking soda and salt. Add flour, chocolate chips and toffee bits and mixuntil well blended. Be sure to scrape the bowl all the way to the bottom to make sure eveything is well mixed.

Drop by teaspoon or tablespoon on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 9-12 minutes. The longer you bake them the crispier they will be.

If you want large coffee house style cookies, use 1/4 cup dough and press it gently until the dough is in a circle about 1/2" thick. Bake at lower oven temp for about 15 minutes. You can fit 6 cookies on a regular cookie sheet.