Category: Recipes

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Pan-Fried Onion Dip

Total Time:
1 hr 10 min
Prep:
10 min
Inactive:
30 min
Cook:
30 min

Yield:
2 cups

Level:
Easy

Ingredients

2 large yellow onions
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup good mayonnaise

Directions

Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions.) Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.

Place the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature.

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Mac and Cheddar Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli

Total Time:
35 min
Prep:
10 min
Cook:
25 minYield:
Yield: 6 servings

Level:
Easy

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 pound chicken breast tenders, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound macaroni elbows or cavatapi corkscrew shaped pasta twists
2 1/2 cups raw broccoli florets, available packaged in produce department
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
3 cups whole milk
1 cup chicken stock
3 cups yellow sharp Cheddar
1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard
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Directions

Place a pot of water on to boil for macaroni.

Heat a medium pan over medium to medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and chicken and season with salt and pepper. Saute a couple of minutes then add onion and cook another 5 to 7 minutes until onions are tender and chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat and reserve.

To boiling pasta water, add pasta and salt to season the cooking water. Cook 5 minutes, then add broccoli and cook 3 minutes more or until pasta is cooked to al dente and florets are just tender.

While pasta cooks, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne and paprika and whisk together over heat until roux bubbles then cook a minute more. Whisk in milk and stock and raise heat a little to bring sauce to a quick boil. Simmer sauce to thicken about 5 minutes.

Drain macaroni or pasta and broccoli florets. Add back to pot and add chicken to the pasta and broccoli.

Add cheese to milk sauce and stir to melt it in, about a minute or so. Stir in mustard and season sauce with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and broccoli and cooked pasta and stir to combine. Adjust seasonings, transfer to a large serving platter and serve.

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Buttercream Icing

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
  • 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
  • 4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Makes

About 2 1/4 cups of icing.

Tools

  • Electric mixer
  • large bowl
  • Silicone Spatula

Instructions:

Step 1

In large bowl, beat shortening and butter with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla.

Step 2

Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry.

Step 3

Gradually add milk; beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Step 4

For thin (spreading) consistency icing, add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.

Step 5

For Pure White Icing (stiff consistency), omit butter; substitute an additional 1/2 cup shortening for butter and add 1/2 teaspoon No-Color Butter Flavor. Add up to 4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk to thin for icing cakes.

Step 6

HintsKeep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

If using a hand mixer, beat shortening, butter, if used, and liquid first, then add sugar, as above. It may be necessary to add additional sugar for the correct consistency.

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Honey Poppy Seed Dressing

Prep Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 5 mins

Serves: 4-6, Yield: 1.0 cup

Ingredients

    • 2/3 cup sugar
    • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
    • 1 teaspoon paprika
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon poppy seed
    • 1/3 cup honey
    • 5 tablespoons cider vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon onion, minced (1/4 tsp. onion juice)
    • 1 cup canola oil ( can be any oil that doesn’t have flavor)

Directions

  1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a food processor or blender – sugar, mustard, paprika, salt, poppyseeds.
  2. Add – honey, vinegar, lemon juice, and onion to the dry ingredients.
  3. As the blades of the blender or food processor are spinning, slowly add the oil.
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Southern Pecan Pie

Ingredients
1 deep dish pie crust
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 cups toasted pecan halves
Freshly whipped cream, for serving (optional)Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Unroll the pie crust and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Bake the crust until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on a rack. (Leave the oven on.)

Whisk the corn syrup, brown sugar, salt, butter and vanilla in a medium bowl. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl, then whisk into the corn syrup mixture.

Finely chop 1/2 cup pecans and spread evenly over the pie crust. Roughly chop another

1/2 cup pecans and mix into the corn syrup mixture, then pour the filling into the crust. Arrange the remaining 1 cup pecans on top in a decorative pattern.

Bake the pie until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool completely on a rack. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

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Atlantic Beach Pie

Makes one pie

For the crust:

1 1/2 sleeves of saltine crackers

1/3 to 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter

3 tablespoons sugar

For the filling:

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

4 egg yolks

1/2 cup lemon or lime juice or a mix of the two

Fresh whipped cream and coarse sea salt for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crush the crackers finely, but not to dust. You can use a food processor or your hands. Add the sugar, then knead in the butter until the crumbs hold together like dough. Press into an 8 inch pie pan. Chill for 15 minutes, then bake for 18 minutes or until the crust colors a little.

While the crust is cooling (it doesn’t need to be cold), beat the egg yolks into the milk, then beat in the citrus juice. It is important to completely combine these ingredients. Pour into the shell and bake for 16 minutes until the filling has set. The pie needs to be completely cold to be sliced. Serve with fresh whipped cream and a sprinkling of sea salt.

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Hot Milk Sponge Cake

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
Topping:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
4 tablespoons milk
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch square pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs for 4 minutes with electric mixer. Gradually add sugar; beat until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Whisk together the flour and baking powder, and add to egg mixture until just combined.
4. In a saucepan, heat 1/2 cup milk and 2 tablespoons butter until butter is melted. Gradually pour into the batter, mixing constantly. Pour into prepared pan.
5. Bake in preheated oven until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Remove cake from oven; preheat oven’s broiler.
7. Beat 1/4 cup brown sugar and 2 tablespoons butter until combined. Stir in milk to desired consistency. Stir in coconut and nuts. Spread over warm cake. Broil 4 inches from heat for 3 to 4 minutes, till golden.
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Framboise Cranberry Sauce

Yield: 9 servings (serving size: 1/4 cup)

Ingredients

  • 1 (12-ounce) bottle Framboise Lambic beer (such as Lindemans)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange rind
  • 1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries

Preparation

1. Bring beer to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, rind, and cranberries; bring to a simmer. Cook 18 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature. Spoon into a bowl; cover and chill. (Sauce will thicken as it chills.)

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Springy, Fluffy Marshmallows

These homemade marshmallows are not only easy to make, they set as perfectly as promised: puffed and lightweight, bouncing off one another as I tossed them in the container. Even better, they toasted like a campfire charm speared on the end of a skewer, and s’mooshed between two graham crackers with a square of chocolate.

Makes about 96 1-inch cubed marshmallows

About 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water, divided
2 cups granulated sugar (cane sugar worked just fine)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites or reconstituted powdered egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla (alternately: 1/2 of a scraped vanilla bean, 2 teaspoons almond or mint extract or maybe even some food coloring for tinting)

Oil bottom and sides of a 13- by 9- by 2-inch rectangular metal baking pan and dust bottom and sides with some confectioners’ sugar.

In bowl of a standing electric mixer or in a large bowl sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold cold water, and let stand to soften.

In a 3-quart heavy saucepan cook granulated sugar, corn syrup, second 1/2 cup of cold water, and salt over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to moderate and boil mixture, without stirring, until a candy or digital thermometer registers 240°F, about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.

With standing or a hand-held electric mixer beat mixture on high speed until white, thick, and nearly tripled in volume, about six minutes if using standing mixer or about 10 minutes if using hand-held mixer. (Some reviewers felt this took even longer with a hand mixer, but still eventually whipped up nicely.)

In separate medium bowl with cleaned beaters beat egg whites (or reconstituted powdered whites) until they just hold stiff peaks. Beat whites and vanilla (or your choice of flavoring) into sugar mixture until just combined. Pour mixture into baking pan and don’t fret if you don’t get it all out (learning from my mess of a first round). Sift 1/4 cup confectioners sugar evenly over top. Chill marshmallow, uncovered, until firm, at least three hours, and up to one day.

Run a thin knife around edges of pan and invert pan onto a large cutting board. Lifting up one corner of inverted pan, with fingers loosen marshmallow and ease onto cutting board. With a large knife trim edges of marshmallow and cut marshmallow into roughly one-inch cubes. (An oiled pizza cutter works well here too.) Sift remaining confectioners’ sugar back into your now-empty baking pan, and roll the marshmallows through it, on all six sides, before shaking off the excess and packing them away.

Do ahead: Marshmallows keep in an airtight container at cool room temperature 1 week.

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Vanilla Pudding

  • 3 1/2 Cups milk
  • 3/4 Cup Splenda
  • 1/4 Cup cornstarch
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large (jumbo) eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla (bean paste) or regular vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Put milk in large microwave bowl. Heat for 4-5 minutes. Mix Splenda, salt, and cornstarch in another bowl.

When milk is hot, whisk the dry ingredients into the milk and microwave 2-3 minutes and stir. Repeat until pudding thickens. Whisk vanilla into eggs until well mixed.

Temper eggs with some of the hot mixture, then add eggs to pudding, whisking well. Microwave 2-3 minutes until as thick as you want.

Add butter, cool and enjoy!