Macaroni Salad

You know how you have a favourite recipe that you have relied on forever and then one day your figure "let's try this one, it looks good", and you now have a new favourite?

Well this is what happened when I tried this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Recipe Book.  I have owned this book for years, but always passed this version of macaroni salad.

This is creamy and rich tasting, and the chunks of cheese with the peas and eggs makes you think you could eat this for dinner all by itself.  It makes a great side dish in the summer or for any pot luck dinner.

Ingredients
1 cup elbow macaroni
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, cubed
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sweet relish
2 tablespoons milk
dash ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions.  To save time, and pots, I also throw in the eggs to boil them at the same time.  Rinse pasta with cold water and drain.

In a large mixing bowl, combine pasta, cheese, celery, peas and green onion.

Add the mayonnaise, relish, milk, salt and pepper and stir.  Add the chopped eggs and combine.

Cover and chill at least four hours before serving.

If you find it too dry just add a little milk.

Classic Almond Biscotti

I have tried a couple of different versions and this is the recipe I like the best.  It is from canadianliving.com
At first I made my slices too big and the biscotti were not crisp enough, so be careful.  They are easier  to make than you think, so give these a try.  Great with red wine or coffee.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup whole unblanched almonds
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange rind
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and almonds.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract and grated orange rind, stir into flour mixture until soft sticky dough forms.  Transfer to a lightly floured surface, form into a smooth ball.

Divide dough in half, roll each int 12 inch long logs that are slightly flattened.  Transfer to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Brush the logs with the egg white, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on pan on rack for 5 minutes.  Transfer each log to a cutting board, and cut diagonally int 3/4 inch thick slices.

Stand cookies upright on baking sheet, bake for 20-25 minutes longer or until golden.  Transfer to rack and let cool.

Biscotti can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Sweet and Sour Spareribs

I make ribs only occasionally, but when I do they are always a hit.  It probably doesn't hurt that over the years, I have steadily improved my technique.

This is a recipe I found on the Epicurious.com site.  It is simple and delicious, especially if you are having people over and would rather enjoy their company rather than fuss in the kitchen.

What the recipe does not tell you to do is how to prep the meat before you cut and cook it.  It is very important to pull off the membrane from the back of the ribs.  It is easy to do with a sharp knife by  loosening the membrane from one edge and pulling.

Now that it is barbecue time again (I am still optimistic the we will have a warm summer), I am going to try to do these on the barbecue using a foil pan.  I will let you know how that turns out, or you can also let me know if you try it.  I plan to boil for a minute as per the recipe, then just lay the ribs out in a foil pan and pour over the sauce, cover, and place on the grill over low, indirect heat.

Ingredients
2 pounds pork spareribs, cut into single ribs (about 8-9 ribs)
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
2 (1-inch-diameter 1/2-inch-thick) slices peeled fresh ginger smashed
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt

 Directions
Place ribs in a large pot enough to hold ribs in a single layer.  Add enough cold water to cover rib.

Bring to boil, spooning off any foam that rises to the surface.  Boil on minute, Transfer ribs to a colander to drain.

Wash and dry same pot.  Add 3/4 cup water, sugar, ginger, soy sauce, sherry, vinegar, ketchup and salt to pot.  Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves.  Add spareribs, turning to coat with sauce mixture (sauce will not cover the ribs). Arrange ribs in a single layer and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until ribs are very tender, turning ribs occasionally and adding a few tablespoons of water as needed to maintain liquid level, about 2 hours.

Chocolate Whiskey Bundt Cake

I know Easter has passed and most have had their fill of chocolate and are wanting to get in shape for summer.

Well, I spent this afternoon soaking in the sun and I still have a yen for chocolate....go figure.

Al is generally not a fan of chocolate cake  This one is an exception, probably because of the hefty amount of scotch it calls for.  He says it is like eating a fluffy rum ball.  I must say this is an apt description.

I found this on an Epicurious site.  The original recipe calls for American whiskey, but being married to a Scotsman, we always have scotch on hand.  The flavour is unique with the combination of chocolate, coffee and scotch.  It is moist but not dense and requires no icing or glaze.

The original recipe says the flavour of this cake improves if made at least one day ahead and kept in a cake keeper or wrapped well in plastic wrap, at cool room temperature.  It can be made up to five days ahead and chilled.  Bring to room temperature before serving.   I will have to take their word for it because this was cut into the day it was made and eaten within a couple of days.  It did age well though without drying out when kept under a cake dome.

Ingredients
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups brewed coffee
1/2 cup whiskey (I use scotch)
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Put the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Spray your bundt pan with PAM.

Heat coffee, whiskey, butter, and cocoa powder in a heavy saucepan over  moderate heat, whisking until the butter is melted.  Remove from heat, then add sugar and whisk until dissolved, about one minute. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and cool five minutes.

While the chocolate mixture cools, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.  Whisk together the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl, then whisk into the cooled chocolate mixture until combined well.  Add flour mixture and whisk until just combined (batter will be thin and bubbly).  Pour batter into the bundt pan and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean,  40-50 minutes.

Cool cake completely in the pan on a rack for about 2 hours.  Loosen the cake from the pan and invert rack over pan and turn cake out onto rack.

  

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

My grandchildren were coming for the week and I wanted to make something new and something special.  How can you miss with chocolate and banana?  I looked around and found this on a site called Smitten Kitchen.

This loaf is moist, dense, chocolatey with bits of melted chocolate and a lovely hint of banana.  It was a big hit and by the end of the week there was nothing left.  I will definitely make this again.  It does not dry out and was as delicious on day one as it was on day seven.

Ingredients
3 medium to large very ripe bananas
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan or spray it with a non-stick baking spray.

Mash bananas in the bottom of a large bowl. Whisk in melted butter, then brown sugar, egg, and vanilla.

Place baking soda, salt, flour and cocoa powder, in a sifter or fine mesh strainer, and sift over wet ingredients.  Stir dry and wet ingredients with a spoon until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chunks or chips.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.  (A melted chocolate chip smear is expected however.)  Cool in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert it our onto a cooling rack.

Coffee Cake Muffins

I must say, I would rather be playing in the sunshine!!  My grand daughter came in from playing in the snow and yelled "Where is summer!".  Out of the mouths of babes.  Although I was away from the cold for one month, it has not lessened my disappointment with the weather.

There, I got it off my chest! Whew!

The other day my lovely daughter asked where my next post was, after all, I was retired and what else did I have to do with my time?  There was also the utterance "You are old" somewhere in that stellar conversation.  Only a daughter could get away with this.

Well, I am ready to move on with business even though the weather isn't or before I forget what it is that I wanted to write about.

If I were the type of person who had lots of time and friends over for the never-ending coffee, I would chose this muffin to serve.  It is from my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts or peanuts
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk

Directions
Grease your muffin tins and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

For the topping, mix the 3 tablespoons flour, brown sugar, and the cinnamon.  Cut in the 2 tablespoons butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in the nuts.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the 1 1/2 cups flour, the sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and salt.  Cut in the 1/4 cup butter till the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In another medium bowl, combine the egg and buttermilk.  Add the egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture.  Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy).

Spoon half the batter into the muffin tins.   Top with half the topping, the remaining batter, and the remaining topping.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes or till golden.

E-Z Drop Biscuits

These biscuits were the perfect accompaniment to the leek soup I made the other day.  I chose this particular recipe because it was fast, you don't need to roll out the dough and cut the biscuits, just drop spoonfuls onto the baking sheet.  They are not as pretty, but just as tasty.

I found the recipe on line on allrecipes.com

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar and salt.  Stir in butter and milk just until moistened.  Drop batter on a lightly greased cookie sheet by the tablespoon.

Bake in a predated oven until golden on the edges, about 8 to 12 minutes.

Serve warm.