Sunday, March 22, 2009

Winter Fruit Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons diced onion
1 teaspoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup cashews
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 apple - cored and diced
1 pear - cored and diced


DIRECTIONS
In a blender or food processor, (I use a mixer) combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard and salt. Process until well blended. With machine still running add oil in a slow steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds and process just a few seconds more to mix.

In a large serving bowl combine the romaine lettuce, shredded Swiss cheese, cashews, dried cranberries, cubed apple and cubed pear. Toss to mix then pour dressing over salad just before serving and toss to coat. (I usually just serve the dressing on the side.)

I brought this to Debra's for New Year's Day 2009.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Chicken and Buttermilk Dumplings

3 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (the bone and skin add flavor)
12 cups water
7 chicken bouillon cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 cups sliced carrots
3 celery ribs, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 tsp. salt

7 T. butter
3/4 cup flour
1/8 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup half and half

DUMPLINGS:
2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
4 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted

In a soup kettle, combine the first eight ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Remove chicken; when cool enough to handle, debone and dice. Strain broth, reserving broth and vegetables. (This part can be done ahead of time and refrigerated. You will need to heat the broth before you add it in the next part.)

In the same kettle, melt butter. Stir in flour and pepper until smooth. Gradually stir in broth. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce heat; stir in the half and half, reserved vegetables and chicken. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to simmer.

For dumplings, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl. Combine eggs, buttermilk and butter; stir into dry ingredients to form a stiff batter.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto simmering mixture. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean (do not lift cover while simmering). Serve immediately. Serve with some fresh fruit for a complete meal.

This makes enough for two meals for our family. Everyone likes it. One of our favorites.

Sweet Roll Dough

2 T. yeast
1 cup warm water
1 cup lukewarm milk (scalded then cooled)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup Imperial margarine
2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
7-8 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Stir in milk, sugar, margarine, salt, eggs, and 4 cups flour. Beat until smooth. (I do this part with the flat beater.)

Now I put on the dough hook and mix in enough remaining flour to make dough cling to the dough hook. Knead for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Put dough into greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down dough. Shape, place on greased cookie sheet, and let rise until double. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

This recipe makes 20 large rolls on my large baking sheet. It is a good dough for cinnamon rolls. I got it from the Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Triple Lemon Pound Cake

This recipe is from Sandra Lee. She does Semi-Homemade cooking. If you like lemon... you will love this cake.

CAKE:
1 box (18.25 oz.) lemon cake
1 box lemon instant pudding
1 cup water
4 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Zest of one lemon
6 tablespoons store bought lemon curd (found in the jam aisle)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 12-cup Bundt pan or 13x9-inch metal baking pan.

2. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, water, eggs, oil, and lemon zest in large bowl. Beat for 2 minutes or until well blended. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Drizzle lemon curd on top of batter, keeping curd away from sides of pan.

3. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on cooling rack for 15 minutes. Invert cake onto cooling rack. Place cooling rack on a cookie sheet. Cool cake completely.

LEMON GLAZE:
6 tablespoons store bought lemon curd (found in the jam aisle)
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 cups powdered sugar

1. Beat lemon curd, water, and lemon juice in large bowl until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until mixture is smooth. Drizzle glaze over cake. Transfer cake to serving platter.

Sesame Noodles

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Servings: 2

1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/3 pound thin spaghetti, cooked to al dente, drained and cooled
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 scallion, chopped


Whisk peanut butter, soy, cayenne, oil and sesame oil. Add noodles and toss to coat. Sprinkle noodles with sesame and scallion to garnish.

This recipe is from Rachel Ray. Really easy and delish.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes


4 ounces linguine pasta

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, sliced into thin strips

2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

2 tablespoons butter

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

4 fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 green onion, minced

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese


Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.


Meanwhile, place chicken and Cajun seasoning in a bowl, and toss to coat.


In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté chicken in butter until no longer pink and juices run clear, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add green and red bell peppers, sliced mushrooms and green onions; cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat, and stir in heavy cream. Season the sauce with basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper, and heat through.


In a large bowl, toss linguine with sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.


---I found this recipe on www.allrecipes.com. It has become a favorite for our family. The recipe says 2 servings, but there is enough sauce for 8-10 ounces of pasta.---