Monday, September 28, 2009

Morrocan Chicken Vegetable Soup

3 lbs. chicken
2 large red onions, chopped
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced (yes, all of it)

2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin

8 -10 cups chicken broth, depending on how thick you like your soup

1/3 cup couscous
1/2 cup sliced green onions

In a large pot, put all ingredients, except for the couscous and green onions (they go in at the last). Bring to a boil, then simmer about 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

Take the chicken pieces out and break into bite-sized pieces. I shred it with a fork. Put the chicken back into the pot. Now add the couscous and green onions. Simmer till heated through.


(original recipe taken from The Best of Bridge:
The Best of the Best)

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Hamburger Soup

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion,finely chopped
1 - 28 oz. can tomatoes
2 cups water 500 mL
3 - 10 oz. cans consomme
1 - 10 oz. can tomato soup
4 carrots, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
3 sticks celery, finely chopped parsley
pepper to taste
1/2 cup pot barley 125 mL

Instructions:
Brown meat and onions. Drain well. Combine all ingredients in large pot. Simmer covered, at least 2 hours, or all day. Serves 10.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Plum Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Streusel

For the streusel:
2-1/4 oz. (1/2 cup) flour (I used whole wheat)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tbsp ground Cinnamon
1-1/2 oz. (3 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted; more as needed

For the cake:
4 oz. (8 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces; more softened for the pan
6-3/4 oz. (1-1/2 cups) flour; more for the pan ( i used whole wheat)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed dark or light brown sugar
1/4 cup whole milk (I used skim)
1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/2 tsp. ground Cinnamon
3 firm-ripe medium plums, each pitted and quartered


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Make the streusel:
Put the flour, sugar, kosher salt, and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl and stir the ingredients with a fork until thoroughly combined. Drizzle the melted butter over the mixture and stir with the fork until the mixture resembles a clumpy dough. Using your fingers, break the mixture into pistachio-size clumps and large crumbs. (If the streusel is sandy and won’t clump, add a little more melted butter, 1 tsp. at a time.) Refrigerate the streusel while you prepare the cake batter.

Make the cake:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly butter and flour an 8x8x2-inch straight-sided cake pan.

Beat the eggs lightly in a small mixing bowl. Whisk in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla until well blended. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, table salt, and cinnamonuntil well blended. Add the butter pieces to the bowl and cut them into the flour with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles a very coarse meal strewn with pieces of butter the size of small peas and oat flakes.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. With a wooden spoon, fold and stir the ingredients together until it’s a thick batter speckled with visible lumps of butter, 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Break up the streusel mixture with your fingers and sprinkle half of it evenly over the batter. Arrange the plum quarters skin side down on the batter, with each piece at a 45-degree angle to the sides of the pan. Sprinkle the remaining streusel evenly over the cake.

Bake the cake for 20 minutes and then rotate the pan. Continue baking until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 15 to 20 minutes more.

Cool the cake in its pan on a rack for at least an hour before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Pad Thai

1 Pkg Thai rice noodles
Soak in warm water for 2-3 hours

2 cloves garlic
2 eggs
3 Tbsp oil
In a wok, heat oil, add garlic and egg and scramble.

Drain noodles and add to the wok along with the following ingredients
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp paprika
Mix together and add to the noodle and fry until noodles are softened.

Add 4 cups bean sprouts to noodles and cook

Once noodle and sprouts are cooked, add
2 green onions cut in small slices
1/2 cup ground peanuts
cooked chicken or baby shrimp meat

Serve warm

Chicken Panaga Curry (THAI)

1 Tbsp Sugar
1/2-1 Tbsp red curry paste
4 chicken breast in cubes
Heat pan, add sugar and curry paste stir until smooth. Add chicken and cook

1 Can coconut milk
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp fish sauce
Bay leaf
1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper cut in small pieces
Add to chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-20 mins

Mix 2 tbsp cornstarch in 3 tbsp water and pour in to thicken curry sauce.
Remove bay leaf
Add 2 tbsp peanuts and serve

Thai Chicken Satay

4 chicken breasts cut in small enough pieces to scewer.
Scewer 4 pieces onto each scewer.

Marinade
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup soya sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp oil
Mix together and place in a plastic container with chicken scewers. Marinade for 1-2hours and then grill.
Server with Thai Peanut Sauce

Thai Peanut Sauce

•1/3 cup peanut butter, softened
•3 tbsp water
•2 tbsp soy sauce
•juice from 2 limes
•1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
•1/2 tsp brown sugar
•1 clove garlic, minced
•1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
•salt to taste

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Heat over low heat for a few minutes or until the peanut butter softens it up.

Serve with Chicken Satay's