1/2 cup pecans
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze:
1 egg
1 1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 dash salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans, pistachio nuts, or your favorite nuts
Grind the 1/2 cup pecans in a blender, food processor, or food grinder.
Combine the nuts with the flour and baking powder.
In a separate bowl beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer for 30 seconds.
Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg, sour cream and vanilla and beat until well mixed.
Stir in the flour, baking powder and the ground nuts.
Divide dough in half. Cover and chill at least 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Work half of the dough at a time. Keep the other half refrigerated. Roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with desired cookie cutter.
Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 7-8 minutes or until done. Remove from sheet and cool on a rack. To Make Lemon Glaze: Beat 1 egg white until frothy. Add 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and a dash of salt. Beat well.
Spread cookies with Lemon Glaze and sprinkle with nuts.
Makes 7 dozen
Pecan Oven-Fried Chicken
1 1/2 cup buttermilk, or low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
4 chicken breast halves, skin removed
1/2 cup dry unseasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup pecan halves, finely ground
In sealable plastic bag (yes, you can use a bowl or a shallow dish for this part) combine buttermilk, garlic, ginger, cumin and salt. Add chicken. Shake to coat. Seal bag. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
Heat oven to 425°F. In flat dish combine bread crumbs, pecans. Lift chicken from marinade and place meat side down, in crumbs to coat. Place, coated side up, in nonstick baking pan. Discard marinade.
Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes. Reduce to 350°F. Bake 15-20 minutes, until not pink near bone.
Recipe From: Family Circle - 9/16/97.
Basil Pork Chops
4 lean center-cut pork chops
(1 1/4 lbs.)
1 cup v-8 juice
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Trim and discard excess fat from chops. In a large frying pan, brown chops without added fat. When chops are browned, add other ingredients. Cover tightly and simmer 40 minutes or until tender. Turn meat occasionally and add a few tablespoons of water if necessary to prevent burning.
1 Serving: 1 Chop Plus 1 Tbsp. Sauce
Nutritive values per serving: 3 gm. carbohydrates; 25 gm. protein; 14 gm. fat; 240 calories; 0.7 gm. fiber; 521 mg. sodium; 91 mg. cholesterol
Food Exchange per serving: 3 Medium-Fat Exchanges + 1 Vegetable Exchange.
Low-sodium diets: Omit salt. Substitute unsalted V-8 Juice.
Homemade V8 Juice
15 lb fully ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 cup celery, chopped
3 large onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced and mashed
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
2 tsp to 1 tblsp salt, or to taste
3/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/3 cup lemon juice
worcestershire to taste
Over medium high heat bring the vegetables to a boil and boil gently for about 20 minutes.
In a covered blender (food processor) add a portion at a time and process until smooth. Strain and discard pulp.
Add seasonings and bring to just under boiling if canning, or chill and freeze. Yield about 6 quarts.
Source Sunset 1974.
Bean And Sesame Seed Spread (Hummus)
1 can (15-oz) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained (reserve liquid)
1/2 cup sesame seed
1 clove garlic, cut into halves
3 tablespoon lemon juice (grated rind for added flavor)
1 teaspoon salt
1 snipped parsley
pocket/pita bread, crackers or vegetable for dipping
Place reserved bean liquid, the sesame seed and garlic in blender container. Cover and blend on high speed until mixed. Add beans, lemon juice and salt; cover and blend on high speed, stopping blender to scrapes sides if necessary, until of uniform consistency. Garnish with parsley. Serve as spread or dip with wedges of pita bread.
Makes about 2 cups of spread/dip.
Bean Soup With Dumplings
3 cup water
1 can (15 1/2 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen corn, thawed
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
3 beef bouillon cubes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Dumplings:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 dash salt and pepper
1 egg white, beaten
3 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the first 13 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. For Dumplings: Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and pepper. Combine egg white, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients. Drop into eight mounds onto boiling soup. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes (do not lift the cover).
Mushroom Rice With Tumeric
3/4 lb muchrooms, cubed
4 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1 cup rice
1 bay leaf
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
* You can use vegetable stock with this.
Wash, trim, and cube mushrooms--there should be about 2 cups. Heat half of butter in ovenproof pan with tight fitting lid. Add onion and garlic. Saute several minutes and then add mushrooms. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring. Sprinkle with tumeric and add rice and bay leaf. Stir until rice is coated. Add chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and bring to boil on top of stove. Place in 400°F oven and bake 20 minutes. Remove. Discard bay leaf and stir in remaining butter with fork.
Great with grilled fish, seafood or chicken.
Recipe From: Micro Cookbook Collection of Contemporary Recipes.
Tenderloin Steaks With Wine Sauce
2 tenderloin steaks, top loin center cut 1 1/4 thick
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 finely sliced scallion, tablespoon or so
1/2 cup good red wine
1 tablespoon butter
minced parsley or chopped chives
salt and pepper
Trim steaks of excess fat and pat dry with towels; brush them lightly with some olive oil and lightly oil a nonstick pan. Sauté steaks 1 1/2 minutes to 2 minutes a side for red rare; longer for medium. Remove steaks to a warm plate. Degrease most of the fat, leaving only a teaspoon in skillet. Add the scallions and stir for a moment. Pour in wine and scrape deglazings; boil down until syrupy. Remove from heat, add butter and parsley or chives if you wish; pour over steak.
Makes 2 servings.
Savory Salmon And Dill Cheesecake
4 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs, fine
3/4 cup gruyere cheese, grated
1 cup fresh dill, snipped
1 cup chopped onion, (such as maui)
28 oz cream cheese, room temp
4 large eggs
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 lb smoked salmon, chopped
1 freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 black olives, garnish
1 fresh dill, garnish
1 sweet red peppers, sliced, garnish
Using 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter grease a 9-inch diameter springform pan with a 2 1/2 inch high side. Mix the bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of the Gruyere, and 1 tablespoon of the dill. Coat the bottom and side of the pan well with this mixture. Wrap foil around the bottom and the outside of the pan. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over med. heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly. Using an electric mixer or food processor, beat the cream cheese, eggs, and cream until well blended. Fold in the onion mixture, salmon, remaining Gruyere and remaining dill. Season with lots of black pepper. Pour the batter into the springform pan and place in another baking pan large enough to hold it. Add enough boiling water to the larger pan to come halfway up the side of the cheesecake. Bake in a preheated 325°F oven for about 40 minutes or until it seems solid.
Leave the cheesecake in the water bath and turn the oven off. Let stand for 1 hour with door ajar. Transfer the cheesecake, still in the mold, to a rack and cool for at least 2 hours. Refrigerate overnight. Before serving, unmold and decorate with cut black olives, fresh dill, and slices of roasted red pepper. Serve at room temperature with crackers.
Note: This is really a great party spread, or appetizer. It's beautiful, elegant and delicious.
Scandinavian Beef Patties With Beets And Capers
medium russet potato (about 4 to 6 or to your liking)
2 tablespoon heavy cream
1 pinch ground cloves
2 teaspoon butter
1 small onion, minced
1 lb ground sirloin
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup finely chopped pickled beets
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook potato until tender when pierced with tip of a sharp knife, about 20 minutes. Drain, peel, and mash with heavy cream, and cloves plus salt and pepper to taste. In a small skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir into mashed potato. Add ground sirloin and egg yolk to potato and mix well. Stir in pickled beets and capers. Form mixture into 4 patties about 1-inch thick. Transfer patties to wax-paper-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour. Dredge patties in flour; shake off excess. In a large skillet, melt remaining butter in oil over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook until bottoms are browned, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until desired doneness, about 5 minutes for medium.
Suggested Accompaniements Serve these patties with whipped mashed potatoes and a cucumber salad. Also used the mixture to make meatballs. These go nicely with a dipping sauce made of sour cream blended with a bit of the liquid from the pickled beets.
8 oz uncooked wide egg noodles
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
2 cup diced fully cooked smoked ham, (about 1/2 pound)
1/2 teaspoon caraway seed, (optional)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
paprika
Drop noodles into 6 cups rapidly boiling salted water (4 teaspoons salt). Heat to rapid boiling. Cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Cover and remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Drain.
Stir margarine and onion into noodles. Stir eggs into sour cream. Stir egg mixture, ham, caraway seed and pepper into noodles. Sprinkle bread crumbs evenly in greased 2-quart casserole. Pour noodle mixture into casserole. Sprinkle with paprika. Cook uncovered in 350°F oven until mixture is set, 40 to 45 minutes.
Serve from casserole or unmold onto heated platter. To unmold, loosen edge of noodle around inside rim with knife. Place inverted platter over casserole; invert noodles onto platter. Garnish with parsley if desired.
This is traditionally served with buttered broad beans or sliced tomatoes, and followed with a rich Austrian dessert, such as Apple Strudel.
Note: Wasn't really good with the caraway seed, and if there are left-overs, add a little milk before re-heating them.
Recipe From: Betty Crocker's International Cookbook, 1980.
Scottish Eggs With Fresh Herbs
4 lg Eggs
plain flour
8 oz Sausage meat
1 Egg, beaten
2 Spring onions, fine chopped
Toasted breadcrumbs
1 tsp Finely chopped fresh thyme
Salt
3 tsp Chopped fresh chives
Freshly milled black pepper
1 tblsp Finely chopped fresh parsley
Oil for deep frying
Hard-boil the eggs by covering them in cold water, bringing it to the boil, simmering gently for 9 minutes and cooling them under cold running water. Next mix the sausage meat with the spring onions and herbs and season well. Then shell the cooled eggs and coat each one with some of the seasoned flour. Divide the sausage meat into four portions and pat each piece out on a floured surface to a shape roughly 5x3 inches. Now place an egg in the center of each piece and carefully gather up the sausage meat to cover the egg completely. Seal one by one, first in beaten egg and then throughly and evenly in the breadcrumbs. Now heat 1 1/2 inches of oil in a deep frying pan up to a temperature of 350-375°F. Put the eggs into the oil and fry for 6-8 minutes, turning frequently until they have turned a nice broun colour. Drain on crumpled grease proof paper. When they're absolutely cold, wrap in cling wrap and store.
Scrambled Eggs With Rice And Ham
1 cup cooked rice
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1/4 cup cooked ham, chopped
3 tablespoon butter, fat or oil
1 egg, well beaten
2 tablespoon water
season to taste with salt, pepper and your favorite herbs and spices
Slowly warm rice, butter, fat or oil, water, parsley and ham in skillet. Add eggs and seasoning to rice mixture. Stir until egg is done. Serve immediately with tomato salad and sweet pickles.
Spam Skillet Dinner
3 medium zucchini
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon oil
1 can spam luncheon meat (12 oz)
3 medium potaoes, peeled, sliced
1 can tomatoes (16 oz)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Cut zucchini in 1/2" slices. In large skillet over medium-high heat, saute zucchini and onion in oil 5 minutes, stirring often. cut spam into 8 slices; halve each slice. Add potatoes, carrots, and spam to skillet; pour tomatoes over all. Sprinkle with herbs. Cover and simmer 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
Steak And Bean Soup
1 lb bottom round steak, cut 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup celery, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup carrot, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
3 quart beef stock or broth
1 cup kidney beans
1 cup pinto beans
1 dash tabasco
1 salt and pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste
SSoak beans in cold water overnight. Rinse; drain twice until quite dry. Heat oil in soup pot; brown meat. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic, suaté until tender. Add stock and beans; simmer 45 minutes or until beans are tender. Add Tabasco, salt and pepper. Stir in tomato paste; simmer 5 minutess. Adjust seasonings one more time. Simmer until your liking, then serve with bread or crackers.
Stir-Fried Pork With Napa Cabbage
4 tablespoon beef broth
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot
1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into
1 1/2 by 1/2-inch strips
4 cup shredded napa cabbage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 green onions, chopped
Heat broth in a large nonstick frying pan or in a wok. Stir-fry the garlic, ginger, and green onions for 1 minute. Add pork and stir-fry until pink color is nearly gone, about 1 minute. Mix in cabbage, cover, and continue cooking for 3-5 minutes or until cabbage is tender, stirring once. Season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste.
Serves 4 to 6.
If fresh spinach is unavailable or too much trouble, 10 oz frozen spinach may be substituted for 2 pounds fresh. Trim, wash, and drain spinach. Cut into 1" to 2" widths. Mix miso, soy sauce, and vinegar; set aside. Heat wok over high heat. Add almonds and stir-fry until fragrant and edges turn golden, about 45 seconds. Transfer to plate. Heat oil in wok. Add spinach and ginger and stir-fry just until tender, about 3 minutes. Drizzle with the Miso mix and sprinkle with the almonds. Serve immediately!
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