Grapefruit Scones
I wanted something to serve with tea and decided to make scones. I am not sure why I decided to use grapefruit in the recipe. It might have been that big bowl of pink grapefruit sitting on the counter.
I started with a scone recipe I had used before, then tweaked it by adding grapefruit zest and juice. I added grapefruit juice and zest every where I could think of.
They came out great. You could even see little flecks of pink here and there.
Scones, done right, are very tender. These scones came out just perfect. A little crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. Not too sweet and the delicate flavor of grapefruit. So here is the recipe.
Grapefruit Scones
2 c. flour
½ c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
Zest of 1 grapefruit
½ c. cold butter
1 egg, beaten
¼ c. half and half
¼ c. grapefruit juice
Topping:
2-3 T. half and half
4 T. sugar
1 T. grapefruit zest
Glaze:
1½ powdered sugar
1 T. grapefruit zest
3-4 T. grapefruit juice
Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone liner- or grease lightly. Set aside. In medium bowl, combine flour with sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and zest. Cut in cold butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. In small bowl, combine egg with half and half and grapefruit juice. Add to flour mixture and stir until mixture forms into a soft dough. Mix until combined, but don’t over mix. On lightly floured surface, divide dough in half. Dust an 8-inch round cake pan. Add half of the dough and press in until dough is evenly spread in the pan. Turn the pan over, quickly, onto the prepared baking sheet to get the dough out. Note: this part seems a little tricky, but it gives you a perfect 8-inch circle of dough. Don’t under-flour the pan and the dough will come right out. Also, be sure to flip the dough near one corner of the baking sheet, so you will have room for the other half of the dough. Re-flour the cake pan, press in the rest of the dough and flip it onto the baking sheet. Now you have 2 ( 8-inch) circles of dough on the baking sheet- hopefully. Don’t sweat this part. If the dough doesn’t come out easily, just scrape it out of the cake pan, add more flour, return the dough to the cake pan, and try it again. And when you are flipping it out of the pan- do it quickly. If you prefer, you can place the dough on the baking sheet, in two piles, and shape it into 2 ( 8-inch) circles. Using a dough cutter or a spatula, cut each circle of dough into 8 wedges. For the topping, brush the scones with half and half. Combine the sugar and zest and sprinkle over the dough. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown. Re-cut the scones where you cut them before, and place the scones on a cooling rack. Let them cool a few minutes. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Combine the powdered sugar and zest, then add enough grapefruit juice to make a glaze you can drizzle. Using a small spoon or even a fork, drizzle the tops of the scones with the glaze. Make a pot of tea and eat your scones. Makes 16.
Spicy Fried Tofu
I first made this recipe a couple of years ago. It was a snowy day and I wanted something spicy to warm me up. I had a tub of tofu and a dream. Ok, I had a tub of tofu and some leftovers from a Chinese New Year party. This was firm tofu in a tub, not the silken type that comes in cartons.
Yesterday I made this recipes for my class in Independence. It was a big hit. One of the guys said he had never had tofu in his whole life and he loved it. There were no leftovers and others also said how much they liked it. A few said they never like tofu before.
That’s a common comment about tofu. Let’s be honest, tofu doesn’t have much flavor on its own. But it will absorb flavors like a sponge. First be sure to get out all the moisture out of the tofu that you can. Directions are given in the recipe below. Then be sure to add plenty of flavors. I used a spicy dipping sauce I had made, green onions and chopped peanuts. Here is how I made it.
Spicy Fried Tofu
1 lb. firm or extra firm tofu- not silken type
3-4 T. cornstarch
Salt and pepper
¼ c. oil
½ c. spicy dipping sauce- recipe follows
2 T. teriyaki sauce
Chopped roasted peanuts
Chopped green onions
Remove tofu from the tub and drain well. Press tofu to get out excess water. I placed the tofu on a tray and put a plate on top of it and then put a mixing bowl and added water to the bowl. The weight pressed water out of the tofu, but didn’t crush it. After 15 minutes or so, I took the bowl off and wrapped the tofu in paper towels and pressed it firmly to get out more water. I removed the paper towels and did it one more time with fresh paper towels. They were damp, but not soaking wet, so I was happy that the tofu was dry enough to work with. I cut the tofu into cubes about one inch square. Then place the cornstarch in a plastic bag with a generous shake of salt and pepper. Shake the tofu in the bag, a handful of cubes at a time to coat evenly with the cornstarch. Place prepared tofu in a bowl and heat oil in a skillet. Once the oil is hot, fry the tofu, turning until golden on all sides. I did this step in two batches. When you take the tofu out of the pan, place on a dish with paper towels to absorb any grease. Once all the tofu is cooked, place in a bowl and toss with the dipping sauce and teriyaki sauce. You can add more sauce if you like. Spoon portions of the tofu onto plates and sprinkle with the peanuts and green onions before serving. Serves 3-4.
Spicy Dipping Sauce aka Diane’s Magic Sauce
½ c. rice vinegar
½ c. apple cider vinegar
½ c. sugar
2 T. spicy chili crisp sauce – found at Asian grocery stores
1 T. minced garlic or 1 t. dried minced garlic
1 T. orange zest
2T. light soy sauce
Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar melts. Makes just under 2 cups. Keeps for weeks in the fridge.
Appetizer Meatballs
Mini meatballs are always a hit when I serve them. They can be an appetizer or served as a main dish with pasta and a sauce. They are easy to make and you can make a big batch and freeze some for later.
You can use ground beef, pork, chicken, turkey or a combination of ground meats. Maybe go outside the box a bit and use venison or bison.
These would make a great appetizer for any party and the the Superbowl right around the corner…..
So here is the recipe. There is always room to get creative and play with different flavors. I often take a small piece of the mixture and cook it, just to see if my seasonings are right. Easier to adjust before cooking them all. Enjoy!!
Classic Appetizer Meatballs (or Any Size You Like)
The essential ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef, pork, chicken, turkey, or a combination
1 egg
½ c. panko bread crumbs
1 t. salt
The seasonings:
These might include fresh or dried herbs, spices, black pepper, garam masala, red pepper flakes, cumin, smoked paprika, Italian herbs. You can make your meatballs Italian, Greek, spicy, Asian or almost anything you want by playing with seasonings.
Onion family:
For more flavor and texture you can add minced garlic, shallot or onion. For small meatballs you have to mince them pretty fine. For larger meatballs you still want a pretty fine chop, but you can leave them a little bigger. They can be added raw, or try browning the onions a little first, or using roasted garlic.
Oil, optional, if you want to fry them
In a large bowl, gently combine all ingredients. Roll into 1-1½-inch balls. Transfer to a baking sheet. Broil until golden and firm, 7 to 10 minutes. Or fry in oil until deeply browned all over. Sprinkle with more salt before serving.
Sauces:
You can serve the meatballs with any number of sauces either for dipping or heating up and serving the meatballs in the sauce. Barbecue, sweet and sour, marinara, honey-mustard, gravy, chili sauce, salsa or spicy peanut are only a few of the options you have.
Posted in Cooking | Tagged appetizer meatballs, appetizer recipes, meatballs, mini meatballs, Super Bowl appetizer recipes
Reuben Bread
If you are looking for a twist on a Reuben sandwich try baking all the traditional ingredients into a loaf of bread. By using quick rising yeast, this bread can be ready to eat in right around an hour. It tastes amazing, and looks pretty impressive, too. Easier than you think, it will look like you spent all day making it. Plus, you can switch out the ingredients in all sorts of fun combinations. The other night we used ham and Gouda instead of the corned beef and Swiss for a cheesy ham bread. Added a grainy mustard to the bread, too. Came out so nice! I recently also made spinach filled bread and a mushroom and Swiss filled variation.
This would make a great bread to serve for your Super Bowl party. Fun for anytime. really.
Reuben Bread
3 ¼ c. all purpose or bread flour, you can add a little rye flour, too
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 package quick-rising yeast, or a scant tablespoon of yeast in bulk
1 c. hot water
1 T. oil
¼ c. thousand island dressing*
6-8 oz. thin sliced corned beef – or thin sliced smoked turkey for a Rachel
4 oz. sliced Swiss cheese
1 c. sauerkraut, rinsed and squeezed dry
1 egg white, beaten
Caraway seeds
Set aside 1 cup of the flour. Combine remaining flour with the other dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in water and oil and gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Roll dough into a rectangle about 16 x 8. Spread dressing down center middle of dough. Top with meat slices, cheese and sauerkraut. Cut one-inch wide strips of dough from filling to edge on both sides. It will sort of look like fringe. Alternating sides, fold strips up and over the filling at an angle. Carefully lift loaf onto greased baking sheet and place at an angle. Cover with a towel and place sheet on top of a roasting pan half-filled with simmering water for 15 minutes. Brush with egg white and top with seeds. Bake in a preheated 400-degree for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm and refrigerate leftovers.
* You can make your own Thousand Island Dressing by combining equal parts of ketchup, mayo and sweet pickle relish.
Note: The variations for this bread are almost endless. Some favorite combinations are ham and Swiss with mustard, roast beef and cheddar, chicken, broccoli and cheese, Spinach with ricotta or feta and onions, pizza, assorted fillings. You get the idea. Use your imagination and have fun. Just be careful not to overfill, or the bread will be hard to move, use fillings that aren’t too runny and always use cold fillings.
If you want to use regular yeast, use warm, rather than hot water. Also, don’t let dough rise over boiling water. After kneading cover dough and let rise 45 minutes. Punch down and assemble as in original recipe. Cover with a towel and let rise until dough looks puffy, about 40 minutes. Bake as directed above. These breads can also be frozen.
Extra Crispy Chicken Wings
I like a wing with very crispy skin. These wings are super crispy, even though they are baked in the oven, not fried. It may have to do with a rather unusual ingredient.
I got this recipe from a local television show and have made it a couple of times now. Thanks, David Moss, for this one. The wings are coated with a little salt and baking powder.
Yes, baking powder. I am not sure how it works, but the combination leaves you with wings that are super crisp on the outside and juicy inside. The only thing I changed from the original recipe, is that I use a little less salt.
These would be great served at a Super Bowl party.
Once the wings are done cooking, you can toss them in whatever sauce you like.
Extra Crispy Chicken Wings
3-4 lbs. chicken wings
2 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
Hot sauce and butter- or assorted dipping sauces
Cut wings into three pieces- discard tips, or use to make stock. Pat the wings dry. This step is important. The dry skin helps them to get crisp. Place baking powder and salt in a plastic bag and add the wing pieces, a few at a time, shaking to coat evenly. Continue until all the wings are coated. Place wings on a rack that is placed on a baking sheet. Bake wings in a preheated 250 degree oven for 30 minutes. Turn the heat up to 425 and continue cooking 45 minutes more. Remove wings from oven. You can melt butter, mix with some hot sauce and toss the wings in that mixture, or just serve the wings with your favorite sauce.
Cooking with Jade/Egg Tofu
What is jade tofu? The simplest way to describe it, is that jade tofu is a custard, made with soy milk and eggs. It is also known as egg tofu or Japanese egg tofu.
If you have had any sort of custard before, you know the texture- smooth, creamy, tender. Jade tofu is creamy and soft. But it is not like the custard you might have had in the past. In the west, custard is sweet, a dessert. That is the big difference here. Jade tofu is not sweet. Although, I could see it being used in sweet applications.
I first had jade tofu at a local Asian restaurant. It was in a dish with fried fish in a light, thickened sauce. Wow, I loved it. So did friends. I looked it up and even tried to make it once. It did not go well.
So on the advice of a couple of friends, I looked for it at an Asian grocery store. There it was!!! I was so happy. Now I could enjoy jade tofu whenever I wanted.
Jade tofu is sold in tubes. Kind of like slice and bake cookies. I first just pan fried the slices and served it with a dipping sauce. They sort of look like scallops on the plate. The texture is what it is all about, crisp on the outside and creamy in the middle. It makes a nice appetizer served that way.
You can just slice, season with salt and pepper and pan fry, or season, then coat with rice flour or cornstarch before frying. I like the crust you get when using cornstarch or rice flour.
This is the brand that my store carries. I like that the soy milk is non-GMO.
Honestly, the flavor of jade tofu is pretty neutral. You add it to other ingredients to get flavor. It is a texture element in your dish.
I’ve served it to friends a couple of times now, to good reviews. I even made it the other night with fish, like at the restaurant. It came out really good. I used catfish, which was what I had. Other fish would certainly work, too.
Here is that recipe
Catfish with Jade Tofu
oil- I used avocado oil
1 tube egg tofu, sliced
salt and pepper
1 pound catfish, cut into 2 oz. portions
cornstarch
1 c. stock- I used shrimp stock, but chicken, fish or vegetable stock would work
soy sauce- to taste
2 green onions, sliced
Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a skillet. Add the tofu and fry until golden brown on both sides. Remove from pan. Add a little more oil, if needed. Season the fish with salt and pepper, then dredge in cornstarch to coat. Fry in skillet until cooked. Add stock to the fish along with the green onions. Stir until sauce thickens. Return tofu to the pan. Adjust seasonings and serve.
For the pan fried versions, I just sliced the tofu and browned it in oil, in a medium-hot skillet. They are tender, so turn gently. You don’t want to break them. For added texture, I sometimes dust the tofu with rice flour or cornstarch before frying.
Orange Tea Bread
Winter is citrus season and I have been eating a lot of oranges lately. Besides eating them fresh, I also like to cook with oranges. If you are looking for a new recipe for a quick bread, I would recommend trying this one.
The bread is flavored with orange zest in the batter, then a warm orange syrup is drizzled over the bread, right out of the oven. This makes for a bread that is flavorful and moist. It can be breakfast, a brunch dish or even a dessert, when topped with ice cream or whipped cream. The recipe makes one loaf, but I often double the recipe and make two. It seems to disappear around here pretty quickly. The bread freezes well, too.
Orange Tea Bread
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
Syrup:
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8×4″ loaf pan. Line pan with wax paper or parchment and set aside. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, sugar, eggs, butter and orange zest. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients, and stir mixture until well combined. Transfer batter to loaf pan, smoothing top, and bake in oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. While the bread is baking, combine orange juice and sugar in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over moderate heat while stirring, and simmer for 1 minute. Keep syrup warm. Make holes in top of bread with a thin wooden skewer and drizzle with syrup. Let stand in pan until cool. Makes 1 loaf.
From Peels to Powder-Preserving Citrus Peels
I recently posted a picture of some powdered orange and lemon peel I had made. I got so many questions I decided to do a post about the process. It’s an easy way to have orange, lemon and lime zest on hand whenever you need it. Since it is citrus season I have a lot of oranges around right now as well as other citrus. The process is very easy, so here we go.
Saving the Peels
You want to harvest peels, keeping the colored part and using as little of the white pith as possible. For lemons, limes and naval oranges, I prefer to peel the colored parts using a vegetable peeler. For thin skinned mandarins, temple oranges and clementines, you can use the whole peel, as the white pith is very thin. I always wash and dry off the fruit before peeling.
Drying the Peels
The drying part has two methods, fast and not as fast. If you want to dry your peels fast you can put them in a dehydrator and they will be ready in a matter of hours. I usually take a more passive road and just place the peels in a basket to air dry. That takes place in a warm, dry part of the house. Near a heating vent works quite nicely. Because I cook a lot, my kitchen is too humid an environment. The basket allows for good air circulation. I toss the peels every now and again. It takes maybe a week for the peels to dry this way. They are dry when they break when you bend them. If you have a lot of peels, you might want to start a second basket to hold them. Besides, if you keep adding fresh peels, you will never have a basket of fully dried peels. I move partly dried peels to a smaller basket to keep them separate from newer peels. If you pile lots of peels in too small a basket or don’t allow for enough air circulation, you can get mold growth. Use common sense.
Time to Powder Them
Once you have dried peels, you will want to grind them into a powder. I use a spice/coffee grinder. I only use it for peels and spices and I have a second one for coffee. Fill the grinder and run it, pulsing it every minute or so, until the peels are transformed into a powder. You can grind until all the bits are a fine powder, or stop, now and then, and sift your powder then return any bigger pieces to the grinder. Once you are done you will end up with a fine citrus powder.
Store the Citrus Powder
The powders are fine when stored at room temp if they are fully dried. However, they hold their color and flavor better if you keep them in the freezer or fridge. Use an air tight container. If they weren’t fully dried there is a slight risk of mold growth. I’ve never had that happen, but in theory it could. That is why I make sure they are brittle when I grind them and keep them in my freezer.
Using the Citrus Powders
The powders are a stronger version of fresh zest. You won’t need as much to get the same flavor. Its about a 3/1 ratio. A teaspoon of powdered citrus is about the same as a tablespoon of fresh. Having a nice supply of ready to use citrus powder has me adding them to all sorts of dishes, both sweet and savory. They add a nice zip to salad dressings and a friend adds orange zest to her coffee before brewing. I love to add them to muffins, scones, waffles and pancakes along with baked goods. They also add a nice flavor to marinades and spice rubs. Or use when steeping tea.
Saving Fresh Zest
You can also save fresh citrus zest. If you don’t want to dry citrus peels you can use a micro plane or other tool to grate the peel off. It will be a smaller zest, not bigger pieces of peel. Then just pop them in a freezer container and freeze. Don’t press them down or they will be harder to spoon out once frozen. Use these the same way you would use fresh zest.
I also make candied citrus peels, but I must admit to finding the powders more useful. It’s also a freebie, in a way. You were likely to toss out the peels, or maybe at least compost them. This way you gain a handy ingredient that you can use all the time, year round. Hope this was helpful.
Cashew “Cheese”
With my vegan goddaughter and her boyfriend coming for a visit, I wanted to try out a new recipe. I had decided on making a cashew “cheese”. Of course, this isn’t an actual cheese. There is no dairy in it. Its a mixture of soaked, raw cashews, nutritional yeast, almond milk and a few more ingredients. Its a nice alternative for anyone who does not or cannot consume dairy products.
There were plenty of recipes out there and I ended up with a recipe that was a mix of several of the ones I came across. The final product can be used as a “cheese” sauce or dip, depending on how thick or thin you make it. Its very easy to make. The longest part of prep is soaking the cashews in water before blending.
For Gwen and Brian, we spooned it over vegan enchiladas and brown rice. They loved it. I have made it with almond milk, but also tried it with oat milk. Any non-dairy milk can be used. You can use less than the recipe calls for if you want a thicker consistency. Add more “milk” if you want a runnier sauce. I found the oat milk made a thicker “cheese” than almond milk.
So here is the recipe. Enjoy!!
Cashew “Cheese”
1½ cups raw cashews
3-4 garlic cloves
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup unsweetened almond or oat milk, plus more to thin if necessary
1 jalapeno, chopped (feel free to de-seed or leave out if sensitive to spice) I love what it adds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
1 t. smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Soak the cashews in 4 cups of water for at least 2 hours; otherwise I’ve found that you can easily speed up the process by adding the raw cashews to a pot with water and placing over high heat. Bring water to a boil, then immediately turn off the heat; let the cashews sit for 30-45 minutes in the warm water, then drain. Add drained cashews with remaining ingredients to a blender. Blend until a thick sauce comes together. If you want a thinner sauce, add a bit more almond milk. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Enjoy! Serves 6-8, depending on how you use it.
Buckwheat Waffles – Gluten Free
I really love these whole grain waffles. Buckwheat flour adds a different flavor from most waffles. They have a lovely crisp outer texture and are soft inside. They are also gluten-free.
Buckwheat waffles have a savory side that makes them a nice base for sandwiches, in place of bread. Dressed up with butter and syrup, they still work for breakfast or brunch. If I have some leftover, I will cube them up and use as croutons on a salad.
So, if you are looking for something different, why not give buckwheat waffles a try?
Here is the recipe.
Buckwheat Waffles
1 cup of buckwheat flour
1 egg
1 cup of milk
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup of sour cream
3 tablespoons of cooking oil or melted butter
Combine all ingredients. Cook in preheated waffle iron that has been oiled or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
