Asian-Style Braised Short Ribs

Ingredients

• 5 pounds beef short ribs, cut into 4-ounce portions
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 (5-inch) stalk lemongrass, halved and smashed
• 1 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 quart water
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion bottoms, white part only
• 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Jasmine Rice, for serving
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind, for serving
• Sliced green onion tops, optional for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a wide stockpot or Dutch oven, combine the short ribs, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, brown sugar, water, green onion bottoms, crushed red pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the orange juice. Make sure that the stockpot is deep enough so that the short ribs are submerged in the liquid.

Bake the short ribs, covered, for about 3 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling off the bones. Remove the short ribs from the braising liquid and cover to keep warm. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.

Drain the fat off of the cooking liquid and discard. Place the remaining braising juices in a medium saucepan with 1/4 cup of the hoisin sauce and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the liquid until only about 1 1/4 cups remain. Strain through a fine-meshed strainer, discarding the solids. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of orange juice and the lemon juice.

Return the short ribs and the reduced sauce to the stockpot or Dutch oven, coating the short ribs well with the sauce. Bake for 10 minutes, until the short ribs are heated through and slightly glazed. Serve hot over jasmine rice. Season each portion with the orange zest and garnish with the green onions if desired.

Bistro Braised Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter, divided
• 8 (4-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
• 1 cup thinly sliced carrot
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
• 8 pitted dried plums, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups hot cooked egg noodles

Preparation

1. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes, browning on both sides. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

2. Add remaining 2 teaspoons butter to pan; swirl until butter melts. Add carrot, onion, celery, and dried plums; cook 4 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften, stirring frequently. Stir in thyme and sage; cook 30 seconds. Stir in mustard. Add broth and 3/4 cup water, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring to a simmer.

3. Return chicken to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 35 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until sauce is reduced by half (about 10 minutes). Stir in salt and pepper. Serve over noodles.

Orange Chicken

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 orange, zest & juice

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

1 12oz bag frozen stir fry vegetables, thawed

Zest the orange (3/4 teaspoon). Pour 1 1/2 cups water, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Squeeze juice from orange into saucepan. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes.

Place the chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, and cover with aluminum foil.

Wipe out the skillet, and add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken pieces & vegetables.  Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Ingredients

Cookies

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested

Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container.

Strawberry Cream Delight

Ingredients

1 3oz package strawberry jello

1 10oz package frozen strawberries, sliced

8oz cool whip

Dissolve jello in 1 cup of boiling water. Add strawberries, stir until gelatin begins to thicken. Fold in cool whip. Chill in refrigerator until set. Garnish with additional cool whip, if desired.

Makes 3 cups (6 servings).

Chocolate Mint Delight

Ingredients

1 3oz package lime jello

1 pint vanilla ice cream

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

1/4 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Cool whip

Dissolve jello in 1 cup of boiling water. Add ice cream by the spoonfull. Microwave for 5 minutes, or until ice cream is melted, stirring every few minutes to help ice cream melt. Add peppermint extract and chocolate chips. Chill in fridge until set, about 30 minutes. Garnish with cool whip and additional chips (if desired).

Makes 3 cups (6 servings)

Sweet Sausage Medley

Ingredients

1 lb sweet italian sausage

1 lb penne pasta

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup margarine

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp basil

1 medium onion, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

1 red pepper sliced

1 yellow pepper, sliced

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Cook the sausage in pan. Once cooked, cut into slices.

Heat oil and margarine in a pan. Add remaining ingredients. Cook 10-15 minutes until peppers and onions are soft.

Mix together and serve.

Bean Casserole

Ingredients

1.5 lb Kielbasa, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 15oz can butter beans

1 15oz can stewed tomatoes

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup ketchup

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 green pepper, cut into chunks

Combine all ingredients and bake for 90 minutes at 350 degrees.

Ginger-Soy-Lime Marinated Shrimp

Ingredients

• 2 large shallots, peeled and chopped
• 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 6 limes)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup peanut or sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1.5 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined

Directions

Place shallots, ginger, garlic, soy, lime juice, and sugar in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the green onion and oil and blend until combined. Season with black pepper, to taste. Place shrimp in a large bowl, pour the marinade over, and let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Remove the shrimp from the marinade. Saute the shrimp over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until cooked.

Fruit and Marshmallow salad

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small can mandarin oranges - drained
• 1 small can pineapple chunks - drained
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1/4 c almond slices (or nut of your choice)
• 1 c. mini marshmallows
• 1 c. coconut

Mix all ingredients together. This recipe makes 4 servings. You can increase all quantities to serve as much as you need - just be sure when adding the sour cream, it continues to just lightly coat everything else. You don't want it to get too watery from too much sour cream.

Chicken & Cilantro Bites

Ingredients

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 lb ground chicken (not breast meat)
1 large egg
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup vegetable oil

*only makes approx. 20 balls.

Stir together soy and vinegar in a bowl for dipping sauce.

Stir together chicken, egg, cilantro, scallions, sesame oil, and salt with a fork until just blended.

Spread cornstarch in a shallow baking pan. With wet hands form chicken mixture into 1-inch balls, transferring them to baking pan as formed. Wash and dry your hands, then gently roll balls in cornstarch until coated. (Balls will be soft.)

Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook half of balls, turning over occasionally, until firm and golden (they will flatten slightly), 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add remaining 1/4 cup oil to skillet and cook remaining balls in same manner. Serve meatballs with dipping sauce.

Kill Devil Punch

Raspberry Ice

18 raspberries

12 oz water

Simple Syrup

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

Punch

1/3 bottle Bacardi Gold Rum

~30 oz pineapple juice

1 bottle champagne

2 12oz cans gingerale

6-8 limes

18 raspberries

12 lime wheels

Make the raspberry ice - Pour the water into a plastic container. Add the raspberries. Freeze for at least 6 hours.

Make the simple syrup - In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Make the punch - Combine the rum, pineapple juice, champagne, and gingerale in a punch bowl. Squeeze the juice out of the limes. Add the simple syrup to taste. Garnish the punch with raspberries and lime wheels.

Lasagna

Ingredients

• 8 oz lasagna noodles
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb sausage, casings removed
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 2 tsp basil
• 1 tsp marjoram leaves
• 2 eggs
• 1 lb cottage cheese
• 3/4 c grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 c shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

• cook noodles according to package directions, drain
• cook meats, onion, garlic in large skillet, drain
• add tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, basil, marjoram. reduce heat to low. cover, simmer 15 minutes.
• preheat oven to 375. beat eggs in large bowl; add cottage cheese, 1/2 c parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper; mix well.
• place half the noodles in the bottom of 13x9 baking pan. spread half cheese mixture over noodles, then half the meat, then half the cheddar and mozzarella cheese. repeat layers. sprinkle top with remaining 1/4 c parmesan cheese.
• bake 40 to 45 minutes or until bubbly. let sit 10 minutes before cutting.