Ginger Beef

Happy New Year! If you are like my family, Chinese food is a tradition around the holidays and one of our favourites is Ginger Beef. So when I found this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I have adjusted the recipe slightly. Most notably the amount of red pepper flakes. The original recipe said 3 teaspoons! I only used about 1 teaspoon and that was plenty spicy. So if you are feeling adventurous, feel free to up the quantity and your own risk...

1 lb sirloin steak (sliced into thin strips)
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
1 large carrot, julienned
1 celery stack, sliced
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh ginger, minced
Canola oil (for frying)

Sauce:
3 tbsps soy sauce
4 tbsps rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

In a bowl add cornstarch, gradually add water while whisking. Beat eggs into cornstarch/water mixture. Add sliced steak strips and toss to coat. Pour 1 inch of oil into a wok, heat oil to 375 degrees or until oil is hot enough to fry the steak strips. Add a quarter of the steak strips at a time to the wok. Separate with a fork and cook stirring frequently until crispy. Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all the steak is gone (you can also use a deep fryer for this). Set beef aside for now.

Chop up the celery, green onions and carrots, as well as mince the garlic and shred the ginger (or if you're like me, just buy the fresh ginger in a jar, much easier!).

Drain all oil out of the wok except for 1 tablespoon. Add green onions, carrots, celery, ginger and garlic. Stir fry for 30 seconds to a minute (beef gets added back in later).

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and red pepper flakes. Add to the wok and bring the mixture to a boil. Add beef, heat through and serve over rice.

* Adapted from http://blogchef.net/ginger-beef-recipe/

Indian Butter Chicken

I first learned about butter chicken through work potlucks at my previous employer. So delicious! Many thanks to the ladies there who educated me about so many different ethnic cuisines.

1 cup butter, divided
1 onion, minced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 can tomato paste
3 cups cream (I used 2 cups cream and 1 cup milk)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garam masala

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp tandoori masala

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a skilled over medium heat. Stir onion and garlic, and cook slowly until the onion caramelizes to a dark brown, about 15 minutes

Meanwhile melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat along with the tomato sauce, cream, salt, cayenne pepper, and garam masala. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then stir in caramelized onions.

While the sauce is simmering, toss the cubed chicken breast with vegetable oil until coated, then season with tandoori masala and spread out onto a baking sheet. Bake chicken in preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 12 minutes (this step can also be done ahead of time).

Once done, add the chicken to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes before serving. Serve over rice.

Soft Sugar Cookies

The picture really says it all, how can you resist these cookies?? Delicious!



Cookies:

6 cups flour, divided

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup butter, at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups light sour cream

Frosting:

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

heavy cream, enough to get the frosting to the right consistency (I used 2 tbsp)

sprinkles!

For the cookies:

In a medium bowl, whisk 5 cups of flour, baking soda, and baking powder; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or by hand if you're like me...) with the flat beater attached, cream the butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time beating until each is incorporated. Add the vanilla and sour cream and beat at low speed until combined.

Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed. Dough needs to obtain the right consistency for rolling, so add additional flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until this is achieved (up to 1 cup more flour). Divide dough into two sections. Flatten and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.

Generously flour a work area and rolling pin. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes, until pale golden. Immediately transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

For the frosting:

To make the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and vanilla. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream, 1 tbsp at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.

Once cookies have cooled completed, frost and add sprinkles. Allow frosting to set, then store in an air-tight container. Makes approx 5 1/2 dozen cookies.

Adapted from http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2011/08/i-sprinkles/

Peppernuts!

These bite sized spice cookies are a Mennonite Christmas tradition. I have helped my Mom make them in the past, but this year I thought I'd attempt to make some myself. They turned out pretty good!

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients:

5 cups flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground star aniseed
1/2 tsp cloves

In another bowl cream 1/2 cup butter or margarine. Add 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tbsp vanilla and 2 cups corn syrup and mix well. Add in dry ingredients. Works best to mix this dough with greased hands. Work until dough is smooth. If need be, add 1-2 tsp water. Roll dough into long ropes and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze the ropes so they are easier to handle.



Take out one cookie sheet at a time and slice into little chunks.

As you place on the cookie sheet, press down to flatten a bit.

Bake on greased cookie sheets for approximately 10 minutes at 350 degrees. These ones turned out a little crunchy, but not too hard. Yum!

Roasted Tomato Soup

Now if I had been thinking, I'd have taken pictures of the actual roasting process. Unfortunately I did not . . .  I roasted them a couple days before actually making the soup. Sorry! : )

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat; cook onion, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the roasted tomatoes, stock, 1 1/2 cups water, sugar and basil; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Now you could let it cool for a few minutes and then blend in a blender or food processor, but I used my immersion blender and did it right in the pot. I'm all about less dishes. I have too many to wash as it is.

Heat soup through, if it cooled down any. Add any salt or pepper if needed.

Yum! Would be good topped with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese (but I didn't have any). Or add a little cream or milk and some crackers.

Here's the recipe for the soup, followed by the recipe for the roasted tomatoes:

40 roasted tomato halves
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp parmesan or asiago cheese (optional)

Roasted Tomatoes

4 lbs ripe plum tomatoes (about 20 whole)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp each salt & pepper

Trim stems off tomatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Arrange, cut side up on a large foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.

Stir together garlic, basil and oil; brush over tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in 400F oven for about an hour or until softened, shrivelled and edges begin to darken.

Zuppa Toscana

What a perfect soup for a cool day! This is a version of the soup made famous by Olive Garden. So good!

1 lb ground Italian sausage (I used spicy to give it some kick because I didn't have the next ingredient)
1 1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
1 large diced white onion
4 tbsp bacon pieces
2 tsp garlic, minced
10 cups water
5 cubes of chicken bouillon
1 cup heavy cream
3 large potatoes, sliced
1/4 of a bunch of kale

Saute Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.

In the same pan, saute bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 min or until the onions are soft.

Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil. Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about half an hour.

Add the heavy cream and cook until thoroughly heated. Stir in the sausage and kale. Heat through and serve.

Mini Donut Muffins

So it's been awhile since I've posted anything on here. I have been cooking, but I've been too lazy to take pictures or post anything. But I did a little baking today and I took pictures! You know those delicious mini donuts you can find at The Ex and all those summer carnivals and fairs? The ones that are bad for you, but taste so good? Well these muffins are pretty close to that. And I consider them a somewhat "healthier" version, since there is no deep frying involved. Enjoy!

1/3 cup butter or margarine

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl cream butter/margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add eggs and vanilla and beat until well blended.

Mix dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk and stir until well combined. Spoon batter into a lightly greased muffin tin.

Bake for 16 minutes or until golden in colour.

Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes, until you able to handle them. Dip tops of muffins in melted butter/margarine and roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture (1/2 cup sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon).

Makes 12 muffins.

*From Mennonite Girls Can Cook