Category: Meals for Beginners

• 1-2 C heavy cream – pasteurized, but not ultra pasteurized

1. Fill coffee filter basket with heavy cream to brim
2. Refrigerate 6-8 hours and let the whey separate out
3. Collect the whey for other uses – bread perhaps
4. Cream will be thickened
5. Srape down the sides and repeat the straining process
6. Continue until it looks like softened cream cheese
7. Serve with Strawberries

• 12 oz mug
  DRY INGREDIENTS
  
• 3 TBL Flour
• 3 TBL Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Baking powder
• 2 TBL Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 2 TBL Chocolate Chips
• 3 caramels (cut into pieces)
• Optional:  2 TBL lightly crushed pecans
  WET INGREDIENTS
• 3 TBL Milk
• 1 Egg
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1 TBL melted butter

1. Mix together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl
2. Fold in with wet ingredients
3. Pour carefully into coffee cup cleaning any that gets on the sides
4. Nuke for 60 seconds if you have a powerful microwave, or 90 seconds if you have a standard microwave
5. Go 20 seconds more if still not cooked
   DO NOT OVERCOOK or cake will become tough
6. Let cool a few minutes before eating
7. Optional:  Top with whipped cream, marshmallow cream, or melted caramel sauce

CREDIT:  Based on the Chocolate Mud Cake as demonstrated by author Gemma Stafford, and as cooked with her mom Suzanne

Fruit all cut approximately the size of a grape – 1/2 C each of your choice of any five of the following, cut into small bite sized pieces.

INGREDIENTS

• Grapes – seedless
• Granny Smith apple
• Pineapple
• Banana
• Mango
• Papaya
• Orange
• Pear
• Strawberries
• Walnuts
• Pieces of Krab (artificial crab)

Mix together binders before tossing all the fruit in the binder

BINDERS

• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 C Mayonnaise (Miracle Whip)
• 1/2 C plain yogurt
• 1 TBL honey
• Salt and pepper to taste

STEP BY STEP

1. Mix binder ingredients
2. Cut fruit
3. Gently toss together
4. Better if it melds for an hour in your fridge

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 C cake flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 C NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet
• 1 C dark Chocolate Morsels
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. PREHEAT oven to 375° F.
2. COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
3. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
6. Stir in morsels and nuts.
7. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
8. Refrigerate 1-12 hours
9. BAKE at 350º for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
    PAN COOKIE VARIATION:
11. Preheat oven to 350° F.
12. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan.
13. Prepare dough as above.
14. Spread into prepared pan.
15. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
16. Cool in pan on wire rack.
17. Makes 4 dozen bars.
    SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION:
18. PREPARE dough as above.
19. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper.
20. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
21. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper.
22. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* * May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.
23. Preheat oven to 375° F.
24. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets.
25. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
26. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
27. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

1. Remove stems from spinach leaves
2. Wash the spinach in a large bowl of standing water
3. Dry using a salad spinner
4. Wilt the spinach in 1 TBL of hot oil or lard
5. Set the spinach aside and sweat thinly sliced onions and minced garlic
6. Set these aside as well
7. Create a roux with 3 TBL AP flour and 3 TBL butter
8. Simmer until it barely starts to darken
9. Whisk in 3/4 C milk adding only 1/4 C at a time
10. Add 3/4 C grated Parmesan cheese and a pinch of nutmeg
11. Add the onion into the roux
12. Add the spinach back in
13. Add more milk for consistency if desired
14. Leave on low until time to serve

1. Cut broccoli into finger food sized florets
2. Blanche broccoli for 30-45 seconds
3. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process
4. Put onto paper towel to drain
5. In a pot, combine the following
   • 2 TBL butter
   • 1.5 TBL flour
     • stir until it starts to brown
   • add 1.5 C milk
     • stir until it starts to thicken
   • add 1 C grated sharp cheddar cheese
   • 2 oz cream cheese
   • to taste:  salt, pepper, mustard powder, cayenne pepper
6. Serve hot dip with cooled broccoli

• 1 C Strawberries
• 1 C Blueberries
• 1/2 C Raspberries
• 1/2 C Blackberries
• 1 C sugar
• 1 TBL lemon

1. This will quadruple in size.  Be sure to use a large microwave safe bowl or an 8 cup measuring cup – or cut recipe in half and use a 4 cup measuring cup.
2. Remove all non-edible parts of the berries
3. Toss all berries with sugar and let rest 30 minutes
4. Microwave 5 minutes, then remove and stir
5. Microwave 5 more minutes, then remove and stir
6. Continue to microwave in 2 minute segments stirring between each segment
7. Repeat until it starts to look syrupy – even if it looks a little thin, that’s OK
8. If you feel it is still not quite ready to gel, cook an additional minute.
9. Don’t overcook though, or it will crystallize.
10. Transfer to canning jars and keep in refrigerator for up to three months.  Once jar is opened, use within three weeks.

Variations

You can use peaches too, but you will have to add 1 TBL pectin.  Strawberries have natural pectin.  So do the peels of Seville Oranges (aka Ornamental Oranges)

• This is good for a Sunday Evening light dinner.  This recipe is geared to 10-20 or so dumplings.
  –
  Wrappers
• Use commercial potsticker, dumpling, won ton wrappers or eggroll wrappers.  You can make your own… but why?  Buy Gyoza wrappers; they are the best.
  –
  Stuffing / Filling
  
• 1/2 C Shredded Napa cabbage
  • Toss with 1/4 tsp salt and put in a bowl for 15 minutes, then rinse well
• 3 oz protein:  Leftover meatloaf, hamburger, stir fry, Reuben, even chopped sausage, etc.
• 2 TBL chopped scallion
• 2 TBL chopped red bell pepper
• 1 egg – lightly beaten
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• 2 tsp butter
• 1 tsp rice wine
• 2 tsp Hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• scant salt
• scant Grandpa’s Thunder Powder

Step by Step

1. Prepare egg wash – 1 egg and 1 TBL water – Mix and set aside
2. Pulse proteins and cabbage together three times in a food processor to mix, or just mix with a fork
3. Squeeze all the excess water from your cabbage mixture and put it into the food processor – don’t run yet
4. Add soy, toasted sesame oil, butter, Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, Hoisin, grated ginger, salt, Thunder Powder
5. Pulse only 6 times in food processor – You want them mixed, but not pulverized
6. Chop 1 scallion into 1/4 inch pieces and add to food processor
7. Now you can pulse them together 2 more times
8. Ball up 1-2 tsp of filling
9. Place filling in the center of the ball and egg wash the border
10. Bring opposite sides together and pinch to secure – leaving the ends open
11. Bring one side over top of the hole and secure to the middle of the other side.
12. Do that with the other end as well.  Shape into a crescent.  This will create the traditional dumpling shape.
13. Or heck… just fold them and press lightly with a fork to seal
    –
    NOTE:  These balls freeze really well.   Just be sure to thaw them out overnight in the refrigerator before cooking.  You can also complete the dumplings and freeze them after assembly.  In that case, you will cook them from frozen – just add one extra minute in the skillet.
    –
    WHEN YOU ARE READY TO COOK
    –
    TRADITIONAL
14. Spread 1 TBL oil and 1 TBL butter around on the bottom of a cold large skillet – one with a lid
15. Nest the dumplings (pot stickers) around the pan and turn the heat to medium.  Once that you start to hear or see a sizzle, start timing four minutes.
16. After four minutes, add 1/2 C chicken stock to the skillet, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to medium-low heat.
17. Simmer/steam for 4 minutes.
18. Remove lid, turn heat back to medium, and let the rest of the water evaporate – about 1-3 minutes.
19. Carefully remove from the pan, and serve with the browned side up.
    –
    ALTERNATIVE
14. Spread 1 TBL oil and 1 TBL butter around on the bottom of a cold large skillet 
15. Turn heat to medium
16. After butter has melted, put the dumplings into the pan and cook for 40-60 seconds per side
17. Keep flipping until they start to brown
18. Serve with grated parm and some EVOO

Here are some dipping sauce options:

• Soy sauce (chk ingredients: No Hydrolyzed Vegetable Proteins)
• Black vinegar
• Sichuan chili oil

Here are a couple of GrandpaCooks recipes that you can use for your dipping sauce.

• Peanut Dipping Sauce
• Teriyaki Dipping Sauce
• Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce
• Sweet and Tart Dipping Sauce
• Vietnamese Fish Sauce
• There are also some good commercial dipping sauces that you can use right out of the bottle with links to buy them from Amazon:
  • • Orange Dipping Sauce
    • Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce
    • Hoisin Sauce

A Mexican Empanada is essentially a potsticker.