January's Cooking Club Recipe's [Asian Stir Fried Noodles with Grilled Teriyaki Pineapple Skirt Steak}

Cooking Club is always amazing, and this is one recipe I will never forget:

Asian Stir Fried Noodles with Grilled Teriyaki Pineapple Skirt Steak

Time: 45 minutes

Feeds 6

Ingredients:

· 2 lbs. of skirt steak, pounded both sides with mallet using rough side

· 1 jar of teriyaki marinade

· ½ cup of sake

· ½ cup of pineapple juice

· 2 tbs. of cilantro

· Charcoal

· 1 box of chow mein noodles

· 3 bunches of baby bok choy, bottoms discarded, sliced diagonally

· 4 large shitake mushrooms, sliced

· 6 baby carrots, sliced lengthwise (about 2 inches long)

· 20 snow peas

· 3 stalks of green onions, white discarded, green chopped

· 1 tablespoon of minced fresh ginger

· Peanut oil

Tools:

· Charcoal grill

· Charcoal chimney

· Wok

Combine teriyaki marinade, pineapple juice, sake, and cilantro in a large bowl. Add steak. Marinate for 4-6 hours.

Light charcoal using charcoal chimney.

When charcoal is ready, pour charcoal into Weber, and place rack on top.

Remove steak from marinade. Save marinade for sauce later.

Grill steak on one side. When the first side is seared, flip over steak and put lid on Weber. Open top vent. Grill until steak is medium rare.

While steak is cooking, cook noodles as package directs. Drain.

When steak is medium rare, thermometer should read between 145 degrees-150 degrees, take steak off of grill and let rest for 2 minutes. After resting, slice steak diagonally into ½ inch pieces.

Stir fry veggies and ginger in peanut oil and place in a bowl. Add sauce to hot wok. Heat sauce until boiling.

Into boiling sauce, add cooked noodles, veggies, and sliced steak. Toss and serve

AMAZING... Coming from Cinnamon Campbell! I think I'm going to get out the charcoal grill, because whatever the effort, I believe it is worth it!

Our theme was 'Comfort Food' in January, and I made 'Funeral Potatoes'. Katie posted a great recipe a while ago, and here is the link: COMFORT FOOD

Apple-Cheese Crisp

6 c. cored, pared, sliced apples

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 c. white corn syrup (Karo)

1/2 c. sugar

2/3 c. sifted flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 c. butter

1 c. grated cheese cheddar cheese

Arrange sliced apples in greased shallow dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Pour lemon juice and corn syrup over apples. Combine sugar, flour and salt; cut in butter until mixture is a consistency of coarse cornmeal. Lightly stir in cheese. Cover apples with this mixture. Bake, uncovered in moderate oven of 350 degrees for 1 hour or until apples are very tender. Serve warm with or without cream.

Serves 6

METHI THEPLA RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 cup Wheat Flour

2 crushed Green Chillies

1 tsp Red Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp Haldi (turmeric)

1 tbsp Ginger & Garlic paste

1 tsp Ajwain 1 pinch Hing

1/2 bunch Methi Leaves

1 tsp Coriander powder

1 tsp Cumin Seeds powder

Salt to taste

Oil as needed

How to make thepla :

• Put wheat flour in a flat vessel bowl.
• Mix all the ingredients int it including the methi leaves.
• Add 1 tsp oil and knead it. Let it stay for 15 minutes.
• Then make even size small balls of the dough.
• Roll them separately with a rolling pin into a round shape.
• Heat the griddle and roast each of the rolled out theplas one by one.
• First roast one side,turn it upside down.
• Then put 1/2 tsp oil on the turned side and again it upside down.
• Repeat the same with the other side.
• When evenly roasted remove it from griddle.
• Repeat this for all the balls.
• Serve them hot with butter or chutney or curd.

This original Indian dish was brought to the table by Rupali Vora.

Pancit Bihon Recipe

Estimated cooking & preparation time: 45 minutes

Pancit Bihon Ingredients:

1 8 oz. pack pancit bihon noodles
1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
2 cups of chicken broth or 2 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 2 cups of water
1/4 cabbage, sliced into strips
1 onion, pealed and sliced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
1/3 cup scallions, cut into pieces
1 carrot, sliced into strips
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
3/4 cup diced celery
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
5 pieces of calamansi or 1 lemon, sliced

Pancit Bihon Cooking Instructions:

Soak the pancit bihon noodles to soften for 10 minutes
Grease a large pan or wok with oil. Sauté garlic and onions.
Add the chicken broth, the shredded chicken breast and all the
vegetables until cooked.
Mix in the pancit bihon noodles and add the soy sauce, cook for about
5 minutes or until the noodles are soft.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve hot with sliced calamansi on the side.
Cooking Notes:
Calamansi or lemon is to be squeezed into the pancit bihon before eating.

CHAAT (a plate of savoury snacks, typically served at road-side stalls or carts in India and Pakistan)
can be made completely from scratch
half scratch half bought
.... and everything in between

Easy option.....
there are some Indian shops on Black Mountain road (no. 9484,9474 etc. you can google it) where you can purchase all the ingredients below and simply assemble the dish.
Remember this dish either needs to be put together just prior to serving or else different ingredients need to be put out in bowls for self-service so that the dish remains crispy)

Step one
Boil 4 large potatoes and when cooked dice into cm cubes, place in a bowl. (if dice before cooking sometimes they get too soggy)
Add 1 drained can of ready cooked garbanzo beans(chickpeas, chunna)... (of course this can be made fresh from dry beans by soaking a cup full over night and pressure cooking for approx. 10 mins until soft)
Add half a medium, raw, red onion (adjust to taste!)
Add salt and dried chilli powder to taste. (approx level tsp salt, 1/4 tsp chilli)
Add garam masala to taste (approx level tsp)
Add chopped fresh coriander to taste (approx. 1/4 cup)
Mix all ingredients in the bowl together and set aside.

Step 2
Make or buy ready made pappri (pastry flakes)
To make...
make a dough from 2 cups all purpose flour, 1 tbsp oil, and add water a little at a time until dough is soft but not sticky.
roll out as thin as you can
cut into diamonds or square shapes approx 1 inch in size ( I use a pizza cutter for this)
deep fry in very hot oil. (They should rise to the top of the oil immediately if the oil is hot enough) cook until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and put to one side. Once cooled they can be stored in an airtight container to keep crisp)

Step 3
Buy or make servi mix (a mix of puffed rice, fried peanuts, fried chickpea flour vermicelli, spices etc)
you know what it is easiest just to buy a ready made mix from the Indian store..... it will take me all day to describe how to make all its components from scratch!)
set aside

Step 4
set aside a bowl of plain yogurt
and a bowl of ready made tamarind sauce ( make sure you buy the sauce and not the tamarind paste otherwise you will have to make the paste into sauce by mixing it with water and sugar,salt ,and chillies to taste.

Again these can both be made from scratch....if you really want to know how...e-mail me!


How to assemble the dish........
pappri (fried pastry) goes on the bottom
potatoe/ chickpea mix is layered on top
sevia (puffed rice , savoury chickpea sticks mix) goes next with the
sauce on top.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Soup

I got this recipe from thepioneerwoman.com. It is a bit of an indulgence, but so worth it!

1 stick Butter, Divided
½ whole Onion, Finely Diced
1 whole Carrot Finely Diced
1 stalk Celery, Finely Diced
1 whole (to 2 Whole) Cauliflower Heads (roughly Chopped)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Or Dried Parsley (chopped)
2 quarts Low-sodium Chicken Broth Or Stock
6 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Half-and-half
2 teaspoons To 4 Teaspoons Salt, To Taste
1 cup (heaping) Sour Cream, Room Temperature

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown.

Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine.

Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add two to three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.

Serve immediately.

Bruschetta with Tomato and Arugula

Bruschetta with Tomato and Arugula

Grilled bread, rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil and topped with something fresh is a perfect example of simple Italian food!

Topping:

3 ripe tomatoes, diced

2 ounces arugula, roughly chopped

1 t salt

½ t coarsely ground black pepper

1 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 T balsamic vinegar

Bread:

12 (1/2-inch) small slices rustic artisan bread

2 t extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1. To prepare topping, combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

2. To prepare bread, toast or grill bread until light golden. Combine olive oil and garlic. Brush on toasted bread. Top bread with tomato mixture. Serves 6.

3. If you have fresh mozzarella cheese, place slices of cheese on the toasts before topping with tomatoes.

Summer Tip: Let your garden dictate what is on your plate. Then, just add olive oil.

Spicy Asian Glazed Chicken

This dish is a simple *Spicy* one. Goes great with steamed rice or veggies.

8 medium chicken tenderloins
Pam spray oil
1 cup water
1 tbsp hot sauce (more or less to taste)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 tsp or sugar
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 tsp sesame seeds

In a heavy large saucepan, brown chicken on high for 3-4 minutes with a little spray oil. Add water, balsamic, soy sauce, agave, garlic, ginger, hot sauce and cook on high until liquid comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 20 minutes. Remove cover and bring heat to high, allowing sauce to reduce down, about 8 minutes until it becomes a thick glaze, turning chicken occasionally. (Keep an eye on glaze, you don't want it to burn when it start becoming thick) Transfer chicken to a platter and pour glaze on top. Top with sesame seeds and serve.

Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp

I got this recipe from Skinny Taste and it turned out really good! My only addition was the red pepper flakes, which you could omit if you don't like spicy food.

1 tsp oil
4 scallions, whites and greens separated, chopped
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 oz light coconut milk
2 tsp fish sauce
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
salt to taste

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium-high. Add scallion whites and red curry paste and sauté one minute. Add shrimp and garlic, season with salt and cookabout 2-3 minutes. Add coconut milk, fish sauceand mix well. Simmer about 2-3 minutes, until shrimp is cooked through. Remove from heat, mix in scallion greens, red pepper and cilantro. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Roasted Broccoli with Cumin & Red Pepper Butter

If you don't like broccoli - try it prepared this way. This dish is so tasty, and is a great compliment to any meal.

1 head of Broccoli, chopped

3 TBSP Butter

3/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp ground Cumin

1/4 tsp ground Red Pepper

1/4 tsp Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

2. In a small skillet over medium heat melt butter. Add Salt, Cumin, Red Pepper and Sugar; cook 30 seconds. Toss butter mixture with the broccoli in a large bowl.

3. Place broccoli on the prepared baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes, stirring occassionally, until tender ad lightly browned.

Pinwheels

PINWHEELS

Ingredients

• 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 cups bread flour
• 
  FILLING:
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, butter, salt and 1 cup flour; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 12-in. x 10-in. rectangle. Brush with melted butter; sprinkle the cheese, parsley, garlic and oregano to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 rolls.
• Place rolls cut side up in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
• Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack. Yield: 1 dozen. I like to add extra bacon bits, and whatever else I have around... be creative!

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

It doesn't matter who I serve this to, when I serve it, or where I serve it - these are gobbled up. My aunt Karen made these for our Christmas Eve party and it was no exception!

2-3 cans of whole water chestnuts

1 package of bacon - cut in half lengthwise

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1 cup barbeque sauce

1 cup honey

Wrap water chestnuts with bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place in a greased baking dish. Combine honey and bbq sauce until smooth - pour over over the water chestnuts. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

Raspberry Pretzel Squares

This has become a Thanksgiving side dish tradition. It sounds strange, but trust me - this dish is so so yummy!

2 2/3 Cups Chopped Pretzels

1 1/2 Cubes Butter

12 oz Cream Cheese

1 1/4 Cups Sugar

1 large package of frozen raspberries

3/4 Carton Cool Whip

1 large package of strawberry Jello

2 Cups Pineapple Juice

1. Cream Cream Cheese and Sugar, set aside.

2. Mix pretzels and butter, press into a 9x13 pan and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

3. Spread cream cheese mixture over pretzels. (This is tough, and I usually end up mixing the pretzels and cream cheese together)

4. Spread cool whip over the top and chill.

5. Dissolve jello in hot pineapple juice, add the frozen berries and let it set up slightly. Pour over the top of the cool whip and refrigerate.

Apple Pecan Salad

This is a great salad for fall and winter.

3 TBSP Packed Brown Sugar

3 TBSP finely chopped Pecans

3 small sweet Apples, halved & cored

1 TBSP Butter, melted

1/2 C Canola Oil

1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 TBSP Honey

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

6 Cups Mixed Greens

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. In a greased baking dish place apple cut side up. Brush Apples with butter and sprinkle with sugar and pecans. Bake for 15 minutes or until just tender.

For dressing, a screw top jar combine oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.

Arrange greens on a platter, top with apples. Spoon pecans and liquid from pan on top. Drizzle with dressing.

Funeral Potatoes

This is a dish my mom always made growing up on holidays. I love it, and it is the ultimate comfort food.

7-8 Potatoes, boiled until very soft, cooled, peeled, and grated (Or use simply potatoes or frozen hashbrowns)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

2 TBSP melted butter

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1 cup crushed corn flakes

1 cup parmesan cheese

2-4 TBSP melted butter

Place potatoes in a greased cake pan.

Combine soup, 2 TBSP butter, milk, sour cream, and cheddar cheese. Spoon over potatoes.

Combine corn flakes, parmesan and butter. Sprinkle on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Roasted Asparagus

A quick, easy and delicious side dish.

1 LB Asparagus

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1 TBSP Olive Oil

3 TBSP grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place asparagus in a baking dish. Sprinkle with pepper. Drizzle with Olive Oil. Toss lightly to coat. Roast, uncovered for 15 minutes or until tender crisp. Toss twice during cooking. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with cheese.

Hot Cinnamon Milk

I came across this recipe on a crafting site and had to try it! This stuff is so yummy and is perfect for cold winter nights! I am giving jars of this mix as neighbor gifts this year.

This recipe will fill a quart sized mason jar with the powder mix:

2 cups powdered milk

1 cup sugar

1 cup powdered french vanilla creamer

1/2 TBSP ground cinnamon

Mix 1/3 cup of the powder mix with 1/2 cup hot water and 1/2 cup warm milk, and enjoy!

Salted Caramel Brownies

5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into quarters

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 eggs

1¼ cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

Salted Caramel Sauce (recipe follows) Fine sea salt

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the pan with overlapping pieces of foil and spray the foil.

2. In a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt the chocolates and butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. (Or, melt in the microwave on 50% power for 30-second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.) Whisk in the cocoa until smooth. Set aside to cool.

3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture; then stir in the flour until just combined. Pour about half of the brownie mixture into the prepared pan and spread into the corners. Spoon 9 dollops of Salted Caramel Sauce on top of the brownie batter. Top with the remaining brownie mixture, spread into the corners and level the surface with a spatula. Again, spoon 9 dollops of the Salted Caramel Sauce on top of the brownie batter. With a dull butter knife, gently run it through the batter to swirl the batter just a bit (don’t do it too much or it will all mix together). Sprinkle a bit of sea salt on top.

4. Bake until slightly puffed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Remove the brownies from the pan using the foil handles and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Salted Caramel Sauce

Prep/Cook Time: 10 minutes

1 cup granulated sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

2/3 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the sugar over medium-high heat, whisking as the sugar begins to melt. Some of the sugar will harden into clumps, but that’s okay – it will melt eventually – just keep whisking. Continue to cook the sugar until it reaches a dark amber color. At that point, whisk in the salt, and then add the butter all at once and whisk until it is completely incorporated into the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the heavy cream (it will foam up when first added). Continue to whisk until it forms a smooth sauce.

Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before using in the brownies. The leftover sauce can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. (You’ll probably need to warm it up a bit straight from the refrigerator.)

Apple Cider

This smells divine, and it tastes amazing. I got this recipe from a friend a few years back and have used it over and over again!

1 Gallon Apple Juice or Apple Cider

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

1 orange, sliced

2 tsp whole cloves

2 tsp whole allspice

3 sticks cinnamon

2 whole nutmeg

Mix all juices and sugar in a large pot. You can put the spices in loose, or tied in a cloth. Heat just to boiling, the reduce to low and steep 1 hour. Remove spices and refrigerate any leftovers. Leave orange slices in.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars

Yum. Thats all I have to say.

2 cups oats (quick-cooking, old-fashioned or Coach's Oats. I used half old-fashioned and half Coach's)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks) melted
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
8 (.75 oz snack size) Reeses peanut butter cups, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir well to combine. Add butter and stir until crumbly. Remove 1 1/2 cups to use as topping. Press remaining mixture onto the bottom of an ungreased 13X9 baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven.

In microwave-safe dish, microwave the 1 cup of the chocolate chips in 30-second intervals until softened and melted. Stir until smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter. Stir well until smooth and thoroughly combined. Spread onto crust.

Combine the remaining chocolate chips, chopped peanut butter cups, and the reserved crumb topping. Sprinkle evenly over filling.

Bake for 25 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely before cutting into bars.