Grandma Lil's Oatmeal Cookies

Makes 24

Ingredients:

1/3 to 1/2 cup brown sugar
5/8 cup shortening
1 cup of rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 cup hot water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F.

Beat the brown sugar and shortening together till fluffy.
Add the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, salt and hot water and mix well.
Drop about 1 tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet.
Press down slightly with the bottom of a floured glass.
Bake at 400F for about 9 minutes in a convection oven.
Bake about 10-12 minutes in a regular oven.

Cool slightly, then remove to a rack to finish cooling.

Roast Chicken

This chicken recipe is from Ina Garten (Food network)

 Serves 4
(5-6 lb Fresh Organic chicken)

Ingredients:

1 Roasting Chicken - 5-6 lbs.
1 lemon cut in half
bunch of fresh thyme (20 sprigs)
1 head of garlic cut in half crosswise
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots, cut into 2 inch chunks
2 TBS butter, melted
Salt & pepper or your favorite chicken spice (Bavarian from Penzeys is great)
1 bulb of fennel, tops remove, and cut into wedges
Olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425F .

Remove the chicken giblets and rinse the chicken inside and out.
Pat dry and remove any excess fat. Salt, pepper and season the inside of the chicken.
Stuff the cavity with thyme, lemon halves, and garlic.

Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle with salt, pepper and your favorite seasonings. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.
Place the onions, carrots and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper and 20 sprigs of thyme and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken, uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh.  Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with foil and a tea towel for about 15-20 minutes.
Cut the chicken into pieces and serve with the vegetables.
If you don't have fennel, cook some vegetables separately like potatoes, or green beans.

Chinese Stir Fry - Chicken, Beef, Shrimp or Vegetable

Chicken with broccoli, green beans, mushrooms and yellow peppers 

A Chinese style stir fry dish is simple to make, and you can be creative using the meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables you like and have on hand.  It's best to have a non-stick deep pan to use - like a 4Q all-clad pan, or a wok.

2 Servings:

Ingredients:

1 - 2 TBS peanut oil, or vegetable oil
1 lb of chicken tenders, or boneless chicken thighs, or breast meat cut up
or 1 lb of Shrimp, or 1 lb of thinly sliced beef tenderloin (cut against the grain), or pork tenderloin (omit for Vegan)
2 tsp cornstarch (omit for Vegan)
pinch of sugar
1 TBS of cooking wine (Sherry) (Optional
1 TBS of soy sauce

2 TBS Hoisin Sauce
4-6 slices of fresh ginger root
2 garlic cloves, peels and sliced
1/2 package of mushrooms (6)

1 cup of Bok Choi chopped
two handfuls of green beans, trimmed and cut in half
1 cup of broccolini, cut into florets
1/2 pepper, yellow, red, green or orange
1/2 cup carrots, sliced on the diagonal

1/2 cup of asparagus, trimmed top half only (optional)
1 packet of firm tofu, cubed
1 TBS fresh cilantro (coriander) Optional
1 TBS green onion, chopped
salt & pepper to taste

White rice, or Chinese rice or egg noodles cooked to serve

Directions:

Cook the rice ahead in small pot, following directions. Basmati or Jasmine or semi-prepared rice works well. Prepare the noodles if using, according to package directions.

In a small bowl, combine the cut up chicken or beef  or shrimp with the 1 TBS of the soy sauce and the cornstarch. Add the Hoisin sauce.
Mix well.  Heat the pan to medium-high, add the oil, garlic and ginger and cook for one minute. Then add the chicken, beef, or shrimp   Cook the till lightly browned, about 7-8 minutes, turning.  If you're using shrimp, it will cook faster - 3-4 minutes. If you're using beef, cook only 1 minute per side and add after all the veggies are done. If you are cooking a bigger recipe, cook it in 2 batches.
Put the cooked meat, poultry or fish in a bowl and set aside.

Add more oil to the pan and add the vegetables. When cooking vegetables, start with what will take the longest - carrots, broccoli. Stir fry till almost done, then add the peppers, mushrooms, tofu and beans and continue to cook till done, another 5-8 minutes. Add soy sauce for Vegan dish.

Add the chicken or other protein back into the pan and stir through till heated. Taste and add more soy sauce if needed. Soy sauce is salty so be careful not to add too much salt.

Remove from the heat and add the fresh green onion and cilantro.

Serve over rice or noodles. If you're on a low-carb diet, just serve without the rice or noodles. 

This dish is excellent on its own.

Notes:
This is a very versatile style of cooking. Other stir fry vegetables are asparagus, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, frozen peas, snow peas, bok choy, celery, zucchini, spinach...
Try to add lots of color with a variety of vegetables.
Sprinkle with cashews to add a crunch.

If you like a sauce with this dish, mix 2 TBS of soy sauce, a little hot sauce if desired, 1/4 cup of water and 1 tsp cornstarch.  Add this to the stir fry at the end by making a well in the middle of the pan, heating the sauce up, and then stirring in the mixture.
If you're using the beef, add the beef at the very end (after the sauce is made) so it is not overcooked.

Stir Fried Bok Choy with Ginger & Garlic

I usually buy baby bok choy, but this time I had large ones delivered.
I reached out for help to my Chinese sister Annie, and here's what she recommended.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

One large Bok Choy
2 Cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped
1 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS peanut oil, or vegetable oil

Directions:

Stir fry recipes work the best if you have a wok shaped pan, (non-stick if available).

To prepare the bok choy, cut the root end off about 2" into the stalks. Separate the leaves and wash thoroughly. Dry. Remove any leaves that are yellow. Using a sharp knife, cut the stalks and leaves on the diagonal about 3/4" thick. Separate the stalks and the leaves into two bowls.

Heat the pan on medium high.  Add the oil. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the bok choy stalks.  Reduce heat to medium. Stir fry the vegetables for about 4-5 minutes - the bok choy should still be crisp.  Add the leaves and cook another minute. Add the soy sauce and mix till combined.  Serve with chicken, fish, pork or beef as a side dish.

Banana Bran Muffins

This is a great recipe if you have 2-3 over-ripe bananas you want to use. Sometimes, I chop the bananas up and freeze them, for future use in a recipe like this.
This recipe is from www.eatingwell.com with a few minor changes, or additions.

Ingredients:

1 large egg
1 large egg white (or 2 TBS liquid egg whites)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (or reduce to 1/2 cup)
1 cup of buttermilk
(or 1 cup of milk with 1 TBS lemon juice or vinegar)
(or 1 cup of yogurt or sour cream)
1 cup of mashed banana, (2 medium bananas or a bit more)
1 cup unprocessed wheat bran
1/4 cup of canola oil or vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 TBS chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
Whisk egg, egg white and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth.
Add the milk/yogurt, banana, bran, oil and vanilla and whisk until blended.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients.  Stir with a rubber spatula till just combined. Do not over mix or you'll get pointed muffin tops.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups using an ice-cream scooper, or a large tablespoon. You should get 11 or 12. Sprinkle with nuts (optional).
Bake until the tops spring back when touched lightly - 15-20 minutes.
Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then loosen the edges and put a wire rack to cool.

TIP: (from the www.eatingwell.com)
DIY Muffin Cups: If you don't have muffin cups, cut  5" squares of parchment paper.
Coat each muffin cup with cooking space and push each square into the cups using a small can (like a tomato paste can) or bottle, pressing the paper up the sides. It's ok if some of the paper is sticking out over the rim. Fill each cup as directed. This is a good idea if you want to make 'to-go' muffins that have a protective lining for handling.

Deli-Style Rye Bread with Caraway Seeds

This recipe is from the book "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day"
by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois.  If you really enjoy this bread, pick up the book for more details and wonderful recipes to try.

This bread is called "Deli-Style Rye".

The bread dough recipes take 5 minutes to mix in a container as shown.  There is no kneading.  The bread rises two times - once just after it's made, and second rising just before baking.  The beauty of this recipe is you make the recipe (which makes 4 loaves) and you store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Then you can bake a loaf when you want fresh bread every few days.

Makes four 1-pound loaves. This recipe can be doubled or halved.

Equipment needed for the best crust.
1 Pizza Peel (Wooden with a handle)
1 baking stone

Ingredients:

3 cups of lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons of granulated yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons of salt (I cut this down to 2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 tablespoons of caraway seeds, plus more for sprinkling on the top
1 cup of rye flour
5 1/2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel (flat wooden paddle the dough rises on)

Cornstarch wash (to brush over the top)
Using a fork, blend 1/2 teaspoon with a small amount of water to form a paste.
Add 1/2 cup of water and whisk with a fork.
Microwave or boil until the mixture appears glassy, about 30-60 seconds on high.
It will keep in the refrigerator for two weeks.

Directions:

1.  Mixing and storing the dough:  Mix the yeast, salt, and caraway seeds with the water in a 5-quart bowl, or lidded (not airtight) food container.

2.  Mix the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a wooden spoon.  You can also use a food processor with a dough attachment (14-cup capacity), or a heavy duty stand mixer with a dough hook.

3.  Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on the top), approximately 2 hours.

4.  The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold.  Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 14 days.

5.  On baking day, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece.  Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.  Elongate the ball into an oval-shaped loaf.  Allow the dough to rest and rise on a cornmeal-covered pizza peel for 40 minutes. Use a good quantity of cornmeal to cover the peel so the dough doesn't stick when you are sliding it off onto the baking stone.

6.  Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450F, with the baking stone placed on the middle rack.  Place an empty broiler tray on any other shelf that won't interfere with the rising bread.

7.  Using a pastry brush, paint the top crust with the cornstarch wash and then sprinkle with additional caraway seeds. Slash with deep parallel cuts across the loaf, using a serrated bread knife.

8.  Slide the loaf from the pizza peel, directly onto the hot stone. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door.  Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until deeply browned and firm. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time.

9.  Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

Stir Fried Brussels sprouts with Peppers

Serves 4

One package of Brussels Sprouts - about 3-4 per person, sliced
1 red pepper
1 yellow or orange pepper
2 TBS olive oil
Salt & pepper
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1 clove of garlic, sliced

Directions:

To prepare the sprouts, cut off the root end and remove the outer leaves.
Slice each one into about 4 slices (1/4" wide).

Heat a medium saucepan.  Add the olive oil. Saute the garlic for 1 minute.
Add the peppers and sliced brussels sprouts. Add the fresh thyme.
Stir fry about 4-5 minutes till sports are lightly browned as shown.
Serve while they are still firm and bright green in color.

Salt & pepper.

Note:  Brussels Sprouts can be eaten raw in a salad. Just slice them thinly (1/8")  and add them to your favorite salad.