Cooking with Stacy and Max

Cinnamon-Apple Crostata

Stacy — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:06:29 +0000

An amazingly delicious warm apple dessert, perfect for a cold winter’s evening — as a bonus, this dish is simple enough to make at home, and fancy enough to wow all your guests.

Ingredients

1 refrigerated pie crust
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (~4 medium)
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp chopped pecans/walnuts

Instructions

Heat oven to 450°F. Flatten pie crust in pie plate or on baking sheet.
In large bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar, corn starch, and cinnamon. Gently stir in apples until coated. Spoon apple mixture into the middle of the pie crust, spreading to within 2 inches of edge. Fold crust edge over filling, pleating as necessary. Brush edge with water and sprinkle with teaspoon of sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle chopped nuts over apple filling. Bake 5-15 minutes or until apples are tender.

Boiled condensed milk (Dulce de leche)

Stacy — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:05:02 +0000

The most delicious caramel.

Ingredients

1 can of condensed milk

Instructions

remove the label

Remove label from can of condensed milk.
Pierce two holes (on opposite sides of the can) with a can opener. Since the can may bulge, this step prevents the can from exploding.
Place the can in a small pot and fill it with enough water to reach about 1 inch below the top of the can. You will need to keep adding water during the cooking process to make sure the water does not go below this level as it evaporates. Don’t let the water come higher than about half and inch from the top of the can to avoid water from getting onto the top of the can and into the holes you pierced.
pierce two holes - IMPORTANT
Heat pot on medium high heat. Once water begins to simmer, lower heat to keep water at a simmer. At this point, some of the milk may begin to escape from the holes. If this happens, scoop off with a spoon while to trying to avoid spilling any into the water.
Wait. The longer the cooking time, the darker the caramel colour — about 3 hours gives soft Dulce de luche, and 4 hours gives firm Dulce de luche.
Carefully remove can and cool.
Open can entirely, and transfer contents into a bowl. The top will be fluid, while the bottom will be more viscous and chunky. When everything is in the bowl, whisk together to make mixture homogeneous.

Enjoy!

Salmon Quesadillas

Stacy — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:25:20 +0000

Omega-3 goodness.

Ingredients

2 cups canned salmon
2 cups shredded cheese
3 avocados
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
4 10″ tortillas
salt and pepper to taste
salsa and sour cream (for serving)

Instructions

To make guacomole, mash avocados in bowl. Add chopped tomatoes, lime juice, salt and pepper. Set aside.
In non-stick pan, add butter and heat over medium high heat. When butter has melted, place tortilla in pan and add cheese, smoked salmon, guacomole, followed by another layer of cheese. Top with second tortilla and flip. Cook for about 1 minute or until cheese melts.
Repeat.
Serve warm with salsa and sour cream.

Yields 4 servings.

Healthy General Tao’s Chicken

Stacy — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:00:26 +0000

A non-fried and more delicious version of the popular Chinese dish.

Ingredients

1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3-4 tbsp corn starch
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
6-8 green onions, chopped, plus more for serving
3 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated
sesame seeds (optional)
hot rice, for serving

Instructions

In bowl, mix together brown sugar, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, and water. Set aside.
In large skillet, heat olive oil. Dredge chicken in corn starch and shake off any excess.
Cook chicken in olive oil until browned. Remove chicken from skillet and cover with foil to keep warm.
Wipe skillet clean. Add sesame oil, ginger, and green onions. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer mixture for 2 minutes, or until sauce thickens a bit.
Add chicken back into the skillet, toss to coat with sauce, and continue cooking until chicken is cooked through.
Serve garnished with green onions and sesame seeds (if desired) over hot rice.

Yields 4 servings.

Baked Spaghetti

Stacy — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 03:11:30 +0000

This dish is great! It’s like a spaghetti and lasagna at the same time, and super healthy too!

Ingredients

3/4 lbs extra lean ground beef
1/2 package uncooked spaghetti
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. In large skillet, cook ground beef until brown.
Mix in veggies and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add spaghetti sauce, reduce heat and simmer.
Meanwhile bring pot of water to boil and cook pasta for 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain.
Mix spaghetti with meat mixture; pour into 9×9 baking dish. Top with cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

Yields 6 servings.

Homesteader Cornbread

Stacy — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 02:12:43 +0000

A nice moist traditional cornbread great for chilis, stews, or soupy dishes.

Ingredients

3/4 cups cornmeal
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine cornmeal and milk; let stand for 5 minutes. Grease 9×9 baking dish.
In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Mix in cornmeal mixture, eggs, and oil until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until knife inserted into center of cornbread comes out clean.

Yields 8 servings.

Jiffy Jambalaya

Stacy — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 01:59:37 +0000

Turkey sausage, bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions simmered in a savory and satisfying fusion of creole spices — yummm!.

Ingredients

1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup cup green bell pepper, chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb turkey sausage, sliced
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 cup uncooked arborio rice
1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock

Instructions

In skillet saute onion and green bell pepper in oil until tender.
Stir in sausage, tomatoes, sugar, and seasonings.
Bring to a boil; add rice. Cover and cook until rice is tender (~20 min.), adding chicken stock gradually.

Yields 6 servings.

Smoked Salmon Canapés

Stacy — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 05:33:49 +0000

A fancy looking appetizer full of complex flavour.

Ingredients

12 slices dark rye or pumpernickel bread, cut into 2×2 inch squares
softened butter/margarine
12 slices smoked salmon
1/2 cucumber, cut in half and sliced thinly
red onion, thinly sliced
lemon, thinly sliced

Instructions

Slice everything so they are ready to go.
Lightly butter each slice of bread.
Layer cucumber slices, then smoked salmon by folding in half. Top with a sliced red onion ring and slice of lemon.
Note that lemon can be squeezed onto salmon if desired, or eaten together.

Turkey Cheddar Toppers

Stacy — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 05:12:15 +0000

This combination of ingredients makes for a fantastic appetizer — serving them cold is surprisingly refreshing.

Ingredients

24 Ritz (or similar-sized) crackers
24 slices roasted turkey breast, shaved
24 slices plum tomatoes (about 3)
24 slices sharp cheddar cheese
dijon mustard

Instructions

Top each cracker with 1 slice each turkey, tomato, cheese. Top with dijon mustard. Serve!

Asparagus Roll-Ups

Stacy — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 04:37:05 +0000

These not only look great, but taste great! A fun and easy-to-make appetizer.

Ingredients

16 fresh asparagus spears
16 slices sandwich bread, crusts removed
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
2 tbsp fresh chives, minced

Instructions

Boil asparagus until crisp and tender (about 6-8 minutes). Drain and set aside.
Flatten bread with rolling pin.
Combine cream cheese, bacon, and chives. Spread mixture on each slice of bread. Top with asparagus spear. Roll up tightly. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Cut rollups in half. Bake at 400 F for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 32 roll-ups.

Cooking with Stacy and Max

Cinnamon-Apple Crostata

Ingredients

Instructions

Boiled condensed milk (Dulce de leche)

Ingredients

Instructions remove the label

Salmon Quesadillas

Ingredients

Instructions

Healthy General Tao’s Chicken

Ingredients

Instructions

Baked Spaghetti

Ingredients

Instructions

Homesteader Cornbread

Ingredients

Instructions

Jiffy Jambalaya

Ingredients

Instructions

Smoked Salmon Canapés

Ingredients

Instructions

Turkey Cheddar Toppers

Ingredients

Instructions

Asparagus Roll-Ups

Ingredients

Instructions

Instructions

remove the label