sloppy but skinny joes

I cook for a friend in my church who is on a low glycemic index diet, which requires of me to chase down recipes that fit her needs and still taste good. Here's a variation on the comfort food of my youth that is worth passing along.

1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup Diet Coke
2/3 cup reduced sugar ketchup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 - 1/2 cup pureed jalapenos (optional)
salt and pepper

Cook the ground beef in a large skillet, drain and return to the skillet. Add the other ingredients and bring to a simmer; let it cook down until the mixture is thick and without too much liquid.

That’s pretty much it. The jalapenos give the dish a bit more kick.

Peace,
Milton

roasted potatoes

I know this isn't rocket science, but I tried something this week that made the potatoes turn out wonderfully and thought I would pass it along.

2 pounds small red bliss potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons oil
salt
pepper
smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 375. Quarter the potates: cut them in half, and then half them again. Toss potatoes with salt, pepper, and paprika. If you can't get smoked paprika, regular will do fine. The smoked just has better flavor. Get an oven-proof skillet hot and add oil and butter. When butter is melted, add potatoes and cook over medium high to high heat for eight to ten minutes, unitl potatoes begin to brown. Stir frequently. Put the skillet in the oven for another ten to twelve minutes, until potatoes are tender.

We had no leftovers.

Peace,
Milton

orange chicken

Ginger is a big fan of orange chicken, when it comes to Chinese food. After finding this recipe, I made my own adaptations, it turned out pretty well.

Whisk together

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 11 oz can mandarin oranges (juice reserved)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 low sodium soy sauce **note**
2 tablespoon fresh ginger-minced
4 clove garlic-minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

Set that aside.

2 pounds chicken, cut in bite sized pieces
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons of oil (more, if necessary)

Put cornstarch in a large Zip-lock bag and add chicken; toss to coat. (I guess you could do this in a bowl as well.) Pour oil into a hot skillet and then add chicken; cook over medium high heat until chicken begins to brown a bit -- four or five minutes. Add sauce mixture to the skillet; bring to a slight boil and then lower heat to simmer until chicken is done -- another four or five minutes. Transfer chicken to a bowl and increase heat to let sauce reduce a bit. You can then pour it back over the chicken, or serve it on the side for people to add as they wish.

We had friends over for dinner the other night and I served this. One of them was a vegetarian, so I sauteed a portobello cap that had marinated in the sauce and she loved it.

Peace,
Milton

clementine chicken

This one takes awhile, but it's worth it.

1 6lb. roasting chicken
6 clementines
6 sprigs of rosemary
4 garlic cloves, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup honey
salt and pepper

Cut three of the clementines in half and stuff them inside the chicken, along with the rosemary and the garlic. Put the chicken in a roasting pan, or on a roasting rack, and rub with the olive oil. Cut the other three clementines and squeeze the juice over the top of the chicken, then put the oranges in the bottom of the roaster. Pour the wine over the top of the bird and then the honey; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook in a 425 degree oven for twenty minutes, then add

1/2 cup chicken stock

and cover, using either the lid to the roaster or aluminum foil. Lower the oven temperature to 375 and cook for 40 minutes. Add another

1/2 cup chicken stock

and cook for another 45-50 minutes, until you get a reading of 165 degrees with a meat thermometer stuck in the inner thigh. Put the chicken on a platter and let it rest 10-15 minutes. Remove the clementines and pour the pan juices into a clear measuring cup; skim off the fat and pour the juices into a large saute pan; turn on high heat and reduce by half. Cut the chicken and top with the pan sauce to serve.

I added some small red bliss potatoes (tossed in oil, salt, and pepper) when I added the last of the stock and let them finish cooking with the chicken. They were awesome. I got the basic idea for the recipe here.

Peace,
Milton

smokin' sweet potato pie

Finding a great sweet potato pie recipe is one of those "Holy Grail" kind of searches for me. Here is my latest discovery, and it's pretty good.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1 prepared pie crust

Line a nine in pie plate with crust, crimping the edges. Line the bottom with foil and pie weights (I use pocket change) and bake for about ten minutes. Set aside to cool.

2 cups sweet potatoes (two medium sized potatoes)

Peel the potatoes and boil them until they are soft. Drain them and pour them into a food processor. While they are still hot, add

2 tablespoons butter

and blend. In a separate bowl, whisk together

3 large eggs, plus two yolks
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

then add

3 tablespoons bourbon
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla

and finally whisk in

2/3 cup milk

Slowly add milk mixture to sweet potatoes in food processor and blend until smooth. Sprinkle

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

in the bottom of the baked pie shell and then pour the sweet potato mixture on top. Bake for about forty-five minutes, until center jiggles only slightly when shaken. Cool at room temperature.

Peace,
Milton

spirited brown sugar pecan pie

I’ve tried a lot of pecan pie recipes and this is undoubtedly my favorite, first, for using brown sugar instead of corn syrup and, second, for the touch of Scotch in the mix. A little Scotch in a glass goes pretty well with the pie when you serve it, as well.
I must also give credit: I found the recipe here.

1 refrigerated pie crust

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line nine inch pie plate with dough and crimp the edges. Whisk together

2 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon Scotch whiskey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Then mix in

2 cups pecan halves

Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake pie until filling is slightly puffed and set in center, about 40 minutes. Let the pie cool completely at room temperature.

Peace,
Milton

blueberry pie

This recipe is adapted from one I found here.

1 package refrigerated pie crusts

Put one crust in the bottom of a nine inch pie plate; set the other aside.

5 cups blueberries (fresh, when in season; if using frozen, make sure they are thawed and drained well)
lemon juice

Sprinkle berries with lemon juice and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

and then add to blueberries. Pour the whole mixture into the prepared pie shell and dot with

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Put the second crust on top of the pie and seal the edges of the two crusts together, folding them over to make the rim and crimping it. Cut slits in the top of the crust to allow the steam to escape during baking.

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon sugar

Brush the top of the pie with the egg and then sprinkle the sugar over it. Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Let it cool before serving.

Peace,
Milton

awesome pumpkin pie

One of my favorite recipe sites is Smitten Kitchen. This recipe is one I found at her site and changed a bit.

1 pie crust

I would love to tell you I make my own crust every time. This Thanksgiving (or Pie-a-palooza, as we call it at our house), I used the Pillsbury crusts, but if you are using your own, roll out dough on generously floured work surface to make a circle about 1/8-inch thick and big enough to leave at least 1-inch overhang all around pie plate. Press the dough into the bottom of the plate and then fold the overhang under to create the crust around the top. Work around the plate, crimping the crust with your fingers to give it the fluted look; refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil and fill with pie weights or pennies and bake it on a rimmed baking sheet for fifteen minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake it another five minutes or so, until crust is golden brown and crisp. Remove the plate and baking sheet from oven.

Preheat the oven to 4oo degrees.

While the pie shell is baking, whisk together

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk (I used 2 cups of half and half instead of one cup each of cream and milk)
3 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 cup drained candied yams from 15-ounce can (it enhances the pumpkin taste)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon table salt

cook over medium heat until it begins to sputter, stirring consistently and mashing the yams against sides of pot, until thick and shiny, which will take ten or twelve minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cream mixture slowly, until it is fully incorporated. I then take my Braun hand mixer and pureed the mixture until it was silky smooth. You could also use a food processor. When it is thoroughly mixed, transfer the it to warm pre-baked pie shell. Bake the pie (on a baking sheet) for ten minutes. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and ontinue baking until the edges are set, 25 to 30 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Peace,
Milton

pie crusts

This is one of those handed down recipes; it makes three crusts.

3 c flour
1 t salt
1 1/4 c butter (2 1/2 sticks), diced

Pulse the flour, salt, and butter in a food processor until it looks like small beads, then add

1 egg
6 T cold water
1 T white vinegar

Mix until a dough forms. Divide into three equal balls, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least thirty minutes. Roll out the dough when ready. Makes three crusts for a nine inch pie plate.

Peace,
Milton

strawberry shortcake

I know. I should have taken a picture.

For the Fourth, I made strawberry shortcake for dessert. The shortcakes were my great-grandmother's recipe, the strawberries from our farmer's market, and the basil-cinnamon whipped cream my own little addition. It was truly celebratory.

Let's start with the cream.

1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/4 t cinnamon

Mix the ingredients and heat in a saucepan on medium heat until it begins to simmer; don't bring it to a boil. Let it steep until it is cool enough to touch and then transfer to a bowl and put in the refrigerator until it is cold. (It won't whip unless it's really cold). When you are ready to whip it, strain the liquid, put it in a mixer, add sugar and vanilla to taste and let it whip.

Note: heat the cream before you begin everything else; whip it just before serving.

And now the strawberries.

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 T orange or lemon juice

The process, called macerating the strawberries, is simple, though the word sounds far more violent than the process deserves. Again, do this ahead of time so the strawberries have time to do their thing in the sugar and vinegar.

Finally, the shortcakes.

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons sugar

Combine the dry ingredients and then cut in

1/2 cup butter (my great-grandmother used Crisco, I'm sure)

I use my food processor. When crumbly, add

3/4 cup milk

and mix until combined. Pour dough out on a floured surface and roll out just enough to make it about a half an inch thick. Cut into rounds (I use a biscuit cutter) and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

To serve, cut the shortcake in half. Put a small dollop of whipped cream on the plate; turn the top of the shortcake over and place on the whipped cream. Add more cream, strawberries, the other half of the shortcake (also inverted), and then more cream and berries.

Peace,
Milton