Day Recipe Food Community

December 29, 2009

Good Enough For Guests Chicken

a-good-enough-guests-chicke
This is utterly delicious. The sauce is really outstanding with reduced fat. It’s guest worthy and faster than waiting in line at McDonald’s (not to mention far superior!).

MAKES: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat cous cous
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, flattened slightly
  • 1 bunch green onion, trimmed (green & white parts sliced separately)
  • 3/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup evaporated fat free milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 orange, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cook couscous using the chicken broth and 1 tablespoon of the butter, following directions on the package.
  2. Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Saute the chicken, turning once, until golden and firm to the touch, this should take 5-6 minutes.
  4. Remove chicken from pan and cover with foil to keep warm.
  5. Add the white part of the green onions, orange juice, cream and salt to skillet.
  6. Arrange the chicken with orange slices on top of the couscous.
  7. Spoon the orange sauce over the chicken and serve.
  8. Boil over high heat, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
  9. Cook 2 minutes to reduce sauce, stirring constantly.
  10. Add the orange slices and remove from heat.
  11. Stir the green part of the onions into the couscous and spoon on to a serving platter.
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December 28, 2009

A Healthy New Year

Filed under: Coupons — @ 12:02 am

Have you, like so many others, made that New Years resolution to stop smoking this year? I wish you success but perhaps you feel that you could use a helping hand. I know that it isn’t easy to quit so I wanted to tell you about  http://www.myquitsmokingdiary.com. I think that you may find it helpful.

This site will help you “Choose a method that works for you”, “Get your quit smoking plan together” and “Learn how to handle the cravings” for starters. You’ll find information on medications for the cessation of smoking that you may or may not wish to use. stop smoking also has a lot of information on Natural and Herbal Smoking Cessation and Nicotine Replacement Therapy.

stop-smoking-357-715289

Won’t it be great to be truly able to taste good foods and drink again. You’ll be surprised how much better food tastes when you can enjoy the honest aroma of that roast, apple pie and summer lemonade. You’ll find that you can do more when you can breath normally and that you’ll want to participate in games instead of just watching from the sidelines.

Why not visit stop smoking today. They can help you to enjoy the fresh Spring air and blooming flowers this year as well as helping you add precious years to your life.

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December 26, 2009

Bog Berry Cobbler

a-bog-berry-cobbler
A beautiful red dessert thats not too sweet. I usually put it in the oven timed to come out shortly before dinner. We think that it’s best still warm.

MAKES: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 large pears, peeled, cored and sliced lengthwise (1/4-inch thick)
  • 3 cups bog berries (cranberries-fresh or frozen)
  • 3 tablespoons dry tapioca
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar, plus 1 teaspoon sugar, for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground mace
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Topping:

  • 1 1/8 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 3/4 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, cubed
  • 1/2 cup milk

DIRECTIONS:

  • Heat oven to 350F.
  • Prepare Filling:

    1. In large bowl, combine pear slices & cranberries and stir in the tapioca.
    2. Mix 1 1/4 cups sugar, cinnamon and mace together, mix thoroughly.
    3. Spread fruit mixture into a 13x9x2″ pan
    4. Top it evenly with the sugar mix.
    5. dot with the 1 tablespoon butter.

    Topping:

    1. Combine flour, all but 1 tablespoon of the sugar, baking powder and salt.
    2. Cut in butter until in coarse crumbs.
    3. Drizzle with milk, stirring until in pebble-size chunks.
    4. Drop by spoonfuls onto filling.
    5. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
    6. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

    TIP:

  • To go all out top it with a generous scoop of ice cream. Try Strawberry, you’ll be surprised at how great the strawberry is and plus it’s really pretty too. Or use a little whipped cream.
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    December 24, 2009

    Rosenglen Cookies

    a-rosenglen-cookies

    What a delight these exquisite little cookies are. Think shortbread that is so tender and flaky that they truly do melt in your mouth. They should be harder to make for the wonderful results that you get but thankfully they are simple enough for a beginning cook. They are always beautiful on those holiday cookie trays.

    MAKES: about 30 cookies
    INGREDIENTS:

     

    • 1 cup butter, softened
    • 1/2 cup fine white sugar (often called Berry Sugar)
    • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 2 cups sifted all-purpose unbleached  flour
    • 1/2 cup strawberry, cherry or raspberry jam or preserves
    • Red decorating sugar

    DIRECTIONS:

    1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
    2. Cream butter and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mix is light and fluffy.
    3.  Add sifted flour, a 1/2 cup at a time,  and mix well.
    4. Shape dough into 1 inch diameter balls and place on cookie sheets.
    5. With your finger make an indentation in the center of 1/2 inch in size .
    6. Carefully drop a spoon tip of jam or preserves into each indentation to fill it.
      Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until they are barely beginning to turn golden brown at the edges.
    7. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the red decorating sugar over the jam centers while still hot.
    8. Cool on the baking sheets for 3 to 5 mins and remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
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    December 23, 2009

    Christmas Pecan Logs

    Filed under: Recipes — Tags: — admin @ 6:22 pm
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 1/3 cup maraschino cherries , drained & finely chopped
  • Caramel Pecan Coating

  • 14 ounces vanilla caramels
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 cups chopped pecans , lightly toasted
  • Instruction

    1. In pan combine sugar, water, and corn syrup. Cook over medium-high heat to boiling, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar (6 to 8 minutes).
    2. Then reduce to medium-low heat, without stirring, till thermometer registers 240 degrees, soft-ball stage (about 30 more minutes).
    3. Remove pan from heat; remove thermometer. Pour mixture onto a large platter. Do not scrape the cooked candy from the sides of the pan (this part tends to over-cook and gives a hard texture to the candy –it’s not worth wrecking the soft creamy center by adding this).
    4. Cool, without stirring, until slightly warm to the touch. About an hour.
    5. Add cherries to the mixture and beat with a wooden spoon for 10 minutes utill candy is white, creamy and has lots of air incorporated into it. (This step can also be accomplished using a paddle attachment on a food processor).
    6. Form into logs (individual size or 2 large) and wrap in clear plastic wrap.
    7. Place wrapped logs in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
    8. For the coating:.
    9. In a heavy saucepan combine caramels, butter and water. Cook over low heat until caramels are melted.
    10. Spread chopped pecans on a piece of waxed paper.
    11. Remove the saucepan from heat. Dip the unwrapped fondant logs into the melted caramel mixture. Let excess caramel drip off the log.
    12. Place the dipped log on the chopped pecans and roll until it is covered.
    13. Chill 1 hour or until ready to serve. To serve, let logs stand at room temperature about 30 minutes.
    14. Cut into 1/4 inch slices.

    Christmas-Pecan-Logs

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    December 21, 2009

    Christmas Mocha

    Filed under: Recipes — Tags: , , — @ 9:13 am

    a-christmas-mocha
    This is a very quick and simple, it’s also quite yummy.

    MAKES: 1 serving
    INGREDIENTS:

    • 3/4 cup hot water
    • 1/4 cup hot milk
    • 1 teaspoon instant coffee
    • 2 teaspoons hazelnut syrup
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking cocoa
    • dark brown sugar to taste, optional as you may not want any more sweetening with the syrup.
    • 1 tablespoon whipped cream (optional)

    DIRECTIONS:

    1. Combine water and milk, heat in the microwave until very hot but do not allow it to boil up.
    2. Place instant coffee and cocoa in large mug, add the milk mix and stir until coffee and cocoa are dissolved.
    3. Stir in syrup.
    4. Add sugar if using.
    5. Top with whipped cream if using.
    6. Serve hot.
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    December 20, 2009

    Warming Winter Pancakes

    a-warming-winter-pancakes
    Pancakes aren’t something that I make often but from time to time I like to put something a little special on the table, at least to us. Being reluctant to give eating as healthy as possible I made these this morning and they were delicious.

    MAKES: 8 servings
    INGREDIENTS:
    2 cups milk
    1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
    1/2 cup all-purpose flour
    1/2 cup whole wheat flour
    1/4 cup wheat germ
    2 tablespoons brown sugar
    1 tablespoon baking powder
    3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    2 eggs, beaten
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1/4 cup vegetable oil

    DIRECTIONS:
    In bowl, pour milk over rolled oats; let stand for 5 to 7 minutes.
    In another bowl, stir together flours, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
    Beat eggs and oil together with the vanilla.
    Add the eggs, oil and vanilla mix to dry ingredients along with milk/oats mixture, stirring just until mixed (if batter is too thick, add a little more milk or too thin a little more flour).
    Heat a large greased griddle to medium or med-high heat (about 350F for electric griddle).
    Pour in about 1/3 cup batter for each pancake and cook for about 2 minutes or until bubbles on top break but do not fill in, and bottoms are golden and set.
    Turn over and cook for about 1-2 mins longer or until they bounce back when lightly touched in the center.
    Serve with butter and maple syrup and enjoy.

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    December 19, 2009

    Cranberry Christmas Drink

    a-cranberry-christmas-drink
    Christmas Cheer the non-alcoholic way, well, you could add a splash of something harder if you wanted too. A touch of vanilla vodka might be nice. We enjoyed this just as I made it and hubby and myself finished it off with no leftovers in an evening. You might want to double or even quadruple the amount if you’ll be serving it to guests or just have a larger family than I do. It’s delicious!

    Makes: 4-6 servings
    INGREDIENTS:

    • 8 whole cloves
    • 4 black peppercorns
    • 4 slices lemon zest
    • 4 slices orange zest
    • 34 ounces cranberry juice
    • 1 1/2 cups ginger ale
    • 1/4 cup sugar (optional)
    • 2 (3 inch) cinnamon sticks
    • 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
    • extra cinnamon sticks for each cup, optional

    DIRECTIONS:

    1. Place cloves, peppercorns, and zest in center of cheesecloth and tie to form a bag.
    2. Combine cheesecloth bag and all remaining ingredients (except the optional cinnamon sticks) in 4 quart saucepan, bring to a simmer and simmer stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.
    3. Remove the cheesecloth bag.
    4. Ladle wine into heatproof small glasses or cups and garnish with cinnamon sticks if desired.
  • TIP:
  • This is excellent in a crock pot if your having a family tree trimming evening or having friends over. When it’s finished the 10 mins on the stove just put it in the crock pot on low and it will hold beautifully all evening.
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    December 17, 2009

    Just a Tasty Bunwich

    Filed under: Recipes — Tags: , , , — @ 11:44 am

    a-just--a-tasty-bunwich
    Sometimes a simple sandwich is exactly what you really want. This works for me every time. It’s good for lunch or dinner. You can use any burger type buns but the onion buns really make this over the top delicious.

    MAKES: 4 sandwiches
    INGREDIENTS:

    • 8 slices bacon
    • 4 onion hamburger buns, sliced
    • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
    • 1 tablespoon country-style Dijon mustard
    • 4 slices tomatoes, or more if they are small
    • 12 onion rings, red onion is good if you have it
    • 8 slices cheddar cheese

    DIRECTIONS:

    1. Heat oven to 375F.
    2. Fry or microwave bacon until crispy but not black.
    3. Place split onion buns on cookie sheet.
    4. In small bowl stir together mayonnaise and mustard.
    5. To assemble each sandwich, spread about 1 tablespoon of mayo mixture on each bun half.
    6. On bottom half of bun place 1-2 tomato slice, 3 onion rings and bacon slices.
    7. Crisscross 2 slices Cheddar cheese over bacon.
    8. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melting.
    9. Top with remaining bun half.
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    December 16, 2009

    Pop Pea Salad

    Filed under: Recipes — Tags: , , , , — @ 2:07 pm

    a-pop-pea-salad
    To keep the “pop” in this salad I use frozen green peas that aren’t cooked but just quickly defrosted. It’s great as a summer side but is just as delicious in the winter.

    MAKES: 4-6 servings
    INGREDIENTS:

    • 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen peas
    • 4-5 slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
    • 3/4 cup low fat sour cream
    • 1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise
    • 1/4 cup chopped green onion or chives
    • salt and pepper, to taste
    • mint or tarragon, as desired, optional

    DIRECTIONS:

    1. Place the frozen peas in a colander defrost with cold running water (it’s ok if they aren’t completely defrosted).
    2. Drain well and chill.
    3. Gently combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.

    TIPS:

    • Serve on lettuce.
    • Use as a pita filling.
    • Serve as a side dish.
    • Add a cup of cooked pasta and 1 tsp more of mayo and sour cream toss together for pasta salad.
    • Use small diced ham in place of the bacon.
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