connieiscooking

I have yet to encounter a Chinese dish that I don’t love. Seriously. And I never grow tired of trying to reproduce my favs in my own kitchen. I inherited the cookbook Wok & Stir-fry (2001), fabulous fast food with Asian flavors by Linda Doeser when my father passed away. He, too, loved to putter in the kitchen and he is the one that opened my eyes to Chinese dishes that were not the conventional chow mein and fried rice. This recipe for stir-fried chicken and cashews caught my eye, because I actually had everything on hand to make it. Delicious, simple and tastes every bit as good as you’d get in a Chinese restaurant!

 Chicken and Cashew Stir-fry

½ cup cashews

1 red bell pepper

1-pound boneless chicken breasts

3 tablespoons peanut oil

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

5-6 scallions, green part only, cut into 1-inch lengths

Heat a wok (or large skillet) until hot, add the cashews and dry fry over low to medium heat for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Cut the red bell pepper in half and remove the seeds. Slice into thin strips. Cut the chicken breast into thin strips or chunks (I do the latter, no bigger than 1-inch square). Heat the wok (or frying pan) again until hot. Add the oil and swirl it around. Add the garlic and let it sizzle in the oil for a few seconds. Add the bell pepper and chicken and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the rice wine or sherry and hoisin sauce. Continue to stir-fry until the chicken is tender (and cooked through) and all the ingredients are evenly glazed – 5 to 10 minutes. * Stir in the sesame oil, toasted cashews and scallions and serve immediately.

* Turn off the heat on the pan and let sit a couple of minutes for residual cooking that will ensure the chicken is cooked through!

I remember my mother used to make a coffee cake to serve neighbors who dropped by or when she hosted a card game. I used to sneak a piece when I came home from school – particularly if it was topped with cinnamon. When I saw this recipe for a cinnamon coffee cake in Home Plate Hits (1994), recipes from the kitchens of the Minnesota Twins’ wives, players and staff, I made a beeline for the kitchen to try it! It didn’t disappoint. Not overly sweet, this simple cake is the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee (hence the name!) Recipe was contributed by former Twins’ player, Mike Trombley and his wife Barbara.

Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 eggs

1½ cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine ½ cup butter or margarine, eggs, ½ cup of the sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add 2 cups of the flour, baking powder and salt alternately with milk to make a smooth batter. Spread in baking pan.

Combine remaining ½ cup butter or margarine, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour and cinnamon, using fingers (I used a pastry blender) until mixture has a crumb-like consistency. Crumb mixture should be dry but stick together if squeezed in hand. If too wet, add a little more flour. Sprinkle over batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

During our early years of marriage, I routinely served a rice side dish when we entertained. (Remember entertaining? When you invited friends and family over for a meal -no masks, no social distancing concerns?) Of course those were the days before quinoa, farro and freekeh and the like. I kind of miss those rice mixtures – as they were super easy to put together and you simply left it all to simmer while preparing the rest of the meal. When I ran across this recipe dish while paging through The Best of Bon Appetit (1979), I had to try it.

What a find! It actually resembles a risotto – which of course, requires lots of stirring to achieve that creamy consistency. Great side dish for meat, chicken or fish! And no, I don’t know who Pat Boutonnet is!

Pat Boutonnet’s Rice and Artichokes

¼ cup (½ stick) butter

¼ cup chopped onions

1 garlic clove, minced

1 10-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, unthawed

2 ½ cups boiling chicken stock

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice

2 tablespoons minced parsley

Salt and pepper

Melt butter in a 10-inch skillet. Add onions and garlic and sauté until limp. Thoroughly blend in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer 25 to 30 minutes or until rice is tender.

I love trying out-of-the-ordinary recipes. I found this recipe in Cooking the Australian Way (1990) by Mary Winger, another cookbook from the ethnic cookbook series by Lerner Publications I have in my collection. The author shares that Australians love going on picnics, and this dish is a popular option. Puff pastry plus bacon plus eggs – why wouldn’t it taste amazing? I served this as a main dish alongside a salad for dinner one night. And my husband gladly finished the leftovers – served cold for lunch. This would be ideal for a brunch! And I love the idea of making it the centerpiece of a picnic!

Egg and Bacon Pie

1 17¼ ounce package puff pastry sheets, thawed

8 thin slices Canadian bacon or 5 thin slices ham

8 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup finely chopped parsley or chives

Heat oven to 400 degrees. With a rolling pin, roll out one sheet of pastry on a lightly floured board until the pastry is ⅛-inch thick. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry and press gently into place. Cover the bottom of the pastry with the slices of bacon, overlapping them to form an even layer. Crack the eggs right onto the bacon-lined crust, then break the yolks with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or chives.

Roll out the second sheet of pastry, again making it ⅛-inch thick. With your fingers or a little pastry brush, brush the edge of the lower pastry shell with a little water. Gently place the second sheet of pastry on top of the pie, press the edges firmly together, and cut off excess pastry. Flute the edges by pinching the pastry gently between your thumb and forefinger. Cut a few small slits in the middle of the top crust.

Carefully place the filled pie plate on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven about 30 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden brown on top. Remove the pie from the oven carefully and allow to cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving. To take the pie on a picnic, wrap the pie plate in a kitchen towel, then in layers of newspaper to keep it warm.

Full disclosure, when I found this recipe for fried wonton, I remembered I used to make them years ago to serve with a Crab Rangoon dip (email me if you want the recipe, it’s in a book I’ve already cooked from!). The cookbook where I discovered this recipe – Added Attractions (1978) – is billed as a special collection of recipes for appetizers and desserts – put together by the Northern Illinois Region of Women’s American ORT (Organization for Rehabilitation Training).

You’ll find fresh wonton skins in the produce section of your grocery store or with eggrolls and other Asian foods in the frozen foods section. I always keep a package in the freezer as they defrost pretty quickly. Delicious served with a block of cream cheese that’s been topped with soy sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds!

Fried Won Ton

1 package wonton skins*

Cooking Oil

Sweet Sauce (optional)

Cut in quarters or small squares (or pinch together to make bowtie shapes** – see picture)

Heat oil, at least 2 inches deep, in a large skillet. Drop the pieces, several at a time into hot oil. As they puff up, turn over quickly, then remove. (The hotter the oil becomes, the browner the chips – so work fast! I actually like the various shades of the chips.) Drain on absorbent paper. Repeat until all are done. Serve with sweet sauce or “as is” piled in a bowl.

*If you can’t find wonton skins, look for eggroll skins – and cut into shapes as you like!

**To make the bowties, accordion fold a square wonton skin and pinch it in the middle before dropping into hot oil. Use a heatproof tongs to immediately squeeze the “knot” in the middle so it stays while you finish frying both sides. Time consuming but a fun “add” – you only need two or three to make an impression!

Credit for this recipe goes to Elyce Zeitlin

Lamb chops are always a treat. Especially the thick ones we buy in bulk at Costco. Usually we simply season them and throw them on the grill. But I discovered a marinade recipe in one of my cookbooks that truly brings out all the flavor in those meaty chops – and manages to seal in the juices.

The recipe is from a slim paperback cookbook called Herb Cookery – one in a series of five cookbooks I received when completing my bridal registry at Dayton’s Downtown Store on the 8th floor (there was only one Dayton’s back then!) in 1974. The books, published in 1966 by Potpourri Press, actually have some great recipes save for one volume, simply titled A Bride’s Very First Cookbook which smacks of every stereotype you’ve read or heard about new brides. Thank goodness thing have changed a bit that arena!

You can slosh this on just a hour or so before grilling or let chops marinade overnight for deeper flavor. Believe it or not (I am surprised!), these vintage books are still being sold on used book sites, including EBay!

Lamb Marinade

1 cup oil

1/2 cup wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf crushed

1 teaspoon dried mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 tablespoon curry powder

2 garlic cloves crushed

Mix ingredients and pour over lamp chops or lamb steaks, especially those to be grilled over charcoal.

Enough marinade for 8 lamp chops (can easily be halved)

Fries courtesy of my air fryer!

I never did join the sour dough baking frenzy – for one very good reason. I would have devoured every loaf! I love bread but try to limit how much I eat. Which is why I was delighted to find this recipe for corn muffins that makes…count ’em – only 6! They require a short list of ingredients and a pretty quick prep. And voila – you have light and tender (note the name) corn muffins – perfect with a bowl of chili, stew or maybe a rack of ribs!

I discovered this recipe in a cookbook for children. For Good Measure (1978) by Eleanor Evans is the perfect “first” cookbook if your kids are showing interest in the kitchen. Encourage them. And don’t do what I did – expect them to do it your way. Cooking is all about finding your unique approach and there’s no right or wrong way (although it does help to follow basic directions!). The cookbook is still available online and is filled with a myriad of easy and kid-friendly recipes.

Featherlight Corn Muffins

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 flour

4 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter over low heat. Set aside to cool. Sift dry ingredients together into a bowl. Beat eggs nd milk together in another bowl. Stir butter and egg mixture into flour. Fill paper baking cups in muffin pan half full of batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

You either love salmon or you don’t. If you fall into that first category – too bad, because not only is salmon good for you, there are endless ways to prepare it. I found this recipe for planked salmon in the Chicago Cubs Cookbook (2010). Contributor was Pat Hughes, the radio play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Cubs. And how did I, an ardent Minnesota Twins fan, end up with a Chicago Cubs Cookbook? I love the Havana Dream Pie served at Joe’s Stone Crab in Chicago – and discovered the recipe for that sumptuous dessert is in the book! (Let me know if you want that recipe).

If you have never prepared salmon this way, you’re in for a treat. Easy to do and the end result is something quite special. As always, follow directions. Soaking those planks is mandatory! I cut-up a whole Costco salmon into individual filets and freeze them. That way I can take out as many as I need – when I need it.

 Caramelized Plank Salmon

1 or more cedar planks (about the same size of the filet(s)

1½ pounds fresh salmon filet, skin on (I usually use the skinless filets)

Olive oil

½ fresh lemon

Fresh mixed peppercorn blend or seasoned pepper blend

6 fresh garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped

½ tablespoon brown sugar (packed)

Prepare the cedar plank for grilling. Completely submerge plank in cold water for at least 1 hour, preferably longer. (If you don’t follow this step, the plank will burn.) When the plank is prepared correctly, the salmon will pick up a subtle cedar flavor. You can find planks at most grocery stores.

Brush the top of the filet with olive oil, squeeze lemon over the top, then sprinkle the freshly ground peppercorns over to fish to taste. Next, evenly sprinkle the freshly ground peppercorns over the filet, to taste. Next, evenly sprinkle on the fresh garlic. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top. Once the grill is ready, place the prepared filet(s) skin side down on the plank. Place plank directly on the grill grate. Cover grill and cook until the fish opaque throughout and flakes when tested with a fork, about 8-10 minutes. Don’t worry if the plank is slightly charred.

I’ve been upfront about my baking skills. So it’s understandable that I don’t often tackle intricate baking recipes. And yet….. when I found Ann Radin’s recipe for Chocolate Roll in the Minneapolis Jewish Community Center’s Cookbook (1998) I knew I had to try it. The cookbook is a collection of appetizers and desserts created in celebration of Israel’s 50^th Anniversary.

But here’s the back story. The late Ann Radin was Howard Radin’s mother. Ann was an accomplished cook (and dancer) and she passed on her love for baking to her son, Howard, who happens to be my neighbor and very good friend (along with his wife, Beverly). And here’s the best part – Howard baked and served this cake to my husband and me pre-Covid and I was impressed not only how it looked – but how delicious it was. And I marveled at his baking skill!

If you’ve never made a cake roll, be sure to follow all the steps to the letter and be patient. This is a somewhat delicate dessert but oh, so worth the trouble. You can trim the unsightly ends prior to or right after that final roll if you’re aiming for perfection! Next time I’m going to try filling it with ice cream – reminiscent of the ice cream cake rolls my mom used to buy for special occasions.

Chocolate Roll

5 egg whites (room temperature)

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

½ cup sugar

5 egg yolks

½ cup sugar

¼ cup flour

3 tablespoons cocoa

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar stiff, but not dry. Gradually beat in ½ cup sugar. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks until thick. Sift remaining sugar (½ cup), flour, cocoa and salt. Stir into egg yolks and stir in vanilla. Carefully fold yolk mixture and egg white mixture together.

Line sides and bottom of a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan with lightly greased wax paper (use butter or margarine). Spread above mixture evenly in pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes or until it springs back when touched (mine was done around 18 minutes!). Cool for 5 minutes, then turn onto a tea towel, generously sprinkled with powdered sugar. Peel wax paper off (very carefully and slowly so cake stays intact). Cool to lukewarm. Roll cake with towel (Ann rolled it from the long edge for more servings). When completely cooled, unroll and fill with whipping cream to which some powdered sugar has been added. Reroll and chill.

A salad dressing can make or break a salad so I’m always on the look-out for one that embellishes what’s in the salad bowl without overpowering it. I found Hancock Dressing in America’s Country Inn Cookbook (1984) put out by the R.T. French Company. Yes it’s another one of those cookbooks touting a company’s products (e.g. French’s Mustard), but this one at least comes with a pedigree. The cookbook documents recipes from country inns all over the U.S. This dressing hails from the John Hancock Inn in Hancock, New Hampshire. It’s still around and now goes by the name The Hancock Inn & Fox Tavern.

It’s a simple dressing – made with just a handful of ingredients. Do not leave out the anchovies – even if you aren’t a fan. Finely chop them as directed and they will seamlessly blend into the creamy dressing giving it that little bit of punch. Use it to dress almost any kind of greens. I always add an extra squeeze of lemon juice after tossing my salad – and just before serving it!

Hancock Dressing

1 egg*

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon finely chopped anchovies

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon oregano leaves

3/4 cup oil

Beat egg until light and frothy. Add vinegar, cheese, anchovies, lemon juice, salt, white pepper, garlic powder and oregano; beat to combine. Slowly beat in oil. Refrigerate. makes 1 cup.

*If you are concerned about eating raw eggs, make sure you use pasteurized eggs.