Dips

Dip Recipes

I love the Tupperware Chip and Dip set (pictured above). Carrying is a snap with the snug fitting lid. Dips can be stored in the one of two dip containers, which attach right onto the bowl.

Here are some dip recipes for you to try:

Bacon and Tomato Dip

1 pound bacon
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise

Fry the bacon very crisp and drain on paper towels. When cool, crumble into small pieces and set aside. Combine the sour cream and mayonnaise. Add the bacon and mix well. Just before serving, fold in tomatoes and stir gently until well distributed.

Broccoli Dip

1 package (10 ounce) frozen broccoli in cheese sauce
4 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash curry powder

Cook broccoli according to package directions. In a blender container, combine all ingredients. Cover and process until smooth. Chill well. Serve with raw vegetables or crackers.

Fruit Dip

1 small package of jell-o vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cups milk
3 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate
3/4 cup sour cream

Mix all ingredients together and chill for several hours. Serve with cup up fruit slices.

Cookies

The word cookie was introduced by the early Dutch settlers who brought with them, their koekje (little cakes). Today, cookies are made world wide. I'd like to share some cookie recipes with you:

Applesauce Cookies

1 pound cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature, diced
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoond ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 365 degrees.

In a pan, cook the apples in the water, over low heat, until soft and tender. Puree in blender. You'll want 3/4 cup of the puree'd apples.

Cream together the butter and sugar with a mixer. Beat in the apple puree. With a spoon, stir in the baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. When mixed, gently stir in the walnuts. Drop by teaspoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Cookies should be golden. Cool on wire rack.

Ginger Cookies

2 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature, diced
4 tablespoons black molasses
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 egg

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.

In a seperate bowl, cream together the butter and 2/3 cup of the sugar with a mixer. Lightly beat the egg and add to mixture. Stir in the molasses and lemon juice. Mix in the flour mixture and mix until dough forms.

Create 3/4 inch balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake about 12 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Mint Cookies

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ounces Andes mints
Pecan halves

In a large bowl, cream sugars and butter. Add eggs, vanilla and water. Beat well. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together. Add gradually to egg mixture. Chill dough overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wrap each mint completely in cookie dough. Place 2" apart on lightly greased cookie sheets and put a nut half on top of each cookie. Bake 7-9 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool thoroughly on wire racks.

Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka

Slow Cooker Braised Short Ribs

I was so happy when my friend Crystal emailed me today. Crystal owns http://www.makedinnereasy.com/ which is a wonderful website with recipes, cooking ideas, menus and much more. Crystal shared this slow cooker recipe with me and I wanted to share it with all of my readers. Thanks Crystal!!

Slow Cooker Braised Short Ribs
Prep Time: 25 minutes.
(Cooking Time: 6-8 hours)

¾ cups flour
½ teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
4-5 beef, boneless short ribs
3 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 Tablespoon brown sugar

Combine flour salt & pepper and paprika in a shallow baking dish or pie plate. Dredge short ribs in flour mixture, coating all sides. Place butter and olive oil in a large skillet and place pan on medium-low heat until butter melts. Lightly shake excess flour off each rib and place ribs in pan. Brown ribs on all sides. Place ribs in bottom of a slow cooker. Without cleaning the skillet, sauté onions and garlic cloves. Drain the liquid from the tomatoes into the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes or until liquid is reduced. Add tomatoes and sugar to the skillet and stir. Pour the tomato mixture over ribs. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice or pasta.

(Serves 4-6)

Make ahead Tip: This is one of our family favorites and freezes well. I always double the recipe and freeze half.

Thanks again Crystal!!

Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka

Olives

I am an olive lover. I love green olives, black olives, greek olives, garlic stuffed olives and more.

You can extend the life of the olives by transferring them and their brine to a glass jar before refrigerating. Make sure the jar is air tight.

And now a few olive recipes:

Black Olive Spread

1 - 3 ounce pacakge softened cream cheese
1 - 2 ounce can chopped black olives, drained
1- 8 ounce package shredded cheddar cheese

In a bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Combine the olives with the two cheeses. Spread on crackers or bread.

Olive Bread

1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cup warm milk
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (6 oz) can sliced ripe olives, drained
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 to 2 1/2 cups unbleached flour, divided

Combine yeast, warm water and suger in a liquid measuring cup; let stand 5 min.

Combine this mixture, milk, cornmeal, sat, olive and olive oil. Stir in 1 cup unbleached flour. Gradually stir in enough remaining unbleached flour to make a firm dough. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead till smooth and elastic - about 3 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise till doubled. Punch down and divide in half; shape each portion into a 6 inch ball and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise till doubled. Bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes or till loaves sound hollow when tapped; remove to wire racks to cool.

Green Olive and Tomato Salsa

1 1/4 pounds tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced green olives
1/4 cup hot pepper relish
1 bunch scallions
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Audrey :)
http://mytupperware.com/audreyoka

Peppers

I love flavoring foods with peppers. As I was researching peppers on the internet, I came across a blog with only one post from 2005, however the entire entry is all about using peppers in cooking. The blog is located at http://salsa101.blogspot.com/. I'd also like to share a few recipes using peppers as one of the ingredients:

Spicy Chicken Marinade

1/2 cup Zesty Italian salad dressing
1/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup wine vinegar

Place contents into small saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring continuously. May be used to baste chicken while barbecuing or broiling, or as a marinade by placing mixture in baking dish and soaking chicken for 30 to 45 minutes, turning once, prior to cooking.

Pepper Steak

2 pounds flank steak
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive Ooil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 green bell peppers, cut into strips
2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
2 yellow bell peppers, cut into strips
2 onions, cut into strips
6 cloves garlic, grated

Cut beef in half lenghwise, then crosswise into 1/4 inch thick strips. Combine soy sauce, cornstarch, brown sugar, sesame oil and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Add beef and toss to coat; set aside.

Heat wok over high heat about 1 minute or until hot. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil into wok and heat 30 seconds. Add bell pepper strips and jalapeno; stir-fry until crisp-tender. Remove to a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat 30 seconds. Add half of the beef mixture to wok; stir-fry until wel browned. Remove beef to a bowl with peppers. Repeat with remsining 1 tablespoon olive oil and beef mixture. Reduce heat to medium.

Add onions; stri-fry abot 3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic; stir-fry 30 seconds. Return peppers, beef and any accumulated juices to the wok; cook until heated through.

Jalapeno Bread
(for the bread machine)

1 tablespoon monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 package yeast, active dry
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup flour, unbleached all-purpose
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup bread flour
7/8 cups water
2 tablespoons jalapeno peppers, chopped

Put all ingredients, in the order given, into the bread pan, select white bread and push start.

Audrey :)

Pasta Essentials

I want to thank Tammy of http://www.cookin-at-home.com/ for sharing these pasta tips with me:

How Much To Cook

Figure the average diner will eat about 1 cup of cooked pasta. Here are guidelines for cooking the right amount of dried pasta for a specific number of people:

8 ounces uncooked small to medium pasta (rotini, wagon wheels, bow ties, penne, ziti, elbow macaroni) = 4 cups cooked.

8 ounces uncooked long pasta (spaghetti, angel hair, linguine, fettuccine) = 1 1/2 inch diameter bunch = 4 cups cooked

8 ounces uncooked egg noodles = 2 1/2 cups cooked.

Refrigerated Pasta:

When buying refrigerated fresh pasta, plan on 3 ounces for each main-dish serving and 1 1/2 to 2 ounces for each side-dish serving. To use fresh pasta instead of dried pasta in a recipe, substitute 6 to 8 ounces of refrigerated fresh pasta for 4 ounces of dried pasta.

Cooking Perfect Pasta:

When cooking purchased dried pasta, check the package directions because cooking times for brands vary.

Whichever brand you buy, follow these tips:

Don't skimp on the cooking water. For 16 ounces of pasta, use 4 to 6 quarts of water in a large pot. This may look like a lot, but pasta needs to move freely in the boiling water so the strands or pieces don't stick together.

Cover the pot to bring the water quickly to boiling. Keep the water boiling by adding the pasta slowly. Cook the pasta uncovered while maintaining a rolling boil.

Drain cooked pasta in a colander and shake it well to get rid of excess water. Skip the rinse; rinsing removes the light coating of starch that covers the surface of each piece of pasta. That coating helps the sauce and seasonings cling. Rinse, using cool water, only if you plan to fill or layer the pasta or use the pasta in a salad.

Hot Pasta

Pasta continues to cook even after draining. Serve pasta immediately or it will become too soft. To keep pasta warm for a few minutes before serving, use one of the following suggestions:

Return the drained, cooked pasta to the warm cooking pan. Stir in any additional ingredients or toss pasta with a little butter to help prevent it from sticking together. (If you add oil to the cooking water, it is not necessary to add more oil.) Cover and let the pasta stand for no more than 15 minutes.

Fill a serving bowl with hot water and let it stand for a few minutes. Empty and dry the bowl; add the hot pasta and cover. Serve the pasta within 5 minutes.

Thanks again Tammy!!

Audrey

Rice

I found a wonderful article on cooking rice that I wanted to share with you:

Article written by: Niki Singleton Webmatron of http://www.freerecipeclub.com/

The easiest way to make rice well every time is to use a rice cooker. If you don't have one, or don't want one, though, here's a no-fail recipe for rice that one of my grandmothers taught my mother, who taught me. This one, I use mainly for seasoned rice dishes because things can be added to it before boiling, or broth (a plain soup) can be used in place of water.

This is for 4 substantial servings (4 rice bowls).

You will need:
1 large saucepan, or a short pot.
2 cups of white rice, preferably persian, glutinous, or converted, depending on how sticky you like it.
2 tablespoons of butter, margarine, rendered fat, or vegetable oil.
water or broth as needed (usually 3 to 3.5 cups)
salt to taste

Directions:
1.Put the rice in the bottom of the saucepan, and wash it thoroughly by rinsing, and then pouring off the cloudy water. Repeat until you
can recognize grains of rice through the water, and then pour this last rinse out.
2.Put your middle finger in the saucepan until it touches the bottom, and put in water or broth until the level reaches the second line of
your finger.
3.Add your salt and oil.
4.Place on the stove, and cover loosely, which means there should be a centimeter of space between the side of the cover and the edge
of the pot or saucepan.
5.Turn on the stove at medium/low heat, and leave it alone for about 20 minutes.
6.Check to see if it's done, and if not, come back every 5 minutes.
7.If you need to check, and can't tell from looking at the top, stick a spoon in the middle, and push gently to the side to see if there is any
water left. If there is, then move the rice back to cover the hole. Try not to touch it too much.
8.If you run out of water before the rice is the level of softness you want, in the well you make in it for checking, just pour a quarter cup
of hot water to the middle, and move the rice back over to cover the water.
9.When it's done, turn off the heat, and cover the rice completely, and let it sit for 5 minutes.
10.Stir, and then serve.

Then, there is the other absolute sure-fire way that my other grandmother taught me. This is how I cook rice when I want it somewhat plain.

You will need:
However much rice you want up to 5 cups.
A pot of water, salted, with about a tablespoon of oil
A strainer
A large bowl

Directions:
1.Set the pot of oiled and salted water on high heat.
2.In a large bowl, rinse the rice repeatedly, until the water is somewhat clear.
3.Drain as much water as you can from the rice, and then wait 'til your water on the stove boils.
4.When the water reaches a fast, rolling boil, gently pour in the rice.
5.Stir to make sure the rice doesn't stick together, and then wait.
6.Occasionally stir the rice, and after 10 minutes, check to see if it's done.
7.Check every two minutes after that, and when it's as soft as you like, turn off the heat and then pour the contents of the pot into a
strainer.
8.Shake the strainer a bit, to get out as much excess water as possible, and then return the rice to the now empty pot.
9.Season to taste, and then serve.
Rice cooked this way can also be used for rice balls, unless it is parboiled rice. Parboiled rice should never be used if you prefer it sticky on its own, but is the best to use when making the deep fried breaded rice balls.

More Rice Tips

For golden coloured rice, stir a teaspoon of turmeric into the water before the rice begins to cook.
Seasoning blocks or bouillon give a nice flavor to rice. It will need to be stirred after cooking to evenly distribute it though.

Use leftover rice to make fried rice. It can also be used to add a bit of starch to a meatloaf in place of bread crumbs.

Never let cooked rice sit out for more than a couple of hours without keeping it very hot. Rice turns very quickly. To serve it at parties that may last awhile, but keep it from burning at the bottom, put it in a pan atop a pan of water that is over a tea light or other warmer. To cool it off quickly before it turns after a meal, transfer it from the pot to smaller containers.

If you are on a salt restricted diet but don't like your rice too sweet, use a couple of dashes of pepper and salt free chicken broth to enhance the taste.

Audrey :)