Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Black Eyed Pea Salsa/Dip/Salad

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white wine (or regular) vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper

Veggies:
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 green onions, sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 jalapeno (optional), seeded and chopped
1 cup (more if desired) chopped cilantro
2 cans black eyed peas, drained.

Mix together dressing ingredients. Set aside.
Combine all vegetables (except cilantro) with black eyed peas. Pour dressing over the top and gently stir together. Add cilantro and stir gently.
Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips and have a Happy New Year!
Love,Pioneer Woman

Monday, December 29, 2008

Easy Monday Night Stir Fry

Peanut Oil
3 chicken breasts, cut into cubes (can also use beef, shrimp, or pork)
Splash of soy sauce
Drizzle of sesame oil
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks (can also use yellow or green bell peppers)
10 white mushrooms, sliced (can use any mushrooms you like)
1 small jar baby corn, cut into pieces
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 rounded teaspoons arrowroot
Rice Vinegar
Sesame Oil
Fresh Cilantro

After cutting meat into chunks, drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil. Set aside.
Prepare all vegetables and have them ready.
Mix 1/2 cup soy sauce with sugar. Stir together and set aside.
Mix 1/4 cup chicken broth with arrowroot. Stir together and set aside.
Measure an additional 1/4 cup chicken broth. Set aside.
To begin stir fry, heat skillet or wok over high heat. When it’s hot, drizzle in 2 tablespoons peanut oil. Add meat to skillet and fry quickly, stirring around for 3 to 3 minutes. When brown and just cooked through, remove to a separate bowl.
Add additional 1 tablespoon peanut oil to same skillet.
Throw in onions and cook for 1 minute.
Add red bell pepper and cook for 30 seconds.
Add garlic and ginger. Stir.Add mushrooms and stir. Cook for 45 seconds.
Add baby corn. Stir.
Pour in 1/4 cup chicken broth.
Pour in soy sauce/sugar mixture.
Drizzle in 1 teaspoon rice vinegar.
Drizzle in 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil.
Dump in cooked chicken. Stir together.
Pour in chicken broth/arrowroot mixture.
Stir together, then turn off heat. Sauce should be much thicker.
At the very end, seconds before serving, stir in 1/2 cup (or up to 1 cup) roughly chopped cilantro.
Serve over cooked rice.

Variations:
*Can use any of the following vegetables: broccoli, snow peas, zucchini, any color of bell pepper, any mushroom, water chestnuts, green onions
*Add 1/2 cashew halves to make it even more yummy
*Eat with chopsticks if you want to feel really cool
Enjoy!
Love,P-Widdy-Dub-Diddy

Monday, December 22, 2008

Grandma Iny’s Prune Cake

Cake
1 cup prunes
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup canola oil
1 ½ cups flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Cover prunes with water. Bring to a boil and cook until soft and mashable, about eight minutes.
Remove from heat, drain water, and mash on a plate. Set aside.
Sift together dry ingredients.
Mix together oil, sugar, and eggs.
Combine wet and dry ingredients, add buttermilk, and stir gently until just combined.
Throw in the mashed pruned and stir gently to combine.
DO NOT OVERMIX.
Pour batter into buttered baking dish (9 x 13 or so) and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE OR INY WILL PADDLE YOUR BOTTOM.

While cake has five minutes remaining, make the icing:

Icing
1 cup sugar
½ cup buttermilk
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon white corn syrup
¼ cup butter
½ teaspoon vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a slow boil. Boil without stirring for 5 to 7 minutes, or until icing starts to turn dark. Do NOT allow icing to reach soft ball stage; icing should be caramel in color, but not sticky like caramel. Icing should be easily pourable.

Remove cake from oven and pour on icing immediately.

Allow to rest on the counter. Serve warm.

NOTE: There is absolutely zero “prune effect” associated with this cake. The end.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/12/make-this-cake-today-trust-me/

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

2 sticks (1 cup) regular (salted) butter, slightly softened
1 cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 squares almond bark or white baking chocolate (almond bark works best and is cheaper)
Large handful of red or green peppermints

Cream softened butter with powdered sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix to combine. Add dry ingredients and mix together until dough comes together. Place plastic wrap on surface of dough and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Unwrap candies and place them in plastic bags. Beat with a mallet until finely crushed, leaving larger chunks if desired.
Give yourself a foot spa.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Roll cookie dough in walnut-sized pieces and place on a cookie sheet. Gently press balls flat with a plain, smooth surface. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, being careful not to burn. Cookies will remain the same general size and shape after they bake.
Remove from oven and place cookies on a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely.
Place crushed candies in bowl. Melt almond bark in a coffee mug. Dip cooled cookies into almond bark, coating half the cookie. Immediately sprinkle crushed peppermints over both sides of the almond bark. Gently sent on parchment paper or other nonstick surface and allow to cool before serving.

Love,
Pioneer Woman

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Spicy Molasses Cookies!

Makes 18 cookies
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup Crisco (vegetable shortening)
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix sugar, shortening, molasses, and egg together until well combined.
Dump in dry ingredients, stirring dry ingredients together lightly. Mix together until dough is combined.
Roll dough into walnut-sized balls, then generously coat each ball with sugar.
Place balls on a baking sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, allowing to bake for about a minute after cookies begin to crack.
Remove cookies from baking sheet and allow to cool….though these are delicious while still warm.
Fun variation: drizzle melted white chocolate in decorative stripes over the top of each cookie. Allow to harden before serving. Or: dip half of each cookie in melted white chocolate. Yum.
Another fun variation: make sandwiches using two cookies and a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. Yikes.
Another really fun variation: eat all the cookies yourself, then hide all the evidence.
See you tomorrow for Day Two of Cookie Week. Unless I wake up tomorrow and decide to cancel Cookie Week, which I promise I won’t do. Unless I do.
Love,
Pioneer Woman

Friday, December 12, 2008

Pasta alla Vodka

1 medium onion, chopped finely
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 to 1 cup vodka
1 can tomato puree
1 cup heavy cream
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound pasta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions, being careful not to overcook.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and butter.
When butter is melted, add in chopped onions and garlic. Stir and allow to cook for two minutes.
Pour in vodka. Stir and cook for three minutes.
Add in tomato puree and stir.
Reduce heat to low and stir in cream. Allow to simmer, being careful not to overheat.
Stir in red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.
Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water in case sauce is too thick.
Add cooked pasta to the sauce, tossing to combine. Splash in a little water if it needs it.
Stir in Parmesan cheese.
Pour mixture into large serving bowl.
Eat it out of the serving bowl. Faint. Repeat as needed.
Love,
Pioneer Woman

Monday, December 8, 2008

Pioneer Woman’s Mother-in-Law’s Christmas Rum Cake

Cake:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 small package INSTANT vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup rum (dark or light is fine)
1 cup chopped pecans
Brown sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 325.
Grease and flour Bundt cake pan. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan. If desired, sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar over the nuts.
Mix all cake ingredients together.
Pour batter over nuts. Smooth out ’til the top is even.
Bake 1 hour, or a little less if the pan is black. Do not overbake!

Glaze:
While cake has ten minutes to go, make the glaze.
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup rum
Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off flame and pour in rum. Stir to combine and reheat for 30 seconds.
Remove cake from oven. Immediately drizzle 1/3 of the glaze on the bottom (top) of the cake. Allow to sit for five minutes.
Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Prick surface a hundred times with a fork (gently, please.) Slowly drizzle remaining rum glaze all over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Cool to room temperature before serving to ensure glaze has soaked in.
Eat. Enjoy. And don’t feel guilty. It’s Christmastime!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/12/christmas-rum-cake/