Michelle Beattie June 2012

. Apricot and Brie Dip .
(Crock pot dish)

1/2 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon apricot preserves, divided
1/4 cup apple juice
1 (2-pound) brie, rind removed, cut into cubes
Bread rusks, crackers or crudite for dipping

Combine dried apricots, 1/2 cup apricot preserves and apple juice in Crockpot slow cooker. Cook and cover on HIGH 40 minutes. Stir in brie and cook 30-40 minutes or longer until melted. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon preserves. Turn slow cooker to LOW and serve with bread, crackers, or crudite.
COOK TIME: 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes (HIGH)

Italian Wedding Soup

• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 25 mins
• Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef 
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten 
• 6 tablespoons breadcrumbs 
• 3 tablespoons parmesan cheese 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder 
• 17 1/4 cups chicken broth 
• 6 cups chopped escarole or 6 cups chopped spinach 
• 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta, uncooked 
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots 
• 3 to taste grated parmesan cheese 

Directions

1. In medium bowl combine, meat, egg,bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, basil& onion powder; shape into 3/4" balls.
2. In large sauce pan, heat broth to boiling; stir in spinach, orzo, carrot& meatballs.
3. Return to boil;reduce heat to medium.
4. Cook at slow boil for 10 minutes or until orzo is tender.
5. Stir frequently to avoid sticking.
6. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

* I added garlic and some pepper and precooked my meatballs in the oven first to brown them.  Also, I added quite a bit more orzo... but I LOVE orzo and I love a meatier soup!

Baked Manicotti with Meat Sauce

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

Fresh pasta was ideal for rolling up the manicotti tubes in our Baked Manicotti with Meat Sauce, but no-boil lasagna noodles worked almost as well with a fraction of the effort. Breaking down the meat in the food processor allowed its flavor to permeate the sauce. To give some spice to the meat mixture we tried adding several combinations of hot Italian sausage, meatloaf mix, and ground pork. In the end we discovered a popular pizza topping delivered the perfect spicy, meaty taste. We also reserved some of the meat mixture to stir into the filling for our Baked Manicotti with Meat Sauce.

serves 6 to 8

You will need 16 no-boil lasagna noodles. The test kitchen’s preferred brand, Barilla, comes 16 to a box, but other brands contain only 12. It is important to let the dish cool for 15 minutes after baking.

INGREDIENTS

Meat Sauce

1 onion, chopped

6 ounces sliced deli pepperoni

1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef 

1 tablespoon tomato paste

5 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

Salt and pepper

Manicotti

3 cups ricotta cheese

2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded provolone cheese

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

16 no-boil lasagna noodles (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Grind Meat: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Pulse onion and pepperoni in food processor until coarsely ground. Add beef and pulse until thoroughly combined. 
2. 2. Make Sauce: Transfer beef mixture to large saucepan and cook over medium heat, breaking up mixture with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer 1 cup beef mixture to paper towel-lined plate and reserve. Add tomato paste, garlic, and pepper flakes to pot with remaining meat mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (At this point, sauce can be refrigerated in airtight container for 3 days.)
3. 3. Prepare Filling: Combine ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, 1 cup provolone, egg, salt, pepper, basil, and reserved meat mixture in large bowl. Pour 2 quarts boiling water into 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Soak noodles until pliable, about 5 minutes. Drain noodles on kitchen towel. Pour off water and dry baking dish. 
4. 4. Assemble Dish: Spread half of meat sauce over bottom of baking dish. Following photos below, top each soaked noodle with ¼ cup cheese filling, roll, and arrange, seam-side down, over sauce in baking dish. Spread remaining sauce over manicotti. Cover with foil and bake until bubbling around edges, about 40 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and provolone. Bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Serve.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE TUBE

Manicotti shells are hard to fill without tearing. For easy-to-fill manicotti, we reinvented the noodle.

1. 1. Soak the no-boil lasagna noodles briefly in hot water. With the short side facing you, spread the filling across the bottom of each and roll into a tube.
   

1. 2. Arrange the rolled manicotti, seam-side down, over the sauce in the baking dish.
   

Herb Bread

1 loaf Rhodes™ Bread Dough, partially thawed
1/4 cup butter melted
1 teaspoon total: dried parsley, oregano, basil or Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (I use garlic powder or some of each)
2-3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cut partially thawed loaf into 12 1/2-inch slices, not quite cutting all the way through. Place sliced loaf in a sprayed 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2-inch bread pan. 

In a small bowl, combine butter, seasonings, salt and cheese. Brush each slice, front and back with butter mixture. Pour any remaining mixture over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until 1 inch over top of pan. Remove wrap and bake at 350°F 20-30 minutes.

* Doubling the recipe is perfect for 3 loaves.  When I am just making one I cut back a little because it is too much for me, but I rarely make just one!  

Red Velvet-Berry Cobbler

Top with scoops of homemade Cream Cheese Ice Cream for a cool summery twist on the classic Southern layer cake.

Southern Living JULY 2012

• Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
• Hands-on:20 Minutes
• Total:1 Hour, 15 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
• 6 cups assorted fresh berries (We used 2 cups each blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons red liquid food coloring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together cornstarch and 1/2 cup sugar. Toss berries with cornstarch mixture, and spoon into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish.

2. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add remaining 3/4 cup sugar, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Stir in red food coloring and vanilla until blended.

3. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt. Stir together buttermilk, vinegar, and baking soda in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. (Mixture will bubble.) Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Spoon batter over berry mixture.

4. Bake at 350° for 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cake topping comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes.

Switch It Up
Chocolate-Cherry Cobbler: Omit red food coloring. Substitute 6 cups pitted fresh cherries (about 2 1/2 to 3 lb.) for berries. Decrease flour to 1 cup, and increase unsweetened cocoa to 1/4 cup. Proceed with recipe as directed. For a Chocolate-Cherry Cobbler sundae, top scoops of Chocolate-Cherry Cobbler with vanilla ice cream, Hot Fudge Sauce, sweetened whipped cream, and fresh cherries (with stems).

Cream Cheese Ice Cream

Southern Living JULY 2012

• Yield: Makes about 1 qt.
• Hands-on:25 Minutes
• Total:9 Hours, 25 Minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 egg yolks

• 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, cubed and softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 8 to 10 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat, and whisk in cream cheese and vanilla bean paste until cheese is melted. Cool completely (about 1 hour), stirring occasionally. Place plastic wrap directly on mixture (to prevent a film from forming), and chill 8 to 24 hours.

2. Pour mixture into freezer container of a 1 1/2-qt. electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. (Instructions and times may vary.) Transfer ice cream to an airtight container. Freeze 4 hours before serving.

Note:

Total time does not include freezing.

Couples Night - Staci Morgan, Marlee Magee

Gourmet Burgers and Fries

For the record, we used elk meat on the night of the dinner….I also cheated on the cheese sauce and used Velveeta!

Tex-Mex bacon cheese burgers

Ingredients

• 12 slices good-quality smoky bacon, 4 slices finely chopped and 8 left whole
• 1 1/4 pounds 80% lean ground beef
• 3-4 tablespoons onion, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 2 tablespoons pureed chipotle in adobo sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper
• Vegetable oil or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (14 ounces), well drained
• 4 soft burger rolls, split
• Crisp yellow corn chips
• Toppings: Chopped onion, tomatoes, cilantro and pickled jalapeño

Preparation

Arrange the eight whole bacon slices on a broiler pan and bake at 375°F until crisp, 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, pre-heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Combine the beef, chopped bacon, grated onion, garlic, chipotle puree and Worcestershire sauce; season with salt and pepper. Form into four patties (thinner at the center); drizzle with oil. Grill the burgers for 5 minutes on each side for medium doneness.

Make the queso sauce: In a medium size saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk. Stir in the cheese to melt. Stir in the tomatoes.

Place the burgers on the bun bottoms and top with the queso sauce, criss-crossed bacon strips, corn chips, remaining toppings and bun tops. Serve with extra sauce on the side.

Fry Sauces

 Root Beer BBQ Sauce:

Combine a 12-ounce can of root beer, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup each lemon juice and orange juice, 2 tablespoons each barbecue sauce, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon molasses and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger in a saucepan. Simmer until thick, stirring, 45 minutes

Chili Sauce:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

We ended up using a different avocado sauce at the dinner, but this is a really yummy one too…

Avocado-Chile Spread:

 Puree 1 avocado, 1/2 cup sour cream or crema, 1/4 cup canned chopped green chiles, the juice of 1 lime and 1/2 clove garlic until smooth. Season with salt.

Jennie Russon's Roast

Tri Tip Roast - 
Marinate over night:
3 Tblsp Liquid Smoke
3 tsp. Garlic Powder
2 tsp. Onion Salt
2 tsp. Celery Salt 
Its like a rub - if you get your meat at Costco there are 2 roasts in a package so this is only enough for 1 Roast.

The next day you can crock pot the roast for 7 hours on low or I put it in my roasting pan filled it with water about 1/2 way up the roast and cooked it covered for 4 hours at 325.
Slice the roast and serve with sauce:

Sauce:
1 C. catchup
1 tsp. Celery Seed
3 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. Water
1 tsp. Salt
1 Tblsp Onion Salt
1/4 C. Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 C White wine  vinegar 
Don't Substitute Ingredients- this is tons of sauce even for 2 roasts - don't double it.

Whipping Cream Potatoes
Diced Red Potatoes cut enough to fill 9X13 pan 1/2 way up - mix in chopped onion - sprinkle with Garlic Salt - pour whipping cream over potatoes until about 1/2 way up to 3/4 of covering potatoes - but don't completely cover them.  Bake 2 hours at 350 sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese.  

Monkey Bread

In a pan bring to boil - but watch it - it will boil over
1 1/2 squares of butter
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Cup of Water
Let it cool-

In a glass bowl mix:
1 1/2 Tblsp yeast - get the yeast at Dicks in Centerville at the bakery
1 Cup very warm water
3 tsp. Sugar
stir and set aside for yeast to grow

In KitchenAid or Bosch put:
5 eggs
2 1/4 tsp. Salt
3 3/4 C Flour 
Add Water, Sugar, Butter mixture
Mix for a second
Add yeast mixture - make sure you have given the yeast enough time to grow
Add another additional 3 3/4  cups of flour (watch the last 3/4 mix it while you add it and see if the dough is pulling away clean from the sides if so stop adding the flour or you might have to add a little more than the 3 3/4)

After it is mixed well set aside - Let raise for 1 1/2 hours - punch down - raise 1 more hour.   You need 2 bunt pans melt a square of butter and put 1 in the bottom of each pan.   Pull dough out split it in 2 roll it out (it is easier to grease your counter with crisco but you can use flour also)  - with an empty soup can or cookie cutter about the size of a soup can cut circles.  Use 1/2 of dough for one pan and 1/2 for the other stack the cut circles all the way around the pan.  Let raise 1/2 an hour to 1 hour in pans - Bake at 325 for 30 - 45 min. - dump out on plate and serve warm.

Vegetables:

Cut up
Asparagus
Yellow Squash
Purple Onion
Mushrooms
Red Bell Peppers
Toss with olive oil - sprinkle with garlic salt, Parmesan cheese - broil in the oven until tender.

May 17, 2012
Pizza Night at Monica's

I do love dessert first...
(I used the larger box size brownie and made it in a 10" rather than 9" pan.

Chocolate Mousse Torte

1

pouch (10.25 oz) Betty Crocker® fudge brownie mix

1/4

cup vegetable oil

1/4

cup water

1

egg

2

bags (11.5 oz each) semisweet chocolate chunks (3 1/2 cups)

1/2

cup chopped pecans

1/4

cup toffee bits

1

package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2

cup powdered sugar

1

teaspoon vanilla

1

pint (2 cups) whipping cream

Additional powdered sugar, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 9-inch springform pan with shortening or cooking spray. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, oil, water and egg until smooth. Stir in 1 bag of the chocolate chunks. Pour batter into pan; spread evenly. Sprinkle pecans and toffee bits over batter; press in lightly.
2. Bake 27 to 32 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely on wire rack, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Run sharp knife around side of pan to loosen brownie layer.
3. In small microwavable bowl, microwave 1 cup of the remaining chocolate chunks uncovered on High 1 minute; stir until smooth. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat melted chocolate into cream cheese mixture.
4. Reserve 1/4 cup of the whipping cream. In chilled large bowl, beat remaining whipping cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold chocolate-cream cheese mixture into whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Spoon mousse over brownie layer, smoothing top. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until mousse is set.
5. In small microwavable bowl, microwave remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chunks uncovered on High 1 minute; stir until smooth. Stir in reserved 1/4 cup whipping cream until smooth. Run thin, flexible spatula around side of pan to loosen torte; remove side of pan. Spoon warm chocolate mixture over top of mousse, allowing some to drizzle down sides. Smooth top of torte with thin, flexible spatula. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until serving.
6. Just before serving, gently place 4-inch snowflake stencil on torte. Using fine wire-mesh strainer, sift additional powdered sugar over stencil. Carefully lift stencil from torte; repeat for additional snowflakes.

Makes 16 servings

Appetizers:

stuffed baby peppers

ingredients

Prep Onions and Pancetta Vegetable oil cooking spray 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chopped into ¼-inch pieces ½ medium onion, finely chopped ¾ cup ricotta cheese ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese ½ cup frozen petite peas, thawed Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 24 (2 to 3-inch long) sweet baby peppers

instructions

Prep Onions and Pancetta Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.  In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until brown and crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta and drain on paper towels. Add the onion to the pan and cook until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Finish Stuffed Baby Peppers In a medium bowl, combine the onion, pancetta, cheeses, and peas. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Using a paring knife, cut 1/2-inch from the stem-end of the peppers. Remove the seeds and veins. Using a small dessert spoon, fill each pepper with the ricotta mixture. Place the filled peppers on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the peppers begin to soften. Cool for 10 minutes.  Arrange the peppers on a platter and serve.

Tuscan-Style™ Cantaloupe with Prosciutto
Yields 24 pieces

Ingredients:
1 Dulcinea® Extra Sweet Tuscan-Style™ Cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, and cut into thin wedges/spears
12 Thin slices prosciutto, cut in halves into lengthwise strips
Herb and Olive Oil Vinaigrette:
1⁄2 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Dried Italian herb blend
1/8 teaspoon Cracked black pepper
1/8 teaspoon Salt

Directions:Wrap each melon spear in the center with a strip of prosciutto. The prosciutto should stick to itself enough that you don’t need to secure it with a toothpick. Keep covered and refrigerated until ready to serve.
Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients together in a small bowl, and chill until ready to serve. Drizzle the prosciutto wrapped melon with the vinaigrette before serving.
Cut melon spears in half crosswise and wrap with a 1⁄4 of a prosciutto slice for a more petite finger food.
Serve a couple of spears of the wrapped melon over a bed of baby greens or arrugala and drizzle with vinaigrette as a salad or nice first course.

Pizza

The recipe I used came from this book:

 

Basic Dough:

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 cup warm (110-115 F) water

1 envelope active dry yeast

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a mixer, Gently stir together sugar, water, and yeast.  Allow to stand for about 5 minutes until a this layer of foam covers the surface.

Add flour, salt, and oil to yeast mixture.  Attach bread hook and mix until all ingredients are combined.  Continue to knead for 5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.  If more flour is needed, gradually add until the dough is no longer sticky.  

Remove dough from mixer and place in a greased bowl, turning once.  Cover with plastic and allow to rise for about 90 minutes.  

Margherita Pizza

Basic Dough

Extra-Virgin Olive oil

2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

4 cups chopped, seeded and drained tomatoes

1 tsp dried oregano

salt

1/2 cup grated parmesan

fresh basil

Roll out dough and place on large baking stone. Brush dough all over with olive oil, then evenly cover with the mozzarella cheese, leaving 1/2" border around the the edges.  Cover the cheese with the tomatoes, then sprinkle with oregano, salt to taste, and about half the Parmesan cheese.  Drizzle with olive oil.

Transfer pizza to the very lowest rack in your oven and bake until the crust is golden brown and puffy (about 8 minutes in my gas oven).  Remove from oven, brush crust with olive oil, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and basil.  Serve immediately.

Sauce:

1 box POMI Italian tomatoes (chopped)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 tsp dried basil

salt 

freshly ground black pepper

Pour tomatoes into large pan and slightly crush with a fork over medium heat.  Stir in tomato past, garlic, basil and salt and pepper to taste.  Bring the mixture just to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until thick and flavorful, 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Remove from heat.

New York Style Pizza

olive oil

3 cups mozzarella cheese

toppings of choice

11/2 tsp basil or oregano

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Prepare crust as above. Roll out, brush with olive oil, add mozzarella, then cover with the tomato sauce.  Add one or more toppings, then sprinkle with basil and Parmesan.  Bake about 8 minutes.

Stuffed Pork Chops - Hollie Andrus

Red Onion Salad Dressing

¼ - ½ c. chopped red onion

½ c. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. salt

1 c. sugar

1 c. oil

Liquify red onion and red wine vinegar in food processor.  Add salt and sugar and blend well.  Slowly add oil and blend well.  

Poppy Seed Dressing

½ c. sugar

1/3 c. lemon juice

2 tsp. chopped green onion

½ tsp. salt

1 T. poppy seeds

1 tsp. dry mustard

2/3 c. vegetable oil

Mix dry ingredients well.  Add lemon juice and blend well.  Slowly add vegetable oil.  Blend well.

Salad

1 head Romaine

1 c. Swiss Cheese, cubed

1 c. cashews/cashew pieces

¼ c. craisins

1 apple, chopped

Stuffed Pork Chops

1 ½ c. diced butternut squash

1 c. diced celery

1 c. diced Granny Smith apple

6 T. olive oil

Kosher Salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 Large Shallot, finely diced

1 ½ tsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1 ¼ c. toasted bread crumbs

4 double-cut bone-in pork loin chops (I substituted the boneless chops from Costco—the only important thing is thickness—about 1 ½ inches thick)

In large bowl, stir together butternut squash, celery, apple, 2 T. oil, salt and pepper.  In large braising pan/skillet over medium-high heat, warm 2 T. oil.  Ad shallot; cook, stirring until softened, about 1 minute.  Add garlic and thyme; cook, stirring frequently, about 10 seconds.  Add squash mixture; cook until just softened, about 7 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Let cool.  Stir in bread crumbs.

Season pork chops with salt and pepper.  Insert sharp knife into side of chop, making long slit along curve all the way to the bone.  Wiggle knife to form large pocket.  Pack stuffing into each chop.  Brown chops on grill at medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side.  Place chops in roasting pan (coated with oil) and roast in oven 20 minutes.

Sauce: (I didn’t do this because I couldn’t find any demi-glace)

1 yellow onion, cut into ½” dice

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into ½” dice

1 T. flour

2 T. chicken demi-glace

1 ½ c. water

3 tsp. chicken stock concentrate

1 T. apple cider vinegar

In small sauce pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 T. oil.  Add onion and apple; cook until softened, about 7-8 minutes.  Add flour and cook, stirring, 1-2 minutes.  Add demi-glace, water, stock concentrate; bring to a simmer.  Cook until sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes.  Stir in vinegar.  Transfer to blender (or use immersion blender) to puree sauce.  Drizzle on pork chops.

Lion House Rolls

2 c. warm water

2/3 c. dry milk

2 T. yeast

¼ c. sugar

2 tsp. salt

2/3 c. unsalted butter, softened (about ¾ stick of butter)

1 egg

5-5 ½ c. flour, sifted

Whisk warm water and dry milk till frothy.  Add yeast and whisk some more.  Change mixer attachment from whisk to “paddle” (not the bread hook).  Add sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 c. flour.  Blend till smooth.  Add 1 c. flour, blend.  Add 1 c. flour, blend.  Add ½ c. flour, blend (dough should be tough for mixer to spin).  

Have remaining 1 c. flour on counter.  Dump dough from bowl to counter and continue to knead flour into dough until the dough is soft but not sticky.  Put dough in bowl coated lightly coated with vegetable oil.  Twirl dough around so it is coated with vegetable oil.  Cover in plastic and let rise till double in size (about 1 or 1 ½ hours).

To form rolls:  Roll dough on floured surface in a long, rectangular shape—not too thin, not too thick.  Once you’ve rolled it to desired length, thickness, gently lift dough so it “relaxes” (this keeps your rolls from shrinking when you shape them).  

Melt remaining butter and spread on dough with pastry brush.  Using a pizza cutter, cut off rough edges to have a clean rectangle.  Cut the rectangle in half length-wise then cut strips about 3” long.  You’ll have lots of little rectangles.  Roll up the rectangle and place on parchment paper on cookie sheet.  Once all rolls are formed, coat rolls with butter and cover in plastic.

Preheat oven to 375.  Remove plastic and bake rolls till golden brown.  About 13-15 minutes.  Coat with butter after removing from oven.  Serve.

Baked Risotto with Asparagus

3 T. olive oil

2 leeks, white and light green portions, halved, rinsed well, and thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 ½ c. Arborio or Carnaroli rice

½ c. dry white wine (I used cooking wine)

4 ¼ c. chicken broth

1 ½ lb. asparagus, tough ends trimmed

½ c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

3 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

In a 3 1/2-quart dutch oven over medium heat, warm 2 T. oil.  Add leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 minutes.  Add garlic, thyme, and salt and cook for 1 minute.  Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted, 2-3 minutes.  Add wine and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in 3 c. of broth, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.

Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and bake, stirring once 1/2-way through, until the rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.  About 25-30 minutes.

Coat asparagus with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper.  Preheat skillet over medium-high heat.  Grill the asparagus, turning occasionally, until tender, 7-8 minutes.  Cut the asparagus on the bias into 2-inch lengths.

Stir the remaining 1 ¼ c. broth into the risotto.  Then stir in the cheese, butter, asparagus, salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

Strawberry Truffle

1 angel food cake (I used a mix), torn into bite-size pieces

1-2 lb. strawberries, cleaned, hulled, and sliced

1 small Cool Whip

2 pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

2 c. powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. almond extract

Blend well cream cheese, sour cream, powdered sugar, almond extract.  Fold in cool whip.  Alternate layers of angel food cake, strawberries, and cream-finishing with cream on top.  Keep refrigerated.