My Weekend Six

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dawnnys

Well-known member
Okay, it seems like Friday was a month ago, so let's see...

Trying to decide what to make for a potluck dinner on Wednesday night at the Y. So many picky-- ahem, "healthy" eaters there, there always seems to be lots of pasta dishes and carb-loaded food. I want to bring some kind of hearty, yet not-too-difficult (or expensive) dish. Wouldn't hurt if it was kid-friendly too.

Saturday I made a no-added sugar raspberry-apple pie with a perfect crust... how'd I do that! Must remember and do again soon. Did I mention I have 20 lbs of apples sitting in my garage?

Beautiful weekend here (and there's still one more day of it) - cool and sunny, leaves turning bright orange and red. Went for a good, long hike in the woods with son and a friend of his, then stopped for miniature golf on the way home. Haven't done that in years...

I tried roasting a couple of red peppers on my smoothtop stove. It worked pretty good, and now I have a nice topper for my next sandwich.

Oh! We finally made it to Five Guys and Fries. They came to Syracuse during the summer. Very good. Humungous hamburgs with every imaginable topping to choose from. I would go with the "small" version next time, which was still about 1/4 lb I think. I was good and didn't order French fries, although they looked very good.

I'm in the baking mood again and have recently been eating B&M's brown bread in a can for breakfast with different types of cheeses and fruit for breakfast. I forgot how good that bread was. I know it's a New England product - anyone else ever try it? I didn't know it was baked right in the can. I'll make some pumpkin and/or bran muffins to have on hand for healthy snacks this week.

 
Or, with all those apples, how about baking up a big rectangular "pie"?

or.... the Yummy Crunchy Caramel Apple Pie from Recipezaar

or the Apple Pie with Warm Cinnamon Sauce that Meryl posted

 
Or this Deep Dish Apple Crisp? It's delicious!

DEEP DISH APPLE CRISP

(Note: Original recipe uses 6 Tbsp butter, less cinnamon, and includes the chopped almonds).

INGREDIENTS:

3 lbs. of apples (around 6 large) - golden delicious, mcintosh, granny smith, etc. or a combination (I use golden delicious, mcintosh, Jonagold, etc - last time I just used Jonagold)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar (add 2 extra Tbsp or so if using mostly Granny Smith)
1 Tbsp cinnamon, divided (or to taste)
pinch of nutmeg (optional)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
5 - 6 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cubed (I use 5 Tbsp)
1/4 cup chopped almonds (optional) (I usually omit this)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (375 degrees for dark pans).
Peel and core apples. Slice thin.
Toss with lemon juice.
Mix cornstarch, white sugar, half the cinnamon (1 1/2 tsp), and nutmeg (optional).
Add to apples and toss.
Arrange in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish (8 x 8 baking pan).
Mix flour, brown sugar, remaining cinnamon (1 1/2 tsp), salt, and butter. Cut in butter until crumbly.
Combine with almonds (optional) and sprinkle mixture over apples.
Bake until browned and bubbly, about 45-50 minutes.

Optional: If using extremely tart apples, can sprinkle apple crisp with confectioner's sugar after removing from oven, if it needs more sweetness.

Adapted from Lauren

 
What about quiche, or baked beans in a crock pot? Thai beef salad (Rec inside)?

Ellie Krieger | The Food You Crave | Taunton, 2008 | Serves 4

If you like full-frontal flavor, you are going to love this grilled Thai beef salad. The steak is marinated in a mixture that covers every angle—spicy, sweet, tangy, and salty—then it is grilled to caramelized perfection, sliced thin, and tossed with tender lettuce and fresh herbs. The robust marinade flavors are used in the dressing to give the beef salad a one-two punch. The result is so powerfully mouthwatering, it is sure to knock you out.—Ellie Krieger



convert Ingredients

For the marinade and dressing
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 1/2 teaspoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons red curry paste or chili-garlic sauce



For the salad
1 pound top round London broil or flank steak
Canola oil
1/2 head red-leaf lettuce, torn (about 5 cups lightly packed) or mixed lettuces
3 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 to 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced into ribbons
1/2 marinade and dressing mixture




Want it? Click it.

Method
Make the marinade and dressing
1. In a bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, the soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and red curry paste or chili-garlic sauce. Pour half the mixture into a resealable container and reserve as the dressing. What remains in the bowl is the marinade.

2. Rinse the steak and pat it dry. Place it in a resealable plastic bag or a glass baking dish and pour the marinade over the steak. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice to the bag. Seal or cover and refrigerate, turning the meat occasionally, for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.



Make the salad
1. Coat a grate or a grill pan with oil and preheat over medium-high heat until hot. Cook the steak until the desired degree of doneness, 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare depending on the thickness. Let rest for at least 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak on the diagonal against the grain.

2. Combine the lettuce, shallots (reserving a few slices for garnish), cilantro, basil, and steak in a large serving bowl. Add the reserved dressing and toss to coat. Divide the salad among 4 plates and garnish with the shallots.

 
These oven-fried chicken breasts are delish! Cut in strips, serve w/ a dip or on a salad?

Oven-Fried Chicken Breasts with Pecan Crust
from Bon Appetit Y'all

Brining, or soaking poultry in salted water before cooking, is the answer to dry, tasteless white meat and rubbery dark meat: brined poultry loses only half as much moisture during the cooking as unbrined. In this recipe, I use buttermilk instead of water for the brine. Buttermilk is traditional in some fried chicken recipes and has the added benefit of acting as a tenderizer. If doubling this recipe, do not double the amount of salt as the chicken will be too salty.

Traca's note: the chicken breasts I used were very thick, so I butterflied them and doubled the pecan topping. (No need to double the egg mixture or brining solution.)

1/4 cup coarse salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 bay leaves, preferably fresh
4 cups buttermilk
4 to 6 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 - 3 pounds)
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs or panko
3/4 finely chopped pecans
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground black pepper


Prehead the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, then set a large wire rack on the foil.

To make the brine
Combine the salt, sugar, paprika, garlic and bay leaves in a large nonreactive container. Add the buttermilk and stir until the salt is completely dissolved. Immerse the chicken breasts in the brine and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Do not brine any longer or refrigerate, or the chicken will be too salty.)

To make the coating
Combine the panko and pecans in a shallow dish. Add the oil and toss well to coat. In a second shallow dish, combine the eggs, mustard and thyme. Season both mixtures with pepper.

Prepare
Working with one piece at a time, remove the chicken from the brine and shake off any excess liquid. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, coating both sides. Place the breasts in the crumb mixture, sprinkle with crumbs to cover, and press so the coating adheres; turn the chicken over and repeat the process.

Place the coated breasts on the rack and set on the baking sheet. Bake until the chicken is golden brown and the juices run clear, 20 to 25 minutes.

 
How about making your own veggie sushi rolls? Not expensive, different, and will

certainly be remembered. I have done this numerous times for pot luck dinners. Has pretty presentation; I throw a bunch of chop sticks on the platter in a large mug; (Not used from our chinese takeout. Kind of funny, because they all look different, depending on the restaurant). Add some soy sauce and some miso and you are ready to go. Sometimes, I even scatter some edemame all around. It really is easy, fun and different.

 
Great idea Barb. Do you use spring roll "rounds" or something else? How did you

make them? Or maybe lettuce rolls? I don't think nori sheets would go over too well - it's a conservative group. Nothing too adventurous, but I do like the idea of the sushi. How do you make the ones that have an outside layer of rice, do you happen to know?

 
Hi Dawn, I keep forgetting to make the rounds. I think they look lovely, but do not have experience

I make the rolls with the rice on the outside, one layer of nori and then the veggies. To make them this way, you put cellophane around the bamboo, add a layer of rice, one sheet of nori then the veggies, roll up tightly. I find it helpful to have a small bowl of cold water close by to rinse my fingers when using the rice. I also add rice vinegar and sesame seeds to the rice. I am not a huge fan of nori, so I like the way they taste and look when prepared this way.

Hope that helps!

Barb

 
Somehow I'm not getting this. With all the layers, how do people make their

own? I mean, do they pick up a ready-made layer and roll it into the nori? How do you keep the layers separate if you combine them all together...

Or do you have the different layers all set out individually. Fun idea this way - maybe I will do this.

And can you used anything in place of nori to wrap them up in? I like the idea of the rice on the outside.

 
it's meant to have all the layers, in one spoonful, tucked inside a sheet of nori. like a sushi

enchilada, kinda. have a large spoon for serving and dip down through all the layers so you have a nice scoop of everything and then plop it in the nori and roll it up. check out Olga's Sushi Pizza in T&T appies as well. a slightly different approach.

 
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