"HARD BOILED" EGGS FROM THE OVEN !!

There is nothing tricky about boiling eggs for Easter, but there are ALWAYS those eggs that crack as they boil, or the phone rings and you forget the eggs on the stove (and they overcook and  get those green "rings" around the yolks, etc.)  Not a big deal, but it can be a hassle when you are preparing for a crowd.

This oven method, of cooking eggs in the shell, is not only fool proof, but the eggs come out absolutely perfect and you can make a ba-jillion at once!!

Preheat your oven to 350 and place large size eggs in a mini-muffin pan (large end down). If you don't have a mini-muffin pan, you can use a regular cupcake pan  (they they will just roll around a little more).

How long you bake the eggs depends on the size of eggs you use and how hot your oven runs. I used large grade A eggs and cooked them for 25 minutes.  If you are concerned about it, just run a "test egg" to gauge how long to cook them.

When the eggs are done, use tongs to put the eggs into a bowl of ICE water (for 10 minutes) to stop further cooking.

NOTE: After the eggs are cooked, you MIGHT find SOME eggs that have brown speckles on them, but don't freak out; these little specks will dissolve when you put the eggs into the ice water. The next photo is before and after the ice water bath.

Not only is this a great way to cook Easter eggs in bulk, but the eggs are delicious!! The yolks are bright yellow and the whites are very tender (not rubbery like boiled eggs can produce).

Where has this cooking method been all my life!?!?

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BACON RISOTTO

There are huge "blind spots" in my cooking repertoire, like various herbs that I've never been introduced to, or spices that picky-picky husband refuses to eat and then there is always the financial restrictions that keep me from trying certain foods.

I'm not sure which of these categories risotto falls into (I've never even tasted it before today)  but I'm guessing that the $10 price tag for a 36 ounce jar of Arborio rice was part of the "hold up". I know I will be on a search for a more reasonable source, in the near future, for this specialty rice since we liked it so much.

This recipe came from allrecipes.com and it is absolutely delicious. I am really looking forward to reheating it for tomorrows lunch!!

1/2 pound bacon (fried, drained and crumbled)
5 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced (see note)
1½ cups Arborio rice (do not use regular rice)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (not the powdered kind)
salt and pepper to taste

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a sauce pan, over high heat; reduce the heat to low and keep the chicken stock hot.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion begins to turn golden brown at the edges, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir until it is coated in butter and has started to toast, about 2 or 3 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium and stir in one third of the hot chicken stock; continue stirring until the rice has absorbed the liquid and turned creamy.

Repeat this process two more times, stirring constantly, which should take about 15-20 minutes total time. The rice should be tender but slightly firm when fully cooked.

Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the cheese and the crisp bacon. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

NOTE: As a first time risotto maker, I was nervous about making rice without using a lid on the pan, but it works great...just don't rush it.

NOTE: I wanted the bacon flavor to cook into the rice, so I put about half of the crisp bacon into the rice as it cooked, then mixed in the other half of the crisp bacon before serving. I will definitely do that again because it gave the rice a wonderful flavor.

NOTE: The recipe calls for four cloves of garlic, but that seems like a LOT. I didn't use any garlic because picky-picky is allergic to it.

These photos do not do this tasty side dish justice.

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Indonesian Street Food Breakfast

Are you looking for some ideas for your breakfast?Hey... let's meet them; ...at Negeri Dongeng. I'll see you there!

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Apple, Cinnamon, Raisin & Almond Swirls with Honey Glaze

'Playing' with puff pastry is always an exciting moment for me. Not only baking, but I do enjoy eating all the food that using the puff pastry as one of the ingredients. The combination characters; crisp, buttery, flaky and light make me really love it.Honestly, I didn't prepare the puff pastry from the scratch, as I always have a stock of ready-to-use puff pastry in my freezer. Regularly, at

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CHICKEN SOUP FOR A SICK HOUSE

I haven't posted much lately because picky-picky husband and I have had the flu. Not just your every day "better in a week flu", but the old fashioned (don't even get out of your jammies) flu that has plagued us with lethargy and coughs for almost a month.

Our meals have been simple and mostly from the crock pot (or frozen food entree aisle) but then we haven't had much of an appetite either. Now that we are feeling a little better, I am venturing back into the kitchen.

This chicken soup has been a life saver for us during this time. I just keep it going in the slow cooker, adding a little more broth and veggies when necessary. It is a super simple recipe and if your family is coping with this ugly flu, like we are, I hope you will give this magic "elixer" a try.


6 large boneless-skinless chicken thighs (dark meat has the best flavor)
1 cup chopped onion (I like to use sweet onions)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
2 quarts of good chicken stock (I use the boxed kind)
1 tablespoon chicken bullion granules
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of dried thyme
pinch of poultry seasoning
2 cups favorite veggies (I use frozen mixed veggies)
spaghetti or fettuccine noodles (they hold up better than other noodles)

Cube and brown the chicken thighs in a tablespoon of oil until you get brown crusty spots on the chicken. Remove from pan and put it into the crock pot. In the same pan, saute the onion, celery and carrot until they get a little soft. Use a spatula and use the moisture in the veggies to de-glaze any crusty bits left in the bottom of the pan. Add this mixture into the crock pot ; those crusty brown bits in the pan are PACKED with chicken flavor.

Add the broth, 2 cups favorite veggies, bullion granules and salt and pepper. Stir and cook on high for about 6 hours, stirring once in a while. Half an hour before you serve this soup, break the noodles into 4" pieces and put into hot broth and stir. The noodles should be ready to eat in about 30 minutes.

NOTE: I have tried many different kinds of noodles in this soup. Spaghetti seems to hold up the best without turning to mush if you are cooking the soup for a long time or overnight. I also use rice instead of noodles, however, DO NOT put the rice into the soup (after a while, it will deteriorate and make your soup a mushy mess). Instead, make the rice separately and put a big spoon of it in your soup bowl and ladle the soup over the rice.

NOTE: Any cut of chicken will work in the soup, however, the dark meat gives the most flavor and after 6 hours, it will still be very moist and "fall apart" tender.


NOTE: Any kind of veggies can be used for the "favorite veggies" part. Just make sure you use veggies that will stand up to long cooking. I usually use a frozen veggie mixture that has peas, corn, green beans and carrots, but anything will work (just don't used canned veggies).

NOTE: Homemade chicken broth is best, but I never seem to have any when I want to make this soup, so I use a good quality BOXED chicken broth (just don't use bullion and water to make broth).

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Parmesan Crusted Chicken

This is a quick and easy chicken recipe.

It's another one of my 'Chicken for Dummies'. 

When my grandson calls at the last minute and

 wants to know what he can do with a couple of

 chicken breasts and just a few other ingredients, 

I need to be ready!

Lay the chicken breasts in a shallow pan.

(Do not crowd the chicken like the above photo.)

 Give it some room and season as desired.
These were large breasts that I cut in half.

Combine the mayonnaise and grated parmesan
cheese in a small bowl.

 Spread on the mayo-parm mixture; then sprinkle
 a little breadcrumbs on top.

Now to make a complete dinner super easy 

you can roast some cut-up potatoes and fresh

vegetables along with the chicken. Just toss them

 in olive oil with a little seasonings. 

Dinner is in the oven!

 Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes; (or
(or at 375 for 25 minutes)
until cooked through and browned.

How easy is that?!

 You can adjust the recipe to make 1 or 12.
This works on fish too; just bake
for about 10 minutes @425.

 The chicken stays moist and juicy.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts

1/2 C mayonnaise

1/4 C Parmesan cheese

4 t Italian breadcrumbs

seasonings of choice

Place the chicken breasts in a shallow pan.

Season the top with about (your choice here)

1 t seasoned salt, 1/2 t garlic powder,

and 1/4 t pepper or to taste

Combine the mayo and grated cheese in

a small bowl. Spread this on the chicken breasts.

Sprinkle a little breadcrumbs on the top;

about 1 t each. Bake for 30 minutes @375
or 20  minutes @425.

or until browned and cook through.

Enjoy!

Links: Designs By Gollum

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Irish Coffee Bar

Wow, we have just passed mid of March. Time really flies quickly ....There's no special story for now. We're still here, in Jakarta, I mean we're not moving anywhere. The whole family really focus to give support for our daughter who is facing final exam and National Exam for all 6th graders in this country.Mellow Yellow March. Cloudy and windy still accompany our daily activities.Last week, our

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TENDER SHRIMP

I don't know about you, but I've ruined a LOT of expensive shrimp over the years by not cooking it properly. In mere minutes, I have been known to turn $15 dollars worth of beautiful raw shrimp into a bowl of curly shrimp that have the mouth feel of an eraser...very frustrating!!

Not any more!! I have found the easiest, quickest, most fool proof and certainly most delicious way to cook RAW shrimp. Where has this recipe been all these years!?!?!? Am I the only one who didn't know this trick?

A QUICK 30 MINUTE BRINE
1 cup cold water
2 cups ice (I just used an ice cube tray full)
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup white sugar

Mix the brine ingredients well, then add 1 to 1½ pounds of large size shrimp (roughly 25 shrimp to the pound) that have had the head and shells taken off and the vein removed (leave the tails on if you want).

Stir gently to make sure the brine reaches all of the shrimp evenly, then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, drain the shrimp and rinse well under cold running water.  Drain well for a few seconds and then completely blot dry with paper towels (put back in the fridge while you heat your oven).

Pre-heat a baking sheet under your BROILER (with nothing on the pan) for a full five minutes. While the pan is pre-heating, put the shrimp in a bowl and gently toss with a tablespoon of olive oil, making sure each shrimp is coated.

After the empty pan has pre-heated for five minutes, put the shrimp on the pan (they will sizzle) and separate them so they don't touch each other and  sprinkle lightly with Old Bay seasoning (we don't like that flavor, so I just used some black pepper) but don't add salt (there is enough salt from the brine) and quickly put it back under the broiler.

Broil (about 6" away from the flame) for 2 minutes, then flip the shrimp over, and broil for one more minute. Remove the shrimp, immediately, from the baking pan (or they will continue to cook and get rubbery).

Shrimp cooked with this method are extremely tender and flavorful. This is a great technique for ANY recipe that calls for pre-cooked shrimp and it will make cooking shrimp for a big family crowd a snap!!

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Mustard-Parsley Sauce for Corned Beef & Cabbage

I wanted to get this posted in time for you to try.

This is a great little sauce to serve with your 

St. Patrick's Day corned beef and cabbage dinner.

You just need to scoop out a cup of broth

that the corned beef has been cooking in.

It gives it great flavor.

Mustard-Parsley Sauce

2T butter

2T flour

1 C milk

1 C reserved cooking broth

from the corned beef

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

2 T Dijon mustard

1 T cider vinegar

1/4 C chopped fresh parsley

In a saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. 

Whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring until smooth and 

bubbly. Whisk in the milk and broth. 

Bring to a boil, stirring, reduce heat to low

and whisk until thickened (about 3 minutes). 

Remove from heat and whisk in the

 salt, pepper, mustard, vinegar and fresh parsley. 

Put into a gravy boat to pass.

Serve with the corned beef and cabbage

Enjoy!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch,
Designs By Gollum

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Spinach Balls

Sorting through my appetizer recipe file I came 

upon this old recipe I hadn't made in decades 

 many years. So, I decided to make it for our ladies 

card group last night.

It's March and I wanted something green !

Finger food, easy to nibble on, great with a glass of

 wine or tea, and can be made ahead.

That's all I needed to bring it out again.

 Ingredients include; Stove Top mix, 

frozen spinach, eggs, onion ,butter, 

Parmesan, and seasonings.

 Cook the spinach and drain.

 Chop an onion.

 Melt the butter in a large bowl in the microwave 

for 1 minute. Whisk the eggs in a smaller bowl.

 I used the empty egg bowl to press out all the 

extra moisture from the spinach. Works great.

 Combine everything.

 TIP: If you've emptied out the container of 

shredded cheese, toss the container in the 

recycle bin but keep the cap and 

toss it in the dishwasher. Why, later.

 Once the mixture is well combined,

 Put a lid on it!  Refrigerate 2 hours or longer. 

That makes it easier to handle.

 Measure out about 1-1/2" balls. 

Then roll in your hands to shape.

 Bake at 375 for about 20-30 minutes until slightly

 golden and it smells good in your kitchen.

This makes a lot of balls, so I always freeze some 

on a tray and then toss them into a  Ziploc bag. 

You can bake them frozen for 30 minutes

 whenever you want a little snack. 

I've also baked them the last 30 minutes

 with a roast chicken to serve as a side,

 little spinach stuffing balls.

Now, for the caps; they fit on most mason jars.
These are Classico sauce jars filled with; cheese,
breadcrumbs and mini chocolate chips.
 Easy to store and shake out.

Spinach Balls

2 boxed frozen chopped spinach

1 box Stove Top stuffing mix-chicken flavor

4-5 eggs

1 onion, finely chopped

1 to 1-1/2 sticks butter, melted

3/4-1 C grated Parmesan cheese

1 t thyme

1 t garlic powder

1 t pepper

1 t salt

Microwave the spinach in a covered container

 for 8 minutes, stirring once.

 Drain well in mesh colander.

(Use the small bowl to press out extra moisture)

Microwave the butter in a large bowl for 1 minute.

Whisk the eggs in a small bowl. 

Combine all ingredients in the large bowl. 

Cover and refrigerate for two hours.

Shape into 1-/1/2" balls. Freeze some on a tray, 

then store in a plastic bag until ready to bake.

 Bake the remaining balls @375 for 20 min.

Bake frozen balls for 30 minutes. 

Enjoy!

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Barbecued Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

This dish is something everyone will like. 

It has an unusual ingredient....barbecue sauce.

Add a salad and you have a fast, tasty and 

nutritious dinner.

 This make 4 large burritos.

 Saute cut-up chicken, onion and garlic.

 Add a can of black beans, and barbecue sauce.

 Stir well and heat through.

 Sprinkle the top with cheese and let it melt.

 Scoop unto tortillas; top with sour cream.

Roll up and enjoy! Easy!

Barbecued Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

3/4 lb boneless chicken breasts, about 3

1 small onion, about 1/2 C chopped 

1 clove garlic, about 1t minced

1 T olive oil

1 can (15oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

1/3 C barbecue sauce

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

4 large (10-inch) flour tortillas

1/4 C sour cream

Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 

Add chicken, onion and garlic. Season with 

a little salt and pepper; cook for about 8

minutes or until chicken is done, stirring 

occasionally. Stir in  the barbecue sauce and

beans. Reduce heat and stir well to coat the 

chicken with the sauce. Sprinkle the cheese evenly

over the top and continue to cook until the cheese

 melts. Warm the tortillas in a dampened paper

towel in the microwave for about 45 seconds.

Scoop about 1/2 C chicken mixture down the 

center of each tortilla; top with a dollop of

sour cream and roll up.

Enjoy!

Links: Stone Gable

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Easy Baked Fish

Sit down to dinner in under 30 minutes with

 this easy way to make fish in the oven.

I used catfish, but scrod or other mild fish would also work.

 Melt the butter in a shallow plate in the oven.

 Coat both sides of the fish in the butter. 

Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

 Top with the crushed Ritz crackers and a little melted butter.

 Bake for 20 minutes. Longer for thicker fillets.

A nice buttery crunchy topping.

Easy Baked Fish

1 lb fish fillets, about 4

4 T butter, 1/2 stick

1-2 T lemon juice

salt & pepper

1/2 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

Put 3 T butter in a shallow baking dish and put it in

 the oven as it's preheating to 400. 

Rinse the fish and pat dry with a paper towel.

Remove the dish with the melted butter from the 

oven and lay the fish on and turn to coat both 

sides with butter. Squeeze 1/2 lemon, about 

1-2 T juice over the fish. Sprinkle generously with 

salt & pepper.Top the fish with the crushed Ritz 

crackers and drizzle the top with a the remaining

 melted butter. Bake at 400 for about 20-30 

minutes, until fish is opaque and 

the crumbs are golden.

tip: oven fries or small new potatoes can

bake along with the fish.

Enjoy!

Links: Stone Gable, Funky Junk,
Designs By Gollum

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