Chocolate crumb cake with gummy worms

Ingredients

• 1 batch of baked chocolate fudge brownies (cooled and crumbled)
• 1 package (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
• 2 cups cold milk
• 1 package (14 oz) chocolate sandwich cookies (like Oreos, crushed into fine crumbs)
• 1 package gummy worms
• 1 clean, food-safe plastic or terra cotta flower pot
• 1 artificial or fresh flower for the center 

Instructions

1. Prepare the Pot: Clean your flower pot thoroughly. If it has a drainage hole at the bottom, cover the inside hole with a small piece of plastic wrap or foil so nothing leaks out.
2. Make the Pudding: Whisk the chocolate pudding mix and cold milk together in a bowl until smooth. Let it set for 5 minutes. 
3. Crumble the Brownie and Cookies: Cut your chocolate fudge brownie into small pieces. Crush the chocolate cookies in a sealed bag using a rolling pin until they look like dark soil. 
4. Layer the Dessert: Place a layer of crumbled chocolate fudge brownie at the bottom of the flower pot. Add a layer of chocolate pudding, then a layer of crushed cookie crumbs. Repeat these layers until the pot is almost full, finishing with a thick top layer of the dark cookie crumbs to look like real dirt. 
5. Decorate: Poke your gummy worms halfway into the cookie crumb "dirt" so they look like they are crawling out. Place the clean flower or green stem right in the middle of the pot as the final touch. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour before serving

Very Berry Smoothie

 Ingredients

• 8 Tbsp Almased
• 12 oz water
• ½ cup strawberries
• ½ cup yogurt
• ¼ cup blueberries
• crushed ice

Directions

1. In a colander, wash fruits thoroughly under running water.
2. Depending on what blender you're using, ensure that the blades are sharp and devoid of debris. Follow assembly instructions from the user's manual.
3. Always layer liquids and soft foods first and the ice later. Place all ingredients one at a time in the blender.  Use Speed 1 for mixing, Speed 2 for blending, and Speed 3 for pureeing or crushing ice. Use the Pulse button for short bursts when breaking the ice.
4. Serve and enjoy

Hearty Chicken Pot Pie

An excerpt from American classic recipe cards

Ingredients:

• 1 can (10 ¾ oz) condensed chicken broth
• 1 ⅓ cups water, divided
• 4 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 3 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and diced
• 2 stalks of celery, cubed (optional)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups medium mushrooms, quartered
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 lb of fresh sugar snap peas or snow peas, shelled or 1 cup of frozen peas
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 9" unbaked pie crust
• 2 ½ cups (325g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar, optional
• 1 cup (230g) very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water, or more as needed
• 2 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken
• store-bought rotisserie chicken or poached shredded chicken thighs
  
• Poaching breasts or thighs in seasoned broth keeps the meat incredibly juicy and yields tender shreds for your pie.

Directions:

1. Follow Joanne Gallagher's easy flaky butter pie crust recipe for the pot pie a day before. If you have frozen the pie crust, thaw in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before blind baking. Preheat oven to 425°F. 
2. Place boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a pot. Cover with 1–2 inches of cold water or broth, and add aromatics (onion, garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and turmeric). Bring to a gentle simmer about 15–20 minutes. Turn the heat off, cover, and let the chicken steep until cooked through.
3. 1n a medium saucepan, combine the chicken broth, 1 cup of water, carrots, and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
4.  In a large skillet, heat oil until toothpick is bubbling. Add mushrooms and onions. Add in the peas and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in the broth mixture.  
5. In a bowl, whisk remaining ⅓ cups of water into the flour until smooth. Wisk flour paste into the large skillet of vegetables. Increase the heat to medium high. Bring to a boil
6.  Spread out pie crust on floured surface. Measure and roll, if necessary, to fit 1" thickness dough to cover a 2-quart baking dish and another to cover up the pie filling. Cut a scalloped round hole from the center of the top pie crust for ventilation using a cookie cutter.
7. Add chicken to the vegetable mixture. Transfer to the baking dish. Place the top pie crust over filling. Trim and flute edges.  
8. Place the baking dish of the chicken pot pie in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until filling is bubbly or crust has browned. 

Banana bread

An excerpt from ​https://thesaltymarshmallow.com/best-banana-bread-recipe/

That website was ads galore!!! 🤪😫😩😤

Ingredients 

• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
  
• 3 Large ripe bananas 
  
• 2 Large eggs
  
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  
• 2 Cups all purpose flour 
  
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 1 Cup granulated sugar 
  
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda or 1/3 cup club soda
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
  
• Optional pecan or walnuts 
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter and set aside.
   
2. Add the stick of butter to a large bowl and microwave for 1 minute, or until melted.
   
3. Add the bananas to the same bowl and mash with a fork.
   
4. Add the vanilla extract and egg to the bowl and use the same fork to mash and stir until no yellow streaks of egg remain.
   
5. In a second large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
   
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula just until combined.
   
7. Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

Best Traditional Fish and Chips

What we know as fish and chips today originated in England but its earliest origins can be traced back to Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Spain and Portugal. ~ Kimberly Killebrew

Excerpt from Feast & Merriment

​Ingredients 

• 3 pounds Russet potatoes about 4 large potatoes.

• 3 quarts canola oil for frying plus 1/4 additional cup

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup cornstarch

• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 3 tsp Diamond kosher salt

• 2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 ½ – 2 pounds 1-inch-thick cod fillet or other thick white fish, such as hake or haddock cut into approximately 3-ounce pieces. (Thoroughly dry fish with paper towels)

• up to 3 cups beer 24 ounces, cold. (Any beer will work in this recipe, even nonalcoholic beer with the exception of dark stouts and ales.)

INSTRUCTIONS

 
1. Prep the fishSlice fish into your preferred size portions. I like smaller pieces, about 2 ounces per piece, but sometimes you need to follow the natural cuts of the filet. You want portions that are evenly sized as much as possible. Pat dry with paper towel and set aside in the refrigerator.
2. Prep the potatoesPeel the potatoes and slice off the “top & tail” to square off the ends of the potato and discard. Cut each potatoes lengthwise into 1/2 inch fries. Add potato pieces into a water bath for about 30 minutes.
Remove from water and pat dry with paper towel.
3. Fry the Potatoes

In heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (about 7 quart capacity), heat TWO of the three quarts oil over medium heat to 350°F. Pro Tip: Use an Oil safe Probe to monitor and control temperature for perfect results. Add fries to hot oil and increase heat to high. Fry, stirring with mesh spider or slotted metal spoon, until potatoes turn light golden and just begin to brown at corners, 6 to 8 minutes.

Transfer fries to paper towels to drain.
4. Set up the dredging stationWhisk the flour, cornstarch, cayenne, paprika, pepper, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Remove 1.5 of a cup of the flour mixture and add it to a casserole dish and set this flour & dish aside.
Go back to the flour mixture that remains in the bowl and add baking powder. Whisk to combine.
Add 1.5 cups beer to the flour mixture in the mixing bowl and stir until mixture is just combined (batter will be lumpy). Add remaining beer as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition, until batter falls from whisk in thin, steady stream and leaves faint trail across surface of batter.
5. Dredge & fry the fishWith the fries done, increase the heat of the oil to medium-high, add remaining quart of oil if necessary and heat oil to 375°F. Meanwhile, thoroughly dry fish with paper towels. Dredge each piece of fish in the flour mixture shaking off excess flour. Dip 1 piece of fish in batter at a time and let excess run off, shaking gently. Place battered fish back into the casserole dish, or what ever dish you are using, with the flour mixture and turn to coat both sides.
Add each piece directly to hot oil if or, if you choose, keep pieces in single layer on baking sheet and repeat until all pieces are coated. It’s best to do it in batches if working alone, just be careful not to let it sit too long to avoid the batter sticking to the sheet pan.
As you add the fish, you will likely need to adjust the heat to keep it maintained at 375-385°F. Not adjusting your temperature to maintain oil temperature when frying is a common, and costly, mistake. The fish will not crisp up. But make it too high, and everything will burn. Use an oil safe thermometer for best results.
Fry the fish, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes depending on thickness. Use a kitchen spider to remove fish from hot oil and transfer fish to a sheet pan lined with a gridded cooling rack. Never walk away from the kitchen when frying the fish. 
If you are unsure about the doneness, remove one piece of fish and use an instant read thermometer to test for a minimum of 145° F.
Serve fish & chips with traditional malt vinegar and tartar sauce.

Gefilte fish

An excerpt from Jennifer Bushman’s kitchen 

​Ingredients

• 5 pounds whole fish such as sucker fish, carp, or pike, filleted and skinned (reserve head, bones, skin, and trimmings for stock)
• 4 quarts water
• 3 medium-size (8 ounces each) yellow onions, quartered, divided
• 4 medium (9 ounces total) carrots, quartered crosswise (16 pieces total), divided
• 3 medium (3 ounce total) celery stalks, halved crosswise
• 1 cup loosely-packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, stems reserved, divided
• 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup (about 1 ½ ounces) matzo meal
• ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh chives, plus more for garnish
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Beet horseradish 

Directions

Cut fillets into 2-inch pieces. Attach a metal food grinder attachment with coarse grinding plate (8-millimeter) to a stand mixer. Position mixer bowl under attachment. Set mixer speed to medium-low, and grind fish. (Alternatively, pulse fish in a food processor, working in small batches, until finely chopped, about 8 pulses.) Cover ground fish in mixer bowl, and refrigerate while making the stock.

Place reserved whitefish head, bones, skin, and trimmings in a large stockpot. Add water, 2 of the quartered onions, half of the carrots, ½ cup of the parsley leaves and all of the stems, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Bring to a gentle boil over medium. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the stock is reduced by half, skimming the surface occasionally to remove and discard impurities, about 1 hour. Place a fine mesh strainer over a large heatproof bowl. Carefully pour fish stock through strainer into bowl; discard solids. Transfer stock to a 12-inch straight-sided skillet; season to taste with salt.

While stock is simmering, place 4 of the carrot pieces, remaining 1 quartered onion, and remaining ½ cup parsley leaves in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, 8 to 10 pulses, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Add pulsed onion mixture, eggs, matzo meal, sliced chives, chopped dill, and salt to the ground fish; stir together using your hands until mixture comes together and is well-combined. Divide mixture evenly into 12 (4-ounce) balls; shape into oval patties about 4-inches long and 1½ to 2-inches thick. Place patties on a plate, and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Add remaining 4 carrot pieces to strained fish stock in skillet. Bring to a simmer over low and adjust heat to maintain a temperature of 180°F. Working in about 3 batches, add fish patties to simmering stock and simmer, gently turning patties occasionally to ensure they don’t stick to bottom of skillet, until patties are cooked through and a thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of patties registers 140°F, about 15 minutes per batch. Transfer cooked patties to a plate.

Remove carrot pieces from skillet; let stand until cool enough to handle, about 3 minutes. Thinly slice carrot pieces crosswise; add to plate with patties. Cover patties and carrots loosely with plastic wrap, and chill until cold, for at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours.

Top each patty with a few slices of carrot, and garnish with fresh dill fronds and chives. Serve gefilte fish cold with beet horseradish.

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars

 Excerpt from Philadelphia Cream Cheese recipes

Prep time: 20 mins.

Total time: 6 hours 30 mins

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups flour
• ¾ cup sugar
  
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• ¾ cup cold butter, cut up
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 16 oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• ¼ cup sour cream
  
• 2 eggs

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 325° F. Line an 8" square baking dish with foil while leaving the ends of foil hanging over the sides of the dish. To soften the cream cheese, microwave on high for 10 secs in a microwave safe bowl or until cream cheese softened.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, ¼ cup sugar, and 1 tbsp. cinnamon. Meanwhile, mix the butter and the crumbs with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Reserve ½ cup crumb mixture for later use. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom and ½" up side of prepared dish. Bake for 25 mins or until lightly browned.
4. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, vanilla, and ½ cup of the remaining sugar with a mixer until blended. Add sour cream and mix well. Add eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed until well blended. Set aside.
5. In a small bowl, combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Pour cream cheese mixture into crust; top with reserved crumb mixture and cinnamon sugar. Bake 45 to 50 mins or until center of cheesecake is almost set; cool completely.
6. Refrigerate cheesecake for 4 hours. Use foil handles to remove cheesecake from dish before cutting into bars.

Stuffed Green Peppers

Prep time: 35 minutes

Cooking Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes

4 servings

Inspired from Pillsbury Cookbook

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup uncooked rice
• ⅔ cup water
• 4 large green bell peppers. Choose fresh, spot-free, firm, and large enough peppers of a uniform size; so, they can hold a good amount of filling and cook evenly. 
• 1 lb. ground beef
• ¼ cup celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons onion, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon garlic, minced
• Dash of salt and pepper
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ⅔ cup beef bone broth or au jus
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon basil leaves, chopped or dried
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• ¼ cup to 1 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded (topping)

Directions

1. Cook rice in water as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, pre-heat oven to 350°F. Cut the tops off from the bell peppers and remove the membranes and seeds.
3. In a large saucepan, add water and steam bell peppers over a steamer on medium heat covered for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it rest uncovered.
4. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add in the ground beef, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Combine the celery, tomato, ketchup, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce with the beef. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is thoroughly cooked.
5. Add the cooked rice, and mix well with the beef. Spoon a part of the beef mixture into the peppers. Layer the mozzarella cheese in the middle over the mixture. Spoon another part of the mixture into the peppers. Add the tops of the peppers to cover the mixture.
6. Place the bell peppers in an ungreased shallow baking dish or pan.
7. In a small mixing bowl, combine the tomato sauce, basil, and sugar to mix well. Spoon over the bell peppers. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top
8. Bake between 30 and 40 minutes or until peppers are tender. Sprinkle remaining cheese as desired

Boiardi’s Spaghetti

1. 2 lbs (1 kg) canned peeled tomatoes, or fresh if they’re in season
2. 6 tablespoons (90 ml) extra virgin olive oil 
3. 1 cup (140 g) diced onion
4. 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5. 1/2 cup (70 g) diced carrot
6. 1 lb (1/2 kg) lean ground beef
7. 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
8. 5 medium basil leaves, sliced into strips
9. 1/2 cup (40 g) sliced mushrooms
10. 8 ounces (225 g) dried spaghetti
11. 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
12. 3 tablespoons (20 g) grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish

Directions

1. Chop the tomatoes, put them through a food mill, or press them through a conical sieve. You want to separate all the juice and pulp from the seeds. Set the tomato sauce aside.
2. In a deep saucepan over medium heat, add the oil. Add the onion and the salt. Stir frequently for about 3 minutes. Turn the heat down if the onions start to brown. 
3. Add the carrots and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent. 
4. Add the meat and break it up into small pieces. Sprinkle the rest of the salt and the pepper over it. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the meat is no longer pink. 
5. Stir in the tomato sauce and the mushrooms. Raise the heat a bit and bring the sauce to a boil. Let it boil for a few seconds, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Place the lid on the pot, slightly ajar and let it cook for about 40 minutes. 
6. After the 40 minutes are up and the sauce has thickened, stir in the sliced basil, put the lid back on (ajar), and cook for another 5 minutes. 
7. Cook the spaghetti according to the package’s directions. Drain it and return it to the pot. Add the butter and the parmesan. Toss to combine.
8. Dish up the spaghetti and ladle the sauce over it. Sprinkle it with more parmesan and serve it forth.

Lamb Curry

 Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp minced ginger or 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• pinch of salt 
• dash of ground black pepper
• 1 green apple, sliced thinly
• 1 lb of lamb, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup seedless raisins

Directions:

In a skillet, over medium heat, preheat oil for 2 minutes. Sauté onion and garlic until aromatic. Add ginger, coriander, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, chili powder, turmeric, salt and pepper. Stir well. 

Add lamb and mix thoroughly with the spices. Remove from heat and cover for 30 minutes to marinate.

Add apple and vegetable stock to the lamb. Cook over medium heat to boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 hour. Add raisins and cook for 30 minutes.

English muffins

Ingredients:

One cup water 

2/3 cup skim milk, hot 

2 tsp sugar 

1 package active dry yeast 

4 cups flour, divided 

3 tbsp butter, softened 

half teaspoon salt 

vegetable oil spray

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine water, milk, and sugar. Mixture should feel quite hot, about 105°F, but not too hot to the touch. Stir in yeast. After about 5 minutes, when mixture bubbles, using a wooden spoon, gradually beat 2 cups of flour into milk mixture. 

Cover bowl with cloth. Allow dough to rise in a warm place for one and a half hour or until dough collapses back into the bowl. Beat in butter and salt. Gradually beat in remaining 2 cups flour. Knead in flour as dough becomes harder to work with.

One a lightly floured surface, pat or prest dough to a half-inch thickness. Cut dough into 3-inch rounds until all dough is used. Arrange rounds on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet. 

Spray vegetable oil onto a skillet. Preheat a skillet for 2 minutes over medium heat. Carefully transfer muffins to skillet one at a time, using a pancake spatula. Reduce heat to low and cook muffins uncovered until lightly browned for about 10 minutes. Turn to cook the other side for about 10 minutes. 

Using 2 forks, split muffin horizontally. Toast until lightly browned. Top with favorite spread, if desired. 

The uncooked muffins can be wrapped and freezed to be kept within 2 days

Crab Gumbo

Ingredients:

1 tsp canola oil 

half cup chopped green bell pepper 

half cup sliced green onions 

one clove garlic, minced 

3 cups low-fat low sodium chicken stock 

2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped 

1/8 teaspoon ground celery seeds 

1/8 tsp dried thyme, crumbled 

1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce 

1 cup sliced okra 

6 oz crab meat 

half cup diced turkey sausage 

2 cups cooked rice

Directions:

In a saucepan, preheat oil for 2 minutes over medium heat. 

Add onions and garlic to saute approximately for 3 minutes – stirring frequently until aromatic. Add green pepper.

Stir in chicken stock, tomatoes, celery powder, thyme, and hot pepper sauce. Bring gumbo to boil over medium heat. 

Stir in okra. Cover pan and cook gumbo for 10 minutes by reducing heat to low or until okra is tender. 

Meanwhile, flake and remove cartilage from crab meat. Increase cooking temperature to medium heat. Stir in crab meat and turkey sausage. Cook meat thoroughly. 

Serve over hot rice in a soup bowl. 

Har Gao (Prawn Dumplings)

From Marion's Kitchen

PREP TIME: 50 minutes

COOK TIME: 10 minutes

SERVES: 18

Ingredients:

200g (7 oz) raw prawn meat, finely chopped

½ tsp finely grated ginger

½ tsp sugar

¼ tsp salt

⅛ tsp ground white pepper

1 tsp pork lard

⅛ tsp sesame oil

Dough:

112g wheat starch*

1 tsp fine salt

6 oz boiled water

30g cornflour (cornstarch)

4g pork lard

soy sauce, to serve

Chinese chilli sauce, to serve

Directions:

Step 1: To prepare the dough, add the wheat starch and salt to a large mixing bowl. Pour in the boiled water. Give the ingredients a mix until well combined. Set aside for 5 minutes.

Step 2: After 5 minutes, the mixture will appear crumbly and will have firmed up somewhat. Turn the dough out onto a clean bench. Flatten it slightly with your hands, then sprinkle over half of the cornflour. Using your hands, mix and knead the dough to incorporate the cornflour until smooth. Flatten the dough again and repeat the process, kneading the dough for 3–5 minutes until smooth.

Step 3: Add the pork lard to the top of the dough, then continue kneading for another 2 minutes until you have a very smooth and soft dough. Roll the dough into 3 logs and place into a slightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 15 minutes to rest.

Step 4: To make the dumpling filling, place the minced prawn, ginger, sugar, salt, pepper, lard and sesame oil into a mixing bowl. Mix until combined. Set aside.

Step 5: Place a steamer basket on a pot of boiling water. Turn off the heat and place the bowl of rolled dough in the steamer basket.

Step 6: Lightly oil your benchtop. Take out one log and cut a 2cm-thick (about ¾ inch) piece of dough from it (you’re aiming for about 6 pieces from each log). Return the log to the steamer. Oil a small rolling pin and the piece of dough you cut, then roll it out into a roughly 5cm (2 inch) round piece of 1mm (less than 1/16 inch) thickness. 

Use a pastry scraper to help lift the wrapper from the benchtop and place it carefully into the palm of your hand. Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre and then gently place the wrapper back onto the benchtop. Start with folding the edge of the wrapper nearest you over the filling. 

Just working with the top layer, make small pleats working from the centre outwards. Repeat on the other side. Once that top layer is pleated, press down to seal it and enclose your filling. 

Use a pair of scissors to cut off the extra top of the dough, then pinch with your fingers to thin out the top of the dumpling edge and add a subtle curve to your har gao. Transfer your cute-as dumpling to a clean tray lined with baking paper. Continue with remaining dough and filling. At this point, you can freeze the dumplings if you like, or carry on cooking. 

Step 7: Steam the dumplings for 5-6 minutes or until just cooked through. 

Serve with the soy sauce and chilli sauce.

Mama Babes' Tapsilog

Inspired by Maryanne Cabrera and Katie Workman

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Marinate Time: 4 hours

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Beef Tapa:

▢1 pound beef sirloin (New York strip, or boneless rib eye), sliced thin against the grain*

▢¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

▢¼ cup calamansi juice

▢3 Tablespoons brown sugar

▢6 garlic cloves, minced

▢¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Sinangag Kanin:

▢1 ½ Tablespoons butter or vegetable oil, or other neutral tasting oil*

▢3 garlic cloves, minced 

▢4 cups rice*, cooked or leftover 

▢1 Tablespoon chicken or beef broth

▢ 1/8 teaspon (dash) kosher salt

▢ 1/8 teaspon (dash) pepper

Itlog:

▢ 2 large eggs

Directions:

Sinangag Kanin:

The basic water to white rice ratio is 2 cups water to 1 cup rice. Bring the water to boil in a medium saucepan. Add the salt and butter, if using, and allow the butter to melt.

When the water has returned to a boil, stir in the rice. Let the water return to a light simmer. Stir again, cover the pot, and turn the heat down to low. Keep the rice simmering slightly, and keep the pot covered (you may have to peek after a few minutes to make sure the heat is at the correct temperature, but then let it cook, covered). Start checking to see if the rice is tender and all of the liquid is absorbed at about 17 minutes. It may take up to 25, especially if you are making a larger quantity of rice.

When the rice is cooked, turn off the heat and let it sit on the stove for another couple of minutes to finish absorbing any liquid. Take off the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and let it sit for another 2 minutes or so until some of the excess moisture in the rice dries off.

In a large skillet, heat ½ tablespoon of butter or cooking oil over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add garlic. Stir constantly to prevent garlic from burning or sticking together. Cook until lightly golden brown or becomes aromatic. 

Add rice and water. Increase to high heat. Break up any clumps of rice. Toss mixture together to distribute garlic evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until rice has been heated through.

Itlog:

To fry an egg:

Heat a skillet over medium heat, add a small amount of butter or cooking oil.

Crack the egg into the pan. To crack the egg, use a spreading knife or the edge of the pan. Drop the egg white first if you want the yolk in the middle. You can use an egg separator or the egg shell to teeter the egg white and yolk back and forth for proper separation. 

Cook until the whites are set to your desired fried level. As for the yolk, whether that be the yolk remains runny (sunny side up or over easy) or cooks further to fully cooked (over medium or over hard). Another option is, you can cover the pan with a lid to help cook the egg evenly.

Season with salt and pepper.

To boil an egg:

In a medium pot with cold water, bring to a rolling boil. Place the egg in the boiling pot using a ladel. Add a drop of cooking oil. Let them sit in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the eggs sit covered in the hot water for the desired cook time depending on how soft or hard you want the yolk. 

Runny egg: additional 2 minutes 

Soft boiled egg: additional 4 minutes

Medium boiled egg: additional 6 minutes 

Hard boiled egg: additional 8 minutes 

Immediately transfer to ice water to stop the cooking process and make peeling easier.

To peel an egg, tap all around the surface of the egg with a spoon until the shell cracks. Peel the egg shell off gently.

Beef Tapa: 

In a large bowl, mix together soy sauce, calamansi juice, brown sugar, minced garlic, and black pepper until sugar has dissolved. Toss in the sliced beef. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours. You can also marinade it up to 24 hours.

In a large skillet, pour in the cooking oil over medium heat. To check if oil is ready, use a wooden chopstick or a toothpick. If the oil is bubbling around the chopstick, cook beef in batches. Cook the beef on each side for 2-4 minutes until temperature is between 145° and 155° F. 

For a flavorful sauce, cook the beef marinade in a small pot over medium low heat.

Serve hot with garlic fried rice, fried/boiled egg, fresh tomato, and sliced cucumber. 

Sicilian gelato

By Anders

Ingredients:

700 ml (about 3 cups whole milk) OR 350 ml (1.5 cups) cream and 350 ml (1.5 cups) milk)

125 ml (a full 1/2 cup) sugar

3-4 tablespoons of corn or tapioca starch 

pinch of salt

1 vanilla bean split lengthwise

Instructions:

 

Whisk together 200 ml (about 0.8 cup) of the cold milk with the corn starch, making sure that there are no remaining lumps. Set aside for now.

Blend the remaining 500 ml (about 2.1 cup) of the milk/cream, the sugar, the salt and vanilla bean (with seeds scraped out and added) in a sauce pan. Warm until steaming hot (not boiling!) on medium heat.

Blend the corn starch mixture with the rest of the ingredients in the sauce pan. While barely reaching a boil, cook and stir for about four- five minutes, or until the mixture has begun to thicken and any possible "floury" taste (from the starch) has disappeared [and don't overcook: that would reduce the thickening powers of the starch].

Take the ice cream base from the heat and let the mixture cool down.

Refrigerate for a couple of hours, discard the vanilla bean, and freeze according to the instructions of your ice cream machine.

In case you have no ice cream machine, still-freeze the base in your freezer (see the link below the box!) - this base is perfect for still-freezing, by the way!

After the churning, place the ice cream in a freezer-safe container, cover with plastic film and a lid, and store in the freezer.

Egg curry

By @Vernahungrybanana

For the eggs:

7-8 eggs

1 tbsp white vinegar

For the curry sauce:

1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil

1 red onion, finely sliced

2 tomatoes, diced

1 inch ginger, grated

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch cinnamon stick

5-6 cardamom pods

4-5 curry Leaves

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp Sri Lankan masala (I substituted with garam masala here as I didn't have the Sri Lankan version!)

1 tsp chilli powder (or adjust to your spice preference)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 can full fat coconut Milk

Salt to taste

For garnish and serving

Handful of coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

1 tbsp chilli oil, optional

Cooked basmati rice

Quesabirria

Author: Isabel Orozco-Moore

Tag @isabeleats

Ingredients 

▢4 to 5 pounds chuck roast, cut into large 4-inch chunks

▢½ tablespoon kosher salt

▢½ tablespoon black pepper

▢1 ½ tablespoon olive oil

▢12 guajillo chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded (about 2.5 oz)

▢5 ancho chiles, rinsed, stemmed, and seeded (about 2 oz)

▢5 árbol chiles, rinsed and stemmed (about 0.1 oz)

▢2 large Roma tomatoes

▢½ medium yellow onion

▢1 4-inch Mexican cinnamon stick*

▢3 bay leaves

▢½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns

▢water, as needed

▢2 cups beef broth

▢¼ cup distilled white vinegar

▢5 cloves garlic

▢1 teaspoon ground cumin

▢1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano*

▢½ teaspoon ground cloves

Generously season the meat with salt and pepper on all sides, and heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Working in 2 batches, add the meat and sear on all sides until browned. Remove the pot from the heat, add the seared meat back into the pot, and set aside.

While the meat is searing, add the guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, arbol chiles, tomatoes, onion, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and peppercorns to a medium pot. Cover completely with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles and all the other ingredients to a large blender.

Add 1 cup of the chile-soaked cooking water, the beef broth, white vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, and cloves. Blend on high for a few minutes until completely smooth. (You may have to do this in 2 batches if your blender isn’t big enough.)

Strain the blended sauce through a fine mesh strainer into the pot with the seared meat. Discard any solids left behind.

Stir the meat and chile sauce together to combine and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 3 to 3 ½ hours until the meat is fall-apart tender.

Transfer the meat to a large bowl and shred it with 2 forks. Add the meat back into the consomé and serve as a stew in bowls with diced onion and chopped cilantro or as tacos in corn tortillas with shredded Oaxaca cheese, cilantro, and diced onions.

New Orleans Gumbo

Excerpt from Lauren Allen's Tastes better from scratch web page.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the Roux:

▢1 heaping cup all-purpose flour

▢2/3 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)

For the Gumbo:

▢1 bunch celery , diced, leaves and all

▢1 green bell pepper , diced

▢1 large yellow onion , diced

▢1 bunch green onion , finely chopped

▢1 bunch fresh chopped parsley , finely chopped

▢2-3 cloves garlic

▢1-2 Tablespoons cajun seasoning *

▢6-8 cups Chicken broth *

▢12 ounce package andouille sausages , sliced into 'coins' (substitute Polska Kielbasa if you can't find a good Andouille)

▢Meat from 1 Rotisserie Chicken*

▢2 cups Shrimps , pre cooked

▢cooked white rice for serving

Instructions

 

Make the Roux*: In a large, heavy bottom stock pot combine flour and oil. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 30-45 minutes. This part takes patience--when it's finished it should be as dark as chocolate and have a soft, "cookie dough" like consistency. Be careful not to let it burn! Feel free to add a little more flour or oil as needed to reach this consistency.

Brown the sausage. In a separate skillet on medium-high heat place the sausage slices in one layer in the pan. Brown them well on one side (2-3 minutes) and then use a fork to flip each over onto the other side to brown. Remove to a plate.

Cook the vegetables in broth. Add ½ cup of the chicken broth to the hot skillet that had the sausage to deglaze the pan. Pour the broth and drippings into your large soup pot. 

Add remaining 5 ½ cups of chicken broth. Add veggies, parsley, garlic and roux to the pot and stir well. 

Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 5-7 minutes, or until the vegetables are slightly tender. (Skim off any foam that may rise to the top of the pot.) Stir in cajun seasoning, to taste.

Add meat. Add chicken, sausage, and shrimp.

Taste and serve. At this point taste it and add more seasonings to your liking--salt, pepper, chicken bullion paste, garlic, more Joe's stuff or more chicken broth--until you reach the perfect flavor. Serve warm over rice. (Tastes even better the next day!)

Chili con carne (Beef): An American Southern dish from San Antonio, Texas

Excerpt from Holly Nilsson's Spend with pennies website 

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Serves 8

Ingredients:

▢2 pounds lean ground beef

▢1 onion diced

▢1 jalapeno seeded and finely diced

▢4 cloves garlic minced

▢2 ½ tablespoons chili powder divided (or to taste)

▢1 teaspoon cumin

▢1 green bell pepper seeded and diced

▢14 ½ ounces crushed tomatoes canned

▢19 ounces kidney beans canned, drained & rinsed

▢14 ½ ounces diced tomatoes with juice

▢1 ½ cups beef broth

▢1 cup beer

▢1 tablespoon tomato paste

▢1 tablespoon brown sugar optional

▢salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

 Combine ground beef and 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder.

In a large pot, brown ground beef, onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Drain any fat.

Add in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 45-60 minutes or until chili has reached desired thickness.

Top with cheddar cheese, green onions, cilantro or other favorite toppings

Ajitama (Ramen eggs)

Ingredients for Ramen Eggs

To make ramen eggs, you’ll need eggs, soy sauce (or tamari), mirin, sake (or cooking white wine), sugar and vinegar.

2 eggs

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari

3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon mirin

3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon sake

1 tablespoon sugar of your choice

1 tablespoon vinegar

How to Make Ramen Eggs, Step-by-Step

1. Boil the Eggs

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then carefully lower eggs into the pot in a single layer and boil for 7 minutes.

2. Prepare the Ice Bath

While the eggs boil, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water. Once the eggs have finished boiling, immediately transfer them to the prepared ice bath to stop the cooking process and cool the eggs.

3. Peel the Eggs

Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, peel the eggs.

4. Make the Marinade

In a resealable plastic bag, combine soy sauce (or tamari), mirin, sake (or cooking white wine), sugar and vinegar.

5. Marinate the Eggs

Place eggs in the bag and ensure that the eggs are immersed in the liquid mixture. Seal the bag, removing any extra air, and allow eggs to marinate in the liquid for at least 24 hours, or up to 2 days. During the marinating process, periodically change the eggs’ position to ensure that they are evenly marinated.

6. Serve the Eggs

Cut eggs cleanly in half lengthwise and serve with ramen or enjoy as a snack.