San Francisco Fudge

Ghirardelli Chocolate's recipe

Yield: 36 small squares

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS

In a heavy saucepan, combine chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and marshmallows over medium heat, and stir constantly until mixture is smooth.

 

Remove from heat.

 

Stir in vanilla, walnuts, and salt.

 

Pour mixture into an 8" x 8" pan lined with wax paper.

 

Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until firm.

 

Cut into squares.

http://www.ghirardelli.com/recipes-tips/recipes/san-francisco-fudge

NOTE: This was my first shot at making fudge and it turned out very well (deep, chocolaty flavor, smooth, creamy texture) and I hope to do it again soon...

LEEK & POTATO SOUP

Ingredients:

4 leeks
1 ½ pounds russet potatoes
4 tablespoons butter
6 cups chicken broth
Salt to taste

Instructions:

To prepare the leeks; cut the tops off the leeks where the colors begins to turn from very light green to darker green. Cut off the root ends and discard along with the tops. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise. Leeks often have dirt lodged between the layers of the stalks. Separate the layers with your fingers and rinse under running water to remove all dirt. Put the leeks on the cutting board crosswise in ¼ inch pieces.

To prepare the potatoes: Peel and rinse the potatoes under cold tap water. Cut them in half lengthwise. Place the halves cut side down on the cutting board and slice crosswise into ¼ inch pieces.

Melt the 4 tablespoons butter in heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring regularly. Tilt the pot from side to side so the butter covers the bottom. Add the leeks and potatoes and use large spoon to distribute the vegetables over the bottom of the pot.

Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the leeks begin to brown, turn down the heat.

Add the broth and stir to mix leeks, potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, then lower heat so the soup is simmering. Taste for salt and add a little if the soup tastes flat. Cover the pot and let soup simmer for 35 minutes. When the potatoes are soft, the soup is done.
You can mash the vegetables if you want the soup coarse, or put the soup through a blender or food processor if you like it completely smooth. Some people like it simply left in chunks. Put a pat of butter in each bowl and serve hot.

Yields about 3 quarts.


NOTES:

1) We can't remember where this recipe came from (it was an old, yellowed newspaper clipping, probably The San Jose Mercury News).

2) We've had this several times now and it's another keeper as I can't have dairy products which are in most potato leek soups...

Japanese Steakhouse Ginger Salad Dressing

This is a very subtle, delicious and refreshing dressing.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced celery
2 tablespoons ketchup
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1) Combine all ingredients in a blender.

2) Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds or until all of the ginger is well-pureed.

This recipe yields 1 3/4 cups.

NOTE: This is a copy cat recipe but it's quite good and we really can't tell the difference in what we have had at several Japanese restaurants...

Beef & Garden Vegetable Soup

By: Joanna M

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 1 Hour

Servings: 10

"Beef stew meat and a bevy of vegetables make for a hearty garden-style soup."

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
3 carrots, diced
4 small red potatoes, diced
2 quarts beef stock
1/2 pound fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 ears fresh corn, kernels cut from cob
1/2 cup frozen petite peas
1 zucchini, diced
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup uncooked orzo pasta

Directions:

1.Heat the olive oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat; cook the beef in the hot oil until completely browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the onion and bay leaves, reduce heat to medium, cook until the onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Stir the carrots, potatoes, and beef stock into the mixture; bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are just barely tender, about 5 minutes.

2.Stir the green beans, corn, peas, zucchini, cabbage, tomatoes, Italian seasoning blend, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into the beef mixture. Cover the stock pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer the soup until the beef is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

3.Stir the orzo pasta into the soup; replace the cover to the stock pot and continue cooking until the pasta is tender, about 5 minutes more.

OLD-FASHIONED SPLIT-PEA SOUP

By Jeanne Jones

This recipe can be made either as written, with Canadian bacon, or with a ham hock. If using a ham hock, add it when you add the broth. After cooking the soup, remove the ham hock and pick off the meat. Discard the bone and any fat, add the meat back into the soup and refrigerate the soup for several hours or overnight.

Then remove and discard the layer of fat that will have congealed on top of the soup, and reheat your now-defatted Split-Pea Soup to the desired temperature. You also can add other vegetables along with the onion and celery, such as carrots and potatoes, for more nutrients.

1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)
3 stalks celery, without leaves, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
8 ounces Canadian bacon, diced
1 pound dried split peas, soaked overnight
8 cups fat-free chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted stock)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sherry, to taste (optional)

1. Combine the onion, celery, parsley, garlic and Canadian bacon in a large pot or soup kettle. Cook, covered, over low heat until soft, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and add a little water or broth, if necessary, to prevent scorching.

2. Drain the peas and add to the pot. Add the broth, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat back to low and cook, covered, for 3 hours. If desired, add a little sherry to each serving.

Makes 8 servings.

NOTES: We used a ham hock, skipped the salt, served it with corn bread muffins and this recipe is a keeper.

Mom's 90 Day Cole Slaw

Ingredients:

3 lbs chopped cabbage
1 bell pepper
1 onion chopped fine
2 cups sugar

Mix ingredients together in large bowl

Dressing:

1 cup salad oil
1 cup vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp celery seeds
2 tsp sugar

Instructions:

1) Bring salad oil, vinegar, salt, celery seed and sugar mixture to a boil then pour over cabbage, bell pepper, and onion mixture

2) Store in covered container and refrigerate (do not freeze).

NOTES: This is a recipe my mom used for years and we no longer have anything but a hand written copy of it. This recipe's main advantage is that it does not use any milk or mayonnaise so it is possible to store it for quite some time but it won't be me checking it out after 90 days...

Also, we made about one third of a batch with only one head of cabbage but it was still way too sweet for our tastes even after adjusting the amount of sugar so next time, we'll only use about a quarter of a cup...

Cook's Illustrated Roasted Smashed Potatoes

Why this recipe works:

For our roasted smashed potatoes recipe, we chose Red Bliss potatoes for their moist texture and thin skin. Parcooking the potatoes on a baking sheet covered in foil on the oven’s bottom rack, with a splash of water in the pan, gave us creamy flesh that tasted sweet, deep, and earthy. Letting the hot potatoes rest after they parcooked meant they wouldn’t crumble apart when smashed, and drizzling the potatoes with olive oil before and after smashing them ensured that the oil reached every nook and cranny. And finally, using another baking sheet balanced on top of the parcooked potatoes to smash them gave us perfect cracked patties in one fell swoop.

Serves 4 to 6

This recipe is designed to work with potatoes 1½ to 2 inches in diameter; do not use potatoes any larger. It is important to thoroughly cook the potatoes so that they will smash easily. Remove the potatoes from the baking sheet as soon as they are done browning—they will toughen if left too long. A potato masher can also be used to “smash” the potatoes.

Ingredients:

2 pounds small Red Bliss potatoes (about 18), scrubbed (see note)
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Adjust oven racks to top and bottom positions and heat oven to 500 degrees. Arrange potatoes on rimmed baking sheet, pour ¾ cup water into baking sheet, and wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Cook on bottom rack until paring knife or skewer slips in and out of potatoes easily (poke through foil to test), 25 to 30 minutes. Remove foil and cool 10 minutes. If any water remains on baking sheet, blot dry with paper towel.

2. Drizzle 3 tablespoons oil over potatoes and roll to coat. Space potatoes evenly on baking sheet and place second baking sheet on top; press down firmly on baking sheet, flattening potatoes until 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and season generously with salt and pepper; drizzle evenly with remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Roast potatoes on top rack 15 minutes. Transfer potatoes to bottom rack and continue to roast until well browned, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

NOTES: As there are only 2 of us, we used a pie tin for the 6 potatoes we actually cooked. And as there were considerably fewer, they were perfectly done approximately 10 minutes sooner. Finally, we should mention that this recipe is a keeper!