Sugar Cookie Icing

Ingredients

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk (water for icing to keep out for days)
  
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

yield: Makes 4 main-course servings

active time: 40 min

total time: 4 1/2 hr

Ingredients

• 5 cups water
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup Chinese rice wine or medium-dry Sherry
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 (1-inch) cube peeled fresh ginger, smashed
• 1 bunch scallions, white parts smashed with flat side of a large knife and green parts chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed
• 10 fresh cilantro stems plus 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro sprigs
• 2 (2-inch-long) pieces Asian dried tangerine peel*
• 4 whole star anise
• 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
• 2lbs Beef shank or stew beef
  
• 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 ounces)
• 10 ounces dried Chinese wheat noodles* or linguine
• 1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
• 4 tablespoons Chinese pickled mustard greens**
• 1 (4-inch-long) fresh red chile (optional), thinly sliced

Preparation

Bring water, soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar, ginger, white parts of scallion, garlic, cilantro stems, tangerine peel, star anise, and red pepper flakes to a boil in a 5- to 6-quart pot, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Add short ribs and gently simmer, covered, turning occasionally, until meat is very tender but not falling apart, 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours. Let meat stand in cooking liquid, uncovered, 1 hour.

Transfer meat to a cutting board with tongs and discard bones and membranes, then cut meat across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. 3Pour beef broth through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a bowl and discard solids. Skim fat from cooking liquid and transfer liquid to a 3-quart saucepan. Add chicken broth and meat and reheat soup over moderately low heat.

Meanwhile, cook noodles in a 6- to 8-quart pot of (unsalted) boiling water until tender, about 7 minutes (14 to 15 minutes for linguine). Drain noodles well in a colander and divide among 4 large soup bowls.

Ladle broth over noodles and top with meat, scallion greens, bean sprouts, pickled mustard greens, cilantro sprigs, and red chile (if using).

Adapted from: www.epicurious.com

Southern-Style Chicken and Dumplings

Serves 6 to 8

For the chicken
1 large fryer chicken, neck and gizzards removed
1 onion, cut in half and peeled
3 carrots, cut into large pieces
3 stalks of celery, cut into large pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

For the dumplings
3 cups White Lily all-purpose flour or cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon table salt
4 1/2 tablespoons olive oil (orig recipe calls for shortening)
1 cup milk (or just enough to make the dough stick together)

For the chicken
Place the chicken, onions, carrots, and celery in a large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so water maintains a gentle simmer. Cook chicken for approximately 1 hour or until chicken is cooked through (approximately165 degrees).

Once chicken is cooked, remove from the broth and allow to cool. Remove chicken from the bone and shred into medium-sized pieces, discarding bones and skin for another use. Pour the chicken broth through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheese cloth, discarding vegetables. Reserve 6 cups of the broth for the dumplings (the rest can be used for another time).

For the dumplings
Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together in bowl. Cut shortening into flour mixture with fingertips until it resembles small peas. Add milk -- 1/4 cup at a time -- and stir until a ball of dough just begins to form, being careful not to over-mix. Roll out the dough onto floured surface, about ¼ inch thick. Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut dough into rectangles or squares. Place strips on wax paper and allow to harden up a little, approximately 30 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, bring broth to a gentle simmer and drop in dumplings. Cover and allow to cook for 6-7 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add chicken. Allow to cook until thickened, approximately 15-20 minutes, or longer. Season generously with salt and pepper.

From: Adapted from www.thekitchn.com

Kabuli Naan

Ingredients:

Naan -

• Sugar - 1 teaspoon
• Yeast (Khameer)- 1 teaspoon
• White flour (Maida) - 4C
  
• Salt to taste (1 tsp)
  
• Nigella seed (Kalaunji) - 1 teaspoon
• Curd (yogurt) - 1/2 cup
• Butter - 2 tablesoon
• Warm water - 3/4 cup

Filling:

• Almonds (Badam) - 1/4 cup ground
• Cashews (Kaju) - 1/4 cup ground
• Raisins (Kishmish) - 1/4 cup chopped
• Sugar (Chini) - 1 teaspoon
• Powdered milk - 1 tablespoon

• Butter - 2 tablespoon

Method for Kabuli Naan :

• Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and keep aside for 10 minutes.
• Sift flour , salt and add nigella seeds ,then add yoghurt, ghee and yeast mixture.
• Knead well until it forms a smooth dough and coat it with little oil .
• Cover with damp tea-towel or cloth and keep aside to ferment for 2-3 hours.
• When the dough is doubled in size, knead it again and divide into around 8 equal portions.
• Flatten and put one teaspoon of the stuffing in the center,close the edges and roll into pear shape.
• Garnish with some more almonds, cashew nuts and raisins .
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and bake all the naans for 10 mins.
• Brush with butter and enjoy with vegetable curries or any kind of meat preparation.

Adapted from: http://www.indian-food-recipe.com

Kale Chips

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 -2 teaspoon salt (this makes them pretty salty- you may want to reduce the amount, then sprinkle the chips with salt a)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 bunches kale, rinsed with stems removed

Directions:

1. Cut kale into 2 to 3 inch pieces.
2. Mix vinegar, oil, and salt in a large bowl then add kale and mix by hand.
3. Try to get all the leaves covered.
4. Place on baking sheets (I like to use parchment paper for easy clean up) and bake at 350 F until they are crispy.
5. After about 20 minutes, if it looks like they are not sizzling a bit or getting a little crispy, turn up the heat to 400°F.
6. Time for baking varies depending on the size of your chips and desired crispness.
7. The outer edges cook quicker than the pieces from near the stem.

From: www.food.com; by Yogi

Fresh Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 cups water
10 ounces frozen strawberries, pureed (fresh would do perfectly well)
sugar to taste

Directions: Combine lemon juice, water, and 3/4 of the strawberry puree. Add sugar until you have reached the desired tartness/sweetness. Add strawberry puree until the strawberry/lemon taste balance is about equal.

Chinese Chicken Salad III

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon hot chile paste
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 16 (3.5 inch square) wonton wrappers, shredded
• 4 cups romaine lettuce - torn, washed and dried
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. To prepare the dressing, whisk together the hoisin sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar, chili paste, ginger, vinegar and sesame oil.
2. Grill or broil chicken until cooked, cool and slice.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Spray a large shallow pan with nonstick vegetable spray, arrange shredded wontons in a single layer and bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.
4. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, wontons, lettuce, carrots, green onions and cilantro. Toss with dressing and serve.

From: Allrecipes

Cream Cheese Frosting

Servings - covers on 9 x 13 cake

Ingredients

• 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 c butter, softened
• 2 c sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 t vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the confectioners' sugar. Store in the refrigerator after use.

From: http://allrecipes.com

1-2-3 Icing Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups confectioners sugar (10x sugar)
1/8 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk (more if needed)

With electric mixer on low, blend all ingredients together for about 2 minutes, adding more milk (if necessary) until the icing is creamy (and soft enough to squeeze easily through a pastry bag.)

From: http://www.cdkitchen.com

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Servings 20 - 24

Original Recipe Yield 2 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line muffin tins with paper cups or lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt until light and fluffy. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and add the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Stir together until well blended. Fill muffin tins 1/3 full with the batter and top with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

From: http://allrecipes.com; By: Laura Duncan Allen

Golden Crescent Rolls

Original Recipe Yield 20 -30 rolls

Ingredients

• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.
2. Stir in sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in remaining flour until smooth. Scrape dough from side of bowl. Knead dough, then cover it and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1-1/2 hours).
3. Punch down dough. Divide in half. Roll each half into a 12-inch circle. Spread with butter. Cut into 10 to 15 wedge. Roll up the wedges starting with the wide end. Place rolls with point under on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until double (about 1 hour).
4. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 12-15 minute or until golden brown. Brush tops with butter when they come out.

From www.Allrecipes.com

By: Mike A.

"This is a great recipe for sweet, fluffy crescent rolls (kind of like a croissant but more dense)."