Chinese Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

    1 1/2 C cake flour
    9 1/2 T melted butter
    3 T bakers sugar
    1/2 C powdered sugar
    1 egg, whisked
    1/4 tsp vanilla

Method:

• Preheat oven to 190C (375F).
• Cut butter into cubes and allow to soften at room temperature. If time is limited, here is a quickest way to soften butter. Melt butter in microwave at high-medium power for 10 seconds or so, then transfer to freezer for a few minutes. When the butter begins to be frozen again and thickens, it’s ready to use. If not, put it back to freezer for more minutes.
• Cream butter with an electric mixer over medium speed until smooth. Add bakers sugar and powdered sugar, continue to cream until fluffy.
• Add one-third of the whisked egg into the butter mixture at a time. Stir and combine well between adding egg each time, the volume increases and color lightens.
• Stir in vanilla and combine well.
• Sift flour into the egg mixture. Use a spatula to combine all ingredients. Don’t over stir, just incorporate the flour into the mixture. Transfer the batter into an icing bag. Pipe the batter on a lined baking tray with baking paper, in 1.5-inch circles, that’s about 1 tablespoon each of batter, evenly spaced 1.5-inch apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 13 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack completely. Store in an air-tight container.

Tips:

• The magic ingredients in this recipe are both caster sugar and icing sugar. Two kinds of sugar will work together, producing the perfect balance of delicate, crispy texture, and keeping the pattern well in shape after baking. If you only use icing sugar, the cookies won’t be crispy as you expect. Without using the icing sugar, the original pattern of cookies that you pipe out wouldn’t be kept so clear and beautiful. (Note: icing sugar is a super fine, powdered form of sugar.)
• The baking time of cookies is quite short at high temperature. Don’t leave them unattended, especially for the last few minutes because you don’t want them burnt.
• When the color turns to the point a bit lighter than you prefer, then you can remove the cookies from oven. The cookies will get a bit darker after a while. Well, practice makes things perfect. After some trials, you’ll bake cookies with perfect color to your liking.

Clear (non spicey) Beef Noodle Soup

Serves 4

Stock Ingredients (8 servings)

4 litres (8.4 pt) water
1 large beef bone
1/2 large onion
1/2 large carrot
1/2 large daikon radish
1 stalk of scallion
1 large slice ginger
1 star anise
2 tablespoons rice wine
1/2 teaspoon salt

Stock Method
    Boil water in large pot.
    Wash bone.
    Peel and wash carrot and radish, and cut into halves.
    Peel onion, cut in half.
    Add all ingredients to pot.
    Cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.
    Filter stock. Put stock solids aside.

Noodle Soup Ingredients
400 g (14 oz) (dry) white, round noodles
400 g (14 oz) boneless beef shank*
2 litres (4.2 pt) stock
4 slices ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stalk scallion, chopped finely
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Noodle Soup Method
    Wash, blanch beef.
    Throw out water and clean pot.
    Put stock, beef, ginger and salt in pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
    Remove beef from soup and allow to cool.
    Bring a pot of water to boil, add noodles, bring to boil again and simmer according to package instructions.
    Cut beef in 1/2 cm (0.2 in) thick slices across muscle.
    Drain noodles and place equal portions in 4 large bowls.
    Place beef on noodles.
    Add soup
    Garnish each bowl with a drop of sesame oil and a sprinkle of spring onions.

Notes:
*Boneless beef shank (牛腱肉) appears to be a Chinese cut of meat. When cooked it balls up to resemble some sort of internal organ. Other beef cuts with a bit of fat and plenty of connective tissue (the sight of tendon is a good sign when it comes to this dish), like rib meat, shank or chuck are fine too. Cut into small chunks and cook for 2 hours. Most plain-flavoured Chinese noodles are suitable, but thin, round noodles are most common for this dish in Taiwan. The vegetables from the stock can be eaten separately. 

Mini pumpkin donut muffins

Yield: 24 mini muffins

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking power
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup fat free milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
Coating:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease mini muffin pan with pam spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and egg until combined. Add in flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix until combined.
3. Then mix in pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract.
4. Spoon in batter to muffin pan about 2/3 full.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let muffins cool before coating with cinnamon sugar.
6. For the coating. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small glass bowl. In another small bowl, combine 2/3 cup white sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. Dip top of donuts in melted butter and then dip in the sugar mixture.

From: http://kirbiecravings.com/2011/10/mini-pumpkin-donut-muffins-2.html

Adapted from Stylish Cuisine

Olive Garden Copycat Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients:
Servings: 4-6

1 lb Italian sausage (I like mild sausage)
2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup bacon bit (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups kale or 2 cups swiss chard, chopped
2 (8 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy whipping cream (or milk)

Directions:

1. Chop or slice uncooked sausage into small pieces. 
2. Brown sausage in your soup pot. 
3. Add chicken broth and water to pot and stir. 
4. Place onions, potatoes, and garlic in pot. Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
5. Add sausage and bacon.
6. Salt and pepper to taste.
7. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
8. Turn to low heat.
9. Add kale and cream.
10. Heat through and serve.

Read more at: http://restaurant.food.com/recipe/olive-garden-copycat-zuppa-toscana-38298?oc=linkback

Pasta e Fagioli with Sausage

Yield:  Serves 4

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound mild italian sausages
• 1 carrot, chopped fine
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 rib celery, chopped fine
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 6 cups drained and rinsed canned kidney beans (three 19-ounce cans)
• 2 3/4 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup tubetti or other small macaroni
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat. Add the sausages and cook, turning, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove. When cool enough to handle, halve the sausages lengthwise and then cut crosswise into slices.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the pot over moderately low heat. Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, and rosemary. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes.

Puree 4 cups of the beans with 1 1/4cups of the broth in a blender or food processor. Add the puree to the pot along with the remaining1 1/2 cups broth, the whole beans, bay leaf, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes.

Stir in the pasta. Cook the soup over moderate heat, partially covered, stirring frequently, until the pasta is done, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the sausage and the pepper. Cook until the sausage is warmed through, about 1 minute.



From Cooking.com

Crockpot Sausage Stew Recipe

Ingredients:

    2 to 3 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed
    1 tablespoon cooking oil
    1 to 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausages
    1 large clove garlic, minced
    1/2 cup chopped onion
    1 can (15 ounces) stewed tomatoes
    2 cups chicken broth
    1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
    1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
    1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
    1/4 teaspoon pepper
    2 medium green bell peppers, seeded, chopped

Preparation:

Lightly grease or spray slow cooker; place potatoes in bottom of pot.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add sausage links and brown. Slice links into 1-inch pieces and transfer to slow cooker. Add garlic and onion. In a separate bowl, combine tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and pepper; stir to blend. Pour mixture over the sausages in crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW setting 8 to 10 hours, until potatoes are tender. Add bell pepper about 1 hour before serving.
Serve as is, with crusty bread, or with rice.
Serves 6.

Clear-Steamed Chicken Soup with Ginger

Yield : 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 3 to 3½ pounds

Soup broth:

• 6 cups boiling water
• 1¾ cups rice wine, preferably Shaoxing wine (available at Asian markets)
• 10 whole scallions, ends trimmed and smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife
• 10 slices fresh ginger, the size of a quarter, smashed with the flat side of a knife
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Directions

1. Remove any fat from the cavity opening and around the neck of the chicken. Rinse lightly and drain. Using a heavy knife or a cleaver, cut the chicken, through the bones, into 10 to 12 pieces. Heat 2 quarts water until boiling and blanch the chicken pieces for 1 minute after the water reaches a boil to clean them. Drain the chicken, discarding the water, then rinse in cold water and drain again.
2. Place the chicken pieces and the Soup Broth ingredients, except the salt, in a heatproof pot or 2-quart soufflé dish. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil and place on a steamer tray or small rack. Fill a wok with enough water to just reach the bottom of the steamer tray or rack and heat until boiling. Place the food on the steamer tray or rack over the boiling water, cover, and steam 2 hours over high heat, replacing the boiling water in the wok as necessary. Alternatively, you may steam the soup in the oven: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the ingredients in a Dutch oven or casserole with a lid and, before putting on the cover, wrap the top tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil; then cover. Place the pot in a lasagna pan or a casserole and fill with 1½ inches boiling water. Bake for 2 hours, replenishing the boiling water as necessary.
3. Skim the top of the broth to remove any impurities and fat. Add the salt. Remove the ginger and scallions, ladle the soup and pieces of the chicken into serving bowls, and serve. To reheat and retain a clear broth, steam or bake in a closed pot for 10 to 15 minutes, or until piping hot.