Overnight Homemade Pickles

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar
4 t salt
3 t pickling spice
2 t fresh garlic, diced
2 cups hot water
2 lbs cucumbers or other vegetable (cauliflower, asparagus, etc.), prepared

Directions:
Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat. Add vinegar, sugar and all seasonings. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Allow liquid to cool. Place vegetables in a jar and pour liquid on top of it. Place in refrigerator overnight. Pickles will be ready in time for a fresh lunch or dinner treat.

Gourmet Ginger Pork Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean ground pork
• 1 T canola oil 
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce (use gluten-free for GF recipe)
• 1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained and slivered
• 1 large leek, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• Butter, Bibb, or Boston lettuce leaves
  
  Toppings:
• minced cabbage sprinkled with Thai chili sauce or Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce (Oriental dipping sauce)
• pickled ginger
• 1 apple, sliced thin, sprinkled with lemon or lime juice
• 2 avocados, sliced thin
• 1-2 large carrots, julienned
• limes, sliced

Directions

Start browning ground pork in canola oil. Add red onion, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, water chestnuts, and leek. When cooked through, add sesame oil.

Serve warm with lettuce leaves. To eat, fill lettuce leaves with pork filling and top with whatever toppings you like. It's nice to have as many of these options as possible, and they all work together well, also.

Cowboy Caviar

       Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup sugar (see notes)
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (11 ounce) can super sweet corn, drained (see notes)
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped cilantro (from 1 bunch) 
• Tortilla chips
  
  

  Directions

   Combine all ingredients, except tortilla chips, in a large bowl. Chill for about an hour to let flavors blend. Serve with tortilla chips.
  

Pineapple Tomatillo Salsa

3 Cans Crushed Pineapple (or 1 fresh pineapple)
2 Small or 1 Large Sweet Onion, chopped into large pieces
3-4 Cups Tomatillos
2 Jalapenos
1/2 Cup Cilantro
3 t Minced Garlic
Juice of 1 Large Lime
Salt to Taste

Blend all ingredients together in a blender. Serve with fresh tortilla chips (use gluten-free tortilla chips for a gluten-free snack).

Makes approximately two blenders full. 

Popovers

(Makes 2 dozen)

4 eggs

1/2 t salt

2 c milk

4 T butter or margarine, melted

2 c all-purpose flour

1 T sugar

(For a dessert-like treat, you can add 1 teaspoon of any of the following ingredients vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg.  For a luncheon style treat, try rosemary, oregano, basil, parmesan cheese, or thyme.  Use your imagination!)

Mix all ingredients together well.  Set oven to 425 degrees and put them into a cold oven.  (If using a preheated oven, check often to be sure they do not get done early.)  Leave them for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees for an additional 10 minutes.  Prick each one with a toothpick or metal skewer to allow steam to escape and for popovers to crisp on the inside.  Leave them for 2-3 more minutes.  

GET CREATIVE!

These can be eaten plain or filled with turkey, chicken, tuna or egg salad, cheeses and/or lunchmeat, scrambled eggs with ham and cheese, jams or jellies, pudding, pie filling, melted chocolate or whipped cream.  They are a fabulous appetizer or luncheon addition, main course or dessert.  They are great way to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving.  They work great with any meal--breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack-time and kids love them!

Egg Rolls

Makes 20

1 lb lean ground beef, pork or chicken

1 t. minced ginger

2 c finely chopped cabbage

1/4 lb bean sprouts

1/2 c shredded carrot

3 green onions, finely chopped

1 T soy sauce

1 pkg large square wonton wrappers

vegetable oil for deep-frying

a little cornstarch mixed with water, for sealing wrappers

Chinese mustard or sweet & sour sauce, for dipping

Preparation:

Stir-fry meat and ginger in skillet over high heat until lightly browned.  Add cabbage, bean sprouts, carrot and green onions.  Cook 2 mins.  Stir in soy sauce.  Let mixture cool. 

Folding:

1.  Place 2 T filling diagonally on wrapper.  (One corner towards opposite corner.)

2. Fold corner over filling; roll snugly half-way to cover filling.

3. Fold up both sides snugly against filling; moisten edges of last flap.

4. Roll over flap and seal with a little cornstarch/water mixture.  Lay flap-side down until ready to cook.

Cooking:

Deep-fry at 350 degrees, a few at a time, turning occasionally, until golden, 2-3 mins.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve warm with Chinese mustard or sweet and sour sauce.

Stuffed Jalapenos

Fresh jalapenos

cream cheese

cheddar cheese

bacon

toothpicks

Cut off tops of jalapenos and then slice them in half lengthwise.  Remove seeds.  (Caution:  jalapeno juice is very acidic and will sting cuts, dry skin, eyes, etc.  To avoid this, wear surgical gloves during this process, avoid touching your skin and throw the gloves away when you are finished.)  Fill jalapeno halves with cream cheese, top with a slice of cheddar which covers the cream cheese, wrap in half a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.  Place them in single layers on a cookie sheet with an edge (a lot of grease will gather and you don't want it dripping in your oven) or a casserole dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until the bacon is crispy.

Pumpkin Mousse

1 eight-oz pkg cream cheese (softened)
1 can pumpkin (regular size)
½ sugar
1 tub of Cool Whip
cinnamon
nutmeg
cloves
pumpkin spice


Mix first three ingredients until smooth.
Fold in cool whip.
Add spices to taste:
Lots of shakes cinnamon
Go easy on the cloves
Nutmeg
Pumpkin Spice

Serve with ginger snap cookies for dipping and on the side.


From Melissa Clark, Thanksgiving 2008, St. Petersburg FL
The gathering of Hoatson extended Family Thanksgiving and 90th birthday of O. Carl Brown.

Pineapple Cucumber Salsa

I've tried this and its very good. I got it from a test kitchen website listed below. It's good with chips or as a condiment with fish or chicken.



Pineapple and Cucumber Salsa with Mint
Makes about 3 cups

½ large pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 2 cups)
½ medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 Serrano chili, medium, seeds and ribs removed, then minced (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 to 2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 lime)
Table salt
Sugar to taste (Leave out sugar for a Whole 30 variety.)

In medium bowl, toss together pineapple, cucumber, shallot, chili, mint, ginger, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; let stand at room temperature to blend flavors, 15 to 30 minutes. Adjust seasoning with additional lime juice and salt, and add sugar as needed if pineapple is tart; serve.



http://www.americastestkitchen.com/

Chinese Egg Rolls

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 package egg roll wrappers (4 1/2" by 5 1/2")

Filling:
1 pound fresh pork (or barbecued pork)
1 medium onion (sliced)
2 stalks celery, cut diagonally
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
6 water chestnuts (fresh if possible), sliced
1/2 pound suey choy (Napa Cabbage), sliced thinly, 1 inch lengthwise
2 green onions, diced
1 pound fresh bean sprouts

Pork Seasoning:
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
salt and pepper to taste
a bit (less than 1 teaspoon) cornstarch

Gravy:
4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
salt, pepper, accent (if desired) to taste
2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons cold water*
2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying
2 to 4 cups oil for deep-frying

Preparation: Mix seasoning ingredients together. Cut the pork into thin strips, add the seasonings and marinate the pork for between 10 and 15 minutes. While the pork is marinating, prepare the vegetables, and the gravy mixture. Heat the wok over medium-high to high heat. Add the oil for stir-frying. When the oil is iready, add the celery and onion and stir-fry.Taste and add salt and sugar if desired. Remove from the wok. Add the pork to the wok and cook until well done (place cover on wok). Remove.


Clean the wok and stir-fry separately the mushrooms, water chestnuts, and bean sprouts. Check the seasoning while stir-frying the bean sprouts and add salt and/or sugar as desired. Stir-fry the suey choy, covering and cooking for approximately 1 minute, again adding salt and/or sugar if desired. Combine all the ingredients in the wok. If necessary, drain some of the juice from the vegetables out. Add the gravy, pushing the vegetables up against the sides of the wok to form a well in the middle for the gravy, and stir to thicken. Mix thoroughly. Add green onion. Set the filling aside to allow to cool before wrapping.

Wrapping: Mix the cornstarch and water, slowly adding the water to the cornstarch until you have a "glue" which will be used to seal the wrappers. To wrap, lay the egg roll wrapper out with the short (4 1/2") side directly in front of you. This will be the dry side. The two long sides will be called sides 1 and 3, and the other short side directly across from you will be called side 2. Place approximately 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper, spreading it out but not getting too close to the edges. Using your fingertip, spread a bit of the cornstarch/water glue along edges 1, 2, and 3. Fold over the dry side, then take side 2 and fold it over, making sure the two sides overlap. Press down firmly on sides 1 and 3, making sure they are well sealed.

Deep-frying: When oil is ready, slide each egg roll carefully into the wok one at a time. Deep-fry until they are golden brown, then drain on deep-fry rack or paper towels. Keep on a tray lined with fresh paper towels until needed. The egg rolls should not be stacked. If possible do not reheat in the oven, as this can dry the eggrolls out, but if necessary, reheat them on low heat for 10 minutes on each side.


Serve with Sweet and Sour Sauce.*If desired, instead of cornstarch and water you can substitute beaten egg or egg white.**Most recipes use the "envelope" method for wrapping. I prefer this method: not only is it easier to learn, but you can put more filling in each egg roll, and the rolls tend to be crispier.