Brazilian Lemonade by Our Best Bites

Now that we are getting into the heat of summer, so to speak, it's time to bring out a refreshing lemonade recipe. But not just any old lemonade recipe! Brazilian lemonade is actually made with fresh limes, water, sugar, and--of all things--sweetened condensed milk. It sounds like a really strange combination, but this is one of the best summer drinks ever.


Brazilian Lemonade by Our Best Bites
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/05/brazilian-lemonade/

Ingredients

4 juicy limes (try and find ones with thin, smooth skins; they’re the juiciest and the thin skin cuts down on the chance of your drink being bitter)
1 c. sugar
6 c. cold water
6 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk

Procedure

1. Mix cold water and sugar very well and chill until ready to use. This step can be done ahead of time.

2. Wash limes thoroughly with soap (I just use hand-dishwashing soap or regular hand soap); you need the soap to get the wax and pesticides off of the limes because you’re using the WHOLE lime, baby. Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime into 8ths.

3. Place 1/2 of the limes in your blender.

4. Add 1/2 of the sugar water, place the lid on your blender, and pulse 5 times. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher (the one you’ll serve the lemonade in) and pour the blended mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher. Use a spoon to press the rest of the liquid into the pitcher. Dump the pulp and stuff in the strainer into the trash. Repeat with remaining limes and sugar water. Add sweetened condensed milk; DO NOT leave this step out unless you will die of a horrible sweetened condensed milk allergy because this is the secret ingredient! You may want to taste test it at this point; I used giant, thick-skinned limes tonight and didn’t test it and it came out a little bitter. If it’s bitter, just add some more sugar and maybe a little more milk.

5. Serve immediately over lots of ice. This does not keep well, so don’t make this in advance (although you can cut the limes, mix the sugar water, and measure the sweetened condensed milk in advance). Serves 4, although I can pretty much guarantee you that people will want more; I usually plan on 1 1/2 servings at LEAST per person.

Chili de Jillian

If you ask someone what "makes" chili, you are likely to get almost as many answers as people you ask. The original chili con carne was simply a stew that included exactly that: chili peppers and meat. In some places, beans were added to limit the need for expensive meat. In other places, tomatoes or tomato sauce were added. A specific bunch of herbs and spices often added to chili became known as chili pepper in the U.S. In Texas, chili is served with no beans or vegetables at all, while a mostly meat and tomato chili is poured over spaghetti in Chicago.

But what exactly is chili to me? This is the "chili" that I make for my little family, and whether you agree that it is real chili or not is up to you. I just have not found a better name for it than "beans with meat, vegetables, and assorted hot chili peppers." Either way, it is still pretty tasty! Even my two year old likes it, spiciness and all. (By omitting the "optional" ingredients, you can make a pretty good vegetarian chili as well.)

Chili de Jillian

Ingredients

Chili
3-4 cups dry pinto beans
2 jalepenos, diced
2 cans diced tomatoes, or two large tomatoes diced
1 13 oz. can mushrooms, sliced or diced, or a cup of diced button mushrooms
1 large onion, diced
1 can corn or half a bag of frozen corn (omit if serving chili over polenta)
Either 3/4 diced polska kielbasa or a cup of cooked ground beef (optional)
Approx. 2-3 tablespoons oregano
Approx. 2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

Polenta
1 cup corn grits
4 cups water
2 tablespoons butter (optional)

Procedure

1. Either soak dry beans overnight or simmer for an hour, then drain. Cover with water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook beans until tender. If you are going to use salt at all, don't add any until your chili is almost done or else you might oversalt it.

2. Add everything else and simmer until the soupy part of the chili thickens and everything is cooked.

3. While chili is stewing, boil four cups water in separate pot. Add corn grits to boiling water and stir until mixture becomes quite thick. Remove from heat, pouring into a bowl and let cool.

4. Serve chili over cooled polenta. For best flavor, let the flavors mix in the refrigerator for a day before reheating and serving.

Note: This recipe makes quite a large pot of chili, so use a stock pot if you have one. We can usually eat this for three days, or freeze it for later. We usually get a huge bag of dried pinto beans at Costco for ten bucks every several months, so this can be a great penny-pincher recipe.

Easy Thai Coconut Soup by Our Best Bites

I'm subscribed to this great cooking blog called Our Best Bites, and they have some pretty fun recipes sometimes. Their latest recipe is called, "Quick and Easy Thai Coconut Soup." I really love Thai food, so this recipe sounds great, and it's not as crazy as Thai recipes usually are. The sad thing is that even though it's "quick and easy," I still don't have ginger, lime, or jalapenos just lying around, to say nothing of rotisserie chickens. Oh, and we're fresh out of Ramen. Bleh. But maybe I'll still give it whirl sometime later when I can spare five bucks on dinner. :)

Easy Thai Coconut Soup
Recipe by Ourbestbites.com

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh minced ginger, or 1 ½ teaspoons ground dry ginger
2 14.5-ounce cans chicken broth
1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk or light coconut  milk (about —cups)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 packages ramen noodes (discard seasoning packet)
optional: ¾ cup sliced mushrooms
1 ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 cup diced or shredded cooked chicken
toppings:  additional chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, and lime wedges

Procedure:
1. Heat medium sized pot to medium-high heat on stove top.  Add olive oil, jalapeno, and ginger (if using fresh.)  Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until jalapeno and ginger are softened and fragrant.  If using ground ginger, add now and stir.

2. Add chicken broth, coconut milk, and salt and increase heat to bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce to simmer and add noodles (note: you will discard seasoning packet that comes with noodles.)  Simmer 3-5 minutes, until noodles are softened.

3. If using mushrooms, add them in the final 2-3 minutes of cooking the noodles.  Add chicken and simmer for about 30 seconds to heat through.

4. Remove pot from heat and stir in lime juice, chicken, and cilantro.   Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with additional chopped cilantro, green onions, and lime wedges if desired.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.

Note #1:  This type of noodle absorbs liquid exceptionally fast, so you should serve the soup immediately.  If you know you need to keep the soup warm for a while before serving, wait to add the noodles until a few minutes before you’re ready to serve.

Note #2: "Light coconut milk works great, and remember you can buy coconut milk in cartons by the dairy milk as well, and it’s much cheaper per ounce there than it is for a can.  At my store it was .05 cents per ounce, which would make the equivalent can about .67 cents.  Generally a can of coconut milk $2- $3 a can so the carton is a great deal comparatively.  The cartons are lower in calories and fat and have a consistency similar to the light coconut milk (which is thinner than full fat coconut milk).  For some recipes I prefer canned coconut milk, but for this soup, either will work just fine."

Rye Muffins

A bit ago, I decided to try something new and make rye muffins. I have always loved rye bread, and muffins have never tasted right to me using all-purpose flour (probably because my mom always did half or all whole wheat). I made three different batches of muffins to try out the effects of rye flour, wheat bran, and flaxseed, and found that they make for extremely delicious, healthy muffins. I took a bunch of the muffins to my parents' house, and my dad made bread pudding out of some of them. It was great! This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Rye Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup milk (1 1/4 cup if too dry)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
2 cups rye flour
     or 1 cup rye and 1 cup whole wheat
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/8 cup brown flaxseed
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of raisins
     or 1 cup mashed bananas
1 cup broken pecans or walnuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottoms of 12 medium muffin cups with shortening, spray with cooking spray, or line with paper baking cups.

2. In large bowl, beat milk, oil, and egg with fork or wire whisk until well mixed. With a wooden spoon, stir in all but the raisins and pecans all at once just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy--DO NOT OVERMIX). Fold in raisins and pecans. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Set aside the extra batter for another partial batch.

3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. If baked in greased pan, let stand about 5 minutes in pan, then remove from pan to wire rack; if baked in paper baking cups, immediately remove from pan to wire rack.

Makes about 15-17 muffins. Would work best if you mix up enough for three batches and cook it in four batches.

Lemon or Lime Curd

A fun and tangy alternative to butter or jam, lemon or lime curd is absolutely delicious on scones.

Ingredients

Zest and juice from 2 lemons

     Note: For Lime Curd, substitute equal amount of lime zest and juice.

1 scant cup sugar

¾ cup butter

2 eggs, beaten

Procedure

1. Grate lemon zest, squeeze lemon juice into glass or metal  bowl, stir in sugar.

2. Cut butter into small pieces and add to bowl.

3. Set bowl over a saucepan ¼ filled with simmering water, stir until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Add eggs.

4. Cook gently, stirring 10-15 minutes, until mixture is thick and creamy.

5. Pour into clean warm jars and seal while hot. Keep in the refrigerator.

Mussels and Salmon in Couscous

After my sister Sarah's wedding reception was all cleaned up, my parents' old friends, Que and Mike Sala, came back to the house to chat. They were such a hoot! We talked about crabby librarians, grandkids, and great foods. We talked about mystery dinners, and they told us that they were going to one the next week. The host was serving a bunch of French foods, including escargot. That prompted my mom to say that she doesn't like shellfish, especially mussels, because they taste like the bottom of the ocean and are tough and chewy. Mike is a professional butcher and teaches a class on butchering, and he is one of the best cooks around when it comes to meats. So he said that mussels are actually quite tender if you make them right, and his wife Que agreed that this way, the recipe here, was the first way she actually liked eating mussels. I haven't tried it yet, but if it comes from Mike, the recipe is sure to be fantastic.


Mike Sala's Mussels and Salmon in Couscous Recipe

Ingredients 

1/4 cup dry couscous
1 ice cube chicken stock
4 mussels
1 salmon fillet

Procedure 

1. Place dry couscous in a little parchment packet, and place the ice cube in the center of the couscous. Place mussels in each corner, and then place the salmon on top--make sure that the salmon fillet is broad enough to cover all four mussels.

2. Fold the paper and tie. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes for the ultimate mussel dinner.

Grandma Peterson's Lemon Cake

This is my dad's mom's cake, but my mom has made this cake for us a zillion times. I love how it's a traditional lemon cake, but the sauce that goes on top definitely makes this cake amazing. The sauce seeps down into the top layer of the cake, enfusing it with a beautiful, sugary zing. I suppose you could frost it, but I've never seen the need to corrupt this cake with frosting. It offers a refreshing lemony flavor in a world bombarded by chocolate.

Ingredients

Cake
1 package Duncan Hines lemon cake
1 package small lemon Jell-o
4 eggs
3/4 cup water
2/3 cup oil


Sauce
2 lemons
2 cups powdered sugar

Procedure

1. Mix lemon cake, jello, eggs and water. Beat for 4 minutes.
2. Add oil. Beat 4 minutes.
3. Pour into 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, juice and zest lemons, and beat in powdered sugar.
5. Poke hole in hot cake with a skewer or fork. Pour lemon sauce over warm cake and serve.

Grandma Dana's Banana Nut Bread

This banana nut bread is my Great-Grandma Sarah Dana's bread. It's an excellent way to get rid of overripe bananas, but it does better in smaller loaf pans than larger ones. Like the zucchini/pumpkin bread in the last post, it freezes quite well. To freeze, first wrap each individual loaf in plastic wrap, then again in foil.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 well-beaten eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) sour cream
1 cup mashed banana pulp
1 cup walnuts or other nuts

Procedure:
1. Cream shortening and sugar together. Add vanilla and eggs. Beat until creamy.
2. Add sifted flour with soda and salt. Alternately add sour cream and banana pulp. Add nuts last.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Aunt Audrey's Zucchini or Pumpkin Bread

I've mentioned before that I lost all of my heirloom recipes when we moved from Provo to Monterey. When we went to visit my parents' house this weekend, I managed to pillage the family cookbook and rescue most of the old recipes!

This particular recipe works for zucchini or pumpkin bread, and the recipe notes the small changes between the two. It's a delicious recipe from my Great-Aunt Audrey. During the summer months while I was growing up, when our zucchini plants would go out of control as zucchini plants are apt to do, we would make tons of this bread and freeze some of it for later. Around the holidays, we made the pumpkin bread and gave it to our neighbors and friends. To freeze it, wrap each loaf in plastic wrap, and then wrap it in foil.


Ingredients

1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
(Zucchini bread) 1 teaspoon cinnamon
(Pumpkin bread) 1/2 tsp each nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups zucchini, peeled and grated (or pumpkin)

Procedure

1. Beat oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients.
2. Put in small loaf pans or shallow oblong baking dish.
3. Bake in oven at 325 degrees for one hour or until done.

Dad's Killer Coconut Cookies

Since I've been putting up a bunch of sweet stuff anyways, I'll put up my dad's crazy cookies. They really are killer cookies because of how bad they are for you! But they are delicious! My dad makes them for us during the holidays, and they hardly ever make it to the cookie jar!

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups oats
2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
1 cup coconut

Procedure

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Add flour, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut; mix well.

3. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes.

Flour Tortilla/Flat Bread

The first year of college was definitely a time of experimentation with cooking for me. I had learned the basics of cooking from my parents while I was growing up, but until I moved out and started cooking for myself, I didn't really get the chance to learn how to cook what I actually would eat on a daily basis, instead of cookies and the like. Since I like Mexican food, I looked up a recipe for flour tortillas that I could make easily and found this one: http://www.texasrollingpins.com/tortillarecipe.html. Until now, I have had to return to this website every time I want to make this recipe because I have lost the cards I've written it down on a thousand times! I have never been able to make these tortillas well enough so that they look like true tortillas, but I have been very successful in making a light flat bread that is perfect for any sort of dish or meal where you eat with your hands (like Indian food!).

Ingredients
3 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4-6 Tbsp. vegetable shortening
about 1 1/4 cups warm water

Procedure

1. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add vegetable shortening, using a fork or a pastry cutter to cut in the shortening or just do it the old fashioned way and use your hands.

2. Next add warm water a little at a time until your dough is soft and not sticky. You do not need very hot water.

3. Knead the dough for a few minutes.

4. Now you will pull off pieces of dough to form about 12 small dough balls. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes, longer if you like.

5. This is a good time to heat up the frying pan. You will want to set it at medium heat. If it is too hot the flatbreads will cook too fast.

6. Now you can roll out the dough with your rolling pin or your hands. It is a good idea to dust each ball with a little flour just before you roll them out. Roll them out fairly thin, but not too thin. Thinner makes more of a cracker; thicker makes more of a flatbread.

7. Spray the pan with cooking spray each time you make a flatbread. Lay your flatbread on the hot pan. It takes just a few minutes to cook. Flip to the other side. When they are done it should have lots of nice brown speckles. Place them in a towel. If you would like you can use a tortilla warmer to keep them warm longer.

They are ready to be served!

Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo! In celebration, here are two mouth-watering recipes from the Mexican Yucatan, around Merida.

Xnipek Salsa (Dog's Snout Salsa)

Pronounced roughly "schnee-peck," this salsa supposedly gets its name because it's so hot that it can make your nose run like a dog's snout. This fresh, fiery hot salsa or a close variation appears on most Yucatecan dining tables. Its flavor is best if eaten on the same day that it is prepared.  This salsa will keep for two to three days, if the cilantro is added at the time you serve the salsa.

Ingredients
2 fresh habanero chiles, stem and seeds removed, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, either purple or white, chopped
1/3 cup bitter orange juice (see recipe below) or substitute 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Procedure
Combine all of the ingredients except the cilantro in a food processor and pulse. Set aside for a couple of hours to blend the flavors. Add the cilantro before serving.

Yield: 2 cups
Heat Scale: Hot

Pollo Pibil (Chicken Cooked in the Pibil Method)

This uniquely Yucatecan dish is available in nearly every restaurant that features local cuisine. Originally cooked over coals in pits dug in the ground, pollo pibil is most often baked in ovens these days. Some people have had great success in duplicating the pit method by using an inexpensive backyard smoker. Don't add any wood chips for smoke, but use a pan of water between the coals and the wrapped chicken to keep the chicken juicy.

Look for xcatic chiles, guero chiles and epazote at Latin markets or Internet retailers. The bitter orange is a rough skinned Yucatecan fruit that tastes somewhat like grapefruit with a hint of orange. A suitable substitute can be made by using this recipe. I find that using fresh squeezed juices produces the best results.  

Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

Recado Rojo (Red Seasoning Paste)
1/8 cup ground annatto seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
5 whole black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick canela (about 1/2")
2 whole cloves
1 whole allspice berry
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

Bitter Orange Juice Substitute
1/2 cup grapefruit juice
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons lime juice

Pollo Pibil
1 recipe Recado Rojo
1/2 cup bitter orange juice or substitute
4 chicken breasts, skin removed
1 medium onion, sliced
3 fresh xcatic chiles, stems and seeds removed, chopped or substitute fresh banana or guero chiles
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Banana leaves or aluminum foil
4 sprigs fresh epazote or substitute 1 tablespoon dried epazote

Procedure 

Recado Rojo (Red Seasoning Paste)
1. Place the annatto, oregano, peppercorns, salt, canela, cloves, allspice and cumin in a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder and process to a fine powder. Add the remaining ingredients and grind to a thick paste, adding a little water if the mixture is too thick.
2. Allow the mixture to sit for an hour or overnight to blend the flavors.

Bitter Orange Juice
1. Mix all of the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours. Use within 24 hours.

Pollo Pibil
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix the Recado Rojo with 1/2 cup of the bitter orange juice in a bowl. Prick the chicken breasts with a fork and pour the marinade over the chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours or overnight.
3. Saute the onion and chiles in the oil until soft.
4. Line a roasting pan with the banana leaves, place the chicken on the leaves, pour over the remaining marinade, and top with the onions and chiles. Place a little epazote on each breast.
5. Fold the leaves over, cover the pan and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
6. Serve this dish black beans and Xnipek (habanero salsa) for a truly authentic meal.

Yield: 4 servings
Heat Scale: Mild

Rich Bread Pudding with Non-Alcoholic Rum Sauce

Photo courtesy of myrecipes.com

During my first summer away at college, I decided to try out Bread Pudding, something my dad had made a few times but which I couldn't remember very well. I had just made Egg Bread (which was delicious) and made the bread pudding out of that. Then, for Halloween last year, I made this for my parents who had come to visit. My mom was amazed and told me it was the best bread pudding she had ever had! I don't remember what other bread pudding tastes like, so I'll just have to take her word for it.
Any sort of rich, stiff bread will do, but don't use mundane breads like white bread or wheat bread that you would use to make sandwiches. Specialty breads and homemade breads are much better for holding the liquids that make this dessert amazing. 

Ingredients 

Bread Pudding
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups milk/half and half mixture: Use 1 pint half and half, and add enough milk to make up the difference
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla (extract works, but real vanilla is better)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 oz French or other firm bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 10 cups)
1/2 cup raisins 

Topping (can be mixed in instead)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

Non-Alcoholic Rum Sauce
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons water
1 large egg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon rum extract 

Procedure 

1. Grease bottom and sides of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with shortening or cooking spray.

2. In large bowl, beat 4 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk, and 3/4 cup sugar with wire whisk until well blended. Beat in milk, half and half, whipping cream, vanilla, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon until well blended. Stir in the bread pieces and the raisins. Let stand an hour, then pour into baking dish.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. In small bowl, stir 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon until well blended. Sprinkle over top of bread pudding. At this point, the original recipe says to mix the cinnamon sugar with 2 tablespoons of melted butter and then drizzle it over the pudding, but I skipped the butter, sprinkled the cinnamon sugar on top, and then mixed it all together. Since there is a rum sauce that gets poured over the pudding later, I find a sublayer of cinnamon sugar to be pointless.

5. Bake uncovered for 55 to 65 minutes or until top is puffed and light golden brown. The center will jiggle slightly. Cool 30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter over low heat; do not allow to simmer. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes. Mix egg and water in a bowl, then stir into butter until well blended. Stir in 1 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon rum extract.

7. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat, and pour over bread pudding. Cool until the topping is hard enough to keep its shape (more or less) when the pudding is served.

Enjoy!

(Must be refrigerated if not immediately completely consumed.)