Huli-huli Chicken!

This is a marinade recipe, so don’t be fussy about measuring. Jus’ do ‘em to taste.

The recipe is enough for about three chickens, split in half.  You can use chicken pieces if that’s what you have. Marinate your chicken for at least a half-hour.

                               1/3 cup ketchup
                               1/3 cup soy sauce
                               1/4 cup brown sugar
                               1/4 cup honey
                               1/4 cup sherry
                               1-2 Tbsp. sesame oil
                               1-2-more pieces ginger root, crushed
                               3 cloves garlic, crushed
                               Worchestershire sauce to taste
                               Sriracha or Asian chili paste (or red pepper flakes) to taste
                               Squeeze a lemon in if you've got one

Brush the chicken with the remaining marinade while cooking over a grill. And don't forget to huli the chicken.

Zucchini and Olive Salad

Thanks, WebMD Daily Bite!

Zucchini and Olive Salad

By Dana Treat
WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com

How can something that tastes so amazing be so very simple? Guests show up unannounced and you with nothing to put on the table? No problem. You can whip this dish together in under 15 minutes.

Ingredients

3 medium zucchini, ends trimmed, and sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
1 tbsp. lemon zest
½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and very finely chopped
Olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup basil, julienned
Sea salt

Instructions

Arrange the zucchini in an overlapping pattern either on a rectangular or circular platter.  Scatter the lemon zest and olives evenly over top.  Carefully drizzle with olive oil (use a light hand here, otherwise it will get soggy), and then squeeze lemon juice over the zucchini.  Sprinkle with sea salt and scatter the basil over top.
Inspired by "Bon Appétit"
Total Servings: 4

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories: 48
Carbohydrates: 7.7 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Fat: 2.1 g
Fiber: 2.4 g
Sodium: 278 mg
Protein: 2.1g
Sugar: 3.0 g

This sweet and sour pork is prepared American-style with more batter and deep-fried twice for extra crispiness.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound pork tenderloin
• 2 - 3 teaspoons soy sauce
• Pinch of cornstarch
• Sauce:
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup water or reserved pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
• Batter:
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• 1/3 cup warm water, as needed
• Other:
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup pineapple chunks
• 3 cups oil for deep-frying, or as needed

Preparation:

Directions for sweet and sour pork
Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes. Marinate in the soy sauce and cornstarch for 20 minutes.

To prepare the sauce, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, ketchup, dark soy sauce, salt, water or juice and vinegar. Set aside. In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Set aside.

Peel the carrot and chop on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. Cut the bell peppers in half, remove the seeds and cut into cubes.

Heat the oil for deep--frying to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the batter, combine the flour and cornstarch. Stir in the egg white and vegetable oil. Add as much of the warm water as is needed to form a thick batter that is neither too dry or too moist. (The batter should not be runny, but should drop off the back of a spoon).

Dip the marinated pork cubes in the batter. Deep-fry in batches, taking care not to overcrowd the wok. Deep-fry the pork until it is golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.

(If desired you can deep-fry the pork at second time to make it extra crispy. Make sure the oil is back up to 375 before you begin deep-frying again).

To prepare the sweet and sour sauce, bring the sauce ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, green pepper, and pineapple. Bring to a boil again and thicken with cornstarch mixture, stirring. Check the sauce one more time and adjust seasonings, adding salt and/or vinegar if desired. Serve hot over the deep-fried pork. Serve the sweet and sour pork over rice.

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

Dough:

• 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 1 large whole egg, room temperature
• 2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
• 3 ounces unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
• 6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
• 20 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting
• 1 package instant dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• Vegetable oil or cooking spray

Filling:

• 8 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 cup packed
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 3/4-ounce unsalted butter, melted, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons

Icing:

• 2 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened, approximately 1/4 cup
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 5 1/2 ounces powdered sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups

Directions

For the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.


Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 30 minutes.


While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the milk and whisk until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.

Nana's Cocktail Meatballs

1 bag frozen Italian-style or homestyle meatballs
2 cups ketchup
2 cups grape jam
Lemon juice, to taste (maybe 1/4-1/2 cup, to make the sauce tangy)

Mix ketchup, grape jam and lemon juice in a sauce pan over medium heat until combined.  Add frozen meatballs and cook on medium-low until heated through. 

This can also be prepared in a crock pot.

Apple Crumb Pie

Thanks to my sister Susan for posting a link to this Taste of Home recipe.  Very good warm, with vanilla ice cream!

• 6-8 Servings
• Prep: 15 min. Bake: 45 min.

Ingredients

• Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches)
• 6 cups chopped peeled tart apples (about 6 medium)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 
  TOPPING:
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cold butter

Directions

• Line a 9-in. pie plate with pastry; flute edges and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the apples, butter, sour cream, lemon juice, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spoon into pastry shell.
• For topping, in a large bowl, combine flour and sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over filling.
• Bake at 375° for 45-50 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the apples are tender. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: 1 piece equals 380 calories, 17 g fat (9 g saturated fat), 30 mg cholesterol, 189 mg sodium, 57 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein.

Apple Crumb Pie published in Taste of Home October/November 2001, p31

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (210g) flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (1/4 L) pumpkin purée*
1/2 cup (1 dL) olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup (1 dL) chopped walnuts

* To make pumpkin purée, cut a pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lie face down on a foil or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don't use for future use. Or, if you are working with pumpkin pieces, roast or boil them until tender, then remove and discard the skin.

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.
3 Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.
Makes one loaf. Can easily double the recipe.