Buttermilk Hidden Valley Ranch Oyster Crackers

Years ago, while I was still a working woman, a co-worker brought in this snack for a potluck. It's so crunchy, delicious, and easy to assemble that I wonder why it's taken so long to resurface.

Ingredients

1 (0.4 oz. pkg.) Buttermilk Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. dried dill
¼ tsp. garlic powder
1 (12 oz.) pkg. oyster crackers

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.
2. In a small bowl, stir oil, dressing mix, dill and garlic powder until mixed through.
3. Pour crackers in a large pan and pour prepared oil over crackers..
4. Toss crackers until well coated with oil.
5. Arrange crackers on an ungreased cookie sheet in a single layer.
6. Bake at  250°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until crackers are golden brown.
7. Store in an airtight container after cooling to room temperature.

Baked Cauliflorets Tossed in Sweet Chili Sauce

A quick-cooking baked cauliflower side dish that uses five ingredients and is so easy to prepare.

Chicken & Potatoes Divine

This casserole took about an hour to prepare which includes the 40 minutes of baking time. It is a twist on Chicken Divan which uses broccoli instead of the potatoes used here. I used skinless boneless chicken thighs, but I'm sure bone-in thighs would taste even better. 

Baked Tandoori Chicken with Mayonnaise

This dinner took exactly half an hour to put on the table. The boneless, skinless chicken thighs were very tender, the onions crystallized and the potatoes fork tender because the dish was baked at a high temperature.

Amish Friendship Bread

My two loaves of Amish Friendship Bread

The dark spots are cookies
and white spots are cream
from the Oreo Cookies 'n Creme pudding mix

This is definitely one of the yummiest breads I've ever baked and the most interesting process ever. Okay, let's see if I can describe how this goes. It's called a friendship bread because the batter is shared with friends. 

I received a baked bread and a batch of starter batter from a friend on Mother's Day. It's one of the best gifts (after the cartoon caricature my son drew of me on his MD card) I've received because it will be remembered for many years to come!

Along with the starter batter, I received a set of instructions on how to care for it and a recipe for the two loaves it yields at the end of ten days. I'd like to add that even though it seems like a lot of work, it really wasn't and, strangely enough, I actually enjoyed 'babying' the bag of starter batter!

The starter batter came in a Ziploc bag with the date of the day it was placed in the bag. This date is Day 1. 

Day 1-4: Massage batter from the outside of the bag. Mush it and mash it.

Day 5: Add 1 cup each of flour, sugar and milk; mush it and mash it.

Day 6-9: Mush it and mash it.

Day 10: This is baking day! Add a cup each of flour, sugar and milk; mush it and mash it.  Put 1 cup in each of four (1 gallon) Ziploc bags. The batter that is left is combined with the ingredients in the basic recipe to make 2 loaves of Amish Friendship Bread. 

Keep one Ziploc bag for yourself and share the others with friends, or share all four with friends. If you keep one bag for yourself, you'll be baking every 10 days. 

Today was day 10 for me and I am very happy with the results. The basic recipe calls for a package of Jello Instant Pudding and I used Oreo Cookies 'n Creme pudding mix.

The process is very well explained on a blog I found on the Internet, so rather than reproduce it here, on my blog, I will point you to the source.

Amish Friendship Bread Starter

Amish Friendship Bread (Basic Recipe)

Here are some variations to the basic recipe.

Apple Cinnamon Friendship Bread

Banana Nut Amish Friendship Bread

Carrot Cake Amish Friendship Bread

Cherry Amish Friendship Bread

Pumpkin Spice Amish Friendship Bread

The following variations came from the same source as above. The only reason for reproducing them here is to caution you to NOT add 1/2 cup of milk with the pudding mix because the Basic Recipe includes a package of vanilla pudding mix and 1/2 a cup of milk!

Banana-Chocolate Chip Friendship Bread
In the basic recipe, reduce oil to 1/3 cup.
Replace vanilla pudding with 1 large package of instant banana pudding.
Stir in 1 cup very ripe mashed bananas and 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate minichips.


Butterscotch Amish Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large  box of instant butterscotch pudding.
Add 1 cup butterscotch chips.

Caramel Apple Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large  box of instant caramel pudding.
Add 2 cups diced apples.

Chocolate Amish Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large  box of instant chocolate pudding.
Add 3 tsp. cocoa and 3/4 cup chocolate chips.


Chocolate-Cherry Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla extract with almond extract.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 (5.1 oz)  box of instant chocolate pudding.
Add 3 tsp. cocoa and 1 cup dried cherries.


Cookies 'n Cream Amish Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large box of instant cookies 'n creme pudding.

Cranberry-Orange Friendship Bread
Replace milk in the basic recipe with orange juice.
Stir in 1 Tbsp. orange zest and 1 cup dried cranberries.


Lemon Amish Friendship Bread
Replace cinnamon and nuts with 1/4 cup poppy seeds.
Replace vanilla extract with lemon extract.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large  box of instant lemon pudding.

Mounds Bar Amish Frienship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding with  1 large  box of instant chocolate pudding.
Add chocolate chips and sweet shredded coconut.

Strawberry Amish Friendship Bread
Omit cinnamon from the basic recipe.
Replace vanilla pudding and 1/2 cup milk with 1 small box of strawberry jello.
Add 1 cup thawed strawberries.

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Easy Meatloaf Dinner

Meatloaf Dinner 

All that's left to be made is the gravy!

Remove meatloaf from oven and allow to rest
for at least 15 minutes before slicing so that
any residual juices are absorbed

October 14, 2011

Kole, our grandson who is 5 years old, spent the evening with us yesterday. 

When we got to our home, he asked, "What are we having for dinner?" 

I said "Meatloaf, rice and gravy with green beans and carrots". 
"But I don't like meatloaf!" to which I replied "Which little boy do you know who doesn't like hamburger?" 
You should have seen how clean his rice bowl was when he was all done  
He had so much fun with the green beans. He took each one apart and ate the little pods and counted all the depressions left by the pods before eating the rest. 
He's totally charming!

Serves:             6

Prep Time:       30 minutes

Baking Time:    1 hour

Cooking Time:  15 minutes (for vegetables & gravy)

Ingredients

For meatloaf:

1 lb. meatloaf mix (1:1 ground beef, pork and veal) 

½ 6 oz. pkg. Kraft Stove Top Chicken Stuffing Mix 

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 large or 8-10 baby carrots, grated

1 medium onion, grated

¼ cup Heinz tomato ketchup

2 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

For side of vegetables per person:

1 handful green beans, ends removed

8-10 baby carrots

4-6 florets cauliflower or broccoli

Butter and salt to taste

For beef gravy:

1 8 oz. bottle Heinz Beef Gravy 

1 cup hot water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Bring meatloaf mix to room temperature.
3. Grind stuffing mix in food processor; place in a deep bowl.
4. Grate celery, carrots and onion (mirepoix) in food processor.
5. Combine stuffing mix, mirepoix, ketchup, beaten eggs, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.
6. Add this to the meatloaf mixture and using hands mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
7. Place in a glass loaf pan, pat down to fill all nooks and crannies, cover with foil and bake at 375°F for ½ hour.
8. Remove foil and bake another ½ hour or until internal temperature reaches at least 160°F.
9. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, slice and serve over hot cooked rice or mashed potatoes topped with gravy.

Notes:

Mirepoix is a combination of chopped carrots, celery and onions used to add flavor and aroma to stocks, sauces, soups and other foods. 

The amount of vegetables listed in the ingredients should be multiplied by the number of guests being served. 

Blanched Vegetables:

1. In a big pan, bring a generous quantity of water to a boil.
2. Blanch each vegetable, removing vegetables as soon as water returns to a boil. 
3. Toss each vegetable with a little butter and salt to taste. 

Beef Gravy:

1. Reserve 1 cup hot water in which vegetables have been blanched.
2. Into a saucepan, empty the bottle of Heinz Beef Gravy, stir in as much hot water as needed to achieve the desired consistency of gravy and bring to a boil.

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Aam Doi - Baked Mango Yogurt Dessert

I found this recipe on Bong Mom's Cookbook but modified it a bit because the idea of using mango pulp as well as condensed milk seemed too sweet.  This is made the same way as Bhapa Doi except that condensed milk has been replaced with mango pulp. 

This is very quick and easy to make and took me exactly 10 minutes to put together and pop in the oven before setting the table for dinner.  We were so anxious to try it that we had it for dessert right after dinner today.

Ingredients:

1 cup (8 oz.) mango pulp*
1 can Carnation Evaporated Milk
1 tub (7 oz.) Greek unflavored yogurt**
1/2 tsp. saffron, crushed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300F.
2. Blend all ingredients and pour into an oven-proof dish.
3. Place the dish in a larger pan of water.
4. Bake at 300F for 45 minutes or until the edges brown slightly.
5. It's okay for the center to jiggle slightly.
6. Refrigerate overnight and serve cold.

*   Mango pulp is available in cans in Indian grocery stores.

** Greek yogurt is thick enough that it doesn't need to be strained, which saves time.  If Greek yogurt is not available use plain yogurt that has been strained overnight or use this tip provided by Vidya for a quick way to strain yogurt:  Spread a whole ( yes all 20 pages ) newspaper on your counter, cover with cheese cloth, folded twice over. Spread the yogurt on this in a 1/2 " thin layer. Wait 10 mins and it's done! Wait a little longer and you have a nice curd cheese.

Bhapa Doi

Bhapa (steamed) Doi (yogurt) is a baked yogurt dessert that tastes a lot like cheesecake.  It is also very similar to Laal Doi (red yogurt) that is available in the Kolkata sweet shops (misti dokan).

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz.) can condensed milk
1 (16.oz.) can evaporated milk
1 (6 oz.) tub plain yogurt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. Blend all ingredients.
3. Pour into a glass baking pan and bake at 350*F for 30 minutes.
4. Lower oven temperature to 275*F and bake for another 30 minutes.
5. Refrigerate overnight.

Beet & Vegetable Chops

Vegetable Chops - Beets, Carrots and Sweet Potato are boiled,
mashed and formed into patties, using besan (chickpea flour)
as a binding agent.

Ingredients:

3 medium beets

4 carrots

1 sweet potato

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup chickpea flour (besan)

2 tsp. plain yogurt or sour cream

1 tsp. salt

Cilantro, chopped

Green onions, chopped

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Method:

1. Cut root vegetables into chunks and boil in salted water for 15-20 minutes.
2. Drain vegetables and mash with a fork or potato masher until it resembles chunky mashed potatoes.
3. Add chopped onions, flour, yogurt or sour cream & salt and mix through.
4. Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.
5. Using a tablespoon to measure, drop vegetable mixture into hot oil and flatten to form a patty.
6. Shallow fry for 2-3 minutes on each side.
7. Drain patties on a plate lined with a paper towel.
8. Alternatively, chops may be baked on a cookie sheet (foil lined and greased) at 400F for 20 minutes.
9. Serve patties with lime and tamarind chutney. 

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