Random Recipes

I use a program called “Shop’NCook Pro” on my MacBook Pro laptop and put all my favorite recipes in it. One of features that this program has is the capability of creating menus and saving them. I use this a lot for the Bed and Breakfast. If I have someone coming I go to that date on the calendar in the program and either load the menu onto that date or create a new one. That way I can look back to see what I served them before and try something new on them! In that same section I have created a “menu” that I have called “Recipes to Try” so when I come across a recipe that looks really good I put it there and when I find some time during the week I can go there and pick out one of the recipes and then give it a 1-5 star rating.
This week I have included some of those “random recipes.” I have not tried all of these yet so if you do, let me know what you think!

Granola

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter - plus more as needed
Pinch salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
5 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts - almonds, or pecans
1 cup dried coconut flakes
2 cups dried fruit such as cherries - raisins, cranberries, blueberries, pineapple, etc.
Combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, and almond extract. Let cool slightly.
Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a rimmed baking sheet.
Combine the oats, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and nuts in a large mixing bowl. Pour the warm syrup over the oat mixture.
Butter your hands and mix well. Press the mixture into the prepared baking sheet.
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Bake the granola until lightly browned, about 1 hour.
Let cool, then break into chunks in a large mixing bowl.
Stir in the coconut and dried fruit. Store in an airtight container.

This recipe was in the “Recipes to Try” and I found some time to try it this last week and it was the best way to prepare cooked carrots that I have ever eaten, hands down. I think that you would like it even if you have not liked cooked carrots in the past - it’s that good! You just have to try it. I found the recipe on the Food Network site and it even has a video to go with it: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/glazed-carrots-recipe/index.html

Glazed Carrots

1 pound carrots - approximately 7 medium, peeled and cut on the bias 1/4-inch thick
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
Heavy pinch kosher salt
1 cup good-quality ginger ale
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
In a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat, combine the carrots, butter, salt and ginger ale. Cover and bring to a simmer.
Once simmering, remove the lid, stir, and reduce the heat to low.
Cover again and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, add the chili powder and increase the heat to high.
Cook, tossing occasionally, until the ginger ale is reduced to a glaze, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
Pour into a serving dish and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings

Roasted Onion Dip

Source: Bounty of Biltmore
This dip thickens as it chills and can double as a dressing for salad greens.
1 c. balsamic vinegar
1 large purple onion - cut in half crosswise (about 1 pound)
1 t. beef bouillon granules
3/4 t. Ranch-style salad dressing mix
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 to 1/2 t. pepper
2 (3 oz.) packages cream cheese
1 (8 oz.) carton sour cream
3/4 c. mayonnaise
Bring vinegar to a boil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Remove from heat; place onion, cut side down, in skillet. Roast, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until onion is tender and brown. let cool.
Combine onion, bouillon granules, and next 3 ingredients in an electric blender or food processor; cover and process until almost smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides.
Add cream cheese to blender; cover and process 3 minutes, stopping once to scrape down sides. Add sour cream and mayonnaise. Cover and process 1 minute. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
Serve with assorted fresh vegetables and crackers. Yield: 4 cups.

Orange Slice Cake

recipe from Carole Blakeman
Mix together
1 lb. orange candy slices - cut up fine
4 ounces coconut
2 cups pecans - cut up
1 pound dates - cut up
1 tsp. lemon juice
Sprinkle over fruit
1 cup flour
Mix well.
Beat together
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter - melted
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup buttermilk
Add
3 cups flour
Mix well.
Combine the two mixtures together. Bake at 250° for 2 1/2 hours or more, depending on size of pan. Remove from oven, leave in pans.
While still hot, Mix:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup orange juice
Punch holes in middle of hot cakes. Pour over cakes a little at a time until it is all absorbed. It’s very good!

Recipe Tip:

If you’re peeling and dicing potatoes for a stew or other dish, you can prepare them a few days ahead and store them in the refrigerator, in a container filled with water. To keep them from turning brown or becoming mushy when cooked, add some white vinegar (1 Tbsp. per 2 cups water) before submerging the potatoes. Print this post