Random Recipes

Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese

Source: http://www.food.com

This recipe came from the Wolfgang Puck rice cooker cookbook. I found this at food.com and tried it out with my rice cooker. I kept an eye on it as I wasn’t sure if it would shut itself off and it was a good thing I did, as I felt it would have overcooked if I wouldn’t have flipped it to “warm” myself. I then added the rest of the ingredients and again kept an eye on it. The flavor is excellent and I do like cooking it this way but intend to add a little more chicken broth the next time I make it as I felt it was a little dry. I also used Velvetta cheese instead of the cheddar, as that is what mom always used in her Mac and Cheese! I also substituted non-dairy creamers for the heavy cream.
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 1/2 cups chicken broth - or 1 1⁄2 cups water and a good-quality chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt - (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Combine macaroni, broth and cream in Rice Cooker, press cook and stir occasionally.
When machine switches to keep warm, add remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly until all cheese is melted.
Press Cook again. The Rice Cooker will switch to keep warm after just a few minutes; this is the point where the cheese on the bottom turns that delicious brown. Serve.

My son gave me the following recipe. It is one of his favorites and it works well as an appetizer or served for lunch with a good crusty bread, like the Ciabatta that I published the recipe for last week.

Gazpacho

Source: Bob Klinker

Keeps, tightly covered, in the freezer up to 3 months.”
1 cucumber - peeled and diced
1 green bell pepper - diced
5 green onions - chopped
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 can tomatoes - diced
2 stalks celery - diced
2 cans navy beans - rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 (46 fluid ounce) can V8 tomato juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 t. sugar - optional
In a 4-quart serving bowl or soup tureen, combine cucumber, bell pepper, green onion, garlic, tomatoes, celery, navy beans, olive oil, vinegar and tomato juice Season with cumin, parsley, basil, oregano and salt. Adjust spices and seasonings to taste. Chill in refrigerator at least 4 hours before serving cold.

The following recipe came from a friend of my son’s in Tenn. It would be good served for brunch or as a dessert for dinner. It is similar to the Norwegian Pancake recipe I have published in the past.

Rum Pancakes

Source: Brittany Veeneman

5 oz. plain flour
1 t. sugar
2 eggs
1 T. olive oil
1 T. rum
1/2 pint milk
oil for frying
grated chocolate - to decorate
For the filling:
1/2 pint double cream
2 T. rum
2 t. caster sugar
Sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Stir in the sugar, eggs, olive oil and run. Blade thoroughly, drawing in the flour from the sides, until the mixture is smooth.
Gradually add the milk, a little at a time, beating well between each additional The batter should be smooth and the consistency of single cream. Add a little more milk if necessary and then leave to stand for 1 hour.
Brush a small omelette pan with a little oil and heat thoroughly. Pour in sufficient batter to cover the base of the pan thinly, tilting the pan until evenly covered. Cook until the underside of the batter is set and golden brown, and then flip the pancake over and cook the other side. Remove and keep warm. Cook the remaining pancakes in the same way.
Make the filling: Whip the cream until thick and gently stir in the rum and sugar. Spread the warm pancakes with the filling and roll up or fold over. Sprinkle with grated chocolate and serve the pancakes immediately.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 cup unsalted butter - melted
1 cup buttermilk
8 oz cheddar cheese - shredded
1 tsp dried parsley
For Topping:
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp smoked paprika
Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, garlic powder, salt, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and dried parsley.
In a medium bowl stir the buttermilk and melted butter together, you’ll notice the butter will form small clumps.
Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix gently with a spatula. Add cheese and mix until the cheese is well incorporated.
Drop heaping spoonfuls or use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop out dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Make sure to leave at least 1 in in between biscuits.
Brush with buttermilk then sprinkle with paprika and dried parsley.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 12 servings

Applebee’s Lemonade

1 quart water
1 cup sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice
Sparkling water (not tonic water, like Perrier)
Mix first three ingredients together. Fill a tall glass 2/3 to 3/4 with lemon mixture then fill with sparkling water. An interesting variation is to puree some fruit (raspberries, strawberries, etc.) with a little superfine or powdered sugar and put that in the glass before adding the lemonade and water. Print this post