Wednesday, December 21, 2011

J Alexanders Macaroni and Cheese

J Alexanders Macaroni and Cheese

Found somewhere on the internet, but do not remember where!!
Serving Size: 4

2 cups (8 ounces) elbow macaroni** good italian pasta**
3 tablespoons butter -- divided plus extra for greasing pan
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups Heavy cream
1/2 onion -- minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 1/4 cups grated gruyere cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs**Panko are best**

Bring 6 cups water and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to rolling boil in medium
saucepan. Add macaroni and cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Drain and put in large bowl. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large
saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking
constantly, 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Stir in onion, bay
leaf and paprika. Simmer gently, stirring often, 15 minutes. Remove
from heat and stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Season to taste with salt
and pepper. Remove bay leaf. Stir in macaroni. Pour half of mixture
into greased, deep 1 1/2-quart baking dish and sprinkle with half of
remaining cheese. Top with remaining macaroni and remaining cheese.
Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in small skillet over medium heat.
Add bread crumbs and toss to coat. Sprinkle buttered crumbs over top
of macaroni. Bake at 350: F. until bread crumbs are lightly browned,
about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Maraschino Cherries Homemade

Yum Yum... can't wait to try theses :)

Maraschino Cherries
From http://www.hiphipgingin.com/?s=maraschino

Sugar
Fresh cherries of your choice (marascas are the best choice but very hard to find)
Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
Small Jar



Choose the best cherries from your batch, enough to fit tightly into your chosen jar (no need to buy a special jar. Remove the stems and pit the cherries. Pack into the jar and add sugar. The amount of sugar is up to you, depending on how sweet you like your cherries. Close the lid tightly and refrigerate for one full day.



The following day add enough Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur to fully cover the cherries. Cover, shake, and marinate in refrigerator for one week, give or take a day or two.

Pop one of these homemade Maraschino cherries in your next Manhattan and become a cocktail hero, extra points if you serve them to a cocktail party crowd.

Enjoy!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Snickers Salad

Snickers Salad
From FOOD.COM

Prep Time: 15 minsTotal Time: 1 hrs 30 mins Servings: 8
Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 (12 ounce) containers Cool Whip, thawed
6 Snickers candy bars
4 -6 granny smith apples
Directions
Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar until thoroughly blended.
Fold in Cool Whip.
Cut Snickers into bite size chunks and add to cream cheese mixture.
Chop the apples into chunks and stir.
Chill 1 hour before serving.
Chilling for a long period of time (such as overnight) will result in liquid being released from the salad.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Honey Glaze with Pretzel Crust

Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Honey Glaze

The Pie of Emeril's Eye Contest Finalist
From the Kitchen of Marilee Simon

Servings: 6-8
Difficulty: Moderate
Cook Time: Over 120 min

Ingredients
Crust
1 1/4 cups pretzel crumbs, finely crushed
1/2 cups sugar
1 stick butter, melted

Pie
6 Reeses Cups (or more if you like)
1 pint whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
8 oz. cream cheese softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
6 tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup peanuts

Glaze
2 tbsp. peanut butter
4 tbsp. honey
chocolate syrup

Directions
Combine crust ingredients well and press into a 9" pie pan. Bake
for 6 to 8 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove and cool completely.

Make the Pie: Chop Reeses Cups and spread into cooled crust.

Whip cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and whip
until peaks are stiff. Set aside.

Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Honey Glaze - continued(page 2)
In large bowl, cream peanut butter and cream cheese. Add powdered
sugar and combine well. Add milk and vanilla and beat for one
minute on high speed.

Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until completely
blended. Spoon into pie shell on top of Reeses Cups.

Garnish with peanuts or as desired. Pie must be refrigerated for
at least four hours before serving. Store leftovers in
refrigerator.

Make the Glaze: Combine peanut butter and honey until blended and
smooth. Add chocolate syrup until desired consistency. Serve over
individual pie slices.

Vanilla Extract

Ruth's Homemade Vanilla Extract- From recipezaar.com

60 days | 5 min prep
1 liter
• 50 g vanilla beans
• 1 liter vodka

In Ruth's own words:.
I use 50 grams of vanilla beans to 1 liter of vodka (45% alc/vol) to make mine.
Check the percentage of alc/vol printed on the bottle; there are many different strengths offered.
(By law, commercially sold pure vanilla extract must contain a minimum of 35% alcohol by volume).
Cut the vanilla beans into small pieces and drop into a bottle of vodka (pour a little vodka out first, as the vanilla beans will cause some displacement).
That's it!
Now you just have to wait for it to steep.
I'll tell you why I cut up the beans, rather than leaving them whole.
The power of the infusion comes from keeping the essential matter (in this case vanilla, which provides the 'essence') submerged in the liquid (in this case, vodka).
Vanilla beans are long and thin, and will stand up vertically in the bottle.
If you are making a small amount (less than a full bottle) the vodka level may not cover all the beans.
Even when using a full bottle of vodka, little by little this will be poured off as you use the extract, meaning the upper part of the (uncut) beans will quickly become exposed to the air.
The longer the beans steep totally submerged the stronger the flavor of the extract.
That is why I wrote that I pour off only a small amount at a time (enough to fill a 100 ml bottle- less than 4 ounces) and keep this on my spice shelf for regular use.
The remainder I leave in the vodka bottle to further infuse with flavor.
By cutting up the vanilla beans, the pieces will sink to the bottom of the bottle so even as I pour off the extract and the vodka level drops, the remainder continues to infuse as all of the vanilla bean pieces are submerged, and the extract continues to develop flavor.
Aside from this, cutting open the seed pods gives greater access (maximum contact) to the flavor cells.
Remember, you will need to filter the extract if the pods were cut--the seeds are very tiny (like ground poppy) so I recommend straining through something very fine, like coffee filter paper.
Okay, so now it has to steep for a couple of months.
It will get darker and darker over time; strain before using.
I strain and transfer a small amount into a small bottle for everyday use (allowing the original batch in the vodka bottle to further intensify in flavor).
Here's the fun part: the same vanilla beans may be reused to make more essence!
When the liter is all used up, I refill the vodka 50% of the original (using 500 cc or 1/2 liter of vodka) for the second infusion.
When that is used up I may go for a 3rd infusion, using 50% of the previous (this time 250 cc or 1/4 liter of vodka)-- as long as the color comes through the flavor will too.
You really cannot imagine how much flavor these beans contain!
I remember when I first read about doing a 2nd or 3rd infusion (using the same beans) I was skeptical, thinking that this was stretching things too far-- but when I tried it, I found that it really works!
As long as you see the color come through, the flavor will also be there.
As I explained, I cut the vodka in half for each successive infusion, compensating for depleted flavor by raising the concentration factor.
I have been making all my own vanilla extract for years using this method with excellent results.
Commercial vanilla extract is made from the lowest quality vanilla beans: rejects and broken pieces that cannot be sold in open market.
When making the extract yourself, however, you have control over the quality of the vanilla beans used.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Taco Bake


I do not remember where I got this recipe, I think kraft.com

1 pkg. Kraft Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese Dinner
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup salsa

Prepare Dinner as directed on package. Meanwhile, brown meat in skillet, drain. Add taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water to meat, simmer 5 mins. Stir sour cream into prepared Dinner. Spoon half of the Dinner mixture into 2 qt. baking dish; top with layers of the meat mixture, 1 cup of cheese and remaining Dinner mixture. Cover. Bake at 400 for 15 mins. Top with salsa and remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake uncovered, 5 more mins.

* I did not use the Deluxe mac & cheese mix, I just used a family-sized box of regular Kraft Dinner and added a little more milk/butter,,,,did not add the sour cream. It turned out really well!!! I used medium salsa, and there was enough zing for us. Will def make it again

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Candied Jalapenos

Recipe from Alosha's Kitchen @ http://aloshaskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/02/candied-jalapenos.html

** These are so good on crackers with cream cheese.***
Ingredients
(recipe can easily be scaled in either direction - I do one-third this amount and end up with one full 1-pint jar)

3 pounds fresh, firm, jalapeno peppers
2 cups apple cider vinegar
5 cups white granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
3 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

Method

Wearing gloves (wear gloves!!), stem but do not seed the jalapeno peppers. Discard the stems and slice the peppers into 1/4 inch rounds. Set aside.

In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pepper slices and simmer for exactly 4 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peppers into clean, sterile 1-pint canning jars, to within 1/4 inch of the upper rims. Turn heat up under the pot with the syrup and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 6 minutes.

Use a ladle to pour the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeno slices.

Insert a cooking chopstick to the bottom of the jars two or three times to release any trapped pockets of air. Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on new, two-piece lids to finger-tip tightness.

Place jars in a canner (or a large stock pot with a towel on the bottom to cushion the jars) and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring the water to a full rolling boil. When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 15 minutes. When timer goes off, use canning tongs (or a thick oven mitt) to transfer the jars to a cooling rack. Leave the jars to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth.

Allow to mellow for at least two weeks, but preferably a month before eating. the longer you wait the better..

Monday, May 9, 2011

Enchiladas and Enchiladas sauce

Enchiladas and Enchiladas sauce

These were so good and so easy.

Easy Enchiladas (Beef or Chicken)
From food.com

• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Serves: 4-6, Yield: 12 enchiladas
Ingredients
o 1 lb ground beef or 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
o 1/4 cup chopped onions
o 1 teaspoon garlic powder ( I prefer fresh minced)
o 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
o 1 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
o 1 teaspoon paprika
o 1 teaspoon oregano
o 2 teaspoons chili powder ( more or less for your taste)
o 1/2 teaspoon cumin
o 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
o 3 cups shredded cheese ( I like the jack or cheddar combos)
o 1 (10 ounce) cans enchilada sauce ( I prefer the green sauce)
o olives (optional)
o 12 corn tortillas
o oil
Directions
1. If using chicken, boil chicken in water.
2. Then rinse and shred with fork.
3. Add onion and garlic.
4. If using ground beef, brown with onion and garlic, drain.
5. Add next 7 ingredients (worcestershire sauce through black pepper).
6. In another skillet, heat oil.
7. Add tortillas, one at a time, for 10 seconds on each side.
8. Drain on paper towel.
9. In 10x13 baking pan, pour just enough enchilada sauce in the bottom to coat the bottom of the pan.
10. Fill each tortilla with a spoonful of meat mixture.
11. Cheese, onions, and/or olives can be put inside each enchilada at this time, if desired.
12. Roll tortilla and place seam side down in pan.
13. Continue with remaining tortillas.
14. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas and top with cheese (additional olives may be added if desired).
15. At this time, pan may be refrigerated for several hours or overnight.
16. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes (30 minutes if refrigerated).
17. Top with sour cream.

Texas Red Enchilada Sauce
From food.com

• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Yield: 2-3 cups
Ingredients
o 2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine
o 2 tablespoons flour
o 5 teaspoons red chili powder
o 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
o 2 teaspoons garlic powder
o 6 ounces tomato paste
o 2 1/4 cups water
o salt and pepper
Directions
1. Melt butter/margarine in a sauce pan.
2. Make a roux by browning flour in melted butter/margarine.
3. Add spices and tomato paste; stir until well blended into roux.
4. Add water gradually, stirring constantly.
5. Heat until boiling.
6. Continue simmering and stirring until desired thickness is achieved.
7. Taste every so often and adjust spices as needed.
8. Once desired consistency and taste is reached, coat the bottom of a pan with the sauce, add freshly rolled enchiladas, then pour the remainder of the red sauce over enchiladas.
9. Place pan in oven and cook until enchiladas are done.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Puttanesca Sauce

Great pasta sauce!!! You can add you favorite meat or sausage as well, but good as is!!!

Pasta alla Puttanesca
From Taste of home.
5 ServingsPrep: 15 min. Cook: 20 min.
Ingredients
• 3 anchovy fillets
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Hunt’s® Original Diced Tomatoes, undrained
• 1-1/4 cups water
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped pitted Greek olives
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
• Hot cooked pasta
Directions
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook anchovy fillets in oil for
• 2 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes,
• water, tomato paste and seasonings.

• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or
• until slightly thickened. Stir in olives and capers; heat through.
• Serve with pasta. Yield: 3-1/2 cups.

Nutrition Facts: 2/3 cup (calculated without pasta) equals 146 calories, 10 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 2 mg cholesterol, 668 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 3 g protein.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Double Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake

By Paula Deen
Ingredients
• Butter, for greasing pan, plus 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, melted
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
• 1 egg, plus 2 eggs
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3 to 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped nuts
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 egg, and 8 tablespoons (1 stick) melted butter, and stir until well blended. Pat mixture into prepared pan and set aside. In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the remaining 2 eggs, and the cocoa powder. Lower the speed of the mixer, and add the powdered sugar. Continue beating until ingredients are well mixed. Slowly add the remaining 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of melted butter, and the vanilla, continuing to beat the mixture until smooth. Stir in nuts with a rubber spatula. Spread filling over cake mixture in pan.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the cake; the center should still be a little gooey when finished baking. Let cake partially cool on a wire rack before cutting into pieces.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Chicken Tamale Casserole

This makes a 13x9 pan.... lots of food.. very good and easy to make..

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Yield: 8 servings


1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
Cooking spray
1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream


1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.


CALORIES 354 (36% from fat); FAT 14.1g (sat 7.1g,mono 3.3g,poly 1.2g); IRON 1.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 58mg; CALCIUM 179mg; CARBOHYDRATE 36.3g; SODIUM 620mg; PROTEIN 18.9g; FIBER 2.5g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2008

Monday, January 17, 2011

Bang Bang Shrimp

BANG BANG SHRIMP

Taste just like Bonefish Grill

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
3 drops Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (or to taste)
1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp
Dry cornstarch
oil for frying
lettuce
chopped scallions

Directions:

Mix mayonnaise with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Add hot sauce to taste. Dredge the shrimp in cornstarch. Deep fat fry the shrimp until lighty brown. Drain on paper towel, put in a bowl and coat with the sauce. Serve in a lettuce lined bowl, top with chopped scallions

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala
From recipezaar.com #25587
2 hours | 1½ hours prep
SERVES 4
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken, cut in 1 inch cubes
Marinade
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground red pepper
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 piece minced ginger (1-inchinch" long)
• 6 bamboo skewers (6-inchinch")
Sauce
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (buy in Indian market)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Soak bamboo skewers in water.
For sauce, melt butter on medium heat.
Add garlic& jalapeno; cook 1 minute.
Stir in coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala& salt.
Stir in tomato sauce.
Simmer 15 minutes.
Stir in cream; simmer to thicken- about 5 minutes.
Thread chicken on skewers, and marinate (in the refrigerator) for an hour or so.
Discard marinade.
Grill or broil chicken, turning occasionally, to cook through- about 8 minutes.
Remove chicken from skewers; add to sauce.
Simmer 5 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro Serve with basmati rice, naan or pita bread.
Note: You can make your own garam masala.
McCormick also makes garam masala; it's available in super markets.

Individual Oreo Cheesecake

Individual Oreo Cheesecake
These are so good and very easy.. I topped them with strawberry sauce.

From Kraftfoods.com

• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Servings: 24
Ingredients
o 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
o 3/4 cup sugar
o 3 eggs
o 24 Oreo cookies
o 1/4 cup chocolate chips ( melted)
o whipped cream (optional)
Directions
1. Line 24 cupcake tins with cupcake wrappers.
2. Place 1 Oreo Cookie at the bottom of each wrapper (or chop oreos into coarse pieces and place at bottom).
3. Mix cream cheese and sugar until well blended.
4. Add eggs one at a time and mix well.
5. Spoon cream cheese mixture into cupcakes.
6. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
7. Place in refrigerator for at least one hour to firm up.
8. Drizzle with melted chocolate.
9. Top with a spoonful of whipped cream (optional).

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Homemade Samoas Bars

My friend Anne makes these and they are awesome.. :) gotta try them.. better then the girl scout ones..
Homemade Samoas Bars
Cookie Base:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
First, make the crust.
Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly, like wet sand. The dough does not need to come together. Pour crumbly dough into prepapred pan and press into an even layer.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until base is set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.
Topping
3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
12-oz good-quality chewy caramels
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp milk
10 oz. dark or semisweet chocolate (chocolate chips are ok)
Preheat oven to 300. Spread coconut evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet (preferably one with sides) and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.
Put dollops of the topping all over the shortbread base. Using the spatula, spread topping into an even layer. Let topping set until cooled.
When cooled, cut into 30 bars with a large knife or a pizza cutter (it’s easy to get it through the topping).
Once bars are cut, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. Dip the base of each bar into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer all remaining chocolate (or melt a bit of additional chocolate, if necessary) into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle bars with chocolate to finish.
Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.
Makes 30 bar cookies.
Note: You can simply drizzle chocolate on top of the bars before slicing them up if you’re looking for yet an easier way to finish these off. You won’t need quite as much chocolate as noted above, and you won’t quite get the Samoas look, but the results will still be tasty.

Spicy Crispy Beef

Spicy Crispy Beef
Have never found a recipe for crispy ginger beef like the
ones in the restaurants. Have experimented, and have found
something pretty close. Serve with rice and some steamed
veggies.
Prep Time: approx. 20 Minutes. Cook Time: approx. 20
Minutes. Ready in: approx. 45 Minutes. Makes 4 servings.
Printed from Allrecipes, Submitted by Brent

1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tablespoon salt
black pepper
12 ounces flank steak, thinly sliced
1 quart oil for frying

4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 tablespoon rice wine
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
7 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon chile paste
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons chopped fresh
ginger root
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup sliced onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper


Directions
1 Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2 Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine cornstarch, salt
and pepper together. Mix thoroughly. Toss the steak slices
in the cornstarch mixture and coat well.
3 Deep fry the coated steak slices until golden brown.
Check to make sure they are cooked through. Remove from oil,
and set aside.
4 In another mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice
vinegar, rice wine and honey. Add sugar, chili paste, water,
and ginger. Mix well and set aside.
5 Heat a wok or deep frying pan over medium high heat.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil, and quickly saute the onion,
garlic and red pepper for 30 seconds. Add the sauce mixture,
and cook another 30 seconds. Finally, add the strips of
fried steak and toss to heat through and coat with sauce.

Editor's Note:
We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying

Banana Nut Bread

Banana Nut Bread- so simple and so good..
From Real simple
Serves 16
Hands-on Time: 05m
Total Time: 50m
Ingredients
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 package Jell-O Instant Banana Cream Pudding & Pie Filling
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup chopped pecans
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350° F.
2. Mix all the ingredients well. Pour into 2 large or 4 small greased loaf pans.
3. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. (For those allergic to nuts, this recipe can be made without the pecans.)
Tip
Use a paring knife to cut fruits and vegetables.
Nutritional Information
Calcium 57mg; Calories 307; Carbohydrate 36g; Cholesterol 54mg; Fat 17g; Fiber 1g; Iron 1mg; Protein 4mg; Sat Fat 2g; Sodium 326mg