This Dame Cooks A Collection of Recipes from Alaska to the South Pacific and Caribbean

A book exchange is guaranteed to provide plenty of reading material.  To get started my friends sent me boxes of paperback books from their various sources.  Along with current novels there were some rather old books without covers that I finally found a use for.  This wreath was made from pages of an Andrew Greeley novel written in the 80s called Lord of the Dance.

The center is from last Christmas’ decorations.  The whole thing cost less than $2 for the hot glue and a paper clasp.  I made the page cones while watching TV and assembled the wreath in less than an hour the next day.

Give this a try Crafty People…

Start a new Thanksgiving tradition with Homemade Dinner Rolls.  Your friends and family will rave about these rolls.  This recipe was inspired by a recipe from Taste of Home for Sweet Milk Dinner Rolls.   Soft in the center, tender on the outside, decidely onion in flavor and easy to make… this recipe is definitely a keeper.

Make a batch before Thanksgiving, wrap with aluminum foil, place in a plastic storage bag and freeze up to 2 weeks.  Remove from storage bag and thaw in aluminum foil for a couple of hours. Reheat in 350° F. oven for 12 minutes oven while you make the turkey gravy.

The basic dough is a blank palette for other flavors and textures too.  Substitute grated cheddar cheese for the minced onion and regular salt for the onion salt.  Add fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme or, eggwash and sprinkle the tops with poppy seeds or course sea salt.    Try it with raisins, walnuts and cinnamon for a decadent sticky bun.   Make it your recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1  pkg Red Star Dry Active Yeast
• 2 cups warm milk (110° F. or like a baby bottle)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp onion salt
• 2 Tbsp dried minced onion
• 4 – 5 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted

Method:

1. In the large bowl of a food processor or mixer, dissolve yeast in warm milk.  Add sugar, butter, salt, onion and 3 cups of flour.  Whirl or beat until smooth.  Add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.
2. Whirl to knead for 5 minutes if using a food processor.  By-hand turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes.
3. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350° F.
5. Punch down, turn out onto floured surface, divide into 16 pieces.  Form each piece into a ball.  Dip each ball in melted butter and place in a greased muffin tin.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
6. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from tins immediately to a cooling rack.  Serve warm or let cool completely and wrap for storage.

November is Turkey Month and nothing says comfort like this chile made with Homemade Turkey Sausage.  The chile is as easy to make as the sausage and with the spices you’ll never know it is turkey…so flavorful and satisfying on a cold winter’s night…you’ll think its beef.

If you have extra fresh turkey and a grinder simply mince the turkey in the grinder.  Remove the flesh from the thighs, legs and the tail.  Breast meat is rather dry and bland whereas the thighs and legs have more flavor and fat.   If you don’t have a grinder, freeze chunks of turkey and mince the chunks in your food processor.  However, ground turkey is available at most supermarkets so save yourself some time and work.

Beans can be dried or canned but for my money I prefer dried beans and the juice created during the cooking process is far superior in flavor to that of canned beans, which tend to be overly salted.  Use red beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, or black beans or a combination.  I prefer red beans with black beans.

Best to soak dried beans overnight according to package instructions but a quick way to plump up dried beans is to wash them first, cover with water up to 1-inch above the beans , do not salt the water, bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover and let soak for 1 or 2 hours.  Be sure you do not salt the water.  Salting the water will prevent the beans from softening.

Finally, bring the soaked beans to a boil over high heat then reduce to a lively simmer and cook until really soft and tender, about 1.5 to 2 hours.   You can use a crock pot for this step so the beans will cook to tender while you’re at work or running errands.

Use the 5 bean test to make sure the beans are really tender.  If 4 out of 5 beans are soft and slightly squishy, they are done and ready to add meat, veggies and seasoning.  You’ll need 3 cups of cooked beans with the cooking liquid for this recipe.  Freeze the remainder for re-fried beans, minestrone, arroz con pollo, bean salad or other dishes.

While the beans are on their final cooking, prepare the Turkey Sausage.  Always test fry a small patty of sausage to check for seasoning.  If its to your liking then proceed.  At this point sausage patties can be made, wrapped and frozen for breakfast or biscuits and gravy.

Ingredients:

Turkey Sausage:

•  1 pound of ground raw turkey
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp ground sage
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste

Chile:

• 3 cups cooked beans and liquid or 1 can of red beans and 1 can of black beans
• 1 lb Homemade Turkey Sausage
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp chile powder
• 1 fresh hot chile of choice, minced with or without seeds and veins or 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp oregano or 2 sprigs of fresh oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp masa harina (Mexican corn tortilla flour or 1 crisp corn tortilla finely crushed)

Garnishes:

• cilantro leaves
• cheddar cheese or Monterrey Jack cheese grated
• Greek yogurt or sour cream
• pickled jalapeno peppers
• sliced scallions (spring onions)

Method:

1. To prepare the Turkey Sausage, mix all ingredients in a bowl taking care not to overwork the meat.  Make a tiny patty with 1 Tbsp of the seasoned meat and fry it in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat until done, turning once.  Taste the patty for seasoning and adjust the sausage if needed.
2. In a non-stick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until fragrant and wilted. Add the sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon or potato masher as it cooks.  Cook the sausage only until it is no longer pink.  Add to the beans with cooking liquid in a large sauce pan.
3. Add the remaining chile ingredients to the beans and meat.  Bring to a slow boil for 10-15 minutes.
4. Using a potato masher, smash some of the beans to make it creamy.   Continue to simmer until juices are creamy and juices have reduced to your taste.
5. Let cool for 10 or 15 minutes before serving.  Serve with garnishes, warm tortillas or bread.

Roasted Chicken from a roadside vendor is one of the true delights of living in Puerto Rico.  There is so much love put in these tender, juicy birds roasted on the spit.  The local rub used is made with Sazon (available in spice isles of better supermarkets or Latin markets), a close relative of adobo.  You literally can smell these delicious birds roasting from a block down the road and start salivating while pulling over to the truck.  I couldn’t buy and roast a bird as cheaply as I can buy one of these roadside babies.

Remove the skin of the chicken if you must and top it with a quick Tuscan sauce and shaved Parmesan.  Polenta triangles sauteed  in butter and garlic provide the starch and sauteed aje dulces chiles (or bell peppers) with a drizzle of Balsamic vinegar lend a bit of crunch.  The polenta and Tuscan sauce may be prepared up to 2 days ahead.  This is light fare for a week-night dinner you and your family will love.

Fried Polenta

Ingredients:

• 1 cup polenta (cornmeal)
• 1-1/2 cups cold water
• 2-1/2 cups chicken stock (or water)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning (or 1 sprig fresh oregano and 1 small sprig rosemary chopped)
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 or 2 Tbsp butter for frying

Method:

1. Mix polenta with cold water to soften.  This will prevent polenta from clumping.
2. Bring chicken stock to a boil and whisk in softened polenta.  Add salt and seasonings.
3. Cook uncovered over medium heat until thick like porridge stirring from time to time.
4. Remove from heat and pour onto a buttered sheet tin or platter.  When cool, refrigerate until ready to fry.
5. Cut polenta into diamonds or triangles.
6. Saute garlic in butter over medium heat until fragrant, add polenta pieces and fry until crisp and golden on both sides about 5 minutes per side.  Remove to paper towels.

Tuscan Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded, stemmed and diced 1/2-inch (or 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes)
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste diluted with 1/2 cup red wine or water
•  salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• fresh basil (about 5 leaves) chiffonade
• 1 sprig rosemary, chopped
• 1 or 2 dashes Tabasco or a pinch of red pepper flakes
• shaved Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat with a pinch of salt until fragrant and wilted.
2. Add tomatoes and diluted tomato paste.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add seasonings and herbs.   Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
4. Serve over roasted chicken with shaved Parmesan Cheese

Balsamic Peppers

Ingredients:

• 12 aje dulces peppers (2 or 3 green and red sweet bell peppers or 4 Anaheim peppers sliced into strips)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic minced (optional)
• 1/2 small onion, cut into strips (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• drizzle of Balsamic vinegar

Method:

1. Wash and remove stems from peppers, slice in half.
2. Saute peppers in olive oil over medium high heat until tender/crisp
3. Salt and pepper to taste
4. Drizzle with Balsamic vinegar to taste.  Serve hot as a side dish or room temperature as a tapa.  Also delicious on bruschettas.

Note:  Aje Dulces Chiles are very small sweet peppers found in better supermarkets and Latin markets.  They are shaped like patty-pan squash and have the flavor of cherry peppers without the heat.

This Iron Chef Challenge is sponsored by Red Star, the yeast you can depend on.  Red Star Yeast has a proven track record in performance for the homemaker who loves to bake and professional bakeries world-wide.  The winning blog post will win “The Kneaded Loaf” recipe book, a Red Star “I
love to Knead” apron, a bread pan, oven mitts, thermometer and of course Red Star Yeast!!!

The winner will be announced September 26th at http://www.alattewithotta.blogspot.com. Judging the recipes will be Kelly Olson, Consumer Relations for Red Star Yeast.  Big thanks to Red Star Yeast for
sponsoring this event! Be sure to check them out on facebook and twitter (@RedStarYeast).

My mother gave me this recipe back in 1970.  Its one of those no-knead batter breads with super easy instructions for the novice bread-baker.  The crumb is moist and dense like a sourdough and perfect for sandwiches but of-course its the best right out of the oven slathered with butter.  It goes well with tomato or chicken soup and can spruce up a Sunday dinner as well.

You’ll need a Pyrex or CorningWare casserole dish or a small Dutch Oven to bake it in.  Dried minced onion can be used in place of sauteed fresh onions and you can soften the dried onion in the cottage cheese mixture on the stove-top or in the microwave.

I’m not a big fan of sugar in my savory breads so I eliminated the 2 Tbsp of sugar originally given in Mom’s recipe.  Fresh onions sauteed in butter are pretty sweet all by themselves and the dried onions too are sweet when plumped up in the cottage cheese mixture.   So using either the fresh or dried onions adds a subtle sweetness that doesn’t cloak the dill seed flavor.

If you’ve always wanted to bake bread but held back due to the laborious kneading required then you’ve got to try this no-knead batter bread.  Besides kneading bread dough by hand is not necessary these days.  Not unless you want to “solve a problem” like Mom said.  She’d look so pensive when performing mundane chores like ironing and kneading bread.  Well, there are plenty of artisan bread recipes out there that do not require hand-kneading.    I’m basically a lazy cook but love homemade so I’ve found the easy way to make terrific breads in a food processor or standing mixer with dough hook.  Just check out the other recipes listed under the Breads category in the right column of this post.

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg Red Star Dry Active Yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (baby bottle warm)
• 1 cup cream style small curd cottage cheese
• 1 Tbsp minced dried onion
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp whole dill seed
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 unbeaten egg
• 2-1/4 cups flour (plus 1/4 cup more if needed)

Method:

1. Soften the Red Star Dry Active Yeast in the water.
2. Combine in a sauce pan the cottage cheese, dried onion, butter, salt and dill seed.  Warm over medium low heat just until butter melts.  Let cool.
3. Place blossomed yeast, cottage cheese mixture, egg and soda in a bowl (mixer or food processor).   Add 1 cup flour and mix until combined.
4. Add remaining flour by hand until a very soft dough results.
5. Place in a buttered casserole or Dutch Oven and let rise (proof) until double in size (30-40 minutes).  Alternately use a loaf pan lined with foil and buttered.
6. Preheat oven 350° F.   Bake loaf for 35-40 minutes or until top sounds hollow when tapped.
7. Remove from pan to a cooling rack and brush with melted butter.