Yam Nuea Yang (Spicy Beef Salad)

From Southern Living, Cooking Light October 2001

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
• Cooking spray
• 1/3 cup sliced shallots
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons sliced Thai red chiles or serrano chiles
• 2 medium tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges (about 3/4 pound)

Preparation

Prepare grill or broiler.

Place steak on a grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray; cook 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

Cut the steak diagonally across grain into thin slices; cut each slice into 2-inch pieces.

Combine the steak, shallots, and remaining ingredients, and toss gently.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

214 (39% from fat)

Fat:

9.2g (sat 3.9g,mono 3.6g,poly 0.5g)

Protein:

25g

Carbohydrate:

7.6g

Fiber:

1.1g

Cholesterol:

59mg

Iron:

2.8mg

Sodium:

407mg

Calcium:

17mg

Chai Tea Eggnog Cookies

Hands-on Time: 20 min.; Total Time: 46 min.

Yield: Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 chai tea bag
• 1 (17.5-oz.) package sugar cookie mix
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 large egg
• 4 tablespoons eggnog, divided
• Parchment paper
• Cinnamon sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Remove tea leaves from tea bag; discard bag.

2. Stir together tea leaves, cookie mix, butter, egg, and 2 Tbsp. eggnog until well blended.

3. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Flatten dough slightly with bottom of a glass dipped in cinnamon sugar.

4. Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheet to a wire rack, and cool completely (about 10 minutes).

5. Whisk together powdered sugar, nutmeg, and remaining 2 Tbsp. eggnog until smooth. Spoon over cooled cookies.

Note: We tested with Tazo Chai Organic Black Tea.

Chicken Marsala Tetrazzini

Total: 45 minutes
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (8-oz.) package vermicelli
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 (8-oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms
• 3 ounces finely chopped prosciutto
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 cup frozen baby English peas, thawed
• 1 (10 3/4-oz.) can reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (10-oz.) container refrigerated light Alfredo sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup Marsala
• 1 cup (4-oz.) shredded Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add mushrooms and prosciutto, and sauté 5 minutes.

2. Stir together mushroom mixture, chicken, next 5 ingredients, and 1/2 cup cheese; stir in pasta. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

3. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Christmas Eggnog Recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 12 egg yolks
• 5 cloves, whole
• 4 cups milk
• 4 cups cream
• 3 cups light rum
• 1+ ¾ cups sugar
• 2+ ½ teaspoons vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
• ¾ teaspoon nutmeg, ground

Directions:

In a saucepan over low heat, blend the milk, cinnamon, cloves and half a teaspoon of the vanilla essence.
Keep stirring while mixture heats, and remove from heat just before boiling point.
In a bowl, mix together the sugar with all those egg yolks.
Make sure you whisk them well so that they're light and fluffy.
Gently and a little at a time, pour in the milk mixture while continuing to whisk.
Transfer mixture back into your saucepan over a medium heat while continuing to stir.
Keep stirring until your eggnog mixture starts to resemble custard.
Never let the mixture to reach boiling point!!
Pour and strain the mixture into a jug, making sure to remove the cloves.
Stand jug in the fridge for an hour or two.
Gently stir in the cream, light rum, remaining vanilla and ground nutmeg.
Put back into the fridge overnight.
Serve in cups with a little extra ground nutmeg, cinnamon or baking cocoa sprinkled lightly on top.

Williams-Sonoma Pumpkin Loaf Pan

I lost my Williams-Sonoma virginity today. I have never ventured in there for fear of shameless running around and petting their handcrafted copper cookware and Kitchen Aid mixers. They were having a 15% off sale so it wasn't QUITE as $$$$ as expected.

I purchased a Pumpkin Loaf Pan and a Giant Cupcake Pan. Considering doing the Giant Cupcake for my brother's 21'st birthday on the 19th but may save it for

other occasions. I have something extra special in mind for his surprise.

Christien and I made the pumpkin bread recipe in the new pan and it turned out very well. Forgot to mention - bought their brand of baking spray. I, like a moron, didn't know the difference in baking vs cooking spray. Probably why my first pumpkin bread in class stuck to the pan so much. The baking spray worked stupendously and the bread was delicious.

We also cooked tie-dye cupcakes with butter cream icing, rainbow sprinkles and a cherry. Don't know what came over me today but all I've wanted to do is bake bake bake!

We dropped the cupcakes and bread off at his work so he and his coworker's Saturday night will hopefully be brightened with a bit of baked goods.

The recipe for the pumpkin bread is further down on my blog and the tie-dye cupcakes are under "Rainbow Tie-Dye Cake." It can be used for 8''x 12'' cakes, or 2 8'' cakes stacked, or cupcakes. Very moist, very colorful and aesthetically pleasing.

Vanilla Poached Pears

Ingredients

• 1 (750-ml) bottle white wine, Riesling or Viognier
• 1 cup water
• 5 ounces vanilla sugar, approximately 3/4 cup
• 1 whole vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 4 firm Bartlett, Anjou or Bosc pears, peeled leaving the stem intact

Directions

Place the white wine, water, sugar and vanilla bean and pulp into a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Core the pears from the bottom. Decrease the heat to medium low and place the pears into the liquid, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the pears are tender but not falling apart. Maintain a gentle simmer. Remove the pears to a serving dish, standing them upright, and place in the refrigerator.

Remove the vanilla bean from the saucepan, increase the heat to high and reduce the syrup to approximately 1 cup of liquid, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Do not allow the syrup to turn brown. Place the syrup in a heatproof container and place in the refrigerator until cool, approximately 1 hour.

Remove the pears from the refrigerator, spoon the sauce over the pears and serve.

Jenn's Rum Cake

For the cake:

• 1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice
• 1 box butter recipe Duncan Heinz cake
• 1 package French Vanilla instant pudding
• 1/2 cup light rum (Aristocrat cheap crap. Tastes better in the end!)
• 1/2 vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 eggs

Cook the cake:

Preheat oven to 350 and grease/flour a bunt pan.

Put nuts into the bottom.

Combine the pudding mix and cake mix in a large bowl.

Add all other ingredients and mix for two minutes.

Pour into pan and cook for 45-60 minutes. Test with a toothpick to see when done.

For the Glaze (I made this during the last 20 minutes of cake cooking)

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 stick of butter
• 1/4 cup rum or more ;)
• 1/4 water

Making the Glaze

Bring all ingredients to a boil over medium high heat. Let boil for 3 minutes.

Pour glaze over hot cake and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Turn cake out onto a serving patter to cool the rest of the way.