randomness, ahoy!
For The Win: Stumbled across this LJ icon over at the Hanson community. The person who had it there didn't know who made it, so yeah, credit for this icon is unknown, but whoever did it? Wins at life.
LMAO
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Here's What's Cookin' Part Deux:
From the list I posted in the last entry, Lisa requested the recipes for carrot casserole and stir-fry tofu, so I shall post those. :)
Carrot Casserole
Side dish; about 8 servings.
12 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 small onion, minced
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
2 cups milk
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. celery salt (or use celery seeds)
1/2 lb. package sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
3 cups fresh bread crumbs tossed with 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine, if desired, for topping
Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
1. Cook carrots in saucepan on stove top, just covered with water, for 5-10 minutes - until they're soft, but not mushy.
2. In a small skillet, melt butter and add onion and stir about 2-3 minutes. Onion should turn soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, and mustard to make a paste. When this bubbles up, add the milk gradually, stirring as you add it, until all milk is added. Cook on medium heat, stirring, until sauce thickens and is smooth. Then add pepper and celery salt/seeds.
3. In a 2-quart casserole dish, arrange a layer of the cooked carrots, then a layer of cheese. Repeat until both are used, ending with a layer of carrots. Pour sauce over this and top with the crumbs. Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until golden and slightly browned.
Stir-fry Tofu with Carrots and Snow Peas
Serves about 4-5 people.
1 lb. medium firm tofu, drained on paper towels for about 1 hour
Make a marinade of:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. sherry
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. oyster sauce
Mix these ingredients in a medium size bowl.
1. Cut the tofu into bite-size pieces and place it in the marinade, and allow to sit for about 20-30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook rice to serve the stir-fry over, and slice vegetables into thin strips:
+ 2-3 carrots
+ about 1/4 lb. snow peas
+ 8-10 water chestnuts, if desired
+ 2-3 chopped green onions, if desired
3. Heat wok and add peanut oil to about 1 inch in bottom. When oil is hot, add drained tofu several pieces at a time, and stir quickly until tofu browns some. Remove cooked tofu to a bowl or other container while you fry the rest. When all tofu is fried, remove any excess oil, so that only about 1/4 inch is in wok. Then add vegetables and stir-fry them quickly, just until tender but crispy - about 3-4 minutes.
4. Combine 2 Tbsp. cornstarch, and the remaining marinade to form a smooth paste, and then add 1 cup of vegetable broth. (Or beef or chicken broth.) Add cornstarch mixture to vegetables in wok and stir until sauce boils and thickens. Add tofu back into wok and stir together with vegetables. Serve over rice.
[EDIT: adding a third requested recipe for Joyce!]
Chicken Breast Romana
Serves about 6 people
3 chicken breasts (6 halves) or about 3 and 1/2 lbs. fryer chicken pieces
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup diced or chopped lean ham
1 medium size onion, chopped
3/4 cup sliced celery
1/2 tsp. basil
1 can (15 oz.) chicken broth, or stock, or water
2 6-oz. cans tomato paste
1 Tbsp. minced parsley
1/2 lb. thin spaghetti or vermicelli, cooked
1. Rinse and dry off chicken pieces. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and lightly brown in oil. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.
2. Add ham, onion, celery and basil to oil. Simmer on low heat and stir for 5 minutes.
3. Return chicken to skillet, add stock/water to tomato paste and pour over chicken. Cover skillet. Simmer on low heat for 40-60 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times. Add parsley, serve with pasta.
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That's all for now, folks. Hope you're all well! :)