Sundried Tomato Dip- Barefoot Contessa

• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped (8 tomatoes)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise
• 10 dashes, hot red pepper sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

Directions

Puree the tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, red pepper sauce, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the scallions and pulse twice. Serve at room temperature

Cookie Perfection

Cookie Perfection

makes: 3 dozen
Bake: 375 for 8 min or 350 for 9-10 min
don't grease pans

Cream together:
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/4 cups Crisco
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Add:

3 Beaten Eggs

Add:
3 Cups + 3 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt

Add:
12 oz pkg chocolate chips

Green Thai Curry

This was our ward cooking club last month and it was SO good!! Specialty ingredients but really good.

This is a spicy dish, but Ami said you can use more or less of the green curry paste, depending on how spicy you want your meal. She used 2 Tbs for our meal (which still had plenty of zing!), but she usually uses 3 Tbs for her husband.

Thai Green Curry with Chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 fresh lemon grass stalks
1 1/2 Tbs vegetable oil
2-3 Tbs green curry paste
3Tbs finely diced shallots
3 Tbs coarsely chopped garlic
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
2 tsp lime zest
1 Tbs fish sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
8 oz eggplant cut into chunks
1 can coconut milk
3 Tbs water
small handful of fresh cilantro leaves
large handful of basil leaves (Thai)

Cube chicken- 1 inch pieces. Peel lemon grass and chop finely. Heat the wok and add the oil. Add green curry paste and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the chicken and coat it well.

Green Curry PasteCooking the chicken with the green curry paste

Add lemongrass, shallots, garlic, ginger, lime zest, fish sauce, sugar, and salt. Stir fry for another minute.

The bottle of Fish Sauce

Add eggplant and pour in the coconut milk and water. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

The chopped eggplantThe eggplant and chicken before adding the coconut milkCan of Coconut Milk

Simmering for 15 minutes

Add cilantro and basil leaves; give the mixture a good stir and serve at once. Serve over rice; Ami serves it with jasmine rice, which has a wonderful flavor.

PF Chang's Lettuce Wraps

A Japanese lady in our ward taught these for cooking club and they were just as good as PF Chang's!!

3 T veg oil

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup diced water chestnuts

2/3 C diced straw mushrooms

3 T chopped Green onion

1 tsp minced garlic (1clove)

1 C fried maifun rice sticks

4-5 iceburg lettuce cups

bring 2 T oil to high heat in wok or fry pan and cook chicken (4-5 min per side). remove chicken and let cool, but keep oil in pan.

While chicken cooks, chop water chestnuts and mushrooms finely. When chicken is cook, chop finely.

Add remaining 1T oil to pan on high heat, add garlic, green onion, chicken, water chestnuts and mushrooms. Add Stir Fry sauce (see below) and saute for a few min.

Stir Fry Sauce:

2 T soy sauce

2 T dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar

Special Sauce (for over lettuce Wraps)

1/4 C sugar

1/2 C water

2 T ketchup

1 T lemon juice

1/8 tsp sesame oil

2 T soy sauce

2 T rice vinegar

dissolve sugar in water, add remaining ingredients. refrigerate until ready to use.

Also, 1 Tb chinese hot mustard powder mixed with 2 tsp water and 1-3 tsp chili garlic sauce will add heat

Grandma's Chicken

scoop of flour 3/4 c?

lawrys seasoning salt 2 tbls

salt and pepper

shake chicken in bag

heat vegetable oil in skillet

fry on both sides

put in pyrex dish wit butter on top

pour 1/4 water on bottom of pan

cover with foil

275 for 2.5 hours

or 325 for an hour

Scones

I changed these to raspberry/cream cheese by not adding the almond paste, almond extract, apricots or almonds and instead adding about 1 1/2 handfuls of raspberries and 3/4 of an 8 oz brick of cream cheese cut into small chunks.

Apricot Almond Scones (makes 12 scones) 4 cups all-purpose flour 3 T baking powder 1 tsp salt 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, frozen 1/2 stick almond paste (3.5 oz) 3/4 cup sugar 1 1/4 cups milk 1 tsp almond extract 1 cup slivered almonds 1 cup apricots, chopped Preheat oven to 375F 1. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment and pulse a few times to mix. Cut the butter and almond paste into small chunks and add to the flour mixture, processing until both are incorporated to the point where no large pieces remain. Pulse in the sugar, and then add the milk and almond extract. Pulse just until the ingredients come together to form a dough. Put the dough into a large bowl and mix the slivered almonds and chopped apricots in by hand, only enough to get them evenly dispersed. 2. Using a spatula, separate the dough into 12 mounds on a prepared baking sheet. If necessary, use your hand or the spatula to round out and smooth the mounds slightly so they will bake evenly. 3. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

tropical banana cake

Tropical Banana Cake
2 1/2 C. sifted cake flour (you can use regular flour too)
1 2/3 C. sugar
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2/3 C. shortening
1 1/4 C. mashed banana (about 3)
2/3 C. buttermilk
1/2 C. eggs (about 2)
1 tsp. vanilla
Sift together the following into large bowl: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda & salt. Then add shortening, bananas, & 1/3 C. of the buttermilk. Stir to dampen flour mixture. Beat w/mixer for 2 min. Add remaining buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Beat 2 min. Pour into greased & floured pans (I always use two 9" rounds and I put parchment paper in the bottoms of the pans to ensure no sticking - when you do this, grease the bottom, then lay the parchment paper, then grease and flour the top of the parchment paper). Bake at 350 for 30-35 min.
Lemon Banana Frosting
1/3 C. butter
2 C. Powdered sugar
3 tbsp mashed banana
1 tbsp lemon juice