Gingery Egg Drop Soup

Better than the Chinese restaurant egg drop soup!  Easy.  And Fast!

This is another 15 minute meal.  My “go to” soup recipe when I’m pressed for time or I’m simply being lazy but I want some soup.

The tiny strips of crunchy, tender ginger in every spoon are what make this soup.  This is absolutely perfect with fried rice. Another quick and easy dish… Or paired with egg rolls.  Sam’s club sells pretty decent egg rolls and is best warmed up in the oven.

Other than this is being tasty… it is very affordable.  This recipe serves 6 people and cost less than $3 provided you already have the other ingredients on hand.  And if not, the other ingredients are worth the upfront investment because you will be using them again, and again for this recipe and other Asian recipes.  This soup is of course a great break from Ramen noodles if you are a college student. 

You can split this recipe in half if you’re only serving 2 or 3 people…

Step by step instructions and recipe below:

Gather all your ingredients.  Remember the chicken granules.  I forgot to take a photo of it…

Sprinkle a pinch of ground black pepper over the cracked eggs and beat lightly. Set aside.

Mix cornstarch and water.  Sorry. This is not a good photo.

Combine chicken broth, water, ginger, wine, sesame and hot pepper oil and chicken granules in a 2 quart pot.

Bring to a boil.

Give the cornstarch another stir, and drizzle cornstarch mixture into the boiling chicken broth, while stirring with a long chopsticks or ladle.

Drizzle beaten eggs, in circular direction, over the broth.

Stir immediately three or four times.

Add chopped green onions.

Stir and taste to see if additional ground black pepper and or salt is needed.

Serve hot.

Gingery Egg Drop Soup

2 – 14 ounces low sodium can chicken broth

2 cups filtered water

1 ½ inch piece ginger – peeled and sliced into tiny strips

1 TBSP. white wine

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. hot pepper oil

1 tsp. chicken granules

4 TBSPs. cornstarch + 6 TBSPs. water

4 large eggs – lightly beaten

¼ 8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

3 stalks green onions – chopped

Crack the eggs into a medium size bowl and sprinkle ground black pepper.  Beat the eggs lightly and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with 6 tablespoons water.  Stir until cornstarch is dissolved.   Set aside

Combine chicken broth, water, ginger, wine, sesame and hot pepper oil and chicken granules in a 2 quart pot.

Bring these combined ingredients to a full boil over medium heat.

Give the cornstarch another stir, and drizzle cornstarch mixture into the boiling chicken broth, while stirring with a long chopsticks or ladle.  Boil chicken broth for another minute.

Reduce heat to low.

Drizzle beaten eggs, in circular direction, over the broth.  Stir immediately three or four times.

Add chopped green onions.  Stir and taste to see if additional ground black pepper and or salt is needed.

Serve hot.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

1. Be sure to pick young, tender ginger.  I found that Wal-Mart sells the best ginger.  Whoever is their supplier… their ginger is always fresh, young and tender.  How can you tell a young ginger from the mature ones?  Young ginger has a light yellowish skin, plump and tender to the crunch.  The skin is most definitely not dry and the flesh not stringy.
2. As for the wine, you may use white wine, medium dry sherry and or rice wine.  I used white wine because that’s what I had on hand.
3. When I was still on the experimenting stage for soup, the soup was good but it tasted as if something was missing… And I found that adding a teaspoon of chicken kicked this soup to another notch.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

P.S.  I wanted to leave you a photo showing you the difference between young and mature ginger.  I know most you already knows… so this is for those who don’t and would appreciate the information…

Easy Green Chicken Curry

This is going to be the easiest green chicken curry you’ll ever make.  Can be done in less than 30 minutes with simple ingredients.  It’s like going to your favorite Thai restaurant… except more economical…

I could use some cilantro here… but I didn’t have it on hand.  And really… this was a last minute dish.  So… I have to live with what I don’t have…

Ingredients:

Season chicken with 1 tsp. kosher salt and ¼ tsp. ground black pepper.  Set aside.

Sauté garlic and ginger.

Add green curry paste sauté for a few minutes.  (As you can see… I am very generous with the green curry paste.  These are heaping tablespoons… So you can imagine how spicy this curry was!)

Add coconut milk.

Stir until curry paste is well incorporated with the coconut milk.

Bring coconut milk to a boil.

Add seasoned chicken and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Taste to see if you need more green curry paste.  Otherwise, stir in chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with a bowl of rice.

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Easy Green Chicken Curry

2 large chicken breasts – cut into bite size pieces

kosher salt and ground black pepper

4 garlic cloves – minced

2 inch piece ginger – minced

1 – 3 tablespoons green curry paste*

2 cans coconut milk

2 TBSPs. olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Season chicken with 1 tsp. kosher salt and ¼ tsp. ground black pepper.  Set aside.

Heat a medium size skillet and add olive oil.  Sauté garlic and ginger.  Add green curry paste sauté for a few minutes.  Add coconut milk.  Stir until curry paste is well incorporated with the coconut milk.  Bring coconut milk to a boil.

Add seasoned chicken and bring to boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked.  Taste to see if you need more green curry paste.  Otherwise, stir in chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with a bowl of rice.

Tess Kitchen Secret:

Green curry paste is hotter than red curry paste.  So start with 1 tablespoon.  You can always add more later once the chicken is cooked.  The 3 tablespoons of green curry paste I used here makes this chicken curry very spicy!  But my husband likes his curry this way.

So here’s the scale of hotness in this curry, based on the number of tablespoons of green curry paste you use on a scale of 1 – 10:

1 tablespoon = 4 (good average heat)

2 tablespoons = 7 (hot, above medium heat)

3 tablespoons = 10 (superhot)

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Spicy Chicken Tenders with Garlic Butter Dipping Hot Sauce

Forget Church’s.  Forget Popeyes.

Make chicken tenders better than these two popular fried chicken depots!

Crunchy on the outside… Tender and juicy on the inside…

That’s exactly what these babies are!

My family loves chicken tenders… And we often buy them at Popeyes Chicken or Church’s Chicken… But after countless visits to these places… And after eating hundreds of chicken tenders, which most often were overly breaded.  Over fried… and stale… I had to figure out a way to make chicken tenders at home.

I have experimented with different recipes for chicken tenders.  My goal was to exceed or at least come close to what Popeyes and Church’s sells.

My first few were good but not quite the chicken tenders I had envisioned.  And then one day, I finally got it!

I finally came up with chicken tenders that are crunchy on the outside… tender and juicy on the inside… Perfectly cooked.  Perfectly breaded.  And spicy!

My husband is absolutely thrilled about my new concoction… He simply loves these chicken tenders… and so does my son…Goodbye Popeyes.

Goodbye Church’s.

Hello… Finger Lickin’ Spicy Chicken Tenders!

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NOTE:  If you expect the same result as I have gotten… You must use chicken tenderloins and NOT chicken breasts.  They are a bit pricy – around $3.40 per poun.  But it’s cheaper to make them at home than buying them at these fast food chains which they charge about $1 a piece!…

Here’s what you need and the recipe…

4 pounds chicken tenderloins.

seasoned flour. (see recipe below)

canola oil.

Garlic Butter Hot Sauce. (see recipe below)

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How To Make ‘Em and Fry’em

First you need to make the hot sauce…

two bottles hot sauce.

combine two bottles of hot sauce in a medium size sauce pan.

sea salt, cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, granulated garlic, ground, coriander, ground cumin, and ground ginger.

add sea salt and spices to the hot sauce.

mashed garlic.

add the mashed garlic to the hot sauce. mix them up.

And then…

measure exactly one cup of the hot sauce and set it aside.

add butter to the hot sauce mixture and simmer hot sauce over low heat…

And while the sauce is simmering…

place the chicken tenderloins in a ziploc bag.  and remember that cup of hot sauce you measured and set aside… ? pour that over the chicken tenderloins.

Close the bag and shake ‘em around so the sauce will coat the chicken tenderloins.   Have this bag sit while you season the flour…

combine the flour, kosher salt, spanish paprika, granulated garlic, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander.

take out those happily marinating chicken tenderloins from the ziploc bag and coat them with the seasoned flour.  four or five pieces at a time.

place the coated chicken tenderloins on a platter for about 3 minutes before frying them in hot oil…

fry the chicken tenderloins in hot oil 350°F (for 6 – 7 minutes or until cooked and crispy.

drain on paper towels and serve…

btw… you can also use chicken wings, if you like wings…

Please note:  if using bone in wings, fry the wings 8 – 10 minutes or until cooked.

The RECIPE…

Spicy Chicken Tenders with Garlic Butter Dipping Hot Sauce

Ingredients:

4 pounds chicken tenders

Seasoned Flour – see recipe below

4 – 5 cups canola oil

Garlic Butter Hot Sauce:

1 bottle (17.5 ounces) Texas Pete Buffalo Style Barbecue Sauce

1 bottle (12 ounces) Luisiana Hot Sauce

6 cloves garlic – peeled and minced

2 tsps. cayenne pepper

1½ tsps. ground black pepper

2 tsps. coarse sea salt + 1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. granulated garlic

¼ tsp. ground coriander

¼ tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

¾ stick unsalted butter

In a medium size sauce pan, combine hot sauces, garlic, cayenne, ground black pepper, coriander, cumin and ground ginger.  Stir until smooth and free of lumps.  (You will add the butter later.)

Place chicken tenders in a gallon ziploc bog.

Measure exactly 1 cup of the hot sauce mixture and pour over the chicken tenders.

Close the freezer bag and shake or toss the toss until chicken is well coated with the hot sauce.

In the meantine, place the sauce pan with the hot sauce mixture on a stove over medium low heat.  Add the butter.  Simmer sauce until boiling, stirring occassionally.

Turn off heat.

Seasoned Flour:

2 cups all purpose flour

3 tsps. kosher salt

2 tsps. Spanish paprika

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. ground coriander

In a deep dish or bowl, combine flour, salt and spices.

Dredge chicken tenders, one piece at a time, with the seasoned flour.  Place dredge chicken tenders in a large plate and allow them to sit for 5 minutes.  This process allows the breading to stick to the meat.

Using a deep heavy bottomed pot or large skillet, heat 4 – 5 cups canola oil until it reaches 350°F.

Fry chicken tenders, 5 or 6 pieces at a time, for 6 to 7 minutes or until golden brown.

Drain on paper towels.

Serve warm with Garlic Butter Dipping Hot Sauce on the side.  Or Dunk the fried chicken tenders in the hot sauce before serving.  Serve with potato salad, baked beans, and or red beans and rice.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Adding the hot sauce mixture to the chicken without the butter seasons the chicken well, and allows the breading to adhere to the chicken.

#2 – Fresh garlic, and granulated garlic, gives the sauce a double dose of garlic flavors.

#3 – Ground cumin, coriander and ginger give the sauce a nice surprise.

#4 – If you want them to be restaurant style… dunk them in hot sauce before serving.  But if you want to control the heat… serve the sauce on the side.

#5 – If using wings, please fry them 8 – 10 minutes.  One of the best ways to tell if the wings are cooked… is when the wings starts to float on the oil instead of them being at the bottom.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Tsukune Turkey

This turkey dish is tender, juicy and bursting with flavors in every bite.  Simmered in a teriyaki sauce that is rich in garlic and ginger.

The turkey patties can be fried or grilled on bamboo skewers over hot coals.  Dipped in teriyaki sauce instead of being simmered in it.

This recipe was originally for ground chicken made into balls or clumped around bamboo skewers, thus the term Tsukune in Japanese.  But I decided to use ground turkey because of convenience and availability.

Below is what you need to make this Japanese flavored dish…

*** Please note that I have doubled the recipe in these photos…***

Ground turkey or chicken.

Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or soy sauce, salt, ground black pepper, ground hot peppers (optional) egg yolks, carrots, ginger and cornstarch…

Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the salt, black pepper,  and ground hot pepper if using.

Add the soy…

Add the grated ginger… and stir to combine.

Add the egg yolks.  Mix.

Add the grated carrots.  Stir to combine.

Add the cornstarch.  Mix well.

Form mixture into 8 – 10 patties.

Heat a nonstick skillet and add canola oil…

Fry turkey patties in hot oil…

About 4 minutes on each side or until patties are cooked…

Transfer patties into the simmering pot of Teriyaki Sauce… Cover pot and simmer patties over low heat for about 10 minutes before serving…

Of if you want a crunchier patties, serve the sauce on the side…

The Sauce… Teriyaki Sauce

You will need teriyaki sauce, Liquid Aminos or soy sauce, water, minced garlic, and grated ginger…

And chopped onions…

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How to Make the Teriyaki Sauce…

In a medium size sauce pan over medium heat, combine teriyaki sauce, water, garlic and ginger.

In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with about 2 tablespoons water.  Mix until smooth…

Drizzle cornstarch mixture over the sauce mixture.

Bring the sauce to a boil while stirring constantly.  Once boiling, reduce heat to low…

And while the sauce in simmering over low heat… prepare and fry the turkey patties…

Transfer turkey patties to the simmering teriyaki sauce…

Serve turkey patties with the sauce sprinkled with chopped green onions and a bowl of freshly cooked Jasmine rice on the side.

The RECIPE:

Tsukune Turkey

1 pound ground chicken or turkey (93% lean)
1 small carrot – grated finely
1 extra large egg yolk
¾ tsp. salt
1 TBSPs. Liquid Aminos or soy sauce

½ tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. ground hot pepper (optional)
1 inch piece fresh ginger – peeled and grated
2 TBSPs. cornstarch

½ cup canola oil for frying

Place ground turkey in a medium size mixing bowl.  Add salt, ground black pepper, hot pepper.  Add the soy sauce and the grated ginger.  Stir to combine.  Add the egg yolk and mix.  Add the grated carrot and mix.  Sprinkle the cornstarch over the mixture. Mix well.

Form mixture into 8 – 10 patties.

Heat a nonstick skillet and add vegetable oil.  Fry turkey patties over medium heat until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side.
Remove fried turkey patties from the skillet shaking off excess oil and place them in the simmering Teriyaki Sauce.

Teriyaki Sauce:
1 cup teriyaki sauce
½ cup water

1 inch piece ginger – peeled and grated

8 garlic cloves – smashed, peeled and chopped

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. ground hot pepper (optional)

1 TBSP. + 1 tsp. cornstarch

1 bunches of green onions – chopped (to be added to the chicken patties right before serving.)

In a medium size sauce pan, combine all the sauce ingredients except the cornstarch over medium heat.  Whisk until combined.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water.  Drizzle cornstarch mixture over the teriyaki sauce.  Whisk until mixture comes to a boil and sauce slightly thickens.  Reduce heat to low.  Let the sauce simmer while you fry the turkey patties.

Add the fried turkey patties into the simmering Teriyaki Sauce.

Serve turkey patties with the sauce sprinkled with chopped green onions and a bowl of freshly cooked Jasmine rice on the side.

Tess Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Prepare the Teriyaki Sauce and have it simmering over very low heat while you prepare and fry the turkey patties.

#2 – Forming the turkey patties can be a messy business.  So I have 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a small bowl.  Lightly oil the spoon and your hands before forming the patties.  I also wear disposable gloves to keep my hands clean.   (I always keep a box of non-latex gloves in the kitchen.  And they are much cheaper at Sam’s Club – $9.99 for a box of 100 gloves.)

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Barbecued Pork Steaks in a Bun

One stormy day several years ago, I was watching Food Network and they were showing one of Pillsbury’s Bake – Off Contests, where contestants win as much as $1 million dollars for their recipes…

My reaction was – WOW!  A $1 million dollar for a recipe?  Are these recipes really worth that much?  Do they really taste that good to be awarded a $million dollars?  So I went to the library and borrow one of Pillsbury’s Cookbooks.  I was curious to try some of these million dollar  recipes.  I want to know, and taste for myself, what makes these recipes won $1 million dollars.

One of the $1 million dollar winning recipes that caught my eye was the Chinese Roast Pork Buns by Wayne Hu.  The picture looked good and the buns reminded me of Siopao, another Chinese dish that I used to enjoy in the Philippines years ago.  Siopao is a steamed bun filled with pork and boiled eggs, served with a sauce.  Thus, I decided to give this dish a try…

The verdict…?

Overall… my family loves these buns.  They are great travel food.  And can be eaten as a snack, lunch, or dinner accompanied with a light soup.

And the preparation is fairly easy because I did not make my own buns.  Instead, I used store bought Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits.

My question is… are the really worth $1 million dollars…?

The Barbecued Pork Blade Steaks are awesome.  This is a stand alone dish that can be served with cooked rice and sauteed vegetables on the side.  And they’re easy to make.

As for the buns…

I don’t think so.  They are good… and the preparation is easy, but I don’t think it’s worth a $1 million dollars.  But then again, this is a very good example that food and taste is very subjective!  According to the judges of the Pillsbury Bake – Off Contest in 1994, this recipe – Chinese Roast Pork Buns is worth the $million dollar prize.

The recipe that I am posting here is my own adaptation of that $million dollar winning recipe.  I made a slight deviation from the original recipe by using red wine and olive oil, instead of using sherry and peanut oil, but I think the taste is still pretty close.  Also, I made extra barbecue sauce for the pork and I mixed about ½ cup of the remaining barbecue sauce with the filling below.

This recipe serves 4.  Two buns per person.

(I apologize.  But I don’t have step by step photos for this, yet…)

Prepare the Barbecued Pork Blade Steaks first.

I realized that I cooked four blade steaks but I only need 2 for these buns.  So I made sandwiches with the ones I did not need…

Barbecued Pork Steaks

4 large pork blade steaks – about 3 pounds

Sweet Barbecue Sauce:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup ketchup

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup hoisen sauce

¼ cup red wine

¼ cup deli style mustard with horseradish

2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

 

Combine barbecue sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour sauce into a large bowl.  Reserve 1/2 cup of this sauce to be used for the Barbecued Pork Steaks in a Bun…

 

Preheat oven to 400°F.

 

Line a heavy duty cookie sheet with foil.  Place a wire rack in the cookie sheet.

 

Wash pork steaks and pat dry with paper towels and place them on the wire rack.  Liberally brush both sides of each pork steak with the barbecue sauce.

 

Bake pork steaks in a preheated oven at 400°F for 30 minutes.

Brush pork steaks again, on both sides, with the remaining barbecue sauce.  Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

Remove pork steaks from the oven and cool enough to handle.  Chop pork steaks into small pieces, discarding the bones.  Serve pork steaks as sandwiches or use as filling for the Barbecued Pork in a Bun.

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So once the pork steaks are ready…

Prepare the filling for the buns:

1 TBSP. olive oil or vegetable oil

½ medium onion – finely diced

1 – 8 ounces can water chestnuts, finely diced

1 TBSP. cornstarch

1 TBSP. red wine or dry sherry

1 TBSP. soy sauce

1 TBSP. hoisen sauce

½ cup chicken stock (broth)

2 Barbecued Pork Blade Steaks – chopped

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet.  Sauté the onions until translucent.  Add the water chestnuts and stir a few minutes.

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce and hoisen sauce and pour over the sautéed onions and water chestnuts, stirring to combine.  Stir in chicken stock or broth and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.

In another small bowl, combine wine or sherry and cornstarch.  Gradually stir in cornstarch mixture into onions and water chestnuts, whisking constantly until thick.  Remove skillet from the heat and add chopped barbecued pork.  I mixed ½ cup of the remaining barbecue sauce to this mixture to make the filling more saucy.

As for the buns, you will need 1 can Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits…

Take the biscuits out of the can and separate them…

On a lightly floured board or clean counter, roll each biscuit, using a lightly floured rolling pin, into a 6 inch circle.

Scoop about 6 tablespoons of the barbecued pork and fill the center of the flattened biscuit.  Gather the edges towards the middle, twisting and pressing to seal.

Place buns seam side down on the greased cookie sheet.   Brush each bun with the glaze and bake in a preheated oven at 375°F for 18 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm.

Bun Glaze:

1 large egg

1 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. water

Beat all ingredients.  Brush each barbecued pork buns with this glaze before baking.

After 18 minutes or so… the buns are ready to serve.

 

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

 

Texas Country Turnip Green Soup

My husband ate several bowls of this soup.  A testament of how much he liked it…

He doesn’t always like every dish that I cook.  And when he does… when there’s a dish that he really likes, he’ll eat it until it’s gone.  And if there is some left over, he’ll eat it the next day.

He’s afraid I’m not going to cook it as good.  So he wants to enjoy the moment.  Savor every spoonful.

My poor husband.  I am to blame for his behavior.  I have a bad habit of tinkering with recipes I have already perfected.  And he doesn’t like it one bit.  Because when he likes a dish, he likes it exactly the same way as he has tasted it the very first time…

And with me tinkering with recipes all the time… he’s never sure if he’s going to have the same dish ever again!

I’ve successfully tested several recipes last week.  All dishes came out good.

And this soup was one of the dishes that stood out.  Even I was amazed on how tasty it was.  Considering how simple were the ingredients…

Anyway…

I wanted to share this soup with you.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my family did.

Here’s what you need…

12 ounces salt pork. Chopped.

Onion, garlic, celery, cubed ham, frozen chopped turnip greens…

Potatoes, chopped…

3 cans great northern beans, 2 cans low sodium chicken broth + 2 cups water…

herbs and spices…

What to do…?

Heat a large pot over medium heat.  Cook salt pork until it has rendered most of its fat… Remove all but 3 tablespoon of the fat.

Add onions and garlic.  Saute until onions are translucent.

Add the celery.  And saute a few minutes.

Add the beans and the ham…

Add the potatoes…

And the chicken broth.  And water…

Stir.

Add the frozen chopped turnip greens.  Stir to combine.

Cover pot and bring soup to a boil over medium heat.

Once boiling, reduce heat.

Simmer soup for 1 hour.  Stirring occasionally while simmering…

After 1 hours, soup should be lightly creamy.   Taste before adding coarse sea salt and MSG if desired…

Serve with your favorite bread or corn bread.

The RECIPE:

Texas Country Turnip Green Soup

12 ounces salt pork – chopped

1 large onion – chopped

4 garlic cloves – smashed, peeled and chopped

3 sticks celery – chopped

5 medium size potatoes

1 pound cubed ham

3 cans (14.5 ounces each) Great Northern Beans – drained and rinsed

2 cans (14 ounces each) Low Sodium chicken broth + 2 cups water

1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped turnip greens

1 tsp. dried chives

½ tsp. dried marjoram leaves

½ tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. ground hot pepper (optional)

1 tsp. coarse ground sea salt – if needed

Pinch of MSG (optional)

NOTE:  If you can’t find salt pork, you can use pancetta or thick slices bacon.

Rinse salt pork under cold running water.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Slice salt pork into ½ inches.

Heat a large pot and sauté salt pork until slightly crispy and it has rendered most of its fat.  Remove most of the fat except 3 tablespoons.

Sauté onions until translucent.  Add garlic and sauté until light golden brown.

Add the celery and sauté a few minutes.

Add the cubed ham and potatoes.  Sauté a few minutes.  Add drained and rinsed Great Northern Beans.  Stir to combine.

Add chicken broth and 2 cups water.  Stir.

Add the frozen chopped turnip greens.  Stir.

Bring soup to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat and add the following:  dried chives, marjoram leaves, black pepper and ground hot pepper.

Simmer soup for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Taste the soup for additional salt.  And add a pinch of MSG to perk up the taste.

Serve warm with your favorite bread or corn bread.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Salt pork makes a big difference in taste when it comes to vegetable soups.  But you have to sauté it to get rid most of the fat.

#2 – Coarse sea salts are excellent in soups!

#3 – Draining and rinsing canned beans reduces gas.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Cranberry Walnut Squares

Perfect as an afternoon snack in the office when you’re looking for that extra energy to get you through the day.  Definitely better than getting something from a vending machine.  You might even bring some extra… because if your office mates find out you’re eating one of these delicious and appealing bars… they’re going to want some too!

These Cranberry Walnut Squares are loaded with dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, flaked coconuts and raisins.

These squares are great for picnics.  As travel foods… And if you have kids… are undeniably healthier snacks compared to a regular candy bar.

Once you have gathered al the ingredients you need… these bars only take minutes to prepare.

Yes… it’s simple and easy… and for a little effort, you will be rewarded with all these goodies.  I’ve used Kitchen Aid mixer in mixing the crust.  And I’ve also used spatula and my hands/fingers.  For those who may not have an electric mixer.

Below are what you need for this recipe:

Crust ingredients: old fashioned oatmeal, all purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, coconut oil and milk, and ground cinnamon.

These are what you need for the filling ingredients: dried cranberries, raisins, walnuts, sweetened flaked coconut, sugar, all purpose flour, dried orange peel (optional) freshly squeezed orange juice, eggs and vanilla extract.

Making the Crust:

Measure one and one half cup of uncooked oatmeal into a food processor.

Pulse a few times until crumbly.

And pour the contents into a large mixing bowl.

Add to the coarsely ground oatmeal the rest of the crust ingredients.

Mix them up with your hands, breaking up the lumps of brown sugar.

Since the coconut oil is solid.  I melted it in the microwave for 30 seconds.  And added 1/2 cup of coconut milk.

Add these to the oatmeal, flour and sugar mixture.

If you are using butter… this is where you’ll add the melted butter to the  oatmeal and flour mixture.

Oatmeal, flour and sugar mixture with the coconut oil/milk combination.

Mix until crumbly.

Mix well until soft dough chunks are formed.

*** If using butter, the mixture will be more crumbly and will not form into soft chunks of dough.

Reserve half the crust (soft chunks of dough) for topping.

Meanwhile…

Press half of the crust onto a 9 x 13″ rectangular pan.

Bake bottom crust for 8 minutes.

And while you’re cooling the crust.  Mix the filling.

The Filling:

In a large mixing bowl, combine dried fruits, walnuts, and flaked coconuts.

And flour and sugar.

Mix.

Add orange juice.

In another bowl.  Beat eggs and vanilla extract.

Add beaten eggs to the dried fruits, flour, sugar mixture.

Stir until eggs/vanilla extract is absorb and a sticky mixture is formed.

Add the filling to the cooled crust.

Press the remaining crust over the filling.

I made small flat patches out of the remaining crust/soft dough chunks, by either pressing them in between my palms or between two pieces of waxed paper.  And then placing the flat patches (crust) over the filling.

And then bake in preheated oven for 28 – 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes of baking…

Completely cool for at least 2 hours before cutting into squares.

Serve as snacks, travel food, in place of lunch, and for kids lunch pack…

The Recipe:

Cranberry Walnut Squares

Crust:

1 ½ cups uncooked oatmeal – coarsely ground

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 ¼ cup brown sugar

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

¼ cup coconut oil melted

½ cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Measure the coconut oil into a microwavable measuring cup.  Microwave for 30 seconds.  Add ½ cup coconut milk to the melted coconut oil In.  Stir.

Ground Old Fashioned Oatmeal in a food processor until coarse.

Empty the ground oatmeal into a large mixing bowl.  Add flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Mix with your hands, crumbling the brown sugar.  Give the coconut oil/milk a quick stir.  And power over the oatmeal and flour mixture.   Mix with your hands until soft chunks of dough formed.  Divide mixture in half.

Press half of the soft chunks of dough into the bottom of a 9”x13” baking pan… pressing on the corners and sides.

Bake Crust in the preheated oven for 8 minutes.  Remove crust from the oven and cool while you mix the filling.

Filling:

1 (6 ounce) package dried cranberries

1 cup walnuts – chopped

½ cup sweetened flaked coconut

½ cup raisins

½ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup + 1 TBSP. unbleached all purpose flour

1 tsp. dried orange peel – Optional (Available in the “spices section” at your local grocers.)

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

3 TBSPs. freshly squeeze orange juice

1 tsp. vanilla

2 extra large eggs

In a large mixing bowl… combine dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, flaked coconut, raisins, sugar, flour, dried orange peel, and salt.  Using a spatula, stir all these ingredients until well combined.  Add the orange juice and stir to coat all the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl… whisk together eggs and vanilla extract just until lightly beaten.  Pour over the cranberry – walnut mixture.  Stir with a spatula until all ingredients are combined.

Spread filling mixture onto the cooled crust.

In between your palm, or between two waxed paper, flatten the soft dough chunks into flat patches, and place over the filling.  Press lightly with your hand.

Bake at 350°F for 27 – 30 minutes or until the sides or edges of the crust are golden brown.  Do not over bake.   Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Print a recipe using butter.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Coconut oil and coconut milk make these squares dairy free.  And it  makes the crust a bit more crispy and less crumbly.  And if it weren’t for the eggs, these bars would be considered vegan.

#2 – Walnuts blend so well with these bars.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Lemon Baked Chicken

I don’t like bland food.  And chicken is one of those meats that needs to be seasoned generously. At least this is my experience here in the U.S.  The chickens are lacking in flavors.  And this may explains why it is common to see chickens sold in the supermarkets having labels that say:  “injected with chicken broth to enhance flavors.”  Huh.  Why?

I usually avoid this type of chicken.  Because I don’t know what flavors have been injected into the chicken.  And I much rather know.  So I buy the plain ole chickens with no flavor enhancements.  And seasoned them myself.

When I was a young girl, we had several chickens running around in our yard.  And on special occasion, we would feast on one of these chickens.  We would have to catch the chicken, the night before, while the chicken is asleep.  Usually, up on a tree branch.

I remember the chicken tasting so good…

The chicken we ate was organic and fresh that it didn’t need plenty of seasoning.  In fact, we only had salt and lemon grass.  It’s either that the chicken tasted so good.  Or, that we did not eat much poultry or other meats.  So that when eat meat, our senses are awakened.  We inhaled the sweet aroma.  We savored every bite.  And we licked the bones clean!

And we were hungry for more.

During those days, I especially loved chicken livers.  Each time we’d kill a chicken, I’d asked dad if I could have the livers.  “Please, please, Tatay… Can I have the livers? Nobody should get them but me! I demanded.”  I didn’t care for the other parts.  I only liked the livers!

Later I found out.  The chicken livers I thought I was getting, weren’t livers.  They were chicken blood!  Chicken blood!  I was shocked.  I felt cheated!

But for several years, until I was in my teens.  I thought I was eating livers.  Then one day, I ask my dad: “Tatay… why there are plenty of livers on our chicken…?”  “Oh.  They’re not livers.  They’re blood.  Chicken blood.  They just looked like livers once they’re cooked.” Tatay replied.

Chicken blood dropped into the boiling soup, in the pot.  Once it’s cooked, the large droplets of blood clumped into a liver like specimen.

We only had the luxury to feast on a single, mature chicken.  And I always wonder why there seems to be a number of livers floating in the pot.

But I liked the livers.  I mean the blood.  No. The livers! They tasted so good.  I didn’t know they were blood.  I thought they were chicken livers.  Tasty chicken livers!

But then I had another revelation…

Back in 1996, 15 years ago, when we went home to the Philippines .  Willie and I were on a protein diet.  So we ate mostly meats:  pork and chicken.  I noted a great difference in taste on the chicken and pork meats.

Our maid was cooking the chicken and pork simply.  Pan fried, with minimal seasonings – salt and black pepper.  Yet, it tasted so good.  It was shockingly good.  Tastier and more flavorful compared to the ones we were consuming back in Okinawa, Japan.  The ones we buy at the USAF Commissary.  The Tyson Chickens from Arkansas.

What’s the difference? A lot.  I’m sure.  Farming methods.  Feeds.  Etc.  And I could probably write another blog on these issues.  But I’m not going to do that, so I’ll just stop here.

But here’s one fact:  I often wish the chickens and pork here in America would taste as good… and flavorful as the chickens and pork I have eaten in the Philippines.   I kept wishing…

~~~

Lemon Baked Chicken.  This is a fairly simple chicken recipe that’s full of goodness.  It is lemony.  And good.  Real good!

Leg quarters.  Washed.  Pat dried with paper towels.

Lined up in a heavy duty baking sheet lined with heavy duty aluminum foil.  Or you can use a large glass baking pan.

Freshly squeezed lemon juice drizzled all over the chicken.  And generously seasoned with herbs and spices.

Baked in a preheated oven at 350°F for one and a half (1½ ) hours.

Serve them with the juices over the chicken.

The Recipe…

Lemon Baked Chicken :

6 pieces Chicken leg quarters

Juices of 2 large lemons (about ½ – ¾ cup)

1 whole lemon – thinly sliced

1 TBSP. kosher salt

1 TBSP. Spanish paprika

2 tsps. Garlic granules

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

4 TBSPs. olive or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Wash chicken and pat them dry.  Place in a large glass or ceramic baking pan.

Drizzle half of the lemon juice over the chicken leg quarters on one side.

In a small bowl, combine salt, paprika, garlic granules, black pepper, thyme, oregano, and cayenne pepper.  Sprinkle half of this seasoning over the chicken.

Turn the chicken over to the other side and drizzle the remaining half of the lemon juices.  Sprinkle the remaining half of the seasoning.

Scatter the thinly sliced lemon over the chicken pieces, and drizzle olive or vegetable oil.

Bake chicken in a preheated oven at 350°F for one and a half (1½ ) hours.

Serve warm with sauce drizzled over the chicken.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Allow the chicken to marinate in lemon juice and spices for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator, before baking. This process allows the chicken to absorb lots of flavor from the lemons and spices.  Which makes a great difference in enhancing the flavors of the chicken.

#2 – Freshly squeezed lemon juice.  Please.  Do not use the bottled, artificial lemon juice.

#3 – The herbs and spices.  All the herbs and spices give the chicken plenty of flavors.

 

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Southern Style Banana Pudding

“When my dad used to make this… he’d be in the kitchen for at least half a day.  Making sure everyone knows what he’s doing.  Every move was slow.  Deliberate.  And calculated… He’d make me think I’ve done something good… and for it… I’m being rewarded…”

My husband would often this whenever I make this pudding.

This banana pudding is one of the few desserts that my father-in-law used to make.  In fact…it is the only dessert that I’ve seen him made…

I always have liked it when he made it.  It was so good, there were times when I wish I could eat half the pudding…

My version of this banana pudding is loaded with plenty of bananas and Nilla Wafers.  It is  banana pudding after all, right?  At least this is how I  make it at my home.  Th0ugh I can’t speak for everyone…

We went to a Superbowl Party few weeks ago.  And one of the desserts was Banana Pudding, which was catered by a local barbecue place.  The custard was tasty.  Though I kept looking to see what happened to the bananas and Nilla Wafers…?  They skimped on both of these ingredients.  Not unusual for a restaurant – skimping on ingredients to fatten up their bottom line.

Banana pudding is one of the simplest and easiest dessert to make.  If I don’t count the time it takes to chill the banana pudding before serving, it is fast to make.  It takes about 30 minutes to assemble.

I always use perfectly ripe bananas.  The ones with no brown spots.  But perfectly ripe to eat.

Here’s what you need:

Perfectly ripe bananas.

Large eggs.

But we’re only going to need the egg yolks.

Unless you’re feeling energetic and have some time to spare.  And own an electric mixer.  And want to top the pudding with meringue.

All purpose flour, granulated or fine sugar, cornstarch and salt.

Coconut milk. And water to make 3 cups.

Of course, you can use whole milk, evaporated milk, or soymilk.

Pure Vanilla Extract.

Nabisco Nilla Wafers.  My husband loves his banana pudding with these wafers.  He did not care much for the lady fingers as much as I did…

Or…

Or lady finger cookies.

I have recently used lady fingers for my banana pudding… And I must say it was great! I loved the texture.  Though I learned to increase the sugar next time…

What to do:

Peel the bananas.

And then sliced them into rounds.

Drizzle about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice over the sliced bananas.  To keep them from browning.

Carefully crack the eggs, one at at time, and separate the egg yolks and whites.

Beat the egg yolks.

Combine the flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt in a large pot.

Slowly pour coconut milk over the flour, while whisking it.

Turn the stove to medium heat.

Keep whisking until flour and sugar is completely dissolved.

And the mixture thickens smooth  custard.  But NOT boiling.

Technically… this is not custard yet.  Because we haven’t added the egg yolks… But you know what I mean…

The texture should resembles condensed milk.

Scope a small amount of the custard into the beaten eggyolks.

Whisk to combine the egg yolks and custard.

Slowly pour the beaten egg yolks into the custard…

Keep whisking until custard comes to a boil.  And then immediately reduce the heat to low.

Continue whisking for another minute.

Remove the pot from the heat.

Add one teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract.

Whisk to combine.

Add about 1/3 of the custard into a deep dish.  A square or triangle dish is fine.

Spread the custard to cover the bottom of the dish.

Line a layer of Nabisco Nilla Wafers over the custard.

And top that layer with sliced bananas.

Spread half of the remaining custard over the banana layer.

And cover custard layer with another layer of Nabisco Nilla Wafers.

And top it with the last layer of sliced bananas.

And finally cover the last banana layer with the remaining custard.

You can stop at this point.  If you don’t have the time to make the meringue.  Or simply don’t want to be bothered with the meringue.

At this point… you can now refrigerate this Southern Style Banana Pudding.  And chill it for at least three hours before serving.

And if… you decide to top the banana pudding with a meringue…

Here’s what you need:

I have always made meringues using an electric mixer.  Because I don’t think my arms are strong enough to withstand the continuous whisking of the egg whites until it forms into a meringue.

So therefore, I would highly recommend using an electric mixer.  Unless you’ve got a volunteer to do the whisking…

Otherwise, I will forgo the meringue and just enjoy the banana pudding without it.

But… If you don’t mind this extra step…

Then, I say… go for it!

You’re going to need the egg whites

Granulated sugar.  Extra fine sugar is best.

Cream of tartar.  This will help stabilize the meringue.

Pure Vanilla Extract.

What to do:

I apologize for not having a step by step photo on how to make the meringue…  So I hope the few photos I have here and and the instruction will suffice…

First.  Be sure the mixing bowl is free of oil and lint.

So what I do is right before making the meringue… I wash the mixing bowl with hot and soapy water.  Rinse it with hot water and shake off excess water.

Then proceed with making the meringue.

The meringue should be slightly firm and glossy.

Spread the meringue over the banana pudding (last layer of custard).  And use the back of a spoon to make a design.

You then bake the meringue topped banana pudding in a preheated oven at 375 °F for 8 – 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool over a cooling rack for at least an hour before chilling in the refrigerator.

Banana Pudding using Lady Finger Cookies.

Without the meringue.

Banana Pudding with Nabisco Nilla Wafers.

Without the meringue.

The RECIPE…

Southern Style Banana Pudding

½ cup + 2 TBSPs. granulated sugar

½ cup flour

2 TBSPs. cornstarch

¼ tsp. kosher salt

5 large egg yolks, beaten

1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk + water to  make 3 cups

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 package (12 ounces) Nabisco Nilla Wafers

5 – 6 large ripe bananas (ripe but no brown spots) – peeled and sliced

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Using a 3 quart sauce pan, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.

Turn on the stove to medium heat.

Gradually whisk in coconut milk.  Keep whisking until mixture is lightly thickened.  But not boiling.

Add ½ cup of milk mixture to egg yolks.  Whisk to combine.

Slowly pour beaten egg yolks over the milk mixture, while whisking constantly.

Keep wisking custard until it comes to a full boil.  And then immediately reduce heat to low.  Keep whisking for another minute.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Add vanilla extract and whisk to combine.

Spread about 1/3 of the custard on the bottom of an 8” x 8“baking dish.

Layer Nilla Wafers over the custard.

And then, layer banana slices over layer of Nilla Wafers.

Spread another ½ of the remaining pudding over the banana layers.

Repeat the same process – by layering the Nilla Wafers and banana slices.

You should end up with a layer of custard as the last and top layer.

How to Prepare the meringue:

4 large egg whites

¼ tsp. cream of tartar

½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

¼ cup + 2 TBSPs. Granulated sugar

Wash the mixer bowl with hot soapy water.  Rinse thoroughly and shake water off the bowl.

Place bowl in the electric mixer and attach the wire whisk.

Add egg whites and beat on high speed until foamy.

Add cream of tartar and vanilla extract.  Continue beating on high speed until soft peaks form – about 2 minutes.

Gradually add the sugar, while the mixer is running on medium speed.  Beat on high speed again until peaks are firm and glossy, but not too dry. (This will take about 1 minute.)

Spoon the meringue over the layers of the banana pudding, slightly pressing the meringue to make sure it is touching the pudding and sides of the baking dish.

Use the back of the spoon to create an attractive design on the meringue.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 °F for 8 – 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove pudding from the oven and cool completely.

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

NOTE on Substitutions:

For my friends in the Philippines who may want to try this recipe… you may have to make do with what is available at your grocery store.  Especially when it comes to the cookies or wafers…

As for the milk… use 3 cups of Carnation Evaporated Milk.

As for the bananas… use very ripe, eating bananas.  I don’t think the “saba” will be good for this.

As for the tools… if you don’t have a whisk, you can use a cooking spoon.   And it might take longer to mix the flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt and milk until they are well combined and free of lumps.  Good luck!

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

If using Lady Finger Cookies… increase the sugar to ¾ cup.  I found that the Lady Finger Cookies are less sweet than the Nabisco Nilla Wafers.  Thus, the sugar increase.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Shrimp Scampi Pasta – A 15 Minute Meal

Another dish that is 15 minutes or less.

I had a bag of shrimps that’s been setting in my freezer for couple of weeks that I needed to get rid of.  And I wanted to use it for something easy and quick.  Not only easy but also flavorful.  So I decided on shrimp scampi.  Shrimps cooked in skillet with olive oil.  Or a combination of butter and olive oil.  For which only took less than 15 minutes to make.  Including the pasta.

For some, Shrimp Scampi is great during the summer time.  But who says you can’t eat it during winter…?  Food is food, right?  Especially if I’m hungry.

Anyway.

Here’s what you need to make this easy, simple and quick meal.

Shrimps. Generously seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Garlic. Peeled and minced.

Olive oil. I prefer to use extra light olive oil for sauteing and roasting.

White wine.  That is if you have any.

This was an after thought.  Because the ones I’m showing you here, I did not use wine.  And it tasted just as good.

Spinach.  Washed and ready to cook.

Again.  This is optional…

Pasta.  You only need one box…

And Parmesan Cheese.  Again Optional.  I didn’t use it for myself.  Not that I don’t want to.  Because I would have LOVED to… but I have to avoid dairy whenever possible.  Unless I want to physically punish myself… then I ate dairy.

Anyway.

Here’s how I put these ingredients into a delicious meal…

Get a large pot and fill it with water.  About 3/4 full.  And then add 3 teaspoons kosher salt.

Bring water to a boil and add 2 teaspoons olive oil.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook al dente.  About 7 minutes.

Strain water from pasta just seconds before adding it the shrimps.

*** While the pasta was boiling, I was also cooking the shrimps. ***

 

Heat a large skillet and add olive oil.

Saute garlic until light golden brown.

Add seasoned shrimps.

Cook shrimps until pink.  About 5 minutes.

*** If using white wine.  This is the time to remove the shrimp to a platter.  Then you pour 1/2 cup of white wine and allow it to boil.  You then add the shrimps back into the skillet.  Stir.***

Add the spinach, if using.

Stir until wilted.  about 1 – 2 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta.

Stir until pasta and shrimps are well combined.

Serve Shrimp  Scampi Pasta with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

~~~

Shrimp Scampi Pasta

(Serves 4 people)

1½ pound of peeled shrimps

1 tsp. coarse sea salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 – 4 TBSPs. light olive oil (or a combination of butter and olive oil)

½ cup white wine (optional)

4 cups (packed) spinach (optional)

16 ounces pasta – cooked separately

Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Season the shrimps with salt and black pepper.  Set aside.

Fill a large pot with water.  Add 3 tsps. Kosher salt and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, and 2 tsps. Olive oil.

Boil pasta for about 7 minutes – one minute before al dente.  Strain water from the pasta just right before adding it to the shrimp.

Heat a large skillet and add olive oil.  Add the garlic and sauté until light golden brown.  Add the seasoned shrimps and sauté until pink.  About 5 minutes.  Remove to a platter.

Pour white wine into the skillet and bring to a boil.  Add back the shrimps.  Stir.  And then add the spinach if using.  Stir until spinach is wilted.

Add the pasta and mix.  Taste for additional salt and or black pepper.

Top each serving with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.  And a slice of lemon on the side.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets

#1 – Buy raw and peeled shrimps to save time.

#2 – Cook pasta simultaneously with the shrimps.  So that when the pasta is cooked, I was ready to mix it with the shrimp.

#3 – Strain the water from the pasta just seconds before mixing it with the shrimp.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris