A Tip From The Chef
- Stir-frying hard vegetables.

If you are stir frying hard, solid vegetables, don't cut them up in smaller pieces, instead, after a minute or two, turn your heat source down, or off, and cover the wok with a lid. This steaming effect will continue to cook the vegetables, whilst still keeping them crispy.

For boiled dishes a large saucepan with a lid is necessary. For adding and removing ingredients the Thais use a bamboo-handled brass wired scoop. Large slotted spoons will do as well. The saucepan is also used for cooking the boiled rice, though sometimes we use a microwave rice maker and for large dinner parties we have a large electronic rice cooker. The advantage of using the last two items is that the rice is always consistently the same.

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Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

1 ½ TBS Butter
3 TBS All Purpose Flour
1 ½ cups Milk
3 to 4 Tsp Dry Ranch Style Salad Dressing Mix
¼ to ½ Tsp White Pepper
1 Cup chopped onion
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 ½ sliced fresh Mushrooms
1 ¼ lbs fresh Green Beans cooked until crisp/tender
1 Cup Fresh Breadcrumbs/toasted

Directions:

To make white sauce, melt butter in small sauce pan over low heat. Stir in flour; cook one to two minutes, stirring constantly. Using wire whisk, stir in milk; bring to a boil. Cook, whisking constantly, one to two minutes or until thickened.  Stir in dressing mix and white pepper; set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 350 F spray medium skillet with non-stick cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until tender.

Remove half of onion mixture; set aside.

Add mushrooms to onion mixture remaining in skillet and cook about 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Combine mushroom mixture, green beans and white sauce in 1 ½ quart casserole. Combine bread crumbs with reserved onion mixture; Sprinkle over casserole. Bake uncovered, until heated through, about 20 to 30 minutes.

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Old World Manicotti

Ingredients:

12 Large Manicotti Shells
4 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, Divided
2 Cups Ricotta
6 TBS Chipped fresh Basil or 2 TBS dried Basil
1 (26 oz) Jared Spaghetti Sauce, Divided
½ Cup grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350F

Spray 13 x 9 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Cook Pasta according to package direction. Drain; rinse with cool water. Let pasta dry on paper towels.

For filling, in medium bowl, stir together 3 cups Mozzarella with the Ricotta and fresh Basil. Using a teaspoon carefully stuff pasta shells with prepared cheese mixture.

Spoon 2 cups spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dish. Arranged stuffed pasta over sauce pour remaining spaghetti sauce over pasta.  Sprinkle with remaining Mozzarella .

Bake Manicotti for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan;  Bake for 10 minutes longer.

Serve immediately.

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Sweet Cinnamon Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 Cups sifted All Purpose Flour
1 TBS Baking Powder
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp Baking Soda
¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
¾ Cup Butter Milk
8 TBS (one stick) Butter, Softened
¾ Cup Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 Cup Milk, optional

Directions:

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and mix well. Stir in Vegetable oil. Add butter milk and stir just until blended.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Roll dough into a 15 x 8 inch rectangle.

Pre-heat oven to 400F grease a 9 inch round baking pan lightly.

Spread butter over the dough. Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix well. Sprinkle over butter. Roll up rectangle, jelly roll fashion, starting from one long side. Pinch seam to seal.

Cut the roll into 1 ½ inch slices. Arrange the slices, cut side up, in prepared baking pan. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Pour milk over the top, if desired. Serve hot.

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Chocolate Meringues

4T unsweetened cocoa
2 egg whites
1/2 C sugar
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 250.
Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper or brown bag paper.
Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.
Add 6T of sugar, a spoonful at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add cocoa. Add the vanilla, and fold in remaining sugar.
Shape meringues onto cookie sheet using a pastry bag, or a spoon.

Bake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and let the meringues remain inside the oven for 6 more hours. Don't open the door. They must dry out to be nice and crisp. Makes 12 small meringues.

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