sticky rice with chinese sausage (luo mi fan)

prep time: 30 minutes      cook time: 30 minutes       total time: 1 hour       makes 4 servings

ingredients
2 cups uncooked sticky rice (aka sweet rice or glutinous rice)
1 T oyster sauce
2 T soy sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/4 c chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt
2 T oil
1/4 c dried shrimp, soaked overnight
1 medium onion, finely diced
5 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in warm water until softened and diced
3 links chinese sausage, cut into small discs
1 tsp shaoxing wine
pepper, to taste
4 scallions, chopped

directions

1. cook the sticky rice according to the directions on the package and set aside to cool (normally cooked in the rice cooker). when in doubt, use less water to ensure you don’t come out with mushy, overcooked rice. in this case, undercooked is better than overcooked, because you will cook the rice again when stir-frying in the wok.
2. combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, chicken stock, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
3. heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. add the shrimp and stir-fry for 30 seconds to bring out the flavor.
4. next add the onion, mushrooms, and chinese sausage, and stir-fry for another minute, taking care not to burn the onion. add the shaoxing wine and stir-fry for another 2 minutes. use a couple of spoonfuls of set aside sauce to flavor everything.
5.  add all of the cooked sticky rice to the wok and break it up as much as possible. spoon half of the sauce mixture over the rice (it helps to add the sauce over any clumps of rice to help break them up).
6. mix well, using a scooping motion to ensure the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the wok. add the rest of the sauce and stir-fry until the rice is uniform in color.
7. season with pepper to taste and mix in about half of the scallions. you can serve it as is or if you want to get fancy, you can pack the rice into a nice round bowl rinsed in warm water and turn it over on a plate. sprinkle the rest of the scallions over the rice.

**note to self – look at the notes below on how much water to add to rice cooker

source

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antipasto squares

servings: 6-8       prep time: 15 minutes      cook time: 30 minutes      total time: 1 hour

ingredients
2 cans crescent dough
1/2 lb. deli ham
1/4 lb. pepperoni (could also use salami)
1/4 lb. sliced provolone
1/4 lb. sliced mozzarella
1 c. sliced pepperoncini
2 T olive oil
1/4 c. grated parmesan
1 tsp. dried oregano

directions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. unroll one can of crescents onto greased baking sheet and pinch seams together.
3. layer ham, provolone, pepperoni (or salami), mozzarella, and pepperoncini.
4. unroll second crescent dough and place on top of pepperoncini. pinch crescent sheets together to seal.
5. brush olive oil all over the top of crescent dough and then sprinkle parmesan and oregano on top.
6. bake until crescent dough is golden and cooked through, about 30 minutes. (if the crescent dough is browning too quickly, cover with foil.)
7. let cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing into squares.

source

french toast bake

prep time: 20 minutes       cook time: 45 minutes – 1 hour      total: 1 hour – 1 hour and 20 minutes      makes 8-10 servings

ingredients
1 loaf sourdough bread
8 eggs
2 c milk
1/2 c heavy cream
3/4 c sugar
2 T vanilla

topping:
1/2 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c cold butter, cut into pieces

directions

1. cut loaf into cubes and place evenly in a greased 9×13 pan.
2. in a bowl, mix together eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla. pour evenly over bread.
3. cover your pan and refrigerate overnight.
4. mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
5. cut in butter with this mixture until crumbly and place in a ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight as well.
6. take pan and ziploc out when ready to bake. sprinkle crumbly mixture evenly over the bread.
7. bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on how soft you like it.

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salmon pasta with green goddess pesto

prep time: 20 minutes      cook time: 30 minutes      total time: 50 minutes      serves 6-8

ingredients
1 large handful of basil (about 1 cup chopped)
1 large handful of parsley (about 1 cup chopped)
1 small handful of dill (about 1/2 c chopped)
1 small bunch of chives (about 1/2 c chopped)
2 scallions, chopped into 1-inch pieces
the leaves from 3 stalks of tarragon (stems discarded)
juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 T
1 1/2 lb salmon fillet
1 lb dried fettucine
2 T butter
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 c capers, drained and roughly chopped
1 c heavy cream
2 c frozen peas
zest of a whole lemon

directions

1. first, make the green goddess pesto. in the bowl of a food processor, add the basil, parsley, dill, chives, scallions, tarragon, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and olive oil. process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
2. next, rinse your salmon fillet, pat it dry with a paper towel, and season with salt. heat 2 T of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. sear the salmon until cooked through on both sides, approximately 5-6 minutes per side (depending on the thickness of the fish and your preference for how done you want your fish). when it’s cooked to your liking, transfer to a plate, and with two forks, flake the salmon.
3. next, bring a pot of salted water up to a boil. boil the pasta according to package instructions until al dente.
4. while the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. add the butter and the garlic. stir the garlic until lightly browned, and then add the capers. turn the heat all the way down to low, and stir to combine. add the heavy cream, followed by the peas. stir to warm the peas through.
5. add the cooked pasta and stir thoroughly until the pasta is coated in the cream. next, add the pesto and stir to combine. top with the flaked salmon, additional black pepper to taste, and lemon zest.

source

tortellini salad

prep time: 15 minutes       cook time: 15 minutes      total: 30 minutes       yields 4 servings

ingredients
1 10 oz. package cheese tortellini
1 14 oz. can quartered artichoke hearts
4 c baby arugula
2 c halved cherry tomatoes
2 oz. thinly sliced pepperoni
1/4 c chopped fresh basil
3 T bottled italian dressing

directions

1. cook the tortellini according to package directions.
2. drain and rinse with cold water.
3. drain the artichoke hearts and reserve half for another use.
4. in a serving bowl, combine the cooled tortellini, artichoke hearts, baby arugula, tomatoes, pepperoni, basil, and italian dressing.

source – parents magazine, sept. 2017, pg. 142