Mandarin Salad is so easy to make, and very zesty as well.
INGREDIENTS:
Sweet Butter Salad mix
small sprinkling of diced Almonds (optional)
Good Season's Italian Salad dressing mix (the secret indredient) AND ingredients to make that:
Olive Oil, Vinegar
1 can of Mandarin Oranges, refrigerated.
DIRECTIONS:
Make Good Season's Season's Italian Salad dressing according to package directions.
Rinse salad mix, arrange in bowl, top with handful of Mandarin Oranges. Pour some Salad dressing mix over, and top with a sprinkling of diced Almonds. Serve cold.
There are a couple of ways to make Baked French Onion Soup. The quick version, which in itself is quite tasty, OR the Traditional version (taking a couple of days to make) which is even MORE tasty.
Let's start with the quick version.
INGREDIENTS:
1 large slice of French or Italian Bread, toasted for a bit in the oven
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 Cup or more of shredded Mozzarella
Slice of Swiss Cheese (or other white cheese, optional)
Pinch of Parmesan (optional)
1 Cup or more of Beef Broth (from can or bouillion cube, OR a can of French Onion Soup)
3-4 slices of Onions (Red, White, or Spanish) diced up
Generous pinch of Sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Put the toasted bread into an oven safe soup bowl. Saute the Onions in Butter till they are getting soft. Add the pinch of Sugar to help them caramelize and turn brown.
Add the broth, and stir for a few minutes more, pour this over the bread and top with Cheese. Bake 350*F till Cheese browns just a bit.
If you don't have an oven safe bowl, you can microwave. Tasty and quick.
HOWEVER, if you want the true authentic version, try the traditional way. It takes a couple of days, mostly simmering, but the end result is fantastic!!
NOTE: This is one way to make a homemade Beef Broth. You can follow the instructions way down below (where you're roasting the femur bones) to make JUST broth and forget the Onion thing. You can freeze premade Broth as well.
HOWEVER, this French Onion Soup recipe also calls for Chicken Broth. Here is how to quickly make that (and you can freeze it too).
CHICKEN BROTH
1 Onion (preferably Spanish) cut into quarters
1-2 Celery stalks, cut up into 3 inch or so lengths
1 Carrot, peeled and cut up into 3 inch or so lengths
Dash each of Salt and Pepper
4-6 Chickens Feet (if you can find them) OR just use 5-7 Wings (in a pinch you can use 3-4 Chicken Legs)
Small handful of diced fresh Parsley (or about 1 Tablespoon dried)
3-4 Chicken Bouillion cubes NOTE ON CHICKEN'S FEET:
IF you can find them, please use them in this broth. They add such a concentrated flavor that other parts cannot match.
DIRECTIONS:
Put all ingredients into a pot, cover with water about 3 inches, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer on low, stirring occasionally for 3 hours. Remove from heat, let it cool for a few minutes. Take a large bowl and put a collandar/strainer over the bowl, and drain the broth INTO the bowl. You want PURE Broth. You can and should retain the Chicken, removing as much meat as you can from the bones, especially if you're using Chicken Legs or Wings. If you used Chicken's Feet, just discard them-not much meat there-
You'll also want to pull the Carrots from this, and dice into small pieces. The Meat and Carrots, added with a bit of fresh diced Parsley (or dried), makes for a nice Chicken Soup. Add cooked Rice or Noodles as described below.
TIP: Add just a "hint" of freshly squeezed Lemon or Lime to broth, as well as just a "touch" of freshly diced Cilantro. YUM
NOTE: Taste the broth as you simmer. You may want to add some more Salt, Pepper to zip it up, or add a bit more water if too strong. You can save some of this broth to make Chicken Noodle soup-- remove some meat from the bones, add to the reserved broth. In another pot, just boil some Linguine noodles, and add to the soup. REMEMBER THOUGH, you will need at least 1 Cup of this PURE Chicken Broth for the French Onion Soup!!
You can be making the Chicken Broth as you begin to make the French Onion Soup.
TRADITIONAL VERSION OF BAKED FRENCH ONION SOUP
(bring a good book)
INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup of Chicken Broth (see recipe above, in a pinch you "can" use store bought or even make broth using bouillion)
4 Femur Bones (your butcher can cut these up for you- in a pinch you can use 2-3 beef shanks but I recommend calling around and finding the femur bones!!)
Salt and Pepper
Olive or Vegetable Oil
6 LARGE Onions (I use a variety of Red, Spanish, White & Vidalia-when in season)
2 large cloves of Garlic, smashed
1-2 Carrots, peeled and cut up into 1-2 inch lengths
Celery bunch, trimmed - about 3/4 cup (see photo below)
2 Bay Leafs
1/4 Cup DRY Vermouth (optional, but helpful if you have it)
2 Tablespoons Butter
1-2 Tablespoons Sugar
3-4 slices EACH of Provolone, Swiss and/or Lorraine
1/2 Cup or more of shredded Mozzarella
1/4 Cup or so of grated Parmesan or Romano
4 slices of French or Italian Bread cut about 1 inch thick, and some butter to spread on them
DIRECTIONS:
On a large foiled lined cookie sheet, place the Femurs, Carrots, ONE Spanish Onion roughly cut cup. Drizzle all with Oil.
NOTE: I save my "beef" oil after the baking process and refrigerate and reuse when I make Beef Broth again. It will keep for a few weeks. I am always making broth. You don't have to do this, if it's a one time affair here for you. HOWEVER, after roasting, let this left over oil cool down and throw it away in the garbage, NOT the drain (in the drain pipes it can cool down and harden and clog up-we don't want that).
In a 400*F oven, roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Take out, and with a knife or handle of a spoon, poke out/pull the marrow from the femur, and place back onto the tray. Return all to oven and roast for another 45 minutes more.
Remove from oven, with tongs, place bones, onions & carrots into a stock pot.
Take the Celery stalks and trim the outer parts.
Put the Celery, a few dashes of Salt & Pepper, Bay Leafs, smashed Garlic cloves and Chicken Broth into the Stock pot. Cover ALL of this with water, at least 2-3 inches or so with water over the top of the bones.
Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low for 6 hours, stirring every hour or so. Cool.
NOTE: For an even richer broth, after it has cooled down, I refrigerate it covered overnight, and then simmer again for at least 3 hours on low the next day. I then let it cool down again, and refrigerate over night AGAIN. Then the next day, I begin to let it simmer again while I caramelize the Onions.
I think it's important to refrigerate overnight at least for ONE night, as the next day you can take a spoon and take off the accumulated fat that has risen to the surface and discard.
Regardless if you refrigerate it over night or not, it should be at least at room temperature before you drain. Put a large bowl with a colander/strainer over the bowl, (remove the femur bones with tongs and set aside for FIDO), and pour the broth mixture into it. You can discard the veggies, and keep the PURE broth that is in the bowl. Put the broth back into the stock pot.
Bring your pure broth to a simmer, and begin to dice your Onions. You want to make very fine slices. Cut the Onion in half from stem to stem. Remove skin. Then begin to slice up very fine.
In a medium sized pot or pan, put the sliced Onions and Butter and begin to saute on medium to low, stirring constantly for a good 10 minutes. This will break up the Onion slices, allowing them to begin to release their water. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes so they don't burn.
Add the Sugar and begin to stir continuously. Cover and simmer on low for about 10 minutes or so, lifting the lid and stirring every minute. You cannot leave this alone to do it's own thing, you need to continually stir them. DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE. YOU ARE UNAVAILABLE FOR 10 MINUTES!!!
You are beginning to caramelize the Onions with the Sugar as well as "steam" them every time you put the lid back on, but it's important to know that you NEED TO CONTINUALLY STIR. Add the DRY Vermouth and continue to stir for at least 5 minutes more. Cover, and simmer for about another 30 minutes, repeating the stirring every minute or so. You want those Onions to be a rich brown.
NOTE: You don't want to ignore the Onions, but you DO want to have them covered with a lid in between the stirring. The more you simmer and stir, the darker and softer they will get, and this is what you want. Taste. Add a pinch of Salt or Pepper if needed.
You'll need at least 2-3 Cups of the Beef Broth (freeze the rest if any). Add the Onion mixture to the Beef Broth that is warmed up from simmering (yet again).
Simmer your Soup for about 3 hours more, covered, stirring occasionally.
TIP: You can add a splash of Worcestershire sauce to the broth as well!! But just a small splash.
It's important to taste taste taste the broths, as well as the Onions while simmering. Add more water to the broth in small amounts if too thick, or salt & pepper if needed.
FINALLY.... (and you can do this ahead of time)...Take slices of French or Italian bread (making sure that your slices will fit into the oven safe soup bowls) and spread just a bit of butter on one side. Put in oven on a foil lined cookie sheet and toast until deeply browned.
In the soup crocks, put a bit of the Onion Soup, place the toasted Bread on it and push it down, and pour more Onion soup over that, leaving enough room for the Cheeses.
I usually use a mixture of Swiss, Provolone, Lorraine, Mozzarella, and even Brick Cheeses, because CHEESE IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT!!! We like the GOOPINESS OF CHEESE- who doesn't?
Put your choices of Cheese on top, and place soup crocks on a large cookie sheet and bake 350*F for 10 minutes or so, until Cheese is melted and lightly browned.
Serve.
IF you have lids for those soup crocks, instead of baking, you CAN let the soup cool down, put a lid on it, and refrigerate for no more than 2 days. Then you can bake it. (put at least one layer of cheese over the top before doing this)
Here's an interesting take on Baked Clams. One can go the "normal" route and use a plain or seasoned Bread crumb stuffing or....
Jazz it up with a buttery Tomato Sauce!!
INGREDIENTS:
6 Vongole Clams (see important note below - each clam here will make 2 baked)
1 large clove of Garlic, diced very very fine
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil (or pommace oil)
1 Cup or more of Bread crumbs (plain or seasoned)
1/4 to 1/3rd stick Butter, melted (margarine can also be used) PLUS
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice (from concentrate or fresh Lemons)
small can of Tomato sauce
Salt & Pepper
Lemon slices/wedges
Tabasco or other hot sauce
NOTE ON CLAMS:
Here's the deal on clams. Vongole are very very small clams, get them fresh. In this case the smaller the better as they are more tender and less "chewy" than the larger Clams.
You CAN use those GIANT Clams if you want, I guess some people think they are getting SO MUCH MORE with big Clams. If you can't find Vongole or very small fresh clams, then follow this recipe as follows with an important deviation. When you are "steaming" the Clams so they will open, allow them to steam further until they are all the way open. Remove from heat, cool, then remove the Clam meat. Dice up very fine (with knife or scissors), and this is what you will add to the shells.
Large Clams ARE chewy, especially for Baked Clams, and basically are used to flavor broths & stews, and end up being chopped up anyways.
DIRECTIONS:
Rinse off the Clams. Put in saute pan with some Olive Oil, and on medium flame, shake around till they just begin to open. Remove from heat, transfer Clams to plate.
After they are cool to the touch, you can pry them open.
Make the stuffing. You can use Chicken Broth to add liquid to it if you have it, if not, that's okay.
To the Bread crumb mixture add the Garlic, Lemon juice and the melted Butter, stir. It should be like a thick paste. If it's too "crumbly" then add a touch of Water, or like I said, Chicken Broth. You DON'T want it soupy!!
Now for that Tomato Sauce mixture. To a small saute pan, add a small dash of Olive Oil, dashes of Salt & Pepper, and that other 1 Tablespoon of Butter. When the Butter has melted, add the Tomato sauce, stir. Set aside.
Remove the Clam meat from the shells, rinse off the shells to get rid of any lingering meat.
See that orange part of the Clam meat? It's very tough. With scissors, cut away and discard the orange part.
PREPARING THE CLAMS for baking:
Put the Clam shells into a pie or baking tin. Add a bit of water on the bottom of the pan, this will help steam/boil from the bottom of the shell.
Remember that each Clam will yield for 2 baked. So with scissors, cut each whole clam in half and place one half into each shell.
Top the Clams with the Bread crumb mixture and lightly press in. NOTE: At this point you can refrigerate the stuffed Clams overnight or freeze for just a couple of days. Only use the Tomato sauce mixture right before baking.
Pour the Tomato sauce mixture over all the Clams.
Bake 350*F for about 30 min. (restaurant ovens are usually set to 500, so they will cook in half the time if you do so too-- however, as I am usually baking other things at 350, I generally use that as my go-to temperature)
Half way thru cooking, remove, and spoon some of the Tomato sauce over the Clams again.
When serving you can add the remaining Tomato sauce over all, or you can just melt a bit of Butter and drizzle over the finished product.
Doreen's Kitchen: APPLE PIE: For the complete recipe: APPLE PIE Get FREE Magic Pan Restaurant recipes with CD Cookbook at DOREEN'S KITCHEN Making homemade ...
