Green Papaya Salad

The thought of this makes my mouth water. If you haven't had it, I admit that it may sound unusual or not appetizing, BUT it is delicious...and after you try it I bet you'll get a craving for it as I do!

I saw the recipe linked from the title in Bon Appetit last summer and was intrigued. After making it my only question was, "what took me so long to try this?". It's just so good to have the tart and sweet and salty tastes together. When I went to an Asian grocery store with my Thai friend she pointed out the sign that it can be ordered there as well.

The green papaya in the picture on the left is how this looks before any shredding. Even if you aren't a papaya fan I would still recommend trying this salad since green papaya tastes nothing like the ripe fruit. It is more refreshing....kind of like cucumber.

I would say that having a food processor is just about a necessity with this recipe...especially if you don't have a mandolin. I hate to say a necessity because I bet it was made without a food processor for longer than it has been made with one...but it would be very labor intensive without it.

If you haven't made this before, try it. It's delicious.

Print Page

Mandarin Orange Breakfast Bites

Eleanor found this recipe and thought it would be a good breakfast idea. It got a yuck rating from all of us. I'm not sure what the problem was.....but I'm not going to make it again to find out. They just weren't good!

Print Page

Recipe Box

Ah....how to keep all the recipes organized?

I have been through a few different methods and really like my current systems. I often clip recipes from magazines or get copies from others and keep them in a drawer until they are tried in our house. If we don't like it, then I toss the recipe. If we like it, it's considered "card worthy" and goes on a card in the recipe box (thanks to the Seinfeld episode for the wording idea).

My box was getting too full and the cards were jammed into the box. Voila! My dad had come up with this idea for my mom when that happened to her recipes...the oversize recipe box. He made one for me too....and my mom did a few stencils on the side. There's room for more recipes...hooray.

And that card in the front means I'll be making that recipe soon...so watch for that one in a upcoming blog since it's already been determined to be card worthy!!

Print Page

Wisconsin Tuna Cakes

My friend Lisa gave me this recipe years ago and it has become a usual in the rotation in our house. She's given me a couple other good recipes as well, but you'll just have to wait for more. She's a busy full time pharmaceutical rep as well as a mom of two young boys, so her recipes tend to be good and quick...two of my favorite things in recipes!

1 can (12 oz) tuna, drained, finely flaked

3/4 c seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 c minced green onions (whatever onions you have on hand will work)

2 T chopped pimentos

1 egg

1/2 c milk

1/2 t grated lemon peel (optional)

Toss together tuna, breadcrumbs, onions, and pimentos.

In small bowl beat together milk and egg. Stir in lemon peel if using. Stir into tuna mixture.

shape into 4 inch patties and fry in skillet coated with Pam for about 3 minutes per side.

These are good the next day, so I often double the recipe in order to have some for lunches.

Print Page

Fraffles

I'm always looking for new breakfast ideas. It's that hot breakfast thing. Eleanor and I found this in a book while waiting for her violin lesson. Carol, the violin teacher, had a Hints to heloise book that looked intriguing...and we found this idea.

Eleanor isn't a fan of french toast, but she does seem to like it if I make it in the waffle iron. That's all there is to it. We had some leftover french bread, a rare occurrence in our house, so I thought these would be a good food before practice the other mornings.

Mix:
3 eggs
a bit of milk
dash of cinnamon
drop of vanilla

Coat the bread on both sides in the egg mixture and put in a hot waffle iron. SErved here with maple syrup and blackberries.

Print Page

Chutney Chicken Pizza

As you probably know by now, we'll eat just about anything on some crust and call it a pizza-like thing. This recipe is from the grilled pizza book mentioned in a previous post. We're not really in grilling season, although we do grill in the winter at times; however, I made this using the oven instead of the grill.

It's a quick weeknight dinner if using the thin crust recipe posted last summer.

Marinate 1 lb chicken breasts (diced into bite size pieces) in:
8 oz plain yogurt
1 t curry powder
1 t coriander
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
squeeze lemon juice
dash of turmeric

Bake until chicken is done.
Roll out crust and top with 1/2 c smoked cheese and bake.
Spread crust with small amount of mango chutney and chicken.
Top with fresh chopped mango and serve.


Print Page

Dutch Baby

Eleanor got a new cookbook for me for Christmas, All About Breakfast and Brunch. Actually, it was a good purchase for her since she will benefit from the new recipes in this book.

The first thing we tried was the recipe for a Dutch Baby which is a sweet pancake. We were interested in these after seeing a recent episode of America's Test Kitchen. It's a puff pancake, but the recipe is a bit different from the versions I have already posted. I know how we eat, so I made a triple batch. I guess she wasn't too hungry that day, so I did have enough batter to refrigerate for the next day to make them again.

The recipe I'm posting says it's enough for 2-4 servings.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

1/2 c milk

1/2 c flour

1/4 c sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

Melt butter in a 10" skillet over medium heat and add butter. Original recipe calls for 4 T; however, I used 1/2 T or so and brushed it around the pan. I didn't have a sticking problem, so it must have been enough.

Pour the batter into the skillet and cook without stirring for a minute or two.

Place the skillet in the oven and bake 12-15 minutes or so.

Serve immediately since it starts to lose the puff right away.

Eleanor put powdered sugar and lemon juice on hers and declared, "This tastes just like a doughnut!". I guess that means it's a keeper.

Print Page