Ris à l'amande

2 cups rice
1 pint whipping cream
1 teaspoon almond flavoring
2 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar

1 whole almond
cherry pie filling, warmed

Cook rice.  Add milk while rice is hot.  Add sugar and almond flavoring.  Let cool.

Whip cream and fold into cooled rice mixture, hiding the whole almond inside.  Chill.  Serve topped with pie filling.

Biscuits (Foods 1)

Easy Light Refreshments for 100 under $100

This was served following a Young Women in Excellence Program in 2014.

From Costco:
1 - $11.00  2 lb sliced Kirkland Black Forest Ham
1 - $12.00 2 lb sliced Kirkland Honey Roasted Turkey
1 - $12.00 2 lb Cello Cheese Variety (cheddar, swiss, havarti and smoked gouda)
1 - $05.00 2 lb grape tomatoes (used to decorate meat and cheese trays, only need 1/2 lb)
1 - $11.00 Van Dierman Cream Puffs, 110 mini puffs
1 - $07.00  two 6-pack Chocolate Muffins
1 - $07.00  two 6-pack Poppy Seed Muffins
3 - $10.00 cut Fruit Tray (cantelope/honeydew/pineapple/strawberry/grape)
Total $95.00 pre-tax

Other Grocery:
1 - $2.00 7 lb cubed ice (for 3 gallon water container)
1 - $1.00 1 bunch curly parsley (to decorate cheese tray)
1 - $1.00 leaf lettuce (to decorate meat tray)
Total $4.00 pre-tax

Meats cut into smaller pieces and arranged in rows on 11x16 tray on a bed of lettuce with grape tomatoes scattered on top.

Cheese came pre-sliced (1.5x2) on it's own 9x11 tray, decorate with parsley and grape tomatoes.  All the chedder was eaten, but hardly any of the white cheeses.  Next time get try to get 1 lb cheddar and 1 lb other.

Cream puffs served in 10" ceramic bowl.

Muffins were cut into about 1/2 inch slices (about 4 or 5 per muffin) and then cut in half again (but not the end slices if they seemed small enough already) and served on 3 11x16 trays (8 muffins per tray--2 trays may be enough--originally bought Chocolate, Poppy Seed, and Blueberry, but no one ate the Blueberry muffins.)

Fruit was cut into smaller pieces (even the grapes were halved because they were large) and served in a ceramic 5-sectioned server (smaller circular bowl in the middle with four larger sections around it).

Needed for service:
4 11x16 trays (1 meat, 3 muffin--may only need two muffin trays)
1 9x11 tray (for cheese if not included in package)
1 ceramic bowl (for cream puffs)
1 sectioned server (for fruit)
100 dessert plates
100 napkins
200 toothpicks (tiny plastic forks would have been better)
100 cups (I prefer the clear, squat 9 oz cups from Smith's--less spillage)
3 gallon beverage container (just serve water)
minimum 5 small tongs, 10 would be better
1 large round table (for water and cups/plates/napkins) and cloth
1 large rectangular table (for food) and cloth

Needed for prep (3 people/1 hour):
chef knife (for meat and fruit)
serrated knife (for muffins and fruit)
cutting boards
plastic wrap

Needed for clean-up (service trays expected to be cleaned at home):
gallon bags to send extra food home
409
paper towls
hand towels

Additions:
Bowls of yellow and dijon mustard with spoons to be served with the meat?

Apple Smiles

Cheese Ball and Crackers

Impossible Breakfast Pie

If you don't have Bisquick, try this:

Put the following in a food processor:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Pulse to mix.

Add 4 Tablespoons of cold butter (cubed) and process until the butter is completely incorporated.

Measure out your 1/2 cup and put the rest in a container in the fridge to use later.

Bone Broth

In a slow cooker add:

2 lbs beef bones (roasted 30 minutes in 350 degree oven)
2 carrots, large chop
2 celery stalks, large chop (leafy ones are fine)
1 medium onion, quartered
1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon peppercorns
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 quarts water

Let cook for 48 hours, replenishing water if needed.

Last 30 minutes add:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bunch parsley

Strain through fine mesh strainer.

Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons butter, cubed (tiny)
3/4 cup milk

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter. Add milk and mix until combined.  Knead. Roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface, folding twice. Cut into 12 squares. Bake in 400 degree oven for 11-12 minutes.

Rice Cooker Golden Rice

13.5 oz can of coconut milk (shaken or stirred til smooth, full fat)
2 1/4 cup stock (beef or chicken)
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 Tablespoons fish sauce
pinch saffron threads (optional)
2 cups rice

Place all ingredients in rice cooker and stir.  Cook on white rice setting.

Slight variation of recipe found in Knack Thai Cooking.

1/2 batch:

6.9 oz coconut milk

1 1/8 cup stock

3/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

3/4 Tablespoon fish sauce

1 cup rice

Rice Cooker Coconut Rice

13.5 oz can coconut milk (shaken or stirred till smooth, full fat)
2 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups rice

Place all ingredients in rice cooker and mix well.  Cook on white rice setting.

Slight variation of recipe found in Knack Thai Cooking.

Gingerbread Cookies

Making them for a wedding, like we did?  Multiply by 7!  Whew!

6 cups flour (1 lb, 11 oz)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon ginger
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cloves

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup molasses
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

In a large bowl, whisk first six ingredients until combined.

In a mixer fitted with the beater blade, beat butter until smooth.  Scrape down, add next four ingredients. Mix, scrape, mix, scrape.

On lowest possible speed, gradually add dry ingredients until just combined (scrape down occasionally, paying particular attention to the area under the beater).

Divide dough into 3 pieces and flatten into round discs.  Wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (overnight is great).

Roll out on a lightly floured surface*. Cut dough with cookie cutters and place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes.  Let cool for a minute on the cookie sheet, then move to rack to cool completely.

*I made guides by gluing together two paint sticks (making a set of two).

Slight variation of this recipe by Glorious Treats.

Mushroom Bisque

1 quart chicken broth
1 pound finely chopped shitake and crimini mushrooms (or variety of your choice)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
6 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 shakes hot sauce

Bring chicken broth to a boil.  Add mushrooms and onions.  Simmer, covered, one hour.

In a separate pan, melt butter.  Whisk in flour and cook for a minute or two.  Continue whisking as you as the half-and-half.  Whisk until thickened.

Combine the mushroom broth and roux.  Add salt and hot sauce.  Blend with an immersion blender for a minute or two, not completely blending in all the mushrooms.

Serve immediately.  To make it a Zupas Night, serve with a thick slice of french bread and a chocolate covered strawberry (Ghirardelli Dark Melting Wafers make it easy).

Three Pound Meatloaf

Three Pound comes from the amount hamburger used in making this meatloaf.  I have no idea how much it weighs with all the fixings.  Make this meatloaf for larger dinners (serves 8) when it is just easier to buy the three pound package of meat.  This is an adaptation from Ina Garten's recipe (hence the strange amounts).

2 Tablespoons fat
3 1/2 cups onions, small dice
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 1/3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

3 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon chicken stock or broth
1 1/4 Tablespoons tomato paste

3 pounds hamburger (85% lean)
1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 Tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs
3 large eggs, beaten

enough ketchup to generously cover the loaf (a little over 1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Heat the fat in a large skillet on medium-low heat.  Add the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.  Off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste.  Cool slightly.

In a large bowl, break apart the hamburger with a fork.  Add the onion mixture, bread crumbs, and beaten eggs.  Gently mix all together with fork(s).  Shape the mixture into a rectangular loaf on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper.  Spread the ketchup evenly on top (yes, I use my fingers).  Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours (should register 160 degrees with a meat thermometer).

Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Rice Cooker Lemon Rice

4 teaspoons butter
2 cups rice

2 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (and the lemon zest)
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon salt

Saute rice in butter until fragrant (optional).  Pour everything in the rice cooker and set for white rice setting.

Lemon Talapia

20 oz bag tilapia fillets (thaw per instructions)
6 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
 2 Tablespoons butter
 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
 pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a baking dish. Place fillets in baking dish. In small bowl, melt butter, then add garlic parsley and lemon juice.  Mix well and pour over fillets. Grind pepper lightly over each fillet. Bake 30 minutes.