For a printable version of this recipe and complete ingredients listing, click here.
NOTE: Grace is busy having a baby this week, so her sister, Emily, is filling in for her. This is another of Emily’s concoctions.
I am lazy. I am also morally opposed to the idea of eating something that is good for me unless it is dipped in something that will probably kill me before I am 40, so this recipe — which involves two ingredients and almost zero effort — is one of my favorites.
Submerge the unopened can in a deep pot of water.
First, peel the label off a can of sweetened condensed milk. I use Eagle brand because I like the taste better than some of the other brands, but any brand will work. Just make sure the can says “sweetened condensed milk” and not “evaporated milk.” They are not the same thing, and the latter absolutely will not work here.
Submerge the unopened can in a large pot of water. Boil for two hours, adding water as needed to keep the can covered. (A small stockpot is excellent for this purpose, as you can use a lot more water, thus allowing the can to remain covered longer, with less intervention from you. The deeper pot is also less likely to boil over and douse the flame if you’re using a gas stove.)
Use tongs or a jar lifter to remove the can from the water. Let it cool for an hour or two.
After boiling for two hours, the milk magically turns into caramel.
Open the can. Inside, you will find that the contents have magically turned into soft, creamy caramel that looks and tastes a lot like the inside of a Caramello bar.
Slice up an apple or two (Granny Smiths or Honeycrisps work the best, IMHO) and dip the slices in the caramel. One can of dip is usually good for about three apples.
If caramel apples don’t thrill you, try dipping oatmeal cookies or Hershey bars into the caramel instead.
This caramel also makes killer centers for chocolate turtles, as it is easy to make, easy to work with, and stays soft and creamy even when stored in the refrigerator.
– Emily
Postscript from Grace’s mother: Grace’s big event was this morning. Her second son was born at 8:09 am, weighed in at 8 pounds, 15 ounces, and measured almost 21 inches long. He and Mama are doing well and Daddy is very relieved. Big brother is quite proud, as are grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
For a printable version of this recipe and complete ingredients listing, click here.
Note: Grace’s sister, Emily, is in the Red Kitchen this week. A helmet with a full-face shield is probably advisable.
If you own a mixer, there is absolutely no reason you should ever have to sit around waiting for Cool Whip to thaw. Yes, the real thing is a little more expensive, and yes, it has a lot more fat in it … but we’re talking about a couple of tablespoons, not a couple of gallons, and if you’ve gone to all the trouble of making homemade pie for Thanksgiving, you might as well spend another buck or two to top it with something worthy of your efforts.
Pour cream, vanilla, and sugar into a bowl with deep sides. This one was too shallow and promptly made a horrendous mess.
Here’s how to do it: Start by pouring half a pint of whipping cream into a bowl with deep sides. (I started with a smaller bowl and immediately regretted it, as I ended up with cream spattered all over the kitchen.)
Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and two to three tablespoons of sugar, depending on how sweet you want the finished product to be.
Use an electric mixer at high speed to beat the living daylights out of the cream. Move the mixer around the bowl and whip the cream until it becomes thick and fluffy. You’ll know you’re there when you pull the beaters out and the cream clings to them instead of dripping off.
The whipped cream is finished when it clings to the beaters instead of dripping off.
Word to the wise: Whipped cream is best when fresh. If it has to sit very long — especially at room temperature — it will start to weep. Non-dairy whipped topping will stay fluffy for a disturbingly long time. That’s because it has approximately the same chemical composition as airplane glue. Real whipped cream contains four ingredients: cream, sugar, vanilla, and air. That fourth ingredient is flighty. Unlike your annoying relatives, it will leave early, so it’s best to whip the cream right before you serve the pie — and unless you’re feeding an army and are sure the entire pie will be eaten immediately, you should put the whipped cream on the pie after it is sliced, not before. That way, if it starts to wilt, you can fluff it back up with the mixer.
For a printable version of this recipe and complete ingredients listing, click here.
NOTE: Grace’s sister, Emily, is playing in the Red Kitchen without adult supervision again.
I think I had my first taste of Louisiana hot sauce when I was 4 years old. At the time, I think I was just fascinated with the pwhit-pwhit-pwhit sound the bottle made as the sauce came out, but I quickly became addicted to the spicy kick.
The only thing I like more than hot sauce is sour cream — so a recipe that gives me an excuse to eat copious amounts of both sour cream and hot sauce is bound to be a winner.
This particular recipe is also one of the easiest in my repertoire.
There is no such thing as "too much wing sauce."
Start by putting three or four chicken breasts (the flash-frozen kind that come umpteen to a bag will work fine) into your slow cooker. Pour a bottle of wing sauce over them, turn the thermostat to “high,” and ignore them for three hours or so.
(If your grocery store does not carry wing sauce, you can make your own by melting a stick of butter and mixing it with two bottles of cheap Louisiana-style hot sauce.)
Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken.
After the chicken breasts have cooked all the way through, coat a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and lay two corn tortillas in the bottom. Take one of the chicken breasts out of the slow cooker and place it on top of the tortillas. Hold it down with a fork while you use a second fork to shred the meat.
Spread the meat around and spoon a little of the wing sauce over it. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. You can also throw in a few sliced black olives if you happen to have some in the pantry. Continue to layer tortillas, meat, sauce, cheese, and — if desired — olives in the casserole dish, finishing with a big handful of cheese. Bake, covered, at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve with sour cream and black olives.
If your local discount grocer does not carry corn tortillas (Grace lives in the Midwest, so hers doesn’t, but here in Tulsa — where the Southwest begins — tortillas are as ubiquitous as bread), you can shred the chicken right in the Crock-Pot and use it as a sort of sloppy Joe filling for sandwiches. Try putting some of the meat on a hamburger bun with a little cheese and maybe a drizzle of bleu cheese or ranch dressing to balance the spiciness of the wing sauce.
Makes about six to eight servings, depending on your appetite.
For a printable version of this recipe and complete ingredients listing, click here.
- The fluffliest and tastiest rice I’ve ever had!
This is the wonderful rice recipe I was raised on. Both of my parents make this all the time, and while I rarely eat rice anywhere else, I can eat my weight in the stuff at their house.
(In fact, I remember how disappointed I was the first time I ordered rice at a restaurant after being spoiled by this delicious version at home my whole childhood.)
This recipe is so simple I questioned whether or not it even deserved to be a
Melt butter over medium heat.
post of its own, but I finally decided to go ahead with it after Hubby started commenting on how good the rice was during dinner the same night. I decided that was an omen.
And so, without further delay, I give you Never-Mushy Homemade Rice.
Add dry rice, dehydrated onions and salt.
Place 3 Tbs. butter or margarine in the bottom of a large saucepan and set burner heat to MEDIUM.
Let rice brown until desired "speckling" appears.
Measure 1-1/2 cups dry, white, long-grain rice and dump over the melting butter.
Add 1/4 cup dehydrated minced onion flakes and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir all ingredients over burner heat for 10-15 minutes, or until brown flecks begin to appear here and there in the rice.
Once rice mixture has many different shades of brown speckled here and there, add 3-1/2 cups water and cover saucepan.
Add water and cover immediately.
Cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is mostly tender.
Remove from heat and keep covered until all liquid has been absorbed into mixture and rice has completely tenderized.
So fluffy and yummy!
Enjoy with soy sauce or underneath another recipe. You won’t believe how “non-mushy” your homemade rice is, or how much flavor is bursting from something so simple!
This filling dish is a great way to showcase sale produce!
I made this the other night when I found some sweet bell peppers I’d forgotten about in my crisper drawer. My local grocery store was selling yellow, red and orange peppers for $1 apiece, so I bought one of each. They tasted amazing with the other flavors in this stir-fry, and the bulk amount of them meant I barely had to add any meat to the skillet.
I couldn't pass up these beauties at the store.
Begin by heating 2 tablespoons cooking oil over MEDIUM in the bottom of a deep skillet or wok.
While skillet warms, chop 2-3 bell peppers, any variety, into large chunks. Quarter a large onion and set aside with pepper pieces.
Taste the rainbow...
Slice about 1/2 or 3/4 lb. thin-sliced boneless pork chops (about 6 thin chops) into large bites and toss into warm skillet. Coat meat well with the warm oil and stir often.
Allow pork to cook about halfway done before adding peppers and onion. Keep ingredients moving with a wooden spoon.
.60 lbs. was plenty of pork for this veggie-heavy recipe.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon ground ginger and 1 teaspoon garlic powder over mixture. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon vinegar (cider or red wine is best) and stir again.
Time to add the vegetables!
Add the contents of a 20-ounce can of pineapple tidbits (including all juice) to stir-fry and bring to simmer.
Once simmering, add approximately 2 teaspoons corn starch and 2 teaspoons brown sugar to thicken sauce.
Remember that the sauce will thicken more once skillet is
A skillet kaleidoscope.
removed from burner and allowed to cool slightly, so don’t worry if there is still a lot of liquid to your dish during cook time.
Don't drain the pineapple!
Once pork is cooked evenly and pepper chunks are somewhat tender (but not soft or limp), remove skillet from heat and serve immediately
over rice, noodles or hot bean sprouts. Refrigerate any remaining stir-fry and reheat for phenomenal leftovers later!
Ta-dah!
For a printable version of this recipe and complete ingredients listing, click here.
Roast turkey and vegetables come together over rice, noodles, pasta or as a stand-alone dish!
If you’re still game for buying turkey after Thanksgiving Day has passed, you can score some wild deals on freezable meat. (Haha. Get it? “Game” and “Wild”? Oh, nevermind.)
Now that Thanksgiving’s out of the way, grocery stores are trying to clear out all things fowl–and you can really score big on all sorts of stuff, not just whole fryers.
I landed a deal last week on a marinated turkey tenderloin roast (originally priced at $6.99) for only $2.19 on manager’s special! Having no idea what to make out of it, and keeping only one goal in mind (making it taste like anything other than more plain old turkey after the holiday), this tasty little dish was born.
Chop all veggies into small, easy bites.
Actually, because I hate going grocery shopping, I made this out of things I already had in my fridge and cabinet, but the finished result looked and tasted like I’d bought all the ingredients just for this recipe! And although I generally am not a fan of casseroles made out of condensed soup (they usually come out too salty and gelatinous for my tastes),
Look at those adorable little skinny onion slivers--they won't overpower your dish now!
the orange juice really helps turn this soup-based casserole into a delicious stew that isn’t too sweet OR salty!
Begin by preheating oven to 400 degrees. Chop 3 large carrots and 2 celery ribs into fine pieces.
Place vegetables in a 9″x12″ glass baking dish. Sliver half of a yellow onion into extremely thin strands and add to the vegetables.
Make room for the meat!
Next, drain 2 small cans of mushroom stems & pieces and add to the casserole dish.
Hollow out a section in the middle of the vegetable casserole large enough to hold a thawed, 1-lb. turkey tenderloin. Place meat in center of dish and let vegetables pile around it.
Check out this sweet deal!
Using a spoon, empty one can of condensed cream of chicken soup by placing large dollops on and around the meat and vegetables.
Condensed soup is always on sale around the holidays!
Pour 1 cup chicken stock (or broth) over the mixture and squeeze (or pour) about 4 tablespoons orange juice over the dish.
Spread the now-wet dollops of condensed soup lazily over the top of the casserole.
Swirl condensed soup around the top of casserole.
Place uncovered casserole in oven and bake approximately 45 minutes, or until meat thermometer reaches a minimum of 160 degrees.
Remove from oven, slice meat and allow to cool about 5 minutes before serving. Pile creamy vegetable mixture on and around tenderloin medallions.
Fresh from the oven!
Serve over rice, pasta, egg noodles or plain white bread if desired, or eat alone as a stew.
For a printable version of this recipe and complete ingredients listing, click here.
Oh my goodness, these were delicious!!
Today’s recipe post was inspired by a Hawaiian chicken sandwich at a local restaurant called “Back Yard Burgers.” I’ve been ordering this sandwich (click on “chicken” to see their Hawaiian sandwich) for years, but not how it appears on the menu. I always have to go through the long and drawn-out “Hold the mayo, hold the mustard, extra pineapple, add pepperjack cheese, and yes, I do still want the teriyaki sauce…” one-act play just to manufacture my perfect sandwich. So, after ten years of being a picky patron, I decided to figure out how to make one at home just how I like it.
Brown toast in the same pan to cut down on dishes afterwards.
The finished sandwiches were so tender and juicy I wished I’d made more, even though I was completely full after eating just one. Hubby, who always picks any fruits or exotic ingredients off of his meal before eating it, actually ate his whole sandwich with TWO big pineapple rings on it, and loved it, too! A success!! (And did I mention the whole meal only took about fifteen minutes to throw together on a weeknight?)
Begin by buttering and browning both sides of 4 pieces of thick bread in a deep skillet over medium heat. (You can also substitute hamburger buns or hoagie rolls if you like.)
I do the bread first for two reasons–1) I can use the same pan first for bread and then later for the chicken, thereby decreasing the number of dirty dishes, and 2) I can warm
Mix mustard, soy sauce and pineapple juice together.
up the refrigerated cheese slices by keeping them between the hot toast buns while my chicken cooks and thereby make them good and melty by the time the sandwich gets put together.
While bread is browning, mix 1 teaspoon mustard, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and the juice from one 4-slice can of pineapple rings (reserve the actual pineapple rings). Stir well.
Pour marinade over 2 chicken breasts and let soak until skillet is ready.
Place two chicken breast cutlets (thawed) in a shallow bowl and sprinkle with black pepper. Pour the liquid mixture over the chicken and let set until bread is browned and removed from skillet.
Place pepperjack cheese singles over two of the pieces of toast and temporarily cover with remaining toast to keep warm (I used two pieces of cheese per sandwich, but one is probably enough).
Using tongs, place the two chicken breasts in the empty hot skillet and increase heat to MEDIUM-HIGH. Transfer all of the liquid marinade from the bowl to the skillet by pouring over chicken breasts.
Cook chicken and pineapple together in skillet.
Place the four reserved pineapple rings directly in the skillet alongside the chicken. Cook chicken and pineapple approximately 8 minutes, adjusting
If pineapple rings brown too early, scoop them up and place on top of still-cooking chicken.
cook time for meat thickness and flipping whenever necessary.
If the pineapple begins to carmelize before the chicken is finished, move the pineapple rings from the bottom of the skillet to directly on top of the chicken breasts to hang out until everything is evenly cooked.
Once meat is thoroughly cooked, place chicken breasts over the pepperjack cheese layer on toast. Top with the cooked pineapple rings and large-leaf lettuce (Boston lettuce is absolutely perfect).
Cheese, then chicken, then pineapple, then lettuce!
Place the remaining toast over the sandwiches and serve immediately.
Now that's a big, juicy sandwich!
For a printable version of this recipe and complete ingredients listing, click here.
These make great little holiday gifts and require next to no counterspace or time to prepare!
With the holidays upon us, it’s a great time to take advantage of seasonal sales on items you might not normally find at the grocery store, or at least wouldn’t find at a good price the rest of the year.
One such score is the highly coveted vanilla bean, which is normally $10.99 per bean at my
A vanilla bean straight from the jar.
local grocery store, but was on sale last week for only $5.99! Red Kitchen Project reader Cheryl reports that her sister recently scored an unheard of TEN FOR $10 sale on vanilla beans at a Costco in Northern Illinois. So the good deals are out there to be had this season!
If you aren’t able to procure one at a discount grocery store (look in seasonal items and special promo aisles), you can
Slice the bean lengthwise and peel away the outer skin.
often get better deals by ordering them online anyway than by going to a regular grocery. (Check out sites like this for deals on many different varieties for as low as $3.75 per 5 beans! Cut down on shipping by finding a friend or two to order with!)
Vanilla beans are usually sold folded up to fit into regular spice jars.
One of the most popular uses for the vanilla bean is vanilla sugar, which can be used in everything from coffee or flavored milk to cookies and other delicious baked goods.
Vanilla sugar is also a cinch to prepare and can be done in just a few minutes. I actually prepared mine last night during the commerical breaks while I was watching an episode of The Big Bang Theory on CBS. 
There’s really no comparison to baking with real vanilla sugar, and one bean will make several cups of flavored sugar, so the cost really isn’t that high at all in the end for making your own, particularly if you are packaging it as stocking stuffers or other small gifts during the holiday season.
Scrape, scrape, scrape!
Begin by harvesting the raw vanilla. This is done by slicing the bean lengthwise, unrolling the sides, and scraping the inside matter out with a short, serrated knife.
The inside of a good vanilla bean should be very oily and gritty as you harvest it. It smells very strong, kind of like booze, but in a yummy way. The vanilla will probably stick to your knife as you scrape, or make your fingertips greasy at the very least.
Place 4 or 4-1/2 cups granulated sugar in a bowl large enough to stir in.
After scraping the bean, the vanilla will probably still be in small chunks. That’s okay, because it will disperse into tiny bits once it’s put into the granulated sugar.
It's okay if a few larger "flecks" of vanilla remain.
Pour 4 to 4-1/2 cups granulated white sugar into a large measuring cup or lipped bowl. Add the vanilla scrapings to the sugar. If any tidbits are sticking to your knife, you can easily dip the knife into the sugar and out again to remove them.
Once all of the vanilla has been transferred to the sugar, it won’t look like much at first. That’s okay. You can either mix it well with a spoon, or place the sugar mixture into a blender and turn it on to create a finer sugar blend. Make sure any little chunks of bean skin are removed.
If a pocket of vanilla doesn’t blend out completely, you can use your fingers to crush it into the sugar. It’s okay if a few small bits don’t break down all the way, as long as they won’t be a problem in whatever you’re making out of the sugar later.
Once the vanilla has been incorporated into the sugar, you can either pour the sugar into a large canister to store (in which case you can always throw the whole vanilla rind on top to add extra flavor during the “curing” period), or divide the sugar into smaller Mason jars. I used 4 half-pint (8-ounce) glass jars to store mine. A jar funnel was
Fill the Mason jars all the way up to the top rim, as settling will occur over time.
particularly handy in keeping my counter clear of all those stray granules, but you can also just use a curled piece of paper with some Scotch tape as a funnel if you don’t already have a wide-mouth funnel on hand.
If using small jars, make sure to tap down the sugar as you transfer it to reduce the amount of settling that will occur during the curing process.
Tightly cover each container. Allow to cure by storing undisturbed for at least 2 weeks before opening or using.
Caution: If you "gift" these, be prepared for repeat requests every Christmas!
For a printable version of this recipe and complete ingredients listing, click here.
NOTE: Grace’s sister, Emily, is hanging out in the Red Kitchen today. Heaven help us all.
A year or so ago, an Australian friend introduced me to a simple treat from Oz: Spaghetti-Os on toast.
Don’t knock it. Spaghetti-Os taste much better on toast than they do by themselves. I don’t know why, but they do — maybe because putting them on toast causes your mouth to read them as sandwich spread (which is supposed to be mushy) rather than pasta (which is supposed to be al dente).
Cover the bottom of a small casserole dish with croutons.
Anyway, I got to thinking, and it occurred to me that there had to be a way to turn Spaghetti-Os on toast into a kid-friendly casserole. Toast wouldn’t work, because it would turn to mush, but what about croutons? I made a run to the grocery store and came back with Spaghetti-Os, seasoned croutons, a package of American cheese, and some French-fried onions.
As you might expect from something involving Spaghetti-Os, preparation is very simple. First, coat the inside of a small baking dish (I used a little Corning dish, but a Pyrex pie plate would probably work) with cooking spray.
Dump in a can of Spaghetti-Os, cover with American cheese slices, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Fill the bottom of the dish with croutons. Next, dump in a 26-ounce can of Spaghetti-Os.
Cover the top with slices of American cheese and sprinkle with breadcrumbs (optional). Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle some French-fried onions on top. Bake another five minutes.
You could dress this up with some Italian spices, garlic, or fancier cheese (maybe shredded mozzarella), but in the interest of making it kid-friendly, I tried to keep the ingredients as simple as possible. The croutons will soften, but they don’t get mushy, instead retaining a toastlike texture, and the overall taste is vaguely reminiscent of a grilled-cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup.
This would be a great dish to serve at the kids’ table on Thanksgiving.
Emily
For a printable version of this recipe and complete ingredients listing, click here.
- Fresh vegetables and TWO secret ingredients make this spaghetti’s flavor stand out from the rest.
This is the spaghetti I grew up on. It’s flavor is unlike any other spaghetti I’ve ever tasted, and it remains today at the top of my “comfort food” list. I love going to my parents’ house and opening the fridge to find leftovers tucked neatly away in Tupperware for me to chow down on! (Yes, it’s just as delicious the second day, which is something you can’t always say for other pastas…)
Brown meat, veggies and spices together.
Heat a large, deep skillet (or wok!) over MEDIUM HIGH burner setting. Meanwhile, cut one yellow onion and one fresh green pepper into long, thin slivers. When skillet is warm, begin to brown 1 lb. thawed ground beef (or TVP/meat blend).
Once a small amount of grease starts to appear from the meat, add the onions and peppers. Now is also a good time to start boiling water for the pasta.
While it browns, sprinkle the following spices over the skillet mixture: 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon marjoram, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 teaspoons oregano and salt/pepper to taste.
And now for the two secret ingredients(!): Add 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon fennel seeds to the meat and veggies; stir well. Here’s why this works: The cocoa powder does an excellent job of masking the acidity of tomatoes without
The pantry stuff.
sweetening the sauce like sugar does, and the fennel seed really, really makes the flavors of the fresh produce just pop out so they don’t get lost in the finished sauce. I’ve never seen anyone but my parents use fennel seed in their sauce, but it’s just delicious.
Once water is boiling, add 1 box angel hair spaghetti or vermicelli and reduce heat to medium. The thin spaghetti will cook quickly, and you want it a little bit undercooked when you drain it since it’s being added to the sauce later. No one wants mushy pasta, so keep checking on it!
Let the sauce simmer with the meat and veggies a few minutes before adding pasta.
While pasta cooks, add the following canned goods to your sauce: 2 regular cans diced tomatoes (drained), 2 regular cans tomato sauce♥ and 1 (4-oz) can mushroom pieces & stems (drained). Stir
Add the cooked spaghetti over the sauce...
into the simmering meat and vegetables and continue to heat while pasta cooks.
♥Chef’s Note: If you’re not planning on eating all of the spaghetti right away and will be saving some for leftovers, you might want to add an additional one can of tomato sauce, since some of the sauce will be absorbed into the pasta overnight in your fridge.
...and stir well.
Once pasta is about 2/3 way cooked, drain it well and dump the spaghetti into the sauce skillet. Stir until mixed well and serve under a mountain of grated
Pop some garlic toast into the oven for a cheap and easy side!
Parmesan cheese. Texas toast with garlic, butter and oregano makes a great quickie side.
