Grandma Marynel's Pudding Cookies

These are the cookies that my husband remembers from growing up... you know, the ones they always talk about until you finally get the recipe from your mother in law... I have to admit, they are pretty good - and very versatile!

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 small package chocolate or vanilla Jello instant pudding
3/4 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix flour with baking soda and set aside. Combine butter, vanilla, sugars, and pudding in large bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

This recipe is very easy to change depending to suit the type of pudding you have on hand. This time I had Pumpkin Spice pudding, so I substituted butterscotch chips for the chocolate chips and added pecans - yummy! I've also made them with Pistachio pudding, white chocolate chips and pistachios (of course). The possibilities are endless! If you happen to have the large box of pudding, just double the rest of the recipe and get twice as many cookies!

Velveeta Shells & Cheese Cups

Let me start by saying that I love Velveeta Shells & Cheese - it's just so much creamier than regular mac & cheese and feels more like a comfort food - especially when I don't feel up to making the real deal. In fact, I usually won't eat the regular stuff when I make if for my kids. I recently had a chance to try both Easy Mac and the Velveeta Shells & Cheese Cups and while I can tolerate the Easy Mac because it really doesn't taste that different from the regular stuff, I really think Kraft needs to discontinue the Shells & Cheese Cups.

For starters, the shells don't cook evenly in the microwave so you end up with noodles that are part gooey and part crunchy. Then, the extra water that is left in the noodles dilutes the cheese sauce so you don't get that Velveeta taste. In the end, you are left with a gummy, gluey, yellow mess that hardly even tastes like macaroni & cheese. The convenience really isn't worth it since regular Velveeta Shells only take about 7 minutes to make and only cost about 50 cents more.

Baked Plantains

Plantains are those monster bananas that you often see being sold next to the regular bananas. I love them because they are so versatile. When they are green they can be used like potatoes - boiled in stews or fried to chip form. When they are yellow, they have gained a little sweetness, but are still really firm and lend themselves well to recipes like this one. As they get blacker, they get softer and sweeter and are often used in dessert dishes.
For this recipe, you want to use plantains that are yellow with just a few spots. They are really hard to peel in the traditional way, so you want to score the peel down the length of the plantain with a knife and use the knife to pry it away from the fruit. Slice the plantain into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces and toss in a bag or bowl with olive oil and whatever spices you like. Some good ones to try are garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. I like a combination of the four spices - but go easy on the cayenne as it will give them quite a kick! Mix well and spread out on a baking pan lined with crumpled foil (the ridges help keep them from sticking) Bake for about 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Cool and enjoy! The result is a spicy-sweet, chewy banana that is great as a side dish with beans and rice or other Mexican and Caribbean dishes.
I actually let my plantains get too ripe this time, so I just tossed them with olive oil and cinnamon and used them as a topping for arroz con leche (rice pudding). You can make a simple version of this by reheating leftover rice with a little condensed milk or dulce de leche and dash of cinnamon or nutmeg - then top with the plantains and enjoy!

Eggplant Parmesan

My kids love this dish... they call it lasagna, but who cares when they eat it all and ask for more!

1 eggplant (about 1 pound), peeled

1 jar spaghetti sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tube polenta or 1 cup prepared polenta

Heat oven to 450°. Cut eggplant either lengthwise or into rounds. If you double the recipe and use a 9x13 pan, lengthwise works better - for the small pan, I like the rounds. Coat eggplant slices with cooking spray on both sides. Place on a baking sheet and bake 20 minutes until tender. Reduce oven to 375°. Spread a small amount of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish. Place one layer of eggplant slices and spread with 1 cup spaghetti sauce; sprinkle with 2/3 cup mozzarella and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Repeat once. Top with polenta slices, remaining sauce and both cheeses. Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes until bubbly and cheese melts.

Kimbap (aka Korean Sushi)

I first saw this made by Andrew's stepmother who is from Korea. More recently, I learned to make it from a group of international students (or their spouses) who meet for a weekly culture group. You will be amazed at how easy and tasty it is! Most of the ingredients mentioned below can be found in an asian market - some of them may even be available in the ethnic section of your local grocery.

Start by making a batch of sushi rice. One of the best step by step tutorials on how to do this can be found here. One of the major differences between Korean and Japanese sushi (aside from not using raw fish) is the flavor of the rice. While Japanese sushi uses rice vinegar to flavor the rice, Korean sushi uses a couple of tablespoons of sesame oil. Start off small and add to suit your tastes.

Lay one sheet of roasted seaweed (sushinori) shiny side down on a bamboo sushi mat.

Using the back of a spoon (or fingers well oiled with sesame oil) press the sushi rice in an even layer on the seaweed, leaving about 1/2 inch at one end.

Place your ingredients at one end of the sushi roll. We used pickled daikon, pickled burdock (often packaged together at asian groceries), steamed spinach (not pictured), and imitation crab. You can use pretty much anything you like. Some popular combinations can be found here.

Using two hands (when not taking a picture), roll the sushi tightly. Use the mat to get started, then let it fall back and just roll, pressing lightly so the rice will stick to the seaweed as you roll. When you get to the end, use a little bit of water to moisten the seaweed and seal the roll.

Voila! Here is your finished product! Using a sharp knife cut the roll into 1/2 inch slices.

And serve with your favorite dipping sauce - we especially like Bragg's Liquid Aminos.
Enjoy!

Roasted Beets

Beets are another one of those vegetables that I wanted to teach myself to like this year - and with the help of my brother, who is a huge fan of beets, I'm happy to say we have succeeded. It turns out that more often than not, the simplest methods of preparation yield the tastiest results when it comes to vegetables.

For beets, simply scrub them really well with a vegetable brush, cut off the tops and ends, and pare away any "hairy" spots where little feeler roots have sprouted (you can peel the whole thing if you want, but it's not really necessary). Cut the beets in wedges and toss with olive oil (and salt and pepper if desired). Spread in a single layer in a glass dish and roast for about 45 minutes at 325. The beets are done when easily pierced with a fork, but not mushy.Here are our beets before roasting. Aren't they pretty? We used a combination of red, golden and Chioggia beets. They won't be quite as vibrant after roasting, but they'll taste wonderful!

Roasting really brings out the sweetness in the beets. For a nice contrast, you can toss them with the following dressing (or just serve it on the side).

Pour 1/2 cup sherry vinegar.
Add sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.

Sorry that's not very exact, but I honestly don't know how much I use. Just start off with a little and add until it suits your tastebuds!

Mini Smoker

I got a mini stovetop smoker for my birthday and we decided to try it out the other night.

Our menu consisted of pork tenderloin with sweet turnips and baby carrots smoked over hickory chips. For seasoning, I stuck with a little salt and pepper because I wanted to experience the unadulterated smoked taste. The items being smoked sit on a rack over a drip tray. Under the tray you place about 1 Tbsp of the wood chips, then you place it on a burner set to medium heat. Surprisingly, it only takes about 30-45 minutes of cooking time and a few minutes under the broiler to brown things a little if you want. There was also very little smoke... just a few wisps escaping from time to time - the smell is quite strong though, so it's probably wise to use the oven exhaust fan while you're cooking.
Personally, I found the meat to be a little dry. I can see why they recommend using barbecue sauce for most meats - next time I think I'll just use the drippings to make a nice smoky gravy. The vegetables, however, were divine! They were nice and tender and had a wonderful smoky flavor that just made them stand out - esp. the turnips.

Next time we're going try fish with radishes and fennel smoked over alder chips!