Nicole’s Recipes

There’s definitely something fishy about these Japanese-style rolls. The rice is crispy, the wraps are fruity, and your kids will love them — no fooling! Link to the original recipe is here:

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50352

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup butter
4 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups crisped rice cereal
20 to 25 gummy worms
1 to 2 boxes of fruit leather
12- by 17-inch baking sheet
2-quart saucepan
1. Grease a 12- by 17-inch baking pan.

2. Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat.

3. Add the marshmallows and stir until smooth.

4. Remove mixture from heat and stir in the rice cereal until it’s evenly coated.

5. Turn the baking sheet so that the shorter ends are at the top and bottom. Then press the marshmallow mixture on the sheet, distributing it evenly.

6. Starting at one side and 1 inch up from the lower edge, place gummy worms atop the mixture end to end in a horizontal line.

7. Gently roll the lower edge of the marshmallow mixture over the gummy worms.

8. Then stop and cut the log away from the rest of the mixture. Use the same method for 4 more logs.

9. Slice each log in 1-inch-thick “sushi” rolls and wrap them individually with a strip of fruit leather.

12 ounces butter
1 3/4 cups white sugar
6 eggs
1 teaspoon anise extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
8 ounces sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time; beat until fluffy. Stir in the anise and vanilla extracts. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; Add them to the egg mixture along with the almonds. Stir with a spoon and as the dough comes together, Knead by hand.

3. Divide the dough into 4 parts. Roll each piece into a log about 15 inches long. Place logs onto cookie sheets, 2 to a sheet, the long way. Flatten the logs out until they are about 3 inches wide with a slight hump going down the middle. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, loaves should be firm. Cut the loaves into diagonal slices 1/2 inch wide, place the slices onto the cookie sheets and return to the oven. Toast on one side, then turn them over to do the other side. This will take about 7 to 10 minutes.

**This recipe from Allrecipes.com with a minor change from chopped almonds to sliced almonds!

A debate still rages as to where the Juicy Lucy was created. Two Minnesota taverns, Matt’s and the 5-8 Club, claim to have created the burger in the 1950’s. As the story goes, a customer requested a burger with the cheese sealed in the middle. When he bit in, the hot cheese spurted out and he exclaimed “That’s one Juicy Lucy !”

2……….Slices of hearty white sandwich bread, torn into rough pieces
1/4……Cup milk
1……….Tsp garlic powder
3/4……Tsp salt
1/2……Tsp pepper
1-1/2…Lb 85-percent-lean ground beef
1……….(1/2-inch-thick) slice deli American cheese, cut into quarters

Straight from the grill, the cheesy center of the Juicy Lucy will be molten hot. Be sure to let the burgers rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

1. Using potato masher, mash bread, milk, garlic powder, salt and pepper in large bowl until smooth. Add beef and gently knead until well combined.

2. (see note) Divide meat mixture into 4 equal portions; divide each ball in half so that you have 8 balls of equal size. Using small ball of meat, encase each piece of cheese in meat to form a mini burger patty. Mold remaining half-portion of meat around the mini patty and seal the edges to form a ball. Flatten the ball with the palm of your hand, forming a 3/4-inch-thick patty.

3. Grill burgers over medium fire until well browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to plate, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Serve Makes 4 burgers.

NOTE: To avoid a burger blowout, it’s essential to completely seal in the cheese. Don’t worry about overworking the meat – adding milk and bread to the ground beef ensures tender, juicy burgers every time.

StoveTop Juicy Lucy Burgers:
Prepare grilled Juicy Lucy Burgers through step 2. Heat 2 Teaspoons vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until smoking. Add patties and cook until well browned, about 6 minutes. Flip burgers, cover skillet, and continue cooking until well-done, about 6 minutes. Transfer to plate, tent with foil and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.
Any food that is pleasing to the palate, is good for the heart. Rich B

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The Juicy Lucy
- makes 4 burgers -

You’ll need an unlikely piece of equipment to prepare this burger, but you should have it on hand already—an ordinary standard-issue toothpick. You’ll want to quickly prick the distended patty after flipping it to allow steam to escape.

And, hey, YOU! Yes, you with the cheddar. Put that down. You MUST use American cheese on this. According to Mr. Edge, “Only those orange squares of vaguely plastic texture will achieve proper fluidity.”

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck (AHT recommends no leaner than 80%)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 slices American cheese (NOT cheddar; see note above)

4 buns

Your favorite condiments and toppings

Procedure
1. Place beef, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, and pepper in a bowl; mix well. Portion into eight even units. Shape each portion into a thin round patty that’s slightly larger than the cheese slice.

2. Fold cheese slices in half twice so you have a little stack of quartered cheese slices. Place a folded cheese stack on 4 the patties, covering cheese with remaining 4 patties.

3. Tightly crimp the edges of the patties together to form a tight seal.

4. Did you make a tight seal? I hope so, because it needs to be TIGHT to avoid a blowout as the cheese melts, creates steam, and tries to find its way out of its meaty prison.

5. Preheat a cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan to medium heat (or fire up a medium-hot bed of coals on your backyard grill), and cook burgers over heat 3 to 4 minutes on first side. Burger may puff up due to steam from melting cheese. This is normal. Do not be alarmed.

6. Flip, and using toothpick, prick top of burger to allow for steam escape. Allow burger to cook 3 to 4 minutes on this side.

7. Remove patties from pan or grill. Bun those suckers, slap some condiments on, and dig in.

This frosting is fluffy, light and glossy. I use it on my “bunny” cake for spring. Yummy.

1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, water and cream of tartar. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbly.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whip the egg whites and vanilla to soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar mixture while whipping constantly until stiff peaks form, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Frost the cake of your choice. Do not eat the whole cake.

Ok, I don’t know if this is anything. This is a little Thai, a little Indian, a little Indonesian. I had several recipes and sort of made up my own out of them. Indian fish curry calls for curry leaves, which cannot be bought in the US. Until I grow my own curry tree, and I plan to, I have to do without. In India, there is no such thing as curry powder. There is only curry leaves. So, anything we come up with is a lame copy! Dried curry leaves, if you can even find them, have no flavor, so don’t bother looking for them. If you are a curry fanatic, you can order a curry tree online and grow one yourself.

Anyway, to make this I basically start throwing junk in the pot and keep tasting until I think it’s right. This is my attempt to write down a recipe since several have asked. I hope I didn’t forget anything!

2 lbs. Tilapia filets, or other fish is ok
3 T. olive oil
1/4 tsp. whole mustard seeds (important!)
red or green curry paste to taste (I use green in fish curry, red in other curry)
1/2-1 tsp cumin
1/2-1 tsp. turmeric (great for flavor and important for color)
1/2-1 tsp. curry powder (try different ones for different flavor)
1/2 tsp. paprika (important for color esp if you don’t like red curry paste)
1/2 tsp. ginger paste, or fresh ginger minced
1/2 tsp. holy basil in red pepper oil (comes in a jar at an oriental store)
2 cloves garlic, minced or sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped (optional- sometimes I don’t put one in)
4 peeled, cubed potatoes (also optional)
any veggie you like can be added too (add to recipe according to how long that veg takes to cook)
3-4 cups chicken broth
1/2 – 1 can coconut milk (or part cream of coconut & part coconut milk)
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped (very important in fish curry)
squirt of fish sauce (don’t do without it with fish curry)
squirt of oyster sauce
juice of small lime *
1 tsp brown sugar *
salt and pepper

*Adding a little sweet (sugar) and a sour (lemon or lime) is important in any curry. It makes the flavor more complex and interesting. Don’t leave this out. It rounds out the flavors.

Heat oil in your pot, add mustard seed, pinch of curry paste, cumin, turmeric, paprika, curry powder, ginger, holy basil, garlic, onion, tomato and let it fry a bit. When everything is fragrant and onion is turning translucent, deglaze pan with chicken broth and turn down the heat. Here is where you’d add the potatoes. Cook until they’re nearly done, then finish the recipe.

Then, add coconut milk, cilantro, fish sauce, oyster sauce, lime juice and brown sugar. Don’t boil after you add the coconut milk or it can scorch or separate. Just simmer gently at this point. Let pot simmer a bit so the flavors mingle. Salt and pepper to taste and adjust seasonings as necessary at this point.

This is going to be the sauce your fish is in and what soaks into your rice, so adjust the seasoning now before you add the fish. You can add more heat to it now if you want it hotter. Different curry powders taste different and some are hot and some are not, so the amounts I stated above are a guesstimate. Curry is always a little different and you should feel free to play with this recipe and make it your own.

Once your sauce tastes good, add the fish. Simmer until the fish is cooked. It won’t take long to be done after you add the fish.

Serve this over steamed rice with chapatis or pitas to scoop it up. Those recipes are found on my website too!

Have fun!

1 pound dried angel hair pasta
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled, diced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, plus more if desired
2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint leaves
Sea salt
Pepper
Finely grated Parmesiano-Reggiano

You can make this recipe as is, or dress it up with some grape tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, sliced grilled chicken etc. You can add anything to it!

In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta in a colander, reserving 2 tablespoons of the pasta water. The reserved pasta water will help create the sauce. Do not rinse pasta with water — you want to retain the pasta’s natural starches so that the sauce will stick.

While the pasta is cooking, in a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper and saute until almost turning golden. Remove from heat. It will continue to cook the garlic a bit after you remove it from the heat, so do not cook it too long or you will have bitter garlic. Carefully add the 2T. reserved pasta water to the sauce when the pasta is cooked and stir it in to combine. Add the drained pasta to the sauce, toss. Add salt, pepper and herbs, toss again.

Sprinkle with finely grated cheese before serving.

*This is best served with a caesar salad and crusty bread & olive oil flavored with fresh pepper to dip it in.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small even sized pieces

Marinade:
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2-3 tablespoons cornstarch

Sauce:
1/2 cup orange juice
Orange zest
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, chile paste, ground up hot pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 slice ginger, minced
Oil for stir-frying

Directions:
Place the chicken in a bowl, and add the sherry and toss. Sprinkle and toss with cornstarch. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce ingredients, set aside.

Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready stir fry the chicken until golden and cooked. Push chicken up to the sides of the wok, making a well in the middle. Add the sauce. Let cook for a minute, then toss with chicken.

Stir-fry for another minute until sauce thickens. Serve hot over rice.

1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 pounds whole leg of lamb
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, combine the honey, mustard, rosemary, ground black pepper, lemon zest and garlic. Mix well and apply to the lamb. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

3. Place lamb on a rack in a roasting pan and sprinkle with salt to taste.

4. Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and roast for 45 more minutes for medium rare. The internal temperature should be 135. Let the roast rest for about 10 minutes before carving.