Category: Grandpa’s Use Only

Did you know that you’ve probably been cooking Jasmine Rice wrong your whole life!  Most people do not realize that Jasmine Rice is not as hard as other rice grains, so you need LESS water than normal white rice to be fluffy rather than gummy.  Use just 1 1/4 cups water or other liquid for every 1 cup of rice.  Most other hard rices are 1.5 – 2.0  C liquid to 1 C rice.

How to Cook Jasmine Rice

Jasmine rice is a tasty and tender aromatic used across South East Asia. It’s almost a given for every Thai meal you eat, but good for all Asian food.

• 1/2 C Jasmine Rice
• 1/2 C filtered water  
• 1 TBL milk
• 2 TBL butter

1.  Rinse rice * one time just to rinse off the dust – no need to soak
2. Add all ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil as quickly as possible
3. Immediately turn to LOW as possible, and cook for 8 minutes.  DO NOT LIFT THE LID.  During this 12 minutes, you want the merest simmer in the water, but you DO want some movement.
4. At 8 minutes, lift the lid to stir gently 5 seconds.  OPTIONALLY at this point, stir in 1-2 TBL minced cilantro stems.
5. Cover again, and cook on low for 4 more minutes.
6. After 12 total minutes, remove from heat and (without lifting cover) set on trivet for liquid to absorb. 
7. Let rest for a FULL TEN MINUTES.
8. Fluff very gently before serving

*   To rinse rice:  Place rice in a bowl, fill with water, and swish with your hand while looking for pebbles, dust, or other things you don’t want to eat.  If buying directly from the farm, rinse a total of 3 times – otherwise a single rinse is adequate  Drain in a colander.

 

Use a Zip Lock food-safe freezer bag, NOT a discount bag.  There are toxins that could be released into your food with a non-food-safe bag.

1. Start bringing a large pot of water up to a rolling boil
2. Prop an opened Zip Lock in a mixing bowl
   • Add two eggs – beaten
   • Optionally, add
     • diced bell pepper
     • diced onion
     • shredded cheese
     • cooked sausage
     • crumbled bacon
     • cooked ham – diced
     • mushrooms
     • chorizo – cooked
     • tomatoes
     • green onion
     • minced chives
     • deli ham
3. Add a little bit of salt and pepper
4. Put it all into the bag and squeeze the air out of it
5. Zip it shut and mush it together
6. You can prepare these ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until ready to go, then slip it into the boiling water
7. Let cook for 12 minutes
8. Plate your finished omelet

 

1. Create the sauce
   • 2 T soy sauce
   • 2 T Hoisin sauce
   • 1 T fish sauce
   • 1/2 tsp corn starch
   • 1 TBL chili sauce
2. Spiralize a cucumber
   • Note:  If you want shorter noodles, slit the cuke halfway before spiralizing.  If you want long noodles, don’t slide the side of the cuke.
3. Toss the cuke ribbons in the sauce
4. In a sauce pan heat 2 tsp sesame oil, onion, pepper, garlic and chicken
5. Once chicken has cooked, add tomatoes and scallions
6. Dump into the noodles and add lime juice and basil chiffonade.
7. Toss to coat
8. Optional:  Add jalapeno slices at step 5

Thaw pot sticker sheets or won ton wrappers

• 1/4 C Cooked Meat
• 1/4 Onion – mince and sautee with your meat
• 1 diced jalapeno – vein and seeds removed
• Garlic, chili, cumin and salt to taste
• Chipotle with adobo for heat – to taste
  • Toss to combine
• Turn off heat and add grated cheddar cheese
• Put into fridge to cool for 30 minutes
• Remove from fridge, add an egg yolk and cilantro and mix
  • Prepare wonton wrappers
• Egg wash edges with whites of egg
• Scoop 1 tsp filling into wrapper
• Brush and pinch to seal
• Brush with olive oil
• Bake at 425º  for 8-10 minutes per side

Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 C Ranch dressing
• 1/4 Salsa

Alternate:  Use lamb and serve with tzatziki dipping sauce

• 1 stick butter
• 1  1/2 C chocolate
  • Heat and stir to combine
  • Cool slightly
• 1 C sugar
• 1 C brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp instant coffee
• 4 eggs – incorporated one at a time
• 1 C flour
• 1/2 C cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp citric acid  – OR-  1 tsp lemon juice
• Grease baking dishes with Crisco
• Bake in 2 or 3 layers
  • Bake 25-30 minutes, then cool
• While cake is cooking
• 1 1/2 C strawberries
  • Puree and strain – discarding seeds
• 1/2 C heavy whipping cream
• 1 C powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • Beat until stiff peaks form
  • Add powdered sugar when cream starts to stiffen
  • Fold in strawberry puree and vanilla
  • Cut (level) top of cake if it is puffing up
  • Add cream mixture, then a layer of sliced strawberries
  • Add second layer, cream and strawberries
• Refrigerate before serving

 

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Great prickley pear, jalapeno and mesquite products.

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Alton Brown’s Shoofly Pie – with a tweak by Grandpa
Lancaster, Pennsylvania has the best shoofly pie bakeoff

• 9 inch pie crust
  1. Dock crust
  2. Lay parchment down
  3. Cover with beans of a baking chain
  4. Blind bake 425 for 10 minutes
  5. Remove chain or beans
  6. bake 7 more minutes

• Food process the following
  • 5.5 oz ap flour
  • 2 TBL butter
  • 4 oz brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
• Save 1/4 C for later
• Combine the following in a large mixing bowl
  • 4 oz Brown sugar
  • or make your own brown sugar:
    • 1 pound regular sugar and 3 oz  molasses
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 C boiling water
  • 8 oz molasses
  • one egg
  • one tsp vanilla
• Whisk together
• Add crumbs to the liquid and whisk to combine
  • will be like a thich pourable batter
• sprinkle reserved 1/4 C topping on the pie
• Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes
• Cool 90-120 minutes

 

 

1. Place 4 eggs in a small saucepan; add cold water to cover.
2. Bring to a boil; remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 3 minutes.
3. Carefully drain, then fill pan with ice water to cool eggs.
4. Gently crack shells and carefully peel under cold running water.
5. Place eggs in a bowl of cold water; cover and chill until cold. 
6. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
   
7. Place flour in a wide shallow bowl and crushed corn flakes in another wide shallow bowl.
8. Divide sausage into 4 equal portions.
9. Pat 1 portion of sausage into a thin patty over the length of your palm.
10. Lay 1 soft-boiled egg on top of sausage and wrap sausage around egg, sealing to completely enclose.
11. Repeat with remaining sausage and eggs.
12. Whisk remaining 2 eggs in a medium bowl to blend.
13. Working gently with 1 sausage-wrapped egg at a time, dip eggs into flour, shaking off excess, then coat in egg wash.
14. Roll in corn flakes to coat. 
15. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated, uncovered.
    
16. Attach a deep-fry thermometer to side of a large heavy pot.
17. Pour in oil to a depth of 2” and heat over medium heat to 375°.
18. Fry eggs, turning occasionally and maintaining oil temperature of 350°, until sausage is cooked through and breading is golden brown and crisp, 5–6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer eggs to paper towels to drain.
19. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
20. Serve warm with mustard.

• Cast Iron Corn Bread
• Scratch Corn Bread
• Grandpa’s Corn Bread
• Corn Dogs
• Corn Meal Snack
• Small Loaf of Corn Bread
• Classic Corn Bread
• Corn Dogs for Kids
• Hush Puppies
• Corn Tortillas
• July 4 Corn Dog Bites
• Savory Corn Bread Pudding
•  

 

• Pie Dough
• 4 Apples – peeled, deseeded, and rough chopped
• Flour for rolling dough flat
• 2 tsp CInnamon
• 1 tsp Alspice
• 1/4 C Heavy cream
• 1/4 C Sugar

1. Peel, cut and toss applies in spice mixture
2. Prepare pie dough and roll flat on floured surface
3. Cut circles using biscuit cutter
4. Butter a muffin tin
5. Put circles into each receptacle and press down
6. Cut off excess and reserve for lattice at the very end
7. Put apples into each cup
8. Trim lattice with pizza cutter and arrange on top
9. Brush with egg wash
10. Bake 400º for 10 minutes
11. Reduce heat and bake for 350º for 10 more minutes
12. Let cool before removing from muffin pan

• Put the following into a muslin bag
  • 10 cloves
  • 10 alspice berries
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • ground ginger
  • nutmeg
• 1 full bottle Madeira wine (750 ml)
• 72 ounces top fermented English beer (1 – 6 pack)
• Put pan on low heat
• Put in spices
• Add Madeira
• Add ale
• Bring to 120º
• Add 6 eggs – separated
  • Bring whites to stiff peaks
  • Beat yolks to ribbon stage
  • Work white foam into the yolks
• Temper hot ale into the eggs,
• Remove spice bag, and then eggs return to the pot

From Alton

•  6 small Fuji apples, cored
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 72 ounces ale
• 750 ml Madeira
• 10 whole cloves
• 10 whole allspice berries
• 1 cinnamon stick, 2-inches long
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 6 large eggs, separated

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Put the apples into an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish.
3. Spoon the brown sugar into the center of each apple, dividing the sugar evenly among them.
4. Pour the water into the bottom of the dish and bake until tender, about 45 minutes.
5. Pour the ale and Madeira into a large slow cooker.
6. Put the cloves, allspice, and cinnamon into a small muslin bag or cheesecloth, tied with kitchen twine, and add to the slow cooker along with the ginger and nutmeg.
7. Set the slow cooker to medium heat and bring the mixture to at least 120 degrees F. Do not boil.
8. Add the egg whites to a medium bowl and using a hand mixer, beat until stiff peaks form.
9. Put the egg yolks into a separate bowl and beat until lightened in color and frothy, approximately 2 minutes.
10. Add the egg whites to the yolks and using the hand mixer, beat, just until combined.
11. Slowly add 4 to 6 ounces of the alcohol mixture from the slow cooker to the egg mixture, beating with the hand mixer on low speed.
12. Return this mixture to the slow cooker and whisk to combine.
13. Add the apples and the liquid from the baking dish to the wassail and stir to combine.
14. Ladle into cups and serve.

• 8 oz frozen spinach
• 1/2 C ricotta cheese
• 1 egg plus 1 yolk
• 1/2 C AP flour to mix – 1/4 C flour to dredge
• 4 C water
• 1/2 C (1 oz) grated Parmesan to mix – 1/4 C cheese to dredge
• salt and pepper to taste
• butter

1. Squeeze excess moisture from spinach
2. Add ricotta, cheeses, and eggs
3. Stir to combine
4. Fold in flour to mix
5. Form 6 balls
6. Dredge in flour
7. Drop gently into water on a high simmer
8. Cook 1-2 minutes or until dumplings float to surface
9. Remove with slotted spoon to baking dish
10. Roll in the Parm cheese intended for dredge
11. Bake at 350º for 20 minutes

 

• 1 can (30 oz) Libby’s Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix
• 2/3 C (5 oz) Carnation Evaporated Milk
• 2 large eggs (3 medium) eggs, beaten

1. Mix pumpkin pie mix, evaporated milk, and eggs in a large bowl
2. Prepare Grandps’s Crust – below
3. Pour pie mixture into baking shell
4. Bake in preheated oven at 425º for 15 minutes
5. Reduce temperature to 350º then bake 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
6. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours.
7. Serve warm or cover with plastic and refrigerate.
8. NOTE:  DO NOT FREEZE

Pumpkin Pie Easy Crust

Here where I live they give us crackers with almost every meal.  I have bags of crackers at home, so here is a way that I use them:

• 8 packets of cracker (about 16 crackers)
• 1/2 C AP flour
• 1 TBL sugar
• 2 TBL lard (cold)
• 1/4 C butter (cold) pieces
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Pulse till it’s all pulverized and mixed
2. With food processor running, drizzle in ice water about 1 TBL at a time, until it starts to come together and “the sound changes.”
3. Roll out to about 1/8 inch thickness
4. Line pie plate with the pastry

The first winter in Plymouth was very cold and very hard. Food was scarce. Many died. For days on end, each person was issued only five kernels of corn per day. After weeks of this, they were on the verge of starvation, but finally spring arrived. They took the remaining corn to plant a new crop.

Today we can remember that first winter, and the hardships and sacrifices made, by taking these five kernels of corn with us on Thanksgiving Day, and setting them next to the bounty we have all come to enjoy so many years later.

1. Cut chicken breast into golf ball-sized pieces – one breast per person
2. Mix 1 TBL each sake, sesame seed oil, soy sauce, mashed mango, mirin, sugar, and grated ginger
3. Marinate for 30 minutes
4. Drain each piece and toss in corn or potato starch
5. Ideally, refrigerate on a tray overnight (up to 48 hours)
6. Fry in peanut oil at 325-330º until golden brown
7. Remove to paper towel to drain while you finish the first fry.
8. Fry again at 355-365º
9. Put on paper towel to drain, and salt while still hot

 

 

The difference between a sopapilla and Indian Fry Bread is that fry bread uses water (or half water and half milk)  They are essentially the same though.  In Washington, these are called Elephant Ears.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon honey1 tablespoon honey
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• Shortening, (or canola oil, peanut oil or lard, for frying)

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
2. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the honey and whole milk.
3. Using your hands, mix the dough together until it forms a sticky mass.
4. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
5. Heat shortening, canola oil or peanut oil or lard in a cast-iron skillet (or medium pot), add enough fat so it reaches 2-inches up the sides of the skillet/pot.
6. Heat up your oil to 350 degrees.
   1. For a sopapilla, lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. If the dough is at all sticky (it shouldn’t be after it rested) feel free to sprinkle it with a bit of flour so it doesn’t adhere to the surface.  Flatten to about 1/8 inch thick.  Continue to Step 7
   2. For Fry Bread make a ball, then flatten the ball as thinly as possible with your hands and fingers.  Continue to Step 8
7. Cut the dough into 4 x 3-inch rectangles. Again, the measurements don’t have to be exact, you can definitely eyeball this.
8. Before you fry them up, be sure to get your honey and powdered sugar ready.
9. Line a baking sheet or plate with a few layers of paper towels or clean kitchen towel.
10. Heat the oil up again to 375 degrees F.
11. Gently slide the dough into the hot oil, frying two at a time, for about a minute, flipping them over at the halfway point.
12. They should be lightly golden brown—not too crispy.
13. Transfer them to the bed of paper towels to drain, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
14. Repeat with the remaining dough.
15. Best when eaten hot.
16. Serve them with honey and fruit preserves.

NLOF

• 1 C Leftover shredded pork or shredded corned beef
• 1/2 onion, sliced thin
• 2 C shredded potatoes
• 2 eggs

Mix well, then put into greased waffle iron for 5-6 minutes

 

• 2 TBL butter plus 2 TBL sugar – cook to start caramelization
• Add 4 C apple cider (not juice) and heat to near boiling
• Pour into caraffe
• In heatproof glasses, add 2 TBL each
  • allspice liqueur, amaretto and calvados
• Put 1 tab of butter into each glass
• Add the hot cider, and stir with your straw before drinking