Sunday, February 15, 2015

Thai Noodle Soup




6 c. chicken stock
1/4 lb. ground pork
1 T. finely minced garlic 

1/2 t. freshly ground white pepper (I've used both black pepper and white and I think I prefer black)
1/2 t. salt

1 packet (2oz.) of bean thread noodles (I use rice noodles and the packet is more like 16 oz. so I double/triple the recipe)
1 T. fish sauce
3 green onions.... (I actually use about 1/2 of one whole bunch in the double/tripled recipe)
2 T. fried garlic; for this I put about 1/4 c. Olive Oil in a separate pan over med. heat and press about 2 T. garlic and fry it in the oil until it's lightly brown and crisp.
Small handful of fresh cilantro (I use about a half a bunch and I dice/mince them until they are small)
Bean sprouts


Bring stock to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, combine pork, garlic, pepper and salt and set aside.
Place noodles in a bowl and cover with warm water and let soak until softened about 30 mins.
Drop small clumps of seasoned pork into the boiling stock. Simmer for three mins

Drain the noodles and dump the tangle onto the cutting board.  Cut through noodles crosswise and length wise and then add to the soup.  (or break them before you 

Stir in the fish sauce and green onions and remove from heat.  (I leave it on the heat for a bit and let the cilantro cook with the noodles for a bit)
Add a sprinkling of pepper (which I don't do), the garlic and oil, and the cilantro leaves. 

(sometimes I add a handful of bean sprouts.  This adds nice flavor, but I decided I like it better without their texture.)

Serve immediately.


Saturday, February 14, 2015

Heavenly Pie

Heavenly Pie (from Merle's kitchen)

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
4 egg whites
4 egg yolks
3 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh)
1 T. lemon zest
1/8 tsp. salt
1 pint heavy cream
3 Tbsp. coconut (optional)

For Crust:

Sift sugar with cream of tartar. Separate eggs then beat whites until stiff, not dry, peaks form. Slowly add sugar while mixing. When mixture is stiff & glossy spread into a well greased 9" pie pan.

Bake meringue crust at 275° for 1 hour or until very light brown. Let cool completely.

For filling: 

Beat 4 egg yolks slightly. In a double boiler, stir in 1/2 c. sugar, 3 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp. grated lemon rind & 1/8 tsp salt. Cook until thick (approximately 8-10 minutes).  Let cool. When almost cool, whip 1 cup of whipping cream to fold into lemon mixture. Add mixture to the cooled pie shell. Refrigerate for at lest 12 hours.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Favorite Sugar Cookies
                        (Clancy)

1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking powder
3 c. flower

Cream butter & sugar
Add egg & vanilla
Add baking powder & flour, 1 cup at a time.
Divide dough in half.
Roll to 1/8" thick (thicker if you want softer cookies (Genene))

Bake @ 400 5-6 minutes.