Easy way to remove husk from corn

With lots of fresh corn on the cob in the markets now, it's the perfect time to watch this video from youtube and file it away.

The gentleman shows how he easily gets rid of (most) of the silk and the husk all at the same time.

Click here to see video:
Easy way to remove husk from corn

Place on a plate and microwave 4 minutes for each ear.
To make it even easier,  slice off the end before cooking.

Slice off the end, including
at least one row of kernels.  

Looks like this after removing husk and silk.

Ready to eat in less than 10 minutes.

PDQ Peanut Butter Cookies

Use only 3 ingredients to make those quick tasty cookies!
Add rice crispies to give it extra crunch! Recipe from my friend, Cheryl.

1 cup peanut butter or almond butter*
1 cup sugar or less
1 egg
1 cup rice crispies (optional)

YES, that's right. NO flour!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two pans by lining with parchment or lightly greasing.

Mix all ingredients together. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly with spoon or fork.  *If using almond butter, put into the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm up. 

Bake for 8-14 minutes. ( Depends on how flat you make them. Shorter time for flatter cookies.) Makes about 20.

Rotini with Garbanzos and Feta

This is a good vegetarian dish, but you can add cooked chicken, salmon, shrimp or tuna to make it more meaty.  Adjust seasonings to your taste.  You can make it ahead of time and chill it to serve as a salad.

• 6 oz rotini ( spiral-shaped pasta)
• 1 T + 2 T olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups coarsely chopped spinach
• 1 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• ¼- ½ cup sliced olives (black or kalamata)
• 1/3 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes
• 2-3 T fresh lemon juice
• 1-2 t Italian seasoning (basil and oregano)
• Salt to taste  (feta and olives will add saltiness)
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• Lemon wedges (optional)  
• Parmesan cheese (optional)  

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. Saute garlic until light golden, about 1 minute.  Remove, then add spinach.  Turn off heat.  Stir and cook slightly.  Remove from pan and place in bowl.
3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; toss well.
4. Garnish with lemon wedges and parmesan cheese, if desired.

Deep Dark Chocolate Mousse

This dessert is very chocolatey, as the name suggests.  I think you could reduce the amount of chocolate chips, but my husband thinks it needs all of the chocolate.  It is very simple and quick to make.  It just needs a few hours to chill.  A late Valentine's treat.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips*
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract**
• 1 cup (1/2 pt.)cold whipping cream (Get 1 pint to have some for topping)
• Sweetened whipped cream (optional)

Directions

1. Stir together sugar and gelatin in small saucepan; stir in milk. Let stand 2 minutes to soften gelatin. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture just begins to boil.
2.  Remove from heat. Immediately add chocolate chips; stir until melted. Stir in vanilla; cool to room temperature.
3.  Beat whipping cream in small bowl until stiff; gradually add chocolate mixture, folding gently just until blended. Spoon into serving dishes. Refrigerate. Garnish with sweetened whipped cream, if desired.

4 to 6 servings.

*Use milk or semi-sweet if you prefer.  Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips are our preferred chips chosen in a blind tasting.  We like dark chocolate best.

**I think 1 tablespoon of Amaretto might be a good substitute for the vanilla.  Or your favorite liquor flavoring.

Original recipe from Hershey's  

Cuban Ropa Vieja

     On a visit to Old Town, San Diego about 25 years ago, I ordered a dish called Ropa Vieja at one of the many Mexican restaurants.  It was a delicious meal.  Soon after there was a recipe in the newspaper for this dish.  But alas, the recipe has been lost.  Then I saw this recipe.  It wasn't quite what I remembered, but it was still a tasty meal.

• 2 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak  * (I browned it first, removed the meat, then added the onion to brown lightly after I turned off the heat.)
• 1 onion, cut in half, sliced

Cook later:

• 1 cup long-grain white rice (can also be served with tortillas)
• 2 t. olive oil
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

In a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, oregano, cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  Add onion, then nestle the steak among the vegetables. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours. 

Twenty-five minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.

 Heat the oil in a skillet. Stir-fry the bell peppers starting with medium high heat.  As they are browning, turn the heat down to medium and cook until desired texture.  Set aside.

Once the meat is very tender, using two forks, shred the beef and mix it into the cooking liquid. Serve with the rice, peppers, and top with the avocado and cilantro.

Kalua Pork/ Carnitas/Beef brisket

This is a dish I learned to make when I took cooking classes shortly after moving to California. 

• 4-7 pounds pork butt or shoulder roast**
• salt, pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees or use the HIGH setting on a crock pot. Wrap the pork well in heavy-duty foil, and seal completely. Place in a roasting pan or crock pot.     
Bake in preheated oven until an internal temperature of 160 degrees F is reached, about 5-7 hours. Alternately, in a crockpot, on high setting for 7-9 hours.  Remove from oven and let cool slightly before shredding using two forks.  Meat should fall apart.  If it doesn't return to heat source for another hour or so.  (There will be a lot of fat.  I remove all of it, or as much as I can.)  Sprinkle the shredded meat with salt and pepper to taste. 

This will make a lot, but that's what I want.  I portion it into freezer containers, to be used later for carnitas.  

For Carnitas:  Place defrosted meat into frying pan, and heat.  We like it to be a little crispy.  Serve with tortillas and Mexican condiments to make burritos.


**This method also works for beef brisket.  You can slice the brisket like a roast or shred it for barbecued beef sandwiches.
      You can even do corned beef like this, but bring it to a boil in a pot of water and simmer for about 30 minutes.  (This will remove some of the saltiness.)  Then wrap in foil and cook as above.

Chinese Broccoli Beef

Tip:  To stir-fry, it’s important to get the pan very hot.  Heat the pan until a sprinkle of water bounces. (Remove water if it hasn't evaporated before adding oil.)  Add the oil and heat until it ripples when the pan is tilted, then add ingredients.  Keep stirring so food doesn’t burn.

Stir-fries are great.  Once you have everything cut up, it goes together so quickly!  Vary the meat and vegetables as you like.  (This recipe is also from my cousin who submitted it for the Disneyland Tour Guide Cookbook.)

2 Tbsp soy sauce                      ¼ C water

¼ C sherry or sake                    1 lb flank steak

1 Tbsp sugar                            2 medium onions

1 Tbsp cornstarch                    1 bunch broccoli

1 tsp minced garlic                   5 Tbsp peanut oil

1 tsp minced ginger

            In a medium bowl, mix together soy sauce, sherry, sugar, cornstarch, garlic, ginger, and water.  Set aside.

            Cut steak in 2-3 pieces lengthwise, then slice diagonally into ¼ inch thick slices. (If you have difficulty with this step, put in the freezer for 20-30 minutes only.)  Add meat to the marinade and let stand one hour or overnight in refrigerator.

Cut onions into sixths.  Trim broccoli into 2-inch lengths, then cut stems into ¼” sticks.  Separate florets into bite-size pieces.  Heat 2 Tbsp oil in wok or large skillet until very hot.  Add vegetable and stir-fry 2 minutes.   Add 2 Tbsp water; cover and cook 3-5 more minutes.  Remove and keep warm.

Wipe pan with paper towels, then add remaining 3Tbsp oil.  Heat until hot.  Drain meat from marinade and reserve.  Add meat to hot oil and stir-fry about 1 minute.  Slowly add marinade, cooking and stirring until hot and slightly thickened.  When cooked through, mix in vegetables. 

Serve with hot rice.