Daniela's Holiday Rice Krispie Treats

Inspired by the back of the Rice Krispies Kellogs
Box. Made with loving care by my granddaughter, Daniela.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
4 cups jet puffed miniature marshmallows
6 cups of Kellogs Rice Krispies cereal.

Directions dictated by Daniela

Melt butter over low heat in a large saucepan. Then I add all the marshmallows to the pan. Then we stir until all the marshmallows melt. Add the rice krispies to the marshmallow/butter mixture.
Take a pyrex dish, spray with cooking spray, put the mixture from the pan into the dish. Smooth the mixture out and wait for it to cool.
Now you can cut into squares with a knife. And if you wish use candy canes, M & M's for a nose and shimmer confetti for the eyes to make reindeer.
I spread icing and sprinkles on a few and decorated some with M & M's.

Roasted Green Chick Peas

Ingredients

Green Chick Peas
Salt
Water

Directions

Add a teaspoon of salt to a cup of water and stir to dissolve. Pour the salted water onto the chickpeas and flip them well for even distribution of salt and water.
Then in a roasting pan, roast at 350 degrees fahrenheit, stirring from time to time for 15 minutes and no more as they can easily burn. I made the mistake of grilling and they were dreadful, Ayesha in Ramallah wrote that roasting them on the barbecue won't work, the fire is too hot.

Caesar Salad

Caesar Salad
From  Bon Appetit

Ingredients
6 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained
1 small garlic clove
Kosher Salt
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus more
3/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons finely grated parmesan
Freshly ground pepper

For the Croutons
3 cups torn 1” pieces of country bread with crusts
3 tablespoons olive oil

The Lettuce
3 romaine hearts, leaves separated

The Dressing
Chop together anchovy fillets, garlic, and pinch of salt Use the side of a knife blade to mash into a paste, then scrape into a medium bowl. Whisk in egg yolk, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 3/l4 teaspoon dijon mustard. Adding drop by drop to start, gradually whisk in olive oil then vegetable oil - whisk until dressing is thick and glossy. Whisk in parmesan. Season with salt, pepper and more lemon juice if desired.

DO AHEAD…. Can be made one day ahead.

The Croutons
Make your own, Tearing, not cutting the bread ensure nooks and crannies that catch the dressing and add texture. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss bread with olive oil on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Bake, tossing occasionally until golden 10-15 minutes.

The Lettuce
Use whole leaves; they provide the ideal mix of crispness, surface area, and structure.

The Cheese
Caesars crowned with a mound of grated Parmesan may look impressive, but all the clumpy cheese mutes the dressing. Instead, use a vegetable peeler to thinly shave a modest amount on top for little salty bursts.

The Assembly
Skip the tongs, Use your hands to gently toss the lettuce, crouton, and dressing, then top off with the shave Parmesan.

The Crispiest, Crunchiest French Fries Ever!

I have stumbled into the final perfect recipe for truly crispy crunchy French fries thanks to my granddaughter, Daniela, who suddenly had a yearning for French fries but the only potatoes in the house were already baking in the oven. The baking potatoes had been in the oven for a little under half an hour, and I wondered if I took some out, took the skins off and sliced them, whether that would  work. They were perfectly crispy and crunchy, soft on the inside and disappeared in minutes! I used to peel and slice the potato first then soak them in cold water. Drying the potatoes on paper towels then deep frying, the potatoes always seemed to be a bit pappy, sometimes we tried frying the potatoes twice, but nothing has ever come close to this latest method!

Ingredients

6 baking potatoes
Salt
Vegetable Oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 405 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Wash the potatoes and place in a baking dish, pierce the potato skin with a fork in two places then sprinkle the potatoes with salt.
Bake in the oven uncovered for half an hour.
Remove
Let cool a bit.
Peel off the skin and slice into French fry pieces.
In a saucepan, heat vegetable oil approximately one inch deep.
Let the oil become hot so that when you drop a French fry in the oil, it sizzles.
The fries brown really fast, do a small batch at a time.
Let fries drain on a paper towel
Serve with tomato ketchup or whatever you love to dip your fry in.
Excellent by themselves too!

Leila's Fried Chicken Winglets

Ingredients

Winglets, or chicken wings
White Vinegar
Adobe
Garlic Powder
Black Pepper
Salt
Soy Sauce
Vegetable Oil

Directions

Soak the chicken in white vinegar for 30 minutes
After the chicken has soaked, drain off the vinegar.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon Adobe,1 teaspoon garlic powder, a shake of black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and 4 good shakes of soy sauce over the chicken. Mix together.

Dip chicken in flour completely so it is coated. Shake excess flour off.
Pour vegetable oil into a pan so the oil is about 1 inch deep and heat.
Make sure vegetable oil is hot on the fire approximately 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Fry chicken until golden brown on all side, turning the wings once or twice.
Drain on paper towel.

Smoked Mackerel Dip

Smoked mackerel by itself is a bit like Pacific smoked salmon, but perhaps more salty. I recently had a smoked mackerel dip which was delicious. Charleen Atkins whipped it up during a short visit, she mixes it with horseradish, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Eaten with heated up pita bread, it was very good. By the time she e mailed me her recipe, I had looked up smoked mackerel pate and dip. I decided not to make a pate, too smooth, I liked the fish bits, and I couldn’t be sure if she used mayonnaise or cream cheese and creme fraiche.  I opted for cream cheese and creme fraiche, but I’m sure either way it’s delicious.

Ingredients

Frozen packet of smoked mackerel (two filets)
1 tablespoon cream cheese
3 tablespoons creme fraiche
the zest of one lemon
1 1/2 lemons squeezed, save the leftover half
2 stalks of scallions
4 parsley stalks chopped
1/2 teaspoon horseradish

Directions

Remove the skin from the fish and break up the flesh into a food processor. Pulse to break up the fish one or two times. Add cream cheese and creme fraiche, pulse again, then add the lemon juice and lemon zest. Pulse a few more times. Add the horseradish, pulse again.
Remove and place in a bowl, add chopped scallion and parsley, fold in to the fish mixture, serve with lemon wedges and warm pita bread or french loaf.

Roasted Yams and Carrots with Clementine Orange Drizzle

This recipe was actually sent with my new Weight Watchers card this month. It asked for Korean Yams, which I couldn’t find so I used ordinary yams.  It is a really nice fresh tasting dish.

Ingredients

3 small yams peeled and cut into 1/2 inch wide julienne
3 carrots peeled and cut into 1/4 inch wide julienne
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 clementines
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
greens, such as watercress, baby arugula for decoration on top.

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a pyrex dish with Pam spray
Add vegetables to prepared pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix together. Spread vegetables in a single layer so that every piece is lying flat, then roast until golden, about 30 minutes, flipping once midway through cooking.
Juice 1 clementine in a small bowl, combine clementine juice, oil, mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Peel remaining 3 clementines and separate into sections.
Place vegetables on a serving platter with clementine
segments and greens, drizzle with dressing.