Unmolding Gelatin Salads

Here's a few tips on getting that Jell-O molded salad out of the mold and onto the plate.

1.  Have ready a chilled plate, moistened with water. This prevents gelatin from sticking when being unmolded, and allows you to center the mold more easily.

2.  Use a thin-bladed knife to carefully release the gelatin from the edge of mold.

3.  Then with finger on surface of gelatin, pull back gelatin until air reaches bottom of mold, releasing the vacuum.

4.  Turn mold over onto prepared plate. If necessary, place a warm damp towel over the mold and shake the mold lightly.

5.  When gelatin releases, center it on the plate, wiping off any excessive moisture.

Chili Dogs

Dave is a Wiener Schnitzel addict. Now I mean, if someone can love those dogs with canned chile on them, they're gonna go nuts with a homemade Coney Island style sauce. Up in Wisconsin we can get hot dogs with a natural casing on them. Try to find this kind of dog if possible. They crunch with every bite.

1/2  lb  bacon, cut into small pieces
1  large  onion, chopped
2  lbs  ground beef
4  garlic cloves, chopped
1  (15 oz)  can  tomato sauce
1  cup  beef broth (plus more if simmered longer)
2  Tbs  molasses or honey (I use molasses)
2  Tbs  sweet paprika
1  Tbs  ground cumin
1  Tbs  chili powder
1  tsp  cayenne (optional, but I use it)
Salt to taste (I omit this)

Natural casing hot dogs
Buns for the dogs
Chopped red onion, for garnish
Shredded cheese, for garnish (mild cheddar or pre-shredded Mexican blended cheeses are good choices)

First make the chili. Fry the bacon over medium heat until it begins to get crispy. Then add the onions and fry over high heat, stirring often, until they begin to brown. Add the ground beef and chop up while cooking. Cook over medium-high heat until the beef is browned, but half-way through cooking add the chopped garlic.

Once the beef is well-browned, add the tomato sauce, molasses, and beef broth. Add all the spices except the cayenne. Stir well. Bring to a simmer and taste. Add salt if necessary, and the cayenne if using. You can add more cayenne and chili powder if you like things really spicy, but it's best to taste it first.

Let the chili simmer gently for at least 30 minutes before you start grilling the hot dogs. You can cook it as long as two hours if you want to, but you will need to add more beef broth all along the way when it gets dry.

Grill your dogs over medium heat until they get a light char. Grill the opened buns briefly, if you want to. No more than one minute as they will burn easily. You can paint the buns with butter,vegetable or olive oil, before grilling, if you want to.

Top with desired garnishes, and have plenty of napkins on hand.

Dave's Favorite Rhubarb Dessert

This is a bit different from the other yummy rhubarb desserts on my blog, and we think it's the absolute best ever. Two days later, and it still tastes as good as it did when first made. Oh, how we love rhubarb! We're up north now and picking it fresh out of the garden, when it tastes the best. I did freeze ten quarts to take back to California with us so we can enjoy it all winter. If you're a rhubarb fan, you just have to try this one. You won't be sorry . . . I promise.

1  cup  butter, room temp
2  cups  flour
1  cup  brown sugar
6  egg yolks (reserve whites)
1-1/2  cups  granulated sugar
6  Tbs  flour
1/4  tsp  salt
1  cup  whole milk
6  generous  cups  diced rhubarb
Egg whites
3/4  cup  sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the rhubarb (clean and dice into 1/2" pieces) before starting the crust so you will be ready when the crust comes out of the oven.

Combine butter, 2 cups flour, and brown sugar with electric mixer until all is well incorporated together. Lightly butter an oblong 3-qt. Pyrex baking dish. Pat the mixture evenly into the bottom of the dish. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meantime, Mix together the egg yolks, 1-1/2 cups sugar, 6 Tbs flour, salt, and milk. Cover the partially baked crust with the diced rhubarb. Cover with the egg yolk mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until set.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar. Spread over hot dessert and return to oven until nicely browned, about 7-10 minutes.

Serve at room temperature or chilled, but refrigerate for storage.

Baked BBQ Beans

1 med. onion (chopped)

1 lb. bacon, cut in 1 inch strips

1 lb. lean ground beef

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. ketchup

2/3 c. Bar-B-Q sauce

1/3 c. maple syrup

1 Tbs mustard

1 Tbs Worcestershire

Salt and pepper

1 (16 oz.) can pork & beans

1 (16 oz.) can Navy beans, drained and rinsed

1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Cook onion, bacon and ground meat until meat is brown, and then drain. Then add remaining ingredients. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes to one hour, covered.

You may want to uncover them the last 15 minutes. I check them at 45 minutes to see.
Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Frozen Berries with Hot White Chocolate

Ina Garten

Serves: 8 to 10 servings

1-1/4 pounds good white chocolate, coarsely chopped

2-1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

2-1/4 pounds frozen mixed berries

Combine the chocolate, heavy cream, and the vanilla in a heat-proof bowl and set it over a pan of simmering water until the chocolate melts.

About 5 minutes before serving, remove the berries from the freezer and place them on individual serving plates. Ladle the warm chocolate sauce over the berries and serve.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Note: You can either buy frozen berries, or freeze your own by placing the berries on a flat tray in layer. When the berries are fully frozen, keep them a plastic bag in the freezer. Larger berries, such as strawberries, do not freeze well.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Recipe Notes: I added white chocolate chips. The recipe calls for peanut butter chips. Next time I will try it with them to see the difference. Adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup crunchy peanut butter *

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup peanut butter chips, or white chocolate chips

1/2 cup chocolate chips

For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon turbinado (raw) sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt.

Set aside.

In another large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips.

Place onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle with turbinado (raw) sugar.

Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, depending on size of cookie. Do not over-bake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.

Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

*If you use smooth peanut butter, add some chopped peanuts to it.

Stuffed Pablonos or Pasillas

We had this at Healthy Hearts Dinner Club. Delicious.

12 large Poblano or Pasilla peppers (I used Pasilla)

4 ears sweet corn

1 can black beans, well drained and rinsed with cold water

1 small can diced green chilies

1 small can chopped or sliced ripe olives (I use chopped)

 1/2 red pepper, chopped

3 cups shredded pepper jack cheese*

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons of ground oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Roast the husked sweet corn @350° for about 30 minutes, or until roasted. Cut off the cob.

Roast the pasillas, peel and make a slit in the pepper large enough to remove seeds, stem, and membranes. Remember that they are to be cooked again so roast just long enough to be able to peel (about 30-40 minutes). Mix remaining ingredients and stuff peppers. Place them closely together in a baking dish, so they won’t come apart while baking.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, uncovered. Remove from oven and cover with foil for 10 minutes. (The timing and whether or not you cover them is your call. I didn’t cover them, and after checking on them at the 30 minute mark, I removed from oven as they were drying out. The foil covering revived them, and the hostess said they were better than the ones she had previously.)

*Use more or less to suit your taste.

Serves 12.

Watermelon and Avocado Salad

This was served at our Healthy Hearts Gourmet Dinner Club.

4 cups cubed watermelon (cut into large, 1-1/2" cubes)

2 avocados cut in 1” cubes

1/2 small red onion, cut into fine slices*

1 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped chives

To make ahead:

Cut up watermelon and put in a bowl with damp paper towels to cover. Chop up all of the remaining ingredients, except for the avocados.

The dressing;

3 tablespoon of fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons of vergus**

1 tablespoon canned mild chili peppers, or 1-1/2 tsp jalapeno pepper

1 tablespoon of honey

2 teaspoons of chopped mint

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander or cumin

When ready to serve, start adding to the watermelon in the following order:

The onion and the avocados, mixing gently after each addition. Add some dressing (not all, it's too much) and then the queso fresco, and the herb. Serve in stemmed glass goblets or bowls, but not on a plate. The eye appeal is not great, so spreading it out just doesn't look good.

*Pre-slice and chill the onion in water in the refrigerator to lessen the bite. If the onion is too strong it will over-power the salad.

**I bought something at Trader Joe's that I used to replace the vergus. It is TJ's orange muscat champagne vinegar.