Welcome to the Blue Sky Cookbook. Here’s what’s cooking today:
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Serves 4
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2 – 12 oz jars marinated artichoke hearts; large quarters are best.
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Drain the artichoke hearts.
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1 egg
¼ cup flour
Salt & pepper
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Beat the egg in a shallow dish. Coat the artichokes with the egg wash. Place the flour on a plate; salt and pepper generously. Lightly dredge the artichokes with flour. Use a plastic bag for the flour if you prefer.
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Canola oil
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Add the oil to a large sauté pan, covering the bottom with ¼” oil. Turn the heat to medium. Heat the oil for a few minutes. Add the coated artichokes one at a time with a fork. Cook until golden on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn and continue cooking until the artichoke is again golden on the bottom. Transfer to a rack on a pan and place in the oven to keep warm.
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Plan on about 6 ounces of artichokes per person.
Posted in Appetizers, Vegetarian | No Comments »
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Oven 450 F
Serves 6-8
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6 medium potatoes
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Par-boil potatoes for 5 minutes to loosen the skin. Grate and discard the skin.
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2 eggs
½ cup chopped onion
3 T flour
1 tsp salt
¼ cup melted butter
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Mix together with the shredded potatoes.
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If desired:
Ham, bacon, sausage
Mushrooms
Cheese
Broccoli, asparagus
Chili peppers
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The classic plain potato Rösti is delicious as a side dish, but you can add any finely chopped ingredients to the mix, and make it the main course.
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Olive oil
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Cover the bottom of a baking dish (jelly roll pan) with a generous amount of oil. Spread the potato mixture and press out thin. Bake 30 minutes at 450F until crisp.
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Cousin Otto Heigold made authentic Swiss Rösti for us when he visited us in England. Lekker!
Posted in Breakfast, German Style, Main Dishes, Sides, Vegetarian | No Comments »
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Oven 400 F
Serves 2
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Place 12” skillet in the oven and preheat to 400 F.
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3 eggs
½ tsp salt
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Beat the eggs and salt with a wire whip until light.
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1/3 cup sifted flour
1 T sugar
½ cup milk
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Add flour and sugar, blend till smooth. Add milk. Beat thoroughly.
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2 T butter
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Place the butter in the hot skillet. Coat the bottom of the pan with butter. Pour in the batter and return to the oven. Bake 12-15 minutes until the pancake is puffy, risen and lightly browned.
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Suggested Toppings:
Powdered sugar
Butter
Fresh lemon
Apricot jam
Strawberries
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Serve with your favorite toppings.
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Posted in Bread & Pancakes, Breakfast, German Style | No Comments »
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Serves 1
(or 2 if you are willing to share!)
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If you have a regular size lunch bag:
1/4 cup plain popcorn
1 tsp canola oil
1/4 tsp salt
If you have an oversize lunch bag:
1/3 cup plain popcorn
2 tsp canola oil
1/2 tsp salt
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Measure the popcorn and add the oil into the measuring cup to coat the kernels. Pour into a brown paper lunch bag. Add salt.
Fold over the bag several times tightly to close. Place upright in the microwave. Make sure that the bag is not touching the top of the oven and will rotate. Cook about 2 minutes on high. Stop when you have not heard a pop for 2 seconds, to keep it from burning. The time will vary among different microwave ovens. It is better to stop it a little early and waste few kernels, because it can burn very quickly.
Open the bag carefully and pour out the popcorn. Discard the oily bag.
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After years of frustration of looking for microwave popcorn without excessive salt, oil and sugar, I decided to try this. It works, and costs a fraction of the packaged microwave popcorn.
Posted in Snacks | No Comments »
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Serves 6
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1 cup quinoa
1 (14 oz) can Swanson’s chicken broth
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Place the quinoa in a medium saucepan. Add water to cover and wash the quinoa, drain well. Add the broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let sit for 20 minutes.
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1 large head broccoli
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Chop the broccoli from the flowered end into very fine bits.
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1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
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Peel and chop the onion into ¼” bits. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
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2 Tbsp Olive oil
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In a large skillet or wok, add the oil, onion, garlic. Sauté over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli, continue to stir and cook for 10 minutes.
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Mix the quinoa into the vegetables and serve. These leftovers freeze well.
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Posted in Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian | No Comments »
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Oven 425 F
Serves 4
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1 small pumpkin
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Peel the pumpkin with a carrot peeler.
Take care while cutting the pumpkin. Place on a cutting board, insert the tip of a large chef’s knife, and wedge it through. Scoop out the seeds and discard.
Cut into 1-2” chunks.
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1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
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Chop the onion into 1” chunks. Peel and slice the garlic cloves.
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Olive oil
Provence herbs or Italian herbs
Salt & Pepper
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For easy clean-up, line a cookie sheet with foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Place the pumpkin, onion & garlic on the pan. Drizzle with more oil. Sprinkle with herbs.
Roast in a hot oven for about 30 minutes. Check for doneness with a fork. Salt & pepper.
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Select a small “pie pumpkin”. The large ones used for jack-o-lanterns are not as tasty.
Posted in Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian | No Comments »
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Yields 4 cups
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6 large pears
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Peel the pears, cut into quarters, remove and discard the core. Slice crossways into thin slices. Place in a saucepan.
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½ cup water
Optional: Substitute ¼ cup of Armagnac or Cognac.*
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Add to pears. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat just until the pears are tender. The time varies; ripe pears will take about 20 minutes, unripe pears may take up to an hour. Add more water if the pan goes dry.
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½ cup sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
Dash salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp butter
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Turn off the heat. Add all and stir well.
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1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 Tbsp cornstarch
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Dissolve the cornstarch in water. Add to the pears while stirring briskly to avoid lumps. Turn on the heat, bring back to a boil, cook for a minute, stirring constantly.
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*Although I say the liquor is optional, it really is the secret ingredient of this sauce. The alcohol will boil off as it cooks, leaving a wonderful flavor.
Warm pear sauce is delicious on pancakes.Warm pear sauce is delicious on pancakes or shortcake.
Posted in Dessert, Sauces | No Comments »
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Oven 350 F
Serves 4
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Scones
Warm Pear Sauce
Whipped cream
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If the scones are cold, warm them in the oven for 5 minutes at 350 F. Place in a serving bowl, top with warm pear sauce and whipped cream. Heavenly.
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Nothing beats a warm pudding on a winter’s eve… or summer’s eve… or in-between.
Posted in Dessert | No Comments »
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Oven 425 F
Yields 12 Scones
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2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 T sugar
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Mix together in a medium mixing bowl.
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½ cup butter (one stick)
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Soften the butter a bit (20-30 seconds in the microwave on power level 3). Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender until the mixture is like tiny gravel.
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1 cup milk
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Add the milk all at once, and mix with a fork just until all is moistened. The batter should be very soft and sticky.
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½ cup flour
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Spread ½ cup of flour on the countertop in a 12” circle. Turn out the batter onto the flour. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp of flour on top.
Gently knead about 12 times, pulling from under the outer edge and folding in to the center to knead in the flour.
This is the critical point for fluffy scones- don’t handle the dough too much and don’t mix in too much flour or the scones will be tough.
When the dough is just stiff enough to hold its shape without sticking to your fingers, pat it down evenly to 3/4″ – 1” thickness. Cut with a round biscuit cutter or just cut into triangles.
Rub the cutter or knife in the flour between cuts. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Gather up the remnants of dough into a ball and pat down for another cut.
Bake at 425 F for 10-12 minutes.
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This is a variation of my mom’s biscuit recipe. These scones are perfect shortcakes – just add fruit and whipped cream.
Posted in Bread & Pancakes | No Comments »
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Oven 400 F, then 325 F
Serves 4
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4 small baking potatoes
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Wash the potatoes, slice through the skin with a knife. Place in the oven at 400 F. After about 30 minutes, turn down to 325 F when you put the chicken stew in the oven.
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1 medium yellow onion
5 stalks celery
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Chop the onion & celery to ½ inch size. Set aside.
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12 medium white or Crimini mushrooms
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Wash the mushrooms well in cold water. Trim the stems and cut into quarters. Set aside.
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4 half chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
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Cut the chicken crossways into ¼” thin slices.
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2 cloves garlic
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tbsp Provence herbs or Italian herbs
½ can Swanson’s Chicken broth
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Mince the garlic. Add the oil, garlic and herbs to a Dutch oven or heavy roasting pan. On the stovetop, heat the pan to medium, then add the chicken. Sauté the chicken for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the onion, celery & mushrooms. Add ½ can (1 cup) of chicken broth. Cover the pan and bake in the oven at 325 F for 40 minutes.
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Fresh green beans
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Prep the green beans and steam on stove top for about 20 minutes or to your liking. Turn off heat.
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2 Tbsp flour
½ can Swanson’s Chicken broth
Salt & pepper
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Remove the stew from the oven. In a small drinking glass, pour ¼ cup of broth. Add the flour and blend with a fork until smooth. Add to the hot stew and quickly stir with a wooden spoon. The stew will thicken a bit. Salt & pepper to taste.
Serve the stew over the baked potato and green beans.
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In England, baked potatoes are served ‘’in their jacket” which is the best part- crispy potato skin!
Posted in Chicken, Main Dishes | No Comments »