Tasty Recipes from Recipe Wizards

Choose a good quality beer for the batter. This also can be made with strips of cod or halibut.

For a more pronounced orange flavor, substitute freshly squeezed orange juice for 1/4 cup of the milk.

You can buy packages of toasted rice flour in Asian supermarkets, or you can make it at home.

Q: My family loves your recipe for the S&S Cafeteria’s sweet potato puffs, but I really don’t like deep frying, especially in the summer. Do you have a suggestion for something similar that you don’t have to fry? We have a Carolina sweet potato farm just a mile from us and love sweet potatoes.

-Nina

A: I like nothing better than a simple baked sweet potato with nothing added. But once in a while – especially if I’m cheating on the main dish by picking up a rotisserie chicken or grilling outside – I will serve the recipe here, which came with my Kitchen Aid mixer decades ago, and of course I’ve tweaked it a bit over the years. A good tip: I like to bake the mixture in cupcake tins rather than one pie plate. That way you can easily freeze leftover individual servings to microwave later.

SWEET POTATO PUFF

3 medium sweet potatoes

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

PRALINE TOPPING

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1/4 cup flour

Bake or microwave sweet potatoes until tender. Remove pulp and beat for 2 minutes with electric mixer. Let cool to room temperature. Add rest of ingredients and beat to combine. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with vegetable oil spray and spread the sweet potato mixture evenly. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees, or until set.

Spread topping over hot sweet potatoes and bake an additional 10 minutes before serving. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: 318 calories (46 percent from fat), 16.5 g fat (7.3 g saturated, 5.9 g monounsaturated), 80.3 mg cholesterol, 3.9 g protein, 40.6 g carbohydrates, 2.3 g fiber, 123.8 mg sodium.

Q: I had a good recipe once for a munchie that you made with canned artichoke hearts and refrigerated biscuits and I think tomatoes. I got it at a Pampered Chef party, probably in late fall of 2001. It was at my ex-sister-in-law’s house. I can’t seem to find the card and I don’t want to have to call her and get the recipe. Is there a way to get this from the company?

-Via e-mail

A: Of course you can check at www.pamperedchef.com for recipes, though not every recipe is available. I didn’t find the recipe you seek at the website, but happily I do have a sister-in-law I enjoy talking to who sells the kitchen tools and found the recipe in the Spring/Summer 2001 issue of Season’s Best. The recipe suggests various Pampered Chef items, including the stoneware bar pan, but I adapted it to use a jelly-roll pan.

CHEESY ARTICHOKE TRIANGLES

2 (8-ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup (4 ounces) fresh Parmesan cheese, grated, divided

2 eggs

2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning mix, divided

1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts in water, drained and chopped

1 garlic clove, pressed

2 plum tomatoes, sliced

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, snipped

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Separate dough into 4 long rectangles. Press rectangles to make a crust in the bottom of an ungreased 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan, firmly pressing perforations to seal. Press crust up sides of pan. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of the grated cheese to the batter, then eggs and 1 teaspoon of the lemon pepper. Blend well. Add artichokes and garlic to cream cheese mixture and mix well. Spread evenly over baked crust. Thinly slice tomatoes and arrange over filling. Toss parsley with remaining Parmesan and sprinkle evenly over filling. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and set. Cool 10 minutes before cutting into 12 squares, then cutting squares in half to make 24 triangles. Serve warm. Makes 24 servings.

Per serving: 137 calories (57 percent from fat), 8.8 g fat (4.6 g saturated, 2.3 g monounsaturated), 42 mg cholesterol, 5 g protein, 9.8 g carbohydrates, 1.1 g fiber, 258 mg sodium.

CORNER ANGLES

Q: Got a big kick out of the question from the sisters about making the Jell-O concoction. I’m going to try that recipe since it is so quick and I think there’s nothing better when it’s hot than recipes that are cool and light. To that end, I thought I’d resurrect an oldie but goodie. When my kids were little they dubbed it Mom’s Magic Dessert. That’s because when it chills, the ice cream part goes to the top and magically makes a two-layer dessert that looks great in clear parfait or wine glasses. You can make it with all kinds of flavor combinations. We like to use peach Jell-0 with peach ice cream and top it with fresh mangoes.

-Elizabeth Jackson

A: I think it would be great fun to hear about other gelatin concoctions favored by readers. I made Jackson”s recipe with orange gelatin and vanilla ice cream to make a dessert much like my childhood favorite Creamsicles.

MOM’S MAGIC

1 (4-serving size) package any flavor gelatin

1 cup boiling water

2 cups (1 pint) ice cream, any complementing flavor

Completely dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add ice cream by big scoops, stirring until it melts. Divide into six dessert glasses or a clear serving bowl. Refrigerate until set, about half an hour (the lighter colored ice cream layer rises to the top). Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 144 calories (30 percent from fat), 4.8 g fat (2.9 g saturated, 1.3 g monounsaturated), 19.4 mg cholesterol, 2.6 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 0.3 g fiber, 9 mg sodium.

SLEUTH’S CORNER

Q: I am looking for a recipe for a Native American dish made with corn, tomatoes and chiles. You use fresh corn and” “”"just use the” “juice from the kernels. I had this in southern Oklahoma.

-T. Altramirano

(Contact the writer: lcicero(AT)MiamiHerald.com)

Prep time: 50 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves 10 to 12

INGREDIENTS

Crisp topping:

1 1/3 cups flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, chilled and cubed

3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Filling:

2 pounds rhubarb, washed and cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 pound strawberries, washed, hulled, and quartered

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

INSTRUCTIONS

For crisp topping: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor combine flour, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and the cinnamon. Add the butter until the mixture resembles wet sand. You may need to scrape the container a few times to ensure that all the flour and butter is combined.

Take the mixture out of the processor and add the walnuts.

For filling: Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, 1 cup sugar, and flour in a large bowl, toss together. Let the fruit stand until it is slightly moistened.

Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Pour in the filling and sprinkle an even layer of topping over filling. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until juices bubble thick around the edges.

Per serving based on 12 servings: 309 cal.; 5 g pro.; 47 g carb.; 12 g fat (5 sat., 3 monounsat., 4 polyunsat.); 21 mg chol.; 9 mg sod.; 3 g fiber; 31 g sugar; 35 percent calories from fat.

Prep time: 1 1/2 hours

Cook time: 2 1/4 hours

Serves 6

This recipe from the Los Angeles Times features a rich and flavorful broth as its base.

INGREDIENTS

One 5-pound chicken

Salt

Pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups diced onion, cut into small (1/4-inch) dice (about 1 large onion)

1 cup diced carrots, trimmed (peeling optional) and cut into small (1/4-inch) dice (about 2 medium carrots

1 cup diced celery, trimmed and cut into small (1/4-inch) dice

1/4 cup thinly sliced leek, cleaned and sliced crosswise into 1/8-inch strips (white and light green only, about half of 1 medium leek)

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 cloves garlic, smashed

3 sprigs parsley

2 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

10 cups water

Dumplings:

1/3 cup boiling water

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg

1/4 cup milk, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (such as tarragon, chives, thyme and parsley)

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut up the chicken: Remove the giblets, saving the neck (discard the remaining giblets, or save for another use). Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut along the back of the chicken, removing the backbone. Cut or break the backbone into thirds (this will help to flavor and thicken the broth).

With a sturdy French knife or cleaver, halve the chicken lengthwise down the breast. Cut each chicken half into 4 pieces, separating the leg and thigh, and halving the breast crosswise (the wing can remain attached to the breast or separated).

Sprinkle the chicken pieces (including the neck and back) with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and several grinds of pepper, evenly seasoning the pieces.

Heat a large, sturdy stockpot over high heat. When hot, add the olive oil and enough chicken to fit comfortably in a single layer. Brown the chicken on all sides, about 15 minutes (this will probably need to be done in 2 batches). Remove the chicken to a bowl and repeat until all the chicken is browned.

Reduce the heat to medium-high. To the fat in the pot, add the chopped onion, carrots, celery and leek, cooking until the vegetables just begin to color, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in the white wine and cook, scraping any flavoring from the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until the wine is almost evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the garlic, 3 sprigs parsley, thyme and bay leaf to the pot, and add back the chicken.

Pour in 10 cups water (this should more than cover the chicken), loosely cover the pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, loosely covered, until the chicken is very tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Periodically skim the fat that forms on top of the broth as the chicken cooks.

When the chicken is tender, remove the pieces to a large plate or baking dish until cool enough to handle. Strain the chicken broth into a separate 3-quart pot, discarding the vegetables and herbs.

You should have about 10 cups of broth. Skim any remaining fat from the broth, and season to taste.

Remove the skin from the chicken pieces and peel the meat from the bones. Shred the meat into bite-sized pieces; you should have about 6 cups of chicken. Place the meat in a bowl and set aside while you make the dumpling batter.

To make the dumplings: In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal and one-third cup boiling water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until the mixture cools, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the flour, 1 teaspoon salt and the baking powder, breaking up any cornmeal clumps with your fingers.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and 2 tablespoons milk. Pour the milk mixture into the medium bowl, and drizzle over the lemon juice. Stir to combine, then gently fold in the herbs until evenly distributed. This should form a thick batter (it should have the consistency of thick cement, sticky yet spoonable).

Add more milk if needed to thin the batter, 1 tablespoon at a time. (You may not use all the milk.)

Bring the broth to a gentle simmer on the stove. Spoon 1-inch balls of the batter (the dumplings will expand as they cook) into the simmering broth; this makes about 20 dumplings. The dumplings will sink at first but will soon float; continue to simmer, loosely covered, until they are just cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Strain the dumplings onto a large plate or baking dish.

Add the shredded chicken back to the broth. Serve immediately, adding dumplings back to each serving.

Per serving: 688 cal.; 55 g pro.; 36 g carb.; 33 g fat (8 sat.); 234 mg chol.; 940 mg sod.; 3 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 43 percent calories from fat.