Moo's Imperial Avocado Crab Crepes

Start with your favorite plain crepe recipe, then try Moo's palate pleasing filling and curry sauce.




Filling
4 ripe avocados
2 cups crab meat
1 T scallions, minced
1 T coriander, minced

Curry sauce
1 T lime juice
1 T brandy
1 T Dijon mustard
1 tsp. curry powder
1 egg white. slightly beaten

Garnish with avocado, mandarin sections, lime slices

Prepare filling by mashing avocados until smooth. Add crab meat, scallions, and coriander. Mix thoroughly. Prepare curry sauce by mixing together lime juice, brandy, mustard, curry and egg white. Mix all ingredients until creamy smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fill crepes and pour curry sauce over the top. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cook for 12 minutes. Garnish with avocado slices, mandarin orange sections and lime slices.

Moo's Piquant Lemon Potatoes

Get everyone to love vegetables. This recipe is guaranteed to do it. Palate pleasing vegetables every time.

2 pounds red potatoes
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 T lemon juice
1 1/2 T fresh basil, finely chopped
Grated rind of 1 lemon

Peel potatoes and slice thickly. Parboil potatoes in lightly salted water for 5-10 minutes. Potatoes should still be slightly uncooked and firm. Drain. While potatoes are cooking, combine butter, sugar, lemon juice and basil. Heat slowly, stirring until butter is melted and resulting in a a bubbly syrup. Add drained potatoes to syrup and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are richly glazed. Spoon syrup over potatoes often during the cooking period. Serve with a sprinkle of lemon rind. This recipe works equally well with green beans, peas, asparagus, beets or broccoli.

Moo's Curried Shrimp in Coconut Rolls

This one's fun. Great for picnics.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 T curry powder
1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
20 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
4 hot dog rolls
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup unsweetened, finely chopped coconut

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, curry, ginger, mint and garlic in bowl and toss with shrimp. Marinate for 8 hours, turning several times for good coverage. Drain and put on skewers. Separate the rolls into two halves. Cream butter and add coconut. Mix well and spread on the face of the bun. Grill shrimp. Do not overcook. Toast rolls and arrange cooked shrimp on top.

Moo's Beer Puffs w/Coconut Chicken Filling

Here's a versatile appetizer. You can come up with all kinds of fillings. I've included Moo's coconut chicken filling. The filling alone is a real palate pleaser.

Puffs Batter
1 cup beer
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup), cut into small pieces
1 cup flour, sifted
4 eggs
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Glaze
1 egg yolk
1 T milk

Filling
Chopped chicken
Angel Flake coconut
Coconut cream
Mushrooms or nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a large cookie sheet. Put beer in saucepan with salt and add butter pieces. Bring to boil (you want to watch heat carefully so that butter melts at same time beer starts to boil). Add flour all at once. Add nutmeg. Remove from heat and add eggs (one at a time and stirring in between). Stir until dough forms into a ball (about 2 minutes). Drop dough from a teaspoon onto the prepared cookie sheet. Combine glaze ingredients and brush on each puff before popping into the oven. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Let puffs cool on racks. Fill with desired filling or freeze in plastic bags until ready to fill and serve.

Moo's Marinated Mushroom Salad

1 1/4 lbs small mushrooms
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Marinade
6 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. whole black pepper, crushed
1/2 tsp. whole coriander seed
1/2 tsp. whole mustard seed
1/2 tsp. salt

Wash mushrooms and remove stems. Add mushrooms to a sauce pan of boiling salted water (enough water to cover mushrooms). Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Drain and let mushrooms cool. Set aside. Mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, pepper, coriander seed, mustard seed, and salt. Add mushrooms, onion and parsley. Blend thoroughly. Cover and chill, stirring occasionally. Set aside for at least 2 hours (best overnight). Serve in the marinade.

Spicy Prosciutto Wrapped Avocado

This is a little something special Moo cooked up. It's hot. It's delicious. And it's fast and easy to make. It's a palate pleaser.

Prosciutto, sliced just thick enough to stay together when you wrap around avocado
Ripe avocado, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces

Hot Sauce
4 T butter
2 T water
4 T ketchup
2 T vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 tsp. salt
Dash of Tabasco sauce

Prepare prosciutto by cutting slices in half. If you want more prosciutto per bite, use a whole slice. Peel avocado, remove seed and cut into bite-size pieces. Wrap prosciutto slice around avocado. Hold in place with toothpick. Prepare hot sauce in a double boiler with water simmering: combine butter, water, ketchup, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, Tabasco sauce. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Drizzle a little over the hors d'oeuvres--not too much you don't want it to be messy when picked up. Serve additional hot sauce in a bowl on the side for dipping. This thing has zing!

Moo's Thai Green Chicken Curry

Here's a simple Thai curry you'll love.

1 stock butter
8 T flour
1/4 cup green curry paste
3 1/2 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
2 T soy sauce (low sodium)
2 tsp. coconut extract
1/2 bunch coriander, chopped
8 kefir lime leaves
Chopped chicken
Fresh mint, chopped
Fresh basil, chopped

Boil chicken. While chicken is cooling, you can create the curry: In large sauce pan, melt butter add flour to create roux. Slowly add green curry paste, milk, broth and bring to boil. Add soy sauce, coconut extract, lime leave and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Stir regularly. Pick chicken off cooled carcass. Shred chicken to bite-size pieces and add to curry. Bring to boil and cook for about 3 minutes more. Garnish with fresh mint and basil. You can serve with additional condiments such as shredded coconut, chopped nuts, chutney, and lime pickle.

Moo's Tapioca Asparagus Soup

This is a simple recipe and very good. You'll get raves as a palate pleaser when you serve this. I mention using a Hot and Spicy seasoning (your choice) because it's up to you how much zip you want to give the soup and the flavor enhancement you're looking for. There are many spicy seasoning mixes on the market so experiment with different flavors. Enjoy!

1 1/2 T butter (vegans can use a non-dairy butter substitute like Earth Balance)
1 T flour
1 cup asparagus water (the water your fresh asparagus is cooked in or the juice in a can of asparagus spears)
1 quart chicken broth (you could use a vegetable broth for vegan version)
1/2 cup quick cooking tapioca
salt and pepper to taste (watch salt if you use canned asparagus)
Hot and Spicy seasoning (your choice)
asparagus spears for garnish

In a large sauce pan melt butter. Add flour to make roux. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add asparagus water slowly. Simmer about 5 minutes. Then add broth. Add tapioca and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes or until the tapioca is cooked and soft. Add salt, pepper and hot/spicy seasoning. Prior to serving put a couple spears of cooked asparagus in the soup bowl and ladle soup over the spears.

Moo's Pina Colada Cake

1 pkg. yellow cake mix**
1 pkg. Instant vanilla pudding and pie mix
1 1/3 cup water
4 eggs
1/4 cup oil
2 cups angel flake coconut
1/4 cup white rum
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1-1 1/2 jars pineapple preserves

Frosting
1 cup butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup rum

Mix cake mix, pudding, water, eggs oil and coconut. Beat batter, pour into two layer pans and bake according to directions on the cake box.

**Note if the cake mix has pudding mix already in it, just make the cake as directed on the package. Just add the coconut.

When the cake is cool, slice the two layers to make 4 layers. Put the first layer on the cake plate and give it a liberal sprinkling of the pineapple juice/rum mix. Then spread a layer of pineapple preserves. Add another cake layer and repeat process. Do the same with the third layer and top with the fourth.

Make frosting by creaming (beating) butter until light and smooth. Slowly beat in a can of condensed milk and 2 egg yolks. Add rum slowly so that it doesn't curdle. Beat constantly. When thick enough to spread, frost the cake.

Champagne Sour Cream Mousse

2 T. gelatin
1/3 cup cold water
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup dry champagne
2 T mustard
1/4 cup minced chives
1/4 cup chopped pimento

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water to soften. Set aside. Heat sour cream in top of double boiler over simmering water until steamy hot. Stir constantly. Do not boil. Stir in soft gelatin until dissolved. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add champagne, mustard, chives, and pimento. Blend well. Pour into prepared mold. Chill for several hours.

Moo's Maui Papaya Salad

On one of the family's trips to Hawaii, Moo had a room with a small kitchen. And she had access to all the wonderful fruit and seafood. This recipe was the result. A Hawaiian palate pleaser.

1 head lettuce, torn to bite-size pieces
1 bunch watercress, stems removed
1 pound cooked shrimp, lobster, crabmeat (any one or all)
1 papaya, peeled, halved, seeds removed
1 can hearts of palm

Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 T white vinegar
2 T ketchup
salt and pepper to taste

Select a very fresh, flavorful lettuce, mound seafood in center. Slice papaya and arrange in a pinwheel around the seafood. slice palm heart and arrange around seafood. Decorate center with a few watercress leaves.

Moo's Lemon Curd Cake

Moo made her cakes from scratch...except when she made a dessert where the cake was secondary to the other flavors. In this case, she started with a Betty Crocker or Hines white cake mix. You can always make your cake from scratch...I'm sure it will be a real palate pleaser.

Filling
2 cups sugar
1/4 pound butter
4 eggs
4 lemons
4 tsp. lemon rind, grated

Frosting
2 egg whites
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/3 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla

Cook cake in two layer pans. When cool, slice each layer in half for a total of four thin layers. Prepare the lemon curd filling: Melt butter in top of double boiler. Beat eggs thoroughly and add sugar plus lemon juice and rind. Heat over hot water just below the boiling point until it thickens. Prepare the frosting: Put ingredients (except vanilla) in the top of double boiler over boiling water and beat with rotary beaters until mixture stands in stiff peaks. Scrape bottom and sides occasionally. Fold in vanilla. Put lemon on each layer except the top one. Then frost.

Moo's Oyako Donburi

After years of Chinese cooking lessons, Moo started experimenting with Japanese. She had a lot of fun and shared several of her dishes with me. Here's a palate pleaser of a side dish.

8 large scallions, slivered
A knob of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thin
6 peapods, strings removed, sliced
1 T olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 T mirin
4 T soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 pkgs udon noodles
4 eggs

Mix chicken broth, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. Prepare scallions, ginger, and peapods. Stir fry in olive oil. Add sauce to vegetables. Mix thoroughly. Cut noodles into bite-size pieces an add to the vegetable mixture. Stir fry for a couple of minutes. In a separate bowl lightly beat eggs. Add to the mixture and turn until scrambled. Serve with a meat, seafood or chicken dish.

Gladys Steers' Coffee Cake

Gladys Steers gave this coffee cake to Moo years ago. It's one of three we enjoyed during the holidays. Try to find a cake mix without pudding in the mix. If that's all you can find, omit the separate package of pudding mix. Niki has added lemon juice and almond extract for palate pleasing enhancement.

1 pkg lemon cake mix
1 pkg. Instant lemon pudding
1 1/3 cup water
Juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp. almond extract
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup sugar (Niki uses a little less sugar)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix and dry pudding mix, add eggs and beat well. Add sour cream and oil. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Pour half the batter into well-oiled bundt pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix in the middle. Then cover with the rest of the batter. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Bundt pan trick: If you are using one of the new bundt pans with an intricate design, you'll need a little help getting cake to release easily. Put batter in a warm bundt pan. When you turn on oven to preheat, pop the bundt pan in the cold oven. Leave it there about 5 minutes. Remove from oven, apply nonstick spray (baker's formula). Add batter and bake.

Moo's Steamed Asian Dumpling Filling

This is an excellent all-around filling for dumplings. You can use it to make pot stickers, Siu Mai or 4-color dumplings. Your dumplings will be real palate pleasers.

1 lb. ground pork
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 T sugar
1 T soy sauce, I prefer low sodium
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. teriyaki sauce
1/2 tsp. sherry
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped and packed tight
8 water chestnuts
4 fresh shitake mushrooms
1 scallion, minced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup cornstarch

Dumpling skins

To the pork, add broth, sugar, soy sauce, salt, teriyaki sauce, sherry and sesame oil. In food processor, fine chop all vegetables. Fold vegetables into pork mixture. Finally add cornstarch. Fill dumpling skins and either freeze until you need them or steam and serve.

By the way, here's a simple but good dipping sauce: 3 T low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tsp. rice vinegar, and 1 tsp. sesame oil

Moo's Cold Poached Salmon w/ Cucumber Salad

Nothing says summer party favorite like cold salmon. Moo had several recipes, and this is a favorite...a real palate pleaser.

4 salmon steaks, about 3/4" thick

Stock for Poaching
1 cup water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 small onion, sliced
1 small carrot, sliced
2-3 parsley sprigs
1 small bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. peppercorns

Green Sauce
2 egg yolks
1 T prepared mustard
1 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup parsley, minced
1/3 cup watercress, minced
1/3 cup spinach, minced
1 tsp. sage, crumbled

Cucumber Salad
2 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced thin
1 T fresh dill weed
Mix oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add cucumber slices and dill weed. Toss.

Prepare Green Sauce: With a small whisk, beat egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper until well blended. Slowly beat in oil, drop by drop at first and then in a thin stream until mixture forms mayonnaise. Fold in parsley, watercress, spinach and sage. Refrigerate overnight.

Poach Salmon: In skillet, bring stock ingredients to a boil. Add salmon steaks, cover and simmer until fish flakes easily (about 10 minutes). Do not overcook. Cool salmon in stock at room temperature. Carefully transfer steaks to serving platter with slotted spatula. Spoon on some green sauce (serve remainder on the side). Garnish and serve with cucumber salad.

Kendra's Venison Bourguignon

Wow, I love this dish. It started as a beef recipe but venison is much healthier. And I happen to be a fan of game. This recipe serves four.

2 pounds venison, cut into bite-size cubes
5 medium onions, peeled and sliced
3 T olive oil
1 1/2 T flour
Big pinch marjoram
Big pinch dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bottle red wine, burgundy or zinfandel works well
1 large can or box of condensed beef broth, I use organic and you could easily substitute with vegetable or mushroom broth
3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

Peel and slice onions, set aside for a moment. Cube venison and set aside. Heat a large, heavy skillet and add 2 T olive oil. Saute onions until browned. Remove them from skillet and set them aside. Now add 1 T olive oil to your still hot skillet then add the venison. Once they are brown on all sides sprinkle with flour and seasonings. Stir together well then add 1/2 cup broth and 1 cup of red wine. Stir and let simmer. You want the mixture to be just barely bubbling. Now this process is going to take about three (3) hours. And as the liquid begins to cook away you keep adding more in the same proportions (1/2 cup broth to 1 cup of wine). You want the liquid to almost cover the meat at all times, so check regularly. And give a little stir every time you add more liquid. When the bottle of wine is used up, you've added enough liquid. DON'T COVER DURING THIS PROCESS. You want the liquid to evaporate and leave the flavors behind.

At the end of about three hours you reintroduce the browned onions and the mushrooms. Stir well and simmer very low for about 45 minutes more. The dish will look very dark and thick at the end. You can set aside now, even refrigerate overnight. In fact I think it's better made ahead. When serving, first warm it up. If you think it's too thick you can always add a little broth and wine to thin. It should be bubbling when you are ready to serve. Prepare noodles or rice. Mound onto dinner plate and cover with the venison.

Cracked Crab with Curry and Ginger Sauce

King Crab legs or Dungeness Crab, pick meat from shells
2 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 slices fresh ginger
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 green pepper, finely chopped
2 heaping tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
3 T sherry
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 T cornstarch
2 T water

Place wok over high heat, add oil. When oil is very hot, add garlic, ginger, scallion, green pepper. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add crab meat and stir fry for 1 minute. Combine curry powder, salt, sugar and sherry. Pour the curry mixture over crab. Stir fry for 30 seconds more. Add chicken broth. Cook 5 minutes or less. Combine cornstarch and water in small dish. Stir into stir fry dish to help thicken slightly. Stir until smooth and thickened. Serve immediately.

Moo's Coconut Shrimp

You're going to love these shrimp. They are a palate pleaser you have got to make. Like a lot of health-conscious people, I don't eat much fried food these days. That's not to say the taste isn't a real palate pleaser. And there is the rare occasion and the right food can tempt. Moo used to make this one a lot...back in days when we all ate more fried food. You might come up with a way to take this taste and prepare it without the frying. In any case, I don't deep fry any more, I saute in the skillet with a little olive oil.

24 jumbo shrimp, clean and flattened
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 bag flaked coconut, slightly toasted
2 eggs
4 T coconut cream

Marinade
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Dipping Sauce
To taste combine orange marmalade, hot Chinese mustard and Curaco.

Clean and flatten shrimp then marinate overnight. Line cookie sheet with wax paper and combine flour, salt and dry mustard on the wax paper. Spread toasted coconut on another cookie sheet. In a bowl, combine eggs and coconut cream. Heat a deep fryer, skillet or wok with olive oil. Dredge shrimp in flour. Then egg mixture. Then coconut. Deep fry (375 to 400 degrees) to a golden color. Serve with dipping sauce. Note: if you do 30 shrimp or more, double the flour and marinade mixtures.

Moo's Colcannon

Okay Bruce, this one is for you! I know you love it. If you don't know what colcannon is...it's an Irish favorite with mashed potatoes and cabbage. It certainly qualifies as vegetarian, but you can make it vegan by using soy milk and a non-dairy butter like Earth Balance or Smart Balance.

1-1/2 cups water
3/4 pounds cabbage, cored and shredded
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 pound boiling potatoes, scrubbed
1-1/4 cups milk, scalded
1 T onion, minced
cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste
In a saucepan, combine water, cabbage and salt. Bring the water to a boil over moderately high heat and cook the cabbage, stirring until the liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat and cover pan loosely.

In a large saucepan, combine potatoes with enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender. Drain and shake dry over high heat for a few seconds. Cool. Peel the potatoes and puree while warm. Beat in scaled milk, cabbage, onion, salt and peppers to taste. Heat over low heat, adding more milk, if necessary, to achieve the desired consistency. Heat until hot. Mound into a warm serving dish. Make a depression in center and add 1/2 stick softened butter. Let begin to melt and serve hot.

Moo's Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce

Oh boy, HICCUP, this is a HICCUP real palate pleaser.

1-1/2 cups raisins
2/3 cup rye whiskey
1-1/4 loaves day-old French bread (about 8 cups of 1/2" cubes)
6 cups milk
5 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
6 T butter, melted and cooled
2 t. vanilla
1 T salt

Sauce
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup whiskey

Soak raisins in 2/3 cup whiskey. Cut French bread into 1/2" cubes. Combine cubes with milk at room temperature, stirring occasionally for about 2 hours. Shortly before that time is up, beat eggs, sugar, melted (and cooled) butter, vanilla, and salt then ad to bread mixture. Combine well. Pour into a well-buttered souffle dish. Cover and chill overnight. Next day bring to room temperature, stir a bit. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 1-1/2 hours, until edge is puffed and golden brown (center will not rise as much).

Sauce
Cream the stick of butter with sugar. Beat in the eggs in one at a time. Transfer to a double boiler over simmering water. Add the cup of whiskey. Cook, stirring until slightly thick.

Serve hot.

Moo's Gingered Melon Balls

Let the quality and ripeness of the melon in your supermarket dictate what melon you choose. They're all good. Enjoy a palate pleaser.

6 cups melon balls
3 T honey
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
Garnish with mint leaves and a little more chopped crystallized ginger.


Combine the melon balls with honey and crystallized ginger. Spoon fruit into a large glass compote or serving dish. Cover and chill until you're ready to serve. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and a little chopped crystallized ginger.

Kendra's Cold Zucchini with Salsa Verde

You have a few options with this recipe. You can serve it as an appetizer or as a salad. With the exception of the herbs, I did not tell you how to chop the vegetables. This should be your preference. Some people like a smooth salsa, others like it chunky. Personally, I think you might want to blend in food processor until smooth if you are serving this as a salad.

8-10 small zucchini, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped coarsely
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 small onion, chopped
4 anchovy fillets
3 t. capers
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
Ground pepper to taste

Cook zucchini in boiling salted water for about 4 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water to cool quickly. Drain. Refrigerate. Combine coarsely chopped parsley with olive oil, lemon juice, onion, anchovies, capers, garlic, shallot and salt in food processor. Blend on pulse so you can control the consistency. Transfer to a bowl for serving and stir in finely chopped parsley and basil. Season with pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

When ready to serve, arrange zucchini on cold platter. For appetizers, slice zucchini into sticks and serve salsa in a bowl for dipping. As a side dish/salad, arrange zucchini halves on cold plate and spoon salsa over the top.

Moo's Lychee Kumaki

Well, this is different sort of appetizer that will have your guests wondering where it's been all these years.

1 can lychee fruit, drain and reserve syrup
1/2 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
15 bacon slices, cut in half
Soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar

Drain lychee fruit thoroughly, reserve the syrup. Fill the cavity of each lychee with some of the chopped peanuts. Wrap a piece of bacon around the fruit, be sure to cover the opening with the peanuts inside. Secure with toothpick. Make a mixture of equal parts lychee syrup and soy sauce (about 1/4 cup of each should do it). Dip prepared lychee in liquid then roll in brown sugar. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place lychees on cookie sheet and into oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. Watch carefully. Serve with plum brandy sauce.

Moo's Pirate Rummy Spoonbread

This stuff is amazing. And that's all I have to say about that. A major palate pleaser.

2 cups whole milk
1 can coconut flakes
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 T butter
1 package frozen corn souffle, defrosted
1 package frozen kernel corn, defrosted and drained
4 eggs, separated
2 T dark Jamaica rum

Heat milk and coconut together. Do NOT boil. Gradually add cornmeal. Stir constantly until thickened. Remove from heat. Add salt, nutmeg, butter. Fold in the defrosted corn souffle and corn. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fold in rum. Beat egg whites until stiff, then fold into mixture. Turn mixture into a buttered baking pan, set that pan in boiling water in 350 degree oven. Bake for 1 to 1-1/2 hours (you'll have to check regularly as the water slows down the baking process and all ovens are different). Serve immediately with butter.

Niki's One and Only Hot Buttered Rum Recipe

This makes a big batch, which means you'll have plenty for yourself and enough to share with friends. Fill a small decorative jar and give as gifts for the holidays. It keeps well in the refrigerator.

2 pounds brown sugar
1 pound butter
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice

melt the butter in saucepan. Remove from heat and add beaten eggs, sugar and spices. Beat until smooth. Bottle and keep in the refrigerator.

When making a hot buttered rum, put one heaping teaspoon full in a mug, add rum and boiling water.

Moo's Clam Puffs

These are fun and they taste good too.

3 6-1/2 ounce cans chopped clams, drained (save 1/4 cup of liquid)
2 eggs, separated
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
Olive oil for deep frying

Combine clams, clam liquid and egg yolks in medium bowl. Add flour, baking powder, melted butter, salt and pepper. Mix well. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold into clam mixture. Chill at least 3 hours (even overnight).

Heat oil in deep fryer or large frying pan to 375 degrees. Drop mixture by teaspoonfuls; don't crowd. Fry until brown and crisp, turning once. Drain on towel, sprinkle lightly with salt. Serve hot.

Moo's Jellied Beef a la Mode

This is a little different. These jellied meats used to be very popular in the 50s and 60s. I think they're worth revisiting. This is a palate pleaser for anyone who likes cold beef. (By the way, the witches are some of Moo's last artwork.)

2 pounds stew beef
1 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup water
2 cups white wine
1 T soy sauce
1 whole clove garlic, peeled
2 whole, small onions, peeled
1 carrot, washed and cut in 2" pieces
2 T parsley, chopped
2 T brandy
1 envelope gelatin
Extra parsley for garnish

Cut beef in 1" cubes, removing any fat. Heat olive oil in heavy pot until hot (on high heat). Quickly brown beef on all sides. Season beef with salt and pepper. Add water, wine and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low, add garlic, onions and carrot pieces. Cover and simmer until meat is tender, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Strain cooking liquid, reserve and cool. Discard garlic, onions and carrots. Sprinkle meat with parsley and brandy. Refrigerate to remove any fat. Place reserved liquid in pan. Sprinkle gelatin powder over the cold liquid. This will help soften gelatin. make sure you have at least 2 cups of liquid. Heat enough to completely dissolve gelatin. Stir thoroughly. Then remove from heat, cool and then chill until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Fold chilled meat mixture into the slightly thickened gelatin. Mold. Chill. Serve.

Moo's Zesty Stir-Fry Chicken

Moo sent this recipe to me while I was in college. Said this would be a palate pleaser at my next dinner party. It was...and it still is.

4 whole medium chicken breasts
1/4 cup soy sauce (I prefer low sodium)
2 T. sherry
4 T. orange marmalade
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 small orange
2 cups fresh peapods
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste
1/2 - 3/4 cup almonds, sliced
1 bunch scallions, sliced into 1" pieces

Remove skin and bone from chicken breasts. Cut each into medium-size chunks. Create marinade of: soy sauce, sherry, marmalade, cornstarch, ginger, and red pepper; 30 minutes before cooking, marinate chicken bits. Peel orange and separate wedges. Cut each wedge in half and set aside. Clean peapods (remove tips and string). Blanch in boiling water for about 1 minute (until bright green). Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Wrap in foil and set aside in refrigerator.

Heat olive oil in wok. Cook almonds until lightly browned. Remove almonds from oil and drain on paper towel. In same oil, cook scallions, stirring until dark brown (to infuse flavor into oil). Remove onions from oil and discard. Now add marinated chicken until chicken has turned white. Add peapods, almonds and orange slices. Salt to taste. Turn a few times and serve.

Moo's Stuffed Peapods

Here's another of Moo's favorite, holiday appetizers. They're easy to make, but to make a large batch will take you some time. Be patient, put on some music or a favorite movie while you work. The results of this palate pleaser are worth the time.

3/4 pound snow peapods
2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, cut in bits for easier blending
1/2 cup chives, chopped
Worcestershire sauce to taste
Salt and white pepper to taste

Blend in batches, cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, salt and white pepper. This is really a personal taste thing and how spicy you want the peapods. Blend all the mixture until it is smooth. Put it in the refrigerator to chill. Now prepare the peapods by breaking off the ends and removing the strings. Wash then toss into boiling salted water for about 1 minute (until bright green). Drain peapods and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Pat dry. Slit open each peapod to within 1/4 inch of each end. Once all peapods are prepared, get ready to fill. Apply a decorative tip to your pastry bag, fill bag with cream cheese mixture. Pipe cheese filling into each peapod and arrange on serving plate. Chill, loosely covered, for at least an hour.

3/4 of a pound of peapods should yield about 50 appetizers.

Moo's Avocado-Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

This is a very simple recipe. Personally, I love the grape tomatoes for their sweetness, but you may prefer the cherry tomatoes. They are bigger and not quite as sweet. Which ever you choose, these are fun and pretty.

Wash a basket or two of cherry or grape tomatoes (depending on the size of your gathering). Slice off the tops and scoop out most of the seeds. Chill, as this makes them easier to work with. Now peel and pit a couple of nice ripe avocados. Add about 2 T lemon juice, 1 t. salt and a dash of cayenne pepper. Chill. When ready to assemble, fill a pastry bag with the avocado mixture and pipe into the tomatoes.

Moo's Japanese Chicken Wings

If you don't like wings...move along! Okay, I'm assuming about 98.9 percent of you are still with me. These are great. I think they are my all time favorite wings. An appetizer palate pleaser. Warning: Make plenty.

2 Plastic bags (you need clean bags--like garbage bags--with no scent or deoderizer imbued and no holes)
Start with about a dozen wings (about 2 1/3 lbs)
1 medium clove garlic
1 piece of fresh ginger (about 1”x1”), peeled
½ c. Japanese rice wine (sake)
½ c. soy sauce
¼ c. firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ t. dried hot red pepper flakes

Remove the tips from the wings and discard. Separate the remaining two joints. Place two plastic bags inside one another and place the wings inside. Place the bags (and their contents) in a large bowl.

To make the marinade, run garlic and ginger through a food processor. Chop about 10 seconds--until very fine. Scrape down the work bowl then add the remaining ingredients and process 5 seconds.

Pour the marinade over the bagged wings and toss to coat thoroughly. Seal each bag tightly with a twist tie. Let wings marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight, turning the chicken occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a shallow broiler pan or baking dish with heavy foil. Remove the wings from the bags and arrange them in a single layer in the pan. Reserve the marinade. Bake the wings uncovered until golden brown and crusty, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn and baste them every 15 minutes.

Glenda's Greek Chicken Wings

You can't have too many chicken wing recipes...Really. You can't. Wings ARE palate pleasers. This one comes from the mother of a friend of mine. I've been making this one for 20 years. They are soooo simple. Glenda doesn't use quantities. She just does this by starting with the number of wings she wants and then does everything else by eye and taste. You really can't go too wrong with this.

Chicken wings
Salt and pepper to taste
Flour
Whole and ground oregano
Olive oil
Fresh lemon juice

Lightly salt chicken, then dredge with flour that is seasoned with oregano. Put chicken into a baking dish that has about 1/4 inch of olive oil in bottom. Bake, covered with foil, for about 25-35 minutes at 450°. Remove foil and brown wings on both sides. Squeeze lemon juice on each wing (each side) and bake 5 minutes longer.

Moo's Very Best Clam Chowder

Prepare 10 dozen clams for steaming (i.e., soak in water and cornmeal to clean the sand out of the clam. If particularly sandy, you might have to change water/cornmeal more than once.). Steam until clams open and can be easily removed from shells. Save 1 ½ cups of the clam broth, poured through cheese cloth to catch any residual sand.

In a kettle, sauté 1 ½ cups diced onion in a generous amount of butter until soft and transparent but not brown. Add 2 ½ cups diced potatoes and the reserved clam broth. Simmer 20 minutes. Add clams and simmer 5 minutes. In a sauce pan, heat 2 ½ cups milk and ¾ cup heavy cream (or sour cream). Pour into the soup pot and add 2 t. salt and ½ t. crushed thyme, pepper to taste. Make a mixture of butter and flour (roux), add to hot soup. Do not allow to boil. Finally add 2 cups chicken broth. When plating the soup, add a pat of butter to the top of each bowl.

Moo's Chicken Ginger Coriander Soup

8 cups chicken stock
6 slices fresh ginger
5 stalks fresh lemon grass
1 bunch coriander
Fresh, raw dark meat of chicken (legs and thighs)
Fresh spinach, chopped
Japanese Udon noodles or Chinese noodles
Fresh mushrooms
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Suggested garnishes: scallions, chopped tofu, chopped hard-boiled eggs, coriander leaves, lime slices, fresh bean sprouts

To chicken stock, add ginger, lemon grass and coriander. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes in order for flavors to merge. Remove ginger, lemon grass and coriander. Add chicken (still on bones) to the flavored broth. Once cooked, remove chicken. Cool enough to debone and chop into bite-size pieces. Now prepare soup: To flavored broth, add chopped chicken, fresh spinach, noodles and mushrooms. Simmer until noodles and vegetables are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Prepare separate bowls for garnishes. Serve soup and invite diners to garnish soup to their taste.

Moo's Three-Mushroom Soup

This can easily be turned into a vegan soup by using mushroom or vegetable broth in place of chicken. Olive oil or a non-dairy butter can replace the butter. Omit the sherry and sour cream. I've also taken to playing with the original recipe. I sometimes add fresh ginger, finely chopped, and cilantro, chopped. This is my all-time favorite palate pleaser soup.

4 cups chicken broth
1 large leek (white part only), coarsely chopped
1 shallot, coarsely chopped
1 can (15 oz.) straw mushrooms
2 oz. dried Polish mushrooms
½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
6 T butter
3 T flour
¼ cup sherry or white wine
½ t. salt or to taste
Lots of freshly ground pepper
¼ cup sour cream
Chives or coriander for garnish

Soak dry mushrooms in warm water until pliable (about 1 hour). Cut mushrooms into ½” pieces. Discard stems and woody pieces. Heat butter in saucepan. Sauté mushrooms, shallot and leek until soft but not brown. Stir in flour and gradually add hot broth, stiring continuously. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add wine, salt and pepper. Stir in sour cream just before serving. Add garnish.

Shrimp Bisque a la Dovell

Hot or cold, this soup kicks. It's one of my brother's favorite palate pleasers.

1 pound cooked shrimp
1 small carrot, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 T butter
Pinch of thyme
¼ cup brandy
½ cup sherry
1 cup chicken broth
2 cans frozen shrimp bisque

In a saucepan, sauté carrot and onion in butter. Add a little thyme. When golden brown, add shrimp and cook for another 5 minutes. Add brandy and flame. When the fire is out, set aside. Thaw frozen shrimp bisque in a large saucepan, and add sherry and chicken broth. Put thawed bisque mixture in blender along with 1 cup sour cream and a little red food coloring. The soup should be a light pink. Put the cooled shrimp mixture in the food processor. Combine the two mixtures and serve hot or cold.

Cucumber Dill Vichyssoise

This is a refreshing, flavorful soup. And because there are such interesting flavors going on here, it's best to make this a day ahead to give the flavors a chance to mingle and merge. A summer palate pleaser.

¼ cup butter
2/3 cup leeks (white part only), chopped
1/3 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
¾ pound potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups chicken broth
2 ½ cups cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 cup half and half cream
Salt & white pepper to taste
3 T fresh dill
2 t. “Hot & Spicy” seasoning

Melt butter in saucepan. Add leeks, bay leaf and onion. Cover and cook about 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Discard bay leaf. Add potatoes and chicken broth, simmer about 20 minutes. Mix chopped cucumber into soup. Puree in blender or processor in batches. Add cream, dill weed, salt, pepper, and “Hot & Spicy.” Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Serve chilled. If it gets too thick overnight, you can thin to preferred consistency with a little additional chicken broth.

Moo's Cold Stuffed Sushi Clams

Moo served these as either hors d'oeuvres or as part of a selection of sushi. The number of clams you'll need to prepare will depend on how you plan to use this dish.

Seasoned sushi rice
Little neck clams
Japanese rice vinegar
wasabi

Use your best recipe to make a batch of seasoned sushi rice. Steam little neck clams. Remove clam meat from shell, keeping clams intact. Clean shells because you are going to use them to serve these little treats. Moisten hands with a little Japanese rice vinegar. Pick up a small portion of sushi rice and press into a ball. Set rice in a clam shell half. Dab a little wasabi on top and add a clam. If you wish, place the other half of the clam shell on top. Serve soon after making and at room temperature.

Moo's Brie Quiche

1 pound of brie
4 egg, separated
1 1/2 cup light cream
1/8 t. salt

Take out brie ahead of time to soften. Shave off the crust. When soft you can beat egg yolks and cream. Add brie to yolk mixture in chunks. Blend thoroughly. Add salt. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into cheese mixture. Pour the entire mixture into a shallow baking pan or dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (until custard is set). Cool slightly before serving.

Moo's Hot Black Bean Dipping Sauce

Moo sent this recipe with the following note: This is excellent. And it keeps in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.

1 pint olive oil
1/2 cup dried red chili flakes
2/3 cup fermented black beans
2/3 cup Tientsin preserved Chinese vegetables
1/4 cup Mainland preserved cabbage
1 T fresh garlic, minced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup scallions, minced
1 T sherry
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup cilantro, minced

Heat olive oil in your wok. One at a time and in the order listed, add all the ingredients except the cilantro. Mix thoroughly between ingredients. Take care not to let ingredients boil over. Once you are satisfied that ingredients are well infused, remove from head. Add cilantro. Cool and store in refrigerator.

Moo's Lemon Soy Dipping Sauce

Another of Moo's palate pleaser dipping sauces. This one is perfect for Japanese dumplings like gyoza and for tempura.

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 T Mirin
3 T water
2 T rice vinegar
1 T bonito flakes

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan, cover and steep for 2-3 hours. Strain and serve.

Moo's Cauliflower Salad

This is a vegetable salad of cauliflower, celery and onion (I think you could easily add some sliced carrots too). Moo received this recipe from a friend, but she then took the recipe apart and recreated it. The lemon dressing makes it a Moo palate pleaser.

fresh cauliflower, sliced
celery, sliced
raw onion, chopped
salt & pepper

Lemon Dressing
2 large lemons, use juice of both and grated rind of one
2 T sugar
3 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 cup sour cream

Lightly beat the egg yolks and set aside. Combine lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Reserve the rind. Bring ingredients slowly to a boil, swirling the pan to dissolve the sugar. Stir a little of the hot juice into the egg yolks to warm them. Return all the egg mixture to the juice saucepan over low heat. Whisk briskly until the eggs have thickened slightly. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in sour cream and rind. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Pour over vegetables, mix well and serve.

Moo's California Ceviche

2 pounds fresh lean fish fillets
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3 medium size onions, finely chopped
3 fresh green chilies, roast, peel and chop (or 1 can Mexican-style green chilies)
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 t. dry oregano
1/2 t. marjoram leaves
1 t. celery seeds

Dice the fish, taking care to discard all bones and skin. Pour lime juice over fish, cover and refrigerate for 5 hours or overnight. Stir occasionally to ensure good coverage. Drain fish well, then add onions, chilies, tomatoes, orange juice, vinegar, olive oil, celery seed and herbs. Mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to about 6 hours for freshest flavor.

Denny's Corn Souffle

Dennis used to enjoy trading recipes with Moo. This is one of his palate pleasers.

6-7 ears fresh corn, boil and strip kernels from ears
6 T butter

Combine the following:
4 cups whole milk
4 eggs, beat lightly
1/4 cup honey
2 T flour
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread corn in the bottom of a 9 x 12 pan. Pour the milk/egg mixture over corn. Place the butter in chunks on top of the corn mixture. Bake about 1 hour, until golden brown and springy.

Moo's Avocado-Chicken Salad

It's a simple salad but always good for a quick, light lunch.

2 ripe avocados
2 cups chicken, cooked, diced
2 eggs, hard boiled, sliced
2 T sweet red pepper, diced
2 T coriander, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
pinch of tarragon
salt to taste
pepper to taste
3 T lemon juice
Romaine lettuce leaves, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices

Combine the first 10 ingredients and toss with lemon juice. Serve on a bed of lettuce and garnish with tomatoes and cucumbers.

Moo's Fluffy Chicken Pancake

Moo used to make this as an entree, but as a smaller helping it would be an excellent side dish. She often put a little of her fabulous all-purpose lemon sauce on top. What a palate pleaser. Experiment with different sauces and toppings for new tastes.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 chicken breast, finely chopped
4 egg whites
2 T coriander, chopped
2 t. sherry
salt and pepper to taste
Few drops of sesame oil

Bone and chop chicken. Beat egg whites until foamy. Mix in chicken, sherry salt and pepper. Put olive oil in flat frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the chicken mixture. When firm, turn mixture. Cook until both sides are firm but NOT brown. Add sesame oil and serve.

You can give a little more flavor to the chicken by marinating it in: 1 tsp. sherry, 2 tsp. soy sauce and 1 star anise

Moo's Litchi Sauce
2 T sugar
2 T vinegar
2 T catsup
3/4 cup litchi juice (drained from a can of litchi fruit)
2 tsp cornstarch
Boil and stir all ingredients until think enough.

Moo's Chocolate Omelet

This chocolate omelet makes a great brunch item. You could also serve it as a dessert with dinner. Also, I like to add a little ice cream for a change. It's a delicious palate pleaser.

2 eggs
2 T cocoa
2 T coconut rum liqueur
4 T sugar
6-8 fresh strawberries, sliced
White creme de menthe
Dark swiss chocolate, grated
Whipped cream
Powdered sugar

Mix eggs, cocoa, liqueur and sugar for omelet. Set aside. Slice strawberries, put in a bowl and drizzle a little creme de menthe on top. Whip up some cream or use prepared whipped cream if you like. Pour egg mixture into hot omelet pan. When the omelet is ready to fold, sprinkle grated swiss chocolate and the strawberries on top then fold. Remove from pan. Add whipped cream and a little powdered sugar.

Moo's Cheese Pie

This is a Fifties vintage recipe of Moo's. I've found some of these older recipes are fun to bring back and enjoy. An old palate pleaser is now new again.

2 cups cheese-flavored crackers, finely crushed
2 cups sour cream
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup stuffed olives, chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
2 T lemon juice
1 small onion, minced
1 t. salt
1/4 t. paprika
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Tabasco

Brush sides and bottom of 8" cake pan with butter (or spray with Pam). Cut a circular piece of wax paper to fit in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle about 1/4 of the crackers in the bottom of the pan. Mix remaining ingredients together thoroughly. Spread layer of cream mixture on top of crackers. Alternate layers and finish with crackers on top. Store in refrigerator for 24 hours. Turn on to a plate shortly before serving. Garnish with crisp greens and olives.

Moo's Asparagus Custard Casserole

This is a little something Moo threw together. It's a great side dish that's a great way to enjoy asparagus.

5 eggs
2 cups milk
2 T butter
2 T onion, chopped
2 T flour
1 can mushroom soup (concentrated)
1 cup cheese, shredded (Moo usually used either Jack or mozzarella)
I large bunch of asparagus cut into bite-size pieces
Bread crumbs
Slivered almonds

Beat eggs and milk. Saute chopped onion in butter. Combine these ingredients, then add flour. Turn oven to 350 degrees and preheat. Put cut asparagus in souffle dish. Pour egg mixture over asparagus. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and slivered almonds. Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes or until the custard is set. Serve warm

Moo's Basil Sauce

Here's a light, fresh sauce for pasta. Moo often used this sauce to create one of her palate pleasing pasta casseroles.

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
4 T butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 large tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
6 sprigs fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Saute all the ingredients in the butter for 5-10 minutes. Pour on top of pasta and top with parmesan cheese.

Coriander Dipping Sauce

Moo loved to create her own special dipping sauces for her many original Asian dishes. She felt this one was a real palate pleaser.

In a small bowl, combine the following ingredients:
1/4 cup soy sauce (I prefer low salt)
2 T scallion tops, minced
1 1/2 T rice wine
1 1/2 T Chinese black vinegar
1 1/2 T sugar
1 T fresh coriander leaves, minced
2 t. sesame oil
2 t. fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
2 t. fresh garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 t. hot chili oil

Stir ingredients until sugar is fully dissolved.

Moo's Corn Crepes with Chili Butter

2 cups white cornmeal
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
3 T all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
3 T scallions, minced
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup corn nibblets, pureed
1/2 cup olive oil
3 T melted butter

Filling
1 1/2 pounds of cooked shrimp
2 1/2 T chopped chilies
1/2 pound of shredded Jack cheese

Chili Butter
1 cup softened butter
1 1/2 T chilies
1/2 pound cooked shrimp

Sift dry ingredients, including salt into a large bowl. Stir in onion, buttermilk egg, oil and butter. Fold in pureed corn. Heat crepe pan and brush lightly with olive oil (or spray with olive oil Pam). Pour 1/4 cup of batter into hot crepe pan and swirl to cover evenly. Return to heat and cook until golden on both sides. Crepes may be kept in 200 degree oven.

Puree chili butter ingredients.

Toss shrimp, chopped chilies and cheese to make filling. Place a liberal amount of filling in crepes, roll and heat. When ready to serve, spread chili butter liberally on each crepe and serve with your favorite combination of toppings: guacamole, ranchero sauce, sour cream, chives and coriander.

Moo's Exotic Chicken Livers

We don't eat fried livers very often these days, but if this appeals (and it is a real palate pleaser) I recommend organic chicken livers and skillet cooking rather than deep frying. Olive oil, of course, helps too. Enjoy this guilty pleasure.

1/2 pound chicken livers
2 T Hoisin sauce

Fritter Batter
1 cup flour
1 t. salt
2 T cornstarch
2/3 cup water

Prepare livers by cleaning and cutting into bite-size pieces. Marinate in Hoisin sauce for 2 hours, turning regularly. Make batter about 20 minutes before you are ready to cook livers. Combine all the ingredients and beat until smooth. Dip livers in batter and skillet fry in olive oil. You can deep fry if you prefer. If you make ahead, reheat in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes.

Niki's Chili

While this is my sister's favorite chili recipe, she gave it to Moo who would make it a palate pleaser for Daddy and me by using venison. Also Niki says the quality of the chili powder makes all the difference...this is, after all, chili!

2 pounds ground sirloin (or chopped into bite-size pieces--cook's choice)
2 T olive oil
1/4 cup onion flakes
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup yellow mustard
Slightly less than 1 cup catsup
3 T Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 T chili powder
Mesquite seasoned salt, to taste
Steak seasoning, to taste

Cook meat in large skillet with olive oil. As meat begins to cook, add onion, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, catsup and chili powder. Mix thoroughly. Add can of beans and tomatoes. Add mesquite salt and steak seasoning to taste. Simmer for half an hour and until thickened a bit. Best made ahead to allow flavors to mingle and merge.

Moo's Asian Crab Balls

This crab appetizer goes fast, so make enough. Also you'll probably find other good uses for this dipping sauce. This is a palate pleasing crab dish.

1 pound crab meat, mince
1 egg
2 T scallions, chopped
1/2 t. salt
1 t. sherry
1 t. fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 t. sesame oil
1 T cornstarch

Olive oil

Dipping Sauce
1 t. hot soy bean paste
1 T catsup
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T sugar
1 T soy sauce
1/2 T garlic, crushed
1 T fresh ginger, very finely chopped

Mix crab meat with all other ingredients. Form into bite-size balls. Deep fry or pan fry until slightly brown. Serve with dipping sauce.

Moo's Simple Stuffed Mushrooms

Want to whip up a palate pleasing appetizer in no time? Try these stuffed mushrooms.

1 pound fresh mushroom caps
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 T butter
1 T flour
1/2 cup cream
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish, finely chopped

Wash and dry mushrooms and remove stems. Chop up the stems and any poorly shaped caps. Saute the onion in butter, add chopped mushroom stems and lemon juice. Cook until softened (about 3 minutes). Add flour and stir until thick. Add cream, season with salt and pepper and cook until thickened again.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill mushroom caps and bake on a buttered or Teflon cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and serve hot.

Moo's Favorite Green Chili Salsa

Salsa is a wonderful condiment and dip. Most recipes are fast and easy to make and so much better than anything you can buy. Moo liked to collect, invent and reinvent salsas. As a result I have a lot of recipes to offer in this category. I'll be sharing many of her palate pleasing salsas with upcoming posts.

6 tomatillos, husks discarded and fruit quartered
1 T Olive oil
5 green chile peppers, I like to roast and peel
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into large chunks
1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
1/2 to 1 t. salt (to taste)
1 cup sour cream
1 t. fresh lime juice

Place husked and quartered tomatillos in a skillet with olive oil and cook over low heat until softened (3-4 minutes). Transfer tomatillos to food processor. Add chilies, garlic and avocado. Blend until smooth. Add sour cream, cilantro and salt. Puree until smooth.

Moo's Quick Cracker Dumplings

This is a very quick and easy way to make dumplings. Excellent in soup or stewed vegetables, such as tomatoes. It's part of a palate pleasing comfort meal.

23 soda crackers or saltines, crushed
2 T flour, unsifted
1/2 t. baking powder
1 whole egg, beaten

Combine crackers, flour and baking powder. Crack egg into a small bowl so you can beat with a fork. Then add to the cracker mixture. Mix into a dough. Mold each dumpling with the help of a teaspoon, then drop into simmering chicken stock. Cook until done. It will float to the top.

Moo's Szechwan Lobster

It's lobster with a Szechwan flavor...of course it's delicious. This is Moo's version and she declared it a palate pleaser. I love boiled lobster right from the pot, but I have to say this is a very good dish. And easy to make.

1 two-pound live lobster
1 t. soy sauce
1 1/2 t. white vinegar
12 drops chili oil
1/2 t. minced garlic
1/4 t. salt
3 t. sherry
12 water chestnuts, cut in 1/2" pieces
3 T cloud ear fungi, soaked about 30 minutes to soften
20 peapods
1/4 cup scallions, minced
1/4 cup Olive Oil for stir frying

Select a pot large enough for boiling the lobster. Add water and salt water enough to simulate sea water. Bring to a boil, add lobster and cook for just 10 minutes. The lobster will not be completely cooked but enough so that removing meat from shell is easy. Allow lobster to cool enough that you can handle it. Remove all meat from the shell and cut into 1 1/2" pieces.

Wash and pull strings from peapods. In pot of boiling water, blanch peapods for just 15 seconds--until bright green. Set aside.

In a bowl, mix sauce ingredients together: soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, garlic, salt and sherry. Heat oil in wok on high. Add lobster and water chestnuts. Stir fry about 3 minutes. Add cloud ears and scallions for about 30 seconds. Add sauce and cook another 15 seconds. Finally add peapods and cook another 15 seconds. If you like a thicker sauce, you can prepare a teaspoon of cornstarch with a little water and add to the dish. This will thicken dish slightly.

Moo's Chicken Wing Appetizer

When Moo first gave me this recipe, she wrote: This is as good as the old standby. The use of chicken broth makes this one very moist.

18 (or about 3 pounds) chicken wings
Olive oil
3 scallions, cut into 3" pieces
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sherry
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup catsup
3 whole star anise
2 T sugar
1/4 t. ground ginger
1 large head iceberg lettuce, shredded

Cut wing tips off at the joint and discard. Cut the remaining two joints apart. Heat oil in skillet and saute wings until golden brown. Remove wings and pour off the excess oil. Combine soy sauce, sherry, chicken broth, catsup, scallions, star anise, sugar and ginger in skillet. Add wings and simmer 25 minutes or until tender, basting occasionally. Then cover and cook 10 minutes longer. Serve wings on bed of shredded lettuce.

Imperial Moo Chicken Salad

This is a palate pleasing salad with an Asian flavor.

2 large chicken breasts, boned
1/3 cup sherry
1/4 cup soy sauce
6 thin slices ginger

Olive oil for frying

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
6 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted

2-3 ounces of Chinese rice sticks or bean thread

Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 T plus 1 t. soy sauce
3 t. sesame oil
2 t. dry mustard
2 t. sugar
1 t. fresh ginger, minced
1/2 t. hot chili oil

Combine sherry, soy sauce and ginger slices to create marinade. Marinate chicken breasts for several hours (overnight, if possible). Turn chicken breasts over a couple times. When ready to cook, drain chicken breasts, pat dry and lightly salt. Then coat with cornstarch. Refrigerate for an hour to allow cornstarch to set.

Heat olive oil in skillet and deep fry chicken breasts for about 5 minutes per side or until golden and crisp and cooked through. Drain chicken on paper towel then slice into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl. Add lettuce, scallions, almonds, sesame seeds.

Heat olive oil in skillet or wok. Deep fry rice sticks or bean threads. They will puff up very quickly. Drain, salt lightly and add to salad. Mix dressing ingredients, add to salad, toss and serve.

Moo's Coconut-Coriander Chutney

If you like chutney, you'll love this. Who'd have thought making a palate pleasing chutney would be so easy.

1 bunch coriander
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 fresh or canned chili (if fresh, you'll need to roast and peel off skin)
1 cup coconut
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
1/4 cup water

Trim leaves from coriander stalks and put them into blender with remaining ingredients. Blend and pour into serving bowl. You can make ahead and refrigerate, but I think it tastes best at room temperature.

Day Ahead Potatoes

Although you have to begin making this the day before, it is a fast and easy side dish. I guarantee your guests will love it. I give this 5 palate pleaser stars.

12 potatoes, peeled
1 pint whipping cream, unwhipped
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Boil potatoes the day before your dinner. Refrigerate over night. This will firm the potatoes up a bit and make them easier to grate. So grate potatoes on the day of the party and lightly layer into a casserole seasoning throughout with salt and pepper and garlic powder. Drizzle whipping cream over the potatoes. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. Serves 12

Moo's Chinese Noodle Custard

This is a good first course or side dish for any Asian dinner. It's light and not what most people expect when ordering Chinese. I prefer light (low sodium) soy sauce and organic chicken broth. If you want to avoid the chicken broth, try vegetable broth.

1 pkg fine noodles
4 eggs, whisked
1/2 t. salt
2 t. soy sauce
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk

Cook noodles until tender. Rinse and drain. Set oven to 325 degrees. Pour noodles into a 2 quart casserole. Whisk eggs well and add other ingredients. Pour over noodles and fold in. Set casserole into larger pan with some water and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Moo's Peanut Butter and Pepper Sauce

There's something about a good peanut butter sauce. This is a palate pleaser...Asian style!

2 T peanut butter
3 T warm water
2 T soy sauce
1 T cider vinegar
2 T sesame oil
1 t. cayenne pepper
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T scallions, finely chopped

Combine peanut butter with warm water to make a smooth, thin sauce. Then combine the remaining ingredients except the garlic and scallion into a very smooth dressing. Add garlic and scallion just before serving.

Blue Cheese Dressing

This is a delicious blue cheese dressing for any salad. But while I like it on greens, I adore it on cold pear slices (either fresh or canned). An unusual palate pleaser.

1/4 cup wine vinegar
1/8 t. pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 t. salt
3/4 and 2 T. olive oil
1/2 cup apple sauce

Combine vinegar, salt and pepper in blender. Slowly add oil while running blender at low speed. Add sour cream, apple sauce and blue cheese. Blend until smooth.

Thai Tartare

Given my concerns about hormones and antibiotics given to many commercial cattle, I prefer to use organic beef. I don't have tartare as often as I used to, but this is a good palate pleaser.

1 lb raw, high-grade ground lean beef
Grated rind of 1 1/2 limes
3 shallots, minced
3 scallions, minced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 T cilantro, finely chopped
6 T lemon grass, minced (cut off sticklike part and remove outer leaves of bulb before chopping)

Place all the ingredients together in large bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place several lettuce leaves on a serving plate. Mound tartare up on top of lettuce. Garnish with mint leaves.

Moo's Best Barbecue Sauce

I love this barbecue sauce. Everyone in my family loves this sauce. I guess you could call it a family-wide palate pleaser. I hope you love it too. And when I want to do something a little more on the edge, I add some Maker's Mark whisky.

½ cup vinegar
2 T prepared mustard
¼ cup water
1 t. freshly ground pepper
4 T sugar
1 T salt
2 slices lemon
½ cup butter
1 cup catsup
4 T Worcestershire sauce

Mix and simmer for 5 minutes. If you want to kick it up a notch, add ½ t. cayenne pepper.

Dovell's Tomato Dumplings

This is real comfort food. It's also something my grandmother used to make for my father. She gave the recipe to Moo and when Moo wanted to please us with something special, she'd make tomato dumplings. As an aside, Moo used to can her own tomatoes, which made for very flavorful tomatoes all year long. This is best served as a winter dish, so good canned tomatoes made this a real palate pleaser.

Dumplings:
2/3 cup flour
¼ t. baking powder
1 egg
Water

Tomatoes:
1 quart tomatoes
½ cup sugar
1 heaping T butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix dumpling ingredients to make a batter. Set aside. In a pot or large saucepan, mix tomatoes, sugar, butter, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. To make dumplings, drop batter in boiling tomatoes one teaspoon full at a time. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Asian Mashed Potatoes

Here's something a little out of the ordinary. Give your mashed potatoes a little Asian zing for a real palate pleaser.
1 lb. potatoes
1 t. salt
2 T rice vinegar
2 t. oil
3 T cilantro, chopped
3 T green onions, chopped
1 T toasted sesame seeds

Peel potatoes and quarter if particularly large. Boil in salted (1 t.) water until soft and ready for mashing. Pour off most of the water, reserving some for adding moisture as you begin the mashing. Note that is no milk added to these potatoes so reserve enough of your potato water. Begin mashing, add rice vinegar and oil first so you can judge your use of the reserve potato water as you go along. Shortly before potatoes reach the right consistency, add cilantro, green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy.

Blue Cheese and Pear Mousse

Okay, at first glance this may not seem too exciting, but let me give you a little context. Moo would often make a quick salad for dinner consisting of cold, canned pear halves covered with a little blue cheese dressing and a little crumbled blue cheese sprinkled on top. It's a terrific combination. Also Moo was an active cook during the hayday of gelatin mold salads. My sister, brother and I grew up on those things. And while I was never a big fan of the molded salad in general, I do have some favorites. This is one. Personaly I think the gelatin mold is about due to make a great reappearance on the cooking scene...everything old is new again. This one is worth trying...a real palate pleaser. Enjoy!

Lightly oil and chill a 5 cup ring or mold
1 envelope gelatin
1 1 lb. can of pears
6 oz. Blue cheese, room temperature
3 oz. Cream cheese, room temperature
Pinch of salt
Reserved gelatin
½ cup sugar
1 cup cream, whipped

Soften the gelatin for 5 minutes in the liquid from the pears. Then dissolve it over simmering water. Set aside for the moment. Drain pears, pat dry, dice and set aside.
In a bowl, beat blue and cream cheese, salt, and gelatin. Whip until light. Gradually add the sugar so you can control sweetness to your taste. Continue beating until the sugar is dissolved. Chill until it just begins to set. Whip cream, then fold into cheese mixture. Mix thoroughly. Arrange diced pears in the bottom of the chilled mold. Then transfer the cheese mixture to mold, covering pears. Chill thoroughly.

Moo's Taco Salad

Want a fast way to make tacos for a crowd? So did Moo. She developed her own version of the taco salad. This is a palate pleaser every time.

1 head lettuce, chopped
2-3 tomatoes, diced
1 cup Longhorn or cheddar cheese, grated
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 avocado, sliced
1 lb. ground round
1 onion, sliced
Medium bag of Fritos or other tortilla chips

Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
¾ cup chili sauce
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
2 Mexican chili pepper (clean out seeds first)
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt, pepper and garlic pepper to taste

Brown and cook ground beef with onions until fully cooked and onion soft. Add the beans. Set aside to cool. Cut up lettuce, dice tomatoes, add cheese. Pour on the warm meat mixture. Break up the chips and add. Pour on the dressing. Toss and serve.

Madam Moo's Aromatic Chicken Wings

These are palate pleasing wings and the first version of many Moo made for us.

Start with about 2 dozen chicken wings. Mix marinade: 2 cloves garlic, 1 T chopped tangerine peel, ½ T chopped fresh ginger, 1/6 t. 5 spice powder, 1 t. salt, 3 T soy sauce, 1 t. sherry, 2 t. sugar, ¼ t. pepper, 2 T sesame oil, ½ t. red pepper flakes. Mix and turn and baste wings for 4-5 hours.Dip each wing in cornstarch and sauté in oil until golden. Put into roasting pan with leftover marinade, shred peel of 1 large orange over wings. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 to 45 minutes (or until nice and tender).

Moo's Best Noodle Kugel

The first time any of us tasted this Jewish favorite was in a Scarsdale deli. We became instant fans. It's one of those ethnic pasta specialties of which every cuisine can boast. If you've never had kugel, try this recipe. Like so many things Moo cooked, she would prepare a dish with a recipe and then start innovating. Moo's kugel is a palate pleaser.

In a large bowl, combine thoroughly 2 cups milk; 1 cup each of cottage cheese, sugar and sour cream; 4 large eggs, lightly beaten; ½ c. of golden raisins; 4 oz. cream cheese, softened; ½ stick (1/4 c.) butter, melted; 2 T vanilla; and 1 t. salt. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook ½ lb. fine egg noodles for 5 minutes. Drain them well and combine them with the milk mixture. Pour the mixture into a baking dish (13x9x2”) and drizzle ½ stick (1/4 c.) butter (melted) over the top. Bake the pudding in a preheated 400 oven for 1 hour. Do not cover when baking. Serve slightly warm.

Moo's Curried Cheese Pate

Moo loved appetizers. Growing up my sister, brother and I recall many dinner parties that were exclusively appetizers. In fact as a kid, Moo wouldn't bother to fix dinner for us on party nights (even when we weren't invited to join the guests) she'd just fix a plate of tasty treats for us. How I loved appetizer parties. As I grew older, I was allowed to help Moo prepare appetizers.

3 packages (8 oz.) cream cheese at room temperature
2 packages (10 oz. size) longhorn cheese, grated
2 t. curry powder
Mixture of ginger marmalade and Rose’s lime marmalade
Chopped scallions
½ t. salt, or to taste
¼ c. sherry

Line a 1 ½ quart loaf pan with saran wrap. Put cream cheese in processor and beat until smooth. Add cheddar cheese, curry, salt, and sherry and beat until smooth. Create a mixture of ginger marmalade and Rose’s lime marmalade.

To build pate, put in a layer of the cheese mixture, followed by the marmalade. Follow with another layer of cheese.

When ready to serve, let stand at room temperature at least an hour. Unmold then add a final layer of marmalade on top. Dress with scallions all around the edge. Surround with crackers.

Moo's Texas Fudge

This is a palate pleasing appetizer our whole family loves. What can be better than something that tastes good, is easy to make and stores well.

1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 lb. Colby Cheddar cheese, grated
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. (5 oz.) evaporated milk
2 cans (4 oz. each) Ortega chopped green chilies, drained

Preheat your oven to 350°. Then in a bowl, combine Jack and Colby Cheddar cheeses with eggs and milk. Add chopped chilies.

Bake for 40 minutes. Cool slightly before cutting into desired-size servings. Serve warm or room temperature.

It's good the next day even after being in the refrigerator!

Moo's Indian Deviled Eggs

Between the curry and lemon pickle, I think you have to call these Indian deviled eggs, although Moo always called them Thai hard boiled eggs. However you wish to classify this dish, it sure is good. If you want something different with an Asian-Indian twist, I highly recommend these. They are a little messy for appetizers unless you use just a little bit of sauce or put the sauce on the side as a dip. Your guests will have a hard time resisting. The lemon pickle gives these deviled eggs a bit of a snap.

6 hard-boiled eggs
2 Tbls. coconut milk
1 tsp. coconut cream
1 tsp. coriander, chopped
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. lemon pickle, finely chopped

Sauce
1 cup coconut milk
3 Tbls. flake coconut
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 canned green chili
Juice of ½ lemon
Pinch of chili powder
Salt to taste

When eggs cool, peel and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and put in a bowl. Set egg white halves aside. Mash yolks; moisten with coconut milk and add coconut cream, chopped coriander, curry powder and chopped lemon pickle. Generously fill egg whites with the yolk mixture. To make the sauce, combine ingredients in blender and puree. Pour sauce over filled, hard-boiled eggs.

Spicy Szechwan Zucchini

Eat your veggies! Tired of the same old zucchini in a casserole or steamed zucchini? Here's a way to cook zucchini that spice up your life...or at least your vegetables. It's a palate pleaser in my book. Sometimes I substitute eggplant.

1 pound of zucchini
½ T fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 t garlic, chopped
1 T hot bean sauce
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
½ cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
½ T wine vinegar
½ T sesame oil
1 T scallions, chopped
5 T olive oil

Wash zucchini but don't peel. Cut off tops and chop into bite-size pieces. Heat oil in wok to a medium heat. Stir fry zucchini until just soft. Scoop out onto paper towel and squeeze out excess oil by pressing with spatula. Put aside. In same oil, stir fry garlic, ginger and hot bean sauce for a few seconds, then add soy sauce, sugar, salt and broth. Bring to a boil, and add zucchini. Cook about a minute, until most of the sauce is absorbed into the vegetables. Add vinegar and sesame oil and continue to stir fry. Mix in chopped scallion and serve.

Moo's Original Black Bean Soup

Moo had several dishes that she worked on, revised and continued to perfect across the years. Black Bean Soup was one of them. This was her original recipe. It's good and hearty as Black Bean Soup should be. In days and weeks ahead, I'll share some of her variations on the Black Bean theme.

1 ¾ cups dry black turtle beans
2 quarts water
2 ozs. pork, diced
2 ozs. veal, diced
½ small yellow onion
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ tsp. fresh basil, finely clopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 quart beef consommé
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup cooked ham, finely chopped (topping)
Coriander and sour cream for topping

Rinse beans, drain thoroughly and put in a 3-quart stock pot. Add about half the water and soak beans overnight. Next day, in the same pot, bring beans and water to boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to simmer and cook about 1 ¾ hours (until tender).

In a separate saucepan, combine pork, veal, onion, bay leaf, garlic, basil, celery and remaining water. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about an hour (until tender). Check water level from time to time. If it evaporates and meat is above the water level, add more water to keep meat covered.

Strain the fully cooked and tender beans, taking care to reserve the cooking water. Pour beans into food processor along with about 1/3 cup of the cooking water and puree. Turn the pureed beans into a large saucepan, and add beef consommé, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) for about an hour. Strain beans then return to the saucepan.

Once fully tender, drain meat combination, and remove bay leaf. Pour into food processor along with 1/3 cup of the reserved cooking water. Puree and turn into bean mixture.
Bring the combined soup ingredients to a boil. If you feel the consistency is too thick, gradually add some of the reserved cooking water. You can add more salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, and garnish with a dollop of sour cream, ham and a little coriander.

Dovell's Favorite Pink Velvet Soup

What a delightful cold soup for summer. Moo's beet borsch has always been my favorite; this one was my father's. It's fresh, it tastes good, it's like a delicious alternative to beet borsch. Yes, it's a palate pleaser.

1 onion, thinly sliced
1 8 oz. can diced beets
¼ cup catsup
1 T concentrated beef stock (such as Bovril) Vegetarians can easily substitute vegetable stock
1 cup sour cream
1 3 oz. package cream cheese

Mix ingredients in processor or blender. Blend thoroughly and chill. Serve in chilled bowls. Garnish with coriander or parsley, your choice.

Sauce for Stir-Fry Veggies

Do you love stir fry vegetables but think they could be spiced up a bit? Moo created this sauce that will give your veggies the extra flavor you crave. This is a veggie palate pleaser. You may be inspired to come up with variations of your own. All the better. This should get you thinking. Remember veggies don't have to be bland to be good for you. Spice `em up and enjoy.

1 Tbls. cornstarch
½ cup chicken broth
1 Tbls. dry sherry
1 Tbls. soy sauce
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
¼ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. dry mustard
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbls. fresh ginger, chopped

Combine all the ingredients and set aside. Prepare veggies for stir-fry. Cook in olive oil. About a minute before you feel veggies are cooked, add sauce to wok. This is enough time to get the sauce fully integrated with the vegetables but won't scorch the sauce.

Moo's Scalloped Chicken

This is comfort food at its best. Scalloped chicken is an old recipe. I don't even know where Moo first found it. I do know she made it for us back in the late 50s and that she adapted the original over the years until she had the recipe that she shared with her daughters. I highly recommend this one.

5 pound roasting chicken
5 cups water
Trinity (celery, carrot & onion)
2 tsp. salt
12 slices firm bread, remove crusts and cube
1 cup celery, finely chopped
½ cup yellow onion, finely chopped
Salt & pepper
¼ pound melted butter

Cover chicken with water and add trinity (celery, carrot & onion) and salt. Cook gently until done. Remove chicken from broth and let cool enough so you can handle. Reserve broth, strain out celery, carrot and onion. Remove the chicken skin and lay out on a piece of foil on cookie sheet. Crisp this skin in the broiler, crumble into bite-size pieces, and set aside. Remove all the meat from the bones. Discard carcass. Remove crust from bread slices and cube. Combine bread cubes, chopped celery and chopped onion. Season with salt and pepper. In a casserole, layer 1/3 of bread cube mixture. Cover this with 1/3 of the chicken. Followed by more bread cubes, more chicken, more bread cubes and the last of the chicken. Top with the crisp, crumbled chicken skin.

An hour before serving, heat 2 cups of the chicken broth you saved from cooking the chicken and 1 cup of milk. Pour this over casserole and dot top with butter. Bake in 350° oven until hot through. Then turn oven up to 450° for a few minutes and brown the top. Watch carefully at this stage to make sure you don’t burn casserole. Serve.

Moo's Cold Cucumber Soup

This soup is easy to prepare and makes for a cool, summer treat. But because the flavors need to mature, you do have to plan ahead and keep overnight before serving. For a change of flavor (to spice things up a bit) you can add cilantro and when serving put a dot of Asian Chili Paste with Garlic or Black Bean with Garlic Sauce on top.

1 1/2 quarts broth, either chicken or vegetable
1 1/2 cups potato, pared, diced
2 cups cucumber, pared, seeded and sliced thin
1 cup fresh leeks (white part only), chopped fine
Cucumber and fresh dill for garnish

Boil potato in about half the chicken broth--until soft. Sauté cucumber slices and chopped leeks in butter until soft but not brown. Add potato and broth as well as the remaining broth to the cucumbers and leeks and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Pour cooled ingredients into food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside, cover and chill overnight. To serve, pour into chilled bowls and garnish with thin slices of cucumber and chopped dill.

Moo's Everyday Marinade

I call this her everyday marinade because for years it was the only one Moo relied on for preparing different meats for grilling. The only change occurred in later years when she started using the Good Season's Italian Dressing as the base for her marinade. Granted it made for a good taste (especially with leg of lamb), but I think part of it was the simplicity it offered. This recipe might benefit from the addition of a teaspoon or two of the dry Italian Dressing. I may play with that and get back to you.

½ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tsps. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. fresh ground pepper
½ tsp. dry mustard
¼ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbls. fresh lemon juice
1 dash Tabasco sauce

Combine ingredients and pour over meat. Allow to sit overnight. This quantity will provide enough marinade for about 3 pounds of meat.

Moo's Hot and Spicy Peanut Sauce

As I've said before, I love Asian peanut sauce. Just drizzle a little on pasta, dumplings or wonton, it's always a Palate Pleaser for me. Knowing my taste for peanut sauce, Moo was always coming up with new versions. This recipe has a little more snap to it. I think you'll like it.

3 Tbls peanut butter, creamy style
5 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil or peanut oil (your choice)
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
3 Tbls. sugar
2 tsps. Sesame oil
1 tsp. fresh garlic, pressed
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Mix peanut butter and olive oil until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, stirring until smooth. Cover. You can make ahead and chill but to bring out the flavor and make it easy to drizzle or dip let it warm to room temperature before using.

Like I said, try it with Chinese dumplings, won ton or noodles.

Three Dips that Always Please

These three dips have been mainstays of our family for years. And believe me, whenever I bring any of them to a party I don't have to concern myself with what I'll be bringing home. They are real crowd pleasers. The first was given to Moo by my father's old army buddy; the other two are Moo's. So enjoy.

Johnny Mack Bell’s Salmon Dip
1 lb. can of red sockeye salmon, do not drain. Add ¼ c. lemon juice; ½ lb. butter, softened; 1 c. sour cream; salt & pepper to taste. Refrigerate. Once in serving bowl, sprinkle top with lots of dill weed (fresh if available, dried okay). When this dip gets too warm it softens to the point of turning soupy so keep it cool. It usually doesn't last long enough for this to be too much of a problem, but you could consider placing the dip bowl inside a larger bowl of chopped ice.

Chopped Spinach Dip
1 package (10 oz) frozen, chopped spinach
1 c. mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1 c. sour cream
½ c. chopped green onions (mostly the onion part)
Fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste
½ t. dill weed

Moo’s Guacamole
2 large ripe avocados
2 T lime juice
1 6 oz. package of Italian salad dressing mix
½ c. fat free sour cream
¼ t. liquid hot pepper seasoning (Asian)
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
Peel, pit and mash avocados. Mix in lime juice and dry dressing. Blend well and add hot pepper seasoning. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

Moo's Potato Salad

There are certain recipes that are as individualistic as the family, region or nationality that cooks them. Potato salad definitely falls into this classification. Moo was so devoted to her own potato salad that she wouldn't even try anyone else's. I have to admit that I'm a fan of hers too...but then it is what I grew up on. Give it a try and let me know if this is a palate pleaser for you too.

4 large potatoes peeled and cooked in boiled salted water till tender but not mushy
When cool, cut into bite-size chunks
Hard boil 6-8 eggs, cool and chop in bite-size chunks
Finely chop at least 1 large onion
Add1-1 ½ T celery seed
Bind with Miracle Whip and mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Let sit overnight. Taste to adjust seasoning.
Serves 8.

Shandy's Curried-Maple Salad Dressing

Okay, I have to admit that Shandy was an Airedale, and she didn't eat salads or salad dressing. However, she was a peanut butter freak. My sister, on the other hand, does love salads, and she came up with this recipe. Shandy was her dog...hence the name. It's another delicious palate pleaser of a curry-based dressing for which you'll find dozens of uses.

1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T cider vinegar
2 T maple syrup
2 T soy sauce
2 t. curry powder
1 t. shallot, minced
1 t. garlic, minced
1 t. Dijon mustard
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Whisk together vinegars, maple syrup, soy sauce, curry powder, shallot, garlic and mustard. Then add the oil in a slow stream while whisking to emulsify.

Chinese Noodle Salad w/Spicy Peanut Sauce

I love this salad. In my book, it's a real palate pleaser. Moo knew I liked anything with Asian peanut sauce so she came up with this one for me. Of course, Thai cooking uses a lot of peanut sauce...Chinese less, which makes this a bit more unusual. If you're an Asian peanut sauce fan, you have to try this.

Salad
1 package (8 oz) fine egg noodles
2 t. vegetable oil
1 bunch broccoli (c. 1 ½ lb) or 2 packages (10 oz each) of frozen broccoli spears, thawed
2 c. (½ lb) roast pork, cut into thin strips
4 c. (8 oz) fresh bean sprouts
2 c. shredded Chinese cabbage (iceberg lettuce can do in a pinch)
1 c. slivered radishes

Sauce
¼ c. creamy peanut butter
¼ c. warm water
¼ c. chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ c. soy sauce
¼ c. peanut oil (vegetable oil okay)
2 T wine vinegar
4 T sugar
1 t. salt
½ t. cayenne pepper

Cook egg noodles. Drain, rinse, drain again. Place in bowl, toss with 2 t. oil. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours. Trim enough stalk from broccoli so you have about 2” of flowerettes and stalk remaining. In saucepan heat, 1 quart of water to boiling. Add broccoli and return to boil. Cook 3 minutes, drain and cool under cold water. Cover and refrigerate. (NOTE: If using frozen broccoli, thaw, drain, don’t cook.) Prepare remaining salad ingredients and wrap each separately for the moment.

Now for the sauce. In a small bowl, combine peanut butter and water until smooth. Add remaining ingredients. Stir until well mixed. Pour in a small bowl and store at room temperature.

To serve, add broccoli, roast pork, sprouts, Chinese cabbage and radishes to noodles. Add sauce and toss lightly.

Moo's Curry Salad Dressing

Actually, Moo and I created this one together. It's our effort to recreate the salad dressing we used to enjoy at a small French restaurant in Westport, Connecticut, back in the 60s. I just love this. It's a palate pleaser...no doubt about that.

½ T G. Washington bouillon
1 cup salad oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T curry powder
¼ t. Worcestershire sauce
6-8 dashes Tabasco sauceDissolve bouillon in ¼ cup hot water. Add oil and other ingredients. Chill. Shake well before using.

Margarita Custard Soufflé

Yes, I know, there are a lot of eggs in this recipe, but that's an element of any soufflé or custard, and this recipe is best called both. Frankly, I'm not one to be concerned about eggs. Besides it's not as if you are going to sit down and eat the whole thing yourself in a single sitting. So if you are not opposed to an egg or two, then you're going to like this one. And note that the dish improves as the flavors mingle and merge for a day, making it even more of a palate pleaser.

10 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1 t. salt
½ cup tequila
2 cup heavy cream, whipped
1 cup lime juice
grated peel from 4 limes
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
½ cup triple sec

In a large bowl, with mixer on high, beat egg yolks until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat until smooth and a light yellow color. Mix in lime juice, lime peel and salt. To keep from burning the mixture, cook in a double boiler over boiling water until mixture thickens into a custard (about 10-15 minutes), always stirring.

In a small saucepan, sprinkle the packs of unflavored gelatin over the tequila and triple sec. Cook over very low heat until gelatin is dissolved, stirring constantly. Gradually pour into the hot custard and stir gently until well combined. Chill.

Meanwhile, grease a 1 ½ or 2 quart soufflé dish. Make a collar by cutting a strip of wax paper long enough to overlap the diameter by about 3 inches. Cut it wide enough so that even when folded in half it will extend 3 inches above rim of dish. Secure with tape.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into custard along with whipped cream. Pour into dish; refrigerate until set (at least 3 hours). Remove the collar before serving.

It also freezes well.

Moo's Cucumber Ring Supreme

I've never been a big fan of Jell-o salads with lots of ingredients, but Moo was. I think it's fair to say that she never met a molded salad she didn't like. And she loved pretty molds (rings, fish, turtle, castles) to set them up in. This one is best displayed in a ring, and I have to say that even I like this one. It's refreshing and pretty to look at. If you want a simple molded salad, this is a palate pleaser for you.

1 pkg. lime Jell-o
2 T sugar
2 T fresh lemon or lime juice
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened (you can cut with some sour cream if you wish)
6 medium peeled cucumbers
1 cup mayonnaise
3 T fresh chives, chopped
3 T fresh dill, chopped

Prepare Jell-o according to package instructions. Pour a small portion of Jell-o into ring mold and let it set up slightly. Keep the rest of the Jell-o warm (unset). Halve cucumbers, remove seeds and grate or finely shred. Measure out 2 cups of drained cucumber. Set aside. Mix rest of Jell-o, sugar, lemon or lime juice, softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, chives, dill and beat gently with rotary beater until smooth. Add cucumber to the creamy mixture. Pour into the ring mold on top of the slightly set Jell-o. Chill until firm.

Moo's Green Noodle Salad

This is Moo’s favorite salad. She didn’t write down quantities for most of the ingredients. Once you have the basic ingredients of noodles and cheese, everything else is added to taste and personal preference. You can't screw this one up. And if something else sounds good to you...add it. The dish is that flexible. How can it not, then, be a palate pleaser?

2 cups green (spinach) noodles
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Pitted Greek olives
Anchovies
Croutons
Italian frying peppers
Monterey Jack, grated
Scallions, chopped
Celery, chopped
Italian sausage, cooked and sliced
Tomatoes, diced
Basil
Coriander
Pastrami, chopped
Creamy Italian dressing

All-Purpose Ginger Sauce

This sauce is good for dipping, marinating, sasting and even as a salad dressing. It was one of Moo's staples. Try it...you'll like it. More importantly, you find dozens of ways to use it and give a little distinction to an ordinary dish. I have friends who use it and literally come up with new uses for it every day. This palate pleaser is becoming a staple in their kitchen too.

2 inch piece of ginger, remove skin and chop coarsely
½ cup oil, your choice (I prefer a good olive oil)
¾ cup soy sauce
1 small wedge of orange, seeded
½ small onion, sliced
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 small wedge lemon, seeded
Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth. Serve as a dipping sauce for steak, chicken, seafood or salad dressing.