IT'S THE YEAR OF THE TIGER
The Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day share the same date in 2010. With the exception of Japan, China and all of Southeast Asia celebrate the Chinese New Year. The date changes from year to year because it's a combination of the lunar and solar calendar and occurs on the second moon after the winter solstice. Last year the Chinese New Year fell on January 26.
Celebrations probably evolved from a desire to celebrate the end of winter and rebirth that comes with spring. Today it's about family reunions and wishing everyone good fortune in the coming year.
Japan followed the lunar calendar until the middle of the 19th century but after the Meiji Restoration in 1868, they adopted the Gregorian calendar and since that time celebrate the New Year on January 1st.
Like we do housecleaning in the spring, the Chinese do the same by getting rid of "old dirt" before their new year starts. In addition to cleaning families spend time buying gifts and cooking special foods for the celebration.
From the Campbell's Kitchen web site, Asian Tomato Beef sounded appropriate for this week's memo. I could almost taste the dish just reading the ingredients. After testing the recipes and serving it to friends, I'm suggesting a few ways to make it even better. To kick it up a notch, depending on your taste, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper to the sauce. The recipe called for 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder. Since 1/8 teaspoon is the same as a clove of garlic I only added 1 teaspoon. My round steak was top of the round and next time I will brown the strips before I add them to the slow cooker because browning seals in the juices. Original recipe said to cook florets 15 minutes on high. I had cut mine too small so they were overcooked instead of crisp-cooked and bright green. I also thickened the sauce with 2 tablespoons Minute Tapioca when I added the broccoli. That said here's my version:
ASIAN TOMATO BEEF
- 2 cans Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup
- 1/3 cup soy sauce (can be reduced sodium kind)
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, depending on your taste
- 3 1/4 pounds boneless beef round steak, trimmed of fat, cut into strips and browned in small batches in a nonstick skillet sprayed with Pam
- 6 cups broccoli florets cut in medium size pieces
- 2 tablespoons Minute Tapioca
- Hot cooked rice
|
Stir together in a 3 1/2 to 4-quart slow cooker the tomato soup, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic powder, black pepper and crushed red pepper. Add browned meat strips and stir again. Cover and cook on low 7 to 8 hours or until meat is fork tender. Increase the heat to high and add broccoli. Cover and cook until vegetable is crisp tender, about l0 minutes. Serve over rice. Recipe makes 8 servings.
Source: Adapted from www.campbellskitchen.com recipe.
A BE MY VALENTINE RECIPE
Relatives and friends know that I am always looking for new recipes to try and Jill Thurmond (mother of Gabriel, Noah and Hannah Thaman) from Bradenton, FL, called with a recipe for Cocoa Toffee Cookies just before Christmas. The list of ingredients includes 1 cup of cocoa so the cookies have a rich chocolate taste .... perfect to make for the Valentine in your life. Not only is chocolate a favorite flavor in America but for centuries it's been embraced by many cultures for legendary benefits such as strength, health and passion. The Nielson Company predicts that this week 58 billion pounds of chocolate will be sold with the most purchases made on the February 13th. Count on Chief and Rays for all your chocolate candy and the ingredients for this week's recipe.
COCOA TOFFEE COOKIES
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups unsifted all purpose flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 8-ounce packages Heath English Toffee Bits
Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and blend thoroughly. Sift dry ingredients together. Combine with creamed mixture. Fold in Heath Toffee Bits. Drop by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 12 to 15 minutes (check at minimum time). Do not over-bake. Cool on rack. Recipe makes about 4 dozen. Source: Jill Thurmond, Bradenton FL. PS Chocolate, especially the dark variety, is good for humans but not our pets. It contains a stimulant called theobromine which pets can't digest. If a pet becomes ill after eating chocolate take it to a veterinarian immediately. |
| |
printable pdf | view archive |
