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 Chinese Tea Eggs Sarah from Simply Cooked was our November 2011 Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to create something truly unique in both taste and technique! We learned how to cook using tea with recipes from Tea Cookbook by Tonia George and The New Tea Book by Sara Perry.
Total time: 30 minutes, plus steep time (I did 4 hours)
6 eggs (any size)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (6 gm) black tea leaves, or 4 tea bags
2 teaspoons (10 ml) (5 gm) Chinese five spice powder
1 tablespoon (5 ml) (3 gm) coarse grain salt
toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
Directions:
1. In a large enough pot to avoid overcrowding, cover the eggs with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for twelve minutes.
2. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and keep the cooking water.
3. With a spoon, tap the eggs all over until they are covered with small cracks. This can also be
done by tapping and rolling the eggs very gently on the counter.
4. Return the eggs to the pan and add the tea leaves or bags, Chinese five spice powder, and salt. Cover
the pan.
 Tea and five-spice 5. Heat gently and simmer, covered, for one hour.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and let the eggs cool down in the liquid for 30 minutes.
7. Remove the eggs from the liquid. Peel one egg to check how dark it is; the others can be returned to the liquid if you wish to have the web-like pattern darker. Allow the eggs to cool fully.
8. To serve, peel and slice the eggs in halves or quarters. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
I mostly followed instructions, simmering for only another 15 minutes and steeping – cooling down – for 4 hours. I used whole spices instead of Chinese 5 spice blend (cinnamon bark, fennel seeds, star anise, cloves, pepper) and Chai Spice Black Tea because that’s what I had. I served my eggs deviled with heaping amounts of chipotle.
 Apple Butter (Yes, I ate some, and no, I'm not ashamed.) The September 2010 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge The Daring Cooks to learn about food preservation, mainly in the form of canning and freezing. He challenged everyone to make a recipe and preserve it. John’s source for food preservation information was from The National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Total Time: About 4 hours.
6 apples, washed with skins and cores removed
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
pinch (1/8 tsp) of ground cloves
Makes about 2 cups of apple butter.
Cut apples into slices.
Combine apple slices and apple cider in a large saucepan. Cook slowly and stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Cook until apples are very soft (falling apart).
Gently mash the apples in the pot with your spoon or potato masher. (Alternatively, you could: Position a food mill or strainer securely over a large bowl. Press cooked apples with cider through the food mill or strainer to make a pulp. Be sure to collect all the pulp that comes through the food mill or strainer; for example, scrape any pulp clinging under the food mill into the bowl.)
Add brown sugar and spices to your apple pulp. Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently. When cooking down the apples, you want to leave the lid ajar or use a splatter screen. This will allow for evaporation. Another trick is to support the lid by laying two wooden spoons across the top of the pot.
To test for doneness, spoon a small quantity onto a clean plate; when the butter mounds on the plate without liquid separating around the edge of the butter, it is ready for processing. Another way to test for doneness is to remove a spoonful of the cooked butter on a spoon and hold it away from steam for 2 minutes. It is done if the butter remains mounded on the spoon.
Pour contents into desired storage container or multiple containers. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks, freeze up to a year, or home canning is good for a year.
I never took my apples or apple butter mix out of the pot until the very end. I used a really sturdy pot, and I could tell it was done when I moved the spoon through the apple butter and everything *stayed in place*. That might have been overcooked, but it also made the apple butter very sweet and flavorful.
This recipe is a half batch. A full batch is 12 apples, 1 cup cider, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp allspice and 1/4 tsp cloves.
 Pumpkin Muffcake 1 3/4 c flour
1 1/2 c pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 c oil
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a muffin tin with soft or melted butter. Dust with sugar.
In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, spices, baking soda and baking powder, set aside.
Stir together sugar and oil until well blended. Add pumpkin puree and eggs. Mix until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix well, removing larger clumps, until mostly smooth.
Pour batter into greased muffin tin, and bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the closes muffin comes out clean.
I put some (soaked, drained) raisins in a handful of the muffins, and while it was good, it wasn’t as good as the muffin by itself. Slathered in butter was the way to go, but I still feel like it was missing something. Walnuts maybe?
 Pyramid of Pumpkin Biscotti 3 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp of cloves
1/8 tsp allspice
Sift together flour, baking powder and spices, set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar until well incorporated (it won’t cream perfectly), about 3 minutes by hand. Combine eggs, pumpkin and vanilla, and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add flour mixture and stir well. If dough is still really wet to the touch, you can chill it for 15-20 minutes to make it easier to handle or dust with flour.
Divide dough into two pieces. Form into long flat loaves about 1/2 inch tall and 12-15 inches long. Place the loaves 3-4 inches apart on a prepared or non-stick baking sheet.
 Pumpkin Biscotti loaves after first baking Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10-15 minutes (or until you can handle the loaves without burning yourself) on the baking sheet or a cooling rack.
With a serrated or extremely sharp kitchen knife, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices. Lay the slices flat on the baking sheet.
Bake for 20-24 minutes, turning over once. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Makes about 2 dozen.
This recipe can use fresh or canned unsweetened pumpkin puree. During the second bake, you’ll be able to determine if your biscotti is drying out well enough. If the cookies still feel soft when you flip them, you might want to reduce your heat and let them bake a little longer than suggested. Biscotti is supposed to be a firm, dry cookie.
You could dip or drizzle with chocolate or something else, I suppose, but we tend to prefer our biscotti without decoration.
 Cinnamon Raisin Rice with pine nuts and chicken Originally titled Lebanese Chicken and Rice with Pine Nuts, Raisins and Feta, this recipe comes from Nutrition Consultant Jeannette Turner, but I couldn’t find exactly what was Lebanese about it. Maybe if you swapped cinnamon for 5 spice.
1 lb. skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 cup rice
2 cups water
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. honey
crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Optional step I enjoy: Soak raisins in 1/2 cup of cool water, set aside.
In a large skillet or frying pan on medium high heat, cook rice in 1 Tbsp of oil until well browned. Cook rice with 2 cups of water, salt, cinnamon, bay leaves, and honey according to the directions on the package (hey, I use a rice cooker, so you’re on your own).
While the rice is cooking, fry chopped onions in 1 Tbsp of oil in the same skillet or pan 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Add chopped chicken pieces and cook thoroughly (about 10 minutes). Drain raisins and add them with the pine nuts to the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Remove bay leaves from rice. Combine rice and chicken mix into a large baking dish. Top with feta and broil for 5-8 minutes (or until the feta melts and starts to brown on top). If you’re using feta cheese, this broiling is vital because it changes the smell and taste of the feta.
I served mine with butternut squash, but I hear it goes well with green vegetables, too. This recipe is easily converted to vegetarian/vegan, for either main course or side dish.
 Mashed Butternut Squash Total time: 1 hour.
1 butternut squash
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar (or to taste)
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
Preheat oven to 375F.
Wash your squash well. Cut in half lengthwise (from stem to stern). Scoop out the seeds and the darkest orange stringy bits, discard or save for toasting.
Lay squash halves face down on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake stems pointed to the back of the oven for 45-60 minutes or until a fork pressed into the flesh near the stem slides in easily.
Let cool 15 minutes on baking sheet before attempting to scoop flesh. Place 1/4 cup butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. CAUTION! HOT!! : Scoop the flesh from the squash onto the butter (to melt it). If you can help it, try not to touch the squash with your hands (ouch).
Sprinkle salt on top and beat entire mix with a potato smasher or fork until smooth. This is where I might add more butter, if it’s not smoothing out like mashed potatoes.
Where everyone else is eating leftover turkey and pie, I’m eating the squash. I like to sprinkle mine with black pepper and call it dessert.. or breakfast, or snack.. or…
 Salty Garlic Pumpkin Seeds Total time: about an hour
1 cup pumpkin seeds, rinsed
2 cups water
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
In a medium saucepan on high heat, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Continue to boil 20-30 minutes (seeds will start to turn color), or until most of the moisture has evaporated or been absorbed. Remove from heat.
Set a rack on the second ring from the top (top 1/3 of the oven is fine). Preheat oven to 400F.
Spread pumpkin seeds & whatever water’s left on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-30 minutes, gently flipping or shifting the seeds every 5-10 minutes, until all the moisture seems gone. Keep an eye on them, though, because they will burn if not attended.
I found these to be superior to the chili pumpkin seeds I normally make.
 Chili Pumpkin Seeds Total time: about an hour
1 cup pumpkin seeds, rinsed
2 cups water
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
In a medium saucepan on high heat, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Continue to boil 10-15 minutes (seeds will start to turn color). Remove from heat.
Set a rack on the second ring from the top (top 1/3 of the oven is fine). Preheat oven to 400F.
Drain and spread pumpkin seeds on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-30 minutes, gently flipping or shifting the seeds every 5-10 minutes, until all the moisture seems gone. Keep an eye on them, though, because they will burn if not attended.
Note to self: Use the hot chili powder next time.
 Pumpkin Bread Total Time: 1 hour
Makes 1 loaf.
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cup fresh pumpkin puree
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
Some people add chopped nuts. I don’t.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease a loaf pan with soft or melted butter. Dust with sugar.
In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, spices, baking soda and baking powder, set aside.
Stir together sugar and oil until well blended. Add pumpkin puree and eggs. Mix until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix well, removing clumps, until smooth.
Pour batter into greased pan, and bake 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
This recipe calls for fresh pumpkin puree, which has considerably more water in it than the stuff you find in a can. For a recipe with canned pumpkin, please see Dad’s pumpkin bread (it makes two loaves!).
 Perfect Pocket Dough That’s right: I’m calling it perfect because it is. I’m even giving it a special large photo all its own.
Total time: 20 minutes.
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
Makes about 10 sandwich pockets.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
Make a well in the middle. Add oil and yogurt into the middle, mix well, and incorporate into the flour mix until most of the flour has turned into pea sized or larger clumps.
Using your hands, combine the clumps together to form a soft ball of dough. Let rest 15 minutes before using.
Seen here with ham, cheese, and mashed potatoes. I scooped the filling out to show the dough a little better, but some potatoes stayed behind; they wanted to be eaten that badly.
This is a much better dough for Cheesesteak Sandwich Pockets.
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