the promised recipes

Well, at long last I decided I should post those recipes. If I forget something you wanted, let me know.

The satay and peanut sauce is in the B1 ward cookbook, if you have it. Although, there is a typo. It says to add cloves instead of garlic cloves--that would change the flavor somewhat. The marinade and sauce make enough for about twice the amount of meat it calls for. I usually marinate more meat and leave half in the refrigerator for the next day. If I am going to make this for dinner, I usually am too lazy to make it on skewers. So, in case you don't have it in the ward cookbook, here it is:

Chicken and Beef Satay with Peanut Sauce Makes 40 to 50 pieces To make satays, you’ll need bamboo skewers; soak them in water for two to three hours so they don’t burn on the grill.
1 1/2 pounds fillet of beef or 4 whole chicken breasts
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 onion, cut into chunks
4 cloves garlic
1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sambal (Indonesian chile paste) or 1 hot red chile
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
Peanut Sauce

1. Trim fat from beef or chicken. Cut into strips about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch thick. Refrigerate until needed.

2. Combine remaining ingredients in blender, and purée until smooth. Pour over meat, and mix to coat evenly. Marinate at least 1 hour or overnight.

3. Preheat grill or grill pan until hot. Thread a piece of meat lengthwise on each skewer, and grill until done, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Baste occasionally with marinade during cooking. Serve immediately with peanut sauce.

Peanut Sauce

Makes 1 1/2 cups
Peanut sauces are common accompaniments to Thai and Indonesian dishes. Use this as a dipping sauce for Chicken and Beef Satay. Sambal is available at Asian markets.

1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon sambal (Indonesian chile paste)
1 tablespoon sugar
Fresh lemon juice
Coconut milk to thin
1 scallion, thinly sliced

1. In a blender or food processor, combine peanut butter, oil, soy sauce, garlic, sambal, and sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice to taste.

2. With machine running, add coconut milk or water until sauce reaches desired consistency. Garnish with scallion slices. Serve.

Oven Brown Rice
(this is from allrecipes, with a few modifications)
1 c. brown rice
1 c. beef broth
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
1/4 c. butter, melted
scant teaspoon garlic powder
scant teaspoon seasoned salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a 2 quart casserole dish, mix together all the ingredients. Bake covered for 60-75 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rive is tender.

I have used any combination of broths for the rice (all chicken bouillon, all beef bouillon, whatever I have on hand) and it doesn't alter the recipe at all. And, you can half the butter and it still tastes good. Also, I have cooked it as long as 90 minutes, because I forgot, and it still is great. It's pretty hard to mess this one up.

Bell Pepper Salad
(This one is pathetically easy)
3 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced and cut in half
Cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
Cucumbers, quartered and sliced
Red onion, not very much and very thinly sliced
Almond Accents (Roasted Garlic Caesar)
Feta cheese, crumbled
Newman's Own Balsamic Vinaigrette

Just mix the vegetables together and then add almonds, feta, and dressing to taste.

I think that's it. If there's anything I forgot, let me know.

Happy eating! And Stephanie, recipes please!