Cuisine & Recipes

The eighth Chinese mid-lunar moon marks the Moon's birthday and is believed to be the only night of the year when the moon appears perfectly round. At the time of the Moon Festival, special moon-viewing parties are held with much wine and feasting, and poems composed to the moon. Moon cakes are generally packaged in boxes of four cakes and are a traditional gift from one family to another.

The reason why moon cakes are so meaningful goes back to the 14th century when China was overrun by the Mongol invaders who ruled the country in a cruel and oppressive fashion. The women of the households devised a clever way to organize an uprising. They inserted messages in the filling of the moon cakes given and received during the Moon Festival, conveying secret instructions to patriots who could be depended on to join in the struggle that ended in war and liberation.

Moon cakes are not easy to make, as special, elaborately carved wooden mounds have to be used to shape them. Most Westerners find the filling made from solid lotus seed paste unpalatable, especially with the salted egg yolk in its center. If possible, try to find moon cakes with a filling of preserved melon and melon seeds. For anyone with a sweet tooth this is irresistible, especially when cut into thin wedges and nibbled while drinking clear, fragrant Chinese tea.

It is the packaging of moon cakes that makes them tempting, usually square red and gold tins with Chinese characters and motifs printed on them, and containing four individually wrapped cakes. For the determined cook, the pastry should be very rich and preferably made with at least a proportion of lard. Some popular fillings are candied fruits or sweetened lotus seed paste.

Taken from: www.asianonlinerecipes.com, a Free Asian Recipes website dedicated to all things on Asian Cooking and Culinary Guide with thousands of Cooking Tips. Source: www.isnare.com

Ingredients needed:
1/2 c Butter or margarine     

2/3 c Sugar

2 x Eggs     

1 x Apple peeled and chopped

1/2 c Grated sharp Cheddar cheese     

1/3 c Chopped Walnuts

2 c Flour     

1 ts Baking Powder

1/2 ts Baking Soda     

1/2 ts Salt

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

2. Cream butter and sugar beating until light. Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir
in apples cheese and nuts.

3. In separate bowl combine flour baking powder baking soda and salt. Gradually and gently stir into apple mixture.

4. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 8 servings.

Source: http://www.RecipeStation.com

Lemon Chicken

2 10-3/4 ounce cans of condensed cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup water 1/4 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

6 cups carrots sliced thick 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

8 cups cooked egg noodles

Grated parmesan cheese

Mix soup, water, lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder and carrots in crockpot. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and cook on low 7 to eight hours. Serve over hot egg noodles and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Nacho Chicken and Rice Wraps

2 10-3/4 ounce cans of condensed cheedar cheese soup

1 cup water

2 cups thick and chunky salsa or picante sauce

1-1/4 cups uncooked long grain white rice, regular or converted

2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes

10 10-inch flour tortillas

Combine soup, water, salsa, rice and chicken in crockpot. Stir, cover and cook on low 7 to 8 hours. Spoon 1 cup of mixture down center of each tortilla. Fold sides than bottom of tortilla over filling.

Honey Mustard Chicken

2-1/2 pounds your favorite chicken pieces

1/4 cup honey

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 cup dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Place chicken in crockpot. Combine honey, lemon juice, mustard and curry powder in a small bowl. Brush over chicken pieces. Cover and cook 8 to 10 hours. Serve with fresh sliced tomatoes and brown rice.

Fruity Barbecue Chicken

1 whole chicken cut up

1 8 ounce bottle Russian dressing

1 packet dry onion soup mix

1 10 ounce jar apricot preserves

Place chicken in crockpot. Combine dressing, soup mix and preserves, pour over chicken. Cover and cook 8 to 10 hours. Serve with potatoes and a green salad.

For a different flavor, remove chicken from crockpot and place on a charcoal grill for a short time.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice

2 10-3/4 once cans of condensed cream of chicken soup

1-1/2 cups water

1 6 ounce package long grain and wild rice

3 cups of thickly sliced carrots

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Combine soup, water, rice and carrots in crockpot. Add chicken and stir to coat. Cover and cook 7 to 8 hours.

Recipes by: Frank Flohr (aka Chef Phronc) is passionate about cooking and is a self proclaimed "Chef". Frank shares his passion for cooking at ChefPhronc's Whats Cooken Serving up a full plate of cooking tips, free recipes, resources and culinary information. Unleash the hidden "Chef" inside you!