Soft Pretzels

Kids love making homemade pretzels

 This makes anywhere from 12-24 pretzels, depending on how large you like them. The kids like them as-is, but you could dip them in mustard or sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, instead of salt.

Ingredients:
1-1/2cups warm water
1Tbl. oil
1packet dry yeast
1/4cup brown sugar
1-1/2tsp. salt
4cups flour

For the baking soda solution:
2cups warm water
2Tbl. baking soda

You'll also need:
melted butter
coarse salt

Preparation:
Whisk together the water, oil, yeast, sugar, and salt, until dissolved.
Add 2-cups of the flour, and beat into a batter, add the remaining flour, and stir/knead until you have a smooth dough.
Spray a bowl with cooking spray, toss the dough in it, cover and let rise 30-45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450*F.  Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
Stir together the baking soda and water, until dissolved. Set aside.
Pinch off a walnut size piece of the dough, and shape it into a 1/2-inch thick coil. Fold into a pretzel, dip it in the baking soda solution, and set it on the cookie sheet. Continue the same, for the remaining dough.
Let them rise 30-minutes.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or to desired color.
Brush with meted butter, then sprinkle with coarse salt. (such as sea salt)

Mariana Island Shrimp Patties

                                     Mariana Island Shrimp Patties

This recipe from Guam, makes the best shrimp fritters, on the planet. I guess you can tell I love these. They're very easy to make, and make great party appetizers, or a main course.
The only tricky part, is getting the temperature of the oil, just right. They need to be fried over a low/medium flame, if they brown too quickly, and the center is still wet, lower the temp, a bit.

Ingredients:
2lbs. raw shrimp-peeled, de-veined, and chopped
16oz.package of frozen mixed vegetables-thawed
1/2cup thin sliced green onions
2cups flour
2tsp. baking powder
1-1/2tsp. celery salt
1-1/2tsp. garlic powder
1-1/2tsp. onion powder
1tsp. black pepper
2eggs
1can evaporated milk
oil for frying

Greek yogurt dip:
1/2cup Greek yogurt
2 thin sliced green onions
1tsp. onion powder
1/2tsp. celery salt
1/4tsp. garlic powder
Mix well, wait 30 minutes before serving, to blend the flavors.

Preparation:
Remove the green beans, from the mixed vegetables, and cut them smaller. Put the vegetables and chopped shrimp, in a colander to drain while you make the batter.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and spices.
In a large bowl,  whisk together the eggs and milk.
Stir in the flour mixture, until well combined.
Add the shimp and vegetables, mix in well.
Heat about 2-inches of oil, over a low/medium flame. Drop in about 1Tbl. of the batter and fry until golden brown.
Split the fritter open, it should be moist in the center, but not wet.
Adjust the temperature, if needed, and fry the remaining batter.
This will make a large platter of fritters. They can be served, as is or with sweet chili sauce, sour cream, yogurt.

Chop the shrimp, green onions, cut the green beans. place them in a colander to drain, while you make the batter.

Add the vegetables, and shrimp, to the batter, mix well. heat the oil, and fry 1Tbl. of batter.

I use a saucepan, with about 2-inches of oil, frying 3-4 at a time.

They should be moist in the center, but not wet.

French Crusty Bread

                                              French Crusty Bread
I really like Land O' Lakes version of this bread. Allowing the yeast to proof for 45-minutes, gives the interior of the loaf a really soft, chewy texture. The milk and egg, make the crusts nice and crispy. This is such a simple recipe, with perfect results, every time.

Ingredients:
2-1/4cups warm water
1 packet of yeast
1Tbl. sugar
2tsp. salt
5-1/2cups flour
1egg
1Tbl. milk

preparation:
In a large bowl, whisk together the water, yeast, salt, and sugar. Set aside for 45 minutes.
Add 2-cups of the flour, and beat into a batter.
Add 2 more cups flour, and mix it in, with a spoon.
Knead in the remaining flour, until smooth.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface, and knead, until you have a smooth dough, that's not sticky.
Place the dough, in an oiled bowl, flip it, cover and let rise, about 1-1/2 hours.
Split the dough into 2 pieces for two large loaves, or 3 pieces for baguettes, and shape them into your preferred loaf style, on a lightly floured surface.
If you want professional looking bread, here is a really good tutorial for the three styles of  Shaping French bread
Cut deep slices in the loaves.Combine the egg and milk, and brush it on the top and sides of the loaves.
Or brush on an herb butter. Let rise, 30 minutes.
Bake at 400*F until browned.

Parmesan Garlic Butter:
2Tbl. butter-softened
1Tbl. Parmesan cheese
1tsp. garlic powder
1tsp. dried parsley
1/4tsp. basil.

Brush with the egg and milk mixture,

Or an herbed butter.

Raisin Bread

The only times, my grandmother and great-grandmother cooked together, were when they made raisin bread. They would bake from 5:00 in the morning, until dinner that evening. I always loved, waking up to that smell.
They never used a recipe, just pouring the ingredients from bags, and every loaf was amazing. I have a lot of respect for anyone who has that knack. This recipe, on the other hand, took several years of tweaking, to get it the way I like it, lots of raisins, not too sweet, and just the right amount of cinnamon.

Ingredients:
3/4cup milk
2tbl. butter
1 packet dry yeast
1/4cup water
1 /4cup brown sugar
1/2tsp. salt
2tsp.cinnamon
1/2tsp.vanilla
1-1/2cups raisins
2-1/2cups flour- plus extra for kneading

Preparation:
Scald milk in a sauce pan. turn off heat and add butter.
In a large bowl combine the yeast, water, and sugar. Allow to rest 15 minutes.
Add 1-1/2cups flour, salt, vanilla, cinnamon and cooled milk to the bowl and beat for 2 minutes until smooth.
Stir in the raisins.
Gradually add the remaining flour, mixing by hand, until the dough forms a ball.
Flour a surface and knead for a few minutes, until you have a soft, smooth dough, that isn't sticky.
Spray a bowl with cooking spray, add dough and cover.
Let it rise about an 1-1/2-hours or until doubled.
Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.
Punch down the dough, and press it into the loaf pan. Let rise until double, about 1 hour.
Bake at 350*F, until lightly browned.

Shrimp in Garlic- Gambas al Ajillo

Shrimp in Garlic- Gambas al Ajillo, with Garlic mushrooms  and Paul's fire in hole beans

This is a traditional Spanish Tapas. Serve it on slices of french bread. I served it on tiny Indian fry bread.

Ingredients:
1Tbl. olive oil
1-minced ripe hot pepper, or 1tsp. pepper flakes
1Tbl. garlic
2lbs. raw shrimp-peeled and de-veined
juice of 1small or 1/2 of a large lemon
1tsp. smoked paprika
1Tbl. cognac
1Tbl. chopped parsley
salt and pepper.

Preparation:
Heat the oil, in a skillet, over a high flame.
Add the garlic and hot pepper, stir fry 20seconds.
Add the shrimp, lemon juice, cognac, and paprika. Saute until the shrimp are cooked and pink.
Salt and pepper to taste. Traditionally, it's served, in the skillet.

If you want to serve it on Indian fry bread, roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Flatten and stretch, to about a 3-4-inch disks, dipping them in flour, if they are sticky. Fry, flipping, until golden.

Garlic Mushrooms

Garlic Mushrooms with Pauls fire in hole beans and Gambas al Ajillo

A traditional Spanish Tapas. These are so good.

Ingredients:
1Tbl. olive oil
1Tbl. minced garlic
1 minced red jalapeno
1Tbl. chopped parsley
salt and pepper

Preparation:
Heat the oil in a skillet.
Add the garlic and jalapeno, saute 10 seconds.
Add the mushrooms, saute until they begin to darken in color. The garlic can burn very easily, once the juices from the mushrooms evaporate.
Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve.

Crescent Wrapped- Cheddar Smokies

I love this crescent roll recipe, and the kids love lil' smokies, made this way. The dough can be doubled, without any problems.
. 
Ingredients:
1 packet of yeast
1/2cup warm water
1/2tsp. salt
1/4cup sugar
1/4cup shortening
1egg
2cups plus 2Tbl. flour
1 package of cheddar lil' smokies

Preparation:
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
Add the salt, sugar, shortening, egg and 1cup of the flour. Beat into a batter, with an electric mixer.
Stir / knead in, as much of the remaining flour, as you can, to form a soft dough, that isn't sticky.
Toss it in a bowl, that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover and let rise until double. (about 2 hours)
Preheat the oven to 375*
Punch down, and roll into an 1/8-inch rectangle, on a very lightly floured surface.
With a pizza cutter, cut into about 1-inch squares. (maybe a little smaller)
Roll each smokie, like the photo below. Pinch the two points, together. Or they won't stick.
Place on a greased cookie sheet, let stand 15 minutes.
Bake, 10-15minutes, or until lightly browned.

Roll the dough, into an 1/8-inch rectangle. Cut into about 1-inch squared. roll the smokies, then pinch the points, together.

White Sourdough Rye Bread

My rating: really like it

                                      White Sourdough Rye Bread

I love rye bread, but I was looking for a way, to make a softer rye loaf. I started by making a loaf, from a rye sourdough starter. But that was still not soft enough, Then I decided, to use my Soft sourdough bread recipe, as a base. That was what I was looking for. So here's the result. A nice mild rye flavor, ground caraway seeds, and a soft, dense loaf.

1cup sourdough starter
3/4cup sour cream or buttermilk
2Tbl. butter-melted
1pkg. dry yeast
1tsp. sugar
1/2tsp. salt
1Tbl. caraway seeds-ground in a spice grinder
1-1/2cups rye flour
1-1/2cups all purpose flour

 Preparation:
In a large bowl, mix together everything except the flours.
Stir in the rye flour with a spoon, beat into a batter.
Add the all purpose flour, kneading in enough so it's not sticky. Knead 3-5 minutes more, into a smooth dough.
Turn into an oiled bowl, flipping twice, cover and let rise until doubled. About 2-3 hours.
Punch down, and place it in a greased loaf pan. Cut a few slits in the loaf, if you prefer.
Let rise until double again. About 1 hour.
Bake at 375* until lightly browned. About 30 minutes. I like to butter the top of the loaf, right after it come out of the oven.

Because of the rye flour, this dough is very slow to rise, I usually let it rise 2-3 hours.

After it rises, punch it down, and place it in a greased loaf pan. Let rise 1 hour.

                        Bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Pork, Shrimp and Vegetable Egg Rolls

                              Pork, Shrimp and Vegetable Egg Rolls

The thing these people put me through. This recipe will make close to 40 egg rolls, and I'll be lucky if I find one, for a midnight snack
When I first started making my own egg rolls, about a million years ago, I served them as a side, for Asian dishes, like normal people. But my kids, loved them so much, they talked me into making them, as the main course, or more aptly, the only course. I still serve them that way, to this day. These aren't like the ones you get at the restaurant, there's not a lot of cabbage, but a really good combination of meats and vegetables.
I have to make so many of these, that I need help rolling them. So I have an assembly line, They roll, I fry. If you're cooking alone, Its best if you roll about a dozen or so, fry them, then roll more etc... otherwise the wrappers will get soggy, before you get a chance to fry them. You could also, roll them in wonton wrappers, for miniature egg rolls, they make perfect little appetizers, for a get-together, served with Chunky sweet and sour sauce  That has been pureed.
Here's the recipe Aaron.

Ingredients
1Tbl.-plus-1Tbl. oil
1lb. ground pork
1/4tsp. black pepper
1lb. raw shrimp-peeled, de-veined, and chopped
1Tbl. minced garlic
3 ribs of celery -finely chopped
1 red bell pepper-finely chopped
1small onion-finely diced
8oz. fresh mushrooms-chopped
2/3 of a large head of Napa cabbage (also known as celery cabbage or Chinese cabbage) -finely shredded
1Tbl. cornstarch
2 packages egg roll wrappers
2 eggs beaten
oil for frying -peanut oil tastes best, corn oil is my second choice.

Preparation:
Heat 1Tbl. oil in a wok or large pan. Add the garlic, black pepper, and pork, fry and chop very fine, until cooked through.
Add the shrimp and stir-fry until the shrimp turns pink.
Put a colander over a bowl, dump the meat into the colander, set aside. Reserve broth.
Heat another Tbl. of oil in the wok, add the celery, onion, and bell pepper.
Stir fry until the celery is crisp tender. Add the Mushrooms and fry 1 minute more.
Remove 1/4cup of the reserved broth, add 1Tbl. cornstarch, mix to dissolve. set aside.
Add the cabbage, and the rest of the meat broth from the bowl.(Don't worry, it looks like a lot of cabbage, but it cooks down, very quickly.)
Cook, tossing until the cabbage has wilted. About 3-4 minutes.
Add the pork mixture and the cornstarch mixture. Cook until heated through, and the cornstarch thickens a bit.
Dump everything into a colander over a bowl, and cool completely before rolling.
Here's a cute tutorial-How to roll an egg roll.
Add about 3Tbl, of the filling to an egg roll skin. Moisten the edges with the beaten egg, so it will stick together. Roll,  then fry until golden brown. I fry mine in a 1quart pan, two at a time.
Serve hot with your favorite sauce. They reheat nicely in the microwave, but lose their crispness.

I shred about 2/3 of the cabbage, I stop, once I see more stem, than leaf. I save the bottom 1/3 to chop up in a stir-fry for another meal. The stem is really tender, and adds a nice flavor.

Fry the pork, garlic, black pepper, and shrimp. dump it in a colander, over a bowl, and set aside.

Fry the celery, bell pepper, and onion, until the celery is crisp tender. Add the mushrooms and cook 1 minute more.

Add the cabbage and remaining reserved broth. It looks like a lot, but it wilts, down to almost nothing.

                             Cook, tossing until the cabbage wilts.

Add the pork mixture and the cornstarch mixture, to the pan and cook until heated through, and the cornstarch thickens a bit.

Dump everything into a colander, over a bowl. Cool completely before rolling. Once it has cooled, I press it, to release a bit more moisture, so the wrapper doesn't get soggy.

Brush egg-wash on the edges of the wrapper, add about 3Tbl. of filling, and roll. Actually I put the filling in the middle, it should be a bit closer to the bottom.

                                         Fry until golden brown.

Baked Chicken Nuggets with French Fried Onion Breading

                     Chicken Nuggets with French Fried Onion Breading

These are really good. I once made 5lbs., for a large pot-luck... they were devoured in 15 minutes, and they were looking for more. They're very easy to make, because they're baked. (But taste fried.)
I've used them in place of fried chicken in Fried chicken salad. too.

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts-cut into chunks and thawed
1cup plain bread crumbs
1 small can of french fried onions- crushed very fine
1/4cup cornmeal
1tsp. basil - I leave out the basil sometimes, and use parsley instead
1/2tsp. onion powder
1/2tsp. garlic powder
1egg beaten
butter flavored cooking spray

Preparation;
Preheat the oven to 375*
Spray a baking pan with butter flavor cooking spray.
Whisk together the bread crumbs, crushed onions, cornmeal, basil, onion powder, and garlic powder. Set aside.
In a bowl, pour the egg over the cut-up chicken, and toss to coat.
roll, the chicken, a few at a time, in the breading, and place them on the baking pan. they can be placed close together, just not touching.
Spray the top of the chicken, with more butter flavor cooking spray, ( it keeps them from becoming dry.) and bake about 45 minutes, or until they are lightly crispy. Serve hot, as an appetizer or main course.

It's easier to cut-up the chicken, if it's still partially frozen. The baking time will depend, on how big you cut the nuggets. Once it has thawed, toss them in a beaten egg.

The french fried onions need to be crushed very fine, or it won't stick to the chicken.

                              They're great in Fried chicken salad.

A nice harvest for a drought. It's time to make Cooked Salsa

                                      Cooked Salsa-finally!
It's been a tough year for gardeners, not to mention farmers. The government declared 90% of Illinois corn crops were lost. We use a well for our water, so we have to be very conservative, only watering the garden once a week. But my husband harvested a nice batch today. If you want to make this hotter, add 2 cayenne, if you want it very hot, add a habenero.

It looks like I can finally make some salsa. The main reason I garden! I love both the cooked and un-cooked versions.( Pauls perfect salsa cruda)

                                                An Okra flower.

Ingredients:
1tsp. oil
 1cup diced tomatoes (I prefer romas but any tomato will work)
1 bell pepper-diced
2 jalapenos- minced
1 small onion diced
1tsp. minced garlic
1tsp. white vinegar
1/4tsp. salt
1/4tsp.sugar
1/2tsp. chopped cilantro (dried is fine too)

Preparation:
I prefer to puree the sauce after cooking, but you can puree first, if you like.
Heat the oil in a sauce pan.
Add all other ingredients and cook until most of the moisture has evaporated.
Puree in a blender, I like to leave it a little chunky, for texture.
Allow to cool. I think this tastes best at room temp. Use as a serving sauce or serve with tortilla chips. This makes 2/3cup.

Chilled Marinated Garden Vegetables- (no oil)

                                       Chilled Marinated Tomatoes.
You may have noticed, I don't post many vegetable recipes. I am a true vegetable lover, no recipe can outshine, what Mother Natures has already perfected. (although she could, maybe re-think beets, I'm sure there is a recipe out there, that may make me change my mind...maybe)
During the summer, there is always a plate of sliced, salted tomatoes at the dinner table, still warm from the sun. I didn't grow cucumbers this year, or there would be salted plate of those as well.
Every now and then, I like to marinate, and chill them. My favorite combination includes: diced tomato, cucumber, diced onion, sliced mushrooms, sliced black olives and diced red bell peppers. This is an Italian marinade.

Marinade Ingredients:
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1Tbl. sugar
1/4tsp. celery seed
1tsp. salt
1/4tsp. pepper
1tsp. minced garlic
1tsp. onion powder
1tsp. basil


Preparation:
Place cut vegetables in a large bowl.
Whisk together the marinade ingredients, pour over vegetables, cover and chill.
The longer these marinate the better, I sometimes make this, the day before.

Fried Green Tomatoes and Okra- with Stinger Sauce

                   Fried Green Tomatoes and Okra- with Stinger Sauce

I was never a big fan of fried green tomatoes, until a couple of years ago, when my husband made a batch, from a recipe he found in a magazine. He served it drizzled with a sauce, sprinkled with bacon bits and scallions. It was perfection! I've tried his method for other vegetables,(okra, jalapenos, zucchini) with equally good results. I used only half of this breading. (I put the remainder in a storage bag) It was enough to coat 2 tomatoes and 2 okra. The temperature of the oil is really important with these, they burn very easily. If they are browning too quickly, lower the temperature a bit.

Ingredients:
1cup cornmeal
1cup flour
2tsp. paprika
1tsp. salt
1/2tsp. onion powder
1/2tsp. garlic powder
1/2tsp. cayenne
1/4tsp. pepper
1/2tsp. oregano

You'll also need:
1 cup buttermilk
oil for frying
3 strips bacon- chopped
scallions from 1 onion

Stinger sauce:
1Tbl. hot sauce
1/2tsp. soy sauce
2tsp. sugar
1/2tsp. brine from pickled jalepenos
1/2tsp. worcestershire sauce
1tsp. molasses
1/2tsp. celery salt
1tbl. water
1/8tsp. garlic powder
1/2tsp cornstarch
Whisk everything together, then heat in a saucepan, about 1 min. until syrupy. if it's too thick to drizzle, add a bit more water. Set aside.

Preparation:
Make the sauce, slice the tomatoes and okra.
In a skillet, fry the bacon until crisp.
Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings in a pan.
Add about 1/2 inch of oil to the bacon dripping, heat over a medium flame.
Dip the tomatoes in buttermilk, shake off the excess, then dredge it through the breading.
Fry about 4 slices at a time. Brown one side, then flip with a metal spatula. brown the other side.
Fry the okra the same way, drain on a paper towel, and serve immediately drizzled with the sauce, sprinkled with bacon and scallions.

 Stinger sauce. Try making your own sauce with your favorite ingredients.

Cut your tomatoes 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices. I had a couple of okra ready in the garden, so I'll cook those too.

Meatballs with Cinnamon and Cherries

                                Meatballs with Cinnamon and Cherries
 This is an alteration of an ancient Arabian dish that works good as a main course served with rice, or an appetizer.
Whenever I make this, I'm always tempted to add a little garlic or onion to the sauce.

Ingredients:

For the Meatballs:
1-1/2lbs ground chuck
1tsp. cinnamon
1/2tsp. ground cumin
1/2tsp. cloves
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 eggs

For the Cherry Sauce:
a 5oz package of dried cherries
1-1/2cups water
1Tbl. butter
2Tbl. sugar
1tsp. cinnamon
1/2tsp.salt
1/4tsp.pepper

Preparation:
Soak the cherries in the cup of water for about 1 hour.
Combine all meatball ingredients, and knead for about 3 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350*
Roll into 1 inch meatballs and place in a large baking pan.
Bake for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through.
While they are baking, prepare the sauce.
Melt the butter in a large 4quart pan.
Strain the cherries (reserving the liquid) and add them to the butter.
Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.
Add the liquid, cinnamon, salt and pepper, simmer 5 minutes. Turn the burner off.
Once the meatballs are cooked drain the drippings from the pan. (I just add them to a clean baking pan)
Pour the sauce over them, toss to coat.
Place the pan in the oven and bake until the sauce thickens somewhat,15-20 minutes. If it becomes dry, stir in a little water.
Serve with rice.

Baked Zucchini Fries

                                   Baked Parmesan Zucchini Fries

I had two really large zucchini sitting on the counter, trying to decide if I was going to make the old zucchini-bread stand by. I was really not in the mood for that today. So I decided to play around with different variation of zucchini fries. They were all really good, so I decided to post them all.
The method is the same for them all, just different spice variations.

Parmesan Fries:
Pre-heat oven to 425*
Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray
2eggs beaten
zucchini cut into strips 
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2Tbl. Parmesan cheese
1/2tsp. garlic powder
1tsp. basil
1/2tsp. salt
1cup flour

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, set aside.
In another bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic powder, basil, and salt.
Place the zucchini in a third bowl, add the flour and toss to coat.
Shake off any excess flour, and toss them in the beaten egg, to coat.
Roll the strips one at a time in the breadcrumb mixture, and place them on the cookie sheet.
Bake about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve alone or with a dipping sauce, I like to use ranch dressing.

                Remove the seeds from the zucchini and slice into strips.

I thought I'd make it a little easier and toss the strips in a bowl with 1cup of flour. Worked well.

Then toss them in the bowl of beaten eggs, you will have to roll them one at a time in the breadcrumb mixture. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake.

                                  Sugar and Spice Zucchini Fries.


Sugar and Spice Zucchini Fries:
Pre-heat oven to 425*
Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray
zucchini cut into strips
2eggs beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2Tbl.sugar
1/2tsp.nutmeg
1tsp.cinnamon
1cup flour

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, set aside.
In another bowl mix together the breadcrumbs,sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Place the zucchini in a third bowl, add the flour and toss to coat.
Shake off any excess flour, and toss them in the beaten egg, to coat.
Roll the strips one at a time in the breadcrumb mixture, and place them on the cookie sheet.
Bake about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

                                  Caribbean Spice Zucchini Fries
 
Pre-heat oven to 425*
Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray
zucchini cut into strips
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1tsp. jerk seasoning
1/2tsp. cayenne powder
1tsp.onion powder
1/2tsp garlic powder
1/2tsp. salt
1cup flour

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, set aside.
In another bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, jerk seasoning, cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder and salt.

Place the zucchini in a third bowl, add the flour and toss to coat.
Shake off any excess flour, and toss them in the beaten egg, to coat.
Roll the strips one at a time in the breadcrumb mixture, and place them on the cookie sheet.
Bake about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.