Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Corn and Zucchini Medley (Link)

Corn and Zucchini Medley

Shared by: Dolores Reborn
From: allrecipes.com

Rebo made the recipe as linked, but added some salt.

B52 Cheesecake (Link)

B52 Cheesecake
From: Mindfield

Mork's recipe for three separate layers:

10 bricks of cream cheese
3 cups of sugar
10 eggs.
4 cups of graham crackers
3/4 cups of butter
1 cup of flour (I added too much actually, but the liquor will soak it up)
3 cups of sour cream
3 tbsp of vanilla extract
Split the batter into 3
Added 1/2 cup each of Grand Marnier, Kahlua and Bailey's Irish Cream to each portion.

They're baking now. I still have to make a raspberry cheesecake tomorrow, for those that don't want a triple-layer monstrosity that's all boozed up. I'll add the dollops of whipped cream around the edge and place alternating Bailey's and Kahlua-filled chocolates on top of each the day I bring it over to be consumed.

I'm kinda upset because I only had 2 9" springform pans. The rest were larger, so since that would be stupidly uneven I just decided to use one 9", one 10" and one 11" and make it all tiered. It'll look like a damn wedding cake, but it'll taste like sex. I don't even want to think about the number of calories involved in this thing. I gained 10 pounds just making it.
Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3

Other recipes for single cheesecake:

Link to Recipezaar version (only one cheesecake with all three flavors).
Link to newspaper article with the same recipe.

Lemon Cream Cheese Pie

Lemon Cream Cheese Pie
From: Dolores Reborn

1 graham cracker pie crust
1 10oz jar Dickenson's Lemon Curd (in the baking aisle)
2 8oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs lemon zest (you can leave this out, I've made it both ways)

Beat all ingredients on medium speed until creamy. Pour into pie crust. Lick the spoon. Chill about 2 hours.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Ersatz Scotch Eggs, Part Deux

Ersatz Scotch Eggs, Part Deux
From: VunderBob
Here's the link to Part One, which didn't really work out to Bobbio's satisfaction.

Time for an update. I've made this following version a couple of times now. It has all of the structural integrity of the original, plus it's spicy enough that you don't have to choose between boredom from blandness vs. starvation.


4 hardboiled eggs
1 raw egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs, or similar amount of crushed saltine crackers
1 lb hot bulk sausage
powdered garlic
rubbed sage
black pepper

Mix the bread crumbs with the sausage and raw egg. Divide the mixture into 4 parts, forming into patties. Dust the sausage patties with the sage, pepper, and garlic to suit your taste. Take a hardboiled egg, place it in the middle of the sausage patty, and cover the egg evenly. Put in a baking dish (elevate on a rack if you desire) and bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes.

I make a batch on Sunday night, and carry one to work Monday-Thursday, so they keep well. I eat them cold; never tried nuking them for some reason probably related to testosterone.

Sugar Cream Pie - Eggnog is not a good sub for cream (Link)

Sugar Cream Pie - Eggnog is not a good sub for cream
For the curious: Link to the working recipe.
From: VunderBob

A recipe experiment that failed.

Last week, warming up to Christmas Day, VWife was really jonesing a sugar cream pie. Problem was, she had no heavy cream, and no desire to scrounge the change cup I keep in Manland, nor the desire to get off her butt to go to the store to get any.

Looking through the fridge, she spotted the quart of eggnog she bought, and thought it would be a noble experiment. It wasn't. The eggnog was loaded with sugar from the get-go, plus had a good amount of nutmeg. The resulting pie was nearly inedible, and caused me to spike my blood sugar just from being within 5 feet.

Oh well.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Schoolhouse Coffee Cake (Link)

Schoolhouse Coffee Cake

Shared by: Lissla Lissar
From: Pleasant View Schoolhouse Blog

LiLi says that you can replace part of the milk with silken tofu. And also: "...I have right now a coffee cake topped with pecans sitting in my kitchen. It's a very adaptable recipe. It would be good with almond extract, sliced almonds, and marzipan, or probably with applesauce added, or maybe lemon peel and a lemon icing drizzled over... I'll stop now. I like that cake. It takes ten minutes to put together, lasts for days, and you can play with the ingredients."

Shrimp Creole and Dirty Rice

Shrimp Creole and Dirty Rice
From: Dolores Reborn

Creole Sauce:

1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c chopped bell pepper
1/2 c chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1-1/2 c chicken stock
1 tsp creole seasoning
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper
dash of Tabasco
dash of worcestershire sauce
3 green onions, chopped
2 tbs butter
1 tbs tomato paste

Saute the veggies over medium heat until softened, about five minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock, green onions and seasonings and simmer about 15 minutes, reducing to get thick. Remove from heat and stir in butter and tomato paste.

I spooned it over sauteed shrimp (butter, olive oil, salt and garlic powder.)

Dirty rice:

1/2 lb bulk sausage
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 c chopped onion
1/4 c chopped bell pepper
1/2 c chopped celery
2 cups hot cooked rice
salt and pepper
1/4 c chopped parsley

Brown the sausage with the veggies. Add salt and pepper, then stir in cooked rice and parsley.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Cielito Lindo (Puerto Rican Taco Salad/Dip)

Cielito Lindo
From: gardentraveler

One of the benefits of having had a Puerto Rican roommate for a number of years is that I have several authentic Puerto Rican recipes. This is one that there are lots of variations on. It's very popular at work. The fresh stuff makes it seem almost healthy. The original only has sour cream. I mix half sour cream and half fat-free ricotta and it works really well.

To make it really Puerto Rican, you want to start with some sofrito, then brown the ground beef and add some sazón and/or adobo as well as the taco seasoning to the ground beef. You can find sazón with Hispanic groceries (it's a premixed blend of spices; be forewarned: it often includes MSG). Sofrito is a puree of onion, peppers, garlic and herbs. I buy it frozen. Goya is a good brand for either of these. Other variations are to add a layer of refried beans and/or a layer of guacamole. Anyhoo, this is a party-sized version. You can scale it back to fit the size of the group you need to feed. I tend to make it a little bit different every time.

This fills two large disposable aluminum trays (maybe 13" x 15" each).

2 lbs ground beef
1 package Old El Paso taco seasoning
2 16 oz.containers sour cream
2 15 oz. containers ricotta cheese
3 c grated cheese - cheddar, Monterey Jack, any kind you like
1 16 oz bottle salsa (La Victoria - salsa suprema, mild)
1 7 oz.can Herdez salsa casera (You can substitute any bottled/canned salsa that you like.)
2 chopped tomatoes
1/2 c. chopped onions or scallions
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
3 cups chopped romaine Lettuce

Brown ground beef (with sofrito, if desired). Add taco seasoning (and optional sazón). Let cool. Drain excess liquid.
Mix sour cream and ricotta together and set aside.
Combine salsas and set aside.
Combine chopped tomato, onion and cilantro, and set aside.

Spread sour cream mixture in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with ground beef. Sprinkle 2 1/2 cups of cheese over beef. Add layer of salsa, then lettuce, then fresh tomato salsa. Sprinkle last 1/2 c of cheese on top.

Serve this with your favorite corn chips.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Lasagna Roll-Ups (Link)

Lasagna Roll-Ups
Shared by: swampbear
From cooks.com

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Sauce
From: gardentraveler

I posted this in the cranberry sauce thread in Cafe Society. My sauce turned out extra-good this year.

I've been making variations on the same cranberry sauce for about 20 years. This year's version:

1 12-oz bag cranberries
1/2 apple, chopped (I used a Honeycrisp apple that was getting a bit wrinkly)
1 clementine, cut into wedges (unpeeled) and seeded
1/4 lemon (also unpeeled) and seeded
1/2 cup dried Zante currants
1/4 c white wine (maybe less, I didn't measure)
1/4 teaspoon Penzey's Baking Spice (or a combination of cinnamon, cloves and other spices you like)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Chop clementine and 1/4 lemon finely in a food processer (I have a chopper attachment on my immersion blender that is perfect for this)

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil for a few minutes (I'm pretty sure it was less than 10) until the berries start to burst. It came out much less jelled than usual, more like a compote, which I prefer. I think it's because I didn't get distracted and let it overcook. My friends who came to dinner each had two helpings and took some with leftovers, so I'm pretty sure they liked it.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Subtle Gingerbread

From: FairyChatMom

This is a rapid bake bread for a Black & Decker machine and I have no idea about other machines or making bread the old-fashioned way, but here goes. (Was that enough in the Disclaimer Department??)

1 cup milk (I used 2T powdered milk and enough water to make 1 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 T shortening (I used butter)
2 T molasses
2 T brown sugar
3/4 t salt
3 1/4 c flour
3/4 t ginger *
1/2 t cinnamon *
1/4 t ground cloves *
2 t yeast

Dump the ingredients in the order shown into the bread machine. Set for rapid bake (about 2 hours on my machine) Take it out when it's done and eat it. It comes out bread-like rather than cake-like.

*The flavors were really subtle - if I make it again, I'll probably double the ginger at least.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Dottygumdrop's Favourite Turkey Sandwich

Dottygumdrop's Favourite Turkey Sandwich
From: Dottygumdrop

No T-day for us, but I do have a favourite Turkey Sandwich recipe, which involves a ciabatta (or Turkish pide) roll, roast turkey, slatherings of real mayo, cranberry sauce, sliced brie cheese, sliced avocado and lettuce, seasoned with some sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. It is Teh YumTM!

Turkey Soup Method

Turkey Soup Method
From: Sigmagirl

Don't have a recipe, really; just a method: Take your turkey carcass and kind of crush it down to minimize the surface area, put it in your pot and barely cover with water. Add a cut-up onion or two (leave the skin on for color!) and a few cloves of garlic. Bring just to a boil and then reduce heat to barely simmer. Add salt and a few peppercorns, a bay leaf, some sage, thyme and rosemary (rosemary is a migraine trigger for me so I use very little, but I would use a couple of whole sprigs if I could). I cook it just at simmer for about two hours. Strain very well.
I like to add dehydrated vegetables like these because they keep all their color and vitamins, and they're just the right size. My produce market carries them. Maybe it's cheating, but the texture is great and if I used any bigger pieces, my husband would pick them out.

For noodles, I make the dough in my bread machine and put it through twice. We like them big and fat like dumplings. I use 50/50 all-purpose flour and semolina, and use about 1 egg per cup of flour. You just have to get the right consistency by trial and error, adding water a drip at a time. Then we put it through the pasta machine on a wide setting to make sheets and hand-cut the noodles.

If I have any broth left, it's turkey rice soup!

Awesome Stuffed Pork Chops

Awesome Stuffed Pork Chops
From: Dolores Reborn

I had four big fat boneless pork chops that just screamed for stuffing. I've never made stuffed poke chops before, so I perused a few recipes, and just made it up as I went along.

I browned 4 chopped sliced of bacon and set it aside. I drained off most of the grease, and sauted 1/2 an onion, some diced celery and carrot, and 1 garlic clove, minced fine. Added poultry seasoning and thyme, salt and pepper. When all was soft, I stirred in about a cup of fresh bread crumbs (two slices - I should have used three) and moistened with a bit of chicken stock. Then I stuffed the poke chops which had been seasoned with salt and pepper.

Browned them over medium heat with a bit of olive oil, then flipped them to brown the other side. Added a little chicken stock to the pan, then covered and baked at 350° for 30 minutes.

Tender and moist and flavorful! I made the pan juices into gravy by adding a slurry of corn starch and water. I'll leave out the bacon next time, because I couldn't taste it at all.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Infinitely Stretchy Chicken Curry-Like Substance

Infinitely Stretchy Chicken Curry-Like Substance
From: SmartAleq

Since I wanted brown rice for it (if I use white rice I'll cook it all together with the chicken) I started two cups of brown rice with six cups water boiling, with some Chicken Better Than Bouillon (I love that stuff!) and turmeric added. When it was almost tender, about 45 minutes or so, I dumped in a can of stewed tomatoes and a big handful of raisins. Then in a skillet I started sauteeing two frozen slabs of boneless skinless chicken breast, cutting it up into small chunks as it thawed. I added about 7-10 cloves of garlic, chopped roughly. When the chicken was nearly cooked I added a bunch of thin sliced onions and red bell peppers, grated a big chunk of fresh ginger into it, then spiced the hell out of it. I added several tablespoons of curry powder, couple tablespoons of cumin, some cinnamon, more turmeric, paprika, a dash of chipotle powder and a dash of crushed red pepper and maybe a half cup of water to get it all moist and sauce-y. Let that simmer for a few minutes, then combined the chicken with the rice mixture, set it on a low simmer and let it go for about a half hour. Then I ate a ton of it! In summer when I make this stuff I also tend to add other fruit to it--canteloupe or honeydew melon, peaches or nectarines, it sounds really weird but the sweetness offsets the spice and it's totally nommy. Mop it up with naan bread for maximum satisfaction!

Caramel Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake (Link)

Caramel Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake
Shared by: Dottygumdrop
From: The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Monday, November 17, 2008

All About Collards (Links)

Sauteed Collard Greens
Shared by: Ellen Cherry
From: Gourmet Magazine, via Epicuriuos

Paula Deen's Recipe
Shared by: Ellen Cherry
From: The Food Network

Alton Brown's Recipe
Shared by: Dolores Reborn
From: The Food Network

Advice from swampbear:
"The secret is a combo of two things. First, you need a ham hock or some chunks of ham. Not huge chunks. Collards need that for seasonin'. Second, use a little over a tsp of sugar. Yep. Sugar. I start the water with the sugar and ham hock or ham chunks and get the water hot, but not boilin'. Then I put the greens in a handful at a time and stir 'em in so they wilt. Once all the greens are in, I let 'em simmer 'til done. About forty-five minutes ought to do it. Also, I cook 'em the night before and reheat before servin'. Collards are one of those things that's better if they're cooked then reheated before servin', IMO. Anywho, they're never bitter with that method. That little bit o' sugar helps with the bitterness but doesn't add a sweet taste."

Friday, November 14, 2008

Buffalo Chicken Dip I and II

Buffalo Chicken Dip I
From: Always Brings Pie

(Originally from the Congressional Club Cookbook)
Dancing Shoes (and buffalo) optional

5 cups cooked, shredded chicken
12 oz Red Hot
1 lb cream cheese
1 cup ranch dressing
1 cup (or more) shredded cheese (the recipe called for monterey jack but I only had cheddar)

Combine first four ingredients in a saucepan and heat until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Pour into a 9x13 pan and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes. Serve with chips or crackers. Note: the original recipe calls for celery, but I'm not interested in those health foods. Note #2: This recipe could easily be halved as I have been eating it all day and there is still way too much left over.


Added 12/29/2009:
Buffalo Chicken Cheese Dip II
From FairyChatMom


Only significant differences I see is that this one has much less chicken, a longer baking time and a hint for handling it if the top is oily.

2 pkgs - Cream cheese, Softened (do NOT use Light variety)
¾ cup – Hot Sauce (Buffalo Wing sauce)
1 cup – Ranch dressing
2 cups – Cubed, cooked Chicken (shredded works better, IMHO)
1 cup – Shredded Cheddar


Combine cream cheese and hot sauce. Add ranch dressing and stir till blended.
Stir in Chicken & cheese

Pour in a 9x13 pan (sprayed with cooking spray)

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. (If oily on top, blot with paper towels before serving)

Serve with tortilla chips

Gnudi (Link)

Makin' Gnudi
Shared by: Cervaise
From: mixedgreensblog.com

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies (Link)

Best Peanut Butter Cookies Ever
Shared by: taxi78cab (crumbly, but very good, she reports.)
From: AllRecipes

Endive Salads

Endive Salads
From: Nava

For salad, Mom makes one with *checks out Google images* endives, I think the ingredients would travel well and the salad itself takes a very short time to whip up. She buys trays of 2-3 endives.
Option one:
Take the two outer leaves from each endive, put a bit of cream cheese on each, arrange artfully on big plate. Cut the endives in quarters along their axis, then each quarter in half against the long axis. Put some cream cheese on each. Arrange over the bottom leaves. Sprinkle pieces of ham and hard-boiled egg. Cut a lemon in half, squeeze half a lemon over the salad.
Option two, aka "YUCK Philadelphia!":
Do the "flower" thingee. Chop up the endives. Toss the chopped-up endives with pieces of ham, medium-aged cheese and hard-boiled egg. Place the toss-up over the flower. Squeeze half a lemon over it. Tell the guy who complains about cheese that he can pick it out or go to a restaurant (ours isn't lactose intolerant, just picky).

To make sure that the eggs are boiled Just-So (Mom doesn't believe me, but for some reason *my* eggs are never runny and never greyed):
Place the eggs in the pot you'll use to boil them. Pour cold water. Add a spoonful of salt, don't be afraid to oversalt it cos you basically can't. Put to boil. Time starts counting, not when you see bubbles, not when it's boiling hard, but when the bubbles are just big enough to start moving up, and it's 8 minutes (9 in Huesca or Colorado)

Knives and sharpening... (Links)

Video on how to hold a knife.
Shared by: Tupug Anachi

Commentary and caution from Cervaise.

And additional comments from Soul Brother Number Two.

Further advice from Cervaise.

Alton demonstrates how to hone. (YouTube link)
Shared by: Cervaise.

Cataclysmically Delicious Chicken Calzones

Cataclysmically Delicious Chicken Calzones
From: SmartAleq

I had a pizza dough ball from Trader Joe's (herb/cheese style) and a leftover piece of Albertson's fried chicken so I kneaded and rested the doughball and cut it into thirds, teased it out into rounds, brushed each round with pesto and roasted garlic paste (surprise! Betcha never saw THAT coming! ) then a layer of pepper jack, topped that with lightly sauteed red pepper, onion, mushroom and chopped chicken, then topped that with shavings of pecorino romano. Flipped over the top, sealed the sides, poked with a fork, brushed with more garlic paste and a sprinkle of shredded romano on top and baked at 425o for twenty minutes or so. Nom nomnomnomnom! Whole dinner cost me maybe five bucks!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Larry's Crunch Salad

Larry's Crunch Salad
From: Mahna Mahna

(H)ere's a recipe that travels very well and actually tends to taste better after it's had a chance to sit for a while (this makes enough for 4, but you can increase the quantities as needed):

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 cup radishes, sliced
2 medium-size carrots, peeled and sliced
Dressing:
3 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dried dill weed
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a large salad bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad; toss until everything is evenly combined and coated with dressing. Devour immediately or at your leisure.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Pineapple and Coconut Cookies (Link)

Pineapple and Coconut Cookies

Shared by: Soul Brother Number Two
From: Ripe for Dessert by David Lebovitz, via canadianbaker.blogspot.com

Oatmeal Crisps (Bestest Cookies Ever)

Oatmeal Crisps (Bestest Cookies Ever)
From: Soul Brother Number Two's Mom

As per SmartAleq's instructions, the world's bestest cookie, no chocolate notwithstanding. I always double this recipe because it is so easy to make. In no time you will have 5 or 6 dozen wonderful crispy cookies on hand. You wouldn't imagine that a cookie of regular thickness could be so crispy. These are essentially oatmeal tuiles. Yow!

Oatmeal Crisps

1 cup butter, melted
2 t water
2 t maple syrup

Sift together:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 ½ t baking soda
1 t baking powder

2 ½ cups quick oats

sugar for rolling

Combine and chill (or don't). Form into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Flatten slightly on ungreased baking pan. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

Iffen anyone makes em, please report back!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

A food-centered MMP (link)

A love for cookbooks: An Epicurean MMP

Thought I should add this since there are all kinds of references to cookbooks that I'm sure people will want to find. I know I will, at least.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Daffodil's Chicken with Lentils

Daffodil's Chicken with Lentils
From Mahna Mahna

5 chicken leg quarters
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp jerk seasoning (I use the paste kind, when I can find it)
1 tsp thyme
1 green pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups green lentils, rinsed and picked through
2 tbsp olive oil
5 cups water

Day 1: Remove the skin and any large chunks of fat from your chicken legs, and then cut up into drumsticks and thighs. Place the chicken pieces in a large covered dish or container, and mix together with the soy sauce, jerk seasoning and thyme until evenly coated. Place in the fridge to marinate overnight.
Day 2: Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium high heat. Add the marinated chicken pieces and cook until browned on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside where the cats can't get at it.
Add green pepper and onion to the pot, and saute until softened. Stir in lentils and water; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and let simmer for half an hour.
Return the chicken pieces to the pot. Cover and let simmer for another hour, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper; you may also adjust the heat with additional jerk seasoning if desired, though it should be quite spicy as-is. Serve with white rice.

Maple Syrup Cheesecake (Link)

Maple Syrup Cheesecake
Shared by: Soul Brother Number Two
From: Gourmet Magazine, via Epicurious

Mushroom Bacon Risotto (Link)

Mushroom Bacon Risotto
Shared by: Dottygumdrop
From: Australian Good Taste

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake (Link)

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake
Shared by: taxi78cab
From Gourmet Magazine, via Epicurious

Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake (link)

Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake
Shared by: taxi78cab
From: Kraft Foods

She says that you can substitute real whipped cream and make the cake from scratch if you're a purist.

Baked NOT Soup

Baked NOT Soup
From: SmartAleq

2/3 cup butter
Big splop of roasted garlic paste
2/3 cup flour
7 cups milk
4 large baking potatoes, baked, cooled, peeled and cubed, about 4 cups
4 green onions, thinly sliced
10 to 12 strips bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled
1 1/4 cups shredded medium sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Preparation:

In a large Dutch oven or stockpot over low heat, melt butter, stir in garlic paste until all melted. Stir in flour; stir until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened. Add potatoes and onions. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until soup begins to bubble. Reduce heat; simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; stir until cheese is melted. Serve baked potato soup immediately.
This baked potato soup recipe serves 6 to 8.

I did use 1% milk and low fat sour cream, but this is never gonna be heart healthy, no way. It was really good, though...

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Pork Sirloin Chops with Roast Garlic Paste

Pork Sirloin Chops with Roast Garlic Paste
From: SmartAleq

I took a couple of thick pork sirloin chops, seared them in a bit of bacon grease, then thickly spread a coat of roasted garlic paste all over the tops of them, sprinkled them with paprika and kosher salt, then distributed a bunch of thin sliced onions and mushrooms around them in the frying pan and baked it at 350 until the chops were almost tender, then took the bowl the paste had been in and dumped a bit of cheap red wine in it, stirring to get the rest of the paste incorporated in it, and introduced that into the onions and mushrooms, turned the oven off and let it all rest together for ten-fifteen minutes. The wine reduced into a sticky sauce, the pork was tender and flavorful and I steamed up a huge load of broccoli to go with, sprinkled with a bit of sharp white cheddar. It was delish!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Eye of Round Roast

Eye of Round Roast
From: Mahna Mahna

As long as you cook them proper-like, they're also very very tasty. See, what you do is get the oven cranked up to 500F, and while it's heating up, pat the roast dry, put it on a rack over a roasting pan, season with lots of S&P and then slather generously with butter. Once the oven lets you know it's good and hot, pop the roast in there for 7 mins per lb and then turn off the oven... BUT (here's the tricky part, kiddies) don't touch that oven door, because now you have to let the roast sit in that oven for 2-2.5 hours. Don't touch that door. Don't open it even a teensy crack, even if the smell is causing the cats/dogs/husband to drool uncontrollably. Just. Leave. It. Alone.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Cuban Rice

Cuban Rice

Recipe By : Bumbazine, from a recipe on Food TV
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time ::45
Categories : Beef & Pork One-Pot Company Specials
Main Dishes

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
16 Ounces peas
1 Cup Rice, Uncooked -- long grain white
8 Ounces mushrooms, white or crimini -- sliced
1/2 Pound smoked ham -- cut into small cubes
2 Medium yellow onions -- diced
1/2 Stick butter or margarine -- divided
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil -- optional
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon Seasoned Salt
14 Ounces chicken broth -- 1 can
1/2 Teaspoon chili powder
salt & pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste

Please be advised, ALL of the measurements in this recipe are approximate. I often add more ham, or mushrooms, or whatever, than called for depending on my mood and what I have available.

Start a cup of long grain white rice cooking in 1 can of chicken broth plus a half can of water.
Meanwhile chop up your ham, onions and mushrooms and set aside.
Put a package of green peas on to cook in 1/4- 1/2 cup water.
Put the half stick of butter or margarine in a large pot and melt it over medium-high heat.
Toss in the mushroom slices and saute until cooked.
Now, add the onions, seasoning with some salt and pepper. Depending on the amount of liquid you have, you may add more butter or margarine, or olive oil, at this point. Saute the onions until they are translucent.
When the onions are ready, add the cubed ham, sugar, pepper flakes, chili powder, and any other seasoning(s).
When the rice has sucked up most of it's liquids but is still not quite done, dump the peas, water and all, into the rice to complete cooking.
Meanwhile, turn the pot with the mushrooms, etc, down to low and let things cook together a bit and taste, adding more seasonings as you desire.
When everything is hotted up nicely, dump the (by now cooked) rice and peas into the pot and mix together. Taste again and adjust seasonings as desired.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Apple Filo (Phyllo) Samosas and Apple Tart (Link)

Apple Filo (Phyllo) Samosas and Apple Tart
Shared by: taxi78cab
From: the BBC

Chicken Spaghetti (Link)

Chicken Spaghetti
Shared by: Bumbazine
From: The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Bumba says: "I followed the recipe exactly, for once, except that we didn't leave it in the oven for the full 45 minutes, but instead fell on it like a couple of angry Vikings after 35 min. It was good, but Wifey thinks it needs more 'attitude'. She thinks a can of diced chilies would do the trick. Y'all should try it."

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Sock Lady's German Potato Salad

Sock Lady's German Potato Salad
From: Always Brings Pie

5 or 6 medium potatoes
1lb little smokies or other smoked sausage
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp Sugar

Slice potatoes thinly with or without removing the skin. Cut little smokies in thirds. Place in crockpot/dutch oven/pressure cooker. Make dressing from the bottom three ingredients. Stir dressing into potato mixture. Cook/bake/pressurize until done. (Normally I do this in a pressure cooker, but there isn't one here so I've got it in the oven. I'm starting it out for 1/2 hour at 400F and then reducing to 350F and stirring every half hour. Sock Lady says it should take about 1 hour.)

Warning: Do not eat a large gladware container full of approximately 3 cups of this as I did one day for breakfast.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns

Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns
From: Mahna Mahna

1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp each ground nutmeg and cardamom
3 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

To prepare the buns, dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl; let stand for 5 minutes. Mixture should be foamy (if not, your yeast is no longer good - toss it out and start again with a fresh packet).
In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, pumpkin, milk, melted butter, sugar, salt, and spices; stir in yeast mixture and continue stirring until evenly mixed. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Turn out onto a floured surface and begin kneading; as you go, add the remaining 3/4 cup of flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is soft and elastic (it should feel a bit tacky, but shouldn't stick to your hands).
Place the dough in a large bowl that has been lightly oiled, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm draft-free place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
Meanwhile, prepare the cinnamon filling by stirring together the softened butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.
Punch dough down; cover and let rest for 5 minutes. Roll the dough into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Spread the cinnamon mixture in a thin layer over the dough and sprinkle evenly with the chopped pecans, if using.
Roll up the rectangle tightly, starting with a long edge, pressing firmly to get rid of any air pockets; pinch seam and ends to seal. Cut roll into 12 (1-inch) slices. Place slices in a lightly buttered 9-inch square pan. Cover and let rise 25 minutes or until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375°. Bake rolls for 20 minutes or until golden brown. If frosting, allow to cool for 15 minutes before drizzling with Caramel Icing.
//

We ate them unglazed because The Boy prefers his cinnamon buns on the not-so-sweet side... but if you've got a sweet tooth and can manage to wait until the buns are cooled enough to frost, then make a batch of this and drizzle over the buns before serving:

Caramel Frosting
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Dash salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

In small saucepan, heat butter until melted. Stir in brown sugar and milk; cook over medium low heat 1 minute. Transfer to small mixer bowl and set aside to cool.
Once cooled, stir in vanilla, salt, and confectioners' sugar. Beat with electric mixer until well blended, adding more confectioner's sugar as needed until desired consistency is reached.

ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE DUTCH BABY MADE AT HOME

ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE DUTCH BABY MADE AT HOME
From: IvoryTowerDenizen

4 eggs
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
1/8th teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup of butter

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees.

Whisk eggs until blended. Stir in powdered sugar into the egg mixture and set a side.

Stir flour, salt and nutmeg together in a separate bowl.
Mix in cream to the flour mixture and mix with a fork. Then mix in eggs to the mixture.

Use a 9 inch skillet with an oven-proof handle. Melt 1/4 cup of butter in skillet and swirl around to coat the entire pan. With skillet still warm, pour in the batter to the skillet and then immediately place the skillet in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from the oven once the top edges are brown. Remove from skillet on to a large plate.

Top with butter, lemon and powdered sugar.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Make Your Own Hot Cocoa Mix

Make Your Own Hot Cocoa Mix
From: SpazCat

1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
(you can also add powdered milk here iffin you want)

Mix together, keep in a can. When it's time to make a cup add

hot water (of course)
sugar to taste
milk to taste
a dash of vanilla or an Adult Flavoring if that's what the situation calls for

Mix it up and drink. The best part is you can make this as chocolatey or dilute as you want with each cup. Down with the tyranny of Swiss Miss!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
From: Most Creative User Name Ever

This is a favorite of mine and hubbys. We don't do normal mashed potatoes anymore! We do these.


10 potatoes, peeled and quartered (I've found that this is almost a 5 pound bag)
6-8 oz cream cheese (recipe calls for 6, I usually toss in the whole package, I use light or fat free)
1 cup sour cream (I use light or fat free, typically fat free)
6 tablespoons butter
1 packet Hidden Vally Ranch dressing mix
1/4 tsp paprika

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Drain and mash until smooth, I do use a potato masher here to mash them.

While the potatoes are boiling mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and ranch packet together. (I do this in the Kitchen Aid using the paddle.)

Add the potatoes a bit at a time to the mixer and mix until smooth and fluffy. Place mixture in a 9x13 baking dish and refrigerate until ready to prepare. ( I like them to sit overnight.)

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Dot with remaining butter and sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes uncovered, until heated through.

I've heard that these freeze well too, but haven't tried it yet. I keep meaning to though!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

How to make a beaver cake

How to make a beaver cake
From VunderBob

1 chocolate cake mix, with additional ingredients from back of box
2 pound cake mixes, with additional ingredients.
2 cans chocolate frosting
1 can butter cream frosting.
1 tube black decorator's icing
1 tube white decorator's frosting
1 Easter egg cake mold
1 set of cake decorator sugar eyeballs
1 set of cake decorator dog bones

Mix and bake chocolate per directions in a 13X9 pan. This will become the base of the cake.

The mold pan set specified use of a dense cake such as a pound cake, so that's what we did. I originally wanted a chocolate cake to go with the base, and may try it with something else in the future. Anyways, the directions on the mold specified 5-1/2 cups of batter, and one mix yields 4, hence 2 mixes.

Make the pound cake batter as directed on the box, and follow the directions on the mold regarding filling and bake time. Let all cakes cool thoroughly before assembling and decorating.

Remove the sheet cake from the pan, and set it on the base you want. Next, get a big knife and cut off the pound cake that extends up and out of the molds, making each flush with the mold sides. Use frosting to glue the halves of the egg together, and use something like a bamboo skewer to pin everything together. Cut off the wider end of the egg so that it will stand on the sheet cake base, using more frosting as glue. Retain the cut off piece.

Once everything is stable, fashion a couple of lumps of cake from the cut off portion of the same size to use as arms, and glue/pin them on the body about halfway up. A third lump becomes the muzzle, and two more, smaller lumps for the ears on the top. Once you are satisfied with placement, frost the beaver body with the chocolate frosting.

Use the black tube frosting to draw in details such as the ears and nose. Apply the eyes. Take two of the dog bones cut off the ends, and shave one end of each so they resemble buck teeth. Apply them under the muzzle, and draw the mouth around them with the black frosting.

Frost the base with the butter cream, then use the remaining chocolate to draw a beavertail behind. If you want the rabid touch, use the white tube to make foam around the mouth.

VunderBob's Experimental Shredded Pork Butt

VunderBob's Experimental Shredded Pork Butt
From: VunderBob

4-5 lb Boston Butt roast
1 bottle of your favorite beer
Pork rub (recipe below)
Vinegar based BBQ sauce (recipe below)

This recipe is a modification of the way I've done shredded butts in the past. Usually, I do them in a dry slow cooker and let them roast, which is fine and I'll do it again that way in the future. (If you do, or do it in the oven, the key is to slow roast at 225-250 degrees Ammurkin, allowing 2 hours per pound to reach 200 on a thermometer)

I wanted to try using beer this time, and the roast steamed instead. Cover the roast all over with the rub, and put it in the slow cooker on a grate, and turn the thing on. Pour the beer in, avoiding the roast, and until the beer is just below the roast. Let it go all day. Since the cooking mechanism is steam, the butt will not reach 200; I quit at 190, and it took about 2 ½ hours per pound to reach that.

In the meantime, if you're not a lazy slug like me, mix up the vinegar sauce and let is sit in the fridge while the roast is going. I wait to the last minute and boil.

Once it's done, take it out of the slow cooker, and shred the meat with 2 forks. Or cheat, and use a grinder on the coarsest setting. Pour the vinegar sauce over the meat, and mix well. Tradition is to serve on the cheapest white bread or buns with a dollop of coleslaw in the sammich; I eat this stuff by itself because I'm on a low carb diet.

Memphis Style Pork Rub

4 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons celery salt
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons black pepper, coarsely ground
2 tablespoons cumin powder
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dried sage
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Crush the bay leaves and combine all ingredients. Keep what you don't use for future efforts.

Vinegar-based Eastern NC BBQ sauce recipe

1 cup white vinegar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon (or to taste) Frank's Red Hot sauce
½ tablespoon ground mustard powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Several tablespoons liquid smoke

Adjust the sugar, cayenne and smoke to levels that you feel you can handle. Ideally, make the sauce a day or two ahead of when you cook the pork and stick it in the refrigerator – that gives the sauce time for the flavors to meld. That said, I've never done that. I mix all of the ingredients, and heat until it just barely boils.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

MBG's Favorite Breakfast Recipe

MBG's Favorite Breakfast Recipe
From: Mr. Bus Guy, with method II from: Bumbazine

Ingredients:

Honey Nut Cheerios - enough to fit in my big red bowl
Milk- to cover
Spoon
newspaper or magazine


Pour Honey Nut Cheerios into bowl. Cover with milk. Utilize spoon to consume yumminess while reading. When finished, observe Marty waiting for his treat.

Method II:
Pour Honey Nut Cheerios into bowl.
Scrape the Cheerios on the counter that missed the bowl into your hand and put them in the bowl too.
Ignore the Cheerios that went on the floor, the dog will get them.
Cover with milk.
Wipe up the Cheerios and milk that slopped over the rim of the bowl onto the counter when you poured on the milk.
Ignore the Cheerios and milk that are now all over the floor, and the dog. He'll manage somehow.
Utilize spoon to consume yumminess while reading.
Put empty bowl and spon in sink.
Change shirt.
Throw milk-sodden shirt in clothes hamper.
Don't worry about milk and cereal in chair and on floor, the dog is quite adept at that sort of thing.

Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
From: Wallflower

1 Coffee Mug
4 tablespoons flour(that's plain flour, not self-rising)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
some nuts (optional)
Small splash of vanilla

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes on high. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if
desired. EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to share!)

Just looking at this and thinking, a scoop of ice cream and chocolate syrup would be good on this.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Tuna Risotto (Link)

Tuna Risotto
Shared by: taxi78cab

Similar to Venetian tuna risotto.
From the New York Times.

Chocolate Microwave Pudding

Chocolate Microwave Pudding
From: Lissla Lissar
Based on recipe from Nigella Lawson.

150g butter cut in pieces
250g dark chocolate (I usually use choc chips)
100g brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
125ml double cream
40g flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
double cream for serving

Butter a microwave-proof bowl with some of the butter. Grate or otherwise pulverize chocolate in a food processor, then, using the double-bladed knife thingy, add the rest of the butter, cut up, and then the sugar. Process it until it's smooth. Add everything else, blitz until combined.

Pour into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and nuke for five minutes, or until it's set. Pierce the plastic with a knife, and put a plate on it for ten minutes.

Eat with more cream, Gain 345352454 pounds.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage (Link)

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage
Shared by: taxi78cab
From Rachael Ray.

Pineapple Kugel

Pineapple Kugel
From: IvoryTowerDenizen

6 eggs
4 tbl margerine (I used butter) melted
8 oz can of crushed pineapple and juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
8 oz broad egg noodles, cooked, drained and rinsed
6-8 sliced pineapple

Beat eggs and margarine. Add sugar, pineapple adn juice, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix well.

Stir in noodles. Pour into a greased 9/13 baking pan. Place pineapple rings over top.

Bake at 350F for 40-60 minutes until golden brown.

Nummy and easy.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Garlic Potatoes and Eggs

Garlic Potatoes and Eggs
From: Bumbazine

Okay. take an appropriate number of waxy (red, yukon gold, etc), not russet, potatoes and nuke them in the microwave until cooked, but not mushy. As if you were making potato salad. I used 3 small, 'cause that's what we had. Ordinarily I would have used 2 mediums for the 2 of us. While the potatoes are cooking, chop up a big clove of garlic for each person. You can use more if you want to. Also beat up 2 eggs per person with a fork. Put in a little salt and pepper.

When the potatoes are cooked (but not mushy) chop the in big cubes. (3/4 inch or so)
Now, melt way too much butter or margarine in a skillet, (I used half a stick) and saute the garlic briefly, until you can smell it, then toss in the potatoes and some salt and pepper and cook them over medium heat a bit to infuse them with butter and garlic flavors. When you feel the time is right, pour the mixed-up eggs over, and do not stir. Let the eggs cook a bit, and then stir the cooked parts up off the bottom and leave it alone some more. You want big chunks of eggs among your potatoes, not egg-coated potatoes. When the eggs are cooked, not runny, cooked, you may eat them.

Roasted Garlic Paste

Roasted Garlic Paste
From: SmartAleq
Also includes a tip on how to use the garlic paste in onion soup.

You may stand upwind in awe of me for I am Allium Woman! I bought a HUGE bag (like 5-6 lbs for 6.99, w00t!) of peeled garlic cloves from the local veggie stand. In order to use up that huge bag I tossed those cloves in olive oil, tossed them into baking pans, sprinkled them with a bit of kosher salt and baked them, stirring them around every ten minutes or so to make sure they didn't stick. Then I shoveled them into the Magic Bullet thingie and turned them all into a sticky melty garlicky paste suitable for dipping ice cream into... Well, maybe not that but I definitely dipped some baguette into it. I have a lot of it in the fridge but the majority of it is in ice cube trays in the freezer. I'm going to make a whole shitload of 2 tablespoon or so ice cubes of frozen roasted garlic that can be easily chucked into hot pasta or nuked back to squishiness.

Then, since the house already smelled like that I made onion soup for dinner--well, allium soup, really, since I used Walla Walla sweet onions, shallots and leeks in a peppery beef stock--I also added a dollop of the roasted garlic paste toward the end of the simmering time. The croutons were slices of baguette soaked in the leftover oil the garlic was roasting in then baked crispy, then smeared with roast garlic and baked a while longer. Floated croutons in soup, topped with shredded gruyere and slid under the broiler for a minute to bubble up. I feel as though I shouldn't speak directly to anyone until I've chewed a large bouquet of parsley but I don't care, it was faaaaabulous!

Crash Hot Potatoes (Link)

Link shared by: SmartAleq

Since several people made them, I'm also linking to them.

From The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Warm Ricotta Fritters

Warm Ricotta Fritters
An Iftar Treat
From: Dottygumdrop

Here's a picture. (Image somehow didn't work...I'll work on it later.)

480g ricotta
4 eggs
1 cup flour
3 tsp baking powder
Zest of a lemon
Pinch salt
Pure icing sugar and ground cardamom, for dusting
Honey, for drizzling
Vegetable oil, for frying

Whisk the ricotta and eggs together. Sift the flour baking powder and salt together then fold into the ricotta/egg mix. Add the zest.

Heat oil to 170C. Using teaspoons, dollop balls of mixture into hot oil. Cook until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper then dust with icing sugar mixed with a little cardamom. Serve warm, drizzled with honey, or on their own.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Banana Crumb Muffins

Banana Crumb Muffins
From: mmouse9799

INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3 bananas, mashed
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 1/3 cup butter, melted
* 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Friday, September 19, 2008

The Bestest Quick & Dirty Cookies Evah!

The Bestest Quick & Dirty Cookies Evah!
From: Bumbazine

Procure an extra-moist cake mix, preferably yellow cake, but not mandantory. We used a Duncan Hines Extra Moist Yellow Cake mix tonight, they were on sale.

Mix the cake mix together with 1/2 cup veg oil and 2 x-large eggs. If you don't have x-large, use 2 1/2 medium or 3 small.
If it's too dry, add a little water 1 Tbsp at a time until it's gooey.

mix in a big handful each of at least 2 kinds of dried fruit - we used dried apricots, dried cherries, and dates tonight, and would have put coconut, but we were out.

Mix in a big handul of chopped pecans.

Mix in a big handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can use milk chocolate if you like, but I won't be responsible for the consequences.

Add anything else you feel like, within reason.

Drop by big spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart.

Cook at 350 for about 9 to 10 minutes, depending on your oven.

Eat.

Say "Thank You Bumba, your wife is a Kitchen Goddess"

Fake Chicken Noodle Alfredo

Fake Chicken Noodle Alfredo
From: Dolores Reborn

1/2 pkg egg noodles
1/2 14 oz pkg frozen broccoli florets, or fresh
1 lb chicken boobies, diced in bite size pieces
1/2 onion, diced
4 oz 'shrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can condensed cream of chicken with herbs soup (or whatever you've got)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Boil water and add noodles. Halfway thru cooking time, add broccoli and continue cooking recommended time minus one minute. Drain.

Meanwhile, saute chicken with onions, mushrooms and garlic until chicken is done. Season with salt and pepper. Add soup, milk, and cheeses, and combine well until melted. Stir in noodles and broccoli. Stir in parsley.

IvoryTowerDenizen's quickie, in the crock pot, chicken soup

My quickie, in the crock pot, chicken soup
From: IvoryTowerDenizen

1 small chicken, or bone in parts up to about 3 lbs
1 box high quality chicken broth (4 cups?)
handful of dill, fresh
handful of parsley, fresh
2-3 large carrots cut into large chunks
2 med parsnips cut into large chunks
1 onion, whole, peeled
A few cloves garlic, lightly crushed.
2-3 stalks celery, cut into large chunks
water to cover

All day in the crock pot on low.

Note from the cook: Jewish chicken soup requires dill and parsnips or it just doesn't taste right!!

Roasted Chicken with Apples and Leeks and Rosemary

From: IvoryTowerDenizen

6-8 drumsticks and thighs
4 small crisp apples cored and quartered (Empire or Braeburn)
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, quartered
6 small sprigs rosemary
2 tbl olive oil
salt and pepper

Toss all ingredients in a rimmed baking sheet or large roasting pan

Bake at 400F until crispy and done, about 55 minutes.

Herbed bread, cracker and Leek stuffing

Herbed bread, cracker and Leek stuffing: Gourmet magazine, with modifications
From: IvoryTowerDenizen

I make this dressing almost every year for Thanksgiving since 1996 and I do a quicky version (I buy Pepperridge Farm plain stuffing mix rather than the bread and crackers) for regular meals. There is only one other stuffing recipe I ever use- (one I made up for the Jewish holidays, or when my parents come for Thanksgiving that is kosher and is based on challah). I love this recipe.

1 16-ounce loaf firm white bread (do not trim crusts), cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3 leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, rinsed, thinly sliced

2 medium onions, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 cups coarsely crumbled saltine crackers
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 1 tablespoon dried
3 tablespoons chopped fresh savory or 1 tablespoon dried

3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned chicken broth

Preparation
Preheat oven to 300°F. Spread bread on 2 large baking sheets. Bake until just dry but not brown, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Transfer to very large bowl.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks, onions and celery and sauté until tender but not brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to bowl with bread. Mix in cracker crumbs, herbs, salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Butter 2-quart baking dish. Mix milk into dressing. Reserve about 6 cups dressing for turkey. Mix 1/2 cup broth into remaining dressing and transfer to prepared baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake dressing in covered dish alongside turkey for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown on top, about 20 minutes longer.

(I don't stuff my turkey, so I bake all of it in baking dishes. I usually use 1 really big casserole or two 2 qt ones. When I don't stuff I add additional broth to the stuffing and baste the stuffing with pan drippings as the turkey roasts to get that same taste.)

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Soapy's Pasta

Soapy's Pasta
From: IvoryTowerDenizen

2 carrots, sliced in half moons
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 small leeks, sliced
1 tsp dried oregano
2 zucchini, sliced in half moons
garlic, minced
0.5 pound baby spinach
handful fresh parsley, minced
28 ounce can chopped or crushed tomatoes, and juice
14 ounce can cannelloni beans, with liquid
Small pasta like ditalini.

Saute in olive oil the carrots, celery and leeks for a few minutes. Add zucchini, garlic and oregano. Saute for a few minutes longer. Add spinach until it wilts by gently folding it into the mixture.

Once wilted, add tomatoes, beans. Add as much water to get to the consistency you like (stew like or soup like). Simmer few minutes. Add parsley and black pepper. Simmer 25-20 minutes.

Cook pasta. Serve over pasta with a drizzle of olive oil and parmigiano cheese.

It's like eating good health- it tastes so fresh and good and it is so satisfying!

Adapted from Sundays at Moosewood.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Yorkshire Pudding

Yorkshire Pudding
From: ScareyFaerie

Ingredients
Vegetable oil
290ml/½ pint milk
4 eggs, beaten
255g/9oz plain flour, sifted
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
2. Grease a Yorkshire pudding tin with a little vegetable oil. Place the tin in the oven to preheat.
3. Place the milk, eggs and seasoning in a bowl. Stir well to combine.
4. Whisk in the flour.
5. Remove the tin from the oven. Pour in the batter, filling each case only three quarters full.
6. Place the tin in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until puffy and raised.
7. Remove the puddings from the oven and serve.

If you want to make Toad in the Hole, make the batter mix as above and pour it into a large roasting tin. Put some sausages in it and bung in a hot oven (Gas 7) for 25-30 mins. Serve mouth-burningly hot, with onion gravy.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Death Chicken, AKA Poulet de la mort

Death Chicken
From: eleanorigby

First of all, it's called Death Chicken because it's post-funeral food, which is some of the best food on the planet. Not sure about that claim? Go to a random funeral and then go eat something--bound to taste finger lickin' good. One reason it's post-funeral food is that it takes awhile to cook in the oven, so you make it, go to the service (skip the graveside) and come home and eat.

Note: do NOT jack with these ingredients until you have made it at least once first. Yes, all of them need to be in it. Go with it. Have a little faith, people--listen to the pastor at that service, mmkay?

Death Chicken:

Line a 9x13 pan with raw bacon--use 6 or more slices (and none of that damned Canadian crap--bacon, folks. Not hickory smoked or maple syrup injected. BACON)
One cup of uncooked (white, not instant) rice--pour evenly OVER the bacon.

Put some chicken pieces on top of the rice. I tend to do boneless thighs and/or breasts. Leave the skin on (or off).
Salt and pepper the chicken a bit.
Sprinkle some paprika over the chicken. No, I don't know how much. Just keep in mind you're not making chicken paprikash.

In a separate bowl, mix (whisk) together the following:
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use Campbell's--I bet you food snobs do too).
1 cup water
little bit o' garlic salt
pinch o' nutmeg (you heard me)--I add 2 pinches
1 teaspoon of oregano (dried)
2-3 tablespoons of dried parsley flakes (or fresh parley)

Mix until smooth (I actually whisk the soup and water together and then add the spices. It seems sensible.), then POUR mixture over chicken, covering rice (get in the corners).

Cover tightly with foil-heavy is better. Do not peek with this recipe!

Place in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours (I have done 350 for an hour, but it's not as good).


The house will smell divine. You will inhale this. No lie.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Stuffed Camel

Stuffed Camel
From: Dottygumdrop
(serves 80-100)

Ingredients
1 whole camel, medium size
1 whole lamb, large size
20 whole chickens, medium size
12 kg basmati rice
2 kg pine nuts
2 kg almonds
1 kg pistachio nuts
60 eggs
110 gallons water
2.5 kg black pepper
Salt, to taste

Method
1. Skin, trim and clean the camel (till you get over the hump), lamb and chickens, and boil until tender.
2. Cook the rice until fluffy. Fry the pine nuts, almonds and pistachios until golden and mix with the rice, reserving some nuts for garnish. Hard boil the eggs.
3. Stuff the cook chickens with most of the hard boiled eggs and rice.
4. Stuff the lamb with the chickens and more rice.
5. Stuff the camel with the lamb and more rice.
6. Broil the camel over a large charcoal pit until brown.
7. Spread any remaining rice on a LARGE tray and place the camel on top of the rice. Decorate with any remaining hard boiled eggs and nuts.
8. Eat until you feel sick, then recline on your silken cushions and admire the belly dancers!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Tater's Alcoholic Drink

Tater's Alcoholic Drink for those of you who imbibe:
From: Taters

2 parts Pearl Blueberry Vodka
2 parts cranberry juice
2 parts Sprite or Seven-Up

It's very yummy and light!

Hermit Cookies

Hermit Cookies
From: Anastasaeon

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup firm packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
~ 2 cups raisens
~ 1 cup nuts - I used walnuts, but sometimes use pecans or a mix of both

Erg. Well, standard cookie building rules apply! Stir your shortening and sugar together first, add eggs one at a time, throw your flour, baking powder, salt and spices into another bowl and mix well, add wet mix to dry, fold in the raisens and nuts, drop heaping spoonfuls onto a baking sheet (mine was ungreased, but they are nonstick pans), bake for ~10 mins at 350.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
From: Dolores Reborn

Tilapia filets - Enough to cover the bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish. (They come in different sizes!) Overlap the fat sides over the thin sides, to try to make it an even thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
1 c fresh bread crumbs (2 slices white bread)
1/2 c grated parmesan
1 tbs chopped frsh parsley
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tbs olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Pulse the topping ingredients in a food processor. Spread the bread crumbs evenly over the fish. Bake at 400° for about 15-30 minutes, depending on thickness of filets, until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Hamburger Hash

Hamburger Hash
From: Dolores Reborn

1 lb hamburger
1 onion, chopped
4 medium NOT, diced
salt and pepper
2 c beef stock
1 tbs cornstarch

Brown hamburger with onion. Drain grease , if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Add diced potatoes and beef stock. Simmer, covered, 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Thicken with a slurry of cornstarch and a little water. Serve with crusty bread.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

'Nanas Banana Bread

'Nanas Banana Bread
From: ShermanAter

Here is my 'Nanas Banana Bread recipe. It is so good you'd think yer 'Nanna made it.

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 C sugar
* 1/2 C butter
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/2 C flour
* 1/2 t baking soda
* 1/4 t baking powder
* 1 t vanilla
* 3 large very ripe bananas, mashed
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts*
* * Macadamia nuts are even better but I don't think 'Nana ever had them on hand


Directions

1. Blend sugar, butter and eggs
2. Add sifted dry ingredients
3. mix well
4. Add mashed bananas
5. Add chopped nuts
6. Add vanilla
7. mix till you have a nice batter
8. Pour into Greased loaf pan
9. Bake @ 350 for 1 hour*
10. Let cool then transfer to baking rack
11. Slice and enjoy!
12. * Your oven may vary so keep an eye on it

SmartAleq's amendments:
First off, I had a lot of very ripe frozen bananas to use and a camping trip coming up so I tripled the recipe.

I reduced the overall amount of sugar by maybe a quarter cup, also I used three different kinds of sugar--it worked out to 2 c white sugar, 1 1/4 c dark brown and 1 c raw sugar. I like using raw sugar because it gives a neat taste and adds a bit of crunch to the top crust.

I used 2 c white flour and 2.5 c of whole wheat "white" flour--just wanted a bit more fiber.

I added a couple of teaspoons of really good Ceylon cinnamon.

Since I had only 8 bananas and a triple recipe should have 9, I took a can of apricot halves, drained them and put them through the blender until they were nice and smooth and added that along with the bananas.

I sprinkled Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips on top. I omitted the nuts because they are too darned expensive at Slaveway!

I found that by using an electric mixer and beating the hell out of everything that I ended up with a very fluffy, almost stiff batter. This translated into an extremely nice crumb in the finished product, which is very moist and almost cakelike.

Although I tripled the recipe I ended up with enough batter to make three 8 x 4 loaves and one 9 x 5 loaf. I think it grew in the mixing or something!

It is mindbendingly yummy, I heartily recommend!

Monday, July 21, 2008

Butterscotch cake

Butterscotch cake
From: taxi78cab

Here's the recipe (it's the "Substitution" section below)
1 package chocolate cake mix
1 package chocolate instant pudding mix
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, and water. Mix thoroughly then beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in chips. Pour into a greased 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Substitution:
Use a yellow cake mix, butterscotch pudding mix and butterscotch chips. The butterscotch chips end up on the bottom of the pan and form a crunchy, candy bottom. I find that a glass pan is best in this case as it can be tough to get the candy bits off the bottom of a metal pan!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Chaoticbear's PB&B sandwich

Chaoticbear's PB&B sandwich
From: Chaoticbear

2 slices of bread
Peanut butter (preferably the unsweetened all-natural kind)
A few slices of bacon

Cook the bacon however you see fit. Fold or break it into bread-sized pieces. Apply peanut butter to one slice of sandwich, add bacon and other piece of bread, and consume.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Baked Cabbage Casserole

Baked Cabbage Casserole
From: swampbear

1 medium head cabbage (I leave it to you to figure what a "medium" head of cabbage is)

1/4 cup milk

1 can cream of celery soup (cream of mushroom works too but celery is better IMO)

3 oz. cream cheese

Italian Bread Crumbs or, if you must, *shudder* those canned french fried onion things

Chop cabbage coarsely. This means rough chop nut cuss while choppin' although if you do who am I to judge. Boil for about eight minutes in salt water and drain. Heat the milk, soup and cream cheese together. Place cabbage in a two quart casserole and pour the heated up stuff over the cabbage, stirring to coat the cabbage. Top with bread crumbs or *shudder* the french fried onion thingys.

Bake uncovered for 40 minutes at 400 degrees.


There. Now y'all have the recipe. It is really good. Even people who say they don't like cabbage say they like this.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Appie recipe

Appie recipe
From: Flutterby

red bell peppers (or if you like a bit of bite, jalapenos)
block of plain cream cheese
bacon

Slice off the top and de-seed the peppers. If using bells, slice into about thumb width 'fingers'. If using jalapenos, slice in half and deseed. Open package of cream cheese. Slice off some, cut in half, and place on the peppers, munching some as you go. Cut the package of bacon in half and wrap each pepper finger in a slice of bacon. Feed the dog a slice of bacon, being careful not to let him have your fingers. If need be, pin the bacon on to the pepper with a toothpick. Eat whatever peppers and cream cheese that have not been wrapped in bacon.

Cook in the oven (at about 350), on the BBQ or over a fire (just make sure you have a grill over it). Cook until bacon is done, turning so they don't stick to the pan or catch on fire.

Eat.

Be prepared to make more.

Monday, June 30, 2008

CDTs or Cinnamon Dessert Thingys

CDTs or Cinnamon Dessert Thingys
From: Always Brings Pie

2 packages Pillsbury Crescent dinner rolls
2-8oz Philadelphia Cream cheese packages
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sugar

Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

Butter 9X13 inch pan. Cover bottom of pan with one entire package of crescent rolls (push together sections and roll out to make one piece).

Filling:
Whip together cream cheese, vanilla and sugar. Add filling on top of crescent rolls. Cover filling with other package of crescent rolls. Melt butter and cover crescent roll. Mix sugar and cinnamon in one bowl and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes. Let cool before serving.

YUM!!!!

Heath Bar Cake

Heath Bar Cake It's not a cakey-cake.....
From: eleanorigby

2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp bkg soda
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans)
4-5 Heath Bars chopped up or use the premade pkg.

9 x 13 pan. Oven at 350.
Cream butter and sugar; add flour. Mix slowly, then reserve 3/4 cup of mixture. Add bkg soda to remainder. Mix in egg, vanilla and milk. Pour into pan. Sprinkle with reserved mix, top with nuts and Heath Bar bits. Bake for approx. 35 minutes (may need less time).


It will look odd when it's a batter. There may even be bits of butter floating in it--no worries.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Feta Dip

Feta Dip
From: Lissla Lissar

I just put maybe three-quarters of a cup of crumbled feta, three or four roasted peppers, a clove of garlic, and a half-cup or so yogurt in the food processor and blitz it, and then add lemon juice and/or chili garlic sauce to taste.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

My grandmother's stuffed cabbage

My grandmother's stuffed cabbage
From: FairyChatMom

1# ground beef
2/3 C cooked rice
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 small onion, chopped and sauteed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 head of cabbage

Allow the rice and onion to cool, then mix the first 6 ingredients together.

Scald the cabbage leaves and trim off the heavy ribs. (Get some water boiling in a big pot, and put in the cabbage head. As the leaves get limp, use a sharp knife to sever them from the core, and put them in a collander to drain. After they cool a bit, trim off the ribs.)

Line a large heavy pot or crock pot with the outer leaves (they're kinda tough anyway.) Then take some of the meat mixture, form it into a largish egg-shape, and roll in a cabbage leaf. Pack the rolls tightly into the pan. Salt and dot with butter. You can also add chunks of potatoes as you layer the rolls. Add water about halfway up the pot, place any remaining cabbage on top, and cover.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Be careful not to let the cabbage burn - it'll infuse the whole batch. Or turn on the crock pot and cook for a few hours till done.

Definitely better the second day. And they freeze beautifully.

I know some folks dump 'mater sauce over the rolls, but my grandmother never did that, so I don't either.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Rosie’s Potatoes

Rosie’s Potatoes
From: Dolores Reborn

6 red potatoes, sliced and parboiled for about 3 minutes
1 cup milk
1 tbs butter
1 tbs corn starch
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 green onions, sliced thin
¼ lb velveeta, cubed
4 oz sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Place sliced potatoes in dish, and add a dash of salt and pepper. Mix to season all the potatoes.

Over medium heat, whisk milk, butter and cornstarch until thickened. Add salt and pepper. Be careful not to scorch the bottom. When it starts to get thick, stir in the green onions and velveeta, heating slowly to melt the cheese. When all melted, remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Combine thoroughly, and pour over potatoes.

Bake about 40 minutes until golden and bubbly.

Friday, June 13, 2008

pamtomaca, pà amb tomaquet

pamtomaca, pà amb tomaquet
From: Nava

A Catalan invention; "pà amb tomaquet" means "bread with tomato." The other spelling is how it sounds to someone who can't spell Catalan, the stress is on the ma. In Spanish bars you can see either spelling. In Catalonia and the Balearic Isles, baguette sandwhiches from bars are with tomato by default; in other parts of the country you need to ask for the tomato.

You need: overripe tomatoes, (salt) , oil, (garlic), (toasted) bread, (ham, salami...).

The toasting isn't optional with sliced bread, as that one simply isn't solid enough to withstand the process otherwise. If you like it with garlic, cut a garlic clove in half and squash it over the bread before you do it with the tomato; it should be sort of trail-like, rather than trying to cover all the bread in garlic taste. Recomendation: don't mix garlic and other extras, everybody I know who's tried it says it doesn't work well.

The tomatoes should be too ripe to be used in a salad. Cut them through the equator. Flip them on the bread, so the triangular spaces where the tomato keeps its seeds are directly in contact with the bread. Push it around, so all the bread gets tomatoed. Toss away the remaining of the tomato (unless you're my Grandpa, who just salts it and munches it away because "i'z a zin da zrow au' 'ood" "don't lie, Grandpa, you just like it" "true that, are you done with the other half?").

Pour a biiiiiit of oil on the bread. Don't drench it, please, or at least do it where my arteries and tastebuds won't be offended by the sight. If you're having the pamtomaca by itself, you can introduce it to the salt shaker (who is in a hurry to go away).

Great by itself, or with sliced ham (York, prosciutto, serrano), salami...; either as a tapa (one slice of bread, the meat on top) or as a sandwhich.

Tortilla de patatas

Tortilla de patatas
From: Nava

Ingredients: good oil, potatoes, eggs, salt. Onion (optional). The onion acts as a natural preservative, it keeps the omelette juicy and "unrusted" longer.

You will need a large pan; how large depends on how big you want your omelette to be (am I helpful or what). A fried-eggs pan is large enough for a 2-3 portions tortilla, the 3-people one will just be deeper and juicier (well, either juicy or burnt).

You will also need two dishes larger than the pan, one of which has enough of an edge to hold a mountain of potatoes over a lake of scrambled egg without pouring egg all over your kitchen, but at the same time this edge is low enough to slide the whole thing sideways into your frying pan without making the oil jump.

I have no idea how much the potatoes for a 4-egg tortilla weigh, as we always measure them by eye. It would be one medium-sized potato and one egg per person. If you like it "wet," add one more egg than mouths expected around the table. Since it's quite common to have miscalculated the amounts and need an extra egg anyway, I recomend starting with that extra the first times; once you get an eye for your potatage and your taste in omelettes, adjust your recipe.

Tapas style: this is actually considered somewhat heretic to be done anywhere except in a bar. Chop up the potatoes and onions in tiny bits. Fry them (although, as Ogette is my witness, most bars don't so much fry as boil them). The frying part is the same.

Home style: slice the potatoes. Deep-fry them; this means so much oil that for any other dish it would be called "drowning." You can scramble the eggs (no salt) in a deep plate either before you start frying the potatoes or, if you have enough practice to do two things at the same time, while the oil heats up. I'm assuming you use a pan, if you use a deep fryer do it normally but take the potatoes out sooner than you normally would. The oil must be hot enough that it's frying, not boiling. To see that the oil is hot enough, drop a small piece inside when you think it's already hot; when the piece of potato isn't just swimming about but trying to jump in place, add the rest. The potato slices change color twice as they fry: they become translucid first, later they brown. If you're using onion: add the finely chopped bits to the pan when the potatoes are about half-fried and don't worry about whether it gets done or not. Take them out of the pan and onto the scrambled egg when they're translucid but not brown. Salt them when everything is on the deep dish.

Pour off the oil into a large enameled jar. Put the pan back on the fire, on low. Add the egg and potatoes to the pan, sliding them in sideways from the plate, setting the potatoes more-or-less equally all over the egg. When the egg on the bottom is done (i.e., at the point where you'd fold it over if it was a normal omelette), transfer it back to the plate. This is done by covering the pan with your plate, taking it up from the fire, turning it over (one hand on the plate's bottom, one on the pan's handle), lifting the pan-now-lid and placing it back on the fire. Careful: it's heavy and hot!

Don't even think of flipping it up, I'm not responsible for you having to call both the paramedics and a painter for your kitchen: it's a potato omelette, not a pancake. Cover the plate with another plate; turn this "plates and omelette sandwich" over: now you have a plate with the potatoes on top of it and the done half of the omelette on top of the potatoes, push it sideways back into the pan.

When the bottom half is, again, done, take it out into the plate you'll serve from, using the same pan-becomes-lid method as before.

It can be served by itself as a main dish (I know some people who like using tomato sauce as a dip, but they're the kind of folk who'll put tomato sauce in their pasta Alfredo); by itself in smaller portions as a pincho (the portion should be small enough to be held aloft when you grab it by the toothpick from which "pinchos" get their name); by itself in small portions on a slice of bread (as a "tapa" or lid on the bread); it can go into a baguette as a sandwich, sliced into pieces so it fits the bar of bread (in this case, it's better to use pamtomaca, as a sandwich with only the omelette will easily be too dry).

Tortilla individual

Tortilla individual
Meaning omelette, not the ones for tacos. Sized for one. For two you can use the same pan, but two eggs.
From: Nava

"Tortilla francesa": in a single-egg-sized pan, pour a bit of oil. While it heats on the fire, scramble an egg with a dash of salt. When the oil is hot, pour off to your general oil jar as much of it as you can. Put it back on the fire, pour the scrambled egg in. Use a fork to fold it over itself as it gets done. If you like your omelette "soft," just fold it a couple times and turn it over once so it's solid enough to fork it over to the plate without pouring egg all over the countertop; if you like it "brick hard," give it a couple turns patting it with the fork.

"Tortilla de...": as above, only you add a chopped-up extra ingredient to the scrambled egg, either before pouring it to the pan or sprinkling it after pouring. Most newbies tend to put too much of the extra when they mix it beforehand. Common extras are canned tuna, chorizo, meltable cheese, mushrooms... If your extra is tiny bits of several veggies (no potato) it's called "tortilla Juliana;" there's also a "sopa Juliana" which is your basic veggies (no potato) soup with the veggies chopped up in tiny bits.

If you have bread of kinds similar to baguette or ciabatta, a sandwich made with one of these tortillas (whole, they are the right shape for a Spanish barra) makes a great lunch for someone on the go.

Frying, the Spanish way

Frying, the Spanish way
Or, reduce, reuse, recycle.
From: Nava

The secret is not a secret at all: use reusable vegetable oils. That's olive, corn or sunflower; those three are the oils that are highest in oleic acid (therefore lower in "any other fatty acids"), it's about 99.99% of the fatty acids in olive oil and upwards of 90% in the other two (if memory serves, I'm writing offline and don't have my "natural chemistry" classnotes here). Oleic acid can be heated a lot more than other oils, it doesn't "coagulate" with itself and can be reused; it's also good for your cholesterol - well, that's how the olive industry says it, in reality it's at least less bad than fatty acids with several double bonds (found in "lesser oils" and animal fat) or, worse, with trans- bonds (found in hydrogenated fats). The only times myself, my grandmothers or Mom have ever thrown used oil away it was because we were moving house: that's a combined 250 years of cooking. And it's one of the reasons why a single liter of olive oil can last yours truly half a year or more, in spite of not using any other oils.

When you're done using these oils for frying, you do not throw them away, but store them. If you have a small pan (a handspan in diameter from edge to edge) that you use exclusively to fry eggs and single-person omelettes, as most Spanish households do (I've never been to one which didn't, "frying an egg" being defined as the lowest common denominator of cooking), then you just leave your eggs oil in the eggs pan.

You need to keep between one and three enameled jars or cups for your used oil. Pour your oil there through a thin-metal-mesh colander when you're done frying. Most veggies won't leave any taste to the oil. Meat will and its own fats transfer to the oil, so oil from meat must be reused either for the same kind of meat or for things like soup, mashed potatoes (instead of gravy, add a tiny tiny bit of used oil) or tomato sauce. Fish transfers a lot of taste, specially blue fish: you can separate it (and use it for your fish stock, rice, pasta) or you can fry some leaves of lettuce before transferring it to the common jar, you may need to change the leaves a couple times until the oil passes the "ok, this doesn't smell like fish at all any more" test.

Steak Fajitas

Steak Fajitas
From: sturmhauke

marinade:
a nonreactive flank steak-shaped vessel (glass, ceramic, stainless steel, plastic - NOT aluminum)
1 large yellow onion
1 bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. salt
7 oz. lime juice (this happens to be the size of the lime juice bottle I bought)
14 oz. white vinegar (or double the amount of lime juice)
1/3 c. olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. flank steak
1 bell pepper
10 soft taco sized tortillas (8 in. diameter)

toppings (you can pick and choose here):
black, pinto, or refried beans
guacamole
sour cream
salsa
grated cheese
shredded cabbage

Cut half the onion into thick rings and set aside for grilling. Dice the other half for the marinade. Take about 1/3 of the cilantro and chop for the marinade, stems and all - this should yield about a cup or so. Mince the garlic. Combine all the marinade ingredients in your vessel. Unfold and rinse the flank steak, then place it in the vessel. Use a spoon to coat the top with veggie chunks. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes, then turn the steak over and repeat the process.

Meanwhile, quarter the bell pepper and remove all the seeds and white bits. Prepare your beans. (For canned whole beans, you can simmer them in their own liquid, maybe with a little salt and onion. If you want to make them from scratch, you're on your own. :P) Take the rest of the cilantro, remove the stems, and chop coarsely. Moisten each tortilla with a little water, stack them up, and seal them in a foil packet.

Grill the flank steak on medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes a side, until medium-rare. Grill the bell pepper and onion rings until slightly blackened on each side. Grill the tortilla packet for a minute or two each side, until it expands from the steam. (I overdid mine a little, and one of the tortillas got burnt.) Let the grilled steak rest a bit while you slice the grilled veggies into a more edible size. Slice the steak across the grain, thinly. Pile some steak and whatever else you like onto a tortilla and chow down.

Monday, June 9, 2008

King Ranch Chicken

King Ranch Chicken
From: Dolores Reborn

1 whole chicken, cooked and shredded into bite size pieces
1 lb Velveeta, grated (just push it through the large holes of the grater! )
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes
15-20 corn tortillas (less than a pkg of 24) - cut in half

Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix soups and ro-tel together. Spread a small amount in the bottom of a 13x9 pan. Place a layer of tortillas in the pan, with straight edges on the sides. then add 1/2 the chicken and 1/3 of the sauce, and 1/2 the cheese. Layer tortillas again, then the rest of the chicken, then 1/3 of sauce and remaining cheese. One more layer of tortillas, and cover with remaining sauce. If it doesn't look like enough, mix salsa in with it. Cover completely so the tortillas don't dry out. You can add shredded cheddar on top if you want.

Cover with foil and bake about 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes to brown a bit on top. Let sit a few minutes to firm up, if you can stand it. We usually just eat it all gooey!

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
From: Dottygumdrop

Ingredients
1 generous pound of chicken boobs, diced
8oz sour cream
1 bunch of coriander leaves (aka cilantro), finely chopped
8 tortillas (flour or corn, your choice - I use Tumaro's gourmet chipotle chili and peppers tortillas)
1 tin of enchilada sauce (I use Hatch's Medium spicy sauce)
1/2 cup of shredded cheese (cheddar or mozzarella work best for me)

Method
Fry the chicken boobie pieces until browned, seasoning with a little black pepper, then place in a heatproof dish to cool for a while. Meantime pre-heat your oven to 200C (400F).

Once the chicken has cooled a little (about 10 minutes should do it), stir in the sour cream and the coriander/cilantro until well-mixed. Take out a lasagne dish (13" x 9", I guess). Now lay out your stack of tortillas (warm them a little in the microwave, if they are stiff). Spoon a generous spoonful of chicken mix into the middle of a tortilla and roll it up, placing it into the lasagne dish. Repeat until all of your tortillas are filled, wrapped and nestled together in the dish.

Now sprinkle a little cheese over the tortillas, then pour on the enchilada sauce (I use about 3/4 of the can of sauce, but you pour on however much you like). Top with the rest of the cheese, then bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Serve with a fresh green salad! 2 tortillas with salad should feed 1 person (unless it's my husband, who forgot to eat lunch, in which case he will eat 4 and ignore the salad altogether)!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Curried Chickpeas

curried chickpeas
From: chaoticbear

2 good sized onions
1/2ish pound carrots
1/2ish pound celery (optional)
garlic to taste
fresh ginger to taste (probably about an inch, grated)
2 cans chickpeas, drained
1 can (the 14.5 or whatever oz size) diced tomatoes
a little vegetable broth/chicken broth/water
Curry powder (amount to follow)
Cinnamon (1/2-1 tsp)
Nutmeg (about 10 good grates on the grater)
Red pepper flakes (optional)
Some combination, or just one of the following: Dried apricots or cranberries, golden raisins, dried cherries (about 3/4 cup)
Peanuts and chopped cilantro to put on top of bowls at the end (optional)

Cut up vegetables into small chunks, soften with a little salt in some oil at the bottom of a big pan or dutch oven over medium-ish heat, unless you're impatient. Add garlic and ginger, and cook for a little bit, as long as you normally cook garlic after you've added it to a pan. Sprinkle in some curry powder, my guess is around 2 tsp, but it'll be enough to coat the vegetables, and stir while you're finding your red pepper flakes, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add them, and marvel at how fragrant it is. Before the mixture starts to burn, add the tomatoes and drained chickpeas, stir, assess liquid content, add a little if the mixture looks dry, probably no more than a cup. You can always add some later. Cook covered, stirring once or twice for 30 minutes. Add the dried fruit, cook uncovered for a little while if there's too much liquid now, let the fruit plump up a bit, check tenderness of chickpeas, and if everything looks and tastes good, serve.

I'm not big on recipes. ;)

Grilled N.O.T. And Other Stuff

Grilled N.O.T. And Other Stuff
From: swampbear

2-3 pounds of N.O.T. peeled or not and cut in chunks. Y'all know what a chunk is.

1 large bell pepper cut in chunks

1 or 2 largish sweet onions cut in chunks

The operative word here people is chunks.

1 stick of butter, or if you must margarine.

Whazzizhere AKA Worcestershire Sauce

Make a pouch out of heavy duty aluminum foil. Do I have to explain what I mean? Ok, but if you don't know, you really should not be allowed around anything sharper than a butter knife. Take two pieces of heavy duty aluminum foil and crisscross 'em. Pile the N.O.T., peppers and onions in the middle. Slice the butter and lay it all over the top and sprinkle generously with the Whazzizhere Sauce. Seal 'em up. Then wrap the other piece of foil up.

Place on a very hot grill. I didn't mention firin' up the grill ahead of time but then again you all should have known to do this already. Sheesh People!

Close the lid on your grill and leave it alone for thirty minutes. I mean it! Don't lift that lid! Don't even think about it.

Just so y'all know, I prefer yukon gold N.O.T. cause they cook up all nice and tender. Plus the boogers are tasty!

Thus endeth today's cookin' lesson.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Sangria

Sangria
From: swampbear

1 bottle red wine
A hefty shot or two of rum, brandy, gin, grain alcohol or whatever else you may desire
The juice of one or two lemons or limes or both
A bunch of sliced/chopped fruit. The recipe mentions strawberries, peaches, plums, grapes, oranges, pineapple chunks, melons, kiwis or whatever. I do think some citrus is de rigeur however

Mix it all up and chill, preferably overnight

Pour in tall glasses. Scoop some fruit in. Add a splash or two of club soda if desired. I like it kinda fizzy, so that sounds good. Serve over ice if ya wanna.

Sangria

Sangria
From: Mahna Mahna

2 bottles of decent red (not too dry)
2 cups soda water or fizzy lemonade
1/2 cup fresh squeezed OJ
1/4-1/2 cup brandy (depending on how strong I want it)
~1/4 cup sugar (more or less depending on taste)
chopped up apples/oranges/pears/lemons

You can also sub cheap bubbly for the red and use only peaches, pears and lemon for an interesting variation. Dunno 'bout kiwi and strawberries, but I suppose they'd be okay (albeit not authentic at all).

Sangria

Sangria
From: Nava

Cheap red wine, one liter. The pseudo wine that goes in cartons works. Don't bother using the good stuff, it's not worth it.
The juice of one or two Navel oranges (depending on their size), or of two Navelinas.
Opt. the juice of half a lemon.
As much soda water (Casera if you can get it) as juices, in volume (it can be less, specially if you're adding liquor).
Opt. half a glass of brandy, white herbal liquor or rhum (about 1/3 what the total juices were in volume). This option is most often used by people who are also adding the lemon.
Let it stand in the fridge to cool.
Rinds, ice, glazed sugar on the edge of the jar, etc. added as decoration before serving, to taste.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Fresh Salsa

Fresh Salsa
From: LVgeogeek

4-14 oz cans diced tomatoes, drained (I usually use fresh, but I didn't want to go to the store)
1 medium white onion, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp white vinegar
5 habanero peppers, chopped and stems removed
5 Serrano peppers, chopped and stems removed
about 5 ounces or so of roasted hot green chilies, peeled and stems removed
1 tsp cumin (more or less, depending on your taste)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Handful dried parsley (Again, I usually use fresh...)

Makes about 8 cups or so of salsa. I put it in mason jars and keep in the fridge. Stays good up to about 3 months.

I made this in my 14-cup Cuisi... My suggestion, mix all ingredients in a large bowl and add to food processor in batches. Pulse until desired consistency.

Note: This salsa is very HOT!! Also, I highly recommend wearing plastic gloves while handling and chopping the peppers and chilies.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Meatloaf

Meatloaf
From: Most Creative User Name Ever

2 beaten eggs
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1 tsp Onion powder
1 tbsp parsley
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sage
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp pepper
Bacon Salt (optional)
1/4 cup ketchup
2 pounds ground turkey (could use beef)

Mix eggs, milk, and ketchup. Stir in bread crumbs, onion powder, parsley, salt, sage, brown sugar, dry mustard, and pepper. Sprinkle bacon a nice layer of Bacon salt on top. Mix in ground turkey and mix well. Makes 2 loaves. I use bread pans to bake them in. Bake at 350 for about 60 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Healthy Chicken Parmesan














Healthy Chicken Parmesan
From: Most Creative User Name Ever

Sauce:
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes (could also use diced)
½ tsp basil
½ tsp oregano
Salt
Pepper

Put 2 tbsp olive oil in pan on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, and bay leaf. Cook until the onion starts to soften and becomes translucent. Add the tomatoes, basil, and oregano. Cook stirring occasionally until the sauce starts to thicken, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on low heat while you prep the chicken.

Chicken:
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 egg whites
¾ cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
2 tbsp parmesan cheese (plus some for tops of chicken later)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Mozzarella cheese for tops of chicken

Preheat oven to 400, spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a shallow bowl, beat the egg whites. Put flour on a piece of wax paper. On another piece of wax paper mix the bread crumbs with 2 tbsp parmesan and season with salt and paper.

Lightly dredge the chicken in flour, then dip in the egg whites, then dredge in the bread crumb mixture and place on pan. Spray the top of each chicken breast lightly with cooking spray.

Bake the chicken until golden brown, anywhere from 8-15 minutes. All depends on thickness of chicken breasts. Check to ensure that the chicken is done. Once done, add the mozzarella cheese and some parmesan cheese to the tops and put back into oven until melted.

Serve with sauce over chicken. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf from the sauce!