Thai Pumpkin Soup

Spicy Tasty Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:
2 small winter squash I like acorn squash, pumpkins, or kaocha squash. Mixing different squash types works well
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 teaspoon (or more) red Thai curry paste
vegetable broth
2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt (or to taste)

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375

Cut squash into similar sized chunks, halves or quarters. Cover each piece in butter, sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet skin side down, place in oven, and roast for about an hour and fifteen minutes. Squash should be tender throughout

While squash is cooling so that you can handle it. Scoop cream off of the top layer of the coconut milk and the curry paste and simmer it in a large pot over medium-high heat stirring frequently for about 10-15 minutes. The cream should start to separate into a puddle of colored oil and coconut solids. The curry paste should be starting to fry and should be very aromatic.

Add in the remaining coconut milk.

Scoop pumpkin into the pot.

Remove from heat and puree with a hand blender.

Add vegetable broth (or water) a cup at a time pureeing in between to get a desired texture.

Return to heat and bring to simmer. Add spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) and salt and pepper. Add additional curry paste to get desired spice level.

Source: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001525.html with cooking modifications based on techniques from Cooks Illustrated
Servings: Approximately 4 people

Due Today (or Tomorrow): 30 minute meals

Next week:  Pastries

Stack a dinner

Something my kids still like........

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
½ Cup chopped onion
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
¼ Cup catsup
½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
3 Drops hot pepper sauce
2 Cups uncooked rice
1 10-oz package frozen peas
4 oz sharp shredded cheese
1 Cup sour cream

Directions: Prepare rice. In skillet brown meat and onion; drain off fat. Add tomato sauce, next 3 ingredients, ¼ teaspoon salt and dash pepper; bring to boiling, stirring often. Cook peas.

On plates, layer rice, peas, meat mixture, cheese and sour cream.


Source: Cooking for Two

Servings: 6

Mexican Spiced Hot Cocoa

Ingredients: 1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
2 t dark brown sugar
¼ t cinnamon
¼ t nutmeg
1 T boiling water
1 C 1% milk
½ t vanilla extract
⅛ t almond extract

DirectionsIn a large mug, stir together first four ingredients. Add the boiling water and stir until smooth.

In a saucepan, heat the milk for 3 minutes over low heat or until hot. Stir the milk into the cocoa mixture until well combined. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts and serve.

Servings: 1 Serving

Morning Smoothie

You want a lot of fiber to make a breakfast drink last through the day....  This has fiber and is tasty.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
Frozen Rasberries
Coconut Water
Banana
Yogurt/Milk

Optional:
Coconut Milk
Flax Seed
Instant Breakfast
Whatever fruit you have laying around

Directions:
Throw everything together and grind it all up with a hand blender.  You are ready to go!

Source: Me!
Servings: Depends on how much you make!

Eggnog

We make this eggnog every New Year's Eve. It's too rich to make more than once a year, but perfect for a special occasion. Once again, I recommend pasteurized eggs for my recipe.

Preparation Time: About half an hour

Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated

1/2 cups sugar

2 cups milk

1/4 cup bourbon (or rum)

1/4 cup rum

3 tablespoons Kahlua

1 cup heavy cream

Directions:
In a large bowl, beat yolks with sugar until thick and light yellow. Beat in milk, whiskey, rum and Kahlua. Clean your beaters.

In a second bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.

In a third bowl, beat the cream until stiff peaks form.

Fold the whites and cream into the first big bowl.

Enjoy!

Source: Our friend Stu
Servings: 8 cups

Orange Punch

This a cool and refreshing punch. It is great for a Halloween party too.

Ingredients:
1/2 gallon orange sherbet
12 oz. can frozen orange juice
2 large bottles Sprite or 7-up (2 liters)

Directions:
Soften sherbet and frozen orange juice for about 20 minutes. Mix all ingredients together in a punch bowl. I have made ice rings with flowers frozen in them, or spooky gummy worms for Halloween.

Source: Phyllis
Servings: It depends how thirsty people are!

Mango Lassi

Preparation Time: less than 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 can of sugary mango pulp
1 cup of plain yogurt

Directions:
Mix ingredients in a blender. Add more yogurt if you want a smoother texture. I tried this with fresh mango and sugar but it didn't taste good at all.

Source: Me

Due Tomorrow: Drinks, Smoothies, and Shakes

Next Week:  30 Minute Meals

Pork chop supper

In always like making this in the fall.

Preparation Time: About 15 Minutes

Ingredients:
4 pork chops
1 cup rice
4 tablespoons chopped onions
2 cups water
2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon granules
1 cup chopped apples
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup sliced apples


Directions:
Trim fat from chops. Brown pork chops in a skillet. Set chops aside. In same skillet, cook rice and onion stirring constantly until rice is golden brown. Stir water and bouillon granules. Bring to a boil. Stir in chopped apples. Put mixture into a 9x13 baking dish, arrange pork chops on top. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Combine butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Brush sliced apples with mixture. Arrange around chops. Bake uncovered until apples and pork are tender, about 20 minutes.

Source: Adapted by Phyllis
Servings: 4

Cranberry - Apricot Pork Roast

This is wonderfully tasty.  I always feel like it would be even tastier with more apricots, but I don't recommend adding more.  It turns out horribly sweet!

Preparation Time: 2-9 hours depending

Ingredients:

1 can (16 oz) whole-berry cranberry sauce
½ cup quartered dried apricots
½ teaspoon grated orange peel
¼ cup fresh orange juice
1 lg shallot, chopped (1/3 c)
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 lbs. boneless pork loin roast, well trimmed
Snipped chives (garnish)


Directions:

Mix cranberry sauce, apricots, orange peel and juice, shallot, vinegar, mustard, salt, and ginger in 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Add pork and spoon some of cranberry mixture on top.

Cover and cook on low 7 to 9 hours or until pork is tender.

Remove pork to cutting board. Spoon off any fat from top of cranberry mixture in slow cooker. Slice pork into 6 thick slices. Serve topped with sauce. Garnish with chives, if desired.

I actually do all of this in the pressure cooker for 99 minutes (can you tell my electronic display only has two digits?).


Source: prevention.com (apparently cranberries are good for your heart!)
Servings: 6

Due Today: Pork

It's what's for dinner!

Next Week:  Drinks/Smoothies/Shakes

We're running out of topic ideas!  If I don't get some new ones we'll have to start cycling back through the old ones.

Any votes for next week's topic?

No recipe

Sorry that I didn't get a chocolate recipe posted. I am at Jekyll Island for the week, so maybe I will post some wonderful grits or collard greens recipes!! Phyllis

Magic Shell

This is a bit of a cheat since it is so simple and I've already pasted it to facebook, but it is sooooo tasty.  We haven't been able to get enough of it lately.

Preparation Time: About 10 minutes tops.

Ingredients:
2 parts coconut oil
3 parts chocolate
salt, oil-dissolvable extracts, etc.

Directions:
Melt coconut oil in a small sauce pan.  Coconut oil melts very quickly and had a high heat tolerance, so don't worry too much about burning it.  Drop in your chocolate and extras and stir until mixed thoroughly.  Pour immediately into a glass container or let cool and pour into an old magic shell bottle.

A couple of observations:
 * Unrefined coconut oil will taste like coconut.  Refined will not.
 * This is much more liquid-y at room temperature than regular magic shell, but hardens faster and better.
 * Since it is oil based, I don't recommend getting it on your clothes.
 * Make some homemade ice cream bars and then dip them into a pint jar of magic shell.
 * I want to buy a tiny ice cube tray and use it to make Dibs-like creations.

Source: All over the interwebs

Due Today: Chocolate

Next Week's Topic:  Pork

Votes for the following?

Flourless Chocolate Mousse Cake

I started making this when I fell in love with Whole Foods' mousse cake and needed a good flourless cake recipe to keep from going broke. It's a great option for any chocolatey occasion. Be aware that it's a very short cake, less than two inches high when done, so you may need to dress it up on a pedestal or other special plate. The recipe includes reserving 1/3 of the batter and using it as icing, so we always use pasteurized eggs.

Ingredients:
11 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 3/4 sticks of unsalted butter (mmmm butter!)
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
11 large egg yolks
1 T brandy or rum
8 large egg whites
pinch of cream of tartar
cocoa powder for dusting
9 inch spring form

Directions:
In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter together. Move to a large bowl to cool. Butter the pan and dust with the cocoa.

Beat yolks in different bowl until cream colored, then add 1 and 1/3 cups of the sugar (not all the sugar, some mixes with the egg whites) a little at a time beating the entire time until the mix comes off the beater in ribbons.

In yet another bowl, beat whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks, then add remaining sugar a bit at a time while beating untill stiff and glossy. Add the brandy and beat once more.

Stir 1/3 of yolk mix in with the chocolate. Fold in the rest (folding is important to keep it airy). Do the same thing with the mirage, mix 1/3 and fold rest.

Spoon 2/3 of the entire mixture into the springform pan and bake for 25 minutes at 350. It will look as if it's not done, but take it out anyway. If you panic and leave it in longer, you MUST take it out at 30 minutes, or it will be dry.

Leave the other 1/3 of the mix room temp because you'll use it to ice the cake.

Let the cake cool, take off pan, level the cake and ice the cake with the remaining 1/3 of the mix. Dust with cocoa if you wish. Refrigerate. Bring to room temp before serving if you wish; I prefer it cold.

Source: My friend Anique's mom found it in a magazine: Gourmet? Epicurious? No one is sure, but she's used it for years.
Servings: 4 (gourmand) - 16 (gourmet)

Mini Chocolate-Hazelnut Cheesecakes

Preparation Time:  This takes about 1 hour to complete

Ingredients:
15 oreo cookies
2 T raw or roasted hazelnuts, skinned
2 T softened butter
8 oz cream cheese, softened
¾ C Nutella
½ C sour cream
2 large eggs
2 T sugar
2 T mini choc chips

Directions:
Preheat oven 350..line muffin tin w/paper liners, spray liners with veg oil spray. In food processor combine cookies, hazelnuts and butter to very fine crumbs. Divide crumbs among cops and using a flat-bottomed glass, press on crumbs to compact them. Bake for 5 min.

Wipe out food processor bowl. Add cream cheese, Nutella, sour cream, eggs and sugar..puree until smooth. Spoon filling into cups until near the top. Sprinkle choc chips on top and bake for 20 minutes until risen and surfaces lightly cracked. Cool slightly then transfer tin to a rack and freeze for 10 min. Serve at room temperature.

Can be refrigerated in airtight container for 3 days

Basil Tomatoes

This is wonderful served on slices of Italian bread!

Preparation Time: About 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 Cup chopped tomatoes
1 Tablespoon finely chopped basil
1 Tablespoon finely chopped lovage
1 Tablespoon crushed garlic
1 Tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Season with salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix everything together and refrigerate a couple of hours.

Hot Wings

There are several variations so they are GREAT for everyone. It has really easy cleanup with the foil lined pan. For those who don't like "bones" this can be used with boneless chicken pieces...just cook for about 30 minutes instead.

Preparation Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
2 T flour
1 t salt
2 # chicken wings/drumettes
2 ½ T red hot sauce (we use Louisiana Hot Sauce)
2 T butter melted
Determine the sauce from below to determine what else is mixed with the flour and salt before cooking...

Directions:
Preheat oven to 500°. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil. In bowl, mix flour, and salt (I use a ziplock bag instead). Add chicken and coat. Spread chicken on baking sheet and spray with veg oil. Roast chicken for 45 min, turning 1 or 2 times until browned and crispy.

In a bowl, toss chicken with sauce and serve.

Sauces:

For Old Bay, add 1 T old bay to flour, then add 2 T Worcestershire sauce to sauce before tossing.

For Mango-Curry, add 2 t hot madras curry powder to flour, then add 2 T chutney to sauce and top with chopped pistachios.

For Ginger-Honey, add 1 t ground Sichuan peppercorns and ¼ t five-spice powder to flour, then add ½ T soy sauce and 2T each of honey, minced fresh ginger and scallions to sauce.

For Sweet & Sticky, add ½ t each of dried garlic and onion powder and 1 t smoked paprika, then add 2 T melted hot pepper jelly to sauce.

We like the Old Bay the best, but have tried the sweet and sticky and it is equally good.

Always serve with chunky blue cheese for dipping! Enjoy

Source: Think it was Food and Wine Magazine

Fried Squash Blossoms

One of the fun things about being a mom is the fact that you get to meet all sorts of other moms.  And in previous lives those moms had all sorts of fun and interesting jobs.  One of the moms that I've recently come to know used to be (and really, still is) a chef.  A couple of weeks ago, she told me what the squash blossoms you can sometimes find at farmers' markets are for.

Preparation Time: Maybe 20 minutes to stuff a dozen and another 10 to batter and fry.

Ingredients:
One dozen squash blossoms
some soft cheese or other filling
oil
egg
flour

Directions:

Waiting to be fried

Very carefully open the blossom, trying not to tear it.  Into the blossom, slide a couple of cheese slivers or some other stuffing.  Twist the blossom closed.  When you have all of your blossoms stuffed, start heating some oil in a pan, enough to fry the blossoms, not just saute them.  I used about half an inch.

In a small bowl whisk one egg with a tablespoon or two of water and place some flour in another bowl.  Individually dip each blossom in egg and then coat with flour.  Drop into the hot oil.  Once I got all of the blossoms into the oil I flipped them over (too cheap to use enough oil to cover them in the first place) and I took them out and placed them on a paper towel when they started to look crunchy.

Notes:
I'm sure these look prettier when done in a restaurant by a professional chef.  I've never actually fried anything before, so be nice ;).

I'm not sure where one finds squash blossoms.  We have them at our farmers' market for $2/dozen which Laura tells us is a really good price.

Even Cory liked them :)  Although next time I think I'll use goat cheese instead of Brie.  I always try to convince myself I like Brie and I usually fail.

Source: Laura
Servings: 4 or so

Due Tomorrow: Appetizers

Next Week's Topic:  Chocolate

Any votes for the following?  Any new topic ideas?  Are we getting bored with this whole recipe blog idea?  Or is the summer just busy?

Curried Chicken Salad

A friend of ours makes some fantastic curried chicken balls as appetizers.  It is more work making the little balls than I would like, so I've converted it into a chicken salad

Preparation Time: 10 minutes or so

Ingredients:
1/2 - 1 pkg cream cheese, softened
enough mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
2 tablespoons orange marmalade or apricot preserves
2 teaspoons (or more) curry powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon white pepper
3 cup chopped, shredded, or ground cooked chicken
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts or almonds

Directions:
Mix everything together and serve on a bed of lettuce or in a sandwich.  The actual amounts are very flexible and depend on how strong your curry is and your mayo to cream cheese preference.  I'm sure you could toss in sour cream or yogurt in place of one or both as well.

Source: Modified from Joan Fletcher

Due Today: Salads

Next Week's Topic:  Appetizers

Any votes for the following?

Quinoa Salad

This is a tasty salad twangy salad that I make quite often. The measurements here are truly just guidelines. I really tend to fiddle with the amounts in this recipe quite a bit.


Ingredients:
1 bell pepper (pick your favorite color)
1-2 large carrots
3 tomatoes
1 cup raw Red Quinoa

Ingredients for the Rice Wine Vinaigrette:

1 tsp. finely grated ginger or 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
6 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. sesame oil

Directions:
Cook quinoa (takes about 15 minutes)
Chop veggies
mix quinoa and veggies

Make the rice wine vinaigrette in a separate bowl (modifying measurements to taste)

pour vinaigrette over veggies.

Serve or cool in fridge and eat at your leisure

Source: Modified by me from this recipe: http://www.notderbypie.com/quinoa-salad-with-tofu-beets-and-avocado/

Cherry Salad

This recipe comes from my mother and was at EVERY family gathering while growing up...still good!

Ingredients: 
1 Quart Cherries (if you can them) or 2 cans pitted tart red cherries in water
1 egg
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C cream (whipping or 1/2 and 1/2)
mini marshmallows
banana

Directions: 
Drain cherries, saving juice. Add ½ C sugar to cherry juice and heat. Drop in cherries and let stand 1 hour.

Mix egg, sugar and cream. Heat in heavy pan over medium heat until thick and boiling. Stir continuously. Cool (so marshmallows don’t melt).

Drain cherries, add marshmallows and dressing. Cover and chill. Add sliced banana when ready to serve.

(Sauce can be doubled..)

Serves: 6-8
Source: Gram

Cauliflower Cashew Salad

This is a great tasting and very pretty salad.

Preparation Time: About 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets
4 medium carrots, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 bottle (8 ounces) ranch salad dressing
1/2 cup cashews

Directions:
In a serving bowl, combine the cauliflower, carrots and peas. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Just before serving, stir in cashews.

Source: Taste of Home
Servings: 10 servings

Overnight French Toast

This has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember... always requested

Preparation Time: 20 minutes, then overnight to rest, another

Ingredients:
16 slices white bread, trimmed of crusts, cut into cubes
2 pkgs (8oz) cream cheese, cubed
2 C milk
12 eggs
1 C maple syrup
2-3 peeled, thinly sliced apples
2 T sugar mixed with 2 T cinnamon

Directions:
Place half of bread in a greased 9 X 12 pan. Add cream cheese, then add rest of bread. Add mixture of milk, beaten eggs & syrup. Cover and refrigerate over night.

Top with sliced apples and sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar.

Bake at 375º for 60-90 minutes…until set. Serve with syrup.

Source: Carmen
Servings: 8

This Week's Topic: Salads

Sorry for the delay!

Chocolate Chip & Banana Muffins

When I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. These muffins are so quick and easy to make, and are SO yummy! It's a simple recipe that is very easy to include kids in the mixing process. They are so good that you don't even need to put butter on them when they're done, but are even more delicious if you choose to do so! I also freeze them like the recipe recommends. Obviously they are not as tasty as just out of the oven, but I still enjoy them. A different recipe you can use to get rid of those overripe bananas!

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes prep - approx. 30 minutes to bake.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
2 cups mashed overripe bananas (about 6)
3 large eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips (6 ounces)

Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 350° and line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper or foil liners. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, melted butter, bananas and eggs; mix thoroughly. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until the batter is evenly moistened. Stir in the chocolate chips.

-Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for about 28 minutes*, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a rack to cool completely.

*I cook mine for almost 5 minutes less because I've found that 28 minutes in my oven makes the muffins too dry. Be sure to check them with a toothpick about 5 minutes before to see how your oven bakes them.

Make Ahead
The banana muffins can be wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 1 month. Let thaw and toast in a 350° oven.

Source: Food and Wine
Servings: 24 muffins

Overnight Aspargus Strata

Preparation Time:
Prep: 15 min. + chilling Bake: 40 min. + standing

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 English muffins, split and toasted
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
8 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
In a large saucepan, bring 8 cups water to a boil. Add asparagus; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place asparagus in ice water. Drain and pat dry.

Arrange six English muffin halves, cut side up, in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Fill in spaces with remaining muffin halves. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese, asparagus, ham and red pepper.   In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt, mustard and pepper; pour over muffins. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the middle comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Source: Taste of Home
Servings: 6-8

Due Tomorrow: Breakfast

Votes for next week?

Due Yesterday: Ice Cream

Next Week's Topic:  Breakfast.

Sorry for the lack of moderating lately...  Maddy and I've only spent 3.5 of the last 31 days at home.  Things should be heading back to normal next week!

Rocky Road Ice Cream

YUMMY!!!

Preparation Time:  Prep: 15 min. + cooling Process: 20 min./batch + freezing

Ingredients:
3 cups whole milk
3 cups half-and-half cream
9 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2-3/4 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 cups heavy whipping cream
3 cups miniature marshmallows
2-1/4 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups chopped pecans
6 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
In a large saucepan, combine milk and half-and-half; heat to 175°. Add chocolate, sugar and salt; stir until chocolate is melted and sugar is dissolved.

Remove from the heat. Cool quickly by placing pan in a bowl of ice water; stir for 2 minutes. Cool completely. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Fill cylinder of ice cream freezer two-thirds full; freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. Refrigerate remaining mixture until ready to freeze. When ice cream is frozen, transfer to a freezer container; freeze for 2-4 hours before serving. Yield: about 4-1/2 quarts.

Source: Taste Of Home
Servings: 36, I usually cut this recipe in half.

Ice Cream Pumpkin Pie

I had this pie my first Thanksgiving in Massachusetts. I never liked pumpkin pie until this recipe and now I like most pumpkin pies.

Ingredients:
9" Graham Cracker crumb crust in foil pan
1/2 box vanilla ice cream
3/4 cup mashed pumpkin

Mix the following ingredients:
1/4 cup brown sugar (packed) - medium brown is best
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)


Directions:
Soften the ice cream enough to be able to mix it with the pumpkin and mixed dry ingredients. Mix well to blend the ingredients. DO NOT overmix or make the ice cream soupy.

Pour into your pie crust. You will probably have leftover mixture, so you can buy two crusts, just in case. Leave some allowance in the first pie crust for the mixture to expand as it freezes.

For the best freezing, make the pie the night before you need it.

The pie will get very hard, so put it in the refrigerator a couple of hours before you want to eat it.

Source: Becky Tinio

Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

Maddy's favorite, but it's not for everyone.  It is definitely not sweet.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes prep, 20-30 minutes freeze

Ingredients:
1 large container whole milk cream top yogurt
1 bag frozen raspberries
1/2 cup honey

Directions:
Let the raspberries defrost, mix everything together and pour in the ice cream maker.  Mix until done.

Notes:
The cream top whole milk yogurt is important.  The fat content is helpful in keeping it from freezing solid.  It still does freeze pretty hard after a full day and night in the freezer, so I think I'm going to try adding some egg beaters (the non-e-coli alternative to the traditional raw eggs).

Source: Me!
Servings: About 2 quarts

Simple Cherry Garcia Frozen Yogurt

Thankfully, Lis gave Tom and I an electric ice cream maker for a housewarming gift and with this warm summer weather and the current heat wave we have been making very good use of it! This is our favorite recipe out of the few we've tried, and it is so simple you really can't mess it up. It is so delicious, and much healthier than Ben & Jerry's!

Preparation Time: 5-10 minutes prep, 20-30 minutes freeze time

Ingredients:
Fresh Cherries, coarsely chopped
Vanilla Yogurt
A couple splashes of milk
A drizzle of honey
Chocolate Chips

Directions:
Chop the cherries and place in a bowl. Add the amount of yogurt you'd like, milk, and honey. Mix well. Follow manufacturer directions for your ice cream maker to freeze.

Notes:
*My ice cream maker recommends adding the chips 5 minutes before it's done freezing, but you can also just use them as a topping.

*I didn't put exact measurements because you can really customize the recipe to your own liking, that's the best part! If you want a starting point: I typically use half of a large container of yogurt and probably about 1 cup of coarsely chopped cherries (we love cherries!), literally two splashes of milk, and about 1 tbsp honey. The cherries add enough sweetness for us so other than the honey, we don't add any additional sugar.

Source: Me
Servings: Varies

Cottage Cheese Dill Bread

I love dill, so when I saw this recipe I was really interested in trying it, especially because I don't like any type of cottage cheese. I messed up multiple times with the recipe, and found the bread to be a little dry, but I'm owing it to the fact that it was my first loaf of homemade bread ever. The bread was delicious with a sandwich, but next time I might attempt to make it more moist by adding more cottage cheese, and it could probably use double the amount of dill. I've listed the recipe directly from the website I found it on for you to make your own adjustments. I will definitely make this bread again!

Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes prep/knead time, 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours rise time, 45 minutes cook time

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. instant yeast
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1 cup cottage cheese (full or reduced fat), at room temperature
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 heaping tbsp. fresh onion, finely minced
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh dill, minced
1 tbsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp. olive oil
5 to 6 1/2 cups bread flour *

*I only used 4 cups of flour, and I swear all the ingredients before the flour were measured correctly. Decide for yourself how much to put in since you add 1 cup at a time.

Directions:
Combine the yeast and the water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and stir to dissolve the yeast. Add all remaining ingredients except flour to the bowl and mix until a dough has formed. Switch over to the dough hook and stir at low speed. Add flour 1 cup at a time until you have a soft dough that clears the sides of the bowl. Continue kneading on low speed for 5-6 minutes. Transfer the dough ball to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place. (I preheat my oven to 150 degrees F, turn it off as soon as it reaches this temp, and then put the dough in.) Let rise until the dough has doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

When the dough has doubled, punch it down and shape into a log the size of a loaf pan. Place into a lightly greased loaf pan and press down gently so that the dough touches all sides of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again in a warm place, 30-60 minutes.

When the loaf has risen, remove the plastic wrap and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes, then cover with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning and bake another 15-20 minutes longer. Let cool for 5 minutes and then remove from pan and cool to room temperature on a wire rack.


Source: Annie's Eats: http://www.annies-eats.com/

Knox/Jump Family Ice Cream

Write an optional description

Preparation Time:First have all your ingredients chilling in the refrigerator.

Second, prepare your ice by filling a cloth bag and breaking it into coarse pieces using a mallet or hammer.

Third place your stainless steel cream can into the wooden tub so that it rests easily on the metal tub center in the bottom of the tub. Insert your dasher in the can making sure that the protrusion on the bottom of the cream can fits into the socket of the dasher.

Fourth, pour your recipe into the cream can, never filling the can more than half full. Assemble the can cover and turn the dasher stem with your fingers until it turns freely.
Fifth, place the gear-frame into position by grasping the gear-frame and engage the dasher stem into the socket of the gear-frame. If you have a hand crank freezer, slide the cranking end into the tub ear. The opposite end of the gear-frame fits into the tub latch. Gently push the thumb latch down until the gear-frame is snug. If you own an electric unit, be sure to hold the unit with the label facing you. Insert the right side of the unit into the steel ear and the left side (marked latch end) fits into the latch, Gently push the thumb latch down until unit is secure.

Finally, it is time to fill the wooden tub with ice. Fill your tub to the top of the can with ice. Crank or run your motor for about 2 minutes so that the can chills evenly. Add cups of rock salt to the top of the ice. As the ice melts down 2 to inches, add more ice and 2 more cups of salt.

The amount of ice and rock salt you use will vary according to the ambient air temperature. Do not increase your salt usage until you have churned the freezer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes you should notice the cream becoming firmer At this point, if too much salt is used the result will be excessive freezing to the extent that a crust of frozen cream will fore, on the inside edge of the can while the middle will remain liquid. If this occurs, allow the brine to warm up and thereafter decrease the amount of salt added when you add ice

NOTE: Occasionally, your dasher blade screws may loosen allowing the blades to move more than 1/8" from the dasher. Simply screw the blades down to 1/8" and resume freezing.

Discontinue Churning
When your ice cream mix has been churned sufficiently (usually about 20-25 minutes and becomes the consistency of soft ice cream, it is ready for packing. The time can best be determined when it becomes difficult to turn the crank handle, or the motor begins to sound like it is really straining. Manually unplug your motor unit when you hear it straining, further churning will not improve the quality of the ice cream. Now remove the can cover. Take the dasher out and scrape off excess ice cream with a wooden spoon. Your ice cream is now ready to eat and enjoy!

Ingredients: 2 eggs
1 pint whipping cream
1 ½ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon

DirectionsMix well and add milk to make 2 quarts, pour into freezer (can). Freeze using ice cream maker.

Double recipe for a 4 quart freezer. Make sure all ingredients,freezer can and dasher stem are cold before starting.

Source: Type source here
Servings: Type number of servings here.

Monkey Bread

My grandma made this for us one time long long ago. It was amazing, and yet in the subsequent 25 years I have never made it or had it again. I think this is the recipe but all I remember is that she used pre-made biscuits and found the recipe in the newspaper.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes prep, 35 minutes cooking

Ingredients:

3 (12 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough

1 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup packed brown sugar

Directions:
Type directions here

1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9 or 10 inch tube/Bundt® pan.

2: Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the prepared pan. Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in pan.

3: In a small saucepan, melt the margarine with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.

4: Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Do not cut! The bread just pulls apart

Source: allrecipies.com
Servings: 8? I remember it went fast.

Helen Ryan's white bread

My mom (Cory's grandma and Maddy's great- grandma used to make amazing bread! I used to love to watch as the flab under her arm would swing back and forth while she stirred the heavy dough. She never measured anything, so one of my sisters followed one day as she made it and measured the ingredients as she added them. When she was through kneading it, she would say "Get it nice and smooth, then pat it like a baby's bottom." The potato water she used was the water she used to cook potatoes in. We had potatoes with dinner every night (like all good Irishmen!) so she always had potato water. Don't salt the potatoes when you cook them if you are going to use the water for bread. 

Preparation Time: A long time!!!!

Ingredients:
4 cups potato water
1/3 cup shortening (Crisco or lard)
1/3 cup sugar
2 pkgs. dry yeast or 3 small cakes fresh yeast ( Mom always used fresh)
1 Tablespoon salt
flour

Directions:
Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of luke warm potato water. Add salt, sugar, and shortening to the other 3 cups of hot potato water. Stir until luke warm. Add yeast and stir. Add 1 cup of flour at a time and mix with a large spoon until it forms a soft ball. Put on a floured board and add flour and knead until it is smooth and elastic. (Like a baby's bottom.) Use a wooden rolling pin and beat and turn dough. The more kneading, the lighter the bread will be. Place in a greased bowl and butter the top of the dough. Set it over a pan with 1 cup hot water in bottom of pan. Cover with a cloth. Let rise until double in bulk. Punch down. Let rise again, then make into rolls or loaves. Let rise until doubled. Bake in 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes for loaves or 30 minutes for rolls.

Source: Submitted in loving memory of my mom.
Servings: 4 loaves but you can cut it down.

Bread Maker Cheese Bread

Works great for "hole in ones"!!

Ingredients:
1 pkg yeast
3 C bread flour
1 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 T sugar
1 C Buttermilk (room temp)
¼ C warm water
1 C grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
Press start

Apricot Scones

Maddy's favorite.  It is written for high altitude, but I may have low altitude/humid directions by the end of the week.

Preparation Time: 15 to prepare, 15 to bake

Ingredients:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown or raw sugar (sucanat)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 stick very cold butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup milk or cream (the more fat the tastier)
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 apricots, cut into small pieces

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients together.  Use a pastry blender to cut in butter.  The butter should be pea-sized when finished.  In another bowl whisk together egg, milk or cream, and vanilla.  Fold wet ingredients and apricot into dry ingredients.  Try not to overwork the dough.  I like the texture final texture to be such that the dough is so dry it is just barely able to stay together.  You may even have some dry crumbes in the bottom of the bowl.

Flatten the dough into one or two circles that are about 1 to 1.5 inches thick.  If using one circle, cut into 8 pieces.  For two circles, I cut each into 6 pieces.  Lay on to a parchment paper covered pan and bake at 425 for 10-30 minutes.  This varies greatly depending on how wet your dough is.

Source: Mostly me
Servings: 8-12 scones

Dakota bread

A yummy whole wheat bread.

Ingredients: 3 cups warm water
3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup shortening melted
1 Tablespoon salt
5 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup pumpkin seed
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds

Directions:
Dissolve yeast in the warm water with honey. Add other ingredients. Knead until smooth. let rise until double. Shape into round loaves on a cookie sheet. Let rise until double. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Source: I developed this recipe after tasting the Dakota bread at Great Harvest. Their Dakota bread has mullet seeds in it, but I didn't like them when I used them. After many loaves of trial bread, this is the one I like best.

Servings: Makes 2 loaves.

Suggested Reading - Whole Grains

The new food pyramid suggests that half of all grains we consume be whole grains.  Why? and How?

Mayo Clinic explains why whole grains are better:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/whole-grains/NU00204

My favorite whole wheat, I use it in everything and can't tell the difference from white flour:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/king-arthur-white-whole-wheat-flour-5-lb

And, for the more adventurous, a discussion on sprouting grains and on soaking grains:
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/01/why-sprout.html
http://nourishedkitchen.com/soaking-grains-nuts-legumes/

Nourishing Traditions is an excellent book if you want to take this concept a bit further.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
4-6 chicken breast halves
4-6 pieces Swiss cheese
4-6 pieces thin ham slices
1 can mushroom soup
16 oz. sour cream
1/2 pkg. sliced mushrooms

1/2 package Pepperidge Farm fine fine seasoned stuffing
1/2 stick butter

Directions:
Place ham slices in a 9x13 pan. Top with chicken breasts, then put Swiss cheese on top of that. Spread mushrooms on top. Mix sour cream and soup, then pour over the top. Combine seasoned stuffing with melted butter. Sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 degrees for one and a half hours. If it starts to brown too much, cover it with foil the last half hour.

Source: My recipe box
Servings: 4-6

Salsa Chicken

scores high on "results vs. effort" . Chicken crock pot recipes never seem to work out for me, except for this one.

Preparation Time: about 10 minutes

Ingredients:

boneless chicken breasts, cut in half (about 2 lbs)

1 1/2 cups of your favorite salsa (not one jar)

1 tsp cumin

pinch of chili powder

3 tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions:
spray cookware with cooking spray. place breasts in cookware. cover with salsa. cook on HIGH for 3-3.5 hours

stir in cumin, chili powder, lime juice and cook for additional 15 minutes before serving

Source: Not your mother's slow cooker cookbook, Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann
Servings: 6-8

Chicken: Due Tomorrow

Next Week's Topic:  Breads.

Any votes for the following?

Korean Hot Wings

Ingredients:
8 chicken wings

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

5 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 cup of oil (canola, sesame, or corn)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 oz fresh ginger, peeled and sliced

Sauce:

5 tablespoon Sweet Soy Base Sauce

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoon light corn syrup

Sweet Soy Base Sauce (makes 1 3/4 cup, can be stored up to 3 months in the refrigerator)

1/2 cup of water

4 cloves garlic, sliced

6 1/8 in ginger

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 cup soy sauce, low sodium

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup red wine or white wine

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and bring to a boil in a saucepan. Lower the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the sauce through a sieve. Discard ginger and garlic.

Directions For Chicken Wings:

Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken wings. Coat chicken wings with corn starch.

Put oil in wok and heat up to 350 degrees F. Work in batches and fry the chicken on one side for two minutes. With a pair of tongs turn the chicken and fry for another minute.

Place the chicken wings on a wire rack.

Remove all the oil from the wok.

Add the sauce to the wok and put the chicken back in. Heat until the chicken is coated or the sauce is bubbling.

Source: Modified from "Korean Table" by Chung
Servings: Serves 2

Chicken Curry

This Chicken Curry is so delicious! It can be very healthy depending on the milk or cream you choose, but is a great substitution for ordering takeout. Also, it's Tom's favorite recipe that I make, which means it has to be good!

Preparation Time: Probably a little over an hour for prep and cook. It goes faster when you have a helper!

Ingredients:
2 pieces of chicken breast (or replace with rotisserie chicken)

1 tbsp curry powder

Olive Oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 granny smith apple, chopped

1-1/2 tablespoons curry powder (or more to taste)

1-1/2 tablespoons flour (equal the amount of curry powder)

1 cup plain yogurt (Organic kinds do not work!)

1-1/2 cups milk or cream (we use skim and it works fine)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 carrot, shredded thickly

(1) 8 oz. can pineapple chunks (or replace with fresh mango for a different twist)

A handful of pea pods, halved

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved

2 cups cooked brown rice

Major Grey's Hot or Regular Mango Chutney, for garnish

Raisins, for garnish

Crushed Peanuts, for garnish

Shredded coconut, for garnish

Extra curry powder, for garnish

Directions:
Season chicken breasts with curry powder and cook - grill, bake or pan fry. When finished, chop in bite size pieces. If you bought a rotisserie chicken, remove the meat, shredding or separating into bite size pieces, and set aside in a bowl.

Start your water for your rice, and cook accordingly.

Heat the oil in an extra large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and apple and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes. Combine the curry powder and flour in a small bowl, mixing well. Sprinkle over the apples and onions, stirring for 1 minute. Starting with the milk, add 1/2 cup to the pan, whisking well and scraping up the seasoning from the pan. Next add 1/2 cup of the yogurt, whisking liberally until well blended with the milk (my problem with the organic yogurt, is it wouldn't blend well and would cook so I had floating chunks of yogurt in my sauce, making me start all over!) Continue this rotation until you use the recommended amounts.

Add the chicken, carrots, pineapple or mango, and pea pods to the pan. Continue cooking on medium heat, making sure the sauce does not burn. It should thicken up a little from the flour added earlier. About 10 minutes before you are ready to eat, add the grape tomatoes.

Plate the rice, top with the curry sauce, and top with all or some of the garnishes to finish the meal!

Source: My version! Combined from Sharyl and Real Simple
Servings: 4 to 8 Servings

Chicken PIccata

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts (cut in half) that have been pounded until ¼” thick.
2 T veg oil
¼ C dry white wine
1 t garlic, minced
½ C chicken broth
2 T fresh lemon Juice
1 T capers, drained
2 T butter
Fresh lemon slices

Directions:
Season chicken with salt and pepper then dust with flour. Spray a sauté pan with nonstick spray, add veg oil and heat over med-high. Sauté chicken 2-3 minutes on one side. Flip over and sauté other side 1-2 minutes with pan covered. Transfer chick to a warm plate.

Deglaze pan with wine and add garlic. Cook until garlic is slightly brown and liquid is nearly gone, about 2 minutes. Add broth, lemon juice and capers. Return chicken to pan and cook on each side 1 minute. Transfer chicken to a warm plate.

Finish by adding butter and lemon slices to pan. Once butter melts, pour sauce over chicken.

Servings: 4

Glazed Acorn Rings

Ingredients:
1 large acorn squash
1/3 cup orange juice
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:
Trim ends from squash and cut into crosswise slices 3/4 inch thick. Remove seeds and membrane. Place slices in a large shallow casserole or baking dish. Add orange juice. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer 5 minutes. Pour over squash rings. Bake uncovered for an additional 15-20 min. basting occasionally.

Source: Phyllis
Servings: 6

Mashed Potatoes and Root Vegetables

This dish is weird, but in a good way. My notes say "unusual change of pace" but I would make it again. I don't use parsnips often, so this was fun.

Preparation Time: about an hour, mostly boiling stuff

Ingredients:
4 tbsp unsalted butter

8 ounces carrots, parsnips, turnips, or celery root cut up into chunks

1.5 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, cut up into chunks, rinsed 3-4 times in cold water

1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth

table salt

3/4 cup half-and-half

3 tbsp minced fresh chives

pepper

Directions:

1: melt butter. add root vegetables. cook until vegetables browned and caramelized (10-12 minutes).

2: add potatoes, broth, and 3/4 tsp salt. Cook covered on low heat (do not boil) stirring occasionally until everything's soft and crumbly (20-30 minutes). Cook uncovered a final 2 minutes to dry things out a bit.

3: mash gently; fold in half-and-half and chives; season with salt and pepper

Source: America's Test Kitchen
Servings: 4

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups reduced-fat cream-style cottage cheese
15 ounces reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1-1/2 teaspoons crushed Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 to 1 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 cups skim milk
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach or broccoli, thawed, drained
1 medium carrot, shredded
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
9 oven-ready lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup marinara sauce

Directions:
Beat the eggs lightly in a medium bowl. Stir in the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and Italian seasoning. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion and garlic. Saute until tender. Stir in the flour and pepper. Add the milk. Cook until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute longer.

Remove from heat. Stir in the spinach, carrot, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and salt.

Layer one-third of the spinach mixture and one-third of the noodles in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Layer the cottage cheese mixture, the remaining spinach mixture, mozzarella cheese, Cheddar cheese and remaining noodles one-half at a time over the layers. Spread the marinara sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes
before serving.

Note: You may assemble the lasagna, cover with foil and chill for up to 48 hours before baking. To freeze, wrap the unbaked lasagna tightly with foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. To serve, bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 35 to 40 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Source: DailyInbox
Servings: 10 - 12

Sweet Potato Ravioli

These are a bit of work, but quite tasty as a gourmet treat.

Preparation Time: Quite a bit.  Depends on how quick your fingers are.

Ingredients:
Dough:
4 eggs, beaten
¾ cup water
3 ¾ cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt

Filling:
1 large sweet potato baked, cooled and mashed, about 1 cup
1 cup Parmigiano cheese grated
2-3 tablespoons prosciutto chopped
1 egg, yolk only
2-3 tablespoons Italian parsley chopped
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
Salt, pepper to taste

Directions:
Dough:
In a bowl, mix the eggs, water, 2 cups flour, and salt. Gradually mix in the remaining flour until smooth. Divide dough into 2 parts. Cover, and set aside in the refrigerator 20 minutes.  Roll the two parts into sheets of desired thickness.

Ravioil:
Place the baked, cooled and mashed sweet potato in a bowl and add the grated cheese, prosciutto, egg yolk, parsley, the nutmeg, salt and pepper, and mix. This may be prepared ahead. Make the ravioli, by laying down one of the sheets and dotting it with 2-teaspoon mounds of filling about 2 inches apart (don't be stingy). Lay a second sheet over the first, tamp down gently around the filling to join the two sheets together and cut the ravioli free with a serrated pastry wheel. Continue laying down and dotting sheets until the filling is used up.

These are wonderful boiled for a couple of minutes and then fried in an herb butter.

Source: About.com
Servings: 2 for entree.  More for side.

Vegetarian Due Tomorrow

Next Week's Topic:  Chicken.

Any votes for the following?

Chana Masala

Spiced chick peas are delicious. I have been working on finding the ultimate Chana Masala recipe. This is one of my favorites and makes it to my table fairly regularly. This recipe has a lot of spices. I bought mine at an international food store and the investment has led to lots of tasty meals.


Ingredients:
1 tablespoon flavorless oil like vegetable oil or grapeseed oil
2 medium onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced (I use 3-4)
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 fresh, hot green chili pepper, minced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (I used a quarter of this because my cayenne is extremely hot)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon amchoor powder (this is mango powder you can use 1/2 a lemon juiced if you can't find this)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 cups tomatoes, chopped small or 1 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes with their juices, chopped small
2/3 cup water
4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon (juiced)

Directions:
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onions fry for a couple of minutes then add garlic, ginger and pepper. Continue to saute until browned about 5 minutes.

Turn heat to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cumin seeds, amchoor (if using it), paprika and garam masala.

Cook for a minute or two until the spices become fragment and smell less raw. Then add tomatoes, and any juices. Scrape any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the water and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt and lemon juice.


Source: Smitten Kitchen
Servings: 3-4

Vegetable Risotto

Great filling meal and really easy to make. Its a good comfort food for a cold night. 

Preparation Time: 45 minutes 

Ingredients:
olive oil
2 finely chopped yellow onions
1 Tbs of minced garlic
1 lb of arborio
1/2 cup white wine
32 to 48 ounces of vegetable stock heated up
salt and black pepper to taste
Sauteed asparagus and peppers

Directions:
In a medium saucepan coat with oil and sweat onions and garlic on medium heat. Season and add rice and saute for 3 to 5 minutes. Add wine and let rice completely absorb. lowly add the hot stock one ladle at a time while stirring. The rice needs to completely absorb the stock before another ladle is added. The risotto is done when creamy texture is achieved. In a separate pan saute asparagus and peppers till they are cooked and place veggies on top of risotto.

Source: Food Network and tweaks by myself
Servings: 4 servings

Seasoned Shredded Leeks

A sharp dish to pair with heavy meat dishes. We had this with bulgogi 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 leek

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes

Directions:
Get rid of the top green part of the leek.

Cut the leek in half lengthwise and rinse throughly.

Cut the leek into thin matchstick strips.

Soak the leek for 2 minutes

Pat dry.

Toss in sesame oil and red pepper flakes.

Source: Chung's Korean Kitchen
Servings: 4

Spinach and Artichoke Mac N Cheese

I was hesitant about making this recipe at first, but was hoping it was impossible to mess up macaroni and cheese! This dish is very easy to make, a great alteration from your typical macaroni and cheese, and so delicious!

Preparation Time: 20 minutes prep time, 50 minutes cook time

Ingredients:
1 pound whole wheat penne

2 tbsp EVOO

3 tbsp butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

3 tbsp flour

1/2 cup white wine

2 cups milk

Freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/4 tsp (we didn't use fresh and it tasted great!)

(1) 10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry in a kitchen towel

(1) 10 oz. box frozen chopped artichokes, defrosted and wrung dry in a kitchen towel

Salt & Pepper

1-1/2 cups shredded Italian Fontina cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top

1-1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top

(We substituted both cheeses with smoked gouda and sharp cheddar - delicious!)

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta, salt water and cook pasta to al dente.

While the pasta water comes to a boil, place a medium pot over medium-low heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons, and the butter. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook the veggies until very soft, about 10 minutes. Then heat the broiler and position rack in the middle of the oven. (We just baked it at 375 degrees for approximately the same time)

Turn the heat up to medium-high and sprinkle the flour into the pan. Cook for about 1 minute then whisk the wine into the pan, cooking for another minute to burn off the alcohol. Whisk the milk into the pan and bring up to a bubble. Add the nutmeg, spinach, artichokes, salt and pepper to the sauce and simmer until thickened and vegetables are warmed through, 2-3 minutes more. Add 1 cup of each of the cheeses to the sauce and stir until melted.

Toss the prepared sauce with the cooked pasta and transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle some more Fontina and Parmigiano over the top and bake until the cheese ha melted and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

*You can easily substitute either of the cheeses for something you like might better. Any cheese that melts well should work fine! If you'd like this to be a one dish meal, you could also add more vegetables to the pan in the first step, such as diced carrots or red peppers. For the non-vegetarians, you can easily add diced chicken to this dish to satisfy your appetite!

Source: Rachael Ray Show
Servings: 4-6

Beef Due Today

Next Week:  Vegetarian.

Any votes for the following?

Make-your-own Hamburger Helper

When Tom and I were in college, Hamburger Helper was sometimes the closest we got to a complete meal. We rarely make box meals anymore, but every now in then you just need to indulge. I stumbled across this recipe browsing online one day, and it is now one of our favorites. So much tastier than the box!

Preparation Time: 15 minutes prep time, 30 minutes cook time

Ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium carrots, sliced into coins

10 oz. white mushrooms (you can easily omit these)

1 large onion, diced

1 pound, 90% lean ground beef

2 teaspoons dried thyme

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 cups water

(1) 14 oz. can reduced-sodium beef broth, divided (see directions)

8 oz. whole-wheat elbow noodles (our favorite is Cavatappi)

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or chives for garnish

Directions:
Chop garlic, carrots, mushrooms and onions, and set aside. Cook beef in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped vegetables, thyme, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften and the mushrooms release their juices, 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in water, 1 1/2 cups broth, noodles and Worcestershire sauce; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Whisk flour with the remaining 1/4 cup broth in a small bowl until smooth; stir into the hamburger mixture. Stir in the sour cream. Simmer, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley (or chives) if desired.

*Sometimes we add chopped celery and frozen peas to the recipe, and other vegetables can be easily substituted. Trying to convert this to a "taco mac" would probably be pretty tasty too!

Source: Our version - altered from Food Network
Servings: 6

Hamburger Pie

Preparation Time:
About 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
1 lb. hamburger
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
one 16 oz. can cut green beans (drained)
one 10 3/4 can mushroom soup

5 medium potatoes (cooked)
1/2 cup warm milk
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup shredded cheese


Directions:
Brown meat and onion together in skillet . Add salt and pepper. Stir in beans and soup. Pour into 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish. Mash potatoes while hot. Add milk and egg to potatoes. Spoon into mounds over casserole. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25- 30 minutes.
You can also use cream of tomato soup instead of mushroom soup.

Source: Phyllis
Servings: 4-6

Beef Enchiladas

Sorry for all of the recipes.  It seemed better to separate them out.  You can do as much of this homemade or from cans as you want.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes to assemble, 30 - 40 minutes to bake.

Ingredients: 
Tortillas.  I use fajita sized flour ones.
Black beans
Rice (I use brown)
Machaca Beef
Enchilada sauce
Cheese
Onions for garnish

Directions:
Roll black beans, rice, and beef into tortillas.  It is easier to place the mixture off-center for rolling.  And place rolled tortillas into a 9x11 baking dish.  If you're smart, you'll remember to place them open side down so that they don't immediately unroll.  I squeeze them in clase and can usually fit about 10 per pan.  Cover with enchilada sauce, sprinkle with cheese and top with a few chopped onions.  Bake in a 350 deg oven for 30 - 40 minutes.  You might need to turn it up a bit at the end to get the cheese to bubble.

Source: Me!
Servings: As many as you want.  I make burritos for freezing with the leftovers.

Machaca Beef

Easy to make and great for burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas.  Don't let the large number of ingredients scare you.  The time to quantity ratio is quite good.

Preparation Time: 10- 20 minutes prep before, 2 hours cooking, and 10 minutes after.

Ingredients:
Marinade:¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
Juice of two limes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup vegetable oil or olive oil

Machaca:2-3 lbs. Chuck Roast or Skirt Steak, trimmed and cut into lb portions.
1 Large Texas Sweet Onion (yellow onion) diced
½ green bell pepper diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 Fresh Jalapeno Pepper, minced
1 14oz can diced tomatoes or tomatoes with green chilies
¼ cup beef broth
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco
salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for searing the beef

Directions:
For the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl then whisk them to form an emulsion. Add the beef making sure every piece is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate.

Marinate the beef overnight in a bowl in the refrigerator. Before preparing, drain thoroughly and allow meat to come up to room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Note:  I do the searing, cooking, and simmering in a pressure cooker.  Sear it and then put it on high pressure for 99 minutes with natural pressure release.  Also, I don't add the tomatoes.  I think they make the final mixture too acidic for what I use it for.  I do add a bit more beef broth to get the extra liquid.

In a large soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Sear the beef a few pieces at a time to develop a rich brown color on all sides as well as on the bottom of the pan. Do this in several batches if the pot is too crowded.

When all the beef is browned nicely and removed from the pan, add the onions, peppers, and garlic to the hot pan. Saut for a few minutes then add the remaining ingredients to the pan along with the beef. Bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer slowly for about 2 hours. The meat should be very tender and should easily fall apart when pricked with a fork.

Remove from heat, remove meat to a cutting board and shred with a pair of forks. Return to the pot and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Reduce the liquid until very thick, almost dry. At this point, adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and whatever additional heat you want to add if any.

Serve with tortillas, cheese, salsa, lettuce and guacamole for a great beef taco. Portion and freeze the remaining machaca in zip lock bags for later use.

Source: texascooking.com
Servings: a lot!

Chipotle Enchilada Sauce

A tomato and onion sauce with as much kick as you want.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes prep, 15 minutes to cook, and 5 more minutes to finish.

Ingredients:
1 can tomatos, I want to try it with fresh
1 onion, diced - doesn't have to be perfect, they'll be blended in the end
1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1-2 cups beef broth

Directions:
Put everything into a pan and bring to a boil.  Simmer for a few minutes and remove from heat.  Blend until smooth.  It should be the consistency of gravy.  If it is too thin return to the stove to thicken and next time use less beef broth.

A note about spice:  I usually only add the adobo and no chipotles.  You can add chipotles and remove or add them and blend them.  If you haven't used them before, be cautious.  A little goes a long way!

Source: texascooking.com
Servings: Twice as much as needed for enchiladas.  I freeze the rest in an ice cube tray.

Black Beans

Better tasting and texture than the canned kind!

Preparation Time: 90 minutes of waiting.

Ingredients:
Black Beans
2 - 4 tsp oil
extras

Directions:
Put one pound of black beans and 8 cups of water into your pressure cooker.  Add extras such as onions, peppers, corn, or carrots.  Make sure to add oil or it will make a mess!  Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes and allow for natural pressure release.  Drain and use or freeze for later.

Source: Me! (and cuisinart)
Servings:  a lot!

Suggested Reading

A discussion of the benefits of grass-fed beef over grain-fed beef.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/toronto/beefs+about+feed+cows/3134565/story.html

Two different discussions of the parts of a cow:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef#Cuts
http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/typesofcuts.aspx

Look at episode two for MythBusters take on tenderizing beef.
http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/Mythbusters_Collection_5_Exploding_Steak/70135367?trkid=921403

That's all I've got for you this week.  Around here, we pretty much just use the hamburger part of the cow....

Matambre: Stuffed Flank Steak

This is a super super tasty Argentinan dish. I made this dish with some friends as part of a going away dinner.

Preparation Time: Time flies when you're making food with good friends.

Ingredients:
1 flank steak, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds
Salt and Pepper
1 tbs fresh majoram or oregano or 1 tsp dried
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbs minced fresh garlic
1/2 bunch of chopped fresh parsley and cilantro leaves
6 to 8 thin carrot sticks (1 medium carrot)
1 cup pitted green olives
1 medium red onion sliced
1 hard boiled egg sliced
1 bunch watercress, trimmed
2 tbs olive oil

Directions:
They say:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use a boning knife to butterfly steak: Working across the grain, make a cut down the center, but only halfway through the meat. A the top of that cut, make perpendicular cuts, one in each direction, this time with the grain. Again, cut only halfway into steak. Repeat perpendicular cuts at the other end of the center cut. Cuts should resemble the letter H.
2. At the top of the original center cut, hold the knife parallel to the meat and insert knife. Slice toward you, making a pocket. This cut should almost reach the outer edge, halfway through the meat’s thickness. Repeat on other side. Open the flaps.

I say:
We found a piece of thin meat. For the thicker piece we carefully cut the meat in half.

3. Season the meat liberally on both sides with salt and pepper, then place it cut side up, wide side facing you. Season with marjoram, cumin, and garlic and cover it with a fairly even layer of parsley-cilantro mix. Then arrange carrots, olives, egg slices, and onions horizontally over the full width of the meat. Scatter a relatively even layer of watercress over the it.

4. Roll meat up from bottom into a roll; the rain of the steak should run length of a roll. Tie in three or four places with butcher's twine.

5. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large roasting pan. Deeply brown the rolled steak on all sides (takes about 15 minutes total) then transfer pan to oven and roast for about 30 minutes, until meat is cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 30 minutes before serving. Or, put meat in a clean baking dish, weight it with a plate with something heavy on it and chill overnight. Take matambre from refrigerator and slice it into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces about an hour before serving at room temperature.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/dining/011mrex.html?_r=2&ref=dining
Servings: 6

Dessert Due Today

Next Week:  Beef.  It's what's for dinner.

Tabasco Brownies

These are yummy brownies with a little bit of a kick.

Preparation Time: It depends on how many times the phone rings while you are making them!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. tabasco sauce
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup pecans (optional if your picky kids don't like nuts in things!)


Directions:
Tape 4 (2x1 inch)pieces of aluminum foil around outside corners of an 8x8 glass dish. Spray baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Place butter or margarine in microwavable bowl. Microwave on high 40 seconds or until butter is melted. Beat in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and tabasco sauce. Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Fold in pecans and pour intobaking dish. Microwave on 70% power (medium high) for 7-9 minutes or until brownies test done in the center. Let cool for 1 hour before cutting.

Source: ??? My memory is gone!
Servings: Makes 16 (2" squares)

Chocolate Pudding [Pops]

A richer, less sugary version of the stuff that comes in a box.  This is no more difficult to make than cook-n-serve without all of the questionable ingredients.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes at high altitude.  Probably a lot quicker in the lowlands.

Ingredients:
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ cup cornstarch
3 cups milk
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:
In a saucepan, stir together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Place over medium heat, and stir in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and stir in margarine and vanilla. Let cool briefly, and serve warm, or chill in refrigerator until serving.

Feel free to replace the vanilla with your extract of choice.  I used peppermint last night and it was quite tasty.  Raspberry and Orange would be good, too.  I usually freeze these into popsicles.  I find that the texture is better (less icy) if you pour it into the molds while still warm.

Source: Me!
Servings: 6-8

Coconut Frushi

Ingredients:
1.25 cups water
1 cup uncooked sushi rice or other short-grain rice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light coconut milk
Dash of salt
cooking spray
Small pieces of fruit (I especially like using raspberries, blueberries and kiwi)

Directions:
Bring water and rice to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until water is almost absorbed. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 15 minutes.
Place rice in a large bowl. Add sugar, coconut milk, and salt, stirring gently until well combined. Cover and let stand 20 minutes.
Lightly coat hands with cooking spray. Divide rice mixture into equal portions, shaping each into a ball (about 1 rounded tablespoon each). Lightly press each rice ball into an oval between palms; place ovals on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Top each of the ovals with fruit pieces and press gently to adhere. Cover and chill frushi until ready to serve.



Source: Adapted from Cooking Light recipe
Servings: 12-20 pieces, depending on size