Recipes from the Hizzy

BritoMom's Oven-Barbequed Shrimp

2007-08-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is a classic. Pure comfort food. Especially when served with comfort beer. Provided you are someone who likes beer, it is a crime to not drink beer with this dish. It is definitely a crime against nature not to eat this with a big loaf of sourdough bread, thickly sliced.

This is a messy, messy dish. The only sane way to eat it is to cover a table with layers of newspaper. Serve the shrimp in bowls, make sure everyone has lots of bread to dip in the sauce and have plenty of beer chilled & ready.

2 lbs unpeeled shrimp (medium to large)
1 lb butter
1 tablespoons poupon mustard
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon basil
¼ teaspoon thyme
2 tsp black pepper
4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 small onion, grated
¼ cup of Old Bays seasoning
1/2 tsp tabasco (or to taste)
1 tsp liquid smoke (and not a drop more or it will be disgusting - the recipe doesn't work without it, though)

Melt butter in a skilled then add all spices. Preheat oven to 375°. Put shrimp in a baking dish (I generally use my big lasagna pan) and cover with butter & spice mixture. Cook for approximately 20 minutes. Start checking to see if it's done at about 15 minutes. The worst thing you can possibly do is overcook this.

BritoMom's Blue Cheese Ball

2007-08-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

So, when I moved into my first place post-grad school & finally had a decent kitchen again, my mom gave me a recipe box filled with my favorite recipes of hers. While searching for the white lasagna, I decided there were a couple more I had to share. This is a classic Britofamily appetizer, used for anything from football weekends to cocktail parties to just being in the mood.

12 oz cream cheese
2 oz blue cheese (Maytag or val & my favorite new blue: Hook's Blue Paradise - paradise is an understatement)
¼ tsp garlic salt
1 tablespoon green pepper, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon pimento, diced
½ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Let cheeses soften. Mix all ingredients together and shape into a ball. Roll ball in the chopped nuts.

BritoMom's White Lasagna

2007-08-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

So, val & I were on the phone talking about white lasagna. I realized, with utter horror, that I'd never posted this marvelous, marvelous recipe. Very easy to make. Though mushrooms are a main ingredient, anti-mushroom folks have marveled. Oh! And the cottage cheese is crucial. I tried it with ricotta once and it was all kinds of wrong.

I've played with this over the years. If you're in a garlicky sort of mood, you can abuse the quantity of garlic in it. Chicken and veal are both lovely additions. Playing with different mushrooms works, though I like it best if other varieties (baby bellas are awfully nice) are mixed with the standard button mushroom.

lasagna base

8 oz lasagna noodles
1 ½ lbs small curd cottage cheese
16 oz grated mozzarella
4 oz shredded parmesan (Using parmigiano reggiano is especially worth it in this dish. Well, I'm rather fantatically obsessed with this type of parmesan that cheese & think it's always worth it. So, if you haven't tried it, try it. Seriously. You can just nibble on it alone! Especially if you have a nice red wine to sip along with it.)

creamed mushrooms

3 tablespoons butter
1 lb mushrooms washed & sliced
3-4 cloves of garlic minced finely
2 ½ cups milk
1 tsp lemon juice
¼ cup flour
⅓ cup finely chopped parsley

Sauté mushrooms in butter & lemon juice until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add flour and continue cooking for about 5 more minutes. Add milk and parsley, stir frequently until nicely thickened.

In a greased 13x9x2 pan, layer noodles, cottage cheese, creamed mushrooms, mozzarella & parmesan.

valeriel's Corn Salad

2007-07-15T20:52:00.000-07:00

val sent me this recipe last fall! Around Thanksgiving! I filed it safely in the recipe folder and then never got this up. I am appalled with myself. Thankfully she gave me a hard time about this & I was able to find it. Whew!

val writes: One could certainly make this salad and eat it right away, but it is really, really MUCH better after it sits over night. The flavor meld together wonderfully and the Miracle Whip twang disappears! Also, I used quite a bit of salt to season the salad, but thank goodness, it didn't turn out too salty.

2 cans whole kernel corn (very well drained)
4-6 stalks green onion, chopped
1-2 big firm tomatoes (well drained), chopped
2-4 T Miracle Whip
3-4 oz. Bacon bits (hold out enough to sprinkle some across the top when you're done!)
salt
tsp pepper
crushed red pepper

Mix the vegetables together, making sure they drain well, so that the salad won't be runny or soggy. I would chop the tomato and onion about the same size as the corn. Add the Miracle Whip one tablespoon at a time so the salad won't end up being runny. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Joann uses a smidge of crushed red pepper for color not to make the salad spicy. Sprinkle the top of the salad with the remaining bacon bits. Voilá!

Top Chef's "Chino Latino" Seafood Sausage

2007-07-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

This meal, created by Brian, won a recent Top Chef elimination challenge & I've appropriated it from the Bravo website. This sounds so very delicious & will be one of the first things I make for myself once my bionic esophagus heals. Leanne Wong demonstrates the basics of making the sausage on this short webcast. I highly recommend watching it. I've also added some hyperlinks to some of the more unusual or possibly obscure ingredients.

SAUSAGE:
1 Corvina seabass or any other seabass (1/2" cubed)
1/2 lb Black Tiger shrimp
1/2 lb scallops
1 T garlic chopped
1 T ginger chopped
1 bunch green onion – chopped
1 bunch cilantro – chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 T sesame oil
2 T red wine vinaigrette
2 T soy sauce

SWEET CHILI GLAZE:
1 cup Sambal chili paste (available in the international section of many grocery stores)
1 cup honey
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 T corn starch
2 T water

JICAMA SLAW:
1 jicama – peeled, julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 carrot peeled, julienned
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

GINGER VINAIGRETTE:
1/2 cup shallots
1/2 cup ginger, peeled
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/4 cup Sriracha (available in the international section of many grocery stores or Asian specialty grocery stores)
1 cup canola oil
2 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

For the Sausage: Combine all ingredients in food processor and Pulse until smooth. Form patties or pipe onto plastic wrap and form links.
For the Sweet Chili Glaze: Combine water and corn starch until smooth. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a small sauce pot and bring to a boil. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and boil for 3 minutes. If this is too hot add more honey. If you like the glaze to be hotter add more sambal. If you like it thicker, add more slurry. Brush the sausage with the sweet chili glaze during BBQing.
For the Jicama Slaw: Combine all.
For the Ginger Vinaigrette: Combine all but canola oil in a blender. Slowly drizzle in oil with blender on high. Combine with slaw.
For Plate up: Serve the sausage with the jicama slaw on the side.

deekay's Cream Cheese Penguins

2007-07-15T10:00:00.001-07:00

I'm crediting deekay with this recipe because while I'm not sure she's ever made it, she was the one who told me about it & was shocked that I'd never seen or heard of them. I've got to make these sometime, if only because they're so very ridiculously cute. Ingredients

18 jumbo black olives, pitted
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
18 small black olives
1 carrot

Directions

Cut a slit from top to bottom, lengthwise, into the side of each jumbo olive. Carefully insert about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese into each olive. Slice the carrot into eighteen 1/4 inch thick rounds; cut a small notch out of each carrot slice to form feet. Save the cut out piece and press into center of small olive to form the beak. If necessary cut a small slit into each olive before inserting the beak.
Set a big olive, large hole side down, onto a carrot slice. Then, set a small olive onto the large olive, adjusting so that the beak, cream cheese chest and notch in the carrot slice line up. Secure with a toothpick.

Britomart's Miraculous Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie

2007-07-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it was probably only miraculous to me in that it was one of the only things that kept me going while I was on that interminable puréed food diet. This was yummy enough that I'd make them for BritoDad, too. He said they tasted nothing like a smoothie & everything like something he'd get at Dairy Queen & feel guilty about.

1 banana, sliced
2 generous tablespoons of peanut butter (I used Trader Joe's which is a lovely mix between natural peanut butter & the mainstream processed stuff.)
Couple generous scoops of vanilla yogurt
1/2 C soy milk (or normal milk)
3 or 4 ice cubes

Optional healthfoody additions (utterly unnecessary, but awfully good for you)

1 tbsp of Brewers Yeast
1 tbsp of flax seed oil

Put all ingredients in a blender and puree the heck out of them until the ice cubes have been throughly defeated and pulverized.

MartianIceQueen's Sweet Potato Maple Muffins

2007-07-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from the New Basics cookbook. I haven't tried these yet, but Martian reports they're divine. And I trust her in all things.

1 sweet potato
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) butter at room temp
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup maple syrup

(I substitute 1 1/8 tsp Penzeys Baking Spice mix for the allspice and cloves)

Bring saucepan of water to a boil, add sweet potato, and simmer until tender. Drain and allow potato to cool slightly, then peel and cut into several pieces. (I usually just use leftover roasted sweet potato)
Puree potato in a food processor until smooth; you should have 1/2 cup. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line muffin tins. (the recipe says to use 2 eight-cup tins; I use a standard tin with 12 cups)
In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cloves.
In another bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in milk, maple syrup, and sweet potato puree; mix thoroughly.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour potato mixture into it. Stir just until ingredients are incorporated - do not overmix.
Fill the cups about 2/3 full with batter (I just fill 'em until the batter runs out). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack and allow to cool.

digmom's Pork & Black Bean Chili

2007-07-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

digmom casually mentioned making this in the Hizzy & a number of us pounced on her, demanding a recipe. Rather than counterattack, she kindly shared.

1 large boneless pork chop, if fresh slice into thin strips; if frozen, slice into small chunks
chili powder
olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, minced
3 bell peppers (1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow) chopped into large pieces
2 cans black beans, drained
2 cans minced tomatoes
salt

Slice pork chop into thin strips (or chunks, if frozen) and sprinkle it with chili powder. Cook it in a pan with some olive oil over medium heat until almost cooked. Put pork and juice into a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, sauté one yellow onion, chopped, and two jalapeños, minced. Sprinkle with chili powder. When starting to get soft, add the chopped bell peppers and sauté until peppers turn bright colors. Add two cans of black beans, two cans of diced tomatoes, then add the meat & reserved juices. Add chili powder and salt to taste. Cook at a low boil until it gets to a consistancy you like, or you get too hungry to wait.

Keckler's Balsamic Mary

2007-07-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

I have appropriated this from one of Keckler's Top Chef recaps. It will be one of the first alcoholic beverages once I'm allowed to have citrus, tomatoes & alcohol again. Feel free to make and describe in loving detail so that I may live vicariously through others in the meantime...

2 ounces Hangar One Kaffir Lime Vodka (or vodka of your choice)
1 lb ripe Heirloom tomatoes
1 pinch celery salt
1 pinch Kosher salt
1/4 freshly ground black pepper
3 dashes Chipotle Tabasco Sauce
2 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated fresh horseradish
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 boccaccini mozzarella balls, for garnish
Celery stalk, for garnish

Pierce the bottoms of each tomato with an "X" and bring a large amount of water to a boil. Toss the tomatoes in and leave them for thirty seconds. Pull the tomatoes out and shock them in a large bowl of ice water. Peel off the skins, cut out the stem, and cut the tomatoes into chunks. Puree the tomatoes in a blender and measure out six ounces. It's up to you if you want to strain the six ounces or not. It doesn't change the flavor, just the thickness of the end result. Store the rest of the juice in the fridge in an airtight container. (Brit note: If you don't have time to do this, or it's not the season for tomatoes, V-8 or any good tomato juice should substitute just fine.)

Combine all ingredients except the garnishes in a cocktail shaker with ice and stir. Fill a 16-oz glass halfway with ice and strain cocktail into glass. Garnish with three toothpick-speared boccaccini balls and the celery stalk.

If you can find it, you might want to use the newest in celery cocktail garnishes: the edible straw. The hollow celery -- a horticultural mash-up of ordinary celery and a wild hollow strain -- is called Dandy in the produce section of your nearest grocery store.

Now, the lycopene in tomatoes is supposed to lower cholesterol, but if that's not a problem for you, use a garnish unique to Bloody Marys in Minnesota: a Slim Jim.

To make this virgin, replace the vodka with the same amount of fresh squeezed lime juice.

Makes 1 drink.

adharas' Sweet Potato Fries

2007-07-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

I was on a sweet potato kick this summer and Martian is always on a sweet potato kick, so adharas sweetly shared this recipe with us.

1/2 lb sweet potatoes, cut into fries
1 T grated Parmesan cheese
1/t extra virgin olive oil, (I used a splash)
garlic powder
cayenne, pinch
1/8t paprika
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 450. Toss potatoes with everything else. Put in single layer on baking sheet. Bake 8 mins, flip potatoes, bake another 12 mins or so, till tender and browned in spots.

Serve immediately.

Snuggle Muffin's Victoria Cake

2007-07-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

Snuggle made the loveliest cake recently. I'm quite sure it will taste as good as it looks.

Cake

150g (6 oz) butter, softened
150g (6 oz) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
3 medium eggs
150g (6 oz) self raising flour
3-4 drops vanilla extract
jam (strawberry, raspberry or damson)

Butter Cream Frosting

Approx. 50g (~2 oz) butter, cold (unsalted if you have it)
Approx. 100g (~ 3.5 oz) icing sugar (powered sugar/confectioner’s sugar)
A few drops of vanilla extract
A little water or milk

Optional:
A few handfuls of strawberries

Heat the oven to 180oc, 350of, Gas mark 4, and grease and line two 18cm (7inch) sandwich tins. Cut up the softened butter and beat until soft. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in one egg at a time adding a little of the flour each time. Add the vanilla extract and the rest of the flour and stir in well.

Pour into the prepared tins and bake for 20 -25 minutes.

When completely cool spread jam (strawberry, raspberry or damson work well) on to both halves of the cake and make the frosting.

To make the frosting add the sugar, butter and vanilla extract to a food processor or beat with electric mixer until combined into a stiff paste. The measurements are approximate so use your own judgment. While it’s mixing it might look like it’s turning into scrambled eggs; it isn’t, it just takes a little while to blend, but it will. If it’s too stiff add a bit of the milk or water. Spread the frosting on to the bottom half of the cake with a pallet knife (or plastic spatula), which you can run it under some water first to make it easier to spread the frosting smoothly.

If you would like, you can slice up some of the strawberries and place them on top of the frosting before putting the top half on.

sylph's Peach Ice Cream

2007-07-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

I need to buy an ice cream maker.

5 cups ripe peaches, peeled and chopped
6 eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
2-1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon amaretto
dash of salt
4 cups half and half
3 cups heavy cream (whipping cream)

In a blender, purée 3 cups of the peaches. Mash the remaining 3 cups of chopped peaches with a potato masher. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla and salt until well blended. Set aside.

In a large, heavy saucepan over low heat, heat the milk and cream, just until it begins to steam. Pour a little of the heated mixture into the egg and sugar mixture, and stir. Then pour the bowl of egg/sugar/milk mixture back into the heavy saucepan. Continue to cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and smooth. Remove from heat, and refrigerate the mixture for several hours or until well chilled.

Add the puréed peaches to the chilled mixture, stir well, and pour into a 5-quart ice cream freezer can. Turn on the ice cream freezer or crank it by hand for 5 minutes. Then, carefully remove the top of the can and the dasher, and add the reserved 2 cups of mashed peaches, mixing them in with a long spoon. Put the dasher back in and the top back on, and continue freezing according to the manufacturer's directions. Allow ice cream to ripen for at least an hour. Makes about 3-1/2 quarts.

blue artemis' Chicken and Potato Enchiladas

2007-07-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some yummy sounding enchiladas from our queen of the cookfest! Amounts are a bit approximate, but the details should sort it all out!

2 chicken breasts
3 medium potatoes
oil
seasoned salt
chicken broth
monterey jack or ranchero cheese
corn tortillas
salsa
green beans (optional)

You cook chicken, and then shred it. Set that aside. Peel and cube potatoes. Fry them in a bit of oil, until they are all coated (season with seasoned salt). I then throw in a bit of chicken broth (usually from where I cooked the chicken) and cover them and let them cook until they are tender (stir occasionally so they don't stick). Once they are done, mix in the chicken, and set aside. You should also have some cheese (monterey jack or ranchero, or whatever, really). I also like a can of french cut green beans.

You then have two small frying pans on the front of the stove. In one, heat oil to fry corn tortillas. In the other, heat the salsa you are going to use.

Once the oil is hot, take a tortilla, place it in the oil to fry for about 30 seconds, then turn it over for another 30 seconds. Then take that tortilla (let it drip a bit over the oil) and dip it in the salsa, turning it over to coat. Now is the messy part, where you put the tortilla on a plate put some of the chicken/potato mixture in it, add some green beans if you like, then sprinkle some cheese and roll it up. You can put more cheese on top. Repeat until you have enough enchiladas to feed everyone.

dreamy's Cobb Salad

2007-04-07T11:33:00.000-07:00

Three thousand years ago, while the dinosaurs still roamed the earth & I still updated this blog regularly, I belatedly discovered Cobb salads & fell in love with them immediately. Most mocked me for this. dreamy sent me a recipe from Eating Well. dreamy rocks.

3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons finely minced shallot
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 cups mixed salad greens
1/2 pound shredded cooked chicken breast
2 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and chopped
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 large cucumber, seeded and sliced
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Whisk vinegar, shallot, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl to combine. Whisk in oil until combined. Place salad greens in a large bowl. Add half of the dressing and toss to coat.

Divide salad greens among 4 plates. Arrange equal portions of chicken, egg, bacon, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and blue cheese on top of the lettuce. Drizzle the salads with the remaining dressing.

bibliosylph's Sweet Potato Pie

2006-11-19T21:52:00.000-08:00

sylph posted in the Hizzy, "here is Jeff Smith's sweet potato pie recipe, which is the only one I've ever used. It's from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American, which was one of his most enjoyable TV seasons, for me.

"Sometimes I drizzle a little maple syrup on this before baking. The parentheses are mine."

* 2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
* 4 tbs butter
* 3 eggs, beaten
* 1 cup sugar (brown is nice, but alters the texture slightly)
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 1 tsp nutmeg (you may sub. cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or ginger)
* 1 tbs lemon juice
* 1/2 cup bourbon (the alcohol, of course, evaporates during baking.)

Mix all the ingredients together and place in an unbaked pie shell. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven, and immediately turn the oven down to 325. Bake for about 45 minutes until the center of the pie is set. You can test by inserting a table knife into the center of the pie to see if it comes out clean.

If you have leftover filling, you can bake it in a baking dish and serve it as a pudding.

MartianIceQueen's Scones

2006-11-05T21:58:00.000-08:00

How tempted was I to name this recipe "Martian Scones"? Heh. I've had these & they are divine. Martian uses dried cherries and I can't imagine them any other way. (Also? I hate raisins in scones & don't know that I've ever had currants.)

Preheat oven to 425. Position rack in center of oven.

Whisk together in large bowl:

2 C flour
1/3 C sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Drop in 6 TBSP (3/4 stick) cold butter; cut into pieces. Cut in the butter with two knives or pastry blender until largest pieces are the size of peas. Do not allow to melt or form a paste. Stir in 1/2 C dried currants/raisins/cherries.

Whisk together, then add all at once:

1 egg
1/2 C heavy cream
1 tsp orange zest (optional)

Mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gather into a ball & knead gently inside the bottom & sides of the bowl 5-10 times, turning and pressing and loose pieces into the dough. Transfer to lightly floured surface & part into round, approximately 8" diameter by 3/4" thick.

Cut into 8-12 wedges & place on baking sheet. Brush tops with 2-3 tsp cream or milk. If desired, sprinkle tops with cinnamon & sugar. Bake until tops are golden brown, 12-15 minutes.

adharas' Butternut Squash Soup

2006-11-05T21:47:00.000-08:00

I'm frankly jealous of adharas' local paper.

1 butternut squash (about 3 pounds) (you will need 4 cups diced)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons ground thyme
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
¼ cup packed brown sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1½ cups diced onion
½ cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
¼ cup flour
3 quarts chicken stock
1 cup heavy whipping cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Set halved or quartered squash on a cookie sheet. In bowl, combine seasonings and brown sugar. Sprinkle mixture over squash. Bake in preheated oven until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly, then remove pulp from peel and discard peel. Cut or scoop into measuring cup to measure 4 cups.

Meanwhile, in large pot, heat oil. Add onion, celery and carrots and sauté until tender.

Add flour to vegetable mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cooked squash. Add stock and simmer over low heat, uncovered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer mixture to blender or food processor (in batches if needed), and puree until smooth.

Soup also can be pureed with an immersion blender. Add cream, if using, and mix well. Makes about 10 main-dish servings.

adharas' Pumpkin & Butternut Squash Soup

2006-11-05T21:41:00.000-08:00

Another gem from adharas' local newspaper.

2 pounds pie pumpkin, halved and strings and seeds discarded
2 pounds butternut squash, halved and strings and seeds discarded
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large carrots, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
2 large yellow onions, chopped
1 medium bulb fennel, chopped
12 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ cup pure maple syrup
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In shallow baking pan, arrange pieces of pumpkin and squash, cut sides up. Bake 45 minutes or until soft. Scoop out pulp. You should have 6 to 8 cups. Transfer to food processor or blender, in batches if necessary, and puree. Set aside.

In large heavy kettle, heat butter over medium heat until foam subsides. Add vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 10 to 12 minutes.

Add broth, reserved squash, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, garlic and black pepper and simmer, covered, 40 minutes

Stir in maple syrup and cream and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Cool soup slightly and puree in small batches until smooth. Transfer to large soup pot and reheat if necessary. Makes about 10 to 12 main-dish servings.

adharas' Tunisian Tomato Soup with Chickpeas and Lentils

2006-11-05T21:36:00.000-08:00

adharas found this in her local newspaper & it sounds wonderful.

1 cup uncooked chickpeas, soaked overnight (or 1 to 2, 15-ounce cans chickpeas)
Water
1 cup uncooked lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups minced onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1½ teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 or 3 bay leaves
6 cups chopped tomatoes, peeling and seeding optional
Black pepper and cayenne to taste
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or to taste)
Yogurt (optional)
Minced fresh parsley (optional)
A few currants (optional)

Place the soaked, uncooked chickpeas in large pot and cover with water by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, partially cover and cook 1 hour. (If you're using canned chickpeas, rinse and drain them, and set them aside.)

Add lentils and cinnamon stick, partially cover again, and cook another 30 minutes, or until chickpeas and lentils are perfectly tender, but not mushy. (If you're using canned chickpeas, just cook the lentils with the cinnamon stick in 7 cups water until tender, about 30 minutes.) Remove and discard cinnamon stick, and drain legumes, saving water.

Meanwhile, heat oil in soup pot or Dutch oven. Add onion, garlic, salt, turmeric, cumin seeds, ground cumin and bay leaves, and sauté over medium heat 15 to 20 minutes, or until onions are very soft.

Add 6 cups of the reserved cooking water from lentils (supplement with fresh water if there's not enough) and the tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, partially cover and cook another 15 minutes or so. (The timing does not need to be exact.) Fish out and discard the bay leaves.

Stir in chickpeas and lentils, and cook about 5 minutes longer (but not too much longer, because you don't want legumes to become mushy). Season to taste with black pepper, cayenne and lemon juice.

Serve hot, topped with some yogurt and a sprinkling of parsley, if desired, and pass a small bowl of currants. Makes 6 servings (maybe a little more).

sylph's Bloody Mary

2006-11-05T21:33:00.000-08:00

I'm dying to try this. Right now. Waaaah! sylph says that she plans to experiment with this more, so there may be updates or alternate recipes. And, of course, should anyone else experiment, let me know!

6 oz tomato juice
3 oz vodka
1 tsp horseradish
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch pepper
1 pinch celery salt

Goldrush Girl's Camembert Tart

2006-11-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

Goldrush Girl sent me this recipe ages ago. I'm finally catching up on all my backlogged recipes. Anyhoo, she sent me an approximate recipe, so keep that in mind as you try this. Also, she reports that you can yummily subsitute fontina or tallegio or any other cheese you fancy!

Puff pastry sheets (available ready-rolled from your grocer's freezer!)
6 small onions, chopped
1 TBSP butter
Good-sized triangle of Camembert
Fresh thyme, chopped finely

Preheat oven to 430 degrees Farenheit (220 Celsius). Place puff pastry on a floured baking tray and prick it with a fork, also scoring it around the edges so you'll get a crust.

Cook onions in butter over low heat for approximately 30 mins or until golden yellow (not brown) and sticky.

Spread onions on to the pastry, dot with bits of camembert however much you want. Sprinkle with thyme and bake for approximately 20 minutes.

Serves four and is delicious cold as well.

jophan's Pickled Peaches

2006-11-05T15:58:00.000-08:00

4 lb. Peaches
3 lb. brown sugar
1 c. white vinegar
1 T. cinnamon
1 T. whole cloves
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Boil brown sugar and vinegar. Scald peaches, remove skins and cook in syrup. Tie spices into cheesecloth and add to fruit. Cook until peaches are tender. Pour into stone jars.

Daily for a week, drain the syrup into a saucepan, re-heat to boiling and pour it over the fruit again.

Used as a relish with roast meats.

jophan's Suburban (Cocktail) Meatballs

2006-11-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

More recipes from jophan... All hail the generous jophan!

3 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, minced very fine
Dried basil, Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper
12 oz. bottle Heinz chili sauce
15 oz. can jellied cranberry sauce (no whole berries)

(I usually make the meatballs a few days ahead and freeze them. Or you can buy commercial meatballs, just make sure they are not Italian style. The seasoning doesn’t work.) Blend ground beef with minced onion, basil, salt, pepper & Worcestershire to taste. Form into 1 inch meatballs. In a hot frying pan, brown 12 – 15 at a time on all sides (about 5 minutes), transfer meatballs to an oven-safe dish and put into a warm oven (275 – 325 degrees). Add each batch to the oven until all meatballs are brown. Remove from oven 10 minutes after the last batch is added.

Add the cranberry sauce to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Break it up. Add the chili sauce and stir until the cranberry sauce is dissolved. Put the meatballs in a casserole dish and cover with the sauce. Bake at 275-325 for 30 minutes if meatballs are fresh or 1 hour if they are frozen. Serve in a chafing dish.

(Sauce also is good on roast pork.)

jophan's Grasshopper Soufflé

2006-11-05T15:51:00.000-08:00

I still need to get my mom's Grasshopper Pie recipe... But jophan is way ahead of me & obviously a kind, generous soul who doesn't procrastinate. This sounds delicious.

1 c. sugar
2 c. water
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin powder
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 eggs, separated
1/4 c. crème de menthe
1 c. heavy cream

Combine 3/4 c. sugar and gelatin in saucepan. Gradually add water and stir over low heat until dissolved. Remove from heat. Temper eggs yolks with mixture and return to saucepan. Cook 2-3 minutes on low.

Add hot mixture to cream cheese, stir in crème de menthe. Mix well. Chill until slightly thickened.

Whip cream. Beat egg whites to soft peaks, gradually add remaining 1/4 c. sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Fold both whipped cream and meringue into cream cheese mixture.

Pour into large soufflé dish and chill until firm.

(The recipe says 8 servings, but I think you’d probably get twice that.)

Martian's Green Bean & Tomato Salad

2006-09-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

Martian sent us a recipe! And it sounds lovely. She writes: The original recipe called for twice as much oil and vinegar, but it was too much for my taste. But others may prefer it that way.

1 pkg strawberry tomatoes (cherry would be good, too)
some green beans
a large handfull of chopped herbs: mint, parsley, basil
garlic clove, chopped
2 T olive oil
1/2 T balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

Cut tomatoes in half and place in large bowl. Cook the green beans in boiling water to your preferred doneness, drail well and add to tomatoes. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Pour over beans and tomatoes...let sit a little bit so the beans absorb the dressing flavors. It is yummy warm or cold.

NorthenLass's Teriyaki Salmon Ramen

2006-08-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

NorthenLass posted a picture of this dish that she took after making it recently. I drooled all over my computer & electrocuted myself. Then, I did my usual begging shctick & she sent me the recipe. NorthenLass warned that she doesn't so much measure & it changes a bit each time she makes it - since that's how many of us here cook, I assured her it would be fine.

Salmon fillets
Onions, chopped finely
Garlic, chopped finely
Red chiles or jalapenos, chopped finely
Ginger, chopped or grated
Cilantro, chopped
Assorted vegetables (see below)
Bouillon or stock cube
Chinese five spice
Teriyaki sauce
Sweet chili sauce
Soy sauce
Fish sauce
Soba noodles

Marinade salmon fillets in Teriyaki sauce (for as long as possible)

Sautee finely chopped onion, garlic, red chilies (or jalapeños), ginger and coriander (cilantro) stalks in a large wok.

Roughly chop (or leave whole if not too big) any vegetables you want. E.g: Red bell pepper, Mushrooms (e.g chanterelle, portabella, shiitake, whatever floats your boat really), Sugar snap peas, Bok Choy (and/or spinach)

Put boiling water into the wok. Crumble in a stock cube. Add to taste: Chinese five spice, Teriyaki sauce, sweet chili sauce (if you like it hot, normal chili sauce) fish sauce, soy sauce.

Grill (or fry in a pan with a lid) the salmon.

While the fish is cooking add the vegetables to the water. If you are using spinach rather than bok choy, add it later, i.e. a few of minutes before you are ready to serve.

Boil up some more water to cook the soba noodles in (should take about 5 minutes).

Drain the noodles and then you are ready to serve up the bowls.

Put the noodles into the bottom of the bowl. Add the vegetables and soup. Then place the salmon on top (remove the skin first). Sprinkle with coriander and finely chopped chilies.

As side dishes have bean sprouts, mint and limes.

Goldrush Girl's Carmelised Onion & Sausages

2006-08-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

I begged for this recipe and Goldrush Girl kindly (& wisely) obliged. She also began it with a confession that proves she's one of us (one of us, one of us): I should confess, my dear Britomart, that there is not an actual recipe as such. I don't hold with following recipes because I don't like being MADE TO OBEY INSTRUCTIONS. But this is what I cobbled together, and it goes really well with very good quality butcher-made English sausages, which should be browned in a frying pan then oven-cooked till nice and crispy. All amounts are entirely up to you.

Chop an onion or two into chunks (rather than slices). Melt a bit of butter in a lidded saucepan and throw the onion in. Put the lid on and turn the heat down very low. Leave for 20 or 30 minutes. You can sprinkle a little soft brown sugar on it if desired. Occasionally you can shake the pan around a bit, or give it a little a scrape if it starts to burn, but it's best if the onion sort of sticks to the bottom of the pan a little bit.

When the onion's deliciously soft and brown and sweet-smelling (with luck, this will be the same time as the sausages are ready), scoop some lovely thick creme fraiche into the saucepan along with as much wholegrain mustard as you desire, and a bit of freshly-ground black pepper. Stir together... the onion juices are divine with the creme fraiche.

Plop some of the sauce on your plate with the sausages. A vegetable or two would be good (braised fennel works well) and maybe a starch (mash, or mashed sweet potatoes, even better). The other day I had it with a beetroot salad on the side, and that was lovely.

Britomart's Baingan Bharta

2006-07-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

I'm apparently going through an eggplant phase. And Martian emailed me about making this last night. As I was in a hotel at the time with no access to a kitchen or Indian food, I was quite miffed & rather petulantly jealous. I remedied the situation tonight. Anyway, this turned out to be absolutely lovely!

Note: from emails with adharas tonight, this isn't the same as hers (and I'll get a full recipe of her version to post in here because she is a cook of astonishing talent), but it's awfully damn yummy.

1 large eggplant
2 medium sized onions, minced
1 small tomato
4-5 green chilies, minced (to taste, depending on your tolerance for spiciness!)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, grated finely
small pinch of garam masala powder
small bunch of cilantro, chopped finely
salt
2 tbsp ghee (or oil)
2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp asafetida (available at Indian stores)
½ C yogurt

Roast eggplant in oven at 475 F for around 45 minutes. After half an hour, or when the skin of eggplant loosens up from the inner flesh, insert a knife and check if the inner portion of eggplant has turned soft. Remove from oven & cut eggplant open to help cool.

Once it’s cooled, peel the skin off the eggplant and scrape out the inner flesh of the eggplant. Scoop out black seeds, if any. Mash it with a spatula or chop coarsely.

Heat ghee/oil in a pan. When it's hot, add mustard seeds. As they pop, add asafoetida and turmeric powder. Add chilies, onions, garlic & ginger and fry till onions are browned. Add tomatoes and again fry till the oil separates from the mixture. Add mashed eggplant and give it a good stir.

Add garam masala powder and salt. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in yogurt, and serve with any Indian bread or rice.

blue artemis' Clafoutis

2006-07-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've never even heard of this dish, nor am I sure I'm even pronouncing it correctly. Regardless, I rather desperately want to eat this. Right. Now. blue artemis writes: This recipe came from the LA Times Food section a few years ago. Of course, I usually stick in in the fridge and eat it for breakfast, but that is me.

1 to 1 1/2 pounds of firm but ripe apricots, cut in half if small, quartered if large and pitted
2 tablespoons peach or apricot brandy (I usually use 3)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6 to 8 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt
3 eggs
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped or 1/2
teaspoon vanilla extract
salt
2/3 cup sifted unbleached or all purpose flour
butter for greasing
powdered sugar for dusting

Toss apricots with brandy, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar in bowl. Let sit 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Drain liquid from apricots and combine with milk and yogurt. Beat eggs with vanilla, and rest of sugar (3 to 5 tablespoons depending on sweetness of fruit) and a dash of salt. Beat together. Slowly beat in flour, then mild mixture. Mix together well.

Arrange apricots in greased 10 or 10 1/2 ceramic tart dish or clafoutis dish,rounded side up. Pour in batter.

Bake at 400 degrees until top is browned, and clafoutis is firm, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly on rack. Use powdered sugar to dust. Serve warm.

Britomart's Eggplant Delight

2006-07-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

As adharas has cruelly left us on her extended vacation in India, I was stuck surfing the web for Indian dishes with eggplant. I found this & enjoy it muchly. A number of recipes on this site looked yummy, so check it out. I have altered this one a bit and changed some of the instructions because that's just who I am.

2 medium-sized eggplants (or 6-7 little eggplants)
I tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
1 medium-sized onion, diced
2 small tomatoes - diced
2- 3 green chilies - minced
3/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp salt
small piece of ginger - washed & diced
small bunch of chopped cilantro leaves

Wash eggplants and poke them with a knife. Bake for about an hour & a half at 350F. Eggplants are done when they've collapsed and look quite wretched.

In a blender, put the tomatoes, salt, green chilies, garam masala, black pepper and ginger and puree them.

Heat oil in a skillet & add onions and tumeric. Fry them for 4 - 5 minutes until the onions turn slightly brownish.

Remove the eggplants from the oven, slice open & let cool. Peel eggplant skin & mash or chop the lovely eggplant innards. Add the eggplant to the onions & the blended mixture aND cook over low heat for 5 - 7 minutes, stirring often.

Just before removing it from heat, add lemon juice and stir in cilantro.

valosin's Moscow Mule

2006-06-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

valosin made me this drink once! I can vouch that it is divinely delish.

2oz vodka
1oz fresh lime juice
Ginger beer (This can be hard to find. Ginger ale will work ok, but ginger beer is darker, a litte sweeter, and more intense. It adds a lot to the drink).

Combine ingredients over ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a slice of lime.

sylph's Mock Sangria

2006-06-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

Mix together 1 cup of orange juice, 1 cup of lemon juice, and 1 cup of sugar. Add 8 cups of grape juice--the 100% kind, not the cocktail. Chill this, then just before serving, pour it into a punch bowl with an ice ring or just a bunch of ice, add 2 cups of chopped fruit, which you can buy already done, and then add 4 cups of club soda. That will make 16 servings.

invisible girl's Sherbet Punch

2006-06-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

Ducklet asked for punch recipes for a shower... I stole them for the recipe blog.

Sherbet (raspberry, orange, whatever your pleasure!)
Equal parts ginger ale & pineapple juice

Mix together for a nice fruity, frothy, spritzy punch!

Note from Britomart: I've had this punch with vodka, too. Yummy!

blue artemis' Chicken & Potato Enchiladas

2006-06-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

blue artemis made these in her weekly cookfest this weekend. I thought they sounded wonderful, so asked for a recipe. Thank you, ba! She does warn that this is one of the approximate recipes - it was one she learned from her grandmother, so exact measurements were never involved. (In my opinion, these types of recipes always ended up being the best.)

Chicken (can be leftover from baking or stew or something) shredded.
Potatoes
Green (tomatillo) salsa (TJ's works fine)
If you want, a can of French cut green beans
Cheese (either queso ranchero or jack or mozzarella)
corn tortillas
Oil for frying

Peel and chop the potatoes into little pieces. Using a non-stick frying pan, cook them (with a little oil) and some seasoned salt, until they are soft. Once they are cooked, throw in the shredded chicken and mix.

You will then need two small frying pans, in one, heat oil for frying, in the second, heat the salsa. Take your tortillas (unheated) and fry them, one at a time, until they are kind of golden, but not fried to a crisp, they should still be bendy. Then take them (one at a time) and dip them in the heated salsa. (Basically, fry them enough that they don't fall apart when you do it, but not enough to make tostadas).

Put your tortilla on a plate, then use a bit of the chicken and potato mixture to fill, throw on some shredded cheese and a bit of the green beans (if you want them), and roll your enchilada. Top with a bit more sauce and shredded cheese. Make as many as you want (or have enough chicken and tortillas for).

BeachBum's Gin of Mellow Delight

2006-06-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

Pour 1.5 ounches Tanqueray over crushed ice.
Add tonic to taste.
Squeeze many lime wedges, then drop in glass.
Drink.
Sigh with mellow delight.

Britomart's Pink Grapefruit Margarita

2006-06-17T22:44:00.000-07:00

As I babbled about in the Hizzy, I recently had the most divine grapefruit margarita in a restaurant on Bainbridge Island. After much dedicated experimentation, I offer this recipe!

1 part tequila
3/4 part fresh-squeezed pink or red grapefruit juice
slices of fresh red or pink grapefruit
3/4 part Cointreau
1/4 part fresh lime juice
dash of seltzer water*
coarse salt

Mix all of the ingredients (except the salt!). Rub a slice of grapefruit around the outside edge of a glass, then dip the glass into the salt. Add ice to the glass and pour in the mixed margarita ingredients. Garnish with the grapefruit slice.

* I'm a huge fan of champagne margaritas and was thinking earlier that a dash of champagne, instead of seltzer, would be delicious indeed.

adharas' Lime (or Lemon) Rice

2006-06-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

Best recipe EVAH for leftover rice. This is soooo good. And soooo easy to make. And when mujer stayed with me recently, we discovered that this was fantastic middle of the night drunken munchy food.

3 handfuls of old, cooked rice - preferably a day old (leftover rice from Chinese food is perfect!)
About 2 TBSP Oil or Ghee
Small handful of yellow split peas
1 green chili (whole)
1 TBSP mustard seeds
1/8 tsp asafetida (powdery spice available at Indian grocery stores)
tumeric to taste (1 teaspoon or so)
Juice from 1-2 limes (or lemon)

Heat oil at medium heat, add mustard seeds and cover pan. Once the mustard seeds are done popping, add the split peas and fry until golden brown. Add the whole green chili (you can cut in half or quarters if you'd like this spicier), the asafetida & salt to taste. Turn off heat and add rice, breaking it up well. Add lime juice and stir in well.

Let it sit of for a couple minutes and taste, adjusting lime & salt as needed.

adharas' Dal Be-Aab

2006-06-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

When I stayed with her the other weekend, adharas made this for me and it is so divine. You'll be in danger of addiction. I know I am.

1 ½ c black urad dhal, available only in Indian store, and make sure it’s whole black, the white one will result in mushy mess.
1 t turmeric
1 t red chili powder
Salt
2 T butter/ ghee/ oil (ghee gives best flavor)
1 ¾ t cumin seeds
2/3 c onions, chopped
Green chilis, according to taste
1 T ginger, chopped
2 t garam masala
½ c tomatoes, chopped
2 T cilantro
¼ c lemon juice (not lime)
1 t ginger paste
1 t garlic paste

Wash lentils in running water and boil in approx 6 c water, with turmeric, red chilies powder and salt until cooked. You can make it dry, or as liquid as you want.

Melt ghee in pan, add cumin, sauté until it begins to crackle, and add onions, gr chilis, ginger, sauté until onions are light brown. Add dal, reduce heat, stir few minutes. Add garam masala, tomatoes, cilantro, lemon juice. Cook few minutes. If too thin, just let it cook for a while, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Add ginger garlic pastes, stir & cook for a few minutes.

Britomart's MadCon Blue Cheese Dip

2006-06-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

I threw this together for Misa since she's a fellow blue cheese nut. It ended up being a hit with many. I was worried, in fact, that if I didn't post it soon, valeriel would do me harm! I'm kinda embarrassed to even share it because it is soooo ridiculously simple. Everything else I made for MadCon was, of course, ludicrously complicated and took days to make. ::snort::

Oh, the only accurate measurement is the cream cheese. And, actually, I think I used part of another package, so um, yeah. I think this is pretty close, though. Just keep tasting.

8 oz package of cream cheese (room temperature)
2-4 oz Maytag blue cheese (room temperature)
1 1/2 C raw pecans
2 TBSP butter (melted)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop pecans coarsely and drizzle with melted butter, making sure all the pecan pieces are evenly coated. Lightly salt pecans and bake for approximately 8 minutes (check a couple times to make sure that they're not getting too brown.)

In a bowl, mush cream cheese and blue cheese together with a fork. Taste to make sure you have the desired amount of blue cheese. (I recommend you add the blue cheese incrementally so that the dip doesn't become too strong.)

Once they've cooled a bit, put pecans in food processor - if you have one of those wee, adorable ones, that's best. Grind until they're as small as they can be. (If you don't have a food processor, or don't feel like using it, you could just chop the bejeezus out of them until they're very fine.)

Stir pecan mixture into cheese mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

MartianIceQueen's Fruit Compote/Sauce Thingy

2006-06-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

Martian threw this together a couple weeks ago & served over angel food cake. Appropriately, it sounds divine...

Cut up some rhubarb (I used 3 stalks), add some sugar (I used about 2/3 cup), some powdered clove and cinnamon, two handfuls of dried cherries, and some orange juice (not quite covering the amount of rhubarb). Simmer until tender. Slice about 2 pints of strawberries, and stir into the rhubarb mixture (once you've taken it off the stove). Cover and chill in the fridge. It turns a really lovely color, and is tart-sweet.

valeriel's Asparagus and Cherry Tomato Salad

2006-05-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

val doesn't love me enough to email me recipes anymore, but it sounds delicious, so I worked through my pain and posted it.

Here are her notes about the recipe: If you use cherry tomatoes, cut them in half. The key with a salad like this is to make all the pieces bite-sized or smaller.

Using asparagus with more slender stalks is recommended. Thicker stalks are tougher and can give your salad a “woody” taste.

This salad is very fresh-tasting, so using fresh ingredients is best, but using regular salt, pepper and lemon juice won’t hurt the end results.

Doubling the recipe is recommended for potlucks or any large group. You won’t have any leftover, I promise!

Once you have your serving of salad, sprinkle the top with a pinch of kosher salt. It really brings out the flavors!

1 lb. asparagus
1 pint cherry (or grape) tomatoes
½ red onion, finely diced
3 T capers, drained
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 T olive oil
1 ½ T red wine vinegar
1 T fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
Freshly ground black pepper

Trim the tips from the asparagus, about 1 ½ inches in lengths. Cut the woody stem ends from each spear and discard. Cut the remaining stalks into 1 ½ inch pieces.

In a medium pot, bring three cups of water to boil. Add the asparagus and blanch until tender, 1-1 ½ minutes. Remove with a strainer, and refresh in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain and put into a large bowl.

Add the tomatoes, onion, capers and garlic. Toss with olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

adharas' Asparagus Soup

2006-05-03T22:38:00.000-07:00

adharas reported in the Hizzy that she made this soup & pronounced it delicious. Enjoy!

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup sliced shallots (about 6 large)
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut into 2-inch lengths
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth

1/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus and coriander; stir 1 minute. Add vegetable broth and simmer until asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Strain into same pan, pressing on solids to release liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Stir crème fraîche, lemon juice, and lemon peel in small bowl. Divide soup among bowls. Top with dollop of lemon crème fraîche and serve.

valosin's Sesame Pork Loin

2006-04-18T23:27:00.000-07:00

valosin emailed this to me last week! I somehow lost it in my inbox. Thank god she said something about it in the Hizzy! You know I'm stressed when I'm missing recipes... Anyway, valosin writes: I mentioned this recipe to sylph and I told her I'd send it to you to put up on the blog. It's from the Joy of Cooking.

Mix:

1/4c Soy sauce
1/4c Hoisin sauce
1/4c honey
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp peeled, grated fresh ginger
1 tsp minced garlic

Trim 2 pork tenderloins (~12 oz each). Place the tenderloins in a heavy plastic bag. Add marinade and turn to coat evenly. Refrigerate for 2 to 24 hrs.

Spread 1/2 c sesame seeds on a plate.

Remove meat from the marinade and drain the excess. Roll in the seeds to coat. Place in a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Roast at 500 F until an instant read thermometer reads 150 to 155 F (20 to 25 min). Let the pork stand, loosely covered with foil for 5 to 10 min (the temp will rise 5 degrees or so), then slice. Serve with rice and stir-fried vegetables.

SaraWolfe's Bourbon-Glazed Peach Chutney Ham

2006-04-18T23:21:00.000-07:00

Sara told us in the Hizzy how wonderful this recipe is, then kindly shared it! Thanks, Sara!

6-7 lb bone-in shank portion smoked ham
12 oz peach preserves
1/3 cup bourbon whiskey
2 tbs dijon mustard
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups sliced peaches (1/2" pieces)
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325. Trim skin, and most of the fat from the ham. Place ham on foil-lined roasting pan, on a rack, cut side down. Score fat 1/4" down, in a diamond pattern. Roast about 1 hour, 45 minutes, or until 140 degrees.

In small saucepan, over medium heat, stir preserves, whiskey, and mustard for about ten minutes, until thickened. Cool slightly, then brush over ham several times during the last half hour of cooking.

In another pan, boil the vinegar and sugar, and stir in the remaining ingredients. Simmer until thickened. This is the glaze for the peach slices.

lostdwarf's Quinoa Salad

2006-04-18T23:16:00.000-07:00

I was such a brat about this recipe, I can't believe lostdwarf still shared it. Thanks for being so wonderful, lostdwarf!

1 ½ cups quinoa, rinsed well
3 cups vegetable broth or water (chicken broth works too)
½ cup Basic Salad Dressing (I just use as much as I’d like)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
¼ cup red onion, diced
3 scallions, thinly sliced or 1 shallot, chopped (I just use green onion, include the white)
¼ cup fresh dill, chopped (dried works too)
¼ cup parsley, chopped

Add quinoa to broth or water in a medium sauce pan, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer; then cover and cook 15 minutes without stirring or until liquid is absorbed. Remove ingredients from saucepan and place in a bowl. Cool slightly and toss with salad dressing and remaining ingredients. Add more dressing if desired and adjust seasoning to taste. Add any leftover veggies for variety. (12 servings)

Basic Salad Dressing
(2 – 3 Servings)

¼ cup flaxseed oil (or 2 tbsp. each flaxseed and olive oils) – I only use olive oil
1 – 2 tbsp vinegar (apple cider, tarragon, rice, red wine, balsamic, ume plum) – I like apple cider best and I use 2 tbsp
½ - 1 tbsp water
1 tsp Dijon-type mustard (optional but delicious), whisked in to liquid for easy mixing
Whole or minced garlic, oregano, basil or other herbs of choice

Mix well in a shaker jar and store any leftovers in your refrigerator.

My additions: I will typically throw the salad dressing in a blender to liquefy the garlic. I find that it’s nicer to not chomp on a huge piece of garlic. I will also throw the red onion from the quinoa recipe in the blender with the salad dressing (doubled because I like red onion) for the same reason. It also gives it a lovely reddish-purple colour. Most of this is to taste. I prefer it cold so I’ll make it the day before and let the dressing just seep into the quinoa.

Snuggle Muffin’s Easy Peasy Chocolate Chip Easter Bunny Cookies

2006-04-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

So SnuggleMuffin made the coolest, absolutely adorable House & Wilson bunny cookies, then generously offered the recipe. I, of course, accepted the offer immediately! She writes, "This is a real cookie recipe that I adapted and turned into bunnies, if eating bunnies isn’t your thing then just make them as cookies. This makes about 10 Bunny Cookies. I’ve included a diagram in case my instructions are a bit hard to follow, the bunny making method I made up myself and I wasn’t sure how to word it." SnuggleMuffin rocks!

4 oz (100g) margarine
2 oz (50g) light soft brown sugar
1 egg
1 tea spoon vanilla essence
8 oz (225g) plain flower
½ level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 to 3 oz chocolate chips (optional: You can make plain bunnies with
chocolate chip decoration, chocolate chip bunnies with no decoration, or
chocolate chips bunnies with chocolate chip decoration)
I also added some (about half a table spoon) ground almonds, but you don’t have to you don’t want to.

Heat the oven to 375oF, 190oC, gas mark 5. Grease on e or two baking sheets/trays. Put the margarine in a bowl with the sugar and beat until soft and creamy.

Mix in all the remaining ingredients until the mixture forms a stiff dough.

Divide the dough in to balls leaving some for the heads and ears, they should be about 2 to 2 ½ inches across when flattened and ½ an inch thick. Make the heads in the same way and they should be about an inch and ½ across when flattened. Then sort of squish them onto the bodies. (See diagram.)

Use the spare dough to make the ears: roll pieces of dough into sausage shapes about an inch long and stick on the heads. Use chocolate chips, raisons or bits of died fruit to make eyes on the bunny biscuits. (You could even make little chocolate chip bow ties and add a little cookie cane to one of them.)

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

MisaGoddess' Coconut Chicken Curry

2006-04-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Misa!

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Black pepper
2-3 tablespoons of chicken soup base (Penzey’s)
2-3 tablespoons of red curry paste (I used Roland’s)
1/3 to ½ cup of lite coconut milk (also Roland’s - nice coincidence)

I washed the breasts, rubbed them with black pepper and placed them in a glass pan. I poured the coconut curry mixture over them and baked the dish, uncovered, at around 375 degrees for about an hour (or until just done). I served them over brown rice but I also tried them with orzo pasta. Yummy with both.

Eilan's Pork Tenderloin Yumminess

2006-04-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

sylph was cooking a (doomed) pork tenderloin today (doomed because she forgot about Alan Rickman!), so Eilan kindly submitted this recipe. Apparently, this recipe is by Nancye DeLoach. Who is she? I have no idea. Why does she have a weird, extraneous "e" at the end of her first name? I do not know.

2 pork tenderloins, 1 pound each

Marinade:

¼ cup bourbon (Jim Beam)
¼ cup (or less) vegetable oil
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Mix marinade ingredients, stirring well. Pour over the thawed tenderloins. Cover and refrigerate overnight to two days. (If you freeze it for a couple days, it’s even better, just thaw before cooking.) Cook 4 – 8 inches high over hot coals and grill for 15-20 minutes, basting occasionally. Or put into a casserole dish and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes, basting twice. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more.

Eilan's concocted (appropriated/bastardized/whatever) recipe

2006-04-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

Eilan wrote in the Hizzy: So I had some veggies in the house and needed to cook them. It's something that probably a lot of people have on hand (or should), so here's an easy dinner when you don't have a lot of time.

Cut some potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips (I didn't have these tonight), and whatever else into bite-sized(ish) pieces. Parboil them briefly in some salted water. Meanwhile, dice up a couple shallots and sautee them in some oil/butter/whatever (I used Ghee, since I had some). Put in the vegetables, and some chopped (canned or frozen) artichoke hearts. Sautee those for a couple minutes until soft(ish). I also put in some fresh rosemary, because what isn't improved by fresh rosemary? (I probably would have put in some other fresh herbs, but all I have is rosemary.) Then sprinkle with some (toasted) bread crumbs and enjoy!

Eyeroller's Fusion Carrot Slaw

2006-04-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

This is another "what's in the fridge?" dish from Eyeroller's Kitchen.

The original version used rainbow carrots, but if you can't get those, regular carrots will do just fine--but not those baby carrots, and don't use the pre-shredded carrots. I know that anybody reading this is smart enough to use a grater.

Wash four carrots, but do not peel. Grate. Set aside.

Chop four spring onions, white and green parts; add to carrots and mix.

Toast 1/4 c. chopped walnuts. (Stovetop toasting method: heat a dry frying pan until a drop of water sizzles; add nuts and stir constantly for 3-4 minutes, until you can just smell the nuts. Remove from heat.)

Dressing

1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp grapeseed oil
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp grade B maple syrup
Juice of half a lemon
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Combine ingredients in a bowl, mix with a fork until a smooth emulsion forms. Correct seasoning to taste.

Toss dressing with veggies. Add toasted nuts and serve.

Eilan's Balls of Eeeeevilll (a.k.a. CPBoEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE)

2006-04-02T17:24:00.000-07:00

In response to crazed popular demand, Eilan kindly emailed me this recipe. It does seem, though, that you should attempt this recipe with caution. Don't come whining to us if you become horribly addicted to this treat and can't stop eating it.

10 tablespoons margarine, melted
2 1/2 cups peanut butter
3 cups powdered sugar
3 1/2 cups rice krispies
about 2 12-ounce packages chocolate chips (any combination of milk and semi-sweet)

1. Mix together melted butter and peanut butter in a large bowl.
2. Work in powdered sugar (use a wooden spoon first, then your hands)
3. Add the Rice Krispies and mix well. The dough will be stiff.
4. Form into small balls and refrigerate for a few hours.
5. Melt the chocolate chips over low heat or in the microwave, stirring frequently.
6. Dip the chilled peanut butter balls into the chocolate. Reheat the chocolate when it thickens.
7. Place the dipped peanut butter balls on waxed paper to harden. Keep cool. These freeze very well.

ersatz reality's (Normal?) Pound Stew

2006-04-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

In other news, since my wife is out of town, decided to make simple stew for dinner. Being extraordinarily lazy today...and since Wegman's even has choppped onions, my normal pound stew was even easier than normal.

Two pounds beef, cubed, two large onions, diced, one can plum tomatoes, one large can tomato sauce, one pound radishes, one pound redskin potatoes, one pound baby carrots, one pound corn (frozen), one pound green beans (also frozen), one carton beef stock, spices to taste. In a big Dutch oven, brown the beef, toss in onions. After onions are glistening, put in stock, reduce heat to medium. After a couple of minutes, add plum tomatos and tomato sauce. Make sure to smash the tomatoes. Add spices (I used garlic, pepper, cayenne, salt, and shallots). When liquid is hot again. add radishes, potatoes, and carrots. Simmer as long as you like. After the starchy things are cooked, add corn and green beans.

Serve when hot. A baguette on the side if you like.

ChickenGrrl's Tortilla Soup

2006-03-29T21:11:00.000-08:00

We have a fan. I'm so tickled! ::waves merrily at ChickenGrrl:: You're undoubtedly insane to like us lunatics, but we definitely like you right back.

I was so tickled & charmed by her email, I'm pasting it in here so everyone can be so charmed:

Hola, whomever is doing the recipes at the moment. Somehow I have a feeling our dear sylph has other things on her mind...

Is it weird that I am a Hizzy Fan, but not a Hizzizen? I would love to be one as I'm very jealous of y'all - you may well be the most fun, literate group of people on TWoP - but couldn't possibly keep up with the Hizzy forum. Sigh.

I got this lovely recipe for Shortcut Tortilla Soup from the Dallas Morning News recently, and tried it tonight. I would love to share it with the Hizzy Chefs if you think anyone would like it? It was really easy, as the name suggests, but of course I had to make amendments. For example, if it is to make 5-6 servings as it says, I think you would want more avocado - one was perfect for Mr. Chicken and me, but I think that would be skimpy for 5 or 6, and you can never have too much avocado! I used mild salsa so I could control the amount of fire - I added a bit of Tiger Sauce for that. I also added a dash of worcestershire sauce, some garlic, onion, and chili powder, as well as a smidge of cayenne pepper. Oh, yeah, and I used faux chicken strips instead of actual chicken, being one of those freaky vegetarians. And the recipe calls for Gebhardt's enchilada sauce, which I couldn't find, so I used Old El Paso; I imagine any brand of non-green-chile enchilada sauce would be fine. It was excellent!

Also, if you don't know from Tex-Mex food or tortilla soup, you might not know for the tortilla strips to cut several corn tortillas in half then in strips and crisp them on the stove or in the oven. Some people prefer to put the tortilla strips in the bowl first, then ladle the soup over them; some like to add them on top so they stay crispier. Then garnish with the shredded cheese (I bought a pre-shredded mixture of jack and cheddar) and avocado, plus a dollop of sour cream if you like. Yum!

I'm pasting the recipe (including "preamble") below, with a link to the original article for propriety's sake. But if you don't feel it worthy of posting, I won't be offended. I just so enjoy reading all y'all's (that's the plural for "y'all," you know!) recipes (even if I never make any of them!) that I wanted to contribute something.

From the Dallas Morning News.

1 package Knorr tomato with basil soup mix
1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth
1 cup water
1 ½ cups prepared salsa or picante sauce
1 (10-ounce) can Gebhardt's Enchilada Sauce
1 ½ to 2 cups diced, cooked chicken (frozen cooked chicken or breast meat from a rotisserie chicken)
1 avocado, diced
1 cup grated Monterey Jack or Longhorn cheddar cheese
1 ½ cups tortilla strips

In a medium saucepan, combine the soup mix with chicken broth, water, salsa and enchilada sauce. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the diced chicken, and, if using a rotisserie chicken, add the accumulated juices from the chicken.

Place avocado, cheese and tortilla strips in bowls so people can garnish their own soup. Serve the soup in warm, shallow soup bowls. Makes 5 to 6 servings.

PER SERVING: Calories 382 (46% fat) Fat 20 g (5 g sat) Chol 58 mg Sodium 1,440 mg Fiber 5 g Carb 30 g Protein 21 g

MartianIceQueen's Utterly Vague Ham and Lentil Soup with Smoked Paprika Recipe

2006-03-29T21:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is also in the running for best recipe title ever. Thanks, Martian, for indulging my whiny gluttony. It sounds delicious!

So, I had gotten ham the previous week, and had all this leftover ham. In my family, you get a ham with the bone in, and you simmer it in water for a while to heat it up and get some of the saltiness out (no baking, no cloves, no honey glaze or whatever). Then you have leftovers until you cannot stand ham anymore. Yesterday there was a huge rainstorm, so it seemed like a good soup day. I was working from home, and I decided to try and put something together with what I had on hand, since there was no chance of me leaving the house and driving with the crazy people who seem to hit the freeways in Los Angeles on days like that.

I chopped the large, good hunks of meat off the bone, but wasn't too meticulous about it – there was still meat left on it. I put that in my biggest soup pot and put enough water in to just about cover the bone. I don't really know how much that was, but it was a lot – emptied my Brita pitcher. I added a bag of lentils (the generic kind you get from the grocery store) and two bay leaves, and left it at just under a simmer for about 3 hours.

Then I added one and a half chopped onions (what I had – one red and half a white) and 6 or so large carrots, chopped. Also a bunch of fresh thyme, spices from Penzeys (minced garlic, toasted onion, smoked Spanish paprika, Ancho chili powder, celery seed), salt and pepper. Half an hour later I added more smoked paprika and a few more pinches of celery seed as well as regular Hungarian sweet paprika (also from Penzeys) and some roasted garlic chips from Trader Joe's. I then diced the leftover ham (approximately 1-inch chunks), and then removed the ham bone and added the ham. I fished out the thyme sprigs and the bay leaves, and then added more of both types of paprika. Basically I just kept tasting and adding more spices until I liked it. All spices were added by the "pour some amount into your hand and then toss it in" method of measurement, so I don't actually know how much I used.

This made like a gazillion servings. I hope it freezes well.

lostdwarf's Nacho Nacho Man

2006-03-26T08:24:00.000-08:00

Okay, lostdwarf definitely should win some award for best Hizzy recipes titles. And she confesses to being a garlic freak in this recipe, so I declare her my garlicky soul mate.

Bottom Layer (bean layer)

1 cup canned low-fat refried beans
1/3 cup low-fat sour cream
2 tbsp salsa
1 tbsp lime juice

Second Layer (guacamole layer)

1/2 cup peeled and chopped avocado
1/2 cup frozen green peas, cooked
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
2 tbsp chopped red onions
2 tsp lime juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 clove garlic, minced
(I normally add more garlic and onions than is listed but I'm a garlic freak)

Third Layer (sour cream layer)

1 cup low-fat sour cream (a thick brand - if you have a Safeway nearby, I've found their Lucerne or store non-fat version to be a good thickness)
1 tsp taco seasoning (El Paso has a low salt version that's very good)

Fourth Layer (salsa layer)
1 cup salsa

Top Layer (cheese decoration)
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients for bottom layer in a medium bowl, spread evenly over the bottom of a 9 in. pie plate.

Comine all guacamole ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pulse on and off until mixture is well blended but still slightly lumpy, Spread over bean mixture.

Combine sour cream and taco seasoning. Spoon over guacamole and spread evenly.

Pour salsa evenly over sour cream. Spread to sides of pie plate.

Sprinkle cheese over salsa and top with green onions. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. This is probably the favourite snack for any of my parties. If you can make it the night before, it's even better.

lostdwarf's Eenie Meenie Fettucine

2006-03-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

Say it aloud a couple times! It's fun.

12 ounces uncooked fettuccine (plain or spinach)
2 tablespoons butter
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced (I usually use 2 - 4, depending)
1 1/2 cups 2% milk (I used skim and it still has a fantastic creamy texture)
1 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp each salt, black pepper (meh, do it to taste)
1 can (6 1/2 ounces) water packed tuna, drained
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.

While pasta is cooking, prepare sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Mix the milk and flour together until smooth. Add to garlic. Increase heat to medium-high. Cook and stir until mixture is bubbly and thickened, about 4 - 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to low. Stir in Parmesan cheese, basil, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 - 2 more minutes, until cheese is melted. Stir in tuna, sour cream and peas. Cook until heated through about 2 minutes.

Pour sauce over fettuccine and toss to coat. Sprinkle parsley over top. Serve with extra Parmesan cheese and black pepper, if desired. Best if served immediately.

If you want, you can add chicken or salmon to this as well and when they say serve immediately, they do mean it. Don't leave the sauce sitting for long. It becomes VERY thick. My baby sister loves it and she can't stand tuna.

WackieJackie's Drunken Noodles

2006-03-22T22:54:00.000-08:00

WackieJackie writes: "There isn't a drop of alcohol in this, the name refers to how much you'll want to drink to combat the heat. I suggest a sweet sparkling wine, or a good cold beer." She also comments, "I think I prefered it with the chicken breast chunks, but just barely. This really is hot, it left my lips burning, but it's very good and easy to make."

2 14oz packages 1/4 inch wide flat rice noodles
1/4 cup vegetable oil
12 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh Thai chiles
1 1/2 lbs ground chicken (I've also used boneless chicken breast, cut in to small chunks)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup black soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
4 large plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
4 Anaheim chiles cut into strips
1/2 cup fresh Thai basil leaves (or regular basil leaves)

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, heat oil in a heavy large (seriously, huge pot) pot over medium high heat. Add garlic and Thai chiles; saute for about 30 seconds. Add chicken, fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar, and saute until chicken is cooked through. Add noodles, tomatoes, and Anaheim chiles, toss to coat and heat. Transer to a large platter, sprinkle with basil leaves and serve.

Makes 6 servings

MisaGoddess' Fettucine Alfredo (The Light Version!)

2006-03-21T20:22:00.000-08:00

I rejected this recipe, so in love am I with the full fat version. Though I also hate it. It's a complicated, unhealthy relationship I have with fettucine alfredo. Misa hit me when I finally did ask for this. But she still sent it. Misa writes: "Okay, you lucked out! WackieJackie requested that I send in the recipe anyway. I have been making this for ten years now and think it is pretty good. But to each his own."

1 tablespoon margarine
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups skim milk
2 tablespoons light process cream cheese
1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
4 cups hot cooked fettuccine (cooked without salt or fat)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground pepper

Melt margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic, and saut 1 minute. Stir in flour. Gradually add skim milk, stirring with a wire whisk until mixture is blended. Cook, stirring constantly, 8 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly.

Stir in cream cheese; cook 2 minutes. Add 1 cup Parmesan cheese, stirring constantly until Parmesan cheese melts.

Pour sauce over hot cooked fettuccine, and toss well to coat. Top fettuccine with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and pepper.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

CALORIES 345(25% from fat); FAT 9.7g (sat 4.4g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g);
PROTEIN 16.8g; CHOLESTEROL 18mg; CALCIUM 333mg; SODIUM 401mg; FIBER 2.3g;
IRON 2.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 46.7g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 1996

digmom3's Velveeta Cheese Fudge

2006-03-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

This sounds weird, but have faith! Apparently, the original recipe is an Amish one, courtesy of a Mrs. Leroy Auker. digmom3 writes: "This came up at Hizzycon. I have actually made it and Beachbum said she had no idea it was velveeta".

1 lb. oleo or butter
1 lb. velveeta cheese
4 lb. powdered sugar
1 cup cocoa
1 Tbsp. vanilla
chopped nuts

In a saucepan, melt oleo and cheese. Sift together sugar and cocoa, then add the cheese and oleo mixture and add the vanilla and nuts. Mix well and spread evenly into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Cool and cut into pieces. “Makes about 6 1/2 lbs. of creamy, inexpensive delicious fudge. This is the best fudge ever!”

digmom3's Corning Beef

2006-03-21T13:15:00.000-08:00

I bet this is divine! I've never heard of pickled beef before. digmom rocks.

Put trimmed 4-lb. brisket (preferable flat cut) in large non-metallic container big enough to hold brisket completely. Dissolve 1 cup Morton Tender Quick in 4 cups water. Add 2 Tbsp. pickling spices and 5 cloves of garlic, crushed. Pour mixture over brisket. Put small saucer on brisket to keep it submerged. Cover with tight-fitting lid and refrigerate 24 hours. Flip brisket and refrigerate another 24-48 hours.

digmom3's Corned Beef

2006-03-21T13:12:00.000-08:00

digmom sent this in honor of St. Patrick's Day. This entry would have been well-timed if I'd actually posted it when she sent it to me. I have gone insane.

Takes 3 hours.

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Rinse 4 lb. corned beef in water to rinse off curing salt. Dry with paper towels and put in large roasting pan.

Combine:

2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Rub mixture over both sides of corned beef (rub in really good). Add 2 cups cold water to pan, pouring in the side so you don’t rinse off rub. Cover tightly with foil and braise in oven 1 hour. Remove brisket and drain off water, return meat to pan and add 2 cups fresh water. Braise another hour. Drain and add 2 cups water again and braise a third hour.

In a small bowl mix:

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Remove meat from oven and raise temperature to 450 degrees. Pour off liquid and brush on glaze. Return to oven, uncovered, 15 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes.

adharas' Tizzy in the Hizzy Flan

2006-03-11T21:46:00.000-08:00

The alternate name for this flan is: Flan Cubano. I'll always know it & love it as the Tizzy in the Hizzy Flan, however. adharas writes that the recipe hails from "the May 1979 issue of Gourmet magazine, you can't get better than that."

In a skillet, combine 2 cups sugar and 1/2 c water, heat the mixture over moderately low heat for 4 minutes, and bring it to a boil, stirring and washing down any sugar crystals clinging to the sides of the skillet with a brush dipped in cold water until the sugar is dissolved. Cook the syrup over moderately high heat, tilting and rotating the pan, until it is caramelized. (Note: it goes from light brown to dark brown VERY quickly, so take it off as soon as it is medium brown)

Pour the caramel into a 2 1/2 quart mold, tilt the mold to coat the bottom and sides evenly, and let the caramel cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine 8 egg yolks, 2 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk, 2 1/2 c milk, and 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. In a bowl beat 8 egg whites until they are just frothy, and whisk them into the milk mixture. Pour the custard into the mold. Set the mold in a baking pan, pour enough hot water into the pan to reach two thirds of the way up the sides of the mold. Bake the flan in a pre-heated moderate (350 degree) oven, for 45-55 min. Let cool at room temp. Chill for 6 hours in the fridge. Unmold.

beadgirl's Flan

2006-03-11T21:36:00.000-08:00

There's some weird flan war raging in the Hizzy. beadgirl posted the first recipe. I'll be Switzerland-like & take any flan recipes sent to me. Oh! And look below for a coconut version of it.

6 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 t. salt
peel of fresh lime OR vanilla (maybe a couple of ts? i wing it)
7 eggs
1 cup sugar for pan

Combine milk, 1 cup sugar, salt, and flavor and bring rapidly to a boil. Reduce heat to moderate and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain and allow to cool.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Caramelize a round 9 by 3.5 inch pan (not a bundt or tube shape) by melting the other cup of sugar in the pan, slowly, until sugar becomes light gold. Swirl pan to coat bottom and sides with caramel. set aside on wire rack.

In saucepan, beat eggs, then add cooked milk mixture slowly. Strain.

Pour mixture into pan. Set pan into large shallow baking or roasting pan containing about 1 inch of hot water. Bake 1 hour, or until set and golden. remove pan from wter bath.

Cool on wire rack. cover and refrigerate until it sets more. When time to serve, turn flan over onto plate. Can be served cold or room temperature.

FLAN DE COCO:

1 cup sugar
2 8.75 oz cans cream of coconut
1 14 oz can condensed milk
2 Ts milk
1/4 t salt
8 eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Caramelize 8 by 3 inch pan as above.

Blend cream of coconut, condensed milk, milk, and salt in blender.

Crack eggs into sauce pan and break yolks and mix lightly. Slowly add blended mixture. Strain and pour into caramelized pan.

Bake, as above, in water bath.

MartianIceQueen's Veggie Dip

2006-03-01T20:25:00.000-08:00

adharas is a total whiner.

Cut the following into 1 inch cubes:

1 medium eggplant (peeled),
2 red bell peppers,
1 red onion.

Toss in a bowl with 2 minced garlic cloves (or more), some olive oil, and salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for ~45min, until lightly browned and soft. Put the veggies in a food processor and add 1 T tomato paste; pulse a few times to blend.

valosin's Chocolate Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

2006-02-18T21:02:00.000-08:00

So, valosin sent this to me out of the blue! And she signed the email "Violently yours." Heh. I'm entirely too amused and pleased. She writes that someone asked for this recipe, possibly deekay. And, it's adapted from Canadian Living: Every Day Favourites. Enjoy!

2/3 c butter, softened
1 c packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract (the recipe calls for orange rind, but I like the
vanilla better)
1 1/2 rolled oats (not instant)
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp each baking powder and baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c chocolate chips
1/2 c chopped pecans

Pre-heat oven to 375. Grease or line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat butter with brown sugar until fluffy: beat in egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix together rolled oats, flour, baking powder and soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture and stir until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfulls about 2 in apart onto cookie sheets bake in top and bottom thirds of oven, rotating and switching halfway though, until golden, about 10 min. Let cool on pan for 2 min, transfer to wire rack. Cool completely.

adharas' Portuguese Cream Tarts

2006-02-18T12:16:00.000-08:00

adharas found this recipe at Epicurious & meant to make it for ages. Now that she has made it, she's demanding (in a rather threatening manner) that everyone make these. Lest anyone fall prey to her wrath, I thought I'd provide the recipe here.

The original contributor at Epicurious says: These tarts are best when baked in 1/3-cup muffin cups. However, since many manufacturers have increased the size of their standard tins, we also tested the tarts in 1/2-cup muffin cups. In those cups, the pastry dough doesn't reach the tops, resulting in rather squat tarts.

For pastry:

1 (17 1/4-oz) package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets)
1 tablespoon melted butter

For custard filling:

1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon (1 1/4 teaspoons)
8 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
For topping
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Special equipment: 2 muffin pans with 12 (1/3-cup) muffin cups, each 2 5/8 inches wide by 1 inch deep

Partially thaw pastry just until sheets can be unfolded but dough is still quite stiff. Gently unfold 1 sheet and cut along folds, forming 3 equal strips (each about 9 1/2 by 3 inches). Stack pieces and cut stack lengthwise into 12 (1/4-inch-wide) strips, each strip 3 layers thick. Repeat with remaining pastry sheet.

Turn each triple strip on its side (cut side up) and coil tightly to form a flat 2- to 2 1/2-inch-wide spiral. On a lightly floured surface, press spiral with heel of your hand to flatten into a 3-inch round.

Lightly grease muffin cups with melted butter. Place each round in a muffin cup and press into bottom and side, lining cup to within 1/8 inch of top. (If using larger muffin cups, dough will not reach all the way up side.)

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Whisk together sugar and flour in a 3-quart heavy saucepan, then whisk in remaining filling ingredients and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until first bubble appears on surface, about 10 minutes. (Custard will be thick.) Transfer custard to a bowl and cool, whisking occasionally, until just warm, about 15 minutes, then fill pastry cups with custard, about 2 tablespoons each.

Bake tarts in upper third of oven until pastry is deep golden, 10 to 12 minutes. (Filling may brown.)

Cool tarts slightly in pans on a rack, about 10 minutes, then lift from pans using a small offset spatula or dull knife. Sift confectioners sugar, then cinnamon, over tarts and serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 24 small individual tarts.

adharas' Dhal the Second (from Sambar's leftovers)

2006-02-18T09:38:00.000-08:00

A variation on the original dhal for leftovers adharas shared with us. She just has a kind, generous, sharing sort of soul, doesn't she?

1 T oil
1 t cumin seeds
1 onion, chopped
2 t ginger
1 green chili
1 tomato, chopped
¼ t turmeric

Heat oil. Add cumin seeds, onion, and fry till brown. Add ginger, sauté 30 secs. Add green chili & tomato Fry well. Add turmeric. Add cooked dhal and salt to taste.

Yummy with pita bread or rice.

adharas' Sambar with powder

2006-02-18T09:25:00.000-08:00

This is an alternate (and easier) version of adharas' original Absolutely Divine Sambar. I'm sure it will still be wonderfully divine.

¼ c Tamarind ( fruit, not instant paste)
1 medium red onions, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and cut into pieces

¾ t black mustard seeds
½ t fenugreek seeds
¼ t asafetida
¼ t turmeric powder
Salt to taste
¾-1 ½ t Sambar powder, the more you add, the spicier it is.

30 curry leaves, torn in half
1 ½ cups toor dhal, uncooked, rinsed and soaked for a few hours.

adharas' Roasted Potatoes

2006-02-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

4 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 2” pieces
4 T oil
½ t black mustard seeds
1/8-1/4t asafetida powder
10 curry leaves
¼ t turmeric
Salt to taste

Heat oil. Add mustard seeds. Wait till they pop. Add rest of ingredients. Stir fry 30 secs. Pour over potatoes and mix well. Bake in oven, 375-400, about 20 min, stirring occasionally. Should be nice and tender.

adharas' Vegetable Akbari

2006-02-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

Ooooh! It has nuts! And green beans! I love green beans. I'm off to found the official adharas fan club.

2 medium onions, cut into rings
½ c peas
½ c French cut green beans
1 carrot, cut in cubes
1 green pepper cut into small pieces
1-4 T oil
Salt to taste
Red chilipowder, to taste
10-12 cashews
15-20 raisins, soaked in warm water for 10 min
¼ c cream
4-5 black pepper corns, crushed.

Heat oil. Add onion rings, and cook over medium until brown. Add cashews, fry for 2-3 min. Add carrots, cook covered until ½ done, add beans, and green peppers. Cover and cook over low until veggies are tender. Add rest of ingredients. Mix well, and heat for 1 min. Remove from heat. Serve.

eyeroller's Chicken and Dumplings

2006-02-14T00:19:00.000-08:00

eyeroller writes: I make Chicken and Dumplings on cold, yucky nights as comfort food. It's deeply satisfying. Tonight, I codified my recipe.

Six cups water
Four chicken leg quarters, or one whole chicken, cut up

Boil water; place chicken pieces in boiling water; after five minutes, reduce heat to simmer level and cover the pot. Cook for 45 minutes total.

Remove chicken pieces from pot and set aside. Skim broth to get out ny stuff that's floating.

Season broth with:

1 teaspoon powdered chicken broth, or 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay, or other seasoned salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning, or ground sage
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Chop:

Four ribs celery
Two medium onions
Four carrots, or 1.5 cups baby carrots

Add to broth, cook for 15-20 minutes.

Remove fat and bone from chicken meat, chop into bite-sized pieces. Add to pot with the vegetables.

Chop four stalks fresh curly parsley, add to the pot.

Mix:

2 cups baking mix
2/3 cup milk

Mix together. Drop tablespoons of dough into boiling pot; reduce heat to simmer, cover pot and cook for 10 minutes.

Should be ready to eat when you turn the heat off.

MartianIceQueen's Cheesecake

2006-01-31T20:02:00.000-08:00

Is it weird if just reading this makes me drool?

Crust:

3/4 C. all-purpose flour
3 T sugar
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
6 T butter
1 slightly beaten egg yolk
1/4 tsp vanilla

Combine first 3 ingredients; cut in butter till crumbly. Add egg yolk and vanilla; mix well. Pat 1/3 of dough on bottom of 8-inch springform pan (sides removed). Bake at 400 degrees ~ 7 min or until golden; cool. Butter sides of pan; attach to bottom. Pat remaining dough on sides of pan to height of 1 3/4 inches.

Filling:

3 8-oz packages cream cheese
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp grated lemon peel
1 C sugar
2 T flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 C milk

Let the cream cheese stand at room temperature to soften ( 1-1.5 hours). Beat until creamy; add vanilla and lemon peel. Mix sugar, flour, and salt; gradually blend into cheese. Add eggs and egg yolk all at once; beat until just blended. Gently stir in milk.

Turn into crust-lined pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake 55 minutes or until center appears set. Remove from oven; cool 15 minutes. Loosen sides of chesecake from pan with spatula. Cool 1/2 hour more; remove sides of pan. Cool 2 hours longer.

adharas' Kachumbar (salad)

2006-01-30T17:11:00.000-08:00

adharas says that this makes a good side dish with the dhal and pita/naan/rice. And I believe it, for I trust her cooking/food judgment implicitly.

½ red onion
1-2 tomatoes
½ - 1 cuke
¼ c fresh cilantro
Lemon juice
Salt to taste

Chop the veggies really fine. Add the lemon juice and salt.

adharas' Dhal (for leftover Sambar)

2006-01-30T17:09:00.000-08:00

You can freeze the leftover cooked tooar dahl from the sambar recipe, or you can make this! You can also make this with red lentils that you've cooked ahead of time.

1 onion chopped
1 tomato
1 green chili
½ t cumin seeds
Dash turmeric
Salt to taste

Heat oil or ghee. Add cumin seeds. Fry. Add veggies, fry till tomatoes are soft. Add dhal, salt turmeric. Serve with hot cooked rice. Or naan, or pita bread.

adharas' Curry

2006-01-30T17:05:00.000-08:00

This curry is worthy of song and worship. adharas served bluelu & me the cabbage version and we went nuts. As did bluelu's adorable dog Paddy. The little minx chewed open tupperware to get to it. Really, it's just that good.

Vegetables that can be used:

1 lb French cut green beans or
6 cups shredded cabbage or
4 potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed with a fork while hot.

Spices:

½ t black mustard seeds
3 dried red chilies
10-12 curry leaves, more if desired, torn in half
3-5 T finely grated coconut
1 T vegetable oil

Heat oil over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and cover pan. When seeds pop, add the red chilis and curry leaves, stir 10-15 seconds, and veggies, salt, cover and cook. If there is water in the pan when the beans or cabbage is done, leave pan open, turn heat up, and stir continuously until it dries a bit. Add salt to taste. Stir in coconut. Done!!

adharas' Absolutely Divine Sambar

2006-01-30T17:01:00.000-08:00

This is beyond delicious. This is happiness in a bowl. This is food nirvana. This is good enough that it makes putting up with Ed worthwhile.

¼ c Tamarind ( fruit, not instant paste)
2 medium red onions, sliced, and kept separate
1 green pepper, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and cut into pieces

Spices:

¾ t fenugreek seeds
3 ½ T coriander seeds
1 ½ T yellow split peas, dry
12 pepper corns
4 dried red chilis, more if you like it hot, less if not
¼ c unsweetened coconut, either dried, or fresh. Not canned.
¾ t black mustard seeds
¼ t asafetida
¼ t turmeric powder
Salt to taste
30 curry leaves, torn in half
1 ½ cups toor dhal, uncooked, rinsed and soaked for a few hours.

Bring the toor dhal to boil in a pot, with water to cover it, and cook until absolutely mushy. Add water as necessary, to make sure that the dhal does not absorb all water and go dry. It should be the consistency of a campbell’s soup when done. Nice and thick.

Soak tamarind in 2 cups hot water, overnight. Squeeze the pulp out, and strain the liquid into a bowl. (This little hint has been added exclusively for Eilan’s benefit).Add another ½ c water to the strained solids, and repeat smushing and straining. Discard the solids. Set tamarind liquid aside for 5 minutes, then decant to another bowl. Leave any grainy solids (remnants of fruit pod) at the bottom behind and discard. Discarded amount should be less than 1/3 cup.

Heat 1 t vegetable oil, in 4 quart pot. Add 1 sliced red onion to the oil. Saute until limp and starts turning brown. Remove from pot into a cup. Heat 1 t oil. Add the red chilis, fry 15-30 secs, add to onion. Heat another 1 t oil. Add fenugreek seeds, wait 15 secs, or until reddish brown, add coriander seeds and yellow split peas. Saute until spices turn color, light brown. Add peppercorns and coconut. Take off heat, stir a few secs so the coconut is fragrant, and add to onions. Let cool. Put in blender, with ½ c water, blend until quite finely ground.

Heat 1 T oil over medium heat, add mustard seeds. Cover pot. As soon as the popping subsides, add remaining red onion, green pepper, carrot, and sauté for 2 minutes or so. Add asafetida, turmeric, salt and tamarind liquid. Add curry leaves. Cover and let come to boil, lower heat slightly, leave the lid tilted slightly to release steam, and simmer, for a good 45 minutes.

Add 3 cups of the cooked dhal. Bring to a boil, and turn off heat.

Adjust salt as needed, and if the sambar is too heavy in consistency, add some boiling water to lighten it. It should be a soupy consistency. If too spicy, you can add more dhal into the sambar.

Serve with plain white cooked rice, and curry.

ersatzreality's Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

2006-01-17T21:57:00.000-08:00

ersatz mentioned having this the other night. We immediately begged for the recipe, of course. Thanks, ersatz!

1 (4 pound) chicken, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 scant cup olive oil
2 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 fresh sage sprig
1 Turkish bay leaf (or 1/2 California bay leaf)
1 celery rib
40 garlic cloves, peeled (from 3-4 heads)

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350.

Sprinkle chicken inside an dout with salt and pepper. Tie legs together with kitchen string and fold wings under chicken. Heat oil in a 6- to 8-quart heavy ovenproof pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add chicken and sear, turning it carefully, until golden brown all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Tie herbs and celery together with string to make a bouquet garni and add to pot (we usually skip the tying part and just toss 'em in). Scatter carlic over bottom of pot and put chicken breast side up on top of garlic. Cover tightly, transfer to overn, and bake, basting twice, until termometer inserted into thickest part of a thigh (without touching bone) registers 170 F, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let stand for 10 minutes; reserve pan juices.

Spread roasted garlic on toasts and cut chicken into serving pieces. Serve chicken drizzled with some pan juices.

We use baguette slices - mashing the garlic and oil into those is delicious. Usually also serve with buttered carrots.

sylph's Savvy Sauces

2006-01-17T12:04:00.000-08:00

I was looking for things to do with a package of fillo dough, and went to the website of the manufacturer, Athens Foods. What I mostly found were recipes a little beyond my time and needs just now, yet I thought these sauces sounded great, and they could be used in a variety of dishes. If you try any of them, be sure to share what you thought of the process and end results in the comments field.

--the sylph

for a duck or pork dish:

BLUEBERRY SAUCE

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
3/4 cup dry red wine
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon crushed rosemary
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons cold butter, cubed

In small saucepan, combine blueberries, wine, water, sugar and rosemary, Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 7 minutes. In small bowl stir cream and corn starch together until smooth. Purée and strain blueberry sauce, add cream mixture, bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and stir in butter until incorporated into sauce. Do not allow sauce to simmer after butter is added.

for smoked chicken:

ROASTED GARLIC CREAM

12 unpeeled cloves garlic
1 quart heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Place garlic on ungreased cookie sheet and roast in preheated 400ºF oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and soft. Peel and mash garlic. Add cream to saucepan with mashed garlic and simmer until reduced to 2 cups. Season with salt and pepper.

for a roast lamb salad--a roast leg of lamb is cut into strips and seasoned with garlic, thyme, and black pepper. You can toss it with this dressing and top mixed greens with it.

KONA COFFEE VINAIGRETTE

1/2 cup ground Kona coffee beans (or other robust coffee beans)
1/2 cup champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 clove minced garlic
1 egg
1 cup walnut oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

In small saucepan, bring coffee and vinegar to a simmer. Remove from heat and let stand for 2 hours at room temperature. Strain through coffee filter. Pour coffee-flavored vinegar into food processor and add mustard, garlic and egg. Process 3 to 4 minutes. Slowly pour oil into running food processor. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Leftover vinaigrette can be used as a delicious and different salad dressing.

bibliosylph's Pupusas

2006-01-07T22:36:00.000-08:00

sylph mentioned in the Hizzy tonight that she knew a lot about Latin American cooking, and I offered to be her slave for a good pupusa recipe. And she knew one! And sent it to me! And pretty much made my night! Causing me, clearly, to abuse exclamation points outrageously.

When I was a kid, I lived in El Salvador briefly where I fell in love with these. Living in the D.C. area for junior & high school, my family discovered a wonderful Salvadorean restaurant that made these. Madison has an almost dizzying wealth of diverse ethnic restaurants, but sadly, no place to get pupusas. In my opinion the curtido is the key. Pickled cabbage doesn't, perhaps, sound like the most palatable thing, but it's tangy & delicious & just makes these!

Pupusas

2 c. masa harina
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. hot tap water
8 oz grated queso asadero or crumbled queso fresco (asadero melts like the cheese we usually eat Mexican-style, and is milder than fresco.)
Curtido (recipe follows) or a salsa that you like. (Or, try some of the shredded pork in the recipe below this one.)

Using your hands, mix the masa harina, salt and water in a bowl until the dough come together in a soft ball.**When preparing the masa, it's a good idea to add 1 cup of the hot water, then gradually add the rest as you mix it into a ball. If you need a little more, add a tablespoon at a time. You want the dough to be soft but not sticky. Divide dough into 8 golf ball size pieces. Cover with plastic wrap to keep moist. Place a corn dough ball in the center of a sheet of plastic wrap. Place another sheet over the dough and press down with the palm of your hand, flattening it to a 6 inch diameter circle. Remove top plastic wrap.

Put some cheese or 2 tbs of pork in center to within 1 inch of tortilla edge. Place a second ball between two plastic sheets and flatten to a 4 inch diameter circle. Remove plastic and place 4 inch tortilla on top of filling. Curl up edge of bottom tortilla around top tortilla and press edges together. Place plastic sheet over top tortilla and gently flatten, spreading cheese toward edge but making sure not to squeeze it out. Top and bottom tortillas should be both smooth when you're done. Repeat process for rest of balls.

Cook pupusa in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Pupusas should be crisp and lightly browned when done. Serve hot topped with curtido or salsa. Makes 4.

Green Chile Pork

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds cubed pork stew meat (or some nice loin, if you like.)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (4.5 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained (you can use 3 or 4 chopped roasted chiles instead.)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
5 tablespoons tomato sauce
3 1/2 cups water
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Stir in cubed pork, and cook until browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and allow to cool briefly. Once cool, remove & shred pork with a fork, then return to the pan.

Sprinkle flour over pork. With a wooden spoon, stir pork to coat, scraping the bottom of the skillet to loosen browned bits. Add chile peppers and onions. Stir in tomato sauce, garlic and water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Return skillet to medium heat. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cover, and cook 10 minutes more.

Curtido (Pickled Cabbage)

1 medium cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
1 small red onion, sliced thin
4 cups cider vinegar
4 cups water
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves, crushed
2 teaspoons crushed red chile flakes
1 red bell pepper or 4 ajies dulces (sweet red peppers), sliced thin
1 tablespoon salt

Preparing the curtido: In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, onion, vinegar, water, oregano, chile flakes, red bell pepper, and salt until well mixed. Trasfer to a glass or plastic 1-gallon jar. Secure with the lid and agitate to mix well. Let marinate at least 1 day. Makes 1 gallon. This mixture will keep up to 1 month in the refrigerator.

Eilan's Crispy Potato Chicken

2006-01-02T10:50:00.000-08:00

So, I was a total, shameless brat in the Hizzy earlier & it looks like I guilted poor Eilan into sending this recipe. I am sorry for my behavior, but not for getting this recipe! Proving that she's a woman after my own heart, Eilan writes: "I would use more cheese, but I always use more cheese. Also, you can combine the potatoes with the other stuff and roll the egg-coated chicken in all of it at once."

1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chicken, cut up and skin removed
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups mashed potato flakes
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 375*F (190*C). In a large zip-lock style plastic bag, combine first five ingredients. Add chicken in batches; shake to coat. In a shallow bowl, beat eggs and water. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then coat with potato flakes. Pour butter into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan; add chicken. Bake for 30 minutes; turn chicken and bake for another 30 minutes or until juices run clear.

Serves 4 to 6.

bluelucia's New Year's Eve Feta Spread

2006-01-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

bluelu sent this wonderful recipe to me -- mmmmm, feta... And if you read her notes below you'll discover a fiendish secret!

1 (6 ounce) package feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, softened
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 cup chopped black olives, drained

In a food processor, place the feta cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and oregano. Using the pulse setting, blend the mixture until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl. Blend in the olives by hand or with a spoon. Refrigerate until serving.

Be a little ginger with the lemon juice -- the spread gets tart fast. I also like to add more olives than this, cuz I'm an olive fiend. And last time I added some fresh basil, which was lovely.

Synaesthete's Turkey Almond Casserole

2005-12-30T19:58:00.000-08:00

So, Synaesthete posted a link to this a little while back & I missed it! I blame my inherent insanity & inability to read for missing this in the Hizzy. Oh, it's so sad that Brit can't read. Thankfully, though, the problem has been rectified and I have it here for you. Synaesthete has this to say about this recipe: "It's rich and savoury and has a nice crunch to it, and it's easy to throw together early in the day and keep in the refrigerator until it's time to heat through for supper. It also freezes well."

5 cups diced, cooked leftover turkey (or chicken)
2 cups diced celery
3 cups cooked rice
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, sliced (optional)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp. chopped onion
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. salt
3/4 tsp. white or black pepper
1 cup sliced almonds

In a large bowl, mix above ingredients together and put into buttered 9" x 13" baking dish.

Topping

1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 cups crumbled corn flakes
1/3 cup butter, melted

Mix above ingredients together and sprinkle on top of casserole.

Bake at 350 F for 35 to 45 minutes. Can be prepared ahead and refrigerated until baking.

MiamiGenny's Etouffe (with a special bonus!)

2005-12-30T07:06:00.000-08:00

Genny warns that this "is not for the faint of tastebud." If you've got valiant tastebuds, though, this sounds delicious!

1 lb chicken breast (cut into chunks) or pre-cooked shrimp (or regular, if you like to be difficult)
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 cup yellow or white onion
1/4 cup celery
1/4 cup green pepper
1/4 cup green onions
3 cups clam juice
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 oz tabasco sauce
1 can of canned tomatos
1 can of tomato sauce (like, Contadina tomato sauce, not ragu)

Saute the onion, celery, and green pepper in olive oil. Then add garlic, canned tomatos, 1oz, tobasco and all spices.

Saute chicken or shrimp seperatly in olive oil until cooked through. Once cooked, add contents from the first saute pan. Rinse 1st pan with a little water to deglaze. Add tomato sauce and stew for about 10 minutes to let the incorporate. Thicken with dark roux, if desired.
BONUS: Cajun mini-pizzas! Take etouffe sauce and spread it on english muffin halves. Then put on mozzerella and any other desired toppings. Place in toaster oven on tinfoil and toast until cheese is melted.

adharas' Alternate Hizzy Korma

2005-12-28T21:33:00.000-08:00

adharas revealed that there is more than one type of korma, then revealed this one in the Hizzy. Amusingly, I had already copied it to paste in here when I stumbled upon her post asking me to do that. Or, perhaps I'm the only one amused by that. Ah well.

About 3 onions, sliced
3 inches ginger, sliced thin
2-3 green chilis, slit, or whole if you don't want it hot
4 potatoes, peeled and cut like fries
1 carrot, peeled and cut on the diagonal
1/2 cup of peas
1 can of coconut milk.

Heat oil. Add onions, and fry over medium heat until light brown. Add ginger, fry few minutes. Add veggies, and fry few minutes. Add a can of coconut milk, and equal quantity water, cover and cook over medium heat until potatoes and carrots are tender. Add salt. If you use low fat coconut milk, don't add water. And make sure you are using unsweetened coconut milk.

This goes great with basmati rice, or naan. You get really good naan at the Indian stores, in the frozen section. Deep brand is the best, for anything. The stuff they sell in the refrigerated section is more like pizza dough.

Ghee (for adharas' or other appropriate recipes)

2005-12-28T17:34:00.000-08:00

It occurred to me that not everyone might know how to make ghee. Here's how adharas makes it.

So heat unsalted butter over medium, and watch till brown solids appear on bottom. while liquid, you can decant it into the container you want to store it. The brown proteins will stay behind. Use this pot to cook your rice, or soup or whatever you wish, and it will have the lovely aroma of ghee. Ghee will keep at room temperature, covered, for several months.

Note: The amount of butter does reduce, so if you're making just enough for a recipe, make sure to start with about a 1/3 to 1/2 more butter than you need.

Subversive Note for Lazy People: Many grocery stores sell Ghee these days.

adharas' Raita

2005-12-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

We LOVE Ed Harris! Because she wrote up all sorts of yummy Indian recipes for us. Hip, hip, hooray!

2 c yogurt, plain, unflavored
1 /2 c chopped red onion
1 c chopped tomato
½ c chopped cuke
2 T chopped cilantro
Salt to taste

Mix all. If very thick, add a little water.

adharas' Vegetable Korma

2005-12-28T17:13:00.000-08:00

¼ c dessicated coconut, unsweetened
8-10 garlic cloves
1 inch of ginger root
½ bunch cilantro
4-5 cloves
3-4 inches of cinnamon stick
2-3 green chilis
½ large onion
2 TBSP yogurt

Blend all together, with as little extra water as possible. Mix with yogurt.

Heat ¼ c oil, Add 2 chopped medium onions, 3 bay leaves, and blended masala. Cook over medium heat, takes a while to fry well, the oil will separate from the paste. You have to make sure the raw garlic flavor isn’t there at all. Taste a tiny bit to make sure, because that raw garlic will make the whole thing taste horrible, so cook the heck out of it. You may have to add a little extra oil. Stir often and stir well. Don’t rush it! Add salt. Add steam veggies, cauliflower, peas, potatoes, carrots are a good combination. Add ½ - ¾ c water. Simmer 10 -15 min. At the end, add juice of ½ lemon. And ½ t sugar.

adharas' Masala Gravy

2005-12-28T17:10:00.000-08:00

Saute 2 medium onions, sliced, till light brown. Add 2 chopped cloves garlic, 2” ginger, fry till the onions are browned. Add 1 t paprika/cayenne powder, 1 t cumin powder, ½ t coriander powder, ½ t turmeric, salt, 2 T tomato paste. Cook 10 minutes, Stirring once in a while, till the tomato is cooked. If you need to add a little water, you can, but make sure it is completely evaporated while cooking tomatoes, should be no raw tomato aroma. Add ½ c heavy cream, ½ c water or so, should be not too watery, kindy of thick tomato soup type consistency. You can blend the whole lot if you like a smooth consistency. Toss in a handful of cashews or almonds in the blender. Add 1 T Kasoori Methi (fenugreek leaves, which are available dried in the Indian grocery stores. You can always leave them out, the flavor will be slightly different). Cook 10-15 min. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

This is the base for the following:

Hardboiled eggs.
Chop potatoes, into 1” cube, steam, with peas. Add to masala.
Steam cauli. Add that and peas.
Fried paneer, available in the Indian grocery stores.

adharas' Palak paneer (spinach with cheese cubes)

2005-12-28T17:08:00.000-08:00

Paneer cubes, fried, are available in the refrig section of Indian grocery stores.

2 onions, chopped
1 green chili, or more if you want it hot, whole or chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 pkg, 10 oz, spinach, chopped
1 t cumin seeds
1/4 c cream

2 T oil, heat. Add cumin seeds. Add onion and fry over medium till brown. Add tomato and fry till nice and mushy and fried. Add spinach, little water, cover and cook till spinach is cooked. Blend it coarse. Add salt, cream, paneer cubes. Defrost before you add it, and heat over warm/medium, until the paneer is heated through and nice and soft.

adharas' Simple Pulao

2005-12-28T17:05:00.000-08:00

1 c basmati rice
1 t cumin seeds
1 inch cinnamon stick
3 cloves
3 green cardamom
2 bay leaves
4 T ghee

Heat ghee/butter. Add cumin seeds, and then rest of spices. Fry 30 seconds. Add rice, sauté over medium until rice is transparent. Add 2 c water, and salt to taste. Cook rice, and when rice is done, fluff with fork.

adharas' rice

2005-12-28T17:04:00.000-08:00

1 c basmati rice
½ c chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger root
3 cloves
1 inch stick cinnamon
3 green cardamom
Salt to taste

Blend cilantro, ginger, garlic, with ½ c water.

Heat ¼ c oil. Fry cloves, cinn, cardamom, 1 min or so. Add rice. Fry well, till translucent. Add water with the cilantro in it, and another 1 ½ cup water. Cook rice, as you would usually cook rice. Add salt to taste. Fluff with fork.

adharas' Dal Makhni

2005-12-28T17:02:00.000-08:00

2/3 c whole urad dhal, black beans; available in Indian stores, not black beans used in Mexican cooking
3 T raw red kidney beans
3.5 t ginger paste (or grated)
3.5 t grated garlic (or paste)
4.5 oz tomato puree
1 t red chili powder
½ butter
½ c heavy cream

Pick through lentils, to make sure they are clean, sometimes there are tiny little pebbles. Wash and soak overnight, drain.

Add approx 6 cups water, bring to boil, cover and simmer until lentils are cooked and 2/3 of the liquid has evaporated. Mash the lentils against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. Don’t have to mash everything, just a half cup or so, to thicken liquid. Add giner, garlic, tomato, red chili p, and half of the butter, stir and cook for 45 min. Add cream, stir and cook 10 min. Adjust seasoning. Add salt, after the beans are cooked, otherwise, it halts the cooking process. Garnish with remaining butter.

If you have a pressure cooker, cook the lentils in that, and then proceed with recipe. It’s much quicker. If you have a slow cooker, you can let it sit all day.

adharas' Green moong dal (dry dish)

2005-12-28T17:00:00.000-08:00

1.5 cups green moong beans
1 Tbs ginger, grated
2 T cilantro leaves, chopped.
4 T ghee
1 t cumin seeds
½ t red chili powder/ cayenne powder
½ t turmeric
Salt to taste
½ t garam masala
1 T lemon juice

Wash moong beans. Combine with ginger, add approx 3 c water, bring to boil, cover and simmer until cooked. The lentils should be soft, but not mushy. Drain.

Heat ghee. Add cumin and sauté until it crackles. Take off the heat, add the cayenne, turmeric and salt Add to dal. Add garam masala, lemon juice and cilantro.

Britomom's Twice-Baked Shrimp Potatoes

2005-12-28T12:23:00.000-08:00

These are beyond divine and yet are sinful. They defy words. And they're really easy to make. Enjoy!

6 large Idaho potatoes
Vegetable oil, for coating
8 TBSP butter
2 C grated cheddar, plus a little more for sprinkling
2 C grated Montery Jack
2 C sour cream
1 lb shrimp, peeled & sauteed in butter (you could add a little garlic, too)
salt and pepper to taste
paprika (to taste or aesthetic enjoyment)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash & dry potatoes, then gently prick with a fork on the sides. Coat each potato with vegetable oil & bake for about an hour.

Put the butter in a generous-sized bowl. Once potatoes are baked, cut a generous opening in the top of each & carefully scoop out potato with a spoon, putting the potato innards into the bowl w/ butter. (It's easiest to remove potato when hot, but it also hurts to hold a hot potato, so have oven mitts handy!) With a ricer or masher (or mixer, but ricers or mashers are better because mixers can make the potatoes a tad too starchy), mix the potatoes & butter with sour cream, salt & pepper. Fold the shrimp and both cheeses into the mixture.

Carefully re-stuff potatoes with as much mixture as you can.* Sprinkle each potato with cheese & paprika. Bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes - until fully re-heated & a bit browned on top.

* There will be extra mixture left over. Which is soooo divine leftover. So don't throw it away!

Eilan's Tipsy Sweet Potatoes

2005-12-28T12:20:00.000-08:00

Eilan sent this email & said, "Here's another holiday treat for you alkies out there." Alkies?! Who's an alkie?

6 yams
1 cup hot milk
brown sugar to taste
1/2 stick melted butter
1 cup walnuts
1 3/4 cup bourbon*
marshmallows

Cook the potatoes. Scoop out of peel, then mix with other ingredients, placing the marshmallows on top. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

*half the bourbon may be substituted for the juice of one orange and some grated orange peel

Misa's Candied Pecans

2005-12-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

Misa posted a candied pecan recipe in the Hizzy, but this isn't it! She emailed me this one, saying: I found another version of the Candied Pecans recipe and it tastes even better than the first!

2 cups pecans (l lb)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 Tblsp. cold water
1 egg white

In one bowl mix sugar, cinnamon and salt. In second bowl, mix water and egg white. Beat to a froth (but not stiff); mix pecans into egg mixture until coated. Add to sugar mixture and stir until the sugar is used up. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and spread nuts on the sheet. Bake at 250 F. for about 60 minutes, turn the nuts after 30 minutes so both sides are evenly cooked.

Cool and enjoy!

MisaGoddess' Rum Cake

2005-12-28T12:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Misa's generosity, we now have not one, but two rum cake recipes. Not surprising considering how many of us are lushes.

1 cup chopped nuts
1 pkg yellow cake mix (the kind with pudding added)
3 eggs
1/3 cup veg. oil
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup rum

Preheat oven to 350. Grease (or use cooking spray) and flour 12c. bundt pan. Sprinkle nuts on the bottom. Mix all cake ingredients and pour batter over nuts. Bake one hour, cool and turn onto plate.

Prick top with fork and drizzle or brush glaze over the top.

Glaze:

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup rum

Melt butter, and stir in water and sugar. Boil five minutes, stirring constantly. Then stir in rum.

Eilan's Pina Colada Cake

2005-12-19T16:01:00.000-08:00

Eilan mentioned this cake in the Hizzy today. I immediately demanded it. Because an alcoholic cake? Absolutely belongs here. Thanks, Eilan!

1 (18 1/2 ounce) package yellow cake mix, pudding-in-the-mix variety
1 (15 ounce) can Cream of Coconut
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons rum (you may want more)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, well-drained

Preheat oven to 350. In large mixer bowl, combine cake mix, 1/2 cup cream of coconut, 1/2 cup rum, oil, and eggs. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in pineapple. Pour into well-greased and -floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake 50-55 minutes. Cool slightly. With a fork, poke holes about one inch apart in cake, almost to the bottom. Combine remaining cream of coconut and rum (more than 2T is fine). Pour over cake; chill thoroughly. Remove from pan. Store in refrigerator.

Britomart's New Favorite Green Beans

2005-12-18T18:43:00.000-08:00

So, I had a bunch of green beans in my refrigerator that really needed to be used. I played in Epicurious and found a recipe that sounded lovely. Unfortunately, I didn't have the precise ingredients, and felt too comfy & lazy to venture out to the grocery store. So, I substituted like mad with similar ingredients. It turned out divine and made me very, very happy. But here's the original recipe, which I'm sure is awfully good, too.

3 generous handfuls of fresh green beans
1 C almonds, chopped finely
2 C vegetable broth
3 medium leeks
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP butter
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a baking sheet with a small amount of butter. Clean leeks and discard dark green portion. Cut leeks in half, lengthwise, and place on baking sheet. Melt & drizzle 1 TBSP of butter over leeks, ensuring that they're fully coated on all sides. Sprinkle liberally with salt & pepper. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, until brown but not burnt. Once cooked, removed and chop coarsely.

Clean & prepare green beans (I just snap off the far ends, don't bother peeling off the string unless it happens magically). Blanch in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Set aside.

Melt 1 TBSP butter in saucepan & saute almonds until golden brown. Add a pinch or two of salt during the process. Once done, add green beans and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat.

In a small pot, bring vegetable broth to a boil. Simmer until reduced to approximate 1/2 C. Whisk in brown sugar & vinegar. Simmer for another minute, then add leeks. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, for at least 5 more minutes.

Serve green bean & almond mixture topped with a generous dollop of the leek mixture.