Friday, December 30, 2005

Synaesthete's Turkey Almond Casserole

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!)

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.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

adharas' Alternate Hizzy Korma

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)

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

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

  • 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

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)

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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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)

  • 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

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

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

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

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.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Eilan's Pina Colada Cake

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.

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Britomart's New Favorite Green Beans

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.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

dreamy's Juicy Orange Cake

dreamy found this at the New York Times & it sounds yummy.
  • 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened, more for pan
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, more for pan
  • 3 oranges, preferably organic, for zest and juice
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, more as needed
  • 2 1/3 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Thickly butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or 6-cup loaf pan. Zest and juice oranges. Mix ½ cup orange juice, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/3 cup sugar. To remaining orange juice add lemon juice to make ¼ cup. Stir in zest.

2. In mixer, cream butter and remaining sugar until fluffy. With mixer running, add eggs one at a time. Turn off and add 1½ cups flour, baking soda and salt, and mix. Add half the buttermilk, and mix. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk. Add zest mixture, and mix.

3. Pour dough into pan and place on baking sheet. Bake until tester comes out dry, 1 to 1¼ hours. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Set wire rack over a rimmed sheet pan and turn warm cake onto rack. Using a pastry brush or baster, spread glaze over top of cake and let soak in. Repeat until all glaze is used. Let cool at room temperature. Can be refrigerated in plastic wrap for a week.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

adharas' Spoon Cookies

Our lovely Ed Harris made these for a recent round-robin party in her neighborhood & reports that they're wonderful. Enjoy!
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt, slightly rounded
  • 1/3 cup fruit preserves (your choice)
Special equipment: a deep-bowled teaspoon (not a measuring spoon)

Make dough
Fill kitchen sink with about 2 inches of cold water. Melt butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until butter turns golden with a nutlike fragrance and flecks on bottom of pan turn a rich caramel brown, 10 to 12 minutes. (Butter will initially foam, then dissipate. A thicker foam will appear and cover the surface just before butter begins to brown; stir more frequently toward end of cooking.) Place pan in sink to stop cooking, then cool, stirring frequently, until butter starts to look opaque, about 4 minutes. Remove pan from sink and stir in sugar and vanilla.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and stir into butter mixture until a dough forms. Shape into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and let stand at cool room temperature 1 to 2 hours (to allow flavors to develop).

Form and bake cookies
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.

Press a piece of dough into bowl of teaspoon, flattening top, then slide out and place, flat side down, on an ungreased baking sheet. (Dough will feel crumbly, but will become cohesive when pressed.) Continue forming cookies and arranging on sheet. Bake cookies until just pale golden, 8 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on sheet on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Assemble cookies
While cookies cool, heat preserves in a small saucepan over low heat until just runny, then pour through a sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard on solids, and cool completely.

Spread the flat side of a cookie with a thin layer of preserves. Sandwich with flat side of another cookie. Continue with remaining cookies and preserves, then let stand until set, about 45 minutes. Transfer cookies to an airtight container and wait 2 days before eating.

Cooks' notes
• Dough can be made 12 hours before baking and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature to soften slightly before forming cookies, about 30 minutes.
• Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 2 weeks.

digmom3's Buffalo Chicken Dip

digmom3 is munching on this today & reports that it's wonderfully delicious.

INGREDIENTS
2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch dressing
3/4 cup pepper sauce, such as FranksR Red HotR
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
1 (8 ounce) box chicken-flavored crackers

DIRECTIONS
Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

Miami Genny's Pork Tenderloin with Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette

Genny writes that this recipe is "very yummy and very easy to make, if you time it all right, you can have it ready in about 20 minutes."
  • Pork tenderloin
  • granulated garlic
  • black pepper
  • 2 cups olive oil blend
  • 1/3 cup sherry wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 oz. (appx.) sundried tomatos
  • 1 medium shallot
  • 3 cloves of garlic, salt to taste
Cut pork tenderloin into four equal pieces and trim off sinew. Coat with granulated garlic and black pepper. Brown on all sides in a pan with olive oil, then put in 450 degree (F) oven for 12-15 minutes or until center is 160 degrees.

Add all vinaigrette ingredients (everything on the bottom list) into blender. Blend for at least five minutes, adding sundried tomatos until color is a solid red. Should be very smooth and have no lumps or chunks present. Serve over medallions of pork.

digmom3's Toffee Bars

digmom3 warns that these toffee bars are also known as "chocolate crack." You have been warned. And, hey, we have a crack recipe on the blog. Hee! I wonder if the DEA will shut us down.
  • saltines
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 12 oz package of chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet (use one with sides) with foil and spray heavy with Pam. Line pan with saltines. In a saucepan, cook butter and brown sugar. Boil for three minutes. Drizzle mixture over crackers. Bake for 4 minutes. Sprinkle on chocolate chips. Let melt then spread to cover evenly. (At this point you can add festive sprinkles-aka jimmies). Put in freezer for 45 minutes. Break into pieces.

digmom3's Shrimp Bisque

Not only did this recipe unexpectedly pop up in my inbox like an early Christmas present, but this is one of my all-time favorite soups. Happy day!
  • 1 medium onion, chopped fine
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped fine
  • 1 red pepper, chopped fine
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 3 cups tomato basil sauce (1 regular jar of spaghetti sauce)
  • 1 13 oz. can chicken broth
  • Hot sauce to taste
  • 1 cup fat free ½ & ½
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • Shrimp (I used one bag frozen, cooked shell-off)
Sauté first four ingredients in the butter. Add the tomato basil sauce, chicken broth, and hot sauce. Simmer 15 minutes. Add shrimp. Whisk in ½ & ½ and cream. Heat through and serve.

Sunday, December 04, 2005

bibliosylph's Favorite Holiday Treats

Up on her website, bibliosylph has listed some of her favorite holiday recipes. But you clever folks already figured that out from the title of this entry, didn't you?

Here's an excerpt from her blog, explaining these recipes:
It's not easy for me to incorporate tradition in my life. And I have only a few links to the past, so it's worth it to me to attempt to keep them as strong as possible. Mostly I do this with food. And, not to type too much blah, blah, the time I enjoy most recreating a bit of the past through cooking is at Christmas. For me, it's about the richness and goodness of the end of this year's cycle, and lighting up a dark winter season.

Yes, I am a barefoot, bohemian Martha Stewart.

And the recipes include yummy things like:
  • marzipan
  • lemon bars
  • chocolate truffles
  • and the intriguing "magic cooky bars"
...and many others! She promises drink recipes will be up soon, too. So, without further do, hie thee to the recipes!

Synaesthete's Orange Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients
1 pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 teaspoon mustard
Salt and pepper

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with a cooking spray. Place tenderloin on baking sheet. Mix mustard and marmalade together and spread onto meat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 30-35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Synaesthete's Steamed Carrot Pudding

Synaesthete writes in her blog: The last few years the making of the carrot pudding has fallen to me, and frankly, if I can make it, anybody can. I have very little patience with fiddly recipes that take all afternoon (or worse, all day) to put together, or which involve ingredients nobody has ever heard of. But if you want a rich, hearty, fruity pudding to serve to guests during the holidays, this one is a good bet.

Blend or sift together:
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice

Stir in:
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup currants

Combine well to coat the fruit and set aside.

Cream together:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar

Dissolve:
1/2 tsp. baking soda in 1 well-beaten egg

Gradually add soda/egg to the creamed mixture.

Stir in to creamed mixture:
3/4 cup grated raw carrot
3/4 cup grated raw potato
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs

Add fruit/flour mixture and combine thoroughly.

Turn batter into well-greased one-quart mould, cover with a double layer of aluminum foil and tie in place with string to keep foil from popping off as pudding expands.

In a large covered pot of boiling water, steam pudding for 2 1/2 hrs (you may have to turn a heatproof bowl upside down and set the pudding on this to keep it out of the water -- me, I use my pressure cooker with the steamer insert and it works great). Remove string and aluminum foil, and place pudding in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. Re-cover, and store in fridge or freezer until needed.

Serve hot with lemon or hard sauce. To reheat, steam 30 minutes or microwave until warm.

* * *

HARD SAUCE

1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups warm water
2 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla

Combine brown sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan. Add warm water gradually, stirring constantly.

Cook and stir over low heat until thick and smooth (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla. Serve hot.

* * *

All I can add to this is: yum.

Friday, December 02, 2005

digmom3's Peanut Butter-Bacon Crispies

digmom3 writes: I found this on my computer and it is perfect for holiday get-togethers. Everyone always thinks it sounds gross, but then loves it when I make them try it!

Though I have haven't this recipe before, I have eaten something very similar at an Elvis-themed restaurant before, and can vouch that this food combination is delicious. And you can't beat a recipe that's this simple.

Make peanut butter sandwich. Cut into 1-inch squares. Wrap 1/2 piece of bacon around each square and secure with toothpick. Bake on cookie sheet for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.