MartianIceQueen's Cheesecake

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)

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

BeachBum's Tater Tot casserole

Not that valeriel fessed up that there's nothing naughty or twisted about tater tots, we can eat them! Also, BeachBum included this note in the recipe: "One of Daddy’s Favorites!" It begs the question: who's your daddy?

2 lb ground turkey cooked, seasoned, drained
3 2 lb bags tator tots
2 cans cream of mushroom
2 cans evaporated milk
2 cans cream of chicken

Brown meat & place in large casserole dish. Cover with tator tots. Mix soup & milk together, and pour over top. Bake at 350 for 1 Hour.

Makes 2- 9”X13” pans

goo's Roasted Vegetables

goo popped into the Hizzy after a tragically long absence & left this recipe. Yay!

Preheat the oven to 180degC.

Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a small roasting pan and brush to cover the base.

Chop up enough root veggies to make a single layer in the pan - I use carrots, sweet potato, beetroot, parsnip, turnip and pearl onions.

Toss the veggies in the oil so they are coated.

In a small bowl, mix together 3 or 4 tablespoons of brown sugar, lots of salt and pepper (seriously, be liberal), and a good pinch of each of ground nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice.

Sprinkle the mixture over the veggies, and toss them around so they are liberally coated. When you think you have added enough of the sugar mix, add a bit more - you want it to kind of caramelise.

Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, depending on the size of your veggie pieces (larger pieces = longer cooking time).

Mmm, extra delicious with baby new potatoes roasted with rosemary and sea salt (same deal, toss them all together with olive oil and pepper in a roasting pan and in the oven for 45 minutes).

MisaGoddess' Pecan Tassies

So, last week I was on a business trip in Tucson & Misa and I got together in my hotel room to watch House. Not only did we have a blast, but she brought me home-baked goods! Which is a sweet thing to do for anyone, but for a business traveler, its value is equivalent to the Hope diamond.

It turns out that Misa is so talented as a baker that despite the fact that she must have cooked them with hate for me, these are insanely delicious! As is the zucchini bread recipe right under this one.

How did I get lucky enough to have an evil nemesis who bakes for me? I don't know if I'll ever know, but I'm certainly grateful.

Dough

• ½ cup Butter
• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup flour

Filling

• 1 teaspoon butter, melted
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup chopped pecans

Dough: Mix butter and cream cheese well, then add flour and mix to a soft dough. Chill at least one hour. When dough is chilled, scoop and press the balls of dough (about one inch in diameter) into a mini-muffin cup pan. Press the dough down and up along the sides to the top.

Filling: Mix together nuts and other ingredients then spoon into the pastry bottoms so that tarts are about ¾ full. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 – 20 minutes.

This should make about 24 tarts.

MisaGoddess' Zucchini Bread

These are low-fat. If Misa hadn't shared this fact with me, I never would have guessed. In, like, a million years. Well, unless I ate it every day and eventually caught on to the fact that I was healthy and svelte.

• 2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Vegetable cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place zucchini on several layers of paper towels, and cover with additional paper towel. Let stand 5 minutes, pressing down occasionally. Set aside.

Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (flour through baking powder) in a large bowl, and stir well; make a well in center of mixture. Combine zucchini, applesauce, egg substitute, oil, and vanilla; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Divide batter evenly between 2 (7 1/2 x 3-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack.

Yield: 2 loaves, 28 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

CALORIES 128 (20% from fat); FAT 2.8g

bibliosylph's Blueberry Pumpkin Muffins

bibliosylph sent me two recipes today. She's my new favorite person! (Until the next recipe comes in. I'm a fickle beeyotch, amn't I?) Oh, and she also just taught me to be ashamed of my love for streusel topping. ;)

• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or your favorite combo of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves)
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1/3 cup butter or shortening
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 tablespoon flour

Combine first six ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine pumpkin and evaporated milk in another bowl. Cream shortening and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add egg: beat until mixture is fluffy. Add flour mixture alternately with pumpkin mixture, beating well after each addition. Combine blueberries and flour. Gently stir into batter. Spoon batter into 18 prepared or lined cups of cupcake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. You can make jumbo ones, of course, if you have that kind of pan.

** some notes: I got this recipe from the internet, and only slightly changed it. I can't cite a source, because everyone has the same recipe and I can't tell where it originated. It called for streusel topping, which I left off, because I'm tres bored of streusel topping. It's so last century. And I changed the spice, as well.

bibliosylph's Cranberry Banana Bread

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or shortening
• 1 cup mashed banana
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped cranberries--fresh or frozen

Mix sugar and butter in a medium mixing bowl until completely blended. Add banana, juice and eggs, mixing well. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until moist. Stir in cranberries.

Spread batter evenly in a greased 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a rack, then remove from pan and finish cooling.

** some notes: If you want to add nuts, I'd suggest 1/2 cup of pecans, well chopped. And if you want the bread to be sweeter, make the cranberries into sauce, following package directions, but using half orange juice and half water. Then drain the cranberries and measure out 1-1 1/4 cup of them for the batter, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid to use in the recipe in place of the orange juice.

dandieandie's Pumpkin Cookies

dandieandie is lovely, kind and forgiving! She submitted the recipe despite the fact that I was singing Olivia Newton-John to her again & deserved to be punished.

• 1 cup butter-flavored shortening
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 2 cupts all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 (16 oz) container cream cheese frosting
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, cream together shortening and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla, then stir in pumpkin. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pudding mix; gradually mix into pumpkin mixture. Roll into walnut-sized balls and place them 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Allow to cool completely before frosting with cream cheese.

**I've never tried these with the cream cheese frosting, initially because I just couldn't find any at the grocery store, but after I made the cookies I discovered I didn't think they needed the frosting.

**I tend to be more heavy-handed with vanilla than the recipe calls for (ditto with the cinnamon), usually adding a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon, and the cookies haven't failed me yet!

MisaGoddess' Chicken & Corn Soup (Slowcooker Recipe)

MisaGoddess writes: "For all you sick Hizzyites (who also have a lot of time on your hands)." Is it just me, or do you think that parenthetical comment was a dig against me? Hhhmpf. No one appreciates my artistic vision!

• 3 or 4 pieces of chicken or 2 breasts (the chicken breasts yield a *lot* of shredded meat)
• 1 pkg of frozen sweet corn (16 oz)
• *1 medium sweet onion
• *1 medium red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups Chicken broth
• 1 (14 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon Paprika
• ½ teaspoon Thyme
• Dash of Rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste

*Puree the onion and bell pepper in a food processor or chopper. Place in the bottom of of the slow cooker and add chicken pieces, corn and the pureed vegetables. Add also tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and spices. Pour the broth over all.

Cover and cook for 8 to 10 hours. Near the end of the cooking time, take out the chicken and shred with a fork. You can even use meat with the bone and skin on - everything will peel right off the bone by the time it is done. This should serve 4-6 people.

BeachBum's Kale & Bean Soup

BeachBum writes: I didn't follow the above proportions exactly, but I think this is a very forgiving recipe! Serve with a nice loaf of crusty bread to soak up all the yummy broth!

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cups raw kale, chopped (be sure to remove the spiny sections; there won't be many, but those that remain will be tough)
• 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth, split
• 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans or navy beans, undrained,split
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 box small shells
• shredded parmesan cheese

In a large pot, heat olive oil.

Add garlic and onion; saute until soft and the onion is transparent.

Wash the kale, leaving small droplets of water. Saute, stirring, until wilted and a lovely emerald green, about 15 min.

Add 3 cups of the broth, reserving 1 cup, 1.5 cups of the beans, reserving 1.5 cups, all of the tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, mix the reserved beans and broth until smooth. Stir into the soup to thicken it nicely. Add pasta.

Simmer 15 more minutes. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with shredded parmesan.

tseliot's Rib Recipe (for Grilling or Baking!)

Severe Papal warning: this is not invalid food! It is, however, great comfort food, for summer when grilled and for winter when baked.

Take 3 or so lbs. bone-in or boneless country-style ribs; trim off as much visible fat as possible.

Simmer the ribs in the following mixture for 45 min-1 hr. or until tender:

• 2 qu. beef stock (I actually usually use water and bouillion, but you could use just water, even)
• 1/2 c. red wine vinegar
• ~1 TB ea. paprika, cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, gr.ginger, and salt, or to taste
• 3 TB tabasco
• 1 small can of tomato paste (6 oz?)
• 1/4 c. honey

Remove from stock and marinate in a sauce mixed together from the following:

• 1/2 c. chili sauce
• 1/2 c. ketchup (hee)
• 1/4 c. steak sauce
• 1 TB worcestershire sauce
• 1 TB garlic powder
• 2 TB dry mustard
• 1 TB tabasco
• 1 TB molasses
• 1 TB jarred salsa
• 1 TB red wine vinegar
• (or all to taste)

I sometimes add a TB of commercial barbecue sauce to give it that faint smoky flavor -- but only a TB since it can easily overwhelm the nice fresh homemade sauce.

Either broil for 8 min. per side, rebasting with the sauce when you turn them, or bake for 45 min. - 1 hour with the sauce poured over them.

tseliot's Chicken Vegetable Soup

For all those Hizzyites under the weather.

Start a few days ahead by making a good strong chicken stock (a chicken, carrots, onions, celery, peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic cloves, kosher salt). Strain, chill, skim off fat.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. (or more) diced carrots
• 1 c. (or more) diced onions
• 1 c. (or more) diced celery
• 1 c. (or more) chopped cabbage
• 1 c. (or more) fresh tomatoes, [peeled], seeded and
• chopped
• 4 TB butter
• 1 TB sugar
• S&P to taste
• 8 cups above stock

Saute vegetables in butter. Stir frequently, cooking for 15 min. Add stock and seasonings and simmer for 1 hour, until vegetables are tender.

dandieandie's Roast Head o' Mujer w/ Spiced Cherry Sauce

How much do we adore dandieandie? More than can be quantified here. She generously offers not one, but two ways to prepare mujer's head! Oh, and please see the earlier "mujer head disclaimer" that accompanies the lovely blue artemis' mujer head recipe.

• 1 Mujer head (or if you find those to be too bitter and rancid, a 3-4 pound rolled boneless pork loin roast will work just as well)
• 1 tsp. each salt, pepper, rubbed sage
• 1 (16oz) can pitted sour red cherries
• 12 whole cloves and 1 (3") stick of cinnamon
• 1 1/2c sugar
• 1/4c white vinegar
• 1/4c cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 3-4 drops red food color
• garnishes: purple and green kale, lemon wedges and rind

Sprinkle head/roast with salt, pepper, and sage. Place head/roast with the fat side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer into thickest part of meat. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours, or until thermometer registers 160 degrees.

Drain cherries - reserve liquid and add water to make 3/4 cup. Tie cloves and cinnamon in cheese cloth. Combine 1/2 cup cherry liquid, sugar, vinegar, and spice bag in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove the spice bag. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup of liquid and stir into hot liquid. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for one minute or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in cherries, lemon juice, butter, and food coloring.

Place head/roast on a platter, garnish if desired. Serve with sauce.

dandieandie's Roast Mujer Head with Cranberry Sausage Stuffing

In the dandieandie household, during the holidays when it is just dandie and her parental units celebrating, we typically make this using Cornish Hens instead of a big old turkey....or head. (All earlier mujer-head disclaimers continue to apply.)

Stuffing:

• 1c coarsely chopped celery
• 1c chopped yellow onion
• 1/4c unsalted butter
• 8 oz bulk pork sausage; cooked, drained, crumbled
• 1 (8oz) package herb-seasoned stuffing mix
• 1/4c dried cranberries
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, or 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried rubbed sage
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2c chicken broth
• 1 egg yolk

Roast turkey/head:

• 1 (12lb) turkey/head
• 1/4c unsalted butter, softened
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste

Gravy:

• 1/2c all-purpose flour
• 1/2c cranberry juice cocktail
• 1/2c water
• 2c chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. dried rubbed sage
• salt and pepper to taste

Cranberry stuffing: In a large skillet, saute onion and celery in 1/4 cup butter until tender. Pour into a large bowl. Add cooked sausage, stuffing mix, dried cranberries, thyme, rosemary, sage, salt, and pepper. Mix well. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and egg yolk. Add to stuffing mixture, stirring until all broth has been absorbed.

Head/turkey: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove giblets from turkey and reserve for another use (won't EVEN go into the gory details of cleaning the head...you figure it out). Rinse head/turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Spoon stuffing into head/body and neck cavities of turkey. Sew up cavities or secure with small skewers. Rub head/turkey all over with softened butter. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper. Arrange head (if you're using turkey, arrange breast side up) in deep roasting pan, without the rack. Cover pan completely with a large piece of foil, tenting it up in the center so that it doesn't rest on top of head/turkey. Crimp foil to edge of pan. Place head/turkey in oven. Immediately reduce heat to 325 degrees. Roast for 2 1/2 hours.

Remove foil and baste turkey with pan drippings. Continue roasting, uncovered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours longer, basting with pan drippings once or twice. When done, the thermometer inserted between the eyes (or if you're using a turkey, between the leg and thigh) should register 180 degrees. Remove head/turkey to a platter, reserving the drippings in the pan. Tent the turkey with foil and let stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Gravy: Strain pan drippings, skimming off the fat. Measure 1/2 cup of pan drippings back into the roasting pan. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cranberry juice, and water until smooth. Whisk mixture into pan drippings. Whisk in 2 cups of chicken broth. Season with thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and boiling.