Shelwood's Grandma's Stuffing

I like using eggy breads, like challah. To sage it up, use the pork sausage with sage added and throw in some fresh chopped sage. My arthritis won't let me squeeze the soaked bread well, so do a cup or so at a time in my (large) salad spinner. The original recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter, but even I have my limits.

3 qt Stale hard rolls/bread (can be mixed, for ex: 12 rolls, two loaves bread)
1 tbsp chicken boullion or stock
1 onion, diced
6 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 lb butter (1 stick)
1/2 lb pork sausage
3 eggs
2 tbsp poultry seasoning
1 tbsp sage
salt and pepper

One day in advance, leave bread/rolls unwrapped.

In heavy pot, cook onions and celery in butter or oil until clear.

In very large bowl or pan, mix boullion in 1 cup boiling water. Add 1.5 qts cold water. Break up bread/rolls and place in boullion until soaked through.
Squeeze bread/rolls dry and add to onion/celery mix. Add pork sausage and eggs. Add poultry seasoning, sage, salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughtly with hands.

Transfer mixture to pan. Dot top with butter pats. Cook at 325 until brown and heated through, about 40 minutes.

Britomart's Roasted Tomato Chipotle Salsa

I have two salsas I make, and this is the fussier, more annoying of the two. If you don't find cooking relaxing or fun, this is not the salsa for you. I'll post my easier one sometime soon. This is a good thing to make on a day when you have a bunch of other stuff to do around the house, too, there's a lot of downtime in between some of the steps.

This recipe began life as an attempt on my part to recreate the salsa I ate at a restaurant in Dallas, Uncle Julio's. If you are ever in the area, eat there! Fantastic margaritas & amazing salsa. Oh, and a really good, fresh guacamole they make there, as well as a marinade for their steak fajitas that's so good, some of the ingredients must be illegal substances. My attempt to recreate the salsa failed, but morphed eventually into this, which I do love, even though it began life as a failure.

I paid attention to measurements as I made it this afternoon! It was really exciting. I even measured some stuff before I threw it in. The only thing I forgot was the cumin. But I stared at it intently after adding it & after some significant medidation, am pretty sure I know the amount. Also, I was making a large batch on purpose, it would be pretty easy to halve this recipe.

• Tomatoes: enough so that you end up with 24 ounces of pureed tomato at the end. If tomatoes are out of season & the ones at your market look anemic & mealy & gross, just use canned tomatoes. Or, if you don't want to bother with the roasting & peeling, just use canned tomatoes. :-) Today I used 5 largish heirloom tomatoes & a generous handful of grape tomatoes & ended up with the 24 ounces. I don't recommend using grape or cherry tomatoes for this as the peeling takes longer (though is oddly fun - they kinda explode out of their little grapey skins), but I had some lying around that were in danger of going to waste.
• 1/4 cup, generously rounded, finely chopped cilantro*
• 1 chipotle pepper & some of the sauce from the can
• 2 TBSP lime juice (ideally fresh)
• 1 medium onion
• A few TBSP of vegetable oil
• 2 TSP chili powder
• 2 TSP cayenne powder
• 1 1/4 C sweet corn kernals (frozen is fine)
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 TBSP butter
• 2 TSP cumin
• salt to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice your onion into quarters, place on a small baking sheet and drizzle with vegetable oil. Then sprinkle with the chili & cayenne powder. Bake in oven for 40 minutes. About halfway through, you'll want to flip the onions over. Check in occasionally, too, to make sure onion isn't drying out. There will be extra oil on the sheet, so you can use tongs or a spatula to move the onion around & redistribute the oil. Onions are done when they're soft & slightly browned. Set onions aside to cool. There should be a bit of oil & spices clinging to the sheet. Save this! Scrape this off & put in a cup.

Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Place tomatoes in a 13x9x2 baking pan and bake for 40 minutes. Check on tomatoes & carefully (you don't want them to burst) turn over with a spatula every 10-15 minutes. Tomatoes are done when skin is blistery & a little browned. Set aside on a plate to cool. There will be a bunch of tomatoey liquid in the bottom of the cooking pan. Save this, too! Dump into the cup that has the bit of spicy oil. As your tomatoes cool, more liquid will pool on the plate. When you notice this, add it to the cup or the reduction, depending on where you are in the process.

On a cutting board, chop up your cilantro*. Put cilantro to the side, and without cleaning the board, chop your garlic cloves very finely. Melt butter in saucepan and sautee garlic until it's soft and golden. Add tomato juice/spicy oil mixture you thought I was insane to have you save. Simmer until it becomes nice and thick. Probably a good 30-45 minutes. Add corn. Cook until corn is all happy & plump & has completely forgotten it was recently sad & frozen.

Once the tomatoes are cool (and be careful - they remain hot inside for awhile) peel away the skin & dump tomatoes into a blender or food processor. Chop roasted onions coarsely & add to tomatoes. Chop chipotle coarsely & add it to the blender, along with a couple teaspoons of its sauce. Add cilantro & lime juice. Briefly mix on lowest setting of blender/processor - no more than a minute.

Pour mixture into bowl, stir in corn mixture. Add salt to taste. You also might want to throw in more lime, cilantro, some additional hot sauce. Your call. It'll probably still be pretty warm, so cover & keep in fridge until it's cool.

If you make this salsa according to my directions above, it will be moderately hot - probably a strong "medium." So, adjust the chipotle & cayenne powder according to your heat tolerance. If you want it to be mild, I'd halve the amounts of both. If you like things really hot, you probably know better than I do how hot you want to make it. :)

* Cilantro generally comes in big bunches that are far more than you need at any given time. Consequently, much of it often goes to waste. It's one of those secret, shameful kitchen tragedies no one's comfortable talking about. Here's a solution! Whenever you get a bunch, wash & dry all of it, then finely chop all of it. Use the amount you needed & put the rest in a plastic storage container & stick in the freezer! Then, whenever you need some, you can just use some of the frozen. It will still taste fresh & lovely.

You can do this, by the way, with just about any herb, and for those of you lucky enough to have your own herb gardens, this would be a great thing to do at the end of the season before the first frost kills all your plants.

bibliosylph's Apple Bread

This recipe is from Better Homes & Gardens, but I made a couple of changes. There are other good apple bread recipes that have nuts, orange juice, orange peel, and other stuff in them. But I've stuck with this simple one because I always have all the ingredients. I usually use Golden Delicious apples, but you can use others. The best ones for this recipe are medium crisp and medium-sweet, with a thin skin that's easy to peel.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3 eggs, beaten
3 cups shredded, peeled cooking apples (about 4 medium)
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup cooking oil

Directions

Grease and flour two 8x4x2-inch baking pans. (I actually use one 9x7x2.5 instead.) Set aside. In a medium bowl combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking powder; set aside.

In a large bowl combine eggs, apples, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture just until moistened. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in a 325 degree F oven for 45 to 55 minutes (the larger pan will take around an hour) or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.

Remove from pans. Cool on wire racks. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

You don't have to wait til the next day to cut it. You should wait at least a couple of hours. If you don't, though, it's no big deal; it just won't slice neatly. At all. :-).

Shelwood's Another Easy Dessert

The person who gave me this recipe insisted it only be made with French Vanilla ice cream and chocolate pudding (a fine combo), but it's really infinitely flexible. Use vanilla ice cream to play up the pudding flavor, vanilla pudding to emphasize the ice cream or sherbet flavor, or have fun combining flavors. I like dulce de luche ice cream with chocolate pudding. The finished filling is mousse-like.

1 half-gallon ice cream or equivalent (froyo, sherbet)
1 lg (5.9 oz) pkg instant pudding
1 9" deep dish pie shell (graham cracker or other) OR 2 8" pie shells
Whipped cream or non-dairy whipped topping

Let ice cream melt completely. Mix melted ice cream with pudding mix (Optional: Add up to 1 tsp vanilla or other extract or any liquor or liqueur for added flavor). Beat for 2 minutes, per package directions. Pour into pie shell(s). Chill for an hour. Top with whipped cream.

ersatzreality's Fried Eggs & Rice a la Vinegar & Soy Sauce

ersatz writes, "Most folks I know consider it gross - it does look kind of goopy." I feel that anyone who offers a recipe with that description must absolutely believe in how good it is. By this yardstick, this might be the most delicious dish on the blog!

Fry the eggs, put the rice on a plate, and put the eggs on the rice. Then add three tablespoons each of soy sauce and vinegar. Chop and mix thoroughly.

how many eggs? why, as many as will combine well with some amount of rice that wants 3tbs of soy sauce and vinegar, of course!

*** Breaking news! ersatz has just emailed and says 3 eggs, 3 cups of cooked rice! Thanks again, ersatz.

Shelwood's Tomato & Mozzarella Salad

1 pint grape tomatoes
1 9 oz pkg fresh mozzarella (cherry size), drained
1/4 cup sweet basil, julienned

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp + 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp minced garlic (fresh or dried)
1 tsp mixed Italian seasonings
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp onion powder

Combine oil, vinegar and seasonings. Toss tomatoes, cheese and fresh basil with vinaigrette. Pack tightly in a sealable container. If possible, refrigerate overnight, turning over to fully marinate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

bibliosylph's Baba Ghanouj

This recipe is from Mediterranean Light by Martha Rose Shulman. My hardbound copy is nearly 20 years old, but I just learned you can find a paperback of it here.

2 lbs (2 medium-large) eggplant
juice of 1-2 lemons, to taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbs plain yogurt
2 Tbs tahini (sesame paste)
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tomato, chopped
1 green pepper, minced
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cut the eggplants in half and score on the cut side with a sharp knife, down to the skin but not through it. Place the eggplants cut side down on an oiled baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, until charred and shriveled. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Remove the eggplant flesh from the skins, discard seeds, and mash flesh to a puree in a mortar and pestle, blender, or food processor. Stir in the lemon juice, garlic, yogurt, tahini, salt and pepper to taste, tomato, and green pepper. Mound in a bowl and sprinkle the parsley on top. Serve with crudites, pita, croutons, etc. This dish will keep in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days.

The Easiest Apple Cobbler Ever

Hey there, this is Examorata, with the easiest dessert recipe ever. I usually make apple cobbler because it's my favorite, but this can be done with basically any kind of canned fruit pie filling you'd like to cobblerize. Peach, blueberry, it's up to you! I especially love apple cobbler and other apple desserts in the fall. Mmmm, seasonal.

Also, in my grand tradition, the recipe is not mine originally. It's from a friend of mine's Mom. She is awesome.

Two cans apple pie filling
One box white cake mix
One stick butter (1/2 c.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour the two cans of apple pie filling into a 13X9 standard type of pan you'd use for brownies or whatnot. Dump the white cake mix on top of the apples, making sure it is fairly evenly distributed. Take the stick of butter out of the fridge (don't let it get melty beforehand, it's easier to slice up this way) and slice it up over the cobbler. Evenly distribute butter slices on top of the cake mix. If you can't quite fit the whole stick on that that's okay, but come on. The more butter, the better. Place into over for 40 minutes. Because ovens are fickle, you want to keep an eye on it - if it doesn't look golden-brown and bubbly enough after 40 minutes, keep checking at 5-minute intervals until it looks good. Remove from oven. Eat with vanilla ice cream. Die happy.

hakirby's Paella the Second!

The second paella hakirby posted in the Hizzy for mujer. Perhaps if mujer is lucky, hakirby will break into mujer's house, make these paellas, rearrange everything in her cupboards using arcane & amusing logic, and fold all sorts of things into lovely, origami shapes. Or, you know, something entirely different & wondrously creative that I can't even imagine.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into 8 pieces
• 4 raw king prawns, shell and head on
• 20 mussels, cleaned
• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
• 3 tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
• 200g/7oz paella rice
• a pinch of saffron
• 1 litre/1¾ pints chicken stock, boiling
• 8 small cherry tomatoes
• 110g/4oz broad beans, fresh or frozen

Method

1. In a paella pan, heat the olive oil and fry the chicken pieces for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the prawns, then stir; add the mussels and stir again, then add the garlic and tomatoes. Fry for a couple more minutes.
3. Sprinkle in the rice. NOTE: Do not stir the ingredients, just shake them.
4. Add a good pinch of saffron, and pour on up to 1 litre/1¾ pints of boiling chicken stock (about 1cm/½in above the level of the rice).
5. Finally add the small cherry tomatoes and broad beans and season and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Serve with a rocket salad and crusty bread.

hakirby's Paella the First!

hakirby posted not one, but two, paella recipes for mujer! And as our official interpreter of doctrine, I bet she interprets a mean paella. ;)

Ingredients

• 255g/9oz long grain rice
• 85g/3oz butter
• 1 handful spring onions, chopped white bulbs only
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp crushed chilli flakes
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp paprika
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 squid, cleaned and roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method

1. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil.
2. Preheat a large sauté pan.
3. Add the rice to the pan of salted water and boil for 12 minutes, or until soft. Drain the rice.
4. Heat the butter in the sauté pan. Add the spring onions, spices and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
5. Add the cooked rice, stir well and sauté for 2 minutes.
6. Add the seasoning and squid and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
7. Remove paella from heat and add the parsley.
8. Spoon the paella on to a large serving plate, top with the lemon wedges and serve.

Beach Bum's Paella

Beach Bum sent this in for mujer. Thank you, Beach Bum! She writes: "I haven't tried this one, but my mom swears by it."

Simmer 2 large whole chicken breasts about 45 mins in water, 1 pinch celery seed, salt & pepper to taste, poultry seasoning, 2 onions (diced). Cool and tear into pieces. Reserve broth.

In large frying pan, fry chicken in 3 T olive oil until chicken begins to brown. Then add one large onion (diced) and one clove garlic(crushed). Fry until onions become transparent.

Add two tomatoes, skinned and mashed, a pinch of saffron (disolved in 1 t. hot water) and 1 cup chicken broth. Simmer 10 minutes.

Add salt to taste, 1 cup canned or bottled clam juice and 10 pkg frozen peas. Bring to boil.

Add 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled.

In another pan, heat 1 T olive oil and 1 cup rice. Stir until rice is well-coated, add to frying pan.

Stir in 12 medium cherrystone clams (in shells). Boil 10 minutes.

Decorate with sliced pimento.

eyeroller's Make Your Own Ketchup, first in a series

eyeroller isn't just someone who knows how to kill cleverly, she actually knows how to make ketchup. From scratch! From her recipe title, I expect there's more bounty to come.

• 1 peck tomatoes (approximately 8 quarts)
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon ground allspice
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves

Select good, ripe tomatoes. Scald and strain through a coarse sieve to remove seed and skin. Measure 1 gallon. When the tomatoes become cold add the remaining ingredients. Let simmer slowly for 3 hours.

Pour into hot sterilized 1-pint jars and seal. Yes, this is canning. No, it is not hard.

Let ketchup cool slightly before decanting into sterile pint jars. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Water should not cover the tops of the jars. Place a rack, like a small baking rack, on the bottom of the pot. (If you cook, you probably have a rack. You need your jars not touching the bottom of the pot. You can also use a thick plastic plate, inverted.

Fill the pot half way with water and bring to a boil. Use tongs to place jars in the water. Cover your pot. Add more hot water as needed to keep the jars covered.

Boil for 15 minutes. Use tongs to remove jars from the water bath. Stores just fine for a year or so.

Easier prep: decant cooked ketchup into plastic containers and freeze.

Easier ingredient trick: use canned crushed tomato (roughly six 16 ounce cans) plus tomato paste (two 8 ounce cans) instead of fresh tomato, but if you can get fresh, locally grown tomatoes, that's the best ketchup ever. If you use the canned, reduce cooking time to one hour, or desired thickness.

Mom & Dad o' Britomart's Cedar-Planked Salmon w/ Dijon Sauce

Okay, as anyone in the Hizzy knows, I'm quite insanely enthusiastic about my love for mustard. That said, though, the concept of "mustard sauce" on fish was, well, something I was skeptical about. Until my mother fed this to me. It's divine. It's one of my favorite dishes & one I've been known to beg for on visits home. And it's not super-mustardy, if you're imagining salmon just covered in mustard. My brother, for example, really doesn't like mustard (he's a part of the ketchup hegemony) and loves this dish. So, try it! You won't be sorry. Though, if you don't like salmon, yeah, this probably isn't for you. Oh, and the cedar planking is optional - it's much better prepared this way, but I have skipped that before & still enjoyed. More detail on that below.

• 1/2 C olive oil
• 4 TBSP dijon
• 2 TBSP mustard seeds
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 2 TBSP of lemon juice
• wee bit of orange juice to thin it out a bit if the sauce is too thick, it should be a little runny This is an exact quote from my mom, including the "wee." ;)
  

To make the salmon - you're supposed to grill it over a cedar plank. You could just grill the fish sans cedar, but the cedar plank thing is divine & adds the most wonderful & subtle flavor to the salmon. If you're like me and don't have a grill, see below for oven directions.

You can get your cedar plank at a couple places. Williams Sonoma has very, very nice cedar planks, but they're a little pricier. Alternatively (and this is what my parents did for years before swank foodie stores started carrying cedar planks), you can purchase untreated cedar shingles at your local home improvement store, Home Depot, Hechingers, what have you. The untreated part is mucho important. Throw away any of the planks that are too thin at the ends or are too short for a piece of salmon. My dad says that you'll still end up with 20-30 usable planks for about $5, as opposed to Williams Sonoma's 4 planks for about $15.

Then you must prepare cedar plank with vegetable oil - some people soak it for awhile. Some people just rub them generously with oil. That method, though, will result in the cedar charring quite a bit during the grilling process, and you'll have to keep a close eye on them, lest they burst into flame & destroy your yummy meal. (That's very unlikely, by the way, but you know me & my love of melodrama. Still, probably better to soak.)

Anyway, prepare your plank as you see fit, place salmon on plank, then cover with yummy sauce. Grill for about 15 minutes depending on thickness (My dad says he grills for about 15 minutes for a piece of salmon that is an inch thick at its thickest point.)

If you're like me, and don't have a grill & are stuck using an oven, you can still do this! Prepare the cedar plank in the same way, then put plank in baking dish in a cold oven, and then preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Once preheated, remove dish, place salmon on plank, then cover with the sauce. Use the official Canadian Cooking theory to determine how long to cook: measure fish at thickest point, then 10 minutes per inch. I did not know of this Canadian Cooking theory until my father enlightened me this afternoon. Go Canada! As all ovens are not equally calibrated, though, I would periodically check the salmon. I prefer salmon closer to medium/medium rare anyway, but even if you don't, there's nothing worse than overcooked salmon. ::shudders at the thought::

All this having been said, I did make this for myself years ago, and lacking a grill, and too lazy to do the cedar plank thing, I just made it in the oven. It wasn't quite as good, but still ridiculously delicious.

Optional serving idea: This dish is wonderful served over sauteed red cabbage. Here's what to do if you're interested.

Slice up a bunch of red cabbage, you want thinnish ribbons of red cabbage. Or, you know, just chop it up into bite-ish sized pieces. Then, put some olive oil, a couple tablespoons, into a pan over medium heat. Sautee the cabbage until it's tender (and maybe a little sentimental), towards the end, sprinkle liberally with some balsamic vinegar. Stir it in well, cook for another few minutes, arrange on a plate & artistically place you salmon on top of its comfy bed of cabbage.

Britomart's "I Love Mustard" Salad Dressing

I also love shallots. Combine shallots and mustard, and I'm in heaven! Heaven! It occurs to me as I happily type here in the happy Hizzy recipe blog, that I have no real recipe here in terms of exact measurement. I will do my best. Taste as you go, though - you might want to play with the vinegar/oil ratio a titch. I do think this'll be pretty close, though.

• 1/4 C olive oil
• 2 TSP balsamic vinegar
• 2 TSP red wine vinegar
• 1 TBSP dijon mustard
• 2 shallots, chopped so finely they almost don't exist any longer
• salt & pepper to taste

Whisk olive oil, vinegars & mustard. Add in shallots, salt & pepper. Mix them in. Pour over salad. I like this dressing best with mixed baby greens. Or hearts of romaine. Not so good with spinach & I don't believe in iceberg lettuce.

Optional addition (but only optional if you don't like nuts; if you like nuts you must do this!): Coarsely chop a bunch of pecans. Let's say about a cup. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a small sautee pan, add pecans, generously salt. Sautee until cooked and slightly browner, but don't burn them or anything rash like that. Remove from heat, and let them cool a bit. Or, if you're feeling adventurous, I like to toss the salad, add the hot pecans, toss some more to slightly wilt the salad, then add the dressing. Divine.

Other things I tend to add to the salad that are awfully good with this dressing: goat cheese, asparagus (blanched, but cool), tomatos & red peppers.

Patron Saint of CoH's Salmon, Wild Rice & Mushroom Soup

aquarian1 shared not one, but three recipes tonight! We adore our miss steaksauce.

Ingredients:
* 3 slices bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
* 1 medium onion, sliced
* 1 medium stalk celery, thinly sliced
* 4 oz mushrooms, sliced
* 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
* ½ tsp dry mustard
* ½ tsp dried rosemary leaves
* 1 cup cooked wild rice
* 2 (10 ¾ oz) cans condensed chicken broth
* 1 cup half & half (regular or fat free)
* 1 (15 ½ oz) can salmon, drained and flaked

Instructions:
Cook bacon in 3 quart saucepan until crisp; drain, reserving fat in saucepan. Cook and stir onion, celery, and mushrooms in bacon fat until celery is tender. Stir in flour, mustard, and rosemary. Cook over low hear, stirring constantly, until bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in wild rice and broth.

Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in bacon, half & half, and salmon. Heat, stirring occasionally, until hot. Makes about 6 servings.

Grandma steaksauce-Farley's 500 Cake

This recipe has been handed down since the late 1800s and it has won a Blue Ribbon at the Michigan State Fair.

Ingredients:
* 1 ½ cups white sugar
* ½ cup shortening
* 2 eggs
* 3 mashed bananas
* ½ to 1 cup chopped nuts
* 1 8 oz. package dates, chopped
* ½ cup sour milk*
* 1 rounded tsp. baking soda
* 2 cups flour

Instructions:
Cream 1 ½ cups white sugar into ½ cup shortening. Beat in 2 eggs, 3 mashed bananas, then nuts, and the dates. Add 1 rounded teaspoon baking soda to the sour milk. Add to creamed mixture, alternating with the 2 cups of flour. Bake in two 9 inch layer cake pans at 325 to 350 F. (Until sides pull from pan, and golden brown).

Recommended frosting: Penuche from Better Homes Cookbook. Melt ½ cup butter or margarine; add ½ cup brown sugar. Bring to boil; cook and stir 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Cool 15 minutes. Add ¼ cup hot milk and beat smooth. Beat in enough of 3 ¼ cups confectioners sugar for spreading consistency. Frosts two 8 or 9 inch layers.

* To sour milk, heat the milk, then add 1 teaspoon vinegar. Let set until it curdles.

miss steaksauce's Cream of Tomato Soup

No actual A1 steak sauce was used or harmed in the submission of this recipe. Thanks, aquarian1!!

Ingredients:
* 2 cups cold milk
* 2 ½ cups canned tomatoes
* 1 tbsp onion
* ¾ tsp salt
* 1/8 tsp pepper
* ½ tsp celery salt
* 1 tsp sugar
* 3 tbsp flour
* 2 tbsp butter or margarine

Instructions:
Pour milk into a 2 quart saucepan. Put remaining ingredients in blender container; cover and run on speed 7 (or high) until smooth. Slowly add tomato mixture to milk, stirring constantly. Place over low heat until hot.

Notes: 1) 1 tbsp onion doesn’t sound like a lot, but it doesn’t get cooked normally, so it can be pungent. 2) Salt and pepper is really to taste, those are just guidelines.

eejm's Tiramisu Anacapri

I originally got this out of Cooking Light magazine. I've got the nutrition information if anyone wants it. It's really, really good and really easy to make.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup cold water
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (1.4-ounce) package sugar-free vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1 (8-ounce) tub frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping, thawed
• 1 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup Kahlua (coffee-flavored liqueur)
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso or 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
• 24 ladyfingers (2 3-ounce packages)
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, divided

INSTRUCTIONS
This tiramisu was a hit with our Test Kitchens staff, who agreed that it's one of the best they've come across. Ladyfingers can be found in the bakery or the frozen-food section of the supermarket. We used soft ladyfingers, which are made to be split.

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Cover surface with plastic wrap; chill 30 minutes or until firm.
2. Remove plastic wrap, and add cream cheese. Beat with a mixer atmedium speed until well-blended. Gently fold in whipped topping.
3. Combine hot water, Kahlua, and espresso. Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise. Arrange 16 ladyfinger halves, flat sides down, in atrifle bowl or large glass bowl. Drizzle with 1/2 cup Kahlua mixture. Spread one-third of pudding mixture evenly over ladyfingers; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cocoa. Repeat layers, ending with cocoa. Cover and chill at least 8 hours.

dandieandie's Banana Bread

I begged, she sent it to me. And she's also mean to mujer. We love dandieandie.

• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla (although I'm a vanilla junkie, so I tend to add 1tablespoon)
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (recipe says that's about 3-4 bananas, but I used 5 small ones last time...and when it says ripe, I mean two steps from the grave ripe, like almost black)
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 cups unsifted flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (which I never use, but some folks might like 'em)
• cinnamon and nutmeg

In a large bowl cream butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Combine bananas and milk. Mix together flour, soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Blend dry ingredients into creamed mixture alternately with bananas. Stir in nuts and turn into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and turn out of pan and cool completely.

bibliosylph's Easy Quiche Lorraine

I recommend this playlist during prep time, along with a gimlet or other simple cocktail.

Use a 9" pie shell, not necessary to make it yourself; for savory pies, the store-bought ones work all right. Just make sure it's 9" and not 8.

Obviously, you can leave out the bacon, but then it's just quiche--no Lorraine!

8 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled (or 1/2 package ready-cooked bacon)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese--You may use Emmentaler or Jarlsberg, if you like, or combine Swiss with Gruyere for a sharper flavor.
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 tbs flour

4 eggs
2 cups heavy cream--lately I've been using half and half, to save money. Don't use lower fat than that, though.
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Heat oven to 400°F, prepare pie shell. Mix bacon, cheese, onion and flour in a bowl, and put in pie shell. Beat together eggs, cream and seasonings, and carefully pour over top. You should set the pie pan on a cookie sheet before you do this.

Bake the quiche for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 325°F, and bake about 30-40 minutes longer, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the quiche rest at least 10 minutes before cutting, but 30 minutes to an hour is even better.

Personally, I double all of this, and make two at once--leftover quiche is one of the greatest pleasures in life. Each quiche should be cut into 6 pieces.