MakeTasteSmile

Brussel Sprouts ala Thanksgiving Dinner

2011-12-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

I am not the best recipe follower, but I usually read a lot of recipes and then mash them altogether and guess...which is what I did with the brussel sprouts.

2 lbs loose brussel sprouts - BTW, if the grocer suggests the ones in the freezer, leave the store immediately!

1/2 pound of pancetta (this was not the easiest thing to find in GA, but we ended up finding it at the deli counter - my markets have it near the bacon/pork/pig products)

1-2 Tbs olive oil

Salt

Pepper

1-2 Tbs chicken broth

Cut pancetta in small cubes, brown (really brown) pancetta in olive oil.

You can choose to keep your sprouts whole, diced, sliced, cubed, etc. The world is your playground. For Thanksgiving dinner, with brussel beginners, I sliced. Eating a WHOLE brussel sprout on bite one is a bit intimidating.

Once pancetta is cooked through, add sprouts to the mix. You'll want to start stirring, but refrain from doing so! They're like a good burger...flip once. Let them sit in the yumminess of bacon grease and olive oil and get crusty. You can salt and pepper at this point. Go easy on the salt, pancetta is moi salty.

Once there is a crust on the sprouts, flip over and wait. If they are feeling a little tight, you can loosen them up with chicken broth.

Enjoy!

Twisted Texas Chicken Diablos

2011-12-01T15:05:00.000-08:00

I thought these looked like they might appeal to some members of our group. If you decide to try them, let me know how they turn out.

2 pounds chicken tenders

2/3 cup orange juice

1 1/2 tablespoons dry steak seasoning

8 ounces cream cheese

2/3 cup chopped Texas pecans

12 whole fresh jalapeños

2 pounds thin-sliced bacon

2 cups barbecue sauce

Place chicken tenders in bowl, add orange juice and 1 tablespoon steak seasoning, stir, cover and set in refrigerator to marinate 1 or more hours, but not overnight. In separate bowl, mix cream cheese, pecans and 1/2 tablespoon steak seasoning, blend well by hand, and set aside. When ready to assemble, wash and slice jalapeños in half lengthwise, remove seeds, then rinse again. Fill jalapeño half with cream cheese mixture, place chicken tender on top of filling, wrap with 1 slice of bacon, and secure with large grilling skewer so that bacon stays wrapped around jalapeño. Place three stuffed jalapeños on each skewer. When finished, brush all finished jalapeños generously with barbecue sauce. Bake or grill until chicken is thoroughly cooked, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350 degrees, turning halfway through cooking time and basting with more sauce. Baste one last time about 5 minutes before finishing cooking or use remaining sauce to serve.

Posole & Cornbread

2011-11-30T06:37:00.001-08:00

You don't always need to have posole with cornbread, but they do go really well together. Of course the best way to have posole is on top of your Christmas tamales.

Posole

32 oz frozen posole or large can of hominy
2 onions
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 pounds pork steak or pork roast, cubed
6 medium red chile pods (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin seed, crushed
12 oz chopped mild green chile
#2 can whole tomatoes, chopped with juice
1 1/2 T sugar

Cook all ingredients together, except hominy, until meat is tender and starting to shred. Add hominy long enough to warm. This tastes even better the next day!

Cornbread

3 eggs

2 1/4 sticks margarine

1 1/2 c. milk

3/4 tsp. baking powder

3 c. Bisquick

1 1/4 c. sugar

3 heaping T. cornmeal

Beat eggs and add milk. Melt margarine and add to mixture.

Mix all dry ingredients and add to liquid ingredients, folding

until just mixed. Pour into ungreased 9 X 13 pan. Bake

at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Habanero Salsa

2011-11-29T18:45:00.000-08:00

Here's the recipe for the habanero salsa that I made. It's from Rick Bayless. Here's a copy:

Ingredients

5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
half of a small onion (about 1/2 cup), roughly chopped
12 medium (about 5 ounces) orange habanero chiles, stemmed
1 cup apple cider vinegar
About 2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Roast the garlic in a skillet over medium heat, turning regularly until soft and blackened in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool and peel.

In a small saucepan, combine the carrot, onion and habanero chiles with the vinegar and 1 cup water. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the carrots are thoroughly tender, about 10 minutes. Pour into a blender and add the roasted garlic, salt and sugar. Blend until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, thin with a little additional water. Taste and season with additional salt if necessary.

Pour into jars or bottles and store in the refrigerator.

Pasta Carbonara

2011-11-16T17:55:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe on Gojee and made it tonight. I made the pasta from scratch using the Italian flour I got from Amazon.com. It was awesome: the best pasta recipe I've made. It would be great even without homemade pasta.

I used bacon (finely chopped, fat removed) and a yellow onion (couldn't find a shallot). I did top it with a slow cooked egg, but I would consider that optional.

Ingredients

1.5 oz freshly grated pecorino romano
1 large raw egg
freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs olive oil
1/4 lbs guanciale, pancetta or bacon
1 small shallot minced
2 slow cooked eggs (optional)
chopped chives
6 oz pasta (spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine)

Directions

Put the pecorino and black pepper in a large bowl and set aside.

Boil the pasta according to the package directions and drain.

Add olive oil to a pan and fry the guanciale (or pancetta or bacon) and shallots until it is cooked and the shallots are fragrant. Add the drained pasta to the pot and toss to coat.

Dump the pasta into the bowl with the cheese and pepper then break the raw egg on top. Toss to distribute the egg and cheese evenly then plate the pasta. Top each bowl of pasta with a slow cooked egg and sprinkle with chives.

Pad Thai

2011-11-08T13:09:00.000-08:00

Pad Thai

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package dried flat rice noodles
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Asian chile pepper sauce, divided
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
8 ounces medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups bean sprouts
6 green onions, chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
2 cups bean sprouts

Directions

Fill a large bowl with hot tap water and place the noodles in it to soak for 20 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir together the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons of the chile sauce and chicken stock. Set aside.
Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat and add vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, stir in garlic and cook for about 10 seconds. Add shrimp and chicken; cook, stirring constantly until shrimp is opaque and chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
Move everything in the wok out to the sides and pour the eggs in the center. Cook and stir the eggs until firm. Add the noodles to the wok and pour in the sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, until the noodles are tender. Add a bit more water if needed to finish cooking the noodles. Stir in 3 cups of bean sprouts and green onions. Remove from the heat and garnish with chopped peanuts. Taste for seasoning, adjusting the spice or lime juice if needed.
Serve garnished with fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts sugar and remaining bean sprouts and lime wedges on the side.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2011-10-26T09:58:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 5-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

mother's famous chinese egg rolls

2011-10-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

We've been learning how to make egg rolls. We still have not found the right wrappers, but this recipe is a good one. For pictures of the correct way to roll egg rolls, check out the original recipe here.

Once you make these egg rolls, you'll never make them any other way! Make sure you get the correct egg roll wrappers. They should be FROZEN and very thin, almost paper thin. Do not use egg roll wrapper found in the refrigerated section (usually near tofu) in Western supermarket - they make starchy, thick, gooey egg rolls with big bubbles on outside when you fry. It's important to make sure you keep your wrapper and rolled egg rolls under plastic wrap so that they do not dry out!

ingredients:

50 Spring/Egg Roll Wrappers (about 2 packages), defrosted unopened at room temperature for 45 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight
1 tablespoon cornstarch (or flour) mixed with ¼ cup of cool water
Oil, for frying

FOR THE GROUND PORK
1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon sugar
freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE VEGETABLES
2 to 3 cloves garlic, very finely minced
½ head of cabbage (about 11 ounces)
3 carrots, shredded
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
10 fresh shiitake mushrooms (or dried black mushrooms soaked overnight), stems discarded
1 tablespoon cooking oil (canola, vegetable, peanut)
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Freshly ground black pepper

directions:

1. To make the filling, combine the ingredients for the ground pork together. Marinate at least 10 minutes. In the meantime, shred the cabbage and the carrots using your food processor or by hand. Slice the mushrooms into very thin strips (or you could use your food processer and pulse a few times to get a fine dice.

2. Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the pork and stir-fry until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low, push the meat to one side of the pan. Add the garlic, cabbage, carrots, ginger and the mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the vegetables are softened. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and black pepper. Continue to stir-fry for another minute. Scoop out the filling to a baking sheet and spread out to cool. Prop up one end of the baking sheet so that it tilts and will allow all the moisture to drain to one end. Let cool for 15 minutes.

3. Discard all of the accumulated juices. Use paper towels to blot the filling to rid of extra oil or juice. Now, you're ready to wrap (see photos for instructions on how to wrap). IMPORTANT: Only use 1 heaping tablespoon of filling for each egg roll. These are slender egg rolls, the width of the egg roll should only be 1.25" diameter.

Keep the rolled egg rolls in neat, single layer and covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. If you want to stack the egg rolls, make sure you have layer of parchment paper in between the layers to prevent sticking. Keep wrappers also covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Refrigerate up to 4 hours until ready to fry or freeze.

4. To fry the egg rolls, fill a wok or pot with 2 inches of high-heat cooking oil. Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C) or until a cube of bread will fry to golden brown within 10 seconds. Gently slide in or lower the egg rolls, frying 4 to 6 at a time, turning occasionally until golden brown about 1½ minutes. Place on wire rack to drain and cool.

NOTE: To fry frozen egg rolls, do not defrost the egg rolls – just add them to the oil frozen, frying 4 to 6 at a time. Add an additional 1½ minutes to the frying time since they are frozen.

Classic Chicken and Dumplings

2011-10-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

1 (3 3/4-lb.) whole chicken
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/3 cup shortening
2 teaspoons bacon drippings*
1 cup milk
Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Bring chicken, water to cover, garlic powder, thyme, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 1 hour. Remove chicken; reserve broth.
2. Cool chicken 30 minutes; skin, bone, and shred chicken. Skim fat from broth. Add chicken, bouillon, and remaining 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper to broth. Return to a simmer.
3. Combine flour and poultry seasoning in a bowl. Cut in shortening and bacon drippings with a pastry blender until crumbly. Stir in milk. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1-inch pieces.
4. Drop dumplings, a few at a time, into simmering broth, stirring gently. Cover and simmer, stirring often, 25 minutes. Garnish, if desired.
*2 tsp. butter plus 1/4 tsp. salt may be substituted.

Sesame Chicken Stir-Fry

2011-10-10T05:43:00.001-07:00

We tried this recipe last night (original here). It was both very easy and very good. It calls for Williams Sonoma's sesame stir fry sauce, which I didn't have and wasn't interested in buying, so I used Google to help me find a recipe for a sauce.

Sesame Stir Fry Sauce

1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Combine all the ingredients. The sauce was somewhat spicy, but not so much that the kids wouldn't eat it. If you don't want the heat, then I suggest cutting the crushed red pepper to 1/2 teaspoon.

Sesame Chicken Stir Fry

Canola oil for frying
2 egg whites
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 lb. snow peas, trimmed and strings removed
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips, then halved crosswise
3/4 cup sesame stir-fry sauce
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
Steamed rice for serving

In a wok over medium-high heat, pour in oil to a depth of 1 inch and heat until shimmering. In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites and cornstarch. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the bowl and stir to completely coat the chicken with the egg mixture.

Working in 4 batches, add the chicken to the oil a few pieces at a time. Fry, turning the pieces occasionally and making sure they don’t stick together, until lightly golden, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Carefully transfer the hot oil to a large heat-safe bowl. Increase the heat on the wok to high, return 1 Tbs. of the oil to the wok and heat until smoking. Add the snow peas and bell pepper and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Return the chicken to the wok, add the stir-fry sauce, and toss to combine and heat through, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Serve immediately with steamed rice. Serves 6.

Udon Pork Ragu

2011-10-02T07:30:00.001-07:00

I got this recipe from a Williams Sonoma catalog (you can find the original here: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/udon-pork-ragu.html). We made it yesterday and liked it enough that we'll do it again. I used ground pork that we bought from a local farm. The recipe calls for fresh udon noodles but our local grocery store didn't have any udon (fresh or dried), so I decided to make my own noodles following a recipe like this one (no pasta-making tools required). After all that, though, I think we'll just use spaghetti next time.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground pork
2 yellow onions, diced
2 tsp. roasted garlic powder
1/2 tsp. smoked coarse ground pepper
5 lb. heirloom tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice
Kosher salt, to taste
36 oz. fresh udon noodles
2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbs. julienned fresh basil
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

Directions

Preheat a wok over high heat. Add the pork and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic powder and smoked pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and season with salt. Increase the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 8 minutes.

Uncover the wok and continue cooking, stirring the sauce occasionally, until it thickens, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the noodles and cook, stirring occasionally to untangle them, until they are warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the noodles and sauce to warmed pasta bowls and garnish with the parsley and basil. Serve immediately and pass cheese at the table. Serves 6 to 8.

Tomato Sauce for Pasta

2011-09-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

Our garden is giving us lots of great tomatoes. This weekend, we had about 20 tomatoes to use up, so I made up a tomato sauce for pasta. I adapted a recipe that I got from a book that Sarah and I bought while we were in Italy. It calls for basil and luckily our friends down the street have been growing basil and hooking us up. The sauce tasted so fresh and delicious. We put it on spaghetti, but I would recommend a different pasta that would hold the sauce better... maybe rigatoni.

Ingredients

8 tomatoes
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
8 leaves of fresh basil, sliced into strips
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Peel the tomatoes by placing each tomato in boiling water for 30-60 seconds, then placing it in an ice water bath. The tomato skins should split and peel easily. Chop the peeled tomatoes.

Warm the oil in a frying pan and add the garlic until the garlic just turns brown. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the basil.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

2011-07-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

This recipe is from Catherine, one of my book club friends. Catherine's recipes almost always have notes at the end. I've learned to pay attention to Catherine's notes.

I've made this a couple of times myself. I prefer to use shredded carrots, but I don't really like carrots anyway.

Hands-on: 31 minutes
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter
2 medium leeks, sliced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 (14.5-oz.) can chicken broth*
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups frozen cubed hash browns with onions and peppers
1 cup matchstick carrots
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 (17.3-oz.) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed*
1 large egg

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add leeks, and sauté 3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour; cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in chicken and next 5 ingredients.
2. Roll each pastry sheet into a 12- x 10-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface*. Fit 1 sheet into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate; spoon chicken mixture into pastry. Place remaining pastry sheet over filling in opposite direction of bottom sheet; fold edges under, and press with tines of a fork, sealing to bottom crust. Whisk together egg and 1 Tbsp. water, and brush over top of pie.
3. Bake at 375° on lower oven rack 55 to 60 minutes or until browned*. Let stand 15 minutes.

*My Notes:
14.5 oz. can of broth = 1-3/4 cup. I thought this made the gravy a little too thick, so I bumped it up to 2 cups of broth (I use Tone's or McCormick soup base from Sam's or Costco).
I do not understand why they want you to roll a rectangle for a round pie pan. I pulled and rolled until it was more or less a rounded square and fit the pan, and tucked the "points" down. Same with the top crust, which I tucked down behind the bottom crust and pressed to seal. My baked crust was prettier than theirs pictured!
Before you put the pie in the oven to bake, tear off a square of foil, quarter it , and tear out the middle to make a circle. Open and place over crust to protect the edge while baking. Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking (remember to put on low rack, not in middle of oven).

Breakfast Burritos

2011-06-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

We made breakfast burritos for dinner tonight. We used a Williams Sonoma recipe and some farm fresh eggs from a local farm (they're delicious). I topped it with some fire-roasted salsa that I made with jalapeños from our friends' garden. The recipe is online at http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/pressed-breakfast-burritos.html, but here's a copy. We don't have a panini press, so we used our George Foreman.

Ingredients

1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more, to taste
2 large avocados, halved, pitted and peeled
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
3/4 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, boiled until tender and diced
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 thick-cut bacon slices
12 eggs
6 large burrito-style flour tortillas
6 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
Sour cream and salsa for serving

Directions

Put the jalapeño, garlic, lime juice and the 1/2 tsp. salt in a molcajete or small bowl. Smash with a pestle or a fork to a coarse paste. Add the avocados and cilantro and mix and mash, leaving some lumps. Adjust the seasoning with salt. Set the guacamole aside.

In a large nonstick fry pan over medium heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the red and green bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook until warmed through, 3 to 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Preheat an electric panini press on the “panini” setting. Place the bacon on the press and close the lid. Cook until crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Wipe off the press.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, salt and pepper. In a nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally, until curds form, 2 to 3 minutes. Place a large spoonful of the scrambled eggs in the center of each tortilla. Top each with some of the bell pepper mixture, 1 crumbled bacon slice and 1 oz. cheese. Roll into a burrito and lightly brush the outside with olive oil.

Place 2 burritos on the panini press and close the lid. Cook until crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat to cook the remaining burritos. Serve immediately with guacamole, sour cream and salsa. Serves 6.

Fragrant Chile Rub

2011-05-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

I put this rub on a rack of ribs (about 12 hours before cooking them). Then the next day, I put it on some mahi mahi (about 10 minutes before grilling it). It was good on the ribs, but amazing on the mahi mahi. That was the best piece of fish I've ever cooked.

The rub has just a little bit of a kick (McKenzie said it was spicy, but she still tried it) and has a great sweetness. The rub keeps for about a month and should be good on just about anything.

2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground ancho chile
1 to 3 teaspoons ground chipotle chile (I used 1)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients.

Habanero BBQ Sauce

2011-05-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

To go with our ribs, I made a BBQ sauce from a recipe I found here. I changed the recipe a bit. For one thing, I cut the number of habaneros. The sauce wasn't too spicy, except that it had too much black pepper. Here's what I would suggest, with less black pepper. Apparently, this sauce will keep for a while.

4 habanero peppers, seeded and chopped
1 (15.5 ounce) can sliced peaches in heavy syrup (I used half a Mason jar of Sarah's bottled peaches)
½ cup dark molasses
½ cup yellow mustard
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground allspice

Place the peppers, peaches, molasses, mustard, brown sugar, and vinegar into a blender. Measure in the salt, paprika, pepper, cumin, coriander, ginger and allspice. Blend until liquefied. Refrigerate overnight before using.

Spicy Citrus Brine

2011-05-03T18:49:00.000-07:00

For Sarah's birthday, we barbecued four racks of ribs and had a bunch of people over to enjoy our new patio. I brined two racks, used a rub on another, and left the others plain. The brine I liked the best was a Spicy Citrus Brine. I'll post the rub recipe later.

The brine isn't as spicy as it's name implies. I didn't think it was spicy at all.

Juice of 2 oranges
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
1½ tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes.

Combine the ingredients in a 1 gallon Ziploc bag with the ribs, squeeze the air out of the bag, and seal it. Massage the brine into the meat and place in the fridge for about 12 hours.

Cumin, Coriander, & Lime-Brined Ribs

2011-04-03T17:42:00.001-07:00

I barbecued pork ribs today. This time I brined them first. They turned out great and the meat practically fell off the bone. It made me a big believer in brining ribs. I may not use the same brine next time, but I will brine.

Here's how to make the brine. Cook the ribs the same as always.

The recipe called for cilantro, which I substituted with mint because I didn't have any cilantro on hand. Also, I added the red pepper of my own accord. I used whole cumin, coriander, and crushed red pepper and ground it myself in my spice grinder.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
½ tablespoon ground crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup water
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

Directions

Combine ingredients. Pour into a 1 gallon Ziploc bag. Add the ribs to the bag, squeeze out the air, and seal. Massage the brine into the meat. Refrigerate for 8-12 hours.

Icebox Key Lime Pie

2011-03-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

This recipe is courtesy of cookscountrytv.com If you want to look at recipes, you'll need to set up an account, but it's free, and you get access to a bunch of great recipes, so you might as well.

*Note: The recipe says to use a food processor. I don't have one, so I used a blender. The end product was good, but I think it would have been much easier with a food processor.

Be sure to use instant pudding that requires no stovetop cooking for this recipe. We use regular supermarket (Persian) limes-tasters thought bottled lime juice lacked depth of flavor. We much prefer our easy homemade crust to store- bought versions.

Serves 8 to 10.

INGREDIENTS

Crust
8	whole graham crackers , broken into smaller pieces
2	tablespoons sugar
5	tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
Filling
1/4	cup sugar
1	tablespoon grated lime zest
8	ounces cream cheese , softened
1	(14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3	cup instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/4	teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1	cup fresh lime juice from 6 to 8 limes
1	teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse crackers and sugar in food processor until finely ground. Add melted butter in steady stream while pulsing until crumbs resemble damp sand. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, press crumbs firmly into bottom and sides of 9-inch pie plate. Bake until fragrant and browned around edges, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool completely.
2. For the filling: Process sugar and zest in food processor until sugar turns bright green, about 30 seconds. Add cream cheese and process until combined, about 30 seconds. Add condensed milk and pudding mix and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl. Stir gelatin and 2 tablespoons lime juice in small bowl. Heat in microwave for 15 seconds; stir until dissolved. With machine running, pour gelatin mixture, remaining lime juice, and vanilla through feed tube and mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.
3. Pour filling into cooled crust, cover with plastic, and refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to 2 days. To serve, let pie sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing.

Chicken Stock

2011-01-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Jed & Heather gave us a book called The Elements of Cooking by Michael Ruhlman. I've only read the first chapter so far, but it's already paid dividends.

The first chapter is about stocks (e.g., chicken stock, beef stock). It has some helpful tips for creating great stocks. For example, it says to create the stock over low heat (whenever I had used my own stock before, I had just saved the water that was left after boiling a chicken). He also mentioned that, while its fine to use a raw chicken to create chicken stock, you could also roast the meat and bones first to give the stock a deep roasted flavor.

Today, I put this newfound knowledge to work. For dinner last night, we roasted a chicken. After carving it, I saved the bones and whatever meat was left on them to make a stock today. I put the bones & meat in a stock pot, added about 2½ quarts of water, heated it to about 180 degrees (regularly using a thermometer to make sure it didn't go higher), and let it go for an hour and a half. I regularly skimmed off whatever fat coagulated on top (using a pre-roasted chicken, you get less fat than you would with a raw chicken).

Next, I cut a carrot, leeks, and a sweet onion into large chunks and added them to the water. I kept the temperature around 180 degrees for another hour. I then removed the bones, meat, and vegetables and strained the broth through a fine strainer. I let it cool a little, then added salt to taste.

I used the stock to make hot and sour soup. I have to say, it was the best batch of hot and sour soup I've ever made. Using this homemade chicken stock instead of canned chicken stock (like I usually do) made a huge difference. It just tasted lighter and cleaner. Also, I'm sure that the homemade stock had much less sodium than the canned stuff (I checked the closest can of chicken stock and was surprised at how much sodium it had).

I had about two cups of stock left over, which I put in a Ziploc bag and froze. Apparently, it will keep in the freezer for a few months.

Chilaquiles

2010-12-31T13:56:00.000-08:00

I made these chilaquiles for the family in Utah when we visited over Christmas. The recipe originally comes from Rick Bayless (here). He calls for jars of fire-roasted tomatillo salsa, but I prefer to make the salsa myself. I also use fewer onions than he suggests.

These are very easy to make (especially if you just buy the salsa).

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup sliced white onion
2-3 lbs tomatillos
3-4 cloves garlic
1 quart chicken broth
24 ounces tortilla chips
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mexican melting cheese (such as Chihuahua) or Monterey Jack
1 lb coarsely shredded cooked chicken
3/4 cup Mexican crema (or sour cream thinned with a little milk)
A handful of cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

Peel the tomatillos and wash them. Place the garlic and tomatillos on a cookie sheet and fire-roast them under a broiler until the tomatillo skins blacken. Puree the tomatillos and garlic in a blender. Warm a little oil in a frying pan and, when hot, add the puree. Reduce the sauce over medium-low heat for about 5-minutes. Add salt to taste.

In a very large (6-quart) Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until richly browned.

Add the salsa and broth and bring to a boil. When the sauce is at a rolling boil, turn off the heat and stir in the chips and shredded cheese. Press the chips down to ensure that nearly all are submerged; a few on the top may still be sticking out.

Strew the chicken over the top, cover and let stand for 3 or 4 minutes. Gently stir everything together, then drizzle with the crema, and sprinkle with cilantro.

Roasted Tomato Cream Sauce

2010-12-31T13:44:00.000-08:00

Here's the recipe for the roasted tomato cream sauce I made for the fish tacos that Karen made at Aunt Janeen's house.

Ingredients

1 large tomato
2 cloves garlic
1 habanero pepper
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

Cut open the habanero pepper and remove the seeds and veins (unless you want the sauce to be very spicy). Fire roast the tomato, unpeeled garlic, and pepper on a cookie sheet under the broiler until the tomato skin starts to blacken. Peel the garlic and place it along with the tomato and pepper in a blender and puree.

Warm the oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, add the puree. Add salt and pepper and let the sauce reduce over medium-low heat for about 5 or 10 minutes, stirring regularly. The sauce will turn a darker shade of red.

Let the sauce cool a little and then stir some of the tomato sauce into some of the sour cream. Add more of the tomato sauce or more of the sour cream to the mixture until it has the combination of flavor and consistency you like.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

2010-11-10T20:07:00.000-08:00

This recipe is courtesy of David Lebovitz.

I made this last Sunday and was very pleased with the results. I just used dark brown sugar and molasses. I also left out the candied ginger. I think I might try it with next time, cause there will definitely be a next time.

For the toffee sauce

2 cups (500ml) heavy cream
1/2 cup (90g) demerara or muscovado sugar (or another dark brown sugar)
2 1/2 tablespoons golden syrup or molasses
pinch of salt

For the pudding

6 ounces (180g) pitted dates, snipped or chopped
1 cup (250ml) water
1 teaspoon baking soda
optional: 1/3 cup (40g) candied ginger, chopped
1 1/4 cups (175g) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 tablespoons (55g) unsalted butter
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (190C) and butter an 8 1/2-inch (24cm) porcelain soufflé dish (or similar-sized baking dish.)

2. Make the toffee sauce by bringing the cream, demerara or turbinado sugar, golden syrup (or molasses) and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring often to melt the sugar.

3. Lower heat and simmer, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick and coats the spoon. Pour half the sauce into the prepared soufflé dish and place the dish in the freezer, and reserve the other half for serving.

4. To make the pudding, in a medium saucepan, heat the dates and water. Once the water begins to boil, remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. Add the ginger, if using, then set aside, but keep it slightly warm.

5. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

6. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, or by hand, beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, then the vanilla. (Don’t be alarmed if the mixture looks a bit curdled.)

7. Stir in half of the flour mixture, then the date mixture, then add the remaining flour mixture until just mixed. Don’t overbeat the batter.

8. Remove the soufflé dish from the freezer and scrape the batter into the soufflé dish and bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.

9. Remove the pudding from the oven, and let cool slightly before serving.

Serving: Spoon portions of the cake into serving bowls and douse with additional warm toffee sauce. Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream are good accompaniments, although I enjoy it just as it is.

Note: To make the pudding in advance, bake the cake without the toffee in the bottom. Let cool, then cover until close to serving time. Poke the cake about fifteen times with a chopstick. Distribute half of the sauce over the top, as shown in the photo, cover with foil, then re-warm in a 300F (150C) oven, for 30 minutes.

Twice-Baked Chipotle Sweet Potatoes

2010-11-02T18:42:00.000-07:00

Our electric co-op sends a magazine every month. It has, among other things, recipes. I came across this one today. It sounds really yummy, but it has goat cheese in it, so I won't be able to use it. I'm hoping that somebody else will give it a try and let me know how it turns out.

Twice-Baked Chipotle Sweet Potatoes

6 medium sweet potatoes

1 tbsp oil

8 oz goat cheese, softened

2 tbsp butter, softened

1/2 c cilantro, minced

1/2 chipotle pepper, from can

1/4 c adobo sauce from canned chipotle

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

Scrub sweet potatoes and rub skins with oil. Wrap each potato in foil. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour, or until potatoes become soft. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in mixing bowl.

When potatoes are done baking, remove from foil and allow to sit until cool enough to handle, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Cut potatoes in half and scrape out most of flesh, taking care not to tear skins. Add potato to goat cheese mixture. Mix well, using potato masher or mixer. Spoon into potato skins, or, for a fancier presentation, use a pastry bag and star tip to fill skins. Return to oven until tops are browned and potatoes are warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Grilled Skirt Steak Tortas

2010-10-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

I made another Rick Bayless recipe today. I think this was one of the best dishes I've ever cooked. The sauces and spreads on the sandwich (torta = sandwich) were awesome, particularly the chipotle steak sauce.

The recipe called for steak or zucchini, but I used both.

Ingredients

1 medium red onion, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds
A little vegetable oil
½ pound skirt steak
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise a little less than 1/2-inch thick
1 24-inch baguette
Simple Mashed Black Beans
Chipotle Steak Sauce
Avocado-Cilantro Mayonnaise
4 ounces (about 2 cups) shredded Mexican Chihuahua or Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

Make the simple mashed black bean spread, chipotle steak sauce, and avocado-cilantro mayonnaise (follow the links above for the recipes... they're all really simple).

Grill the onions. Light a charcoal fire and let the coals burn until they are covered with grey ash and medium-hot; set the grill grate in place. Or heat a gas grill to medium. Brush both sides of the onion slices with a little oil, sprinkle with salt, then lay in a single layer on the grill. Grill, turning at least once, until richly browned and soft, about 10 minutes. Scoop onto a cutting board.

Grill the steak and zucchini. Brush both sides of the steak and zucchini slices with a little oil, sprinkle with salt and lay on the grill. Grill, turning at least once, until the steak is medium (or more well done if you like) and the zucchini tender, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Chop the onion, steak, and zucchini into small pieces (about 1/2-inch). Scoop into a skillet and keep warm on the grill.

Assemble the tortas. Cut the baguette in half, then split each half lengthwise. Scratch out most of the soft bread from the top and bottom. Smear the bottom pieces with beans and lay face-down on the grill to warm for a minute. Flip them over and spoon a portion of the filling into each piece. Splash about 1/4 of the chipotle sauce over the meat on each piece. Smear each top baguette piece with avocado mayo, then press in a portion of the cheese. Set each top piece over a bottom. Turn the tortas over the fire until the cheese is melted and the bread is crisp, usually about 8 minutes. Cut each half in half and serve to your lucky guests.

Shrimp Tacos

2010-10-02T19:20:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from Rick Bayless. You may have seen his cooking show on PBS: Mexico: One Plate at a Time. You can find the original recipe here.

We ate this for dinner today. Even Josie loved the shrimp.

Ingredients

1 lime, halved
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, very coarsely ground
1/4 teaspoon allspice berries, very coarsely ground
3 bay leaves
12 ounces shrimp, deveined but unpeeled
1/2 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 ripe medium-small tomato, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
5 radishes, finely diced
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
5 tablespoons vegetable oil, preferably half olive oil and half vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Squeeze the two lime halves into a medium saucepan, then add the two squeezed rinds, the black pepper, allspice, bay leaves and 1 quart water. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.

Raise the heat to high, add the shrimp, re-cover and let the liquid return just barely to a simmer. Immediately remove the pan from the heat, hold the lid slightly askew and strain off all the liquid. Re-cover tightly, set aside for 5 to 8 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through, then rinse the shrimp under cold water to stop the cooking.

Peel the shrimp. If the shrimp are medium or larger, cut them into 1/2 -inch bits; place in a bowl. Add the red onion, tomato, radish and cilantro to the shrimp. In a small bowl or jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the lime juice, oil and salt.

Shortly before serving, mix the dressing ingredients thoroughly, then pour over the shrimp mixture. Toss to coat everything well, cover and refrigerate or set aside at room temperature.

Serve with tortillas.

Serves 4.

Here are a few of my own recommendations:

Use less that the 5 tablespoons of oil that it calls for. Next time, I'll try it with 2 tablespoons oil.
We left out the radishes (because I forgot to buy them). We didn't really miss them, but I think it would have been good with them in.
We used flour tortillas, but I think corn would have been better. I always prefer flour tortillas to corn, but I think this dish may be an exception.

Pork Ribs

2010-09-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day, we barbecued pork ribs. I pulled out the old charcoal grill for this one.

First, I got the charcoal going with the goal of getting the grill to 250 degrees. I overshot (it got up over 450) and had to wait for it to cool down.

While the coals burned, I seared the ribs in some oil, meat side down for just a few minutes. Then I added a little bit of seasoning (Lawry's mesquite, I think).

After an hour and a half, the coals were down to 350 and I couldn't wait any more. I pushed all the coals toward the outer edge of the grill so that the ribs would cook by indirect heat. I put the ribs, bone-side down, in the middle of the grill and let them cook for an hour and a half.

After that, they were ready to eat. We had a few bottles of barbecue sauce. The one we liked best is one made with habaneros (although it's not very spicy) that I bought in Austin called Salt Lick.

Buffalo Burgers

2010-09-05T06:15:00.000-07:00

Again with the stinky cheeseburger. But this time I made it with ground buffalo. And I took pictures.

The Stuffing

The Grilling

The Finishing

Pork Chops with Grilled Peach & Chipotle Salsa

2010-08-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from the Whole Foods app on my iPhone. It let's you put in a few ingredients you have on hand and gives you a recipe that uses them. I put in peaches and chicken and got this one. The original recipe uses chicken, but I decided to use pork chops instead.

2 ripe peaches, pitted and quartered
Salt and pepper to taste
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 bunch chilantro, chopped
4 boneless pork chops
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Preheat grill. Season peaches with salt and pepper, transfer to grill and cook, turning occasionally, until just blackened, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate, set aside and let cool then roughly chop and transfer to a bowl. Add chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, green onions, cilantro, salt and pepper and toss gently to combine. Set salsa aside.

Toss pork with oil, cumin, salt and pepper and transfer to grill. Cook, flipping once, until just cooked through. Transfer to a platter, spoon salsa over the top and serve.

Fried Dumplings

2010-08-26T18:29:00.001-07:00

I think most of you already have my fried dumplings recipe. I recently came up with a very good sauce for them, so I thought I'd share the sauce.

First, in case you don't have the fried dumplings recipe, here it is:

2 lb. ground pork
3-4 chopped green onions
3 leaves Chinese cabbage
1½ tsp. garlic
1 tsp. ginger
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 large mushrooms, finely chopped (optional)
1 egg
1 pinch salt
wonton skins

Mix all ingredients. Form mixture into a small ball and wrap in a wonton skin. Fold the wrapper similar to a diaper. Secure the edges of the wrapper with a small amount of water.

Fry dumplings in a small amount of oil until golden, turning once. Once both sides are golden, add ¼ cup of water and immediately cover the frying pan with a lid. Reduce heat to medium and cook 5-6 minutes. Serve with rice and dumpling sauce or soy sauce.

Here's the sauce:

Mince about a teaspoon of ginger and a couple teeth of garlic. Warm some sesame oil in a saucepan and lightly sauté the ginger and garlic. Before the ginger and garlic burn, but while the heat is still on, add about a cup of low sodium soy sauce. (I found that regular soy sauce is too salty and requires more sugar to balance the salt.) Add a few tablespoons of brown sugar until the sauce is just sweet enough. Remove the sauce from the heat and add some finely chopped green onion and another dash of sesame oil.

If you want to make them spicy (I do), put some chili garlic sauce on your dumplings along with this sauce.

Stinky Peach Burger

2010-08-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

I had about 15 minutes to make a quick dinner tonight before McKenzie's soccer practice, so I made a quick variation on Hebe's Stinky Cheeseburger recipe.

I took a turkey burger patty and stuffed some Shropshire Blue cheese into it. (In case you're not familiar with Shropshire Blue, I included a picture. I can sometimes find it at Whole Foods.) I threw that on the grill and dashed on some Texas Pete hot sauce (very much like Frank's Red Hot). I didn't have time to make full-fledged buffalo sauce. While the burger grilled, I toasted my hamburger bun on the grill.

I put some spicy brown mustard on the bottom bun and topped the burger with a fresh sliced peach. (We got a bushel of fresh picked South Carolina peaches last week.) That was it.

The burger was awesome. Multiple flavors blended nicely: the spice of the Texas Pete and mustard, the tang of the cheese, and the sweet of the peach. I will definitely do it again... every year when the peaches are in season.

Carley's Spaghetti

2010-04-16T11:41:00.000-07:00

Just as a note, I don't measure most of what I put in here. So start with the measurements I have listed and add more or less to your tastes. The two most important flavors are the brown sugar and the red wine vinegar.

1 lb ground beef (or turkey)
1 onion - chopped
2-14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
2 small cans of mushrooms (I've made will less or none - Hebe doesn't like them)
1-15 oz can tomato sauce
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C red wine vinegar
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves

First, brown your hamburger in a pan with the chopped onion. Brown the meat until it's cooked through and onions are clear-ish. (At this point I take the meat and onions out of the pan an blot with a paper towel to get the excess grease off - you decide)
Next, just dump it all in and mix it around. Play with the flavors a little. Sometimes I add a little salt and more basil and oregano. Like I said you want it a little sweet and a little tangy.

There really isn't a rhyme or reason to this recipe. It's a sort of use what you have and make it taste like you like. It would also be good to use Heather's spaghetti pie recipe with...

Lomo Saltado

2010-04-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

This is the Peruvian recipe I made at Mike & Karen's last week. I always substitute chicken for beef, which technically makes it "Pollo Saltado" (Lomo Saltado means "tossed beef").

Aji amarillo can be hard to find. At Mike & Karen's, I had to substitute sweet yellow peppers. They worked fine.

Ingredients

1 cup corn oil
2 lbs large potatoes, peeled and cut into French-fry sized pieces
1 lb beef fillet, cut into little finger-sized slices
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ cup sliced onion
¼ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
¼ cup chopped fresh tomato
1 fresh aji amarillo, seeded and cut into thin slices, or 1 teaspoon dried yellow aji chilli powder

In a wok or skillet heat the oil over moderate heat until hot. Add the potatoes carefully and French-fry them. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Carefully pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil.

Combine the beef, garlic, onion, cumin, salt, and vinegar. Heat the oil in the wok or skillet, add the beef, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, tossing.
Add the tomato and aji and fold in the French fries. Combine gently, frying the saltado for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serve warm, with rice.

Serves 6

Chicken & Dumplings

2010-02-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

This recipe comes from my food storage cookbook, which tries to encourage the use of wheat flour as much as possible. I'm sure you could use only white flour.

Soup

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 onion, diced

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons dried parsley or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

Dumplings

1 cup white flour

1 cup wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons dried parsley or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

1/4 cup butter or margarine

3/4 cup milk

Place soup ingredients in a stockpot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. While soup is simmering, make dumplings.

For dumplings, combine flours, salt, baking powder, and parsley in mixing bowl. Cut in butter with pastry cutter until dough looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in milk and mix with a fork just until dough is moistened and holds together. Gently roll dough into 2-inch balls with the palm of hands. Makes about 15 dumplings.

Take each chicken breast out of soup and chop with a knife and fork on a cutting board. Return chopped chicken to soup. Drop dumpling balls into the simmering broth. Cover and continue to simmer for 20 minutes without lifting the lid. To serve, ladle soup into soup bowls making sure each serving gets a couple of dumplings. Delicious! Serves 6.

FRUIT SALSA and CINNAMON CHIPS

2010-02-05T11:07:00.000-08:00

This recipe came from Laurie East, who got it out of a book. I made it for the Wrights homecoming. Very nummy!

FRUIT SALSA

2 Granny Smith apples

1 Bartlett pear

1 c strawberries

1 mango

2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbs. brown sugar, packed

To make salsa, peel, core, and chop apples. Wash and chop pear, strawberries, and mango. Place fruit in medium bowl and stir in lemon juice and brown sugar to coat. Chill. You can mix and match any of your favorite fruits to make this salsa.

CINNAMON CHIPS

6 large flour tortillas

4 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. cinnamon

To make chips, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine cinnamon and sugar in small bowl. Using water spray bottle, lightly spray tortillas and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Using pizza cutter, cut each tortilla into 8 wedges. Place tortilla wedges on baking sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until crispy. Cool. Serves 6

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2010-01-22T14:44:00.000-08:00

You need to plan ahead when you make this. With 45 minutes cooking time and at least 15 minutes of preparation, it's best to get started early. It's worth it, though. Serve it with rice and maybe some steamed carrots. Yummy.

2 lb. chicken, cut up to nugget size

1 c. vinegar

8 Tbsp. ketchup

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. pineapple juice

2 tsp. Accent

Combine all ingredients, except chicken, in a saucepan and bring to boil. Shake chicken pieces in flour, salt, and pepper and fry until brown on outsides. Put chicken in casserole dish and cover with sauce. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Stir and uncover halfway through.

The Potato Secret

2010-01-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

Our bishop's wife makes the best rolls. Her secret is the potatoes. She says you can't get rolls that soft any other way. The trouble is that her recipe looks very intimidating. So, I did some reading and found that adding potato flour or even dehydrated potato flakes to bread recipes results in softer bread. Ultimately, my rolls are very good. But, they're not even in the same league as Marianna's. But, as Jeff says, "If it wasn't hard, every one would do it." Or was that Tom Hanks?

Here is my recipe and Marianna's recipe. If anybody is brave enough to try her's, let me know how they turn out.

Basic White Rolls

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

3 packages active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water (105 to 115°F)

1/4 c potato flakes or potato flour

5-6 cups all-purpose flour

Place milk, sugar, salt, and butter in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cool to lukewarm.

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl. Add lukewarm milk mixture and 4 1/2 c flour. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.

Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix about 1 1/2 minutes, or until dough starts to clean sides of bowl. Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Dough will be slightly sticky to the touch.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, for 10 minutes.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Shape as desired. Cover. Let rise for about 15-30 minutes. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.

Marianna's Dinner Rolls

1 medium potato (for best results, use a freshly cooked potato)

3/4 c. warm water

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 Tbsp. sugar

3/4 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. salt

1/2 c. butter (in dough)

1/2 c. butter (to spread on dough)

2 eggs

4 to 5 c. unbleached flour (I use only unbleached flour - you will be amazed how much more tender any baked product will turn out)

Peel and boil potato in water until tender. Drain water and whip the potato; set aside.

Dissolve yeast in 3/4 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar. Mix yeast mixture, eggs, one cup flour, sugar, salt, 1/2 cup butter, then the potatoes. Add the flour, one cup at a time, until dough is cookie dough thickness. It is a soft dough unlike bread dough which is firm. Knead for five minutes.

Place dough in a buttered bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 5 to 6 hours.

Roll dough out onto a floured counter into the shape of an extra large pizza. Spread 1/2 cup softened butter onto dough. Cut like pizza slices. Roll each crescent shape into croissants, rolling from the fat side to the skinny side. Place on greased pan. Let raise until 50 bigger. Do not over-rise! Bake in 400° oven for 12 to 14 minutes.

Note: You can use instant potatoes or leftover mashed potatoes in this recipe. I use leftovers all the time but I get the best results with a freshly cooked potato. Potatoes are very yeast friendly. They help the yeast work better. Potatoes make rolls lighter and more tender. Potatoes also keep the finished roll from drying out. They are moist even the next day.

Note: Yes I really use 1 tablespoon salt. I personally like the combination of a lot of salt with a sweet batter.

Mongolian Beef

2010-01-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

Mongolian Beef is a standard dish we order almost every time we go to a Chinese restaurant. So we decided we'd better just figure out how to make it ourselves. Thanks to my friend Google, we figured it out. We tried this on Tuesday. We found a store that sold the beef pre-sliced, which made the preparation easier. It turned out great.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup water
¾ cup dark brown sugar
vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)
1 lb flank steak
¼ cup cornstarch
2 large green onions, cut into 2 inch sections
½ cup sliced white onion

Directions

Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Don't get the oil too hot. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove it from the heat.

Slice the flank steak into ¼-inch thick bite-size slices. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.

While the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges. You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet.

Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green and white onions. Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate. Leave the excess sauce behind in the pan.

Serves 4

Hot & Sour Soup

2009-12-21T16:15:00.001-08:00

I've always wanted a hot & sour soup recipe, so that I could make it at home when I get the inevitable craving. A friend from church, Chris Young, gave me this one. I made it for the first time today and it's great. As good as almost any I've had in a Chinese restaurant.

1 package extra firm tofu, drained
4 Tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
4 Tsp corn starch
2 boneless center cut pork chops, sliced into ¼ inch thick slices
1 large egg
4 cans (about 8 cups) chicken broth
1 cup bamboo shoots, sliced lengthwise into 1/8 inch strips
4 oz fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced ¼ inch thick
5 Tsp black vinegar (or 2 Tsp red wine vinegar plus 3 Tsp balsamic vinegar)
2 tsp chili oil
1 tsp white pepper
3 medium scallions, sliced thin

Place tofu in a pie plate and set a heavy plate on top. Weight with more plates or a couple of heavy cans. Let stand at least 15 minutes. Tofu should release about ½ cup liquid.

Whisk 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch in a medium bowl. Toss pork with marinade and set aside for at least 10 minutes.

Pour chicken broth into a large saucepan and bring close to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and add bamboo shoots and mushrooms and simmer until mushrooms are just tender, about 5 minutes.

While broth simmers, dice tofu into ½ inch cubes. Add tofu and pork to the soup, stirring to separate any pieces of pork that stick together. Continue to simmer until pork is no longer pink, about 2 minutes.

Combine 3 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Add to soup and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soup thickens and turns translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in 5 tablespoons black vinegar, 2 teaspoons chili oil, 2 teaspoon white pepper, and 3 tablespoons soy sauce. Turn off heat.

Mix ½ teaspoon cornstarch with 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Add egg and beat with a fork until combined. Without stirring the soup, use a soupspoon to slowly drizzle very thin streams of the egg mixture into the pot in a circular motion. Let soup sit 1 minute, then return the soup to medium-high heat. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then immediately remove from heat. Gently stir the soup once to evenly distribute the egg.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with scallions.

Serves 8.

Pecan Craisin Treats

2009-12-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

Cook 1 c. chopped pecans and 1 c. craisins with one can sweetened condensed milk for 10 minutes. Cool for one minute then spread mixture onto Ritz crackers. Mixture will harden quickly. Let cool completely. Frost with 1 c. powdered sugar, 1/4 c. butter, 1 t. vanilla, and a dash of milk. Delicious!

Chicken Drummies

2009-12-03T04:54:00.000-08:00

1 c. Bisquik
1 package Lipton onion soup mix
1/4 tsp. black pepper
6-10 chicken drumsticks

In a large Ziploc bag, combine the Bisquik, soup mix and pepper. Rinse the drumsticks and add them to the bag. Shake. Line a jelly-roll pan with foil and spray with olive oil. Place drumsticks on foil. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes, turning drumsticks over halfway through.

Aji de Pavo

2009-11-29T16:24:00.000-08:00

The real recipe is for Aji de Gallina (Chicken in Walnut Cream Sauce). It's a traditional Peruvian dish. But we had a lot of Thanksgiving leftovers this week, so I substituted turkey this time (thus, Aji de Pavo). If you need a good use for leftover turkey, try this one.

Aji amarillo is a key ingredient, but it can be difficult to find. We have an international market a few miles from us where we can find just about anything. Some Whole Foods carry aji amarillo powder, which works well too.

Ingredients

2½ lbs turkey, shredded by hand (if using chicken, boil a chicken and shred the meat)
2 fresh aji amarillo (yellow Peruvian chili), seeded
4 cloves garlic
½ cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons walnuts
½ cup soda crackers, crushed
1 cup evaporated milk
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 tablespoons corn oil
¼ teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a food processor combine the aji, garlic, onion, and ¼ cup water and process to a paste. Remove to a bowl.

In the processor blend the walnuts, cracker crumbs, milk, oregano, and salt until smooth.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the garlic and onion paste and stir-fry until golden over low heat. Add the turmeric and stir another minute.

Add 2 cups of the reserved broth, turkey (or chicken) strips, and Parmesan cheese and bring to a boil. Add the milk sauce and cook, stirring constantly over low heat for 5 minutes. It should be smooth and pourable. If too thick, add more broth until you have reached the desired consistency.

Serves 8

Fudge Brownies

2009-11-16T16:44:00.000-08:00

1 Cup butter - softened
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 Cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Cup chopped walnuts

Melt 1/2 cup butter and chocolate in small saucepan over low heat; set aside to cool.

Place remaining 1/2 cup butter, sugar, and vanilla in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to speed 2 and mix about 30 seconds. Turn to speed 6 and beat about 2 minutes. Turn to speed 4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating 15 seconds after each addition. Stop and scrape bowl.

Add cooled chocolate mixture. Turn to speed 2 and mix about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Add all remaining ingredients. Turn to stir speed and mix until well blended, about 30 seconds.

Pour into greased and floured 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack and cut.

I decided to make these brownies last night. I proceeded as instructed by adding the sugar, butter and vanilla to my mixing bowl, and mixing according to the instructions. After mixing for the 2.5 minutes, the mixture was very grainy. The best way to describe it would be to say it consisted of small butter beads, with sugar attached to the butter. I continued on through the rest of the instructions. When I got to the "pour" part, there was no pouring going on there. It was way to thick. I had to scoop it out of the bowl, and spread it around with a spatula. As the brownies cooked in the oven, I was eager with anticipation. However, the final product was very much a disappointment. Eating them is basically like eating a square of chocolate and butter flavored sugar.

So what went wrong? What I'm guessing is that my butter was not as soft as it should have been. After the damage was done, I found another brownie recipe that calls for adding melted butter. Please let me know if you agree with this assessment. Assuming that the butter not being soft enough was the cause of the problem, at the point where the sugar, butter and vanilla were combined, could anything have been done to salvage the brownies?

Poppy Seed Chicken

2009-11-12T14:56:00.000-08:00

This is another recipe from our friend Erin. Momma Eastman wanted this recipe, so here it is!

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 pint (16 oz) sour cream

5-6 chicken breasts (cooked & diced)

1 tube Ritz crackers

3/4 cup butter

2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Boil the chicken and cut once cooked. Mix the diced chicken with sour cream and soup Then spread in a 9x13 pan.

Crush the crackers and mix with melted butter and sprinkle on top of creamy mixture. Next, sprinkle poppy seeds on top of the casserole.

Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with rice.

***I've never had this before, but Heber and Greg Fox have and they say it's yummy!

Chicken Pot Pie

2009-11-12T14:51:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from our good friend Erin Cowles. We tried it and it's really easy and really yummy!

2 cans cream of potato soup

1 can Veg-All (mixed veggies)

2 cups cooked chicken, diced (or you can use canned chicken)

1/2 t. poultry seasoning

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

2 pie crusts

Mix everything together and place in one pie shell. Place the second shell on top and press the edges to seal. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Irish Tacos

2009-11-12T14:47:00.000-08:00

This is an old family recipe my great grandfather used to make. He had 5 daughters to feed and money was short so he started adding potatoes and corn to his taco recipe to make things go further. Mom and Dad Eastman have tried these and they said they liked them...I guess you can be the judge :)

Irish Tacos

1 lb ground hamburger or ground turkey

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 medium sized potato, diced

1/2 cup of frozen corn

1- 14 o.5 oz can diced tomatoes

2- 8 oz cans tomato sauce

salt & pepper to taste

Brown the hamburger or ground turkey with the diced onion until the onions are clear. Drain the fat from the meat, if desired - I always do. Add diced potato, frozen corn, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add salt & pepper to taste. Simmer for about 30 minutes. You'll know it's done when the potatoes aren't crunchy anymore. Enjoy!

***Note this makes a nice size pot full. Heber and I usually have to freeze a good portion of it for later and it's still great!

Red Rice

2009-11-08T15:17:00.001-08:00

Here's the recipe for the red rice I made with my grilled tacos a few weeks ago. This rice goes great with any Mexican dish. I adapted this recipe from one in Williams Sonoma's Savoring Mexico cookbook. The only ingredient that might not be available at your mainstream grocery store is the achiote powder. If not, you should be able to find it in any little Mexican store.

1 medium-large ripe tomato
1/4 cup chopped white onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tablespoon ground achiote
2 Tbsp safflower or canola oil
1 cup medium- or long-grained white rice
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

In a blender, puree the tomatoes, onion, and garlic. Add the achiote and blend until well mixed. Pass the mixture through a sieve.

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until it starts to turn light gold, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and fry, scraping the pan bottom occasionally, until the puree is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Stir in the broth and add the salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook the rice for 25 minutes. When the rice is almost cooked through, remove the pan from the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes.

Toss the rice with a fork, then spoon into a warmed bowl and serve.

Award-winning Pumpkin Roll

2009-11-08T10:57:00.001-08:00

Beat 3 eggs for 5 min. Add 2/3 c. canned pumpkin (without spices), 1 c. sugar, and 1 t. lemon juice.

Mix well. Add:

3/4 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. ginger

1/2 t. nutmeg

Spray a jelly roll pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line the pan with wax paper, and spray again. Spread batter into pan evenly, and bake at 375 for 12-14 minutes. Do not overcook.

When the cake is done overturn into a cotton towel, remove the wax paper, and roll up the cake in the towel to cool.

Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese

4 T. butter

1 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

When the cake is cool, unroll and spread filling evenly. Roll it back up into plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Eggs Benedict

2009-10-28T19:42:00.001-07:00

Every Friday during the last few months that Sarah and I lived in Chicago, my friends from work and I would grab breakfast at Ceres Cafe in the Chicago Board of Trade building. The tradition was to get Eggs Benedict. Every once in a while I get a craving for Eggs Benedict again, so I recently learned how to make it myself.

Eggs Benedict is topped with hollandaise sauce. Rather than make up a whole batch of sauce from a powder packet, I learned to just make a small bit from scratch.

Hollandaise Sauce

1 egg
1 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp butter
dash of cayenne pepper
dash of salt

Whisk the egg and lemon juice in a metal bowl. Carefully melt the butter in the microwave. Simmer a small amount of water in a small sauce pan. Place the metal bowl with egg and lemon over the simmering water. While stirring constantly, pour in the butter. Continue stirring until the volume roughly doubles. Stir in the cayenne pepper and salt and set aside.

Eggs Benedict

1 english muffin
2 slices cheese
2 slices canadian bacon
2 eggs
hollandaise sauce

Poach the eggs as follows: Bring water to a gentle boil in a medium saucepan. Add a little bit of vinegar to the water. Crack the eggs into the water and let them sit for about 3 minutes. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon.

During the 3 minutes that the eggs are poaching, split the english muffin and toast both halves and grill/warm/fry the canadian bacon. On top of each half of english muffin layer a slice of cheese, canadian bacon, and a poached egg. Top with hollandaise sauce and season with a little salt and pepper.

The cheese isn't critical, so those of you that avoid cheese can just leave it out. I calculate that each eggs benedict (the above recipe making 2) has about 350 calories (with cheese), so don't go too crazy on them.

Chile Verde

2009-10-27T05:23:00.000-07:00

We went to a ward Halloween party last week where everyone brought chili (with fritos to accompany it). I made some chile verde, just to be different. It was a big hit. While making it, I kept remembering that Pa always got chile verde at El Matador. I never had it there, but I bet this homemade version beats it.

I bought the pork (bostón de cerdo) and produce at my new favorite carnicería, Super Mercado Jalisco. I also bought whole cloves there, which I ground using my mortar and pestle.The hardest part of the work was cutting up the pork and trimming the fat. It took a lot of patience, but it was worth it.

Here's the recipe, courtesy of simplerecipes.com:

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds tomatillos
5 garlic cloves, not peeled
2 jalapeño peppers
2 Anaheim or Poblano chiles (optional)
1 bunch cilantro leaves, cleaned and chopped
3 1/2 to 4 pounds pork shoulder (also called pork butt), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 to 2-inch cubes
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
2 yellow onions
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 Tbsp of chopped fresh oregano or 1 Tbsp of dried oregano
4 cups chicken stock
Pinch of ground cloves

Directions

Husk and rinse the tomatillos. Roast the tomatillos, jalapeños, Anaheim or poblano chiles, and garlic until the skins are lightly blackened. (I roasted them on my grill, but you can also roast them under a broiler.) Let cool enough to handle. Remove the stems, seeds, and veins from the peppers.

Blend the tomatillos, garlic, jalapeños, other chiles, and cilantro. Pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed.

Season the pork cubes generously with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat and brown pork chunks well on all sides. Work in batches so that the pork is not crowded in the pan and has a better chance to brown well. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, lift pork out of pan and place in bowl, set aside.

Pour off excess fat, anything beyond a tablespoon, and place the onions and garlic in the same skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until limp, about 5 minutes. Add the pork back to the pan. Add the oregano to the pan. Add the tomatillo chile verde sauce to the pork and onions. Add the chicken stock (enough to cover the meat). Add a pinch of ground cloves.

Bring to a boil and reduce to a slight simmer. Cook for 2-3 hours uncovered or until the pork is fork tender.

Serves 8

Zucchini Soup

2009-10-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

Melt 1/3 c. butter

Add:

1/3 c. flour

1 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Cook to thicken and add:

3 c. water

3 chicken bouillon cubes

1 t. lemon juice

2 zucchini, chopped

2 T. parsley, fresh

1 t. dried basil

Boil & cook 2 min. (or as much as you like to cook zucchini)

Add:

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes (don't drain)

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn (I've also used canned corn)

Stir in:

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

2 c. cheddar cheese

Grilled Tacos

2009-10-18T12:10:00.001-07:00

We had a few friends over for dinner last weekend, so I made grilled tacos. I got all the meat from a Mexican carnicería, Super Mercado Jalisco. The meat an other ingredients included:

1 lb of espalda de res (very thinly sliced steak, like for carne asada)
1 lb of pechuga de pollo (chicken breast), sliced lengthwise into long, flat slices
1 lb of lomo de cerdo (pork loin), sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices
1 can sliced pineapple
tortillas (both corn and flour)
1 can chipotle peppers
grapefruit juice
4 roma tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
2 avocados

I brushed adobo (from the can of chipotle peppers) onto the pork and let it sit for a couple of hours. I marinated the steak and the chicken in grapefruit juice for a couple of hours (I stole that idea from La Carreta in Orem, UT).

While the meat marinated, I roasted the tomatoes and garlic on my grill and combined them with some chipotles in my molcajete to make salsa. I saved off about half of the salsa and smashed some avocados into the rest to make guacamole.

Next, I grilled the meat along with the pineapple slices. When it was done, I chopped the meat and pineapple and then warmed tortillas on the grill.

We just let everyone make their own tacos from the meat, pineapple, salsa, guacamole, chopped white onion, sour cream, cilantro, cheese, red rice (recipe available on request), and black beans. It all came together deliciously.

Cornbread--Marie Callendar Style

2009-10-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

3 eggs

2 1/4 sticks margarine

1 1/2 c. milk

3/4 tsp. baking powder

3 c. Bisquick

1 1/4 c. sugar

3 heaping T. cornmeal

Beat eggs and add milk. Melt margarine and add to mixture.

Mix all dry ingredients and add to liquid ingredients, folding

until just mixed. Pour into ungreased 9 X 13 pan. Bake

at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Hot Fudge Sauce

2009-10-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

2 C Sugar
6 T Cocoa
1/3 C Flour
1/2 C Butter
1 Can Evaporated Milk
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla

In a saucepan, add everything except the vanilla. Bring to a boil until thick like pudding. (5-8 minutes)
Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Mix in a blender until good and smooth.

Makes 1 quart.

Panini

2009-10-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

After seeing someone on a PBS cooking show make a delicious-looking panini sandwich, Sarah and I decided to create our own variation on the theme.

Ingredients

Italian bread
Virginia ham, sliced
Provolone cheese slices
Sliced tomato
Pesto
Arugula
Butter

Directions

Very lightly butter one side of each of two pieces of bread (the buttered side will be on the outside of the sandwich). The butter is more for marking than for taste. Spread pesto on the other side of each slice (the inside of the sandwich). Layer the sliced ham, cheese, and tomatoes into the sandwich. Place the sandwich on a George Foreman grill for a couple of minutes, long enough to lightly toast the bread and start to melt the cheese. It helps to add a little pressure closing the grill to both mark and evenly grill the sandwich. Next, open the sandwich and add a generous portion of arugula. The arugula adds both a nice flavor and texture, so don't skimp.

We made this sandwich for dinner the other day. It was so good, I made it again every day since for lunch.

You can easily imagine different meats, cheeses, and other fillings to try something different. I'll be trying them for sure.

Magnolia's Famous Banana Pudding

2009-09-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

Luke has been asking for this recipe. I'm delivering. H made this for my birthday back when we were dating. That's when I knew I wanted to marry her. It wasn't quite the same as the original (sorry H), but it was pretty darn close. I'm sure with a bit of tweaking and experimenting one could get it undeniably close.

This is word-for-word from the official Magnolia Bakery cookbook:

Ingredients:

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1.5 cups ice cold water
1 3.4-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferably Jell-O brand)
3 cups heavy cream
1 12-ounch box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (no substitutions!)
4 cups sliced ripe bananas

In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped ream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5 quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the bananas and one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours--or up to 8 hours, but no longer!--before serving.

Serves 12-15 (or 1 Jed)

Enjoy!

PS. If you've never had banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery in NYC, I'm sorry first of all, but second of all, you NEED to try this recipe, even--actually, especially--if you don't normally like banana pudding.

The End of Overeating

2009-09-27T18:02:00.000-07:00

I just finished a good book about food: The End of Overeating by David Kessler. I'd put it in a class of books with Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma.

Here are some things I wrote in my review of the book on Goodreads:

Do you ever argue with yourself over whether you should have an unhealthy treat? Those cookies look good. They're bad for me; I don't need them. I want one. I shouldn't have any. Just one won't hurt... And then you decide you'll have one (or more), just to stop the internal argument.

Or do you find yourself unconsciously reaching for another tortilla chip, even though you're already full and still have an entrée on the way?

The End of Overeating gets at the heart of why these things happen. It explains the impact that foods loaded with fat, sugar, and salt have on the brain. It suggests that food can literally be addictive and talks about how to break the cycle.

Along the way, the book conveys a lot of interesting information, like how cereal manufacturers disguise how much sweetener they put in a cereal by using four or five different sweeteners so that no individual sweetener appears too high on the ingredients list. (I checked my box of Basic 4 to see for myself. Sure enough, it uses sugar, brown sugar, barley malt syrup, brown sugar syrup, and honey.)

An interview with the author on the Colbert Report sparked my interest. You can watch it here: http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/226155/april-29-2009/david-kessler.

The book is a bit dry, but it's a quick read and it's worthwhile. It might change the way you think about food. I'm hoping it changes the way I do.

The Stinky Cheese Burger

2009-09-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

Luke and I have been perfecting this burger for years. It's time to share. Get ready for the best burger of your life...

Before the grill:

Make the patties by mixing ground hamburger with crushed soda crackers, about 1 cracker per 1/4 pound of meat. (This helps the patties stick together.)

Make the buffalo sauce by combining equal parts Franks Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce and brown sugar. Heat the sauce just barely to a boil, and then let cool.

On the grill:

Cook the burgers according to your liking, coating liberally with buffalo sauce at the beginning, and after each flip. 3 minutes before the burgers are done, add gorgonzola cheese crumbles to each patty while still on the grill (the gorgonzola takes a few minutes to fully melt).

After the grill:

Spread a bit of spicy brown mustard on the bun. Top the burger with a slice of tomato, a couple sliced rings of a red onion, and a few slices of avocado. If you like the spicy stuff, you could add a bit more buffalo sauce here.

Now eat.

Yummy.

Which Wich

2009-09-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

Which Wich is a new sandwich shop in Frisco. (It's actually a nationwide chain, though there aren't any in Utah, Idaho, New York or Virginia). Our inaugural visit this evening was very successful. We've already declared it a favorite. I had the Thank You Turkey, which is turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. It was super yummy. In future visits, I hope to try The Hula (ham & pineapple), the Elvis Wich (PB, honey & banana), the Tomato & Avocado and The Monte Cristo (ham, turkey, grape jelly and powdered sugar). I think I'm going to pass on the Spam Classic, though.

Buttermilk Syrup

2009-09-23T10:31:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from our good friend. It's yummy on everything, but particularly yummy on Ableskivers. I thought it might be a nice addition to Sarah's post.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Buttermilk

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter (1 stick)

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat

2. Add buttermilk and sugar

3. Whisk to dissolve and bring to a boil

4. Cook for 2-3 minutes, make sure the sugar is dissolved and the syrup has thickened

5. Remove from heat and add vanilla

6. Add baking soda and watch the syrup foam

7. Serve immediately

TIPS: Be sure to use a big enough sauce pan for the syrup to triple in size! The syrup can be reheated for future use. And the syrup can also be kept at a slow-rolling boil if you are waiting for other items to cook, just don't add the baking soda until you are ready to serve.

Bread

2009-09-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

Having recently freed my family from our dependence on store-bought hamburger buns, I feel our ultimate goal (nothing but homemade bread) is well within reach. These are two of my favorite bread recipes. I make them both in my 6-quart Kitchenaid and I have to cut the wheat bread recipe in half.

Perfect Whole Wheat Bread

10-12 cups of whole wheat flour
2 tbls dry yeast
1/2 cup wheat gluten
4 cups warm water (120-130 degrees)
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey (do the oil first and the honey just slides out!)
1 tbls salt

Place 6 cups flour into mixer bowl with kneading arm. Add dry yeast and gluten; mix well. Add water and mix one minute. Cover and let sit 10 minutes. (This makes the bread lighter). Add oil, honey, and salt. Turn on mixer and add remaining flour one cup at a time until dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl. The dough should be soft to the touch not to stiff. Knead 7-10 minutes or by hand 12 to 15. Dough should be smooth and elastic. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Divide dough into equal parts. Shape each part into a loaf. Place in greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch baking pans. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. (If you use glass baking pans, reduce oven temperature to 325). Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

Honey Oatmeal Bread

1 1/2 c. water

1/2 c. honey

1/3 c. butter

5 1/2 to 6 1/2 c. flour

1 c. quick oats

2 tsp. salt

2 pkgs. active dry yeast

2 eggs

1 egg white

1 tbsp. water

oatmeal (I use regular rolled oats here. They're much prettier).

Place water, honey, and butter in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until mixture is very warm (120-130 degrees Fahrenheit).

Place 5 cups flour, oats, salt and yeast in mixer bowl. Mix with dough hook on speed 2 about 15 seconds. Continue mixing, gradually adding warm water mixture and mix for 1 minute. Add eggs and mix 1 minute longer. Still on speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix about 2 minutes, or until dough clings to hook and cleans side of bowl. Knead on speed 2 about 2 minutes longer.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf. Place in greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch baking pans. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Beat egg white and water together with a fork. Brush top of loaves with mixture. Sprinkle with oatmeal. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes. (If you use glass baking pans, reduce temperature to 350). Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

Turkey Sandwich

2009-09-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

Today for lunch I made myself a turkey sandwich. On a whim I spread a little bit of Sarah's homemade Strawberry jam on it. I've never done that before, but before you question my sanity consider that it's not that different from cranberry jelly. On another whim I crumbled some Shropshire Blue cheese on it. It was delicious. The sweetness of the strawberry was a great compliment to the bitterness of the cheese. I kept thinking about the sandwich for the rest of the day.

Butternut Squash Ravioli

2009-09-20T15:47:00.000-07:00

I got more adventurous with my pasta making today. I made Butternut Squash Ravioli. I used a recipe from the Food Network:

Ingredients

2 butternut squash, halved and seeded
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
1 tablespoon finely chopped orange zest
2 teaspoons chipotle puree
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 sheets pasta dough, 12 to 14 inches long by 4 inches wide
2 eggs mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place squash on a baking sheet and roast until soft 30 to 40 minutes. Scoop out flesh and run though a food mill. Place the puree into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat until almost dry. Add the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Lay a sheet of pasta dough on a lightly floured work surface and distribute a heaping teaspoon-sized portion of the filling at least 2 inches apart. Use your fingertip or a brush to moisten the edges of the pasta sheet with the egg wash. Carefully place a second sheet of the pasta dough on top of the first and press with your fingertips to separate the rows of filling. Repeat with the remaining dough. With a ravioli cutter or pastry wheel, cut along straight lines on the vertical and horizontal to form each ravioli square. Press the edges closed with your fingertips to seal well. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully drop in the ravioli and cook for about 5 minutes.

I deviated from the recipe by not putting anything else in the filling except for squash, cinnamon, and nutmeg, partly because I didn't have some ingredients on hand and partly because Sarah's laying off all dairy products for a while. The recipe called for a butter sauce to top the ravioli, but we just topped them with a store-bought marinara sauce.

It being my first time, the ravioli didn't turn out as pretty as what you'd get in a restaurant, but they tasted good. Justin said he like the "applesauce" filling and sucked it out of his ravioli. That's a good enough endorsement for me.

Homemade Pasta

2009-09-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

I don't have a fancy recipe to share... more of a food experience. Sarah gave me a pasta maker for my birthday. Yesterday, I tried it out for the first time.

I mixed 2 cups of flour and 3 eggs in her Kitchenaid mixer to make pasta dough, then rolled and cut the pasta with the pasta maker to make fettucine. It turned out great. It reminded me of the homemade pasta we used to get at the Brick Oven in Provo. The kids loved it too. The only shortcoming is that we didn't have homemade sauce. I'll get to that once I have some home grown tomatoes, once I have a garden...

Apple Pudding Cake

2009-09-17T18:22:00.001-07:00

I love making this for the holidays - super moist! Great chocolate alternative!

2 C sugar

1/2 C butter

2 eggs

4 C grated apples

2 C flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Mix all ingredients and pour into 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Sauce

Heat over medium heat:

1 C brown sugar

1 T butter

1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl, combine 1 C cold water and 1 T cornstarch. Add slowly to brown sugar mixture. Stir until slightly thick. Spoon a small amount over individual servings of cake.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake

2009-09-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

We had this when everyone was out here for Josie's blessing.

1 3/4 C boiling water

1 C uncooked quick oatmeal

1 stick margarine

Mix all ingredients and let stand for 10 minutes.

Cream together:

1 C brown sugar

1 C white sugar

2 large eggs

Add oatmeal mixture and mix.

Then add:

1 3/4 C flour

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 T cocoa

1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pour into greased 9x13 pan and sprinkle with another 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 C chopped pecans.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Serve with Cool Whip.

Ebelskivers

2009-09-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

Eric helped figure out that this is a Danish dish. I'm sure you could fill them with just about anything!

2 C buttermilk

2 C flour

3 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 T sugar

applesauce

oil

Beat egg yolks; add sugar, salt and milk. Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder and add to mixture (I hardly ever sift it). In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff; fold into mixture. Batter should be slightly lumpy with visible drops of egg white.

Heat a small amount of oil in each cup of the pan. Over medium-low heat, fill each cup 1/2 full with batter. Place a small drop of applesauce on top of batter, then cover with another drop of batter. Cook until bubbly, then turn carefully with a fork.

Serve topped with applesauce. Enjoy!

You can buy the pan at Williams Sonoma and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Caramel Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

2009-09-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

Mix together:

2 c. flour

2 c. oatmeal

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Melt 1 1/2 c. real butter. Pour over mixture and mix until moist.

Take half the mixture and put on bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Bake @ 375 degrees

for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Take pan out of oven and pour one

package of milk chocolate chips and one jar of Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch

Caramel Topping over the top of bottom layer. Put on the rest of the mixture by

spooning it on and patting it down. Put it in the oven for another 10-15 minutes

until golden brown.

Trust me, you'll want to try these!

Turkey Meatloaf

2009-08-29T05:11:00.000-07:00

I used to be scared of meatloaf. The name itself is NOT appetizing!!! After falling for ground turkey rather than beef, I wanted to try a meatloaf, but needed more moisture (ground turkey is a lot more dry than beef) so I created this recipe that we really love.

1 lb ground turkey

1 cup chopped spinach (I always use fresh, I've never used frozen...I'm sure it'd work, but recommend fresh) I think this is the key to keep it moist.

1/4 envelope Lipton Onion (or Beef) soup mix

3 Tbs. ketchup

A few splashes worcheshire sauce (that just took me 10 minutes to find the spelling)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (again, I always use fresh, not the green can. You can substitute any cheese you'd like)

12 saltine crackers (smashed into fine crumble) I have also used goldfish crackers...VERY good!

1 egg

Mix altogether until combined. I try to handle as little as possible. I don't use a loaf pan (maybe I'm just opposed to the word loaf, I don't know!) but I form mine into mini football shapes. I make 5 out of the mix. I get a pan on top of the stove piping hot with a little olive oil, then add the mini loaves to get a good sear on them...I finish them off in the oven (375 for 20 minutes or until done)

You can make a lot of variations to this: different crackers, add real onion, add zucchini, different cheeses, BBQ sauce instead of ketchup...it's a pretty easy "no-fail" recipe.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2009-08-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

I've been asked to post this recipe, so here it goes. I think it's delish, you'll have to tell me if you agree!!!

2 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate (I substitute this with 6 Tablespoons cocoa powder plus 2 additional teaspoons vegetable oil)

3 eggs

2 C. white sugar

1 C. vegetable oil

2 C. grated zucchini

1 t. vanilla extract

2 C. all purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 t. ground cinnamon

3/4 C. semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 loaf pans (or about 5 mini pans).

In a large bowl combine eggs, sugar, oil, grated zucchini, vanilla and chocolate. Beat well. Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Hand mix in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean. (60 minutes is perfect for the mini loaves, 65-70 is more accurate for a normal bread pan. It also depends on your oven.)

***Carley's tips:

1) When measuring the grated zucchini really pack it in, this is what gives the bread moisture, so don't be shy.

2) I have never cooked with chocolate squares and I probably never will. BUT if you choose to, you would melt the chocolate before adding it to the egg mixture. Otherwise use the conversion I have listed above with cocoa powder and oil.

3) Store the bread, really any bread, in a zip lock back after it has cooled down. This really helps keep the bread nice and moist and yummy! Enjoy!

With Alcohol?

2009-08-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

Before I really got into cooking I always heard that when cooking with alcohol, it just cooks out. This is important for our dietary restrictions. However, recently I have discovered that MOST of the alcohol cooks out, but not ALL. So the question for the more experienced cooks in the bunch is, what's your view of cooking with alcohol? Is the remaining amount so small that it really is not worth worrying over? If you do not, and you encounter a recipe with alcohol, do you just leave it out, have you found substitutes, or do you choose a different recipe?

Green Salsa

2009-08-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

Many of you already have this. For those that do not, enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 pound tomatillos

1 jalapeno/2 serano

2 small garlic cloves

2 T chopped white onion

10 fresh cilantro sprigs

1 medium hass avocado

salt to taste

Cut everything up and add it all to the blender. I usually add the tomatillos first then everything else. Also, you may be tempted at first to add water when it looks like things aren't getting blended. Resist the temptation. Just let the blender work and all will be well. The original recipe says the avocado is optional, but I would say it's a must. You can also play with the peppers to vary the spiciness. Alex just made it with half an habanero and said it had a hint of spice. Didn't mention the flavor. When I first started making I used jalapenos, but now I prefer the seranos. Salt is key in this as well, so don't be afraid of it.

White Corn Salsa

2009-08-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

Here's the recipe for the white corn salsa we made when everyone was here for Josie's blessing. It was gone in fifteen minutes.

We got this recipe from a friend, Shelly Smith, we met in Charlottesville.

Ingredients

2 Tbs red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 chopped red pepper, chopped
1/2 jalapeño pepper, chopped (optional)
1 avocado, diced
1 small bag of frozen white baby corn
2 Tbs rice vinegar
juice from 2 limes
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar

Directions

Combine all ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips.

Golden Beets

2009-08-20T19:07:00.001-07:00

Luke: I love the idea. Thanks for starting it. I hope you don't mind if I kick things off with a recipe I tried last Sunday...

I recently discovered golden beets. I stumbled across them at Whole Foods a couple of months ago. The first time we tried them, we roasted them in the oven for about an hour, along with some carrots and parsnip. I drizzled them with a little olive oil beforehand, and that was it. Very simple, but very delicious. Our roast vegetables accompanied a roast chicken, a traditional British Sunday dinner as we learned from an experience we had in London.

Last Sunday, we tried golden beets again. This time I grilled them. I followed a recipe I found on foodnetwork.com (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-challenge/grilled-beets-with-goats-cheese-and-walnuts-recipe/index.html):

Ingredients
6 large whole beets

Marinade:
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dry basil leaves
1/8 teaspoon dry oregano
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Vinaigrette:
1 1/4 cups walnuts
1/2 stick butter
1 1/2 ounces red wine vinegar
2 ounces pomace olive oil
1-ounce walnut oil
1/2 pound soft goat cheese
1/4 cup chives (cut into match sticks)

Directions

Preheat a grill.

Cover beets by 3 inches with cold water in a large saucepot. Bring the water to boil and simmer until paring knife slides out of beet when pricked. Strain and let cool. While running under water, rub beets with towel to remove skin. Slice beets into 1/2-inch rounds. Prepare marinade by combining all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well and add vegetable oil. Toss sliced beets and hold.

To prepare the walnuts, melt butter in a 10-inch skillet and add walnuts. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes and season well with salt and pepper. Reserve left over butter.

For the vinaigrette add all the ingredients and the walnut butter. Whisk well.

To finish, grill beets on both sides for 2 minutes and toss in vinaigrette. Place 4 to 6 slices of beets on each plate and drizzle with vinaigrette. Add 5 dollops of goat's cheese (1 to 2 ounces) per serving, sprinkled with walnuts and chives.

We ate them with a pork loin I grilled and with a walnut apple salad Sarah made. It was all delicious.

2009-08-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks Luke for starting an Eastman food blog. My sister in law started one for the Wright family, and I have loved sharing recipes there. I must tell you that I, too, love food. I love to eat, cook, and even read recipe books. I have been in a 'meal group' for the past three years (mostly during the school year) and have enjoyed having dinner brought to my door three days a week! I cook on Tuesdays for my family and three other families. We start up again in a week and a half, and I can't wait! I recently saw the movie "Julie and Julia" and loved it! So funny! I was inspired to try Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon. I have printed out the original and will try it on the first cool day of fall. Can't wait. I'll let you know how it turns out. It is still my goal to put together an Eastman family cookbook. In the meantime, this will be a good place to share.

Introduction

2009-08-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

This is my first venture as a blogger. My hope is that instead of being a writer-centric blog, this will be a reader-centric blog, where we can all make content contributions. However, that content must be focused around a single topic . . . food.

It is true that there are countless food blogs already in existence, so why another one? The more the merrier is what I say. Food can use all the help it can get. As obesity rates rise and all that, how can I possibly say food needs help? Recently I heard a radio program on dieting and eating right. The supposed expert was saying that the key to eating right is having the mindset that food is fuel, and that it should not be regarded with joy. I simply do not agree. In the early days, man had to work very hard to acquire enough food to stay alive. I'm sure in those days there was no lack of joy concerning the food on their plates. Just because it doesn't require nearly as much energy for us to acquire food as it once did, does that mean we should enjoy it any less? I say no. In fact, I believe that if we really enjoyed our food, if we made the effort to make every bite matter, we just might be healthier for having done so.

This blog is about celebrating food. I welcome all to celebrate with me. If you love to make it, taste it, or both, then feel free to write about it. Share your recipes. Share your favorite eating establishments. Share your stories of eating while you travel. Anything that has to do with food is fair game.

I hope that my earlier thoughts on food won't drive any readers away. I don't plan on writing like that often. However, I would like to end with one last thought. Another radio program I recently heard was all about cheese. The host asked the guest how she managed to stay thin with all the cheese that she was eating. I love her answer. She simply said, "Real cheese is real food, and my body knows what to do with it."