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I didn’t actually know what scallions were and couldn’t find them in the produce section, so I left them out. I now understand that scallions are similiar to green onions. I also used light sour cream and less mayonnaise. I added more jalapeno chilies, too.
For the filling:
Chili corn crepe batter:
Make the filling: In a bowl stir together the sour cream, the mayonnaise, the lime juice, and the chilies until the mixture is smooth and stir in the chicken, the tomatoes, the scallion, the chopped coriander, and salt and pepper to taste. The filling may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.
Make 12 crepes (procedure follows) with the chili corn crepe batter. Mound about 1/2 cup of the filling on half of each crepe, fold the crepe gently over the filling, and transfer them to a buttered baking sheet. Brush the top of each crepe with the butter and bake the crepe in a preheated 400F. oven for 10 minutes, or until they are heated through. With a long spatula transfer the crepes to serving plates and garnish them with the sour cream, the avocados slices, the coriander sprigs, and the lime slices.
To make chili corn batter: In a blender or food processor blend the flour, the cornmeal, the salt, the chili powder, the broth, the eggs, and the butter for 5 seconds. Turn off the motor, with a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the container, and blend the batter for 20 seconds more. Transfer the batter to a bowl and let it stand, cover, for 1 hour. The batter may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.
To make crepes: Heat a crepe pan or non-stick skillet measuring 6 to 7 inches across the bottom over moderate heat until it is hot. Brush the pan lightly with the butter, heat it until it is hot but not smoking, and remove it from the heat. Stir the batter, half fill a 1/4-cup measure with it, and pour the batter into the pan. Tilt and rotate the pan quickly to cover the bottom with a layer of batter and return any excess batter to bowl. Return the pan to the heat, loosen the edge of the crepe with a spatula, and cook the crepe for 1 minute, or until the top appears almost dry. Turn the crepe, cook the other side lightly, and transfer the crepe to a plate. Make crepe with the remaining batter in the same manner, brushing the pan lightly with butter as necessary. The crepes may be made 3 days in advance, kept stacked, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chilled.
Makes 12 filled crepes, serving 6 to 12.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Quarter dough. Roll out 1 piece into a 10-inch round on a lightly floured surface and sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon parmesan and black pepper to taste. Arrange one fourth each of salami, provolone, and roasted peppers in an even layer over dough. Roll up dough round, then tuck ends under and pinch edges to seal.
Make 3 more rolls in same manner and arrange 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush lightly with egg and cut 3 (1/2-inch) steam vents in each roll. Bake in middle of oven until golden, 30 to 35 minutes.
Makes 4 main-course servings.
Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add chili powder; stir 1 minute. Add chicken; stir 2 minutes. Add broth, corn, tomatoes and 1/2 bunch cilantro sprigs to saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Discard cilantro sprigs. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
Add chopped cilantro and lime juice to soup. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with sour cream.
Serves 4.
I substituted half mace and half nutmeg for the amount of cardamom and loved it.
For the cake:
For the vanilla glaze:
Preheat an oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round springform pan or square baking pan or baking dish (see Note).
To make the cake, in a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl, toss the apples with the juice. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cardamom and cinnamon. Add to the apples and toss to coat. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter, cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture in 2 or 3 additions and beat well until smooth. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold in the apples just until evenly distributed, no more than a few strokes. Do not overmix. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, the 2 Tbs. milk and the vanilla until smooth and pourable. Adjust the consistency of the glaze by adding more milk, a few drops at a time, if needed.
Remove the sides of the springform pan, if using, and place the cake on a wire rack set over a piece of waxed paper to catch any drips. While the cake is warm, drizzle with the glaze. Let the cake cool to room temperature. Cut into wedges or squares to serve. Makes one 9-inch cake.
Note: If using a glass baking dish, reduce the oven temperature to 325F.
I made this one up based on something I tried at the Cheesecake Factory. I liked it.
In a bowl whisk together vinegars, mustard, shallot, and salt and pepper to taste. Add oil in a stream, whisking, and whisk vinaigrette until emulsified. Marinate chicken in balsamic vinaigrette and refrigerate for a few hours or over night; season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Heat 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil and one tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute sliced red pepper and onion until tender. Add chicken and mushrooms and cook until done, stirring often.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
2/3 cup olive oil
Veal or Boneless pork loin, thin cut (we started using chicken, and tha’s really good, too.)
Trim the fat from the meat. Pound it to 1/2 inch thick with a wooden mallet (or a meat tenderizer). Pat it dry and salt it on both sides.
Just before cooking, prepare three low dishes big enough to dip meat into. In the first, put a few cups of flour. In the second, 2 or 3 eggs, beaten. In the third, the breadcrumbs. Prepare the oil by filling your skillet with enough oil to cover the meat (1/2 inch or so). Heat it to about 375 degrees. It should be hot enough to sizzle and make the breading puff up as soon as you drop it in, but if it gets too hot, the breading will get soggy and greasy before the meat is cooked through.
Take each piece of meat and dip it into the flour until coated all over. Shake off the excess, and dip it into the egg, coating each side. Dip it into the breadcrumbs, again shaking off the excess. Drop it into the hot oil. Cook until the breading is golden (about 3 minutes) and turn with a fork to cook the other side. Interior should be tender and juicy. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Note: When we use pork, we buy the thin cut, boneless pork loin. You don’t even really need to pound it out with a mallet.
Mix all the ingredients together with a hand mixer and bake in a casserole dish for 1 hour at 350 degrees until golden. Serve with tortilla chips.
Okay- I make a lot of changes with this recipe. I double the chicken and triple the sauce… or is it triple the chicken and double the sauce? maybe I just double them both. I also cube the chicken after I boil it, and I serve it over rice. I may try shredding the chicken next time. I love this casserole. It also freezes well.
Saute mushrooms in 2 T butter. Set aside. Put chicken breast in simmering chicken broth in a single layer. Cover, cook 20 minutes. Remove from broth. Save � c broth. Cool. Skin and bone chicken, and arrange chicken in an 8x12 casserole. Top with artichoke hearts. Set aside. Melt � c butter, stir in flour, salt, and pepper until smooth. Gradually stir in � c chicken broth and light cream. Cook and stir as mixture boils and thickens. Blend in parmesan cheese and rosemary. Pour over artichokes. Sprinkle mushrooms down the center. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. 4 servings.
Okay- I make a lot of changes with this recipe. I double the chicken and triple the sauce… or is it triple the chicken and double the sauce? maybe I just double them both. I also cube the chicken after I boil it, and I serve it over rice. I love this casserole. It also freezes well.
Combine all ingredients, and stir well with a whisk. Cover sauce, and chill.
I changed a few things in this recipe. I added my favorite guacamole recipe, which is posted on this site, and I added the bell pepper rings and red onion to the chicken and sauteed them all together rather than adding them raw to the salad.
INGREDIENTS
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 8 minutes
Preheat oven to 350.
Cream together the shortening and the sugar. Beat in egg and molasses. Sift together dry ingredients and fold them into shortening mixture. Take small portions of dough, form into balls, roll in sugar. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 350 for 7 to 8 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen small cookies. Store in an air-tight container.
The first time I made these for Josh (like within the first year we were married) I misread the amount of ginger and used 2 tablespoons instead of 2 teaspoons. Those were some hot cookies! He is permanently damaged and doesn’t know to this day whether he can ever love these cookies. But the thing is, they are really really good. It’s my grandma Brunson’s recipe. They’re chewy-soft instead of brittle like ginger snaps. Perfect fall/winter cookies if you ask me. And I have this idea where I think if you sandwiched some dulce de leche or cinnamon-flavored ice cream in between two of them, and froze them, you could have some fantastic ice cream sandwiches.
This is a very simple recipe. You can usually have the ingredients on hand well ahead of time since most are canned or can be frozen.
Sauté the onion and ground beef together until the beef is brown and the onion is translucent (or nearly so). Drain the fat.
Place in large stockpot, then add all the ingredients, stir it up and let it simmer at least 20 minutes or 1 hour is better. Serve with tortilla chips and grated cheddar cheese. (We usually put chips in the bottom of a bowl, spoon the soup over the top, and top it with cheese.)
For me this soup is pleasantly spicy but not hot, but I know for some of those in my very mild-food loving family it’s pretty hot. So, you can adjust the heat according to your taste in many ways. The kind of salsa you use makes a big difference, as does the amount of chili powder. If you really want to add more heat, consider a dash or red pepper flakes, or use jalapeno jack instead of cheddar on top. Also, make sure you rinse those kidney beans! If you don’t you may be in for some gastrointestinal distress.
Ingredients:
In a large stockpot over medium heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil until nearly translucent, about 4 minutes. Add seasonings, broth and squash and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes, until squash is tender. Puree half the soup in a blender; return to pot. (My family actually prefers the entire soup being pureed. The texture is super smooth). Stir in parmesan cheese and serve.
This is great with hunks of french bread and a tossed green salad. If you want to be a bit wicked, try swirling in some half and half or even whipping cream. It’s extra creamy. But, if you’re being health conscious, this is a great soup because it is very nutritious. Per 1 cup serving, without the added cream, it contains 79 calories. 28% come from fat (2.5 grams), 62% are carbohydrate, and 10% are protein (nearly ideal proportions according to my Food Science Nutrition 100 class). It’s also high in potassium, vitamins A and C, and fiber. You could substitute acorn squash for the butternut, though I’ve never tried that. This should make about 4 servings.
sometimes I use more because the amount of squash I have is more than 1 1/2 pounds. I usually want the broth to just cover the squash. If you add even more, it just makes for a thinner soup. You can compensate by adding a bit more seasoning so it doesn’t become bland as well as thin.
probably everyone knows this, but I didn’t at first so I thought I’d share. If you’re having a hard time cutting up your squash, hack off the very top part with the stem first. This makes a smooth cutting surface and it’s much easier to halve the squash after that. Peel it with a regular old vegetable peeler, like peeling a carrot. If you scoop out the seeds using an ice cream scoop or a melon baller, it’s easier than a spoon I think.
Preheat oven to 375.
Mix together:
Add:
In a separate bowl, stir together:
Add dry ingredients to wet, then stir in 1 12-ounce package chocolate chips. I prefer semi-sweet, Josh likes milk chocolate, so in this one, I will allow for either taste (in most cookies I demand semi-sweet!)
Drop by teaspoonsful onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10 min. Makes 4 1/2 to 5 dozen cookies.
One nice thing about these cookies is that if you look at the ingredients, the only added fat is the chocolate chips, which isn’t that much. So, sugar aside, they’re fairly healthy little fall snacks. They’re really moist and cakey, so don’t expect a typically chewy cookie. Store in an air-tight container to keep them from getting dried out.