Salsa

• 2 pounds vine-ripened red and/or orange tomatoes (about 5 medium)
• 1 fresh serrano or jalapeño chile (add more if not hot enough)
• 1/2 medium onion ( white or red )- about 1/2 cup
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro sprigs
• 1 large clove garlic,  minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
•  salt and pepper
•  
• Quarter and seed tomatoes. Cut tomatoes into 1/4-inch dice and transfer to a bowl. seed and finely chop chiles. Finely chop enough onion to measure 1/4 cup and chop cilantro. Stir chiles, onion, cilantro, and garlic into tomatoes with lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Morocan Chicken Tagine

Moroccan Spice Mix: 2 tsp salt; 1 tsp each of crushed red pepper, ground cardamom, ground cloves, tumeric, cinnamon, ginger, coriander, and 1/2 tsp black pepper.

Recipe:
2 lb chicken thighs
3 tsp olive oil
2 medium onion, cut into wedges
6 large garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
5-6 saffron threads, crushed
1 butternut squash (about 3 lbs) seeded and cut into 1 inch chunks
(I used sweet potatoes, peeled and halved)
1 c chicken broth or water
1 cup golden raisins
3 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup fresh parsley

Rub chicken with 1 Tbsp spice mix. In Dutch oven, heat 2 tsp oil over medium heat. Add chicken. Cook, uncovered for 6-8 min, turning to brown evenly. Remove chicken. Add 1 tsp oil. Add onions garlic and saffron. Cook 2 min. Add squash. Sprinkle with 2 tsp spice mix. Toss. Add chicken and broth. Bring to boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Add raisins, cover and cook for 10-25 min until done.

For sweet potatoes only, peel 5 smallish sweet potatoes, and put in crock pot with 2 onions, cut into wedges and garlic, slivered and about 1 Tbsp plus a tsp spice. Put onions on the bottom of the crock pot and top with potatoes.  Add about a half cup water. Sprinkle with raisins and drizzled with honey.  Cook in crock pot on low 6 hours.

Beef Bourguignon, made easily

Servings: 6

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 lbs cubed stew meat
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb button mushroom (Cleaned left whole)
• 1 lb white pearl onion, peeled  ( or bag of frozen, thawed)
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 cups red wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 3 tsp dried)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt and ground black pepper.
2. Coat the beef cubes with this mixture.
3. Melt the butter in cast iron pot over medium high heat. (Or if not worried about fat fry 3 bacon slices till browned remove and use the fat in place or with the butter).
4. Add the meat and brown well on all sides.
5. Add the onion, carrots, mushrooms, red pepper, and garlic to it.
6. Saute for 5 to 10 minutes, or until onion is tender.
7. Add the wine, bay leaf, parsley, and thyme.
8. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 2 1/2 hours.
9. Remove cover and bake for 30 more minutes.
10. If needed add more wine, chicken broth, or water.
11. Garnish with parsley and crumbled bacon
     
12. Serving Size: 1 (359 g)
13. Servings Per Recipe: 8

    Amount Per Serving

    % Daily Value

    Calories 321.5

     

    Calories from Fat 101

    31%

    Total Fat 11.3 g

    17%

    Saturated Fat 5.9 g

    29%

    Cholesterol 87.8 mg

    29%

    Sodium 462.9 mg

    19%

    Total Carbohydrate 17.7 g

    5%

    Dietary Fiber 3.2 g

    13%

    Sugars 6.6 g

    26%

    Protein 28.3 g

    56%

New Orleans Bread pudding

New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

Recipe Type: Dessert, Puddings, Bread Pudding
Cuisine: Cajun/Creole
Yields: 8 to 10 servings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min

Ingredients:

1 large loaf French bread (approximately 14 to 16 ounces)
4 cups milk
3 eggs lightly beaten
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Bourbon Sauce (see recipe below)

Preparation:

Refrigerate bread over night. Tear or cut French bread into 1-inch pieces (about 6 to 7 cups);  then toast cubes in oven on low for an hour. Place in a large bowl. In the blender, whisk eggs, then gradually add sugar, spices, and milk.  Pour over bread and raisins and let bread pieces soak for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

When ready to bake, pour melted butter into a 13x9-inch baking pan or dish. Coat the bottom and the sides of the pan well with the butter.

Pour bread pudding mixture into prepared pan or dish. Bake, uncovered, approximately 45 to 50 minutes (170 degrees), until set in the center, and the edges start getting a bit brown and pull away from the edge of the pan. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

To serve, cut into squares and put into individual serving dishes.

Serve with warm Bourbon Sauce. NOTE: Best fresh and eaten the day it is made.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

 

Bourbon Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons bourbon (whiskey) or to your taste

In a medium-size saucepan over low heat, melt butter; add sugar and beaten egg, whisking to blend well. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in bourbon to taste; let cool. Whisk and reheat before serving. The sauce should be soft, creamy, and smooth.

Jambalaya

JAMBALAYA
Makesm 6 Serving
INGREDIENTS:
1/8 C. oil
1 cooked chicken, cut up or de-boned
1package anduille . sausage
TRINITY:
1 heaping tbsp Creole seasoning
 2C. chopped onions
2 C. chopped celery
2 C. chopped green pepper
2 C. chopped green onions or tomatoes (optional)
3 cloves. chopped garlic

2 C. long grain rice
3 C. stock or flavored water
Can diced tomato

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

For red jambalaya*:1/8- 1/4 cup paprika (*You may also use1.5 cups stock and 1 1/2 cups tomato juice instead of 2.5 cups stock/flavored water.)
PROCEDURE:
Season and brown the chicken in oil, lard or bacon drippings over medium to high heat. Add sausage to pot and sauté with chicken. Remove the chicken and sausage from pot, leaving the drippings in the pot.
Sauté onions, celery, green pepper and garlic in the drippings until tender. Return chicken and sausage to pot. Add stock and Creole seasoning and bring the mixture to a boil. (If using Kitchen Bouquet for brown jambalaya, add 1 – 2 tbsp. For red jambalaya, add  paprika, stock and tomato juice.)
Add rice. Stir and return to rapid boil. Stir again and cook on low heat, covered, until rice is done, at least 30 minutes; don't even lift the lid before then.. Remove cover and quickly turn rice from top to bottom completely. Add green onions and chopped tomatoes if desired.
For seafood jambalaya, add cooked seafood when rice is turned.

Trifle Custard

By DrGaellon on March 13, 2008

• Prep Time: 2 mins
• Total Time: 17 mins
• Yield: 4 cups

About This Recipe

Makes enough for one large trifle (using a trifle bowl 10" wide by 5" deep). See English Trifle."

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise and scraped
• 6 egg yolks
• 6 ounces granulated sugar ( by weight, almost a cup by volume)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

1. Place milk, cream and vanilla pod/seeds into a saucepan and bring to the boil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar and cornflour until smooth and pale.
3. Pour the boiled cream/milk/vanilla mixture over the egg yolks, trickling at first, whisking all the time to temper the eggs.
4. Return the mix to the saucepan (some people think you should rinse it first), then cook over a gentle heat, whisking or stirring with a wooden spoon until it thickens sufficiently to coat the back of a spoon. Do not boil your custard – it will split. If it looks suspiciously curdle-y, lift it off the heat and whisk firmly.
5. Pass through a fine sieve and cool thoroughly in the fridge.

Pecan cookies with chocolate and caramel drizzle

Chef Louis Prpich, owner of the Chowder House Café in Cuyahoga Falls, is back to work this fall after spending most of the year in and out of the hospital. He was diagnosed with polyarteritis nodosa, a disease in which the blood vessels become inflamed, causing injury to the organs.
These cookies are crazy good. They were one of the things that helped pull me through this illness.
MY MOM’S SCRUMPTIOUS COOKIES
½ cup butter, softened
1½ cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1½ cups flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
2 cups chopped pecans
Chocolate and caramel toppings (recipes follow)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine dry ingredients except pecans and mix well.
In large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, then add egg and vanilla and combine.
Add dry ingredients and blend well. Mix in pecans.
Roll dough into 2-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie trays 2 inches apart. Take a fork and lightly press until the ball is pressed halfway down.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before topping. Drizzle tops with caramel and chocolate toppings.
Makes about 2 dozen.

CARAMEL TOPPING (consider skipping and using just the chocolate as this is too sweet)
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup powdered sugar

In a saucepan, bring heavy cream and brown sugar to a simmer. Whisking lightly, slowly add powdered sugar a little at a time, so as not to let it knot up on you.
Drizzle this immediately on the cookies with a fork. Tilt the saucepan while doing so. If sauce begins to harden, return to heat and let it soften.

CHOCOLATE TOPPING
2 semisweet chocolate squares (1 oz. each)
2 tbsp. unsalted butter

Microwave the chocolate and butter 1 to 2 minutes until melted, and stir until smooth.
Drizzle on cookies with a fork.