Replies

You are indeed welcome here and I think we are going to get ahead of you, LOL, our insurance that you will return.

Feel free to post also.

Useful list of Media e-mail addresses:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2292609/posts?page=90#90

Thank you to real_patriotic_american, for posting it.

I don’t know if there has been anything on this topic in the 8000 posts I’m behind (lol) or not, but here is some handy information about soap.

1. Bar soap will last twice as long if you unwrap it and let it air dry about a week or two before using it.

2. A bar of regular soap (not deoderant) placed under the sheets at the foot of the bed of someone who has leg pain, will relieve the leg pain (even if they don’t know the soap is there).

3. “Castile”, as in Kirk’s Coco Castile Soap, means that the soap contains no animal fat; it is plant or vegetable-based. This bar of soap floats!

4. Any product that contains the word “soap” on the package already has anti-bacterial properties, no other special product is necessary if you’re saving space.

5. To make liquid soap from bar soap, use a 6 oz bar soap (shredded or grated) to about 6 cups water. You may add 1 Tbsp honey and 1 tsp glycerin for a softer, creamier soap. Some blend the soap with 1 cup hot water and whip in remaining ingredients. Some just put bar soap scraps in water and wait a few days for it to soften.

If I remember any more, I’ll post them.

News & Resources

Find ATTRA on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ATTRA/91153796251
ATTRA now has a page on the social networking site Facebook. You can join ATTRA’s Facebook page where project updates, information about new publications, and other sustainable agriculture news will be posted.

Local Food Workshop Video Available
http://live.blueskybroadcast.com/bsb/client/CL_DEFAULT.asp?Client=300868&title=Home
Video coverage of the Economic Research Service (ERS) Local Food Systems: Emerging Research and Policy Issues workshop is now available. This workshop covered topics such as the health and economic benefits of local food systems. The role of government and policies was also discussed.

Farmers Market Promotional Materials Available
http://www.farmersmarketcoalition.org/fmc-usda-launch-markets-are-up/
In anticipation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 10th annual National Farmers Market Week (August 2-8, 2009), the Farmers Market Coalition (FMC), in cooperation with USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), announces Markets Are Up!, an educational and celebratory campaign to help farmers markets and farmers market associations nationwide communicate the vital role that such markets play in improving consumer health, local communities, and economies. As part of the Markets are Up! campaign, promotional tools such as ads, postcards, and templates for press releases and emails are now available on FMC’s website.

Researchers to Study Impacts of Nitrogen
http://asi.ucdavis.edu/news/2009/0906a.htm
University of California (UC) Davis researchers will receive $2.8 million in new grants to study the use and impacts of nitrogen, a hero of the agricultural revolution that is increasingly viewed as a worrisome source of water and air pollution and potent greenhouse gases. “This is one of the most important and least publicized environmental issues we face: Escaped nitrogen from agricultural production affects the quality of our air, water, and soil and has huge potential to contribute to climate change,” said Tom Tomich, director of the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis.

Case Studies Highlight ‘Agriculture of the Middle’
http://www.cias.wisc.edu/economics/case-studies-profile-mid-scale-food-enterprises/
Case studies of four innovative enterprises—Country Natural Beef, CROPP/Organic Valley, Shepherd’s Grain and Red Tomato—offer models of how mid-sized farms and ranches can prosper through producing and selling high-quality, differentiated food products into a variety of markets. Known as “mid-scale food value chains,” these new business structures focus on strategic alliances that operate at regional levels, market significant volumes of products and distribute profits equitably among all strategic partners. These case studies were developed for the national Agriculture of the Middle initiative, which seeks to support the disappearing sector of mid-scale farms, ranches and related agrifood enterprises.

Studies Show Costs of Various Crop Operations
http://www.extension.org/pages/New_California_Studies_Examine_cost_of_Producing_Small_Grain_
Silage,_Wheat,_Potatoes,_Pasture,_Corn_Silage,_Organic_Leaf_Lettuce,_Blueberriesand_Winegrapes
New studies showing costs of establishment and production of small grain silage, wheat for grain, processing potatoes, pasture, reduced till corn silage, organic leaf lettuce, blueberries and winegrapes are now available from the University of California Cooperative Extension. Each analysis is based upon hypothetical farm operations using practices common in the region. Input and reviews were provided by farm advisors, researchers, growers, farm accountants, pest control advisers, consultants and other agricultural associates.

> More Breaking News (http://attra.org/news/)

Funding Opportunities

2009 Healthy Sprouts Award
http://www.kidsgardening.com/HEALTHYSPROUTS.ASP
To encourage the growth of health-focused youth gardens, National Gardening Association recognizes outstanding programs through the Healthy Sprouts Awards, sponsored by Gardener’s Supply Company. These awards support school and youth garden programs that teach about nutrition and the issue of hunger in the United States.
Proposals are due October 17, 2009.

Southern SARE Sustainable Community Innovation Grant
http://www.southernsare.uga.edu/callpage.htm
The Southern SARE Program and the Southern Rural Development Center are interested in investing in Sustainable Community Innovation Grants — projects that work to strengthen both agriculture and Southern communities by building explicit linkages between sustainable agriculture and community development. Such efforts help improve and advance an understanding of the mutual benefits that accrue to both agriculture and community when such key linkages are established and maintained.
Proposals are due October 5, 2009.

Agriculture Risk Management Education Competitive Grants Program
http://www.grants.gov/searchsearch.do;jsessionid=qTPTKJ0TyMZjMxhcRppDzkgGsL9J8JxnzCzyWzGLXjClwvbP2kFl!-
1757398871?oppId=48164&mode=VIEW
The Risk Management Education Program provides resources for regional risk management education centers for the purpose of developing and delivering agricultural risk management education materials to agricultural producers and their families in the United States and its territories.
Proposals are due August 10, 2009.

> More Funding Opportunities (http://attra.ncat.org/funding/)

Coming Events

National Small Farm Conference
http://www.conferences.uiuc.edu/conferences/conferenceviewer2/view.cfm?conf=20033
September 15-17, 2009
Springfield, Illinois
The conference, held every three to four years, brings together land grant universities, community-based organizations and other stakeholders who work with small farmers and ranchers. The conference aims to strengthen collaboration and partnership among groups and provide an opportunity to share new ideas in research, extension and outreach.

National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration
http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/NCER2009/
July 20-24, 2009
Los Angeles, California
To enhance your ability to successfully meet the myriad restoration challenges, we invite you to participate in the interdisciplinary 3rd National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration. This is your opportunity to expand your knowledge, share your experience, and network with colleagues from across various disciplines such as engineering, science, economics and the social sciences. This conference offers several ways to broaden your knowledge and understanding: traditional technical sessions (platform and poster); presentations by national leaders; interactive panel discussions; training workshops; and scheduled times to “meet and greet” our many diverse exhibitors and partners.

Diversifying Your Farm With Small Grains
http://www.pasafarming.org/our-work/educational-outreach/field-days-and-intensive-learning-programs/diversifying-your-farm-with-small-grains
July 21, 2009
Danville, Pennsylvania
Check out small-scale flour mills with Elizabeth Dyck, and hear about options for larger scale milling. Spend the day touring farm and field, discussing failures and successes, and learning about small grain production – from seed to crop to mill, to tasting the finished flour.

> More Events (http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/)

New & Updated Publications

Organic System Plans: Field and Row Crops and Pasture and Range Systems
http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/new_pubs.php/2009/07/08/organic_system_plans_field_and_row_crops

Biodiesel: Do-it-yourself Production Basics
http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/new_pubs.php/2009/07/08/biodiesel_do_it_yourself_production_basi

Potatoes: Organic Production and Marketing
http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/new_pubs.php/2009/07/08/potatoes_organic_production_and_marketin

Question of the Week

What information can you give me on bamboo production and marketing?
http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/question.php/2009/07/13/what_information_can_you_give_me_on_bamb

Website of the Week

The Sustainable Agriculture Education (SAGE) Center
http://attra.org/wow/

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Submit questions to our professional staff online
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ATTRA Spanish Newsletter

Subscribe to Cosecha Mensual (http://attra.ncat.org/espanol/boletin.php)
(Monthly Harvest), ATTRA’s Spanish-language e-newsletter

ATTRA on the Radio

This week’s Sustainable Agriculture Spotlight will show small-scale farmers how hoop houses can extend the growing season. (http://www.modavox.com/voiceamerica/vepisode.aspx?aid=39808)

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Weekly Harvest and ATTRAnews Archives Available Online
(http://attra.ncat.org/newsletter/archives.html)
Digital versions of recent Weekly Harvest and ATTRAnews newsletters are available online. ATTRAnews is the newsletter of ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.
(http://attra.ncat.org/)

ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and is funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service (http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/index.html). Visit the NCAT Web site (http://www.ncat.org/sarc_current.php) for more information on our sustainable agriculture projects.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/21-week/

Pepper Hash for Philly Combo Hot Dogs

Posted by Hawk Krall, June 23, 2009 at 2:55 PM
Ingredients

1 head green cabbage
2 to 3 green peppers
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp celery seed
Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure

1. Warm the vinegar and water in a pot on the stove. Add sugar and let dissolve, then allow the liquid to cool.

2. Rough chop your vegetables and throw them in a food processor. Process to a fairly small dice and toss into a bowl. Pour vinegar and sugar liquid over the slaw. Fold in celery seeds and salt and pepper to taste, cover and refrigerate for at least three hours but preferably overnight. Drain some of the liquid before serving if desired.

3. If you want a crisper slaw you can also julienne the cabbage by hand, but I recommend mincing the green peppers to almost a puree so the juices combine with the vinegar, this is part of what creates the unique taste of pepper cabbage.

Cook the Book: Kalbi with Korean Slaw

Posted by Caroline Russock, June 24, 2009

20090622farmersmarketcookbook.jpgIf you are anything like me, food shopping makes you hungry. I’ve tried eating before I go to the market but I invariably get hungry halfway through my trip. In a prefect world I would be able to do some of my shopping, sit down and eat, and then finish up. One of the most enticing things about Farmers Market is that it’s not only a great place to shop for ingredients but also a dining destination.

I crave Korean food on a nearly daily basis and a Korean restaurant in the middle of a fantastic market sounds like heaven to me. JoAnn Cianciulli adapted this recipe for Kalbi with Korean Slaw from the La Korea restaurant in her book, L.A.’s Original Farmers Market Cookbook.
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Kalbi (Marinated Short Ribs) with Korean Slaw

- serves 4 -

Adapted from L.A.’s Original Farmers Market Cookbook by JoAnn Cianciulli.
Ingredients

1 large onion, quartered
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup dry red wine such as Merlot
2 tablespoons sesame oil
4 pounds Korean-cut bone-in beef short ribs (see Note)
Vegetable oil for brushing
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Korean Slaw (recipe follows)
Cooked white rice for serving
Procedure

1. Put the onion and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the sugar, pepper, soy sauce, wine and sesame oil. Stir to combine and dissolve the sugar.

2. Put the ribs in a large plastic bag, pour in the marinade, squeeze out any air, and seal closed. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to overnight, turning the bag a couple of times.

3. Place a large grill pan on two burners over medium-high heat, prepare a fire in a charcoal grill, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high. (You can also use your oven broiler.)

4. Remove the ribs from the marinade. Brush the grill grates lightly with the oil. Place the ribs on the grill meaty-side down and cook, turning as needed, until well browned but still pink inside, about 5 minutes total. Set the ribs aside to rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Serve with the Korean Slaw and white rice.

Ingredient Note on Short Ribs: Korean-style short ribs, also known as flanken or crosscut, are sliced crosswise across the bones instead of between the ribs. You end up with a strip of meat about 8 inches long that has 3 slivers of rib bones lining the bottom. This cut not only helps the meat to absorb the marinade but also makes eating easier, especially with chopsticks. Korean-style short ribs can be found at most butchers and Asian markets. If not available, butterfly the meat by slicing each rib lengthwise almost to the bone and opening it up like a book.
Korean Slaw
Ingredients

1/4 head red cabbage, cored and cut cross-wise into shreds
1 head green cabbage, cored, quartered, and cut into shreds
1 carrot, grated
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt

Procedure

Soak the red cabbage in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes to draw out some if the color so it doesn’t bleed into the slaw. Drain, dry well, and put into a large bowl. Add the green cabbage and carrot; toss with your hands to combine. Drizzle in both oils, tossing well to coat the vegetables. Combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a bottle or jar and shake to blend well. Pour the vinegar mixture over the slaw and toss to combine.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/la-korea-kalbi-with-korean-slaw-recipe.html

Dinner Tonight: Black Bean and Kale Tacos

Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, June 24, 2009

dt-kaleandblackbeantacos.jpg

I’m all for eating more vegetables, but I usually click away from nutrition-focused websites spouting “healthy” recipes. But as I searched for meals with kale and black beans, this recipe for black bean and kale tacos from Delicious Living just kept popping up. It was a fairly straightforward recipe, but with some incredible kale from the farmers’ market and some freshly made black beans, I figured I could make it work. My goal was to unhinge the tame recipe by adding stronger flavors and maybe just a bit of lard.

What I ended up with was surprisingly filling and meaty for a meal based on greens and beans. This was achieved largely with that healthy dose of good quality lard. Say what you will—lard is such an easy way of adding a meaty boost to dishes that don’t have any actual meat. I always have some hanging around my fridge. If you really don’t want rendered pork fat in your meal then geez, I don’t know, maybe some duck fat, beef tallow, or chicken schmaltz would work, too.

Anyway, though the lard helps flesh out the dish, the real star here is the kale, which still retains some crunch and texture. I was worried this would just turn to mush after a few minutes because of the black beans, but it luckily didn’t. The beans just soak up the flavors, and the jalapeños and hot sauce add the kick.

About the author: Nick Kindelsperger is a freelance writer in Chicago and the co-founder of The Paupered Chef.
Black Bean and Kale Tacos

- serves 2-3 -
Ingredients

2 tablespoons lard
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 head kale, washed, and tough stems removed, and roughly chopped
15 ounces cooked black beans
4 ounces queso cotija (or other crumbly Mexican cheese)
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cubed
2 to 3 pickled jalapenos, chopped
Hot sauce
8 to 10 corn tortillas
Salt and pepper
Procedure

1. Melt the lard in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until translucent and tender. Add the garlic and cumin, and cook for another minute.

2. Add the kale to the skillet. Toss the kale to coat in the fat, and then cover the skillet and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the top, stir, and check a bit of kale to see if it is done. If it is still tough, add a tablespoon of water, recover, and cook for another 2 minutes.

3. Dump in the beans, and cook until they are warm. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Meanwhile, warm the tortillas on another skillet set over medium-high heat, about 5-10 minutes a side.

5. Spoon some of the kale and bean mixture onto a tortilla. Top with a sprinkling of cheese, pickled jalapeños, some cubed avocado, and a dash of hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/dinner-tonight-black-bean-and-kale-tacos-recipe.html

Serious Heat: Padma Spices Things Up With Chili Honey Butter

Posted by Andrea Lynn, June 25, 2009

Editor’s note: On Thursdays, Andrea Lynn, associate editor of Chile Pepper Magazine, drops by with Serious Heat.

20090625chilebutter.jpg

Chile Honey Butter on toast

In the beginning (back before it was one GladWare commercial after another), I was a raging Top Chef fan. When you don’t have cable, this requires hunting for an equally dedicated friend, so you can come over to watch.

In 2007, to promote the release of her new book, Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet, Padma Lakshmi was speaking at a local bookstore. My friend and I went, vowing not to be pressured to buy the cookbook and just enjoy the talk. We weren’t prepared to be dazzled so much by Padma’s charm. We both left with a photo of us and Padma, as well as a signed copy of the $34.95 book. “How did this even happen?” we asked each other outside the store, still semi-giddy from our meeting.

While I still haven’t made enough recipes from the book to justify the $35 expenditure, one of my favorites is Chile Honey Butter. Yes, yes. It’s just soft butter swirled with honey and spiked with cayenne—one of those simple recipes that you wonder how you didn’t come up with it yourself. I spread it onto toast, dot it onto my fried eggs, and use it as a garnish for fish. I’ve even been known to eat it straight-up, licked off a spoon Paula Deen-style. Whether it’s chile honey butter or chipotle purée and sour cream, what are some of your favorite kicked-up easy concoctions? Padma’s recipe, after the jump.
Chile Honey Butter

Zest Factor: Medium

- makes about 1 cup -

Recipe adapted from Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet: A World of Recipes for Every Day by Padma Lakshmi. She recommends using it to sauté green beans and carrots or to baste a whole chicken.
Ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cayenne
Salt
Procedure

Combine all ingredients, and whip in a blender or processor, or just by hand with a fork, until they form a smooth sauce. Spoon into a rigid plastic container, and keep covered in the fridge.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/serious-heat-padma-lakshmi-spices-things-up-chile-honey-butter-recipe.html

Grilling: Vietnamese Meatball Banh Mi

Posted by Joshua Bousel, June 26, 2009

Each week Joshua Bousel drops by with a recipe for you to grill over the weekend. Fire it up, Joshua!

20090625-meatball-bahn-mi.jpg

I have yet to jump on the banh mi bandwagon, but my fiancée has been all over them. She’s been singing the praises of the banh mi so much, that I felt it was my obligation to try them, so we can we ride this food craze together.

Having made a Vietnamese grilled pork not too long ago, I was looking for a different filling option. I came across this recipe for Vietnamese grilled meatballs that was just calling to me. I loved that this recipe had me mixing pork fat and sliced pork loin together in a food processor, along with the flavors I loved so much from my previous Vietnamese venture. This produced a very pleasing, fine-textured meatball with the great taste I was expecting—but the meatball wasn’t what I set out to experience.

When I added these already delectable meatballs to a baguette, and stuffed in some pickled carrots and daikons along with a big bunch of cliantro, it was like being in flavor nirvana. The vegetables added a crunch and acidity that matched perfectly with the fish sauce flavored meat; and throw that much cilantro on anything, and I’m sold. Since I was the newbie, I had to turn to my fiancée and ask if these were the correct flavors of the banh mis she loves so much—to which she gave a big nod of approval, then promptly got up to fix herself a second sandwich.
Grilled Vietnamese Meatball Banh Mis

Adapted from Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.
Ingredients

1 pound lean pork, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup shallots, minced
1/4 cup garlic, minced
2 tablespoons nuoc mam (fish sauce)
1 teaspoon sugar
ground black pepper to taste
2 ounces pork fat, minced
2 tablespoons roasted rice powder (see recipe below)
Bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

2 large baguettes, cut into 6- to 8-inch pieces and sliced in half
Pickled carrots and daikons
1 bunch of cilantro, very coarsely chopped
Procedure

1. Whisk together the shallots, garlic, fish sauce, sugar and pepper in a small bowl. Place pork slices in a large Ziploc bag, pour in marinade, seal bag and toss to coat well. Open bag and reseal, removing as much air as possible. Place in the refrigerator and marinate at least 1 hour, or up to 24. Thirty minutes prior to making the meatballs, transfer the pork to the freezer to firm up.

2. Using a food processor, pulse the pork fat into a paste. Add pork and process until you have a sort of pasty ball. Add the roasted rice powder and process to combine.

4. Form meat into into balls about 1 1/2” in diameter. Thread 4 balls onto each soaked bamboo skewer.

5. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread coals out evenly over the charcoal grate. Grill skewered meatballs over medium-high heat. Cook until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and let cool for 5 minutes.

6. To assemble the banh mi, place pickled carrots and daikons in the baguette, add the meatballs, and stuff in a handful of cilantro and serve.
Roasted Rice Powder

1. Take about 1/4 cup of jasmine rice and dry-roast it over medium high heat in a saute pan. You’ll need to toss it around a lot to prevent burning. Cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Once cooled, process in a food processor or spice grinder into a fine powder. Store in an airtight container.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/grilling-vietnamese-meatballs-banh-mi-recipe.html

Sunday Brunch: El Chico’s Chorizo

Posted by Ed Levine, June 21, 2009

20080128-texmexctb.pngAll serious eaters know how much I love Robb Walsh’s books, so why did it take me so long to discover this seriously delicious chorizo recipe, which I’ve adapted from Mr. Walsh’s brilliant The Tex-Mex Cookbook. As Robb notes in his headnote he himself adapted this recipe from a “cookbook published by El Chico restaurants in the 1970s”.Serve it with softly scrambled eggs and some good old white toast or warm tortillas, and you will be mighty happy.
El Chico’s Chorizo

- makes 1 1/4 cups -
Ingredients

1/2 pound boneless pork chops, cut into 4 or 5 pieces
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped onion
Procedure

1. Combine all of the ingredients except the oil and onion in a food processor. Process until coarsely ground, about 20 seconds.

2. Heat the oil in a skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Stir in the chopped onion. Add the chorizo mixture and brown for 5 minutes to desired doneness. I like mine a little crispy on the outside, so that may take a minute more.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/sunday-brunch-el-chicos-chorizo.html

Healthy & Delicious: Quick & Easy Apple Tart

Posted by Kristen Swensson, June 22, 2009

Note: On Mondays, Kristen Swensson of Cheap, Healthy, Good swings by these parts to share healthy and delicious recipes with us. Take it away, Kristen!

20090615AppleTart.jpg

It’s hard out there for a pimp healthy cooking enthusiast. Everyday, we’re faced with the Paula Deens and Mario Batalis of the world, tempting us with rich sauces, heavy starches, and sticks upon sticks of glorious butter. Everyday, we attempt to resist them, substituting fruit for flan and carrots for spaghetti carbonara. And everyday, our resolve crumbles a bit more.

Of course, reading a bajillion cooking blogs doesn’t help. Especially when one of them is The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

I’ve been following Ree Drummond’s recipe site for about a year and a half now, and it’s been an exercise in envy. See, while every recipe is undeniably enticing, none have been low-calorie enough for my nefarious blogging purposes. So usually, I just sit, scroll, and attempt not to short out my keyboard with incessant drooling.

Then, a few weeks ago, she posted her Quick & Easy Apple Tart. And all was right in the world.

Made of five simple ingredients (puff pastry, apples, brown sugar, lemon, and salt), it looked to be an attractive, simple dessert. Further research revealed that when split into six portions, each serving hovered around 270 calories and 11 grams of fat. Not too shabby for what’s essentially an open-faced apple turnover.

When I made it myself, I changed two small things based on feedback from Pioneer Woman commenters. First, the recipe asks for 3 or 4 apples, but I found 2 was sufficient. Second, I scaled the brown sugar back by about a third, to prevent it from overflowing and burning to the pan. The result was still plenty sweet, and I avoided some extra scrubbing.

In the end: victory. Delicious, seemingly indulgent victory. If you’ve got a few minutes, I highly suggest trying it yourself. Then, try some of those other dishes. If you let me live vicariously through you, I promise I won’t tell anyone.
Quick & Easy Apple Tart

- serves 6-

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.
Ingredients

1 sheet puff pastry, mostly thawed and cut in halves or thirds
2 medium baking apples, cored, halved, and sliced (but not peeled)
1/2 lemon
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 415°F.

2. Place puff pastry rectangles on a baking pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray.

3. Squeeze lemon over apples and stir gently. Add sugar and salt to apples. Stir gently to combine. Allow to sit for a few minutes.

4. Arrange apple slices on the pastry rectangles in a straight line, overlapping as you go.

5. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and golden brown.

6. Remove from pan immediately and place on a serving platter. Serve plain, with caramel topping, whipped cream, or a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/quick-easy-apple-tart-recipe-healthy-delicious.html

Mama Voula’s Spanakopita

Posted by Caroline Russock, June 22, 2009

20090622-spanakopita.jpg

Photograph from avlxyz on Flickr

While I was in college, art school to be exact, I was a vegetarian. I also wasn’t a very adventurous cook. Spaghetti with jarred pasta sauce with some soy “meat” substitute, taco salad made with soy “meat”... you get the idea. Don’t get me wrong, I ate fairly well and my friends (mostly vegetarian art school students) were always happy with the meals that I made. But one day, I decided to branch out and cook something a bit more labor-intensive. I made spanakopita. I have to say that it was a revelation. It turned out beautifully and gave me the confidence to try out other more involved cooking projects. Years later, my cooking skills have vastly improved and there are few dishes that I won’t try to make in my home kitchen. And I still love spanakopita.

This recipe for spanakopita from JoAnn Cianciulli’s L.A.’s Original Farmers Market Cookbook is adapted from Ulysses Voyage, a Greek taverna in Farmers Market. The recipe comes from owner Peter Carabatos’s grandmother, Mama Voula. She’s a native of the village of Kalamata, home of the famous black olive. Mama Voula used a thicker style of filo for her spanakopita, making it a bit more resilient and easier to handle. Look for country-style filo or substitute puff pastry for this recipe.
Win ‘L.A.’s Original Farmers Market Cookbook’

As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of L.A.’s Original Farmers Market Cookbook to give away this week. Enter to win here »
Mama Voula’s Spanakopita

- serves 12 -

Adapted from L.A.’s Original Farmers Market Cookbook by JoAnn Cianciulli.
Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, preferably Greek, plus more for brushing
6 leeks, white and light green parts, chopped and well rinsed
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 pounds fresh baby spinach, rinsed and dried
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups crumbled fresh feta cheese, preferably Greek
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 frozen country-style filo sheets or puff pastry sheets (see Note), thawed but kept chilled
Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and coat with 3 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hazy, add the leeks and garlic; cook and stir until fragrant and very soft, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach in handfuls, folding the leaves under with a spoon as you add each batch. Let the spinach wilt and cook down before adding more. Once all of the spinach is in the pan, season with pepper.

3. Remove from heat and transfer the spinach mixture to a colander over the sink. Using the back of a spoon, gently press out all of the excess liquid. Set aside to cool; the filling needs to cool down a bit to prevent the dough from becoming soggy. Once the spinach mixture is cool, put in a bowl and add the feta, dill , mint, and eggs. Fold the ingredients together until well combined.

4. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with oil. Working with 1 sheet at a time, lay the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it out slightly to fit the pan. Line the bottom of the dish with the first piece of dough, pressing into the corners. Trim off any excess with a pairing knife. Spread the spinach filling evenly over the dough. Cover with the second sheet of dough, trimming around the edges of the dish. Brush the top with oil.

5. Bake until the top is puffed and golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Ingredient Note-Filo: In the villages of Greece, filo dough is typically rolled out by hand, but unless you are very accomplished, it’s nearly impossible to stretch it as thin as it is produced by machine. Mama Voula makes her spinach pie as it is served in her native village of Kalamata, with a slightly thicker filo instead of the typical tissue-thin. Sold under the the label “Coutry-style filo” (called horiatiko in Greek), the sheets are thicker and more elastic than the usual thin and fragile filo. If country-style filo is not available in your market’s freezer section, go ahead and substitute puff pastry.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/cook-the-book-mama-voulas-spanakopit.html

Dinner Tonight: Zucchini Galette

Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, June 22, 2009

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Another week, another baked egg dish. Nothing makes me happier then picking off a few slices and stashing the rest for a quick breakfast for the next morning. I found the recipe in the Provence Cookbook, which features gloriously sun-drenched recipes that makes me wish I could hop over for a Mediterranean weekend. I figured this recipe for galette, which is a kind of flat baked dish, would be a decent alternative.

Of course, the element that initially jumped out at me was the curry powder, which seemed utterly out of place. Luckily, the curry powder doesn’t dominate the dish, it just imbues it with a mysterious lingering spice. What really makes this dish interesting is the zucchini, which lends a sweetness and lightness to each bite. The recipe also recommends some optional fresh tomato poured on top. Luckily, I had some left over. It adds another dimension to the dish, but is not absolutely necessary.
Zucchini Galette

- Serves 3-4 -
Ingredients:

1 pound zucchini (about 4 medium), trimmed
2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1 teaspoon curry powder
fresh tomato sauce (optional)
olive oil
Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, grate the zucchini. Toss in a colander, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the salt on top. Let the zucchini drain for about 30 minutes. Then run the zucchini under the faucet for a few seconds, to rinse off the salt. Dry the zucchini with a towel.

2. Whisk together the eggs in a large bowl. Add the bread crumbs, cheese, curry powder, and the rest of the salt. Dump in the dried zucchini. Stir everything until combined.

3. Pour the mixture into a 10 1/2 inch baking dish rubbed with oil. Pat the mixture down with the back of a spatula, until it is flat and smooth. Transfer to the oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove, let cool for a few minutes, and then slice and serve with fresh tomato sauce poured on top, if you so choose.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/dinner-tonight-zucchini-galette-eggs-recipe.html

Magee’s Roast Turkey, Parsley Potatoes, and Stewed Zucchini

Posted by Caroline Russock, June 23, 2009

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Photograph from chrisfreeland2002 on Flickr

20090622farmersmarketcookbook.jpgThis recipe comes from the first Farmer’s Market restaurant, Magee’s Kitchen. According to JoAnn Cianciulli, author of L.A.’s Original Farmer’s Market Cookbook, Blanche Magee would bring ham sandwiches and salads to the farmers selling their produce, back when they sold their fruits and vegetables out of the back of their trucks. Customers caught on, Blanche set up some tables and chairs, and the rest is history.

Magee’s Kitchen serves simple American comfort food and sources most of it’s ingredients from inside the market. This recipe for Roast Turkey, Parsley Potatoes, and Stewed Zucchini isn’t fancy but it’s the kind of meal that kept the original Farmer’s Market farmers going.
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Magee’s Roast Turkey, Parsley Potatoes, and Stewed Zucchini

- serves 6 to 8 -

Adapted from L.A.’s Original Farmer’s Market Cookbook by JoAnn Cianciulli.

Roast Turkey
Ingredients

1 whole bone-in turkey breast (6 to 7 pounds) preferably free-range
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 all-purpose flour
Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F and remove the top rack so the turkey fits.

2. Rinse the turkey breast with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the skin generously with salt and pepper. Put the turkey, breast-side up, in a large roasting pan. Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast registers 160 to 165° F, about 2 hours. If the turkey begins to get too dark before it is cooked through, cover loosely with aluminum foil. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes before carving, so the juices can settle back into the meat. In the meantime, make the gravy.

3. In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, combine the flour with 1/4 cup cool water and stir to mix well. Add to the roasting pan and stir into the juices, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Place the pan over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer until the gravy thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy, potatoes, and zucchini.

Parsley Potatoes
Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds small red or white new potatoes, peeled
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 finely chopped parsley
Procedure

1. Put the potatoes in a large pot and add cold water to cover. Add the salt and bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until there is no resistance when a fork is inserted into the potatoes, about 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes well in a colander.

2. Spread the potatoes out in a shallow baking pan. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle evenly with the parsley. The parsley potatoes can be held in a warm oven.

Stewed Zucchini
Ingredients

2 tablespoons corn oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
8 to 10 small green zucchini, cut into 1-inch slices
Procedure

1. Place a pot over medium-low heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is hazy, add the onion, sugar, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Cook slowly until the onion is soft but not browned, about 10 minutes. Carefully pour in the tomatoes with their juice and add the basil. Stir the sauce to combine the ingredients. Simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, to allow the flavors to marry.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Add the zucchini and cover. Cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, then drain. Arrange the zucchini on a platter and spoon the desired amount of tomato sauce on top.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/magees-roast-turkey-parsley-potatoes-stewed-zucchini-recipe.html

Cook the Book: Beef and Potato Pie

Posted by Caroline Russock, June 15, 2009

Those who visit Argentina often say that it has a very European feel. This might have something to do with the fact that more than 86 percent of the Argentine population is of European decent. Much like the United States, Argentina considers itself a country of immigrants. Each group who has immigrated has brought something distinct and delicious to the Argentine table. The French consider themselves responsible for much of the viticulture, and some of the best Italian food outside of Italy can be found in Buenos Aires.

This recipe for Beef and Potato Pie from Francis Mallmann’s Seven Fires comes from Welsh immigrants, who came to Argentina some time in the nineteenth century. At first glance it looks similar to a shepherd’s pie, but as you look closer you’ll see it includes some very Argentine ingredients. The addition of pimentón is most likely left over from the Spanish colonization of the fifteenth century.
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Beef and Potato Pie

- serves 6 to 8 -

Adapted from Seven Fires by Francis Mallmann.
Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 pounds ground sirloin
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons pimentón dulce (sweet Spanish smoked paprika)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dried mustard
1 cup dry red wine
1 pound ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large Idaho (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 cup whole milk
6 large egg yolks
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
Procedure

1. Combine the olive oil, onions, and carrots in a large cast-iron skillet and saute over medium-high heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until vegetables soften and begin to brown. Crumble in the ground sirloin and cook for about 4 minutes, breaking up the meat with a fork, until it loses it’s pink color. Stir in the bay leaves, rosemary, oregano, cumin, pimentón, pepper flakes, and mustard. Add the red wine and let it bubble gently for 5 minutes to evaporate the alcohol.

2. Stir in the tomatoes and olives and season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the meat is very tender and the liquid is reduced but not totally evaporated. (It is important that the finished dish be moist.) Remove from the heat.

3. Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a medium pot with cold water to cover, add salt to taste, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat slightly and boil for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes thoroughly in a colander, and pass through a food mill or ricer back into the pot.

4. Bring the milk to a boil, and beat it into the potatoes with a wooden spoon. One by one, beat in the egg yolks, and continue beating until well blended, fluffy, and yellow.

5. Heat an horno (a wood-fired oven) or home oven (with the rack positioned in the lower third of the oven) to approximately 375° F.

6. Slice the hard boiled eggs 1/3 inch thick and arrange them over the meat mixture. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top and smooth the surface with a spatula. Use the tines of a fork to press a pattern of fine decorative ridges over the entire surface of the potatoes. Sprinkle with sugar, if using.

7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the potatoes are nicely browned on the top.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/argentine-beef-and-potato-pie-recipe.html

Cook the Book: Peached Pork

Posted by Caroline Russock, June 16, 2009

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Photograph from Old Shoe Woman on Flickr

20090615sevenfires.jpgThere is a peach tree in my backyard, and for the past few weeks I have been paying more attention to it than usual. Ever since those tiny green peaches appeared on its branches, I have been counting the days until they are ripe enough to be picked and eaten. I’ve been daydreaming about all of the ways that I am going to use them once they are ready—pies, cobblers, sliced in salads.

When I came across this recipe for peached pork in Francis Mallmann’s Seven Fires, my peach anticipation was taken to a whole new level. I am not generally a pork loin fan; it’s typically dry and dull. But scented with rosemary and garlic and served with caramelized peaches? I cannot wait for my peaches to ripen so I can try this one for myself!
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Peached Pork

- serves 6 -

Adapted from Seven Fires by Francis Mallmann.
Ingredients

1 boneless pork loin roast, about 2 pounds, butterflied
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
7 to 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 small peaches, skin on, cut in half and pitted
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Procedure

1. Lay the meat on a work surface and trim off all fat and membrane. Using a meat mallet, pound to an even thickness of 3/4 inch.

2. Combine the garlic, rosemary, and 6 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl. Season the pork with salt and pepper to taste, and spread half of the garlic mixture evenly over the surface. Flip the meat, season with salt and pepper, and cover with the remaining garlic mixture.

3. Brush a chapa (a flat piece of cast iron set over a fire) or a 12-inch square or two-burner rectangular cast-iron griddle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat over medium heat until a drop of water sizzle on the surface. Add the meat to the hot surface and cook until it is well browned and crusty on the first side, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, arrange the peaches around the meat, cut side down. Dot the butter around and in between the peaches and let them cook until nicely charred on the cut side and slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter, and cover to keep warm.

4. When the meat is well browned on the first side, turn and cook on the other side, adding another tablespoon of olive oil if needed, for about 7 minutes, or until done to taste. Transfer the meat to a carving board, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 3 minutes.

5. Slice the meat and serve the peaches alongside.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/peached-pork-recipe.html

Dinner Tonight: Chinese Five-Spice Noodles with Broccoli

Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, June 17, 2009

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I realize now I have kind of a thing for Chinese five-spice powder. Its combination of spices rescues nearly everything it touches, and certainly works wonders for this Chinese Five-Spice Noodles with Broccoli recipe I found on Fresh 365. Some vegetable stir-fry recipes can feel a little too light for their own good. I’m not interested in trying to count calories; I’m in it for the flavor. Five-spice adds a depth and aromatic punch that feel downright meaty, even though this is a completely vegetarian dish.

Though the broccoli and noodles grab the title, it was actually the carrot and cabbage that steal the show. They both wilt into glorious little bits that soak up all the sauce and yet still remain slightly sweet. I scooped them up greedily in a matter of minutes—I wish I had twice as much of the both of them. That said, the broccoli and noodles are still absolutely tasty.

About the author: Nick Kindelsperger is a freelance writer in Chicago and the co-founder of The Paupered Chef.
Chinese Five-Spice Noodles with Broccoli

- serves 4 -
Ingredients

1/2 pound cellophane noodles
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons chili paste
4 cloves garlic garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1 large bunch broccoli, stems removed and chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded green cabbage
3 scallions, chopped
Salt and pepper
Procedure

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Toss in the cellophane noodles and cook for about 30 seconds. Dump the pot into a colander, and rinse the noodles under cold water. Let drain in the colander.

2. Mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, chili paste, ginger, and five-spice powder in small bowl.

3. Place a large wok or saute pan over high heat. Pour in the oil, and then add the onion. Cook, stirring often until translucent, about 3 minutes. Toss in the garlic and cook for another minute. Then add the broccoli, carrots, cabbage, broth, and finally the soy sauce mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the broccoli is very tender.

4. Toss in the scallions and cellophane noodles. Stir well, and cook until the noodles are coated in the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/dinner-tonight-five-spice-noodles-with-broccoli-recipe.html

Empanadas Mendocinas

Posted by Caroline Russock, June 19, 2009

20090615sevenfires.jpgEvery culture has their own version of dough stuffed with some kind of filling. Pierogi, arepas, gyoza, pelmeni, ravioli, manti, jiaozi—insert dumpling here. Large or small, boiled, baked or fried, give me any variation and I’m happy.

In Argentina, the emapanda is the stuffed pastry of choice. Empanada dough is a vessel for endless fillings—chicken, ham, tuna, sweet corn, or fruit. Due to the prevalence of cattle in Argentina, the most popular empanada filling is beef. This recipe for Empanadas Mendocinas, adapted from Francis Mallmann’s Seven Fires, combines hand-chopped beef with hard-boiled eggs and green olives for the quintessential Argentine empanada.
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Empanadas Mendocinas

- makes enough for 24 empanadas -

Adapted from Seven Fires by Francis Mallmann.
Ingredients

1 pound well-marbled stewing beef, such as sirloin tip or triangle (tri-tip)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup high-quality lard
3 medium onions, quartered and thinly sliced
1 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon pimentón dulce (sweet smoked Spanish paprika)
4 scallions, minced, white and green parts kept separate
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup oregano leaves, coarsely chopped
3 large hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup green olives, coarsely chopped

Empanada dough (recipe follows)
Procedure

1. Trim and discard any gristle from the meat, but leave the fat. With a sharp knife, chop the meat into 1/8-inch pieces. Transfer the meat to a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

2. Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the lard in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and saute until they are translucent, about 8 minutes; do not allow them to brown. Add the red pepper flakes, cumin, pimentón, and the white part of the scallions and saute for 2 minutes more. Turn off the heat and stir in the scallion greens. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown the meat in batches, and spread the browned meat out on a tray, so it doesn’t steam. When all of the meat is browned, combine in a bowl with the onion mixture, the remaining 3 tablespoons lard, and the oregano. Adjust the seasoning, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until firm. (The filling can be made up to 1 day ahead.)

4. To assemble and cook the empanadas, cut one piece of the dough in half; keep the other half covered with plastic until ready to use. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a floured work surface into a rectangle about 8 by 22 inches, and 1/8 inch thick or less, or roll through a pasta machine, starting on the widest setting and decreasing settings as you continue until the dough strips are 1/8 inch thick or less. On a floured surface, using a biscuit cutter or water glass, cut the dough into 3 1/2-inch circles; you should be able to make 6 circles. Transfer the circles to a floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining dough.

5. Heat an horno de barro (a wood-fired oven) or home oven (with the racks positioned in the upper and lower thirds of the oven) to approximately 350° F. Remove the filling from the refrigerator. Oil two large baking sheets.

6. Cut the remaining two tablespoons of butter into small pieces, and set out a cup of water.

7. To assemble empanadas the traditional way, lay a circle of dough in the palm of your hand. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling onto one half of the circle, leaving a 1/3-inch border, and top the filling with a pinch each of the chopped egg and chopped olives and a dot of butter. With your finger or a pastry brush, moisten the edges of the dough with water, then fold the dough over the filling in a half-moon shape and pinch the edges together, forming pleats to seal the dough. Transfer to one of the oiled baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough circles and filling.

8. Alternatively, lay the circles of dough in rows on a floured surface. Spoon the filling onto one half of each circle and top with the egg, butter, and olives. Brush the edges with water, fold over as above, and press with the back of a fork to seal the edges. Transfer to the baking sheets.

9. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve immediately.
Emapnada Dough

- makes enough for 24 empanadas -

Adapted from Seven Fires by Francis Mallmann.

2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
3 1/2 tablespoons high-quality lard, cut into pieces
6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
Procedure

1. For the sulmuera (water boiled with salt, a seasoning solution often used in Argentine cookery), bring the water and salt to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Add the lard and stir until it melts, then transfer to a large bowl. Allow to cool to room temperature.

2. Using your hands, gradually add 5 1/2 to 6 cups of the flour, about 1 cup at a time, until you can gather the dough into a ball. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of flour on a work surface to prevent sticking and knead the dough, adding more flour until it will not absorb any more; you want a stiff, dry dough. Divide the dough in half, shape into disks, and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours. (The dough can also be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 1 month.)

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/cook-the-book-empanadas-mendocinas.html

Dinner Tonight: Sweet Potato, Eggplant, and Spinach Madras Curry

Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, June 19, 2009

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I was psyched about this recipe from the get-go. I have a growing affection for vegetarian Indian cuisine, and thought the pairing of sweet potato and eggplant couldn’t possibly go wrong. This recipe also included a heartwarming little story of a guest bringing this meal over with a few roses for the author, Aum Shanti. I was so locked in that I didn’t bother to read the specifics—and when the finished dish emerged, it was a perfectly dry mix of sautéed vegetables. It wasn’t repulsive, but nothing was really there to bring it all together.

I’m not terribly knowledgeable about Indian food, but the result was a little disorienting. The mixture was just too dry. I ate most it, checking it off as a minor disappointment. Of course, I didn’t read that it was supposed to cool out for 30 minutes before digging in. After the wait, the result is definitely more interesting. The spices get time to hang around, and delicately infuse each bite. This still reminds me more of a great side, then a full fledged meal. But still, give it time, and all will be fine.
Sweet Potato, Eggplant, and Spinach Madras Curry

- Serves 2-3 -
Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
1 pound of spinach
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
3 1/2 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Procedure:

1. Bring a pot of water to the boil. Toss in the spinach, and cook for 30 seconds. Drain in a colander, and press try with paper towels. Roughly chop the spinach.

2. Pour the oil into a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, and let cook for about 30 seconds. Then add the garlic and cumin and let them cook for 1 minute.

3. Dump in the sweet potato, stir well, and let cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the eggplant, spinach, salt, curry powder, and turmeric powder. Cook until the eggplant is tender, about 8 minutes or so.

4. Turn off the heat, and transfer mixture to a bowl. Garnish with cilantro and set aside for 15 minutes to let the flavors mingle. Best served at room temperature.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/dinner-tonight-sweet-potato-eggplant-spinach-curry.html

Grilling: Chicken Sausage with Basil and Tomatoes

Posted by Joshua Bousel, June 19, 2009

Each week Joshua Bousel drops by with a recipe for you to grill over the weekend. Fire it up, Joshua!

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I’m a man of tradition. After adding meat grinding and sausage stuffing capabilities to my kitchen, a chicken-apple was the first type of sausage I made for my friend’s first annual grilling birthday bash in Prospect Park. Ever since then, my friend has kept up her spring birthday picnic, and I’ve kept churning out a different chicken sausage each year, and now it doesn’t feel like spring until this tradition has been fulfilled.

This year, however, was extra-special—my friend emerged from the long winter as both a doctor and carnivore, able to enjoy the chicken sausage with basil and tomato I cooked up. Although I had initial doubts about the rather small ratio of tomatoes and basil to the massive amounts of chicken, all the flavors came through perfectly in the end, making this fresh-tasting sausage a perfect fit for the beautiful spring party in the park.
Chicken Sausage with Basil and Tomatoes

Adapted from Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Poleyn.
Ingredients

5 pounds boneless chicken thighs, cubed
1 1/2 ounces kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons tightly packed chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup fresh diced Roma tomatoes
1/4 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine vinegar, chilled
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry red wine, chilled

10 feet hog casings, soaked in tepid water for at least 30 min and rinsed
Procedure

1. Combine the meat, salt, pepper, garlic, basil, and tomatoes and toss together until evenly mixed. Chill until ready to grind.

2. Grind the mixture trough the small die into a bowl set in ice.

3. Using the paddle attachment of a standing mixer, mix on low speed for 1 minute. Add the vinegar, oil, and wine, increase the speed to medium, and mix for 1 more minute, or until liquid is incorporated and the sausage has a uniform, sticky appearance.

4. Fry a bite-sized portion of the sausage, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

5. Stuff the sausage into the hog casings and twist into 6-inch links. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to cook.

6. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread coals out evenly over the charcoal grate. Grill the sausage over direct heat until cooked through, having an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/grilling-chicken-sausage-with-basil-and-tomatoes-recipe.html

French in a Flash: Chaussons aux Pommes with Cinnamon Crème Fraîche

Posted by Kerry Saretsky, June 11, 2009

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Some things are lost in translation, and some things are found.

When I was a little girl, I couldn’t speak. I was nearly three years old, and I hadn’t so much as uttered my own name. A desperate maman took me to see Dr. Smith. “She doesn’t say anything!” she attested. “Mmm-hmm,” he murmured in that ominous, doctorly way that doctors murmur. “Not even Mami!” “Mmm-hmm.” “But all of the other little boys and girls are already speaking volumes!” “Mmm-hmm.”

He sighed, and he looked up at maman. “How many languages do you speak to her?” “Two.” French and English—she didn’t think it was worth mentioning the smattering of Arabic and Hebrew that Mémé spoon fed me along with my mashed peas. “No, no,” he shook his head. “That will never do.”

It was not easy for my mom to give up raising me bilingually—especially because English was something she was still muddling through. But from that day on, everything besides my lullabies would be in English. And it was then that maman commenced on her lifelong distrust of all American doctors.

A month later, I too, was speaking volumes. And it wasn’t long before I began writing them too.

But maman was cheeky about my French. After I started speaking, we developed our own Saretsky patois. Growing up, all my friends told me that maman had an accent. She said things funny. “What are you talking about!?” I protested. After all, she taught me to speak, so I spoke just like her. We both said things funny. Antibiotics were an-tee-bee-oh-tiques. Deodorant was dee-oh-door-ahnt. Almonds were a-mands. Actually, I still say a-mands.. And some words were simply replaced by their French counterparts. The subway was Le Metro; confusingly, a jacket was a veste and a dress was a robe; and, embarrassingly, from an American point of view, a shower was, of course, a douche.

Perhaps she had thought that the great French language with its guttural r’s and hard t’s was simply a genetic trait that would resurface some time later in my childhood. But when she realized that, though I had come from her, I could not indeed carry on a fluent conversation in French by the age of seven, she decided extreme measures were needed. She went out and invited all my little girlfriends to come over and watch the French version of The Little Mermaid, with which we were all obsessed. Up the mermaid swam onto the screen—with no aptly placed seashell bikini top! All the other girls squealed and ran out of the room. “What?” maman wondered. It was years before I let her teach me another word of French again.

I have just returned from a trip to France, and to me, the French language is very quaint. I do not mean that statement as belittling or patronizing, though it may sound so. Instead, I find French very fanciful, a melody of very old words supported by a harmony of new ones, all working together in a modern parlance.

Take, for example, the word for traffic light: feu. It means, very simply, fire. So a word for one of humanity’s oldest possessions is used for one of its newest acquisitions. When you are halted before a feu rouge, on a black tarmac with a gleaming red electronic eye glaring you in the face, somehow the words hearken back to a scene where you might as well be sitting on a donkey in an intersection of some toile pattern of French peasant paradise, a basket of flowers on your arm, and a straw hat on your head. It is, for lack of a better word, very romantic—very lovely, and as I said before, very quaint.

After decades of exposure to French, I can understand almost every word spoken to me, and can carry on what I hope is a pretty flawless conversation. But as a result of Dr. Smith’s sentence, there are nuances of the language that I never learned, but that I happily pick up and tuck away, like Ariel’s mislaid seashells from the sandy shore. I was at the famed Poilâne bakery last year on the rue du Cherche-Midi in Paris (a street which quaintly, but roughly, translates to “The Street of the Search for Noon,” second only in lyricism to rue du Chat Qui Peche, or “The Street of the Cat Who Fishes”), and I found something called Chausson aux Pommes. It looked, and tasted, just like an apple turnover. But what it translated to was an “apple slipper”. Empanadas and calzones are also referred to as chaussons. Like the word feu, chausson transports you to a place of great cold stone castle floors and warm, velvet, fleece-lined slippers that heat you from without the way a warm Chausson aux Pommes warms you from within.

Like slippers, Chaussons aux Pommes are harbingers of home and of comfort. Though it is an old-sounding word, it expresses timeless human emotion far more effectively and evocatively than the more modern “turnover” ever could. Mine start simply with Golden Delicious apples, done French—as in, without cinnamon. They are folded into a simple pocket of bought puff pastry. The American apple-cinnamon duo is completed with a slightly sweet, certainly spicy cinnamon crème fraîche in which to dip the warm chausson before munching it down burning from the oven.

And so while I speak and write in English, my nearly-first language, and English is even my bread and butter, I still most often prefer to eat in French. So, you see, some things are actually found, not lost, in translation.

About the author: Kerry Saretsky is the creator of French Revolution Food, where she reinvents her family’s classic French recipes in a fresh, chic, modern way. She also writes the The Secret Ingredient series for Serious Eats.
Chaussons aux Pommes with Cinnamon Crème Fraîche

-makes 8-
Ingredients

3 Golden Delicious apples
3 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tablespoon flour
Pinch of salt
The juice of 1/4 lemon
4 sheets of frozen puff pastry, thawed but cold (from 2 boxes, preferably pure butter)
1 egg, beaten for an egg wash
Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Peel and core the apples, and slice them into 1/2-inch slices. Toss with the 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, a pinch of salt, and the juice of 1/4 lemon.

3. Roll out the puff pastry, using bench flour to prevent sticking, so that you can cut 2 circles the size of tea saucers out of opposite corners of each sheet of puff pastry: you will have 8 circles in all.

4. Divide the apples among the pastries, and place them on one half of each circle. Be careful not to over stuff. If you have extra apples, fold them into the remaining scraps of puff pastry for a chef’s snack. Or if you have extra pastry, cut it into strips and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake alongside the chaussons. For the chaussons, use a pastry brush to paint the egg wash all along the rim of the pastry. Fold over into little semi-circles, and press the edges together. Crimp with a fork. Slice 4 vents in the top of the pastry. Brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar.

5. Transfer the chaussons to 2 baking sheets, and bake for 20 minutes. The pastry will be golden, buttery, and flakey, and the apples will be gooey, oozing, and sweet. Serve warm with cold cinnamon crème fraîche (recipe follows).
Cinnamon Crème Fraîche

-makes 1/2 cup-
Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 cup crème fraîche
Procedure

Stir everything together, and chill.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/french-in-a-flash-chaussons-aux-pommes.html

In the introduction to this recipe for Curried Egg Salad with Caramelized Onion, Monica Bhide, author of Modern Spice, explains that although egg salad has no Indian roots, many of her Indian-American friends have adopted it into their repertoire of recipes. Eggs play a big part in Indian cooking, so the Indian penchant for traditionally American egg salad makes perfect sense.

I know that egg salad is not everyone’s cup for tea. Personally, it’s taken me years for me to get over my Peewee Herman-related egg salad phobias. Now I love it, and this egg salad is a perfect warm-weather lunch. Serve it over spinach or greens, on a few slices of toast, or wrapped in naan with bit of chutney.
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Curried Egg Salad with Caramelized Onion

- serves 4 to 6 -

Adapted from Modern Spice by Monica Bhide.
Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled
1/4 medium red onion, finely diced
1/2 medium red or orange organic bell pepper, seeded and finely diced (see Note)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
1 small green serrano chile, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons hot Madras curry powder
1 tablespoon prepared mustard powder
2 cups spinach leaves, loosely packed
Procedure

1. Caramelize the onions: Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and fry for about 5 minutes until it becomes transparent. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt, the sugar, and the pepper and saute for another minute. As soon as it changes color, remove from the heat and set aside until the rest of the salad is ready.

2. In a large bowl, mash the boiled eggs with a fork or finely chop them. Add the diced onion and bell pepper and mix well.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cilantro, chile, curry powder, and salt to taste. Mix well. Add the mustard and mix until well combined. Add the eggs and mix.

4. Divide the spinach leaves onto four serving plates. Heap the egg salad evenly onto each plate. Top with the caramelized onions and serve.

Note: Monica Bhide was told by Wolfgang Puck, “Peppers are one of those vegetables most often found to be heavy in pesticides and other chemical residues. So, I strongly recommend you purchase them from your organic greengrocer or on a visit to your farmers’ market.”

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/cook-the-book-curried-egg-salad-recipe.html

Dinner Tonight: Tortilla Espanola

Posted by Nick Kindelsperger, June 10, 2009

dt-spanishtortilla.jpg

When I was complaining last week about wanting some kind of egg pie to slice up for dinner, this is exactly and precisely what I meant. Though I’ve written about a Spanish Tortilla on Serious Eats before, it was a baked affair that was perfectly edible, but not very authentic. This recipe for tortilla espanola from Saveur is the real deal. All I needed to do was embrace the oil.

Oil covers the potatoes and onions, which are slow cooked for about 20 minutes until they are completely tender and infused with flavor. Some oil (just under 1/2 cup) is drained off, leaving the other half inside and making this not insanely unhealthy, but still in the questionable realm. But none of that oil matters once you take a bite. If you really feel bad then just do what I did, which was take a nice two mile walk afterward to feel better about myself.

You need the oil—it miraculously makes the tortilla taste like it has both cheese and butter running through its veins, though neither comes anywhere close. Each bite is succulent. Even the oil that is drained off is genuinely delicious. Save that stuff and use it.

I’m in awe of this recipe, and ate way more than the recommended serving size. I may start running more often just to have this guy once a week.

About the author: Nick Kindelsperger is a freelance writer in Chicago and the co-founder of The Paupered Chef.
Tortilla Espanola

Adapted from Saveur.
Ingredients

3/4 cup olive oil
1 pound potatoes (Russet or Yukon gold), peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced
6 eggs
Salt and pepper
Procedure

1. Pour the oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Carefully toss in the potatoes and onion. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring and folding the mixture over every other minute. They should be soft but not brown. Transfer the mixture to a colander set over a bowl. Drain for minute.

2. Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Add a big pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper. Whisk until combined. Add the potato and onion mixture to the eggs. Stir until combined. Season again with salt and pepper.

3. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the reserved oil to a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the egg and potato mixture. Cook for for 3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Set an inverted plate on top. Hold onto the plate with your left hand, and flip the skillet over. Take off the skillet and set it back on the burner over medium heat. The tortilla on the plate should have the cooked side on top. Add another teaspoon of the reserved oil to the skillet and slide in the tortilla so the uncooked side is on the bottom. Cook for another 3 minutes.

4. Remove the tortilla and place on a cutting board. Let cool for 10 minutes or so. Then cut into wedges and serve with more salt and pepper to taste.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/dinner-tonight-tortilla-espanola-recipe.html

Paneer with Orange-Apricot Chutney

Posted by Caroline Russock, June 10, 2009

20090608modernspice.jpgIf you have ever eaten Indian food, chances are that you have had saag paneer. It’s one of my favorite dishes—spiced, creamy spinach with chunks of a fresh cheese known as paneer. Paneer is so mild that it can easily be mistaken for tofu, but it has a pleasantly chewy texture that reminds you that it is in fact cheese.

Paneer can be purchased or easily made at home. All you have to do is heat a gallon of whole milk until almost boiling, add the juice of a lemon or two, and remove from the heat. Stir for a bit, and the milk will separate into curds and whey. Strain through cheese cloth, weight and press for an hour or so, and you have paneer.

Monica Bhide makes a great appetizer by pairing mild, creamy paneer with a sweet and spicy chutney in her recipe for Paneer with Orange-Apricot Chutney from Modern Spice. If you cannot find fresh apricots, Bhide recommends substituting 1 1/2 cups fresh mango in its place.
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Paneer with Orange-Apricot Chutney

- makes 54 pieces paneer and about 1 3/4 to 2 cups chutney -

Adapted from Modern Spice by Monica Bhide.
Ingredients

For the Paneer:

400-gram/14-ounce paneer slab
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the Chutney:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (see Note)
4 to 6 fresh apricots, pitted and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon minced, peeled fresh ginger
1 small green serrano chile, seeded and minced
2 cups fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon red chile powder or red chile flakes
Pinch of saffron
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup chopped dates, such as Dole’s chopped dates
Table salt
Procedure

1. Cut the paneer into six slabs, 2 1/2 by 2 inches by 1/4-inch thick. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the paneer slabs. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until the paneer is well browned. It should be a medium golden brown color. Don’t overcook; it will make the paneer rubbery. Remove from the heat and drain on a paper towel.

2. While the paneer rests, prepare the chutney. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to shimmer, add the mustard seeds and cook for about 30 seconds, until they begin to sizzle.

3. Add the apricots, ginger, chile, orange and lemon juices, chile powder, saffron, and dates. Mix well. Cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes, until the chutney has thickened and the apricots have mostly dissolved. There will be a few pieces left.

4. Remove from the heat and stir in salt to taste.

5. Cut each slab of paneer into 9 cubes. Place the warm chutney in an attractive bowl in the center of a platter. Surround with the cubed paneer. Add toothpicks to the paneer pieces and serve.

Note: Mustard seeds burn easily so keep an eye on them when they are cooking. They tend to sputter and spew as if they are angry and want to make their presence felt. So watch yourself when you cook them! There is no saving burnt mustard seeds; discard them and start again.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/paneer-with-orange-apricot-chutney-recipe.html

Vada Pav, the Indian ‘Burger’

Posted by Caroline Russock, June 9, 2009

20090609-vada-pav.jpg

Photograph from scaredy_kat on Flickr

20090608modernspice.jpgRoughly 80 percent of the population of India is vegetarian, so why is a burger one of the most popular fast foods there? Well, it’s not a burger in the traditional sense, it’s vada pav, a potato burger. Vada pav is eaten all over western India as a snack or a quick meal on the go.

Monica Bhide provides a great recipe for making vada pav at home in her new cookbook, Modern Spice. These spiced potato patties are dressed up with two chutneys and sev, thin, salted gram flour noodles for crunch. Bhide recommends using traditional Indian pav bread if you can find it, but if you can’t, plain burger buns work just fine.
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The Indian ‘Burger’

- serves 4 -

Adapted from Modern Spice by Monica Bhide.
Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 teaspoon black salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon dried mango powder
1/2 teaspoon red chile powder or red chile flakes, less if you like less heat
2 medium Idaho potatoes, boiled, peeled, and mashed
2 tablespoons dry-roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 hamburger buns or pav bread
4 teaspoons store-bought tamarind-date chutney
4 teaspoons Mint Cilantro Chutney (recipe below)
1 tablespoon sev
Procedure

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers.

2. Add the cumin seeds. As soon as they begin to sizzle add the onion. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the onion just begins to change color.

3. Add the black salt, sugar, turmeric, mango powder, chile powder, and potatoes. Mix well.

4. Continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the mixture has completely heated through.

5. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to come to room temperature.

6. When you are ready to serve, reheat the potato mixture. It should be warmed through but not hot.

7. Add the peanuts and cilantro to the potato mixture. Mix well and divide the mixture into four equal portions. Flatten them as you would hamburger patties. These are very delicate patties, so be gentle. Set the patties aside.

8. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Butter the inside of your buns. Place the buns buttered side down in the skillet and toast until golden. Remove from heat.

9. Spread about 1 teaspoon of the tamarind-date chutney on one side of the bun and 1 teaspoon of the mint-cilantro chutney on the other side.
Place the patty on top of one of the bun halves, sprinkling some sev on top, and close with the other side of the bun. Serve immediately.

Mint-Cilantro Chutney

- makes 1 cup -
Ingredients

1 cup packed cilantro (leaves and stems, see Note)
1 cup packed mint (leaves only, please)
1 green serrano chile (optional; if you don’t like too much heat, remove the seeds)
1/4 small red onion, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon dried pomegranate seeds (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Up to 2 tablespoons water
Procedure

1. Blend the cilantro, mint, chile, onion, pomegranate seeds (if using), lemon juice, and salt in a blender to a smooth paste. To aid in the blending process, you can add up to 2 tablespoons of water, if needed. Taste and add more salt if needed.

2. Transfer to a covered container and chill for about 30 minutes.

3. Serve cool. This chutney will keep, refrigerated, for 4 days.

Note: If you are using fresh, young cilantro sprigs the stems are tender and are fine to use in the chutney. If the sprigs are older, the stems tend to be tough and should be discarded.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/the-indian-burger-.html

Bacon Chipotle Slather Sauce

Posted by Tara Mataraza Desmond, June 9, 2009

Note: Philadelphia food writers Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond drop by each week with Meat Lite, which celebrates meat in moderation. Meat Lite was inspired by their book, Almost Meatless.

20090608baconchipotlesauce.JPGIf you doubt the merits of a stand-alone recipe for a sauce, consider this: In classical kitchens, the job of one guy is whipping up killer sauces. That’s it. Sauce. One part of a complete dish.

And next time you’re at the supermarket or one of those high-end gourmet shops, wander down the condiment (aka sauce) aisle for a reminder of the importance our palates place on the stuff we slather on top, underneath, or on the side of what we eat.

This is serious business.

This particular sauce is made for serious summer food cooked over open fires. It’s sweet and smoky and a natural fit for grilled meats or in place of ketchup on your burgers and dogs. But the sauce is especially perfect for nonmeat ingredients on a meat lite grilling or barbecue menu. Roll your vegetable and tofu skewers in it before they hit the hot grates. Brush giant portobellos with plenty of it for meaty mushrooms with a hint of bacony flavor. Marinate thick slabs of summer squash in it for deep, rich dimension you thought you could only get from a ribeye.
There will be nary a zucchini left for bread baking if there’s a grill and slather sauce in sight.

Try your hand at making your own barbecue sauce, like this one, and you’ll fancy yourself a saucier fast, abandoning the bottled stuff forever.
Bacon Chipotle Slather Sauce

- makes about 4 cups -

This recipe makes enough sauce for all of your June and July grilled goods. Or you can portion it out and freeze some to stretch it.
Ingredients

2 pieces thick-cut bacon, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
4 large shallots, chopped
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup malt vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 can (28-ounce) crushed tomatoes
1 rehydrated, dried chipotle or chipotle en adobo sauce, seeded (leave the seeds in if you want to add serious heat to the sauce)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Procedure

1. Add the bacon pieces to a hot Dutch oven or wide saucepot over medium heat. Render the bacon until it’s crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and sweat them in the bacon fat with the bacon bits for 5 more minutes.

2. Add the brown sugar and tomato paste, stirring until both melt into the ingredients. Add the vinegar, water, molasses, mustard, Worcestershire, tomatoes and chipotle and stir to combine.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Let cool slightly and then transfer to a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.

About the author: Tara Mataraza Desmond writes about, cooks, and eats food for a living. She blogs about food and life through words and pictures at Crumbs on My Keyboard.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/bacon-chipotle-slather-barbecue-sauce-recipe.html

Healthy & Delicious: Grilled Zucchini with Quinoa Stuffing

Posted by Kristen Swensson, June 8, 2009

Note: On Mondays, Kristen Swensson of Cheap, Healthy, Good swings by these parts to share healthy and delicious recipes with us. Take it away, Kristen!

20090601StuffedZucchini.jpg

When you’re attempting to cook healthfully and inexpensively in the summer, odds are zucchini will make frequent appearances. Plentiful, subtly flavored, and more versatile than Meryl Streep, the summer squash can be altered dozens of different ways for dang near any dish. Curried soup and ratatouille are among my favorites, but I’ll also take it in pastas, casseroles, breads, or grilled on its own.

Recently though, I’ve found zucchini—especially grilled—goes particularly well with quinoa. Together, they create a solid, sophisticated base for other stronger flavors. Last week’s Healthy and Delicious recipe was an example of this, mixing the ingredients with lime, cilantro, and avocado for a delicate grain salad. This week, we used cannellini beans, tomatoes, toasted almonds, and Parmesan to make a heartier main course.

The dish is called Grilled Zucchini with Quinoa Stuffing, and it’s a lighter adaptation of a Real Simple recipe. To reduce the fat, I lost some of the Parmesan, cut the almonds significantly, and toasted the ones that were left to boost their flavor. (Changes reflected below.) Honestly, I could have taken things a step further by halving the olive oil or adding fresh herbs, but this worked nicely.

Crunchy, cheesy, and savory, the result is an unexpectedly filling vegetarian meal. For kicks, you can pair it with Lemon Basil Pasta Salad for a full, easy summer dinner. Or dinners. Because let’s face it: there’s plenty of zucchini to go around.
Grilled Zucchini with Quinoa Stuffing

- serves 2 -
Adapted from Real Simple.
Ingredients

1 huge zucchini
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 cup canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped grape tomatoes
16 almonds, chopped and toasted
1/2 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Procedure

1. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and most of the flesh, leaving about 1/4-inch of the zucchini husk.

2. Combine quinoa, beans, tomatoes, almonds, garlic, Parmesan, oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Spoon mixture into zucchini. Sprinkle with parm. Grill 5 to 10 minutes over medium-high heat, or until zucchini is cooked through, but not falling apart.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/grilled-zucchini-with-quinoa-stuffing-recipe.html

http://solitaryroad.com/a337.html

The key to thrift -— minimize outgo

The key to thrift: minimize outgo. First you think about the
problem. You ponder and reflect about all the ways you can cut
down on money going out. You ask yourself what expenditures
are really important and what are not, which are really
necessary and which are not. You then list all the measures
you can think of for cutting expenditures. And then you
enthusiastically embark on the project of implementing these
measures.

http://solitaryroad.com/s059.html

Attaining an Independent and Self-Sufficient Lifestyle

There are many negatives associated with jobs and working in
organizations for other people. To me the ideal is an
independent lifestyle in which you work for yourself.

Q. Why do so many people in our society work for others?

A. We live in a highly organized, highly interdependent society
where most of the jobs available involve working for others.
Whether we are talking about manufacturing, service
industries, government jobs, teaching, etc. they all involve
working for others. And because the cost of living is so
high (i.e. you have to pay the rent, buy food, etc.), and
because everyone else works for others, most people take
that route because it seems the simple, natural and easy
route to take. And once they have taken that route their
appetite for all the “good things of life” starts increasing
and they start buying expensive houses, cars, clothes, etc..
And as their appetites increase so the money requirements
needed to support the lifestyle increases. Their “cost of
living” goes higher and higher. And where does all the
money needed to support their selected lifestyle come from?
Their job. And so the job becomes more and more important
because their job is the underpinning, the entire support,
for their expensive lifestyle. A threat to their job is a
threat to their entire lifestyle. They become a slave to
their job. To lose or quit it would be unthinkable. They
need it so much they would do almost anything to keep it,
including bending a few moral principles. Their needs
become iron chains binding them to their jobs.

Q. How can one attain the ideal, that independent, self-
sufficient lifestyle in which one is working for himself?

A. Because most jobs in which you are working for yourself may,
at the start at least, pay much less than those in which you
are working for others I would say there are two first
steps:

1) Reduce your wants. Ask yourself how little you really
need in order to be happy; ask what the minimum is that
you really need. Try to devise in your mind a lifestyle
that is the simplest possible in wants and needs.

2) Reduce your requirements for cash money. The more cash
money you need for your lifestyle the more likely it is
you will have to take a job working for others. If,
however, you can conceive for yourself a lifestyle in
which you have built your own house out of adobe for
almost nothing (and thus have no mortgage payments), you
grow your own food (and thus have few needs for cash in
that regard), have no car (so you are not paying out the
high costs of car ownership), etc. then your requirements
for cash income is low and the independent, self-
sufficient lifestyle starts sounding feasible. How about
a homestead out in the country where you have a goat, a
few rabbits, a flock of geese and a garden?

Q. What are the things in the American lifestyle that are the big
requirers of cash?

A. The following:

- rent payments (or house payments)
- cars (cost of owning and operating)
- food
- clothes
- medical expenses
- entertainment
- taxes
- utility bills (heating, cooling, etc.)

http://frugalfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/

Mock Goose - WWII Recipe

Featured Recipe...

This is a recipe that comes from the lean years of the Second World War when the rations for items like sugar, fat, meat, eggs and such were very small. I cook it regularly and serve it with other vegetables. At the moment that is carrots and cabbage which are in season here.

Mock Goose

2 lbs potatoes. If the skins are good I scrub them - if not I peel them - and cut them into thin slices

2 large cooking apples, or 3 smaller eating (dessert) apples, I don’t peel them but wash and take out the cores, I then chop them into small pieces

One pint of stock - vegetable or any other

1 good tablespoon of cornstarch (cornflour)

Chopped sage leaves - 2 or 3

4 oz grated cheese, I like a good strongly flavoured cheese, but it depends on taste

Directions:

Take half of the potatoes and mix them with the apples and sage in a flat dish. Make a nice layer of the rest of the apples on top and put three quarters of the stock over the top. Cover with foil and cook in a medium oven, 350 degrees, for three quarters of an hour. The potatoes should be soft.

Mix the rest of the stock with the cornstarch and pour onto the dish, move the dish to mix with the stock already in there. Sprinkle the cheese on the top and put back in the oven - uncovered - for 15 to 20 minutes.

This is a dish that can be changed and added to. I often use leftover gravy as the stock, I have put sliced carrots and onions with the apples and potatoes. I have put sliced tomatoes on top and these are all good, but my favourite is the basic straightforward recipe.

What I find interesting is that many American recipes are sweet for British tastes. I have the “More With Less” cookbook which I really like, but I often have to adjust the sugar.

Best Wishes

Submitted by Maureen Sinclair

http://frugalfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&updated-max=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=31

Rich ‘n Creamy Baked Oatmeal
Featured Recipe...

This is a great recipe. My sister-in-law shared it with me several years ago. It’s very inexpensive to make and you can usually get 4-6 servings out if it!

Rich ‘n Creamy Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups 2% low-fat milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups QUAKER® OATS (quick or old fashioned), uncooked
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 1½-quart casserole with no-stick cooking spray. In medium bowl, combine milk, eggs, oil and vanilla; mix well. Set aside. In large bowl, combine oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add liquid ingredients; mix until well blended. Let stand about 15 minutes. Pour into prepared casserole. Bake, uncovered, 35 to 45 minutes or until center is dry and firm to the touch. Cool slightly before serving. I like to serve warm with milk over it.

Submitted by Anita

Anita, this would be delicious with some raisins added in too, if you like raisins! :o)

This is one of my favorite salads and I love to make it at home. Here’s my version of this popular recipe and I hope you like it!

Broccoli Salad
by Michelle Jones

Ingredients:

1 large head of broccoli, or 2 if small
1/4 of red onion, chopped
1 c. of raisins
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
8 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled for topping (if desired)
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
3/4 c. sugar
6 T. vinegar

Directions:

Rinse and chop broccoli tops into bite sized flowerets and place in a large bowl. (Freeze stalks for soup recipes if desired.) Add chopped onion, raisins and cheddar cheese. In a separate bowl, mix together mayo, sugar and vinegar until blended well. Add to broccoli mixture and top with crumbled bacon if desired. Cover and store in fridge until ready to serve.

This is a fantastic salad and if you’ve never had it you’re in for a real treat. :o)

Here’s a frugal & delicious easy recipe for the crock pot!

Crock Pot Italian Sausage

Mix the following ingredients in your crock pot:
3 links Italian Sausage, cut up
2 cans Italian Tomatoes
4 red potatoes
1 can of corn
Salt & pepper to taste
Dried Basil
Cook for 8 hours on low

Boil:
1 bag of Rotini pasta, mix & serve!

Susan

Mexicali Casserole

1 cup raw rice
1 can, or one pound cooked kidney beans (or bean of choice), rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. can of corn, drained
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 diced onion
2 cups chicken broth
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
salt & pepper to taste
cheese, optional

Mix all ingredients in large casserole and bake (at 350 degrees), covered, for 1 hour or until rice is done.

Note: Can top with cheese the last five minutes of cooking or serve cheese as a topping when serving. I tend to not add cheese because I’m watching my weight, but my kids and husband like it, so I serve it on the side.

Faye from Arizona

http://frugalfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&updated-max=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=39

Here’s one that my mom always found a way to make during tough times. With this recipe it can be whatever you happen to have on hand that makes it special.

Simple Cobbler

If using fresh fruit, add 1/2 cup sugar to 2 to 3 cups fruit and slightly mash to release juices and let sit while continuing. You can also use anything left over, such as apple sauce, peaches, plums, apples that you really don’t want to throw away but are to far gone to eat, cans of pie filling you might find on sale, pears your children picked from the neighbors tree, even ground cherries, etc...

Set oven temperature to 350 degrees. Put 1 stick butter into an iron skillet and put into oven to melt. (You don’t use iron skillets? Just use a baking pan of choice. Takes about 5 minutes or so.)

Blend dry ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
(she only used King Arthur flour)
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder

After blending well, make a slight well in the center of the dry ingredients.

Add:
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of milk

(Mom always used dry milk as it was more readily available. I found a dry cultured buttermilk mix that works great as well.)

Blend well.

Pour the melted butter from the iron skillet into the mixture.

Blend well.

Pour the entire batter into the iron skillet.

Pour the fruit of your choice into the middle of the batter.

Do not mix.

Put into the oven and bake for approximately 1 hour. It may take a little less time, check for doneness.

Your pocket book, your taste buds and your children will thank you!

Submitted by Carol

Salmon Patties & Gravy
Featured Recipe Submission...

Salmon Patties and Milk Gravy (Cost is about $4.00 to serve four adults.)

I use a can of Alaska wild salmon, I can buy one can for $1.89. Some stores charge $2.00 a can. Still a decent price for what you get. Stir in one egg for each can you use. I sprinkle in corn meal, maybe about half a cup. You want the mixture to hold together so you can spoon it into the hot skillet. Fry till golden brown on one side turn over and do the same on the other side. Drain in paper towel. If you like cream gravy you can sprinkle a little flour in the bottom of the skillet, about two tablespoons. If you have grease left over from the salmon patties that will work or you can use about four tablespoons of butter to mix with the flour. Stir till you like the color. Open a can of carnation cream (evap. milk), put in bowl, add the same amount of water as cream, mix. Pour this mixture into skillet with grease/butter and flour. Bring to a boil and stir often, should be thick within a few min’s. Serve with Salmon patties. Very inexpensive dinner. Makes about seven to eight patties.

Submitted by Nonia

Cheerio Clusters
Featured Comment!

Liz wrote...

Cheerio Clusters

My kids loves these, so does my hubbie! We make them on the weekends as our movie snack or anytime the kids want a quick treat. They take 5 minutes and only use 4 ingredients.

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. corn syrup (I use the light)
1 c. smooth peanut butter
2 1/2 - 3 c. Cheerios or similar cereal

Mix sugar and corn syrup in a large pot and bring to a boil until bubbly. Quickly add peanut butter and stir until melted and smooth. Take off burner and mix in cheerios until coated. Drop by large spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. They set up really quickly. After about an hour they get too hard to eat, but mine never last more than 10 minutes :)

Enjoy! Liz T. of Las Vegas, NV

Deep Thought For The Day

“Find something you don’t do well in life and then don’t do that thing.”.

http://www.HeartTouchers.com

http://www.betterbudgeting.com/frugalrecipes/shepherdspie.htm

Michelle’s Meals on a Budget
(featured column)

Cheap and Inexpensive Recipes for the Frugal Cook on a Budget!

Shepherd’s Pie - 21 of Our Favorite Recipes!
Copyright © by Michelle Jones, editor of BetterBudgeting.com

Recipe #1 - This is Our Family Recipe!

While this is not a quick recipe to prepare and requires making a bit of a mess in the kitchen, it is pretty simple to make, very frugal, and absolutely delicious! It’s also great for entertaining company and can easily be doubled using a 9x13 baking pan. Everyone always love my version of Shepherd’s Pie (even our kids—who hate mushrooms), so I hope you will enjoy it too!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chuck (or regular ground beef, ground turkey or whatever’s on sale)
1/4 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally
1 c. sliced mushrooms
6 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed (add milk, salt and butter as usual)
1 pkg. brown gravy mix
3/4 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Brown ground chuck with chopped onions and drain, then set skillet aside while finishing the next steps. In three separate pots cook carrots, sauté mushrooms in a dab of butter and prepare mashed potatoes if not already done.

Prepare gravy per package directions and add to ground beef, along with carrots and mushrooms. Cover and simmer on medium heat for a few minutes until thickened. Place beef mixture into a medium sized casserole dish and cover with mashed potatoes.

Drag a fork over the top of potatoes and sprinkle with the amount of cheese desired. The more the better (just be sure to buy it on sale!) Place in 350-degree oven just long enough to melt the cheese. YUM!!

* * *

If you have a recipe for Shepherd’s Pie you’d like to share with our readers, please contact us here...

Shepherd’s Pie Recipe #2
Submitted by: Jade Chaput-Vondette

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef (cooked and drained)
1 c. mixed veggies (canned or frozen)
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Directions:

Mix the first three ingredients together, then mash 6 cooked potatoes (season as usual) and spread on top, then shred sharp cheddar cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. ENJOY!

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Shepherd’s Pie Recipe #3

Danni’s Shepherd’s Pie
Submitted by: Steve and Danni

Ingredients:

1-2 lb. ground beef
1 can sweet corn
1 can French style green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Mashed potatoes prepared (flake or homemade)
Shredded cheese

The generic brands all work great.

Directions:

Brown the ground beef, drain, then add the soup. Keep on low heat for a few minutes, then add the veggies. I use a cast iron skillet so there is only one pan. Cover the beef and veggies with potatoes, then top with cheese. Bake in a 350-degree oven until cheese is melted.

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Shepherd’s Pie Recipe #4 & #5
Submitted by: Shirlee Meyers

Shepherd’s Pie by Shirlee

Brown 1 lb very lean hamburger with one large onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add 1 can diced tomatoes (I use different flavors for variety.) Add 1 can green beans. Put in baking dish and top with mashed potatoes. Bake in 350-degree oven until it bubbles.

Connie’s Shepherd’s Pie

Brown 1 lb Hamburger with 1 large onion. Add 1 can cream corn. Put in baking dish , cover with mashed potatoes. Bake in 350-degree oven until it bubbles.
Recipe can be doubled.

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Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #6
Submitted by: no name given

I believe I was told my Shepherd’s Pie is backwards. I use leftover mashed potatoes. I line a 1 1/2 qt. casserole with the mashed potatoes. I brown a pound of hamburger with onions and add green beans, just to heat them up. I then put the hamburger with the green beans into the mashed potatoes and put mashed potatoes on top if I have some extra and brown it in the oven at 350 degrees until warm, which is usually 30 minutes.

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Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #7
Submitted by: Samantha

I like to add a little garlic and shredded cabbage to the ground beef and onion. It gives it a great flavor.

* * *

Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #8
Submitted by: Shannon

Ingredients:

1 pkg. ground beef or turkey
1 pkg. Lipton onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Sliced mushrooms (optional)
Instant mashed potatoes
Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Brown meat and mushrooms adding your favorite spices. Drain meat. In a bowl mix meat, soup mix, and can of soup together. Put in bottom of a casserole dish. Follow directions on box to make 4 servings of mashed potatoes. Top meat mixture with cheese (you choose the amount). Top cheese with mashed potatoes, then put more cheese on top of potatoes. Bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. This is so good!

* * *

Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #9
Submitted by: Tania Marie Lirette

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef (cooked, drained and seasoned to taste with salt and pepper)
1/4 medium onion, chopped
1 can of cream corn
6 medium peeled potatoes, boiled and mashed (add milk, garlic salt and butter)
Paprika

Directions:

Brown the ground beef with the chopped up onion, season to taste with salt and pepper and drain, set aside. Boil the peeled potatoes till cooked (tender), then mash with butter, milk and garlic salt.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Place ground beef in the bottom of a medium sized casserole. Now evenly spread the cream corn over the ground beef and then evenly spread the mashed potatoes over the cream corn.

Drag a fork over the top of the potatoes and lightly sprinkle with paprika. Place casserole in the preheated 350-degree oven for about 45mins.

* * *

Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #10
Submitted by: Lori

Just a tip for Shepherd’s Pie lovers who don’t like onions... replace the onions by sprinkling a package of dry onion soup mix over the ground meat layer. All the flavor but no onion texture for the non-onion lovers.

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Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #11
Submitted by: moran816

We use 2 lbs ground beef (cooked), 2 cans of creamed corn and mashed potatoes for top and bottom.

* * *

Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #12
Submitted by: Kristi Darby

Here’s my recipe for Shepherd’s Pie.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey
Onion soup mix
Green beans
Corn
Carrots
Instant mashed potatoes

Directions:

Brown the turkey in a large skillet. Turn off the heat. Drain if you want to, but I don’t. Stir in the onion soup mix. Fold in the green beans, corn, and carrots into the meat. In a separate sauce pan, prepare 2 envelopes of the instant mashed potatoes according to package directions. Dump the meat and vegetable mixture into a casserole dish. Spread the mashed potatoes over the mixture, covering everything. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Total cost? About $4.00.

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Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #13
Submitted by: Kathy H.

I have been making this easy recipe since I got married thirty years ago- we still love it.

Ingredients:

1 lb. browned ground beef
1 can green beans, drained
1 can condensed tomato soup
2 cups (or more) mashed potatoes
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Mix first three ingredients together and place in 8”square baking dish. Spread mashed potatoes over top, sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 until heated through and top is crusty. Serves 4.

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Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #14
Submitted by: Susan Grant

Susan’s Easy Shepherd’s Pie

This recipe is so delicious, I even serve it to company.
I use a pastry bag to pipe the mashed potato over the casserole to dress it up.

Ingredients:

1-2 lb. 90% fat free ground beef
Onion (chopped), 1 Garlic clove (minced)
1 can sweet corn
1 can creamed corn
Mashed potatoes (homemade or the kind you just microwave)
Italian Bread Crumbs (from the canister)

Directions:

Brown the Beef with the Onion and Garlic. Add some White Wine, and your favorite spices. Cook for a bit longer.
Place this mixture in the bottom of medium sized casserole dish. In the same skillet that you cooked the beef, mix the two cans of corn together. Evenly spread the corn mixture over the ground beef and then evenly spread the mashed potatoes over the corn. Sprinkle with Italian Bread Crumbs. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 30 - 45 minutes.

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Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #15
Submitted by: Veronica from NY

I come from England growing up in the 40s and 50s.
Shepherd’s pie was a frugal dish made from leftovers of the Sunday roast. Sunday lunch was a big cooked hot meal with the prime meat of the week in those years of food rationing.
On Monday the lunch was sliced cold roast with hot mashed potatoes and often cold beetroot in vinegar. Monday being washday Mother was too busy to fuss with fancy food.
By Wednesday there still remained enough roast for it to be ground and made into a shepherd’s pie. The meat was mixed with brown gravy (home made of course) and fried chopped onion. If there was too little meat a can of baked beans was also added.

The mixture was placed in a baking dish and covered with a good thick layer of mashed potato, and baked about 45 minutes at whatever the temperature happened to be in our cast iron oven. A vegetable in season was added. I still make the same recipe but use purchased ground beef or chicken and add a dash of Worcestershire sauce and cook in a modern oven at about 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

Those were really frugal days.

* * *

Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #16
Submitted by: Tania Marie Lirette

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef (cooked, drained and seasoned to taste-salt and pepper)
1/4 medium onion, chopped
1 can of cream corn
6 medium peeled potatoes, boiled and mashed (add milk, garlic salt and butter)
Paprika

Directions:

Brown the ground beef with the chopped up onion, season to taste with salt and pepper and drain, set aside. Boil the peeled potatoes till cooked (tender), then mash with butter, milk and garlic salt. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Place ground beef in the bottom of a medium sized casserole. Now evenly spread the cream corn over the ground beef and then evenly spread the mashed potatoes over the cream corn.

Drag a fork over the top of the potatoes and lightly sprinkle with paprika. Place casserole in the preheated 350-degree oven for about 45mins.

* * *

Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #17
Submitted by: Donalyn Crowley

I think I’ve found a super quick way to make shepherd’s pie that has a lot of favor.

Ingredients:

1 17-ounce Hormel pot roast (pre-cooked)
1 can of green beans, drained (or your veg. choice)
Mashed potatoes, leftovers, a good instant or made fresh
Cheddar cheese, optional

Directions:

Chop up the pot roast into bit size pieces and place into a small baking dish. Also, add all of the juices that were in the package. Next layer the green beans on top of the meat. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 to 30 min. until it is bubbly on the sides. If using cheese pull it out during the last few minutes of cooking and sprinkle the cheese on. Put the dish back in the oven to melt the cheese.

* No need for extra spices because the pre-cooked roast has lots of favoring.

* * *

Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #18
Submitted by: Barbara E.

I read all the pie recipes and here is the simple one that I make and my kids love. Here goes.

Ingredients:

Hamburger
Carrots
Onions
Green Beans
Sliced potatoes
Cheese, sliced or grated

Directions:

Add a small amount of oil to the bottom of a cast iron chicken fryer. Slice potatoes and onion. Layer alternately and season with salt and pepper and a little butter. Then add carrots and green beans. Season the hamburger and layer it on top of the vegetables. Put lid on top. Bake until the potatoes are done. Add the cheese to the top of the meat. Just melt it or put under the broiler and brown. The meat juices season the vegetables and the taste is out of sight.

I gave no measurements for the ingredients, because you can just use what you have. A little is just right. A lot is ok too. Cook at 250 or at 350/375; whenever you want it done. Takes about 30 minutes at 350. Heat up some mushroom soup to use as a gravy and serve with a salad. My kids became very proficient at making this because there was no hard or fast rule about the ingredients or the time needed.

* * *

Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #19
Submitted by: Teresa in Oklahoma

My Mother-in-Law gave me this recipe and my kids L-O-V-E it!!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 half of a small onion, chopped finely
1 can of tomato paste (sometime I splurge on the Italian flavored)
1 1/2 cans of water
4 to 5 potatoes
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Peel and cube potatoes and boil ‘til done. Drain. Mash and mix potatoes your way. Meanwhile, brown ground beef, onion and seasonings on skillet. Drain grease from mixture. Stir in tomato paste and water. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for about 5 minutes. Cover with mashed potatoes and serve. You can layer it a casserole dish and place in oven at 350 for about 10 min., if you like. I just serve it in the skillet. It saves clean up and time.

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Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #20
Submitted by: Jeanne

I use left over beef roast, pull apart and put on the bottom, cover with a can of mixed veggies. Then the mashed potatoes and pour gravy over and allow to flow to the bottom. If hamburger is used I suppose you could use a jar of gravy from the grocery store. It’s great with left over roast. Sometimes I make a roast just for shepherds pie. Lamb was used in old times but I never tried it. I like it with beef ya’ll.

* * *

Shepherd’s Pie - Recipe #21
Submitted by: Jamie

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can cream style corn
Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef in skillet.
2. Put ground beef into a 2-3qt. casserole dish, add a layer of shredded cheddar cheese. This is great, just add as much or as little as you’d like... however cheesy you’d like your dish! Next, add the whole kernel corn followed by the cream style corn. Add another layer of shredded cheese. Cover layers with mashed potatoes.
3. Place into oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until warmed through and cheese is melted. We always have ours with corn bread or biscuits! ENJOY!!

* * *
Recipe Notes:

According to Webster’s Dictionary, this is the correct spelling for Shepherd’s Pie. It is also commonly misspelled as Sheperd’s Pie, Sheperd Pie, Shepard’s Pie or Shepard Pie.

A shepherd is a person who herds and takes care of sheep (which I’m sure is where the meal-in-one recipe originated from), and Shepard is the last name spelling of Alan Shepard ( U.S. astronaut) and Sam Shepard ( U.S. playwright).

After hearing from our readers we can plainly see that Shepherd’s Pie is a very popular dish!

And one dear reader wrote in to say real Shepherd’s Pie is only made with lamb, and the dish made with any other meat is called Cottage Pie. However, if it’s okay with y’all, we’d still like to call it Shepherd’s Pie! :o)

http://www.betterbudgeting.com/frugalrecipelist.htm

Dream Salad
submitted by Wisesong

This is one of my family’s favorite holiday recipes. My mom always made it, and now I do too.

* * *

Ingredients:

1 large container of small curd low-fat cottage cheese
1 large pkg. (or 2 small) gelatin (use orange for Thanksgiving; raspberry for Christmas)
1 large can crushed pineapple
2 small cans of mandarin oranges
1 large container of Cool Whip® whipped topping

Directions:

Mix cottage cheese and DRY gelatin mix. Drain off all the juice from the crushed pineapple and the mandarin oranges and add them to the cottage cheese mixture. Fold in Cool Whip® and chill 1-2 hours (you can also make this the night before) before serving.

If you want to add chopped nuts or mini-marshmallows, you can. It’s soooo good and takes 5 minutes to make! We have it at every holiday gathering, and everyone loves it.

[I use Vanilla Ice cream in Jello dishes, it is cheaper than whipped cream and always in the freezer.

Raspberry or strawberry jello, about half set, with the ice cream semi stirred in, clumps and streaks are good......

granny]

Cake Mix Cookies
submitted by Louise Lynch

These cookies are so easy to make, hope you like them!

* * *

Ingredients:

1 cake mix (any kind, chocolate is our favorite - sometimes the store brand goes on sale)
1/2 c. choc chips (or candy bar pieces, m&ms)
1/2 c. applesauce (or 1/4 cup of oil)
2 eggs
And a little water (you have to judge so the cookies look like cookie dough)

Directions:

Mix ingredients together and drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Easy Butter Biscuits or Rolls
Copyright 2003 © by Michelle Jones, editor of BetterBudgeting.com

Believe it or not, I learned how to make these butter biscuits when I saw them being prepared in assembly line style at our church while living in Tennessee, for the ‘meals on wheels’ program!

* * *

Melt about ¼ - ½ c. butter or margarine for each package of refrigerated biscuits or rolls. Now, dip the uncooked biscuits into the butter, one at a time, rolling each one around to cover completely.

Bake as package directs or as you normally would, and enjoy the best biscuits you’ve ever had... almost as good as Hardee’s!

* The meals on wheels volunteers were using the frozen type rolls found in large plastic bags in your frozen food section. They would dip the rolls around in the melted butter and then set them out on trays to be baked... dozens of trays all at once! (I thought this information would be helpful in case you ever have a large group to prepare for too.)

Frugal Recipes

Readers’ Recipes
(featured column)

Lush and Easy Brownies
submitted by Carol Sue of Washington
I want to share this recipe because it is so yummy, economical and fast. Often I need a quick and easy cheap desert for a potlucks, grandkids, or just to treat neighbors. A 13x9-inch cake pan of moist lush and yummy brownies for $1.50 is just what the doctor ordered. You know, the doctor said that chocolate is a health food!

* * *

Ingredients:

One box of brownie mix (store brand)

Half a can of frosting (store brand)

Note: I buy Walmart or Winco’s store brand, whatever is on sale, and stock up. I use the milk chocolate frosting since the kids working at Dominos Pizza across the street like that best, but the German frosting or White is good too.

Directions:

Prepare brownie mix as directed on box. Bake. Remove from oven, spread frosting on hot brownies.

Optional... Immediately scatter brownies with nuts or sprinkles if desired (less is better here). Serve warm or cool.

Teriyaki Sauce & Stir-Fry
submitted by Monica Lodise

My kids love this homemade teriyaki sauce and this recipe stretches meat a little further. I use it on any meat that goes on sale, such as chicken breast, sirloin, pork. If large quantities of meat go on sale, I mix up extra batches and freeze in plastic zip bags.

* * *

Ingredients:

1/3 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp. grated onion
1 clove garlic (can also substitute garlic powder)
1 tsp. ginger

Directions:

Mix teriyaki sauce ingredients together and add one pound of thinly sliced chicken breast, sirloin or pork.
Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or overnight.

Stir fry with any vegetables you like. Serve over rice

Chuck Wagon Dinner
submitted by Amanda S.

This recipe is cheap and quick. My kids just love it!

* * *

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 can Ranch Style Beans with Onion

1 can Diced Tomatoes with Jalapeño’s

Directions:

Cook ground beef until no longer pink, drain well. Mix cooked ground beef with beans and tomatoes, cook for another 20 minutes and serve over toast. Approximately feeds a family of four.

Oatmeal Variations
Copyright © 2001 by Michelle Jones, editor of Better Budgeting

Having oatmeal for breakfast every morning, or at least a few times a week, is not only good for your heart, but it’s good for your wallet too! Oatmeal is rich in soluble fiber and one of the cheapest ways to add healthy foods to your diet. Here are some tips about buying and cooking oatmeal and a few variations to try.

* * *

* You can buy the store brand which usually costs half as much as the national brand and tastes just as good.

* Don’t waste your money on the little instant packages, unless they go on sale for a really great price. Usually you will save money by getting the large canister of quick or old fashioned oats.

* The old fashioned oats are the healthier choice, and they can even be cooked in the microwave. My husband’s the expert on this, he has it almost every morning.

* Oatmeal is a nutritious addition to cookies and baked goods, adding fiber to an otherwise unhealthy snack. If you have it on hand for breakfast, you’re more likely to use it for baking too.

* Here’s several different things you can add to your morning oatmeal for an extra tasty flavoring or increased nutritional value...
Butter
Brown sugar
Maple syrup or flavoring
Other flavored syrups like blueberry or strawberry
Cinnamon, cinnamon sugar
Diced apples, bananas, peaches, pears, strawberries
Milk or cream
Raisins
Sliced almonds
Chopped Pecans
Protein powder, wheat germ and other health food items

See our Oatmeal and Fruit Variations

For more information and delicious recipes using oatmeal, visit QuakerOatmeal.com

Oatmeal & Fruit Variations

In addition to your article Oatmeal Variations, I just wanted to submit a recipe I’ve been using for several months and LOVE IT!

* * *

I pour ¼ cup of old fashioned oatmeal (uncooked) into a bowl. I top that with ¼ - ½ cup of yogurt. Then I top with chopped apples and raisins. I mix this all together and chow down, it’s quite delicious and yummy too! You can vary the toppings to your liking. Sometimes I use grapes in addition to apples and raisins, or when I’m too lazy to chop up the apples!

To keep this recipe frugal, I buy the large 4.5 pound bag of raisins and the 32 oz. container of yogurt.

Submitted by Victoria

http://www.betterbudgeting.com/frugalrecipes/gourmetcookiedough.htm

Frugal Recipes

Michelle’s Meals on a Budget
(featured column)

Frozen Gourmet Cookie Dough
Copyright © 2001, 2006 by Michelle Jones, editor of BetterBudgeting.com

For cookie lovers around the world there are not many things better than a warm, freshly baked, chocolate chip cookie right from the oven. But after you bake the first batch the rest usually go into a container to be enjoyed at a later time. They still taste great, but not quite as good as the very first batch.

Then one day I decided to start saving the remaining cookie dough in the fridge to bake later in the week so my family could have those warm fresh baked cookies every time. I did this for many years, until I learned how to make homemade Frozen Gourmet Cookie Dough!

A few years back two of our children had a fundraising program at school selling frozen gourmet cookie dough. To help the school out, we ordered just one of the outrageously priced 3 pound containers, for about $12 (and along with helping the school with their fundraising, as an avid cookie baker, I also wanted to see if the cookies were any good!). And they were very good. After I had used up all the cookie dough I checked out the variety of packaged frozen cookie doughs at the grocery store and their prices were also outrageous. Everyone knows homemade cookies are the best anyways… and cheaper!

So, I came up with a better plan. Not wanting to waste extra money on something I can make myself (but loving the general idea and convenience of frozen cookie dough), I put that $12 empty container of frozen cookie dough from the school to good use. It’s perfectly sized for the freezer, kind of like a large Kool-Aid mix container. With a black permanent marker I wrote through the company name and now it reads right on the lid, Mom’s Gourmet Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Now, when we make chocolate chip cookies I bake just one dozen, giving each of our six family members two cookies each (this also ensures no one eating too many in one day). Then I place the remaining dough into my Gourmet Cookie container (a Rubbermaid®, Tupperware®, or plastic ice cream bucket would work just fine) and place in the freezer so the dough will stay nice and fresh. And the best thing is there’s no rush to bake all the cookies up in one week since the dough keeps fresh in the freezer for 3-6 months.

In addition to making chocolate chip cookies, you could make and freeze just about any kind of cookies you want. Peanut Butter, Sugar, White Chocolate, Chocolate Chunk, M&M’s, Chocolate Chip Pecan… you name it!

Here’s a basic Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe in case you don’t have one…

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 c. unsalted butter

3/4 c. sugar

3/4 c. light brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 12-ounce bag of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

In a small bowl, combine flour, soda and salt. Set aside. In large bowl beat butter until soft, then add sugar and vanilla and beat until creamy. Add eggs and beat just until blended. Gradually add flour mixture and blend well. Stir in chips and drop dough by rounded spoonfuls onto cool, ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees until lightly browned, do not over bake. Cool on wire racks and store in an airtight container.

When using the frozen dough, just scoop it out of the container by the spoonful and place onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes in a 350-degree preheated oven. The cookies will be thicker than usual and absolutely delicious! Sometimes, if my freezer is running too cold (it does that if you have it packed full), I’ll leave the container out on the counter for just a few minutes to let the dough soften.)

I hope you enjoy these freshly baked cookies straight from your own freezer as much as our family does, you can also visit our Cookie Club site for more delicious cookie recipes all throughout the year!

[I have to laugh at the new and so called wonderful products that are sold today....

In 1950 we called these Ice Box Cookies.

It works with most drop cookie recipes, roll them in a log, in waxed paper and freeze the dough for up to 3 months.......or that was my way of doing it.

I would make a basic dough and then make the logs different, with nuts, spices, anise seeds, chips, etc, as I rolled the logs.

It was rare for me to bake the same day as I made the dough.

granny]

http://www.cookieclubrecipes.com/updates/2009/apr-592303.htm

Chocolate Ladies

I’ve been making these pretty, luscious-flavored cookies every Christmas since 1986. Try them and you’ll see why!

Cookie…

Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 T. grated orange peel
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. blanched almonds, chopped very fine, divided

Directions:

Cream butter and cream cheese. Beat in sugar, vanilla and orange peel until light and fluffy. Mix in flour, salt and 1 c. almonds. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; flatten with glass dipped in additional sugar. Bake at 325 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes (cookies do not brown). Remove from cookie sheets and let cool a bit before frosting.

Chocolate Glaze…

Ingredients:

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 c. butter

Directions:

Combine chocolate and butter in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until melted (or you can melt in the microwave). Spoon about 1/2 tsp. glaze in center of each cookie and spread slightly with the back of the spoon. Sprinkle with remaining almonds. Makes 6 dozen. Good keepers!

Submitted by: Linda S. Ploeg

Butter Pecan Cookie

Ingredients:

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 c. sugar plus additional for coating
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. flour
3/4 c. chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter for about 1 minute. Add 1/3 c. sugar and cream until light; about 1 minute more. Beat in vanilla, salt and flour. Fold in pecans. Roll into small balls and roll in sugar. Gently flatten with a glass. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Submitted by: Aralee

Pumpkin Streusel Cheesecake Bars

Cookie Base…

Ingredients:

1 pouch (1 pound 1.5 ounce) oatmeal cookie mix
1/2 c. crushed gingersnap cookies
1/2 c. finely chopped pecans
1/2 c. cold butter or margarine

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix, crushed cookies and pecans. Cut in butter using a pasty blender or fork until mixture is crumbly. Reserve 1 c. mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture in bottom of ungreased 9x13-inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

Filling…

Ingredients:

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
1 large can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
3 T. all-purpose flour
2 T. pumpkin pie spice
3 T. whipping cream
4 eggs

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add remaining filling ingredients and beat until well blended. Pour over warm cookie base and sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until center is set. Cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled.

Toppings…

Ingredients:

1/3 c. chocolate topping
1/3 c. caramel topping

Directions:

Before serving, drizzle with chocolate and caramel toppings. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.

Tips:

For high altitude (3500-6500ft.) bake for 40 to 45 minutes. A food processor can be used for even easier preparation. Place cookie base ingredients in processor bowl; pulse until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup for topping. Press remaining cookie base mixture in pan. Place filling ingredients in processor bowl; pulse until well blended. Continue recipe as directed. To drizzle the toppings easily, place each topping in a small food storage plastic bag, snip off a small corner of each bag and squeeze to drizzle toppings over bars.

Submitted by: Sharon

Power House Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. cooking oil
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. regular rolled oats
1 c. coconut
1 c. raisins
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Directions:

In a bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a very large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Beat in sugars, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture; beat until well combined. Stir in rolled oats, coconut, raisins, chocolate pieces and walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet and then transfer to wire racks to cool.

Submitted by: CC

Cow Pie Cookies

They taste better than the title sounds! My mom’s friend in southern Idaho gave her this recipe years ago and now I make it with my kids about twice a year. It makes a ton of cookies so twice a year is about all I can handle.

Ingredients:

12 eggs
4 c. sugar
2 pounds brown sugar
1 pound butter, softened (not margarine)
3 pounds peanut butter
8 tsp. baking soda
1 T. vanilla
18 c. oatmeal
1 pound plain M&M’s®
12 ounces chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in order given. To make cow pie size cookies, use an ice cream scoop to drop cookie dough onto cookie sheets. Otherwise a 1/2-inch size ball makes a nice size cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes if large sized, otherwise 10 to 12 minutes. Watch carefully as these will burn easily. Makes 20 dozen cookies. You can freeze baked cookies or freeze small 1/2-inch size balls of uncooked cookie dough on cookie sheet. Once frozen store in freezer bag or Tupperware® until ready to bake.

Submitted by: Alena O. from Alaska

Kiffles

This wonderful cookie recipe is from my mom and it is very old. They just melt in your mouth. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 pound salted butter
1 pound cream cheese
1 T. salt
4 c. flour
Apricot, walnut, almond or cherry filling
Confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

Combine the butter, cream cheese, salt and flour; mix well. Chill overnight in the refrigerator or keep in freezer for 3 to 4 months. Roll out the dough using confectioner’s sugar and cut into 3-inch squares. Choose your filling and place a small amount on each square. Roll like a small jelly roll and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet (these cookies will puff up). Bake at 350 or 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until brown. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar while still warm.

Submitted by: Rose Mary

No Bake Coconut Joys

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter, melted
2 c. confectioners’ sugar
3 c. flaked coconut
1 T. milk
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Directions:

Combine melted butter, sugar, coconut and milk; mix well. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Make a dent in the center. Place on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Fill center with melted chocolate; chill until firm. Store in refrigerator. Makes 36 cookies.

Submitted by: CC

Ghoraibi (Butter cookies from Lebanon)

My mother provided me with this recipe which came from my grandmother. I hope someone might consider trying it. Ghoraibi are butter cookies from Lebanon. My grandmother used to bake these for our family when we were kids. These cookies are easy to make and are perfect with tea or coffee. They are completely white, and are sometimes served at weddings because the color represents purity.

Ingredients:

2 c. butter, softened
1 c. confectioners’ sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. clear almond extract
4 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. blanched almond halves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Beat softened butter in a mixing bowl for 5 minutes, or until fluffy. Cream in sugars; add almond extract. Slowly add in flour. If you do not have a heavy-duty stand mixer, you may want to mix in half of the flour with the mixer, then the remaining with a spoon. You don’t want to burn out the motor on the hand mixer! Chill in the refrigerator for up to one hour. Roll out chilled cookie dough on a floured surface. Roll into a rope that is 1 1/2 to 2-inches thick. Cut diagonally into diamond shapes. (My grandmother used to shape them into the letter “S”, but that requires a little more work, and patience!) Place on non-greased cookie sheets. Top the center of each cookie with an almond. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove and cool on cooling rack.

Submitted by: Cynthia Alam

Theresa’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

I used to make these twice a month when I was growing up. I grew up in a family of seven so twice a month was just about right. Then I was in a severe car accident and one of my therapies was to learn how to bake. Since I had made these so often growing up, I had the recipe memorized. I was able to buy the ingredients for them with my therapist and then mix them up and bake them. Everybody loved them. I hope those of you who try this recipe like them as much as my family does. Enjoy and HAPPY BAKING!

Ingredients:

2 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
3 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
4 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
12 ounce package chocolate chips

Directions:

Cream shortening, sugars and eggs together. Add flour, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. When I make these, I double the recipe and alternate the flour and the eggs after I have creamed the sugars and shortening.

Submitted by: Theresa Kinniburgh of Montana

Merry Christmas Cherry Bars

Here is one of my family’s favorite Christmas bar cookies.

Ingredients:

1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. chopped maraschino cherries
1/2 c. chopped M&M’s® plain candies
1 c. confectioners’ sugar
5 tsp. warm water

Directions:

Beat together the butter and sugar; blend in egg and almond extract. Add flour and salt. Stir in 1/2 c. of the maraschino cherries. Spread dough into ungreased sheet cake pan. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 c. cherries and M&M’s®, pressing lightly into dough. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool completely. For drizzle, combine confectioners’ sugar and warm water until smooth. Drizzle over top of cooled bars. Cut into desired pieces. These freeze very well.

Submitted by: Linda Millikan

Sand Tart

Here is my version of a Sand Tart. My boss’s family makes these every year for Christmas and I asked her to share the recipe with me so I could make them for her. I modified it just a bit!

Cookies…

Ingredients:

1 c. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 1/4 c. sugar (Blend the sugar in a food processor to get extra fine sugar)
1 egg, beaten
2 1/4 c. cake flour

Directions:

Cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar by tablespoonfuls; mixing well. Cream until fluffy. Beat egg and add in two portions. Add flour in fourths mixing well after each addition. Chill dough overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Topping…

Ingredients:

Egg white, slightly beaten
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon (or to taste)
Pecan halves or pieces, optional

Directions:

Very lightly brush egg white over cut cookie dough. Combine sugar and cinnamon and lightly sprinkle over egg white. Top with pecan half if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes. Do not over bake; cookies will be light colored. This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies and can be doubled.

Note:
(The boss said she likes her cookies almost burnt, but I just can’t do it that way!) Store in a sealed container. Dough or cookies may be frozen. Don’t roll the scraps more than once or the dough can get tough. These cookies are very light and very tasty; they don’t stay around very long. They have become one of my favorites and are very easy to make. The food processor sugar happened by accident when my sugar was lumpy. I blended it in the food processor and liked the results; no sugar crystals in the butter mixture. The cake flour was also because I had left-over cake flour and wanted to use it up. If using all-purpose flour only use 2 c. of flour and sift once. This cookie could also be decorated with colored sugars or jimmies rather than cinnamon sugar. Those rubber band guides for rolling pins are great for getting even cookies. They can be found online or in most kitchen gadget stores.

Submitted by: Karen Page

Snickers Fudge

This is one of my favorite fudge recipes! I saw the member’s request and had to go dig the recipe out for you! We have to keep those hubbies happy-that way we actually get some peace and quite! Here it is… enjoy!

Bottom layer…

Ingredients:

1 c. (6 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1/4 c. butterscotch chips
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

Directions:

Combine all three ingredients in a small saucepan; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Spread onto the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13-inch pan. Refrigerate until set.

Filling…

Ingredients:

1/4 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. evaporated milk
1 1/2 c. marshmallow cream
1/4 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. chopped salted peanuts

Directions:

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sugar and milk. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in the marshmallow cream, peanut butter and vanilla. Add peanuts. Spread over first layer. Refrigerate until set.

Caramel layer…

Ingredients:

14 ounce package caramels
1/4 c. whipping cream

Directions:

Combine caramels and cream in a saucepan; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Spread over the filling. Refrigerate until set.

Icing…

Ingredients:

1 c. (6 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1/4 c. butterscotch chips
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

Directions:

In another saucepan, combine chips and peanut butter; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Pour over the caramel layer. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cut into 1-inch squares. Store in the refrigerator. Yield 8 dozen.

Submitted by: Kelly

http://www.cookieclubrecipes.com/updates/2009/may-795039.htm

Kolacky Cookies (pronounced cole-la-chee)

I had the luxury of living next door to my grandmother when I was growing up so most of my cooking came out of her kitchen. However, most of my grandma’s recipes where made from her memories not a cookbook, so her recipes had things like a dash, a handful, or the best one “You’ll know when it is right”. This was one of the cookies she would bake only at Christmas time. It took me almost 5 years to come out right with the cookie dough. The filling only took about 1 year because it was my favorite cookie. This cookie is a savory cookie, sometimes a nice change from all the sweets during the holidays. Now days with a food processor it is much easier than what my grandma had to go through. Thank goodness for technology.

Cookie dough…

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 pound margarine
1 1/2 c. flour

Directions:

Mix cream cheese and margarine. Add flour and combine. Refrigerate for at least one day.

Filling…

Ingredients:

4 c. walnuts finely chopped (use a food processor)
3 T. sugar
Zest from a lemon
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Finely chop nuts first then add remaining ingredients into the food processor and process.

Roll dough to 1/8-inch thick. Cut dough into small rectangles using a pizza cutter. Put a small dollop of filling on center of the dough and take two of the opposite edges and fold over the filling (make sure you seal well). Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until browned.

Submitted by: Fluff Cuts Grooming

Streusel Caramel Bars

Ingredients:

2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
3/4 c. cold butter or margarine, divided
3/4 c. chopped nuts
24 caramels, unwrapped
1 14-ounce can Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar and egg. Cut in 1/2 c. butter until crumbly; stir in nuts. Reserve 2 c. crumb mixture and press remaining firmly on bottom of greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan over low heat, melt caramels with sweetened condensed milk and remaining 1/4 c. butter. Pour over prepared crust. Top with reserved crumb mixture. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly. Cool and cut into bars. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Submitted by: CC

Figgie Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 c. dried figs, finely chopped
1 c. unsalted butter or margarine, plus extra for greasing
1/3 c. honey
4 T. raw brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
Pinch of salt
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 T. dried dates, finely chopped
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. oatmeal
3/4 c. walnut, finely chopped
Dried fig pieces to top cookies (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two cookie sheets. Finely chop the figs. Mix butter, honey, brown sugar and figs together. Beat the eggs into the mixture and mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, combine salt, allspice, baking soda, vanilla extract and dates. Gradually stir them into the creamed mixture. Sift the flour into the mixture and stir well. Finally, mix in the oatmeal and walnuts. Drop 20 rounded tablespoons full of the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheets, spaced well apart to allow for spreading. Decorate with figs if using. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to15 minutes or until the cookies are a golden brown. Remove cookies from the oven and transfer to cooling racks and let cool before serving. Makes 20 cookies.

Submitted by: Dee Stebbins

Banana Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter (softened, no substitutes)
2 c. brown sugar, packed
4 eggs
2 c. mashed banana
4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cloves
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. chopped nuts

Directions:

Mix shortening, butter, sugar, eggs and banana. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Dough will be sticky. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and frost with your choice of frosting below.

Lemon-Butter Frosting…

Ingredients:

1 c. softened butter
6 c. confectioners’ sugar
4 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon peel

Directions:

Blend together the butter and sugar. Beat in lemon juice and lemon peel until smooth.

Browned Butter Icing…

Ingredients:

1 c. butter
4 T. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
6 c. confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

Brown butter in saucepan until delicate brown. Add milk and vanilla. Blend in confectioners’ sugar until smooth.

Submitted by: Debbie Layman of Pocatello, Idaho

Source: Betty Crocker Cookbook 1979

Raisin Filled Cookies

Cookies…

Ingredients:

2 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 pound butter
4 eggs
3 T. milk
7 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together (dough will be sticky). Make into 2 logs and freeze. Slice dough to 1/8-inch thickness and lay on cookie sheet. Add 1 tsp. filling (directions below) on top and lay another slice of dough on top. Do not flatten or pinch together. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Filling…

Ingredients:

2 c. raisins
1 c. water
4 T. lemon juice
3 T. flour
1/2 c. sugar

Directions:

Boil raisins, water and lemon juice. Add flour and sugar and mix together. Cool. Place in food processor for a couple of chops, just to chop up the raisins. Do not puree.

Submitted by: Debbie Layman of Pocatello, Idaho

Chocolate-on-Chocolate Walnut Cookies

Ingredients:

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 c. dairy sour cream
1 c. coarsely chopped black walnuts
1 recipe chocolate cream cheese frosting (see recipe below)

Directions:

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, cream sugar and butter on low speed of electric mixer. Add eggs and vanilla; beat on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in cooled, melted chocolate and sour cream. Add flour mixture; beat on low speed until well-mixed. With a spoon, stir in black walnuts. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

From a teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove cookies to wire rack to cool. Frost with chocolate cream cheese frosting if desired. Store frosted cookies in your refrigerator. Makes about 60 cookies.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting…

Ingredients:

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 T. butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 T. milk or light cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. sifted confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

In a mixer bowl, beat together until light and fluffy the cream cheese, butter or margarine, unsweetened chocolate, milk or light cream and vanilla. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth. Add a little more milk or confectioners’ sugar if necessary for spreading consistency.

Submitted by: CC

Pecan Topped Shortbread Fingers

This recipe was in one of those cookbooks that you find at the check out at the supermarket. It had white chocolate and almonds in the original recipe and although that was good, I love chocolate and I think these are even better.

Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
6 squares baking chocolate
1 1/4 c. chopped pecans

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar; beat in vanilla. Gradually add the flour. Shape 1/2 cupfuls of dough into 1/2-inch logs. Cut logs into 2-inch pieces. Place dough 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate. Stir until smooth. Dip one end of each cookie into chocolate and then into chopped pecans. Place on waxed paper to harden. Yield 4 dozen cookies.

Submitted by: gps8x

Aunt Sally’s Cookies

Cookies…

Ingredients:

1 c. white sugar
1 c. shortening
2 eggs
1/2 c. molasses
2 tsp. cream of tartar
4 tsp. baking soda (yup, 4 tsp.)
1 tsp. salt
5 c. flour
1 c. milk or buttermilk

Directions:

Combine ingredients and chill dough for one hour. Roll out dough and cut with an empty spam can (or into rectangles). Bake at 350 degrees just until done…don’t over bake. Cool and ice with Aunt Sally icing.

Aunt Sally’s Icing…

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. water
1 tsp. vinegar
A little paraffin (or one package Knox® gelatin)
2 stiffly beaten egg whites
12 marshmallows

Directions:

Boil sugar, water and vinegar until medium ball stage. Add paraffin. Pour hot syrup over beaten egg whites. Add marshmallow and beat until smooth.

Submitted by: Charla Sackmann

7 Layer Bars

Ingredients:

1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
6 ounce package chocolate chips
6 ounce package butterscotch chips
1 c. coconut
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

Melt butter in bottom of 9x13-inch pan. Sprinkle on graham cracker crumbs. Top in layers the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut and nuts. Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Submitted by: Charla Sackmann

Steven’s War-Time Bikkies (a.k.a. ANZAC Biscuits)

These biscuits/cookies are an Australian tradition. My son Steven was learning about ANZAC’s when he was in primary school year 2 and has since then always called them war-time biscuits. ANZAC day is a National Holiday in Australia celebrated every year on April 26th. ANZAC biscuits were made by mothers, sisters, wives and girlfriends. They were sent to the troops fighting in Europe during WW1.

Ingredients:

1 c. plain flour
1 c. rolled oats
3/4 c. flaked coconut
1 c. sugar
6 T. butter
1 T. golden syrup
2 T. water
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Directions:

Sift flour into a bowl; add rolled oats, coconut and sugar. Mix well. Combine butter, golden syrup and water in saucepan. Heat gently until butter melts. Remove from heat and add baking soda. Allow to foam and pour immediately into dry ingredients. Mix well. Spoon heaped teaspoons of mixture onto greased oven trays; allow room for spreading. Bake in a slow oven (140 to 150 degrees Celsius/275 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Submitted by: dankows

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This recipe was given to me by my best friend. They are melt-in-your-mouth-yummy a few minutes out of the oven.

Ingredients:

1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2 c. oats
12 ounces chocolate chips
4 Hershey® bars, broken up
1 c. pecans, optional

Directions:

Cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar. Then add eggs and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking powder and oats. Stir in chocolate chips, Hershey® bars and pecans if you are using them. Place large mound of dough onto cookie sheet for each cookie. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes depending on how large you made each cookie. They are best when you undercook them slightly.

Submitted by: Liz Ogden

Double Tree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I go to Chicago, I stay at the Double Tree Hotel. The interesting thing about the hotel is that when you check in they give you a warm sack with two Double Tree cookies in them. I now ask for a few bags at check in. Since I stay there often, the bellhop knows I like them and gives me extra cookies to take home. I found the recipe for them and now I can enjoy them at home anytime.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. rolled oats
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
2 eggs
3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Directions:

Grind oats in a food processor or blender until fine. Combine the ground oats with the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

Cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice in another medium bowl with an electric mixer. Add the eggs and mix until smooth. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture and blend well. Add the chocolate chips and nuts to the dough and mix by hand until ingredients are well blended. For the best results, chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator before baking the cookies. Spoon rounded 1/4 c. portions onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Place the scoops about 2 inches apart. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 16 to 18 minutes or until cookies are light brown and soft in the middle. When cool, store in a sealed container to keep soft.

Submitted by: Greg Peck of Freeport, Illinois

http://www.cakeclubrecipes.com/

White Chocolate Pound Cake
Submitted by James and Margie K. , Cake Club Members
Recipe Courtesy of www.CakeClubRecipes.com

Ingredients:

6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 package white cake mix
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. milk
3 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Additional white chocolate for drizzle

Directions:

Melt white chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat. Set aside to cool slightly. Mix cake mix, butter, milk, eggs and vanilla together; stir in the cooled white chocolate. Mix for 1 minute at low speed; then mix 2 to 3 minutes at high speed. The batter should look well blended. Pour into greased tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until lightly browned and done when tested. Drizzle melted white chocolate on top.

* * *

Puddin ‘N Tater Pound Cake
Submitted by Shirley M. , Cake Club Member
Recipe Courtesy of www.CakeClubRecipes.com

Cake...

Ingredients:

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 c. instant potato flakes
4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 package instant chocolate pudding
1 c. butter
3/4 c. milk
3/4 c. water
4 eggs

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl; mix well. Pour into a prepared tube cake pan and bake in a 350-degree oven for 60 to 65 minutes. Cool and spread glaze over top and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Glaze…

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar
2 T. cream cheese or butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 to 3 T. milk
3 to 5 T. chopped nuts

Directions:

Combine confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and milk; mix until spreading consistency. Drizzle on top of cake and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

* * *

Quick and Easy Cake
Submitted by Jackie G. of Palmerston, North New Zealand , Cake Club Member
Recipe Courtesy of www.CakeClubRecipes.com

This is one of my favorite cakes as it is easy and quick to make.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 T. butter
4 T. milk
1 tsp. lemon or vanilla essence

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs and sugar well. Add flour and baking powder and beat well again. Boil butter with the milk; add vanilla or lemon essence. Combine ingredients together and put into a greased cake tin. Batter must go into the oven straight away. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

* * *

Triple Chocolate Cake
Submitted by Grace Anderson , Cake Club Member
Recipe Courtesy of www.CakeClubRecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 small package chocolate instant pudding
1 chocolate cake mix
1 large bag chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix pudding according to directions and set aside. Mix cake mix according to box directions. Mix the pudding into the cake mix. Pour into a 9x13-inch sprayed pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top and bake according to box directions. It will take 5 to 15 minutes longer than it states on the cake box. Cake is done when a tooth pick comes out clean. Let cool before cutting. This cake is best when eaten cool.

*****

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Submitted by Lillian Madigan, Cake Club Member
Recipe Courtesy of www.CakeClubRecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 c. brown sugar
2-1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 c. butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. oil
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
4 T. cocoa
1/2 c. buttermilk or sour milk
3 zucchini (about 2 c.), grated
1/2-1 c. chocolate bits

Directions:
Cream sugars and butter and oil in a large bowl. Add eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. Stir well to mix. Measure flour, spices, baking soda, and cocoa in a sifter. Then sift into rest of the ingredients. Grate zucchini into the batter and stir until blended. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13-inch pan. Sprinkle chips on top and bake in a 325-degree oven for 45 minutes.

http://frugalfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&updated-max=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=15

Cream Cheese, Pineapple, Pudding Dessert
Featured Comment by Opal...

I have only made this one time and it was a hit at our church thanksgiving dinner.

In a 2qt. casserole line the bottom with cream cheese, be generous. Make a layer of pineapple chunks, small marshmallows, blobs of cream cheese. Cover with vanilla pudding. Make another layer of all. Add more marshmallows on top. Bake at 350 degrees just until marshmallows are light brown.

Can be served warm or chilled.

Church Suppers - Spaghetti, Baked Spaghetti
Featured Comment by Christine...

Good afternoon!

This weekend our church had its yearly mission emphasis weekend. Every other year, the choir from Grundy Mountain Mission in Grundy, Va comes to sing for our morning service. They arrive on Saturday evening, so they need housing. This year there were 44 who needed meals and a place to stay. We signed up to keep two girls (all the boys were taken). Our 11 year old son wasn’t too thrilled to begin with, but we ended up having a great time!

Not only did we need to feed and house the girls, but on Sunday evening there was a pitch-in at church. This required additional cooking! On Saturday, before the girls came, I put together my spaghetti sauce and put it in my crock pot and put it in the refrigerator. It’s a very simple sauce that my sister told me about.

1 pound of sausage, browned
2 large cans of tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
2 tsp. Italian seasoning (or to taste)
1 tsp. garlic powder (or to taste)
4 T. sugar (or to taste)
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)

On Sunday morning, I put the sauce on before church. When we got home, I fixed the spaghetti. I fixed enough for lunch and for the pitch-in. After the meal, I put the left-over sauce and spaghetti together, added cheese and baked. There was plenty for lunch and for the pitch-in, and I didn’t have to spend a lot of money!!

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
Featured Comment by Laurie...

How nice to see you! It’s great to have a face to go with the name of someone who feels like a friend. The dirty dishes poem is a favorite of mine too. My mother kept it taped on the knife rack in the kitchen when I was growing up. Hand washing dishes every other night gave me a lot of time to memorize it. ;) Dinner tonight was chicken and stuffing casserole. Quick and easy to make with leftover chicken (or turkey) and low in carbs too. Also, stuffing mixes are on sale this month. Here’s the recipe if anyone is interested. I love the blog idea.

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

1 can cream of mushroom soup (10 3/4oz)
3/4 cup milk
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
10 oz. bag french style green beans, thawed
1 sm. can mushrooms, diced
chives, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1 pkg. herb stuffing (6 oz.)
1 1/2 cups water

Mix soup and milk until smooth. Stir in chicken, beans, mushrooms, chives, and pepper. Spread in 9x13 baking dish. Set oven to 375’. Toss stuffing mix with water and let set for about 5 minutes. Spread stuffing over chicken mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.

I usually double the recipe, it reheats great in the microwave.

Beef Stroganoff - TGIF!!! What’s for Dinner?!
Whew! The November newsletter is done, my new book is DONE, and now we’re just going to have some fun! It’s Friday and I don’t know about you, but I LOVE FRIDAYS!!! I still have quite a bit of work to do here in the office today, and tomorrow, but today is the last day of the school week for our kids and the last day of the work week for my husband. This means the next two days are ours, and we can plan something good to cook!

A few weeks ago I made a beef stroganoff dish that my oldest daughter took to work for lunch on Saturday, and one of her supervisors wanted some too! I had purchased two steaks and placed one in the freezer so I’m going to find out if she is working this Saturday and make it again for them and this time I’ll pack two lunches instead of one. If she is, and I do this, then that will also be our dinner! If she’s not working with my daughter this Saturday I’ll hold off on that. Yum, it sure was good!

I’ve made beef stroganoff for many years but the particular recipe I used this time was one that I adapted from Rachael Ray’s holiday recipe that she did on her daytime TV show in October. (view recipe here)

Here are the ingredients and what I changed...

1 lb egg noodles
Salt and pepper
4 T. butter, divided
2 T. olive oil
3 sprigs dill (I used dried, and it was still great)
20 chives (same as for the dill, for both I just sprinkled a lot—it’s for the pasta)
1 lb sirloin steak
1/2 c. flour
1/2 small onion (I used about 1/4 c. sweet onion, diced small because my kids hate onions)
4-5 garlic cloves (the recipe calls for grating the onion and the garlic but I minced mine instead, my kids can handle that fine)
2 tsp. smoked paprika (I haven’t made the investment in this yet, and used our regular paprika—which was still delicious)
1-2 cups beef stock (invest in a jar of beef bouillon cubes, they really come in handy and go a long way, a lot cheaper than buying beef stock premade—I learned that one from my mom many years ago! :o)
1/2 c. sour cream (one of our kids can’t eat sour cream, or I should say “won’t,” so I prepared the dish and made a plate for him, then added the sour cream for the rest of the family)
1 4-ounce jar pimentos (now this my kids definitely will not eat, they always say “EWE! What are those red things!” and then they make a mess by picking them all out) so, I cut up a green bell pepper instead and they loved it!)

If you decide to make this I hope you enjoy it as much as we did... and I hope you’ll try my version! :o) If there’s not a way to print this out you can email it to yourself by using the email link below. And please use the link above to print out Rachel’s recipe, she’s got a nice picture of the dish as well so I’d like you to see that. This is a creamy and hearty dish that’s great for the colder months!

Now, what are y’all going to cook tonight? It’s time to start thinking about that! I have tomorrow planned, hopefully, now we need to think of something for tonight! (SIGH)

And I love the comment made yesterday about grilled cheese sandwiches, that is always a quick easy and frugal meal that most people love! I do have one child who won’t eat American Cheese though, and no, it’s NOT the same child who won’t eat sour cream! lol
Posted by Michelle

http://www.wisebread.com/dump-cake-and-other-sweet-easy-treats

Home » Frugal Living » Food and Drink
Dump Cake and Other Sweet, Easy Treats

19 comments

Posted August 22, 2007 - 13:42 by Linsey Knerl

Filed Under: Food and Drink

Photo: cake

Yellow cake mix goes on sale all the time where I live. For under $10, you can usually score 15 or more boxes! This is great if you’re making cakes, but what if you just don’t have an occasion for frosting a celebration dessert?

Growing up we ate “dump cake” quite often. Ignoring the name for a moment, dump cake is delicious. The best part is that it takes no baking skill or more than 7 minutes to make. And most people have everything they need to make one hiding in their pantry. The main ingredient: Yellow cake mix. Here’s a classic recipe that will aim to please:

INGREDIENTS

* 1 (29 ounce) can sliced peaches, drained, juice reserved
* 1 (6 ounce) package peach flavored gelatin mix
* 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place peaches in bottom of 9x13 cake pan. Sprinkle dry peach gelatin over peaches. Sprinkle dry cake mix over gelatin. Cut up butter and distribute over cake mix. Pour 1 cup of reserved peach juice and 1/2 cup of water over the top.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until the top is browned.

Can’t get much more basic than that, can it? For some variety, try a different canned fruit and pudding combo (apples, pears, mandarin orange, cherries or even pumpkin!) You can top it off with whipped topping or ice cream. No one will ever know you didn’t even have to mix it!

There are also some very delicious and easy cookie recipes that use yellow cake mix as the main ingredient. Because you don’t have to mess with sifting flour or melting butter, this is totally the way to go. Check out my favorite cookies made from yellow cake mix:

INGREDIENTS

* ½ cup sugar
* 2 cups quick-cooking oats (or instant oatmeal, same thing)
* 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 3 eggs
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 1 cup yummy stir-ins of your choice (pecans, walnuts, chocolate chips, raisins, etc.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Stir together all ingredients. Spoon 1 teaspoon drops of dough onto baking sheet (ungreased).
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 13 minutes, or until golden brown and not gooey in the middles.

Bake a friend some cookies. Take some to your grandma (after all, how many cookies has she made for YOU in your lifetime.) Eat a few yourself. Share the cheap cookie love!

Here in the South, we do a variation that makes a simple cobbler. Just dump a bunch of fresh or canned)fruit in an 8 x 8 greased pan, dump 1/2 box of yellow cake mix on top, cut a half stick of butter on top of that and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Our daughter made one for her northern college friends and they were, quite frankly, amazed!

pumpkin dump cake

Submitted by Linsey

My family loves this super easy “black forest” cake

1 box chocolate (or fudge or devil’s food) cake mix
1 can cherry pie filling (I use a low-sugar type)
3 eggs

Mix the whole works together. Place in a 2.5 litre/ 3 qt microwavelable dish.

Put a saucer upside down in the microwave and the dish with the cake batter in it on top of the saucer (the idea is to raise the bottom of the baking dish a bit). Cook at 70% power for 15 minutes. The cake is done when it’s pulled away from hte sides and the centre is no longer sticky (it may look quite wet, though).

You could frost this, but my family loves to eat it warm with ice cream.

Upside Down Peach Cake

Submitted by Deb

Very similar version, except you do mix up the yellow cake mix according to the directions on the box:

2 large cans of sliced peaches including the juice - pour into a 9x13 pan
Sprinkle approx 1/2 of a box of instant Tapioca pudding over the top
Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon over the top
Pour the yellow cake mix batter all over the top of the peach mixture
Bake in a 350 oven for at least one hour, or until the center of the cake feels mostly firm to the touch.

This is truly one of the yummiest, easiest cakes I’ve ever made, and it’s very popular at our office get togethers too!

Here are a few good recipes:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,pumpkin_dump_cake,FF.html

They all seem to use canned pumpkin, but just like when making pies, you can substitute the fresh pumpkin assuming it isn’t too watery.

Chocolate cherry dump cake

Submitted by Linsey Knerl on June 1, 2009 - 15:05.

Just prepare as above, using the following:

2 cans of cherry pie filling (21 ounces each)
1 box of chocolate cake mix
2 sticks of butter, sliced into 12 pieces each

Really good with cool whip on top!

Linsey

http://www.wisebread.com/feeling-stuck-100-ways-to-change-your-life

Home » Life Hacks
Feeling Stuck? 100 Ways to Change your Life

48 comments

Posted February 9, 2008 - 17:25 by Nora Dunn

Filed Under: Life Hacks, Lifestyle
jump
Photo: Joshua Davis

You’ve got 20 minutes to change your life in 100 ways. Go.

This is the premise of an exercise I tried once, when I was feeling stuck in life. I wasn’t sure what was amiss, but the routine I had fallen into was not satisfying the inner voice in me that insisted there was something else out there for me.

After trying (forcefully) to understand what was going on, reading self-help books, filling out aptitude tests, and working with business and life coaches, I was given a suggestion that became a catalyst for some pretty big personal changes.

Here is how you can change your life in 20 minutes, step by step:

1. Clear all distractions. Turn off the phone, the tv, the computer. Lock your door, and go to a quiet place.
2. Sit down comfortably at a desk or table, with a blank piece of paper and a pen in front of you.
3. Set a timer for 20 minutes.
4. Go. Write down 100 things you want to do. Or careers you want to have. Or people you would like to meet. The sky is the limit.
5. Don’t be realistic. Dream big. Write down the craziest things you can think of, as well as the things that you don’t even think bear mentioning because they are so simple. Write it all down.
6. Work quickly. 20 minutes isn’t very long, and you have 100 items to get through, if you can. Don’t think about whether or not to write down an idea - just write. Write everything that comes to mind, even if it doesn’t make sense. Just keep on writing, and don’t stop until that timer goes off.

Something happens after about 10 or 15 minutes if you employ the exercise to its full potential. You stop caring about what specifically the ideas are, and you start to release an inner creativity that may have been locked away for a while. In an effort to get through 100 things in 20 minutes, you start to write outlandish things down that you aren’t even really sure you want, but that are ideas that came to you nonetheless.

Ding! The timer goes off. No matter where you are in the process, or how many items you have written down, stop. (Okay, if you are really on a roll and have a few more to write down because the juices are flowing, keep going. I won’t tell).

Leave the list alone for a day. Try not to look at it, and certainly don’t revise it in any way. The following day, sit down and look at your list. How many of the items on it are feasible? Can you see your way to accomplishing any of it? Did anything come out of the list that you hadn’t actually really thought of until you wrote it down in a hurried attempt to get to 100 items in the time limit? Any surprises in there?

The point of this exercise is not to create a giant and outlandish “to-do” list that never gets ticked off. Instead, it is simply to open up your mind to the idea that anything is possible, and to give you ideas that will help you to become unstuck in life.

Personally after feeling stuck and making out my list, I identified a few ways to make positive changes in my life at the time; I joined Toastmasters because an item I wrote down was to become a public speaker. I also eventually started a blog to satisfy an inner wordsmith in me that has blossomed into a career. And ultimately, the list helped lead me to the decision to sell off everything I owned to live out my dreams of travel and adventure now.

And it all started with 20 minutes and 100 ways to change my life.

[This does work, I have used it for years, for the impossible to solve bits of life, it is amazing what we really think, if we get past the first layer.

granny]

http://www.wisebread.com/pesky-pests-easy-homemade-mosquito-and-insect-traps-and-repellent

Home » Frugal Living
Pesky Pests: Easy Homemade Mosquito and Insect Traps and Repellent

5 comments

Posted July 13, 2009 - 04:00 by Nora Dunn

Filed Under: Frugal Living, General Tips
spider
Photo: Nora Dunn

‘Tis the season! You want to enjoy the long warm days and evenings by spending time outside (in the backyard, for example). The only problem is, as soon as you get comfortable out there, the pests set in shortly thereafter to make your time outside as unbearable as can be. Try these simple, safe, inexpensive homemade snares for all things creepy and crawly.

General Insect Trap Techniques

STICKY PASTE ON PAPER

* Find some old paper bags, plastic bags, or even just pieces of cardboard. (Don’t be afraid to find creative ways to reuse things you would otherwise throw away).

* Make a paste of sugar, corn syrup, and water by heating it together. When the mixture cools, spread the paste on the paper bags (or equivalent) and place strategically around the house. They are ideal if hung.

How it works: The insects will be attracted to the sweet smell, but will get stuck in it as soon as they land on the bag.

STICKY LIQUID IN BOTTLE

* Start with a large clear plastic bottle or milk jug.

* Attach some string around the mouth of the bottle so it can be hung later.

* Make a thick sticky liquid with sugar and vinegar.

* Pour this sticky mixture into the bottom of the bottle.

* Chop up some appropriate bait into small enough pieces to put it inside the bottle. Fruit is usually a good bet.

* Poke some additional holes in the jug to give bugs greater access to the bait inside.

* Hang the trap in a “high-traffic” area for bugs.

How it works: They will be attracted by the fruit and fly inside, only to get stuck in the vinegar and sugar mixture.

Mosquitoes

BOTTLE TRAP METHOD

* Start with an empty plastic bottle that is in your recycling box. It can be as small as a 500ml bottle, or as large as a two-liter soda bottle. Discard the cap.

* Cut the top third of the bottle off. It is important to make your cut in the area below the top of the main shaft of the bottle (where it is widest). You should now have a bottle top in the shape of a funnel, and the cylindrical body of the bottle.

* Invert the bottle top (funnel) into the bottle. It should be a snug fit (given the equal diameter of the funnel top and bottle shaft), but if necessary, secure it with tape.

* Wrap the bottle with black paper to create a warm dark place for your mosquitoes to go.

* Inside the bottom of the bottle (either before you secure the inverted funnel, or poured into the bottle through the spout), place the following:
o 1 tablespoon of yeast (for a 2-litre bottle, reduce proportionately for smaller bottles)
o water to fill the 1/3 of the bottle
o 1/3 cup sugar

* Place the bottle a short distance away from where you are.

* This mixture is good for up to a couple of weeks. Change as necessary.

How it works: The mosquitoes will be attracted to the CO2 generated by the yeast and will fly into the bottle. The sugar and water mixture will make them sticky, and they will be too disoriented to escape.

Yellow Jackets / Hornets / Wasps

BOTTLE TRAP

* Use the same technique as above to construct a bottle trap with the top inverted to make a funnel into the bottle. There is no need to cover the bottle with black paper.

* Fill the bottom with a sweet liquid. Yellow jackets aren’t picky; you can use juice, soda, or just sugar water. (If you wish to repel honey bees, then add a small amount of dish soap and vinegar to the bottom of the bottle before adding your sweet liquid).

How it works: Yellow jackets, hornets, and wasps will flock to this bottle (in a big way), will go inside (via the funnel), and will get stuck in the liquid or will become too disoriented to escape.

This simple technique works alarmingly well; if you are in a “high-traffic” area, you could end up emptying an entire bottle full of these pests by the end of a few days.

Flies

BOTTLE TRAP

* Follow the instructions above to make your own plastic bottle trap.

* Add a ¼ cup of vinegar and a ¼ cup of sugar to the bottle.

* Finish filling the bottle to just below the funnel bottom (which was formerly the bottle top) with water.

Fruit Flies

Using the same bottle trap technique, apparently all fruit flies need is vinegar to get in and get stuck.

Alternate method to the Bottle Trap:

If you don’t have a plastic bottle handy, you can use a glass jar and poke holes in the lid large enough for your pest of choice to get in.

Ants

* Combine flour and borox, and apply to ant-heavy areas.

* Alternately (or additionally), growing herbs like spearmint, tansy, and southernwood can repel ants.

Cockroaches

Mix flour, borox, and cocoa powder and strategically bait problem areas.

Aphid Control – and Garden Pesticides

Make a spray with water and rhubarb. This is actually poisonous to many garden insects, and when sprayed on your garden will act as a natural pesticide.

Mice and Rats

If you have a rodent problem and aren’t keen on using poison because you have animals that could accidentally ingest the poisoned mouse or rat (which could in turn kill your pet), then the following may be a remedy for you:

* Mix together flour and cement mix, and bait problem areas.

* Be sure to leave a water source nearby too.

How it works: The rodents will be attracted to the flour and will eat it (along with the cement mix too). When the rodents drink water, the cement mix will actually start to turn into cement…thus killing the critter.

While this may seem cruel (it is no more or less humane than poison), if you are the sort of person who would use poison if it weren’t for the danger to domestic animals, then this may be a solution. If a dog or cat eats a rodent poisoned with cement, they will not be poisoned themselves. However, if they directly eat the flour and cement mixture (which they shouldn’t be attracted to, but you never know), there could be problems. Prudent caution is advised.

Insect Repellent

If you would rather simply repel insects in a natural and inexpensive manner, apply some vanilla extract or vanilla essence to your pulse points. Not only will you be bug-free, but you’ll smell good too!

I know there are more insect traps and repellents out there. Feel free to share your best homemade secrets for staying pest-free in the comments!