A Few Of FR's Finest....Every Day....08/15/03....Cooking With FReepers - Carlo3b

dansangel; Billie

[dansangel]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, dansangel, dutchess, Mama_Bear, Aquamarine ~

Several Finest FReepers have requested a thread whereby they would have the opportunity to exchange favorite recipes. Our motto around here is (among other things), "We Aim To Please." With that said, it is a pleasure to present to you ~

design by Billie
"the other stuff" by dansangel

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There are two schools of thought about eating. Many of us "eat to live" - that is, consume food instinctively to sustain life. Then there are others who "live to eat." I definitely fall into the latter category!

Toss some mixed salad greens with a luscious balsamic vinaigrette dressing, add Greek olives and feta cheese and I am sighing with delight. Pour expertly created Italian-style tomato sauce over carefully hand-made pasta and I am quivering with anticipation. Serve (almost) anything covered in decadent chocolate and I am purring like a kitten.

Blame it on my ethnic Italian upbringing, but eating is more of an event than an exercise in survival.

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FReeper Carlo3b has graciously agreed to co-host today's thread. For those of you who are not familiar with Carlo, he is a Master Chef and the one behind compiling and publishing "The Clinton Legacy Cookbook" ~ a collection of FReeper recipes traded online in celebration of the Klintoons exiting the White House. Our very own Billie is credited with some of the illustrations used in the book. For those of you interested in owning a copy of this entertaining and useful cooking aid, please send a FReepmail to Carlo3b for details.

Carlo3b

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Before getting underway with the flurry of recipe exchange, I'd like to start you all out on some favorite recipes of mine~



Baked Stuffed Mushrooms - Italian Style

Ingredients:

24 mushrooms (approx. 1 and 1/2 - 2 inches in diameter)
2/3 c shredded provolone cheese
1/4 c seasoned bread crumbs
1 clove garlic
1/4 c chopped onion
3 tbsp chopped green pepper
3 tbsp margarine

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~ Wash mushrooms and remove stems from the caps. Chop the stems.
~ Sautee onion, garlic, green pepper and 2 c chopped mushroom stems in margarine until tender.
~ Remove from heat and stir in bread crumbs and cheese.
~ Press mixture into the mushroom caps.
~ Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes.
Enjoy!





Chicken and Artichokes

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts cut into 2-inch chunks
2 jars marinated artichoke hearts
1 small jar marinated mushrooms
1/2 c seasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg beaten
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp grated parmesean cheese

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~ Dip chunks of chicken in egg and then roll in bread crumbs.
~ Heat olive oil in frying pan and lightly fry coated chicken pieces. Set aside.
~ Partially drain artichoke hearts and mushrooms.
~ In a small-medium baking dish, layer chicken pieces on the bottom. Then, layer artichokes and mushrooms. Top with parmesean cheese.
~ Bake at 350 degrees until chicken is cooked thoroughly.
Enjoy!





Chocolate/Butterscotch "Brownies"

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
1 can Borden's condensed sweetened milk
1 c Nestle's semi-sweet bits
1 c Nestle's butterscotch bits
1 c coarsely chopped walnuts

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~ Mix all ingredients well.
~ Press mixture into a well-greased 9" square pan.
~ Bake @ 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes.
~ Cool 45 minutes.
~ Cut into 1 and 1/2 inch squares.
Enjoy!

Have fun trading recipes. Above all,

Mangia! :-)

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 08-11-03 Military Monday 08-12-03 High Road To China 08-13-03 FReeper Pets - Mama_Bear's "Boyz" 08-14-03 Dems: Vote No on Recall

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

God Bless Our Military

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Below are names of some of our FReepers' loved ones who are serving our country. If you have someone you would like to add, please address a post to Billie; Dansangel; Dutchess; Mama_Bear; Aquamarine and we will add their name to this list. As we pray for them, we pray also for all our nation’s leaders, and military personnel, and their families and friends. May God hold them close to His heart.

~~~~~~~~~~   ~~~~~~~~~~

We ask Lord, that You guide the leaders of our great country in their hour of decision. The burden that has been placed on their shoulders is overwhelming. We ask that with Your infinite wisdom You guide them gently to the right decisions.

Please give us the strength, Lord, to get through each difficult and devastating day that faces each of us and our country. Protect and guide our Military that are now being called to duty, strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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OhioWfan........................son mystery-ak..........son, husband Gogrammy................grandson Inspectorette...................son Blessed American..........nephew Slip18..........................nephew anniegetyourgun...........nephew Pippin....niece,nephew,loved one Doug from Upland......son-in-law weldgophardline.....brotherinlaw Future Snake Eater..........cousin WaterDragon..son-in-law,grandson BeforeISleep...................son The Mayor........................niece LadyX.........................grandson fawn796.....................nephew ValerieUSA................2 sons Warrior Nurse...........active duty SK1 Thurman...........active duty David Osborne.........active duty fc2tomschermuly......active duty bkwells..................activve duty LongCut..................active duty Trish.......................active duty

Maigrey................cousin ladtx....................2 sons Mama_Bear...........nephew gator girl............husband severa................husband MozartLover......son, nephew LBGA........................son SpookBrat...........nephew Himyar.....................son boxerblues............2 sons the piper...................son sheeza...............husband kemathen7...........husband Diver Dave................niece deadhead................cousin JimRobinson.....2 nephews Armymarinemom.....3 sons Consort..2 daughters,son-in-law Darheel..................niece dixie sass.............nephew BeAllYouCanBe.........son AgThorn...............2 sons homeschoolmama.......nephew kneezles.................son

[dansangel]

*sigh*

Weinie, Weinie, Weinie....what are we going to do with you? The Dims have been a very bad influence on you, indeed.

[JustAmy]

Bumping so I'll know where to start later tonight.
Thanks for all the great recipes. My husband thanks you!!!

[dansangel]

Best of luck on your FReep tonight ((((((JustAmy))))))

[Fawnn]

Thanks for the ping, kitkat. I'm finally here and trying to work my way through the thread.

I haven't yet tried it for frying donuts, but those of you concerned about hydrogenated fats might want to try the Crisco alternative from Spectrum Naturals: Organic All Vegetable Shortening. They also have a Non-Hydrogenated Organic Margarine (flavored with NATURAL butter flavoring!).

[dansangel]

((((Fawnn)))))

Thank you for the interesting link! Enjoy the rest of the thread!

[Fawnn]

Dried egg whites

Those are awesome! And so handy. (Much easier than separating eggs.)

Dried whole eggs are another story. Anyone have any tips or hints about how to make those taste good?

re: ...including artery-clogging palm kernel oil and coconut oil....

I'm going to sound like all I'm doing is posting "commercials," but that isn't my intent. Coconut oil has gotten a bad rap because of a questionable study sponsored by some canola oil outfit, if I recall. (Remember the controversy about movie theater popcorn? That's when this bad rap stuff got started.)

Now, having said that, the CHEMICALLY-EXTRACTED coconut oil used in most processed foods is gunky stuff. However, cold-pressed coconut oil is good stuff. It can be used at high temps without breaking down. (Some studies have even shown that because of the way it's digested/metabolized, it's essentially only half the calories of most other, even cold-pressed organic. fats. High in those good omega fatty acids, too.) Do a google.com search on "cold-pressed coconut oil" and you'll find lots of info out there on this!

[sweetliberty]

Homemade pizza anyone, fresh out of the oven. You'll have to get the critique from Budge...I took him over a piece.

.

.

...this very piece, in fact.

[Fawnn]

Duhhhhhhh I forgot to include the "commercial" in my last post:

re 2 tablespoons granular sugar substitute

I can't use artificial sweeteners. However, I can use WheyLow and I love it. It tastes like and is used measure-for-measure the same as sugar. There's a brown sugar version and others. It's an all-natural, low glycemic sweetener. (I use it to make some awesome almond brickle in the microwave. Unfortunately, that's still in my "psychic cooking" stage; iow, I guesstimate amounts and times and haven't recorded the specifics. Ditto the caramels I made with it. It can take high temps, so it's great for candy and baking!)

Whey Low is safe for diabetics, but it isn't calorie-free. Depending on the version, it is 1-4 calories per teaspoon; sugar is 16, so it's at minimum only 25% of the calories of sugar. I have a few recipes online using that sweetener on CookingWithPam.

[dansangel]

Oh wow....I think I'm in love - LOL!!

I absolutely *adore* pizza!

:-)

[Fawnn]

Here's a sneak preview of a recipe that'll be in my next cookbook, "The Everything Low-Salt Cookbook":

Pear Salad with Fat-Free Raspberry Vinaigrette
Serves 4
For a change of pace (and wonderful new flavor dimension), substitute 4 crushed pink peppercorns for the freshly ground black or white pepper. An alternative to using the frozen juice concentrate is to substitute American Spoon Foods Raspberry Salad Dazzler (see Appendix A); begin with 1 tablespoon of “dazzler” and add more, if desired, according to taste.

2 tablespoons Cascadian Farm Organic Raspberry Juice Concentrate
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon plain nonfat yogurt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black or white pepper
4 cups mixed salad greens (such as iceberg lettuce, green leaf lettuce, romaine, and radicchio), torn into bite-sized pieces
2 medium Bartlett pears, peeled, sliced, and diced
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
2 ounces bleu cheese, crumbled

1. In a small bowl, combine raspberry juice concentrate, water, white wine vinegar, yogurt, and pepper. Whisk well to combine.
2. Toss the salad greens with the vinaigrette. Divide the greens between 4 serving plates. Top with pears, nuts, and bleu cheese. Serve immediately.

Per serving:
Calories: 420.79
Protein: 5.34 g
Carbohydrates: 21.77 g
Total Fat: 36.41 g
Sat. Fat: 6.79 g
Cholesterol: 10.71 mg
Sodium: 207.48 mg
Fiber: 3.27 g

[SIDEBAR]
The Bleu Blues
Bleu cheese adds a salty flavor. Keep in mind, however, that not all bleu cheese is created equally. Some have a much bolder flavor than others. For example, you can substitute Roquefort cheese for the bleu cheese in the Pear Salad with Fat-Free Raspberry Vinaigrette, but you’ll only need a fraction of that cheese to achieve the same flavor.

Disclaimer: Once the editors get through with it, the format may be different in the actual book. ;)

(Shameless plug: I have links to my cookbooks on my profile page. My diabetes cookbook does NOT use ANY artificial sweeteners, btw.)

My "pear" request:
www.kenyonsgristmill.com carries "Queen’s River Cinnamon Pear Jam." I love that stuff! Anyone have a recipe for making cinnamon pear jam?

[StarFan]

Thanks goodness our power was restored or I would have missed giving Kudos to my favorite chef. Hope you're enjoying your day, my friend. It's about time!

[The Mayor]

You can't forget the salad..

[sweetliberty]

Nice touch. Thanks.

[StarFan]

I'm toying with the Atkins diet for our new book, soooooo if anyone is interested, I can share a few recipes with ya before they hit the street, so to speak!!

Having heard rave reviews I decided to go on it (after 2 days sticks aren't purple yet) and I cannot believe I'm dieting. I also bought "Dr. Atkins New Diet Cookbook" (published by M. Evans and Company) but would rather have your recipes. Do any include bread? );

[humblegunner]

Wholly guacamole that looks good!

I make m'own pizza, too... I use Boboli crust and add whatever strikes my
fancy at the time, usually massive pepperoni and onions but
sometimes if I'm ambitious I'll engineer an Italian sausage/bacon masterpiece.

That's it, I'm ordering pizza tonight.
(Too late to begin engineering a pizza, build on established
formats when needful!)

[lonestar]

That's not fair! Now I'm hungry again!

[sweetliberty]

Yes, the "engineering" of a pizza takes quite some time. I start by cooking up a pound of bacon. Then I cut up some lean pork loin and cook it up in a big pan along with some ground round or hamburger, sausage, onions, garlic, celery and green pepper. Then I make the crust using Pillsbury Hot Roll mix. After it rises the second time (in the pan) I precook it slightly (about 3 minutes) to keep it from getting soggy. Then I spread the sauce on the crust (either ready made or homemade) and add the mixture of meat and vegetables (well-drained). Then I tear up the bacon pieces and spread over it, followed by green (and sometimes black) olives, pineapple chunks and pepperoni. I top that off with a mixture of cheeses, this time I used cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan, then bake it until it is just the right shade of brown.

What I like about it is that it is so adaptable to different tastes. I usually use 5 meats, but sometimes vary the meats. Same with cheese, though I always use Mozzarella. I also vary the vegetables and seasonings depending on who I am cooking for. And for you fungus munchers, I have even been known to use mushrooms (the big ones so they're easy to see and remove!) LOL!

[Budge]

WTG Carlo! You desreve this honor!

Fix yourself some good coffee and a good treat -- then have them on me! I'll even toast you!

Really, my FRiend, this is great!!

[sweetliberty]

"That's not fair! Now I'm hungry again!"

.

[lonestar]

Thanks. And no, I don't have a recipe for pear jam.