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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ 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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ 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

[lonestar]

Sounds yummy!

[Aquamarine]

Good morning! Carlo is in the kitchen today, what a treat!

I sent Tooters this recipe the other day after seeing her recipe for a Chicken Casserole on her profile page. Lucky for me all I had to do was go to my mailbox and copy then paste it here. This is a quick, easy (especially if you use a store bought rotisserie chicken) and delicious recipe.

Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Pot Pie

Cooking time: 1 hour
Oven temp: 350 degrees

3-4 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1 (10 1/2 ounce) cream of chicken soup
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
Small package of frozen peas and carrots (thawed and cooked
a little) or a can of Veg-All drained
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup butter, melted

Place chicken in lightly greased 12 X 9 inch baking dish. Blend soup with broth then pour over chicken.
Arrange vegetables over chicken and broth.
Combine flour, buttermilk, and butter mixture in seperate bowl.
Pour over chicken and vegetables, covering all.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 1 hour or until crust is golden brown.
Serve with a tossed green salad.

[JustAmy]

Yummmmmm is right. Sounds great ..... I've printed that one to try later.

[dansangel]

Sigh. Wish we got a vacatiion! But frankly at the rate Billie pays us, I can't afford one.

Sheesh, that's for sure. Lars and I have been begging her for a newer, more upgraded H2 and that has fallen on deaf ears!

:-)

[MaryFromMichigan]

I have a little web site where I highlight a recipe from our books- just a nice place to share family recipes like the one for "Dandelion Wine" by my kids' great grand mother and "Lye soap" from my grandfather:

Lye Soap

6 pounds lard melted
1 can lye
2 1/2 pints hot water

Dissolve the lye in hot water.
Let cool.
Pour lye in slow and easy stream into melted lard. Stir till cool.
Pour in boxes that have been dipped in cold water. Cut into squares.

Dandelion Wine

"Pour one gallon of boiling water on one quart of dandelion blossoms.
Pick when the sun shines on them.
Let this stand over night and the next morning,
strain, and put two sliced oranges and four sliced lemons (with the rind on) but take out the seeds.
Add 1/2 cake of yeast ground in a fine powder and four pounds of white sugar.
Combine contents in a jar and let it stand eight days and then strain through a cloth and then let stand five weeks."

This recipe is from my children's great grand mother.
My brother in law recently made this wine.
It is very good- but has a surprising kick!

[dansangel]

Wow - the article really puts MREs into perspective. You just have to love those men and women for putting up with all that they do for our sake.

Thank you for the link. I think we all need to be more familiar with what our Military goes through to protect our freedoms.

[carlo3b]

Dandelion Wine

OHMYGAWD.. this brings back soooo many memories.. my Great Great Grandmother.. 102 years old, gave me a glass of Dandelion Wine at my 6th birthday party.. I have one of the few surviving pictures of her, in this one, we are each holding our glasses in a toast.. Thanks for the memories...

[dutchess]

Hi dansy...what a great thread today. And what a coop to get carlo to "guest host"

carlo...I absolutely LOVE the Clinton Legacy Cookbook. I collect and read cookbooks as a hobby (well not nearly as much since I discovered FR!) and the legacy is one of my favorites.

Would love some Atkins recipes...

(((((dansy)))))

(((((carlo)))))

[carlo3b]

Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Pot Pie

Yummmmm... No surprise to me...your recipes sound as wonderful as usual... Thanks for sharing it with us...

[JohnHuang2]

Yum, yum! Great job, (((((dansangel)))) and (((((Billie)))) :-)

[JohnHuang2]

And Great Job to you, too, amigo.

[dutchess]

Here's an unbelievable quick and easy recipe for Beef Brisket great for parties, potlucks or to have in the freezer for unexpected company. My grandmother and mother have served this since I was a kid and people are always asking for the recipe. Noone can believe it's so simple.

Party Beef Brisket

1 5lb beef brisket Look for nice thick pieces. (I usually ask the butcher for a whole one or get several smaller ones.)

1 pkg Lipton dry onion soup

Place brisket (DO NOT TRIM) in a baking dish, fat side up)

Cover with onion soup mix (do not add water)

Seal tightly with aluminum foil

Bake at 300 degree oven for 4 hours.

Remove and let cool. DO NOT BREAK SEAL. Store in fridge for 3 days (tightly sealed)

After three days, remove meat, trim off fat and cut in thin slices across the grain. Remove fat from juices and reheat in juices (or you can freeze in serving size packages at this point)

One presentation: arrange meat diagnally in baking dish in juices. Rewarm in oven or on stove. Serve on small party rolls dipped lightly in the juices accompanied with horseradish sauce. YUM!

P.S. I'm not sure if storing it sealed after baking for three days makes a difference but mom and grandma were threre ready to slap our hand if we dared peak as a kid. I had to break Mr. D. in the same way too LOL! So, atleast in our household, it's part of the mystic!

[carlo3b]

iceskater, don't pass out..LOLOL this isn't as hard as it looks..  I'll get you one a lot easier in a moment, but this baby is a keeper..

Tiramisu, Where are you?

Don't get scared off  because you have to begin 3 hours before serving or early in day.... nothing this good comes without a little sacrifice... Hahahahhaah

• 24 oz mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup Splenda (or equivalent of 3/4 cup sugar, sweetener of choice) (Nopardons turned me on to Splenda, and thank heavens she did)
• 1/2 cup prepared coffee
• 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 c. heavy or whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbs. splenda
• 2 tsp boiling water
• Almond Loaf (see recipe below)

1) In large bowl, with wire whisk or fork, beat mascarpone, salt, sweetener, 3 T. coffee, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp almond extract, and two-thirds of cocoa. (Set aside remaining cocoa for top of dessert.)
2) In small bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat heavy or whipping cream until stiff peaks form. With rubber spatula or wire whisk, fold whipped cream into cheese mixture.
3) In small bowl combine remaining coffee, remaining 1/2 tsp. vanilla, remaining 1/2 tsp almond extract and 2 T. water.
4) Line 2 1/2 qt. glass or crystal bowl with one-fourth of almond loaf. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the coffee mixture from step 3.
5) Spoon 1/4 of cheese mixture over almond loaf. Continue layering with almond loaf, coffee mixture and cheese mixture. Top layer should be cheese mixture. Sprinkle remaining cocoa over the top.
6) Place gelatin in a small cup. Gently add 2 tsp hot water and stir until gelatin is melted. Add 2 tsp. of the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream and mix.
7) In small bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat remaining 1/2 cup cream and remaining 2 T. Splenda until stiff peaks form. Slowly add the gelatin mixture.
8) Spoon whipped-cream mixture into decorating bag with large star tube. Pipe large rosettes on top of dessert.
Refrigerate until chilled and to blend flavors, at least 2 hours.
Serves 16.
 

Almond loaf

• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 3 tbs. flax meal
• 1/2 cup Splenda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 tsp. almond extract

1) Whip the egg whites till stiff but not dry and set aside.
2) Beat the yolks, the Splenda, the baking powder and the rest of the sweetener for 3-4 minutes on medium high speed. Beat in the nuts, flax meal and the almond extract on low. Then gently fold in the egg whites.
3) Grease a 10x13 casserole pan and then line it with parchment and grease again.
4) Spread the batter in the pan and bake at 350F for about 15 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
5) Cool 15 minutes on a rack. Turn upside down on a cookie pan to remove from casserole pan, and peel the paper off the back.
Allow to cool, and then, using a very sharp knife slice it in half horizontally to make 2 layers

[carlo3b]

Mornin, Big John... grab a cup and join us for breakfast..then Brunch.. followed by Lunch, then a snack... but don't eat tooo much, because you'll spoil your Dinner and we wouldn't want you to miss our special dessert!!! Hahahahahah

[carlo3b]

Good morning Princess Dutches,...sigh ...your Party Beef Brisket sounds wonderful...cut and paste...

[iceskater]

Yummmmmm, thanks! Tiramisu is one of my all-time favorites!

[jwfiv]

I woke up hungry, thinking right away what might be good for breakfast, so this morning's thread seems just perfect...except that I've been reading instead of eating so now I'm runnin' on empty...can I have some of those good mushrooms for breakfast?

Hmmm...actually...I know your busy, MIss Dansy, so I'll just burn a couple of panckes...that'll be plenty good...thank you...)

Carlo3b...you're the coolest...)))))

Good day to all our lovely Hostesses, and to all the Finest.

[iceskater]

Thank you both. I'm having people over at the end of the month and quite a few are doing lo-carb diets. Guess what I'll be serving?!! The brisket and the tiramisu both sound wonderful.

[carlo3b]

Heavenly Low Carb Cheesecake

Heavenly,  because it's out of this world... promise..... really..... trust me on this.... ;)

• 5 packages (8 oz ea.) cream cheese (must be at room temperature)
• 5 large eggs (must also be at room temperature)
• 3/4 cup Splenda
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350.
1) Spray a spring-form pan (they are easy to find, and great for cookies, so get one if you don't have one yet..:o)) with a non-stick spray.
2) In a large mixing bowl,  beat the eggs, cream, sweetener, and extract.
3) Add cream cheese in 2 oz chunks for easier beating, making sure to get all of the lumps out..
4) Pour into the pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. You must be careful to cook this all the way through.. test with toothpick. Chill completely, or leave in the fridge overnight, it is much better the next day anyway..
Guess what, only 9 carbohydrates per piece.
12 pieces per pie
Add whipped cream topping and/or any kind of berries..or nothing at all...yummmmm

[carlo3b]

you're the coolest...)))))

No, you are.... ;)