Vegetable Egg Rolls

VEGETABLE EGGROLLS

1 head of cabbage ( shredded) or you can buy the one that is already shredded

3 shredded carrots

2 stalks celery

3 green onions (chopped

4 cloves garlic ( minced)

3 tbsp veg oil

3 tbsp soy sauce

½  tsp salt

½ tsp ground pepper

In a wok heat the oil then brown the garlic, about 2 mins or until brown. Thenput the cabbage, carrots, celery & green onion and stirfry the vegetable until the cabbage is soft, do not overcook veggies.  Then add salt , soy sauce & pepper.  Let it cool for wrapping.

Buy eggroll wrapper brand is “Menlo” , if you can’t find it ask the Asian store or Walmart. I don’t think Walmart will have this.  I like Menlo bec it is thinner and easy to separate. Separate wrapper carefully, lay a wrapper on a plate and put 2 or 3 tbsp or more depends on how big of an eggroll you want. Then wrap it and to seal it you put water at the fold & seal. Deep fry in a 375 degree oil.   I freeze  eggroll (unfried) for later.  The wrapper stick so lay wax paper on top of the other. J

Summer Squash Bundt Cake

It is that time of year when an abundance of yellow crooked neck squash and zucchini overwhelms even the most creative of cooks.  Our family prefers the many versatile uses of zucchini, so I am often left with a question mark when it comes to yellow summer squash. We love zucchini bread, so it stands to reason that a quick bread could rise from a pile of yellow squash. I've adapted several different recipes to come up with a bundt cake/quick bread that received rave reviews from my 8 and 10 year old children.

3 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 container vanilla Greek yogurt (ours was a Chobani 5.3 oz)
1/3 cup coconut oil, warmed just enough to liquefy
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground  cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves (to your taste)
2 cups finely shredded yellow summer squash
1 cup whole cranberries

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour a bundt pan or angel food cake pan. I used Pam cake release spray instead. Beat eggs in large bowl until fluffy, then add sugars, yogurt, oil, and extract. Beat or stir remaining dry ingredients gradually into egg/sugar mixture.  Stir in squash and cranberries. Pour into prepared pan and bake about 1 hour. Ovens vary, so I began checking my cake after 45 minutes.

A word on the yogurt and extract: It occurred to me that a container of lemon Greek yogurt and/or lemon extract would have been another tasty option.

I stirred together a powdered sugar glaze using lemon juice as the liquid simply because we were out of milk and the vanilla extract was used up in the cake. You could use a few tablespoons of milk and vanilla or lemon extract with the powdered sugar. I just combined until it was a good drizzling consistency.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

It is March 1 today, but there are no signs of spring here. It has snowed several inches today, adding to our already impressive snow pack.  So for dinner we needed something colorful, spicy, and comforting! This recipe was posted on another social network site, so I googled and found the recipe came from a blog called SimplyLoveFood. Here is my take on it:

olive oil
3-4 large bell peppers
1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cups cooked brown Basmati rice
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup corn
1 16 oz jar salsa
1 heaping TBL taco seasoning (packaged or homemade)
shredded cheese
cilantro, chopped (to taste)
guacamole or avocado
sour cream
shredded lettuce
additional salsa

Heat oven to 400.  Cut bell peppers in half, removing seeds. Rub the peppers with olive oil and roast in a baking dish for 20-25 minutes.  While they are roasting, brown the ground beef with the onions, and cook the rice...if you are using brown rice you will want to start this before anything else since it takes about 45 minutes to cook.  Remove peppers from oven.

In a large bowl, mix cooked ground beef, cooked rice, black beans, corn, taco seasoning, chopped cilantro and salsa. Spoon the mixture into the roasted pepper halves, and top with shredded cheese.  We happened to have taco seasoned shredded cheese and it was perfect. Bake another 15-20 minutes or until the peppers are cooked through.  Serve with shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and additional salsa.  

We used six medium pepper halves, and had a lot of the stuffing mixture left over.  I added another can of black beans to the leftover mixture, a little more taco seasoning, and put it in the freezer to use for burritos on another day.  

For vegetarians, visit SimplyLoveFood.  She has some great tips to adjust the recipe for vegans and vegetarians.

Rosemary Flax Crackers

All the blogs promised it was easy to make homemade crackers....and those bloggers were not telling tales! Made my first batch of homemade Rosemary Flax Crackers on this first day of the new year 2014 using this recipe.  I used 1 cup white whole wheat flour, about 1.75 cups of white flour and the rest flax meal to make up my three cups.  The other ingredients I followed exactly, with the exception of adding dried rosemary to the dough.  It is a good idea to let the dough rest a bit, and if you think you've rolled the dough thin enough, go ahead and do it a little thinner.  My first batch was slightly thick, and gave me more of pita chip texture.  Or hardtack.

I also skipped the step of brushing with water and putting seeds or sea salt on top because I didn't have anything on hand.  The crackers were seasoned nicely, but I wouldn't have minded a few sea salt crystals on top. Now that I know how easy it is, I'm going to have to try one of the recipes for cheese crackers.  

Fettucine With Asparagus and Peas

8-10 stalks asparagus
frozen sweet peas, 1 or 2 cups
1 lb fettuccine or linguine
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of one lemon
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter
salt & pepper
chopped fresh basil
fresh parmesan
pine nuts, toasted (optional)


saute garlic in olive oil, add butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper
add half of the chopped basil
steam or grill asparagus then cut in 2 inch pieces
cook pasta, add peas last four minutes to the pasta
add drained pasta with peas to sauce, stir in asparagus and toasted pine nuts
(add more oil or butter if needed)
top with grated parm and rest of chopped basil

White Cheddar Ale Soup

I have had a craving for North Peak Brewery's White Cheddar Ale Soup with mustard pretzel croutons lately.  However, that's a 2 hour drive for me, so I thought, "well how hard can it be.  It's ale, it's white cheddar, you can't really go wrong..."  As usual, I searched the net high and low for recipes.  One called for leeks, one for Worcestershire sauce, another for heavy cream.  I had none of these items on hand.  What I did have was a lovely winter ale and some white cheddar.  My blog is all about using what I have on hand to make delicious food at home because we live quite a drive from the grocery store and it is an even farther drive to find a great restaurant.  Below is what I came up with:

5 TBL Butter
2 carrots
1-2 stalks of celery
1 small onion
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk (2% is what I used)
12 oz bottle of ale
spicy brown mustard
8-10 oz grated sharp white cheddar cheese
salt, pepper
chicken stock

Halve the carrots lengthwise and thinly slice.  Dice the celery and onion finely. Saute veggies in butter, season with salt and pepper, simmer for 10 minutes. Add flour and whisk until bubbly, 1 or 2 minutes. Slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly. Add beer and mustard. I didn't measure the mustard, a couple squirts, perhaps it was a couple of teaspoons--you won't want too much.  Increase heat to medium high, bring to boil while whisking constantly.  Boil one minute, reduce to low and simmer 10 minutes.  The soup should be creamy at this point.  Mine was a little heavier than I wanted it, so I added a cup of chicken stock made with chicken base. I would recommend adding a teaspoon of the base to the soup even if you don't add the water to make stock. Once all this is incorporated and looking creamy, add the grated cheese a little at a time until it is combined.  Someone* (*the huz) got into my white cheddar, so I added a few crumbled slices of regular cheddar as well, and that was fine. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed, even a pinch of crushed red pepper if you like.  Serve with popcorn or croutons.

I was quite pleased with the results, if only I had the mustard pretzel croutons on hand.  But some popcorn popped on the stove top was a nice addition and a traditional accompaniment to "beer cheese" soup.

For dessert, I whipped up a batch of Banana Oat Cookies, a nice ending to a very comforting meal.

Vegan Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

There are a few vegans in our family.  I only dabble in it occasionally, after all it never hurts to eat more vegetables!  So I have scoured the web for a few good recipes in order to more easily break bread (heheh) with the family.  I had pumpkins.  I had cranberries.  And I ran across a pumpkin cranberry bread recipe here at What Would Cathy Eat?  I've tweaked it for muffins, which I prefer to quick bread loaf.  I just love this recipe, number one, the muffins are delicious.  Number two, you almost can't hurt it.  Sometimes I put in a little extra flax seed, maybe a heaping cup of pumpkin puree.  I'm not big into measuring so I eyeball the seasonings.  And as a matter of fact, the pictured muffins were made with roasted butternut squash puree.  I discovered this thanksgiving that Libby's canned pumpkin is actually a variety called the Dickinson pumpkin which is more closely related to butternut squash than your friendly neighborhood jack o'lantern.  Knowledge is power!

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
6 tablespoons orange juice
a bit of orange zest if you have it
1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup cranberries, roughly chopped or whole your preference

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix pumpkin, sugar, flax, orange juice & zest, vanilla and oil.  In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices, then mix into the wet ingredients. Fold in the walnuts and cranberries.

Fill 12 muffin cups, bake about 20 minutes.  Ovens are different so keep an eye on them the first time you make them.  Sometimes it seems I have a little too much for 12 muffins so I put the rest in a mini muffin pan (12).

Snobby Joes

This recipe is from The Post Punk Kitchen. (the joes are snobby because there is no meat so they think they are better than other joes)

1 cup uncooked green lentils
4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
1 green pepper, diced small
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons chili powder
dash of oregano
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/8 cup tomato paste
3-4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon yellow mustard

i also add 2 tablespoons of barbque sauce (sweet baby rays)

4 to 6 kaiser rolls or sesame buns (optional - for serving)

Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.

About 10 minutes before the lentils are done boiling, preheat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute a minute more. Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the maple syrup and mustard and heat through.Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes, so that the flavors can meld, or go ahead and eat immediately if you can't wait.

Dough..Ray? Me!

I'm not sure what Ray has to do with it, but I thought it was high time we had some pizza dough recipes posted up in here.  The first one is my basic dough recipe.  You can't harm this one....it will turn out a crust almost no matter what you do to it.  Over time your hands will get to know the feel of the dough and you will perfect the flour/oil/water ratio.  The recipe is a good place to start, but doughs take on a life of their own and sometimes need a little tinkering depending on the weather, humidity, heat and the strength of your hands or kitchen mixer.

3/4 cup very warm water
1 TBL olive oil
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 1/4 cup of all purpose or bread flour

Combine the water, sugar, oil and yeast in a large bowl.  Let it sit for a few minutes until it looks foamy.  Add the salt and 2 cups of flour, using a wooden spoon or a stand mixer, until it comes together a bit.  If you are using your hands, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 - 8 minutes.  Add the additional 1/4 cup flour (if it is still very sticky add a little more) the dough should be smooth and not sticky after kneading. If you press on it with your finger, it should spring back.  Let it rest for 30 minutes (or you can oil and cover and let it sit in the refrigerator until  needed...allow it to come back to room temperature  before using).  Spread in pizza pan, top with toppings and bake at 450 until it looks delicious!  If you are making it in your stand mixer, you really only need to knead it with the dough hook on speed 2 for a couple of minutes before letting it rest.

Fogazzo's Favorite Pizza Dough Recipe
I miss pizza on the east coast.  I have never found a duplication of the crust outside of the NYC/NJ area (and yes, the crust is just as good in Northern NJ, I will fight you New Yorkers to the death over it!! heheh).  So I began thinking about Semolina flour....and after some research on the net, found the linkup above.  I tried it out but did not leave quite enough time to proof the dough.  It still came out wonderfully and is the closest thing to the holy grail of crust that I have been able to come up with in my kitchen....remembering I have a basic hot point stove and not a real pizza oven!  It was beautifully brown on the bottom, thin but chewy.....delicious!!  I am really thinking about bagels now....you can't get a decent bagel outside that same area and if you have had one you know what I am talking about.  If not, please take my word for it.  My family has gotten on planes with a fresh bag of bagels as their only carryon.  I'm not sure if TSA would allow this now, I for sure do not want them groping my bagels!

Black Bean Mango Fresh Salsa

2 mangoes, peeled, seeded and diced
15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons cilantro, washed and chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 serrano chile peppers or hot pepper of you choice, finely chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
4 roma tomatoes diced
juice of 1/2 lime
2 ounces white wine

This salsa is originally from a recipe I have called "Blackened Chicken with Mango Salsa".  But we usually  serve it with grilled chicken marinated in our Fajita Marinade and a side of rice or tortilla chips.  It would also be delicious as an accompaniment to fish.  If you would like to try it with  blackened chicken, here is what you do:  First, open your windows because these breasts are going to smoke!  Preheat oven to 375.  Drege one side of 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts in 3 TBL of Paul Prudhomme's Magic spice or other spice blend.  In a very hot cast iron skillet, add a little olive oil and cook the chicken spice side down until blackened on that side.  Remove  chicken from skillet and place in a baking dish.  Pour 2 ounces of white wine over the top and cook until done, about 10-15 minutes.  The blackening process creates a bit of smoke, so be advised.  We've done it outside on top of a camp stove in order to avoid setting off the smoke alarms. 

You Had Me At Fritter! (zucchini fritter, that is)

• What to do when you have excess zucchini?  Fritterize them, of course!  The recipe and comments below are courtesy of my sister's kitchen, freshly tested today.  Next time she promises to take pictures.  These delectable fritters also come with her huz and 11-month-old-baby-boy seal of approval.  What higher recommendation can I give?!
• 
  
• 1 large zucchini, grated
• 1 small onion, grated
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
• Milk (i used a few tablespoons) 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste (next time i'd use fresh minced)
• paprika to taste
• cumin to taste
• dried parsley (optional)
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening (i used earth balance) 

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix ingredients together.
2. Heat about 1 tablespoon of shortening in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop 1/4 cupfuls of the batter into the skillet, and flatten slightly with the back of a spatula. Turn fritters over when the center appears dry. Cook on the other side until golden brown. Set aside and keep warm. Add more shortening to skillet as needed, and continue with remaining batter.

Chicken Tortellini with Pesto and Mushrooms

Don't go to McDonalds or a $5 Hot-N-Ready pizza joint when you're tired and can't think of what to make for dinner!  Here's a quick and  oh-so-easy dish that can be prepared for less than it would cost to have Fazoli's (blech!)  for two.

Two chicken breasts cut into strips (if you're really pressed, pre-cooked chicken strips)
1 TBL olive oil
1 or 2 cloves of garlic minced
1 can diced tomatoes with italian herbs, undrained
1 cup water
1/2 cup prepared pesto
9oz package of fresh cheese tortellini
8oz sliced fresh mushrooms
grated parm to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste

Saute chicken and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink.  Add tomatoes, water and pesto.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Stir in tortellini and cover. Simmer for about 7 minutes.  Add mushrooms and simmer covered for another 3 minutes.  Sprinkle with parmesan, season with pepper and salt if needed.  (I lived dangerously and cooked everything uncovered and it was fine).

Lemon Bars, Lemon Bars, Lemon Bars!

What's not to love about a shortbread crust topped with a delicious lemon custard?  When my mom and sister recently requested that I bring these to a family gathering, I was a little doubtful.  I've had bad results making custard style desserts in the past.  Nothing worse than a dessert that tastes eggy!  But being the obliging daughter and sister that I am, I scoured the net for a recipe and settled on this one.  It could not have been easier to make and the results were outstanding!

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 tsp kosher salt
6 large eggs at room temperature
3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
powdered sugar for dusting

Cream butter and sugar.  Combine flour and salt and add to the butter until just mixed.  Gather dough into a ball and press into a 9X13 pan, making a 1/2 inch edge on all sides. Chill for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350, and bake the crust for about 15-20 minutes until very lightly browned, let cool.  Leave oven on.

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and flour.  Pour over the crust and bake for 30-35 minutes until the filling is set.  Let cool to room temperature.  Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Easy Peasy Summer Sides

While there are actually no peas in any of these dishes, these last few gorgeous weeks of summer and a timely email from my sister prompted me to post these salad and side dish recipes.  A few easy minutes in the kitchen and presto! you are rewarded with some palate pleasing preparations to take to a picnic, potluck or enjoy all by yourself on the back deck!

SPINACH SALAD

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered

1 pound spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces

1 cup dried cranberries

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons minced onion

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup white wine vinegar (champagne)

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Hmmm, there are no instructions with this, but I think I can break it down for you:  Melt the butter in a skillet and toast the sesame seeds.  Toss together the spinach, almonds, cranberries and toasted sesame seeds.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the suger, minced onion, paprika, vinegars and vegetable oil.  Toss with the spinach mix and serve.

CHURCH LADY SALAD

Those of you who grew up in the church, especially during the 70's and 80's, have no doubt encountered the church lady in one of her natural habitats: the church potluck.  She'll be wearing a flowered blouse and a polyester skirt with a pair of white keds, but don't be fooled!  She has an arsenal of recipes that could easily knock down a crowd of hungry Baptists and have them begging for mercy.  Here is one of our time-honored favorites.

Mix together:

1 16oz pkg prepared cole slaw mix

½ c slivered almonds, browned in butter or oil, cooled.

½ c sunflower seeds

3 green onions, cut

1 package ramen oriental noodles, crumbled.

  

Dressing:

½ c sugar

½ c oil

1/3 c apple cider vinegar

oriental seasoning from noodle mix.

Grandma Carmel's Baked Beans

It isn't only church ladies that can turn out a mean side dish!  My Grandma Carmel considered bingo night at the Catholic Church sufficient for church attendance, but these beans would do themselves proud at any Protestant Picnic!

1 large jar Randall beans

1 cup white sugar OR more - until your teeth hurt, like Grandma used to say

minced shallots or onion (just a little)

salt and pepper to taste

a few strips of bacon on top, optional

bake in a glass 9 x 13 for about an hour at 350 or little longer if still soupy

Fajita Marinade and Pico de Gallo

This versatile marinade can be used for chicken, pork or steak fajitas or just as a general marinade for grilling. The measurements below are for 1 lb boneless meat.

FAJITA MARINADE

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Mix ingredients in large ziploc bag or shallow dish. Add meat, turn to coat, marinate 4-24 hours.

PICO DE GALLO

1.5 cups diced tomato--I like to use roma tomatoes

1/4 cup diced red onion or you could use some sliced green onion

1 TBL diced jalepeno

1 TBL minced garlic (adjust to taste)

2 TBL fresh cilantro

juice of 1 lime

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients.

Momma Kat Mac n Cheese

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

1 tablespoon grated fresh onion (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 cups shredded cheese (we use cubed velveta - about 3/4 to a pound)

2 cups thin white sauce (recipe follows below)

1 tablespoon butter

Cook mac (not too done). Place half cooked macaroni in ungreased 2 qt. casserole dish. Sprinkle with half the onion, salt, pepper and cheese. Repeat with second layer. Pour white sauce over top and dot with the butter. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 additional minutes.

Thin white sauce

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups milk

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. blend in flour, salt and pepper. Stir til bubbly and smooth. (more like a paste) Stir in milk slowly while whisking, heat to boiling over medium heat. Stir constantly! Boil and stir 1 minute.

Adventures With Chicken

I've been in a grocery shopping funk lately. The grocery store in our little town has higher prices and less selection than the stores in the college town 40 minutes away. I try to make a trip there once a week to do most of the shopping, but it's an all day affair and I've officially been a sale flyer slacker. Hence, the cupboards are getting quite bare, even by Old Mother Hubbard standards. I did have one last locally farm raised chicken in the freezer that I had put in the fridge to defrost and was going to cook in the evening for next day's meal. I don't usually get home in time to roast one of these chickens in a reasonable amount of time, as they are plump almost 7 pounders. Well wouldn't you know I forgot to get it going and here it was almost midnight. Curses! What could I possibly throw together for dinner the next day without a stop at the grocery store? Hmmm....I wonder if I can cook a whole chicken in the crockpot. Off to the interweb I flew, fingers flying furiously. Sure enough. I ran across some recipes "chop apple and onion, stuff the chicken...etc." Hey interweb, it's midnight, I'm not chopping apples and onions. So I threw caution to the wind and invented...

MIDNIGHT CHICKEN

1 thawed roasting chicken, in this case 6.5 pounds

Rinse, pat dry, rub all over with a little olive oil

Season generously inside and out with whatever concoction makes sense to your sleep deprived mind (season salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder)

Place chicken in the crockpot

Turn to high, go to bed, and wake up 5-6 hours later to perfectly done "roasted" chicken along with a couple cups of very rich stock.

Cover and put in the fridge for dinner tonight.

Take the children to school, go to work.

Come home later that afternoon and use a few cups of that delicious chicken to make

CHICKEN TETRAZZINI BAKE

1/2 cup chopped onion--no, we're out, substitute a bit of dried minced onion

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground sage

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cups chicken broth--how about delicious roasted chicken stock, YES!

1 cup milk

1 (4.5) oz jar sliced mushrooms--or fresh mushrooms, today canned, draiend

2 to 3 cups cooked chicken or turkey

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley--sorry cupboards bare, a bit of dried instead

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

7 oz cooked spaghetti--if you use 2 cups chicken, add another ounce or two

1/2 cup shredded swiss

Heat oven to 350. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt, sage and pepper, cook until bubbly. This only takes a minute or so. Stir in broth, milk, mushrooms. Cook and stir until mixture boils and is slightly thickened. Stir in remaining ingredients except swiss cheese. Spoon into ungreased 2 qt casserole. Sprinkle on shredded swiss and bake for 30 minutes. Garnish with parsley.

Resurrection Burgers

Today our blog entry is from guest chef Stephanie Roberts. Orginally from Brooklyn, NY, she is a writer, artist, musician, etc. and more, and now resides in Montreal, Quebec with her Huz and six delightful children. She promises these Resurrection Burgers are guaranteed to royally resurrect flagging spirits!

1 500 gram package ground lamb completely thawed

4 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon dried rosemary ground freshly with mortar and pestle

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 tablespoon onion powder

(i might experiment someday on replacing this with half of a medium sized onion, finely chopped)

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1. Mince garlic finely with your handy dandy chef's knife

2. Open ground lamb, add all dry ingredients and garlic.

3. Mix thouroughly.

4. Let sit covered at room temp for 1/2 and hour or in the fridge till needed.

5. Pat those bad boys into fat little burgers (i ended up with 6 patties)

6. Fry on low heat until done.

Serve with a *light*drizzle of maple syrup (TRUST me on this!), a spinach salad with finely chopped apple and crumbled goat cheese with a balsamic vinaigrette reduction. And a tall glass of Dieu du Ciel!'s Equinoxe de Printemps/Spring equinox maple scotch ale 8%. Deeelish!

Makes six servings or three...that is up to your little red wagon.

If You Give Your Sister a Baby Shower...

....she'll probably want you to do a vintage-themed tea party with all homemade food. So you get in the car, drive three hours to Detroit Metro Airport, fly in a completely packed DC-9 to LaGuardia even though you are not a good flier, get picked up in the Nissan Sentra, ride over the Triborough and the GW headed to Stony Point, NY. You get to stop briefly for an incredible dinner at Sonny & Tony's. Our Stuffed Rigatoni Bolognese, Ravioli ala Vodka Sauce and Eggplant Rollatini were absolutely divine!

The next morning you get up early, enjoy a quick breakfast at Bagel Boy and get to your shopping list. You hope the sketchy Shop Rite on the way will have everything you need, but it doesn't, so you end up going to the other Shop Rite anyway. The good news is that you get to visit the fabulous Rockland Bakery for the Panel, Italian loaves, sliced loaves and whoops, there are three Napoleons in the bag for a "light lunch"! After lunch, off you go to Sloatsburg to start in on the salads, gingersnaps, and lemon butter cookies. You work all afternoon, and pick up a delicious NY Pizza on the way back to Stony Point. You get an excellent and much-needed haircut from your favorite stylist. You chat and cackle with your beloved mom and sister and then fall into bed.

It's Shower Morning and Go Time! Get up, shower, load an obscene amount of supplies into the Sentra, stop in Sloatsburg to load still more supplies, then head to Bloomfield, NJ for the shower extroadinaire. The kitchen is located a mountain goat steep flight of stairs below the great room where the shower will take place, but thankfully, there are NO accidents with food platters or getting great Aunt Josie up and down the stairs. You spend the morning in the kitchen fast and furiously making tiny tea sandwiches with Kat and Marianna. It's a race to the finish, but you are done in time and the table spread looks spectacular!

Menu:

Chicken Salad Rounds Rolled in Smoked Almonds

Marianna's Excellent Egg Salad Triangles

Cucumber, Watercress and Chive Cream Cheese Triangles

Fresh Mozzerella, Tomato and Basil on Italian

Fresh Fruit Salad

Salad Greens With Balsamic Dressing

Ginger Snaps

Tea Biscuits

Lemon Butter Cookies

Mini Cupcakes from Two Little Red Hens in Manhattan

Old Fashioned Candies

Old Fashioned Punch

and Tea, of course!

Chicken Salad Rounds

Cooked Shredded Chicken

Hellmann's Mayo

Fresh Tarragon

smoked almonds, chopped in food processor

Combine chicken, mayo, tarragon

(do not make the chicken salad too moist)

Spread on bread

Cut into rounds

Spread more mayo around the outside of the sandwich

Roll in smoked almonds

Cucumber Watercress Triangles

Chopped fresh chives

Whipped cream cheese

Cucumbers

Watercress

Combine cream cheese and fresh chives

spread on both slices of bread

cover one slice of bread with paper thin sliced cucumber

top with watercress and coated bread

Cut off crusts and cut into triangles

Fresh Mozzerella, Tomato, Basil

Loaf of Italian bread, sliced, toasted or untoasted

Sliced fresh mozzerella (must be FRESH mozzerella)

Sliced Roma tomatoes

Fresh basil leaves

Layer cheese, tomatoes and basil leaves

Our cheese was so good we did not need to add salt and pepper

Corned Beef and Cabbage

This weekend we celebrated our Irish heritage by making a traditional meal of corned beef brisket, potatoes, carrots and cabbage. My maiden name is "Calkins" and I am descended from the Irish immigrants that settled in America during the great potato famine. The luck of the Irish indeed! Please enjoy a selection from the Irish folk rock band, The Corrs, while you put together the ingredients for this simple meal...

1 corned beef brisket (good sale prices abound around St. Patrick's Day)
red potatoes peeled and quartered
carrots peeled and cut into chunks
an onion quartered
a head of cabbage
red wine vinegar (instead of vinegar and some of the water, I've heard a bottle of Guiness gives good results)

Cover the bottom of a large crockpot with the potatoes, carrots and onion
Set the brisket on top of the veggies, add a few splashes of vinegar and enough water to come up around the brisket, sprinkle the contents of the brisket's included spice packet on top.

Cook all day on low or 5-6 hours on high.
core the cabbage and cut it into wedges
put it into a pot with some of the stock from the crockpot
Bring to boiling and steam until the cabbage is the consistency you enjoy.

Get a big platter, put the brisket on it surround by the vegetables, pour a little of the broth over everything. Serve with the extra broth and some Irish soda bread. I will find, test, and post a recipe for the bread at a later time.

Sláinte Mhaith!