FOFC Recipe Box

[RainMaker]

I'm actually going to try that stew tonight although I am skipping the onions and will use some onion powder instead.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I'm actually going to try that stew tonight although I am skipping the onions and will use some onion powder instead.

Hope you like it! I made it tonight, too. Some serving thoughts, you can add rice or pasta if you want a starch (I usually just rely on the starch from the beans), it can be served over the rice or pasta. A small bit of Romano or Parmesan on top would also work.

/tk

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Hope you like it! I made it tonight, too. Some serving thoughts, you can add rice or pasta if you want a starch (I usually just rely on the starch from the beans), it can be served over the rice or pasta. A small bit of Romano or Parmesan on top would also work.

/tk

I was thinking of adding some whole wheat pasta to it.

Stupid question, but if I have frozen veggies, do I steam them first before adding them to the stew? Or can I just throw them in there frozen and they'll cook? I'm not very good in the kitchen.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I was thinking of adding some whole wheat pasta to it.

Stupid question, but if I have frozen veggies, do I steam them first before adding them to the stew? Or can I just throw them in there frozen and they'll cook? I'm not very good in the kitchen.

You should be able to throw them in at the same time as you add the broth and stuff, and they should be fine by the end. 45 minutes at a covered boil should be plenty for them to thaw and cook. Just make sure they're not too clumped (i.e. break apart big chunks if they're stuck together).

/tk

[cartman]

Here's a nice and easy snack/appetizer that is easy to make and awesome. I just whipped up a batch, and they didn't last too long. Should be easy to find the fresh figs this time of year.

Prosciutto wrapped figs

20-24 fresh, ripened figs
6-8oz. thin sliced prosciutto
Balsamic vinegar

Slice the stems off of the figs, then slice in half
Wrap half of a slice of prosciutto around each halved fig and secure with a toothpick
When all figs are wrapped, drizzle balsamic vinegar over everything

[MacroGuru]

Summer BBQ / Party Chip or Cracker Dip...


1 block of cream cheese
8 - 10 oz pizza sauce
bag of mini pepperoni's
8 oz shredded mozzarella

In a small pie pan or casserole dish, take the cream cheese and press into the bottom of the pan with a small spatula.

Add pizza sauce covering evenly over the cream cheese.

Add mozzarella evenly over pizza sauce, top with the mini pepperoni's

Bake at 350 until cream cheese us melted and it's nice and warm (usually 15-20 minutes)

[Dodgerchick]

This is always a hit.

Mexican Bean Salad

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn kernels
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Directions

1.) In a large bowl, combine beans, bell peppers, frozen corn, and red onion.
2.) In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, sugar, salt, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and black pepper. Season to taste with hot sauce and chili powder.
3.) Pour olive oil dressing over vegetables; mix well. Chill thoroughly, and serve cold.

[terpkristin]

Oooh these recent recipes sound good. DC, that corn salad sounds like a much fancier version of the black bean/corn salads I make for quick summer eats.

Basic Black Bean and Corn Salad
Ingredients
1 can corn (I use Niblets), drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 - 1/2 red onion, chopped (optional)
fresh cilantro, chopped
avocado, diced (optional)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste (optional)
extra virgin olive oil (optional)
juice from a lime
cooked chicken, chopped (optional)
mango, diced
diced yellow or red bell pepper (optional)

Directions
In a large bowl, mix the corn, black beans, onion (if using), cilantro, chicken (if using), bell pepper (if using), and mango. Mix in the lime juice and the hot sauce (if using). If a little more liquid is desired, use a little bit of olive oil or more lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If serving immediately, mix in the avocado and serve.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Salad
Ingredients
2 large (about 2.5 lbs.) sweet potatoes
2 large poblano peppers
one 14 oz. can black beans
1 can corn
1/4 diced red onion (optional)
1 medium lime
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 bunch cilantro
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees on the broiler setting. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray your poblanos with non-stick spray. Place the baking sheet with the peppers about 4 inches below the broiler coils. Roast the peppers under the broiler for 15 minutes on one side, flip them over then broil for another 5 minutes on the other side. You want the skin on the peppers to be all blistered and blackened. This will give them a nice smokey flavor. Don't worry, you will be peeling away the charred skin.

2) While the peppers are roasting, peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into even chunks about one inch square. Place the chunks in a bowl and toss them together with 3 Tbsp of olive oil, 2 tsp of cumin, 1/2 tsp of salt and about half a bunch of chopped cilantro leaves. Mix it all up until the sweet potato chunks are well coated.

3) When the peppers come out of the oven, put them into a resealable freezer bag and let them cool. The peppers will steam themselves in the bag as they cool allowing you to easily peel away the skin.

4) Turn the oven from broil to bake (still on 400 degrees), pour out the bowl of sweet potato chunks onto the baking sheet that was used for the peppers, and roast the sweet potatoes for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

5) Drain and rinse the can of black beans. Drain the corn. Finely chop 1/4 of a red onion (if desired). Put the beans, corn and onion together in a bowl. When the poblanos have cooled, peel off their skin, open them up to remove the seeds, seed pod and stem then cut the flesh into chunks. Put the chopped poblanos in the bowl with the other vegetables.

6) When the sweet potatoes are done, let them cool for about 10 minutes. In the mean time, chop the other half of the cilantro, and juice the lime. Mix the sweet potatoes, cilantro and lime together with the rest of the ingredients and serve. This dish can be eaten warm or cold!

You can also put this salad into tortillas and make enchiladas. Basically, you put some salad into the tortilla, add cheese, then roll the tortilla and top with enchilada sauce and more cheese. I usually make 4-6 enchiladas per can of sauce, with leftover salad to eat on its own.

/tk

[sterlingice]

DC adding another to the "awesome food photography" folder (even if I can't stand onions, that looks pretty)

SI

[Dodgerchick]

TK I love bean salads, your sweet potato salad sounds really yummy. I love anything that looks "burned". When I warm up tortillas I put them directly on the flame and make sure there are black marks, otherwise they don't taste right. Guess I'm used to it with my mom burning them when I was a kid lol.

SI - Thanks! I post a lot of pictures on my Facebook page and keep forgetting to put them here. Here is another super simple recipe that I came across when I ran out of eggs and milk for pancakes:

Vegan Pancakes

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon oil
Directions

1.) Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk the water and oil together in a small bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet. Stir just until blended; mixture will be lumpy.
2.) Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.



The black dots are vanilla pods from the Vanilla Sugar I made the previous week.

[MacroGuru]

I have yet to make this, but because I am a bacon nut, my dad sent this to me....I will be trying it sometime this week...

Pecan-Brown Sugar & Bacon Ice Cream (from 'Seduced by Bacon')
Ingredients
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
4 egg yolks
1 cup chopped pecans
1 pound bacon, cooked until very crisp, blotted on paper towels and finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
Cooking Instructions
Combine the cream, milk and sugar in a heavy saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until hot and sugar is completely dissolved, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until smooth. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the hot cream-milk mixture. Return the yolk mixture to the saucepan, beating constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, 6-8 minutes. Do not let it boil. Strain the mixture into a clean bowl and let it cool completely. Stir in pecans and bacon and freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. To showcase the ice cream's flavor, before serving, remove from freezer and let it soften slightly.

[jeff061]

So I realized recently I don't actually own any pots and pans and the like, if by some miracle I wanted to try cooking something I couldn't. No matter how much I wanted to. Which, despite being a stereotypical single guy, is just sad and pathetic.

So I went out and bought some no doubt overpriced 10 piece set. I proceeded to head to my Mom's old standby epicurious.com where the sheer amount of choices nearly put me in a coma.

So to summarize, thank you for this thread and all the potential in it! There are several recipes I'm going to give a go.

[tarcone]

I call this Poor Mans Pizza. I grew up on it and it sustained me throughout my bachelor years.

Bread
Pepperoni
American cheese

Set oven to Broil. Put however many slices of bread you want on a cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet on top rack near the burners. Let brown to your satisfaction. Not too long, it will burn.
Take bread out and turn over. Place american cheese slice on bread. Place pepperoni on cheese. Put back in oven. Watch closely. Cook to your taste.

In all it takes about 10 minutes.

It is a tasty lunch or dinner.

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

Ridiculously Easy and Awesome Roasted Potatoes

We had a ton of tomatoes from our CSA Share this year, so....

Ingredients:

Potatoes (honestly, it doesn't matter what kind or how much)
Olive Oil (type depends on personal preference, i.e. how much of an olive oil snob you are)
Salt
Pepper

1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees (F). If you have a convection oven, use that.

2. Wash spuds.

3. Cut spuds into half-inch pieces.

4. Chuck a single layer of spuds onto an oven pan (any kind of pan will do - the larger the pan, the more spuds you can cook). Drizzle with olive oil. Apply salt & pepper to taste (i.e. how much you like both salt & pepper).

5. Cook for 30 minutes, remove and try one. If it's still too raw inside, throw them in for another 15 minutes.

Use the dry Ranch Dressing on these. It is awesome.

[jeff061]

Originally Posted by tarcone

I call this Poor Mans Pizza. I grew up on it and it sustained me throughout my bachelor years.

Bread
Pepperoni
American cheese

Set oven to Broil. Put however many slices of bread you want on a cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet on top rack near the burners. Let brown to your satisfaction. Not too long, it will burn.
Take bread out and turn over. Place american cheese slice on bread. Place pepperoni on cheese. Put back in oven. Watch closely. Cook to your taste.

In all it takes about 10 minutes.

It is a tasty lunch or dinner.

Heh, I used to do this same thing, but did it in a sandwich. Kind of like a grilled cheese, but with pizza goodness.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by tarcone

I call this Poor Mans Pizza. I grew up on it and it sustained me throughout my bachelor years.

Bread
Pepperoni
American cheese

Set oven to Broil. Put however many slices of bread you want on a cookie sheet. Place cookie sheet on top rack near the burners. Let brown to your satisfaction. Not too long, it will burn.
Take bread out and turn over. Place american cheese slice on bread. Place pepperoni on cheese. Put back in oven. Watch closely. Cook to your taste.

In all it takes about 10 minutes.

It is a tasty lunch or dinner.

Sounds awesome, but why not use mozzarella?

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

Ridiculously Easy and Awesome Roasted Potatoes

We had a ton of tomatoes from our CSA Share this year, so....

Ingredients:

Potatoes (honestly, it doesn't matter what kind or how much)
Olive Oil (type depends on personal preference, i.e. how much of an olive oil snob you are)
Salt
Pepper

1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees (F). If you have a convection oven, use that.

2. Wash spuds.

3. Cut spuds into half-inch pieces.

4. Chuck a single layer of spuds onto an oven pan (any kind of pan will do - the larger the pan, the more spuds you can cook). Drizzle with olive oil. Apply salt & pepper to taste (i.e. how much you like both salt & pepper).

5. Cook for 30 minutes, remove and try one. If it's still too raw inside, throw them in for another 15 minutes.

Not sure why you told us about your abundance of tomatoes...but I digress ...to change things up a bit, try parboiling the cut potatoes before roasting them...changes the texture a bit and will also make ridiculously awesome home fried potatoes for the breakfast the next morning.

I've had an unhealthy fetish with coleslaw lately and have been experimenting with making my own dressing as I'm trying to replicate one from a local restaurant that is SO f'n good.

I'm not really one to measure everything out so this is all pretty informal:

Creamy Coleslaw Dressing With Teeth

about 3-4 tablespoons of mayo
couple squirts of your favorite hot sauce
1/2 tablespoon of pepper...that's a rough guess...but I like lots of pepper
1/2 tablespoon of any kind of salt...I like using seasoning salt
2 tablespoons of pickle juice from a jar of garlic dill pickles...I've tried vinegar, lemon juice, and slew of other things but so far the pickle juice, or a combo of pickle juice and lemon juice (a tablespoon of each) has been my favorite.
1 green onion finely chopped...or chives or whatever herb you'd like
*if you want a little more kick try adding a pinch or two of chili powder

Whisk it up and give it a taste. That usually makes enough for two pretty good servings so I'd add two generous handfuls of some bagged coleslaw mix (re: lazy) and toss it to make sure it gets nicely coated. Also, depending on how you like your coleslaw...if you want it creamier don't combine the dressing and the salad until you are ready to serve.

[johnnyshaka]

Mushroom Chops:

2 cups of sliced mushrooms...I prefer fresh mushrooms but you can use a can of sliced mushrooms if you like
4 pork chops...on the bone or not and thickness is up to you
1 can of mushroom soup and some water
salt and pepper for the mushrooms as well as whatever you want to season your chops with
EVOO and/or butter
preferably fresh herb for garnish and colour...parsley is a good one here but not necessary

Season the pork chops with S 'n' P (and whatever else you'd like to use...garlic powder...chili powder...it's up to you).

In the pan that you would normally use to fry up pork chops (and one you preferably have a lid for), fry up the mushrooms in a little butter and a little bit of EVOO and I would add S 'n' P to taste here, too.

Once done the way you like them, using a slotted spoon or tongs (to leave behind the yummy mushroomy goodness), remove them from the pan to a bowl for later.

In the pan you just fried the mushrooms in, add in the chops. Add a little EVOO if necessary. You don't want to cook them through just yet so if you usually fry them for 4-5 minutes per side then either turn down the heat or flip them a little sooner.

Once you've fried them to about 80% remove them from the pan to a plate. Turn the heat down to medium low (that is if you had your heat higher than that) and then add a can of mushroom soup followed by about half a can of water (this is up to you...you can add the full can of water or you can add none...I like it at about half a can) and stir to combine. Add the mushrooms you fried earlier and then add the nearly done chops. Reduce the heat to low and cover for about 5-10 minutes or until the chops are done. If you don't have a lid, no worries, just simmer it but you may have to add a little more water.

To add a little colour, chop up your favorite herb...I like parsley if I've got it...and toss it in when it's done. Serve it with some brown rice, or your favorite pasta...preferably something that will help soak up the mushroomy goodness.

[johnnyshaka]

Salmon in a Pouch:

Per Pouch (1 pouch per person):

1 salmon fillet...steak cut would work but I think the fillet is better suited here
juice of half a lemon
1 garlic clove finely chopped or minced
pinch of fresh chopped parley
salt and pepper to taste
a little bit of butter
two pieces of foil

Preheat your grill to medium to medium-high.

Lay out the first pieces of foil and rub a little bit of EVOO on it. Fold up the edges of the foil to catch any liquid while you prepare the pouch. Place the salmon fillet in the middle of the foil and rub a little EVOO on it as well. Season both sides with S 'n' P. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the salmon. Add a little dollop of butter on top of the salmon. Sprinkle garlic and parsley over top of the salmon. Rub a little EVOO on the second piece of foil and then place it on top of the first piece essentially making a sandwich. Fold up the four sides to make a pouch or envelope but leave a bit of room...meaning don't wrap the fish up tightly in the foil.

Repeat that for each pouch you want to make.

For a fillet about an inch thick you should have it on a closed grill with medium to medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. There is no harm in taking it off a little sooner to check doneness if you aren't sure but don't wait too long...overcooked fish is a sin.

You could add your favorite veggies to the pouch and adjust your cooking time but I prefer to add a few skewers of peppers, onions, and mushrooms to the grill instead.

[k0ruptr]

Originally Posted by k0ruptr

My GF has some excellent filipino/local food recipes, if there is any interest , I'll ask her if I can post em.

damn, I forgot to ask her and get back on this one. Any interest still? If there is I'll try to get at least an Adobo recipe and another Filipino one of something, maybe some kind of pork eggplant variation.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by k0ruptr

damn, I forgot to ask her and get back on this one. Any interest still? If there is I'll try to get at least an Adobo recipe and another Filipino one of something, maybe some kind of pork eggplant variation.

YES!


/tk

[terpkristin]

Not an original recipe, but I really dig this super-easy white bean chicken chili (I made it for the first time last week):

Makes 4 (1-cup) servings.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 pounds pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt with parsley
3/4 teaspoon oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) white beans, undrained
1 can (4 1/2 ounces) chopped green chiles, drained
1/2 cup chicken broth

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and onion; cook and stir 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
2. Stir in spices and remaining ingredients until well blended. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with assorted toppings, if desired.

Source: http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Mai...ken-Chili.aspx

I've been eating it with a bit of brown rice and some green vegetables, yielding a super tasty and healthy dinner. YUM.
/tk

[Dodgerchick]

Originally Posted by jeff061

Heh, I used to do this same thing, but did it in a sandwich. Kind of like a grilled cheese, but with pizza goodness.

oh yeah.. a pizzawich!! Pure yummy goodness. If we run outta bread I've done the same with tortillas but on the stovetop with a bit of butter.

[Dodgerchick]

Yes on the filipino food!!!

[ntndeacon]

I loved making pizza outta pita bread. slather each one with a chunky pasta sauce top with sliced onions and either shredded mozzarella or shredded 6 flavor italian cheeses. cook at 350 til the chese starts bubbling. tasty tasty...


One of the better experiments I have tried was a grilled pineapple.

ingredients were :
one cored pineapple
cinnamon
cayenne pepper

slice into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch slices. liberally coat with cinnamon and cayenne pepper. pour the remainder of the juice on top. then throww it on the grill. I am not sure of the time but it wasn't long. they were sweet but spicey and delicious.

[Doug5984]

From Tom Fitzmorris, hosts a food show on WWL Radio in New Orleans...

Barbecue Shrimp

Barbecue shrimp, one of the four or five best dishes in all of New Orleans cooking, is completely misnamed. They're neither grilled nor smoked, and there's no barbecue sauce. It was created in the mid-1950s at Pascal's Manale Restaurant. A regular customer came in and reported that he'd enjoyed a dish in a Chicago restaurant that he though was made with shrimp, butter, and pepper. He asked Pascal Radosta to make it. Radosta took a flyer at it. The customer said that the taste was not the same, but he liked the new dish even better. So was born the signature dish at Manale's. The dish is simple: huge whole shrimp in a tremendous amount of butter and black pepper. The essential ingredient is large, heads-on shrimp, since the fat in the shrimp heads makes most of the flavor. Resist the urge to add lots of herbs or garlic. I know that the amount of butter and pepper in here are fantastic. But understand that this is not a dish you will eat often--although you will want to.

* 3 lbs. fresh Gulf shrimp with heads on, 16-20 count to the pound
* 1 Tbs. lemon juice
* 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
* 1/4 cup dry white wine
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1/4 cup black pepper
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 3 sticks butter, softened
* 2 tsp. paprika
* 1 loaf French bread

1. Rinse the shrimp and shake the excess water from them. Put them in a large skillet (or two) over medium heat, and pour the lemon juice, wine, Worcestershire, and garlic over it. Bring the pan to a light boil and cook, agitating the dish, until the shrimp turn pink.

2. Cover the shrimp with a thin but complete layer of black pepper. You must be bold with this. Trust me, it is almost impossible to use too much pepper in this dish. Continue to cook another couple of minutes, then sprinkle the paprika and salt over the pan.

3. Lower the heat to the minimum. Cut the butter into tablespoon-size pieces, and add three at a time to the pan, agitating the pan as the butter melts over the shrimp. When one batch is completely melted, add another until all the butter is used. Keep agitating the pan to make a creamy-looking, orange-hued sauce.

4. When all the butter is incorporated, serve the shrimp with lots of the sauce in bowls. Serve with hot French bread for dipping. Also plenty of napkins and perhaps bibs.

Serves four to six.
---------------------------------------------------------------



I tweaked the recipe a little...i added a little more Worcestershire sauce, a little more lemon juice, I added some other seasoning- tony's, onion powder, garlic powder, a little more butter. This is a VERY easy thing to cook. Didn't take that long either. The main thing is getting some big fresh shrimp with the heads & shell on. (If you can- buy Louisiana shrimp- always the best )

Edit to add: you don't have to follow the ingredients exactly, I guesstimated on most everything, cooked til I got the look and smell I liked, but still a very very easy recipe, and that's my picture from tonight

[terpkristin]

Tailgating season (GO TERPS!) is just about upon us (Maryland opens up against Navy on Labor Day), and as a Terp football season ticket holder, I'm always looking for new stuff to bring to tailgates. I'm definitely going to try out DC's black bean salad, as well as a recipe for apricot oat bars that I saw on Giada at Home (recipe: Apricot Oat Bars Recipe : Giada De Laurentiis : Food Network)

Any other tailgate recipes?

/tk

[terpkristin]

Since I mentioned it on FB today, thought I'd share it here. One of my favorite Indian dishes is Baigan Bharta. With eggplants and tomatoes in season here in the mid-Atlantic, I had a grand time making this today with finds from the farmer's market:

Baigan Bharta
From Flavors of India by Madhur Jaffrey
Ingredients
3.5 lb eggplant
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp peeled and very finely grated fresh ginger root (or you can substitute ginger powder if you don't have fresh)

1 Tbsp very finely chopped garlic (I use about 3-4 cloves, minced)

4 peeled plum tomatoes, finely chopped (1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes will also work)

3-5 fresh hot green chilies, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cayenne
2 tsp salt
2 cups fresh cilantro, finely chopped (I almost always forget to put this in, the recipe still tastes awesome)



Directions
Prick a few holes in the eggplants. Stand one directly on top of a medium-low gas flame. Hold it with a pair of tongs until the bottom has charred. Lie it down on the flame and move it back and forth until one section is completely charred. Keep turning the eggplant until it is charred on the outside and soft on the inside. Do all the eggplants this way. Hold one eggplant at a time under running water and peel off the charred skin. Collect all the pulp in a bowl and mash it lightly.


If you wish to use the oven to do this roasting, you may, though the bharta will not have its traditional smoky taste. Pre-heat the oven to 475. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and place them, cut-side down, on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the eggplants have collapsed slightly. Remove from the oven and spoon out the flesh. Discard the skin. Roughly chop up the flesh and set it aside.


Heat the oil in a wok or wide, preferably non-stick pan over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for 20 seconds. Put in the onion. Stir and fry until the onion is translucent. Add the ginger and garlic. Stir and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chilies, cayenne pepper, and salt. Stir and fry for 2 minutes. Turn the heat to medium-low and continue to cook for another 7-8 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft. Put in the eggplant pulp. Stir and fry for another 5 minutes or until the vegetables are melded together.


Add the fresh cilantro, stir and remove from the heat.


Serves 4-6.

/tk

[Coffee Warlord]

CW's Giardiniera Chicken & Rice

Crock Pot

3 Chicken Breasts
Chicken Broth
1 jar, hot Giardiniera (mild is fine, but I like the hot ones)

Dump about 75% of the jar of peppers into crock pot, with chicken cut into halves. Fill remainder of crock pot with chicken broth (so the chicken is pretty much submerged) - add a little black pepper to the mix.

Let the crock pot do it's thing. You can add additional peppers / stock if necessary.

When you're close to ready to eat, start the rice. Cook a decent amount of white rice, add lime juice and cilantro (to taste) after about 95% of the water has been absorbed, and let rice finish cooking.

While rice is cooking, add a SMALL dash of baking soda directly to the crock pot mixture - this will take the acidic bite out of the chicken & peppers. You'll be rewarded with a nice little science experiment as the mix bubbles.

Serve chicken, peppers, and rice. Enjoy.

[PilotMan]

Cinnamon Cheesecake Bars

Fantastic!

Ingredients

2 tubes of crescent dinner rolls

2 8-oz packages cream cheese

1 egg white

1 cup sugar (divided)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 9- by 13-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Unroll one tube of crescent rolls, and press to line the pan to make the bottom crust.

3. Mix cream cheese, egg white, 2/3 cup of sugar and vanilla until smooth. Pour on top of crust.

4. Spread second tube of crescent rolls on top, and press to make the top crust.

5. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on top, lightly rubbing some of the mixture into the top crust.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Serves 8-10.

[terpkristin]

Oh man that sounds super tasty. I'm hungry again now..

/tk

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I don't have much to contribute in regards to recipes, but thanks to TK for this thread. Lots of good stuff in here.

[MizzouRah]

Pilotman, I might make that to take to a bonfire tomorrow, thanks!

[Raiders Army]

Bacon/PorkChop Haluski

This is a little twist on the allrecipes haluski recipe adding bacon for additional flavor (because bacon is good with everything).

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds of pork chops
1 package of bacon (we like the peppered bacon)
1 onion, chopped
1 large head cabbage, cut into 1 inch squares
1 pound large egg noodles
Chopped garlic
Garlic powder

We use an electric skillet for easy clean-up. Cook the pork chops (sprinkled with garlic powder) and bacon, saving the bacon grease. At the same time on the stove, boil water for the noodles. Remove the pork chops and bacon and throw in the chopped onion, however much chopped garlic you want, and squared cabbage and let it cook down. While the cabbage and onion are cooking down, throw in the noodles into the water and cut the pork chops and bacon into bite size pieces.

When the cabbage and onion are cooked down, throw your noodles, pork chops, and bacon back into the skillet and toss thoroughly. Sprinkle with salt'n'peppa if you like. Serve hot.

The bacon adds a great flavor to everything and my picky kids ate it.

[Raiders Army]

Oh, we also want to try these apps we saw on the Travel Channel that were fried bacon-wrapped potato tots with melted cheese.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Oh, we also want to try these apps we saw on the Travel Channel that were fried bacon-wrapped potato tots with melted cheese.

Man vs Food

Those looked great!

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Man vs Food

Those looked great!

Yeah yeah! Anyhow, I made them today without cheese. They weren't bad, but they weren't as delicious as I thought. I got thick cut bacon and wrapped half a piece around a tater tot and jalapeño. I'll post a pic of the leftovers (2 out of about 20 I made).

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Yeah yeah! Anyhow, I made them today without cheese. They weren't bad, but they weren't as delicious as I thought. I got thick cut bacon and wrapped half a piece around a tater tot and jalapeño. I'll post a pic of the leftovers (2 out of about 20 I made).

OOohh.. you are making me hungry!

[Raiders Army]

Okay, trying again with a resized pic.

For the record, even half a piece of bacon is too big to pop in your mouth at a time. The jalapeño slice added a good bit of zip to it. I also had to let the tater tots sit for about 15 minutes before they were soft enough to get the toothpick in. The one on the left is without the jalapeño and the one on the right is with.

[terpkristin]

Hmm must have missed that Man v. Food. Funnily enough though, on one of Bobby Flay's grilling shows this morning, he and his guest did grilled bacon-wrapped potatoes, that they then took some of the potato out and stuffed it with cheese and asparagus. Looked hella tasty, might not have been the right thing to watch while I was at the gym.

/tk

[MizzouRah]

Yeah, those look good RA.. I'm assuming the ones on M v F were from a company that already had them pre-frozen?

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Cinnamon Cheesecake Bars

Fantastic!

Ingredients

2 tubes of crescent dinner rolls

2 8-oz packages cream cheese

1 egg white

1 cup sugar (divided)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 9- by 13-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Unroll one tube of crescent rolls, and press to line the pan to make the bottom crust.

3. Mix cream cheese, egg white, 2/3 cup of sugar and vanilla until smooth. Pour on top of crust.

4. Spread second tube of crescent rolls on top, and press to make the top crust.

5. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on top, lightly rubbing some of the mixture into the top crust.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Serves 8-10.

These were a hit last night and so simple and cheap to make.

Next time, I'm going to put a can of cherry pie filling after the cream cheese mixture and then no cinnamon/sugar on top, just the crescent roll dough..

[PilotMan]

Good to hear!

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Yeah, those look good RA.. I'm assuming the ones on M v F were from a company that already had them pre-frozen?

I can't remember. The cooking instructions on the tater tots was to deep fry them for 3-4 minutes, which I did (albeit with bacon wrapped around them!).

[Raiders Army]

Does anyone have a good batter recipe for deep frying? The stuff you get at the supermarket that you add water isn't any good.

[terpkristin]

Don't usually deep fry (actually haven't deep fried anything since high school), but Alton Brown's beer batter recipe looks more or less like what I've done in the past:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bottle beer, cold (lagers or brown ales work well)

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and any other desired seasoning. Whisk in the beer until the batter is completely smooth and free of any lumps. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Note: The batter can be made up to 1 hour ahead of time.

Me, I usually just dredge if I'm pan-frying (egg wash followed by flour followed by cornstarch or panko or other bread crumbs). Do the same for chicken wings.

/tk

[Comey]

It really isn't a recipe, but I'm always shocked by the amount of people who aren't aware of this.

Buffalo Chicken Ranch pizza

Take chicken breast, chop and fry it up, adding in sauce as you see fit. Place ranch on pizza crust, in lieu of the marinara sauce. When chicken is finished, place on the pizza. Add the mozzarella, and put in the oven.

You could also do this without the buffalo chicken. I call them (in breadstick form) Pokey Stix, after the most delicious dish you can get at Gumby's in State College, PA.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by Comey

It really isn't a recipe, but I'm always shocked by the amount of people who aren't aware of this.

Buffalo Chicken Ranch pizza

Take chicken breast, chop and fry it up, adding in sauce as you see fit. Place ranch on pizza crust, in lieu of the marinara sauce. When chicken is finished, place on the pizza. Add the mozzarella, and put in the oven.

You could also do this without the buffalo chicken. I call them (in breadstick form) Pokey Stix, after the most delicious dish you can get at Gumby's in State College, PA.

One of my favorite local pizza joints makes a buffalo chicken pizza in just this way. It is hella tasty.

/tk

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

Don't usually deep fry (actually haven't deep fried anything since high school), but Alton Brown's beer batter recipe looks more or less like what I've done in the past:
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bottle beer, cold (lagers or brown ales work well)

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and any other desired seasoning. Whisk in the beer until the batter is completely smooth and free of any lumps. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Note: The batter can be made up to 1 hour ahead of time.

Me, I usually just dredge if I'm pan-frying (egg wash followed by flour followed by cornstarch or panko or other bread crumbs). Do the same for chicken wings.

/tk

Thanks. I think I'm missing the refrigerate portion when I do this. How store-bought onion rings are so thick I have no idea.

[MacroGuru]

I forgot my Tamale Pie recipe...I made it tonight because the kids wanted it..

1 pound burger
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 Taco Seasoning Mix
1 can of corn
Box of Jiffy Corn Bread Mix

Saute the Onion and Garlic. Add the burger, brown it. Follow the Taco Seasoning Mix Recipe..Add the can of corn.

Mix the corn bread into the batter.

Take the meat, place it at the bottom of a casserole dish...top with the corn bread and bake at 400 until the corn bread is baked through.