Jaymes

Hey - that still makes it Greek. Right?

Harvey Wallbanger Cake? Pina Colada Cake?

CHILAQUILES: TOMATILLO SAUCE 1 tsp or so cooking oil (just enough to cover botton of saucepan) 6 or so whole tomatillos, paper skins removed jalepeños, or other chile peppers, to desired "pica" water to cover Put tomatillos and chiles in saucepan and water, just to barely cover. Bring to boil and cook just till tomatillos are soft (not too long, don't want them "mushy"). Put tomatillos and peppers (do no 2 small cloves garlic 1 tsp salt 1/4 c chopped onion "handful" cilantro 2 tsp "caldo de pollo" (which I interpret to mean powdered chicken boullion, but I don't know for sure...should have asked, but never did...that's what I add and it comes out fine) Blend in food processor very well. Add cooking water to reach desired "sauce" consistancy...you want it fairly liquid, but flavorful and not "watered-down" tasting, so use your own judgment CHILAQUILES: Salsa verde (tomatilla sauce); torn tortilla chips (the best to use are stale corn tortillas, fried - and although as with most things, the better the quality of the ingredients, the better the final dish, my Mexican friend Lita uses Fritos and told me not to laugh before I tried it and I didn't and I did and she's right, although they are not so good as regular tortillas, as a shortcut, they work just fine); queso manchego (or asadero, or ranchero, or fresco, or any other Mexican white cheese that you like); and sour cream. In bottom of microwaveable dish, spread a little tomatilla sauce, then layer of Fritos, then more sauce, then sour cream, then "bastante queso" (enough cheese).Repeat, until dish is full or ingredients are all used up, finishing with cheese. Microwave one minute, or till chilaquiles are heated through and cheese is melted. You'll probably have to experiment a time or two in order to get all of the proportions just right. Keywords: Mexican ( RG422 )

Can't seem to help myself. Am compelled to post here this story about how I discovered there was no Santa Claus. My father was quite the gourmand. And when I was about six years-old, after chatting with some of my little friends, I realized that at their houses on Christmas Eve they always left out a plate of cookies and glass of milk. While at OUR house, we left out a plate of cheese and a vintage port. I remember being quite puzzled about this. So puzzled, in fact, that I asked my daddy why that was. After thinking it over for a minute, he said, "Well, Santa gets sick of all that sweet stuff." But the more I thought about it, the more I slowly began to suspect that there was more to it than that. WAAAAAAAY more.

How about Le Skipper? Anyone been there?

Come to Austin, Dear Girl. I'll stick you in the car and take you away to the land of unlimited clay bowls.

Sourdough Biscuits C. AP flour 1-1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 T sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 c starter 1/2 c shortening Combine all ingredients, starting with dry ingredients, and knead on a floured board or pastry cloth 10 times. Pat out to 3/4" thick. Cut out biscuits, either round with top of glass, or (easier) just make square biscuits. Place in greased pie pan and bake 425º for 15-18 minutes. Makes 8 large biscuits Keywords: Side ( RG415 )

Sourdough Fruitcake 1/2 c raisins 1-1/2 c currants 3 c mixed candied fruits, or peels, or dates, figs, etc. 1 c hard cider (or sherry, port, rum, Muscatel or brandy) 1 c sugar 1 c brown sugar 2/3 c shortening (I use buttery-flavor Crisco) 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp allspice 2 eggs, beaten 1 c sourdough starter 1 c sliced almonds (or chopped pecans) 4 c sifted AP flour 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp salt Rinse, drain, coarsely chop raisins; rinse, drain and pick over currants; chop fruits and peels. Combine all fruits with cider (or wine or brandy or whatever). Cover and let stand overnight. Cream together the shortening and spices until fluffy. Beat in eggs. Stir in starter. Combine with fruit mixture and nuts. Sift flour, soda and salt together into batter and mix well. Turn into two loaf pans that have been greased and lined with heavy brown paper. Bake below oven center in very slow oven (275º) about 2 1/2 hours. Remove from pans. Cool on wire racks before turning out and removing paper. Spoon additional 2 or 3 T wine or cider over each cooled loaf before storing. Wrap in foil and refrigerate. These will mellow day by day. Keywords: Dessert, Cake ( RG414 )

I speak a rather sketchy form of "Spanglish;" at best, one might call it "tourista Espanol." And so, I may well be mistaken - let's say that up front. Therefore, if an expert arrives and contradicts this, let's all go with what the expert says. That said, I have always understood "masa" to simply mean "dough." It could be made from either corn or wheat flour, or something else. Corn is maíz; flour is harina; wheat is trigo. I think.

Easy?

New Orleander? Great post, Deacon.

German Red Cabbage When I was a kid, we lived in Germany. We had a wonderful cook who made red cabbage all the time. My dad got his recipe from her, and that's the one I use. Want to say that I think the biggest mistake people make with this dish is by adding too much to it. It's better, I think, when the flavors are more subtle, and don't just knock your lederhosen off. 5 slices bacon, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 head red cabbage (about 2 lbs), cored and sliced 2 large (or 3 small) tart apples, cored and sliced thinly - no need to peel 2 tsp flour 1/4 c vinegar 1/4 c brown sugar 1-1/2 c dry red wine 1/2 tsp orange zest Dashes and pinches, etc., of whatever spices you're in the mood for: whole cloves, allspice, caraway, thyme, bay leaf, nutmeg, cinnamon but not too much - you don't want to overpower the cabbage Salt & pepper to taste Saute the bacon in the bottom of a Dutch oven or stewpot. Add onion and cook til limp. Add cabbage and turn in the fat. Core and thinly slice apples and add them. Dust with the flour and turn and stir until incorporated and flour has cooked a little. Add the vinegar, sugar, 1 1/2 cup wine, orange zest and whatever spices you're in the mood for. To help you out, inhale the aroma of the cooking cabbage, and then take a sniff of your spice. Add whatever seems to go together. But not too much. Some people add garlic, but I don't like it in my red cabbage for some reason. Probably just not what I'm accustomed to. Cover and cook slowly till tender and flavors are well combined. I usually either do this in a 300º oven for a couple hours or, if I'm going to be out of the house all day, a crock pot. Before serving, taste for salt & pepper, and if flavor is too strong, add a little hot water. Keywords: Side, Vegetables, Crock Pot ( RG387 )

Russian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls This is good. Really good. Company good. 12 large cabbage leaves 1 lb lean ground beef 1 onion, grated 1/2 c cooked rice 1/2 tsp salt pepper to taste 2 c canned tomatoes, broken up 1/2 c raisins 1 onion, finely chopped 2 T vinegar 2 T sugar 1/2 c corn syrup gingersnaps sour cream to garnish Soak cabbage leaves in boiling salted water til limp (one good and easy way to do this is to put the whole head in the water and remove one leaf at a time as they become limp); drain and dry with paper towels. On the first few large leaves, turn them over and trim back any really big veins that are down by the core. Line a Dutch oven with one layer of these big leaves. Combine beef, grated onion, rice, salt and pepper. Place a small portion of mixture in each cabbage leaf. Roll up and secure with wooden toothpick. Place in Dutch oven. Repeat til all cabbage leaves are full. Combine tomatoes, raisins, chopped onion, vinegar, sugar and corn syrup. Pour over cabbage rolls. Add enough water to barely cover rolls. Cover and cook at slow boil for one hour. Place layer of gingersnaps over rolls, cover, reduce heat and simmer for one hour longer. Serve hot with sour cream garnish. Keywords: Main Dish, Beef ( RG383 )

Brown Sugar Snap Cookies Here's another recipe for cookies that is traditional in our family through the holidays - and frankly, pretty-much all through the year, because they are so easy to make, and the ingredients are always on hand. The flavor is kind of butterscotchy/caramely, and they are addictive for sure. 1-1/2 c brown sugar 1/2 c butter, melted 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp salt 1 egg, slightly beaten 1-1/2 c sifted all-purpose flour 1 c pecan halves, or other nut, or shredded coconut Combine well, drop by spoonsful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375º for 11-12 minutes. They burn quickly, so don't get distracted! Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Cookie ( RG382 )

Caramel Popcorn I use an air popper. This stuff is NEVER around long enough for me to worry about it going stale. I can tell no difference in the final result of this recipe between air-popped and regular oil-popped [although I've never done a side-by-side taste test]. Also, in a pinch - like when I'm in a hurry or the popper is broken - I have made it with those big bags of pre-popped corn that you can buy in supermarkets. I don't think it's quite as good, but darn close and is still promptly and enthusiastically all eaten. The only caveat is that the already-popped stuff is also already salted, so if you use it, be sure to reduce the amount of salt in the recipe.) 6 qt popped corn 1 c butter 2 T molasses (or 100% maple syrup, but I like molasses better) 1/2 c light corn syrup 2 c light brown sugar 1/2 tsp salt (see above) 1/2 tsp baking soda 1-1/2 tsp vanilla 1 large pkg pecan halves (or cashews, or peanuts or any nut you like In heavy saucepan, over low heat, bring to boil the butter, molasses (or 100% maple syrup, but I like molasses better,light corn syrup, light brown sugar salt (see above). Allow to boil for five minutes. Then, remove from heat and add: baking soda, vanilla, pecan halves (or cashews, or peanuts or any nut you like - sometimes I use mixed nuts and it's wonderful) Stir well to combine. In a LARGE shallow pan (I actually got one of those gargantuan, wide stainless steel mixing bowls specifically in order to make this recipe) pour the hot syrup mixture over the corn and stir to coat as well as you can. Don't worry about covering every bit of corn perfectly because you're going to have lots more opportunities. Bake at 250º for about an hour (more or less), watching to see when the corn is well-covered and is a nice golden color. Stir well every ten minutes for the first half-hour, then every fifteen minutes." Pour out onto large sheet of waxed paper and allow to cool. Break into pieces and store tightly covered. You can add anything to this that suits your fancy, like rum, or cinnamon, or chili powder. I cannot possibly tell you how much I enjoy making this, or how much fun people seem to have eating it!! Keywords: Snack ( RG381 )

Carnitas 1 lb pork shoulder, cubed 1/2 c beer, tequila,chicken or beef broth, vinegar, lemon juice or orange juice, pick one juice from 1/2 lime 1 onion, chopped chipotles to taste garlic to taste cumin to taste Dust pork cubes with above and let them set in the fridge for several hours beforehand. Place in Dutch oven. (You can use a large saucepan, but remember that you will eventually be frying them, or putting them under the broiler, or doing something else to crisp them, so you need a large surface area.) Add water just to cover. Simmer, partially covered, till all water is gone and meat starts frying in its own rendered fat. Reduce heat and fry, stirring frequently, till pieces are evenly browned. So now, you’ve boiled your carnitas down, and you’re frying them in the fat, and you think, “Boy, it’d probably be good if those suckers were caramelized.” I think it would, anyway. Of course, not everyone likes sweetness in their meat, but plenty do. If you’re one of them, add a little sugar to the water when you add your spices. Choices here are syrups, like Caro or Molasses, or Maple, or brown sugar. I add 2 T brown sugar, and 1 T sorghum (not too much for two pounds of meat, but enough to help brown and caramelize it). Mi amiga, on the other hand, caramelizes a cup of brown sugar in another pan, and then pours it over her browned carnitas, stirring and cooking over high heat for another ten-fifteen minutes or so, until the cubes are well caramelized. Rather than browning your carnitas in the fat on top of the stove, many people finish them in an oven on high heat, or under the broiler. Okay, so now you’ve got your crispy carnitas. What do you do with them? The answer, of course, is “anything you want.” You can just squeeze a little extra lemon or lime over them and serve as is, with some salsa or pico de gallo and guacamole and refried beans alongside. Or, you can: arrange on top of arroz; or as a garnish on a bowl of charro beans; or with chopped onion and cilantro in soft tacos or burritos or quesadillas; or whatever you want. Sometimes when I had my kids at home, I’d make a kind of Mexican gravy with milk and onions and chopped green chiles, and pour over and serve as a main dish. Keywords: Pork, Mexican ( RG377 )

Jiffy Corn Pudding This recipe is used in the Cooking with/for Disabilities course in the eCGI. 1 stick butter or margarine, melted 8 oz sour cream 1 large (or 2 small) eggs, beaten slightly 1 can creamed corn 1 box Jiffy cornbread mix 1 can whole corn, drained In bottom of large mixing bowl, melt butter. Add sour cream and combine. Add eggs and beat. Add all remaining ingredients and combine well. Pour into greased 10"x10" casserole and bake, uncovered, at 350º 45 minutes, or until golden and cracking. Keywords: Side, Healthy Choices, eGCI ( RG376 )

Greek Beef Stew 1/4 c olive oil 2 lb beef stew meat 2 lb white or yellow onions 1 c dry red wine 1 can tomatoes, undrained 3 T vinegar 2 tsp salt 1 stick cinnamon 4 whole cloves 1 tsp sugar In Dutch Oven or stew pot, brown cubed stew meat in olive oil. Cut onions into quarters and add to pot. Break up canned tomatoes and add with juices to pot. Add all remaining ingredients. Simmer, covered, on low heat or in slow oven until beef is tender and all flavors are well combined. (I'd suggest that you resist the urge to add all the usual "doctor it up" stuff - like celery, carrots, etc. - at least the first time you make it. Through the years, I tried adding everything you can think of and, to me anyway, it seemed to throw the flavors off and it wasn't as good.) This is good served as a stew with a salad and crusty bread, or simmered down to thicken, and served over noodles. Keywords: Main Dish, Beef, Crock Pot ( RG371 )

Apple & Peanut Crumble 4 or 5 baking apples 2/3 c brown sugar, packed 1/2 c AP flour 1/2 c quick-cooking oats 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/3 c butter, room temp 2 T crunchy peanut butter Core, peel and slice apples. Slice them not too thinly. Arrange apple slices in slowcooker. In bowl, combine dry ingredients. With a fork or pastry blender, add butter and peanut butter and combine. Sprinkle over apples. Cover pot and cook on low 5-6 hours. Serve warm with whipped cream drizzled over, or ice cream alongside. Okay -- or both Keywords: Dessert, Crock Pot ( RG370 )

Tacos de Lengua 1-lb (or so) beef tongue 5 small cloves garlic (or 3 large ones), smashed & chopped 1 onion, quartered salt & pepper to Rinse tongue, pat dry, season well with salt and pepper. Allow it to sit about 15 minutes for the seasonings to penetrate a little. Put it in crockpot and add water (or half water/half beer) to cover. Add garlic and onions to water. Cook on "high" for 4-5 hours. Turn crockpot setting down to Low. Turn tongue over and add more water if necessary. Continue cooking on low until tongue is done (skin hard, inside soft). Remove tongue and skin it (discard skin). Chop meat finely. Serve immediately with "fixin's" - like corn tortillas, lime wedges, pico de gallo, avocado slices, chopped cilantro, onions, jalapenos, salsa...etc. Keywords: Mexican, Crock Pot ( RG369 )

Tortilla de Patata 2 lbs potatoes (I prefer baking potatoes) 1/2 c good-quality olive oil 1/4 c chopped onion 1 tsp salt 6 eggs Peel and slice potatoes thinly. Heat the oil in a skillet, over medium-low heat. Add the potatoes and begin slowly turning in the oil. After about 10-15 minutes, add onions and sprinkle with half the salt. Continue to cook, turning and stirring, until potatoes are tender. Be very careful not to brown potatoes. Beat eggs in large bowl. Add other half of salt. Put the lid of the skillet on and hold it while you drain excess oil into a bowl or cup. Pour the potatoes into the bowl with the eggs and stir to coat well. Now - I take a clean, non-stick 10" skillet, and pour about half of the reserved oil into it (sometimes I have a hard time with the tortilla sticking in the skillet I've just used - so it works better for me to get a fresh one). When the oil is warmed, pour in the egg & potato mixture. Cook over low-medium heat until the tortilla is set. Don't let it get too brown on the bottom. Place a dinner plate over the tortilla and invert it onto the plate. Pour a little more of the olive oil into the skillet and slip the tortilla back into the skillet to brown the reverse side. Cook on this side for about 4-5 minutes until tortilla is nicely browned. Slide tortilla out onto plate and drizzle with remaining oil and serve hot or cold. Keywords: Main Dish, Potatoes ( RG362 )

Don't know how I missed this thread - Since visiting Spain, this has been one of my very favorite things to make, and I do so at least once a month. When I first began making it here in the States, it was never so good. I have a Spaniard friend that told me it would never be so good because here in the U.S. we refrigerate eggs and in Spain they don't. According to her, it changes the flavor. (Should add here that I have no clue if any of those statements are true.) So I found a local farm where they sell eggs, and boy did it make a difference. Here's what I do: Tortilla de Patata 2 lbs potatoes (I prefer baking potatoes) 1/2 C good-quality olive oil 1/4 C chopped onion 1 tsp salt 6 eggs Peel and slice potatoes thinly. Heat the oil in a skillet, over medium-low heat. Add the potatoes and begin slowly turning in the oil. After about 10-15 minutes, add onions and sprinkle with half the salt. Continue to cook, turning and stirring, until potatoes are tender. Be very careful not to brown potatoes. Beat eggs in large bowl. Add other half of salt. Put the lid of the skillet on and hold it while you drain excess oil into a bowl or cup. Pour the potatoes into the bowl with the eggs and stir to coat well. Now - I take a clean, non-stick 10" skillet, and pour about half of the reserved oil into it (sometimes I have a hard time with the tortilla sticking in the skillet I've just used - so it works better for me to get a fresh one). When the oil is warmed, pour in the egg & potato mixture. Cook over low-medium heat until the tortilla is set. Don't let it get too brown on the bottom. Place a dinner plate over the tortilla and invert it onto the plate. Pour a little more of the olive oil into the skillet and slip the tortilla back into the skillet to brown the reverse side. Cook on this side for about 4-5 minutes until tortilla is nicely browned. Slide tortilla out onto plate and drizzle with remaining oil and serve hot or cold.

Yes, congratulations to Fitz and Luggage! And are you off to Slovenia for your honeymoon? We're planning a grand feast at the local cooking school and I hope you are back in time to be there.

And I find this very interesting because when I lived in Panama, it grew wild everywhere - like a weed. So wonderful to snatch up a handful and put in your beans. Of course it is ubiquitous in many Latin American dishes. But then I get to Texas and plant some. It burns up in the summers, which are not that much hotter than Panamanian summers. Although it does come back in the fall. But still - it's a puzzle to me.

I do it once a year. I live in a condo. I also belong to a duplicate bridge group that meets once a month. It's an all-day affair, beginning with continental breakfast, and then lunch. And then about 4 - wine and cheese and pass out the cash to the winners and everyone goes home. I don't have enough space in my condo to host three tables of bridge. So when it's my turn I always do all the work, and have it at someone else's house.