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Cantucci Serves 50. 200 g almonds 2 eggs 200 g sugar 1 tsp dry yeast 250 g flour salt Dissolve yeast, add eggs. Mix dry ingredients, add egg/yeast mixture, knead to dough. Let rest for 30 min. Shape into logs. Bake for 20 min. at 160 degrees. Cool, slice like bicottis, dry in oven again for 20 min. Serve with good coffee or italian wine. (DIP!) Flavor with Frangelico if you like. For chocolate cantucci, replace some of the flour for good cocoa powder dip ends in dark couverture. Keywords: Easy, Cookie ( RG1678 )

Passover Pecan Cranberry Biscotti Jewish biscotti suitable for Passover. 3 large eggs 1-1/2 c ground pecans 1 c oil (cottonseed) 1 tsp vanilla 1 c sugar 2 tsp Passover baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 T orange zest 1/4 c potato starch 1-3/4 c cake meal 1/2 c dried cranberries Use an electric mixer with a paddle attachment to combine the eggs, oil, vanilla, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest. Mix on medium until well combined. (You can also use a wooden spoon and mix by hand.) Turn the machine off and add the potato starch, cake meal and pecans. Turn the machine on low to combine and mix until all of the ingredients come together. Add the cranberries and mix to evenly distribute. Divide the dough in two and form into logs, approximately 3 inches by 12 inches. If you find the dough too sticky, dust your hands with cake meal to work with the dough. Place the logs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 20-25 minutes. The biscotti will crack and loose the shine it had when it first went into the oven. Let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 F. Carefully slice the logs into pieces, about 3/4 inches each. Arrange on a cookie sheet so that there is space between each cookie and return to the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until dry. Keywords: Dessert, Kosher, Jewish, Passover ( RG1677 )

"Goullabaisse" Serves 8 as Main Dishor 12 as Soup. I wanted to try a bouillabaisse, but I dislike fennel, and didn't want to blow the money on all the seafood for a dish I wouldn't like, so I decided to try different seasonings. I ended up deciding on the goulash seasonings: paprika and caraway seed. Seafood stock 1 small onion, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 1 celery stalk, chopped 1 large clove garlic, crushed 1 sprig fresh parsley 1 lb assorted white fish skeletons and scraps shells from shrimp 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper "Goullabaisse" 2 medium onions, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 carrot, minced 1 celery stalk, minced 2 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed 2 T EVOO 1 lb tomatoes, peeled (optional), seeded and chopped 2 T paprika (non-smoked) 1 tsp caraway seeds 1 lb boiling potatoes, cubed 2 lb assorted white fish, cut into bite-sized chunks 1 lb raw shrimp, peels reserved for stock 1 lb clams and/or mussels For the seafood stock: Put the chopped veggies & parsley into a small stockpot with about two quarts or so of water. If you have fish skeletons, add them in as well (I never have them on hand, so I usually chop up a bit of the fish I'm going to put into the soup). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Reserve the peels from the shrimp for the soup and add them to the pot. Simmer about 15 minutes. For the soup: 1. In a 8-qt stockpot, heat EVOO over high heat until shimmering. 2. Add onion, carrot and celery and season with a little salt and black pepper. Saute over high heat until onions are translucent. 3. Add tomatoes (I never bother peeling tomatoes, but you'll wind up with the peels separated and curled into little tubes in your soup if you don't) and stir for a minute over high heat. 4. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and let sweat for a few minutes. 5. Add paprika and caraway seed, stirring until well combined. Simmer for a few minutes. 6. Add potatoes. 7. Using a wire-mesh strainer, strain seafood stock directly into the soup pot. 8. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer about 15 minutes. 9. Dump in seafood and turn heat to high. Stir gently until shrimp are fully pink and shellfish are opened (the soup probably won't return to a boil; that's OK). Serve with french bread to sop up yummy juices. Keywords: Soup, Main Dish, Seafood, Easy, Fish, Shrimp, Dinner ( RG1676 )

Farfel Stuffing for Veal Breast/Turkey Serves 8 as Main Dish. Oil and/or schmaltz (2-4 Tbsps) Vegetables: celery, onion, mushrooms,red, yellow,green bell peppers Rubashkin kosher Polish sausage, chopped up roughly Farfel 3-4 cups or more, depending on the veal breast size 2-3 eggs, beaten 2 C chicken broth or water (chicken broth gives a deeper, richer flavor) salt, pepper, paprika, sage, thyme, chopped parsley Veal breast Saute all vegetables and chopped sausages in oil/schmaltz til tender and golden(ish) Soak farfel in the hot broth Add beaten eggs to wet farfel, then add seasonings,and the veg/sausage mixture Stuff into veal breast, sew the opening closed but don’t pack too tightly since it will swell when cooked ... (remaining stuffing can be baked in a small oiled pan and served with the cut up roasted veal breast later on) Roast the breast and slice .. the vegetable colors, the sausage pieces, and the pale gold farfel will look lovely when sliced and plated! Keywords: Jewish, Dinner, Kosher, Passover, Veal, Main Dish ( RG1675 )

Pistachio and herb filling for choux puffs I think this may be based on an old James Beard recipe; it's been years since I wrote it down. You might try lightening it with some sour cream or yogurt. 1-1/2 c cream cheese 3 T chopped chives 1 T chopped parsley 1 tsp dijon mustard 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 c coarsely chopped pistachios Cream together all the ingredients except the nuts. Stir in the nuts. Keywords: Hors d'oeuvre, Vegetarian, Easy ( RG1674 )

Fois Gras and Black Truffle Wontons Serves 15 as Amuse. An amazing dish that takes asian technique and fuses it with classic french ingredients. An easy dish to prepare once the prep work is done. 3 oz sonoma or hudson valley foie gras 20 wonton skin black truffle puree 12 fl oz balsamic vinegar 1 vanilla bean star anise score the slab of foie and seare it for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side in a dry pan until just crusted on both sides, reserve to a plate with paper towels to drain. ( RG1673 )

Rotkohl in Red Wine Rotkohl in Red Wine My take on the classic German side dish of braised red cabbage. Serves 3-4 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 head red cabbage, shredded 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 2 to 3 tablespoons red wine Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add cabbage and sauté until coated. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes or longer, stirring occasionally, until sauce reduces and cabbage is tender. Keywords: Side, Easy, Vegetables, Lunch, Dinner, German ( RG1672 )

Chocolate creme d'amandes Use in place of creme d'amandes when a chocolate flavor is preferred. Chocolate creme d'amandes: Cream: 3# 6 oz. butter + 3#6 oz. sugar Add gradually: 4# 2 oz. egg and scrape Blend and add: 3# 6 oz. almond meal 9 oz. cocoa Add gradually and blend: 1 # 5 oz. heavy cream The preparation may be made ahead and reserved if refrigerated. Bake the same as classical creme d'amande. For home use, just reduce the amounts of the ingredients proportionally Keywords: Chocolate, Easy, French, Hors d'oeuvre ( RG1671 )

Mom's Irish Soda Bread Mom thinks she got this from a decorating magazine at least 30 years ago, but she's not sure. 3-1/2 c flour 1/2 c sugar 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 tsp baking powder 2 eggs 1 pt sour cream 1 c raisins (I use currants.) 2 tsp caraway seeds Mix dry ingredients. Fold in eggs and sour cream. Stir in raisins or currants and caraway seeds. Mold into a round loaf (dough will be sticky), put into a greased pan (a pie pan works well) and sprinkle with flour. Cut a cross in the top and bake at 350 degrees F. for about 1 hour or until light brown. Keywords: Easy, Bread ( RG1670 )

Ice Cream Sandwiches Serves 8 as Dessert. This is Cook's Illustrated's take on the cardboard-y, flavorless version you find at the grocery store. Ice Cream Sandwiches Makes eight 3-inch sandwiches 1 c unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces) 1/2 c Dutch-processed cocoa powder (1 1/2 ounces) 1/4 tsp table salt 1/8 tsp baking soda 2 large eggs 2/3 c granulated sugar (about 4 3/4 ounces) 1/4 c chocolate syrup (2 3/4 ounces) 8 T unsalted butter (1 stick), melted 2 pt vanilla ice cream , chocolate ice cream, or coffee ice cream 1. Preheat oven to 350* with oven rack set in the middle. Spray a 17 1/2 x 12" half-sheet pan or 17 x 11" jellyroll pan with cooking spray and line with parchment. 2. Sift the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda into a medium bowl. 3. Beat the eggs, sugar, and chocolate syrup in a large bowl until light brown in color. Add the melted butter and whisk everything together. 4. Add the dry ingredients (flour thru baking soda) to egg mixture. Gradually incorporate dry ingredients into wet. Stir until the mixture is evenly moistened. Pour batter into prepared baking sheet and spread batter evenly in pan. 5. Bake until the cookie springs back when touched with finger, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool in the pan on cooling rack 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the baking sheet to loosen. Invert cookie onto work surface and peel off parchment. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. 6. Using a 2 3/4- to 3" round biscuit cutter, cut 16 rounds from the baked cookie. 7. Slice eight 3/4"-thick rounds from ice cream pints. Peel away container. Use the same size biscuit cutter to cut rounds out of each ice cream slice, so they will fit the cookies. Assemble ice cream sandwiches. 8. Serve immediately or place sandwiches on foil-lined baking sheet, cover tightly with another sheet of foil, and freeze up to 3 hours. To store sandwiches longer, wrap individually in wax paper, then with foil; freeze for up to 7 days. Let sandwiches frozen for more than 30 minutes stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Keywords: Dessert, Chocolate ( RG1669 )

Cornell Recipe Barbecued Chicken Serves 10 as Main Dish. Dr. Robert Baker of Cornell University's Ag School developed this legendary recipe for broiled / barbecued chicken. It is broiled outdoors over a hot, non-flaming bed of coals. Bastng Sauce 1 Egg 1 c Cooking Oil 3 pt Cider Vinegar 1 T Poultry Seasoning 1/2 tsp Black Pepper 1 T Salt 5 Fresh Broiling Chickens Cut In Half 1. Beat the egg. Add Oil. Beat again. 2. Add other ingredients. Stir. 3. Using a brush baste both sides of the chicken halves and place on a grill over the coals. 4. After 5 minutes, turn the chicken halves and baste again. 5. Keep basting and turning until the chicken halves are cooked. Keywords: Chicken, Main Dish ( RG1668 )

Chocolate Buttercream 1 c plus 2 tbsp sugar 1/2 c water 1/4 tsp cream of tartar 2 extra large eggs 2 extra large egg yolks 14 oz salted butter, room temperature 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled 3 drops Loranne Gourmet Chocolate Flavour Bring water and sugar to boil in small sauce pan. Boil to 240 F. Meanwhile beat eggs, yolks and cream of tartar in mixer with wire whip. By the time the syrup is ready the egg mixture will be fluffy and light in colour. With mixer on highest speed drizzle hot syrup down side of bowl until incorporated. Beat until cool. Add butter a couple of tbsp at a time. Mix in cooled chocolate and flavour. If separates heat outside of the bowl with hair dryer, heat gun or hot water soaked towel just until incorporates. Keywords: Topping/Frosting ( RG1667 )

Gingerbread Hamantashen Nice change from the typical hamantashen. Fill with pear or apricot lekvar. 2-1/2 c all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp salt 2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp allspice 1/4 tsp cloves 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp baking soda 3/4 c brown sugar 1/2 c margarine 1 large egg 1/2 c molasses 1 tsp vanilla Mix together the flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and baking soda. Use an electric mixer to cream together the brown sugar and margarine. Add the egg, mixing it in, then the molasses and the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. This will make a very soft dough. Turn it out onto a work surface, cut in half and form into 2 flat squares. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour (can be done a day or two ahead and kept in the refrigerator). Generously flour worktop (I like to roll this dough out on parchment paper because it tends to stick a little as it's so soft). Roll the dough approximately 1/4" thick. Use a cutter to cut 2 to 3" circles. Place about 1 tsp. of filling in the center of each circle and fold up three side, pinching to form triangles. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown. Cool. Keywords: Jewish, Kosher, Easy, Cookie ( RG1666 )

Beef Stew Serves 8 as Main Dish. Ok this stew is almost to the letter a direct lift from The New Best Recipe which is a compilation from the Cook's Illustrated people. Good book. You'll need a half hour for prep, about a half-hour of active cook time after that, then 2-3 hours in the oven, so do this on a weekend. It's not that time or labor intensive, but you need to be around. Please note, I am writing this for a relative that doesn't cook much, so please excuse the detailed explanation of some of the basics, like mise en place. To see the instructions with the detailed recipe steps and pictures, go to the original post. 3 lbs (1.5 kg) chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch (3.5 cm) cubes. (See note) salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 T vegetable oil 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped (about 2 cups) 1 rib celery, medium dice 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press 3 T unbleached all-purpose flour 1 c. full-bodied dry red wine 1 T Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth (I used homemade beef stock, because I'm a fag like that, but canned chicken broth is fine.) 2 bay leaves (make sure they have some smell to them, if they don't smell citrusy, throw them out, they've been in your cupboard for years, get some fresh ones.) 1 tsp dried thyme (ditto) 4 medium red potatoes, (about 1.5 lbs [2/3 kg]) peeled and cut into 1 inch (2 cm) chunks 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick rounds (about 1 lb [1/2 kg]) 1 cup frozen peas, thawed Open the wine and let it breathe. Note about the beef: While you can buy pre-cut "stew meat" at most grocery stores, I wouldn't. That meat is usually going to be bottom round, which has almost no intramuscular fat, meaning the texture will be dry, and the flavor is not nearly as rich and beefy as the shoulder muscles. Ever had a beef stew with tough, dry little nubs of meat in it? That's bottom round. Grab a chuck roast, pull it apart along its natural separations, and trim off any silverskin and large pieces of fat and gristle. It really doesn't take that long, it's not that complicated, and the finished stew will really benefit from the effort. Ok, good! Peel and chunk potatoes into one inch pieces. (To keep them from browning, put them in a larger bowl than this and cover with cold water.) Put a medium dice on the celery and onion. I peel and cut carrots into round pieces, 1/4 inch thick. Wash, dry, and mince the parsley. Peel and mince the garlic. Measure out the thyme and get the bay leaves out. See we're getting everything together before cooking? This is called getting your "mise en place" together, which is just a fancy french way of saying "setting in place." It makes cooking a lot easier and more fun if you aren't scrambling with the prep while your garlic is burning in the pan! Here is one of the natural separations in the chuck roast. Just grab with two hands and pull it apart! Then trim the excess fat and gristle off the pieces. Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Turn the oven on to preheat; set it for 300F (150C). Sprinkle the beef liberally with salt and pepper, and toss with your hands to get it all coated. I'm going to guess that I used two teaspoons of each. Heat one tbsp of oil over med-hi heat in the largest heavy-bottom pot you have, preferably a six or eight quart enameled iron dutch oven. Put in as much meat as you can without crowding. Don't fiddle with the meat for a few minutes. Let it brown 2-3 minutes before turning. Flip 'em over with tongs, brown the other side another 3-5 minutes. They'll be giving up some juice at this point, which is why you don't want to crowd them, or they won't brown, they'll steam. Remove the pieces to a bowl. Add another tbsp of oil, brown the next batch exactly the same way. Note the brown gunk accumulating on the bottom of the pot. The french call this "fond" and it's very important to the flavor of the dish. Put the rest of the meat in the bowl, add the last tbsp of oil, drop the heat to medium, then add the onion and celery and a teaspoon of salt. Stir occasionally as the onion softens, scraping the bottom of the pot as you go. A wooden spoon is the best thing for this, or a flat-bottomed wooden spatula like I'm using here. Sweat the onion and celery 4-5 minutes. Pour yourself a glass of wine! The juices from the onion and celery have dissolved a lot of the fond at this point. Add the garlic and sweat another minute or so. Add the flour and stir and scrape constantly, distributing the flour evenly through the vegetables. The flour will take a light brown color after a minute or so. As soon as that happens, add the wine, a little at a time, stirring constantly to get it incorporated with the roux and vegetables. Let it keep cooking, stirring and scraping, until it gets kind of thick. Add the worcestershire. Add the stock gradually, keep stirring! Add the thyme and bay leaf, bring the stew to a simmer. Put the meat back in, and any juices from the meat bowl. Bring it to a simmer again. Then cover with the lid and stick it in the oven. Kick back and enjoy your wine. Leave it in the oven for an hour. After an hour, take it out, drain the potatoes, and add the potato and carrot. Mix 'em up, and put it back in the oven for another hour and fifteen minutes. At this point, a few things are going to depend on the ingredients. The original recipe I'm following says an hour, but 15 minutes more were often required. My run took almost two hours. Just check it every 20 minutes or so. The meat should be tender, and the potatoes cooked through. You'll really notice a difference between "almost done" meat and the tender deliciousness when it hits the sweet spot. Pierce a larger piece of potato with a fork to make sure they're cooked through as well. When it does, take it out and give it a stir. Mine was a little too thin for my tastes, so I smashed 2-3 pieces each of potato and carrot with the wooden spoon and stirred them through the stew to thicken it up a little more. Taste and adjust the seasoning at this point. Does it need salt and pepper? If so, add it now. Add the peas, stir, and re-cover the pot. Let it stand for 5 minutes to heat the peas. Stir in the parsley and serve immediately! Keywords: Main Dish, Beef ( RG1665 )

Whisky Fudge This recipe is from the website http://www.scotlandforvisitors.com/wfudge.php and I've varied the instructions just enough to publish here, added the American weights and measures in the ingredients list and added some storage and freezing hints. Whisky Fudge Ingredients: 1 Kilo white sugar (2.2 lb) 300 grams butter (10.5 oz) 1 tin Nestles sweet condensed milk 1 tea cup of (Scottish, Scotch) whisky (5 oz) 2 pints of freshly made, plain, hot tea Method Melt butter in a large saucepan, then add the tea. Add all sugar stir continuously until all the sugar has melted. Stir in the milk and whisky and stir continuously until the correct consistency is reached (about 10 to 15 min.--soft ball stage on a thermometer). Without a thermometer, to check the consistency have a cup of ice cold water handy and add a teaspoon of the mixture to it from time to time until it sets firm in the water--makes a "soft ball" Pour into a large buttered tray and when just firm enough to keep the shape, cut it into bite sized squares. Layer for storage between waxed paper, tin foil or parchment in an airtight container. The fudge can be frozen to keep for up to three months, wrap well with plastic wrap and put in an airtight container. Keywords: Candy, Intermediate, Chocolate, Snack ( RG1664 )

Rez Bread My friend Big Lou, who pays an visit to my shop early most mornings for coffee and the latest gossip, is a member of the White Earth band of the Ojibway/Chippewa American Indian tribe. Although he's never lived on the reservation, at one-half blood he's a legal member of the band and entitled to their hunting, fishing and wild ricing rights. One of the other benefits available through the tribal government is access to commodities through the USDA food assistance programs. Every time Lou visits his relatives on "The Rez" they send him home with far more food than he can use. Last week, for instance, he brought flour, corn meal, raisins and a Trial Mix consisting primarily of chopped dates and walnuts. I try and come up with recipes using as many of the surplus commodities as possible. In the spirit in which the government made the food available, I always bring a sample for Big Lou. We hope to develop enough recipes to make up a small cookbook to distribute on the reservations. Using a quick bread recipe named from “The Bread Book” by Betsy Oppeneer called "Vi's Brown Bread", (after her MIL), I came up with this recipe: REZ BREAD (* indicates USDA Commodity) 1 c Raisins* 2-1/4 c Hot Coffee 1-1/2 c Sugar 3 T Butter (room temp) 2 Eggs (or 4 Tbl Dried Egg Mixture* + 6 Tbl Water) 2 T Molasses (or 2 Tbl Corn Syrup*) 2/3 c Milk (or 3 Tbl Dried Milk Powder* + 1/2 Cup 2Tbl Water) 1-1/2 tsp Vanilla 3-1/4 c AP Flour* (or substitute 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour*) 1/2 c Corn Meal* 1-1/2 tsp Salt 1-1/2 tsp Baking Powder 2 c USDA Trail Mix* (or any dried fruit and nut mixture) In a Large Bowl, Soak Raisins in Hot Coffee about 30 min, unitl lukewarm Preheat Oven to 350, Grease two 8.5 x 4.25 Pans Add Sugar, Butter, Eggs, Molasses, Milk and Vanilla with Raisin/Coffee mixture. Mix Well. In Medium Bowl Whisk together Flour, Corn Meal, Salt, Baking Soda and Trail Mix. Add Flour mixture to Raisin Mixture all at once and Stir until just combined. Spoon Batter into Prepared Pans. Bake for 1 - 1 hr 15 min. (toothpick test or 190 degrees) Cool in Pans for 10 min. Remove from Pans and wrap in Foil, let set overnight SB (it's a VERY hearty bread) Keywords: Bread, Intermediate ( RG1663 )

Lahem B'Ajeen A Lebanese street food. Translates to 'meat in dough'. Pizza dough for 12-6" rounds. 1-1/4 lb ground Lamb* 1-1/2 c finely diced onion 1-1/2 c finely diced tomatoes drained 2 T Tomato paste 1/4 c finely chopped Parsley 1-1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp Lebanese 7 spice mixture(ask for it at any M.E. store). 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 1/2 tsp black pepper Mix everything together. Taste and correct for salt and heat. Drain excess moisture. For 6" rounds of very thin pizza dough (1/8-3/16"), use 2 golf ball sized er.. balls of mixture and spread thinly with the back of a spoon or your hand. Bake @550 for 7-8 minutes on a slightly greased pan on the bottom rack of an electric oven. I can fit three rounds on a 1/2 sheet pan. * Fat in the Lamb is great in this recipe. However, too much fat and the meat will shrink away from the edges of the rounds. So experiment with your mixture. You can't get ground Lamb? Use 1/2 pork and 1/2 lean beef, or just ground Chuck. Best served warm with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Keywords: Easy, Lamb, Lebanese, Middle Eastern ( RG1662 )

GG's Sweet Coleslaw and Dressing 1 cabbage, finely shredded or a 16-ounce package of shredded coleslaw mix 1 medium red onion, quartered and thinly sliced 1 red bell pepper, cut in very thin slices Dressing: 1 c sugar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp dry mustard 1 tsp celery seed 1 c vinegar 2/3 c vegetable oil Combine shredded cabbage with sliced onion. Combine dressing ingredients and bring to boil. Pour over cabbage and toss. Cool, then refrigerate. Keywords: Salad, Vegetarian, Kosher, Easy ( RG1661 )

My Best Potato Salad Serves 8 as Salad. 3 lb small red potatoes, cooked, peeled, and cubed 1 large red or green bell pepper, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped (Vidalia, preferably, or green onions) fresh dill, chopped ground pepper, to taste, salt, of course, as well 1/3 c cider or wine vinegar 1 c mayonnaise (best available, or homemade) Mix well and chill before serving. Keywords: Salad, Easy, Vegetarian, Potatoes ( RG1660 )

Reinvented Chocolate Pudding Cake Serves 4 as Dessert. Remember that great chocolate dessert you had as a child that when baked separated into a chocolatey cake layer with a pudding layer underneath? Tasting my mothers recipe for chocolate pudding cake after so many years, I discovered that with age related taste bud changes it was a bit watery and anemic. So I fiddled a bit by adding the bittersweet chocolate (hers only had cocoa), changed some of the milk to yogurt to get a bit more fullness in the cake part, cut the sugar way back, added expresso powder and mocca compound to round out the flavour and voila reinvented chocolate pudding cake! Mocha compound is a flavouring used by pastry chefs and chocolatiers. At home you can replace it with some expresso powder. Cake 2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted 1 oz softened butter 1/2 c toasted pecans 2 T natural cocoa powder (not dutch processed) 1 c all purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/2 c sugar 1/2 c plain yogurt 1/2 c milk 1 T mocha compound(or 1 tsp expresso powder) 1 tsp vanilla extract Topping 4 T cocoa 1 c brown sugar 1 T instant expresso 1 T mocha compound (optional) 2 c boiling water Mix together the cake ingredients in a bowl and place in 8 or 9 inch cake pan (I prefer pyrex). Sprinkle over the topping mixture, then pour over boiling water. Do not mix. Bake at 325 F for about 30 minutes. Keywords: Dessert, American, Chocolate, Easy, Pudding ( RG1659 )

Chicken Breast stuffed with prosciutto, asparagus, and gorgonzola Serves 1 as Main Dish. This is a very low-fat (but tasty!) main dish. I've put the ingredients in for one serving but obviously the recipe can be expanded for as many servings as desired. 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast 15 g prosciutto (shaved) 15 g crumbled gorgonzola cheese 4 asparagus spears 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1/4 c fine dry breadcrumbs Pound out chicken breast to about 1/4" thickness. Cover with thinly shaved prosciutto and gorgonzola cheese. Lay the asparagus spears across the chicken breast. (I had two going in one direction and two in the other and allowed the tips to stick out of the roll.) Roll the chicken breast up and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour or so. Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove plastic wrap (I know, it seems like such an obvious thing to say...) and dip roll first in the beaten egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Bake for 45 minutes. Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Chicken, Dinner ( RG1658 )

Aunt Hattie Anne's Green Tomato Pie Here is the recipe for green tomato pie/marmalade. This was my great-aunt's recipe, the favorite in our family. She got it from a Shaker society in Kentucky when she visited them for a time in 1925 to exchange herb lore. She made it in big rectangular cake tins because there were so many of us to feed. I have cut it down to a manageable size for a single 9 inch pie. I sometimes add a bit of ginger, either candied or fresh, finely minced and crushed for a bit of a "bite". I have also added Sultanas, or golden raisins when I didn't have quite enough green tomatoes to fill the pie shell. Both variations are very good. You can double the batch and jar it up in 4 pint jars and use it later. It will keep well in the refrigerator for about 3-4 weeks or the freezer for 3-4 months, or longer. 4 cups green tomatoes chopped in bite-sized pieces 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, freshly ground 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground 3/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch Top & bottom pie crusts 1-1/2 tablespoons butter diced Directions First prepare dough for a double-crust 9 inch pie. Chill dough while you are preparing the filling, then roll out the dough while the filling is cooling. Cut aluminum foil in 2-inch wide lengths, enough to go around the circumference of a 9 inch pie pan. In a large saucepan combine the chopped tomatoes, lemon juice, lemon peel, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring often to keep from burning. Mix the sugar and cornstarch together and gradually add to tomato mix, stirring constantly. Continue cooking until liquid is clear. Immediately remove from heat and stir in the butter. Cool for 15 minutes Now roll out the dough, line the pan and prick it all over with a fork, sides too, to keep it from blistering. Preheat oven to 425F. Pour mixture into the 9-inch pie shell. Cover with top crust and seal the edges so juices will not leak out. Cut several slits in top to allow steam to escape. Fold aluminum foil strips in half lengthwise and crimp all around the edges of the pie to keep crust edges from burning. Place pie tin on a sheet pan on oven center rack or higher. Bake for 50 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or topped with whipped cream CHEESE to which you have added a little sour cream. (You may wonder at this last, but wait until you taste the flavor combination.) YIELD: 8 servings (or less! - my neighbor's husband likes this so much he takes about a third of a pie for his serving. So I usually make two.) ( RG1657 )

Rhode Island Clam Cakes Serves 6 as Side. Rhode Island clam cakes aren't cakes. They aren't like crab cakes, either. They're savory fritters, sort of like hushpuppies with chopped clams, intended to be served as the primary side for clam chowder in the Biggest Little State in the Union, Rhode Island. They're also seriously addictive no matter where you live. This recipe uses quahogs (KOH-hogs), the titanic east coast clam that is steamed, chopped, and served in chowder, stuffies, and clam cakes. You can substitute cherrystones, if you'd like, but the sweetness of littlenecks is wasted here. And don't use steamers, please. Really. Trust me. Once you've got your batter down, you can fiddle with it a bit (bacon, scallions, corn kernels). But don't get all nouvelle. These are meant to be salty, greasy, hearty explosions of slightly briny, slightly corny crunch, with nuggets of chewy clam in each bite. This recipe is adapted from two excellent cookbooks: Jane and Michael Stern's 1986 Real American Food and Jasper White's Cooking from New England (1989). 5 lb quahogs or cherrystones in the shell 2 tsp baking powder 2 c AP flour 1 c johnnycake or corn meal 3 eggs, beaten 1 c milk 4 T butter, lard, or bacon fat, melted salt pepper corn or peanut oil for deep frying 1. Steam the clams in a scant cup of water just until they open. Chop the clam meat roughly, salt and pepper it liberally, and set it aside. Strain the clam juice (the steaming water) through a wet paper towel or cheesecloth and set it aside, too. 2. Combine the dry ingredients well; combine the eggs, milk, 1/2 c of the clam juice (save the rest just in case), and melted fat well. Pour the wet into the dry and combine until smooth, then fold in the chopped clams. 3. Put the batter into the fridge for an hour or so; you want to soften up that corn meal. Meanwhile, heat a couple of inches of the oil to 375F in a deep fat fryer, cast iron skillet, or dutch oven. When you take out the batter, it should be thicker than pancake batter but not so thick that it won't fall easily from your spoon. If it's too thick, just add a bit of the clam juice. 4. Drop, ever so carefully, the batter into the oil, one heaping tablespoon at a time. Don't crowd them; you want that oil to surround the cakes comfortably. Fry for 2-3 minutes until the clam cakes are golden brown. Serve immediately while hot with chowder. Keywords: Side, Appetizer, Seafood, Intermediate, American, Deep Fryer ( RG1656 )

Baby Food Brownies I found an interesting whole wheat brownie recipe in the King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cook Book. The only problem was that the recipe calls for applesauce, which I was out of. But, then I recalled the last time a baby had visited my house ... and, here's my modified version of the recipe: 1/2 c (1 stick) butter or margarine 2 T vegetable oil 3/4 c sugar 2 eggs, beaten 3/4 c applesauce (or (1) 6oz jar of Gerbers "3" Applesauce) 1-1/4 tsp vanilla 1 c King Arthur Traditional Whole Wheat Flour 6 T cocoa (or carob if you want to share with your dogs) 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt Topping: 2 T sugar 1/4 c chopped nuts 1/2 c chocolate chips In a medium bowl combine butter/margarine, oil, sugar, eggs, applesauce/baby food and vanilla, mix well. In a separate bowl, mix flour, cocoa/carob, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring just to combine. Spoon batter into a greased 8 x 8-inch pan. Mix Topping ingredients together and sprinkle over batter. Bake brownies in a preheated 350°F oven 30 to 35 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before cutting. Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate ( RG1655 )

Graham Crackers Sylvester Graham was an early nutritionist. He preached, (literally, he was a minister), the benefits of the flour containing wheat bran that now bears his name. If you don't have Graham Flour, any whole wheat flour will work. This recipe is based on one in the "King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cook Book". I doubled the quantities and made a few changes. This will make about 4 dozen 2 inch square crackers. 2 c Graham Flour 2 c AP Flour 1/2 c Sugar 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Cinnamon 1 tsp Penzeys Baking Spice (or, another of Cinnamon) 2 tsp Baking Powder 2 Eggs 1/2 c Vegetable Oil 1/4 c + 2 T Honey 2 T Molasses 1/4 c Milk For Topping: 2 Tbl Milk Cinnamon Sugar (@1 tsp Cinnamon/1/4 Cup Sugar) Preheat Oven to 350, very lightly grease two baking sheets Mix Dry Ingredients thoroughly Stir in Wet Ingredients to make fairly stiff dough Roll dough out on floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick Cut into approx 2 inch squares Place on baking sheets and prick with fork Brush with Milk and sprinkle lightly with Cinnamon Sugar Bake about 15-20 minutes until edges almost burn, Cool on racks The first one you eat won't taste like much, but they're oddly addicting. SB (and, if there are any old Girl Scouts out there .... you know what you can do with them!) Keywords: Intermediate, Snack, Healthy Choices ( RG1654 )