Coquito (Coconut Eggnog) by Li

Sorry I didn't post this before Christmas, but it's mighty tasty any day of the year.

2 cans cream of coconut (Brand name: Coco Lopez. You can find it at Hispanic markets, Thai markets or specialty stores such as Gelson's)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 cups Bacardi white rum
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
2 egg yolks (optional)

Blend all ingredients in blender until foamy. Refrigerate. Serve cold.

Mah famous BluCheese & Anchovie Olive by Griz

Make'm myself....here's the deal.............they are a pain in the ass to make but worth every minute.

1. Start with the largest olives you can find, I use Queen size, take the pimento out. If you are not in the boonies like me you may to be able to buy very large olives without pimento.

2. I use jar'ed Anchovies, take one anchovie and cut it in half (unless ya got really big olives) roll it up like a jelly roll, place it in the olive.

3. Take your favorite Blue Cheese, cut off a chunk and place it in the olive sealing the hole.

4. Place in your favorite Martini........eating one'o these is a unique experience.....savor it.

After I put this recipe up on TT last year, some non drinkers have told me they made these for hor'dourves.

Fruit Salad with Simple Syrup by PaganMama and Bookseller

This colorful fruit salad makes a beautiful addition to the holiday table. Serve as a light dessert or as a palate cleanser between courses.

INGREDIENTS:
2 Blood Oranges
2 Navel Oranges
1 Pink Grapefruit
1 Yellow Grapefruit
2 Star Fruit
1 Pomegranate

PREPARATION: Using a sharp knife, peel and segment oranges and grapefruit. Remove pith, pips and membranes. De-seed pomegranate and slice star fruit. Arrange citrus segments in a bowl with the star fruit and gently mix together. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds on top. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Serves 6

NOTE: My grocery had no blood oranges. I ended up including yellow and pink grapefruit, navel oranges, papaya, star fruit, kiwi, frozen blueberries, and pomegranate seeds on top. As Claire said, add the seeds only at the end or they'll stain the rest of the fruit. And as Bookseller advised, I made a simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, simmer together gently for a couple of minutes until sugar all dissolved) and threw a few chunks of fresh ginger in as it simmered for extra flavor. Cool the syrup and pour over fruit; chill the whole mishmash.

Toffee by Always Chaotic

Okay, kat. I cheated. It's not "toffee"; it's "nut crunch" (but my mother always called it toffee; guess that's where I get it).

It's basically the Joy of Cooking recipe:

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
3 tbs. water

Cook these ingredients over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 300 degrees (I do this over med-high heat; it takes about 10 minutes).

Immediately pour the mixture over the nuts (approx. 1 1/2 cups) spread out on a marble slab (or, if you prefer, an oiled cookie sheet). Don't try to spread it; it won't work. Dump approx. 1 cup of bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips on top of the hardening mixture. When they melt, swirl the chocolate in attractive little whorls to the edge of the toffee (okay, OKAY, nut crunch).

Lime Tartlets by Erythrosine

I like the looks of this recipe from today's paper. Instead of making a graham cracker crust, you just pop one gingersnap into each cupcake liner, and it softens during baking. Each lime tart contains 150 calories, not a diet-breaker, unlike an actual slice of lime pie.

12 gingersnap cookies
3 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (they used fat-free)
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (6 to 7 Persian limes or 12 to 14 Key Limes)
Grated zest from the limes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Spray each liner with nonstick spray coating. [I'm going to try using the foil liners without the spray, instead.] Place one cookie in each liner.

Whisk together eggs, canned milk, lime juice, lime zest, and vanilla until well blended. Pour 1/4 cup mixture into each muffin cup. Bake 16 to 19 minutes or until firm. Allow to st in pan about 10 minutes. Lift tarts from the pan and place on a tray. Cool completely, then refrigerate several hours or overnight. Top each with 1 tablespoon whipped cream.

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake by kat167

In a mixer, blend together:
1 stick softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift together:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking POWDER
1 teaspoon baking SODA
1/4 teaspoon salt

Have on hand:
1 cup sour cream.

When the sugar & butter mixture are blended nicely, alternate adding to it the FLOUR mixture and the SOUR CREAM, beginning and ending with flour.

Then, pour into a greased and floured (I actually use cocoa instead of flour, cuz it's cool) pan (9-10" across; I try to use one with a hole in the center so it lifts out easily)...transport half of your batter. Sprinkle liberally with CHOCOLATE CHIPS and brown sugar & cinnamon (Combine brown sugar & cinnamon separately first).

Glob on top the remainder of the batter, then add more CHOCOLATE CHIPS and brown sugar and cinnamon.

Bake 45-60 minutes at 350.

Dot's Ginger Cookies by Miriam

Now for a super secret recipe that I mistakenly published in a 1972 edition of the neighborhood newspaper my sister and I created, "The Dowsett News." Let's just say that Mrs. Frizelle down the street stopped talking to Mrs. Church across the street (who gave me the recipe) for several years after the incident. (yes, we discovered Mrs. Frizelle's nickname too).

Cream together:
3/4 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar

Beat in:
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg

Add:
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cloves (I tend to go lighter on the cloves)

Roll the cookie dough into balls, then roll in granulated sugar and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F until the edges are just starting to brown and the tops are cracked. Don't bake these too long! These cookies are best on the soft and chewy side.

Lemon Squares by GaudyNight

Here is my family recipe for lemon squares. Use a 9" x 13" pan

Base:
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup confectioner's sugar.

Cut together, press in pan. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Topping:
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
Juice of 1 lemon (AT LEAST 1/4 cup, preferably more - the lemonier, the better AFAIC).

Beat together till foamy. Then beat hard for 8 minutes (at this point you go deaf from the noise of the mixer and die of boredom, but it's worth it).

Stir in: 2 tablespoons flour, 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

Pour Topping over Base (need not wait to cool). Bake 20 minutes at 350. When cool, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and cut into squares.

Enjoy. :)

Gluten-free raisin bread by Erythrosine

Mix together:

4 cups of self-rising white cornmeal (which has baking powder and salt in it, see below)
3 cups of milk
4 tablespoons of melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup raisins (about)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (about)
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Bake in a greased 9x13" pan at 450°F for 30 minutes.

Self-Rising Cornmeal by Li
Here's a recipe for self-rising cornmeal from the Aunt Jemima website:

For one cup of self-rising cornmeal:

1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons Quaker or Aunt Jemima Corn Meal

Waffles by Alecto the Night Owl

Here is H's Waffle recipe. Makes 5 waffles.

2 1/2 c unbleached flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
2 beaten eggs
2 1/4 c milk
3/4 c vegetable oil

Mix ingredients in order. Pour 3/4 c batter (for Belgian waffles) into waffle iron.

Microwaved Old-Fashioned Oatmeal by Erythrosine

Microwaving oatmeal is great, because once you've worked out the time for your own microwave oven, you can start it cooking and then go off and take a shower or something. The unwatched pot does not burn.

The first step is to buy OLD FASHIONED type oatmeal. The more refined and finely flaked oatmeal is, the more it tastes like library paste. One-minute oatmeal is not as tasty as old fashioned oatmeal, and instant oatmeal is almost entirely identical to library paste. Microwave cooking old-fashioned oatmeal is no more trouble than instant oatmeal, though it takes longer, so you might as well get the good stuff. Of course you can first use up whatever you have by cooking it in the microwave, following the instructions on the package.

Next step is to determine how long it takes your oven to bring two cups of water to a boil (or whatever volume of water you're going to use). Mine takes four minutes.

I measure one cup of oatmeal into my 2+ quart bowl (you need extra room to prevent boilovers), then use the same cup to measure twice that volume of water. Add a light sprinkling of salt, unless you're avoiding it. Consider adding some raisins, or pitted prunes if you like them. Then set the microwave to cook it for twice the water-boiling time at 50% power. So, in my microwave, for two cups of water plus one cup of oatmeal, that's 8 minutes at 50% power. Do not put a lid or any other cover on the oatmeal! Doing so may cause a boil-over, which is a mess.

Corn meal mush is also very good and easy cooked in the microwave, although the amount of butter in the Microwave Gourmet cookbook is truly excessive. (I do strongly recommend the Microwave Gourmet cookbook by Barbara Kafka; note that the Microwave Gourmet Healthstyle Cookbook is NOT what you want, even if you're into healthy food, which I am.) And the latest thing, according to the LA Times, is stone ground old-fashioned grits which is supposed to be vastly tastier than the instant variety. (Note: "grits" is singular, according to my husband's Alabama relatives.)

Saffron Risotto by Erythrosine

From Barbara Kafka's Microwave Gourmet. Serves three as a first course, 6 as a side dish.

4 teaspoons unsalted butter
4 teaspoons olive oil
3/8 cup minced onion
4 cloves garlic, smashed peeled and minced
1 cup arborio rice
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup white wine
16 threads saffron
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat butter and oil in a 11"x8.5"x2" dish or a 10-inch quiche dish, uncovered, at 100% power for two minutes. [I think 1 minute is sufficient in my oven. I use a very large Pyrex bowl. Too big is fine. Too small is not.]
   
   
2. Add onions, garlic; stir to coat. Cook, uncovered, at 100% power for 4 minutes. [Two minutes for me.] Add rice and cook for 2 minutes more.
   
   
3. Add broth, wine, and saffron, and cook for 9 minutes. Stir and cook for 9 minutes more.
4. Remove from oven. Stir in salt and pepper and serve hot.
   
   

Home Made Donairs, with Halifax Sweet Sauce, Approved by a Real Nova Scotian, Laliita

1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp all-purpose flour (yup, 1 tsp)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 pound ground beef
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp white vinegar, or as needed for consistency
Onion and tomato and pita bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a cup or small bowl, mix together the salt, oregano, flour, black pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.

Place the ground beef in a large bowl, and use your hands to blend in the spice mixture. If you want the smooth texture of meat that you see in a real donair shop, you must do this in a steel mixing bowl and on a sturdy surface. Pick up the meat, and throw it down with force about 20 times, kneading it after each throw. This also helps the meat hold together better when you slice it.

Form the meat into a loaf, and place it on a broiler pan. If you do not have one, a baking sheet will do.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, turning the loaf over about half way through.

The loaf will cut better if you chill the meat overnight before slicing.

To make the donair sauce, mix together the evaporated milk, sugar and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the white vinegar, adding 1 teaspoon at a time, until thickened to your desired consistency.

To serve, heat sliced meat in a frying pan. Then dip a pita bread in water and fry in frying pan to soften. Place a generous amount of sauce on bread. Top with meat, chopped onion and tomato, and finish off with lots more sweet sauce.

(I thought this recipe called for extra-ground beef, but I was wrong. I knew there was something different about it, but it's the "whacking the meat" part that's unusual. Heh.)

Dennis' Chicken Chili by Alecto the Night Owl

5 lbs chicken thighs
1 onion halved
2 carrots, halved
3 celery ribs, halved
3 bay leaves
Juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
6 black peppercorns
1 lb dried kidney beans
3 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 c each chopped onion and poblano peppers
8 oz diced (1/2) andouille sausage (smoked will work ok)
1 tablespoon each ground coriander, cumin and chili powder
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
4 oz tomato paste
2 tablespoons each red wine vinegar, molasses and chopped chipotle pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 c diced ripe tomatoes
1/2 c fresh cilantro leave

1. Place chicken, along with next 8 ingredients in a large, heavy pot; add water just to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to a bowl. Strain and, return the broth to the pot and reserve. Shred the chicken and reserve.
   
   
2. Add the beans to the reserved broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes, skimming any foam. Drain beans, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid, set aside.
   
   
3. Heat olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add onions, poblano peppers and sausage, cook for 8 minutes. Add coriander, cumin and chili powder; cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, molasses, cipotle, sugar and the reserved bean liquid. Simmer for 20-25 minutes. Add diced tomato, cilantro, reserved beans and chicken. Cook for 10 minutes longer.
   
   
4. Prepare garnishes: Combine sour cream and chives in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the mango, tomato and cilantro. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with garnishes and cheese.
   
   

Optional garnishes:

1 each ripe mango and tomato, diced in 1/4" cubes
1 cup sour cream
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup snipped chives
Grated pepper jack cheese

Goat Meatballs by Miriam

Get a hunk of ground goat or grind some chuck Mix with: chopped garlic, oatmeal (no, not the cooked stuff silly!), Fennel seed, salt, pepper, a raw egg.

Roll them into meatballs (I like meatballs the size of a golf ball), place on a cookie sheet or broiler pan, and bake at 375 degrees F until center is cooked to 160 degrees F internal temperature.

Add some extras for more flavor and fun -- try some dried cranberries, water chestnuts, green onions, whatever you have lying around. You can also make this into meatloaf.

Kale and Red Lentils by BJohnsen

Serves 2 as a main dish with rice.
1 clove garlic, sliced
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
2/3 cup red (and/or yellow) lentils
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/3 onion, sliced very thin
1 cup boiling water
1 cup stock
Salt
1 bunch kale

Saute onion and garlic in oil until onion is limp and transparent. Stir in curry, tomato, coconut.
Add lentils and water, and salt to taste. Return to boil. Immediately add stock, cover, reduce heat to low. Cook 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding 1 tablespoon water or stock if too dry. Steam kale and stir into lentils before serving.

Good over brown rice. Yogurt and/or chopped tomatoes are good garnishes.

Yam and Lentil Curry by Ivy

Yield: 10 cups, 6 servings.

1 chopped onion (8 oz.)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon oil (I use olive)
2 cups dried lentils (about 13 oz.)
2 lbs. sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
About 1 teaspoon salt
About 1/4 teaspoon pepper
1.5 quarts vegetable broth or fat-skimmed chicken broth (I use vegetable bouillion and it works fine)
Chopped fresh mint leaves

1. In a 5-6 quart pan over medium heat, stir onion and garlic in oil until onion is limp, about 5 minutes. (I make the whole recipe in a big soup pot--love the one-pot thing!)
   
   
2. Meanwhile, sort lentils and discard debris, then rinse and drain lentils. Add lentils, sweet potatoes, curry powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and broth to onion mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender to bite and sweet potatoes are tender when pierced, 25 to 30 minutes.
   
   
3. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped mint.
   
   

I've never used the mint leaves in this recipe, though I have nothing against mint and I'm sure it'd be tasty. Great with basmati rice and/or plain yogurt or sour cream.

Per serving: Calories 410 (9.2% from fat); Fat 4.1 g (sat. 0.4 grams); Protein 21 g; Cholesterol 0.0 mg; Sodium mg; Fiber 12 g; Carbohydrate 73 g.

Kung Pao Chicken by Claire Carpenter

Basic recipe (serves 2)

2 boned chicken breasts
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup peanuts (unsalted)
10 whole dried chiles
2 scallions cut in ½ inch lengths
2 cloves minced garlic

Cube the chicken breasts and mix them with the egg white and cornstarch. Cook chicken over high flame until tender. While chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce:

1 teaspoon chili paste with garlic
¼ cup low sodium chicken stock
2 Tablespoons dark low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon cooking sherry
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

When chicken is cooked, add garlic, peppers, peanuts, and onions. When everything is hot (but not limp), add the sauce and simmer until hot and thick. Serve over steamed rice.

Tips: My family likes more sauce than this recipe makes, so for a single batch, I double or even triple the sauce portion of the basic recipe. Usually, we serve from 5 to 10 people so the recipe is increased even more.

One precaution: you can increase all the ingredients proportionally except for the chili paste with garlic; this is what adds the heat (and the flavor). If increasing the chicken recipe by 6 and the sauce recipe by 8, we would increase the chili garlic paste by only 5 (spicy, but not unbearable), etc. You will have to play around with it to find the best ratio for your family’s taste—Enjoy!

Pork Recipe by kat167

First, mix this dry rub on the meat and put in dutch oven at 200-250 for 2 hours:

2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoon cayenne
2 Tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
3-4 Tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
(all measurements are approximate, and feel free to add other spices).

After 2 hours, pour over the nicely smelling meat a mixture of:

1 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon salt & pepper
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

Then back into the oven for another 4 hours or so. It shreds pretty nicely. And I save the leftover sauce stuff for the next day's meat (I tend to make this 2 days in a row for some reason).

Slow Cooker Barbecue Pork Roast by Erythrosine

Yesterday I cooked the best recipe of slow-cookerdom: Place pork roast in slow cooker, add half a bottle of barbecue sauce, and cook all day on a very low setting. Wonderful.

Garlic and Stuff by PaganMama

You know what is my standby ridiculously easy favorite recipe?

Saute a whole bunch o'garlic in olive oil. When it's nice and soft, throw in a big bunch of washed and chopped broccoli rabe (or spinach, or chard) with just the water clinging to its leaves. Toss in a little mashed-up anchovy and maybe hot sauce to taste. Let it all simmer down (covered) and at the end throw in some feta cheese. Serve over pasta with some parmesan. Drink a lot of red wine while cooking and while eating.

Pasta with Fontina and Mustard by Molly Dunlop

Here's my favourite recipe for when Mr D is out of town. Not as much trouble as it sounds. [Adapted from a Nigel Slater recipe. Enough for four. Except for the milk, everything is measured by weight, not volume.]

12 oz macaroni or other hollow pasta [I use wholewheat ziti]
24 fl. oz. milk (3 cups US)
1 small onion, peeled and halved
1 or 2 bay leaves
2 oz butter
2 oz flour
About 10 white peppercorns
7-8 oz Fontina cheese
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard [I use smooth, whole-grain is fine but alters the texture of the dish]
3 oz fresh breadcrumbs [I often omit these]
4 Tablespoons grated Pecorino cheese

Set the oven at 375 F. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water till it is al dente, then drain.

Meanwhile, warm the milk in a saucepan with the onion and bay leaf. As it approaches the boil, turn it off and let it sit. Melt the butter in another pan, add the flour and stir over moderate heat until you have a pale biscuit-coloured roux. Discard the onion ad bay leaf, then pour the milk gradually into the roux and whisk it until there are no lumps then let it simmer over low heat until the sauce is the consistency of heavy cream.

Crush the white peppercorns and stir them into the sauce with the mustard. Cut the Fontina into dice (approx. ½ inch on a side). Fold the pasta and Fontina cubes into the sauce.

Tip the mixture into a gratin dish. Resist the temptation to smooth the top. Toss the breadcrumbs (if used) with the grated Pecorino and scatter over the dish. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve with a spinach or other green salad.

Arroz con gandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas) by Li

2 Tablespoons of corn oil OR two tablespoons of lard OR a few inches of fatback
2 Tablespoons of tomato paste, or to taste
1/4 cup of sofrito (recipe to follow)
1/4 cup of Spanish olives, or to taste
1 packet Sazon seasoning with azafran
Adobo seasoning with cumin, to taste
2 cups long-grain rice
1 can of gandules (green pigeon peas), drained and rinsed.

Heat oil in a dutch oven or soup pot and add tomato paste, sofrito, olives, Sazon and Adobo. Stir until bubbling, then add rice and stir until coated. Stir in gandules and then add water to pot until water covers the top of the mixture to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches. Turn heat up to high and boil the rice and gandules without stirring until almost all of the water has boiled away. Cover the pot with a tight lid (if lid is not air tight, cover pot with aluminum foil and then place lid). Turn off heat and let sit without stirring or peeking for 20 minutes (Rice will be steaming during this time. If you uncover too soon, the rice will be hard.) Uncover after 20 minutes and stir rice and peas together.

Sofrito:

1 medium Spanish onion, cut into big chunks
8 cloves garlic, peeled
6 ajicitos dulces* or 1 cubanelle pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into chunks
4 leaves culantro** (if you can't find culantro, increase the amount of ajicitos or cilantro by half)
6 big sprigs cilantro, stems and all, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup packed)

Put all ingredients into a blender and puree until the mixture is slightly foamy and slides off a spoon. The extra can be frozen for future use.

*Ajices Dulces, also known as ajicitos are tiny sweet peppers that look like Scotch bonnet or Habanero chilies--but aren't hot at all. Try to find them in bodegas in Puerto Rican or Dominican neighborhoods. If not, up the cilantro and add a pinch of cayenne pepper.

**Culantro is not cilantro. It has long leaves with tapered tips and serrated edges. It is also known as recao. When it comes to flavor, culantro is like cilantro times ten. Try to find it in bodegas in Puerto Rican or Dominican neighborhoods.

If you're a gardner, you can get seeds for culantro and aji dulce at http://www.caribbeanseeds.com/

Pasta by Laliita

My favourite pasta couldn't be simpler. Prepare egg noodles. Slather in butter, and sprinkle liberally with grated fresh parmesan. Drooool.

Zucchini Pasta Sauce, or the Vegetarian Heart Attack by GaudyNight

This is originally from Marcella Hazan; my mother makes it at least once a week in the summer and DH and I call it the "Vegetarian Heart Attack." Goes great with insalata caprese (tomato and mozzarella salad with basil vinaigrette), or with fresh sweet corn. A terrific way of using up all those baseball bat-sized zucchini your friends unload on you in August.

Serves four. A little goes a long way. But if you're serving six, double the recipe. No, I've never understood this, but there was one dinner party where we almost ran out of sauce.

1 lb zucchini (2 small, 1 medium, or less than half of a baseball bat), julienned
Vegetable oil to deep-fry it in (at least 1/4 inch deep in the skillet)
1 lb spaghetti/linguine/fettucine
3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon flour stirred into 1/3 cup milk
2/3 cup roughly chopped fresh basil (or more - Mr. Night likes LOTS, to the point that it really should be called Basil Sauce)
Salt
1 egg yolk, beaten lightly with a fork
¾ cup parmesan (or mixture of parmesan and romano)

BEFORE you start putting the sauce together, HAVE ALL THE INGREDIENTS MEASURED OUT, PREPPED AND READY TO GO.

Fry zucchini sticks in oil, in batches if necessary, until brown and limp; drain on paper towels. Start the pasta.

When you're ready to start (about 3-5 minutes before the pasta is ready) melt half the butter; add all the olive oil. When the butter begins to froth, turn the heat down to medium-low, add the flour and milk a little at a time. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.

Add the zucchini, turning them 2-3 times, then add ¼ teaspoon salt and the basil. Cook long enough to turn everything once or twice.

Turn off the heat, swirl in the remaining butter. Rapidly mix in the egg yolk, then all the grated cheese. Serve immediately.

Award winning turkey chili recipe by c-beth

In soup pot, sauté 2 chopped yellow onions, and a few to several cloves of garlic in olive oil. While that’s cooking, mix together rough amounts of the following and stir it into the cooked onion/garlic:

2 Tablespoons flour
6 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon oregano (dried or fresh)
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoon cumin powder
2 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 cold nut brown ale beer

Add:
3 lbs cooked ground turkey (or chopped cooked turkey breast, I use ground)
(2) 14 oz cans of stewed tomatoes w/ juice
(1) 14 oz cans of tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
1-2 cans of kidney beans

Simmer for 2.5 hours, add more beer to thin as it cooks down.

My modifications: I add more than it calls for of cayenne and chili powder and peanut butter, but don’t know amounts, just add it to taste. The original recipe leaves out the beans and calls for leeks but we don’t care about that. YUM.

Potted Herring by Molly Dunlop

Here is my mother's recipe for Potted Herring. It also works well with trout.

6 fresh herring fillets [Very fresh. Substitute trout if it's easier to get]
Handful fresh parsley
Bay leaf
12 black peppercorns
1 small or 1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
Malt or cider vinegar
Water
2-3 teaspoons brown sugar

Heat oven to 325 F. Cut each fillet lengthwise to give twelve strips of fish. Sprinkle inside (non-skin side) with parsley and a little salt. Roll the strips up (skin outside) and pack the rolls side-by-side, on end in a deepish baking dish (I use a glass souffle dish). Place one peppercorn in the centre of each roll. Break up the bay leaf and scatter it and the onion pieces over the dish. Prepare a 50:50 mixture of vinegar and water (about a cup) and dissolve the sugar in it. Pour the mixture around the fish in the baking dish; top up with additional mixture if necessary to almost but not quite cover the fish. Sink any floating bits of onion. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 40 minutes, until the fish is fully cooked. Cool uncovered.

Serve cold with salad and buttered whole wheat bread.

Lemon Herb Roasted Potatoes by Alecto the Night Owl

2 1/2 lbs red potatoes
1/4 c olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper

Pre-heat oven to 425°. Wash potatoes, rinse and pat dry. Dice potatoes into 3/4" cubes. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt, oregano, thyme, paprika and pepper in a large bowl. Mix well. Add potatoes and toss. Arrange on an oiled or non-stick baking sheet and bake for about 35 minutes. Turn potatoes at 15 minutes. Bake until tender and well browned.

I sometimes make up the oil mixture and keep it in the fridge. The herbs infuse into the oil and make the potatoes a little tastier.

Spiced Squash by Bookseller

Given other side dishes, this will probably serve 6 or even 8.

3 pounds butternut squash
4 T butter
1/2 t ground cardamom
1/4 t ground cloves
1/2 t salt
2 T honey
1/4 t freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Halve the squash lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, wrap the squash halves loosely in foil, and bake for an hour or till tender. Let cool, then scrape out the flesh and puree in a food processer. Mix in other ingredients. If reheating, either opt for a microwave or stir constantly over medium heat.

Spicy Butternut Squash by BJohnsen

Cut medium-size squash (peeled or not - I don't) into quarters, remove seeds. Cut each quarter into 6-8 slices, depending on size of squash. Arrange in pan, brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle both sides with a little salt, a couple of good grinds of black pepper, and a liberal amount of Chinese Five Spice*. Bake at 400, uncovered, about 30 minutes, turning once.

*Chinese Five Spice (from Schilling) = Fennel, anise, ginger, licorice root, cinnamon, cloves.

Another Aparagus Recipe by BJohnsen

Just toss the asparagus in olive oil and salt, roast it at 450 for 15-25 minutes, depending on thickness, and then sprinkle it with a flavorful cheese like Pecorino-Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano and pepper. Roasting gives the asparagus a really deep flavor.

Asparagus Recipe by Always Chaotic

Steam asparagus; top it with as much melted butter and grated parmesan and romano as your conscience and cholesterol will allow, and run it under the broiler. Heaven.

Roasted Veggies by Maaka

This works for cauliflower, as well as a mixture of veggies -- which I prefer -- like baby carrots, zucchini, portobello mushrooms, onions, red bell peppers, etc., along with cauliflower.

Mix together:

1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon minced garlic
Salt and pepper

Cut veggies into bite-sized pieces, place in one layer in an old cake pan (9x13), drizzle with the oil mixture. Broil for 10 minutes, stir, then broil 10 more minutes. It may take longer, depending how crispy and brown you like your edges.

You know what's really good? I know because I did this last night! I cooked up a big pot of brown rice, and then I stirred in the roasted veggies, added more of the olive oil/balsamic mixture, salted the heck out of it, and served it as a one-dish dinner. Delicious.

Roasted Cauliflower by Bookseller

Cut cauliflower into slices about 1/3" thick, don't worry about the crumbly bits, toss with some olive oil and salt and pepper, and spread on a sheet pan in roughly a single layer. Include all the crumbly bits. Roast at a pretty high temp., maybe 425, until the crumbly bits and the edges of the actual slices are good and charred, dark-brown edging on black. Toss every ten minutes or so whilst roasting.

Spinach Salad with Fried Curry Goat Cheese and Thai Lime Dressing by bluewish

Makes 8 servings

24 ounces baby spinach leaves
1 cup golden California raisins½ cup sliced almonds
½ cup coarsely shredded carrot
Juice of 2 limes
1 shallot peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
½ cup thai coconut milk
½ teaspoon red pepper powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon honey
½ cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 cup plain bread crumbs
3 tablespoons hot madras curry powder
12 ounces goat cheese
½ cup canola oil

1. In a large serving bowl, combine the spinach, raisins, almonds and carrot
   
   
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the lime juice, shallot, garlic, mint, coconut milk and red pepper powder. Slowly whisk in sugar, honey and ½ cup oil. Set dressing aside until goat cheese rounds have been fried.
   
   
3. In a shallow bowl, whisk two eggs until well mixed
   
   
4. In another shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs and curry powder
   
   
5. Slice 12 ounces of goat cheese into 16 equal pieces
   
   
6. Heat ½ cup canola oil to medium high in a medium frying pan.
   
   
7. Form each piece of goat cheese into a small flat circle, dredging each piece in egg first, and then coat each piece in the bread crumb mixture. Place coated goat cheese rounds on a plate.
   
   
8. In two batches, fry the goat cheese for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown.
   
   
9. Drain the goat cheese on a paper towel.
   
   
10. Toss the spinach mixture with the lime dressing and divide the salad into 8 serving bowls. Place 2 pieces of fried goat cheese on each serving.
    
    

Spicy Prawn Salad by Ivy

Here's a recipe for a Thai shrimp salad. I love this stuff!

1 head green leaf lettuce
1 pound cooked shrimp
1/2 inch piece ginger
1 small red onion
2 fresh red chilies
1 stalk lemongrass
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon. brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon. black pepper
4 tablespoons green onion
4 tablespoons cilantro
15 fresh mint leaves

Chop what needs to be chopped. Mix everything together except the shrimp and lettuce. I like to soak the shrimp in the mixture for a little while before adding the lettuce. Add lettuce and toss.

Broccoli Grape Salad by Claire Carpenter

My kids refuse to believe it’s Thanksgiving unless I make this salad. Serves 4.

1 bunch of broccoli, cut up without stems
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup green onions, chopped with tops
½ lb. bacon, cooked crisp, cooled, and crumbled
Green and red seedless grapes (about 20) cut in half
Slivered almonds (about 6 ounces, toast at 350 degrees, watch carefully, then cool)

Dressing
½ cup sugar (this is the original recipe, I use about 2 tablespoons)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon raspberry vinegar

Put dressing on salad just before serving and mix in almonds last.

Spicy Fish Chowder by Claire Carpenter

I made this up after having something similar in a restaurant where they refused to give me the recipe. Mine is better!

Any other seasonable fresh vegetables can be added for variety. It’s also good without the fish. Makes enough for 8, ortwo meals for 2 people with leftovers.

2 28 oz cans whole tomatoes
28 ounces water (1 tomato can full)
3 cloves (or more) garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon (or to taste) salt
1 teaspoon (or to taste) hotshot or tobasco. Or use fresh chiles of your choice. 2 Alaskan cod fillets, cubed
2 large carrots, chopped
2 ears fresh corn, trimmed corn from cob
1 green (or combination green, yellow, red) bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
Handful of fresh green beans, snapped or handful of fresh snow peas
Corn tortillas
Grated Jack or Cheddar cheese (optional)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer for ½ hour. Add chopped carrots. Simmer until carrots are almost cooked (don’t overcook!). Add other vegetables and cook 5 minutes or less. At this point, when cooking for 2 people, I separate the soup into two containers, one for immediat use, one to refrigerate for another meal.

Add cubed fish to immediate pot and cook on high until fish is cooked through (about 10 minutes or less). Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Garnish with cheese (or not) and serve with warm corn tortillas.

Corn Chowda by Tamarind

1. Develop an obsession with corn on the cob. Stalk farm stands for the freshest, most succulent sweet corn. Obsessively hoard leftover cobs in the freezer.
   
   
2. Hire neighborhood children or press own children into service to saw kernels off the cobs. Option: Skip steps 1 and 2 and buy canned corn.
   
   
3. Mince celery, red and green peppers, onion, and 2-3 potatoes. Saute with butter. Add about a tablespoon of flour.
   
   
4. Transfer above to saucepan add chicken stock (last time I just added a carton of Trader Joe's chicken stock, so that’s about, um...4 cups)
   
   
5. Simmer and add the corn. Add salt/pepper, cayenne/paprika to taste. Add a cup of milk, let simmer without bringing to a boil. Done when potatoes are tender.
   

Optimal sides: BLTs or biscuits. Yum.

Hot and Sour Soup with Seafood by Laliita

This isn't the same hot and sour soup that a lot of people are used to, but it's one that I adapted, quite liberally, from a recipe I found in a magazine about ten years ago.

8 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup Chinese cooking wine
3 tablespoons crushed ginger
3/4 pound firm tofu, cut into thin julienne strips
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 Cup cold water
1 cup frozen peas
1 pound prawns (raw or precooked)
1 pound mussels in shell
1 to 2 teaspoons chili sauce (to taste)
2 green onions, chopped

Combine first eight ingredients in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Slowly add dissolved cornstarch, while stirring constantly. Simmer until thickened. Add frozen peas and continue simmering. Add prawns and mussels, and simmer until prawns are pink (if added raw) and mussels are opened. Discard any unopened mussels. Gently stir in sesame oil, chili sauce, and green onions.

Spiced pumpkin soup with bacon by Molly Dunlop

Serves 4, generously.

A medium onion
2 teaspoons cumin seed
50 g butter
2 small dried chillies
2 plump cloves of garlic
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
900 g pumpkin
4 rashers smoked bacon
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
100 ml single cream

Peel and roughly chop the onion. Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan and cook the onion and the garlic, peeled and sliced, until soft and translucent. Meanwhile, peel the pumpkin, remove the stringy bits and seeds and discard them with the peel. Chop into rough cubes and add to the onions. Cook until the pumpkin is golden brown at the edges.

Toast the coriander seeds and cumin in a small pan over a low heat until they start to smell warm and nutty - about 2 minutes. Keep the pan to one side for later. Grind the roasted spices in a coffee mill or pestle and mortar. Add them and the chillies to the onions and pumpkin. Cook for a minute then add the stock.

Leave to simmer for 20 minutes or so until the pumpkin is tender. Fry the bacon in the pan in which you toasted the spices. It should be crisp. Cool a little then cut up into small pieces. Whizz the soup thoroughly in a blender or food processor till quite smooth.

Pour in the cream and taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as necessary. Return to the pan, bring almost to the boil and then serve, piping hot, with the bacon bits scattered on top.

Yucatan-Style Chicken, Lime, and Orzo Soup by PaganMama

Makes 4 servings.

3/4 cup orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
5 cups low-salt chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, seeded, chopped
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced
Fresh cilantro sprigs
3/4 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into matchstick-size strips

Cook orzo in pot of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain well. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and chiles. Sauté until onion begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add chicken; sauté 1 minute. Add broth, lime juice, and tomato. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Mix in orzo, then chopped cilantro. Season soup with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into 4 bowls. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/109251?mbid=gbase

Another Mayo Substitute by curly

I have another good salad dressing recipe that could be fat free. I think it's just yogurt, lime juice, a little sugar, and a whole lot of cilantro, plus some salt and pepper. The original recipe used sour cream, but I've always made it with yogurt and never felt a lack of fat.

Mayo Substitute by Bookseller

For anyone looking to cut some fat, I recommend this highly (and I say this as a person who has never uttered the words "this sauce is too rich"). I made it from the stuff I had lying around; YMMV:

5-6 oz. silken tofu
Half a small roasted onion
Large bunch of scallions
An enormous handful of fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
Quite a lot of salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons good olive oil

Whiz everything except the oil in the food processor; dribble the oil in very slowly as if you were making mayo. It will be quite runny, but will thicken to a near-mayonnaise consistency after an hour in the fridge. It's delicious right then, but gets even more delicious after a night of chilling. I wound up with about one and a third cups, which works out to roughly 20-25 calories per tablespoon -- or one-quarter of what you'd scarf if you were eating regular mayonnaise -- and about 2-3 grams of fat.

Artichoke Dip by Always Chaotic

One 12-oz jar of marinated artichokes, drained
1 cup of parmesan (my sister just grated fresh parmigiano reggiano, but you can just do a generic kind; it'll still taste good)
1 cup mayonnaise
3-4 minced garlic cloves (or to taste)
The juice of 1/4 lemon (or to taste)

Mix all of these in an ovenproof dish and bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, or until browned and bubbly on top. It's good stuff. I make it all the time when we have guests, because it goes very quickly.

Figs and Stinky Cheese by Perle0

First, take a nice hunk of Stilton. You can probably substitute any blue cheese, and if you have blue-cheese-haters you can also provide a hunk of Brie, but Stilton is what was in the recipe, and it's the best thing I've tried yet.

Cover said hunk of cheese with Adriatic fig spread. (I get it at Whole Foods, but similar items may be available elsewhere.)

Sprinkle with chopped walnuts to taste. I've substituted pecans successfully as well. Serve with any mild cracker, such as water crackers.

This is amazing stuff, and I've yet to find anyone who's tried it that didn't like it. I loved it so much that I immediately memorized the (admittedly simple) recipe.

Russian Tea by kat167

BRING TO A BOIL, then let simmer 20 minutes or so:

2 quarts of water
12+ cloves
6 cinnamon sticks
4 slices of ginger, approx quarter size

Add (to simmering stuff, but don't let it boil):

1 can frozen OJ
12 oz pineapple juice
Juice of a lemon
Honey to taste

Drink until you feel better. It smells good too.

Hazlenut Cordial by Erythrosine

The hazelnut liqueur I made smells lovely, but even though I only put in half the sugar, it's far too sweet to drink. I diluted it with an equal volume of vodka and it was still to sweet to drink. I recommend that if you ever make hazelnut liqueur, you carefully sweeten to taste. This was the recipe: (from Cordials from Your Kitchen by Vargas & Gulling)

0.5 pound hazelnuts
1 cup vodka
0.5 cup brandy
0.5 cup white sugar
0.5 cup light brown sugar
0.25 cups water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon glycerin (optional)

Toast hazelnuts first; microwaving until the nuts smell and taste right works fine. Coarsely chop hazelnuts in food processor. Transfer to clean 1-quart container and add vodka and brandy. Cover and store in a cool, dark place for 6 weeks. Use a coarse sieve or colander to strain out solids. Discard. Strain again with a fine-mesh strainer. Transfer liqueur to clean container, cover, and let stand for 2 days. Rack or filter into clean container.

Make a simple syrup by bringing white sugar, brown sugar, and water to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and let stand until just warm. Add syrup, vanilla, and glycerin (if using) to racked liqueur. This cordial may be served immediately, but it's better if allowed to age for 1 to 2 months in a covered container. YIELD: APPROX. 1 FIFTH

Old Fashioned by MacGuffin

Most bartenders and people hose the drink down with club soda. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

1 small orange slice (optional)
1 cube sugar
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 ounces whiskey (bourbon is preferred, but rye works too)
Ice
Club soda
Old Fashioned Glass

Muddle the sugar cube in about a tablespoon of club soda until dissolved (simple syrup works great too). Add two dashes of bitters, fill glass with ice, then add the whiskey. Skip the maraschino cherry. Drink up!