Apple Pie (Courtesy of Diya)

Ingredients:
- 6 cups of Granny Smith apples (5-6 apples), sliced, peeled and washed
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 Pillsbury box pie crust
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour

Directions:
- Mix dry ingredients together and pour over apples
- Add melted butter and mix well
- Pour into 9 inch glass pie dish lined with pie crust
- Moisten edge of pastry with cold water
- Cover with top crust
- Fold in excess crust and flute edges together
- Create slits on top to allow steam to escape
- Cover top with 1/4 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon flour
- Bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees
- Cover edges with strips of foil
- Bake another 20-25 min
- Let cool before cutting

Thai Spicy Basil Shrimp

Ingredients:
• 1 lb. fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 20 jumbo shrimp)
• 7-8 garlic cloves
• Red chili sauce
• 1 cup yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup carrot, cut in matchstick pieces
• 1/2 cup green/red/yellow bell pepper, julienned (optional)
• 2 cups basil leaves, loosely packed (roughly chopped or left whole)
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp sugar (approximate)
• Little Kikkoman stir-fry sauce
• Little fish sauce
• grounded white (or black) pepper

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and some chili sauce - stir until lightly browned and fragrant.
2. Add prepared shrimps and stir well to evenly mix everything together. Once the shrimps start to turn pink - but still translucent in the middle !! (pictured above), add onions, carrots, and bell peppers. Stir to get vegetables cooked real quick, you want them to be a bit crisp, not all soft.
3. Then, add oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, fish sauce, stir-fry sauce and grounded white/black pepper.
4. Stir quickly to mix the seasonings into ingredients.  Stir to get everything coated with sauce.
5. Turn off the heat, add the basil leaves and give it a good stir. Transfer to serving dish. Great over rice!
 

http://edibleobsession.blogspot.com/2009/07/thai-spicy-basil-shrimp.html 

Mom’s Palaak Paneer Recipe

(for 2 people, use 1 block of frozen chopped spinach – I’m not sure if it’s 9 or 10 ounces)

For 2 People:

·         Sauté ½ medium chopped onion in oil in a frying pan, until transparent

·         Add spinach (can be left out or frozen because it will cook and thaw in the pan)

·         Add 1 medium tomato, cut in large pieces if you want to put it in the blender (if you’re not going to put anything in the blender, I would chop it in small pieces)

·         Cover and let cook on medium high for about 10 minutes – it will dry out some but not completely

·         Take out ½ of the spinach mixture, along with as many tomato and onion pieces that you can capture, and put in the blender for 2 seconds to make it a little smooth (this is really an optional step…when I make this, I may not do this step because I actually like the texture of the spinach, but that’s a personal preference)

·         Add blended mixture back into frying pan

·         Add hadar and salt and cook for another 5 minutes - covered

·         Add cubes of paneer (see recipe below for paneer if you need it) and let cook for another 5 minutes or so - covered

·         Add 1 large tablespoon of sour cream (NOT low fat)

·         Cook on low for another 5-7 minutes, covered

·         Enjoy!

Grilled Orange-and-Bourbon Salmon

Ingredients:

1/4  cup  bourbon (Jack Daniels)

1/4  cup  fresh orange juice

1/4  cup  low-sodium soy sauce

1/4  cup  packed brown sugar

1/4  cup  chopped green onions

3  tablespoons  chopped fresh chives

2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice

2  garlic cloves, chopped

Chopped ginger

Saracha sauce (1/2 tsp)

Scallions chopped (2-3)

4  (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)

Cooking spray

Preparation:

Season salmon w/ salt and pepper, both sides.

In a bowl, mix lemon juice, saracha sauce, ginger and garlic – rub/pour onto salmon.

Combine orange juice, bourbon, soy, brown sugar and scallions in bowl and pour over salmon to marinate.

Can combine in ziplog bag, but if salmon is fully thawed and too soft, put in dish and baste periodically.  The longer you let marinate, the better (few hours at least).

Grill or broil in oven.  Grilling is awesome!

Place salmon on a grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Cook 6 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, basting frequently with reserved marinade.

Chicken Marinade

· 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
· 1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
· 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
· 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
· 2 teaspoons lemon juice
· 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
· 1/8 teaspoon salt
· 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
· 1/8 teaspoon finely minced fresh parsley

Joe's Pizza

-Oil and drizzle flour on pan
-slice potatoes thin, put on pizza, drizzle olive oil, parm cheese, little salt, bacon bits, when done cooking, drizzle goat cheese
- slice tomatoes, drizzle ollive oil, garlic powder, fresh mozz, salt, pepper, drizzle parm cheese, when done, add basil pieces

Shaleen's Chinese Chicken with Baby Bok Choy

-slice chicken in half and then quarter slices
-kikkoman stir-fry sauce
-kung pao stir fry sauce, any
-hoison sauce, any

-soy sauce
-white pepper
-cornstarch
-marinate chicken for an hour
-before u cook it, keep at room temperature for an hour at least

-fry chopped garlic, don't let burn
-stir fry chicken, half cooked and sear it so that it fluffins up and cooks on the outside
-put on high fire to cook the outside
-add the three sauces, couple tablespoons of each, hoisen put one tablespoon and taste because its sweet..have to taste (lower heat)
-add baby bok choy and put on high then cover

Note: I couldn't find the Kung Pao stir fry sauce last time, but I found a szechuan stir fry sauce that I used instead...it was good but too spicy for me!

Spinach and Feta Lamb Burgers (Payal)

Ground lamb
Chopped fresh spinach
Feta
Salt, pepper
A1 sauce

Banana Pudding by Paula Deen

Ingredients

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5-ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream
Directions

Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Note: I made this the day before an cookies were awesome since they were soft. While this is delicious, the bananas blackened a bit...it set really well, but the condensed milk also made this slightly heavier than I like my banana pudding to be. Maybe next time put half can of condensed milk?

Bindhi Potato with Achar Gosht

Add bindhi and 2 potatoes chopped in chunks.

Sauté bindhi first to remove sliminess. Add potatoes and mix. Add 2 medium onion chopped in large pieces. Add 2 medium tomatoes chopped (fresh).

Then add 1 small tsp hadar, a little more dhania, small tsp paprika. Also add salt...about 1.5 tsp.

Add heaping Tablespoon of Achar Gosht powder.

Cover and keep on low until potato cooks...about 20 minutes.

Boondhi Yogurt

Make Yogurt smooth...add water...to make it watery than you would think. Add sugar if not already sweet, add at least 1 tablespoon salt...more to taste. Add couple teaspoons jeers powder and a teaspoon paprika.

Add boondhi, once soaked in hot water. If made fresh boondhi, only need to soak for a few minutes.

Kasuri Mehti Paneer

Add on stove with oil an add 2 medium onion, chopped - until pink. Add 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste (3 cloves garlic). Sauté for few min. Add 3/4 cup crushed tomato (prefer 1 can tomato sauce). Add little water...cover and let cook (this makes the sauce smoother).

Add 2 teaspoons dhania and 1 teaspoon if hadar. Add 1/2 tsp of garam masala. Add couple bay leaves. Add some water, cover and keep in low for 10 min.

Add phau bhaji masala - 1 tablespoons.

Add 1/2 cup or 3 tablespoons of sour cream (Mix sour cream with orange food coloring first).

Cilantro and Mint Chutney

2 cloves garlic
1 cup fresh cup mint
1 bunch cilantro
1 inch block ginger
1 small onion cut in large pieces
2 green chilies, large pieces
Lemon juice

Few tablespoons of lemon juice in blender first...then add I small onion cut in large pieces. Then add everything else.

Then add, to start, 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Continue to taste and add lemon juice, salt and sugar...and maybe more chilies.

Diya's Choco-Hot-Pots

Choco-Hot-Pots (4 Ramekins)

¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 stick of unsalted butter
2 large eggs
¾ cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons flour
½ cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Melt semisweet chips and butter.
In separate bowl, mix eggs, sugar and flour
Add in chocolate mixture
Fold in white chips (optional)
Place in 4 buttered ramekins
Bake at 400 degrees for 9-10 minutes until tops are cracked and inside is gooey

Choco-Hot-Pots (2 Ramekins = 4 cupcakes sizes using cupcake pan)

.375 cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ stick of unsalted butter
1 large egg
.375 cup powdered sugar
1.5 tablespoons flour
¼ cup white chocolate chips (optional)

Melt semisweet chips and butter.
In separate bowl, mix eggs, sugar and flour
Add in chocolate mixture
Fold in white chips (optional)
Place in 4 buttered ramekins
Bake at 400 degrees for 9-10 minutes until tops are cracked and inside is gooey

Sweet and Sour Fish

-flounder or tilapia
-batter fish with flour, and pan fry for a crust on both sides and remove
-in separate bowl add: 4 tablespoons of ketchup, 10 tablespoons of water, little vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, little soy sauce, scallions, lea and pepper, saracha, little honey or brown sugar-optional (for 2 fish)
-pour sauce in pan with fish drippings
-add large pieces of green pepper and onion -add fish back in (sauce will thicken)

For 5 thin filets of tilapia, I doubled sauce. Taste sauce when in bowl, if too sweet, add more vinegar, saracha (maybe a teaspoon). More sesame oil will give it a more oriental flavor.

Chinese Scallion Pancakes

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (cake flour also works, but lacks elasticity)
- 1 teaspoon yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water + 1 teaspoon sugar to activate yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup finely chopped scallions

Directions:
Sift flour into 2 equal portions into separate bowls. In the first bowl, slowly add the yeast-water, mixing with a spatula, until a dough forms.
In the second bowl, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the salt into the flour. Slowly pour in 1/2 cup of the boiling hot water while vigorously stirring (this “cooks” the dough.) Add more water and keep stirring until a rough dough forms. (If you accidentally add too much water and the dough is too soft, add a little more flour.) Mix in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Roll the doughs out on a lightly floured surface and knead them together. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 30 to 40 minutes.

On the same floured surface, roll out the risen dough. Form into a 1-inch thick log, and slice into Ping Pong-ball sized segments. With a rolling pin, roll each segment out to 4″ or 5″ circles.

Lightly brush the top of each circle with vegetable oil. Sprinkle over with chopped scallions and the remaining salt.

Roll up the circle, semi-tightly, making sure the scallions stay in place.

Now, roll it again lengthwise until it forms a coiled ball.

Turn the spiral side face-up, then flatten again into a circle with the rolling pin. Place on a plate and repeat with the remaining dough until you have a stack of scallion-studded spiral patties. (Whatever you don’t cook immediately can be frozen for future use.)
Heat a flat-bottom skillet on medium high heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Working in batches, pan-fry the pancakes until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Serve warm.

http://appetiteforchina.com/recipes/chinese-scallion-pancakes-photo-photo-recipe

Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients:
-1cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
-1cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
-1can (about 14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
-1box (9 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to drain
-1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
-1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese (1 oz)
- Round bread loaf recommended

Toasted baguette slices or assorted crackers, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Mix mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese. Stir in artichokes, spinach and bell pepper.
2. Spoon mixture into 1-quart casserole. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese. Add garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, black pepper, Italian seasonings and parsley.
3. Put in a bread bowl. Bake about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm with baguette slices. Also tortilla chips.

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

Ingredients
· 20 lasagna noodles
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms – how many ever you want really!
· 1 cup chopped onion – I used about ½ a large onion
· 1 tablespoon minced garlic – I used about 4-6 cloves of garlic
· 2 cups fresh spinach – I used 3 bags of spinach…but I recommend 4 bags!
· 3 cups ricotta cheese – I used fat-free ricotta...it was great
· 2/3 cup grated Romano cheese
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1 teaspoon dried oregano
· 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
· 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
· 1 egg
· 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese – I used fresh mozzarella cheese, grated (you can also slice)
· 3 cups tomato pasta sauce – I used 2 jars of Rinaldi pasta sauce…perfect
· 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese – I used powered Parmesan since I already had it
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook mushrooms, onions, and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender. Drain excess liquid and cool. Boil spinach for 5 minutes. Drain, then squeeze out excess liquid. Chop spinach. I cooked the sautéed the spinach with garlic, onions, mushrooms and olive oil…I had to drain some of the water, b/c I didn’t want to overcook the spinach
4. Combine ricotta cheese, Romano cheese, spinach, salt, oregano, basil, pepper, and egg in a bowl. Add cooled mushroom mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Spread some sauce in the dish and lay 5-6 lasagna noodles in bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread half of the spinach/mushroom mixture, then half of ricotta cheese picture. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese on top (even a little Romano if you like). Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce over cheese. Repeat with another layer. Finish with noodles on the top, with a lot of sauce…then with fresh mozz and a little Romano and parmesan…whatever I had left.
5. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour (or until cheese melts). Cool 15 minutes before serving.

Orzo Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

1 (28-ounce) can Italian tomatoes
2 zucchini, grated
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
6 sweet bell peppers (red work best)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl and break apart using a pair of kitchen shears or your finger tips. Add the zucchini, mint, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes. The orzo should be only partially cooked. Use a fine mesh sieve to transfer the orzo to the large bowl with the other vegetables. Stir the orzo into the vegetable mix to combine. Transfer the warm chicken broth to a 3-quart baking dish.
Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up.
Place the peppers in the baking dish with the warm chicken broth. Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the top of each pepper with cheese and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully transfer the orzo stuffed pepper to a serving plate.

Meat Lasagna

Ingredients
1 pound of sweet Italian sausage
1 pound of ground beef (I used pork)
1/2 cup of chopped onions
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
2 (8 ounce) cans of tomato sauce
2 (6 ounce) cans of tomato paste
1/2 Cup of Water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon fennel seed
2 teaspoons fresh Basil leaves chopped
4 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
23 ounces of ricotta cheese.
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 egg
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
12 lasagna noodles
–Serves 12 people–
Start with the following in a pot:
1 pound (450 g) of sweet Italian sausage
1 pound (450 g) of ground beef
1/2 cup (120 mL) of chopped onions
2 cloves of garlic chopped

Brown the ground beef, Italian sausage, onions and garlic in a pot until they start to cook. It takes about 6 to 9 minutes to brown the meat. I like to use a Dutch oven to cook this portion of the recipe. I use a medium low temperature to brown the meat. It is optional to remove the grease from the meat once it is finished browning, your choice.

Add the following:
1 (28 ounce) (784 g) can of crushed tomatoes (I used 29-oz of regular tomato sauce)
2 (8 ounce) (230 g) cans of tomato sauce (I used 14-oz of fire-roasted diced tomatoes)
2 (6 ounce) (168 g) cans of tomato paste (I used 14-oz sliced and stewed tomatoes)
1/2 (120 mL) cup of water

Gently stir this into the cooking meat.

Add the following:
2 tablespoons (30 mL) white sugar (I put only 1 tablespoon sugar b/c I added some leftover port wine that we had)
1 teaspoon (5 mL) fennel seed (I didn’t have this)
2 teaspoons (10 mL) fresh Basil leaves chopped
2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh Italian parsley chopped
1 teaspoon (5 mL) salt
1 teaspoon (5 mL) Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) ground pepper

Gently stir these seasoning into the sauce.
Cover the pot and let the meat sauce simmer. Simmer on low heat for 1 hour and 30 minutes This is the ideal simmer time but not mandatory. If you don’t have time it will still be great after one hour of simmering.
I will sometimes make this sauce and refrigerate it after it finishes simmering. I will use the meat sauce the next day to put the rest of this recipe together. For some reason Italian meat sauce taste even better the next day. But that’s up to you.

Soak 12 lasagna noodles.
The lasagna noodles need to be soaked in hot tap water for 15 minutes.
While the noodles are soaking you can make the cheese filling.

Put the following in a mixing bowl:
23 ounces (644 g) of ricotta cheese.
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) fresh grated nutmeg

Grate fresh nutmeg over the Ricotta cheese.

Add the following:
1 egg
2 tablespoons (30 mL) fresh Italian parsley chopped

Mix these ingredients together with a spoon

Now we start building the lasagna layers.
Use a 9×13 inch baking pan.

Spread 2 Cups (480 mL) of meat sauce on the bottom of the pan.
Remove your lasagna noodles out of the water bath. Shake water off wet noodles.
Lay 6 noodles across the layer of sauce.
Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the layer of noodles.
Spread 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta layer.
Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese over the mozzarella layer

Spread 2 cups (480 mL) of meat sauce over the cheese layer
Lay down the next layer of noodles
Spread the remaining ricotta mixture over noodles
Spread the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses saving some cheese for the top of the lasagna
Put the last layer of meat sauce on the cheeses
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Cover with foil
Bake in preheated oven at 350 F (177 C) for 25 minutes
Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for approximately 15 minutes.

Paneer or Chicken Tikka Rolls

Ingredients:
- Paneer or chicken cubes
- ¾ cup yogurt (6-7 tablespoons)
- ½ tsp grated ginger
- ¾ tsp minced garlic
- 1 ½ tsp dhania
- ¼ tsp hadar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp jeera powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp tandoor masala (you can get the Shan packets at the Indian grocery store)
- green bell peppers (optional)
- sliced onions (optional)
- small, individual white flour tortillas

· Marinate cubes of paneer or chicken in all the ingredients for a few hours
· Put it on the stove on high, stir and then put the stove on low – will dry a bit
· In separate pan, you can sauté some green peppers and onions if you like
· Put a couple of spoonfuls of paneer in a flour tortilla and roll (you can put a toothpick in it for an appetizer, works best with the chicken)

Chinese-Style Green Beans

Ingredients
• 1 lb green beans, haricots verts or Chinese longbeans
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
• 2 scallions (spring onions, green onions), white parts only, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon chili paste
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon dry sherry or rice wine
• Pepper to taste, optional
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil for stir-frying, or as needed

Wash the green beans, drain thoroughly, and trim the tops and bottoms.
Cut the green beans on the diagonal into slices approximately 2 inches long.
Chop the garlic, ginger and scallions.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the green beans and stir-fry until they start to shrivel or "pucker" and turn brown (6 to 7 minutes for longbeans).
Remove the green beans from the wok and drain in a colander or on paper towels.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the wok on high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and scallions. Stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the chili paste and stir-fry for a few more seconds until aromatic.
Add the green beans and the dark soy sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper if using. Stir everything together, and taste and adjust the seasoning if desired. Serve hot.

Black Pepper Chicken (Courtesy of Anjana)

Ingredients:

- chicken breast or tendors cut into pieces
- black pepper
- lea and perins sauce
- mushrooms, either fresh or canned
- garlic
- chicken bouillon cube
- cornstarch
- heavy cream

Take thin chicken breast and coat with crushed blk pepper and a little lee and perins sauce (salt to taste)

In a thick pan, melt some butter and a little garlic. Then add chicken and saute on each side for a minute.

Add a boullion cube mixed with warm water to the pan and add some heavy cream. Add salt, blk pepper and lee and perins sauce to taste.
Then add a little corn starch mixed in a little cold water to thicken the sauce.

Spicy Dill Pickles (Courtesy of Mel)

Pickling Liquid:
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 1/4 cup coarse salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 bay leaf

Pack into Jars:
- cucumbers
- carrots
- cauliflower
- onions
- jalapeños
- celery
- chopped garlic
- fresh dill

Boil pickling liquid and pour over veggies in glass jars. Turn jars upside down. Put on lids and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Sweet Pickles (Courtesy of Mel)

ingredients:
- cukes
- fresh dill
- onion, celery, carrot, etc.

pickling liquid:
- 1 cup vinegar
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp mustard seed
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp cayenne


1. cut up veggies and put them in jars with pinches of fresh dill
2. bring liquid to a boil and ladel into jars - fill to about 1/2 inch from the top, screw on lids
3. stand jars on their lids - let sit at room temp for a day then refridgerate

note: the jars fill up pretty quick when you're cramming sliced veggies in, so you don't need a ton of veggies - maybe 4-5 cukes if you're adding some other veggies? The smaller diameter on the cukes the better so you can get more in the jar. Jeff claims he adds garlic but it wasn't in the recipe so I guess throw some garlic in there for good measure ... why not? =o) This should make about 6-8 medium size jars, give or take - it all depends on the size of your jars.

Roasted Manchurian Cauliflower

Ingredients:

5 1/2 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 large head)
2 tablespoons Garam Masala
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper


1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Combine first 3 ingredients and 1 teaspoon oil in a large bowl; toss well. Place cauliflower mixture in an 11 x 7inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes.

3. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add black pepper to pan, and sauté 1 minute. Add garlic; sauté for 30 seconds. Stir in ketchup; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in red pepper; reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until thick.

4. Remove cauliflower mixture from oven. Stir in ketchup mixture. Bake at 425° for an additional 20 minutes or until cauliflower is tender, stirring after 10 minutes.

Coleslaw

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients:

3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/3 cup oil
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
1 dash black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup half-and-half (I added a little whipping cream)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large head cabbage, finely shredded (used 1 bag of shredded cabbage)

Preparation:

Blend mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar and oil. Add onion powder, dry mustard, celery salt, pepper, lemon juice, half-and-half and salt. Stir until smooth. Pour coleslaw dressing over shredded cabbage in a large bowl and toss until cabbage is well coated. Keep coleslaw refrigerated. Best if refrigerated for several hours before serving.

This coleslaw serves 8.

Cajun Shrimp and Rice

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Cajun or blackening seasoning
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1.5 cups cooked white rice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1.5 chicken bouillon cube
Celery
Red kidney beans
Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

Directions
Cook rice in chicken broth.
Heat the butter, olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the Cajun seasoning and shrimp and cook, stirring, until the shrimp begin to curl, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the tomatoes and scallions to the skillet and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add celery and kidney beans. Add the rice and 1/4 cup water and continue to cook until the rice is warmed through and the shrimp are opaque, about 3 more minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve with lemon, if desired.

Spinach Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients
1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach leaves (can also add mushrooms but will need to fully dry)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded pepperjack cheese (can also add parmesan, feta, etc)
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
8 slices bacon
Paprika
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Saute spinach with olive oil and fresh garlic. Let cool. In separate bowl, combine sour cream and whatever combination of cheeses. Add paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper. Stir cool spinach into sour cream mixture.

Half cook bacon on the stove for about 4 minutes.

Lay the chicken breasts out on a clean surface, and spoon some of the spinach mixture onto each one. Roll up chicken to enclose the spinach, then wrap each chicken breast with two slices of bacon. Secure with toothpicks, and arrange in a shallow baking dish.
Bake uncovered for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, then increase heat to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C), or use the oven's broiler to cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes to brown the bacon.

Tzatziki Sauce

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced finely
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper, also black pepper
Single serve container of greek yogurt, strained
4 ounces sour cream (same amount as yogurt)
1/2 of a large cucumber peeled and grated...completely drained of water
Handful of chopped fresh dill
Little garlic powder
Little paprika
Pinch of cayenne

Preparation:
Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, garlic powder and white and black peppers in a bowl. Mix until well combined. Using a whisk, blend the yogurt with the sour cream. Add the olive oil mixture to the yogurt mixture and mix well. Finally, add the cucumber and chopped fresh dill. Add some paprika and a pinch of cayenne. Chill before serving.

Garnish with a sprig of fresh dill just before serving.

Mushroom Pie

- 1 packet puff pastry sheet (only use one sheet)
- 2 large cans of mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon margarine/butter
- salt/pepper
- ½ pint whipping cream
- 1 entire bunch of spring onion, chopped
- lemon juice
- cheese, mozzarella preferred

Directions:
· Roll puff pastry sheet w/ flour to flatten (not too flat). Poke few hole in it with a fork so it doesn’t rise.
· Put in the oven for 20-25 min or until golden brown @ 350 degrees.
· Drain mushroom cans
· Add 1 tablespoon marg/butter in pan, on high
· Add mushrooms and salt/pepper
· Let all the water from the mushrooms dry and add ½ pint whipping cream. Stir until it’s completely dry.
· Add chopped spring onion and when fully dry, add some lemon juice
· Let cool and put on pastry, leaving a one-inch boarder on the edges of the pastry
· Sprinkle with cheese
· Put in oven for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees

Eileen's "Better-Than-Sex" Chocolate Cake

1 package yellow cake mix (I use Betty Crocker)
1 large box chocolate jello pudding mix (regular)
2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
4 eggs
8 oz sour cream (regular, not low-fat)
8 oz chocolate chip

Mix together first 6 ingredients, then stir in sour cream and add chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes in well-greased bundt pan (use Pam).

Dust with powdered sugar and cover with strawberries in the middle and/or on the side/top.

Flan (Using Box of 8 from Spain)

- Put quarter tsp of butter in pan (so milk doesn’t burn)
- Add 4 cups of milk – put on medium fire and let it come to a boil
- In a separate mug, mix flan powder with ¾ cup of milk (in addition to the 4 cups)
- Once milk on the stove comes to a boil, pour in flan mixture with one hand, while mixing with other hand, so as not to clump
- Let it come to a boil, but continue to watch it and mix frequently
- Once boils, put on low fire for 10 minutes
- In serving bowl, pour caramel and put sliced almonds and put in refrigerator to set for a few minutes
- Then put a spoon of flan in a bowl to see if it sets, if so, pour flan in bowl
- Leave out and uncovered for 15 minutes to half an hour
- Then put in refrigerator and cover
- Turn upside down and serve

Italian Spinach Sausage Pie

Italian Spinach Sausage Pie

Ingredients

1 pound bulk Italian sausage
6 eggs
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (10 inch) pastry for a double crust pie
1 tablespoon water
Directions

In a skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Separate one egg and set the yolk aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg white and remaining eggs. Add spinach, mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, salt, garlic powder, pepper and sausage; mix well.
Line a 10-in. pie plate with bottom pastry. Add filling. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry. If desired, cut out holly leaf and berry shapes from pastry scraps; place on top crust. Beat water and remaining egg yolk; brush over top.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Eggplant Rollatini

Ingredients:
2 medium-sized eggplants
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Can vegetable spray
32 ounces (part skim okay) ricotta cheese
2 large eggs , lightly beaten
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
8 tablespoons grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
20 basil leaves, chiffonaded
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
2 cups fresh tomato sauce, recipe follows

Directions
Preheat the grill pan and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place a rack over a large baking sheet. Cut the 2 ends off the eggplant. Cut the eggplants lengthwise, into 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange eggplant slices onto rack. Sprinkle with sea salt to help remove excess moisture and any bitterness from the eggplants. Set aside for about 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse off the salt from the eggplants and pat dry with a towel. Spray hot grill pan liberally with vegetable spray and then place eggplant slices on the grill until lightly browned on each side and tender, about 4 minutes per side. Remove slices from the grill pan and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until lightly scrambled. Mix the ricotta in with the egg. Add mozzarella, 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts and gently combine. Fold in basil just to combine. Do not overmix.

Place a tablespoon of the cheese mixture on 1 end of the eggplant and roll up tightly. Place the eggplant rollatini into a greased (with olive oil) 13 by 9-inch baking dish, seam side down. Continue with remaining eggplant. Evenly distribute the tomato sauce on top of the eggplant rollatini. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 5 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and bake for 15 minutes. When cooked, drizzle the top with extra-virgin olive oil.

Simple Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cans diced tomatoes, mash as it boils
2 dried bay leaves

Add some prego, ketchup, saraca sauce, Italian seasonings
In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, can add some unsalted butter (I didn’t do this).

Creme Anglaise (Topping for Dessert)

Ingredients:
· 4 egg yolks
· ½ cup white sugar
· 1 cup milk
· ½ cup heavy cream
· 1 vanilla bean
· Pinch of salt

In bowl, take:
4 eggs yolks
½ cup white sugar
Wisk in a bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Put 1 cup milk in a heavy saucepan.
Add ½ cup heavy cream.

Take vanilla bean – flatten it with edge of knife.
Then split it down the middle w/ the tip of the knife.
Scrape out all the seeds with the back of the knife.
Add seeds and pod to milk/cream mixture.
Put on stove on medium-low heat to just below a simmer.
When you whiffs of steam and small bubbles on the edge of the pan and turn off the heat and take off stove.

Next – temper the eggs.
Add ¼ cup of hot milk to egg mixture and quickly whisk.
Then add another ¼ cup and whisk.
Then add full egg mixture to hot milk mixture – whisk while you pour.

Put back on stove on low heat. Switch to a spatula and mix using a figure 8 motion, making sure spatula touches bottom of pan.
Mixture will thicken (continue mixing).
Mix until mixture coats spatula and holds a finger mark.

Then, turn off heat and quickly pour mixture in strainer into a bowl that’s sitting in an ice bath (big bowl w/ ice water, then small bowl floating in it).
Add pinch of salt.
It will thicken as it cools.
Once cool, put in bowl and refrigerate until use. Pour over cake, crepe or other dessert.

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Ingredients:
· 12 ice cream sandwiches, unwrapped
· 1 (6 1/2 ounce) can whipped cream – more whipped cream for sides
· 1 cup chopped Oreo cookies

Directions:
· Place plate in the freezer for awhile (ice cream will melt fast!)
· Arrange 4 ice cream sandwiches long sides touching on a serving plate.
· Squirt an even layer of whipped cream over top.
· Scatter with 1/3 cup chopped Oreos
· Repeat layers 2 times, garnishing top with a few larger chunks of Oreos
· If ice cream starts to melt, may need to put back in freezer for a few minutes
· Then cover sides of cake w/ whip cream (use fresh whipped cream for this)
· Freeze 6 hours or until firm.
· Slice to serve.
· May be frozen for up to a week.

Salmon in Herbed Butter Sauce

Ingredients:
1 (5 to 6 pound) whole salmon
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Herbed Butter Sauce, recipe follows

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Preheat a grill to high heat.

To make the fish:
Season the fish with the olive oil, and salt and pepper. Grill on both sides until the fish has clear grill marks, about 6 minutes per side. Remove from the grill, place on a sheet pan, and finish in the oven.
Transfer to a warmed platter and brush with Herbed Butter Sauce.

Herbed Butter Sauce:
2 shallots, minced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup Chardonnay
2 tablespoons chicken stock
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup packed chopped tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons packed chopped parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the sauce: in a small pan, sweat the shallots in butter. Add the wine, stock, vinegar, and lemon juice and simmer until reduced by half.

Stir in 3 tablespoons cream. Add half of the tarragon. Whisk in the cold butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, strain and add remaining tarragon and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Salmon with Lemon and Dill

Ingredients:
Salmon fillets
1/4 cup butter, melted
5 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.

Place salmon in the baking dish. Mix the butter and lemon juice in a small bowl, and drizzle over the salmon. Season with dill, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper.

Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until salmon is easily flaked with a fork.
Tips: Melt butter in a pan and add chopped minced garlic…also added a little cream. Make sure to use fresh lemon juice. I served over asparagus risotto.

Corn Chowder

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
Olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only (I put a few basil leaves instead)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups canned vegetable stock
2 cups heavy cream (I used 1 cup heavy cream/1 cup milk but using heavy cream tastes better!)
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
6 ears of corn (or use 2 cans of sweet whole kernal corn)
Little salt to taste at end (the veggie broth is salty)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves (you can use basil or dried parsley too)

Directions:
Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and thyme (or basil) and cook until veggies are nice and soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add flour to veggies and stir well to coat everything well.

Pour in veggie stock and bring to a boil. Add cream (and milk for me) and the potatoes. Bring to a boil and boil hard for 7 minutes, until the potatoes break down.

Cut corn kernals off the cob and add to soup (or add in the cans). Add black pepper and let simmer until corn is soft, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in parsley (or basil) and add in little more olive oil. Add salt to taste (but taste it first!).

White Chocolate, Chocolate Cookies with Macadamia Nuts

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup white chocolate instant pudding
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups white chocolate chips
Small packet of macadamia nuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Combine the cocoa, flour, and baking soda, gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, fold in white chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 7:30 minutes in the preheated oven, until puffy but still soft. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Crab Salad

mayonnaisechopped onionchopped olivesparsleychili saucewhite wine vinegarworcestershire saucesalt and pepper-stir all together and refrigerate. -to serve put the crab meat into chilled dressing-cut large plum tomatoes like a flower but not all the way through-spoon the crab mxture over the tomatoes garnish with hard boiled egg slice if desired.Yup,cut the tomato into 8 slice but not cut at all just little bit and open it ang spoon the crab meat on top or put inside the tomato.

Spaghetti/Linguine/Papperdelle with Mushrooms and Shrimp

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove (crushed)
Portabella mushrooms, sliced
1 pound medium shrimps, shelled, deveined, cut in half (optional)
1/8 teaspoon red hot pepper flakes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (plus extra to pass around) – pecorino cheese is awesome!
3/4 pound dried pappardelle/pasta
Can also add spinach or artichokes

Directions:
Heat oil and some butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano and fresh parsley - let it cook until fragrant. Add mushrooms and cook. Add salt and pepper. Can add shrimp or can make shrimp separately…(like gambas).

Cook pasta (al dente) and toss the pasta with the sauce – add more olive oil if needed. Also toss in some pecorino cheese.

Chocolate Kahlua Trifle

Ingredients:
1 (18 1/4 ounce) devil's food cake mix
1 cup Kahlua
2 (3 ounce) boxes instant chocolate pudding mix (I used 3 big boxes of the non-fat, sugar-free chocolate pudding)
3 cups Cool Whip, thawed
Heath bars, crumbled (optional but recommended!)

Directions:
1. Prepare, bake and cool cake in a 9 x 13 inch pan according to package directions.
2. Once cake has cooled, poke holes in cake with fork and pour KAHLUA over top.
3. Refrigerate several hours or overnight and cut cake into cubes.
4. In a large bowl, prepare pudding mixes with milk, according to package directions.
5. Using a large clear glass bowl or trifle dish, layer 1/3 each of cake cubes, pudding and Cool Whip (then add heath bars).
6. Repeat layers 2 more times.
7. Refrigerate until serving time.

Dirty Rice with Smoked Sausage or Kielbasa

Ingredients:
2 cups long grain white rice
5 cups chicken stock, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound smoked pork sausage, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 can dark kidney beans
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves (can replace with Thyme)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Make the rice, in a medium saucepan combine the rice and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until all the stock is absorbed into the rice, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile heat oil in a heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage. Once browned, add the garlic, onion, celery, and green bell pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup chicken stock and cayenne. Cook until the stock has reduced a little. Add the cooked rice and parsley and stir thoroughly. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.