Mom's Enchiladas

Pete asked me for this, so I thought I'd post in case anyone else is in need:

2 c + liquid (I prefer the sauce on the thinner side), broth or water
4 T flour or cornmeal (or combination)
3/4 t salt
3 T chili powder
1 t new mexico chili powder (or 1/4 t cayenne)
1 t cumin

Mix dry ingredients. Make a paste with about 1/4 c of the liquid. Add remaining liquid and whisk, stirring frequently, until thickened. Season meat of your choice well with salt, pepper, and desired seasonings and saute. Fill tortillas w/ meat, sauce, and cheese. Top with sauce and sprinkled cheese. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, or until warmed through and cheese is melted.

A few notes: because chili powders vary so widely, I always have to taste and adjust the seasonings. For the chili powder I currently have, 1/2 t salt is better. I've also started doubling the recipe, stopped dipping the tortillas before I fill them, and just ladling the sauce inside and over the casserole before baking. Call me lazy, but it cuts down on time and mess *hugely*. I'm much more prone to make them now. 1 and 1/2 recipes would be perfect, really (1 is too little, 2 is too much). Enjoy!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

We made this the other day for a friend who has a gluten allergy expecting it to be just OK, but we all thought it was fabulous and went back for seconds. It got together very easily as well. I used half bittersweet chocolate chips and half semisweet chocolate chips because that is what I had and it was great. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Serves 8.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (I always use salted and can't tell the difference), plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or 8 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate)
6 large egg yolks
6 large egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 275 degrees; with rack in center. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Place butter and chocolate in a large bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until melted; cool slightly. Whisk in yolks.
In another bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar; beat until stiff and glossy. Whisk 1/4 of whites into chocolate mixture; gently fold mixture into remaining whites.
Pour into prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until cake pulls away from sides of pan and is just set in center, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Serve dusted with confectioners' sugar.

St. Nicholas Cookies

Happy St. Nicholas Day! Here's Janet's recipe for St. Nicholas cookies, which is different from the one in the red family cookbooks (i.e. no lard!). Enjoy --

Cream together:
1 lb butter
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c brown sugar
Add:
3 beaten eggs

Mix dry ingredients and add gradually to the above:
2 t ginger
2 t cinnamon
1 t allspice
1/2 t cloves
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
6 c flour

Form into 2 long logs (approximately the length of your cookie sheet), wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate til stiff. Slice into 1/4 inch slices, place whole almond or almond slice in the middle of each cookie, and bake at 350 for 11 minutes.

Corrine Tilton's French Apple Pie

We found ourselves stuck home today with a sick James, forced into our first official Jeremy Tilton family Thanksgiving. Our consolation is Jeremy's mom's apple pie. Everything will be ok as long as we have the apple pie. Since I've written the recipe down at least a half dozen times and still couldn't find it this morning, I thought I'd post it here for the next time we're in need of some perfect pie.

Corrine's French Apple Pie

1 unbaked pie shell

1. For deep 9 in pie dish: 5 large or 6 med/small Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, and soaked in large bowl of cold water + 1 T salt. For glass pie dish, 5 small Grannies

2. Crumb topping: cut in 1/3 c butter to 2/3 c flour and ½ c sugar to fine crumbs

3. Squeeze excess water out of apples (or drain in strainer), then cut in halves. Combine with ½ c sugar + 1 t cinnamon and immediately stack densely, piece by piece, in pie shell. Do not add excess juices to pie.

4. Cover liberally with crumb topping. For heavy ceramic pie dish, bake at 350 for 20 min, then 325 for 30 + min, or until apples are tender when pricked, filling is bubbling, and crumb topping is lightly browned. For glass pie dish, bake at 400 for 40 min, rotating pie 1/2 way through.

Martha Stewart's Snickerdoodles

This is our afternoon project today: cream-of-tartar-less snickerdoodles. Katie says they're fabuloso, and since I wanted to type up the recipe to have on my computer anyway, I figured I might as well post it:

Snickerdoodles

2 3/4 c flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t coarse salt
1 c butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c sugar
2 lg eggs

2 T sugar + 2 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar, approx 3 min. Add eggs. Gradually add dry ingredients. Divide dough into 20 1 and 3/4 inch balls (measure them--they're big!). Roll in cinnamon sugar mixture and place 3 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes, and allow to cool on baking sheet on wire racks.

Enjoy!

(Katie, can you check this over to make sure I got everything? Thanks!)

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Hi family -- for those of you who are pumpkin chiffon pie fans: Katie passed along a version of mom's recipe Janet has revamped, and I've posted it here. The ingredients are the same, but the directions are quite different, and it goes together easier this way. I just made my rough draft version for RS recipe night (I always have to remind myself how to make a crust come fall, and the first attempt is usually not so hot) with great success.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

2 1/2 lb can pumpkin, refrigerated

Three pre-baked 9” pie shells

Soften 2 packages of unflavored gelatin in ½ cup cold water. Set aside.

Mix together and stir to remove all lumps:
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
dash cloves

Mix together:
6 egg yolks slightly beaten
1 cup diluted canned milk (1/2 water)

Add milk and egg yolk to brown sugar and spices in a large saucepan or double boiler. Cook till thick stirring constantly. Add softened gelatin and stir until completely melted. Cool to room temperature and then add a 2 ½ lb. can (approximately 3-3 ½ cups) pumpkin. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla and 1 tablespoon maple flavoring. Cool until mixture starts to set up. While it is cooling, beat 6 egg whites till stiff, gradually adding 2/3 cup sugar. Fold beaten egg whites into the cooled pumpkin mixture and then pour into cooled shells. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with slightly sweetened whipped cream.

Apple Cranberry Crisp

Emeril’s Apple Cranberry Crisp

THIS IS DELICIOUS! Love the tang of the cranberries with the sweet apples. It also turns a pretty pink from the cranberries. We loved this recipe. The topping is a scrumptious combo as well. Perfect fall dessert. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS: (salted butter is fine)
Unsalted butter for baking dish
2 1.2 to 3 pounds sweet, firm apples, such as Gala or Braeburn, peeled, cored and cut into ½ inch dice
12 oz cranberries (fresh or frozen work fine—no need to thaw)
½ c sugar
3 T all purpose-flour
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp grated orange zest plus 1 T fresh orange juice
Crisp Topping

Crisp Topping Recipe
6 T cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 c all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
2/3 c rolled oats
¾ c packed light brown sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
1/3 c chopped walmuts.

Using an electric mixer, beat on low until coarse crumbs form.


Preheat over to 375 degrees. Butter 9x 13 inch baking dish

In a large bowl, combine apples, cranberries, sugar, flour, vanilla and orange zest and juice. Transfer to baking dish and sprinkle w/ topping. Bake until topping is browned and juices are thick and bubbling around edges, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool 15 min before serving.

DELICIOUS! Love the tang of the cranberries with the sweet apples. It also turns a pretty pink from the cranberries. We loved this recipe. The topping is a scrumptious combo as well. Perfect fall dessert. Enjoy!

Mary Jane's Lentil Soup

Very healthy and yummy soup - and my kids will even eat it! This is my slightly modified version after making this many, many times.

1 cup dry lentils
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped carrots
3 Tbs. fresh parsley chopped (or 1 Tbs. dried)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 cups chopped tomatoes with juices (fresh or canned)

Rinse lentils; drain and place in soup kettle. Add 4 cups of water. Simmer covered until tender but not mushy (about 30-45 minutes). Meanwhile, saute all vegetables (except tomatoes) and herbs in 1-2 TBS. olive oil until tender (appx. 20 minutes). Add sauted vegetables and tomatoes to the undrained lentils. Simmer covered about 30 minutes longer. Season to taste.

Ponzonella

Yummm...We are a part of a food co-op now and we got 3 pints of cherry tomatoes this past week. I thought, "great, nobody likes tomatoes except Nate and I. How are we going to eat all these?" I pulled out a recipe I had written down a while ago and VOILA! instant success! Jake, at first glance upon sitting at the table said, "Augh! What did you do to that wonderful baquette!" Within seconds of the first bite..."Mom! You have to add this to our favorites list!" Abby, "tomatoes, at first taste are yucky but by the end they're delicious!" So, here goes, hopefully this will be as successful at your home.

5 C day old bread, cubed (or fresh baguette works too)
6 med sz tomatoes, cut in bite size pieces
1 red onion thinly sliced
1/2 C basil, chopped or shredded
1/4 C olives, kalamata or green & black or any combination

Wisk the following ingredients together, pour over the top of the salad, and toss:

1/2 C olive oil
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1/4 C lemon juice
1/4 C parsley
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Shave parmesan cheese over the top!

If you like it soggier let it sit for an hour before serving.

Lemon-Luscious Ice Cream

I've had a nice ice cream maker for over a year now, but never found an ice cream recipe that I found perfectly satisfying. Until now. The source is--oddly enough--Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pie & Pastry Bible. If you have that cookbook, nearly all the recipes in it are reasonably complicated, but also consistently excellent.

The ice cream, however, is relatively easy, as far as Beranbaum's recipe's go. Here 'tis:

4 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar, divided (I used raw sugar)

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest (focus on getting just the yellow as the white is bitter)

6 Tb freshly squeezed lemon juice (roughly 3 lemons)

4 Tb unsalted butter, softened

1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream + 1/2 cup milk (I substituted 2 cups half and half)

optional: 4 tsp vodka and 1/2 tsp cobasan (an emulsifier)

Have a strainer ready suspended over a medium bowl.

In a heavy saucepan, beat the yolks and 3/4 of the sugar with a wooden spoon until well blended. Stir in the lemon zest, juice, butter and salt. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to roughly the consistency of hollandaise sauce; it should thickly coat the wooden spoon but still be liquid enough to pour (mixture will change from translucent to opaque and begin to take on a yellow color on the back of the spoon). The mixture must not be allowed to boil or it will curdle, so, if it starts to steam or boil, remove from the heat briefly and keep stirring.

When it's thickened (and it took awhile for me--5-7 minutes), pour it immediately into the strainer and push it through the strainer with the wooden spoon until only a coarse residue remains. (The residue and left over good is yummy in and of itself--it's a classic lemon curd.)

In a medium bowol, combine the cream and milk. Whisk in the sugar until dissolved. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until well chilled.

Stir in option vodka and/or cobasan and freeze in an ice cream maker.

She recommends letting the ice cream, once frozen, "ripen" in the freezer for at least two hours before serving, but if you're like me and can't wait that long, the stuff is awesome right out of the ice cream maker, though it holds its consistency wonderfully even after extended time in the freezer.

I know it sounds strange, but the best term to describe this ice cream is "lovely": lovely color, taste, and texture.

I did not add cobasan (I think it's tough to find), though I did use the vodka. (Kamchatka vodka: $3.25 a bottle at the state liquor store.) Vodka is tasteless in a recipe so the point isn't to add flavor or even to add an on-the-sly Davidson-style "kick"; rather, the alcohol lowers the freezing point of the mixture, meaning that it takes longer to freeze and the ice crystals, when they form, are smaller = better consistency, and, like I said, the consistency is divine. I'll have to try it w/o the vodka to see how it compares. I've been obsessed with consistency and this is far and away the best result yet.

Garden Delights

Here's a complicated recipe:

Take one cherry tomato (still warm, preferably)

combine with one leaf fresh basil

stuff in mouth

chew

swallow

Mmmm. The summer garden.

Love,

Tim

National sneak a zuccini on your neighbor's porch day

Hey family gardeners: looks like we missed the big day this year. Mark your calendars for next!

http://www.gone-ta-pott.com/sneaksomezucchiniontoyourneighborsporchday.html

Bran Muffins

Jennie was just asking me about mom's bran muffin recipe when I came across this one on my computer. It very well may have been the one mom used. That's the problem with mom's recipes---we never know which she used and how she tweaked it. So, here's this one. I can't vouch for it because I've never tried it, and I don't know if it really makes that many muffins, but that's what is written :)

Bran Muffins
Dorothy Hawkes

1 c shortening or margarine
1 ½ tsp salt
2 ½ c sugar
4 eggs unbeaten
2 c boiling water
1 quart buttermilk
6 c bran buds cereal (?)
5 c sifted flour
5 tsp baking soda

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, liquids, and dry ingredients. Add nuts raisins and dates if desired. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. I can be stored in the refrigerator for 6 weeks and used as needed. If stored, add nuts, raisins, dates, etc.. at time of baking. Makes 130! “_

Oatmeal Nut Cookies

Katie requested this recipe of mom's, so I thought I'd post it here for all. We actually got this from Cheryl Arney who gave it to us along with some of her own family recipes for our weddings. Mom's original must have been lost in the shuffle. It smacks of Grandma Davidson, so I suspect it came from her.

Oatmeal Nut Cookies

1 c applesauce
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c c shortening
1 1/2 c oatmeal
2 eggs
1 t baking soda dissolved in 1/4 c hot water
2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1 c raisins boiled in a small amount of water
1 c chopped walnuts

Mix shortening, brown sugar, and eggs thoroughly. Add oats, dry ingredients and soda. Add raisins and nuts.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

RSC substitutes

I need a substitute for a Relief Society Casserole. A friend in our ward here just had a baby. I would love to take her a dinner, but can't seem to think of just the right thing. Every one-dish dinner I can think of/find has a gzillion calories, dozens of fat grams, and costs a fortune in cheese, cream cheese, mayo, or a combination of the above, with no nutritional value to speak of. My favorite to take is a rotisserie chicken, some tortillas, black beans, cheese, etc. But without a Costco here we don't have good rotisserie chickens, and even with a Costco it does end up costing about $10 for the meal, which is a little high for us right now. And it ends up being kind of a lot of stuff to clutter up a fridge.

Anyone have any ideas for cheap, healthy, easy-to-transport meals?

Tim and Becky, did you get any meals from family or friends when you had C-man? What were your favorites?

Cracked Wheat Cereal

Hey all -- has anyone successfully reproduced mom's cracked wheat hot cereal? I'm in desperate need of new breakfast ideas, and I'm curious as to whether I really love it as much as my memory tells me I do. I don't know why I haven't tried to make it before now... Anyone know whether I use bulgar wheat or whole wheat berries or something else? I imagine she soaked the wheat overnight before cooking it. We make steel cut oatmeal (to-die-for, by the way: no glue, lots of flavor) in our rice cooker -- program it to be ready when we wake up. Maybe the wheat works the same way?

my favorite non-green salads

Here are the recipes of my 3 favorite salads in case you don't have them, have forgotten, and/or need something new to bring to the ward sociable:

Russian Potato Salad

from the Moosewood Cookbook (not sure which one)

2 c potatos, peeled, diced, and cooked (I prefer to boil them in halves, then cool and cube quite small)

2 c carrots, peeled, diced, and cooked

2 c beets, cooked, peeled, and cubed

1 c minced dill

1/3 c minced onion

1 c tart apple, diced small (Granny Smith)

2/3 c heavy cream or sour cream (I use sour cream)

2 T lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (I prefer the taste of cider vinegar with the sour cream)

dash or salt, sugar, and ground black pepper (I increased all to at least 1/4 t)

If preparing ahead of time, keep veggies and sauce separate until just before serving. Note to Hawkeses who tend to estimate measurements (me!): this salad is much yummier if the quantities are followed exactly rather than estimated. I tend to under-eye-ball the carrots, onions, and dill pickle.

Roasted Corn Salad

Mom's

6 large ears corn, brushed with olive oil, broiled for 6 min/side

2 poblano or pasilla chiles, roasted under broiler (with corn) until blistered and charred. Let rest 15 minutes in paper bag, then peel, core, seed, and remove membranes before chopping.

1 large ripe tomato (fresh from the garden!)

1 white onion, diced (I prefer a small onion or 1/2 large, diced larger), massaged w/ 1/2 t salt

1 sweet red bell pepper, diced

1 sweet green bell pepper, diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 ripe Hass avocado

Italian dressing to taste (Good seasons made with red wine vinegar is my favorite)

If preparing ahead of time, reserve avocado, tomato, and dressing until just before serving.

French Potato Salad

Janet's

3-4 lbs potatoes, cooked and cubed or 1/2 inch sliced

green beans (optional)

3 T minced shallots

1/2 t salt

1/4 pepper

2 T country dijon (Grey Poupon) mustard

2 T red wine vinegar

Pulse the above several times w/ hand-held blender before adding

1 c canola oil

With hand blender, blend all ingredients and lift blender *very* slowly until emulsified. Note: if blender is raised too quickly, the oil will separate, and the dressing will have to be thrown out. Be patient!

Enjoy!

Rehabilitating Salsa

No time to make salsa fresh? Here's a summer solution I just figured out. Just take whatever bland jar salsa you have on hand (like the huge bottle of Costco salsa we have in the fridge), dice a fresh tomato, chop up some fresh cilantro, and then mix into a bowl of the bottled salsa. (I'm sure you could do the same with roasted garlic or peppers.) Fact is: salsa isn't meant to be bottled because it immediately loses what makes it special--that fresh from the garden taste. But it does make a decent salsa tomato base, so just add back in the fresh stuff and ... voila! Great salsa.

Chocolate Pudding

We really enjoy this pudding recipe from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook:
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tb cornstarch
2 Tb Dutch-processed cocoa
1/8 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups milk
3 large egg yolks
6 oz melted bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
2 tsp vanilla extract

The original recipe calls for 3 1/2 cups half and half, but that's overkill in my book. Even 1 percent milk works fine. It also calls for a tablespoon of unsalted butter, which also seems unnecessary. (Let me put it this way: I don't miss it when I leave it out.)

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium sauce pan. Slowly wisk in the milk, then the egg yolks one at a time. Add the melted chocolate (don't worry about lumps: they'll dissolve as it cooks).

Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium high heat, whisking gently and/or scraping the sides as it heats up. Once it starts to simmer, reduce the heat to medium, continue to stir, and let the pudding cook until it thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (1-2 minutes).

Remove from the heat and strain through a fine strainer, pushing it through with a spatula if necessary. (This removes any little bits of cooked egg and/or unmelted chocolate.) Stir in the vanilla extract (and butter if you want to try it that way) and chill for about 3 hours if you want it chilled through. Or, if you can't wait, eat it warm, which is a great way to eat it. (Remember how Mom used to serve the cook and serve pudding that way? You actually get a richer flavor if you eat it warm.)

The recipe says to "press plastic wrap directly on the surface" to prevent a skin from forming, but if you're like me, the skin is half the charm.

Lick all the varous bowls, pans, spoons, and whisks used in cooking the pudding (or, if you're feeling particularly generous, share them with the kids), and, once it's reached your preferred temperature (or if you lose patience waiting for it to cool), eat it straight with the biggest spoon you can find or serve with a dollop of fresh whipping cream.

Variation: add a half teaspoon (or more) of ground cinammon to the dry ingredients. The family remains dubious, but I love the combination of cinammon and chocolate--it adds depth and interest. (I do the same with chocolate ice cream, gelato, etc.) If you're feeling really adventurous, add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Oh yeah.

Tim -- here's another family favorite not-so-secret

OK, so it's a little up-scaled, but here is....(drum roll)... the carrot salad of my childhood:

"Grate carrots, toast some sunflower seeds, and toss with blueberries, olive oil, lemon juice and plenty of black pepper. Sweet, sour, crunchy, soft."

This is an excerpt from a great NY Times article on summer salads: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?em

I'm anxious to try the "grown-up" substitutes for raisins and pineapple chunks. But I guess that's part of the appeal of mom's version -- it was super cheap and super easy.

Lemony Potatoes

Lemony Potatoes

from the Cook’s Country Magazine

2 lbs baby red potatoes, scrubbed and halved (quartered if large)

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed, plus 2 cloves, minced

1 ½ tsp grated zest and 2 T juice from 1 lemon

1 c low-sodium chicken broth

Salt & Pepper

2 T extra virgin olive oil

2 T finely chopped fresh parsley

1. RINSE POTATOES: Place potatoes in colander set over large bowl. Rinse under running water, tossing with hands until water runs clear. Drain potatoes well.
2. COOK POTATOES: Bring potatoes, smashed garlic, lemon juice, chicken broth and ½ tsp salt to boil in large nonstick skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, until potatoes are just tender, about 12-15 minutes. Remove lid and increase heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes.
3. CRISP POTATOES: Discard garlic cloves and add oil to pan. Turn all potatoes cut-side down and continue to cook until deep golden brown, about 6 minutes. Off heat, stir in parsley, lemon zest, and minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Pasta with Carmelized Onion Sauce

Pasta with Carmelized Onion Sauce

From the New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

The proportions of ingredients in this recipe are somewhat flexible. You can play with the amounts of onions and greens, and you can substitute other leafy greens (collard, escarole, mustard, etc.) for the arugula or spinach. Other soft pungent cheeses can be substituted for the feta or blue cheese.

½ c olive oil

4 to 6 large onions (however many you have the patience to slice), thinly sliced (abt 6-8 cups)

½ tsp salt

½-1 cup dry white wine

1 medium bunch arugula or spinach, stemmed and minced

1 cup crumbled feta or blue cheese

¾ lb pasta ( a short, shapely variety, like penne or fussili)

1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

Parmesan cheese

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan. Add onions and sauté over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add salt, lower heat, and continue to cook for at least another 10 minutes (and up to an hour for really deliciously well-done onions)
2. Add white wine, turn heat back up to medium, and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. At this point the sauce can be set aside until you are ready to cook the pasta.
3. Turn the heat back on under the sauce when you are ready to cook the pasta. When the onions are hot, add the chopped greens, stir, and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the crumbled cheese, and turn heat to low while cooking pasta.
4. After the cooked pasta is drained, add it to the sauce, and stir briefly in the pan before serving. Sprinkle with walnuts and parmesan, and serve.

COOK’S NOTES: I used the max amount of onions and cooked them for the max amount of time. They were fabulous! I highly recommend using some sort of a mandolin slicer like a V-Slicer if you are going to make the recipe. It speeds up the onion slicing significantly and gives you evenly thin slices. Also light a candle nearby to help quench the tears. I used spinach and blue cheese and loved it. I have not tried any of the other variations yet, but I’m sure they would be tasty as well. The white wine I used was Savignon Blanc. It is a nice dry white wine that I’m told is not too sweet. I have yet to learn the in’s and out’s of wines and their use in cooking. I usually just get what’s recommended to me and this was great. The sauce clumped together when I added the pasta, so I might recommend serving the sauce over individual portions, if you want to try and avoid that. Also, sprinkle the walnuts and parmesan to taste over each portion. They really add to the overall flavor of the dish. We loved it. Very different and delicious!

So, I tried it with the feta and LOVED it. If you're not a complete fan of blue cheese, the feta is fabulous. Van and I both think we liked it more. The taste between the two is very different, but what we liked about both versions is the complete difference from any other pasta dish we usually eat. It awakens an otherwise bored palate. :) hope you try and enjoy soon.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Sweet Potato Pancakes
From The New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

These can be for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or supper, depending on what you serve them with (and of course, what time of day or night it is). The sweet potatoes and onion can be grated by hand or in a food processor fitted with the grating attachment. Peeling the sweet potato is optional. If you choose not to peel, scrub. NOTE: the batter stores well for several days if kept in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

4 cups (packed) coarsely grated sweet potatoes or yams (approx. 1 large or 2 medium sized)
½ c grated onion
3-4 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp salt
Black pepper, to taste
4 beaten eggs
1/3 c flour
Optional: ¼ c minced parsley
Oil for frying
TOPPINGS: sour cream or yogurt, applesauce

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
2. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet until it is very hot (It should sizzle a fleck of batter upon contact).
3. Use a non-slotted spoon to form thin pancakes, patting the batter down. Fry on both sides until brown, adding small amounts of additional oil, if/as needed.
4. Serve hot, with toppings.


COOK’S NOTES: These are super tasty. I served them with both the sour cream and Pear Sauce, because I didn’t have applesauce, and both were very good. Be careful about how hot the pan is. You don’t need it to be higher than med-high heat or they will quickly scorch. You can use less oil to fry them as well, but they can burn faster that way. I didn’t use the parsley, but I’m sure it would have been good. I used 4 T lemon juice and it added a nice tang—we didn’t find them too lemony. Enjoy!

Asparagus Bean Salad

Asparagus Bean Salad

For the salad:

1 lb fresh asparagus (I used 2 lbs. and it was still plenty flavorful and I liked the extra greens—there is ample dressing)

6 dried tomatoes (I used sun dried bottled tomatoes instead—I couldn’t find the dried ones)

15 oz. white navy beans, drained and rinsed

¼ cup chopped onions

3 tsp capers drained (I don’t know that these were vital to the flavor of the salad, but they were good)

3 T grated Parmesan cheese

For the dressing:

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ Tbsp. brown sugar

4 T rice vinegar

4 T olive oil (if you use the sundried tomatoes, you can use some of the oil from them)

2 T water

1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard

¼ tsp ground sage

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Place the asparagus in a small saucepan. Add 1” of water and cover and cook until tender-crisp. Drain & chill. If using the dried tomatoes place in a saucepan with 1” water. Cover and place over medium heat for about 4 minutes until plump. Drain and chop into small chunks and chill. In a small bowl whisk together the garlic, brown sugar, oil, vinegar, water, mustard, sage, salt and pepper. In a large bowl toss asparagus, tomatoes, beans, onions, and capers. Pour dressing over all and mix well. Chill for at least 1 hour. Before serving, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve. It’s DELICIOUS! Mmmmmm.

NOTE: The friend that shared this recipe with me mentioned that it was a bit pricey because of the asparagus. When it’s in season, it’s not too bad, but I thought that the flavors would go well with green beans as well, so you might give it a try.

Quick simple terriyaki shiskabobs

OK, so I don't know how to spell it, but I marinated baby portabellos, green and red peppers, large garlic cloves, and onions for about an hour in:

1/4 C Soy
1/4 C sherry
1/4 C olive oil
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T brown sugar

Served it up with steamed fresh spinach and brown rice. Mmmmm....the kids loved it too!

Tomato Sandwich

So, here's a tomato-obsessed essay from NPR. Funny that the recipe suggested at the end is an old Hawkes family stand-by, though it makes the mistake of subsituting "the whiter the bread, the quicker you're dead," for a good whole wheat: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106932330. (I planted Cherokee Purple this year, by the way, and they are delicious.)