Tricia's week 22 recipe: Spicy Tuna quesadillas

No, I do not mean the spicy tuna that you can find in a sushi roll that is most delicious, this is the kind that comes from a can and has spices added to it.  Sad, I know...  However, this recipe is what happens when I look at the cupboards, which I find quite bare, and say to self, "what do you want for lunch", when I am the only one home.

Spicy Tuna Quesadillas
1 can tuna in water
enough mayo to hold tuna together
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon Essence (see what happens when you make a spice mix and have a LOT of it!)

Mix the above together in a bowl until happy w/ mix and add:
2 stalks celery, cleaned and chopped

Then:
two softshell tortillas, I used Cruz Soft Taco Size.

place one on plate and spoon above mix onto it, leaving enough room around the edges so that you don't make a mess in frying pan...add to top of this mixture:

enough Essence seasoning to color the top
Penzey's Red Pepper flakes, as much as you like to achieve your spice level
1 handful shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 handful shredded mozerella cheese
second tortilla

Tips for cooking quesadilla:
use pan bigger than tortilla, and plate that fits in pan, so you can place plate on top, flip over, and slide back into pan when flipping (less mess)
use non-fat vegetable cooking oil, like Pam, rather than butter

spray large frying pan w/ cooking oil.  Place quesadilla in pan on mediaum heat.  cook 3-4 minutes or until warm but not fully browned.  Flip.  Cook on other side 5-8 minutes or until browned.  Flip one last time to original side.  Brown up original side (you may wish to use a larger pot lid to cover to keep all warm.  Remove to plate, cut into fourths or sixths, and devour!

would I make this agian?  Yes!  The recipe is quite tasty, a variation on tuna salad and quesadillas I have never tried before.  The spices were very good in it, so much that I didn't need sour cream or salsa with it.  I devoured the whole thing...which looking back is quite a lot of food and now I'm very full! 

Karin's Week Twenty-One Recipe: Cajun Chicken

This week ended up being a busy week with both of us working for a number days. I needed a recipe that was quick and tasty. We haven't had chicken in a while, so this fit the bill. It's a combination of a few recipes from my appropriately titled, Busy Woman's Cookbook, where everything seems to have less than 5 ingredients.

Cajun Chicken

2-4 chicken breasts, or enough parts to feed 2-4 people
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 T Penzey's Cajun Seasoning
black pepper, to taste
1 egg, slightly beaten

Bring the chicken to room temperature, while you mix the Cajun Seasoning and pepper with the bread crumbs in a medium flat-bottom bowl. Beat the egg in another small bowl. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray(I used a 9x13 pyrex). Set up an assembly line with items in the following order: chicken, crumb mixture, egg, baking dish. Using one piece of chicken at a time, roll in crumb mixture, then in egg, and again in crumb mixture. Place gently in baking dish so that breading does not fall off.

Bake for 20-30 min in 400 deg oven until chicken is done.

Would I make this again, probably, although possibly with more Cajun seasoning depending on who is eating it. I liked the current amount, while Nate thought there could be more. Double-dipping the pieces makes a nice crust on the chicken that stayed on even through baking.

Tricia's Week 21 Recipe: Rhubarb Bread

Three years ago I planted a rhubarb plant.  It was a nice plant, but a bit small - brand new to the world.  Three years later, it has broad leaves and thick stems.  It was time to harvest it to make something delectible.  So, out of (many) stalks of my rhubarb plant, the initial harvest of the plant, came this weeks recipe.

Rhubarb Bread

Ingredients:

1.5 C brown sugar

2/3 C veg. oil

1 egg

1 C sour milk ***I read this wrong and used one cup sour cream....see below

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

1 tsp vanilla

2.5 C flour

1.5 C Rhubarb Diced

Stir together in the order given, pour into loaf pans, 2 smaller or 1 large (I used 2 smaller, and think this is a better choice)

Topping:
1/2 C sugar
1 Tbs butter

mix will  (cut sugar into butter) and put on top of batter

Bake 350 for 55 min or until set.

Would I make this again?  YES!  Suprisingly, or maybe not, the sour cream was a good substitution for the sour milk.  The bread turned out moist and well set, and I think I'll try that w/ another recipe, like banana bread!    Perhaps it is the lovely sugar crumble on top, but whoa, this is a tasty treat!

Karin's Week Twenty Recipe: Shrimp & Peppers Pasta

I have been greatly remiss in posting my last few weeks of recipes, so you're getting them all in a bunch. I'm going to try and be better in the coming weeks.

This recipe is one I pretty much made up for a light quick lunch on a workday. The ingredients are simple, and to make it only takes the time needed for pasta to cook al dente. I have since made a slightly different version again, with great success.

Shrimp & Peppers Pasta

1/2 box rotini pasta
1 lb raw frozen shrimp, thawed and peeled
2 bell peppers, not green (I used 1 orange and 1 red)
1 medium size sweet onion
2-3 T olive oil
1 T chopped garlic
Shredded Asagio cheese, for sprinkling
Black pepper to taste

Place water for pasta on to boil. Meanwhile, peel shrimp and chop peppers & onion into bite-size chunks. Heat 1 T of olive oil in non-stick pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for about 2 min. Add onion and peppers and saute for a few more minutes. At this point, you may need to add a bit more olive oil to the pan to keep things from sticking. Place pasta into boiling water, and place shrimp into pepper/onion mixture. Cook until shrimp are pink. Drain pasta and return to shrimp/pepper mixture. Toss to combine. Serve with shredded cheese and black pepper sprinkled on top.

Would I make this again? Yep, already have. It is nice and light, yet filling enough for my carnivore. It also tastes great cold, or reheated. It helps greatly if the peppers are nice and ripe and sweet. I didn't cook things until they were mush, rather let them sweat a bit to give up some juices and keep their crunch.

Karin's Week Nineteen Recipe: Ramps 'n' Taters

Last year we had discovered ramps at our local Farmer's Market, and loved the way they tasted. What are ramps, you ask? They are sort of like a combination of leeks and green onions.  They can be called Wild Leeks, and are only available in the early spring. This year, we saw them again, and I decided to look for a recipe to use them with. I found several, but this seemed the easiest and I had all ingredients on hand.

Ramps 'n' Taters

4 or 5 large potatoes, diced
1 lb bacon
1.5 lb ramps, cleaned and cut up (we used about 13, and only the white bits)
6 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper

Fry the bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Remove from pan and set aside. Fry diced potatoes in bacon grease for 3-4 minutes, then add ramps, and cook until potatoes are done. Add eggs and scramble with potato mixture. Place bacon on top, and simmer for 2 minutes until heated through.

This was excellent. And easy. And tasty. Although, we did take out about 1/2 the bacon fat before putting the eggs in, as otherwise I think we'd have had bacon grease soup. And we crumbled the bacon into the pan at the end. We had this for a weekend breakfast, and would definitely make it again. It also reheats well in the microwave, if you can't finish it all in one sitting. There was also discussion that this would make a great camping breakfast, using green onions instead of the ramps. I think the camping version may be trialled later this summer...

Karin's Week Eighteen Recipe: Oatmeal-Walnut Cookies

I had an urge to make cookies, now that my kitchen is fully functional once again. And, I figure if I don't like the way that they turn out, I can always send them to work with Nate. I also am a big fan of finding recipes for things that I have already on hand, rather than having to go out and buy them. This recipe came from a baking cookbook I have called, The Road to Blue Ribbon Baking with Marjorie, by Marjorie Johnson.

Oatmeal Walnut Cookies

1 c butter
1 c brown sugar, fimrly packed
1 c granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 3/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 c quick-cooking oatmeal (I just used plain oatmeal)
1 c chopped walnuts

In a large electric mixing bowl, place butter, sugars, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until creamy. Sift flour, soda and salt together, and add on low speed to butter mixture. Add oatmeal and walnuts and combine well. Refrigerate dough for about 1/2 hour. Form into balls the size of walnuts. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

These cookies were very tasty, and quick to make. The only issue I had was not paying close attention to the recipe - I only used 1 c of flour, rather than the entire amount. I only realized this once the cookies were baked, when I was trying to figure out why they were so flat and crispy. They were still very edible, and when taken to work by Nate disappeared in under 10 minutes. There have been requests for these to show up with him again. Next time I think I'll try using the entire amount of flour and compare the results.

Chris's BONUS Week Twenty-One Recipe: Not a Tame Cookie

For some reason, the phrase "He's not a tame lion" has been rolling through my head today, and when I started tweaking a recipe from my beloved 1950 Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook the name for these cookies was evident.

Not a Tame Cookie

Mix thoroughly:

1/2 c vegetable shortening

1-1/4 c turbinado sugar

2 eggs

6 T dark molasses

Sift together:

1 c whole wheat flour

3/4 c spelt flout

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1 t cinnamon

and add to the molasses mixture. Stir in:

2 c rolled oats

1/2 c chopped walnuts

1/2 c raisins (make it a generous 1/2 cup!)

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 400F for about 10 minutes.

Would I make this recipe again? Er... no! It's terrible! You don't want any of these cookies. These are not the droids you're looking for....

Seriously, if I say so myself, these are pretty darned good cookies.

Jennifer's Week Twenty Recipe - Portobello Mushroom Burgers

I am always trying to find ways for my carnivores to enjoy vegetarian meals. It really is hit or miss with them.


Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Ingredients

• 4 portobello mushroom caps
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 (1 ounce) slices provolone cheese

Directions

1. Place the mushroom caps, smooth side up, in a shallow dish. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour over the mushrooms. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or so, turning twice.
2. Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
3. Brush grate with oil. Place mushrooms on the grill, reserving marinade for basting. Grill for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or until tender. Brush with marinade frequently. Top with cheese during the last 2 minutes of grilling.

Would I make this again? Well, if it were up to only me, yes. I thought they were quite tasty. Chad and Erik did not approve. Sigh. I will have to continue my hunt for Carnivore Friendly Vegetarian Meals. Hmm... sounds like the title of a quirky cookbook.

Jennifer's Week Nineteen Recipe: Irish Soda Bread

I have been a bad blogger and I have neglected to post my last two recipes. Let's remedy that, shall we?


Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

Would I make this again? Perhaps. It did turn out a bit dry, but that could have been over-baking or being distracted by my son and not brushing the butter mixture on as often as I should have... or both. Or it could be my oven. I do believe I have mentioned my dislike for that appliance. I would probably give this recipe another go before I look for another one. Next time I will just have to send the boyo outside!

Chris's Week Twenty-One Recipe, aka the Great Chana Dal Disaster

I think I've done pretty well in getting through nearly half this year with a complete culinary meltdown, but today was obviously the day. It all began when I scored some St. Paul Flatbread on sale at Kowalski's. "Hmmm..." quoth I. "I think I have some lentils up on the top shelf of the cupboard. I could make dal!" As it turned out the item in question was not lentils, but chana dal. A little research and I had a new recipe to try. I even had to hunt down a recipe for garam masala since I didn't have any in the spice cupboard.

It was a disaster from start to finish.

The chana dal had obviously been sitting around since the last time the Twins were in the World Series because no matter how long I simmered them, they never got tender. I blackened rather than carmelized the onions and the garam masala mix just wasn't very exciting. I even managed to erase most of this blog entry and am now writing it all over again.

But, I put a fair amount of effort into this meal and the recipe should have worked, so I'm posting it today. Maybe one of my more legume-oriented friends (Hi, Jo!) will give it a try and report back.

Chana Dal

3 c water

1 c chana dal

1/2 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

olive oil for sauteeing

1/2 t garam masala

Simmer the chana dal until tender (about 35-45 min... I think). Meanwhile, sautee the onion and garlic in a splash of olive oil until carmelized. Add the garam masala and cook a little longer. Add the onion mixture to the chana dal and serve.

Would I make this recipe again? Not without extensive therapy!

Chris's BONUS Week Twenty Recipe: Olive Oil Cake

Feeling a little guilty about a two-ingredient recipe for this week, I decided to experiment on my parents again when they came over today to help me wash my windows. (This is by way of being an early birthday present, and it is much appreciated!)

And I knew just what I wanted to make: an olive oil cake. Jo and I had a very lovely dinner at Good Earth last night (thanks again for the potholders, Jo!) and decided to try the very intriguing dessert listed on their sampler dinner. But where would I find a recipe. Enter... a new cookbook!

Tricia had recently recommended a cookbook to me called Good to the Grain, Baking with Whole-Grain Flours. That girl understands my cooking predilecations! I bought a copy and have had a good time looking at all the recipes. And lo and behold... there was the recipe I wanted.

The original Olive Oil Cake recipe calls for 1.5 T chopped fresh rosemary and 5 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate. Knowing my parents' taste buds, I opted for lemon zest instead. I also had to substitute whole wheat flour for spelt flour. The recipe calls for baking in a 9.5" fluted tart pan, which I do not possess, so I opted for an 8" square baking pan. (Do the math... the areas of the pans are pretty close.)

Olive Oil Cake

Mix together dry ingredients:

3/4 c whole wheat flour

1.5 c all-purpose flour

3/4 c sugar

1.5 t baking powder

1/2 t kosher salt

Beat together

3 eggs

1 c olive oil

3/4 c milk

1/2 T lemon zest

and fold into the dry mixture until just combined. Pour into an 8" square baking pan greased with olive oil. Bake for 35-50 min or until golden brown on top and start to brown at the edges.

Would I make this recipe again? Count on it, gentle readers! This made a very moist, delicately flavored cake that received high marks from the parents and myself. And yes, they were grateful I had decided against rosemary & bittersweet chocolate. :P

Chris's Week Twenty Recipe: Banana-Yogurt Fruit Salad Dressing

I've been experimenting on my parents a lot this week.... Culinarily! What do you readers think of me?!?

Mom & Dad were over on Sunday for a belated Mother's Day brunch. I served spicy Italian sausage & mushroom quiche, banana-nut muffins, and a fruit salad. Somewhere... and I'm sorry, I don't remember where... I saw a recipe for a yogurt fruit salad dressing made with lemon juice and a ripe banana. I simplified the recipe and wound up making two batches to go over a mix of red grapes, Granny Smith apples, and canteloupe. One batch used strawberry yogurt and the other lemon yogurt. My parents very willingly sampled both to give their feedback to the blog!

Banana-Yogurt Fruit Salad Dressing

1 ripe banana

1/2 cup flavored yogurt

Chunk up the banana and whir the ingredients in your blender until smooth & creamy. Chill and pour over your favorite blend of fruit!

Would I make this recipe again? Yes! Tasty and easy.... Mom & Dad both like the strawberry better, but I thought that the lemon was just as good.

Tricia's Week 20 recipe(s): brought to you by the Morel Mushroom

I have made two 'new' recipes this week.   The first really is new to me, but the technique of breading something I have done before.  The second is not new to me - I made scrambled eggs.  The 'new' part of this week's recipes was the ingredient.

This weekend I went morel mushroom hunting.  My family and I started doing this a few years ago when we learned what they looked like and that they were delicious.  This recipe begins with "find or purchase morel mushrooms...  I suggest using www.morel.com as a jumping off point if you wish to catch your own!

Recipe 1: fried mushrooms
Find or purchase morel mushrooms...as many as you like. Soak to remove bugs and spores.  note: urban myth says to pour out the water by an elm tree and maybe you can grow your own.  I'm not so sure Cut mushrooms in half lengthwise.  Meanwhile, in a ziplock bag mix some flour (enough to coat all your mushrooms) and a few shakes of salt and pepper.  Place damp mushrooms in zippy bag, shake to coat.  In a frying pan, heat up enough butter to fry mushrooms. I had four reasonably sized mushrooms and I heated about 1/3 to 1/2 stick (I had a lot remaining after I was done).  Place mushrooms in pan and fry til crisp on both sides.

Recipe 2:  mushroom and pepper scrambled eggs.

5 smallish morels cut up
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
4 eggs
1-3 Tablespoons milk
1/4 to 1/2 T Essence seasoning

In butter remaining from recipe one, fry up morels until fragrant then add pepper cook til hot but still cripsy.  beat eggs and milk together and pour in pan.  Add cheese on top.  Scramble until desired doneness (in our house, this is more done). 

Would I make these recipes again?  In a heart beat!  Sadly, I am out of Morels and will not be back to my Hunting Grounds until the season is over! Perhaps I love them so much because I only eat them once a year.  Still, delicious, delicious mushrooms!

Tricia's Week 19 Recipe: Nachos

I have never made nachos in the oven before, but I love nachos.  I made tacos earlier, and had ingredients remaining, so while this is not a hard recipe, I did learn a few things and will share them:

Ingredients  
Nacho chips of whatever variety you like
Pepperjack cheese, 1/2 cup ish
cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup
refried beans (leftover, about 1/2 cup)
taco meat (leftover, about 1/2 cup)
lettuce shredded
tomato, chopped
salsa
sour cream

Take out a large oven safe dish, I used a pyrex baking dish.  Note: I put aluminum foil in the bottom to make taking the nachos out easier.  While this was easier, the cheese stuck to the Al foil.  Either grease pan or foil to make removal easier. Mix together beans and meat, preheat a bit. Put layer of nacho chips in dish.  Cover w/ pepper jack cheese.  Put second, much smaller layer of chips down and put cheddar cheese on top.  put this in oven until cheese is mostly melted.  Pull out, add meat, sprinkle cheese garnish, put back in oven.  (meat was hot already).  Pull back out, garnish with remainting ingredients, and eat!

I will make nachos again. I found some lovely multigrain w/ flax chips at the store I would like to try this with.  I will also try different cheeses.  I highly recommend beans or the bean/meat combo - a great way to use up taco leftovers!

Chai Oatmeal Update!

I did indeed make chai oatmeal again this morning, but changed a few things:

1. I used Good Earth's signature brand tea instead of chai from a local tea shop, which is delicious, but quite potent. I brewed the Good Earth tea 'medium' but definitely not 'strong'.
2. I let the tea cool in the fridge a bit. No microwave mess to clean up!
3. I left out the pumpkin pie spice. The chai taste in the oatmeal is subtle this way, but I rather liked it better.

Happy Oatmeal to All!

Chris's Week Nineteen Recipe: Chai Oatmeal

I got thinking about cooking with tea this week and spotted this recipe at the Happy Herbivore. Here's my own variation. Be sure to read the added notes in italics before you cook!

Chai Oatmeal

Brew 1.5 cups chai tea and let cool.

I would recommend brewing the tea on the light side if you want to avoid a 'sharp' taste to your oatmeal. And trust me... let the tea cool, otherwise you'll wind up with an explosion in your microwave!

In a large, microwave-friendly container, combine

pinch salt

3/4 cup old-fashioned oats

1/4 cup raisins

Add the tea and nuke for 3.5 min or as appropriate for your own microwave. Mix in

1/2 t pumpkin pie spice*

Would I make this recipe again? Yes! I may even try it tomorrow.

*My spice cupboard didn't run to pumpkin pie spice, so I mixed up a batch using this recipe:

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice

Mix together

1 t ground cinammon

1/4 t ground ginger

1/4 t ground nutmeg

1/4 t ground cloves

NB: I used Penzey's spices and they are potent! The original Chai Oatmeal recipe called for 1-1/4 t of spices for a smaller quantity of oatmeal, but I only used 1/2 t of this mix and it was plenty.

Week Nineteen Guest Recipe from Linda: Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Linda has kindly provided us with a recipe from Bruce's aunt, Elaine Yost. Who is Bruce? Oh, I think you should ask Linda.... :P

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

– from Elaine Yost

Cake:

4 cups rhubarb chopped

2 eggs beaten

2 cups sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

½ cup vegetable oil

1 cup walnuts broken into quarters or smaller

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp soda

Topping:

3 T brown sugar

1.5 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 13 cake pan.

Mix flour, salt, soda in a medium bowl.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, stirring as ingredients are added. Add dry ingredients. Mix until combined.

Pour batter into pan. Sprinkle topping over the batter.

Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.

This is a very moist coffee cake, but the flavor was really good. I would have added ¼ tsp of nutmeg. [Editor's note: Linda always thinks recipes are better with a little nutmeg!]

Tricia's Week 18 recipe: Hummus!

An exclaimation mark is needed on Hummus!   I have been considering making my own hummus for ages now. I went to the store to buy Tahini, but couldn't find it, then forgot, so I made this recipe up after looking at 5 different recipes for hummus all over the place.  I'll likely try adding tahini when I find some.

Ingredients
1 can chickpeas, researve at least 1/2 of the liquid 
a few shakes sesame seeds
a few shakes Essence (1-2 tsp likely) see way back to stroganof recipe for Essence recipe
a few turns of the salt and pepper grinders
3 T lemon juice
2 T chili olive oil

Directions
Unfortunately for me, when I made this recipe I didn't measure what i was doing, I went by feel.  So the above is as close as I can come to accurate.  I put the top 5 ingredients in a flat bottomed bowl and blended them until smooth smooth smooth.  Then I added the 2 T oil and continued to blend (with my immersion blender).  You could also put them in the regular blender.  Add oil last.

Would I make this again?  Heck Yes!  Delish!! Pleasantly spicy with the Essence and the chili olive oil, the sesame flavor from the seeds I added is nice, but some good tahini would really add to the recipe, I think.  I will post an update next time I make it to tell how it is w/ tahini.  I think I'll try a black bean variation next.

Jennifer's Week Eighteen Recipe: Crazy Cantina Chili

So I cracked open the Star Wars cookbook again. I was trying to avoid using allrecipes.com for, what?, the fifth week in a row. It was an easy recipe (it is for kids after all) and I did doctor it somewhat.


Crazy Cantina Chili

Ingredients

1-16oz can kidney beans
1-16oz can black beans
1-16oz can garbanzo beans
1 onion
2 Tbs vegetable or olive oil
2 Tbs chili powder (I used way more than this)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (again, used much more than that)
1-28oz can crushed tomatoes with juice
1 cup tomato juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Sour cream

1. Open the cans of beans and drain off any liquid. Set aside.

2. Chop the onion. (This was much longer in the book)

3. Heat the oil in a pot and add the onion. Cook the onion until tender, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the chili powder and cayenne pepper. Stir for 30 seconds

5. Add the beans, crushed tomatoes, and tomato juice. Stir well and let simmer for 15 minutes.

6. Serve chili with cheese and sour cream


I added: basil, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and thyme to this... maybe some other things, too. (I was just rummaging in my cupboards and adding willy-nilly) I first made the recipe as directed and tasted it. It was like drinking tomato juice with chunks - it needed more flavor. I doubt I'll make it again since I am certain there are better vegetarian chilies out there!

Tricia's Week 17 recipe: Waffles

Yup, waffles!  I've made waffles before, mostly from Bisquick, and sometimes from scratch, but never like these.  These involved cinnamon and separating eggs!  My apologies for the lateness of this recipe, but a new floor went into our kitchen and dining room this past week and left my cooking out of commission for the better part of the week. I'm happy to report that my kitchen is now back in (mostly) order and cooking can be had by all!  The following recipe is from the Penzey's Spices catalog, which if you do not have delivered to your door, you really should! 


Waffles with Strawberries
I didn't have any strawberries, but I'll leave them in the recipe below in case you wish to try this with the strawberries.  All spices in caps are from Penzey's Spices. 

Ingredients
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 Tb. regular or VANILLA SUGAR 
2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. PENZEYS CINNAMON
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1/4-1/2 cup powdered sugar or maple syrup (or both) if desired


Heat waffle iron.  Toss sliced strawberries with sugar or VANILLA SUGAR and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and CINNAMON.  Stir to blend.  In another bowl, combine egg yolks, milk and VANILLA.  Add to the dry ingredients and mix.  Stir in vegatable oil.  Carefully fold in the egg whites, careful to not over mix.  Pour batter into waffle iron and cook to desired doneness.


Would I make these again?  Yup!  I have never made waffles where I had to fold in the egg whites at the end.  Always instead I have simply mixed ingredients and poured into iron.  Mixing in this fashion made very light fluffy waffles.  They were even good without the vegetable oil, which I realized while writing this recipe that I forgot to add when I made them.  I'll have to try them again with the oil to see if there is a noticeable difference.
 

Jennifer's Week Seventeen Recipe: Quick and Easy Chicken Spaghetti

Found on allrecipes.com. Again.

Ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package angel hair pasta (I used an entire 16 ounce package)
  
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 3/4 (8 ounce) package processed cheese, cubed (i.e. Velveeta)
  
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (I used 3 breasts)
  
• 1/2 (4 ounce) jar sliced mushrooms, drained (I doubled this)
  
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and return to pot.
2. To the pasta add the diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, cream of chicken soup, processed cheese, chopped chicken, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through.

Would I make this again? Sure. It was much heavier than I thought it would be and Chad remarked that it was probably the heaviest dish I made in a very long time. Erik liked the "cheesy chicken".

Chris's Week Eighteen Recipe: Quick Carrot Dip

Too many carrots? Try this recipe!

Quick Carrot Dip

2 c chopped carrots

2 T Greek yogurt

1/4 t nutmeg

Microwave the carrots until tender (or mushy, if you want a really creamy dip). Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and whir to the desired consistency. Serve with pita chips.

Would I make this recipe again? A successful experiment! The dip is tasty warm, but even better cold.