All Recipes for All Seasons! Let's have them!

Okay, Carole, here's one to use up all JAlpha's treats (see Haiku thread ;-)). This one will sound strange, but my kids beg for it.

Snicker Salad

Snicker bars (left over from Halloween)
green apples
Cool Whip

Cut up the green apples. Dice up Snickers fairly fine. Mix both (in preferred quantities) with several dollups of Cool Whip. Enjoy (the presence of apples makes this a health food).

Anyone love the taste of mincemeat (the sweet mince-pies for santa stuff) but find mince-pies too fattening and too sickly sweet so you can only have a mouthful or two instead of endlessly enjoying the mincemeat taste?

Here's something:

1 Can ready-made semolina
mincemeat to taste.

Empty can of semolina into microwaveable bowl
Add from two teaspoons up to 1 1/2 tablespoons (to taste) of mincemeat
Stir mincemeat into semolina
Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes stir and then microwave one minute more

Of course, you don't have to use canned semolina OR a microwave - you can do this with semolina powder and a saucepan - but that takes longer and needs more washing up and turns it into a 'organized' food instead of a 'haphazard' one. If you want to use the pan method then cook the semolina and stir in the mincemeat at the end of the cook just before taking off the stove.

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Hmmmm..... winter warmer, good any time of day from first awake to mid-day snack to supper desert to midnight craving... yummm!!!

Delicous soup:

1. Find can opener
2. Open can with can opener
3. Dump content in a bowl
4. Microwave content in the bowl on high for 2 minutes

Serve 1.

Thanks Carol. Just want to let you know I'm in. I'll be back to drop a few of my favorites into the pot.

Where's J? She's been dying to drop a few too. I'd love to see some really good recipes from all across the countries. I think it's cool to see the many cultures of culinary skills.

Carole said:

Oh, I'm sure she's out tormenting children right now!

Click to expand...

I have been and can be a gourmet cook, but rarely do it any more. But here are a couple of simple good recipes:

For summer: Hot Tomato Salad

Fresh Creole or Roma Tomatoes
Yummy hot sauce, like Crystal or Tabasco
Kosher Salt

Slice tomatoes. Place in bowl. Add a pinch kosher salt and a shake or three of hot sauce per Roma sized tomato. Can use a blend of tomatoes, as are in season. Can add fresh basil. Can add fresh English thyme too. Can add chopped red or Vidalia onion. Can add one part red wine or balsamic vinegar to two parts olive oil. Mix well. Let stand 30 minutes or more.

Serving suggestions: Spoon over slices of good mozzarella cheese; serve artfully as a side; toss in salad before serving; mix in cold pasta salad before serving. <drools at thought of it>
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A very simple and quick dish:
Take two chicken breasts. Cut them into strips, dredge each strip in flour, then dipp the chicken in a mixture of salsa and egg (2 eggs beaten for 1/2 jar of salsa) and then dip the strips into finely crushed tortilla chips and fry in a bit of oil on medium heat.
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Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce is a favorite of mine. Here are a couple of variations. You can use it as a pizza sauce (instead of tomato), as a soup base, on pasta and many other dishes.

Recipe 1:
2 large garlic cloves
1/3 cup cilantro leaves
1/3 cup unsalted natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon Thai green curry paste
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

Recipe 2:
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Cooking Directions
In medium microwave-safe bowl, stir together ingredients. Microwave on HIGH (100%) for 1 1/2 minutes stirring every 30 seconds. Serve warm with baked ham. Makes about 3/4 cup sauce.
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Another recipe for it:

3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 small onion , diced
2 tablespoons minced shallot s
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
1 tablespoon minced lemongrass (about 3 stalks)
3kaffir lime leaves (or 1 teaspoon chopped lime zest)
2 cups minced cilantro
1/3 cup finely minced basil
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water (optional)
4 servings cooked rice


TO PREPARE SAUCE: Place the coconut milk, peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, onion, shallots, garlic, curry paste, lemongrass, lime leaves, cilantro, and basil in a large saucepan. While stirring, bring just to a simmer over medium-low heat; do not boil. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat, adjust the seasonings, and strain before serving. If you wish a thicker consistency, combine 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water, stir to dissolve, and mix into the sauce until thoroughly combined; continue to cook until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.

I cook to show my family I love them.

And I love all of you too! Since I keep a stocked 'cottage garden' I usually prefer to use fresh stuff. But it is fall, and many people don't garden, so I have substituted dried for fresh in many instances. Don't Panic. If you really want to spend all day in the kitchen (when you aren't out tracking down fresh herbs), let me know and I'll e- mail you 'the director's cut'.

But for now: PASTA WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

1 package sweet Italian sausage (grocery packs it in 20oz packages)

1tsp dried onion flakes

1tsp dried garlic flakes

1tsp each basil, oregano, rosemary.

¼ sweet red bell pepper , finely diced.

1 big fresh tomato, well chopped.

1 28 oz can of stewed tomatoes

4 tbsp Olive oil

2 tbsp red wine

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp dark brown sugar

1 pinch of black pepper

½ pinch turmeric

the barest sprinkle of nutmeg



1 box of whole grain pasta ( Or spinach pasta-linguine)

parmesian cheese ( if you like it)





Place sausage in skillet (iron skillet if you have one) add ¼ cup of water, cover and simmer for 10-12 min ( until water is gone) Remove lid and continue to stir-fry for 5 more min until lightly browned on the sides. Remove from pan, put on paper towels to drain.



Pour olive oil into pan turn up heat. Add onion, garlic, basil, oregano and rosemary. Stir-fry for 2 minuets. Add fresh chopped tomato and bell pepper. Stir fry for 5 minuets. Add red wine, salt, sugar, pepper, turmeric, and nutmeg. Reduce heat and simmer covered.



Using a sharp knife slice sausage at an angle so you have thin ovals and not rounds. (Ovals are nicer looking when you serve this, you see.) Toss this into your simmering sauce.



Take the can of stewed tomatoes, and dump it into your blender. Hit *puree* for 2 min. Dump the resulting mixture into your simmering sauce. Stir. Taste. Some of you may like more salt or more pepper or vice versa. (This recipie also tastes good with HOT Italian sausage and a fresh cayenne tossed in to make life interesting. If you do that, double the turmeric and nutmeg.)



Boil the water for your pasta. Prepare your pasta. While pasta is preparing, continue stirring your sauce, make sure it is happily simmering but not so high it sticks to your pan as the moisture evaporates.



As soon as the pasta is ready serve it up along with a nice green salad and some garlic bread on the side. Since the bottle of wine is open anyway, serve that too. (Unless you used it to make salad dressing)



This serves 2 adults and 3 kids or 2 adults and 1.5 teenagers. ( Or 1 teenager who has just completed a 10 mile run.)



More from my kitchen tomorrow.

SAUSAGE AND LENTIL SOUP

1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 bulb garlic, peeled and minced
1 lb. dry lentils
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
2 broth cans water
1 lb. sweet or hot turkey Italian sausage, whole links
2 bay leaves

Combine onion, garlic, lentils, Italian seasoning, olive oil, broth, and water in slow cooker. Add sausage links, float bay leaves on top and cover the crock.

(At this point, the crock can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

Cook 6 hours on High. Discard bay leaves. Remove sausage links and allow to cool 15 minutes. Meanwhile, stir soup for 2 minutes to puree' some of the lentils, which will thicken the soup. Slice cooled sausage and return to soup. Serve with biscuits or cornbread for a "meal in a bowl."

Noodle-Wurst Casserole

Noodle-Wurst Casserole

1 16 oz. box rotini pasta
1 16 oz. container sour cream
1 10.5 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 10.5 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
12 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese
1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced as desired

Grease a casserole with butter or margarine, or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Cook and drain the rotini per package directions. Combine sour cream, soups, green onions, pepper and garlic powder in a large pot, stir until blended. Stir in the cheese and smoked sausage, followed by the rotini. Stir until sausage and rotini are evenly coated.

Spoon into greased casserole, place in cold oven. Set oven for 350 degrees F. and bake 1 hour. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

And don't worry about leftovers.


Variations: substitute a 24 oz. bag of frozen shredded hash brown potatoes for the rotini.

In either recipe, reserve about 1/4 of the cheese to sprinkle on top halfway through the baking.

I should have bought the list to work. Oh Well.

Jello Pie.



This is a dumb easy desert. But my family thinks I work hard on it. “Mom…if I fold the laundry…wash the cat…dig the garden…change your oil…will you make a jello pie tonight? I guess I’m outing myself.



1 box of jello. ( regular or sugar free, who cares)

1 tub of Cool Whip- thawed (Or the generic..regular or fat free…who cares)

1 pre-made Oreo pie crust ( Or graham cracker or vanilla wafer…ditto)
Water. (Duuuuhhhhhhh)


Make the jello according to directions but add only 7/8 cup of cold water. Mix well and chill until loosely set. ( It will be close to holding shape, like a hair gel)

Add most of the container of whipped topping. ( Put the rest in your coffee, or throw it at the kids for squeals of......delight.)

Mix well….your jello will turn a nice pastel shade…(like Easter…AWWWWWWW)



Pour it into the pie crust, it should be thick enough to mound up and form a little peak in the center. If not, don’t sweat it. Refrigerate for 2 or 3 hours or more.)



Act like it is a big deal when you serve it, or take it to your office and hog it to yourself.



For Halloween, I put chocolate sprinkles on an orange pie and made a ‘pie-o-lantern’.

When my cousins and I were all little kids, my older cousin made us scared to eat sweet potatoes. My grandmother had to find a way to get us to eat them again.



I only remember how to make a ‘family’ batch.



8 sweet, thick-skinned oranges.

4 or 5 big sweet potatoes…about the size of two fists together. (some stores call them Yams)

a bag of marshmallows

3 - 4 tsps cinnamon

1tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ginger ( better…fresh grated ginger)

½ cup plus 2tbsp dark brown sugar. ( you can use honey, corn syrup or molasses)

1tbsp dark rum

1 pinch of salt

1tsp baking soda

1/8 cup flour.



Boil sweet potatoes until they are soft enough to mash. Cool them, skin them and do just that, in a BIG bowl.



Cut oranges in half. Squeeze out some of the juice (mix it with the vodka you’re hiding from the kids) Scoop out the pulp, pull out the white fibrous stuff, and put into the remaining pulp into the sweet potato mixture. Save the scooped out orange halves.



Cover a baking pan ( one with at least 1” sides) with foil. Arrange the 16 empty orange halves on the sheet. Put a dab of butter ( like a thumbnail sized shaving) in the bottom of each and the barest pinch of cinnamon into the bottom of each.



Preheat oven to 375



Put the rest of the cinnamon and all of the other ingredients except the marshmallows into the bowl with the sweet-potato/orange mixture. Beat well. ( I suggest a hand mixer at high for 5 min) You want a smooth texture like mashed potatoes.)



Spoon the mixture into the orange halves, mounding it like cupcakes. ( You may have left over mixture. Grandma used to use it as a spread….peanut butter and sweet potato sandwiches.)



Bake at 375 for 15 min. Remove from oven Put marshmallows on top of each.(Optional : sprinkle with more cinnamon) Return to oven until the marshmallow is browned and gooey.



Remove, cool and serve.



Didja LIKE it? Didja!?!?!

You people must be starving. Here's healthy food!

Pear and Walnut Pie.

(You can substitute Apples. My neighbor has a pear tree.)



Get one of those refrigerated pie crusts that you roll out and put in the pie shell. They come in 2’s so you will have your top crust also. ( If you prefer to make your own crust..cool! My pie crusts never come out right so I stopped trying.)

6 to 10 pears depending on size. Any variety will do.

1 lb (approx) of shelled walnuts. (halves...pieces.. you can even use pecans!)

1 shot(oz) dark rum

1tbsp ground or powdered cinnamon (leave the jar out)

1tsp nutmeg. (leave the jar out)

1 tsp ginger

½ tsp mace

½ tsp salt.

¾ cup dark brown sugar

1tbsp butter. (BUTTER!!!!!)

1tbsp molasses ( or a nice honey)

1tbsp oat bran.( You can put oatmeal in a blender to powder it somewhat. Works fine)



Prepare the bottom crust and put it in a deep dish pie pan.



Put the butter and molasses in a cup. Microwave under supervision until butter just melts. Remove. Stir well Add rum stir well.



In a large mixing bowl combine your butter/rum/molasses mixture. Add ½ cup of the brown sugar. Stir. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, ginger, salt and oatbran. Stir until blended.



Put ½ of your walnuts into your blender. Grind them to‘flour’. Add to bowl, stir well.



Peel, core and cut up your pears. ( I prefer tiny diced pieces in this pie.) Add them to the bowl and stir them in one by one. ( I usually eye this out as the fruits vary in size. You should stop cutting up pears when you determine you have enough to fill the crust.)



Spoon your mixture into the crust. Pat it down solidly with your spoon.



Take a handful of the remaining walnuts and use your hands to crumble them across the pie. Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar over that.



If you like, sprinkle more cinnamon and nutmeg on it too.



Preheat oven to 425.

Prepare the top crust. You can slice it into strips and make a basket weave, or you can take a Xmas cookie cutter and cut moons and stars into it to make it pretty. ( Or you can slap on the upper crust, poke a few hole into it and call it a day.)

Squeeze the crusts together on the edge and trim off any excess.

Put the pie in the oven at 425 degrees F for 10 min. Reduce heat to 350F and continue cooking for another 30 to 40 min. At 30 min begin checking on it. When the crust is browned nicely, take it out.



Cool and eat.

I actually created a recipe for Wild Rice Stuffed Chicken Breast with Balsamic Honey Glaze, but it got a little complicated so I couldn't even begin to tell you about it without finding the recipe (yes, I actually wrote it all down). If that sounds good to anyone, I can see about drumming up the recipe for it. But man did it turn out well.