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

South of the Border treat

Here's one that people will think took hours and hours - I've taken it to potlucks and people are always asking me for the recipe - it's almost embarrassing to give.

I call it my instant Chili Verde

porkloin meat
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 can ortega or other brand green chili (whole - not diced!)
1 onion
salt

Cook pork loin in water (does not work well in slow cooker - smells awful) salt to taste. Add a cut up onion in the water (important to prevent that cooking pork smell)

Once it's cooked and very soft but before it falls apart (usually about 2 hours, depending on size) - take it out and cut into chunks.

add the pork to enchilada sauce

slice chilis lengthwise and add long slices (remove veins and seeds from chilis and run under cold water to make it mild - otherwise, can be pretty spicy)

serve with Mexican rice and frijoles
warm up tortillas to finish the meal

Not the most healthy meal - but very good and people think you slaved for hours, when in reality, it's practically instant.

Another south of the border treat

Señor Haggis's Venison Chili—Highlands Version

I originally posted this recipe here, on another site. If you're morally opposed to eating cute, furry forest animals, avoid the link. If you enjoy eating Bambi, have at it.

Haggis said:

Señor Haggis's Venison Chili—Highlands Version

I originally posted this recipe here, on another site. If you're morally opposed to eating cute, furry forest animals, avoid the link. If you enjoy eating Bambi, have at it.

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With a bow-hunter husband, I happen to have enough venison in the deep freeze to make enough of your chili to feed the entire office party!

threedogpeople said:

Does anyone have a tasty tuna casserole recipe; one dish, easy (no mushrooms please - we're not fond of fungi)?

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Several years ago, during my impassioned genealogical obsession, the ladies (and some of the laddies) in my extended family put together this family cookbook. There was no Lulu.com then, and it was too expensive to print for just us, so I put it all online.

http://members.cox.net/jdahl2/cindex.htm

Scroll down to 'Tuna Hotdish', click, scroll to the last recipe on that page and there you have it. Leave out the can of mushies, trade Cream of Chicken soup for Cream of Mushroom and it's heaven.

The rest of those recipes are pretty darn good, too - even if I DO say so myself. Some of them will put weight on your rump for just reading them!

threedogpeople said:

Does anyone have a tasty tuna casserole recipe; one dish, easy (no mushrooms please - we're not fond of fungi)?

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Here's one I've taught my kids to make. Hope it's easy enough. (It does use a saucepan and casserole dish, though... and the pasta/rice, peas and corn are optional/changeable.) Serves 4 - 6.

TUNA AU GRATIN

CHEESE SAUCE BASE:
2 wooden spoonfuls (ws) butter or margarine
2 ws plain flour
600ml milk (just over 2 cups)
Shake of salt and coarse milled black pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
1 cup grated cheese
1 teaspoon (tsp) mustard paste/powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper

TUNA CASSEROLE:
1 tin Tuna in spring water or brine
Half cup frozen corn
Half cup frozen peas
2 cups cooked rice, macaroni or other pasta
1 cup grated cheese
1 cup breadcrumbs

CHEESE SAUCE:
Using a medium to large saucepan, on high heat melt the butter. Lower the heat to medium-high and add the flour, stirring for about one minute.

Gradually add the milk as you stir, making sure that the milk is totally mixed with the flour and the sauce is thickening as you go. Beware of lumps! You can add more milk if you want a thinner sauce, or less if you want a thicker sauce.

Turn the heat down to low—do not boil. The sauce should be the consistency of thickened cream. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Turn off heat, then add at least a cupful of grated cheese, (tasty, matured, cheddar, etc.) mustard (American, Hot English) and cayenne pepper. Stir well.

TUNA CASSEROLE:
Preheat the oven to 180 deg. Celsius. (350 F)

Add the peas and corn to the cheese sauce. Drain the tuna and flake (pull apart with fork) then add to the mixture. Stir well.

In a large ovenproof casserole dish, lay the cooked rice (or other pasta) on the bottom then add the tuna mixture. Do not overfill. Top with grated cheese and breadcrumbs and bake in the oven until the topping is toasty brown.

To serve without baking—do not preheat oven or use casserole dish, just mix tuna, etc. with cheese sauce, heat on medium for about 10-15 minutes (usually while pasta/rice is cooking), then dollop the tuna mixture on top of the cooked pasta and garnish with grated cheese.

Mixture also good for stuffing baked potatoes and vol-au-vent cases.

Deconstructed Chili con Carne

Deconstructed Chili con Carne

2 pounds ground turkey or lean ground beef
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 envelope chili seasoning (salt-free)
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 egg

Ranch Style Beans

Knead together ground meat, onion soup mix, chili seasoning, bread crumbs and egg. Form into a loaf and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Allow to cool 15 minutes.

Heat Ranch Style Beans to serving temperature. Slice meat loaf and top each serving with a couple spoonfuls of Ranch Style Beans.

Goes great with garlic mashed potatoes and corn on the cob.

Enchilada Casserole a la NF


Set-up:


1) Boil chicken breasts until fully cooked (I use two breasts for a regular-sized casserole, three for a potluck-sized one). Refrigerate until cold (cuts easier – so do this early).
2) Cube chicken to ~1/2 inch cubes – set aside
3) Chop onions (to taste). If onions are strong, back off a little—don’t want them to dominate taste.
4) Cut a dozen corn tortillas (small sized) into ¼” x ½” strips – set aside
5) Grate cheese (I use medium cheddar and Jack, but other kinds could be used). I use a small brick for an average casserole.
6) Open large can (or bottle) of enchilada sauce (I use medium hot). The brand may make a difference, so don’t get the cheap ones.
7) Open two small cans, or one large can of refried beans (standard refries—don’t use whole beans or black beans unless you have a special taste for them)


Preparation:

The ingredients will be placed in the dish in layers. Start with a thin layer of enchilada sauce, then layer in the following (complete layer, or nearly so):
1) Tortilla strips
2) Onion
3) Chicken cubes
4) Cheese
5) Enchilada sauce (liberal amount)
6) Refried beans (heat them in microwave or they will be impossible to spread)
7) Tortilla strips
8) Onion
9) Chicken cubes
10) Cheese
11) Enchilada sauce (liberal amount)
12) Refried beans
13) Remainder of enchilada sauce
14) Remainder of cheese


Bake:

Oven at 350o - Heat until cheese is bubbling. Then, force a deep separation with a knife or spatula to see if the deep layers are melting/mixing/hot. It will mash back. For the crock pot I used for the party, it took a little over an hour. For a standard casserole dish (wide but not very deep), it could take less than 30 minutes.

I'm making the cabbage rolls again for tonight.

I saw a "helpful hint" and it said to put the cabbage leafs in the freezer overnight (or longer). When they defrost they'll be tender enough to stuff and you get to skip the blanch part of the recipe. I'll let everyone know how that works out.

I'm yoinking this thread back because the recipies are good and Weren never posted the crab cake recipie. He claimed that the campus computer 'ate it'.
I bet it 'eats' his homework, too. (Probably with some over sweet red table wine.....)

I want the crab cake recipe too, but as long as you've gone and opened the thread...

Panko Sea Scallops with Minty Couscous

¼ cup Pine nuts
1 red bell pepper, roasted, seeded, skinned and cut into strips
½ cup Sun-dried tomatoes
3 or 4 Green onions, chopped
1 cup Spearmint leaves, roughly chopped (save 2 leaves per serving as garnish)
1 cup Couscous
1 cup Chicken stock or chicken broth
Zest of one lemon; lemon wedges
12 sea scallops
panko breading
1 egg
Two tablespoons of water
salt
pepper
butter
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, whisk together two tablespoons of water with one egg white. Dip scallops into egg wash, then into panko crumbs. Shake off excess, and place on a wire rack.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a small sauté pan, on medium heat. Lightly toast pine nuts, stirring and shaking pan constantly, being careful not to overcook--about two minutes. Set aside.

In another sauté pan, heat one tablespoon olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in medium heat. Add chopped green onion, roasted bell pepper and sundried tomato. Cook and stir until onions begin to soften--about three minutes. Add lemon zest and mint leaves, and cook for one minute. Cover and remove from heat.

Bring one cup of chicken stock to a boil.

While stock is heating, sauté scallops in one tablespoon olive oil and one tablespoon butter, until golden brown, about three minutes. When done, transfer pan to oven, and reset temperature to 300 degrees.

Add heated stock to couscous, cover, and let stand five minutes. When liquid is absorbed, fluff lightly with a fork, and blend in onion, pepper, mint and tomato mixture. Add toasted pine nuts, salt and pepper.

Mound couscous on plate, and surround with scallops. Garnish with additional leaves of mint and lemon wedges.

Serves four as an appetizer, or two as an entrée.

Carole said:

Me, too. I'm working on Samhain stuff tonight, but tomorrow I'll be her with recipes!

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I have a wonderful pumpkin altar bread recipe, if you'd care for it.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes: Special Thanksgiving Edition

Scrub 5 pounds of potatoes. Red potatoes give an interesting color to the finished product and Yukon Golds have a nice buttery glow but plain ol' Russets will do fine as well. Leave the smaller potatoes whole. Cut the larger ones in half. Pile them into your 8-quart stainless steel or cast iron Dutch oven with the peeled and separated cloves of 2 bulbs of garlic. Add just enough cold water to cover, put on the lid and heat to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Check for doneness with a fork after 30 minutes (the fork should pierce a big piece easily and the potato should slide right off). Drain thoroughly in a colander.

Return potatoes to pot and mash or whip with an electric mixer while adding 1 pound of butter and 1 pint of sour cream (both at room temperature). If you like a little more color, throw in a tablespoon of dried parsley.

Note how many dinner guests eat these WITHOUT gravy.



Healthier off-season version:

Omit butter. Mash potatoes with 2 pints of fat-free sour cream. It tastes a little less creamy but the tang brings out even more garlic flavor.

Judy's Great-grandmother's Cranberry Relish

• 1 bag of fresh cranberries, washed
• Finely minced zest of 2 thin skinned oranges (I use my carrot peeler to remove only the orange part). The easiest way to tell thin skinned vs. thick skinned oranges is to look at the dimples on the orange. On a thin skin orange, they will be hard to see.
• 2 cups of white sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

In a blender or food processor, place half of the cranberries and 1/2 of the sugar, process until finely chopped. Set aside. Repeat with rest of berries and sugar.

To the berry and sugar mix, add orange zest and chopped pecans.

NOTE: The berry/sugar mix will be dry until the berries start to "give up their juice". BUT, if the mixture is so dry that you can't get the berries chopped then add the juice from one of the oranges.

NOTE 2: This should be made several hours before you want to serve it and it will be best after the 2nd day. It will keep in your fridge for a week.

Carole said:

I'd love it! Thanks!

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Here's a fancier one:
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 (16 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
DIRECTIONS

In a mixing bowl, dream butter and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Stir in pumpkin. Pour into two greased 9-in. x 5-in. x 3-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until bread seems to be done.

I like to serve this with a cranberry or pumpkin drink, and homemade apple juice tastes pretty good with it as well. I WOULD go with an ale, but I'm not quite legal yet.

Fettuccine al Giuseppe

Cathy says I earned the right to name this recipe after myself.

Fettuccine al Giuseppe

1 lb. fettuccine
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (no, I didn't steal the recipe from Rachael Ray)
1 bulb of garlic, peeled, crushed and finely minced
2 cans cream of chicken soup (fat-free tastes just as creamy)
1 8-oz. bag of shredded fat-free mozzarella or mozzarella/cheddar blend
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1 lb. of Italian sausage, cooked and cut as desired (slices, quarter-circles, crumbled, etc.)

Grated Parmesan cheese



Grease a covered glass or Corning Ware baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Cook fettuccine al dente and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water before draining. Drain thoroughly while preparing the sauce.

In the same pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat until it ripples. Add the garlic and cook only until transparent, stirring often. Add the cream of chicken soup and the pasta water, and stir until smooth. Raise heat to medium-high and cook until bubbling, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for one minute. Turn heat to low and stir in shredded cheese until melted. Turn off the heat. Fold in the sausage followed by the fettuccine. Fold together until evenly coated.

Dump mixture into the greased casserole. Cover and place in a cold oven. Set the oven to 325º F and bake 45 minutes. Allow to rest at least 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan if desired.

Mangia! Mangia!

Carole said:

How do you guys cook a turkey? I'm trying to find a good herbed recipe. I normally just roast the bird, sans any seasonings. It's always good, but nothing out of the ordinary. Just a bird.

I went to Food Network and found some, but the reviews were mixed.

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I've done just about everything possible with a turkey. I was going to get a small one..or just a big breast... and split it down the middle and grill it over an oak and hickory wood fire. I did that 4 yrs ago and my kids have been begging for it ever since. (I marinate it an a white wine based marinade for 12 hrs, first)
BUT, my friend called and she's ordered one of those big deepfried cajun turkeys and wants to bring it as her contribution. Just as well, it is raining.

Didn't I post the dill potatoes recipie around here or is the brandy getting to me?

Jaycinth said:

Didn't I post the dill potatoes recipie around here or is the brandy getting to me?

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Dill potatoes? *drool*