Unusual Flavor Additions to Dishes

[bluelacedredhead]

Friday I made cabbage rolls, and the recipe that I've come to like was from an old Country Woman magazine, submitted by a reader. This woman added dill weed to her meat& rice mixture when she had a bumper crop one year. Her family liked it, so she sent the recipe into the mag. I like it too but it's certainly not something I would have thought of doing.

And today, I pulled out my favourite Chili recipe, only to notice that the recipe on the next page uses grated ginger in chili (Chef Michael Foley of Chicago is attributed with this 'invention').

Any creative cooking ideas that you've thought odd, but learned to love??

[redbrick]

How about peanut butter or mustard in your spaghetti sauce? DW always "doctors up" the sauce by taste, whether it's our own or storebought. It's never the same twice but it's always excellent!

[Joan]

My husband thinks all my creative cooking tips are odd - so I have to think about this awhile.

[bluelacedredhead]

Redbrick, Mustard does seem a little odd. :p But I've heard of peanut butter in Spaghetti Sauce before. I mean, they put carrots in it, why not pb too??

oh no, Joan, your husband sounds like mine. Although mine says that he will eat anything...Sure he will ;)

[TastyofHasty]

My DH would NEVER say he would eat anything ... even HE knows he's picky picky picky! :) My latest "thing" is sprouted lentils. Figured out I have a nice wire-type colander that fits inside a glass dish that has a glass lid ... and everything. That was the hardest part. Add 1/4 cup lentils & water & swish around now & then. Now after 5 days I have a nice bowl of sprouted lentils, even turning green 'cause you're s'posed to leave 'em in indirect sunlight several hours to develop the chlorophyll. Just tried to get DH to eat ONE sprouted lentil. He backed off ... slightly panicky ... No!!! Like ... EEK! :eek:

[redbrick]

Well, Blue, It gives it a certain punch but you have to be careful how much you add. You also need to balance it with some sugar and maybe a splash of vinegar. Like I said, it's doctored to taste.

Here's another one: saurkraut with applesauce and brown sugar. Now, that's good eats!

[bluelacedredhead]

Kraut's good with almost anything isn't it?? Actually, cabbage and apples are very well suited. And I suppose the addition of brown sugar would just add to the Sweet & Sour effect.

I saw one of Rachael Ray's episodes on FoodNetwork recently where she stirfried Kielbassa, red onions and Kale and then served it with perogies, sauerkraut and sour cream..I bought all the fixings, cuz we have lots of kale in the garden, but someone ate the kielbassa with crackers and cheese? Next trip to the store...

[Soapymomma]

try crock pot, pork chops sauerkraut onion and bbq sauce,

or personal fave
my old ginger bread recipe has black pepper in it

[johno]

That sounds really good, soapymomma. You inspired me. But since I don't have any sauerkraut I just made beef stew in the crockpot instead. It will be good after a cold, rainy day...

2 pounds beef, strips
4 potatoes, sliced, skin on
1 large carrot, sliced
3 walking onion bulbs, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 handsful of black cherry tomatoes
and later on today I will add some sliced portabella mushrooms and some french onion soup

How does that sound?

[Joan]

Don't know if you have restaurants called "Uno's"? They have a cauliflower dish I love and poked around with it a little to get something very similar. It's called "Smashed Cauliflower". I cooked about 1/3 of fresh cauliflower and mashed when very soft.
Add about 1/3 cup of fatfree sour cream, 1 crushed garlic clove (large one) and a big handful of chedder cheese. Whipped as creamy as I could get it and heated in microwave on medium heat about 3 min. The next day the garlic taste had softened a bit and we really thought it was close to the restaurants dish.

[bluelacedredhead]

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM, sounds wonderful Joan. I'll have to look for Uno's next time we pass through PA... But it'll be tough to pass up Quaker Steak & Lube in favour of Smashed Cauli... :eek:

[stonysoil]

my favorite cauliflower recipe is my late grandmothes.. i made some tonight.. i she parboiled it jsut a couple minutes,, cooled it,... v broke into segments.... cooled it .. dipped into egg gthen matzoh meal or u can use breadcrumbe.. browned the tops in a little olive oil,,, then simmere d it in a mixture of some fresh squeezed lemon and tomato sauce mixed with water...... delicous

[wilderness1989]

My mother always put black pepper on pumpkin pie, I do too and it's great.
Milk gravy is good on sauerkraut it takes the sour away and is great.

[Biscombe]

MMmmmmm Joan sounds like great comfort food!! You all tried baked bannanas? Make a slit lenghways and stuff in some of your fav choc cover with foil and bake or BBQ! The only dessert I can make!!!! Not very unusual though!!!

[Joan]

mmmm I'm gettin' hungry here!

[Joan]

Hey Bluelace - never heard of Quaker - how close to Reading do you get?

[tashak]

End of some months, one packet Ramen noodles, throw away seasoning packet, cook with 1 teaspoon chunky peanut butter, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of any garden greens around and some hot pepper (flakes or fresh) and top with a very little rice vinegar.
The rice vinegar drops work well with the peanut butter.
Of course, if you have a tablespoon or more of hardboiled egg or leftover cooked meat or chicken or frozen vegetable, you can add that--but it is the peanut butter and rice vinegar and hot pepper that give it the taste.
So far I haven't tried adding a little grated ginger or grated radish, but someday....

[bluelacedredhead]

Joan, We've been to the one in Erie, but I've heard good things about it from relatives living closer to the Niagara region than we are.
Here's the link. Hope there's one not to far from you? They are a novelty restaurant chain. Lots of good food and for the Car Buffs in the family, it's a fun place to visit..
http://www.lubewings.com/

[oldgaredneck]

The next time you have a peach cobbler, try sprinkling a little black pepper on top of your serving. Learned this from my old Dad, God rest his soul.
Talk about making something good even better.... :)

[Joan]

A friend in West Virginia always serves kraut with turkey which shocked me, then she said her husband shocks her by putting mustard over both. Not for me!
I only put peanut butter in my chocolate icing.

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

I can vouch for the black pepper used for baking applications...I'll put black pepper in almost anything! Also wonderful is white pepper.

I've been known to sneak flower flavors into things when no one is looking. Everyone carries on about how wonderful it tastes, but they can't identify what they are tasting. It's fun. Of course, I can't take credit for this idea since the flower waters are sold for culinary use...


Also something I do is when I make rice pudding, I don't use all vanilla flavoring, I add just a tiny bit of coconut flavoring as well. It's not really identifiable, it just adds something nice that blends in well. Not unusual, really, coconut with rice, but no one else I know around here does this.

[Gary]

With the Holidays approaching I thought I would post these sauce recipes which can be a great addition to any meal.

This sauce is great! You can use it with about any meats. You can serve chunks of meat appetizers and use as a dip for vegetables or spread over a block of Cream Cheese to be eaten with crackers.
The Jams/Jellies may be a choice you make depending upon the type meats you have (Ham/Pineapple/Apple, Pork/Apple/Appricot, Chicken orTurkey/Cranberry/Apple) whatever combinations you desire. Those with great desire for the "hot" stuff may add their favorite peppers to any of these.
Gary/Louisville

Jezebel Sauce
Example ----
1 (10-oz.) jar apple jelly
1 (10-oz.) jar pineapple jam
1 (5-oz.) jar prepared horseradish
1/4 c. dry English blend mustard
1 tsp. dried crushed red pepper

To prepare sauce: Process apple jelly, pineapple jam, horseradish, dry mustard and pepper in a food processor until smoothly blended. Store the blended sauce in a covered glass container under refrigeration for up to 3 weeks. Sauce is best if prepared the day before serving to allow flavor to fully develop. Yields approximately 2½ cups.
To serve: Traditionally, Jezebel Sauce has been served as an appetizer in southern Louisiana. To do so, simply bring prepared sauce to room temperature, pour over softened cream cheese and spread on crackers or Cayenne Toast. However, the complex blend of this sweet-yet-peppery-tasting sauce is a delicious garnish for pork, chicken and boiled shrimp. It also makes a superb dip for chicken nuggets. To use as a glaze for grilled pork or chicken, brush on meat during the last three minutes of cooking. Excellent!

Hot Sauce For Beef

¾ c. chopped onion
½ c. chopped bell pepper
¼ c. chopped celery
2 tsp. minced garlic
¼ c. minced fresh Jalapeno peppers
¼ c. vegetable oil
5 T. plus 2 tsp. all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. ground Cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground black pepper
3 c. canned beef broth

Chop onions, bell pepper and celery. Combine in a small bowl and set aside. Mince garlic and Jalapeno peppers and combine in a separate bowl; set aside. In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour a little at a time until smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until light brown (approximately 3 minutes) being careful not to scorch oil and flour mixture. Remove saucepan from heat and immediately stir in chopped onion, bell pepper and celery mixture, Cayenne pepper and black pepper. Return saucepan to high heat and cook for approximately 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add minced garlic and Jalapeno peppers, stirring well. Continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. (Mixture should be pasty.) Remove from heat. In a separate 2-quart saucepan, bring beef broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Add a spoonful of prepared paste to boiling broth, stirring until dissolved and continue to add by the spoonful until all of the paste has been dissolved in broth. Bring mixture to a boil then lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes to reduce volume. Skim off any oil from the top of sauce and serve warm. Serve sauce with meat loaf, roast beef, grilled hamburgers and roast beef sandwiches. Yields approximately 3 cups.

Cranberry Orange Chutney

1/4 c. coarsely chopped orange peel
1 (12-oz.) pkg. fresh cranberries
1 c. granulated sugar
2 T. orange liqueur or 1 T. orange extract
1 c. chopped pecans

Finely grind chopped orange peel in a food processor. Add half of the cranberries and process slightly. Add remaining cranberries and process until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a large mixing bowl; stir in sugar, orange extract and chopped pecans. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, allowing time for sugar to fully dissolve and flavors to blend. Yields 12 to 16 servings.

Recipe Variation: For a jellied consistency, puree cranberries and orange peel in food processor; add sugar, extract, pecans and 2 packages of plain gelatin dissolved in 1/4 cup cool water; process to blend. Chill until thickened.

Lemon Garlic Grilling Sauce

½ c. (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
¼ c. lemon juice
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
½ tsp. Tabasco pepper sauce
¼ tsp. ground black pepper

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, Tabasco sauce and black pepper; mix well. Simmer for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Brush sauce on fish, seafood, poultry or vegetables during grilling or broiling. Heat any remaining sauce and serve warm at the table with grilled foods. Yields approximately ¾ cup.


Peanut Sauce

½ c. peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
½ c. water
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. soy sauce
1 tsp. granulated sugar
Sprinkle ground Cayenne pepper
In a microwave safe bowl, whip together peanut butter, water, garlic powder, lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar and Cayenne pepper (to taste). When well blended, microwave for 30 seconds. Pour over chicken, noodles, or other favorite dishes.

Toasted Pecan Caramel Sauce

1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. butter or margarine
1 c. light corn syrup
1 lg. egg, lightly beaten
1 T. pure vanilla extract
1 c. pecan halves, toasted

Combine sugar, butter, corn syrup, egg and vanilla in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full boil (6 to 8 minutes); remove from heat. Just prior to serving, stir in pecans. Serve warm or cool over ice cream, cake or waffles. Yields 2 cups.

Tomato Gravy

½ lb. bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 sm. onion, chopped
3 T. all-purpose flour
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 (14½ oz.) can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
¾ -1 c. water
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels; discard all but 3 tablespoons of bacon drippings from skillet. Cook onion in bacon drippings over medium heat until tender. Reduce heat and stir in flour; cook and stir over low heat until mixture is golden brown. Gradually add canned tomatoes; stir well as gravy thickens. Add water, a little at a time, and cook until gravy is desired thickness (additional water may be added if gravy is too thick). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in bacon and remove from heat. Serve warm. Gravy may be served as a breakfast dish spooned over hot biscuits. May also be served over meatloaf, fried pork chops or cooked white rice. To create a spicy version of this recipe, replace diced canned tomatoes with one 10-ounce can of diced tomatoes and green chilies.

White Remoulade Sauce

½ lb. bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 sm. onion, chopped
3 T. all-purpose flour
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 (14½ oz.) can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
¾ -1 c. water
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels; discard all but 3 tablespoons of bacon drippings from skillet. Cook onion in bacon drippings over medium heat until tender. Reduce heat and stir in flour; cook and stir over low heat until mixture is golden brown. Gradually add canned tomatoes; stir well as gravy thickens. Add water, a little at a time, and cook until gravy is desired thickness (additional water may be added if gravy is too thick). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in bacon and remove from heat. Serve warm. Gravy may be served as a breakfast dish spooned over hot biscuits. May also be served over meatloaf, fried pork chops or cooked white rice. To create a spicy version of this recipe, replace diced canned tomatoes with one 10-ounce can of diced tomatoes and green chilies.

Woozy Sauce

½ c. honey
¼ c. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. minced dried onion
1 T. bourbon
2 tsp. Louisiana hot sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together honey, Worcestershire sauce, onion, bourbon and hot sauce. Transfer mixture to a closed container and refrigerate overnight to allow flavor to develop before serving. Sauce may be stored under refrigeration for up to 2 weeks. Serve at room temperature as a dipping sauce for grilled beef or pork. Yields approximately ¾ cup.

[windsng225]

Joan, try roasting the garlic in the oven then add it to your cauliflower, will give it a sweeter taste.
Johno, sounds great, will have to try that one!


I make jumbo lemon, ginger, nut muffins that are so fantastic, everyone loves them:
2oz ginger route grated and cooked in 3/4 cup sugar with 2 tbls lemon zest with the juice of the lemon. Just cook till you smell the ginger, let cool
1/2 cup butter
2 tbls sour cream
2 eggs
1 cup milk (I use 2%)
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
topping: 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/4 cup brown sugar, put aside.
After the ginger liquid has cooled, beat the eggs butter and ginger mixture together. Add salt, baking powder and beat. While beating add 1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup milk alternating till all is in the batter.
Pour into 6 jumbo muffin pans that have been sprayed with oil and add your mixture of chopped pecans and brown sugar on top (about 1 tblsp each muffin)
Bake for about 30 minutes at 375*
absolutely delish!

[Gary]

Hot Pepper Jelly

5 lb. sugar
3 c. cider vinegar
1/2 c. jalapenos peppers, chopped fine
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 c. red bell peppers, chopped fine
1 c. green bell peppers, chopped fine
2 pkg. fructose
Boil for 2 minutes. Add 2 packages of fructose. Wait for 10 minutes. Fill hot boiled jars with jelly and seal.

HOT 'N SWEET PEPPER JELLY

2 (12 oz.) jars apple jelly
2 tbsp. minced red bell pepper
2 tbsp. minced jalapeno pepper
4 tsp. cider vinegar
Stir jelly in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted and smooth.
Stir in peppers and vinegar. Pour into 3 hot, clean, 6 oz. jars, dividing peppers equally among them. Stir to distribute peppers evenly. Cover loosely and refrigerate. When cold, tighten lids. Makes 2 1/3 cups.

"HOT" PEPPER JELLY

2 lg. bell peppers
6 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. cider vinegar
1/4 c. fresh Jalapeno peppers

Seed peppers and grind, saving juice. Measure 3/4 cup pulp and juice in a pan. Add sugar and vinegar to pepper mixture. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Add 1 bottle of Certo - return mixture to a rolling boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add a few drops of green food coloring - pour into hot sterilized jars and seal.

Jam and Jelly Recipes ---
This Link will take you to any of the following Recipes.
www.pepperfool.com/recipes/jams_idx.html

Ancho-Mango Jam
Apple-Pepper Jelly
Apple Pepper Jelly #2
Apricot Habanero Jelly
Apricot Jalapeno Jelly
Autumnal Jalapeno Jelly
Charlie's Pepper Jelly #2
Chile Jam
Chile Pepper Jelly
Cranberry Pepper Jelly
Datil Pepper Jelly
Diablo Jalapeno Jelly
Double Hot Pepper Jelly
Easy Jalapeno Jelly
Gillian's Pepper Jelly
Grand Marnier - Habanero Marmalade
Habanero-Fruit Jam
Habanero Jelly
Habanero Jelly #2
Homemade Mango and Jalapeno Jelly
Hot Pepper-Apple Preserves
Hot Pepper Jelly
Hot Rhubarb Jam
Jalepeno-Garlic-Apple Jam
Jalape O Jelly
Judy's Jalapeno Jam
Microwave Strawberry-Jalepeno Jam
Muscadine Habanero Jam
Napalm Jam
Orange-pineapple Marmalade
Pepper Orange Marmalade
Pepper Pot Jelly
Quick Habanero Jam
Raspberry-mango-orange Jam
Red Chile Jam
Saguaro Cactus Fruit Jam
Sharon's Peach preserves
Tomato and Chile Jam
Western-Style Pepper Jelly

[Joan]

Gary have you tried these sauces? Some sound good but some have strange ingredients!

[Gary]

Joan, I have had quite a variety of different pepper sauces. I would expect someone would choose to make one of the recipes if it was a fruit combination they would enjoy. Of course it is good to experience a new taste combination sometimes! That's how successful chefs have drawn attention to themselves by experimenting with new food combinations/flavors.

These recipes may compliment just about any meat -- Ham, Pork, Chicken, Beef, Fish, or Desert dish you might make depending upon your individual taste preferance. Be as creative and wild as you like in coming up with a unique way of serving dishes in a new way! I am listing just a couple suggestions and a link for others.
Gary

Cranberry Orange Chutney Chicken
This spicy chicken dish uses Cranberry Orange Chutney to turn chicken into a gourmet delight!

Recipe Ingredients
1 /2 cup Chili Sauce
1/2 cup Cranberry Orange Chutney
1/8 tsp Ground Allspice
4 Skinless Chicken Breast Halves
2 tsp Vegtable or Olive Oil

Combine chili sauce, cranberry orange chutney and allspice, then set aside. In large skillet, slowly brown chicken on both sides in oil. Pour chutney mixture over chicken. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until chicken is cooked and sauce is desired consistency. Turn and baste occasionally while simmering.



Sweet Onion-Smothered Burgers
Red or Jalapeno Pepper Jelly
This dish uses Pepper Jelly to transform ordinary burgers into the extraodinary!

Recipe Ingredients
2 Tbls. Red or Jalapeno Pepper Jelly
2 C Thinly sliced onions, in rings
1 TBL Instant minced onion
Vegetable cooking spray
1 tsp ground pepper
1/2 C chili sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Lb. Ground round
1/3 C bread crumbs
4 Hamburger buns, split
4 curly lettuce leaves

Place sliced onion in a medium skillet, coated with cooking spray. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until onion is limp and golden. Reduce heat to low and add ¼ cup chili sauce and Pepper Jelly. Cover and cook 5 minutes, until onion is tender and thoroughly heated.

Now combine the beef, bread crumbs, remaining chili sauce, onion, pepper and garlic. Mix well. Divide into four equal portions, making ½” patties. These can be broiled or grilled – 4 minutes per side. Line the bottom half of the buns with lettuce, beef patty, ¼ cup of onion mixture, then the top of the bun.

Other Recipe suggestions
www.hotpepperjelly.com/recipes.shtml

[stonysoil]

that sounds great joan..i make a caulifliwer dish .,.. mmy late grandmas recipe.. i boil the cailifliower,,,, mash itt mix with a couple eggs and breadcrumbs salt and peeepr form into patties.. fry and brown on both sides.. then bake in oven woth light tomato sauce and lemon mixtue.. delicous

[bluelacedredhead]

Never tried cauliflower before with a tomato sauce Stony. But it does sound interesting!

[finnteara]

Spaghetti Sauce- pinch of dill, 1/3 cup of honey to offset the salt, Italian green beans, lima beans, cauliflower, carrots and zucchini ( or just buy an Italian frozen veg pak). Now I cook my tomatoe sauce of two days in a crock pot, letting it rest over night in between and on the second day add the vegs. Just before you serve it, wave a haberano pepper over the sauce and put it back in frig.

[TastyofHasty]

Wow, what a lot of great sounding recipes! Gary, you caught my attention with Jezebel Sauce ... then just kept on reading ... wow, wow, wow. :eek:

[windsng225]

My son's favorate is fryed Couliflower. I cut up the Couliflower in small pieces trying to keep the floweretts, then cut the stems in long but diamond shapes. Fry in olive oil and garlic till they are brown on all sides. Add butter and seasoned bread crumbs (I make my own) till all the butter is absorbed, serve.
Even my grandson loves this dish.

Another one with Couliflower is:
Fry up in extra vergin olive oil: Couliflower, red, green, yellow pepper, red onion, carrots (cut on an angle and not too thick) garlic, green beans just till all most tender.

In a large bowl add everything, then add: green olives, black olives, 1 white onion sliced thin, three fresh tomatoes diced. Add 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup wine vinegar, salt and pepper and 1/2 tablespoon of red pepper flakes. mix all together with your hands (of course they are clean).
You can eat some now or put into glass jars and put into the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Delish! Great warm or cold with sandwiches. Good way to get kids to eat their Veg's!
joyce

[stonysoil]

i was at a groceerty store today called weggmans.. and they had larrge cauliflowers diispalyed.. i exchanged my fried caulifuflower in tomato and lemon for this womens intersting recipe...she steams the florets until they are slightly tender..... drains them and pan fries them with some garlic cloves.. and after all is coated she adds some tamari or soy sauce.... sounds delicous... i will try it next time but tionight i made the familar recipe ... with tomatoe and lemon

[stonysoil]

i think another dynamic duo i s potato latkes pancakes witrh applesauce..

[flowerpower]

Stony, those are delicious!

[stonysoil]

ty flowerpower.. they are especially great at hanukkah time

[stonysoil]

i thought of another great flavor combo today as i was sending my brother in illinois some genovese basil seeds.. i alos sent him some giant belgiunm tomatie seed and told him that my favorite treat last yr was sliced tomatoe sprinkled with roulades of fresh basil.. topped with good extra virgin olive oul.. of course some crust bread dosent hurt either.. wow now i really cant wait for sunmer again lol

[Rosie]

I enjoyed a recipe of carmelized peaches with onion and sage in them. Great side dish for pork or turkey.

[bluelacedredhead]

Rosie, that sounds delightful. Do you use canned peach halves? Or poached peaches?? It sounds like the peach/onion/sage combo might make a good salsa for serving over pork or even game.

[moonlilyhead]

Pineapple in chicken salad. Yum!

[louanne]

belive it or not a touch of chocolate in chili...

or a touch of hot chilis in a choc dessert dish..makes for remarkable flavor....

one of my favorite add ins is cummin in mushroom soup....

and fried cabbage with apples and pork

[johno]

Louann, when are you gonna' come down here and cook?!

[tuk50]

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg in chili works wonders and also sprinkled in taco meat.

louanne, I will definitely have to try chocolate in my next pot of chili. :cool:

[louanne]

You alll are a hoot...
but I tellyou what...Johno....I really do love to cook....and if you ever want to have a DO....you just get with me....and we can put a feast together...
I love hanging out with friends over good food....
and I am sure I would love to listen and learn some gardening tips from you....
I dont thinkyou are tooo far away....hint hint....LOL....
I am really sorry we had to miss baker creek this month....specially now that I know you spoke at it....
we are trying real hard to attempt to get well anything done here around our work schedules...and with all the " stuff" we have been trying to do.... it was just going down the toitee real fast....and I am just juggeling way to much...went back into stress mode....I havent even baked a cookie in weeks...
you just give me a couple of weeks notice..and..I would be there....

man I cannot wait for the maters to come in....one of my favorite things to do..is grab a bunch and sit on the porch and eat till I cannot eat them any more.....

[louanne]

* Exported from MasterCook *

Chocolate Chili

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 2 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Chili

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 tablespoons Oil -- vegetable
1 Onion,medium -- finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves -- finely chopped
1 pound Beef -- coarse grind
1 can Kidney beans(16oz ea)
1 can Tomato puree(16oz ea)
1 can Tomato paste(6oz ea)
1/2 cup Green chiles,whole -- domestic
1/2 cup Water
2 ounces Chocolate -- bittersweet
2 tablespoons Red chile,hot-mild -- ground
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 Beef bouillon cube

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until
the onion is translucent.

2. Add the meat to the skillet. Break up any lumps with a fork and cook, stirring
occasionally, until the meat is evenly browned.

3. Stir in the kidney beans, tomato puree, tomato paste, green chile, water, 1 ounce of the
chocolate, ground chile, cumin and beef cube. Mix well. Bring to a boil, then lower heat
and simmer, uncovered, for 1/2 hour.
Stir occasionally.

4. Stir in the remaining chocolate and continue cooking until it is thoroughly blended.
Taste and adjust seasonings.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[louanne]

Fried Cabbage with Apple
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 Cabbage
2 Cooking Apples, peeled and cored
1 Onion, peeled
25g (1oz) butter
15ml (1 tbsp) cinnamon

Instructions

1. Chop the onion thinly. Slice the apples reasonably small. Quarter the cabbages, remove the stalk and shred and blanch in boiling water for 2 - 3 minutes. Refresh.

2. Melt the butter in a pan add the onions and apples and heat through until tender. Add the cabbage to heat through and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Serve immediately.



Riverford Organic Vegetables - www.riverford.co.uk

[johno]

Oops - missed your response, louanne!
I missed you at the June fest, too. I thought for sure you'd be there...
I am still considering a garden get-together towards late summer, if I do you are certainly invited! We'll have to plan to do some cooking!

[louanne]

Awesome....
I plan on being at the august festival....dont know about july yet....
we have taken a few days and actually got some things done around here....
I really hate to say...we needed the break and some solitude to take care of OUR needs....
I still think I can do everything by myself....bad bad habit....need to give that one up....

[johno]

Ever try combining the flavors of curry or cardomom with chocolate?

[louanne]

I do not believe I have....hummmmmmmmm....cardomom....some spices I over look....I think its oneof them...will have to go to the store and sniff the cardomom....I dont have it at the house.....hummmmmmmmm

[Rainbow Hadedah]

Johno
Orange cake. Syrup to be poured over cake when cool. 225g caster sugar/juice and grated zest of 1 orange/125ml water/sprig of coriander (optional)/3 black peppercorns/4 cardamom pods/1 tsp lemon juice/1/2 tsp orange blossom water. Put all these ingredients in a pan and bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, then strain . Pierce the cooled cake and pour the syrup over it.
Topping. 50g pistachio nuts ( I use chopped almonds most of the time)/150g dark chocolate/75g unsalted butter/1tbsp maple syrup. Toast the almonds in a pan (or in the oven) and roughly chop. Put the nuts and the rest of the topping ingredients in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Leave till chocolate and butter have melted then stir well till you have a smooth, silky mix.
Put cake onto a large round plate and pour the topping, while it is still hot, over it. A spicy change.

[windsng225]

Hi Rainbow! You must be one heck of a baker, and cook from what I have read! That sounds just fabulous. I will have to try that the next time I make my orange cake, I am betting that the family will love it. Thanks.
joyce

[johno]

Rainbow Hadedah, that sounds like definitely the best orange cake recipe I've ever heard of! I doubt I can get some of the ingredients here (cardomom pods, orange blossom water,) but surely there are reasonable substitutions. What a fascinating array of flavors - that's what I'm talking about!!! Thanks!

[TennOC]

Orange flower water can be found at places that sell to liquor bars. It's used in some drinks like ramus(sp) Fizz.

[Rainbow Hadedah]

Windsng. I don't know about being a good cook but I love to try new flavour combinations. I'm vegetarian - still eat eggs - so variety is important to me. I make about three cakes a year - this is my new favourite. The orange cake I make as a base for that recipe uses oranges simmered for about two hours (the skin is still on). It makes a very moist cake with a definite orange colour and taste.

[TastyofHasty]

You can buy cardamom pods or cardamom powder at http://www.herbalcom.com, very reasonable considering how much cardamom costs on the spice rack!

[lizardwalker]

Thank you tastyofhasty for the lintel sprout info. I have already set up my experiment. Can't wait to try them:)

[louanne]

Man I bet this orange cake...baked in sheets and layered like a bar cake would be gorgeous....not to mention tasty....