WTF Cookbook

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Susan Dorris' Gallo Pinto

GALLO PINTO (means spotted rooster)

Costa Rican, not Mexican, but I fix it a lot more often than anything else.

Cook up a pound of black beans, or use three cans. (Try the Scotch Bonnet pepper in the cooking water, if you like HOT)

In a separate pan or a rice cooker:
Cook 1 cup dry rice (I use brown, but white is traditional.) in 2 1/4 cups water.

In a heavy skillet, saute a diced onion and a diced green pepper in olive or cooking oil. (Or any color or heat of pepper you like) Add about a cup or more of chopped fresh cilantro when onions and peppers are tender.

Add the hot rice and the hot beans in roughly equal amounts to your skillet and stir. If you are using canned beans, drain them and add them to the skillet first, stir until evenly hot.

Serve with your favorite salsa. The Gallo Pinto can be eaten as is, or wrapped in a tortilla, or sandwiched between two tortillas (with cheese) in a quesadilla. Any leftover rice and beans can be added to the skillet after you have eaten enough to make room. This keeps well in the fridge, sometimes I eat it for lunch for days in a row.

Incidentally, Muenster is the cheese most like traditional Mexican cheese, for those who don't live in the southwest. And even for those who do.

[wtg]

@AdagioM

This evening's experiment! I like it better than last night's attempt.

Ginger Chocolate Scones

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2 cups flour (not whole wheat; I used unbleached white)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (not soda)
1/2 tsp salt

5 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup preserved ginger candy, chopped (it’s sweet; I bought it at the Asian market in the snack aisle)

1/2 cup half and half (just barely, or it will be too wet)
1 egg, scrambled

1 Tablespoon chunky turbinado sugar (optional, but pretty)

Combine dry ingredients and stir. Cut the butter into pieces and then blend them into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter. Stir in chocolate chips and ginger. Scramble the egg into the half and half, and then pour it into the flour mixture. Stir until blended, then knead on floured surface about 10 times. Form two balls with the dough. Pat out balls into circles about 7 inches in diameter, slightly mounded in center. Cut each circle into eight pieces. Brush tops with half and half (I just used what was left in the measuring cup); sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and let rise for 10 minutes. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until just golden. Cool on rack. EAT! To reheat, warm in toaster oven on lowest setting.

Makes 16 dainty scones.

[wtg]

Cindy's Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

1 pound fresh cranberries
2 cups sugar [I prefer 1.5]
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup bourbon

Mix cranberries, sugar and cinnamon in bowl. Transfer to 9x13 baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Stir, bake another 30 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to bowl and stir in bourbon immediately. Refrigerate.

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wtg

White Gull Inn's Hot Fudge Sauce. It's a B&B located in Fish Creek, Wisconsin.

1 ounce powdered baker's cocoa
1/4 cup hot water
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted butter
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate (melted)

In small bowl, stir water and cocoa together until smooth. In food processor, or high speed of traditional mixer, combine remaining ingredients. Add dissolved cocoa and blend for at least one full minute until very smooth texture is achieved. Yield: 3 cups.

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MacDowell Lamb Stew (from pique)

Serves Six

Active Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, ten minutes

4 lbs. butterflied boneless leg of lamb, fat trimmed and discarded, cut into 1-inch cubes (OR 3 lbs lamb stew meat)

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 TB olive oil, divided

2 medium onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 c. water (i used 5 c. plus 1 c. lamb broth left from searing the meat, but i think 5 c. liquid total might be a better amount)

1 c. pitted prunes

4 carrots, peeled and sliced (i used 6 carrots and didn't peel them)

2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks (i used 1.5 lbs baby new potatoes and didn't peel them)

1 bunch of swiss chard or rainbow chard, stalks removed, chopped into small pieces (i used some of the stalks)

my additions (i never stick to recipes):

1/4 c. red wine

1 small box white mushrooms sliced (the cook at macdowell did this, too--it is her sister's recipe)

3 whole tomatoes (these were from our garden, frozen. you could use canned whole tomatoes and their juice.)

1/4 c. Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Step 1.
dry lamb with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat 1 TB olive oil over medium-high heat. brown the lamb on all sides, in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding. remove from pan and set aside.

Step 2.
Pour off any fat (i didn't have any fat--it was all broth. i poured it out to save for adding with the water), and add remaining 1 TB of oil to the pan. saute onions until translucent. add garlic and cook another 30 seconds (???) (Then I added mushrooms, to saute with onions and garlic.)
Add water/broth, prunes, and lamb and bring to a boil. skim away any foam.
Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes. Add carrots and potatoes and continue to simmer another 45 minutes, until lamb is fork tender--a total of 90 minutes. Prunes will melt into sauce and thicken it. (You can pre-cook the carrots and potatoes if you are short on time, but you do need a long simmer to melt the prunes.)

Step 3.
About ten minutes before serving, mix in the swiss chard, cover, and simmer on medium-high for ten minutes. Adjust seasonings with additional salt and pepper as needed.
(Here is where I added the red wine, tomatoes, and liquid aminos.)

this is stunningly good! you can also make it with 2 TB curry powder but the cook at the colony left that out and so did i. you add it when you add the garlic.

[wtg]

Middle Eastern Lamb Slow Cooker Soup from AdagioM

POINTS value | 6
Servings | 4
Preparation Time | 20 min
Cooking Time | 480 min
Level of Difficulty | Easy

soups | Looking for something more exotic? Add a pinch of saffron threads, available in gourmet food stores and some supermarkets, to tint this stew gold.

Ingredients
• 1 pound lean leg of lamb, stew meat, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup canned beef broth
• 1 large onion(s), chopped
• 1 large garlic clove(s), minced
• 14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained
• 15 oz canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp ginger root, freshly grated
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
• Place lamb in a 5-quart slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients, except lemon juice; stir well. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 7 to 8 hours.
• Stir in lemon juice and let stand for 5 minutes for flavors to blend. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving. (Note: Serve this stew in bowls.)

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wtg

We had our first 90 degree day a couple of days ago, and I made one of my favorite Lithuanian dishes.

It's a cold soup called Šaltibarščiai (cold beet soup). It's very refreshing on a hot summer day.

Cold Beet Soup

(chilling the ingredients means you can eat the soup right away or after a short chill in the frig)

1 jar Manischewitz Borscht, chilled
2 cups buttermilk
2 cans small whole beets, chilled
4 Persian cucumbers (miniature version of those English hothouse cucumbers that come wrapped in plastic and that you don't have to peel. Use the greenhouse cukes if you can't find the Persians)
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

In a large bowl, whisk together the borscht, buttermilk, the liquid drained from the canned beets and the sour cream.

Coarsely shred the beets and stir them into the soup.

Quarter the cukes lengthwise (don't peel) and cut into slices (medium thickness). Add to soup.

Season with salt to taste (I never add any). Add dill.

Chill (especially if individual ingredients weren't chilled).

The soup is usually served with boiled potatoes on the side, and some people like to chop or quarter a hard boiled egg into the soup when it's served. I like the spuds as a side, but don't usually go for the egg.

Of course you can prepare your own beets at home, but during the summer when it is hot, I usually don't feel like heating up the kitchen, and beets can take a while to cook, so I cheat and use canned.

Not surprisingly, it's very pink.

[wtg]

QuirtEvans' Cheesy Potatoes

1 lb. shredded potatoes
1 can cream of potato soup (or cream of chicken soup)
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheese ... the recipe calls for cheddar, I use a blend of cheddar and monterey jack
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients; spread into 2 quart glass baking dish. (It says to use nonstick cooking spray, but I never do.) Bake 45 minutes or until tender.

That's it!

The recipe also calls for a topping ... 1-1/2 cups of coarsely crushed corn flakes, and 2 tablespoons of butter ... but I've never done that.

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markb's potato onion frittata

3 medium-large potatoes
2 tablespoons light olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 eggs, beaten

Nuke or bake the taters in their skins until done but still firm. When cool enough to handle, peel and slice 1/4-inch thick.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until lightly browned.

Combine beaten eggs with the potatoes and onions in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same skillet. Pour in the potato mixture. Cover and cook over medium heat until the bottom is golden brown and the top is fairly set, about 5 minutes.

Slide the frittata out onto a plate. Invert the skillet over the plate and quickly flip over so that the frittata goes back into the skillet, uncooked side down. Remove the plate, return the skillet to the heat, and cook the second side, uncovered, until golden brown.

Slide the frittata back onto the plate and let cool for a few minutes. The recipe says it can be topped with salsa, but we haven't done that.

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rustyfingers' strata

Strata's Fare

6 large eggs
1 C 2% Milk
1/16 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1 oz horseradish
1/4 tsp ground thyme
4 oz grated parmesan
8 oz cheddar cheese, cubed
8 slices Velveeta, cubed
12 slices French bread, cubed
1/2 lb sausage

Beat liquids with flavorings and parmesan in large bowl. Toss bread, cheddar, and Velveeta with liquid. Line 8" square pan with sausage. Pour liquid mixture into pan. Bake in 350 oven 45 minutes until done.

Mom was ill at the time she put her recipe book together for me, so sometimes she left things out. I think if you use bulk sausage and precook it, crumbled, not in slices, that this works best.

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Dan's Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast burritos

Peel however many potatoes you need, cube 'em
Place in Pyrex mixing bowl.
Dot liberally with butter.
Cover with plastic wrap and shove it in the fridge.
On the day, put potatoes, still covered into microwave and nuke 'em

Scramble however many eggs you need.
When the 'taters are done, mix in the eggs.

Serve with a bag of shredded cheese for people to help themselves, tortillas, and several varieties of salsa.

[wtg]

Steve Miller's Mother's Breakfast dish a la Spice Islands

This recipe comes from a Spice Islands cookbook dated 1961...

3 slices bacon
2T Instant Minced Onion (Mom noted "1/2 c fresh")
2T water
1t parsley
1/2 t salt
1/8 t Spice Parisienne (doubling it doesn't hurt)
4 eggs
1/8 t fine grind black pepper
1/2 c shredded swiss cheese

Cut bacon into pieces with kitchen scissors. Fry until brown, but not crisp. Pour off all but 1T of fat. Meanwhile, rehydrate onions in water. Add to bacon along with parsley and saute until onions are browned. Season with 1/4 t salt and Spice Parisienne. Spread out evenly in frying pan. Break eggs into pan. Season with remaining salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook slowly until eggs are set and cheese is melted. serve at once. Makes 2 servings.

Sandy and I go a bit simpler... and with more abundance! No recipe needed, really. Just fry bacon and onions, put eggs in , season, cover with cheese, cover and cook... or more specifically:

1/2 # of bacon
1/2 an onion chopped
fry together. Drain some fat off, if desired.
spread out and make wells...as many as you want eggs.
6- 8 eggs
put eggs in wells
sprinkle with Beau Monde ( yes, they still make it. I think Mom did not have the Spice Parisienne on hand)
1 c shredded american cheese ( Mom's thing)
Sprinkle with cheese.
Cover and cook untill eggs are set... 4 - 6 minutes for soft eggs.
Serve at once.

Remember, they are a spice company and use as many of their products as possible. Mom simplified it...
Enjoy!

Mom left the pepper out - she hated pepper. I'd probably double the amount called for.

[Jodi]

I still make Cindy’s bourbon cranberry sauce. Fun to see the old member names. I still see a lot of them on Facebook.

[Steve Miller]

We make Cindy’s cranberry sauce too. Everyone has come to expect it.

[Mik]

Wanted something easy, healthy and used a lot of broccoli. This fit the bill and is quite delicious.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/fnk/recipes/sicilian-pasta-and-broccoli-8312243#reviewsTop

[Mik]

Made this cheeseburger soup at the request of my bride. Simple but very tasty homespun grub. I did put a third cup of stock in it.

https://allrecipes.familyfreshrecipes.com/?p=5036

[wtg]

Soup season is upon us. Temps barely touched 50 here today and the first frost will hit us tonight.

@Mik - Have been looking for a recipe for cheeseburger soup. Will give that one a try!

[wtg]

Mexican Sweet Corn Cake. I saw it on Christopher Kimball's Milk Street a few days ago; it was an episode featuring blender cakes. I bought a new blender earlier this week and had to test it out.

It's quite good. Not nearly as sweet as I thought it would be with the condensed milk in it. I didn't do the powdered sugar on top for the whole cake because it gets gluey when it sits on the cake for a day or two.

Recipe here on a PBS website, though it was part of a Mexican foods episode rather than blender cakes.

https://wskg.org/episodes/2020-09-21/milk-street-mexican-favorites-ep-402

And here is a video of Kimball making the cake at home in an episode of the COVID-era Milk Street at Home.

Link to video

[Steve Miller]

All of the recipes on that page look fantastic!

Off to buy cranberry beans because I finally used up the 10# bag of them I bought at a restaurant supply place just as the Covid lockdown began.

[Steve Miller]

Turns out that none of the 4 grocery stores around me carry cranberry beans. I ended up buying them from Amazon and they’ll be here tomorrow.

When I came home and read up on them, however, I learned that two of the stores do sell them, one as “Roman Beans” and the other as “Borlotti Beans”.

Learn something every day!