Spice Up Your Life

Many thanks to Wendy for hosting a fantastic cooking club last week!  The food was amazing!  (Don't forget to send me your recipes, ladies.  I'm dying to try them all.) 

We discussed the many virtues of spices and I was hoping to put together a list of "must haves" for your spice cupboard.  I was so happy when my favorite food blog Our Best Bites beat me to it.  You can find a very comprehensive guide to spices by clicking here.  This is a wonderful site run by two friends who are living on different ends of the country.  The recipes and tips are fantastic.  Check it out!

Next month we'll be meeting at Shauna's house where she'll be demonstrating how to make super smoothies.  See you there!

Do it for the children.

Black Bean and Fresh Cheese Enchiladas

Submitted by Melissa Maxwell

1 15 oz. can refried black beans or pinto beans

1 large tomato, seeded and diced

3/4 c. sliced scallions

2 tsp. ground coriander or cumin

8 6-inch flour tortillas

1 c. crumbled cheddar

1 3/4 c. salsa

Garnish with the following:

Chopped Cilantro

Sliced Radishes*

Diced Ripe Avocado

Sliced Romaine Lettuce

Pickled Jalapeno

Sour Cream

Preheat broiler.  In a microwave-safe bowl, combine beans, tomato, scallions, coriander (or cumin) and 1/2 cup salsa.  Microwave until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.  Spoon 1/4 cup salsa into a 9x13-inch pan.

Spoon about 1/3 cup hot bean mixture down the center of each tortilla; roll up and place seam-side down in the prepared pan.  Spread remaining 1 cup salsa evenly over the enchiladas; top with cheese.  Broil 5-6 inches from the heat until heated through and the cheese melts, 5-6 minutes.  Transfer to warm plates; garnish as desired.

*My sister gave me this recipe.  I realize it's not the most authentic enchilada recipe, but I still feel radishes have absolutely no place here.  Use your best judgement.

Fresh and Chunky California Guacamole

Submitted by Melissa Maxwell

3 ripe California avocados

3 T. fresh lemon juice

1/2 c. diced onion

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

2 T. minced cilantro

Cut the avocados in half and remove the seeds.  Scoop out the pulp and place in a small bowl.  Drizzle pulp with lemon uice and mash.  Combine ingredients, mix well.  Serve with tortilla chips.  Serves 6-8.

Cafe Rio Pulled Pork and Tomatillo Salad Dressing

Submitted by Shauna Hinckley

3-4 pound pork
Salt
1 cup water

Salt the pork on all sides. Cook in a slow cooker for 6 hours or until meat is falling apart. Drain water and shred meat.
Add:
1 can enchilada red sauce
1 small can green chilies
½ cup brown sugar*
1 cup Dr. Pepper

Mix all ingredients with the pork and stir until evenly coated. This can be served as part of a taco salad or as the meat filling for tacos or burritos.

*I thought the meat was a little too sweet and would probably cut this amount down to ¼ cup.


Café Rio Tomatillo Salad Dressing
5 tomatillos -husk peeled off, washed and quartered (they are naturally sticky under the husks)
1 pkg. Buttermilk Ranch dressing mix (must be buttermilk or it doesn’t taste right)
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup mayonnaise
1/8 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. brown sugar
5 slices bottled jalapeno (nacho sized slices)
1 T. Jalapeno juice
Juice of ½ a lime
1/8 tsp. chili powder

Combine all ingredients in blender. Serve over a taco salad with Pulled Pork.

Brunches and Brunches of Fun!

Thanks to Beth for hosting a wonderful cooking club last week!  (Sorry to be so late posting the recap.  I know you've been up all night pacing about it.)  We had a great time sharing our Christmas food traditions ("Hot dogs on Christmas Eve?  Really?!") and celebrating Audrey's birthday.  Twice.

Beth was extra kind and let those who needed to bring their children along.  That's cool, except that some kids like to steal my food. 

Tricksy Little Thief

We had some delightful discussions about customer service, great grocery deals, and vermin.  (Congrats, again, to Emily for taking the conversaton to it's most disgusting level.) 

Someone wise pointed out that this is the time of year when all of your baking ingredients are on sale for their lowest prices.  Now would be a great time to stock up on chocolate chips.  Otherwise, when summer arrives you will be left paying full price or eating Aldi's chocolate chips.  Blech.

Next month we'll be meeting at Wendy's for a Mexican Fiesta!  Bueno!

Howard's Beans

Submitted by Lea McEwan

This is Lea's Grandad's recipe.  These baked beans were served at all of her family gatherings.




3 15 oz pork-n-beans

1 cp catchup

1 cp brown sugar

1/2 cp sugar

4 slices bacon chopped

2 tsp crushed garlic



Mix ingredients and bake in 9x13 glass pan, stirring occasionally at 350 degrees for 1 hour.



6-8 servings.

Fruit Slush

Submitted by Klixi Cannon
3 cups water

2 cups sugar

3 bananas mashed

1 can crushed pinanpple with the juice

48 oz can of pinapple juice

1/2 cup raspberries

1/2 cup lemon juice

Sprite



Bring to boil the water and sugar. Boild rapidly for 3 minutes. Cool.

Mix all ingedients and freeze for atleast 24 hours. Take out of the freezer 1-2 hours before serving. Serve with Sprite over it.

Nana's Christmas Stollen

Submitted by Emily Daniel

I halved this recipe. I call it, "Emily's always-going-to-be-2nd-best-as-long-as-Audrey's-here Christmas Stollen". Actually, it belongs to a woman named "Nana." I changed the recipe by substituting Welch's dried fruit mix for the candied orange peel, cherries and raisins.



Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 egg yolks5 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 ounce active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup candied citrus peel

1/2 cup candied cherries



Directions:

1.Scald milk. Add sugar, butter, and salt, and cool to lukewarm. Add 2 whole eggs, and 2 yolks. Mix.

2.Add to 3 cups flour and yeast in food processor. Process and let rise until double.

3.Add cardamom, raisins, citron, and cherries, and rest of flour. Process and put on floured board and knead. Let rise in greased bowl.

4.When risen, cut into 3-4 pieces. Roll each into an oval, butter, and fold in half lengthwise. Put on greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise until double.

5.Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 minutes.

6.Remove to rack. When cool, frost with white butter frosting and decorate with candied cherry halves and sprinkle with colored sugar.

Buttermilk Syrup

Submitted by Laura Hintze

Ingredients

1 ½ C. sugar

¾ C. butter

2 Tab. corn syrup

¾ C. buttermilk

½ tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in heavy saucepan except vanilla and soda. Boil 5 minutes (not a hard boil). Remove from heat and add vanilla and soda.



TIP: This is delicious on French toast, pancakes, or waffles.

Pumpkin Waffles

Submitted by Laura Hintze


Ingredients

2 C. flour

2 Tab. baking powder

1 Tab. cinnamon

1 Tab. sugar

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. salt

4 eggs, separated

1 C. pumpkin

1 Tab. vanilla

1 ½ C. milk

¾ C. margarine, melted

Instructions

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, and salt. Mix egg yolks, pumpkin, vanilla, milk, and margarine. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Combine flour and pumpkin mixtures and fold in egg whites. Cook. Enjoy!



Yield: 8 hearty servings

TIP: Fabulous with Buttermilk Syrup