Originally Posted By velo Here's one I like: CARIBBEAN CHICKEN STEW makes 8 servings 1 TB veggie oil 2 medium onions, cut into 1 inch pieces 4 bone-in Chicken thighs 4 bone-in Chicken drumsticks (note: I just use 8 thighs; easier to eat) 2 (14 oz) cans of chicken broth 2 1/2 lbs peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice 1 (10 oz) pkg frozen corn 1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp ground ginger 1 cup unsweetened light coconut milk In a Dutch oven (hey I just use a big stew pot...), heat oil on med. and cook onions 5 minutes or until softened; stir occasionally. Add chicken and broth. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 30 mins. Remove chicken to a bowl; set aside. To broth, add potatoes, tomatoes and juice, corn, crushed red pepper and salt. Return to boil; recduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 to 15 mins or until veggies are softened. Meanwhile, remove chicken meat from bones; discard bones and skin. Chop or shred meat; set aside. Skim fat from broth mixture. Using a slotted spoon, remove 1 1/2 cups of the veggies. Remove 1 cup broth. Let cool slightly. Transfer cooled veggies and broth to a food processor (or blender)- process until smooth. Return this to the pot. Add checken and ginger to the stew; heat through. Stir in coconut milk and serve. You can dress as a Pirate to serve this if you like! (you do that so well!)
Originally Posted By threeundertwo My dear ajnhollysmommy, I believe the rag dolls are a little iffy for a two year old, as we find that they have not withstood the rigorous quality control testing of little boy undertwo. If your two year old is in need of a handmade Raggedy Ann however, I may be able to accomodate. I will send you an email shortly. Or you can drop me a line at my screenname at hotmail dottt com. With greatest fondness, 2/3
Originally Posted By mele Here's a yummy beverage that I just served at my party today: Sleepy Hollow Cider Ingredients 2 bottles (64 oz. each) apple cider or juice 2 cinnamon sticks (3 in.) 3/4 teaspoon whole cloves 1/2 of a whole nutmeg Pumpkin spice-infused vodka (recipe follows; optional) Preparation In a 5- to 6-quart pan, combine apple cider, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and nutmeg. Cook, covered, over medium-high heat until steaming, about 14 minutes. Reduce heat to low to keep hot. Set pan on a tabletop burner or warming tray. Or pour into a thermos or insulated pitcher. Ladle or pour into cups and add vodka to taste (if desired). Pumpkin Spice-infused Vodka: Cut 1 vanilla bean (6 in.) in half lengthwise. With a vegetable peeler, shave 12 thin ribbons (4 to 6 in. long and about 1 in. wide) off a rinsed piece of pumpkin or banana squash. In a 1- to 1 1/2-quart jar, combine vanilla, pumpkin, 1/2 of a whole nutmeg, and 1 bottle (750 ml. or 1 qt.) vodka. Seal jar and let stand at least 4 days or up to 3 months. The flavor intensifies the longer it stands; remove flavorings once vodka tastes as strong as you like. Yield: about 16 cups; 12 to 16 servings
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP I made a good fall cassarole the other day. Start with a Jiffy mix CORN BREAD MIX, add the EGG it calls for and only a 1/2 cup of MILK. Spread the cornbread batter in a greased 9x13. In a frying pan heat a bit of OIL and sautee some chopped ONION. (1/2 an onion, a whole, your call) Add to the frying pan one (15oz) can of CHILI W/NO BEANS, and one (15oz) can of MEXICAN STYLE STEWED TOMATOES (the kind w/peppers). Layer the chili mix on top of the corn bread batter in the pan. If you like browned CHEDDER CHEESE, layer some on now. If you like siimply melted cheese w/out the browning wait till it's halfway through baking. Bake at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes. serve w/ salsa and sour cream, YUM!
Originally Posted By threeundertwo >>Sleepy Hollow Cider>> It's amazing how fast a mind can work. On reading that I pictured a punch bowl with a decapitated head in it. Then I started thinking about Johnny Depp. whoa.
Originally Posted By Sara Tonin I watched Secret Window today...what a load of Hitchcockian crap! I only watched the whole thing because of Johnny...no wonder it was in the $5 pile at Walmart...
Originally Posted By threeundertwo [Johnny did a Sleepy Hollow movie.] but yes, all thoughts do eventually lead back to him. The head in the punchbowl visual was disturbing though [Sleepy Hollow - headless horseman] What was this topic about again?
Originally Posted By Dznygrl I made pumpkin soup today. YUCK! I must've totally screwed it up because it was gross. Didn't taste like pumpkin, and it was oily and...bleh. Maybe I put too much butter and/or cream in it, or maybe it was my roux. I dunno, either way, down the drain it went! Does Campbell's make pumpkin soup?
Originally Posted By mele Yuck, I made pumpkin soup a few years ago and thought it was disgusting. I think I only like to eat pumpkin in desserts. I've seen the Sleepy Hollow movie but I don't think I enjoyed it all that much. Maybe I should check it out again.
Originally Posted By Sara Tonin I don't know about pumpkin soup, but I hear the squash soup is wonderful.
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<so where did the Inspector go? He must be busy in the kitchen!>> But, no! I had planned to cook dinner tonight and then come back to this thread to thank everyone for their WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL contributions, but... I was kidnapped and taken to Macaroni Grill against my wishes! Well, okay, okay. I didn't struggle much. There's still a red pepper and a couple heads of garlic in my fridge, waiting to be roasted. Some chicken waiting to be cooked. A box of bow-tie pasta, a new bottle of olive oil, and a jar of herb seasoning all on "stand-by" status. Those will keep. But the timing of my responses to messages on this thread is all messed up. Give me a little while...
Originally Posted By threeundertwo We carved pumpkins yesterday so we've been eating toasted pumpkin seeds. mmmmmm!
Originally Posted By Tinkerbell819 I just LOVE this pork roast and was happy last week when it finally got cool enough to cook it. I buy one of those big pork loins and cut them in half. I think they are usually about 7 or 8 lbs. So a 3-4 lb pork roast would be the right size for this recipe. Besides the pork, you'll need some garlic cloves, a jar of maraschino cherries, a 1/3 c. of brown sugar, a 1/4 c. of water and one of those oven bags. Cut slits all over the pork roast with a sharp knife in different depths. Place slices of garlic into the slits. In a small bowl, mix the jar of cherries, (including the juice) br. sugar and water. Place the roast in the bag, pour the cherry mixture over the roast. Tie the bag on the end. (Place in a roasting pan.) Cut 5 or 6 slits in the top of the bag. Bake for about 2 hours at 350. Let stand for a few min. before carving and serving. I always serve it with mashed potatoes and applesauce. (and whatever vegetable you wish.)
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 MMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!! I can't wait to try the recipes you've all shared on this thread! (And I've decided I need to get a crockpot.) THANK YOU!!! Now I have more questions... I've still got the olive oil, red pepper, garlic, chicken, and bowtie pasta waiting for me to combine them all into a delicious Tuscan-style entree. My plan is to cook the chicken, roast the red peppers and garlic, slice everything into pieces, saute it all in an oil-based sauce, and toss it together with pasta. Questions: 1) How do you "carmelize" onions? Just fry them at high heat in oil? Or do you need to add sugar or something? 2) The simple dish I have in mind seems too simple to me. I want to add some "smoke-y" or something flavor to it. One of the things I LOVE about Rice-A-Roni is the "browned" flavor of the pasta. But that's Rice-A-Roni (every Bay Area resident's favorite food). Can I "brown" my bowtie pasta in hot oil before I boil it? Or after?
Originally Posted By ajnhollysmommy <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Caramelized-Onions" target="_blank">http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Ca ramelized-Onions</a> you can brown your pasta in hot EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) AFTER you cook it- BUT it may not be the flavor your looking for- I would just toss your pasta and cook it al dente
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 This might fit your bill for browned pasta i-57. Noodle Goulash: 1 lb hamburger (whatever kind you like) 1/2 white onion, chopped 1/2 bell pepper, chopped 3/4 cup elbow pasta (I prefer Barilla for best results, some pastas can be sticky) 1 small can tomato sauce 3/4 cup water garlic salt, pepper -Brown the hamburger and set aside (I brown a bunch at a time and then freeze in ziplock baggies for later use) -Drain most of the oil, leaving about 2T oil, add the pasta, bell peppers and onions and saute, stir often so nothing burns. Cook until the onions lose their crunchiness, al dente I guess is the word. -Add the hamburger, the tom. paste and water, garlic salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, STIR and then set to low for about 20 minutes or until the pasta is done. It's a super easy dish, it may sound like a lot of steps but it's simple. You can cook the hamburger ahead of time and use frozen chopped onions if you like.
