Saag Paneer

Halloween Chili

1 can Garbanzo beans
1 can corn
1 can ripe olives
1 can pinto beans w/Jalapeno
1 can green chilies
(drain all above)

1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
2 1/2 lb ground turkey (I use 1 lb)
1 - 6 oz can tomato paste
1 can stewed tomato
1 tsp oregano

Mix together. Place in large cleaned pumpkin. Bake at 325 F - 3 hrs Stir every hour scraping pumpkin.

Opa!

Pastitsio

1 package (16 ounces) elbow macaroni
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
SAUCE:
1 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Cook macaroni according to package directions. In a large skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, water and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain macaroni.

In a large bowl, combine the macaroni, egg and Parmesan cheese; set aside. For sauce, in a large saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour and cinnamon until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Stir in cheese.

In a greased 3-qt. baking dish, spread half of the macaroni mixture. Top with beef mixture and remaining macaroni mixture. Pour sauce over the top. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

I cannot tell you what a change up on lasagna this is! The spices make it a little more adult, the white sauce makes it a little more comfort food. I did this with a greek salad and thick ciabiatta bread and called it a night.

Don't know greek salad? Easy stuff - lettuce, black or kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, pepperoncini (i.e. the infamous peppers that come with the delivery pizza), feta cheese. Additionally, red or green bell pepper or croutons are nice.

However, if you really want to delve into greek cooking, and you should, there's not a dish I've hated yet - then try moussaka - which is very similar to this dish omitting the pasta and white sauce for eggplant and more tomatoes.

There's also the option to do spinach or roasted potatoes with this. I put a little seasoning salt and pepper, lemon juice and oil and let the potatoes go into the oven at a high heat until their done. Spinach with a little feta and sauteed onion mixed in is also a nice accompaniment.

Enjoy!

It's NOT Chinese

Banh Mi Thit Nuong

2 cups very thinly sliced roast pork
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 baguette, about 24 inches long, split lengthwise
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 small cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced or shredded
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño chili, seeded and thinly sliced or minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a small bowl, toss the pork with the soy sauce, garlic and fish sauce. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Spread the cut sides of the baguette with the mayonnaise. Layer the pork, cucumber, carrots, onion, chili and cilantro on the bottom half of the baguette. Close the sandwich with the top half of the baguette and cut on the diagonal into 4 individual sandwiches.

This is one of my favorite sandwiches. It's all the ingredients you know and love in a new and fantastic order. I highly suggest all the work that it takes. This is a fantastic new twist on flavor!

Banh Mi Thit Nuong translates into Bread with Grilled Pork. I grew up in a neighborhood with a large Vietnamese population. This is actually one of the languages I picked up - nothing extensive - but enough to get me politely through ordering it in the restaurants where english was definitely not a first language.

Course, you have to laugh, I'm a tall white girl in an Asian only sandwich shop. I stick out like a sore thumb. So when I say "Hai Banh Mi Thit Nuong, Mot Pho Tai, Mot Pho Ga, Kham Un"....it always garners a cute twittering laugh of surprise. I love it. It's a nice bridging of the culture gap.

One time the store owner brought me a dish of what was similar to Egg Foo Yong. I don't know what it's called to this day. It wasn't on a menu. But my God, it was heaven. They tried telling me, but I tell you what, you say one little inflection wrong in Vietnamese, and you're telling someone bad things about their mother and you're no longer welcome! ;)

I highly suggest making Pho for the side of this. That's traditional Vietnamese soup. I'll post my recipe for that sooner or later. It's a lovely beef broth and rice noodle soup. Again, complicated flavors from simple known ingredients and voila! impressed all over again.

You Taste It. You Like it Eh?

Beef Stroganoff

1 lb round steak, cubed
1/2 stick of butter
1 onion, chopped
1 package of wide egg noodles, cooked
1 can of mushroom stems and pieces 4oz
16oz sour cream

Saute onion and steak until cooked through. Add remaining ingredients - stir to combine.

This is another Mom recipe. I can't remember the sides for this though. It varied. I remember my dad putting alot of salt and pepper on it. It was always in this huge pot on the table with her ladle. I have the plates that she served it on (I'm a huge plate shopping fiend) and have fond memories of smelling it cook.

Zuppa Toscana

4 cans of chicken broth
3 medium potatoes, quartered
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. of Owen's Italian Sausage
1 bunch of kale, cleaned and torn into pieces
1 quart of half & half

In a skillet, fry sausage and onion until soft.

Boil potatoes in water until cooked through and fork tender. Drain off water. Add broth and kale and cook on medium until it wilts. Add sausage and onion and cook for 20 minutes to blend. Add half and half, salt and pepper to taste.

This is one of the easiest and most impressive starter soups for an Italian Feast. It's different tasting though pleasing and not overly "odd" for cuisine. It's a crowd pleaser and surprising instead of your basic minestrone.

I'm a dieter and replace the potato with frozen cauliflower and fat free half & half works fine here too. I make it and take it for lunch. It's fantastic!

Fill Your Boots

Calves Liver and Onion and Bacon

8-12 rashers rindless, dry-cured streaky bacon
700g calves’ or lambs’ liver, thinly sliced
25g plain flour, seasoned (1/5 of a cup)
2 tbsp sunflower oil

For the onion gravy:
25g unsalted butter (2 Tbsp)
2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
½ tsp sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
600ml home-made or fresh beef stock (2 1/3 Cups)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp English mustard
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

Make the gravy. Melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the onions and sugar and cook over a medium heat, stirring now and then, for 20-30 minutes until very soft and nicely browned.

Stir in the flour and cook for a few seconds, then slowly add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and thyme leaves. Season, then simmer for 20 minutes.

Preheat the grill to high. Grill the bacon until crisp and golden, then keep hot. Season the liver on both sides, then lightly coat in the seasoned flour, patting off the excess.

Put half the oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Fry half the liver for 30 seconds each side, until browned but pink and juicy in the centre. Lift onto a plate and keep warm. Repeat with the rest of the oil and liver.

Before you say "OH MY GOD! Not LIVER!" try this. Seriously. I grew up on liver and onions as a kid. I love them. I know they have a taste to them that some people can't take. But there is nothing better than the smell of this cooking.

This particular recipe however is English and is fabulous. I never had the bacon portion as a kid, but the smoky flavor truly heightens the dish.

Side dishes for this are set - peas with a bit of mint and a knob of butter. And perfectly creamy mashed potatoes. Bit of heavy cream and again a proper knob of butter.

This is also fantastic the next day with a little butter on bread. It's a great sandwich as it's thin.

Enjoy this in the fall, it's a warmer!

Polished Polish

Halupki 1 cup uncooked instant rice 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 onion, chopped 1 - 2 heads of cabbage 1 bottle of Heinz chili sauce 1 link of Polish Keilbasa sausage, cut into 2" pieces 2 cans of sauerkraut 2 T. vegetable oil Salt & Pepper Take off outer leaves of cabbage and boil about 12 - 15 leaves until soft. Drain delicately and set aside. Saute onion until soft in oil. In a bowl mix with uncooked rice and raw meat. Taking a cabbage leave, roll ground beef mixture like an eggroll. (See diagram at left). Repeat with remaining leaves and mixture. In a large pot, layer 1/2 a can of sauerkraut and 1/4 bottle of chili sauce. Lay halupki rolls on top of the sauerkraut, adding 1/2 link of the sausage in between. Layer more sauerkraut, chili sauce and more rolls, sausage. Top with the rest of the sauerkraut and chili sauce. Add 1 "chili sauce bottle's worth" of water to the pot. Let simmer until all is cooked through (at least an hour....but the longer, the better!!!) adding water as necessary if it dries out.

This is quintessential Polish food. My mom makes them. My grandmother makes it for Easter. It's at weddings with fried chicken. They have dinners of them at the church (see that woman above, picture clones of her en mass making these). This is Pennsylvania's version of the southern barbecue or chicken dinner. This is it. And it's fantastic. FYI, they are also called Golabki, I guess it depends which side of the tracks you're on!

At first, it sounds like it's an odd flavor combination - the acidity between the sauerkraut and tomatoes is quite alot. But for some reason it works. Please make sure to use full fat ground beef as the fat does tend to cut this and help it.

Oh man, how do you serve it? Most easily with mashed potatoes. (Little bit of milk, little pat of butter mixed in.) But on my Grandmother's easter table it's with fried chicken, pasta salad, salad, green beans, aforementioned mashed potatoes, etc...basically it's every which way!

This stuff makes leftovers BEAUTIFULLY. It's like gumbo, even better the next day!

For an "easier" but not as fabulous version, and probably sacrilege to my Polish/Czech ethnic standing, grab a crock pot. Forget the rolling. Precook your ground beef and rice and onion, mix it. Layer the sauerkraut, chili, cooked cabbage, ground beef, repeat. Like a lasagne. Leave it on all day and continue to add water. Shhh, just don't tell my grandma.

Entree Du Jour

Coq Au Vin

1 split chicken
2 C Cabernet Sauvignon
Salt and pepper
1 package of bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
3 T olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 bag of frozen pearl onions
2 cups white button mushrooms, chopped
3 T flour
1 T tomato paste
2 T Cognac
2 bay leaves
5 fresh thyme sprigs
2 t herbs de Provence

Place chicken in a large bowl, and add wine. Cover, and let sit for 2 hours to overnight. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove chicken from wine, and pat dry; reserve wine.

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat until crisp, about 20 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate, leaving drippings in pot, add olive oil. Raise heat to medium-high.

Working in batches, cook chicken, flipping once, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Add onion to pot, and cook 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook 2 minutes. Add pearl onions and mushrooms, and cook until brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in flour and tomato paste, and cook 2 minutes. Add Cognac, and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Return bacon and chicken to pot. Pour in reserved wine, and add herbs. Bring to a simmer. Cover, and place in oven until chicken has cooked through and vegetables are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

I cannot tell you how much this dish is worth the effort. It's classic, it's simple in it's preparation, just lots of steps and time. Perfect for that fall day inside where there's nothing better to do than watch a movie, get up, do a few things, and let this simmer. I make it while doing laundry and chores.

By the way, I know there are a million rules of thumb about the type of wine to get for cooking - i.e. "only use wine you would drink"...NOPE! Get the cheapest stuff you can. It's FINE!

You need a good hearty bread for this. I know french bread is the obvious choice, but ciabiatta is actually a fantastic change up here. or a sturdy sourdough. Depending on your number of guests I sometimes put fresh green beans and roasted potatoes with this.

For the roasted potatoes, just quarter (skin on) potatoes into a greased 10x13 pyrex. Sprinkle them with olive oil, salt and pepper (and herbs de provence if you feel especially French!) Turn the oven to 400 degrees and let them go until they are cooked through (at least 30 minutes).

Need more? Oui!

Aye...Aye...Aye Aye....

Posole

1-1/2 pounds pork stew meat, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 cups beef broth
2 cans (15-1/2 ounces each) hominy, rinsed and drained
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

In a soup kettle or Dutch oven, cook the pork, onion and garlic in oil over
medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the broth, hominy,
chilies, jalapeno if desired, salt, cumin, oregano, pepper and cayenne.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until meat
is tender. Stir in cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips.

This soup is fantastic for a crowd! Add some crusty french bread and a few Mexican farmer's cheeses. It's not crazy spicy and can't be adjusted as necessary with more or less fresh jalapenos. It's also good with a little fresh crema (or some sour cream thinned with milk) on top.

A Taste of Thai

Gang Ga Lee (Yellow Curry)

4 red potatoes, quartered
2 yellow onions, sliced and halved
3 carrots, chopped into 1 inch pieces
4 chicken breasts, cubed
1 can of coconut milk
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 Tbsp yellow curry powder
4 C. Jasmine Rice, cooked

Boil potatoes and carrots until soft. In oil, saute chicken and onion until cooked through and soft. Add carrots and potatoes. Add coconut milk and curry powder. Heat on low for 20 minutes until combined. Serve over rice.

This was my first Thai curry ever. If you aren't an Indian fan, and we'll get to those recipes one day, Thai might still work for you. It's a little less of a stretch flavor-wise. As you can see, most of these aren't your "exotic" ingredients.

I love this dish for comfort food on a wintery night. You can adjust the spice as necessary. Salt and pepper aren't insanely necessary here, but change at will. This is also, for a strange twist, good over pasta as well, omit the rice.

Have fun, try new things -- you may never know!

Fall is Here

Apple Butterscotch Pie

1 refrigerated pie crust
1 can of Apple pie filling
1 jar of Butterscotch Sundae Topping
1 small package of pecan halves

Mix all ingredients and pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Let cool and set up before slicing.

This is an easy peasy recipe. I was inspired by one of the signs of the fall holiday season - the bake center appearance at Walmart. (See photo). This always inspires me to get to baking and taking places! (I can't have those calories sitting at home).

This one is sugary sweet, but reminds me of the Halloween candied apples that everyone likes to make. It's fantastic with a cup of coffee or after a rich Sunday dinner of roast and potatoes. Enjoy!

Poor Man's Cobbler

1 can of crushed pineapple
1 can of cherry pie filling
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 stick of margarine

Grease a deep round casserole dish. Dump pineapple on the bottom, followed by the pie filling and cake mix. Cut butter into pats and dot the top. (Do not mix!). Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes until heated through.

This is one of my favorite dessert in the whole world as a kid. It's cheap, it's fast, it's done. It's a sugar rush and super sweet. So I warn you, you gotta be "in the mood" for sweetness when you make it.

I make this for office parties - it works as a sugary side to a good strong cup of coffee just as much as it compliments a dinner at someone's house. It's easy, homey and comfort food-y enough. I've tried it with peaches instead of cherries and fruit cocktail instead of pineapple and spice cake, it's not as fabulous (I'm nostalgic I guess) but it's still different!

Both warm or cold, leftover or right out of the oven, this dessert lasts awhile. A la mode? A la YES.

Haluski

1 package bacon
1 whole head of cabbage, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 package of wide egg noodles, boiled and drained
1 stick of butter

Cut bacon into small pieces and fry in a large frying pan. Add butter and onion. Fry until onion is soft. Add cabbage and continue to cook until cooked through. Toss with noodles. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This is Polish food. My parents hail from a small town south of Pittsburgh, PA. My dad is Polish and my mom is Czech and this recipe, while not either sides family version, is a typical Polish food - starch plus fat and if you can, cabbage of some sort.

I truly like this dish next to a plate of fried or grilled chicken. It looks heavy at first (that's what bacon fat and butter will do to you) but it's really actually quite sweet and goes well with a lighter meat. Add some green beans or peas in on the side and it's quite a nice home style meal. Think macaroni and cheese for the Polish soul.

Making Friends at the Office

Kahlua Vodka Cake

1 box yellow cake mix (the kind that says it has pudding in the mix)
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 cup Kahlua
For the icing:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 stick of butter
2 tablespoons Kahlua or other coffee-flavored liqueur

In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, water, vodka and Kahlua; beat for 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes with electric mixer.

Bake at 350 in a greased and floured bundt pan 55 to 60 minutes.

Icing: In small pot, stir confectioner's sugar and butter. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Just before pouring over the cake, stir in Kahlua. Once cake has cooled, drizzle icing over the cake.

This cake is to die for. It's absolutely amazing. It starts off as your basic yellow cake mix - but it morphs into this delicately moist chocolatey heaven! I wouldn't opt for icing, I would use the glaze above, it is a bit sweet and the kahlua adds a nice richness that I think buttercream or any other frosting would just tip the scales on "too much".

This cake travels well because of the lack of frosting though, it's good for coffee cake in the morning, good for a fun thing to bring to parties. It can be broken off just as well as it can be sliced. The longer you let the icing ooze into it, the richer it gets. Although just after you make it and it's warm and gooey is fabulous as well.

Who doesn't love the sound of a cocktail and cake? This is always a hit!!