Apple-Brie-Arugula Sandwiches

These easy, open-faced sammys are YUM.  Because my arugula plant grew like a weed out in the garden this summer, I continually found ways to use this fresh, peppery green.  This adds a nice balance to it's strong flavor.

What's in it:
1/2 baguette, sliced
1 granny smith apple, thinly sliced (or your personal favorite kind)
good brie, sliced
mustard (my favs are Maille "Old Style" Whole Grain Dijon & local Old Pecos Food
               Hickory Almond)
black pepper

How to make it:
Add mustard and black pepper to baguette slices and toast.
Add arugula, then apple, then brie on top.
Toast again, lightly, until the brie just begins to melt (they key here is not to over-heat the arugula into wither-eens).

Serves 2 (for lunch, with tomato soup!)
Also great as an appetizer (multiply the recipe accordingly, usually one full baguette is plenty).

coconut pecan frosting

  

here is the frosting i use for german chocolate cake. this recipe has nothing to do with Germany, as far as i can tell. I believe the german chocolate cake was invented by the company now called German's (the unsweetened and sweet bar chocolate, in the baking aisle of the grocery store) as a marketing tool in the 1850's. the original frosting consisted of a cooked caramel with pecans and coconut added. since homemade caramel is a serious undertaking, this recipe is more of a cooked custard. if you're a really big butterscotch/caramel fan, you may like to substitute 1/4 cup of the white sugar for brown, or add a half teaspoon of molasses.

the traditional decoration for this cake is to use chocolate buttercream on the sides; and decorate it with chocolate buttercream, maraschino cherries, and maybe some chocolate curls. personally, i prefer a simple ganache (2/3 c heavy cream + 1 c semisweet chips melted together) with toasted coconut and pecan halves to decorate. oh, and maybe some pizzelles...

this recipe only makes enough for the filling and the top of a two-layer 8" cake. i suggest you double it for any other scenario.

1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup white sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter, soft
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

1. in a small mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until pale and frothy, then add 1/4 cup (half if you're doubling) of sugar and beat until thick.
2. if you're really trying to impress someone, toast the coconut and pecans (separately, as the pecans take longer). otherwise, measure out the coconut and pecans into a large heat-proof bowl.
3. in a small-medium saucepan, heat the evaporated milk with the remaining sugar until just before boiling. temper the egg yolks by pouring some of the hot milk in (maybe 1/4 cup or so. again, half if doubling) and whisk, then add the now tempered yolks to the hot milk and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened (it will be bubbling).
4. add the butter in pats, then the vanilla,
5. dump the saucepan contents into the pecans and coconut and mix together.
6. use this frosting as soon as you can manage it, usually after cooling for about 30 minutes.

alternately, if you are only making a single size recipe, you can dump everything but the pecans and coconut in a saucepan and cook it until thick. it doesn't seem to get quite as thick as the above method, nor will it make you feel as much like a pastry chef.

Veggie + Chickpea Curry Stew

If you love the flavor of yellow curry + coconut milk, you've got to try this one.  The beauty of this recipe is that you can substitute all your favorite veggies to suit your taste; it's very flexible.  I used chard instead of spinach, garden tomatoes instead of canned, red bell pepper instead of green, etc.

What's in it:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup of sliced carrot
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
2 minced garlic cloves
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
3 cups chickpeas
1 1/2 cups cubed peeled baking potato
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup green beans
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14 oz.) can vegetable broth
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup light coconut milk
6 lemon wedges

How to make it:
1. Heat olive oil in large pan and add onion and carrot. Cover and cook 5 minutes, or until tender. Add curry powder and next 4 ingredients; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
2. Place onion mixture in crockpot and stir in chickpeas + next 8 ingredients.
3. Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 hours, or until veggies are tender (I chose to set on LOW for 8 hours overnight).
4. Add the spinach and coconut milk; stir until spinach wilts. Serve with lemon wedges.

Serves: 6

Side-note from the recipe book:
Aromatic Indian spices mingle with chickpeas, green beans, and potatoes. Coconut milk is stirred into the cooked curry for a creamy finish. Feel free to substitute or add whatever vegetables are in season. Try serving it over couscous, and top with a simple Indian raita made from yogurt and chopped cucumber. The cooling sauce will balance the spiciness of the curry.

Source: Cooking Light Slow Cooker © 2006 by Oxmoor House, Inc.

classic chocolate cake

i've been meaning to convert this recipe to volume measure (cups! teaspoons! tablespoons!) since my initial post and finally remembered to do it today.

here is the best 'normal' chocolate cake recipe (uh, non-vegan, without beets, etc) i have come across. it comes out moist and delicious every time, unless you over-bake it for a long time. even then, frosting will re-moisten it.

i grew up with a friend whose mother made the richest, best chocolate cake. it was a tower of cake and frosting, several layers tall in my child's memory. every year for her birthday her mother made this delicious confection and we all looked forward to it. hardly anyone could eat more than one slice, but one year we were determined to overcome that obstacle no matter what. my friend annie and i held a bit of a contest to see who could eat the most cake. predictably, we both made ourselves sick: i believe we each managed three pieces and about a gallon of milk. i'll never forget that cake! this recipe is very like that cake.

1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 1/4 cups white sugar
4 jumbo eggs OR 5 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
optional: 2 tsp creme de cacao (or grand marnier, frangelico, creme de cassis...)

as a rule, all ingredients should be room temperature for baking.
preheat the oven to 350
prepare your pan(s): 2 tall 8" rounds, 2 short 9" rounds, 1 tall 12" round, 1 short 14" round, or 24-30 cupcakes
1. in a small mixing bowl, whisk the boiling water into the cocoa powder.
2. in a large mixing bowl, whip the butter until fluffy. add the sugar and beat on medium until creamy, a few minutes.
3. add the buttermilk to the cocoa mixture, which should be cooling.
4. mix the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl.
5. to the butter mixture add the eggs, one at a time, blending until mixed in between additions.
6. add the vanilla (and liquer) to the cocoa mixture
7. starting and ending with flour, add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. usually i do four flour additions and three cocoa, but you can do three flour and two cocoa if you like.

other thoughts:
fresh, hot coffee makes an excellent substitution for boiling water.
for german chocolate cake i reccommend using scorched whole milk instead of boiling water
if you use organic hippie-type sugars, they will make the batter seem grainy, but it doesn't affect the texture of the finished product. don't despair!

any frosting, or none at all, is delicious on this cake.
i imagine my friend's mother made an american style chocolate buttercream and added some kind of tart dairy product to it, maybe sour cream or cream cheese.
to do this, blend a softened stick of butter until fluffy. you can use salted butter, or unsalted, depending on your taste. i never have salted butter around, so i would typically add a very small pinch of salt. add part of a package of cream cheese (maybe 1/4, or 1/2 according to taste) or a couple spoonfuls of sour cream, or a touch of buttermilk, or a bit of plain yogurt. now add powdered sugar (about 3 cups, or 4 for sweeter) and a bit of milk (maybe 2 Tbsp?) until it tastes right to you and is the correct consistency for spreading. you may also add 1/2 tsp of vanilla. in a small saucepan, melt a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips over low heat, stirring occasionally so as not to burn it. when just melted smooth, add to your frosting and blend right away.

Chicken Brunswick Stew

The crockpot is officially out for the season. This stew is one of my favorites for its distinctively tangy flavor, and the option of more or less spicy heat that's added with hot pepper sauce.

Add greens and cornbread on the side and you've got a seriously scrumptious meal!

What's in it:

5 cups chopped onion

6 (6 oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 (14.5 oz.) cans no-salt added cream-style corn

2 (14.5 oz.) cans no-salt added diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (14 oz.) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 (12 oz.) bottle chili sauce

1/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp. cider vinegar

2 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black peper

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce

How to make it:

1. Place onion in crockpot and top with chicken. Add all ingredients and stir well. If you tend to shy away from spicy heat, leave out the hot pepper sauce, and bring the bottle to the table so you can add to "suit your taste" once stew is served.

The hot pepper sauce should be the kind that has whole peppers packed in vinegar:

2. Cover and cook on high 1 hour, and reduce to low for 6 hours, or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks, return to stew.

Serves: 9

I tend to freeze a portion for later use since this makes such a large batch.

Note on the "bottle of chili sauce": Instead of using store-bought, it's possible to make your own chili sauce to use in this recipe. Chili sauce usually involves tomato sauce, vinegar, all-spice, and sugar. But if you start doing research, you'll notice there are a variety of ways to make it. If I'm in a time crunch, sometimes I just combine salsa with green chili sauce, or whatever else is in the fridge, instead.

I used tomatoes out of the garden instead of canned ones for this round, which gives it an even fresher taste.

*Warning: the smell of this dish cooking fills the entire house and wafts out into the yard all day. Might cause symptoms of drooling or impatience for the chicken to just get cooked already.

Side-note from the recipe book:

Controversy surrounds the folklore of this dish: Some say it was created in Brunswick County, Virginia, in 1828; others insist its origin is Brunswick, Georgia. Virginians usually add butter beans to the mix, which is something Georgians would never do when cooking their barbecue-based stew. Regardless, this spicy stew of chicken, onions, corn, and tomatoes usually has to be tended for hours over a hot stove. This slow-cooker version takes care of itself.

Source: Cooking Light Slow Cooker © 2006 by Oxmoor House, Inc.

Lazy Man's Poblano Spaghetti Squash

Okay my recipes will always be approximate, meant to cook with your nose rearrange, expand on or to simply substitute. This can be based on your garden, refrigerator, mood, energy or needs. Maybe I should call myself either the Absentminded Chef or the . . .Dilly Dally Chef. Absent~minded will work; I overcooked the squash. Don't do that ! The texture can make or break the ambiance.

Right, right . . . . "tasted good, but could of had a warm chunky smoothy".

Well you are supposed to stuff them so . . . . .

Poblano at least two

2 pd Spaghetti Squash

Several Portobello mini mushrooms

1 small Red Onion

2 cloves Garlic

Spaghetti sauce of you choice; I used the one with eggplant

Ground pepper corn, to taste

Sea Salt your choice, to taste, mine was the Hawaiian pink

Parmesan, Ramano or Asiago

Grape seed oil, splash to desire

Prep:

To bake the Spaghetti Squash:

poke a bunch of holes in the squash

set the oven to 375 and cook for an hour on shallow cookie sheet

cut both ends, cut in half and scoop out seed

gently fork out the strands

Let cool, but not cold, warm. Don't over cook the squash at any point

to bake Poblanos:

Set oven to 400

Place on cookie sheet

Watch until the skin begins to separate

Flip though out the process

pull out and remove tops pulling out the seed

Dice . . .

If you were to stuff cut a T shape pull out seed

and stuff

Stuffing:

In a pan pour a several splashes of oil to cook onion and garlic

add spices and caramelize

add mushrooms to soften

add sauce

Cook slowly to a simmer

Add Squash

This is where you can choose to dice or T~ slice the Poblanos. If you choose to stuff save some sauce with out squash and smoother the stuffed chili. If you choose to dice, cook with the onions garlic and mushrooms and border with spinach as a garnish.

Lastly, sprinkle your favorite cheese and serve with nutty, grainy garlic toast.

Then have Andy come over and photograph it for the blog.