Pomegranate Margarita

 

Pomegranate Margarita: Recipe and Photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 12 oz glass filled with crushed ice
• Margarita salt
• 1 shot of tequila
• 1 shot of triple sec
• 1 shot of pomegranate juice
• 3 (or more) shots sweet and sour
• Squirt of fresh lime juice plus more for the glass rim
  
  Run a slice of lime around the rim of the glass then dip the glass into margarita salt. Fill glass with crushed ice, add the tequila, triple sec, pomegranate juice then fill the remainder of the glass with sweet and sour. Stir drink and serve with a wedge of lime.

Pickled Eggs

 

INGREDIENTS

Beet pickled eggs with cardamom and anise

• 1 beet, peeled and roughly chopped into 1 to 2-inch sized pieces, cooked*
• 1 cup beet juice*
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 onion, sliced
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 star anise
• 6 hard cooked eggs**, peeled

*Simmer the chopped beets in a cup of water, covered, until tender, 30-40 minutes, or used canned beets. Use the beet juice from the cooking water, or the juice from canned beets.

Curried pickled eggs

• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 onion, sliced
• 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (yellow or brown)
• 1 Tbsp yellow curry powder
• 6 hard cooked eggs**, peeled

Jalapeno pickled eggs

• 3/4 cup cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 6 cloves
• 2 jalapeno peppers, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed and discarded
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano
• 1/4 onion, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 6 hard cooked eggs**, peeled

Tarragon pickled eggs

• 3/4 cup cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 onion, sliced
• 2 sprigs fresh tarragon
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon herbs de provence
• 6 hard cooked eggs**, peeled

**Boil or steam the eggs until hard cooked. To steam the eggs, place in a steamer rack over boiling water, cover and steam for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and rinse with cold water. To boil the eggs, cover with 2 inches of cold water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, cover, remove from heat, and let sit for 12 minutes, then rinse with cold water. Hard boiling works best with eggs at least a week old, otherwise they may be difficult to peel. Steaming works great with fresh eggs.

METHOD

1 Peel the eggs and place in the bottom of a clean glass jar, quart sized.

2 In a medium saucepan, add the vinegar, water (or beet juice if using), the onion (and jalapeno if using), sugar, and spices. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, until the sugar has dissolved and the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes.

3 Pour the vinegar onion mixture over the eggs in the jar, covering the eggs completely. If you are making the beet pickled eggs, place some or all of the cooked beets in with the eggs in the jar (this will help to bring color to the eggs, and you will have pickled beets as well.) Secure close the jar's cover. Refrigerate up to a month.

The pickled eggs will be ready to eat after a few days. The longer the eggs sit in the pickling juice, the more the pickling juice will penetrate the eggs.

Yield: Makes six pickled eggs.

Kheer

Recipe by: Katie Skoglund

I recently had kheer, or Indian rice pudding, at at a local restaurant called Taj Mahal. I absolutely loved it and wanted to recreate it at home. It tastes very similar to the restaurant kheer, but I actually prefer my recipe more. I also replaced the traditional pistachios with walnuts, since I don’t particularly like pistachios.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups coconut milk (I used light coconut milk to save on calories)
• 2 cups milk (I used vitamin D milk)
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 cup Basmati rice
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  
  Directions:
  
1. Bring the coconut milk, milk and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan. Add basmati rice, and simmer over low heat until the mixture thickens and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Stir in the raisins, nuts,  and cardamom. Chill the kheer in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Serve chilled.

Coconut Curry Mussels

When I need a good party food or want to impress some friends I usually turn to mussels cooked in coconut milk and curry. It's affordable, easy to prepare, and has a definite wow factor. I mean, who can't resist the look of these obsidian peaks jutting out from a plate from canary-colored broth? These mussels take on the flavors of the broth which is spiked with lemongrass, pungent red chilies, and kaffir lime leaves leaving them with a distinct Thai flavor. The mussels themselves imbue the broth with a slight, ocean brine that cuts through the richness of the coconut milk. This recipe will feed four people happily or make an excellent appetizer for a group. This is a dish best served with beer and crusty bread.

Recipe by: Garrett McCord

Coconut Curry Mussels Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs of mussels, cleaned and debearded
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 thai chili, finely chopped (can substitute good pinch of chili flakes)
• 3 teaspoons of ginger, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of curry powder
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth
• 1 can of coconut milk (13.5 fl. oz.)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 stalk of lemongrass, chopped into four pieces and smashed
• 3 kaffir lime leaves* (optional)
• Chopped cilantro
• Lime wedges

*Kaffir lime leaf: a key ingredient in Vietnamese, Thai, and Hmong cuisine; can be found in Asian Markets, though many markets now carry them in the produce aisles with other fresh herbs. The taste is very distinct and can't be substituted. However, you can make this dish without the leaves and the mussels will still taste great.

METHOD

1 Place mussels in a bowl of cold water so the mussels will spit out any sand or mud. Let them sit for 10 minutes. Drain and repeat. Toss any mussels that are open as these are dead. Debeard the mussels, pulling out their byssal threads (aka: their "beards") and place them in a bowl of cold water until ready to use.

2 Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and stir for a few minutes until they become soft and slightly translucent. Add the chilies, ginger, and curry powder and stir for a minute until fragrant.

3 Add the chicken broth and reduce half. Add the coconut milk, salt, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves if using and bring to a boil. Drain and add the mussels, reduce heat to medium and cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook for 6-7 minutes until the mussels open. Discard any that are closed as these were dead before cooking. (Some may only be slightly open, if you have to debate on whether it's good to eat or not, toss it.) Spoon mussels into bowls and pour over with broth. Garnish with chopped cilantro and juice from lime wedges.

Taco Soup

 

Recipe and photos by Pam from theloveofcooking.net

Soup:

• 1 lb of lean ground beef (I used 94/6)
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cup of frozen corn
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 4.5 oz can of diced green chilies
• 1/2 oz of package of ranch salad dressing mix (half a packet)
• Taco seasoning packet
  
  

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat then add the ground beef. Add all the taco seasonings and water as suggested by the packet and mix into the ground beef, making sure to break it up into crumbles. Add the diced onion and garlic then mix thoroughly and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chilies and ranch dressing packet, mix well then cover and simmer on low for 2 hours, stir occasionally. Taste and re-season with sea salt or pepper if needed.

Toppings:

• Corn tortilla chips
• Sour cream
• Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• Green onions, diced

Panko Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach, Tomatoes, and Basil

Recipe and photos by Pam from For the Love of Cooking.net

1 cup of low fat ricotta cheese

Small handful of baby spinach, chopped

Small handful of grape tomatoes, diced (remove the seeds if possible)

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Dash of oregano

2 chicken breasts

Italian seasoned panko crumbs

2 tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the ricotta, spinach, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, basil, garlic, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Rinse the chicken breasts then cut a long horizontal slit along the center of the thin long edge of the chicken breast, nearly through to the other side. Fill the cavity of the chicken breast with the ricotta mixture. Season each side of the chicken with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Carefully dip the chicken breasts in the panko crumbs until both sides are evenly covered. Close the slit together with toothpicks (or if you are like me and realize that you don’t have toothpicks, simply break some kebab sticks in half and use them).

Heat the olive oil in an OVEN PROOF skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, place the chicken in the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown, flip the chicken over and place the skillet into the oven. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Enjoy.

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken cacciatore is an Italian dish of chicken braised in a tomato-based sauce and often includes wild mushrooms. It is frequently referred to as "hunter style" as the word cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian.

Recipe by: Elise from simplyrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

• One 3 1/2 pound chicken, cut into pieces
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup sliced onions
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 2 cups peeled and chopped, firm ripe tomatoes (or canned plum tomatoes in their juice)
• 1 cup wild mushrooms (your choice!)
  
  Directions:
  
  1 Rinse chicken and pat dry. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat, add the onions and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally. Push the onions to the side. Season the chicken pieces with salt on all sides. Add the chicken pieces, skin-side down. Cook until the chicken skin is golden brown, then turn pieces over and brown on the other side. Add the garlic to the pan and cook a minute more.

2 Sprinkle pepper over the chicken. Add wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes, lower the heat and cover the skillet with the lid slightly ajar.

3 Cook the chicken on a low simmer, turning and basting from time to time. Cook until the thighs are very tender and the meat is almost falling off the bones, about 40 minutes. If the stew starts to dry out, add a couple tablespoons of water.

Banana Bread

Recipe by: Shelley Albeluhn

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 mashed overripe bananas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

French Onion Soup

I absolutely love French onion soup, and I find it’s really difficult to find a recipe that isn’t incredibly salty. This one actually turned out perfect, and surprisingly I got it from the Food Network.

Recipe by: Tyler Florence

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 4 onions, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup red wine, about 1/2 bottle
• 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 quarts beef broth
• 1 baguette, sliced
• 1/2 pound grated Gruyere

Directions

Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Now add the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

When you're ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Ladle the soup in bowls and float several of the Gruyere croutons on top.

Alternative method: Ladle the soup into bowls, top each with 2 slices of bread and top with cheese. Put the bowls into the oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese.

Big Charlie’s Gumbo

This is the best gumbo I have ever ate – both in restaurant and at home. I can’t find anything like it, so if you were looking at making some good Cajun cuisine, this is it!



Recipe by: Eric Bernabe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 pound okra, chopped
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 pound cubed beef stew meat (optional)
• 8 cups water
• 1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 pound crabmeat, flaked
• 1 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 lemon
  
  

  Directions

  1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic, onions, celery and okra, stirring constantly until golden brown. Set aside.
  2. In a large heavy bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat, combine 1/4 cup of butter and flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the roux becomes chocolate brown. Stir in the vegetable mixture, and stew meat. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender, and meat is evenly brown. Stir in water, tomatoes and sugar. Season with parsley, thyme, bay leaves, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add shrimp, crabmeat and andouille to stock pot. Stir in hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Remove seeds from lemon and squeeze juice into stock pot. Simmer an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaves, and serve over jasmine rice.
     
     

Tater-tot Casserole

This is a recipe my mom has been making for me since I was little. It’s one of my absolute favorite comfort foods, especially on cold winter days.

Recipe by: Patricia Skoglund

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup 
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 bag Tater-tots
• 1 cup of corn or french style green beans
• 1/3 cup whole milk
  
  Directions

1. Cook beef and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until beef is well browned, stirring to break up meat. Drain fat.
2. Stir soup, corn or green beans, and Worcestershire into skillet. Spoon beef mixture into 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange potatoes side by side until the casserole is completely covered.
3. Bake at 425 degrees F for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Steak Marinade

This is an excellent steak marinade I got from my roommate, Catherine! It can be used on other meats as well, probably even seafood. It gives such an amazing flavor & is simple to make. Enjoy!

Recipe By: Cat Hearn

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

 

Directions

1. Place the soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, basil, parsley, and pepper in a blender. Add hot pepper sauce and garlic. Blend on high speed for 30 seconds until thoroughly mixed.
2. Pour marinade over desired type of meat. Cover, and refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

Thai Curry

I have been searching for the best Thai curry recipe all over the internet, and unfortunately couldn’t find something exactly how I wanted. There is this restaurant near my hometown called Double D’s Thai Food. The woman who owns the restaurant and bar is originally from Thailand and makes some of the best food I’ve ever had. I wanted to make my curry as close to her recipe as possible. Obviously I can’t get my hands on her recipe, but I did try to dissect it, and came up with this. It doesn’t taste exactly like hers, but it’s so close I was absolutely giddy while eating it. I’ll keep tweaking it and try to get it exactly right…but if not, this is the closest thing to it!

Recipe by: Katie Skoglund

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup red curry paste
• 2 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks OR 1 lb. shrimp
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups sliced bamboo shoots (drained)
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 green bell pepper, julienned
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• Curry Powder (I used 1 tsp)
• Cayenne Pepper (I used 1 tbsp)
• Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (I used 1 tbsp)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• A few Kaffir lime leaves (also called bergamot) if you can find them
• Basmati rice
  
  

  Directions

1. In a bowl, whisk together curry paste and 1 can coconut milk. Transfer to a wok, and mix in remaining coconut milk, chicken or shrimp, fish sauce, and bamboo shoots. Bring to a boil, and cook 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Add all spices, hot sauce, and Kaffir lime leaves.
2. Mix the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and onion into the wok. Continue cooking 5 minutes, until the vegetable are just slightly softened. You still want them to be slightly crunchy.  Serve over the cooked basmati rice.

Pork & Mushroom Stew

Recipe & Photos by Pam from fortheloveofcooking.net

 

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into two inch pieces
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1/2 cup shallots, sliced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 tbsp flour
• 3/4 cup apple cider
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• Granny smith apple, diced
• Fresh thyme leaves for garnish
  
  

Make mashed potatoes (recipe here). I used 6 Yukon gold potatoes and I left out the roasted garlic for this recipe.

Remove the silver skin from the pork tenderloin then cut into two inch pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel then season the slices (both sides) with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan is HOT add the pork and sauté until brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove pork to a plate; cover with a tin foil tent.

Add the mushrooms, carrot, and shallots in the same skillet over medium heat. Cook until softened, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.

Add the apple cider to the pan, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan, add the chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Add pork with residual juices and the minced thyme. Simmer stew until thickened, 5 minutes; taste and re-season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Serve over mashed potatoes and top with thyme sprig and diced apples. Enjoy.