Thread: Cooking with Clover

This is a place where the community can share their favorite recipes. Because nothing brings people together like good food!

Feel free to add your own cooking goodness!

From: Sylexis

In the spirit of thanksgiving, (and because I had to make one for the party I went to last night) I offer you a rockin turkey gravy recipe.

Turkey Pan Gravy

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Add 2-3 cups turkey pan drippings, (I skim a decent bit of the fat off the top) to a good sized frying pan, along with 1 cup of decent white wine (I found California Chardonnay's have a decent buttery after taste).

Put on medium heat to reduce.

Add garlic powder (or minced garlic), salt and pepper to taste, feel free to get a little creative with the spices, just use a little, you can always add more but you can't take take it away.

When it gets to about half of what the volume was reduce temperature to low/medium low...add a corn starch mixture (you can use the ratio on the box but remember to dissolve the corn starch in a small amount cold water first). I generally do 1 teaspoon of corn starch to 1/4 cup of COLD water. If you don't do this step you will get lumpy corn starch balls in your gravy (yuck). You can use flower as well, just DON'T forget to put it in water first to get rid of the lumps.

Keep stirring over low heat. You should notice the mixture start to thicken. Once it gets to the desired consistency (longer heating for thicker gravy with the potential for adding more corn starch mixture if necessary) pour into gravy boat and serve.


If you need a good turkey recipe to go along side that (and you already have the wine anyways) you can use this one.

Back later with more recipes when I feel like it, you know Clover we really should just sticky a Lotro recipe booklet at this point.

From: Chui
And here!

How about Oreo Turkey Cookies?

If you like those, have you tried Chocolate Covered Mice?

Here you go Makinna!

It is the recipe off the can of pumpkin that I use. I have tried others and this is by far my favorite.

Libby's Pumpkin Pie

Since you are making a traditional Thanksgiving dinner I will give you an excellent stuffing to try. This is not really a recipe, just the way my Mom taught me to make it so there are no exact measurements.

1 loaf of bread --cut into bite sized pieces (I do this the day before and let is sit out overnight so it gets stale.)
12 ounces of ground sausage.
1/2 of a medium onion chopped
3 stalks of celery chopped
1- 14 ounce can of chicken broth

I brown the sausage and drain it then set it aside. I saute the onions and celery in a little bit of olive oil until they are soft. I mix the browned sausage, the onions and celery, cut up bread and chicken broth. If it needs it I add a little salt and pepper. Pour it in a greased baking dish and bake with your turkey make sure you cover it with foil. It usually only takes about 30 minutes to warm up. I keep an eye on it so it does not get too dry.

It is yummy and not Thanksgiving in our house without it!

Pretty soon it will be time for cookie recipes!

P.S.

Here is a converter to help with measurements!

Elfheart here is your recipe for P.B. Buckeyes!

2 cups of graham cracker crumbs (it is about 16 whole graham crackers, but I like to buy the Honey Maid crumbs)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup (2 sticks) of margarine, softened
1 box confectioners' (10x) sugar-- 1 pound
12 ounces chocolate chips (I like semi-sweet best)
1/2 block of paraffin wax (you can usually find it in the grocery store in the baking or canning section...DO NOT USE OLD CANDLES!!)

Combine graham cracker crumbs, peanut butter, margarine and confectioners' sugar and mix well. Roll them into small balls. I place them out on parchment paper on a cookie tray and them put them in the fridge to get super cold. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. (you can use a bowl over a regular pot if you do not have a double boiler) The recipe I use calls for all the wax to be added. But, I usually just grate enough in until the chocolate is smooth and shiny. Dip the cold candies in to the melted chocolate and put back on parchment or wax paper to set. I usually put them back in the fridge until the chocolate is hard then I put them in an air tight container and store them in cool place.

If you are a fan of coconut you can replace one cup of the graham crackers with coconut. But, I know some people do not like it!

I have not made these in forever. They are super easy and fun to make and great recipe for kids to help with.

Deusdictum suggests adding chocolate graham crakers for extra chocolatey goodness!

From: Galan

Bah you haven't eaten untill you've had: Svickova, Goulash, and Kynute Knedliky (Raised Fruit Dumplings) all 3 are probobly my favorate food. Nothing in the western world has come even close

can find examples of the first 2 here http://www.waleg.com/kitchen/archive...al_dishes.html

and the last one here http://na-zdravi.blogspot.com/2006/0...dumplings.html

Recommend you try them.

From: Aeslynn

I think this has now turned into a Turbine Network Food Challenge.

Find a city to host a lovely Gamer Cook Off!

Lazy as gamers are rumored to be.. I think a lot of us are good cooks.

And thanks a lot Clover, now my husband is going to make me make Pumpkin Bars.

Actually that's a whole lot easier than the Pumpkin Cake I've been making, although that one is really good.. especially when you use more rum than is called for! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...l-Icing-107516

Oh and if you want some REALLY good Gravy and a turkey that's not so traditional you've got to try http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...d-Gravy-107285

Okay, I will bite. Here is a timely recipe for the upcoming holiday season. Very easy to make and a big hit both here at Turbine and at my daughter's school! Be sure to line your pan with parchment paper for a nice crisp crust. (Plus it makes them easier to get out of the pan!)

Pumpkin Pie Bars

I assure you it does not involve scrapple!

From: Kyrra_T

Best Brownies I ever tasted.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan.
In a large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup butter. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread batter into prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.
To Make Frosting: Combine 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Frost brownies while they are still warm.

Easy Yummy Sticky Buns

I will be making these tonight and got my recipe out. Thought I would share it. These are very easy to make and very yummy!

Thaw 2 loaves of frozen bread in refrigerator.

(You need to make them the day before you bake them!)
Butter a 9x13 pan and with butter-sprinkle with chopped walnuts.
Cut the dough into walnut size pieces and place in bottom of pan.

Melt 1 stick butter, add 6 oz vanilla (not instant) pudding, 1 tablespoon milk, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1 cup brown sugar. Heat together, blend good and pour over dough.

Refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 350 for 30 minuets and turn out of pan. (Do this right away or they will stick!)

3 teaspoons Beau Monde Seasoning
2 cups sour cream
1 1/3 cups mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dill seed
3 teaspoons minced onion
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
Pinch of dill weed
2 small loaves of pumpernickel bread (or any type you like) unsliced.

Combine all of the ingredients except for the bread. Chill at least 3 hours. Just before serving make a bowl from the bread by removing the center. Place the dip in your bread bowl. Cut the removed portion into bite-sized pieces for dipping.

*I usually make this the day before I need it. It is best if sits overnight in the fridge.
*I alter the recipe a bit because I do not like mayo, I bump the sour cream up to 2 1/3 cups and use only a cup of mayo.
*I always get extra bread the amount you remove is never enough. It is also good with veggies or chips.

This is always a favorite at family get-togethers. The recipe comes from my husband's family. But, I made it one time for my side of the family and now it is a request. I am on the list to bring it for Christmas dinner!

From Jilla

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup margarine or butter (I think margarine makes it creamier)
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 12 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 7 oz jar Kraft marshmallow cream (I think you can use the Fluff Brand as well… but it’s easier just to use the whole jar of the Kraft one)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- Microwave margarine in 4 quart microwave-safe bowl on high (100%) 1 minute or until melted
- Add sugar and milk; mix well
- Microwave on high 5 minutes or until mixture begins to boil, stirring after 3 minutes
Mix well and scrape bowl
- Continue microwaving on high 5-1/2 minutes; stir after 3 minutes
- Stir in chips until melted
- Add remaining ingredients; mix well
- Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan
- Cool at room temperature and then cut

A few tips:
- Use a spoon that won’t melt in high temperatures. LOL, I made this once when I was about 12 and didn’t think about that aspect of it. As I was stirring, I realized that half the spoon was gone (melted away). And it was a large, mixing spoon too!

- The vanilla will make the fudge get really thick and hard to stir… save it for last and be ready for a mini upper body workout while stirring.

- Did I mention this stuff will get as hot as lava? Be careful.

- After it cools, lick the spoon clean... YUM

From MissingMinds

1 coffee mug
4 Tbsp flour (not self rising)
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp baking cocoa
1 Egg
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp oil
3 tbsp chocolate chips (optional)
Small splash of vanilla.

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (is using) and vanilla, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a place if desired. EAT!! (this can server 2 if you want to share!)

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Personal notes.

The cake itself is actually rather dense and filling. You think it would be a sponge but it really isn't. It does have a lot of air pockets, but it is more firm than soft. Should have been expected if you consider how bread is when you microwave that.

You want a large mug. 2 cup versions seem to be ideal.

Seems to lack some sweetness. Now this could be the fact it was rather fresh/hot when I tried it. I plan on trying some higher quality coco and mini chocolate chips. I used normal sized chocolate chips last time, mini's will work a lot better.

My microwave is a 600 watt, so it took 5 minutes. (I looked up a conversion chart.)


The bad.. In order to perfect the recipe you CAN make several batches to try in the course of one hour and eat them all.

Praline Drops

1 2/3 cups flour, all purpose
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine or butter
2/3 cup brown sugar(or splenda brown sugar works well if so inclined to use it)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring(this is important get the good kind don't go cheap on this ingredient)
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup pecan halves

Glaze frosting:
1/2 cup brown sugar(again you can use splenda brown sugar if you so desire)
1 tablespoon dark corn syrup
1 tablespoon water
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon water

Cream margarine(or butter if using that) and sugar, add egg and flavoring, beat thoroughly. Add dry ingredients; stir in chopped pecans. Chill. Rolll into 3/4 inch balls, place on baking sheet. Press pecan half into center of each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees 8 to 10 minutes until set and slightly browned.

Praline Glaze:
In a small pan mix brown sugar, corn syrup and 1 tablespoon water. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in confectioners sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Beat smooth. Add a few drops of water if necessary. Brush on cookies while they are hot from the oven.

Here are a pair of pie recipes that I've posted in the Landroval Coffee House. Both are very simple, and very good.

Peanut Butter Pie

1 9-inch graham cracker pie shell
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature (whipped is good, too)
3/4 powdered sugar (or more to taste)
1/2 C peanut butter
2 T milk
4 C sweetened whipped cream or Cool Whip
1/4 C chopped peanuts
1/4 C chopped chocolate chips

(Measurements are a little optional for me on this. Make it to taste, basically. Using Cool Whip results in a less messy, neater texture, but whipped cream gives an incredible flavor. Your choice.)

Using an electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar together. Add the milk and peanut butter, mix well. Fold in the whipped cream until you have the flavor and consistency you want.

The bottom of the pie crust can be topped with melted chocolate chips, fudge, or nothing, as you desire. Fill the pie, then top with the chopped nuts and chocolate. Chill and enjoy!

Next one:

Easy French Silk Pie

1 stick unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
2 squares (two ounces) of melted unsweetened chocolate.
2 eggs

Beat the butter, vanilla, sugar, and chocolate together. Mix well! Add one of the eggs and beat for a few minutes. Add the second egg, and beat for another five or so minutes. Beating this well is incredibly important. Pour this mixture in a baked crust or in a chocolate crumb crust and chill. Top with whipped cream - I like to make my own whipped cream and put in a little Amaretto or Chambord for flavor.

Enjoy.

Ingredients:

* 6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced about 1/2-in. thick
* Juice of 1 large lemon
* 1/2 to 2/3 cups dark brown sugar
* 1/8 tsp. salt
* 1 tsp. cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp. allspice
* 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
* Pillsbury unrollable pie crusts

Directions:

Toss together the apples and lemon juice. Add the sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice and ground ginger. Turn into a sieve and set over a bowl. Leave for 30 to 60 minutes.

Grease a 9-inch pie plate. Place one of the pie shells in the pie plate and gently form it around the plate, leaving an overhang.

Pour the drained juices from the filling into a saucepan and boil them into a thick syrup. Scrape back into the apples. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Fill the bottom of the pie shell with the apples, mounding them high. Cover with the other pie crust. Seal edges together by rolling the overhang over the top crust and pinching them together. There should be a high ridge of crust around the pie-plate rim. Brush beaten egg over the top of the pie and sprinkle with sugar. Cut three steam vents into top crust with small sharp knife.

Bake the pie on a cookie sheet for 45 to 60 minutes, or until juices are bubbling and the apples are tender when you pierce them through one of the steam holes. If edges get too dark, cover them with foil. Cool the pie on a rack. Serve it warm or at room temperature.

This is one of my family's favorite recipes. If I recall correctly, the original recipe called for rasins, but I never had them in the house so I never added them.

This makes two loaves.

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Zucchini Bread

2 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 350. Grease loaf pans. Mix together eggs and oil. Sift together sugar, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and flour. Gradually add to egg-oil mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients, mixing until smooth. Pour into loaf pans + bake for 1 hour. Cool on wire racks.

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This tastes very much like carrot cake

Great recipe for Zucchini bread! If you want to make it even more moist and yummy add a package of instant pudding to the batter. This is the secret my mom has used for many years and it works wonders.

Thank you! I will certainly give that a try

2 cups ketchup
¼ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons prepared mustard (French's)
1 tablespoon Tabasco Sauce (Can cut in half if you don't like it as hot)
1 tablespoon of your favorite barbecue rub
2 teaspoons liquid smoke (I like mesquite)
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon honey

Combine all ingredients in a nonreactive saucepan and bring slowly to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and gently simmer the sauce until dark, thick and richly flavored, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the sauce to clean (or even sterile) jars and store in the refrigerator.

Good on Chicken and Pork.

I am not going to claim to be the originator of this cookie recipe, in truth I found it online, however I can attest that after having made them, my UPS driver, friends, and co workers have been asking every few weeks for more cookies to be made (Since last Christmas! And they still talk about it!).

I did add the optional walnuts and I tend to keep the cookies small so they cook fast, the recipe below is huge, over 100 cookies, so you might want to do a half batch at first. Enjoy!


INGREDIENTS

* 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 cups butter, softened
* 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
* 4 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
* 2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

I just found this thread and I'm sooooo going to have to try all of these (especially the microwave chocolate cake - OMG)

Here's a recipe my friend gave me for Creamy Chicken Stew. Can be added to or reduced depending on how many you are serving - my ingredients assume 4 people eating.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
4 large potatoes, diced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large onion (optional)
1 can corn
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 tbsp milk
1 container (250g/8oz) cream cheese
1/3 c. vinegar
dash veggie oil
Spices and herbs to taste (I use fresh garlic, oregano, Mrs. Dash, a little chili powder, and sometimes basil)

Mix the vinegar, veggie oil and spices together. Marinate the cubed chicken for about 20 minutes while you prepare your taters and carrots (and onion if using). Cook the taters and carrots together in a big saucepan until tender but firm. While they are cooking, saute the chicken in the vinegar/oil/spice blend (and saute the onion with if included). Drain your veggies when done, and when the chicken is done, add it to the saucepan.

So far the saucepan contains carrots, taters, chicken (and maybe onion). Put it on medium heat. To this we add the can of corn, the can of cream of chicken soup and the 2 tbsp milk. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring frequently as it may stick otherwise. Add the container of cream cheese. Stir until the cheese is entirely melted. Serve with bread for extra yumminess

I've added as much as two extra chicken breasts, taters and carrots without having to alter the base of the stew as it is very rich; more than that might require more soup and cream cheese.

Also, a cheat that can make things a bit speedier - use 1/2c. Italian dressing instead of the vinegar/spice mix.

Enjoy

i was hungry for salmon and looking for a decent glaze recipe, but nothing really stood out online for me, so i tossed a few ingredients together and found i actually liked it! i just made enough for one Salmon fillet, though, so if you're making more, just make more!

1TBSP jack daniel's honey mus****
1TBSP loose, level brown sugar
1TBSP lemon juice
1TSPN extra virgin olive oil
pinch of dill weed

just mix it all up in a small sauce pan over low heat. the heat is needed mainly for the olive oil to mix. baste the salmon fillet (skin side down) on foil on a cookie sheet. then bake the salmon, at 350-450 (preheated of course) for 15-20 minutes, until the salmon flakes and there's no raw left. easy to check the middle of the thick part with a fork or knife. (times and temps vary per the thickness of the salmon fillet, obviously.)

This is a recipe handed down to my mom from her mother-in-law which was probably copied from a newspaper clipping who-knows-when.

Egg-less, Milk-less, Butter-less Cake (a vegan chocolate cake)
or How to Make a Cake out of Almost Nothing!

1 1/2 cups flour*
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vinegar

Mix ingredients in order given and beat well (no lumps remaining). Pour into greased and "floured" (with more cocoa powder) 9" square or round cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Note: this makes a single layer cake, double the recipe for a full sheet-cake pan or for two layers. It is very moist, with crispy edges and only requires a dusting of powdered sugar on top

*other kinds of flour may be substituted for white wheat flour: whole wheat pastry flour, or other grains like rice, oat, millet, etc.

Carrot Cake with Buttermilk Glaze

Description: A delicious made-from-scratch buttermilk carrot cake with a buttermilk glaze that keeps very well. This recipe was obtained from a dear friend in Trenton, IL.

Ingredients:

CAKE:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, well-drained
2 cups very finely grated carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup flaked coconut

GLAZE:

1 cup sugar
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup butter
1 tbsp. white corn syrup
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Sift together flour, soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside. Beat eggs in bowl until lemon-colored; beat in sugar, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture; stir in pineapple, carrots, nuts and coconut.

Pour batter into lightly greased and floured 13"x9"x2" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, until cake tests done when toothpick is inserted in center.

For glaze, combine all ingredients except vanilla in saucepan, bring to boil. Boil 5-6 minutes, until thick and syrupy; add vanilla. Poke holes in top of cake with toothpick or fork; pour glaze over top while cake is still hot.

Serve warm or store in refrigerator. Travels well, keeps for several days in refrigerator.

Number of Servings: 16-20.

Originally Posted by Carysta

Here's a recipe my friend gave me for Creamy Chicken Stew. ....

Not that I'm trying to necro this thread but.....
That recipe was GREAT.
I took shortcuts and used canned diced potatoes and canned sliced carrots, which made the stew a little too thick. A can of chicken broth solved that issue quickly.
It's a nice, hearty, winter soup recipe I'm keeping and making again.

Sausage Gravy

First, combine mild Italian sausage & regular pork breakfast sausage in a large frying pan over low heat until it's all nicely browned. DO NOT DRAIN THE GREASE.

Second, stir in flour until all the grease is gone. This is called "making a roue'", for those who don't know. I recommend using more flour than you'll think you'll need in this step.

Third, add milk until you've covered the sausage. Give it a good stir. When you finish stirring, the milk will have turned a nice shade of orange, from the grease that's been released. Now comes the tedious, but most important part.

Fourth, using a good-sized spoon, break the surface tension of the milk enough to drain the grease floating on the top into the spoon. You will be standing at your stove, straining & stirring, for quite some time. Do this until you've gotten as much of the grease out as you can. Your milk gravy will probably turn a greyish shade of "white."

Fifth, turn the heat up to HIGH, & bring the milk to a boil. STIR CONSTANTLY WHILE IT COMES TO A BOIL. When it comes to a nice boil, turn it down to LOW. By this point, it should have thickened up nicely. If it's too thick, add some water (a little at a time) until it thins enough. If it's still too thin, you didn't add enough flour to begin with!!!!! I strongly recommend making the gravy too thick, initially, because you can always thin it up ... but once you've added flour, brought it to a boil, & found it's still not thick enough, if you want to add more flour you'll have to bring it back to a boil, mix up more water & flour, & so on .... real PITA.

Sixth, server over biscuits, English muffins, or toast. I prefer Bisquick drop biscuits, because they're fast & easy, & they taste excellent with sausage gravy. Enjoy!

Babyback Ribs, Without A Smoker

There are two ways I use to do up lip-smackin' babybacks without a smoker: you can either pre-boil them, or pre-roast them.

Pre-Boil: Put your rib chunks in a nice, large stock pot. Cover them in COLD water. Set them on the stove, & turn the fire to HIGH. When the water comes to a nice rolling boil, turn it down to a steady simmer, & leave the ribs in the pot for roughly 1 hour. Take them out, rinse them off under cold water, pat them dry, & move to the next step, which in my case is a wet marinade:

For each pound of meat, combine 1/4 cup EACH of the following:

Soy Sauce
A-1 Steak Sauce
Chili Sauce
Ketchup
Capt'n Morgan's Private Reserve Spiced Rum
Black Molasses, or packed brown sugar
Salt, pepper, garlic & onion powders, & celery seed to taste.

Mix it all up, pour it over the ribs, seal them up in freezer bags, & put them in the fridge to soak. Note that this sauce is also dynamite on chicken!

Pre-Roast Give each chunk of ribs a nice coating of your favorite dry spice rub. Wrap them in tin-foil, ~3-4 chunks per package, & put them in a nice roasting pan. Pre-heat your oven to 200, put the foil-wrapped ribs in, & leave them alone for 6-8 hours, depending on how tender you want them.

Whether you pre-roast or pre-boil, once they're done, pre-heat your grill to MEDIUM HIGH, put the rib chunks on the grill, & give them about 7-8 minutes per side. This should get them a nice brown coating on the outside & get them nice & hot inside; since they've already been cooked in the boiling or roasting process, you're merely finishing them on the grill.

For myself, I think the pre-boil method gets them juicier & tastier, but other members of my household prefer the pre-roasted dry rub, so I usually make some of both.

OK, here's a nice, low carb recipe. Due to whole eggs, viewer discretion is advised.

Spinach, mushroom and cheese fritata

3 large eggs
1-2 tbsp heavy cream
fresh ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste
1/4 cup or more of shredded cheese (your choice. I prefer one of the 4 cheese blends)
1/2 cup fresh, chopped spinach
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1 1/4 inch thick slice of onion
Optional: green bell pepper or roasted peppers
1/4 cup diced ham, crumbled breakfast sausage, or other meat.
olive oil based cooking spray

In a 10-12 inch skillet on medium heat, spray skillet with cooking spray, and sautee the onions and mushrooms. While that is going on, crack 3 eggs into a cup or a bowl, and add the cream, salt and pepper. Whisk until the egg mixture is yellow throughout.

Once the onions are clarified, add the spinach and the meat (I'm assuming that the meat is pre-cooked. If it isn't, cook it first.). Allow the spinach to wilt just a little bit, then add the egg mixture and quickly mix the hot ingredients in the skillet. Put a lid over the skillet, and turn the heat on the burner down to low. After about 30 seconds, add a few tablespoons of water around the edge of the fritata to help generate steam, and replace lid. Cook until top is no longer liquid.

Add shredded cheese to the top, and either melt in the covered skillet, or place under the broiler of the oven.

As an additional bonus, you can top it with Hollandaise or Bearnaise sauce, and still stay WAY under your carb budget for the day!

BACON-Crumble Apple Pie

Ingredients
Apple Filling
• 1 (9 inch) pie shell (I could make it from scratch but I have better things to do)
• 6 -7 apples – peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (no brown high fructose corn syrup please)
• 4 slices of crispy bacon crumbled

Oatmeal crumble topping
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (that’s ground up peel, really)
• 1/2 cup butter (or ¼ cup butter plus ¼ cup bacon grease)
• 6 slices of crispy bacon crumbled


Directions
• Cook the bacon and set aside to cool, set aside some bacon grease for the topping (optional).
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Prepare the apple filling: combine flour, white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and crumbled bacon. Mix well, then add to the apples. Toss until the apples they are evenly coated.
• Remove the pie shell from freezer. Place the apple mixture in pie shell and dot with 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly on top of filling, but do not seal.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• While filling is baking, make crumble topping: In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, brown sugar, oats, and lemon zest. Mix thoroughly, then cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly.
• Remove filling from oven and sprinkle crumble on top.
• Reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bake an additional 30 to 35 minutes, until crumble is browned and apples are tender. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning.

I made this a few times in college and usually charged my eternally hungry room mates a couple of bucks for supplies in exchange for all-you-can-eat goodness. It was always a hit. Considering most things we ate came from the Union, fast food, or expensive grill meat, this was some popular home cookin.

Nate's Custom Stuffing:
1 large bag of dried out normal stuffing.
2 chicken breasts
1 12oz can of corn
A couple of those little cube things that are for chicken broth
Butter
1 16oz thing of Bob Evans Sausage (hot/spicy) You only want to use about 1/2 or 3/4 of it.
1 or 2 onions
celery


Cook the sausage first. Remove from pan but keep grease. Cook chopped onion and celery in sausage grease until they are soft and not crunchy. Remove the veggies. Cut chicken breasts into strips and then cut them in the opposite way to form little chicken cubes. Cook in the same pan until (mostly) done.

Combine dried stuffing, sausage, cooked celery and onions, and chicken in a large bowl. Drain the corn and add that as well.

I rarely measure anything but this part is important, you can always add more but you cannot remove it. Take 4 or 5 cups of water, throw in 3 or 4 of those little chicken broth cube things and maybe a tablespoon of butter. Put in microwave and get it hot until everything is dissolved. Stir in this mixture into the dried stuffing, chicken, sausage, celery and onion, etc. Pour in a cup or two at a time then stir. Add more as needed. You want the stuffing to be wet but not soaked.

Cover with tinfoil and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove cover, stir contents, bake 10 minutes uncovered. Stir, bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Enjoy.

Don't forget to grease the pan before you bake.

edited for accidental double post.

Hello ladies and gentlemen!

I am Targean, in real life a scandinavian med student who above all else loves spending time in China. I've had the luxury of going there for longer trips 9 times now, mainly due to my better half is Chinese and we go there to visit her family in the Hunan region. I've been to most parts, except the southern or westernmost regions. My favourite places definately include the Sino-Russian mix of Harbin (Heilongjiang, Manchuria), Changsha and Beijing.

The center and northern cuisines are my top choices!

Now, being somewhat of a rather skilled chef myself it took me about two solid minutes before I decided to master the art of the chinese cuisine, and try to remedy all horrible things we westrons have done to its cuisine in our homelands

Let us start by a favourite, the flagship of Hunan cuisine (interesting enough, it's not very well known in Hunan, but apparently hugely popular in the US. However the americans somehow don't enjoy the taste so they sweeten the dish by adding sugar - I won't do this here but I will try to stay as close to the "real" recipe as I can).

Zuo Zongtang Jí - General Zuo's Chicken

-Medium hotness-

Ingredients:

800g Chicken thigh filet
15-20 whole dried or fresh red chili
4-5 garlic pieces
Sesame oil
The green part of the scallion

Marinade
4 tea spoons of light soy
1 tea spoon of dark soy
2 egg yokes
4 table spoons of potato flour
3 table spoons of oil

Sauce
2 table spoons of tomato purée
1 tea spoon of dark soy
4 tea spoons of light soy
2 table spoons of rice vinegar (or 1 dark, 1 light rice vinegar)
1 tea spoon of potato flour
[optional] 2 table spoons of broth (if you make your own. I make mine of chicken carcass, pork, scallion and ginger)

Slice the chicken into bite sizes.

Mix the marinade so that it is even, and not chunky. Put the chicken in the marinade and spread it evenly.
Mix the sauce ingredients.

Now, deep fry the chicken - the best way is with a wok pan, because you'll get some seared flavour to it, but if you don't have one, go for a pot.

Chop up the garlic into tiny bits, and the chili to small bite-sized chunks. Begin to fry the chili in preferably chili oil, but any oil works. Don't burn it! Add garlic. When you notice a delicious, strong smell, add the sauce, and let it fry while you stir, until it becomes a bit thick. Then, add the chicken. Stir and let it become a bit thicker. Add the scallion.

Ready to serve - preferably with a side dish of shii-take and chili fried noodles!



[edit]: typo :<

My Beijing-styled lunch dumplings:

500g ground pork
Half a "head" of Napa Cabbage (aka celery cabbage or chinese cabbage)
1 egg
3 scallions, finely chopped
3 centimeters of ginger, finely chopped (that's about an inch, for you who don't understand the superior metric system)
1 tea spoon of sesame oil
2 table spoons of salt
3 table spoons of dark soy
1-2 garlic pieces, finely chopped
[optional below]
Shaoxing rice wine, 1,5 table spoons

This is very easy - just mix the ingredients and let it rest for a while, as you make the dough.

Mix wheat flour and water until you get a dough, work it for a bit and then let it rest in the refridgerator. When you take it out 30 minutes later, it should be just so slightly sticky- or rather moist. Add a teeeny-weeeeny bit of flour to it's edges and then use a rolling pin to flatten it. When it is very thin, you can use a somewhat broader drinking glass to carve out a perfect circle. Roll a ball of the above ingredient and put it on the circular piece of dough, and then just seal it up. A tip is to have a little moist fingers so the edges of the dough can blend together well.

Form the dumpling as you want it, I prefer the classic look.

Now, you can either steam or boil it. I do both, really. I use a bamboo-steamer for steaming, and I always use it when I have friends over because they think it looks cool. Normally I boil them, though. Keep in mind their form may be... Deformed when boiled instead of steamed.

Let them cool off, put in a tupperware, re-heat at work and you've got a golden lunch!

For a dip, I mix light soy, rice vinegar, chili oil and ground peanuts.

[edit]: No idea of how to roll a dumpling? Check youtube!

I recently had this and it is very good (if you like garlic) and is very authentically New Orleans in its flavors (meaning that people really eat food like this, not something from a restaurant). If you are not a garlic lover you may want to cut back some. When it says "Tony's" it means Tony Chachere's Seasoning ( a seasoning mix from Louisiana)

Green Bean Artichoke Casserole

2 cans “French” style green beans
2 cans artichoke hearts
¾ cup parmesan/reggiano cheese-the kind in the green plasticcontainer for spaghetti
(in other words you don’t need to get the REAL hard cheese)
¾ cup bread crumbs
1 onion, chopped fine
4 toes garlic, chopped fine
½ olive oil – add more if need
Splash Tony’s
2 dashes of salt

*Drain green beans and artichokes hearts and
*Cut green bean up small and cut artichokes hearts verysmall or put in
food processor
*Put everything in large bowl and mix thoroughly.
*place in baking dish and bake on 370 for 35 minutes

*only if you want –
Melt ¼ butter and add bread crumbs where it is all mixedwell
Sprinkle mixture on top of casserole

Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes

Ingredients

22 Oreos, 16 left whole, and 6 coarsely chopped
2 8-oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature (Neufchatel is fine)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt
Directions

Preheat oven to 275 F.
Line 12 standard muffin tins and 4 ramekins (or 16 muffin tins, if you have them) with paper liners.
Place 1 whole Oreo in the bottom of each lined cup.
Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium. Gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla.
Pour in the beaten eggs, a little at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
Beat in the sour cream and salt.
Stir in chopped cookies by hand.
Pour the batter into the prepared tins, filling each almost to the top.
Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, 22-25 minutes.
Cool in the pans for about 15 minutes, on a wire rack, then transfer to a plate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Manly Cupcakes (for any and all sporting events)

makes ~24 servings

for cupcakes:
1 cup dark beer, like a good stout
1/3 sourcream
1/2cup veg or canola oil
3 eggs
~18ounce package of moist choc cake mix

for frosting:
1cup or 2 sticks unsalted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup whiskey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

for toppings:
crisp cooked BACON
salted peanuts
pretzels
crushed malted milk balls

heat oven to 350F and spray 24 regular size muffins cups with cooking spray
in a large bowl, mix together the beer, sour cram, oil, eggs and cake mix.
mix until thoroughly combined and smooth..~2minutes
spoon into the prepared muffin cups and bakes for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at center comes out clean.
allow to cool for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.

while the cupcakes cool, make the frosting.
in a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, sugar, whiskey and vanilla until smooth and fluffy..~4-5 minutes

when the cupcakes have cooled, add a smear(remeber these are for guys no need to be neat or pretty) of frosting to the tops and then sprinkle with any or all of the toppings.

start to finish is about 1 hour

Cooking in the game strongly compels me to cook in real life. The Cheese and Apple pie recipe that I bought from Theodred's men, like all LOTRO recipes, has authentic history and relevance. The original Engish Apple and Cheese Pie, from which this pie recipe seems to be inspired, requires English Lancashire cheese, which I found at a specialty store yesterday, imported from England! It can also be bought from igormet online. So last night I baked my first Apple and Lancashire Cheese pies! No sugar is added, the filling includes Shire apples, pure maple syrup, grapes, cinnamon and Lancashire cheese. For the crust I used regular flour mixed with a little barley flour. It's delicious!

APPLE AND LANCASHIRE CHEESE PIE

A deep-dish pie filled with delicious apples and cheese. Can be served as a dessert or makes a super tea time treat.

Ingredients:
• Pie Crust
• 2lb cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks (I used tart Granny Smith and sweet Braeburn)
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 3oz grapes
• 5 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 5oz Lancashire cheese, crumbled
• 1 medium egg, beaten (to brush on top)

Preparation:

•Preheat the oven to 400F
• Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a deep 8in/20cm pie dish or loose bottomed fluted flan case. "Poke holes with a fork" in the bottom (rolling my eyes because the 5-letter for this process was censored after I posted it) and chill whilst preparing the filling. Reserve pastry trimmings for the top of the pie.
• Place the apples, cinnamon, grapes and maple syrup in a pan. Cover and cook over a gentle heat until apples just begin to soften. Remove from the heat and fold in the crumbled Lancashire cheese.
• Spoon into pastry lined dish. Top with remaining pie crust pastry dough and brush with beaten egg to glaze.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until pastry is golden and crisp.


Here are a couple pictures of my results.





Happy Baking!
Rosylaine, Supreme Master Cook of The Shire, and "Friend" to Theodred's Men ;-)

(they just like me for my cooking)

Originally Posted by HLOregon

That smaller pie in the picture has my name on it. Rosy very kindly volunteered to deliver it to me today, assuming she can sneak that luscious pie past all of the hungry hobbits in my neighborhood. My morale went up just looking at the picture! Thanks, Rosy!!

Can anyone share (or point me to) a good recipe for a Lembas or Cram facsimile? I've seen many of them online, but would like to hear from someone who's actually tried their hand at making them.

EDIT: Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, but it seemed appropriate.