I Need a Recipe!

[photo fox]

If you love to cook and bake, you're probably always looking for new recipes.  Post your request here, and our resident chefs will give suggestions!

[WendyCR72]

Great idea, @photo fox ! Surprised no one thought of this until now!

[photo fox]

Thanks, @WendyCR72!  I love trying new ones, especially for special events and family dinners.

 

Speaking of... I'm having my parents over for supper tomorrow night, and I'm looking for something new.  I'm thinking a casserole - something I can put together at lunch, and then just pop in the oven after work.  Preferably something with NO odd/ethnic ingredients, because sadly, I live in a rural area where such things can be hard to find.  :(

 

My dad is not adventurous, but he does like Mexican, as long as it's not hot.

 

Ideas?

[Bastet]

This is not my style of food at all, but I've made it as comfort food for those who do like this sort of thing, and they have loved it.  I think it's tailor-made for the unadventurous eater.  This yields a ton, because the idea behind the recipe as given to me was to freeze half for later; unless you want to do that, too, cut it in half: 

 

NEOPOLITAN BEEF CASSEROLE

1 T oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 medium-sized carrots diced
1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef
10-ounce box of button mushrooms, sliced
2 (6-ounce each) cans tomato paste
1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, broken up
2/3 cup dry sherry
1 ½ tsp. each, salt, sugar, dry basil and dried oregano
½ tsp. Each, pepper and garlic powder
1 lb. elbow macaroni
2 10-oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
10-ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated

 

Heat oil in a good-sized dutch oven type pan over medium heat. and sauté onion, garlic and carrots until onions are golden, about 5 minutes. Add beef and cook, stirring, until browned and crumbly. Halfway through, add the mushrooms to get them started cooking. Add tomato paste, tomatoes and their juices, (break them up with a spoon), sherry, and all seasonings, and cook, uncovered for about 30 minutes, or till somewhat thickened.

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water, according to package directions. Al dente is best, as it cooks further in the oven. Drain well and mix with the drained, squeezed spinach. Layer half of the macaroni mixture in a lightly oiled large lasagna pan. Top with meat sauce and ½ of the cheese. Repeat layering, ending with the last of the cheese. Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 35-45 minutes, or till bubbling.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Bastet

[BizBuzz]

My fave spur of the moment recipe is super easy:

1 cup mayo

1 cup sour cream

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 pound chopped frozen spinach (thawed and drained)

2 large skinless/boneless chicken breasts (chopped in bite size pieces)

Mix all, put in casserole dish and bake at 350 for about an hour.

Great either on hot white rice, or fresh steamed broccoli. Garlic bread optional.

Not Mexican but great none the less. I call it Chicken and Spinach Parmesan.

[OnceSane]

Most of my personal recipes (family recipes), I have no written official recipe for.  It's all, "that looks like enough onion", or "maybe a little more pepper before it's perfect".

[Bella]

Here's the scenario: We're going to a potluck cookout this weekend. I'm busy and DH is inept in the kitchen. And I have a cantaloupe.

 

So there's fruit salad, there's plain old cut-up cantaloupe, I could get some prosciutto and go retro...

 

Anything else???

[joanne3482]

Do you have access to a freezer? Cantaloupe sorbet, cantaloupe infused water, cantaloupe vodka, and for more serious responses I went to more fruits & veggies matter (run by the CDC) and they have quite a few interesting recipes using cantaloupe. They suggest a cantaloupe salsa with onions, honeydew, lime juice and cilantro. Sliced melon salad with spicy lime dressing which sounds interesting. 

[ramble]

I'm busy and DH is inept in the kitchen. And I have a cantaloupe.

I absolutely love this sentence! It's similar to me after my kiddos go to their dad's for a week in the summer. "Oh no they're coming home & I have pickles & Brie."

I haven't tried this yet, but I've bookmarked it because I let a cantaloupe go bad recently. My kids like cantaloupe, but I don't care for if so trying a recipe by someone else who doesn't like it sounded interesting. Roasted Cantaloupe

Edited August 7, 2014 by ramble

[Bella]

So ... I picked up some ravioli filled with gorgonzola and fig. I'm thinking of a brown butter sauce to go with it; the package just says to serve it with "your favorite sauce or butter."

 

Any other ideas?

[ALenore]

How about a walnut-butter sauce?: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/ravioli-with-sage-walnut-butter-recipe.html

[Mindymoo]

I need a good recipe for hummus. I want it to be a spicy hummus, with spicy red pepper. I prefer my hummus to be creamy rather than chunky, and every recipe I've tried has turned out to be just awful. Any help would be appreciated. (I have a disease called gastroparesis that allows me to only eat small quantities of lean protein at a time, around 400 calories of solid food a day, and hummus is one of the only things that I can hold down, but damn is it getting expensive!) So a good spicy red pepper hummus recipe would be tops, and maybe, if you are being extra nice, a good falafel recipe too.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Mindy McIndy

[photo fox]

Does anybody have any good, simple ideas for eggplant?  My niece has a bumper crop in her garden, but none of us have ever cooked it before.

[stillshimpy]

I make a ton of stuff with eggplant, it's really versatile.  I don't really have recipes, but I can wing it, if you like.  

 

Red curry eggplant, in the crockpot (because it's stinkin' hot here and I'm not stir-frying jack):  

 

Three medium eggplants, washed, topped and tailed and sliced.  I usually slice them into disks first and then quarter the disks. *  

1 medium onion, rough chopped 

Basil -- dried or fresh works, I use about seven fresh basil leaves (smallish) chopped or 1 teaspoon dried 

1 can tomatoes (14.5 ounce) or two pounds fresh tomatoes of any variety, chopped (since canned tomatoes are in juice, it takes more fresh to get the same flavor) 

1/12 cups water

2 tablespoon Thai Kitchen red curry paste 

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar (entirely optional and particularly not necessary if you're adding chopped bell peppers)

2 tablespoons soy sauce (again, optional, sub out salt and pepper to taste if you avoid soy)

1 tablespoon cinammon

* any vegetables that you have hanging out can go in to.  I've used finely chopped cabbage, 2 of any kind of bell pepper except green....the green just don't really get along with eggplant, in my experience.  If you use mushrooms, saute them first in olive oil with a little bit of salt and pepper to get rid of excess moisture.  

* I cup dried lentils, rinsed well (optional)

Put tomatoes, water and curry paste into slow-cooker and stir until curry paste is combined.  Add balsamic, soy, basil, cinnamon and brown sugar: stir until combined.

Add onions, whatever veggies you want and top with the cubed or sliced eggplant. stir gently, cover.

 

Cook on high for three-to-four hours, stirring about once an hour.  At the four hour mark, stir in dried lentils and let cook for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours more (you an also just add a can of lentils at the end, if you don't like working with dried foods).  Serve with either couscous, brown rice or quinoa if you need to bulk it up.  

 

I know it's a little weird to use curry paste without coconut milk, but it's just not necessary with this. 

 

I've personally never found it necessary to use the "sprinkle with salt and set in sieve on paper towels for a half hour" method, because I don't find eggplants bitter (young ones aren't) and I'm never breading and frying them (as you would be with some eggplant parmesan recipes) 

 

Then hold on, because I've added two eggplants to this recipe, just fry them up with the other veggies:  It's that Enchilada recipe from Oh She Glows and I don't dig Vegan cheese, so I just get certified vegetarian Monterey Jack and sub that in.  I've made it several times and it freezes well.  If you are going to freeze it, don't add avocado :) 

Edited August 28, 2014 by stillshimpy

[stillshimpy]

Roasted eggplant dip.  Recipe from Ya, Ya's Euro Cafe: 

 

2 medium to large eggplants

10 ounces plain yogurt (greek works best)

1-2 cloves chopped garlic (depends on how much you like garlic)

14/-1/2 cup olive oil 

to taste: salt and white pepper to taste

optional: 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 

1.  Roast eggplant in 350 degree oven until soft, for about an hour (hold on, I've got a link for roasting it on a grill or stovetop too) .  Allow to cool. 

2.  Once eggplant is cooled, cut open and remove seed pods as much as possible (you will not be able to get them all, but just do your best). 

3.  Scrape the cooked eggplant from the skins with a spoon and place in blender or food processor
Discard skins and stems

4.  Add the yogurt (try half first and check consistency, then add more if needed) , garlic and cayenne and puree until smooth, gradually add olive until very smooth and creamy. Season as you go.  It may take a fair amount of salt  

Yields about 1 quart.  Serve with bread or veggies (can also be used as a spread for sandwiches in place of mayo).  If you have herb infused olive oil, it's really nice with a drizzle of that on top and you can swap out the cayenne for a teaspoon of smoked paprika.  

I personally like this method of roasting an eggplant.  

 

Also, check her site, she's got some good eggplant stuff :-) 

Edited August 28, 2014 by stillshimpy

[emma675]

I am on the seemingly never-ending search for a good white cake recipe. There is a cupcake shop near my work that has the perfect white cupcake, but they will not divulge their recipe. It is not too sweet, doesn't seem to have any strong almond undertones, and has the most wonderful moist, fine crumb. Anyone have any recipes that might work? And if you happen to have a good frosting recipe for a white cake, that would be awesome.

Edited August 29, 2014 by emma675d

[stillshimpy]

No strong almond undertones?  Can you detect a citrus thing going on at all?  They might be using something like Princess Bakery cake and cookie emulsion.  I've used it and it really tones down the almond without hitting you over the head with lemon.  

 

You could try that with any good white cake recipes and just swap out the vanilla or almond extract.  King Arthur Flour's cookbook has a good one for white cake, it does call for almond extract, but you can just swap it out for that.  

Are you looking for a frosting recipe that isn't too sweet?  Buckle up, because I'm about to link to the Pioneer Woman's site here for a moment.  Remember yesterday I referenced the Oklahoma Church Ladies of the world?  Well a few years back I noticed that Ree Drummond had posted the frosting recipe that my ex MIL gave me.  I'd never seen anything like it....and when you read it, it sounds STRANGE as hell, because it starts by making a white sauce.  For real.  It doesn't use any powered sugar either, it's really good though.  It's not over-powering levels of sweet, which is remarkable.  The key is you have to let the milk and flour mixture cool completely, or it will not work well.   Also, it has to be beaten until the sugar dissolves.  

It's really good.  Here's a recipe for it. 

 

Here's a link to the King Arthur White Cake recipe.  I think what you'd want to do is swap it out to half and half of each.  So 1 1/2 vanilla , to 1 1/2 Princess or bakery emulsion (bakery emulsions tend to have more *pow* and you can find them at several retailers.  I just like the Princess one, but you can get them in different flavors).  The only advice I have to offer is to make sure not to overbeat the egg whites, which is one of my repeat offender crimes.  

Edited August 29, 2014 by stillshimpy

[emma675]

stillshimpy, you rock!! I have actually tried the King Arthur white cake recipe and the almond was too strong, but the crumb was perfect. I may have to order a bottle of that Princess Bakery cake and cookie emulsion and try it again. I've never heard of that stuff before; I wonder if Trader Joe's carries it?

 

And that is the weirdest frosting recipe I've ever heard and I'm so going to try it. I'm always on the hunt for a good frosting recipe.

[Rick Kitchen]

I saw a Food Network chef making white cake the other day and she insisted that you had to use white vanilla, not the regular brown vanilla, or your cake will come out cream colored instead of pure white.  I've never heard of white vanilla.  Anybody?

[stillshimpy]

Yes, I've seen white vanilla, Rick Kitchen.  Here's a link to one of the brands.  It's actually semi-common, candy makers use it too.  I guess my white cakes don't turn out as white as they might otherwise, but I'm not usually baking for a particularly judgmental crew.  It's more a case of "Yippee!  Foodstuffs that we didn't have to cook!" sort of critiques.  It might matter to someone ordering a wedding cake though, so I think typically pro-bakers do use white vanilla in some recipes. 

 

Glad I could help, emma.  I don't think TJ's is likely to have emulsions.  They tend to be the stuff of more specialized, more frequent bakers (which is why I thought your bakery might be using one), because they are stabilized in water vs.  alcohol, which means they have less of a shelf life.  In fact that Princess Emulsion needs to be fridged after opening.  So emulsions tend to suit higher volume baking, but luckily that one is really pretty good so it comes in handy for cookie making at the holidays.  Plus KA sells them in small enough sizes that it's not that big a deal.  But they are supposed to have better, truer flavors than extracts which are based in alcohol :-)  

Edited August 29, 2014 by stillshimpy

[emma675]

stillshimpy, you were right, nothing at TJ's. Luckily, my good friend Amazon Prime had it and it will be arriving on Sunday. Yay for the long holiday weekend because I will be baking cake and focaccia bread and will probably gain a good 5 pounds before Tuesday.

[stillshimpy]

Amazon Prime rocks hardcore :-)  Please let us know how it turns out.  I hope I didn't steer you wrong! If you got the Princess emulsion I'm pretty confident that you'll like it enough not to heave a cake at my head, but on the off chance that you don't? At least I like it enough that I wouldn't necessarily mind!  

 

Seriously though, I hope it turns out well and that you're pleased with the results. 

[emma675]

stillshimpy, do I substitute the emulsion for the vanilla or almond extract in the KA recipe or use it in addition to the two? I am so excited about making a cake, it's ridiculous!

[mansonlamps]

I took a cake decorating class and they made you purchase white vanilla for the decorative frosting so it would be pure white. Makes sense. It was expensive but really lasts a long time.

[stillshimpy]

This is just a guess, emma, but the KA recipe calls for 2 teaspoons vanilla and 1 teaspoon of almond extract.  You can either do 2 teaspoons of vanilla and 1 of the emulsion or you could split it and do 1 1/2 teaspoons of each, but I wouldn't swap it for the vanilla and then use the almond extract, you know what I mean?  Almond extract has a tendency to be the more detectable flavor when use, so I'd take it out of the equation.  Or switch it to 1 of vanilla 2 of emulsion, but whatever you do, I personally think you'd want to eliminate the almond extract from that recipe and work just with the vanilla and emulsion.  

 

See what you think when you get a nice sniff of the emulsion, but I think it would marry better with the vanilla than almond.  See what you think when you get it.  I've used it in place of vanilla entirely in sugar cookie recipes.  

Edited August 31, 2014 by stillshimpy

[Minerette]

Does anybody have any good, simple ideas for eggplant?  My niece has a bumper crop in her garden, but none of us have ever cooked it before.

 

I love eggplant - could eat it every day.  Here's one of my favorite recipes:

 

Eggplant Caviar

 

4 pounds eggplant, halved

Olive oil, for brushing, plus 1/4 cup

2 shallots or 1 onion minced

4 cloves garlic minced

1 pound tomatoes peeled and chopped or 16 oz. canned chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black or white pepper

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

 

Brush eggplant with olive oil and roast eggplants at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until soft.

 

After the eggplant has cooled, remove the pulp from the skins and place in a food processor, then process until smooth.  Set aside.

 

Saute the garlic and shallots or onions in 1/4 cup olive oil over low heat until they are translucent.  Add the tomatoes, lemon juice.  Continue to saute until the flavors are blended.

 

Add the eggplant and season to taste with the salt and pepper.

 

Makes about 10-12 appetizer servings.  Recipe can be cut in half.

[emma675]

stillshimpy, I can't heave a cake at you because I ate it all. Well, not all of it but enough of it to be sitting here in a cake coma trying not to be sick. That emulsion is amazing and I'm trying to find more recipes to use it in. I made the KA white cake with the weird-ass Pioneer Woman frosting and covered the whole thing in strawberries. I don't think I would like the frosting without the berries, it was a little too light and plain (I'm one of those people who loves the sugar/lard store cake frosting), but it was perfect with the berries. Thankyouthankyouthankyou for the help!!

[stillshimpy]

Oh I'm so glad it worked out, emma! I'm sorry about the frosting, but it sounds like you had a good hack at the ready :-)  You can sub in that emulsion for pretty much anything that calls for vanilla, but it's going to work better in vanilla/yellow/white preparations.  Pound cake, cupcakes, cookies. It's really nice for sugar cookies at Christmas and can be used to flavor the frosting too.  

 

I'm so relieved it worked out well :-)  

[Bella]

On a whim, I just bought some black bean pasta. The labeling suggests that this is primarily for use in Asian cooking, but I'd like to play with it a bit. I make chili mac in the winter, which might work, but does anyone have other ideas?

[stillshimpy]

Okay guys, unsolicited recipe, ho! This is a recipe for Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes.  I tweaked it fairly significantly and the reason I'm sharing is that it made the very best pumpkin pancakes.  

 

I mostly followed the recipe's suggestions when it came to things like letting the batter sit for a few minutes, but in place of the buttermilk I used 3/4 cup of plain Kefir + 1 1/4 cup 2% milk.  I also used White Whole Wheat flour (two cups) which can require more liquid, so I thinned the batter slightly with some water before letting it sit (3 Tablespoons) .  In terms of spicing, I used the suggested 1 teaspoon cinnamon, but I used 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice rather than the ginger, nutmeg, cloves (reason being, I only had whole cloves and didn't feel like grinding any). 

 

Then when blending I put the kefir, milk, eggs, oil, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, the pumpkin and the oil into a four cup measuring cup and used an immersion blender on it, then when that was blended, I stirred it into the combined dry ingredients.  Sole reason being that white whole wheat flour (which is just a red wheat) doesn't take kindly to much mixing, so I wanted all wet ingredients thoroughly combined first.  

 

The batter is super light and you would need to use a ladle and then use the back of the ladle on the batter to gently spread it in a circular motion, because it's naturally very puffy batter and otherwise it takes a bit to get them to cook through.  

 

I normally wouldn't bother with this level of detail, but these were insanely good.  I made them because I had some leftover pumpkin puree from an oat muffin recipe I made the other day (which I won't bother sharing, because...eh...it turned out fine, but not "Oh my God, I want to Groundhog Day this breakfast experience).  

Edited October 12, 2014 by stillshimpy

[emma675]

This is a ridiculous request, but here goes....does anyone have a good, basic chocolate chip cookie recipe that results in chewy cookies, not crisp ones? I love the taste of my Grammy's chocolate chip cookie recipe, but the cookies always get crisp and crunchy in a matter of hours. Hers uses no butter, just Crisco, so that may be part of it, but I've never found a recipe that results in good chewy cookies.

[stillshimpy]

By chewy do you mean more cake-like, by any chance?  There are a couple of ways to achieve a more cake-like cookie (a pinch more baking soda is one) , also, although I'm sure this wasn't how your grandmother achieved it, if you mix up the dough and then fridge it for 20-24 hours, that also yields a cookie that spreads less and is less crispy. 

 

Also, are you lining your baking sheet with parchment, a silicone mat or greasing it?  Does it have a rim or a is it flat? 

 

So the answer isn't likely in the recipe, but rather in how long the dough rests, whether or not baking soda is used in a higher ratio....or there's another method I haven't tried that suggests using some baking soda and some baking powder (again, haven't tried that one on Chocolate chip cookies).  

 

The best results I've gotten are from chilled dough, rimmed sheet, parchment paper and then let the cookies cool on a wire rack and then stored in a tupperware container.  

 

One last thing (I swear to god) if by "chewy" you mean "soft as opposed to hardened and dried"  ....there's a really old wive's trick (remember me and the Oklahoma Church Ladies story) to keep cookies soft (also works for brown sugar)....put a half a slice of white bread in the storage container with them.  Sounds nuts, I don't know how it works or what the reason is (but I'm sure it has to do with water molecules and dispersal and other things that I only ever barely passed in the first place back in the day), however, it does work.  This I know because I've tried it :-)  

Edited October 25, 2014 by stillshimpy

[emma675]

Thanks, stillshimpy!

 

I use a rimmed baking sheet, but no parchment paper. I will try the extra baking soda and chilling the dough the next time, I've never tried those before.

[stillshimpy]

You're welcome :-)  Since it does turn out to be about texture, here you go.  I read this when it was published.  An article that will tell you how to achieve the exact type of chocolate chip cookie you desire.  

 

I'm not kidding, it's a comprehensive and well-researched article.  Have fun :-) 

[photo fox]

Yes, chilling the dough makes a HUGE difference for chocolate chip cookies. Basically it prevents the dough from "melting" as soon as it hours the hot oven, resulting in a thicker cookie that has less surface area to dry out.

Also, remove them from the oven as soon as the bottoms have even a HINT of browning. This will prevent over-baking, which is a sure route to crunchy cookies. Leave them on the cookie sheet for about five minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. The bottoms will finish crisping from the heat of the cookie sheet, while the rest of the cookie is spared the punishing dry heat of the oven.

[EllieH]

I'm not sure if I'm looking for a recipe or just an idea here... a friend and I are co-hosting a girl's night/ wine tasting party later this month, and providing some appetizers to go along with the wine.  I was thinking I'd like to have a non-alcoholic option besides water available, any ideas of something that might pair well with wine?

[ALenore]

For an appetizer to go with the wine, here's a recipe for some parmesan crackers that go great with wine: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/10/dining/temptation-delicious-deception-to-go-with-wine.html   For drinks, I did a party last year where I served Crow's Nests http://www.drinksmixer.com/drinkvw16383.html  which is just orange juice, cranberry juice (2:1 ratio), and a splash of grenadine . 

[DeLurker]

 

I was thinking I'd like to have a non-alcoholic option besides water available, any ideas of something that might pair well with wine?

If you are looking for alternatives, you might consider tea since there is such a broad array of options there or a dry cider might be good.  There's a restaurant in Copenhagen that offers a juice pairing.  You might try googling Noma or juice pairing to get some ideas as to what direction they go with it.

 

I happen to be ridiculously fond of Voss, a bottled water.  I don't have a taste for alcohol, but when I feel like having a liquid splurge, I go with Voss.

Edited November 4, 2014 by DeLurker

[stillshimpy]

I was thinking I'd like to have a non-alcoholic option besides water available, any ideas of something that might pair well with wine?

 

Some of these Mocktails look fantastic and there's a huge array of suggestions :-)   This one, in particular, looked like it might pair well with the same sort of things that wine does.  Seems like it would have an acidic edge to it without just being bitter.

 

Also, I've seen this in the health food section of regular grocery stores, and then I know natural markets tend to carry it too: cucumber soda.  It's not sweet and again, nice alternative to sparkling cider (which is super sweet).  

Edited November 4, 2014 by stillshimpy

[StatisticalOutlier]

One last thing (I swear to god) if by "chewy" you mean "soft as opposed to hardened and dried"  ....there's a really old wive's trick (remember me and the Oklahoma Church Ladies story) to keep cookies soft (also works for brown sugar)....put a half a slice of white bread in the storage container with them.  Sounds nuts, I don't know how it works or what the reason is (but I'm sure it has to do with water molecules and dispersal and other things that I only ever barely passed in the first place back in the day), however, it does work.  This I know because I've tried it :-)  

 

I've done it, too, many years ago.  I recall, though, that if the bread touched a cookie, the cookie got really soggy in the contact area.  I think I put the bread on waxed paper or something to keep it separate, but I also wondered if there was a market for a cage-like device (like what silverware holders in dishwashers are made of) to isolate the bread.

 

I did notice that the bread got really dried out as the cookies stayed moist, so I'm sure it has something to do with water molecules.  Maybe it's the same reason people put a cracker in a sugar shaker?

[Princess Sparkle]

This is a ridiculous request, but here goes....does anyone have a good, basic chocolate chip cookie recipe that results in chewy cookies, not crisp ones? I love the taste of my Grammy's chocolate chip cookie recipe, but the cookies always get crisp and crunchy in a matter of hours. Hers uses no butter, just Crisco, so that may be part of it, but I've never found a recipe that results in good chewy cookies.

These chocolate chip cookies are, honest to god, the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made in my life - super chewy, and if I ever bring them to work, they are gone within an hour.  I think the key is the bread flour mixed with cake flour; it makes them extra chewy.  It does take some advance prep though, since you're supposed to chill them for a day.

 

I need a good recipe for hummus. I want it to be a spicy hummus, with spicy red pepper. I prefer my hummus to be creamy rather than chunky, and every recipe I've tried has turned out to be just awful. Any help would be appreciated. (I have a disease called gastroparesis that allows me to only eat small quantities of lean protein at a time, around 400 calories of solid food a day, and hummus is one of the only things that I can hold down, but damn is it getting expensive!) So a good spicy red pepper hummus recipe would be tops, and maybe, if you are being extra nice, a good falafel recipe too.

I know this is WAY after you asked for it, but a really good spicy hummus recipe that I've made is Oh She Glows Buffalo hummus.  It's damn near close to my grandma's family recipe for hummus, just with roasted red peppers and buffalo sauce added.  One tip to keep it smooth: if you're using canned chickpeas, I'd take the time to remove the "skins" from them.  It'll take you maybe an extra 10 minutes, but it's totally worth it, because it makes the hummus really smooth.  I do the same thing when I'm making roasted chickpeas.

Edited November 6, 2014 by Princess Sparkle

[sunshinelover]

I bought a whole bunch of ground turkey on sale at Costco and now I'm not too sure what to do with it all...I've thought of tacos, adding to pasta, sloppy joes or chili.  I was thinking of trying something new though!

[BizBuzz]

Ok, believe it or not, I had a last minute request for Lime Jello Salad - with pineapple and cottage cheese?  Anyone have a good recipe for it?  No nuts please, and I am not trusting what I am finding on allrecipes.com (mayo?).

 

HELP!!!

[annzeepark914]

Don't they call it Seafoam Salad? or something like that.  It's pale green (that's all I remember + it's delicious).  Don't have a recipe for it, though...sorry!

[BizBuzz]

Don't they call it Seafoam Salad? or something like that.  It's pale green (that's all I remember + it's delicious).  Don't have a recipe for it, though...sorry!

 

Close, but no cigar, just looking up recipes for Seafoam Salad, it wis made with pears, not pineapple.  :(

 

They specifically said crushed pineapple. Thanks for trying!

[annzeepark914]

http://www.cooks.com/recipe/xx18p102/cottage-cheese-lime-jello-salad.html

[BizBuzz]

http://www.cooks.com/recipe/xx18p102/cottage-cheese-lime-jello-salad.html

 

That must be it, thanks!

[Mindymoo]

I bought a whole bunch of ground turkey on sale at Costco and now I'm not too sure what to do with it all...I've thought of tacos, adding to pasta, sloppy joes or chili.  I was thinking of trying something new though!

I substitute ground turkey for ground beef all of the time now. It's way easier for me to digest with my gastroparesis, and it's healthier and leaner. Have you tried turkey burgers? I make mine with an egg, cilantro, onion, garlic salt and pepper. Put them on a bun with your usual burger toppings, or with some guacamole, and they're delicious. I also make meatloaf with it, and you can't tell the difference.

[DeLurker]

When I was a kid my Mom would make eggrolls for me & my brothers using ground beef. Use ground turkey, season with sesame/soy/diced green onions, add a boatload of veggies...

[DeLurker]

I don't need a recipe just a place to whine about how unfair life in the kitchen can be.

My Mom is a very very good cook but uses recipes for nothing nor does she measure anything along the way. She can cook a great meal for 2 or 30 and she magically knows how to increase/decrease her recipes so they taste consistent no matter how much she makes.

She also can tell exactly how big a container you need for leftovers. I am forever under or over estimating so end up using a container too big or too small.

She loves me but I know she wonders how her flesh & blood could be so inept at things that require no thought for her. I wonder that too.