JANUARY 2015 RECIPE GAME.........TO NEW BEGINNINGS

I'm making this white chocolate baba-ghannouj recipe for a chocolate cook-off later this month:

• 8 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
• 4 eggplant (medium, sliced in half lengthwise)
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2/3 cup tahini
• 4 ozs white chocolate (melted and cooled) ? Tasty tip
• 2 tbsps chopped parsley (finely)
• 11/2 tsps ground cumin
• 11/2 tsps paprika
• kosher salt
• ground black pepper
• pomegranate seeds (for garnish)
• pita bread (Toasted, for serving)
• Next ingredient: capers

Shrimp Deviled Eggs

6 extra-large hard-boiled eggs, cooled (I ALWAYS USE LARGE)

6 large shrimp

3 teaspoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (I PREFER HORSERADDISH MUSTARD)

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon capers, drained and finely chopped

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Tabasco sauce, to taste (I USE CAYENNE PEPPER SAUCE)

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill (I USE DILL PICKLES ADDED IN)

Directions:

1

Place the shrimp in a small saucepan with enough water to cover; bring to a boil, remove from the heat and let stand 1 minute. Drain, add cold water to cover and let stand 5 minutes.

2

Carefully peel the shells from the eggs. Cut the eggs in half lengthwise; place the yolks in a mixing bowl and reserve the whites.

3

Shell, de-vein, and chop the shrimp finely, then add to the egg yolks.

4

Add the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, capers, parsley and Tabasco and mash the mixture with a fork until smooth.

5

Fill the whites with equal amounts of the mixture and sprinkle dill over the tops. (I USE A SLICE OF GREEN OLIVE)

NEXT INGREDIENT: MAYONNAISE

Happy New Year, all!

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Mix

1/2 Cup dry buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt or regular salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 & 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
2 teaspoons dried onion flakes or dried chives, or up to 1 Tablespoon
1 Tablespoon dried parsley

* Whisk together in a small bowl. Put in jar & keep refrigerated.

* To reconstitute for dressing:
Into about 1 Cup mayo, slowly add milk until you reach the consistency you'd like. Too much milk will make it too thin.
* Whisk in dressing mix, starting with about 1 Tablespoon, taste & increase from there, if necessary.
If you'd like more tang, drizzle in a tiny bit of white vinegar or lemon juice. Start small - like 1/4 teaspoon.
* To use as dip, stir dressing mix into sour cream or plain yogurt.

The mixture can also be used in lieu of flour when dredging chicken before breading, etc.

Next ingredient: any syrup; maple, corn, cane, 'simple' - your choice

I am sooooo sorry that my starting post has such a LARGE picture......But I hope you feel my sentiments.......

SYRUP

Maple-Rosemary Parker House Rolls

1cup(s) whole milk

1package(s) (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast

3tablespoon(s) pure maple syrup

4tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1sprig(s) chopped fresh rosemary

1tablespoon(s) chopped fresh rosemary

2 3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoon(s) kosher salt

Oil, for the bowl and pan

1teaspoon(s) sea salt flakes

Directions

in a small microwave-safe bowl, heat the milk until warm to the touch. Stir in the yeast and 1 tablespoon maple syrup and let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop 3 tablespoons butter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the chopped rosemary, flour, and kosher salt. Make a well in the center and add the milk mixture and chopped butter. using a wooden spoon, gently stir just until incorporated (the mixture will look shaggy). Transfer to a lightly foured work surface and knead until smooth, 5 to 6 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place and let rise until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes. Lightly oil an 8- or 9-inch round cake pan. Cut the dough into 16 pieces, lightly roll into balls and arrange in the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the remaining tablespoons butter. Gently brush the tops of the rolls with butter; bake until puffed and lightly golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons maple syrup and rosemary sprig over medium-low heat until barely simmering. Remove from the heat.

When the rolls are done, discard the rosemary sprig. Brush the syrup over the rolls and sprinkle with faked salt.

NEXT INGREDIENT: PURE BUTTER

COFFEE BLONDE BROWNIES

1 lb. Dark Brown Sugar (I use 1/2 light and 1/2 dark)
3/4 Cup Butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 Tblsp. Strong Instant Coffee Powder
1 Tblsp. Hot Water
2 Eggs
2 Tblsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Cups AP Flour
2 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Cup Chopped Pecans
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bits (I used Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chips)
1 Cup Heath Bar Bits (Optional...but I love them)

1. Heat the brown sugar and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts; Dissolve the coffee powder in hot water, stirring well and add to mixture, again stirring well. Let cool to room temp.

2. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 13x9" glass baking dish.

3. When the brown sugar/butter mixture is cool, beat the eggs & vanilla extract into the mixture with a hand mixer.

4. Sift flour, baking powder & salt together; gradually stir into sugar mixture with a wooden spoon. Then add pecans, chocolate chips & Heath bits, mixing well.

5. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish. Bake approx. 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake. Brownies may be gooey in the middle, but that's okay.

6. Cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cut into squares and serve.

NEXT INGREDIENT: RICOTTA CHEESE

Call it an olive and I am there......... Here is the recipe as noted, but I use a plastic zip loc bag in place of pastry bag........

Italian Fried Olives

Ingredients

1 -ounce Gorgonzola cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup ricotta cheese, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

20 pitted green olives, rinsed and dried thoroughly

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

Special equipment: a pastry bag, a plain tip with a 1/4-inch opening

In a small bowl, combine the cheeses, thyme, and lemon zest. Place the cheese mixture into the pastry bag. Pipe the cheese mixture into each olive.

Place the flour in a small bowl. Pour the beaten egg in another small bowl and the bread crumbs in a third small bowl. Dredge the olives in the flour. Using a slotted spoon, remove the olives and place in the bowl with the beaten egg. Coat the olives with the egg and transfer to the bowl of bread crumbs. Coat the olives with the bread crumbs.

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour in enough oil to fill the pan about 1/3of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 350 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in a couple of minutes.) Fry the olives, in batches, for 30 to 45 seconds until golden brown. Drain the fried olives on paper towels. Cool for 5 minutes.

NEXT INGREDIENT: LEFT OVER HAM

Happy New Year, everyone. This recipe is so good. I, however, don't put the peas in as one of my quirks is that I like peas served just as peas, maybe with some mushrooms, but not mixed in casseroles. I have no idea where that came from. I, also, think of them as being a carb food, so tend to serve them when there are not so many other carbs, just another quirk of mine. Enjoy this with or without the peas, please.

Baked Rigatoni with Ham, Mushrooms, and Peas

3 oz, 1 c, uncooked dried rigatoni
3 T Land O Lakes® Butter
1 1/2 c fresh mushrooms, halved
1/3 c chopped onion
3 T all-purpose flour
2/3 c Land O Lakes® Half & Half
1/2 c chicken broth
3/4 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz, 1 1/2 c, cubed cooked ham
1 c frozen peas
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/8 t pepper

Cook rigatoni according to package directions. Drain; set aside.

Heat oven to 350 deg F.

Meanwhile, melt butter in 3-quart saucepan; stir in mushrooms and onion. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until onion is softened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium; stir in flour until smooth and bubbly, 1 minute. Stir in half and half and broth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and all remaining ingredients.

Spoon cooked rigatoni into ungreased 2-quart casserole. Add sauce; stir gently to coat. Cover; bake 15 minutes. Stir; sprinkle top with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Cover; continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through. Makes 4 servings

Rondell @ qvc recipe swap

next ingredient: canned tomatoes

I made this recently and it has a very rich beefy flavor. (tiny2)

Steak Soup (Vegetable Beef Soup) From Gimmesomeoven.com
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: 6-10 cups of soup
Ingredients
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. sirloin steak, or beef stew meat (or whatever lean steaks are on sale!), cut into about 1" cubes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 lb. potatoes (choose your favorite - Russet, Yukon, red, etc.), diced and peeled (optional)
• 8 cups low-sodium beef stock (or more if you like lots of broth)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Italian seasonings
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. seasoned salt (yep!!)
• lots of freshly-ground black pepper
• salt to taste
Method
In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add half the steak and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 2 minutes. Remove the steak with a slotted spoon. Repeat with another tablespoon of oil and the remaining steak, and remove the steak similarly once it is cooked.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, celery and potatoes, and continue sautéing for another 3 minutes.
Add the next seven ingredients (beef stock through seasoned salt) and the cooked steak to the pot, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot with a spoon to dislodge any brown bits from cooking the steak. Reduce the heat, cover pot, and simmer for 1-2 hours (the more the merrier - especially for tenderizing the meat and seasoning the broth). Just before serving, season with salt and lots of freshly-ground black pepper. Then serve.
Ali’s Tip:
Other fun additions to this soup would be:
• a flour+butter roux if you’d like to thicken it up
• Other favorite veggies (corn, green beans, okra, beans, etc.)
• 1/2 cup of red wine
• chopped fresh parsley for a garnish

Next ingredient: cream cheese