Fun Food & Fried Haggis

Do you have a recipe that you want to share? Please do! Family favorite? Something new? Great vegetarian dish? Come on in my “kitchen” and share! I’ll try to post some fun food things here from time to time.

Here’s a really yummy cookie recipe. My friend Kristin Hicks gave it to me when we were stationed here together from 1995-1998. I’d like to try substituting stevia and molasses for the sugar sometime, but for now it’s very high in fiber. And as Chris says, “It is supposed to be a COOKIE!”

Peanut Butter Jumbos

oven 350 degrees F

1/2 c. butter

1 c. Br. Sugar

1 c. sugar

1 1/2 c PB (I use Smucker’s natural, no sugar)

3 eggs

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

4  1/2 c uncooked oats

1 c. choc. chips

Cream eggs, butter, PB until light, blend soda, vanilla, oats & flour until mixed. Stir in chips. Scoop out 1/3 cup fulls. Bake 15-20 minutes until center is firm.

January 27-

Tryin’ out something new –

We ended up with 4 bunches of celery at our house! I suppose that’s what happens when you have 6 people helping with the produce  shopping! So today for lunch I’m trying out this recipe: (I don’t have cream or sherry so I’ll use milk & I’m going to add a potato in place of the flour for thickening.)

CREAM OF CELERY SOUP
On to another satisfying soup – a simple creation, but rich in texture and flavor.
5 cups minced celery and leaves
2 cups chicken stock
1 slice onion
2 tablespoons. butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cup milk
1 cup cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Dry sherry, optional

Combine celery, chicken stock and 2 cups boiling water in saucepan; simmer until celery is tender. Saute onion in butter; blend in flour. Stir in milk; cook, stirring, until thick. Add celery mixture and cream; season with salt and pepper. Process in electric blender until smooth or use a hand-held immersion blender. Reheat to serve. Dry sherry, to taste, may be added to each bowl.

(If you have any great vegetarian soup recipes please share!) Last week I made a Thai squash and cabbage soup and served it with brown rice. It was delicious!)

Week of December 6, 2010:

So……..COME ON LADIES! Do you have a great, yummy, healthy vegetable soup, casserole, or a salad to share? My Dad-in-law was the first to post a recipe here! He even beat me to it! I can’t wait to try his cranberry beer bread! Anyway, I know you are good cooks. So, won’t you share?! Maybe the next recipe will be from my brother Mark!? I’ve heard that he’s a great cook; maybe he’s got a great recipe for venison stew.

Stuck in a rut menu-wise? I start feeling like that in the winter. I love salads, but the fresh vegetables seem not-so fresh this time of year. Tossed salads seemed bland. What are your favorite winter vegetable recipes/dishes? My family has been enjoying roasted veggies lately. I like to cook different ethnic cuisines, Turkish/Mediterranean, Italian, Thai and Asian-fusion are some of my favorites. I try to use vegetables that accompany that night’s theme. We enjoy roasted onions, zucchini, red bell peppers, eggplant and garlic, topped with a squeeze of lemon juice and homemade garlic yogurt sauce (Greek yogurt, water and crushed garlic). I like to serve that with Turkish style grilled chicken or Adana kebap. (This recipe link is lacking the Salca that I am used to.)

I made an Asian roasted cauliflower a week or two ago. Sound interesting? Or gross? Well, we thought that it was delicious! Here’s the recipe:

Oven Roasted Asian Cauliflower

Recipe courtesy Melissa Lane

Prep Time:5 min

Cook Time:20 min

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or 1 1/2 TBSP oil and 1 1/2 TBSP of mayo)
• 1 tablespoon(or more) of Lee Kum Kee Chili garlic paste (or substitute crushed/minced fresh garlic and 1 tablespoon favorite hot sauce) 
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp ginger (optional)
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• Salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Whisk together the oil/mayo, garlic paste, soy sauce, ginger in a small bowl. (All of these measurements are approximations-adjust to your preferences.)

Place cauliflower in a medium baking dish and toss with the flavored oil and season with salt. Roast until lightly golden brown and just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot.

(I used one head of cauliflower and everyone wished that I had made two! I served it with grilled chicken, steamed rice and a tossed salad with a ginger dressing.)

Week of November 29, 2010:

Here’s a question for you:

Have you ever tried Haggis? Do you know what’s in it? What other “exotic” things have you tried?