What's cooking?

I made English muffin bread yesterday. It turned out well, but was a pain trying to get out of the pans.

Tonight, I'm going out to eat but I think it's meatloaf tomorrow night.

Tuna casserole for dinner tonight.

I made Yellow Chicken for dinner this week. It was supposed to be Trinidad Chicken, but I didn't have any paprika. So it just looked yellow. My 14 year old looked at it and asked if she could just have salad for dinner. 'At least try it!' I said. 'Think of it as Yellow Chicken. You like Orange Chicken.' 'Yeah, but there's no fruit called Yellow.' But she did try it and like it.

http://chocolateandotherfoodgroups.blogspot.com/2009/05/yellow-chicken.html

My husband got a ice cream maker that hooks up to my Kitchenaid Mixer. So we've been trying different recipes all month. Tonight I think we found a winner. It was raspberry custard ice cream. So rich and yummy! 5 egg yolks, so no wonder it was good.

Tonights menu includes fried whole catfish, stewed okra and tomatoes and jalapeno cornbread. I received an ice cream maker for my birthday. I'm thinking about a watermelon sorbet as my first attempt at a frozen dessert.

Yum! It all sounds good, Dmoorela. Where do you live? I'm guessing the south somewhere. My husband and I are both from the south, but here in Utah it seems that people don't have any idea what okra is! We tried to grow some in our garden one year, but didn't get enough to cook.

I definitely live in the South, south Louisiana. Okra is a staple here. It grows so prolifically this time of year it is hard to pick it frequently enough. The pods grow so fast that if you are not careful they transform from tender to inediblely fiborous in a single day. Okra freezes very well so having it available year round ensures a good gumbo on cold and damp January evenings.

Summer fun - and I am up to my elbows in apricots! Right off the tree, and they smell so yummy! I'm making fruit leather with some of the bruised ones and cooking some others for dessert tonight.

Just got a bummer postcard from my local wild blueberry farmer- no blueberries this year---she didn't say why, but weather and the economy are probably the contributors. I was looking forward to 'puttin' up' some next week when Cheli comes to visit.

Now I'll have to scavenge up a new farm.

That is too bad! I love blueberries.

Darn... I like blueberry jam......bummer!

Making whole wheat bread today.

aah..we had just a tad of cooler weather here near Atlanta this week-end. Just enough for me to want home-made soup. I made Tomato, white Bean, Bacon Soup Friday and then a beef stew with tomatoes & Balsamic Vinegar today.

I tried out my new English cottage pie recipe last night and it turned out really well. This is a ground beef/onion/herb dish that it covered in mashed potato and baked.

mstrust, sounds like something my 23 old son makes from time to time calling it Shepherd's Pie. I think he adds carrots & peas though. That would be a nice dish for cooler afternoons here as well.

I am feeling sick and miserable with a super sore throat. I think it's time for some chicken soup.

BONS- both are traditional British dishes and use many of the same ingredients, though Shepherd's Pie calls for a combination of beef and lamb and usually has a pastry crust on top, though I have seen it covered in potato. It may differ from north to south. Whichever, it's good and the meat and veg are all in one dish.

mstrust - I'm English and have NEVER heard or seen shepherds pie with anything other than mashed potato! I guess it must be a USAnian variation. Also, it is made with lamb/mutton, since that would have been the only meat available to the shepherd. I am less certain if cottage pie can correctly contain any minced meat, not just beef (though that is usual).

But to add to your distinction between Shepherd's and Cottage, I will add Cumberland Pie, which is basically a cottage pie with grated cheese added on top of the mashed potato.

Over here, I have been experimenting with the tomatilloes I have in the greenhouse. They are completely unknown this side of the Atlantic, but seem to grow well here now we have warmer summers. Last weekend I tried a recipe from Epicurious for Salmon with Tomatillo Coulis, which I served with new potatoes. It was absolutely delicious! Inspired me to make a chicken stew with sweet potato and tomatillo sauce, which I served over rice, which was also good. Can anyone suggest a good/easy way of freezing my excess?

I'm sure everyone has their own version of a dish that is so ingrained in a culture. In America every Southern state swears by their own BBQ. But every Shepard's Pie I've ever had has a pastry crust, and I lived in the U.K. (briefly) many years ago. Now, combining sweet potatos and tomatillo-that's one I've never heard of! But I guess it would be that spicy/sweet flavor like black pepper in the cake batter.

Last night I steamed up some shrimp and then realized that I didn't have any cocktail sauce. SO, I improvised and developed my own cocktail sauce, and it was pretty good!

That would be a handy thing to have. If you don't mind me asking, what did you use?

I made chicken & dressing for a lovely fall dish this week-end.

I made my first pumpkin pie of the season last night.

I love pumpkin pie! I made oatmeal cookies. They were yummy!

Last night I made Butternut bisque. I learned how to make it about two months ago and now I'm using all different squashes. My counter is covered in 5 or 6 different kinds right now.

That sounds soooo good. I love soup.

Thai Red Curry Paste
yield: Makes about 1 cup



Ingredients
17 to 20 (2- to 3-inch-long) prik haeng (dried hot red chiles), halved and seeds discarded
4 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 fresh lemongrass stalks, 1 or 2 outer leaves discarded (or use reserved bottoms from iced lemongrass tea, page 160)
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
4 teaspoons finely chopped peeled fresh or thawed frozen greater galangal (sometimes called kha)
6 (4-inch-long) fresh or frozen Kaffir lime leaves (sometimes called bai makroot), finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro roots or stems
5 small shallots, chopped (6 tablespoons)
1/4 cup chopped garlic
15 to 20 (1-inch-long) red prik kii noo (fresh bird's-eye chiles) or serrano chiles, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ga-pi (Thai shrimp paste)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Special equipment: a large (2-cup) mortar and pestle (preferably granite) or a mini food processor


Preparation
Cut dried chiles into 1/4-inch pieces with kitchen shears and soak in warm water until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain well in a sieve.

While chiles soak, toast coriander in a dry small heavy skillet over moderate heat, shaking skillet, until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes, then cool. Thinly slice lower 6 inches of lemongrass stalks and finely chop.

Finely grind coriander and peppercorns with mortar and pestle (or in mini food processor), about 2 minutes, then toss together with lemongrass, galangal, lime leaves, cilantro, shallot, garlic, fresh chiles, and soaked dried chiles in a bowl. Pound mixture in 3 batches with mortar and pestle until a fairly smooth paste is formed, 8 to 10 minutes per batch, transferring to cleaned bowl. (If using food processor, add about 1 1/2 tablespoons water per batch.) Return all of curry paste to mortar, then add shrimp paste and salt and pound (or pulse) until combined well, about 1 minute.

Thai-Style Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry
yield: Serves 2; can be doubled

Spoon this over rice noodles or linguine, and have a crisp coleslaw of bean sprouts, shredded cabbage and slivered red bell pepper alongside.

Ingredients
2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste or 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large Japanese eggplants, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
4 ounces green beans, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Preparation
Stir chicken and curry paste in medium bowl to coat. Set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplant and green beans. Stir-fry until eggplant begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon oil and chicken mixture to skillet. Stir-fry until chicken begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add coconut milk; simmer until beans are tender, chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. Sprinkle with basil.

I just made these cookies for my daughter, since she is in the hospital and she loves them.

Anise Cookies

1 3/4 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. anise seeds
1/2 c. shortening or margarine
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine dry ingredients. In large bowl, cream shortening and add sugar, egg, and vanilla. Gradually blend in dry ingredients. Roll by tablespoons into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes.