Recipe Central

OK. I know a lot of us love food. And love cooking. Our dear Pacho has gotten me thinking about recipe exchanging. So my question is...what are the specialties around your place? What things do you make an interesting way or have you invented? What are the meals you go back to again and again? Share them with us.

As I wrote in response to his diary, we decided to try making a grilled salami and provolone sandwich. SO tasty.

And our favorite pizza to make at home is a white pizza with garlic, sliced tomatoes, mushrooms, mozzarella, artichoke hearts, and romano. And olive oil on top.

Oh and our favorite quick and easy side dish is to steam cubed red potatoes until tender, then put butter and romano cheese on them. Surprisingly tasty and satisfying.

Oh, and I fully expect to see Nate, Chris, PaulR, PaulM, and PaulB contributing! :)

I would... but.. I don't use recipes.

How about this...
Tell me what you have for ingredients, and I'll tell you what I'd make from them.
:D

Well I'm not talking recipe recipes here...we don't use many either. I'm just saying stuff you throw together often and find tasty and would like to teach us to make! :) MINE aren't actual recipes!

Hmm....usually the only time I use recipes are for baked goods (cookies, quick breads, etc.), but mainly for the dough base.� I typically then add whatever fits my mood at whim as far as spices/extras goes.��For cookies, my speciality tends to be oatmeal raisin.� I mix in half quick oats and half regular oats, and throw in extra cinammon, some nutmeg, and a pinch of ginger.� I also have been making chocolate chip peanut butter chip peanut butter cookies, which have turned out very yummy and disappear really quickly at my house.

Most of the dishes that I tend to make are pasta based.� My favorite quick and easy thing to make is spaghetti with pesto sauce and chicken.� I also toss in a few onions, green peppers, and if I remember to get them, sundried tomatoes.� I use pesto either from a mix or jar when I'm�very lazy.� Though I guess I could just make a lot of pesto and just freeze it for later use.

I also do stuffed shells filled with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmasean cheeses, as well as a lasagna made with sausage, spinach, and the requisite cheeses.� The great thing about good lasagna is that�you have lunch for�the week! :)

There is one�dish that I wish I could remember the ingredients for...My friend Charlotte had this recipe for some killer black bean burgers that had jalapenos in them...I made them once for my AmeriCorps team and they were super yummy.� Just remember that when you quadruple the amount of black beans, you also have to add the equivalent amount of canned bread crumbs..though slightly burnt toast crushed in a blender make�a�very nice substitute�(ah, the trials of cooking for 16 people...very fun!). :)

Tuna Casserole:

Assemble the following ingredients: up to a pound of pasta, (preferable shells or radiatore or elbows), a can of cream of shroom soup, a can of tuna, cheddar cheese, and (optionally) milk.

Cook the pasta.

Either in a saucepan, double boiler, or just in a bowl combine the soup, drained tuna, some of the cheddar cheese and (if you're using it,) milk.

Heat slowly and stir to combine everything and to melt the cheese.

Mix with pasta in a baking dish.

Either stir in chunks or shavings of cheese, or else put some on top. Make sure that the wet stuff is well mixed with the pasta, especially on top.

Stick the baking dish in the oven (somewhere between 350 and 400, I'm not picky) and bake until it looks right. The cheese should melt, and the top should crust over a bit.

Yeah... this is comfort food from my childhood.

One of my favorites is a portabello mushroom sandwich with roasted peppers.

Grill portabello mushroom caps. On your sadwich bun (I recommend a seeded kaiser roll), add a mayo spread of dill weed and garlic salt. Top with the roasted peppers, mushroom cap, and a slice of alpine lace swiss cheese. Put the sammich under the broiler in the oven for a minute to melt the cheese and complete it.

I find that I've been getting more inspiration from Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals show on Food Network. Between her and Alton Brown (Good Eats), I've been keeping my tummy very happy.

Oh, and I've got strawberry and bluberry sorbets in my freezer right now. Anyone want to come over for dessert?

Oh yeah... Cajun Oven Fries. (Baked. Not fried!)

From a special episde of 30 minute meals where Rachel Ray had her own father on the show as a specal guest.

"Eine halbe Tasse Staubzucker Ein Viertel Teel�ffel Salz Eine Messerspitze t�rkisches Haschisch Ein halbes Pfund Butter Ein Teel�ffel Vanillenzucker Ein halbes Pfund Mehl Einhundertf�nfzig Gramm gemahlene N�sse Ein wenig extra Staubzucker ... und keine Eier In eine Sch�ssel geben Butter einr�hren Gemahlene N�sse zugeben und Den Teig verkneten Augenballgro�e St�cke vom Teig formen Im Staubzucker w�lzen und Sagt die Zauberw�rter Simsalbimbamba Saladu Saladim Auf ein gefettetes Backblech legen und Bei zweihundert Grad f�r f�nfzehn Minuten backen und KEINE EIER Bei zweihundert Grad f�r f�nfzehn Minuten backen und Keine Eier"

Let's see who understands sine translator.

And who can recognize the quote.

Basilikumwinterendivieparmesank�segarnele sprizt Phasenhummerhamster worchester muenster Kaviar radicchio Schneeerbse scampi Roquefortfleisch blaue Rindfleisch rote Alarmschweinefleisch hocs Gruyere-K�se angelhair suppe der seitlichen Flankekantalupeschafschaft Provolon flatbread Ziege Hauptbitte und ein vichyssoise und einen Kohl und Greifer eines Panzerkrebses.

chicken with leeks, garlic, ginger, asparagus...

cook the chicken, add the leeks and garlic and ginger and asparagus, add a little water to grab the juices that have stuck to the sides,

at this point I add some lime or lemon, or white wine... if there's a lot of sauce, and it's really runny--I'll sometimes add a little cornstarch (mix with cold water to make a paste first) to thicken.

This goes well with rice, pasta or in crepes.