Becky's Beef Mole Recipe

A winner. This stuff is tasty.
Adapted from A Year of Crockpotting.

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs meat (I used frozen bottom round)
1/2 cup raw slivered almonds
1 dry red chili pod
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp anise seeds
1 cinnamon stick
1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes (and juice)
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
1/4 cup tequila (or white wine or apple juice or rum)
2 oz unsweetened chocolate (I used leftover bittersweet chocolate with espresso beans in it)
1 cup water
salt to taste

Prep:
Use a 5-6 quart crockpot. Toast the almonds in a pan or toaster pan and set aside.

Put the meat your going to use into the crockpot. Cover with everything else.

Add the toasted nuts and cover up. Cook on low for about 8 hours. About 6 hours in, shred meat with forks. Salt to taste. Serve with rice or tortillas.

Ivria's Momma's Banana Bread

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

3-4 over-ripe bananas

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

2 eggs

2/3 cups butter or crisco

1 2/3 cup flour

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/4 t baking powder

Optional (but highly recommended!) - chopped walnuts/chocolate chips

Directions:

Blend ingredients together in order listed above. Bake in greased pan. Bake @ 350 for 25-45 min. (less in a ring, more in a loaf pan)

Tara's Pumpkin Mess

A cheesy pumpkin and bread fondue... Deelish. From epicurious.

Ingredients:

• 1 (15-inch) piece of baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices (7 ounces total)
• 1 (7-pound) orange pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 2 1/2 cups coarsely grated Gruyère (6 ounces)
• 2 1/2 cups coarsely grated Emmental (6 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Prep:
Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lower third.

Toast baguette slices in 1 layer on a baking sheet in oven until tops are crisp (bread will still be pale), about 7 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Remove top of pumpkin by cutting a circle (3 inches in diameter) around stem with a small sharp knife. Scrape out seeds and any loose fibers from inside pumpkin with a spoon (including top of pumpkin; reserve seeds for another use if desired). Season inside of pumpkin with 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Whisk together cream, broth, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Mix together cheeses in another bowl.

Put a layer of toasted bread in bottom of pumpkin, then cover with about 1 cup cheese and about 1/2 cup cream mixture. Continue layering bread, cheese, and cream mixture until pumpkin is filled to about 1/2 inch from top, using all of cream mixture. (You may have some bread and cheese left over.)

Cover pumpkin with top and put in an oiled small roasting pan. Brush outside of pumpkin all over with olive oil. Bake until pumpkin is tender and filling is puffed, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

Noah's Carrot and Coriander Salad

from A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes by David Tanis

Carrot and Coriander Salad ingredients:

2 lbs. carrots

Salt and pepper

1 large shallot, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, smashed to a paste with a little salt

2 tsp. cumin seeds, toasted and ground

2 tsp. coriander seeds, toasted and ground

Red pepper flakes (or cayenne)

Juice of 1 or 2 lemons

Olive oil

Limes

1 bunch cilantro

(Recipe also calls for Good green olives like Picholine or Lucques, but I think Noah omitted those)

1. Julienne the carrots and put into a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and toss.

2. Add shallot, garlic, cumin, coriander, red pepper, and lemon juice. Toss well and let the carrots soften.

3. Add olive oil to coat, adjust the seasoning with lemon juice, salt and pepper, and red pepper.

4. Cover and set aside at cool room temperature for up to several hours, or refrigerate and then return to room temperature to serve.

5. Toss the salad again to distribute seasoning. Squeeze on fresh lime juice and garnish with roughly chopped cilantro and lime wedges (and olives, if you use them).

6. Eat and eat.

Colorfest!

January 09. A new year. Time to get funky y'all, the theme was colors! No fake coloring allowed (Dani...). Lauren and Barman hosted this extravaganza, which brought back the competitive spirit, with extra-special medals. There was roasted pumpkin and cheese mess, gorgonzola gnocchi, white pizza, blueberry bread, banana bread, mole, plantains, carrot stuff, nutty brussel sprouts, and more...

Ivria's Eggplant Bruschetta

Ingredients:

• 1 whole Italian eggplant, sliced (1/4-inch thick), grilled until colored on both sides, roughly chopped
• 1 red onion, sliced (1/4-inch thick), grilled until brown on both sides, roughly chopped
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 (14-inch) baguette sliced, rubbed with garlic and toasted
• Olive oil
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Goat cheese
• Olives
  

Prep:
Combine eggplant, onion, and garlic. Spread on toasted baguette. Top with olive oil and salt and pepper, goat cheese and olives. MMmmmm

Indian Dinner

December, I'm pretty sure it was the coldest night ever. Another dinna club, but THIS night was unlike all the rest. Sort of. Our theme was Indian food, which was nice because everything really blended nicely. We were at Shosh and Eyal's. There was chicken curry, indian green beans, fried okra, mango lassi!, and much more. Heidi was sick but made it out anyway, nothin' better than indian spices to clear you out!

Jon's Maple-Mashed Sweet Potatoes

From epicurious.

Ingredients:

• 6 lb sweet potatoes
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Prep:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Prick each potato twice with a fork and bake in a foil-lined shallow baking pan in lower third of oven until very tender, about 1 hour. Remove and cool slightly.

Halve potatoes lengthwise and scoop out warm flesh into a large bowl. Mash potatoes with a potato masher or, for a smoother purée, force through a potato ricer. Stir in butter, cream, syrup, salt, and pepper.

Abba Ofrane's Brisket

ABBA’S BRISKET

MEAT:

1 Brisket “Thin-Cut” (not too fatty) - Each 2 lb. piece yields about 10-12 slices

INGREDIENTS (for each brisket piece):

3 large onions
1½ packets of Lipton onion soup
Orange juice (enough to fill about 1 inch of the pan)
Cheap red cooking or sweet wine (the cheapest you can find – I use Goya)
½ cup almonds OR ½ cup of walnuts OR both (according to your taste)
½ cup prunes
12x18 Aluminum pan (about 2-3 in. deep) – can be found at the supermarket
Heavy duty aluminum foil

PREPARATION:

Slice & sautee the onions until brown
Rinse the meat thoroughly
Lay the meat (FAT-SIDE DOWN) in the pan (2 pieces in each pan)
Pour the sautéed onions on top of the meat
Pour the onion soup on the meat
Pour about 1 inch of wine and 1 inch of OJ on top of the meat in the pan
If the meat is not submerged in liquid, add OJ and wine until to the top of the meat)
Cover the pan TIGHTLY with a double layer of aluminum foil.
Put in the oven on the top rack on “BAKE” at 325 degrees (375 if it’s an old or electric oven)

WHILE THE MEAT IS COOKING:

If using almonds:
Pour them in water and boil; then peel (the skin comes off very easily).
Roast the peeled almonds for about 15 minutes (keep working while they’re roasting)

3 hours later:

Turn the meat over
Pour the almonds/walnuts around the meat
Cover the pan TIGHTLY again
Put in the oven for another 45 minutes
Take out, uncover, and let cool
Refrigerate
After a few hours, slice the meat AGAINST THE GRAIN

SERVING:

Put about 1 inch of water with the prunes into a pot and bring to a boil. Keep on boil for another 3 minutes
Pour abut ½ inch of gravy in a 2-inch cooking pan
Place the sliced meat in the pan
Pour the prunes (and the water) on top of the meat
Pour the peeled almonds/walnuts in the pan
Fill the rest of the pan with gravy
Cover (VERY TIGHTLY!) with 2 layers of heavy duty tin foil
Bake in oven at 250 for about 1 hour
After an hour, check to see if the meat is cooked and the prunes carmelized
If not, leave in the oven at 200 for another 15 minutes.

Hughes Family Pecan Pie

This pecan pie will please any southern boy's mama.

1 c pecans (whole and pieces)
3 eggs
½ c butter
¼ c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c dark Karo syrup
1 t vanilla
Pinch of salt

Sprinkle pecans in bottom of unbaked pie crust. Melt butter. Mix eggs, butter, sugars, syrup, vanilla, and salt together well. Then pour into pie shell. Bake at 325 for 1 hour until almost set.