Fire Roasted Corn Chowder

Step 1: roast a bazillion ears of corn on a giant bonfire, in the water soaked husks, wrapped in tinfoil. The ears are done when the foil discolors. Eat your fill. Let the rest cool overnight on the picnic table. Reserve 4 for the chowder. Send the rest home with other families for their chowder.
Step 2: chip 1/2 cup of salt pork off a block. (Or use 2 slices good bacon)
Step 3: Cook in 2 tablespoons of butter with 1 onion.
Step 4: Add 1/2 cup bell better. (1/2 a huuuuuge pepper)
Step 5: peel the corn and cut the kernels off. Add 1 at a time to the pot.
Step 6: salt
Step 6: add 1 quart of broth, a few sprigs of thyme, and pepper. Boil for 5 minutes
Step 7: add milk, cream, 1/2 and 1/2, whatever dairy you have until it looks right.
Step 7: bring to boil.
Step 8: serve with pepper

Coconut Snowballs

1 c coconut (I use 50-50 sweetened-unsweetened) 
1 c flour
1 1/4 c powdered sugar (1/4 c only for dough)
Pinch salt
6 T butter, softened
1 t vanilla extract
4 t milk

Grind 1/2 c coconut in food processor. Chop remaining coconut and set aside.
Add flour, 1/4 c powdered sugar, and salt to food processor. Pulse to blend. Add butter and vanilla. Pulse until dough comes together.

Heat oven to 350F. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. Place balls 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 15 minutes (firm but pale). Cool completely.

Stir together remaining 1 c powdered sugar and milk to form a thick glaze. Dip cookies in glaze then roll in chopped coconut. Set aside to dry.

Makes 2 dozen. Prep 10 minutes, bake 
 15 minutes. 89 calories, 4 g fat, 12 g carbs per cookie.

Cherry-Pistachio Biscotti

Cherry-Pistachio Biscotti

2 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2.    c butter, softened
1/2.    c brown sugar
2.         eggs
1.        t vanilla extract
1/2.    c dried cherries, chopped
1/2.    c pistachios, chopped

Heat oven to 375F.  Cream butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs, 1 at a time.  Add vanilla.  Mix 1/2 flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add remaining flour. The dough may get hard to mix, kneed with hands if necessary.  Add cherries and nuts.

With floured hands, roll dough into 2 12 inch logs. Place on large cookie sheet.  Flatten logs slightly so each is 2-3 inches wide. Bake for 23 minutes or until lightly browned.

 Cool until you can handle logs. Reduce oven temperature to 325F. Cut logs into 1/2 inch thick slices on the bias (~16 per log).  Eat the weird stubby pieces from the ends. Place cut side down on cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes until golden.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen. Prep 15 minutes, bake 43 minutes total. 95 calories, 4 g fat, 13 g carbs per cookie.

Rice Crispie Treats (with or without peanut butter)

So, I know this recipe is usually on the box, but just in case you buy off brand rice crispies or whatever, here it is:

Basic Recipe
3 T butter
1 10 oz package marshmallows (mini's melt faster)
6 cups Rice Crispies

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add the marshmallows and stir until melted.  Turn off the heat and stir in the Rice Crispies.  Spread in a 13X9 or 8X8 for thicker treats pan.  (spray your hands with Pam to smooth the top)

Peanut Butter Chocolate
3 T butter
1 10 oz package marshmallows
1/2 c peanut butter
6 cups Cocoa Crispies

Melt the butter in a sacepan, stir in the marshmallows until melted.  Turn off the heat.  Stir in the peanut butter, then add the Cocoa Crispies and stir.  Pour into 13X9 or 8X8 pan and spread.

Chili Relleno

*4 Poblano Peppers
*3 eggs
*2 T Flour
*3 oz cheddar (slice or shred)
*3 oz monterey jack (slice or shred)
*Oil for frying
*toothpicks
*latex gloves

Separate whites from eggs. Beat whites to stiff peaks, quickly beat in flour, then fold in yolks. Refrigerate batter while prepping the peppers.
Heat oil in a skillet 1-3 inches deep.
Wash outside of peppers, then dry. Wear the latex gloves (or suffer the way I'm doing now). Slit on side lengthwise. Cut seeds from stem (keeping stem attached to peppers). Fill the peppers with the cheese. Slide the toothpicks across the peppers to close up the opening. You'll need 3-4 toothpicks for each pepper.
Dip the peppers in the batter, making sure they're covered. Slide peppers into oil, cook until golden brown. If the batter slid off the exposed side, and you have extra, carefully spoon some additional onto the peppers. Flip with tongs. Cook the bottom until golden.
Remove from oil and set on paper towels to collect spare oil until ready to serve.

Serve with Quick Cooked Salsa, Frijoles Negro, and rice.

I used the Chevy's Fresh Mex cookbook as my inspiration. But they don't used canned goods and I had to use what I had at hand. Also, Chevy's said to dredge the peppers with flour before dipping in the batter. This didn't work out, it created a dry layer that allowed the batter to slip off of the pepper. I actually had tremendous success with the method described above. It was my intention to mix some salsa into the rice, but I make compromises to feed my toddler, so I just used brown basmati with butter and salt.

To time the cooking, I started the rice, cooked all onions needed for meal. Reserved 1/2 onions for the beans. Made the salsa. Transfered the salsa to a covered dish. Made the beans in the salsa pop without rinsing it out (extra flavor). Then made the Chili Relleno last. The rice was done at the same time as the peppers.

quick cook salsa
frijoles negro

Quick Cooked Salsa

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion diced
1 pinch salt
1 clove garlic minced
3/4 carton cherry tomatoes
1 can diced chili peppers
1 can tomato paste
1 can water
1 t ground pepper
1 T chili powder
1 t ground cumin

Add olive oil to small saucepan. Add onions and salt and cook until soft. Add garlic and tomatoes then cook until tomatoes split open. Stir in remaining ingredients and cook until simmering.

Frijoles Negro

2 cans black beans
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 T olive oil
4 slices turkey bacon diced
1 t black pepper
1 T chilli powder
1 t cumin
1 pinch salt
Additional olive oil or water

Cook onion in olive oil until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Drain beans. Add remaining ingredients (except extra olive oil/water). Cook until sizzly. Puree with hand blender. Leave it chunky if you like it that way. Thin with olive oil or water to desired consistency.

Andrea's Mediterranean Layer Dip

• Hummus
• Greek Yogurt
• Diced roasted red pepper
• Chopped Fresh Spinach
• Kalamati Olives
• Feta Cheese
• Pita Chips
  

Spread hummus on a platter in a 1/2 inch layer.  Follow with a
layer of Greek Yogurt.  Then layer rest of ingredients (except
for the pita chips).  Scoop with the pita chips.

It's still yummy if you scoop the leftovers (what? Leftovers!?)
into a bowl and the layers get mixed up a bit.

This recipe shamelessly stolen from Andrea Kibalo.  I didn't
watch her make it, so the recipe is copied from what I saw on
my plate and may contain inaccuracies.

Yogurt

Ingredients:
Milk
Container of good quality PLAIN yogurt as a starter.

Heat milk on the stove. Heat to near boiling temperatures for standard yogurt. If you want a thicker yogurt, start a boil. Boiling evaporates some of the water, so it becomes thicker. Boiling probably also starts to caramelize the sugars for a richer taste. My recent batch I boiled and it was yummy.

Allow milk to cool to about 105 degrees. I suggest covering the pot and placing it in front of a fan to speed things up.

Stir in plain yogurt to start the culture. You could also buy starter cultures online, but store yogurt is easy.

Insulate the yogurt so it stays warm and let it sit over night (8-12 hrs). Here are some options:
Oven method A (my method). Turn on the oven for 5 minutes to let it warm up a bit, then turn it off. Most ovens won't hold a temp below 200F, and anything over 110F will kill your culture. You can load up the oven with your stoneware and cast iron to help it hold onto the heat.
Oven method B (my friend Brandon likes this one). Put your heating pad in the oven and turn it on.
Cooler method. Put the yogurt in a cooler and add a hot water bottle as a heat source.
You can wrap your pot in towels with any of these methods to add insulation.
If its summer, leave the yogurt outside (in the shade).

Ta-da. You now have yogurt. Pour it into appropriately sized containers and chill. Feel free to add fruit, honey, or whatever floats your boat.

Or make GREEK YOGURT. Line a colander with cheesecloth. Leave enough excess to fold over the top. Put the colander in a bowl to catch the whey. Leave it in the fridge for 8-24 hours to drain. Once its done, put it into sealed containers. I am on a Greek Yogurt kick. I like to put some granola in a bowl, layer with Greek Yogurt, then top with berries. If you drain for a long time, it will be very firm and some would call it "yogurt cheese". I haven't tried this.

What do you do with the whey? Well, I haven't started the test kitchen on this yet. I searched online and found suggestions to use it to cook grains and pasta, make bread, and mix back into the yogurt for extra protein (What's the point of that!?). I saved the whey, and maybe I'll toss it into the bread machine instead of water. I'm guessing it will make something that resembles sourdough.

Some matters of food safety. Use a new unopened container of yogurt as your starter. There is a small risk of contamination with nasties such as listeria if you don't. The experts recommend always starting with a fresh store bought container of yogurt (not from some leftover from your last batch). If you do use your own as a starter, store it in a separate container that remains unopened until you're ready to start a new batch and do not do this very long. Start with a fresh batch after a couple of tries. It's not worth the risk.

If you are wondering if its economical to make your own, here's what I noticed on my last batch. Expenses: 1/2 gallon milk. I used the local organic stuff, it was $2.50. 1 carton yogurt. I used high quality greek yogurt at $1.19 a carton. Cheese cloth. I had this sitting in the pantry for 5 years, so I can't quote a cost. This made 1/2 gallon of standard plain yogurt. I strained it for Greek yogurt and ended up with 1 quart of yogurt and 1 quart of whey. Comes out to $3.69 for 32 ounces plus an equal amount of whey. Store yogurt is $4.99 for 16 ounces. So I came out ahead on dollars. Of course there was some effort involved, let's call it 20 minutes working time, but it is tastier than the store bought stuff and its real food, no preservatives, stabilizers, or fillers.

Pesto Hummus

I bought some of this at Trader Joe's 2 weeks ago. They've stumbled onto something that is pure genius. Since its a bit of a drive to get there, I made a copycat.

1 can (12 oz) cannellini beans
2T water
1 jar pesto
Olive Oil

Rinse and drain beans.

Puree beans using either a food processor or emersion blender (my choice). Add a couple Tablespoons of water to improve texture. Blend in jar of pesto. Drizzle with olive oil.

Serve with bread chunks, crackers, or veggies.
(Jack loves this and eats it plain with his fingers. We've gone through 2 jars since we discovered it 2 weeks ago.

Tortellini Soup

1 T olive oil
1 pound ground meat (I prefer Turkey)
1 onion, diced
2 cloved garlic, minced
~3 C broth
2 32 oz cans tomatoes (I used 1 crushed and 1 chopped)
Tortellini (I use 2 of those dry pouches)
1 t basil
1 t oregano
salt
pepper
Vegetables (suggested spinach, green beans, zucchini, carrots)
parmesan cheese if desired

Add oil to pan and brown meat. When meat is mostly browned, add in onions and cook until soft. Add garlic, broth, tomatoes, and vegetables if you are using fresh. Bring to boil. When water is boiling, add in tortellini and herbs. When tortellini is soft, add vegetables if you are using frozen and continue to cook until thawed and warmed.

Note, the tortellini will soak up the liquid, and your leftovers will still be tasty, but won't be soup. I've heard people say they prepare the tortellini separate and add it into the bowls to prevent it from soaking up all of the broth later on. Sprinke with cheese to serve.

The Rub

I was a vegetarian for 5 years. No meat, no fish, very strict. One day, I was up at my Mom's and she had made this dish for dinner. She asked me to join the family to eat, trying to coax me into it since it is my favorite and she was concerned about my protein intake. I refused, trying to stick to my principles. The rest of the family left, and I was there alone after dinner. I thought I'd sneak in and have the tiniest bite of the leftovers and no one would know the difference. Well, I ended up eating the entire pan--atleast a pound of fish.

The first time I made this myself, I had mostly whole spices, it tasked good, but now I prefer to break out the mortar and pestle if I don't have pre-ground spices.

I've printed the recipe the way I like it, with the sugar doubled. If you like it more salty than sweet (don't know why you would) just half the sugar. You should probably use less at a time if its saltier. My mom gave me the recipe as the saltier version, but I think she was already adding in much more sugar than it called for.

3 T salt
4 T white sugar
2 T brown sugar
2 t ground pepper
2 t celery seed
2 t paprika
2 t cayenne
1 t onion powder
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 t cumin
1/4 t ground fennel

Salmon

This is enough rub to make several meals. Store it in a container with a tightly sealing lid. I often make a big batch so that it'll be handly when we have fish.

Rinse salmon and lay out on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle VERY liberally with the spice mixture (I put it on ~1/16 inch thick). Bake or grill the fish until it flakes easily and becomes opaque.

Maple-Brined, Wood Smoked Grilled Turkey Recipe

I heard about this recipe on NPR one day, it was written by Fine Cooking - Issue No. 24. They seemed a bit possessive of their secrets (subscription only), so I found it here Maple-Brined, Wood Smoked Grilled Turkey Recipes at Cooking.com. I found this to be the most delicious Turkey ever, we had a banner year this Thanksgiving between the Turkey and the Stuffing (also posted, and raved about on my own blog).

You should allow a few days for brining and ~4 hours to cook.

Large non-reactive container for brining (no aluminum or copper). Many people use a cooler or 5 gallon bucket, I used a giant (I mean enormous) stainless steel mixing bowl and plastic wrap. Some of my turkey was hanging out. If yours hangs out of your brining container, turn it 2X per day. It's recommended to brine a thawed turkey. I didn't have that luxury, and my bird still turned out fine, I started brining Tuesday afternoon, but I wished I'd had 1-2 days longer.

Please note, a grilled turkey doesn't make drippings for gravy, so you'll need to make other arrangements. It'll be worth it.

2 C brown sugar

1 C maple syrup (use the good stuff, Mrs Butterworth won't do it)

3/4 C coarse salt (I used a mix of kosher and sea salt)

3 whole heads garlic, cloves separated (but not peeled), bruised

6 large bay leaves

1 1/2 C coarsely chopped unpeeled fresh ginger (I was out, and had to shake in some dry, I didn't use that much)

2 t dried chili flakes

1 1/2 C soy sauce

3 quarts water

Handful fresh thyme sprigs

12-14 pounds fresh turkey (I used a free range turkey. The regular freezer turkeys are injected with a brining solution, so they are not ideal for at home brining)

Olive oil to baste the bird

Combine all of the brine ingredients in an enamel or stainless-steel pot, Bring to a simmer, remove from heat and let cool completely. (I skipped the cooling step, warm water helped thaw the bird, but it may pose a food safety hazard)

Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey (impossibly to get out of a frozen bird, woulda-shoulda), rinse the bird well, and add it to the brine (or bring the brine to the bird if you're using a plastic brining vessel). Add water to cover the bird if necessary. Refrigerate for 2-4 days, turning twice a day.

To cook the turkey, remove the bird from the brine, pat it dry, and brush with olive oil. Light the grill with about 30 pieces of charcoal (hardwood lump charcoal preferred). We have a smokey Joe Weber smoker, which worked smashingly. Use a foil drip pan to catch the drippings. When the coals are hot, add a few pieces of soaked wood to smoke. Center the turkey on the upper rack of the grill, breast side up. Cover the grill and damp the vents, add coals as necessary. Try to maintain a temperature between 275 and 325F. The bird will cook for ~3.5 hours. Cook to a thigh temperature of 155F. Allow to rest 20 minutes before carving.

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

This is the new favorite soup in our house. We saw Giada make it on food network Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup. She served it with Pecorino Romano with Apples and Fig Jam Baguettes (Also delicious, and a nice salad works well too). I liked the fig jam enough to make a giant batch and add it to the deep freeze, but this is about the bean soup. By the way, I have always hated beans, hated them! These are puree'd, so its a great disguise.

2 T butter
1 T olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 sage leaf (or a sprinkle of dried)
2 (15-ounce) cans of cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed (I don't drain or rinse, there's good nutrient and fiber content in the liquid)
4 C low-sodium chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, cut in 1/2
1/2 C cream (we probably use more, who knows)
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
6 slices ciabatta bread (or serve with those Romano, apple, baguettes as above)
Olive Oil for drizzling on the bread

Place a pot over medium head, add the butter, olive oil, and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened (5 minutes). Add the sage and beans and stir to combine. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the garlic and continue to simmer until the garlic is softened, about 10 minutes. Puree with a stick blender (boat motor) if you have one, otherwise carefully transfer to the blender in thirds to puree. After blending, add the cream and the pepper. Keep warm over low heat.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the slices of ciabatta bread with olive oil. Grill until warm and golden grill marks appear (3 minutes per side).

Stuffing

The stuffing in in the upper right of the picture.

You'll probably need to zoom in to really see it since I used such dark bread.

I made this for the first time this year, adapting a recipe to make it my own. Instead of stuffing the bird, I put it in a cast iron pan and stove cooked it for a few minutes, then finished it in the oven. It was soo fantastic, seriously. Best stuffing I've ever eaten.

1 C butter

1-3 handful nuts (I used walnuts, but it was my 3rd choice after pecans and cashews)

3 celery stalks chopped (with leaves, feel free to add all of your celery leaves)

3/4 c finely chopped onion

9 cups soft bread cubes (I used 10 slides german black bread and 5 slices whole wheat, partially dried and cubed)

1/2 C dried cranberries or golden raisins

2 T chopped fresh or 1 1/2 t dried sage

1 T chopped fresh or 1 t dried thyme leaves

1 1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper (or several turns of the pepper mill)

1 C or so broth

Melt some of the butter in a pan and add the nuts to brown.

Remove nuts, leaving butter.

Add remaining butter and cook celergy and onions until tender

Stir in 1/3 of the bread cubes

Add remaining bread cubes, fruit, nuts, herbs, salt and pepper

Stir in broth until its as moist as you like it. (The recipe I adapted this from had not broth, but it called for a stuffed bird, and that's a really moist cooking method.)

Place in oven covered for ~20 minutes, then uncovered to brown. These times are approximate. I probably used a standard 350F oven. Who knows, it was Thanksgiving, and I had a lot going on.

I've heard of people forming their stuffing into balls, or making muffins. Then its already perfectly portioned. Maybe I'll try that next year.

Oil Pie Crust

This recipe comes from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook (that red plaid one your mother had). Make sure you look for it in your mother's copy, because it was there in my mom's from about 1972, but doesn't appear in my 2002 copy. This pie crust is soo easy, there's no refrigeration or cutting in. And best of all, its trans-fat free! This makes a double crust for an 8-9" pie tin.

2 C flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 C salad oil
5 T ice water
ice cubes

Put a bowl of ice water on the counter to chill (or if you're out of ice, just put a bowl of water in the freezer for a few minutes while you get the remaining ingredients ready)

In a bowl, stir together the flour and salt with a fork.
In a separate container, measure the oil and add the ice water.
Add wet ingredients to dry all at once
stir lightly with the fork (The flour should be mostly mixed into many balls. Excess flour is expected)

Form 2 balls.

Roll each ball out to size. I like to do this between 2 sheets of waxed paper, then its easy to peel off the counter and onto the pie tin. If you sprinkle a few drops of water onto the counter first, the wax paper will stay in place while you roll it out. There's no need to add flour to the waxed paper.

remove top piece of wax paper, loosely fold dough in half (still on bottom paper) to pick up, then unfold onto pie tin.

Fill with whatever yummy ingredients you like.

Crimp edges to seal. My mom always makes a nice fluted edge, pinching the layers together as she goes around. I prefer a more rustic pie with thick uneven seams.

Sheree Swenson-Dodge

Hi Everyone. I'm Sheree. I've known Jamie since we lived on the same street from the age of 4. We became good friends at about 10. I live in [rural] Lebanon, CT with my husband, Jason, and my infant son, Jackson. We are dreaming the country life with 13 wooded acres, dogs, cats, and a handful of chickens--blue egg layers, of course. I'm an aerospace engineer by day.

When I cook, I try to use the freshest ingredients and I favor whole grains, fresh herbs, healthy oils, and organic where available and reasonably priced. I'm trying to adapt to a "buy local" philosophy, but its hard to always find local.

My cooking style is pretty free and loose. I came from a home where the recipes were printed in pencil on the back of old envelopes and crammed into a folder. The index system required remembering what color of ink on which oddly shaped piece of paper the recipe was on when you made it last. My mother is a phenomenal cook, so I emulate her system. I don't bake much, so precision isn't important. When you make my recipes, feel free to add, subtract, and embellish. Most of all--"enjoy it."