Category Archives: Cookbook V2

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Posted on March 15, 2014 by | Leave a comment

3 c flour
2 c sugar
1/2 c cocoa
2 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
2 c water
2/3 c oil
2 T vinegar
2 t vanilla
1 c chocolate chips
8 oz cream cheese
1 egg
1/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 c chocolate chips

Mix ingredients up to cream cheese well in a bowl. Fill paper-lined cupcake pans half full with the mixture. In a bowl, beat the cream cheese well and add the remaining ingredients. Put about 1 T of the filling on top of the batter in the center of the cupcakes. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes.

Notes: This easy, incredibly good recipe came from a teacher/friend of the kids’ grade school in the ’70s and we’ve made it a zillion times since. Great for potlucks and treats at work.

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Posted in Cookbook V2, Desserts, Maureen and Ron's Recipes

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Reuben Soup

Posted on March 15, 2014 by | Leave a comment

6 c chicken broth
¾ lb corned beef brisket, cooked and chopped
1 can sauerkraut, drained
1 large carrot, grated
½ c onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minted
½ t dried thyme
¼ t ground white pepper
¼ t dried tarragon
1 bay leaf
3 T cornstarch
1/3 c water
2 c shredded swiss cheese
1 c whipping cream
Rye bread cubes, toasted

Combine the first ten ingredients in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring until smooth. Stir mixture into soup. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil one minute. Remove from heat. Add shredded cheese and cream, stirring until cheese melts. Top each serving with rye cubes. Yields 12 c.

Notes: Good winter supper served with rye bread.

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Posted in Cookbook V2, Soups and Stews, Tom and Lois's Recipes

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Roasted Grapes and Blue Cheese

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¼ c sugar
3 T water
½ vanilla bean
3 c seedless red grapes, stemmed and washed
4 large grape leaves, optional
4 oz gorgonzola, crumbled

Combine sugar, water, and vanilla in a shallow 9×9 baking dish, stir. Add grapes to the dish and bake at 400 for 20 minutes, shaking once or twice. Discard vanilla bean. Put grape leaves on each of the four plates. Arrange the warm grapes and drizzle with syrup. Divide the cheese into four servings and sprinkle it onto each plate.

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Posted in Appetizers and Dips, Cookbook V2, Tom and Lois's Recipes, Vegetarian

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Penne with Vodka and Tomato Cream Sauce

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1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 20 oz can plum tomatoes, drained, seeded, and chopped
1 cup whipping cream
¼ c vodka
¼ t dried crushed red pepper
1 pound penne pasta
Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Minced fresh chives

Melt butter with oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onin and sauté until translucent, about eight minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until almost no liquod remains in pan, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes. Add cream, vodka, and red pepper, and boil until thickened to sauce consistency, about two minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, but firm to bite, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Drain well. Transfer to a large bowl. Bring sauce to simmer. Pour over pasta and toss well. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and chives, and serve.

Notes: (From Shannon) This one was originally from Bon Appetit, and has been a regular in the houses of Tom and Rita, Allan and Linda, and Michael and me. I prefer to use tomato puree so it’s saucier, ignoring the part about cooking “until almost no liquid remains”…but here’s the recipe as it appeared in the magazine.

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Posted in Allan and Linda's Recipes, Cookbook V2, Sauces, Shannon and Michael's Recipes

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Summer Garden Salsa

Posted on March 15, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Red pepper
Orange pepper
Green pepper
Yellow pepper
Green onion
Red onion
Cucumber, peeled and seeded
Corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chopped tomatoes
Basil
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
Cumin
Cayenne pepper
Hot pepper flakes
Vinegar
Sugar

Add equal parts diced red, green, orange, and yellow pepper, plus some diced green and red onion, chopped cucumber, and fresh corn. Feel free to add any other vegetables you have lying around. Add the black beans and tomatoes. Throw in some fresh basil and oregano if you have any. Add salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper, and hot pepper flakes, all to taste. Finally, add equal parts sugar and vinegar, beginning with ¼ c each. Don’t add more liquid until the salsa sits for a while. Chill several hours, ideally overnight.

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Posted in Appetizers and Dips, Cookbook V2, Shannon and Michael's Recipes

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Football Sunday Beans

Posted on March 15, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Onion
Garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
2 c baked beans, B&M brand
1 c black beans
¼ c maple syrup
¼ c cider vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Mustard
Oregano
Ketchup

Saute chopped onion and garlic on olive oil. Add baked beans to drained and rinsed black beans. Add maple syrup and cider vinegar. Add salt, pepper, dry mustard, and oregano, all to taste. Maybe put a squirt of ketchup in if you like that kind of thing. Cook over medium heat for at least an hour, allowing some of the excess liquid to boil off.

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Posted in Cookbook V2, Shannon and Michael's Recipes, Sides, Vegetarian

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Nicaraguan Gallo Pinto

Posted on March 15, 2014 by | Leave a comment

¼ lb black beans, dry
2 T vegetable oil
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 c white rice
2 Roma tomatoes

Soak dry beans for as long as possible (overnight’s the best). Boil for 1-1.5 hours without adding water. Set aside. Dice onion and green pepper and brown in oil for 1-2 minutes. Add rice and brown/toast one minute. Add diced tomatoes and two fingers of water. Simmer until rice is done. Add beans with a little of their “soup”. Mix with rice over heat for one minute. Serves two. !Buen provecho!

Notes: This is the Nicaraguan staple dish. It’s best with real Central American black beans cooked over a wood fire, real Nicaraguan creama (sour cream), and a stack of hot, soft, corn tortillas. But if you can’t do that, it’s also great fried in a substantial amount of oil! It’s sclerotic or nutritious, depending on how you look at it: the tomato is my addition, the Vitamin C in the tomato will help your body make the most of the iron in the beans. Hey, it kept me alive for 2.5 years! Pronounced: GUY-yo PEEN-toe

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Posted in Cookbook V2, Entrees, Lily's Recipes, Vegetarian

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Ron and Lil’s Dinner Companion

Posted on March 15, 2014 by | Leave a comment

It drives Maureen a little nuts, but Dad and I have to have our bread at dinner with a deep dish of olive oil, which gets passed across the table at every bite. Variations include Marisa’s with balsamic vinegar splashed into the oil, but I prefer it very green and straight up.

1 loaf Italian bread, non-sour, such as Como or Ciabatta, with holes to hold the oil
1 bottle extra virgin olive oil, very green and, preferably, very expensive, from the mother country if at all possible

Tear and dip. Do not worry about drips.

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Posted in Breads, Cookbook V2, Lily's Recipes, Sides

Bruschetta

Posted on March 15, 2014 by | Leave a comment

1 loaf italian bread, a non-sour, soft bread with few holes so that it will hold the topping.
6 Roma tomatoes
3 ounces kalamata olives, pitted, preferably from the deli
1 package fresh basil
4 cloves garlic
4 ounces feta cheese, from the deli
extra virgin olive oil

Dice tomatoes. Dice olives. Dice basil leaves. Dice garlic. Mix all. Crumble in feta cheese. Coat lightly in olive oil. Add minced garlic to taste.

Slice bread rather thickly. Paint both sides of the slice with olive oil and broil in oven or brown in pan on top of the stove, so that outside is toasted and crunchy and the inside is soft. Serve bread and topping separately. For the most scrumptious combo, pile toasts high with topping. Serves about 4-5, depending on how much you love this stuff!

Notes: Thanks to Pat (our food-fantastic friend of the family), I am famous among my family for this dish, which even non-tomato-eating Ellen likes! It took burning a few of my mom’s brand new pans (and some other things around the kitchen) for Pat to teach it to me and to get the crostini toasted just right, but it’s almost better than anything I ever ate in Italy! An anytime great appetizer.

Pronounced: bru-SKAY-tah. Warning: Can be messy to eat, and hands smell of garlic and olives for days after preparation, but very worth it.

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Posted in Appetizers and Dips, Breads, Cookbook V2, Lily's Recipes

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Crepes

Posted on March 15, 2014 by | Leave a comment

1 c flour
1 c milk
3 eggs
1 pinch salt
¼ c sugar

Combine ingredients, adding more flour or milk if too thick or too runny. Pour by quarter cupfuls into a crepe pan, swirling batter around. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Serve with fruit, butter, powdered sugar, or syrup.

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Posted in Breakfast, Cookbook V2, Mary Rose and Dave's Recipes