Eggplant and Garbanzo Bean Soup

http://wegottaeat.com/mrhb114/recipes/roasted-eggplant-and-garbanzo-bean-soup-love-soup

This is from the Love Soup cookbook.

This soup had a good flavor and was sort of exotic tasting. David rated it pretty high for a vegetarian soup, so he must have liked it a lot. It was time consuming to make though, and I had to cook it for an extra hour because the beans weren't fully cooked. I soaked them overnight and meant to slow cook them but forgot to plug in the crockpot! So I ended up making it on the stove according to the directions, but it did take an extra hour. It could be my garbanzo beans were really old though. I can't remember when I bought them.

Split Pea Soup

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Ever-Split-Pea/Detail.aspx

I added ~1 tsp oregano, ~3/4 lb chopped ham, 2 bay leaves. I used 3 large carrots, 5-6 stalks celery, and 2 onions. I cooked it for about 90 minutes after veggies were sauteed. I did not puree at all. DH and I prefer chunky soups and this was very good, especially considering my history of disliking most split pea soup.

Mandelhornchen

http://confectionsofamasterbaker.blogspot.com/2008/07/almond-joy.html

Aka Almond Horseshoe cookies. This is really great. I adore all things almond.

Almond Cake

http://sexfoodandwriting.donnageorgestorey.com/2009/07/moist-seductive-almond-cake-dessert-you.html

I halved this (one egg) and put in my 3 cup bundt pan. It was the perfect size (for the pan), and very good! I should have powdered the pan in addition to greasing it though.

Cottage Cheese Bread

This is an old favorite of mine.

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup small curd cottage cheese

1/2 cup raisins

2 cup flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp caroway seeds

1/2 cup milk (3 oz if microwaving)

Mix all. Grease and flour an 8-in round cake pan.

Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 40 minutes.

Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then take it out and let finish cooling on a rack.

Lentil Soup

Originally based on http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000000549829

3 slices bacon

2 quarts beef broth

(Add the water/oil from any containers of tuna or sardines you may have saved. It adds some complexity to the flavor.)

2 diced carrots

1 tsp dried thyme

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 parsley sprigs

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons butter

3 cups chopped onion (2 onions)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 3/4 cups dried brown lentils (about 1 lb)

6 cups torn Swiss chard (or just torn leaves from 1 bunch of chard)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cut up bacon and drop into large pot. Saute until cooked. Add chopped onion, garlic, and carrot. (Keep bacon drippings for flavor). Saute for a couple minutes and then add broth and everything else but the last 4 ingredients. Cook on low.

30 minutes before you want to serve dinner, add lentils.

When lentils are cooked, turn off heat and add lemon juice, chard, and pepper and stir until chard is wilted. Remove bay leaves and parsley.

----------

I like this better than the Alton Brown recipe I've made in the past. I like the bacon and beef base.

Boilermaker Tailgate Chili

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Boilermaker-Tailgate-Chili/Detail.aspx

This was very good. I did not used canned chili beans, but rather used dried kidney beans that I soaked ahead of time. I used 1 jalapeno pepper instead of the 2 chili peppers and left out the sugar.

Southwest Pork and Hominy Stew

This is from the Pressure Perfect cookbook. It takes 1 hour to make, assuming a 15 minute time allowed for pressure drop.

1-2 cans white or golden hominy (I prefer two cans)

1 T olive oil

1.5 cups chopped onions

1 t whole cumin seeds

2 T tomato paste, catsup, or chili sauce (I used chili sauce)

1 cup chicken broth

1 T chili powder, plus more to taste (more was not necessary due to the chili sauce)

1/2 t salt, plus more to taste

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

2 lb boneless pork shoulder cut in 1-inch chunks

1 med zucchini, cut in 1/2 inch dice

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 t dried oregano

1/2 t dried sage

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Tortilla chips and lime wedges, for serving

Drain can of hominy and rinse kernels. heat oil in 4-quart or larger pressure cooker. Add the onions and cumin seeds and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften, about 1 minute. Blend in chili sauce. Stir in broth, chili powder, salt, bell pepper, and pork. Scatter hominy on top.

Lock lid in place. Over high heat bring to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 8 minutes. Turn off the heat. Allow the pressure to come down naturally. Remove lid, stir in the zucchini, garlic, oregano, sage, cilantro, and any extra salt or chili powder if needed. Simmer uncovered until zucchini becomes tender and the stew thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.

Serve with chips and lime wedges.

Chicken Posole

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/easy-chicken-posole/Detail.aspx

This was so good. I love chicken posole! I altered the recipe by leaving out the water and only adding 2 quarts of chicken broth. I added a chopped green bell pepper which was a fantastic addition. Also, I put in 6 raw, skinless chicken legs at the beginning instead of shredded chicken breast. I used two cans of hominy.

Removing the skin beforehand is important so it doesn't get too greasy. This would work well with chicken thighs as well.

For next time:

I think for 2 quarts of broth, using 10 chicken legs would be better. Putting in extra garlic, two onions, two bell peppers, and a third can of hominy would be great.

Full Recipe:

2 quarts broth
10 chicken legs (skin removed)
2 onions
2 cans hominy (drained)
two bell peppers
4 T chili powder
2 t salt
1 t oregano
3 cloves garlic

saute chopped onions/garlic. Add everything except hominy and bell pepper. Simmer for 60-90 minutes. Add hominy and chopped bell pepper and cook another 15-30 minutes.

Variation:

I made half a recipe tonight. I used 1 qt broth, 1 can hominy, and halved the rest of the recipe. I put in 4 chicken legs with the skin removed. No green pepper. I had shredded green cabbage that we put into the soup as we ate it. It added a nice crunch and added some nutrition. I really liked the raw cabbage.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies-iii/Detail.aspx

These cookies were good, but I didn't like so much chocolate in them. I doubled the nuts, which we both liked. Next time I make these I'll only put in half the chocolate it calls for. I think I put in some nutmeg as well, but it would probably be just as good without it.

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

This is the recipe on the back of the Safeway Quick Oats container. Super good!

Oatmeal cookies are my favorite EVER. Which is why I make only half a recipe since I want to eat them all. (really I should make even less, but then there is the Egg Issue to worry about).

1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter, softened

1.5 cups packed brown sugar

2 t vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups quick oats

1.5 cups flour

1 t baking powder

1 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1/2 t salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Mix everything together. Drop batter onto cookie sheet (greased or lined) by heaping tablespoons 1.5 inches apart. Bake 10-13 minutes or until golden brown. Cookies will feel soft but will furm up as they cool. Let stand on baking sheets 2 minutes before transferring to racks to cool. Makes about 45 cookies.

Portuguese Bean Soup

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Portuguese-Bean-Soup-II/Detail.aspx

This was very tasty soup. I didn't know what portuguese sausage was though and couldn't find any where I looked, So I used spicy pork sausage instead.

Modifications:

1 lb hot ground pork sausage (instead of 2 lb portuguese sausage)

extra ham to make up for less meat

extra quart of water (though it really should be an extra 2 quarts since most of the liquid was absorbed during cooling)

1 tablespoon of chicken stock base (equivalent to 3 bullion cubes)

For next time:

Add 4 quarts water total.

Add 2 T chicken stock base.

Put in half the amount of pasta called for.

Hamburger and Macaroni

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/hamburger_and_macaroni/

This was very tasty. I added a green bell pepper (chopped) and sauteed it with the onions since I had one I needed to use. David liked it quite a bit. We put grated cheese on top.

Rugelach (cream cheese cookies)

This is from Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook.

THE DOUGH:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Confectioners' sugar

APRICOT FILLING:

1 cup thick apricot preserves

3/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

CHOCOLATE FILLING:

1 cup (about 8 ounces) shaved bittersweet chocolate, preferably imported

1/4 cup sugar

CINNAMON-SUGAR FILLING:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. To make the dough, place the cream cheese and the butter in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle. Cream at a low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and mix until a very soft dough is formed, about 2 more minutes.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with baking parchment.

3. Mix the ingredients for the apricot or chocolate filling and divide the dough into 4 balls. Roll the balls out into 4 circles about 1/8 inch thick and 9 inches in diameter. Spread the apricot or chocolate filling over the dough. If using the cinnamon-sugar filling, brush the melted butter on first, then the combined cinnamon and sugar.

4. Using a dull knife, cut each circle of dough into 16 pie-shaped pieces about 2 inches wide at the circumference. Roll up from the wide side to the center. Place the rugelach on the parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake in the oven on the middle and lower racks, switching after 12 minutes, also switching back to front. Continue baking about 13 more minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the rugelach to racks to cool. Sprinkle the apricot and chocolate rugelach with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

-----

DH and I made 1/4 this recipe and used the apricot filling. It was yummy, but the jam oozed out during baking and turned black and gummy, which gave it a burnt flavor. Next year we'll do the chocolate filling instead.

Potato Latkes (pancakes)

This is from Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook.

10 medium russet or baking potatoes

2 medium onions

2 large or 3 medium eggs

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, bread crumbs, or matzah meal

Salt and white pepper

Vegetable oil

1.

Peel the potatoes if the skin is coarse; otherwise, just clean them well. Keep them in cold water until ready to prepare the latkes.

2.

Starting with the onions, alternately grate some of the onions on the large holes of the grater and some of the potatoes on the smallest holes. This will keep the potato mixture from blackening. Press out as much liquid as possible and reserve the starchy sediment at the bottom of the bowl. Return the sediment to the mixture. (or use a food processor)

3.

Blend the potato mixture with the eggs, flour, and salt and pepper to taste.

4.

Heat 1 inch of oil in a frying pan. Drop about 1 tablespoon of mixture for each latke into the skillet and fry, turning once. When golden and crisp on both sides, drain on paper towels. Serve with yogurt, sour cream, sugar, or applesauce.

---

When I made this for DH and me, I used 4 potatoes (did not peel), 1 egg, 1 onion, and 2 T matzah meal. We ate it all in one sitting.
---
Update 12/2012:
I made this with 2 peeled potatoes, big long ones. Like 8 oz each or so. Plus 1 egg and 1 egg white, and 3 T matzah meal. I think I forgot the onion, but it was good still. I didn't realize I'd forgotten it until just now. It was an appetizer for 4 people, with some extra left. I served with sour cream and homemade applesauce (6 peeled chopped gala apples, cooked in heavy pot, added 1/2 tsp chinese 5-spice powder and 1 T lemon juice).