CLOSED Free Recipe Contest to win $40/Cookies from NoLuck!

Posted:07.03.2009, 14:16

BROCCOLI SMASHED POTATOES

Ingredients:
1 pound Yukon Gold or other yellow-fleshed potatoes, peeled
4 cups medium broccoli florets
1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced
1/2 cup low-fat (1%) milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon ground mace

Instructions:
Place the potatoes in a deep saucepan and cover with cold water to a depth of 2". Cook uncovered over high heat until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes.

While the potatoes cook, steam the broccoli and leek until the broccoli is very soft, about 15 minutes. Drain in a colander.

Drain the potatoes and place them in a deep bowl. Using a sturdy fork, mash the potatoes into roughly 1" chunks. Add the broccoli and leek, mashing until only small lumps of the broccoli remain. Add the milk, 2 tablespoons at a time, mashing until the texture is pleasing to you. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until it is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes, taking care it does not burn. Stir in the mace.

To serve, spoon the smashed potatoes into a serving bowl. With the back of the spoon, smooth the top, leaving several shallow indentations. Drizzle the butter, letting it pool in the hollows. Serve immediately.

**Moderator**

gjr1961,

**Moderator**

This contest ends in 2 days!

Posted:12.03.2009, 20:38

GREEN STUFF

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
CRUST:
50 Ritz crackers, coarsely crushed
1/2 cup margarine, melted

FILLING:
2 small packages pistachio pudding
1 1/2 cups milk
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened

FROSTING:
2 large containers Cool Whip
4 Heath Bars, crushed
1. In a medium-sized bowl, crush Ritz crackers. Layer crackers in bottom of 13- x 9- x 2-inch glass baking dish.

2. In a small saucepan, melt margarine over low heat. Pour margarine evenly over crackers.

3. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool.

4. In a large bowl, combine pudding, milk and ice cream mixing thoroughly. Pour over cooled crust.

5. Frost with all of the Cool Whip. Sprinkle with crushed candy.

6. Freeze. Remove 1 hour before serving.

Posted:12.03.2009, 21:09

Green Tea Shortbread with Poppy Seeds

(makes about 25 small squares)

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, well softened and cut into small chunks

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1-2 tablespoons for topping

Generous 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon rice flour

2 tablespoons finely ground green tea

1/4 cup poppy seeds

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Using a mixer on medium speed, cream butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy. With mixer on low speed, gradually add all-purpose flour, rice flour, tea, and poppy seeds. The dough should start to come together like moist pie pastry and form into clumps. Alternatively, if using a wooden spoon, cream butter, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Gradually add flours, tea, and poppy seeds, beating well after each addition, until dough is well blended and forming clumps.

Press dough into a 9-inch square baking pan, removing any air pockets. Prick with a fork, pricking right through to the pan, making rows of marks spaced 1/2 inch apart. Then cut into fingers 1 1/2 inches by 1/2 inch or into 1-inch squares (I cut mine into about 1 1/2-inch squares).

Bake until edges of shortbread pull away from sides of pan and top is touched with brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

Cut shortbread again while still in the pan. Sprinkle on 1-2 tablespoons sugar, then carefully lift shortbread out and place on a rack to cool. (I prefer leaving them in the pan until they are cool because they crumble so easily when warm.)

Posted:12.03.2009, 21:21

Green Tea Shortbread Cookies

These cookies are crisp and delicate, good with or without filling. The recipe below will make a mildly sweet cookie, but you can increase the sugar by one to two tablespoons, if desired. If you have any fancy butter in the fridge, this is a great time to use it as the flavor will really come through.

It took some hunting around to find matcha — green tea powder. Several tea shops carried it, but required a quarter-pound purchase. We finally lucked out at Whole Foods, which carries the Rishi brand in small quantities.

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened green tea powder (matcha)
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Superfine sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Whisk dry ingredients in a small bowl. In a larger one, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until just smooth. Add the almond extract, then all of the dry ingredients. Divide the dough in half and shape into two discs, wrapped in plastic. Chill the discs for an hour or two in the refrigerator, or until completely firm.

Roll the dough to your desired thickness (for the small leaves, I went for about 1/8″) on a floured board. You will probably want to lightly flour the top of the dough, too, before rolling. Cut with cookie cutters into your desired shape (if you are making sandwich cookies, consider a shape that will match when mirrored, something I wasn’t bright enough to see coming), arranging them on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. They barely expand, so there is no need to leave an abundance of space between cookies. Sprinkle a thin coat of superfine sugar over the cookies (optional).

Bake them in a preheated 325°F oven until lightly golden at the edges. For thin, small cookies this took 15 minutes. The darker the edges, the more intense the flavor and, some say, the longer the cookies will keep.

White Chocolate Ganache Filling

The reason why I said white chocolate is an “infernal pain in the ass to work with” is that most white chocolate sold is falsely labeled as such. A couple white “chocolates” to outright avoid: Ghiradelli White Chips (note the absence of the word chocolate; oddly enough, their White Chocolate Baking Bar, which I used, is the real deal), and Nestle Premier White Morsels (for the same reason). While these may be okay for a brownie or chocolate chip cookie, they do not melt smoothly into a ganache or coating. Even the better-quality stuff easily separates from the warmth of your hand in a piping bag (it’s not pretty) so try to work quickly.

4 ounces white chocolate, chopping into very small pieces
3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream

Heat the chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir it completely, then repeat this process, if necessary, in 15-second increments. Don’t let the chocolate burn.

Add heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time, stirring until smooth. Cool ganache in the refrigerator, stirring every few minutes, until firm enough to spread or pipe between cookies.

One you have filled and assembled your cookies, I find that shocking them in the freezer for 5 minutes get the chocolate to firm up quickly without sogging the cookie, so they can be stored at room temperature until needed.

Posted:12.03.2009, 21:50

Green Tomato Pie
Prep: 15 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 9-inch pie shell double crust
2 cups green tomatoes
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Directions:

Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Sprinkle over sliced tomatoes, coating them. Pour into pastry lined dish. Dot with butter or margarine. Cover with second crust, fluting edges. Cut three or four slits in top to allow steam to escape. Bake at 375 degree F (190 degrees C) for 35 to 40 minutes.

Posted:12.03.2009, 22:01

Grilled Chicken Salad Prep: 10 minutes
Grill: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. garlic powder OR 2 cloves garlic, minced
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. chili powder
6 cups mixed salad greens torn in bite-size pieces
1 can (about 16 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium oranges, peeled and sliced
2 green onions, sliced

Directions:

Mix the picante sauce, 2 tablespoon oil, lime juice and garlic powder.

Sprinkle the chicken with chili powder. Brush with the remaining oil.

Heat the grill to medium and grill chicken for 15 minutes or until done, turning once. Slice the chicken into strips.

Place the salad greens on 4 plates. Top with the chicken, beans and oranges. Sprinkle with the onions and pour the picante sauce mixture over all.

Posted:13.03.2009, 07:12

good stuff down here!!

polish tradition, you can stuff them with meat, sour kraut, or all kinds of fruits my grandma and mom used to make them for me!

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

* 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2 tablespoons butter, melted
* 2 cups sour cream
* 2 eggs
* 1 egg yolk
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
*
* 8 baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
* 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
* 2 tablespoons processed cheese sauce
* onion salt to taste (optional)
* salt and pepper to taste

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What to Drink?
Wine Sparkling wine
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DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, sour cream, eggs, egg yolk and oil. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour until well blended. Cover the bowl with a towel, and let stand for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Place potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, and mash with shredded cheese and cheese sauce while still hot. Season with onion salt, salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
3. Separate the perogie dough into two balls. Roll out one piece at a time on a lightly floured surface until it is thin enough to work with, but not too thin so that it tears. Cut into circles using a cookie cutter, perogie cutter, or a glass. Brush a little water around the edges of the circles, and spoon some filling into the center. Fold the circles over into half-circles, and press to seal the edges. Place perogies on a cookie sheet, and freeze. Once frozen, transfer to freezer storage bags or containers.
4. To cook perogies: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop perogies in one at a time. They are done when they float to the top. Do not boil too long, or they will be soggy! Remove with a slotted spoon.

FOOTNOTES

*
Tips
*
For best results, choose potatoes that have as little water in them as possible such as Russets.
*
Choose a rolling pin that is very heavy - it will be easier to roll out the dough.
*
The perogies are less likely to burst during cooking if they are frozen when you put them in the boiling water.

**Moderator**

Thanks for all the great recipes! The winner was picked
randomly by a friend and the winner is Prowan52

Prowan52, Do you want cookies or cash?

Posted:13.03.2009, 11:30

wow thank you TDTAT Cash Please.

Posted:13.03.2009, 11:31

Congrats Prowan52!!

Posted:13.03.2009, 12:18

Congrats prowan52!!

Posted:13.03.2009, 14:53

Way to go, Prowan!!

Posted:13.03.2009, 16:10

Congrats prowan52!!