Poets' Favorite Recipes

[foehn]

honeyed carrots

2 cups slivered carrots
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 tsp basil
salt to taste

Steam carrots and basil until carrots are tender; drain if necessary. Add butter or margarine over low heat. Stir until melted; stir in honey and salt to taste. Serve hot.

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Any of the ingredients above can be added to or subtracted from. I found this a good recipe for getting a picky kid to eat carrots (but without the basil).

Slivering the carrots can be time-consuming, but really lets their flavor explode. I like to cut whole, peeled carrots in half, then cut them lengthwise into slivers about the size of a soda straw, or, if I'm feeling spunky and have the time, even smaller.

 

[foehn]

Chicken-fried steak

Cubed steak
flour
milk
salt
coarse-ground pepper
vegetable oil

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This is messy, but scrumptuous; and traditionally a favorite meal in most parts of Texas.

I like to select cubed steak (mechanically tenderized) that is well-marbled with a bit of fat. They are more tender and flavorful, but any "cubed" or "tenderized" steaks will work.

One steak about 4" in diameter will feed one person. The process of breading the steak will almost double its size.

Pour some milk in a shallow bowl. This will be used in the breading process.

Depending on how many steaks you are preparing, you may need to add flour and seasonings as you continue breading, but for just a few steaks:

Put about a cup of flour on a plate or large paper plate or platter. (Paper plates certainly simplify the clean-up process.) For about every cup of flour, add a half tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of coarse ground pepper (optional - not everyone likes pepper).

Stir and spread the flour, salt and pepper on the platter, to an area twice as large as the steaks. With each steak:

Lay atop the bed of flour, and with fingertips, press into the flour, hard, and thoroughly. Flip the steak over and repeat. Lay aside, on a separate platter or plate, repeating the same process with each steak.

Now, submerge each steak in turn in the bowl of milk, and repeat the process... pressing the steak into the flour/salt/pepper mixture. Additional flour will adhere, the steaks will continue to expand in size, and the breading will begin to acquire a flaky texture. Your fingers will also get extremely globbed up with flour. In this regard, it helps to have some warm water handy for washing your hands free of the breading.

Lay the twice-breaded steaks aside on a platter, separately. These are ready to cook.

Heat about 1/4 inch of cooking oil in a large skillet over medium-high flame. When hot, lay breaded steaks gently in the oil. A large burner or a thick skillet will help cook the steaks more evenly.

When blood begins to puddle in the center of the steaks, turn over and cook for the same amount of time on the other side, usually 3 - 4 minutes. Top side will be golden-brown, and bottom side will have dark spots that look a bit burned, but that's normal. When done, lay separately on paper towels to drain.

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Chicken-fried steak is traditionally served with mashed potatoes and white gravy, salad, another favorite vegetable and bread.

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[Angeline]

I saw this on another site and thought it qualified as an erotic dessert--in a way, lol. It sure sounds delicious.

And I had to post it--look where it's from.

Parisian Warm Chocolate

This variation on hot chocolate is based on the one served in Paris at the famed Angelina's on the Rue de Rivoli. Ultra rich and not too sweet this chocolately concoction is best appreciated in small portions.

1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
Garnish:
Sweetened cream, softly whipped
Ground cinnamon, optional

In a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring the milk, cream, and sugar to a simmer together, heating just until bubbles appear around the edges of the liquid.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate, stirring to melt it completely. If necessary return the pan to low heat while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted. The mixture should appear smooth, evenly colored and very warm.
Serve warm in demitasse or espresso coffee cups with softly whipped cream and a shake of cinnamon if desired.
Serves 4.

 

[Maria2394]

okay this is going to sound gross but it really is tasty and people will think you cooked


1 jar of grape jelly
1 jar chilli sauce
1 pack of frozen meatballs

put them in a crock pot. The longer the better.

yes
lazy

yes Anna, that does sound gross, but I had a coworked who made them for a Christmas party once and they were awesome, never would have thought that grape jelly could do that to meat balls

 

[Maria2394]

If you dont have much of a life, ( like me) and want some damned good chili, heres how to get it.

1 lb pintos, cooked in crock pot till tender, do not drain.

2-3 lbs ground beef, or turkey ( it really does taste the same)

2 large cans diced tomatoes ( in summer, use fresh, theres no excuse not to, especially if you have a garden)

1 large red onion, diced

3-4 stalks celery, (less if you dont really like the stuff), sliced thin

3 pieces of garlic, yes, fresh stuff, it lowers cholesterol and has other good qualities, feed it to your honey and he/she wont mind the aroma

1 tbsp chili powder, ( use fresh seasonings if you have them)
salt perrep to taste, I add extra cruched red pepper to mine, or fresh jalapenos if I have them. This is a mild chili, heat it up to your own taste.

brown meat, drain excess fat, add veggies and then add beans with liquid, if needed, add extra water. Bring to slow boil, then reduce heat to simmer, let cook, stirring often, for about an hour, or until veggies are soft. If it looks watery, or thin, dont worry, It will cook down, and its delicious. Serve with cheese, and crackers, or whatever makes you tingle, ps, tequila is a good after chili drink

 

[Angeline]

Oh I have a recipe like that that always gets raves and it's ridiculously simple. Perfect for summer parties (which for me at the moment in a frozen landscape sounds pretty nice).

Summer Pasta Salad

1 lb thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1 large bottle robust italian or caesar type dressing
1 package salad supreme salad seasoning
veggies (peppers, onion, tomato, cukes, broccoli, carrots, zukes, etc.)
fresh black pepper

Cut up all the veggies into bite-sized pieces. Cook the pasta al dente and let it cool a bit. Mix in the dressing and the seasoning. Add the veggies and toss. Grate black pepper to taste.

If you want it to be really wonderful you can add torn up fresh basil and pine nuts (about a quarter cup so so). Sometimes I put some red pepper flakes in, too.

Let it sit in the fridge overnight. It will be perfect the next day, I promise.

 

[foehn]

hey, these are great! thanks!

I mostly just want to keep the thread alive. I want more recipes. Yeah, I know... greedy.

Here's breakfast for my ten year old:

2 slices bacon, fried crisp but not burned.
2 slices American cheese. Not "cheese food," but real cheese, the kind that Europeans and Canadians complain about, even though they invented it. (Maybe. )

One patty of frozen hash browns.
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 hot skillets
1 cup of querer for your boy

Start the bacon frying first, medium high, lowering heat as it cooks. Heat vegetable oil in separate pan for frying hash browns on high heat, lower if not frozen.

Turn and finish frying bacon. Remove and turn off heat.

Get the cheese and eggs available. Turn over the hash browns (in the separate pan)...

Chop the bacon into half-inch pieces.

Crunch the hash browns into an amorphous mass with a spatula.

Crack two eggs into the skillet in which the bacon was cooked.

Add the chopped bacon. Turn the burner back on, medium. Add the crunched hash browns. Add the cheese (tearing it into strips if you wish)... Scramble with a fork until cooked.

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It's really a lot simpler and faster-paced than it sounds, here. And it's one of the few breafasts my ten year old will eat.


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