Borscht

1 lb beef or soup bone (optional)
3 qt water
6 potatoes, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
10 oz cabbage (3-4 cups), chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 small red beet, shredded
5 tomatoes, chopped, or 3 cups canned tomatoes or tomato juice
dill and parsley to taste
2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
Sour cream

Source: Extending the Table

1. In Dutch oven or large pot, cook beef in 3 qt water until tender.
2. Chop meat or remove from bone and return to broth.
3. Add potatoes, carrots, green pepper, and cabbage.
4. Cook until potatoes are almost tender, then add onion, beets, tomatoes, dill, parsley, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Cook until vegetables are tender.
5. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

Try #1 - January 30, 2011
We made this vegetarian tonight. The beef would be a nice addition, but not necessary. The sour cream definitely adds a lot, and I would not skip it!

Indonesian Vegetable Saute

2 Tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 cups cabbage, coarsely shredded
1 cup green beans, chopped
1 cup carrots, sliced thin diagonally
1/2 green pepper, sliced
1 tsp dried red chili pepper (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
dash of ginger
2 eggs, scrambled (optional)

1. Heat oil in a wok or frypan, and fry onion and garlic.
2. Add cabbage, green beans, carrots, green pepper, red chili pepper, salt, sugar, and bay leaf. Stir-fry 5-7 minutes until crisp-tender. Add scrambled eggs, if desired.
3. In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, brown sugar, and ginger. Add to vegetables. Cook about 2 minutes. Do not overcook. Serve with rice.

Source: Extending the Table

Try #1 - January 22, 2011
This was a good way to use some leftover cabbage, and a nice twist on a simple stir-fry. I added two eggs directly into the frypan (uncooked) at the end; they cooked fine... but looked kind of gross. Next time I'll scramble the eggs separately and add them in.

Black-Eyed Pea Soup

1 pound dried black eyed peas
1 pound spicy sausage
6 cups chicken broth
1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
4 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Tabasco sauce (to add at the end to taste)

1. Soak your beans overnight. Drain and pick out the undesirables (broken, discolored beans) in the morning.
2. Use a 5 to 6 quart crockpot. This will serve about 8 people. Dice the veggies, and dump them into your crockpot with the pre-soaked beans. Add sliced sausage. Pour in broth, and stir in Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
3. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for about 6. Before serving, use a stick blender to smash up about 1 cup of beans. If you don't have a stick blender, scoop out 1 cup of beans, blend them in a traditional blender, and add back to the soup. Don't blend too much---just enough to get the broth thicker and creamy-looking.
4. Ladle into bowls, and add Tabasco sauce to taste.

Source: A Year of Slow Cooking

Try #1 - January 21, 2011
This was delicious! I'll admit I was skeptical, but it was really good. I used beer brats from Trader Joe's, which worked well; a slightly spicier sausage would also have been good. I skipped the blender step, which was fine, and made for less dishes. Nathan really liked it, and thought the flavors were even better the next day. We'll make this again! We served it with corn bread, which was an excellent complement.

Note: PCC sells black-eyed peas in bulk.

Chocolate Revel Bars

1 cup butter, divided
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 cup whole wheat flour)
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats (I used regular oats)
1 14-ounce can (1-1/4 cups) sweetened condensed milk
1 12-ounce package (2 cups) semisweet chocolate pieces
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
2 tsp vanilla

1. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the butter. In a large mixing bowl beat the remaining butter or margarine with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar; beat until well mixed. Beat in eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla.
2. In another large bowl stir together flour and baking soda; stir in oats. Gradually stir dry mixture into beaten mixture. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan combine the reserved butter, the sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate pieces. Cook over low heat until chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts and the 2 teaspoons vanilla.
4. Press two-thirds (about 3-1/3 cups) of the oat mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan (line with foil). Spread chocolate mixture over the oat mixture. Using your fingers, dot remaining oat mixture over the chocolate.
5. Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 25 minutes or until top is lightly browned (chocolate mixture will still look moist). Cool on a wire rack. Cut into 2x1-inch bars. Makes about 75 bars.

Make-Ahead Tip: Line the baking pan with foil, extending the foil over edges of pan. Prepare and bake bars in foil-lined pan as above. Cool; lift bars out of pan on the foil. Place uncut bars in freezer bag or container (pre-cut bars freeze just fine too, and make it easy to take a few out at a time!). Seal, label, date, and freeze up to 1 month. Thaw bars at room temperature about 15 minutes. Once thawed, cut into bars.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

Try #1 - January 18, 2011
Yummy! I used regular oats instead of quick-cooking, and it was fine. I don't have a 15x10 pan, so I used one 8x11 and one 8x8. Lining the pan with foil worked great - it makes it so easy to lift it out of the pan and cut it. These also freeze really well.

Apple Tart

This recipe was given to me by Lisa Knight, who made it up herself (she's a genius!!). I made a couple of changes, but I love it!!!

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup flour (I use whole wheat)
2 apples, thinly sliced (peel if desired - I usually don't)
Topping:
Caramel syrup (1 cup or less, to taste)
OR 3 Tbsp brown sugar plus 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more, to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Mix sugar and butter in a bowl with a fork or pastry cutter.
3. Cut in flour. Mix until it is a crumb mixture that can press into the bottom of a pan to become bottom crust. Mixture will be fairly dry.
4. Press into bottom and sides of a greased pan (9 inch pie, quiche/tart, or cake pan).
5. Lay apples in an overlapping pattern on top of crust. Bake 15 minutes. Open oven and drizzle caramel syrup or brown sugar/cinnamon on top of apples. Continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes more.

Note: Can be made gluten free with rice flour/tapioca flour mixture.
Variation: Spread 1/4 inch softened cream cheese on top of crust before the apple layer.