Red Beans and Rice -> To Crockpot

I'm thinking this can work if done carefully.
Cook veg separate from meat
Cook Meat set aside.  drain tastiness into veg mix
Soak Beans over night
Cook Beans and veg. All day
add meat at the end.
cook rice and serve over rice

Meat should still have character

Trinity 2 C Onion 1 C Celery 1 C Pepper
4 clove garlic
2-3 TBS Cajun Seasoning
2 TBS Parsley
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp pepper
Cayenne Pepper to taste
1 Ham Steak
1 14 oz. LB Kielbasa or Andouille (adjust cayenne pepper to taste)
Brown meat on high heat, set aside with slotted spoon
pour off additional liquid and reserve

saute veg and spices 3-4 min
add garlic 1 min
set aside

In a.m. add veg and beans and stock to crock
cook all day
mash some beans
add more stock till creamy
add meat
cook rice
serve over rice

Oriental Broccoli Ramen Noodle Salad

I first had this at the Barn Door with grilled chicken, The Barn Door was by far Wilmington's best dive bar.  The businessman's cheap liquid lunch with a cheap greasy burger.  Actually the proprietor Art, loved to eat and was a very creative cook.  There was live music at night.  Punk Rock, Grunge, Metal... total 90's youth scene.  You had to walk through the band to get to the bathroom.  I am pretty sure I am one of the few patrons who knew both sides of the Barn Door.

Gripes about the usual internet recipes:  Too much sugar, no sesame oil, pre-pack Broccoli slaw is awful.

2 Packets of Ramen Noodles (chicken or beef) smashed in the bag.  (Reserve flavor packets!!!)
2 heads of Broccolli, chopped small
1/2 C pre grated carrot or 1 grated carrot
1/2 C grated or chopped cabbage
1/3 C Rice Wine Vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1/3 C Canola Oil
1/4 C Sunflower Seeds (or chopped Almonds or Cashew pieces)
1/4 C Raisins (a little sweetness or mandarin oranges. or both)
1-2 TBS brown sugar to taste (you can use white, but I find the brown sugar has a nicer tase
1-2 TBS sesame oil to taste
1-2 TBS Soy Sauce to taste
1 TBS Siricha to taste, (a Thai garlic hot pepper sauce, now available in Asian section of most groceries.)

Combine Vinegar, Oils, sugar and soy, Siricha and 1 (only one) Ramen flavor packet in a measuring cup and whisk together.
Combine smashed ramen, chopped broccoli, carrots, seeds/nuts, fruit in a bowl, and mix well with dressing.
Chill 1 - 4 hours

Works very well when served with leftover (chilled) London Broil, Grilled Chicken, Grilled Tuna or Salmon.

Carrot & Rutabaga Stew

2.5 LBS Rutabaga, cubed
1.25 LBS Carrots, cubed
6 C stock.
1 LG Onion, Diced
2 TBS Penzeys Bouquet Garni
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper (to taste)
2 cloves garlic, chopped.

Crockpot on low for 8-12 hours.  Using an immersion blender, blend about half into a purree, or remove 1/2 to blender and return to pot.

serve with cooked tortellini.

Easy Guacomole

4 Avocados
1/4 C tomatoes
1/2 diced onion
1 TBS Penzeys Arizona Dreaming
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
2 TBS Lime Juice
1/2 tsp salt
add Cumin?

Mash, do not use immersion blender.

Beef Stew = Mt + Sl + Se + St + VG

Where
B = LBS. of Beef Roast (Cubed)
oo = TBS olive oil = B
p = tsp pepper = B
s = tsp NaCl = B x 1.5
O = Onions = B / 2 (Chop Coarse)
FL = Cups of Flour =  B/4
W = Cups Red Wine = B/2
G = Garlic Cloves = B (Chop Fine)

L = Cups Beef Broth = B x 1.5

h = tsp Hungarian Paprika = B/2
bq = tsp Bouquet Garni = B
bl = Bay Leaves = B/2
w = tsp worcestershire sauce = B/2

C = Carrots = B x 1.5 (Chop)
P = Potatoes = B x 1.5 (Dice)
E = Celery Stalks = B/2 (Chopped)
A = Parsnip = B/4 (Sliced)
R = Rutabaga = B/16 (Diced Small)
T= Turnip B/4 (Diced Small)

Hh = High Heat
Hm = Med Heat
Hl = Low Heat

Brown B in oo+s+p, remove and set aside.  Cook O until soft, add FL, thicken, add diced G cook 1 min..  Deglaze with W, bring to simmer.  Add L, B, h, bq, bl, w, and simmer for 1-2 hours. Add C,P,E,A,R,T.  Simmer for 30 Minutes

(B + oo+s+p) x Hh  = Mt
(O + FL + G + W) x Mh  = Sl
(h + bq + bl + w) = Se
(Sl + L + Mt + Se) x Hl = St
(C + P + E + A + R + T) = Vg

Mt + Sl + Se + St + VG = SB
SB = ((B + oo+s+p) x Hh) + ((O + FL + G + W) x Mh) +(h + bq + bl + w) + ((Sl + L + Mt + Se) x Hl) + (C + P + E + A + R + T)

Hindustani Chicken

Inspiration comes from the strangest places...  I was craving Indian food, which I call Hindustani, because once upon a time I was speaking to a group of my trainees and telling them that cigarettes were cheaper on the Indian reservations... and I looked around me at the 8 Indian nationals I was speaking to, and said, so do you call yourselves Indians?  And I was told that they used the term Hindustani.  

I wanted curry chicken, found a mediocre recipe on the internet and have made some adjustments.  First of all I need to buy plain yogurt on a regular basis.  I used half and half (the recipe called for cream) and some sour cream. But yogurt is what is needed. Also the recipe called for to much cinnamon, so I reduced that, and did not have enough curry flavor, so I increased that.  And here is my first Hindustani recipe:   

2 lbs Chicken Breast, cut into bite size chunks
1 package chopped spinach cooked and drained
1 14-16 oz can chick peas, drained and rinsed.
1 C plain yogurt (was half and half/cream)
14 - 16 oz tomato sauce.
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 TBS Butter (Ghee if available)
1 TBS cumin
1 tsp ginger powder - need to find paste or fresh equivalent 
1 tsp paprika (reduced)
1 tsp curry powder (increased)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper - this creates a mild base add more to heat (reduced).
1/2 tsp tumeric (increased)
1/4 tsp cinnamon (reduced)

Sautee the onions in butter over med-low heat until translucent. Add garlic, cook another 1-2 minutes.
Mix all of the spices together in a small bowl.  Toss the chicken in the spices. Move the onions and garlic to the side of the pan, increase the heat to medium and sear the chicken on all sides.
Once the chicken is seared, add the tomato sauce (and fresh or tube ginger) and chick peas.  Reduce heat to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Add the yogurt/dairy and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with Naan bread and/or Basmati rice.  
Add 1/4 tsp tumeric per C of rice for a golden color. 

Noodles, Dumplings, Spaetzle und Knoedel

I haven't made any of these yet, but I remember the first time Rich showed me how to crack an egg in a cup of flour and roll it into home  made noodles.  I was amazed.  Was that all there was to it?  Apparently so.

These are a few recipes I am putting on file for future reference...

Apparently Dumplings have baking soda... or you can use Bisquick.

• 2 cups flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup milk or water

Preparation:
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together; add liquid and mix to make a batter that can be dropped from a spoon. Drop onto boiling stew, being careful there is plenty of liquid. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on size of dumplings.
http://southernfood.about.com/od/biscuitrecipes/r/bl30727f.htm

Noodles1 Egg, 1 C flour and 1 pinch salt

Mix all ingredients. Roll thin with flour, then roll like a jelly roll. Cut into 1/2 inch strips. Let dry.
Drop into hot chicken broth. Boil for 15 minutes.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/homemade-noodles/

Spaetzel

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash white pepper
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 4 quarts chicken broth or water
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

• In a bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Add eggs and milk; stir to mix well (batter will be thick). In a Dutch oven or large kettle, bring chicken broth to a boil. 
• I think they are supposed to be squeezed through a collander with large holes... which I lack.
• Drop batter by 1/2 teaspoonfuls into boiling liquid. Boil until spaetzle rise to the surface; remove to ice water. Drain well. In a skillet, heat spaetzle in butter until lightly browned. Serve with schnitzel and gravy or with Parmesan cheese. Yield: 2 servings.

And then there's Knoedel, leftover bread, formed into balls and cooked:

• 6 oz. day-old bread (3 rolls)
• 1/3 - 2/3 c. milk (75 ml)
• 2 tsp. butter
• 1/4 c. onion, minced
• 2 T. parsley, minced or 1 T. dried
• 1/4 tsp. dried marjoram
• 1 egg
• Freshly grated nutmeg (1/4 tsp. ground)

Preparation:

Making Semmelknödel

Cut or tear the rolls into small bits. Pour 1/3 cup milk over the bread and let it sit 5 minutes. Test it and see if it needs more milk. The bread should be softened but not dripping wet. Add enough milk to achieve this consistency.

Sauté the onion, parsley and marjoram in one or two teaspoons of butter.

Stir the egg and nutmeg with the bread crumbs, then add the onions and mix. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes, then mix again briefly, taste and add more spices if necessary. The dough should be firm, with pieces of the crust still visible.

With wet hands, form 4 Knödel (round dumplings) and cook 15 - 20 minutes in simmering water. Do not let the water boil. You can make Knödel in any size, just adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Note: The amount of milk you need depends on how dry the bread or rolls are and how big they are. Normal sized rolls weigh about 2 ounces.

If the dough is too wet to hold together, add some bread crumbs, either from the package, or day-old.